Ever since I moved into my new place, my home decor wish list has grown exponentially... 

These lovelies may have to make their way on the list. I love the wood-slices set and the leaf dessert plates are adorable as well. Let the fall dinner parties ensue!

Haute Couture

Jennifer Lopez wins my vote for best dressed at this year's Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I'm not usually, if ever, a fan of JLo fashion, including the clothes she wears and the clothes she "designs." However, she looked outstanding at the Gala especially compared to Kristen Stewart....

who, errr, opted for this travesty of a gown...


ANYWAY,
Lopez's gown is a haute couture piece by Zuhair Murad. Murad is a Beirut-based designer from Lebanon and has made quite a few of these gorgeous haute couture gowns for starlets.

Now, the term "haute couture" I must delve into further...

"Haute Couture", often shortened to "couture" is often used to refer to high fashion, but actually has a quite different meaning. In the fashion world, couture refers to a garment produced by fashion houses that sew custom garments for their clients. However, these days, "couture" is used to refer to really anything, regardless of whether or not the garment has been custom fitterd. (i.e. phony Juicy Couture....)

The phrase "haute couture" translates to "high dressmaking" and is protected in France under law. In order to truly be considered couture, a garment must be produced by a member of the Chambre de Commerce et d'industrie de Paris AND the garment must be fitted to a specific cleinet with at least two personal fittings to ensure that the garment fits properly.

Outside of France, the term "haute couture" is not protected, which allows for any brand to exercise their freedom of speech and tag whatever they want as couture. Munrad is not a member of the Chambre, but his gowns are still handmade and custom fitted, allowing him to approriately use this term.


However, next time you see someone parading around in their prided Juicy Couture sweats, you can smile knowing that two fashion faux paus were committed:
one, that they are so bereft of class that they decided to wear their sweats in public,
and two, that their label is either erroneous or entirely moronic (custom fit sweats? really?)

Affordable Luxury (?)

genius. what girl doesn't want a chanel 2.55?

P.S. sorry its been a while guys... the end of the school year gets a bit hectic. but its finals week, which means I will return to blogging soon! aaand will be able to update more often :)

Framed

Due to my blindness, I'm in the market for a pair of glasses.
I've been eyeing these ones for a while now....


I also like the tortoise pair
I want to channel a 'chic' rather than 'hipster' vibe, however with urban outfitters/american apparel knock-offs galore, I wonder if that's doable.
Hipsters aside, I think the wayfarer is too classic & iconic to let such a label stick.

but I may opt for these cateye-inspired Alexander McQueen wayfarers instead.

thoughts?

Crystal Clear

Lucite

Does this call to mind...hooker heels?


Fashion, per usual, is about breaking norms. Art is about breaking norms. Changing your perspective on the world, whether that be with a wall mural or a pair of lucite heels..

Prada's Spring RTW 2010 featured plenty of lucite.

The collection had some not-so-innocent Lolita inspiration, but deviated from the typical hooker-lucite association, making plexiglass more sultry than trashy.

These are my favorite pair from the collection. I look the chandelier-esque + jelly sandal aspect of the shoe.

Michael Kors also incorporated lucite accents into his collection for a fresh, clean look:

The Fanny Pack ?

the only person I have ever seen make a fanny pack look modern & sexy

(photos compliments of sea of shoes)

It took me a while to not think "Britney Spears" whenever I spotted a fedora...

but eventually Britney cleaned up her act, got a real stylist, and let me forget about her infinite faux pas & return to my love of the fedora

(clockwise from upper left: 'Beach Detective Hat' $68 Anthropologie; Katherine Hepburn in the 1935 Sylvia Scarlett; Sienna Miller; Hat Pete Studs, $800 Maison Michel; vintage fedora sketches)

Beginning in the late 19th/early 20th century, the fedora was originally a woman's fashion. It wasn't until the 20s when the hat became a middle-class man's accessory.

(Moschino Cheap & Chic Resort 2010)

Although it was a more popular style the past couple seasons, I still plan on sporting mine this spring. To avoid looking like a popstar/mobster, pair it with neutrals like camel, taupe, gray, etc. & loose knits.

The fedora also transitions into fall with the continuing menswear theme (along with the boater & boweler hats)

(Kenzo Fall RTW 2010)

Follow my blog with bloglovin

Fringe

I came across this picture of Kate Moss today...

LOVE her shoes (and the overall effortlessness of her look, like always) and her denim biker/balmain jacket is perfect for the moment.
The shoes are from Balmain's fall 2008 collection...
and I just so happen to own a pair look-alikes (read: knock offs) of these lovelies
mine, being the ones on the left, and the real Balmains, on the right which retailed for about $1025. Honesty, as versatile as little black booties seem to be, I really only wore them a handful of times and then they were placed on a shelf in my closet to sit there & look pretty.

But,

I got pretty excited when I saw the Blumarine fall 2010 collection.

Derek Lam's collection also had some fringe elements for his "urban cowgirl"

And of course Balmain's fall collection incorporated some fringe elements this autumn as well.



With all this inspiration, there's I no way I can let these shoes sit idle for another season...