Loving that Leg-in-style!!

I am not sure how you feel, but I for one am elated that leggings are enhancing our outfit creations.  I mean, they are just as great as a dynamic pair of heels!  You get that layer of covering without the heaviness of wearing a pants.  They add that aesthetic edge to the simplest outfit and gives you an opportunity to show some personality!  There are so many pattern variations available now that it is impossible not to find one that excites you enough to take a little risk :) Below are some of my picks from www.mytights.com they range from $12 to $40.  What do you think? Share with us cool leggings that you have found online :)

That's the scoop :)
Rae~

Sole Struck!

Yes, I have been gone for a while.  Fortunately for me, I have fabulous students who encourage me just as much as I encourage them! Today one of my students, Hannah, saw my blog and said that I must start blogging again - I made a pact with her that I would.  I must lead by example and encourage them to follow their whet to blog and make a splash as a fashion-blogger-extraordinaire!

Another fabulous student, Rachel, brought the coolest shoes to my History of Costume class to show me a modern day interpretation of the chopines shoe style from the mid 15th Century Italian Renaissance period.  These shoes were worn with a higher heel in Venice where the people were said to be the trend setters.  They were worn as overlays to women's regular shoes (flats) to protect them shoes from the mud - genius right? (Read up on it more: http://www2.ups.edu/faculty/velez/Span_402/chapines.htm).  Rachel got these shoes as a gift for modeling for this Washington store Solestruck - yep, my students are pretty talented!  Curious, I quickly browsed their site and I must say that while their styles are not for everyone, they definitely  caught my attention - I felt challenged, inspired, I felt like I was watching fashion on the edge. They have shoes with a unique design aesthetic for the girl who dares to be brave, fashion forward, Lady Gaga-esque I guess ;-)  and one or two for the more cautious girl.  Below are some styles I thought were pretty funky and some that I would wear.  (The first pair is the one my student got.)

                                             

Now, below are the ones, I may actually consider wearing :)

Why take my word for it? Jump in and check out the site yourself!
http://www.solestruck.com/search-womens-shoes/page-2/

Now that's your scoop until next time :-)
Rae~

Jason Wu for Target :))))

I am sure you may have heard that Jason Wu is doing an exclusive private label line for Target. Jason Wu gained his popularity when his design for FLOTUS Michelle Obama was a show stopper. As expected, Wu's designs were sold out with hours of Target making the line available online. Interestingly, when consumer demand is driven by exclusivity there will be opportunists looking to make capital gains on Targets' business deal with Wu. So, part of the WU product wipe out was a result of enterprising individuals purchasing in bulk to sell the items on Ebay at a profit. You got to love the free market :)

Below are some of Wu's designs from Target. You can check out more designs on Target's website, but of course, considering the complexity of the supply chain process, replenishment of Wu's line in store and online is going to take a couple of weeks!!! Wu Wu Wu!!

The advertisement is also the most adorable thing out!

http://www.target.com/c/brand-shop-Jason-Wu-for-Target-clothing/-/N-56h2b

Valentine's Day and Retail Therapy?

Hi Readers,

So I stumbled upon this site and read this article called Retail Therapy. I am always amazed at how commercialized our society has become in regards to consumerism. They make it seem so positive to be constantly spending for each holiday. Love is a great motivator for people to dip into their pockets and spend considerably on their loved ones. So check out these two articles. The first is on Retail Therapy suggestions and the other is an article my student found showing the different merchandise categories and people, yes and even pets, that people purchase gifts for Valentines day.

Retail Therapy

(1) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10784088

Valentine's Day Spending

(2) http://www.retailingtoday.com/article/nrf-consumers-show-lots-spending-love-valentines-day

What are you doing for Valentine's Day?

Rae~

Diane's von Furstenbug Picks for Spring

We all know that Dianne von Furstenberg is a big deal in the fashion world. Literally, the Project Runway All Stars' designers literally burst into paroxysms of awe and excitement when they heard they were to design an outfit that would appeal to her design aesthetic. The trick is they only had 6 hours.

How often are we given an awesome opportunity to go somewhere, meet someone special, but we only have a couple hours to decide what we are going to wear, to hair, makeup, and show up looking confident to impress? So how do you accomplish this? Think classic vs edgy and accessorize, accessorize, accessorize. Simple chic always works well, but trying to be too edgy in a short space of time may cause more anxiety and decrease your level of productivity for achieving an awe inspiring look.

