Girl Crush: Holland Roden

July 27, 2013

Roll your eyes at my trashy teen-scifi-drama-watching ways, but I am totally obsessed with MTV's Teen Wolf. It's got everything: romance, mystery, drama, magic, plenty of shirtless men...and my personal favorite, Lydia Martin.


You wouldn't think that MTV (a network I usually associate with Jersey Shore and Lauren Conrad) would be responsible for creating one of the best Queen Bee characters since Blair Waldorf (God how I miss that show) but Teen Wolf's Lydia is absolutely fabulous. When you first meet Lydia, she seems to be your typical High School Popular Girl, complete with fabulous wardrobe, lacrosse team captain boyfriend, and less popular boys pining all over her. Another mean girl to serve as some snarky comic relief and the object of the loyal sidekick's affections.

But then you find out Lydia is like, smart, like really smart, genius IQ level smart. And suddenly she's not just helping BFF Allison pick out dresses for the winter formal, she's helping the gang solve murder mysteries and creating awesome chemical concoctions to fight back against werewolf villans.

All while looking seriously fabulous and never losing her Queen Bee sass. Oh, and she might be a druid/witch/some sort of awesome magical being, so I keep hoping she can wear super awesome witchy clothes mixed with her Chloe handbags.

The actress behind Lydia Martin, Holland Roden, is just as cool as her on-screen persona. She seems really sweet and has a fabulous sense of style. Her clothes are fun, fresh, and youthful, and don't even get me started on those fabulous strawberry tresses.







Sweater Weather

July 23, 2013

Versace Fall 2013 Couture makes the midriff glam and the loose-knit sweater a work of art

Once upon a time, sweaters were created to keep people warm during cold winter months. Essentially some person way back when eyed the fluffy, wonderfully-insulated sheep and enviously tried to make him or herself just as warm and cozy as the sheep with its warm wool - and thus, the sweater was born. Or something like that.

But society has evolved a lot since the first days of wool-based clothing and clothing is no longer about just stayin' alive (currently listening to this and had to put it in there, it seemed just too fitting) but about self-expression and fashion! and all that. We have evolved and live luxurious lives compared to the lives of our forefathers, and now we wear sweaters that look cool, not ones that keep us warm.

Phillip Lim keeps it short & sweet with his lacy sweaters

You may not know this, but cropped tops are kind of a thing right now. Especially during the summer, nothing seems to be more popular right now than baring your midriff and flaunting your fabulous toned abs. 

But summer is a fleeting season, destined to end quicker than we want it to, and soon fall will spread over the lands and cause the leaves to change colors and the temperature to drop and the crop-top hipster girls will have to fold away their belly-baring T-shirts and simply await the return of spring, right? WRONG! 

For fall, the cropped top takes the form of the more seasonally-appropriate cropped sweater, so don't stop the ab-work yet. And the looser-knit the short sweater is, the better. Like, it should look like a kindergartener made it. Or a Mulleavy sister. And if it's hand-dyed and spun from golden fleece and costs over three-thousand dollars you win at life. Just don't yet your cat near it.

 Case in point: spider-web-like knits from Rodarte's Fall 2008 show

But Lindsey, you may say as you read this, full of confusion, cropped tops don't make sense when its so cold outside. I need something more substantial.

Well, my friend, luckily I live in Southern California where it never gets too unbearable. But I say suck it up. We have evolved to wear clothes out of style and how cool they look, not how comfortable or insulated we are, right? That's what heating systems are for. And it's not like you wear this look when its below freezing temperature and snowing. But if you are yearning for a crop top to sport during winter, this is your chance. 

Alexander Wang and Free People have fabulous options for those of you daring enough to try this trend

Game Changer: J. Crew x Sperrys

July 19, 2013


The J. Crew x Sperry Top-Sider collaboration isn't breaking news, but I finally got around to purchasing a pair of brilliantly-hued boating shoes just this past week.

I had been eyeing the pink pair since mid-March, but wasn't sure if I should pick a pair of Sperrys in a less-practical hot pink or just go for a classic tan leather pair for the same price.

Of course all considerations of the practicality of buying a hot pink pair of Sperrys went out the door when I saw them on sale in stores. Sperrys on sale + extra 40% off sale items promotion + 15% student discount = one pair of flamingo pink Sperrys for a snazzy $30.

There's two things I absolutely love: a good deal and pink. These babies gave me both!

And, bonus points, they are super comfortable.

Pinterest Finds 7.12.13

July 13, 2013


Summer tends to saturate everything in bright, vibrant colors, and this week on Pinterest I found myself pinning plenty of hot pinks and bright yellows.

