Sunday, February 28, 2010

Peace, Love and Fashion Photography

For the blog's second photoshoot with the lovely and talented fashion photographer Miss Emily Tebbetts, we decided to go for the complete opposite of what we did during our last photoshoot. (see Ripped Jeans, Chains and Breaking Stuff) This most recent shoot was very free spirited and hippie-esqu. We focused a lot more on beauty rather than intensity. Peace, love and fashion go hand in hand in these photos.

I absolutely love the colors in these pictures. Please note how we used the windy weather to our advantage throughout this shoot...


The sunshine in the last one makes me want summer to come faster. Believe it or not it was freezing outside during this shoot. I want to feel warm again!

I love the emotion in the next two...
Katie-Lu wears a Tye-dyed scarf and yellow vest from Forever 21


Here are three in black and White... I look so much like Meggasus in the first one, even Mommy McCabe had a hard time saying who it was.
Maybe I should have been hugging that tree instead of climbing it...

This last one is my favorite... I love the movement of the wind.
If you would like to see more of Miss Emily's brilliant photography, check out her site below!
http://www.o--tebem--o.deviantart.com

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Victoria's Secret Angels Take Over Prada Show

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about how Miranda Kerr is going from having a strictly commercial career to having a more "high fash" one. Well, after taking a look at the casting of Prada this season, it seems like other VS models are getting this opportunity as well.

So while I was in Art History the other day my professor who thinks he is a rock star went on a tangent about something insignificant to our midterm exam so I decided to check my twitter, of course. Like the fashion nerd I am, I follow MissDK (aka Victoria's Secret angel, Doutzen Kroes). My jaw dropped when she twittered that she was walking in the Prada show!! Later, I found out that other VS angels were cast in the show as well...Alessandra Ambrosio and Miranda Kerr.

Check out the transformations from commercial to high fash!!

Alessandra for VS

Alessandra for Prada

Doutzen (aka MissDK) for Victoria's Secret
Doutzen for Prada

Miranda Kerr for Victoria's Secret
Miranda Kerr for PradaSo what does this commercial model take-over mean? I'm hoping it means that the high fashion world is becoming more open to having varying body types on the runway. In this case, Miuccia Prada seems to be demonstrating a new appreciation for models who are more curvy and healthy.

Not only did the show cast VS girls, but many of the models in this season's show are known to be on the "bigger" side....like Lara Stone and Catherine McNeil.


Lara Stone at Prada...size 4 or 6

Catherine McNeil

Is this a sign that sign that the industry is going to start embracing a more healthy, realistic standard for runway models? Let's hope so. The VS girls at Prada prove you can look amazing on the runway and show off the clothes beautifully without being frighteningly emaciated.

Although I think the cast at Prada marks a step in the right direction, I think there is one more thing that could have been done to prove they are ready to make some serious changes.

Doutzen, Miranda, Alessandra, Lara and Catherine are all established models who are respected throughout the industry and have successful careers. Next season, I hope to see a NEW FACE who is unestablished and a healthy SIZE FOUR or even SIX, sweep up the show season and take the industry by storm. Better yet, multiple new faces who meet this criteria would be even better.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Runway Report: Burberry Prorsum (Londontown)

So, fashion week in London has come to a close and we've moved on to Milan but now it's time to take a look at one of the most popular shows of the city. BURBERRY, obviously.

The show opened with a leather aviation jacket......This first look set the tone for the collection....The entire show seemed to have an Amelia Earhart meets Patton theme. Lots of army greens, leather boots, structured jackets...

Oh, and did I mention jackets? This collection was clearly focused on THE JACKETS.

Before I continue, I must say that Facebook and style.com go hand in hand for me. They are both tabs on my homepage, so I look at them interchangeably. In consequence, sometimes I wish the slide shows on style.com had "like" buttons for each look. I feel like there was no middle ground for me in this collection. I either 'liked' the look or uhh- 'unliked' it. Take this next look:
UNLIKE!! The jacket is tooo overpowering and BULKY. The very large collar makes it look like she's wearing an entire sheep around her neck. In fact, there were many over sized collars in the collection, and much focus around the neck.

