Wednesday, December 5, 2012

It's that time of year again...

Time for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show blogposts!

Every girl in the fashion world knows it's not Christmas 'til we see those beautiful models walk that runway in fancy underwear wearing some of the most elaborate pieces of lingerie ever made. I know boys get excited too, I mean hot models in lingerie right after the laker game? Who would say no to that?
But for girls it's different. Whether you're watching for just the clothes, for the models, or just to see some lovely performances from our popstars, in the back of every girl's mind is the secret fantasy of what it would be like to be a Victoria's Secret angel. I mean, they look fabulous, they get to go to exotic locations for shoots, they're known world-wide, and not to mention--they get to keep the cutest bras and outfits! Although that is just a big big dream for most of us, watching the show let's us toy with this idea just a bit, just for an hour once a year on CBS.

Of these luxurious models, some of our favorite angels Cara Delevingne, Miranda Kerr, Candice Swanepoel, and Adriana Lima were in the annual fashion show.

One of my favorites from the collection was the whole Calendar Year idea, in which each girl dressed up as a different month.


Lily Aldridge for July

 
Izabel Goulart for September
 
 
Barbara Palvin for December
 
Erin Heatherton for January

Here are some of the pieces I thought stood out the most. Flowers, candy stripers, and ball gowns--what's not to love?

Candice Swanepoel

Magdalena Frackowiak

Cara Delevingne

& The best piece of the night? Well I'd have to say it's a tie between Miranda and Alessandra.

First we have Miranda, who looks like she fell straight from heaven. The feathers I'm in love with. I mean, who wouldn't want to look like an angel?

And then we have sexy and sultry Alessandra, wearing what everyone is talking about: the 2.5 million dollar floral fantasy bra! (It'd be a fantasy to own such an elaborately made bra, amirite?)

I think overall the show was amazing. Bruno Mars, Bieber, and Rihanna all rocked the house, even if at the end I think Rihanna was forgetting a few words (or just taking really long pauses..). Regardless, the outfits were so unique and amazing. I am already counting the days until next year's show! 364 days left..

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Broke? Need a costume?

This halloween, like most other college students, I have a bit of a financial complication when it comes to splurging for an amazing costume: I'm BROKE.

BUT (also, like most other college students) I do have a part-time job and over the years have accumulated multiple props in order to string up a few costumes. So here's a few costume choices you can try to string together at home, or spend a little depending on your budget at the time.


BUDGET (under $10)
Black Swan

You'll need:
 - A black tutu
 - A black pair of tights
 - A black leotard / tank top
 - A decorative mask

Most of these items are relatively cheap, or you most likely have black tights and a black top already somewhere in your wardrobe. Getting a tutu and a mask will probably be under $10 dollars altogether and so then you have your outfit!


MODERATE (under $25)
Sailor

You'll need:
- A blazer
- A sailor cap
- A lacy top/leotard
- A pair of high-waisted shorts
- A pair of heels or wedges 

With this outfit you can sort of mix colors around-- for instance you can mix a white blazer with a cream colored top or a navy top with a black blazer, depending on whatever look you would like. This is just how I styled it, having my shorts accent the sailor cap. You can add accessories or mess with it however you like, but this outfit is relatively simple and cheap because aside from the sailor cap, everything else is an item you could already have in your closet!

BETTER (more than $40)
Wonder Woman

You'll need:
- A red corset-like top
- High-waisted dark blue shorts/bottoms
- Red boots
- A golden tiara
- Gold bracelet accessories
- White stars (stickers)
- 12'' by 4'' of gold cloth
- 2'' by 2'' of red cloth

This is my costume this halloween, so I did spend a little extra for this outfit. The shoes were $34 at Forever 21, and they're imitation Litas (obviously for a costume I'm not going to bust out hundreds of dollars for authentic shoes). I lucked out on getting the blue satin shorts from American Apparel by ordering them online for only $5. Michael's had white stars as foam stickers for only $2 and I bought super glue also for $2. The top I found at Charlotte Russe for only $15, and I picked it because it seemed to fit with the gold design. I bought the gold bracelet at H&M for $7. As for the tiara, my sister had made one earlier for a friend with some cloth and with red felt for the star.


What make-shift costumes are your favorite?

Monday, October 22, 2012

Sparkles and Nudes

Contrary to what interests that title provokes, this post is not about Vegas strippers, it's about the Rochas 2013 SS Collection. And more specifically, about the first piece I'm going to talk about from the line.

I'm not going to post the entire collection, because honestly that would be redundant, and a little boring for you guys. So, instead I am just going to point out four fabulous pieces that stood out to me--one for each practical category in your wardrobe.

