pictures of the day

When fashion meets photography, creativity arises. There are some pictures that captured moments that are so witty and memorable. Here are some of my favorite fashion photos.

(Harper's Bazaar September 2009)

This is Oscar de la Renta with one of his gowns and Oscar the Grouch. Harper's Bazaar did a spread of a couple of designers with the characters from Sesame Street. I like the pairing of Oscar and Oscar the Grouch.

Marc Jacobs with Miss Piggy. He designed a couple of outfits for Miss Piggy that then translated to women's fashion. I like this picture because I loved Miss Piggy growing up.

The opening scene of "Breakfast at Tiffanys". This picture/scene has been recreated into posters and such.

When Andy gets transformed in The Devil wears Prada. She emerges in a full Chanel outfit. Every person who has ever seen this movie gasps at this scene.

Kate Hudson with her son Ryder in Harper's Bazaar. I love this shoot because it depicts Kate as a glam mother in New York City. It captures New York City life with the taxis and bakeries. I love the dress she's wearing in this picture and her son is so cute!

British Vogue 1998, This picture is just lovely. The dress compliments the background of hints of blue hues. The detailing of the spiral staircases balances the smoothness of the dress and the cracks of the wall compliments the model's skin. This picture is like the ying and yang of baby blue

xoxo Karen

here's to the sisters of pi beta phi...

Judging by all the facebook status countdowns, it's about one month until Greek affiliated members move into UConn. And you know what that means, it's time to get out all your letters, sorority totes, white/black dresses, cocktail dresses for recruitment. Don't forget to pack your pearl necklace, Tiffany studs, comfortable heels, and cute flats. Once classes start, eye catching shirts promoting the Greek system will be worn by almost 1,000 girls at UConn. So how does one stand out during the recruitment process where PNM (Potential New Members) are navigated through days of recruitment meeting lots of girls. So Here are my stylish tips to being remembered.

So there's that one night that everyone is wearing their designated Panhellenic shirt with each sorority ranging in different colors. Going through the process of recruitment, PNMs won't remember each sorority and furthermore the names. The Greek alphabet is something new to them, so they will use the color of your shirt as a reference. My advice is to try wearing sleek dress pants or trousers that are comfortable to be in for hours. Dark denim is often preferred. Make sure you feel comfortable and confident in it. Wear colors that particularly flatter your complexion or enhance certain features, so hat you stand out and are confident on the recruitment floor. Have fun with accessories, but not too much fun. Yeah Blair Waldorf looks so cute with a flower headband, but sometimes one cannot pull off a huge flower on her head when meeting new people. Sometimes crazy headbands (cough Forever21 cough cough) can be distracting. But elegant and simple accessories are the easiest way to dress up any outfit and stand out in a crowd.

Everyone knows you'll be standing for the majority of the time so make sure your shoes are super comfy. My trick is to change from heels to flats every other party. Try putting baby powder in flats to reduce sweat buildup. Dr. Scholl's Foot Care Products such as the gel insoles also work very well.

For Pref night glam up the classic little black dress. Remember you want to stand out and look different from the rest, and the other girls are most likely going to be wearing black dresses. Try adding a colorful belt, or colorful chunky necklace.

So I decided to make things easier for you, and decided to post some items, I think would be great to wear during recruitment.

J. Crew

Show off your summer tan with this pink dress. The dramatic self twisted bow on the chest makes this tube dress have a personality.

These True Religion jeans have the horseshoe logo stitching on the back pocket, creating a slimmer look. These straight leg jeans also have a slim fit through hips and thighs. These jeans are perfect for heel (shown above) as well as flats.

I love love loveee these Rock & republic Low-Rise Sinny Jeans. I love the shiny gold tone exposed ankle zippers that bring glam to these jeans. I would wear strappy/ caged heels with these jeans.

Try wearing a blazer over your letters creating a relaxed elegant feel with laytered necklaces to create a tough-luxe finish

Tory Burch flats. So classic and a great buy for any season! Comfy for those long hours of recruitment!

Headwrap from Forever 21. The textures of this headband creates a delicate yet sophisticated feel. It also looks like it's made from a designer rather than a forever21 store. I'd wear this with a simple dress thus putting focus to your face so PNMs won't get distracted by your dress and eye contact is strengthened.

