From Runway to Real Life

Remember that Viktor & Rolf collection that Mr. Horsting and Snoeren created for spring 2011 that was great conceptually, but didn't always seem super wearable?  Look how amazingly this woman (shot by Tommy Ton for Style.com) translated the white look from above for the real world.  A sleek bun, some oversize glasses, and a single metallic cuff made the shirtdress look chic, and hell, almost downright minimalist.  Which I never thought I would say about a puffy sleeved oxford with a bib front, at least two collars, three sets of hems, and three cuffs on each arm.

It's great looking at runway collections and analyzing different trends etc., but sometimes it's so much more fun to see how people interpret these styles and make them their own.  This is what fashion is all about.

Fall '11 NYFW Streetstyle by Tommy Ton

One of the reasons that Tommy Ton is one of my favorite streetstyle photographers is because rather than just posting full body shots of famous editors, models, and the like, he focuses on really interesting aspects of their outfits that otherwise would go unnoticed.  It was less than a month ago that I last posted some of his photos for Style.com, but here I go again.  I had noticed that some of the show goers at couture week were looking more relaxed than usual, but that's all changed, as they've pulled out all the stops for the ready-to-wear collections.  These are just a couple of my favorite shots, with no particular theme in mind.  However, the two biggest trends that seem to keep popping up are fur (of course), and craft influences (what have I been telling you all along?).

Thoughts on Fall 2011

"Just like artists make paintings to go on a wall or perform in a way to fit a space, they're designing clothes to fit people's bodies.  It's like watching a moving sculpture."

As much as I hate that it's true; my life is pretty hectic right now.  I returned home from New York yesterday to knocked down curtains and unraveled toilet paper thanks to my rambunctious kitten, I have a decent amount of schoolwork to do, I still haven't unpacked from my trip, and I desperately need a trip to the gym.  All that, plus it's a beautiful 60 degrees and sunny here in southern Kentucky today, and all that I really want to do is sit outside on my balcony and read a good book.

So in lieu of reviewing any shows for now, here are some of my favorite NYFW moments so far: a quote Kalup Linzy gave at the Cynthia Rowley show; buns woven with fabric at Thakoon; Kate Foley's outfit that she wore to Lincoln Center on Sunday; looks that appear to be layered, but are really all one piece so that you don't have to deal with actually putting together layers yourself at Preen; and Alexander Wang's outstanding fall collection that has completely renewed my faith in the young designer.

Sources: first three, the Cut; Preen images, Style.com

How To Be Realistic

Above is one of my best friends, Hannah. She's always got really great, realistic, I-just-stepped-out-of-Gap style. Yesterday she stopped by my work to visit me (please note the tacky wall colors I have to stare at for hours at a time) and I was instantly smitten with her outfit. As someone who's most often inspired by Alexander McQueen, ballet-terror movies, Tavi Gevinson, and a whole host of other brilliant, "weird" fashion icons, it's easy to forget how to dress realistically for life in a small southern city. Hannah, however, never forgets.  This look reminded me of those Parisian chic outfits that are so common at The Sartorialist, but done in a very distinctly college way.

Hannah is wearing: shirt from Ralph Lauren, circle scarf from Gap, dress, socks, & boots from Target.