Fashion Shows that Deal with Coming of Age from the Fall/Winter 2012-2013 Season of NYFW, part 1: Oscar de la Renta!

Going from girlhood to womanhood and asserting independence is a prominent theme in the fashion world. Fashion designers can pair bows with trousers, frilly skirts with leather jackets or blazers, a pale pink dress with a heavy blazer, or heavy ornamental and mature brooches on light and airy summer dresses.
This entire fashion week was a pretty awesome one - shows covered all sorts of styles, from oriental (Proenza Schouler) to Dickensian/Eliza Doolittle-esque (Marc Jacobs) to NYC-inspired (Donna Karan) to lots, and I mean lots, of throwbacks to the beginning of the 20th century, which was most notably done by designers L'Wren Scott and Ralph Lauren.
It's no secret that I lovelovelove Oscar de la Renta. His show was the only one I was able to see live (via livestream) and I couldn't be happier or more giddy about it - I saw it right before dinner with my family, and they were getting annoyed at how many times I was sighing over the gorgeousness of it! According to Oscar de la Renta, one of the main themes of this show was "a young girl dressing up", and I think that theme was excellently conveyed. From frilly mini dresses with full skirts and bows to black shifts with bright jewels sewn on, the clothes portrayed in the show definitely remind me of what I instinctly went for when going through my aunts', mother's and grandmother's closets. If they'd also featured large Hermes-like silk scarves wrapped around like a skirt with strands of pearls that reached my 5-year-old knees, I'd be worried Oscar de la Renta was a mind reader.

I also loved the bob-like hairdo with the black silk ribbons or jeweled headbands. They almost remind me of the girl version of the 1920's-esque bob, and the hair accessories are really fun!

This dress almost reminds me of the first thing I would always look for when going through more elegant closets - the item of clothing that was the easiest to imagine myself wearing, which was usually the most youthful item.
And look at those shoes! There were those shoes in different colours, such as black, and champagne, throughout the entire show. How pretty!

I actually had a skirt like this when I was little, just a lot pinker, almost entirely pink, actually, and then, ironically, when I was a teenager, maybe thirteen years old, I had the same thing but shorter, and with almost no pink and a lot of red to go with my rebellious teenage status.

In my opinion, this is the perfect little-girl-dreams-of-poufy-dresses ball gown. I mean, really - it's pale pink, has pretty poufy off the shoulder sleeves (kind of reminds me of Jasmine from Aladdin, the Disney movie!), has multiple layers of pink tulle, and it kind of reminds me of a cupcake! What more can a girly little girl want?

However, it's at this point that the fashion starts to "mature" a little bit - you could almost say that the girl is tired of the frilly cupcake-and-jewel looks after 10 minutes and wants something a little more interesting.

Yes, this dress has a youthful look, mostly because of the pale colour and frills, but it also a mature edge to it. First off, you could say that the way the frills are arranged could almost look like the frills on a men's tuxedo shirt. There's also a kind of deconstructed look about it, almost as if the ruffles were in perfect order and then purposely messed up - the kind of looks teenagers love after years of perfect bows and pale pink princess dresses.

This is also a dress that is very grown-up, with the column shape, draping, but with a splash of youth in the pale pink colour and the glitter bust.

This is so awesome, it reminds me of a flapper warrior! And look at those cute gold shoes!

And, finally: this dress. I've tried to follow a kind of little-girl-to-woman order in these placing pictures, but couldn't resist posting this one, which should've been towards the beginning or middle, at the end. Best for last! Because, seriously guys, I gasped when this dress came onto the runway, and I highly doubt I was the only one. This dress is the epitome of "the little girl", but not at all in an immature way - it's magical. I can imagine Eloise wearing it! The tiara certainly complements it, and the heels remind me of Cinderella slippers! This dress would've occupied my dreams for a few weeks when I was young had it existed. (It might now either way. Maybe). (Even if Cinderalla is kind of a wimp. I like to think of the Ever After version of Cinderella, where the slippers are still insanely beautiful and Danielle, aka Cinderella, is kick-ass.)

That's all for now! What did you think of this fashion season - what did you think of Oscar de la Renta's collection in particular?
The next installment in the coming-of-age-in-the-fashion-world series: Tory Burch's fall/winter 2012-2013 collection! (It was so adorable, oh my gosh.)

(Photos courtesy of Style.com ).

Thanks for reading! :)
XO,
Laura

My Thoughts on The Fashion File by Janie Bryant and Monica Corcoran Harel. (Hint: I loved it!)