NAKED
Firstly, this piece is beautiful. I'm putting this in the NAKED category because it's pretty much fancy underwear, and I don't know exactly what type of event would be appropriate for this kind of attire (perhaps, an A-class brothel?). But I do love this two-piece ensemble--it's strikingly beautiful.

CASUAL
This outfit wins most casual look of the collection. Especially with the bipolar weather in California where one minute it's crisp and windy, and the next it's 75 degrees, I think this outfit is appropriate for both accounts in the month of October. 

EVENING
Although it may be a little fancy, I think this is the best evening look of the collection. I love the design and cut of the dress, and how it has a ball-gown effect on the bottom half. 

FAVORITE
My favorite look is this two-piece black dress and crop-top combination. It's a little over-the-top but I love how bold and daring it is. The skirt is perfectly stylish--it really has that 50's poodle skirt-esque with a modern twist on it. 


And for all these breath-taking outfits we have Marco Zanini to thank. Two big thumbs up to Versace alumnus, Mr. Zanini (photographed below).


*Photos from Vogue.com



Friday, October 12, 2012

Keep it Couture

So far one of the collections for 2012 that has really caught my eye (even though this is old now) is Yiqing Yin's Fall 2012 Couture. Some of the designs are so intricate and elegant, perfect for that ballroom red carpet look. Just have to share these beautiful dresses with the world:











I just love how different this entire collection is compared to what I normally see on the runway. The colors all melt into each other in the designs and it's something really beautiful to see. My ultimate favorite dress in the collection is:



I'm in love with the colors and how flowy this dress is. It has a very mermaid like texture, and who doesn't want to feel like a mermaid? I think if Ariel had a dress she could wear underwater, this would be it. I mean, if a dress you see makes you feel like you could live underwater as a princess, then that's a pretty great design, don't you think?

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Chanel in the sun

So I'm back from my vacay of blogging! Having a busy summer, switching jobs, and catching up on making sure I have everything perfectly lined up for my last year of college, I've committed the worst blogging sin of all: no consistent updating. But no more, I'm back (for good) and already have something to talk about: (If you can read titles, you've guessed it--) Chanel.


If you haven't noticed, Karl Lagerfeld has done it again. Which is... what exactly?
Well it's a hula hoop bag, meant for the beach, meant for drying towels.
Also meant for fashion, of course.

Lagerfeld has decided to become all practical and make a purse that not only can carry your entire house in it, but can hang your entire laundry on it as well! Okay, kidding.
But really, since when is fashion practical? This bag is meant for hanging your towels on when you're at the beach and they're wet. Somehow I feel like this isn't the best of ideas, or most convenient. Then again, I'm not a big purse gal myself. I like my purses small and cute, so this just isn't my style.

But I'm really curious to see if anyone actually will start using it. It is different and definitely something new, and I'm sure soon enough we're going to see some celebs with this hulking it around at the beach. If anything, at least Karl uses it.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Bikini babes

My latest obsession has been high-waisted bathing suit bottoms. I don't even really care about the tops, I have enough to mix and match for the summer. But the high-waisted bottoms have such a nice pin-up girl feel to them, something so vintage-y and classy, don't you think?

So if you're like me, firstly, there's the college budget edition from American Apparel. Originally these were priced at $26.00 but I've checked around and at most stores they're on sale for $18.50. These ones have mesh on the sides showing off your hips, but they offer plain ones as well. 

However, if you're looking for options a little fancier there's a few alternatives.

Yves Saint Laurent swimwear
Yves Saint Laurent $368 

Clube Bossa swimwear
Clube Bossa $315 

Swimwear
Amore & Sorvete $252 

Mara Hoffman swimwear
Mara Hoffman $154


In any case, I think the bottoms are really becoming popular this summer. I know I'll be getting at least the black ones from American Apparel soon, and maybe even the red ones too. Can't wait to hit the beach this summer, even though I've done absolutely no preparation at the gym for it. That's what bathing suits are for, right? Motivation? On that note, I'll be hitting the gym tomorrow. Right after I pre-order these bathing suits online..

*Swimsuit images provided from Polyvore and American Apparel

Come on, Skinny Love


Loose white tank from H&M, trend department
Tribal shorts from Adri
Gold bracelet from H&M
Home-made headband from a crocheted top from a thrift store
Beige lace-up shoes (not pictured)

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Bombs Away!

