Fall is in the air

As Fall steadily approaches, my next few blogs will be following the major designers runway shows and what I think about their collections. Today, I am going to talk about Michael Kors Fall 2011 collection. I like it, but I don't love it. It's a little plain. The monochromatic color scheme is simple and elegant, and it works for the runway, but let’s be honest, when you watch a runway show you are watching the models, looking at the clothes, and studying the garments. You are there to look at the clothes, so that is all you do. However, if you take one of these garments and wear it to a cocktail party, no one will notice you one way or another. Now, this could be a plus if you like to be a wall flower and don't want people looking at you in discussed and running in the other direction just to avoid being seen with you, but where is the fun in that :)? I am a really big fan of Mr. Kors' big, fluffy brightly colored fur jackets that are really impractical, but oh-so-fun; however, I didn't see any this collection. He has black, beige, brown, and mauve colors in this collection, and my favorites are the sparkle pieces. I think even in a monochromatic ensemble, these dresses can make a fashion statement. So to sum it up, this show didn't stun me, but it didn't horrify me either, so I think that it could be a good option for just about everyone, fashion-daring or not. Run towards Michael always fashion friends!

Oh-Bam-PAlease!

Is anyone else as over Michelle Obama as I am? Now this is not a political blog, and I will not get into any politics whatsoever. I will not even tell you if I like or dislike the president, I could think that he is doing a great job running this country and I hope to see him back for a second term, or I could think that he is doing the worst job in presidential history since Nixon, but it really does not matter. The truth is, if I see another "news" story on how Michelle is wearing a "$29 dress from the Gap," I am going to vomit. I mean, considering the pickle this country is in financially, she should be wearing $2 dresses! I am a firm believer in not looking at price tags, ok, that's not entirely true, I would never buy something I couldn't afford, but if a dress is chic and cute and only costs $6... WHO CARES! Can we not put so much emphasis on how much a piece of clothing costs? I mean, these "reporters" may think that we, as the public, are going to get excited because "us commoners" can afford to wear the same outfit, but it does not matter. Designers will always make a cheap version of the outfit anyway. I personally think that we should want to dress like our mothers, our best friends, or our sisters, because it is what that person represents. I mean... what do we really know about Michelle anyway? Run on fashion friends.

In the eye of the beholder

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This statement is partially true; beauty is in the eye of the beholder’s country. If you think about it, beauty standards are different from country to country, and I mean they can be significantly different. In my personal opinion, beauty is whatever is rare. Just think about a diamond; jewelers can get away with selling these rocks for thousands and even millions of dollars. Both women and men think diamonds are “beautiful” and why… because diamonds are rare. At a more realistic glance, you may realize that all diamonds really are are pressurized pieces of coal, and no one would ever go around wearing a black chalky piece of coal on her finger.

In America, slender, skinny women are considered beautiful because food is so present. The fact that a woman is thin means she has restraint. In Africa, food is more scarce, so larger, even fat women are considered beautiful. Women in Africa will even go so far as to drink whole milk every few hours and eat extremely fattening foods and stay in their cottages so as to not burn off any extra calories weeks before their wedding so as to “fatten up” for their betrothed. As these women are stuffing their faces in Africa, women in America are starving themselves so they will be slender and look “beautiful” in their wedding dresses and wedding pictures. (And I should know because I am getting married in a month!) Women in Asia are constantly bleaching their skin so that it looks lighter. They are staying out of the sun as much as possible because the sun is so heavy and abundant there that lighter women are rare. In Europe, lighter women and men are considered beautiful because it means that they have a lavish night social life, while darker skinned people are considered day laborers, and therefore, they are considered poor. Beauty is all about rarity and individuality. It changes from country to country, and it changes drastically. If a skinny white girl showed up in Africa, the men would be repulsed. The bright side is, if you don’t fit the “ideal” for beauty wherever you are, you can take comfort in knowing that somewhere else in the world, you are considered ravishing! Run on fashion friends, we are all beautiful.