Lately, I seem to be reading a lot about fashion, makeup, and style, and how to apply it to your life in the best way. This can be either from books, such as Maria Menounos' The Everygirl's Guide To Life, (which was actually pretty good, maybe I'll review that, too...), or from magazines, such as this month's Vogue, which I don't read very often, but, c'mon, Adele was on it.

I must say, though, that the most fun and interesting "guide" I've read so far is The Fashion File, by Mad Men's costume designer (and award-winning costume designer) Janie Bryant, and fashion expert, writer, and reporter, Monica Corcoran Harel. For those of you who live under a rock (kidding), Mad Men is a television show about people working in ad agencies on Madison Avenue in the 1960's, and their families and lives. The Fashion File revolves a lot around the show, but even someone who hasn't seen the show but likes its fashion can immerse themselves in the book - whenever Janie uses the book as a point of reference, she generally provides a picture or illustration to help out.

What I liked about The Fashion File:
I'm a very visual person and I love fashion illustration and coffee table books, so this book was a dream. The illustrations are nothing short of gorgeous. They were drawn by Robert Best, who was on season 3 of Project Runway and worked on an Isaac Mizrahi movie.
The book is divided into chapters with names such as "You as a Leading Lady", "Defining Your Silhouette and Secrets for Dressing Your Shape", and "The Dressing Room". One of the things I liked most, however, is that no matter what advice Janie gives, she always says that what makes you feel beautiful and confident is the best thing to wear, and says a few times that, although she believes the advice she gives is good and has been tried and tested, they're just guidelines, not hard "rules", which I appreciated. She also says that loving yourself and being able to gracefully accept compliments without acting too modestly is just as important - they help with the confidence, and I'm completely behind that!
I also loved that she didn't endorse buying new clothes all the time to keep up with trends, or with any kind of designer buying - she definitely encourages shopping your closet and keeping an open mind in order to put together new outfits all the time with the help of a few quintessential closet items and a few fun accessories. I especially loved the section "Seven variations on the little black dress" for showing different ways to accessorize a black dress to make it look completely different.

Janie also has some really good advice, seriously. She recommends mood boards, but not only one for inspiration, but one for each persona you want to communicate through your style. Want to dress up rocker style in all black, a leather jacket, and crazy hair? Make a mood board! Want to channel old Hollywood glamour? Make a mood board!
She also gives the advice of keeping a kind of style bible or fashion journal - kind of like a food journal, but you write down what you wore and what made you feel best so that you can remember that outfit should you ever be in a rush to figure out an outfit that looks good on you! You can even add in pictures, if you want. I know I've started mine, and it's helped!

Overall, Janie gives advice to determine, at the beginning of the book, the basics about yourself style-wise: what colours would be best on you, what shapes, the role of colour in your wardrobe, skincare, undergarment-fitting, makeup, and refining your look. I found this extremely helpful - the basics she presented weren't too complicated that I wasn't sure which one I was, and she gave really great advice for every body shape, colour combination, and more.

I also love that she included "Checklists" at the end of every chapter. They're essentially summaries of the chapter put down into a few (pretty and well-written) bullet points. As much as The Fashion File is extremely well-written, it can be hard to remember all the advice, points, and ideas Janie puts out there amidst all the pretty illustrations, so the checklists are helpful.

One of my favourite parts, however? The vintage chapter! Seriously, it's amazing. She covers every decade from the 20's until the 80's, has interesting facts about each decade, but also has ways to incorporate those looks into your own wardrobe.

A few of my favourite illustrations from the vintage chapter (they're so detailed!):

The 1920's section

The 50's section

The 60's section

And the 80's section

I loved that a lot about Mad Men, as a show, was included, but I love even more that a lot of information about the costume designing process and fitting process was also included. I'm interested in it, so it was a real treat to read about a day in the costume designer's life - it's inspiring to see how much work Janie's put into making the show more believable through tiny outfit details!

The last, albeit unexpected, part that I liked? The last section, which focused on men! I have to admit I wasn't expecting it at all, but I found it really interesting considering I know very little about men's fashions. She even includes guides on different ways to knot ties and bow ties and how to shop for suits, which is extremely useful for you and your guy. I loved the emphasis on a man dressing up, since I love a man in a suit ;).

The (very few) things I didn't like were more on a personal level:
Janie mentions that, unlike Coco Chanel, who advised woman to glance at herself one more time in the mirror before leaving and taking off an accessory, you should glance in the mirror before leaving, but then add on one more accessory. Throughout the entire book, she really advocates on wearing lots of accessories, which is nice, for sure - a lot of emphasis is placed on accessories with sentimental value, and experimenting is great - but a mention that wearing huge earrings, on top of lots of necklaces, and a belt, and an arm of bangles and cuffs can be a bit much, especially for petite women like myself. It's not a rule or anything, but although accessories are fun, a mention that sometimes even no accessory is needed if you're, for example, really trying to make a statement with the outfit you're wearing.

