Showing posts with label nasty gal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nasty gal. Show all posts

Friday, April 5, 2013

April Inspiration Board



     With only a month left of school, but what feels like two months worth of work, I need a little inspiration in my life. I have a lot of possible opportunities opening up, but that also means facing the uncertainty that follows them. Along with finishing my final class assignments, I'm trying to find an internship in Boston, looking for a summer sublet, and searching for an apartment for the next school year. I am just starting my new job as a stylist at Club Monaco and I'm both excited and nervous.

     This haze of decisions, planning, and hopefulness calls for a lighter mood in inspiration. I want blue skies, lots of white, and clean lines. I've been obsessed with Rihanna's Harper's Bazaar shoot last August...I'm really just obsessed with Rihanna in any photos she takes, but these are among my favorites and the styling goes with the simplicity I'm going for. Her white, thigh-high slit dress is stunning. I found a similar cut-out version in black from Nasty Gal that I would love to add to my wardrobe.

     I'm also loving Rebecca Minkoff's daring spring collection. It's sporty and 60s inspired, but executed in a minimalist style. The prints are vibrant but used sparingly, and she inlayed angular pieces of contrasting fabrics onto several pieces. The other part of her collection that I like so much is how the lookbook pictures were shot. The clothes were modeled in an oasis-like desert with a big pool in front of a mountainous backdrop.

     Another look from the spring shows I really liked was a pant and blouse set from 10 Crosby Derek Lam. Striped patterns were paired together -- the blouse, a white shirt with both straight and angular navy stripes, with blue printed trousers in criss-cross black stripes. Both pieces are very bold, but they work well in balancing each other out.

     I included a detail shot of a dress from the Lanvin spring runway in my inspiration board because I liked the angles created at the neckline and waist with contrasting fabric. I also liked the origami-like folds at the hip and shoulder.

     For the little details, I'm loving lots of delicate, thin rings stacked on a couple fingers. For fingertips, a pale  pink shade of polish looks even more graceful with slivers of silver at the tips.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

SwayChic Denim Jacket

 
I've been in need of a cool denim jacket -- the kind you can pair with anything to make it edgier or wear on top of a summer dress when it's chilly at night. It's been long enough that I haven't owned one, so when SwayChic let me choose something from their website to review I picked their Acid Wash Denim Jacket.


It came to me wrapped in turquoise tissue paper, like I was getting a present in the mail! Lately, it's been a little too cold to wear because New England calls for winter coats long after spring break. But I finally took it out today and loved how it looked with my psychedelic dress and new Urban Outfitters sneaker wedges.


The jacket is 100% cotton, made by Thread & Supply, and costs $39.95. So far, it's held up well and is comfortable. Since it is denim, it's a little stiff, restricting movement in the arms, but with a couple washes it will probably break in a bit. I really like how the acid wash is more unique than a typical light-wash denim jacket so it'll jazz up simpler pieces.


SwayChic is like a less-expensive version of Nasty Gal. It has the same edgy hipster style of clothing, carries different brands, and even the models have a similar look. As much as I love Nasty Gal, a denim jacket for under $40 is a little more college student friendly than one for $100. Sway has a lot of great options for trendy part dresses and vintage-inspired clothes.


In other news, I just bought these high-top sneaker wedges at Urban Outfitters and haven't been able to take them off! I've been wearing them all weekend because I'm so happy with them. I've been wanting a pair since the trend first broke out and just happened to come upon these at Urban's college night sale. An extra 30% off and I wasn't going to pass these up...even for a pair of black over-the-knee boots that were only $5!


Just last weekend I had a previous Urban excursion and got these earrings and an awesome dress (which will be in another blog post to come). I've been needing tiny gold studs for my second holes so I liked this duo of black stones and gold skulls. 

Photo credits: Andy Cahill

Disclaimer: The product given to me by SwayChic was free, however it is important to me to write my honest impression of the company and products, without bias.


