A shopping search engine? Who knew?

Hi all, 

I know that it’s been a while, and I’ve neglected you shamefully.  Apologies all around.

Anyway…

I’ve discovered  - wait for it – a shopping search engine!  It’s called Shopwiki.  Pretty exciting stuff.   What I really like about this site is that regardless of whether the store that you are looking for has paid Shopwiki or not, you will find it there.  Good stuff.  I also like the way the site is organized.  I have yet to find a shopping search engine that organizes according to and actually gives you tips on spring style.  Well, I’ve found one.  Full steam ahead.  

Also, loving the fact that there are actual articles on each item.  Such as, say men’s pants.  This section not only explained each aspect of pants but what occasion it should be accentuated for and how to get that “polished look”.   My favorite line was definitely “Baggy pants  are rarely a good idea unless you have your own Rap label”.  So, so true.  Men, take notes!  They have a great section on clothing for men.  They also have a section on career clothing for men – business casual, casual, conservative, etc.  It’s well-done, and let’s face it, so many men need that kind of advice.

For women I love how they offer articles on trends and style.  And they have a section on piecing together outfits, which I think is quite necessary.  I’ve definitely seen women having trouble in that department.

I’m back with fluffy fashion

Hey all! I’ve finally got my computer back, after a particularly stressful and downright horrible experience with the computer lab where I basically spent four hours doing their job for them. Serves me right for living in a country where the concept of “consumer satisfaction” is nonexistent, I suppose.

In any case…

Back to fashion.

Ok, you know those little tufty-headed googley-eyed pens, like this one:

Well, the latest fad on the runways is surprisingly reminiscent of those pens.  This little item, for example, that I found in Vogue:

I mean, people, come on.  Are we back in kindergarten?  Or worse yet, the eighties, those wonderful years of shoulder pads, overdone colorblocks, and pretty little-girl bows in our hair?

Sorry I’ve been remiss

Hi all,

Sorry I haven’t posted in a bit.  My network card on my rather expensive if crappy computer seems to have been incinerated due to the large amount of times that my computer overheated over the past eight-or-so months.  Bringing it in, so hopefully I’ll be on board next week.

More Fashion for Less: Looking Great on a Budget

All of us have a little fashion guru inside screaming to get out the moment we see an advertisement in Vogue or walk into Bloomingdales. I, for one, would be absolutely thrilled to buy BCBG out. But truth be told, we can’t all afford to buy pieces that simply won’t work in the mix-and-match system. And in today’s economy, no one wants to get any more in debt than they already are.

So how do you look like a million dollars while spending substantially less?

For starters, there are those miraculous stores that carry name brands for less like Marshall’s and Syms. I used to hate those stores when my mother would make me shop there, little snot that I was. I wanted her to spend the big bucks on me. But now that I no longer have daddy’s credit card available, those stores have become my home away from home. You have to sift, but it’s definitely worth it for the incredible savings.

Then of course there are department store sales. I generally shop at the end of a season. Honestly, the fall season in fashion ends when the actual fall season begins, so it’s not exactly the biggest deal.

Lastly, I try to buy solids, and generally solids that are easy to match to other solids. Patterns don’t make the clothing look more expensive. Actually, they often cheapen the outfit. I’m not saying purchase only solids in reds, grays, blacks and whites. Buy a couple of nice patterned tops. But you should be able to create twenty-five combinations out of ten pieces.

Ok, seriously?

It would appear that Justin Timberlake is the latest celebrity to try and cash in on his name by beginning his own line of clothing with childhood friend Trace Ayala.

I honestly do not know why that should annoy me so much. I have not had a problem with P. Diddy’s clothing line, J. Lo’s clothing line, or even Jessica Simpson’s clothing line. Britney Spear’s fragrance line is fine with me.

But for some reason, Justin Timberlake is the breaking point with me.  That guy annoys the CRAP out of me.  And truth be told, I cannot for the life of me figure out why.  Maybe it was his once-curly hair.  Maybe it’s his ridiculous falsetto when he sings.  Maybe it’s the fact that I don’t like the way he dresses.  Although that’s not to say I’m a fan of J. Lo’s style either.

So what IS it?

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!