This next look plays up the neck perfectly:Like! Like! Like! I love the slim fit of the jacket and the detail on the shoulders. Also...THOSE BOOTS are amazing. I really think less is more in this collection. This was very refreshing after the bulkiness of the other jackets...

Unlike! I do not like the texture variation in this look. Leather sleeves, wool fringe, something beige and not leather...very bulky. ehh.
LIKE!!!!! ehem, LOVE!!!! Yes, there is an over sized collar in this look but the jacket is cropped, which in my opinion, balances it out. There is a perfect amount of jacket in this jacket...if you get what I mean! AND, this is one of the only looks in which I noticed an item besides the jacket, in this case the skirt! Sooo gorgeous.

Stay tuned for Milan runway report!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Coco Urges the Industry to Change


As I mentioned in one of my previous posts (See the Best of the Zeros According to Meggasus) Coco Rocha is my favorite model of all time. Her editorials are always so expressive...full of energy and spirit. She's been on top for awhile now, and two years ago she spoke out at the CFDA conference about the pressures that she and other models are put under to stay thin...stating that her agency once told her "the look this year is anorexia...we don't want you to be anorexic but that's just what we want you to look like."


Recently, there has been more discussion about Coco's current figure and that her demand in the industry has decreased. On February 18th, Coco released this statement on her blog speaking up for herself and urging the industry to change once and for all. Here is her full statement below:

There has been quite the commotion over the recent articles about me in the New York Times and The New York Daily News. As only a few select statements of mine were printed I find it necessary to properly express my point of view, without outside editing.

I’m a 21 year old model, 6 inches taller and 10 sizes smaller than the average American woman. Yet in another parallel universe I’m considered “fat”… This was the subject of major discussion this week and the story that was spun was: “Coco Rocha is too fat for the runway”.

Is that the case? No. I am still used and in demand as a model. In fact I find myself busier than ever. In the past few years I have not gained an extreme amount of weight, only an inch here and there as any young woman coming out of her teenage years would.

But this issue of model’s weight is, and always has been, of concern to me. There are certain moral decisions which seem like no brainers to us. For example, not employing children in sweatshops, and not increasing the addictiveness of cigarettes. When designers, stylists or agents push children to take measures that lead to anorexia or other health problems in order to remain in the business, they are asking the public to ignore their moral conscience in favor of the art.

Surely, we all see how morally wrong it is for an adult to convince an already thin 15 year old that she is actually too fat. It is unforgivable that an adult should demand that the girl unnaturally lose the weight vital to keep her body functioning properly. How can any person justify an aesthetic that reduces a woman or child to an emaciated skeleton? Is it art? Surely fashion’s aesthetic should enhance and beautify the human form, not destroy it.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

This Season's Biggest Trend... FUR!

Controversial photo by Marino Testino for Vogue Paris

So hopefully Peta wont be too upset with me saying this, but this season's biggest trend is definitely fur. Recently, wearing real fur has been a touchy subject... but faux fur is also an option, and sometimes you cant even tell the difference! I wish I could say something logical to defend wearing real fur like "wearing fur is a good source of protein," but that is clearly not the case here... Anyways, fur is just a trend that people can either choose to love or hate. Below, I have picked my top 5 favorite ways to wear fur this season... enjoy!


1)Edgy and Glamorous
Carlos Miele
To me, this is style is glamorous and edgy at the same time. I love how it hangs like a casual jacket that you could throw on with pair of ripped jeans. Until recently I had always associated wearing fur with being high class/ prim and proper.... This is definitely not your grandmas mink coat.

2) Queen of the Eskimos
Thakoon
This way of wearing fur takes the classic Eskimo hood to an entire new level! Not only is the trim of the hood covered in fur, but the entire top half of the jacket around the bustline is covered in fur as well. I like how the color of the model's hair blends slightly into the hood.


