Fashion Firefly

I have this wall in my work area that I call my “inspiration wall.” Basically, anytime I run across a tear sheet that really catches my eye I tape it up on my wall (with blue painters tape of course), so that I can remember things that I’ve seen or just enjoy the beauty of various images. Only my very favorite items that seem relevant get posted to my wall, while others get filed away in binders or saved to my hard drive.

The most recent addition to my wall is Diesel’s Fuel for Life Fragrance: Gaelle

I love the folds in her sheer dress, especially through the torso. I’m pretty sure that the resulting diagonals were unintentional, but either way I like them, and love how they lead the eye. Anything that leads the eye up and down is good in my book because it adds the illusion of hight. This is also a really good example of why I like sheers. When they’re layered you can blend colors or create noticeable details through your construction because the layers build in opacity.

Two other adds that I also thought were kind of cool are for Harvey Nichols, and Gisele’s Ipanema shoe line. more than anything I think I like the concept and photo editing that was done with these.

I was out perusing the internet when I ran across a pair of shoes that seemed instantly familiar to me.

These…

And while I couldn’t instantly remember what they reminded me of, it took me less than 30 second to figure it out. They are near exact dupes of the Louboutin shoes that I used to illustrate this post less than a week ago.

Very naughty Steve. I like your stuff, but you are quickly becoming the Forever 21 of shoes.
Would you buy shoes that are an obvious knockoff?

Today I took a little trip over to Marshalls to check out their Shoe Megashop. For the uninitiated Marshalls is big-box store that offers brand name items like Nine West, BCBG, Steve Madden, etc. at seriously discounted prices. I had never been to one before and didn’t know what to expect, but my local newspaper’s fashion columnist recommended checking them out, and I really love shoes so I figured it couldn’t hurt.

Upon arrival in the parking lot, however, I seriously had to wonder what she was smoking. I try not to be a shopping snob, but this did not seem like the kind of store that would carry shoes that I would actually want to wear. Still I pushed on, and once I entered the store I was literally shocked to find that they had a lot of really great shoes. I would list which were my favorites, but I suspect that each store has a slightly different inventory, and I didn’t take my camera (though next time I will) to illustrate what I’m talking about. I will, however, say that I ended up leaving with a cute pair of brown peep toe wedges for $15 (they have masculine details and I love the shape of the heel; perfect for fall) and I may be going back for a pair of sequined pumps (though I have to think about if I will actually wear them. My gut says yes).

All in all, I kind of like Marshalls. It’s definitely not glamorous but there are some great finds, so I will be back. It looks like the fashion columnist was right on this one.

The fashion writer for my local paper recently brought up the old adage that it is inappropriate to wear white shoes after labor day, unless of course you are a bride. I can see where she’s coming from, really I can, but my initial reaction was who bothers following rules like that anymore, especially in California (aren’t we supposed to be gold digging pioneers? We can’t be bothered with rules). However, seeing as how I’ve only owned one pair of white shoes in my life, and I didn’t wear white shoes to my wedding (I wore gold beaded slippers), I’m probably not in much of a position to speak on the matter.

However, That’s not really going to prevent me from giving my opinion that rules are really just ignorable guidelines, and you should do whatever you want. I was slightly curious about the origins of the rule, so I did a little Googleing, and it seems that the main proponents of this rule are older and/or G.R.I.T.S - girls raised in the south. There is even a very lovely lady, Miss Manners, who wrote a column for the Washington Post on the topic of white attire etiquette. Many people try to justify the rule as being based around actual climate changes, like white shoes don’t keep your feet as warm in the winter. While that may be technically true, as far as I can see the rule is just there for the sake of social snobbery

Seeing as how I have a father who was raised in the south (I don’t like grits, the food, by the way), I do understand that different people in different regions have different customs and will… oh I don’t know… give you dirty looks for wearing pants to church when you’re twelve (obviously I have some issues to work through). So, if you live in such a place, some level of conformity may be necessary to prevent public humiliation, but barring that I maintain that one should do as one likes.

What do you think? Do you do white after Labor Day?

Today, while trolling Style.com’s Look of the Day, I ran across this image and immediately thought of Diana over at So FASH’on.
Diana is quite the advocate of bright lips. It graces her posts and images often and I quickly came to think of it has her signature look.

Anyway, it looks supper cute and striking against the white, and though I don’t usually wear bright makeup, I do have a bright fuchsia gloss that I’ve been keeping around. It might be time to whip it out and give it a try.
What do you think, is bright right for you?

While I was strolling around on the web I ran crossed these tights from Emporio Armani.

They’re a good example of how the legs are pulling focus for fall, and I like the vertical grey stripes (it gives the illusion of having longer legs, and I need all the length I can get). This is a definite trend item, however, so I’m not sure if I really would want to own these, or if I would want a more subtle pair of tights with a stripe on them (maybe a pair that doesn’t pretend to be knee highs). None the less, these are cool and original.
So, here’s another image for your viewing pleasure.

I suppose that it goes without saying that fall’s looks are focused a great deal on the legs. Opaque tights, PVC skintight pants, Thigh high boots, and leggings. The trend that brought us ungodly glitzy leg wear from Balenciaga and American Apparel isn’t over yet; though it is considerably more subdued. And while I still haven’t found the perfect pair of PVC leggings (honestly, I’m not even sure I’d have the guts to wear them if I found them), I like this knit pair from Vivienne Westwood’s fall line. I love the texture of them and the way they’re pulled down over the heels (which reminds me of this post from Style Bubble). I also love the little hip wrap (though I suspect that’s a part of the shirt). Now I have to see if I can find a pair with a smaller price tag, that will hopefully make my hips look equally small.

Image from vmagazine.com

Many of us will go to great lengths for beauty, and sometime that means that an image gets the total all over Photoshop treatment and sometimes it calls for a little strategically placed dental glue. But, I for one am feeling increasingly alarmed. It’s not that I’m not guilty of this too (I’ve taped my share of thighs and digitally plumped lips), but increasingly I feel like the changes that are being made aren’t little subtle changes. They’re increasingly dramatic unreasonable changes; that probably aren’t good for one’s self esteem or generally developing a reasonable outlook towards beauty and fashion. The first couple of times I felt like, “ooh, look at that isn’t that neat,” but now it’s beginning to wear on me and I think I’m ready for a change. I would like to see some average looking people at least every once in a while, or at lest people who aren’t totally altered. And, if nothing else, at least these videos highlight the fact that you should only believe half of what you see.

Eyes Chinese Secret Revealed