Floating heads!

The Emmys were last Sunday, and there is only so much I can say about the fashion. I think that I could probably go on and on about the fashion because there was an abundant amount, but for the sanity of my readers, and for my own sanity, I will keep it limited. I want to talk to you about the color red. Now, I know I said that red is going to be a huge color this fall, and I still stand by that, because it will; however, if you are going to an event that is a “RED carpet” event, why oh why would you wear red?!I felt like I was looking at a bunch of floating heads making their way down the carpet. Nina Dobreve in her red Donna Karan, Lea Michele in her red Marchesa, Kate Winslet in her red Elie Saab, and  Sofia Vergara in her red Vera Wang are just a few stars that sported red on the carpet last week. Most of the women looked great in their dresses, but by the end of the red carpet show, if I saw another red dress, I would have plucked my eyes out! There is nothing wrong with wanting to stay on trend, but there is a fine line that one must straddle to keep from being too risky and too safe. I think that I saw more red dresses than black ones. Now, I don’t have any advice for you, as my readers, personally, but if any of you become famous and have to walk down a red carpet, don’t wear red! You will be a floating head!

Hoop skirts and red lips

I have been on Mad Men gorge, and it’s beginning to be a problem. I wake up in the morning and feel the need to appease my urge and watch an episode, and recently, I have been waking up in the middle of the night, sneaking out of our room so that my husband will not judge me, and watch another episode. I have been able to do this all thanks to Netflix, and I don’t know what I am going to do when I finish the 4^th season (which will happen very soon at the rate I am going.) This binge has raised the question, “Why don’t we dress up anymore, and when did it stop?” The show is set in the 60’s, and while 50 years was a long time ago, it wasn’t that long ago. Most of our parents were born in this era and remember their parents dressing the same way. The hoop skirts, the vibrant prints, the red lips, and the glamorous women were prevalent in the 60’s, and I miss it! My educated guess would be that people, especially women, stopped dressing up in the 70’s with the whole “hippy movement.” The women felt it was oppressive to be “expected” to wear skirts that sucked in their waist, and bras that made their boobs look pointed. Some women went so far as to refuse to wear bras, but that is a bit extreme, and I must say, unsettling. I do also think that the lack of fashion has something to do with the government becoming more lax over the years, and our style usually seams to follow; one example would be, when the economy is bad, the hemlines seem to get longer, so the recent maxi-dress trend that unfortunately took place a few years ago was an indirect correlation to the bad economy, but I digress. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am glad that we are not “expected” to dress up every time we need to pick something up at the grocery store, and God knows that I have gone out looking worse than you could imagine to pick up some milk, but I do wish that sometimes I could wear a really poufy dress and go out to dinner and not be looked at like I just climbed out of time machine. The vibrant colors and extraordinary patterns of the ensembles are breathtaking, and that is one trend I will embrace. The bright patterns are creeping back into vogue, but they could come faster. I am, however, excited to tell you that red will be a pretty big color this winter, so I suggest you buy a really vibrant red coat or jacket and wear it proudly with some matching 60’s-inspired red lips. Run on fashion friends, run on! 

Fashion Night Out

In addition to the oh-so-anticipated kickoff NFL game, today was a special day for the shopping-enthusiast as well. The kickoff to fashion week has begun. September 8^th has become synonymous with fashion and is well known as “Fashion Night Out.” While FNO is a pretty big deal in the major fashion cities like Milan, Paris, and New York, the little city that can is desperately trying to keep up. Since the kickoff game tonight includes the beloved New Orleans Saints, the stores have compensated for this inconvenience and have actually used it in their advantage as an excuse to party all day long! Stores, including Mimi’s on Magazine Street, are serving Champagne, cocktails, and hors d'oeuvre throughout the day while patrons browse through brands including Valentino, Vince, Theory, Michael Kors and more. To further amaze, Shops at Canal Place’s Sacks Fifth Avenue is making a big impression from 4-7 with different activities on each floor, a DJ in cosmetics, and a sneak peak at the new line of Rachel Zoe’s fall collection. New Orleans and New York are the only two stores privy to this preview, and as a city gripping on for dear life to the fashion world, this is a big deal! This city is trying very hard to push forward and continues its daily regimented “workout” to try and keep in shape so that we can keep up with the big boys. I think that this city is doing fairly well considering that the deck is slightly stacked against us. With the hint of fall and break from the sauna-like conditions, the looming Saints game approaching, and the smell of fashion in the air, tonight, or should I say the whole day, can be a spectacular “Fashion Night Out’’ for us New Orleaneans, at least if you can’t manage to get over to the big city to hit the hundreds of shops!