Put your dreams away for now

Remember the United Colors of Bennetton?

Even if you don't, you've probably seen their famous multi-racial cast of models in a ton of ads. This season, the brand has decided to step their game up by having world leaders in their ads. If that's not interesting enough, the world leaders happen to be clashing ones. Still not interesting? The leaders are actually KISSING, but obviously, the images are photoshopped. According to Bennetton's website, the ads show world leaders locking lips to promote tolerance. Bennetton is simply amplifying their Unhate Campaign, which was created to undermine the omnipresent hate culture.

The ad campaign is so controversial that the pope(in his fabulous Louboutin loafers), commanded that the ads needed to be taken down because of its lewdness. Oh, the sweet irony.

Is this just a clever attempt to revive the brand's dropping sales? Or is Bennetton really on a passionate campaign to stop the hatin'?

The pope and Sheik Amed el-Tayeb of Cairo's al-Azhar Institute for Sunni Islam.

China's president Hu Jintao and Obama

German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Nicholas Sarkozy

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and South Korean president Lee Myung Bak.

Thoughts?

Currently Jamming to: Lost in my Mind- the Head and the Heart

Ashes to dust and stone to stone

The best accessories are ones that pack a punch, and I think that the Occupy movements justify my argument perfectly. The protesters' signs make the strongest statements and overshadows their mostly lumberjack chic/grunge/hippie outfits! So in lieu of this worldwide movement, I scoured through political blogs, online magazines and newspapers to find the most statement-making signs.

NOTE: I am aware that the Occupy movements are not merely street style events, but are calls to end corporate greed and the government's compliance to it.

The message in this one is so simple, but the image itself makes the "statement" I mentioned earlier. The solidarity of all these Iranian women in burqas to support the movement is amazing. GET IT LADIES! :)

In case you want to participate in the Occupy movement, but are afraid or unsure of how to, there is a project by the Outreach Group of NYC that enables people of all ages to participate anonymously through pictures, sidewalks, and chalk. Yes, the ones you use on black boards and sidewalks. To find out more, go to this link: http://occupywallstreet.tumblr.com/post/12586447641/the-outreach-group-of-the-nyc-general-assembly-has

& if you are planning to participate, let me know. :)

Currently Jamming: Come Home- Ryan Adams

Not the Summer of 69' guy, I'm talking about the talented husby of Mandy Moore. He's an awesome musician that's too underrated. Check him out!

Writing Analysis

Strongest Post: Modernizers October 19, 2011
Weakest Post: Fashion Perspective October 9, 2011

Analyze Your Writing:
1. What is working?
I think what works in my blog writing style is the very detailed descriptions and conversational tone. Both elements hopefully make my topic a little more relatable, or at least more bearable to read.

2. What isn't working?
What isn't working in my writing style is how I sometimes ramble and go off topic, my occasional use of second person, and my inability to find relatable evidence to support my claims.

3. What do you want to improve in the next 6 weeks?
In the next six weeks, I would like to advance my overall writing style, make it more concise, and find products that match the runway looks I post to make the whole blog more effective.

4. What steps will you take to make that happen?
To improve my writing, I will read more fashion websites that have advanced writing such as the New York Times' Style section and prestigious magazines' websites. I will also edit or at least proofread my posts, and look through online stores to find products that match my runway posts.

Modernizers

Lately, I have been so bored with the trends I see circulating at Hercules and its surrounding towns. I think it's become a uniform for guys to just dress up in a white t-shirt, jeans or cargo shorts, socks pulled up high and layered on, and a beanie that's folded. I love the shoe diversity though! For girls, a crop top, skinny jeans/hot pants(booty shorts), and a body-cross satchel is ubiquitous. So I rifled through Fall 2011 collections, editorials, and online shops to look for upcoming trends for everyone to try!

Okay never mind.. I'm not as well-versed in menswear, so I asked my soul brother/fellow fashion junkie/ sartorial soul-mate Qurann about some of his thoughts on upcoming menswear trends. According to him, statement crew-neck sweaters in luxe fabrics such as cashmere or wool are versatile and are the best way to upgrade dude wardrobes. He also cites brogues(oxford shoes) and combat boots in basic colors as instant accessories to modernize drab outfits. I also want to add blazers to this list. Blazers just instantly make people look like they put a simple yet elegant effort in their sartorial choices. Look for tweed, wool-cotton blend, or polyester-cotton for the blazer's fabric and colors black, gray, brown, and color of the Fall 2011 menswear season umber(a brownish-maroon hue) for the perfect shade. Last of all, tailoring is key! Qurann and I both agree that clothing that actually fits and is not baggy or tight makes the perfect statement and is the penultimate factor in swanky style and timeless dressing.

Prada F/W 2011

Paul Smith F/W 2011

D&G by Dolce & Gabbana F/W 2011 (that's a tweed coat!)

J. Crew Fall 2011 Lookbook

Ladies! For three consecutive seasons now, the midi and maxi skirts have dominated the runways. Midi is the term for lengths that graze the calves and maxi is for the lengths that cover the entire legs. These lengths are such breathers from the micro minis and barely-there lengths that are still so popular. Don't worry! They are still just as versatile and can be paired with just about any top as long as the tops are tucked in. Other instant wardrobe modernizers include: knit sweaters, sheer fabrics, faux-fur vests/coats, polka-dots, and bright pants.

Stella McCartney F/W 2011

Max Azria and Tracy Reese F/W 2011

Yigal Azrouel and DKNY F/W 2011

Gucci F/W 2011

Of course, these are simply suggestions, and, like many other things, should be applied with discretion. What I mean is, incorporate a single trend with your personal style so individuality is not lost. As Yves Saint Laurent said and many other designers reiterated, "Fashion fades, style is eternal."