One more thing I didn't like which is really a personal matter is that she didn't include Audrey Hepburn in her "old Hollywood glamour list of inspiration". I just would've included her because she's inspired me so much, though I can understand that she may not influence everyone as much as, say, Rita Hayworth has. I was also surprised Marilyn Monroe wasn't on there since she was mentioned several times throughout the book.

So, as you can see, there's not much wrong with the book, at least in my opinion.

Have you read The Fashion File? If you have, what did you think of it? Have you read other style and fashion books based on a movie or television show that you can recommend?

XO,
Laura

Disclaimer: I wasn't paid or compensated to mention anything here, it is my own content and my own ideas. The book links are Amazon affiliated, and by clicking on the links/buying the linked product I will profit, but I still choose which products I want to talk about and believe in.
All photos in this post belong to Janie Bryant, Monica Corcoran Harel, and Robert Best. No infringement intended, they were used simply for demonstrative and admiration purposes.

Home Decor: my Future Bedroom!

My family and I are moving! It's kind of weird because I'm happy and sad. I'm sad because I've lived in the same house for my entire life, so it's hard to imagine living a life somewhere else. Also, I like being near the park, it's fun to go running in it, though I'll only be a few streets further in the new house. However, my parents and sister are so elated by the thought of moving that I've been trying really hard to be excited for them. Basically, I say we're cozy, they say we're squished, haha.

I am actually kind of excited, though, because of the practically endless design opportunities!
I'm (obviously) planning out my room, but I'm also planning out the bathroom and helping with the rest of the house, so I've been perusing home decor magazines and websites like crazy!

Some inspiration for my room:

Here's the main factor in the colour: my current bedspread, which is less than 2 years old (aka why I'm keeping it). It's pretty versatile, though, so it's not much of an issue.


I really love the idea of one wallpapered wall that has a similar colour scheme as the rest of the walls! I've actually only seen my room once so I'm not sure if it'll go with my room since the longest wall, which is also the wall of the window, is the focal point of the room, and I'm not sure I want wallpaper on that wall. I hope it works out, though! I love the wallpaper below, I'd love one that's similar.


Although the hanging bandanas on top are kind of weird, at least in my opinion, I love the blue/green/yellow colour scheme, it's so cheerful and pretty!


I love the idea of two-toned curtains, I'd never thought of that before! I also love the navy, off-white and pink combination.





I really don't like the carpet, but I love the different tones of champagne and silver together!


I feel like this is too dark from my room, but I love the dark navy colour and how it's such a glossy sheen that it almost looks ombré.
.

So, my room is much bigger than this, and I feel like it's bit too much colour saturation in the room, but I love the colour combinations and all the little details and different patterns. It looks exotic but still sophisticated and fun without getting to be too much!



Although I love the red/black/white combination, I don't think that's what I want for my room. However, I lovelovelove the idea of a sheer black canopy! It's so dramatic yet elegant and goes with all colours and will keep the light out a bit when I'm trying to sleep but can be hanged up during the day to look less Phantom of the Opera-like (not that that's necessarily a bad thing). I'll for sure be looking for a black canopy! It's like the sexy version of a white canopy ;).



I also want to look into headboards! I think they're a great way to add an interesting flair to a room, and can make it look even more exotic, sophisticated, quirky - whatever look you're going for, it'll just emphasize it!


I think I want my walls to be a similar colour! Except a little more blue and less gray-ish lavender-ish.








I love the idea of doing a lot with wall decals. As much as I want to make my room very interesting, I also want it to be practical, so wall decals might add that touch of flair to more practical items, like it does in this picture. They can also be changed pretty easily, so I can switch up the look when I feel like it!


Overall, I feel like the following picture most sums up the kind of look I want for my room. The furniture represents the sophisticated, elegant and simplistic look I want, while the pretty light fixture and bowls represent the added touches of fun, colour, and exoticism I want to add to make the room more lively.
In the end, I'm thinking of making my walls a pale blue with bright touches in the form of decorations and details and a kind of elegant wallpaper in a tone close to pale blue, so it definitely pertains to the muted background with fun details idea :).


Pictures via Mi casa es su casa.

Coming up in the decor topic: bathroom decor and organization ideas, including closet storage and interesting bookshelves!

