Ogle: White Gowns

When I was looking back at NY Fashion week from this year, I noticed that there were a lot of really beautiful white (and white-ish) gowns.  Not that I'm getting married any time soon, but some of these were really stunning (for those of you who are planning on tying the knot next spring, these could be options for you).  Take a look at some of these pretty gowns from designers that you might not consider wedding gown designers:

Christian Soriano

Derek Lam

This is the winner for me.  Also Derek Lam

Ralph Lauren, so classic, so sweet.

Here are two other gorgeous dresses from Spring 2011 that were featured on Mizhattan at the beginning of the year:

Lovely dress by Dior

Gorgeous Elie Saab

All of these pics can be found on NYMag.com which has an amazing Fashion section.

Ogle: 4 Trends to End

There are some trends that have been around now for a year or so that I've just gotten tired of seeing.  People here are supposed to be creative in the fashion capitol of the world.  Stop these trends and start new ones!

1) Spikes. They are SO overdone.  From Louboutin down to Sam Edelman, there have just been too many spiked items out there to even name.  It's not to say that some of these items aren't still awesome, but I'm totally tired of seeing them.  To see where each item is available, go here.

2) Harem pants.  I've rarely seen this style flattering on people. I know they're super comfortable but wear them around the house and put on some real pants for the streets!  Linky link to items here.

3) Metallic clothing.  It's so 90's!  Can we get past this one? If you want to wear gold and silver, there are so many items that are acceptable in metallic.  Get some metallic pumps or flats (repetto has an amazing pair of metallic flats), but don't do a metallic jacket, please.

4) Jumpsuits.  Do I really need to explain why these should go away?  Whether they are tight or loose, they're never really that flattering.  However, if you are still inclined to buy them, you can see them here.

Go forth into fashion.  Do what you need to do.

Own: Smooth skin thanks to Korres

Since the organic/natural trend started a few years ago, I haven't really been on that bandwagon, but last Christmas, my roommate gifted me a large bottle of Korres Yoghurt Cooling Gel.  I'd never heard of this brand before, but I tried the gel and after having used it for almost 8 months, I figured that it was finally time to tell the world about it.


When I first started to use it, it was December of 2010.  The bottle actually says that it's best for after-sun usage, but I started to use it anyway.  It's not really a gel- it's really more like a cross between a gel and a cream.  It has a very faint smell, but not anything overly fragrant.  The one thing that I had to get used to was the mild stickiness that it left on my face when I first put it on.  The gel takes some time to soak into the skin.  I used it once a day and about 3 times a week.  


My skin has been amazingly soft and smooth.  Now that the summer has come and gone, my skin has continued to be really soft and smooth.  I also use a tinted moisturizer that has SPF 20 so that also helps to keep my skin protected.


Here's what you're looking for if you're perusing the Sephora aisles:

Available here at Sephora.

Obsess: Dream bags

Now that all the fall bags are coming in to stores, I have handbags on the brain.  If money wasn't an object, I would have all these bags in my collection:

Proenza Schouler's PS 1

 

 

The elusive Celine Boston Tote

 

This Chloe clutch is named after me!  Clearly, I was destined to have it.

 Chloe Cross body Bag

 Jill Sander Clutch

A girl can dream....

Owned! Nars Funny Face

I'm not an every day lipstick wearer.  Instead, I think of lipstick the same way that I think about accessories- they are there to amplify or enhance an outfit.  Perusing for new "accessories" in Sephora lead me to discover Funny Face at the Nars counter.  Since I've been trying to find subtle wants to avoid wearing too much black this fall and winter, Funny Face was just what I needed.  Here's what it looks like:

 

It's a glorious fuchsia with a very slight tinge of blue.  It's a semi-matte meaning that it's not really glossy (looks like lipstick after you've blotted with a tissue).  Because it's semi-matte, it reduces the tramp factor and ups the fashion factor.  It's pretty lightweight and doesn't need a ton of reapplying during the day.  Needless to say, I'm pretty happy about my purchase.  You can have it, too, by ordering it here on Narscosmetics.com or here at Sephora.  To see how the lipstick apears, I did a google search of "nars funny face" to see how the color appears on some faces (funny ones or not, ha).

Own: Zara

How have I overlooked Zara for so many years?  I don't know about Zara in other states or cities, but the Zaras in NYC are usually really crazy.  I guess, to answer my own question, I've avoided Zara because it's a nutso and stressful shopping experience.  You're usually packed into a store with tons of other frantic women trying to grab for the trendy coat that is only left in a size large.  It's too much work for too little reward.