Currently Jamming: What You Know- Two Door Cinema Club

I'm currently addicted to this song and band. I recommend seeing them live, they're BEYOND.

Fashion Perspective

I've heard so many people say that they don't understand fashion and are quite confused as to how they should regard it. I don't think I have the skill to write a blatant persuasive fashion post, so I decided to share how I view the F word. If I do end up writing a persuasive piece, please go along and share your views. :)

1.)Fashion shows, collections, trends and editorials should not dictate; they should inspire. I get really irked when magazines have "worst dressed" lists or when people say that someone should not be wearing something simply because it "doesn't look right." What's the basis of their judgement anyway? On what standards does a garment begin to look "right"?

2.)View fashion as a form of art. It's quite unrealistic to translate runway and editorial looks into everyday wear without having to subject yourself under dramatic change. The looks are pulled from the imaginations of visionaries who usually view their works as canvases, which is why the designers themselves are also considered artists.

3.)Fashion should not draining and harmful. Use fashion and style as the simplest way to express yourself. I know none of you would want to look objectified by the standards set by the media today.

4.)I know this is the second time I'm posting this on my blog, but I never get tired of this quote simply because Karl Lagerfeld puts it in words better than I ever could: "Fashion does not have to prove that it serious. It is the proof that intelligent frivolity can be something creative and positive." I LOVE IT!!

I think that our youth and creativity should not be put to waste.

Jamming to: Welcome Home, Son-Radical Face

This song comes from a really awesome album that always puts me in the "I'm really being contemplative but kind of zoning out" mood, Ghost.

Trend Spotting: Spring 2012

As of yesterday, Spring 2012 fashion month has officially ended! Check out American Vogue's website, Style.com, to view all the collections presented. After quickly browsing through most of the collections from New York, London, Milan, and Paris(the four official fashion capitals), I noticed a few ubiquitous trends.

1. Expect the conventionally "pretty" look to come back. A-line and pencil skirts, sheath dresses, kitten heels, shiny pastels, jewel tones, and basically anything that resembles how women dressed in the fifties were all constant aesthetics in the Spring 2012 shows. Beauty-wise, voluminous hair, pink/peach or nude lips, cat eyes, and dewy skin are all compliments of the conventionally feminine trend.

Looks from Louis Vuitton and Emilia Wickstead

2. Sheer and cut-outs dominated the fabrics of Spring 2o12. Sheer clothing has been a popular trend for quite a few seasons now. This trend was first seen in the Japanese street-style circuit around the early 2000s, but is now only becoming popular in large chain stores all over the world. Designers happen to love this, along with cut-outs, as a clever but extremely risqué way to show skin.

Looks from Roland Mouret and Julien Macdonald

3. The sea, mermaids, and other aquatic related things will definitely splash their way into our wardrobes by Spring. As the inspiration for the most buzzed about collections of Spring 2012, the underwater world is possibly one of the few innovative trends of the season. Shirts and dresses made out of Neoprene(fabric used for diving gear), sea shells, pearls, corals, silhouettes resembling sting rays and seaweed-like detailing were all omnipresent in the runways.

Chanel Spring 2012

Chanel Spring 2012

Looks from Alexander McQueen Spring 2012

P.S. Kanye West presented his first women's wear collection during Paris Fashion Week! It's quite beautiful actually. Check it out at Style.com!

Now Playing: What the Water Gave Me- Florence + the Machine

(She performed this song at the Chanel show inside a seashell! So cool.)

-Abbygail May

Bienvenue

Bonjour! I’m supposed to write about why I’m starting a fashion blog, and the simple answer to that is because blogging is an ongoing project for my Journalism class. The more complex reason as to why I'm starting this blog is to learn more about fashion and give a little insight about the industry, especially about how designers' collections affect the trends circulating today. I am not an expert, but I'd like to think that I do extensive research and have a developing experience in the industry. Aside from runway commentary and trend spotting, I will also be posting D.I.Y.'s, editorials, some of my own fashion illustrations/designs/styling, and a little bit of music.

Upon being a self-proclaimed fashion addict since the age of eleven, the three elements I have grown to love the most about fashion are:

1. Fashion has the ability to transcend reality, and still create something so ethereal; something beyond beautiful.

The image above is from the "Plato's Atlantis" collection of one of my all-time favorite designers, the late and super great Lee Alexander McQueen. As this blog progresses, I can guarantee that McQueen will be part of my posts so much that readers will be so familiar with his slightly disturbing, but amazing aesthetic. The reason why I say this is because McQueen is more than a designer. He is a visionary and is the complete embodiment of a designer who is able to transcend reality.

2. Style is the clearest interpretation of who you are without words.
Judging by appearance is extremely shallow, yet most, if not all of us, are guilty of this. I’m not sure of where I read this(hopefully a reliable source), but a study revealed that it only takes eight seconds for the human mind to assess someone based on a first impression. Unless a person can talk really fast or rap all the facts about themselves in under eight seconds, then style is the only indication of someone’s personality. It is arguable whether style is something entirely different from fashion, but I believe that style is the highest form of fashion.

3. Lastly, fashion is fun.
I can’t explain this better than the contemporary fashion god Karl Lagerfeld, but according to him: “Fashion does not have to prove that it is serious. It is the proof that intelligent frivolity can be something creative and positive.” Yes, I do live by this quote and have it engraved in my heart and brain in case someone decides to be mean and argue against fashion.

-Abbygail May