AROUND THE WORLD & BACK

Recently I've been interested in global style. I love to see fashion shows based on different cultures. Although other cultures everyday wear might seem like costumes in America, I respect that fact. I admire the fact that its not traditional to Americans but yet it is still very fashionable and it is imitated. When traditional wear for some cultures is condensed down and modernized to become more western, it becomes very wearable. Here are some different cultures and the designers interpretations of their style.

Parisian

Rag & Bone fall 2008 Ready to Wear collection

Donna Karan fall 2008 Ready to Wear collection



Christian Dior spring 2008 Ready to Wear

Indian Michael Kor Resort 2009 collection

Givenchy Couture fall 2009 couture collection






Hermes spring 2008 Ready to Wear

African
Kenzo spring 2007 Ready to Wear collection

Ralph Lauren spring 2009 Ready to Wear collection

Kevan Hall spring 2008 Ready to Wear

Asian Alexander McQueen spring 2008 Ready to Wear

Christian Dior spring 2007 couture collection

Yohji Yamamoto spring 2008 Ready to Wear collection

NAiLED DOWN

So, as you all know I've written a blog about gold nail/nail polish, and for the life of me couldn't find the right nail polish. After doing some research, I found out that to get that certain, shiny look you couldn't use nail polish. I was directed towards a nail polish website called All Lacquered Up and they quoted "A flexible polymer that is heated then applied to nails, like a sticker, they are a mess free, green alternative to nail polish and fake tips." Along with explanation of how the nails were done, they stated the name of the nail salon Minx Nails; which is the nail salon of the stars. And they also showed the process of getting your chrome nails. Here are some photos of some celebrities with chrome nails.



Lily Allen


Blake Lively



Lady Gaga



Beyonce for Single Ladies video

iGOTTA THANG FOR ALEXANDER WANG

I've been really interested in Alexander Wang since I seen him in Teen Vogue "yearbook" as the best up and coming designer. Then when I saw his Spring 2008 Ready to Wear collection I was very impressed. The overall theme of the collection was grunge-luxe. Grunge-luxe is a style where its a cross between grunge [sloppy, careless; mostly dark colors] and luxurious [elegant, expensive; metallic colors to display wealth]. I love this style because it is so fashion forward and it can go from the catwalk straight to the sidewalk. Here is an overview of the show, and some of my favorite garments.

START FROM THE BOTTOM

Lately, I have been having a fascination with high heels; funky, avant-garde heels. I was browsing through a lot of fashion shows and I was admiring how innovative the shoes were. So after previewing the shows I decided to pick my top 5 favorite shoes from the Spring 2009 Ready to Wear collections. So here are my top 5 picks.

3.1 Phillip Lim

I love this flower like design on the front of the shoe. I also adore the fact that the shoe is metallic. Metallic shoes make a whole outfit pop, especially while wearing all black.

Louis Vuitton

The colors on the shoe alone make me love the shoe, but the extra added details such as the beads, feathers and snake skin print make me feel wild.

John Galliano
The platform on the shoe is fun and exciting alone. The metallic blue takes the shoe to its highest elevation.





Emilio Pucci
This shoe to me is very edgy and mysterious because it has a plain color and it is a simple shoe. This shoe can be throw into almost genre of clothing and conceal with it.

Betsey Johnson

I adore this shoe because of the chain links. They are to die for and make the shoe very classy but playful. The gold color makes the shoe lovable and classic.

TiED iN A BOW

Since I've seenLuella Bartley's bow headbands I've really liked bows as a hair accessory. And lately I have been seeing them implanted on models heads on the runway, left and right. I've seen all sorts of bows from the traditional bow tie, to unorthodox big floppy bows. Here are some of my 4 favorite bows that I have seen on the runways.

Sportmax spring 2008 Ready to Wear collection [conventional bow tie]

Luella Bartley fall 2008 Ready to Wear collection [ribbon bows, like the bows on presents]

Louis Vuitton fall 2009 Ready to Wear collection [the most abnormal bow I have seen, its reminiscent of rabbit ears]


Diane Von Furstenberg resort 2010 [an oversized bow, kind of reminds me of 80's valley girls]

THE ODD JOB

Since Betsey Johnson, Katy Perry and Chloe Sevigny, I've become smitten with quirky style. So when I previewed Luella Bartley's spring 2009 RTW collection I was impassioned by it. The things I specifically love about quirky/eccentric style are the fascinator hats AKA net hats, cat eye shaped glasses, tweed, bows, fashionable gloves and the bright colors. This collection is the definition of quirky style. Even though the is style "odd", and eccentric, it's something I cant keep my eyes off of. This collection is short of boring. Here are some of my favorite outfits from the collection.

TURBAN LEGEND

One trend that I'm really fond of is the turban. I love how it transferred from middle eastern traditional wear, to everyday western wear. It is so chic, stylish, and innovative. You can play the turban up or dress it down. Make it grunge, or elegant. It also depends on what kind of material your turban is that can determine its style. Like if you have a cotton turban, then your outfit should lean towards the more casual side. If you have a silk turban, you would go towards the elegant style. I believe there are some turbans that are more wearable than others such as the one Mary Kate Olsen is wearing.

It's more wearable because it has an open top, its not so traditional and by the book. Its a new take on the turban.

But here are some other turbans from off the runway.

Prada Spring 2007 RTW

Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring 2007 RTW

Catherine Holstein Spring 2009 RTW

Dr.Martens x Raf Simons = Pure Genius

So, I was looking online at different male shoes to blog about when I came across these, Dr.Martens x Raf Simons, the metallic collection. I totally adore Dr. Martens, they are stylish, unique and they are very distinguished. Raf Simons is a Belgian designer who only does menswear. He was noticed as being "one of the most important innovators in contemporary menswear" by the international press. I love these shoes because they are so futuristic and distinct. I favor the high top boots more so because they can transition from day to night easily. I can see that boot paired with a nice tailored suit or a cardigan and jeans. The shoes are so unconventional they are inspiring.