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Lavishness Is Sooooooo Last Year!

The fashion industry has not been exempt from the wrath of the global economic crisis and thus we have witnessed various alterations for these exhibitors of style. Fashion magazines are vying for greater ad layouts and using the mass appeal of celebrities to increase sales and profits. Luxury designers are experiencing the weight of potential foreclosures and in turn have opted for a more cost-effective means of artistic expression. Today, fashion greats such as Vera Wang, Karl Lagerfeld, and Jean Paul Gaultier have partnered with department stores Kohls, Macy's and Target, respectively, to offset the loses they are experiencing on the "high-end".

It seems a bit ironic that an industry based on the glamour of inaccessibility is forced to perform the same checks and balances that everyday citizens endure. Yet, due to the basic principals of supply and demand, the same industry that dictates our trends has now fallen to the will of the people.

Don't get me wrong, I am not exempt from the overwhelming gaiety any fashion aficionado feels in the presence of Chanel, Louboutin, and Prada. There is a sense of accomplishment that is highlighted when given the opportunity or achieving the success to obtain such rare and luxurious pieces. Yet, until both we as individuals and the global economy are financially tuned enough to keep up with the Jones', the more fiscally fabulous clothing options will do just nicely. "Fiscally fabulous" - sounds better than "economical", "cheaper", or "discounted" right!

(Picture provided by editinternational.com)

Following the Leader

This... 'stuff'? Oh... ok. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select out, oh I don't know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise, it's not lapis, it's actually cerulean. You're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar De La Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves St Laurent, wasn't it, who showed cerulean military jackets? And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of 8 different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff.(Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada)

Although this excerpt from The Devil Wears Prada is a bit lengthy, I could not agree more with how well it sums up the effect of the fashion industry on every man. More specifically, that there are a set few rooms full of people that have selected certain items for the masses and all but too many have fallen slave to these decisions. One could even suggest that there is a sinister facet that allows this select few to determine just what people would be willing to wear as long as someone of consequence deems it "fashionable".

Some of the items that plague the greater population include Uggs, Jack Rodgers sandals and now TOMS. If you have not noticed already, you will now.

Challenge yourself on the commute home from work to count how many pairs you can spot. Just how uniform have the decisions of select few made us as a population?

Maybe you'll have to start this challenge in your own closet.

(Pictures provided by shoebuy.com, kozeetoes.com, popentertainment.com and hcs.harvard.edu)

"Stayin Alive": Summer Trends from the 70s

We all know that fashion trends are recycled and in general "the more things change the more they stay the same." As we enter the summer solstice, let's check out the 2011 spring/summer trends that extract hints from the disco decade.

                                                                                                                                      

Marc Jacobs was seriously channeling Jodie Foster in the 1976 hit movie "Taxi Driver". He combined the broad rimmed sunhat with bare-all shorts, strappy sandles and a few psychedelic patterns to make for an all out 70s inspired look.

Although we are in the summer season, that is no reason to shy away from long sleeves or pants. We have a Spring 2010 repeat and with light fabrics such as, silk and even cotton, you can tap into the flower child within with an array of 70s style jumpsuits.

Other major 70s trends you may notice this summer include, bold stipes, electric colors (often paired together) and highwaisted capris that may differ from the more familiar wide-leg or bell-bottom, but still maintains the 70s appeal.

(Pictures provided by, sweetfuzz.com, refinery29.com and polyvore.com)

Age Appropriate: Is 14 the new 40?

Many Sex in the City fans can recall the red carpet blunder that placed fifty something Samantha Jones in the same ensemble as Miley Cyrus, the teen queen. Although this scene was intended for comedic entertainment, several of us have witnessed similiar mishaps in a more everyday setting.

In our current realm of age obsession, how often do we see women of an advanced age or young girls trying to grab hold of the coveted twenties age range. Even Hollywood celebrities who are styled to a "T" illuminate this awful epidemic. So, let us take the time and observe just how this is displayed. Is the outfit too old or too young? Reference the ages and you decide!

