Fashion Blog

I once heard a vacuous blonde supermodel say that in the world of fashion, you are either in or you are out. It’s true that fashion can be a cruel mistress, but there are those among us willing to buck the trends and take on the world with their own look. They throw caution to the wind and say “World, this is me and I’m a cartoon.” Cartoons have sported some of the most outrageous fashions and several have become fashion icons of their own.

Jinkies, is that an ascot: Perhaps the most famous cartoon fashion that has ever existed, is Freddie Jones’ bright orange “I got made fun of in high school” ascot. Fred wore this for a good thirty of forty years before his wardrobe got a update in the 1990s. The ascot has been around for a couple hundred years and was popular among teens in the 1960’s along with tie-dyed shirts and LSD. By the time I got to watching Scooby in the ’80s, his ascot seemed strange and out of place and I kept asking, “Why does Freddie have a hankie tied around his neck.” Freddie does have some good ascot company including Michael Corleone in “Godfather II” and Don Knotts in “Three’s Company.” Continue reading

Though I just moved back down to college in southern California where the weather is heating up even more in August, right now I just can’t help but continue to think about fall trends. Perhaps it is something about returning to an academic environment that makes me want to begin fall or, at least, buy new fall clothes.

But I’m also probably excited because this fall, the clothing ideas seem to be really fresh. So rarely in the past have I felt that the new looks walking down the runway actually looked “new.” Fall 2010 is all about styling clothing in new ways.

Take, for example, thigh high socks. These socks came into mainstream popularity few years ago with the rise of American Apparel, but have really started a fashion moment this summer. And this fall, thigh high socks are going to have even more spotlights shined upon them. Cool fashionistas have been spotted wearing thigh high socks with heels this summer, and that trend is sure to continue to the fall, especially given the versatility of thigh high socks looks. Even if you feel too intimidated to wear thigh high socks with heels, try wearing them with simple flats and keep the rest of the outfit basic. That way, you can still rock the trend without looking (or feeling!) overdone. Continue reading

Though it’s essential for every woman to own classic styles of jeans, such as a straight leg jean, a wide leg trouser jean, and a relaxed fit boyfriend jean, it can also be fun to try out new trendy denim styles. The jeans being produced for this fall are perhaps some of the coolest “trend” jeans I’ve seen in a long time.

The first of the new popular jeans to hit the shelves this summer were the skinny cargo jeans. J Brand’s Houlihan skinny cargos rocked fashion’s world by selling in ridiculous amounts, given that they are $230 a pop.

The Houlihan was released at the end of January and by mid-May, according to this New York Times article, 75,000 had already been sold and 40,000 more Houlihans were on backorder.

Part of the popularity of this style stems from their apparently amazing fit, which purports to look good on every body type. Skinny cargos are awesome because they play into this fall’s military trend while still remaining very feminine. I think these Skinny Cargo Pants by Easy Money for $125 are awesome alternatives to the J Brand style.

Another cool denim style for this fall is denim with motorcycle-inspired paneling (this is actually also being shown on leggings and jeggings as well). Paneled jeans are awesome because they add a level of stylish subversiveness to regular denim. To me, they seem really fresh and different to wear right now. Continue reading

Now in California that it’s finally warmed up (up to 110 degrees where I go to school), I just want to wear all the summer clothes I’ve been thinking about wearing but haven’t had the chance to yet. I mentioned in another blog post about how fun it is to play with proportions this summer in the heat. And I realized that perhaps I needed to explain more about one item of clothing I mentioned in that post in particular: the crop top.

Ah, the crop top. A major part of me wonders why we’re wearing crop tops again. They seem straight from the ’80s and in the most dated way. Though on the other hand, perhaps a bigger part of me wonders why I didn’t put on a crop top five years ago and never take it off. To me, crop tops are the ultimate clothing celebration of youth. Primarily the young or the youthful are those who are wearing crop tops and to me there’s nothing that says youth like showing off a flat, toned stomach.

Though despite the perception that crop tops are difficult to wear, with the right choosing they can be pretty flattering. Though the traditional crop top shows a lot of skin, stopping right beneath the bra, crop tops right now are being made in a variety of different styles. Instead of the basic high crop top, you can get some that fall just above or just at the top of jeans. Additionally, today’s crop tops often have longer back hems, keeping with the asymmetrical trend going on. Continue reading

Even though it’s finally heated up in California, and been amazingly hot I might add, I can’t help but get a little excited for fall fashion. I’ve already bought some pieces to wear in the fall, though I can definitely say I’m not ready to give up the warm weather just yet. But I am totally ready to let go of the weather that’s so hot your whole body drips with sweat.

This weekend I’m going to stay at Lake Tahoe, California. The lake is apparently very nice in the summer as well as winter, when it is most popular for skiing. And something about this cozy weekend away at a cottage makes me want to start bundling myself in fall clothes – even though it will be a million degrees this weekend.

I’m also going tomorrow to do a pre-fall shop with my friend and we’re hoping to score some major pieces in advance. In addition to certain silhouettes, this fall seems very much to be based around colors and prints. Here are my top fabric prints/colors for this fall:

Leopard Print. It’s already been popping everywhere, from expensive designers to Forever 21. This print is awesome because it ads a little kick to your outfit, while still remaining casual. Personally, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect leopard print belt to style with my clothes. I think a belt is a perfect way to rock this pattern in a noticeable, but inexpensive way. I also think leopard print shoes look cool. If bright leopard print isn’t for you, don’t shy away just yet. Look for a leopard print in an “unnatural” color, like grey with black and white.
Army Green. The military trend continues to be in full force this fall. What began as a little army green in the summer became the standout color for fall fashion. I think outside layers, such as an olive green jacket, blazer, or anorak is the most stylish way to wear this color. Continue reading

Believe it or not, I’m not a fashion guru. I have worn things out in public that have embarrassed my wife, children and even myself. I come from a long line of fashion don’ts. Why didn’t anyone tell me that navy blue and black don’t match? I mean they’re practically the same color.