Recently I've decided to switch to strictly online shopping. (Okay, not all of the time.) But I decided it would help save a lottttt of money because I would only buy things I actually took the time to search for, instead of just seeing something inside a store that's cute and impulsively buying it.
While getting into this, I stumbled across this clothing company entitled "Bombs Away."
This site was pretty much made for nerds: Disney nerds, Marvel nerds, Star Wars, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, etc. Now as a Marvel fan (okay and Disney--okay, okay and Harry Potter) I found this site very interesting, and relatively cheap! The prices are in Euros, but even after the conversion these prices are definitely affordable.
These are already in my shopping cart for when I get paid Friday.

 Bandit Snow White Laptop Decal 
 Marvel Comics Red on Black Tshirt
 The Avengers Iron Man Tshirt
Banksy Maid in London Wall Sticker


It's not a lot, but I don't want to seem too overboard on the first visit, you know how it is. In any case, it's definitely worth checking out, especially if you happen to channel your inner nerd. You can check out the website here. And if you have a tumblr, you can follow them here.

*Update: June 9, 2012
For some reason, the Marvel option in their "Collection" drop-down menu has disappeared, so the Avengers and Iron Man shirts are no longer available here for the time being. However, the wall sticker and decal are still available--as well as any of the other aforementioned items such as Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and Star Wars items.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Tribal patterns for summer

I've been really into prints lately, so the other day to celebrate the end of my finals, and the end of my first year at CSULB I decided to treat myself to something cute. I bought mostly bottoms (since my tops to bottoms ratio is like 25:1) like leggings and cute stretchy shorts. I'm just not thattt much of a jeans person. I like to wear fitted jeans once in a while and be comfortable but I'm always either in leggings, high waisted shorts, or skirts.
So here's what I got all from a cute little story named Adri.

Black printed bottoms. More winter-y than summer-y but hey it'll work.


These bright blue leggings that I'm in loove with.


This cropped fringed top which is actually from F21, not Adri.


& These cute printed tribal shorts which are probably my favorite.

Not much for a shopping trip, but when you're ballin' on a budget (#collegeproblems), it'll have to do. Can't wait to make new combo outfits with these prints, and I can't wait for my next paycheck to get more!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Met Madness: The Gala 2012

Okay fashionistas, so it's been a while. But I'm here and I'm back and ready to talk about the only thing I would be blogging about on a Tuesday even though I have finals to study for--four words: Met Gala Red Carpet.

Let me first just say, I think the look everyone was going for here was the long, almost-royalty look because all of these dresses shared a common theme: that flowy trailing-behind wedding dress look.
I mean first there is Lea Michele in a Diane von Furstenberg, Amy Adams in Giambattista Valli, Bee Shafer in Erdem, and even Amy Poehler in Fotini.

But not everyone was going for that cinderella-y look, there was also the short-dresses crowd, and then the yes-I'm-wearing-a-full-length-dress,-but-no-it's-not-touching-the-floor clique. 

So let's review the attendees, shall we?
These are some of the best looks of the night, in my opinion.
Bee Shaffer in Erdem. 

Anna Wintour in Prada.
Both Bee and Anna just know how to do it right. Like mother, like daughter, right? Anna looks fabulous and exemplifies her style perfectly of course.And I think her daughter is following her lead. It's going to be interesting to see what Bee will be wearing to more events, I'm eager to see if her style will change more and more like Anna's or if she will come more into her own.

Mary-Kate Olsen in a black full-length dress by the Row.
From what I've read, she's getting a lot of  bashing for this look, but it is just SO Mary-Kate. I have respect for anyone who has a certain kind of style and sticks to it, and she's doing just that. If Mary-Kate would have showed up a flowy cream dress with bedazzling jewels all over it, well that wouldn't be very Mary-Kate of her, would it? (that's more Ashley, honestly). My only complaint would be the fact that her hair makes her look like she's been struck by lighting, but other than that I'd still maintain that this was one of the better looks of the night. 

Emma Stone in Lavin.
This is my favorite look of the night, honestly, and it sort of surprises me that it is. I just love how bold, daring, and simply cute this entire look is. Her hair, the black bow accesory, and her black shoes are the perfect touch to her vibrant dress. She stood out, and I think that was probably the whole point. She definitely gets my vote for best-dressed of the night.

Christina Ricci in Thakoon.
This look is a little different from what we're used to seeing, but for some reason I do like it. I think the dress is very interesting and I think her shoe choice along with her hairstyling made it very chic. She kept it simple, and I think she comes off looking edgy, but still very elegant.

Jessica Alba in Michael Kors.
Gorgeous. Love the color, the golden accessories that match perfectly. Her wavy hair really brings warmth to the entire outfit. This outfit really makes her glow, don't you think? (and I'm not just saying that because she's wearing gold). My favorite thing about her look is that she just looks not only gorgeous but happy here as well. As Audrey Hepburn once said, "Happy girls are the prettiest."

