Fall Fashion Look 3 - Neo Geo

Sorry it has taken me so long to get this up here. The first two weeks of college kinda monopolized my time. This post probably will not be as long or as well laid out due to the fact that I have no time and there was just not as much material that I could find for this article. But here goes...

Neo Geo Clothing

At this point many of you are probably thinking, "What in the world is that?" So I have come up with my own little definition of Neo Geo: Neon colors and geometric shapes and patterns (Aztec patterns, futuristic patterns and shapes, color-blocking, bold, bright and going for the wow factor.)

This is kinda the antithesis of the Minimalist look which I introduced in Fall Fashion Look 1.

Trendhunter.com describes the look this way:

"These graphic prints set in bright neon colors are reminiscent of the 'Fresh Prince' era and are sure to illicit awed and envious glances.... This versatile look can also go from beach to red carpet by merely layering a subdued cover-up jacket on top." and,

"This season, designers are taking on the look in a number of ways, with many taking the term 'geometry' quite literally and working wonders with basic elementary school shapes."

Teen Vogues suggests wearing the look this way:

"Take a basic sweatshirt light-years ahead with futuristic graphics and electric sneaks... a boxy shirt cuts a chic shape with a waist-cinching belt."

Two designers who have brought this look back in from the '80s and '90s are Balenciaga and Missoni, I am including a sampling of looks from their collections below:

Balenciaga Fall 2010 Above and below

Missoni Fall Resort 2010 Collection Below:

Accessories for the season follow in line with the neon geometric prints and shapes and the futuristic looks:

These shoes are from the Balenciaga Fall 2010 collection.

Below are shoes from various other designer collections.

Top left: Shoe from Missoni Fall Resort 2010

Top right: Shoe from FairyIrobin Fall 2010

Bottom left: Shoe from MARC by Marc Jacobs Fall 2010

And other Neo Geo Designer Accessories:

The futuristic watch on the left is by DUMB Brand and is $60, the purse above is by Bottega Veneta's Fall 2010 line.

To conclude this article I will display some looks that range in price from relatively expensive, to moderate, to affordable.

Expensive:

Two dresses by Tina Turk. Prices are $278 and $248 respectively.

Tank by T-BAGS, price $136; skirt by People's Market, price $140

Moderate:

Tank by Mint, price $72; top by Ella Moss, price $53; both pieces found on revolveclothing.com

Affordable:

Complete look found at H&M

Necklace: $9.95

Hoodie: $19.95

Belt: $7.95

Dress: $24.95

Sandals $24.95

Tights: $9.95

Both items above can be found at Forever 21. Both are $15.80. The smock dress should be paired with bright tights or a bright colored cardigan to fully pull of the look.

Both tops can be found at Charlotte Russe. Left: $18, Right: $16. Personally, I would layer the two tops.

And last but not least, Trendhunter.com reports, "For recessionistas, 1980's vintage store finds are a great way to cop the look on the cheap."

Honestly, though this look may not be for most people, I really like it because I love bold colors and shapes. Hope you enjoyed. :)

Fall Fashion Look 2 - Fifties Chic

In the late 1940's, designer, Christian Dior unveiled his "New Look".

"Christian Dior's nostalgic and elegant 1947 collection, which featured a soft, rounded shoulder line, thin waist, and wide skirt was quite contrary to the austere style of WWII"(1)

His line ushered in the hourglass silhouette which became the standard for the '50s. Givenchy, Balenciaga and Balmain quickly picked the style up and became the go-to designers of that decade. Here are photos of some of their work from the 1950s:

The first dress is a green brocade by Hubert de Givenchy made in the mid '50s.

The second dress is by Cristobal Balenciaga made in 1951.

And the third is a strapless ball gown by Pierre Balmain made in 1957.

