Ankle boots

There are very few fashion items that I feel ambivalent about. I either like it or I don’t. Or I like it with a certain look, but certainly not with others. Emphasis on the “certainly”.

But I am wholly ambivalent about ankle boots. I cannot for the life of me decide whether I like them or not. I think, for example, that Hillary Duff looks horrible in these ankle boots:

Clearly, ankle boots are NOT meant to be worn with skinny jeans.

Then again, apparently they are not meant to be worn with dresses either, as is evidenced by Naomi Watts:

Both looks are not only lacking in class but style as well.

Then again, I see ankle boots like these beauties from Jimmy Choo and I’m ready to whip my credit card out.

I simply cannot make up my mind.

So, what do you say?

New favorite “fashion for less” website

You know those everyday givens that are always in the back of your mind to do, and stay there? Well, checking out BlueFly was one of those for me. And I finally did it! I was a BlueFly virgin, but no more. The prices are fantastic. And the site is really easy to navigate, minus one or two minor annoyances that are characteristic of pretty much all of online fashion.

But what I love most is the variety and selection. It’s got essentially the same huge selection as a department store, but with much cheaper prices. I don’t know anywhere else where I could get an inexpensive cashmere-merino blend belted sweater like this one:

Or wide-legged wool trousers for less than $200:

I think I’m in love.

Top fashion trends for less

Let’s face it. We all want to look like a star-or at least someone who has the time and money to spend hours on their look of the day, for whatever reason. (To me it seems as though that just says you don’t have a life. But whatever.) At any rate, looking your best does not mean going for the most pricey. For the vast majority of us, Barney’s and Neiman Marcus are out of the picture. We have to stick to Macy’s.

Such being the case, I would like to present everyone with some cheaper alternatives that look just as great.

Let’s take, for example, the Burberry trench coat. I am a HUGE fan of the classic trench coat. (I know, I know. Can you say Casablanca?) And Burberry definitely has the look down pat. Classy, chic, and for a trench coat, pretty streamlined.

The Burberry trench coat, however, goes for $1,255. It’s a bit pricey for the typical shopper, me included.

You can find an equally sleek look for your trench coat, however, at Nordstrom, for $158.

The picture may be moderately less impressive, but hey, don’t take my word for it. Try it on yourself and see the difference.

More like this later…

Style it up on Halloween

You know, more adults should dress up for Halloween. And I’m not just talking about dressing up for the office Halloween party. Halloween is that great part of the year where anyone can where whatever they want. And they do. Their wildest fashion dreams can come true, be it a Victorian gown, a flapper, or even graffiti like this woman:

You don’t even need a costume per se. You can just wear whatever clothing you want and add whatever accessories you want, and design your hair in whatever style. Halloween is the time to unleash the look that you’ve always been afraid to show to the world. Strong makeup, unconventional clothing…it’s all about standing out.

The designers at Christian Dior apparently felt the same way, since they created their own line of Halloween couture:

With the jagged lines, adventurous patterns, and bold colors, Dior perfectly demonstrates Halloween in all of its off-beat splendor.

Accessorizing

Let’s talk accessories. The purpose of an accessory by definition is to add completeness to one’s basic outfit. A point which many sadly overlook. How many times have you noticed a woman wearing an accessory that is so loud/big/flashy that you don’t even notice that she is actually wearing clothing? Not that flashy and clunky don’t work sometimes. Think Dr. Brennan in the TV series “Bones”.

Bear in mind that this jewelry fits not only into her outfits but also into the personality which created these outfits.

So huge chunky necklaces and bracelets and bright hair ornaments are a possibility. You do need to know how to wear them, however. If you are going to wear a large necklace with an overbearing pendant, for example, I would wear a deep v-neck top in colors such as black, brown, or deep purple. Stay away from crew necks or boat necks. And from bright colors and trim. If you are wearing loud or large accessories, they are the trim on your clothing, and too much trim detracts from the overall look. It’s never good when one is wearing an outfit and you don’t know where to look first. The outfit should be a whole instead of many little parts. Your accessories, your shoes, your bag-they should all be complementary of each other.

Style that counters the culture

As you have probably noticed from my previous blog posts, my personal preference for how I would like to dress and how I would like to present myself to the world is the chic, elegant, classic look. I’ll go so far as to say that I think that the vast majority of the world would immeasurably improve by “classing” up their attire, snobbish and obnoxious though that may sound.

That being said, there is another look that, regardless of my personal preference, I cannot help but respect. Counterculture.

Truth be told, you can consider the Amish counterculture, fashion-wise. Actually, you can consider the Amish counter-culture everything-wise. And I do. The Amish maintain a lifestyle that they believe is right, regardless of outside influences. I am not saying that I would live an Amish lifestyle or dress as an Amish woman. I will say that I find the way that the Amish dress to be very attractive. Because it suits them. (Although I know this is slightly counterproductive to the effect that they had intended to achieve.)