Do you have a favourite picture or idea from these pictures? What do you think of pale blue walls with a wall of wallpaper and bright accents around the room? Do you have any horror stories, tips or tricks, or recommended books/magazines/websites for home decoration/interior design, and moving?

XO,
Laura.

An awesome day, featuring Oscar de la Renta, handbags, and art.

Today was kind of awesome!
One of the first things I saw when I logged onto my computer this morning was a plethora of links leading to Oscar de la Renta's new spring ad campaign. All I can say is "ooooh my..." and have stars and hearts appear in my eyes. It's no secret that I'm in love with Oscar de la Renta's designs and runway shows. I've already written specifically about how much I loved his 2011 pre-fall collection, and that's not even my most favourite collection of his. However, I think even people who don't love him will love this ad - although Karlie Kloss is far from my favourite model, she's stunning here, and the accessories and clothes and shoes and handbags and dresses and jewelry and OMG I HAVE NO WORDS TO EXPRESS THE HEARTS IN MY EYES OVER THIS AD CAMPAIGN! It's even better than his last one!
Anyways, even if you've probably already seen this pictures, take the opportunity to enjoy them once more, since I don't think you could ever look at these enough. (Though I may be biased, hehehe.)

 

(Photos taken from NYT's The Cut blog's article on the campaign.)

Other reasons why my day was awesome?

I discovered through the (awesome) Fashionista 514 blog that Stylemint, Jewelmint, and Shoemint (finally) ship to Canada. I tweeted one of them (I think Jewelmint) that I was disappointed I couldn't participate in all their sales and beautiful jewelry because they didn't ship to Canada (I mean, really, I once ordered a book through an American site and shipping only cost a few dollars and it took under a full week to arrive, is it that hard to ship a pair of earrings across one single border?), so I'm really happy, though soon my bank account won't be, I'm sure ;). Anyways, Fashionista 514 is having a giveaway featuring all three mints for Canadian readers, if any of you are able to participate :).

This article about the Top 5 Bags that can take a Beating: a Fighting Spirit, by the Bag Snob, gave me hope that I will eventually find a pretty (and affordable) handbag to stash by laptop in.
Ever since I got my new laptop a few months ago, I've been having dilemmas about which case to use and which handbag to use when I need to carry the laptop with me. You see, I was going to order one of those gorgeous Marc Jacobs or Kate Spade laptop sleeves, but... they're only made in sizes 13'', 15'', and 17'', but not 14'', which I hadn't known. I then thought - ok, no big deal, I'll use one of the cute canvas bags I have to protect it. Not amazing protection or style, but it'll do, at least for now.
But then I realized my laptop doesn't fit in my usual handbags, so I have to use a knapsack, and knapsacks look ridiculous on me. All to say, even if I can't afford them, I got really excited about seeing the photo of the bags in the post, especially the Hermes, YSL, and Bottega Veneta ones.


Casee Marie, of the blog The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower, blogged about a dvd put out with 50 Masterworks from the MOMA, featuring artists like Klimt, Cezanne, Monet, Van Gogh, Dali, Jackson Pollock, and others. You put it in your dvd player and voila! You have virtual paintings in your house. (It's the same effect as the fish tank or fireplace dvds). Being an art history major, I got SO excited when I saw this - I'll definitely be checking it out!


What do you think about the ODLR spring ad campaign? Do you think he's done better? Do you not really care for his designs, or are you in love with them?

XO,
Laura

Happy New Year & Blog Changes!

I know I'm a little late, but...

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
(First post of 2012!!!)

I wasn't able to get any good pictures of my New Year's outfit (boo), so here's an outfit I've been meaning to post for a while, of what I wore to my cousin's engagement party.
And, world, meet...(drumroll)...my younger (and only) sister! Her name is Julia, and she was wearing a super cute BCBG dress.

I'm really hoping to have a good year. Last year was pretty good, though I'd definitely say that the first half was better than the second. I've actually read many posts written by bloggers saying how awesome 2011 was, so yay, that's great for them! I hope you're all really satisfied by how 2011 has turned out for you. I prefer counting the years from my birthday, not New Year's, actually - maybe because that's an actual milestone for me, having completed another entire year of my own life, instead of the world celebrating another one of its' years - it's more personal. However, I do love making resolutions, and the one I'm making this year is particularly important to me: to lose weight.
I know, I know, you're probably thinking "ugh, someone else who wants to lose 3 pounds to look better...", but no, I'm in this to improve my health. I've needed to lose a good amount of weight for about 8 years, so it's high time, haha.
So, my resolution (drumroll):

Losing 10 pounds before I turn 20, or "10 before 20", as I like to call it.