"Featuring creative silhouettes, a unique extra space between the garment and body and exquisite colors, his (Balenciaga's) designs were so like artworks that Balenciaga became known as "The Master" of haute couture.... Balenciaga set about using modern shapes and materials that would later become part of the mainstream."(1) Here are a few examples of his work in the '50s:

This fall the runways have brought back the hourglass silhouette and '50s fashions in full vintage force. Prada, Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, and even Christian Dior's fall collections have all revolved around the 1950s as evidenced by these photos from their shows:

Looks from Prada's Fall 2010 runway show.

Looks from Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton's Fall 2010 runway show.

The pink dress with orange details is from the Christian Dior Fall 2010 runway show and the black jacket and pencil skirt combo is from the Bibhu Mohaparta Fall 2010 runway show.

The most popular fifties come-backs from this season are:

• Swing Dresses
• Pencil Skirts
• Bustiers
• Swing Skirts
• Cardigans
• And Sweaters

"A little bit of modernism has been implemented through the collections, modernism given through the colors and accessories used to complete the look of the outfits."(2)

As this is a vintage look it is much harder to find in stores. The pencil skirt and cardigan can be found about anywhere, but to find the other pieces will take a little more digging. The four best places to look would, in my opinion, be, vintage stores, "new vintage" stores, online versions of both of these, and, last but not least, your Mom and Grandma's closets. I was able to find several affordable '50s looks on Modcloth.com, which is an online store that sells some vintage and a lot of "new vintage" apparel.

Both dress can be found on Modcloth.com for $54.99

Both the dress and skirt can be found at Modcloth.com. Dress $52.99, Skirt $94.99

And I also found several Fifties Chic outfits from my mom's closet which are entirely free. Yay!!!

Bibliography

(1). Fashion: From the 18th to the 20th Century by The Kyoto Costume Institute

(2.) www.fashion-style.becomegorgeous.com

Fall Fashion Look 1 - Minimalism

For some of us school has just started and for others it is about to start. Either way, or even if you aren't starting a new school year, fall is about new possibilities and fresh starts as a new season begins. Lately, we have seen a lot of frills, beads, sequins, ruffles, patterns, prints, fringes, buttons and basically any embellishment you can possibly think of plastered on clothes. Phoebe Philo, Creative Director for Céline, has started afresh. She has brought back Minimalism and it has taken over the fall runways with spirit.

Calvin Klein, a master of minimalism, described it this way, "Minimalism is not about abandoning pattern or print. I see minimalism to be a philosophy that involves an overall sense of balance, knowing when to take away, subtract. It's an indulgence in superbly executed cut, quiet plays of color tones and clean strong shapes."

Amanda Brooks writes in her book, I Love Your Style, "From what what I have learned there are two versions of minimalism in fashion. There is the heady, more conceptual idea of inventing new shapes, proportions and silhouettes as a way to create interest in the absence of decoration. And then there is the idea of taking more classic shapes and proportions and stripping them down to their barest essentials."

Amanda also gives us a list of what she considers the essentials to a minimalist style:

• Button-down Cotton Shirt
• Perfect Black Pants - what makes them perfect is if they serve your purposes
• Simple Black Dress
• Simple Tailored Jacket
• Heavy Winter Coat
• Solid Color Cashmere Sweaters
• One Chic Handbag - preferably black or another muted color, no hardware
• Flats or possibly Pumps
• Simple Watch - a good choice would be a men's watch

She adds that if you want to mix it up a little or add some spice to what can come off as an overly severe style then you have options:

• Decorate - a bow on a blouse, a string of pearls, or a fresh flower but don't overdue it
• Choose softer, more feminine pieces that drape and flow
• Go vintage - Designer Pierre Cardin for instance
• Wear a Cape to amp up the drama
• Pick a Tuxedo
• Add personality with something shiny like a patent leather clutch or metallic shoes

Teen Vogue intern, Media Brecher, says this about minimalism, "It's uncomplicated and classic, it actually forces you to be more creative, the focus is on fewer pieces, so you have to find a way to make those pieces shine."