Clockwise from top left: 
This house featured on The Design Files is bright and inspirational, and this children's desk space is no exception / Designer Anne Hepfer makes great use of bold pinks and greens in this Miami Beach HouseAmerican Apparel brings their new polishes to good use by creating a fantastic rainbow ombre manicure / Set sail in hot pink with this boat, captured by Chris Boynton / This street style look featured on Harper's Bazaar, seen outside the couture shows in Paris, features a fabulous hot pink maxi / DIY wedding backdrop takes the form of colorful triangle inspiration at Martha Stewart

For more of my pins, be sure to check me out on Pinterest!

Hooked on Versace - Fall 2013 Couture

July 9, 2013


Naomi Campbell and Versace go together like peanut butter and jelly, or a Little Black Dress and a red pout, to make a more fashionable analogy. Versace was made for Naomi, and Naomi was made to rock Versace. A match-made in fashion heaven.

So to have Naomi both open and close the Fall 2013 Atelier Versace show seemed perfectly natural. In fact, it made me wonder why Naomi doesn't open and close every Versace show. Regardless of your opinions about Naomi as a person (like every awesome supermodel, Naomi has had her fair share of scandal) you must admit that no one rocks Versace quite like her.


In precarious, painstakingly-detailed dresses - all half-undone from the hooks and eyes that so delicately held them together to reveal sultry lingerie - Naomi & Company strutted down the catwalk in true vampy fashion. It was only fitting, seeing as how Donatella was inspired by black and white photography of the 1930s.

As with most Versace collections, it was also about skin - how much to show, and how one's perception of an individual can totally change based on how done (or undone) her hook-and-eye-fastened dress becomes.

Think about it. Look 13 (above, at right) could either be fastened up to the shoulder to become a relatively tame (by Versace standards) mini dress, complete with long sleeves and turtle neck. Basically a nun. Or those hooks and eyes could unclasp and the wearer would be left there in nothing but fabulously provocative lace lingerie (and towering high heels, of course).

It could go either way.


On a more obvious level, the incredible detail of these dresses and undergarments absolutely exude what it means to create a couture collection. Donatella said it best herself, in reference to her 30s inspiration:

"It was a moment about precision, about perfection, and lots of work."

 Lots of hard work, indeed. But it looks like its paying off.


images from Style.com

Cut it Out

July 8, 2013


Summer is in full swing, my friends, and that means the mercury is staying high for a good while longer. Presently in Los Angeles (about ten miles inland) it is a balmy 80 degrees, with an expected high of 90 for tomorrow. And believe me, I know there are some of you reading this who would kill to have it be that "cool" right now.

It's times like these when I just can't believe how few tank tops, shorts, and sleeveless dresses I have (which is a total lie because I have plenty, but I go through them so quickly when the weather is this warm, and then it's awful because I have nothing to wear) and I just want to take all my pants and turn them into cute little cut-offs. In fact, sometimes I ask myself why I was so stupid to buy all these pants. When will I ever use them? (And then I remember January when I cursed myself for having so many dresses because I was tired of wearing my favorite jeans over and over again). C'est la vie, I suppose.

But if you can spare an old pair of pants - or better yet, score an old pair of Levi's at a vintage or thrift store - I highly recommend getting a little crafty and preparing yourself a pair of cute cut-offs to get through the rest of summer. They are all the rage right now (clearly, if street style mavens like Miroslava Duma and young starlet AnnaSophia Robb are rocking them) and it seems easy enough to turn a pair of worn jeans into perfect summer shorts.

Around the World in 53 Looks

July 7, 2013


It seems Raf Simons has started to settle into the rhythm of things at the Christian Dior house, and his third haute couture collection for the esteemed French fashion house stands as a fabulous example of Simon's talents as a designer and interpretor of the Dior aesthetic.

He took for his inspiration different world cultures, hence the initial unrelatedness of it all. Perhaps an easy answer to explain all the jumping around, but the more I study this presentation the more I do identify the influences of world cultures.


I think Raf has presented a couture collection that is a combination of his own talents and the traditional Dior style, a difficult feat for designers working at such established brands with well-known looks.

And while Raf's collections may lack the theatricality of a Galliano show, I think he has finally gotten comfortable experimenting with form and textile in a way that is new and refreshing, like a couture show should be.

What I Wore - Disneyland Trip

July 2, 2013

                     
Dress: Free People
Sweater (around waist): J. Crew
Sunglasses: Tory Burch
Bag: Urban Outfitters

On Sunday I joined my friend on an impromptu trip to Disneyland, one of my favorite places to go. It was so lovely - beautiful weather and no big crowds - so it made for a lovely weekend excursion. 

Also, can I just say how much I love that dress. It's hot pink, it's so comfortable, and I found it for a great price at Nordstrom Rack! It's always exciting to find a great dress for a great deal!