That's just a couple of things I'd suggest. Happy shopping and happy recruitment everyone! >

I know my ABCs

DESIGNERS/BRANDS (with a quick bio)

A- Alexander McQueen (British designer known for unconventional designs) He started making dresses for his three sisters at a young age.

B- Burberry (British tartan pattern (type of plaid pattern). Was founded in 1856 when 21 year old Thomas Burberry( former draper's apprentice) opened his own store in England.

C- Carolina Herrera (Venezuelan fashion designer based in NYC. Drssed Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for the last 12 years of her life)

D- Diane von Furstenberg (Belgian-American designer known for wrap dresses and mixture of textiles/prints. She started designing women's clothes in 1970 with a $30,000 investment)

E- Emilio Pucci (Florentine Italian fashion designer known for geometric prints. First clothes designed by Pucci were for the Reed College skiing team)

F- Fendi (was launched in 1925 as a fur and leather shop in Rome, but today is owned by LVMH and Karl Lagerfeld is the creative director)

G- Gucci (founded by Guccio Gucci in Florence in 1921) Gucci introduced the banboo handle handbag.

H- Herve Leger (french fashion house founded by the designer Herve L. Leroux). He changed his name to Leroux after he lost the rights to the Herve Leger Name.

I- Isaac Mizrahi (Egyptian American designer and creative director of Liz Claiborne) Mizrahi presented his first collection in 1987 at a trunk show held by Bergdorf Goodman

J- Jean Paul Gaultier- (French designer) Never received formal training as a designerbut he started sending sketches to famous stylists at an early age.

K- Karl Lagerfield (German fashion designer- head designer and creative director of for Chanel and Fendi). He can recap any costume style in European history.

L- Lacoste (French company founded by Rene Lacoste in 1933) How to spot a fake Lacoste shirt: The knockoff's alligators don't have teeth.

M- Marc Jacobs (American fashion designer born in NYC)head designer for Mar Jacobs and diffusion line Marc by Marc jacobs and Creative Director Louis Vuitton. At 15 he worked as a stockboy at Charivari, an avant-garde clothing boutique in NYC.

N- Natori (Filipina fashion designer for Natori Company- high end lingerie) received Order of Lakandula, highest civilian awards in the Philippines

O- Oscar de la Renta (born in Domincan Republic) studied in Spain left to join Antonio Castillo as a couture assistant at Lanvin in Paris

P- Mario Prada (Milan Italy) Mario Prada didn't believe women should have a role in business and prevented female family members from entering his workshop. Ironically Mario's son had no interest in the business so his daughter Luisia Prada took over Prada and ran it for 20 years.

Q- since there's no designer starting with the letter Q, I decided to choose a prominent figure in the history of fashion. Queen Elizabeth was always dressed in opulent clothing. She was the inspiration for bodices to be more decorated completely in braids, trim, jewels, silk embroidery which male fashion also followed.

R- Roberto Cavalli (Florence, Italy). He invented and patented a revolutionary printing procedure on leather, and started to create patchworks of different materials.

S- Stuart Weitzman (American) Started a shoe factory in MA in late 1950s "Seymour Shoes" sold under the label "Mr. Seymour".

T- Tory Burch (American designer). Member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta at UPenn and worked at Harper's Bazaar magazine and a copywriter for Polo Ralph Lauren and worked for Vera Wang. Her Reva ballerina flats are named after her mother.

U- Emanuel Ungaro (Italian born, but French designer) At the age of 25 he was the assistant to Cristobal Balenciaga.

V- Gianni Versace (Italian fashion label) After Gianni was killed in 1997, his sister Donatella former vice president stepped in as creative director and his older brother Santo became CEO.

W- Vera Wang (American fashion designer). With Rach being her intern, I learned that Vera, though she's very thin, she prefers to wear a size medium and size 6 in her clothes. She was also a senior fashion editor for Vogue for 16 years and left after being turned down for the editor-in-chief by Anna Wintour and joined Ralph Lauren as a design director for 2 years.