3) Colors not Found on Real Animals...
Zac Posen
Using bright red in the coat rather than the usual black or brown gives this jacket life. The unique stripe pattern is also very visually interesting and adds some flair to it. However, I'm not a fan of the furry heals :/

4) Less is More
Tracy Reese
After looking through Tracy's runway show this season, she has become one of my new favorite designers... And her choice of model could not be better!! (Kate Somers is a personal favorite model of the blog) I love how Tracy used fur in this outfit as a way to complement the rest of the design. A little fur on the sleeves is just enough to add a touch of luxury. This particular color of fur is one of my favorites too...it has a warm glow to it brings out Kate's beautiful features--like her gorgeous hair color!


5) Fun Fur Trim
Betsy Johnson
This way of wearing fur as a trim on a mini dress is so flirty and fun. Leave it to Betsey Johnson to create something this quirky. Her runway shows are always so entertaining...love the mini plastic guns in this season's show!



Sunday, February 14, 2010

Runway Report: f/w 10.11

So, I was looking through the images on style.com of the shows this fashion week and realized BLACK, LEATHER, FUR, and BUCKLES seem to taken over the scene at several shows.

Take the Alturzarra show, for instance.... The entire collection seemed to have a dominatrix/vampiress feel. Style.com made a reference to Edward Scissorhands, and I defnitely see the resemblance.

In my opinion, the Altuzarra show was FIERCE this season. There was SO much intensity and drama! The collection was very gothic and even a little haunted... while clicking through my style.com slide show I didn't think it could get any more vampire-like and then I saw this:HOLY....moly. Velvet? I don't know how I feel about it. (Actually, I do know....*cough*partycity*cough*) Otherwise, I love the concept of the full length cape. Verrry amazing. I give major props to anyone who wears one when it's not Halloween, even if it's velvet.

On the other hand, the images from the Lacoste show give a completely different vibe..... sort of retro 80's meets cuddly snow bunny. There were lots of creams and vibrant primary colors in the collection. And, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw models on the runway SMILING! YESSS!!! The death stare is always going to be chic, but after seeing a lot of the BLANK stares it's nice to see more of a variety of facial expressions.

I'm glad to see happiness is in style season.

A Romantic Campaign for a Romantic Holiday...

So in honor of Valentines Day, take a look and enjoy this incredibly beautiful campaign for Ralph Lauren's new fragrance, "Romance." I decided to live vicariously through this ad today...

I love this campaign because it is just so sexy and classy at the same time... But then again that basically describes everything made by Ralph Lauren.

Here are a few more ads for this particular fragrance...see what you notice about how they chose to portray the woman's fragrance vs. the men's fragrance...

Women-
The woman's version is sweet, soft, and romantic. Awwww!

Men-On the other had the Men's version is animalistic and hot. I would say this basically could be used to describe the Freudian theory about the human "id." hahaa

Its funny how the ad changes based on who the audience is.

Happy Valentines Day!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

A Tribute to Alexander McQueen

Yesterday on February 11th 2010, the fashion industry was devastated to hear the terrible news that British fashion icon Alexander McQueen was found dead in him apartment in London earlier that morning. The industry could not possibly think of a more saddening way to start off fashion week. McQueen may be gone, but his innovations in design and style will live on forever.

It is safe to describe McQueen's style as being over the top, with a somewhat edgy/whimsical appeal. His designs carried the common threads of beauty, strong silhouettes, and dramatic features.

Here are some examples of Alexander McQueen's workMcQueen's designs were favorites among superstars such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Madonna. Lady Gaga even wore one of McQueen's designs in her "Bad Romance" music video.
Please note Gaga's 12 inch armadillo shoes. This style was one of McQueen's signature pieces which has taken the industry by a storm.

The following images are also from McQueen's collections.


McQueen will be missed by all. His influence over fashion was a great one. It is a sad day when the life of someone as talented as he is is cut short.