There are some universal fashion faux pas that men make, and women chastise us for, on a regular basis. Here are five of the most common that even I have committed.

1. The Stain: Men like to eat things that are dripping with grease, mayo, ranch dressing and anything else that can clog an artery. Occasionally; oh, who am I kidding, almost every time; some type of toxic sludge will fall on our shirt or pants, creating a stain that even Superman couldn’t get out. Women would throw out that shirt or pair of pants and hit the stores for that perfect replacement. Men like to spend their money on more important things like video games, power tools and gadgets with flashing lights. If the stain is on a dress shirt and can be hidden by a tie, we’re golden. If not, then we’ll actually spend time analyzing the color differences between the stain and the fabric to see if it’s really that noticeable. If the stain is on pants, as long as it doesn’t look like we wet ourselves, it’s getting worn again.

2. The Shirt of Many Colors: Occasionally, even a forward-thinking man about town, such as myself, may get caught up in how cool a shirt looks on the rack, and forget about how good it looks on his body. Do you want to know a little secret? Men HATE trying things on. We’ll eyeball everything from shirts to pants so we don’t have to try it on. Do you know why many men wear ill fitting clothes? We misjudged and are too embarrassed to take it back. Just like wild animals, men are attracted to shiny colors, and while in birds it may be a sign of virility and a quality worthy in a mate, most women think Hawaiian shirts are…lame. Also, if it’s comfortable and inexpensive, then odds are, we’ll wear it, even if it looks like a rainbow got drunk and threw up on it. Continue reading

Back in May, I wrote a post about what fashion rules you should break. And as summer is slowly drawing to a close, I felt I should write another about even more rules you should ignore. Following rules is never fun, especially when it comes to something so creative like fashion.

Overall, I don’t think anyone should abide by fashion rules, and I think you should just wear what you like. And in truth the most fashionable people always do just that. I personally tend to find my favorite outfits occur when I mix my clothing in an unexpected, and often traditional “rule breaking,” way.

For example, though I don’t think this is a hard and fast “rule,” I often find it difficult to mix and match brown and black leather in a way that looks fashionable and not just like you went blind in your closet. But I’ve seen this look crop up on fashion style blogs and I decided to give it a try with a dark brown faux-leather jacket I bought from H&M a few weeks ago.

I kept the look simple, the only leather or faux leather I was wearing was the brown jacket and black shoes, and I also carried a black leather bag. And though at first I wasn’t sure it would work, when I saw my outfit I loved it. I feel like I constantly get sick of my clothing and how I style clothing, but there was something about this mixing of black and brown that just felt like a breath of fresh air. Continue reading

This weekend I spent most of my time in San Francisco. The city was amazing, and I was so happy to be there. Particularly because I was able to do one of my favorite things: people watch. Though I generally enjoy people watching, I also enjoy observing what people wear, especially in a city as fashionable and risk-taking as San Francisco.

And surprisingly, I actually noticed a frequent clothing staple worn by women on Sunday afternoon: cropped pants. I was truly surprised to see cropped pants everywhere. See, I had thought that, with the exception of celebrities and models, that this look was nearly impossible to wear while looking either 1) in fashion 2) attractive or 3) modern.

But really, cropped pants seem so perfect right now. With the weather for once randomly warming in San Francisco, these pants seemed perfect to wear instead of shorts (too cold) or full pants (too warm). I was personally very envious of all the cropped pants wearing women because I had neglected to bring any options other than jeans.

Right now, it seems there are two popular styles of cropped pants. The first is looser, with a tapered hemline but a looser area around the hips and thighs. The second is a slimmer cut pant. I thought the slimmer cut was in general more flattering on the variety of body sizes I observed. The pants I thought looked best also hit just slightly above the ankle, though I did see some that stopped a bit below the knee that I thought also looked stylish. Continue reading

My whole life I’ve loved the television show Seinfeld. It taught me about funny before I knew what funny was. In particular, I always admired the character Elaine. I loved the dilemmas she found herself in and how she was able to be just one of the boys while still retaining her femininity.

Which is why I was ridiculously excited to see the recent article in “The New York Times” style section called “The New Adventures of Old Elaine.” In this article, the author suggests that Elaine Benes’ look from Seinfeld has recently reappeared as in style. Elaine’s style mixes incredibly feminine pieces, like long floral skirts, with decidedly masculine accents, such as denim and leather jackets. Her ’90s look also includes what is fashionable right now, including blazers with padded shoulders and chunky black shoes.

As Julia Louis-Dreyfus says about her character, “She was definitely feminine, but she didn’t have girlfriends. She was one of the guys. It wasn’t about trying to look sexy. It was about looking like a girl who pushes people around.” Continue reading

I will admit that recently I’ve bought quite a few ridiculous items of clothing. I tried on a new pair of wedges I scored on Gilt for my mother and she said I looked absurdly trendy. As she recoiled from the shoes she managed to ask, “Where will you wear those? How can you wear that to class? Everyone at your college does not care about fashion.”

And perhaps, she did have a point (though to clarify, I’ve never once worn heels of any kind to class and these new crazy wedges were not going to be the first!). People in college dress for their own culture: at no other time will it ever be appropriate to wear pajamas to class. But if any of you readers out there are college students, or are soon to be college students, you know that you can dress up more than pajamas.

In my experience, I found there to be two major categories of clothing needed for college life (and this leaves out business wear as well as many other occasion wear). These two types: day clothing/clothing for class and “going out” clothing. Continue reading