Y- Yves Saint Laurent (Algerian-born French designer) Submitted 3 sketches to a contest for young fashion designers, organized by the Internation al Wool Secretariat, and won third place and was invited to attend the awards ceremony in Paris and met Michel de Brunhoff, the editor in chief of the Paris edition of Vogue magazine and suggested he become a fashion designer.

Z- Zac Posen- (raised in Soho, NY) As a child he would steal yarmulkes from his grandparents' synagogue to make ball dresses for dolls.

Now you know your ABCs, next time won't you sing with me?

xoxo Karen

my fashion icons

A lot of people ask me who are my fashion icons. So I have compiled yet another list. :) (And no my list does not include Lady Gaga, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Rihanna)

As you all know my absolute favorite fashionista is the fictional character Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girls. The show is iconic to contemporary fashion. Go into Bendel's and they have an entire wall of headbands that surely customers buy to imitate Blair Waldorf's signature accessory (bow always on the right side). Another piece of fashion that impacted viewer's was Chuck's 's signature patchwork polka dot silk scarf made by J. Press. This men's store of 106 years has sold this scarf for $175 and has been around for a few seasons. According to a J. Press spokesman, "It's made from the silk remnants created during our tie making. No one really paid much attention to them and they weren't really selling until it was featured in Gossip Girl". These silk scarves were sold out for a year after airing on the show!

Enough of my Gossip Girl spiel, I'll go right into my fashion icon list. (Minus Blair Waldorf because there's already a whole blog dedicated to her fashion)

1. Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice)

I Love Victoria Beckham's slim, structured 1940s influenced dress. She has earned a reputation of being glamorous, trendsetting style icon. She always dresses so simple yet looks so posh. She always looks so chic and sophisticated. And no one can pull of black the way she does.

2. Jennifer Aniston (actress)

No one can pull of casual chic like her. Even when she's wearing jeans, white top, and a simple black blazer- no one can make a simple outfit look so expensive and put together. She simply reminds me of the J.Crew lifestyle. Even her famous "Rachel Hair" exemplifies her as a fashion icon, since thousands of viewers got their hair cut to look similar to hers.

3. Reese Witherspoon (actress)

Reese Witherspoon is another style icon I adore. She has this laid back persona with a girly twist. Her style is effortless and also simple. She also is always sporting very cute cardigans.

3. Michelle Obama (First Lady)

The first lady, is the next Jackie O. She wears bold colors, tailored dresses, and bright floral prints. She is politics meets fashion.She can pull off dresses, skirts, or pants.

5. Bethenny Frankel (Real Housewives NYC/Bethenny Getting Married)

I absolutely hate the color red, but Bethenny Frankel pulls it off so well. Either when she's wearing it as her lip color or to plain red dresses. In her reality series I feel that she is always fashionable from her pjs, to work out clothes, to when she dresses up. I also believe she had the most elegant wedding dress out of all celebrity brides. She knows how to play with textures when she dresses up.

6. Lauren Conrad (from the Hills)

Lauren Conrad is the fresh face for young adults and teenagers. She is an iconic fashion figure wearing age appropriate clothing. She brought the cali lifestyle and clothing style globally. I believe a lot of girls started to wear the side braids because of her. I feel that she is always put together and absolutely loved her wardrobe from Laguna Beach to the Hills.

7. Kim Kardashian (in Keeping up with the Kardashians)

I feel like Kim Kardashian should fire her stylist because when you watch her on Keeping up with the Kardashians she has style! She always look so chic, but once you see her on the red carpet she always wears clothes that are not form fitting for her. I definitely like her laid back style more.

8. Nicole Richie

Her signature Boho style has made thousands of girls adapt to that style. (The boho headbands, floor length dresses). I feel her casual style is what MK/Ashley, Vanessa H, and Misha Barton try to emulate. She really knows how to play with layers as well ,with her signature scarves.

And that's my list... yup, all these women dress similar, but their choice in clothes seem so effortless yet so chic and fashionable.