Counterculture fashion is just about that: dressing in a manner that suits you as an individual, having absolutely nothing to do with society.

How can you help admiring those few who are not only adamant about but comfortable with their individuality? They have no apologies. They exist.

Deal with it.

The new black is black. Finally!

Absolutely loving the trends this season. You all know my idea of style by now-simple, understated. Elegant. That’s not to say that you can’t have variety within that paradigm. But the idea of fashion is for your attire to showcase your body, not the other way around. That’s not to say that I don’t love trendy, funky fashion as well. I do. But in order to pull the funky stuff off you have to be capable of…well…pulling it off. And not everyone can do that. Actually, let’s qualify that statement. Everyone can do that. Not everyone will do that.

Back to this season’s trends. Low-key is the phrase of the day. There are those designers, of course, who will never create minimalist apparel simply because they are incapable. Think BCBG Max Azria or Christian Dior. They create their own trends and stick with them, and they maintain their signature looks throughout the seasons and the years.

Then there are those designers who evolve and change with the seasons. Think Calvin Klein. Or Doo.Ri. Their fall line smacks of words like “classic”. “Timeless”. “Graceful”. “Polished”. “Genteel”. The list continue, but you can probably come up with your own synonyms. One quintessential outfit from their fall fashion line is below:

Doo.Ri

The chunky black leather gloves add the perfect touch to the outfit, adding an element of power to the sheer femininity of it.  Just beautiful.

Diversity

I’ve noticed that regarding fashion a lot of women wear essentially the same thing every day.  If they’re more conservative they’ll wear sweater sets and a nice pair of black slacks.  More trendy types will wear, say, jackets with short skirts.  (I’m talking knee-length, not mini.  I’m not overly fond of the mini skirt.)  I’m guilty of this myself.  I spent an entire winter once wearing pretty much only v-necked sweaters and jeans.  The only diversifying part of my attire was the length of my sleeves, and after a while it didn’t do much.  Although working with a bunch of grunged-up programmers, it didn’t bother anyone that much.  Including me, unfortunately.

In general, women need to diversify their wardrobes, spice things up.  Conservative women of the world, try trendy (yet classic) blouses, like this quilted boatneck top from Banana Republic:

And trendy women, there isn’t only one trend to adhere by.  I’ve actually started going through old Vogues and checking out the trends from “back in the day”.  If you want to be separated from the herd, then separate yourself from the herd!

Ralph Lauren: High tea and Republicans

Ralph Lauren is the designer for Republicans and perhaps for those attending high tea with the Queen. And I love it. I love clothing my body in apparel that makes me sit up a little bit straighter, that makes me feel a bit more secure in myself as an individual who possesses power, if only over myself. I suppose “self-contained” would be the most accurate way to describe how I feel when I am wearing Ralph Lauren. Big floppy hats, beautifully silhouetted dresses…that’s what does it for me.

Because he is so secure in his absolute and categorical sense of style, Ralph Lauren isn’t afraid to be edgy. His most recent fashion show in New York of his RTW spring line displayed some items that reminded me somewhat of Dior’s shocking and evolutionary runways.  The two pics below perfectly demonstrate that versatility of his:

While you would probably wear one to a tea party and one to a screening of “Arabian Nights” in the Middle-East, both exude that timeless elegance that is so archetypal to Lauren.

Let’s talk boots

Step one in the stylistic refinement of Chatch is finding a decent pair of boots.  Now, I have ALWAYS wanted boots.  Or some reason I have never purchased a pair.  Either because I never found a pair that looks good on a stand in Nordstrom and Bloomindales or because I have never found a pair that after passing the initial inspection has actually looked really great on my chicken legs.  Girls with curves have it made, boot-wise.  I am one of the unfortunates with a stick as a figure.  Boots generally look absurd on me, as though I am trying on mommy’s old clothing.  This year, however, is my year.  I have finally found the perfect pair of boots.

Let me begin by saying that I absolutely love Anne Klein apparel in general.  Very chic while still maintaining agelessness and sheer class.  But I think that after finding these boots I will devote my life to the studies and worship of Anne Klein.  They are absolutely beautiful.

Cascata stretch boots from Anne Klein

As you may have noticed, I admire simplicity.  These boots perfectly adorn without detracting from the natural beauty of the curves of my legs.  (Although, granted, my legs are slightly lacking in curves.  But you understand what I mean.)  The mid-length heel gives me enough height to add to my figure and to the shape of my leg.

In general I think that “nice” boots add a dimension of class and dress up a skirt or dress.  And these boots are definitely my “it” item of today.