I'm turning 20 on May 5th, 2012, and I'd like to be healthier, in better shape, and of course looking better by then. Now you can all hold me accountable! I made the resolution a few days before the New Year and had a good few days but then stayed in bed for a bit with a cold, so the past few days haven't been great, but now I'm back into it!

A few ways I'll be keeping that resolution:

• Drink at least 3 glasses of water before every meal.
• No soda unless I'm eating out or at a big family dinner.
• Always having cut-up veggies available to snack on.
• Exercise at least 4 times a week - 2 weight-lifting/resistance training sessions and 2 cardio sessions.
• Weigh myself once a week before breakfast.
• Have at least 1 yogurt and 1 cup of milk every day.
• Do yoga once a week. Hot yoga doesn't count.

Anyone have any other weight loss or fitness tips? I think the no soda and 1 yogurt/cup of milk a day rules will be the hardest to follow...

On top of the new year, I also celebrated my blog's first birthday on December 4th! Although I was in the middle of exams and therefore wasn't really able to fully celebrate it, I reflected on the past year quite a bit. I'm happy with how my style has evolved - although I can only seem to get good pictures half the time, I feel more daring with the way I combine different pieces to make an outfit but still don't spend an insane amount of money like I used to before I started blogging and looking at other blogs - I guess you could say it put what looks good on me and what I actually wanted and needed to spend money on into perspective. I also feel more confident with my writing! Though, am I the only one who needs a few days to finish a blog post? Not because it takes so long, just because I can't seem to put everything into words at once? I haven't worked a crazy amount of time on this even if I'm already happy with it, but it's taken me 3 days of about 20mins. Weird, huh? :)

Most of all, though, I want to thank all of you for reading and supporting me! I don't blog specifically for the comments and all that, but interaction definitely helps and motivates me to always do better and be creative with the blog. So thanks!!!

Here are two posts I think are really inspiring for the new year: "...in 5 years..." by photographer Alex Beadon, and "New Beginnings" by Kimberly of Dream.Delight.Inspire. I also really enjoyed this article to help with resolutions: "4 steps to make and keep your New Year's resolution" by Geneva of A Pair and a Spare.

Now for... blog changes!
 

I have a facebook page! I have to admit, having this page took quite a learning curve because of the fact that I'm already used to having a personal page, but I find this is pretty different! So feel free to follow me there for more updates and pictures.



I also have a tumblr! This has been such a pleasure to curate, but also hard - I want to get it just right and really make sure it reflects my world! I try to keep it within the topics of fashion, photography, and fashion/art history, but the occasional joke inevitably makes its way onto it :). Follow me on tumblr for a kind of extra limb to the body of my blog - there's lots of beautiful stuff on there that sometimes doesn't have a chance to make it onto the blog.

Are any of you doing any New Year's resolutions?
Also: OMG, I'm starting university tomorrow! Wish me luck! Outfit photos to come. A big and important part of my life is about to start!!!
XO,
Laura

At the marketplace

And, no, unfortunately not the Agrabah marketplace, haha.

The market in my city is pretty damn cool, though - there are amazing little restaurants surrounding it, and there are tons of stalls with fresh food, even fresh figs! (One of my favourite foods that's almost impossible to find, at least good ones, anyways.)
 




A flower picked from the market! I picked a whole bouquet for my room and this flower came out, just begging to be placed in my hair...









Outfit:
Jacket: Simon Chang, thrifted.
Tank top: Khol's.
Bag: thrifted.
Gold bangles: H&M and A Thousand Villages.

Before I wrap up this post, I wanted to apologize for not updating this blog for ages and having this post in draft format for maybe a month now, and other for up to 2 weeks. I'm more apologizing to myself, I think, because the main reason is school - it's driving me insane, and even if I can't wait for it to be over I'm quaking in fear for that date because it means I would've written something like 12 000 words if you combine my advanced history class and integrative seminar class together. (For advanced history I'm writing a 2 500 word essay on women's status post/during/pre Iranian revolution, and for integrative seminar I'm writing 3 essays of about 4 000 words each relating to War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, and only 1 is almost done. In case you were all wondering. And then I have 5 other courses with work, haha.)

All to say, I might not be around for next month as much as I'd like to, BUT after that, I'm all yours, baby! ;)

Here's what I'm wondering: what's the best item you've ever thrifted? 
What do you think of this jacket? Honest opinion - my family isn't a huge fan, but the few friends I've shown it to love it. Thoughts?

XO,
Laura