"Fashion is made to become unfashionable"- Coco Chanel

The rate of fashion has changed, and we now live in the era of speed chic. The systematic hierarchy of trends are now producing at a fast pace. High end fashion creates a look which then is sent down the runways. That look goes to certain boutiques. Soon afterward, magazines are writing the 'trends' in style columns then the looks are found all over in different department stores. Then the style hits the masses and then you walk into the mall and you see tweens wearing this fad. Then that trend gets old, in the span of less than a season. And another fad comes into style. It wasn't like this in the past, certain styles stayed vogue for years. (ie. 80s look spanning a decade, what look has spanned a decade in 2000?- Would you still wear a ruffle skirt today?) This is why when you go shopping in summer, you can sometimes find fall clothing up on display, during winter, spring colors and skirts are already trying to be sold, when there is still snow on the ground.

We all know trends come and go, yet we still give in and buy it. Two, three, four pieces later once you've worn them all, they're not even stylish anymore. But if these fads come and go so quickly how does everyone keep up? It's all powered by the entertainment industry. Turn on the television, the actors and actresses will be wearing the new styles. Shows like, Say Yes to the Dress, What not to wear, E!'s spotlight on dresses actresses wore on the Red Carpet add fuel to this fad process. Magazines and advertisements are no different. Magazines often have editorials on how to dress like certain actresses, and where to find certain trends for cheaper.

We all want to dress the latest trends, but we all want to pay lower prices; since keeping up with trends gets pricey. Then the crack cocaine of fashion was born- stores like Forever 21 and H&M. Let's be real, ever been in Forever 21 and H&M- the shoppers running around ransacking the store are the crack addicts of fashion. This is the true definition of Speed Chic. Forever 21 and H&M can re create trends in a less expensive form. Diamond studded Dresses from runways can be mass-produced with cheap crystals. Fur vests can be turned into faux jackets. Yet we all know these mass produced clothing don't last long, and we all have the same answer "Yeah but i'm only gonna wear it to go out/ I'm only going to wear it a few times". Look in the closets of my sorority sisters and you'll find numerous Forever 21 shirts. H&M and Forever give the buyers satisfaction because they pay a fraction of the price for the trend rather than buying the designer brand. Thus when high end designers take their time in creating a garment to be what's in next season, stores like forever 21 and H&M copy these styles mass produce them at cheaper prices and stylish trends that was once worn by the wealthy has spread to the normal citizen speeding the process of speed chic. Therefore, designers are back to the drawing board trying to create a new look since department stores are already selling the trend they created.

Yet copying has been around for many years. American clothes makers paid fees to French fashion houses (ie: Christian Dior) for rights to copy designs. But today it's very different. Many high end designers are suing forever 21 for copying their designs and Louis Vuitton suing counterfits because these copy cats aren't paying these fees and people buying into these cheaper products are now posing a threat to designers. And with today's economy, designers like Zac Posen, Vera Wang, JP Gautlier are creating lines at department stores like Khols and Target for the masses.

Don't be fooled when you go shopping either. There are so many tactics that are used on buyers these days. Today shoppers are impatient and want to walk in and walk out of stores but retailers want to keep customers in the stores longer. Clothes put in bins often make shoppers feel like it's a good buy while items in glass cases imply luxury. For example, ever been in Express during winter break? Before you even go into the store you see all these women hovered over these bins digging through the clothes when we all know its the same 4 shirts in those bins. On the other hand shopping for watches, your eyes draw attention to the ones in the glass cases ignoring the fully functional watches displayed outside. Stores also play with our senses. Walk past Abercrombie or Hollister with your eyes closed and you'll still know you walked passed it. The scent can be sensed 2 stores away. The look of employers are also standardized and stores want you to belong to this look/lifestyle. Ambercrombie gives off that athletic young vibe. I remember I started to shop there when I was in 6th grade. It was the transition from elementary school to middle school. I wanted to wear shirts that said Abercrombie on them rather than the plain shirts my mom bought me from other stores. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago my mom wanted to browse in the store and I tried to talk her out of it. She asked my why I didn't want to go in, but when I was in middle school I practically would drag her in. I simply responded, "Because I'm not in middle school anymore I can't wear that." A store that I believe does a great job at attracting the masses is Victoria Secret. You'll find the tweens and young girls in the Pink Section. The young adults in the Sexy Little Things Section and the older adults in the plain Victoria Secret section (you know the full butt underwear sold in solid colors). Yet each different line in V. Secret gives off a different vibe. And once the semi annual sale comes, V. Secret becomes crack cocaine of fashion along just like H&M/Forever 21.