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Adventures in Copyright

     My favorite fashion news outlet, Fashionista, has a regular post called "Adventures in Copyright" that showcases a designer's look that has been copied by someone else. These posts challenge the question of whether there should be copyright protection for fashion designs. Or maybe the fact that anyone can create what a designer made first is the way fashion revolves? I've created my own version of their posts to analyse these questions.



Tied Crochet Dress from Nasty Gal vs. Delicate Lace Top Body Con Dress from Charlotte Russe
     
      It's completely obvious that these two dresses are one in the same. Aside from a couple minor details, these dresses are mirror images, yet one is half the price. The Nasty Gal dress is $68, while the one from Charlotte Russe is $26.99. Lace overlay has been a big trend for a few years now, so the design for these dresses could have been taken from any designer. However, it looks very McQueen -inspired to me.

These looks from the Alexander McQueen Spring 2012 show have similar lace necklines.
      Earlier this year, I discovered Johanna Blakley's speech on TED about how the fashion industry actually benefits from this lack of protection. She has a philosophy that identifies with collaborative thinking; when people keep building off of an idea, there is more progress than someone keeping an idea to himself. The gross sales within industries without copyright protection such as fashion, automobiles, and food, are substantially higher than highly protected industries such as film, books, and music. This seems to prove that while little to no copyright protection may not help fashion designers in their own right, it's what keeps the industry flourishing. After all, designers are constantly taking ideas from the past to evolve their own work. The nature of fashion is to interpret one idea into another, so without copying ideas there wouldn't be innovation of new ones.

     

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Latest Obsession: Cutout vs. Inset



     Dresses with asymmetrical cutouts have been getting more and more popular, and as this year's prom is getting nearer, I have been considering this trend as an option for my dress. I love both strategically cut slits and lace paneling. Each style turns a simple dress into a much more intriguing version of itself, while little glimpses of skin add unexpected sexiness. I want something a lot more simple this year that will focus more on the fun of it being my last prom. I want to take more of a risk and go edgier than I have in the past, so I like the way these dresses accomplish that without going overboard.

One Shoulder Lace Inset Black Dress - $15 - 1015store.com; Laced Drape Dress in Mocha - $58 - nastygal.com; Slinky Lace Inset Dress - $26.99 - charlotterusse.com;  Sparkle & Fade Ponte Cutout Beaded Bodycon Dress - $24.99 - urbanoutfitters.com; Balmain Studded Cutout Dress - $1,603.50 - theoutnet.com; Alice & Olivia Tina Seamed Cutout Dress - $297 - shopbop.com.



Purchase your prom dress at Rent the Runway from March 29th-31st and get $10 off with the promo code: PROMREP17A142

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Savvy Shopping Sunday (N° 3)


Hey guys!
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so it's a great time to seek out the sales! From lacy lingerie to free shipping, there are plenty of stores that are giving special gifts to all of their valentines! Hope you all enjoy your weekend retail!

xoxo

(click the pictures to enlarge)










Sunday, January 16, 2011

Savvy Shopping Sunday Kick Off



    I've decided to switch some things around. Instead of having my Who Belongs to These Shoes posts on Sundays I will have them on Wednesdays. Then, on Sundays I will have my new segment Savvy Shopping Sunday. I receive countless emails and newsletters from my favorite stores, so I thought it would be a good idea to spread the love and fill you in on sales, gifts with purchases, free shipping, and discount codes. So grab your remote (to watch Sunday night football, of course) and your laptop and get ready for some savvy shopping!
(click the pictures to shop)





     I hope all you fabulous ladies (and gents) have had a lovely weekend! Mine was great until the Patriots just lost their playoff game against the Jets! I was able to see one of my graduated friends while she was home from college...we went to a concert on Friday, which was pretty awesome. Then today, I did a little shopping with what was left on my Christmas giftcards and I also have tomorrow off from school. So I guess all these lovely things will help me take my mind off the fact that the Patriots had an amazing season, but had to blow their chances of ending it with a trophy because of their poor playmaking tonight. And I guess all these lovely things will get me through the fact that I'm not going to be able to watch them play again until September.

     Goodbye football season : /