Diane is all about classic chic. For spring, she says it's all about classic cuts, floral prints, pastel colored loose fitting layered pieces. Michael Costello (PRallstars' winner of this challenge) in the video below, though an incredibly skillful tailor, took a smart approach by going simple but classy chic. We can all take inspiration from his approach to an important, tight deadline. Looking at Diane's ready-to-wear garments from her website http://www.dvf.com/, you see he was right on target!

Michael Costello's design:

Sniff his jeans...fall in love?

So on my quest for information to do a post for my male friends who often cry neglect, I stumbled upon this interesting development. Who would have thought that there was a way to get an aroma on your clothing without perfume, spilling, coffee, or just buying the freshest smelling detergent or fabric softener you could find. But alas it is fashion, and as we all know there are no rules with fashion.

So I present you with the new fad - Scratch and Sniff Raspberry scented jeans from the designers of Naked and Famous. They apply a special coat that includes mini microcapsules to the denim and then bake it to seal the fruity raspberry scent. Oh and they come $150 a pop. Be on the cutting edge of fashion.....that's your scoop :)

www.nakedandfamousdenim.com

What do you think?

Rae~

Celebrating Project Runway

I knew the day would come when I decided to revisit blogging. It is a passion that requires immense commitment and while your commitment may wane, your passion lives on.

Today, I want to blog about two project runway stars.

(1) Anya my country mate is speaking at the College of New Jersey about being in the fashion industry and her experiences as a reality star. The lecture will be held at Mayo Concert Hall from 8-10pm. I wouldn't miss it if I were you...she is a very smart, practical, and down to earth woman!

http://www.hercampus.com/school/tcnj/project-runway-lecture-featuring-season-nine-winner-anya

(2) Christian Siriano's collection. I loved this guy when he was on Project Runway. He was a skillfully fast tailor and confident as hell! However, he was sweet and produced fierce fashions. There is something about knowing your worth and being able to articulate your worth. We oftentimes shrink ourselves and undersell our strengths for fear that others deem us "cocky" but the only way you rise to the top is by asserting yourself as "top" worthy! He just released his 2012 Spring/Summer collection. I love the ease of his line and the inspiration from the Middle Ages herigaut with the slit and hanging sleeves. I have always been a fan of the shaggy styled skirts. His collection has a practical ease and sophisticated style.

Click here to see the rest of his collection and share with me what you think!

http://www.christianvsiriano.com/

Ciao,

Rae~

Video Fashion

I was watching some Alicia videos on youtube and concluded that she has some of the best fashion in her video Karma! Watch and let me know what you think! Jumpers and playing with color really sets you off!

Hot vs Heat!

While the hype is about Beyonce's new fragrance Heat making a big hit!! I think what is hotter, is her banging dress in this picture. Yep, forget the fragrance, get the dress!

Go B!! And Thank you for your great performance in Trinidad...incorporating a song that was so dear to the people....Palance! Palance!!

Rae~

Make your body central focus!

My dear blog readers,

Let me apologize for being MIA. After traveling you have to re-acclimatize and get back into the flow of things. Anywhoos, I am slowly coming back to the job of providing you with cute options on websites that I believe offer a good variety. The website I am featuring today is http://www.bodyc.com/. I actually found the clothing offerings to be cute, fun, playful, and affordable. Below are some options, but please visit the site to see more ;)



CROCHET BACK TEE $16.50 http://www.bodyc.com/
PAISLEY CHIFFON TUNIC $19.50 http://www.bodyc.com/
CORSET TOP $19.50 http://www.body.com/
BELTED RUFFLE TOP $19.50 http://www.bodyc.com/
EMBROIDERED TOP $19.50 http://www.bodyc.com/
EXPOSED SHOULDER RHINESTONE DETAILED TOP $19.50 http://www.bodyc.com/
RUFFLE FRONT STRIPED TUNIC $19.50 http://www.bodyc.com/

PAISLEY CHIFFON TUNIC $19.50 http://www.bodyc.com/

WOVEN ROLL CUFF TOP $16.50 http://www.bodyc.com/
LIPSTICK® T-BACK TOP $19.50 http://www.bodyc.com/

Once again, I chose a range of styles to best represent the tops I saw on the site. I will post some other stuff in later posts. But I just wanted to share with you a site I thought could get you started with preparing for you cute Spring-summer wardrobe ;)

Ciao

Rae ~