So metaphorically, H&M and Forever 21 are fastfood restaurants- quick and cheap places to satisfy our hunger for trends.

Spotted...

Au Revoir Nouveau York, Bonjour Paris!

Who's Excited???? I know I am!! (Lucky Fans in Paris get to watch!!)

Here's a sneak peak!

C'est tres magnifique!

How do you know you're a fashion victim?

Georg Simmel was a contemporary Social Theorist who wasn't preoccupied with macro structures, such as economy, government, or religion. He was micro oriented studying individuals and interactions. He believed that there were different multiple levels of social reality and that interpersonal relationship and interactions made a component of social life. Thus believed that society is made up of people and the interactions of individuals. He wrote an article "Fashion", which he said that norms of fashion (today's "fad's") are a product of social demands. Type of clothing an individual wears is an easy way to conform with a group. (This is seen in high school cliques: Goths wear all black, athletes wear athletic gear, 'preppy' students wear oxford button ups, and etc.-Thus fashion provides norms the individuals can deviate from). To Simmel, Lady Gaga wouldn't be so out of the ordinary, because both conformists and anti-conformists are both shaped by fashion. Lady Gaga chooses to go against the norms, thus she is also grouped into another category.

Therefore, we are all fashion victims. Even if you shop at Bergdorfs or Walmart. What's the difference in buying a leather CK belt from Bloomingdales for the name to buying that spiked belt to not conform to the norm? There's a message in both articles of clothing. This is also evident to guys- why is it important to choose athletic gear from Nike/Puma/Adidas/etc?

So how do you know you're a high end fashion victim?

1. You pay more to appear poor.

-You buy fabrics that are prewashed and grayed out to appear less new. Jeans have slashes and holes (and you think, no. it won't look the same if I did it yourself). So what's the difference between jeans that are acid washed to jeans that were passed down to you by your mother? Remember that Louis Vuitton bag I blogged about a while ago? The one made from trashbags and retail price was over $1,000. One place says it all: Thrift Shopping.

2. You own minutely different variations of the same thing.

-You know you have a fashion victim friend, when you go shopping and she buys the same shirt in 4 different colors. Or your friend who has a endless pairs of sneakers. Justifying one pair is for running, a pair for walking, and a pair for shopping. Or the friend who has a million black pants saying each are so different.

3. You clothes not only define who you are but also your lifestyle.

-The brand of your bedspread evokes the image of affluence. Why is it Lacoste only made bedsheets for Twin XL and there's tons of Tommy Hilfiger sheets that exude young girly feel. Who else would have Peace Sign sheets? A girl in college. This was a strategic way to up sales too. Look at pre-teens and the Victoria Secret Pink line- it went from bras to underwear to street clothes to pjs, to lotions and perfumes. The affluent want to be different from common people so they don't have cell phones like us, instead they own the thousands of dollars diamond encrusted Prada, Armani phones. A documentary that demonstrates this is Valentino: Last Emperor.Valentino's passion is making dresses, not sunglasses, bags, and all that stuff, but the fashion empire and market is expanding so in order to keep up and make money he is forced to make these products to help the buyer portray a lifestyle.

4. You dress vicariously through your children and pets.

- Babies outgrown their clothes quickly. So why do many mothers insist on dressing their child in little ralph lauren polos? When I was in Orlando, in the Burberry Outlet, I saw this couple buy little Burberry print shorts, skirts, and polos for their baby girl that looked like a couple months old. They spent over $1,000 on clothes their baby would outgrow in a couple of months. Dogs are also similar. I'm not talking about the cute clothes found in pet stores. I'm talking about louis vuitton doggy bag holders, gucci doggy raincoat (for $117), and for the middle class- Old Navy doggy line.

5. athleticism

- I always found it funny when it came to looking 'sporty'. From lacoste sweatbands to nike sweatbands. To buying the Rugby line from Ralph Lauren. Fashion victims try to pull of the athletic look ,rather than just wearing a team jersey. Designer line names are also changed: "Gap Athletic Line, Polo Sport, etc."

6. Walking Billboard

-I have written about this soo many times, so refer to my other blogs about parading around with the LV initial bag to the Nike swoosh to the A/X print.