Sarah Jessica Parker in Valentino.
I think this look could've been very risky for this kind of event. It's a little bit too floral for my taste for these types of things, but I think it works here. Her gold bracelets sort of balance it out and dress the outfit up a bit. I think the full-length sleeves and dress here really work in her advantage. Two thumbs up here for SJP.

 Claire Danes in J. Mendel.
At first I wasn't sure how I felt about Danes here in this white J. Mendel number. But I'm actually going to give this look a thumbs up. There's nothing really wrong and to be honest I think she looks beautiful. Her turquoise clutch accents her white dress, and her hair is really doing work here. My only complaint is that there's not a whole lot going on here. But if it works, it works. 

Lea Michele in Diane von Furstenberg.
I actually really like this look for Lea. The dress is different but nothing too crazy, and I think blue is a nice color for her. There's nothing particularly special here but I definitely think it's a win.

Dakota Fanning, in Louis Vuitton.
I think this is one of my favorite looks. Dakota's always been pretty chic with her red carpet fashion sense. Her gunmetal metallic nail polish has gotten a lot of attention, and I honestly think it's a nice touch. It adds to her clutch but doesn't take away from how elegant she looks here.

And now some of the "okay's" (aka the I-really-WANT-to-like-this-look-but-for-some-reason-I-just-can't category):
Kristen Stewart in Balenciaga.
 I don't completely hate this look, even though I probably should. It's totally wrong for the Met Gala, but it's not necessarily wrong for Kristen. And I'm really an advocate of having your own personal style, and I think that's what Kristen's doing here (and what she's been doing this year). I respect her choice of outfit, but it doesn't really work here. Maybe for some other event, maybe with a jacket, maybe with some different shoes--I'm not even entirely sure WHY I don't like this look. It wasn't a hopeless look, just a hopeless effort. Maybe next time, Stewart.

Coco Rocha in Givenchy.
The more I look at this outfit, I start to like it. But there's sort of a miss here. I appreciate the effort, wearing a cropped blazer with pants isntead of a dress isn't the orthodox route to go for the Met Gala. But still, I'm not 100% sold on this outfit. I'm going to give her a win for her hair because I absolutely adore the pink and curls pinned all to one side, but for the rest of this look I just don't think it works. Her shoes are sort of a soft color, which kind of throws all the bold and vibrant-ness off. Also, her clutch is a golden brown and doesn't work with her silvery crystal ring right next to it on the same hand. This look could use better structure.

Scarlette Johansson in Dolce & Gabbana.
I think I would really like this more if her hair were in a nice updo. But all I can think about this look when I see it is Kate Winslet in Titanic, saying "I'll never let go" to Leo. If her hair was in an updo, I think I would give this look a "hit" instead of a miss but it sort of brings the outfit down. She still looks fabulous but you can't just wear a fabulous dress and let it do all the work.


Some of the worst-dressed:
 Kirsten Dunst in Rodarte. 
I don't really know what Dunst was thinking here (or should I say what her stylist was thinking). I want to like this but I just can't. You're going to a gala here, not a work party. And even if you were going to a work party, this still wouldn't work. I think the colors here are wrong too, this orange-y red just makes me confused. The suit-dress is supposed to be fancy and yet the colors make it have more soft and casual tones, and then with the black belt--it's just a mess.

 January Jones in Versace.
Now I love this dress, let me just first say this. I just don't love this dress on her. I think her body type would have been way better suited for some type of long flowing drapery dress that hit the floor. The strapless look is really unflattering on her because of her bust, I think. Also I think this dress makes her hips look a little bigger than they probably actually are. And in general I don't think neon yellow is her color. The jewelry doesn't really work either. A jade blue with neon yellow? Maybe if the blue was more vibrant but it's sort of dull with makes the look all the more messy. I'm going to have to say pass..

 Rashida Jones in Tory Burch.
I don't think this look is a total miss but to be honest I'm just not a fan of this dress. The floral print is nice but I think next to her tan skin this beige color isn't really working. And the cut of the dress doesn't look nice enough for me. I think Rashida could've done better. She usually always looks so elegant and here I think she looks a little frumpy.


Well there's my review of the night. Just my two cents. All in all I think there were a lot of amazing looks, and I didn't talk about everything of course (now THAT would be a long post), but just the looks that mostly caught my attention. 

Oh and just in case your interested, here are some nice shots of the flowy dresses from the evening:


*Images courtesy of Google Images and Just Jared