Her fall must-haves are as follows:

• Mod Minis - a throwback from the sixties
• Tailored Pea Coats
• and Skinny Black Pants

Because pictures are worth a thousand words, I have pulled pieces from all over the fashion industry to give you an idea of where to find minimal clothes and how to pull this look off.

I know that my budget is fairly tight and that most girls in the midwest don't care to spend thousands on a new fall wardrobe either but first I want to show some High Fashion looks.

A Burberry Blazer priced at $2,173.50

And that's enough for High Fashion. Here are two mid-range priced looks from Anthropologie:

Both looks are perfect because they need no extra pieces. They are special and classic and work on their own.

And last but not least, the affordable looks, what regular people can actually hope to afford:

I created this look on H&M's website and all the items can be found there.

Handbag - $14.95

Poncho - $19.95

Shirt - $9.95

Pants - $49.95

Shirt found at Forever 21, $9.50; Clutch found at Forever 21, $12.80

Pants found at Forever 21, $22.80; Blazer found at Forever 21, $32.80

Tunic found at Charlotte Russe, $24.00

The Moon

So first off, I need to apologize for not having written in over a month... my excuse is that this month was really hard.

For some reason, and I am not completely sure why, I have always loved the moon. It always seems really meaningful, peaceful, beautiful, romantic or a combination of those. Melancholy yet cheerful... if that is even possible. And I find it inspiring.

The other day I was driving home late at night, and I hate to admit it, but I was crying. It just seemed like everything that could possibly go wrong, had. And I didn't know what to do. I looked out the car window and I saw the most beautiful, full moon, but just then a cloud passed over it and completely covered it up. My initial reaction was, "Just what I needed, this is just like my life, a vibrant, inspiring moon covered and overshadowed by dark clouds." But then the clouds started drifting away and the moon shone again, just as bright as before. And I realized that, yeah, it was like my life, but the clouds that covered and drowned me now were going to go away and I was going to be able to move on with my life. It was so beautiful and so reassuring that I started crying again, but this time they were happy tears and I knew that things were gonna turn around.

Which they have, it has just taken some time. About a month to be exact. :)

I would have listened.

Did you think of how we'd feel?

Did you think we wouldn't care?

We cared how you felt,

But you felt you couldn't tell.

I would have listened.

The EMT's did all they could,

But too far gone,

You passed on.

Will you forgive me?

I wasn't there to hold your hand.

I wasn't there to understand.

But I do now,

And I apologize.

There are tears in my eyes.

Can you see them?

My Paper Heart

My heart is made of paper,

Easily swayed by the wind,

And just as easily torn.

I didn't decorate it with lace,

Or cut out pretty shapes,

It stands alone and unadorned.

My heart is made of paper,

Fragile and thin.

So I built up walls around it,

I wouldn't let anyone in,

And yet for you,

Those walls came unglued.

My heart is made of paper,

It shredded easily,

After foolishly allowing,

You to handle it freely.

You hold my heart in shambles,

Why won't you give it back to me?

The Highest of Arts

"It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look... To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts."
Henry Thoreau wrote this in his book Walden and I honestly couldn't agree more, I also doubt that I could have said it any better. I have found that you can transform the entire world from doom and gloom to rainbows and butterflies (so to speak) :) if you are only willing to make a conscious choice to be positive. I know it is a little cliche, but look for the silver lining. Choose to see the beauty and joy in each new day and your mood will infect others. I call my sister Mary, my Little Ray of Sunshine, because she spreads joy throughout our home by her constant cheeriness.
Ecclesiastes 10: 7-8a NCV says: "Sunshine is sweet, it is good to see the light of day. People ought to enjoy every day of their lives, no matter how long they live."

And Proverbs 12:25 NCV states: "Worry is a heavy load, but a kind word cheers you up."

Add a little joy to your life and other's and paint a more beautiful world.
I will close with a few lines from the song Follow Sound by Deas Vail:
"Won't you open up your eyes, through your window you'll see, the sun in shining bright, and I promise there's a world out there."