Yes Miley, I too would feel uncomfortable in a dress I could not fill out.
(Miley Cyrus 2010 Oscars - Age: 17; stylefrizz.com)

Even young girls should not wear this one Mariah.
(Mariah Carey 2008 Candid Shot - Age: 38; thehoodtimes.com)

Like mother like daughter. Not inappropriate, but the similarities are outstanding.
(Madonna and Lourdes Macy's "Material Girl" clothing line launch - Madonna Age: 52; Lourdes Age: 13)

Not Dressing for the Job You Have!

Ever enter the office on a Monday morning and wonder whether or not your fellow employees comprehend the term "business casual"? Don't get me wrong, I understand how mundane it may be to constantly wear the typical white button-up shirt and black pencil skirt to the office; but, how far can one venture without crossing into bad form?

As a child my mother insisted that I never leave the house looking like "nobody's child". In other words, she wanted me to be a reflection of her and present myself as such. As a adult, I have a great appreciation for that lesson and hopefully I can offer some of mother's wisdom to a select few.

1) Part-Time Party Girl: Ladies it is time to separate the closet. Pieces worn for a night out
at the discotec are not interchangeable with office attire. Let's bring the skirts down a
few inches and leave the low-cut glittered halters for after-hours when your choices can be
sheltered by the shade of night.

2) The Ironless: It appears that this title befalls many young corporate employees. Maybe it
takes a few years to transition from the rollout of bed, grab and go college lifestyle; but
I find this particular look incredibly disturbing. Slowly I imagine myself spouting phrases
such as: tuck in your shirt, brush your hair, iron your slacks, and I immediately
become Sister Silbrowne of Our Lady of the Unsettlingly Wrinkled.

3) The Business Too Casual: This final staff member is the most rebellious of the group. It
appears this particular employee (often attired with sneakers, jeans and/or Ts) has forever
extended the rules for Casual Friday.

I do not personally expect all office personnel to appear as though they stepped off the runway, but hopefully the previously addressed missteps will cease. You know who you are (insert sinister laughter here).

(Picture provided by www.coojob.net)

Where have all the Fashion Icons gone?

Being that a week has lapsed since the actual Costume Institute Met Gala, I figured I needed to address the event more creatively than the typical "best and worst dressed" motif. Aside from my intent to offer my readers more considered feedback, it was necessary to take that time and wrap my mind around the parade of poorly translated runway couture.

I suppose this post refers back to my clever rant regarding hollywood celebrities and their fashion take over, but picturesque moments such as the Met Gala only prove that there are few with the stylistic know-how to be labeled icons. Rather, it appears that celebrities of today are labeled icons, but are really just well styled individuals. They have the fortune of working with stylists who help them to frequent the best dressed list; though, few have the trendsetting ability to become fashion royalty.

When we think of fashion icons, many of us revert back to those who have brought timeless staples to the world of style: Audrey Hepburn and the little black dress, Twiggy and the Mod look, and Jackie Kennedy Onassis for the formed suit look that became known as the "Jackie". Although, I think it is far too soon to dub these ladies fashion royalty, women such as Blake Lively and Rhianna have been labeled fashion icons of today. Blake Lively, though she claims to function without the use of a fashion stylist, has yet to establish a look that is uniquely outstanding. Rhianna, though very experimental with her look, has not been able to isolate one look long enough to make it a staple. Currently she is operating under a sense of fashion chaos that I find all too reminiscent of a performer from the past. A young, West Indian, singer and performer with an outrageous and ever changing style highlighted by extreme hairstyling choices...Grace Jones anyone.

I do not intend to propose that these young ladies may not one day come into a sense of self more easily proclaimed in their style of dress, but I wouldn't chisel any stone tablets just yet.

(Pictures provided by sell-clshoes.com and zimbio.com)