HOWEVER (read: game changer), Zara recently launched an online shopping experience in the US.  It's amazing.  It's not only very easily shoppable, but it's extremely chic fashion-forward.  They have a very aspirational and editorial lookbook along with a "People!" section that allows for all the girls that shop at Zara to show off their new buys.  Genius.  I don't own enough Zara to participate, but now I want to own enough Zara so that I can participate!  Here are some choice pieces that I saw (and some that I've already ordered):

I ordered these boots this morning and I can't wait to get them.  They are probably going to be a boot that I'll wear to death this fall and winter

Very sexy and sleek dress

Awesome print 

 

I ordered this bag this morning and now it appears to be sold out on the site

 

Beautiful classic pump

Super cozy sweater in a perfect fall color

All of these items are under $200!  And to make the purchase easier, shipping is free and you can return the items to a store near you if you don't like them.  What reason do I have to ever step foot in a store to shop Zara?  Online is the way to go.  Get to Zara.com now!

Own: Say no to black and yes to NEON for the fall

Every year, when fall and winter come around, my wardrobe suddenly goes all black.  Well, this year, I am taking a stand against that.  I refuse to go through another drab, black and grey season, weather or wardrobe!  I came to this conclusion after seeing the amazing Miroslava Duma during fashion week:

She's in Christopher Kane with Miu Miu earrings  (I could write a whole separate blog post about how much I love the apple-themed Miu Miu accessories) and she's stunning.  Arresting.  Breath-taking. YET, NOT man-repelling.  Who knew this was achievable??  Style that both guys and girls will love.

Ok, all gushing aside, she inspired me to think about how I could spice up my cold weather duds with neon, in an affordable way (God knows that Christopher Kane clearly falls in the super-high obsession price range).  Here are some awesome things that I found that I will likely purchase today.  Yay.

For small scale neon infusion, check out these baubbles:

There are super afforadable earrings from Asos.com

Cute woven necklace by Adia Kibur, available on the National Jean Company site

Ready for more neon?  How about these:

Another sweet find from Asos.

Or this from Adam with some black skinny jeans and that awesome woven necklace (see above)

If you're trying to recreate Miroslava's look, you can with the matching skirt from Adam

I'll admit that neon can sometimes be a little overpowering, so pair it with something simple- black and white.  That way, you won't feel like a walking glow stick.  Try a cool cardigan like this to expose the neon in the front and the back:

Available here at RevolveClothing.com

Flash away!

OBSESS: MARIA GRACHVOGEL because her stuff is incredible.

Every now and then, I'll take a lazy weekend day and investigate the Yoox.com site.  I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with this site, but I would equate the shopping experience on Yoox.com with shopping THE WORLD.  They have so many brands on their site that, at first, it might seem like an intimidating shopping experience, but they do have a lot of ways to filter so that you can narrow things down.  I've found that it's a great place to explore and expand your mind past brand names that you're familiar with.  Sometimes getting hung up on brand names keeps you from really finding the style and fashion that you love.  In my case, I wish that I had found more cheap brands that I liked, but instead I stumbled upon Maria Grachvogel.

After looking at tons of stuff on Yoox.com, I kept clicking on Maria Grachvogel pieces without knowing that they were hers.  Here are a couple things I clicked on:

Simple looking enough right?  This could easily be a staple dress in my wardrobe.

Now, THIS is what I call a transition piece.  It's in an amazing color for the fall but has just enough leg showing that it has a taste of summer still.  Alas, not in my size here.

After seeing these two pieces on Yoox.com, I expanded out to a web search to find that Shopbop already carries this brand.  Look at this:

Amazing skirt.  I love this.  Buy here if you can afford it. 

Here are some gorgeous pieces from her site:

 Simple cuts with amazing color and pattern seem to be a trend on her site, but this knit dress is something that I would LOVE to have in my wardrobe.  I could live every day in something like this.

A straight-up knock out.  This dress is perfectly draped without being baggy or unflattering. And the color!  Oh la la...

I also have to give major props the MariaGrachvogel.com because the site is very shoppable- you can not only stop by category, but you can shop by the parts of your body that you love and the parts of your body that you would like to hide/minimize.  THAT, my friends, is genius and innovation.  The day I hit the lotto, I'm going straight to this site and snatching up as many things as I can, but for now I have to sit by the sidelines obsessing...