White is the new black

We all know about that LBD, the Little Black Dress. It is a staple to every woman’s wardrobe, but what about the LWD, The Little White Dress? I think every woman needs a little white dress that she can pull out in a pinch. This summer item goes a bit further than the little black dress because with the right hemline, it can be worn either day or night. This dress should usually be sleeveless or short sleeved if you are going for a day to night look (and who wants a long-sleeved dress in the summer anyway?!) With a flowy fabric or a lightweight loose fit, this dress is the perfect summer commodity. It can be worn to work with a sweater or blazer and a gold cuff, and it can be worn at night with no sweater and some jeweled bangles, earrings, or necklace. This versatile garment has made many debuts in my life and wardrobe. I have multiple LWDs and will continue to keep at least one in stock. I recommend this staple to everyone if she doesn’t already have one. Run to the store and buy one, because it will be worth your time fashion friends!

Mother Hen

Parenthood and clothes making: two seemingly opposite professions; yet, when these two are more closely examined, they can be eerily similar. Now everyone needs to know that I am not, and have never been a mother… at least not yet. However, I do have an adorable nephew that I would jump in front of a train for, and I have another niece or nephew on the way that will be my godchild. If I love my own children as much as I love these two, I should be a pretty good mother. Motherhood is exhausting, as I am sure many of you know, and a lot of the time, you may want to throw your hands up and exclaim, “I quit!” You may feel at times like you are screwing up your child, and he or she will never be the same again. But the other half of the time, motherhood is amazing. The since of accomplishment you receive from the need and love of your children is so overwhelmingly beautiful that it could make you want to cry. So how does designing and garment making tie into rearing a child you ask? Well, My clothes can be considered my children. I mother these clothes with sweat and yes… blood, and a whole lot of tears! Sometimes I feel like I want to give up because the clothes will never turn out the way I want, and other people will definitely judge the “rearing” of my clothes and me. Then things seem to turn around for my clothes and me. Some sort of divine intervention happens, as it can in motherhood, and I end up doing something right. I pull out a bag of tricks form God knows where, and a masterpiece appears in front of me causing me to wonder, “Did I do this? Did I really make this?” I become so attached to my clothes that turned out to be so beautiful, and I don’t want to let them go. Mothers, you are doing a great job with your children, you have the hardest and most stressful job in the world. Lets keep raising our children weather these kids are people or garments. Run on fashion mothers, run on!

Lets change it up a bit

I’m not going to talk about a particular style or fashion trend today. I am going to talk about something on a deeper level. I was running this morning, and as usual I was listening to my favorite podcaster, Steve Runner. He is a runner who is so passionate about running that he started a talking about it and created a podcast. He does not always talk directly about running, but he somehow he directs the appointed subject back to the activity. He brought up a very good point in the podcast he posted in January (that I just listened to this morning… guess I’m a little behind!) He asked us to think about a very important question, “If you could talk to someone who will live 1000 years from now, what would you tell them?” I thought about the question for all of 20 seconds and immediately dismissed it thinking he was only trying to get us to reflect on the significance of our lives in the universe and how we all relate to one another, and bla bla bla. I begin to cringe when things get too hypothetical, I mean, how can we possibly talk to someone 1000 years from now? It’s impossible! But He kept talking and brought up poetry. We can leave behind a message to our future relatives. Grated it’s not a conversation, but it is a message. Again, I blew off this statement thinking that I was not a poet. I have never had anything published, and no one will remember me 1000 years from now like they do Plato or Percy Shelley or Henry Thoreau or any of the other great poets and philosophers. But I am a poet. I have published 16 pieces of work, and at least 9 people read them. The new technology now allows any and everyone who wishes to leave an indelible mark on the oversaturated world of blogging, podcasting, tweeting, and or facebook. While it is not a published fabrication, and the majority of the world couldn’t care less about me, I am reaching a selected few individuals who think that my “poetry” is worth at least 5 minutes of their day. In 1000 years, I would feel honored if someone happened to stumbled upon my work and read it. I do not expect it to happen, and by the rare chance it does, I do not expect them to care. After all, people have to make their own mistakes in life (even if it is in fashion!) But I do think that it could be fashionable to brush up on our history, and perhaps even find a poet we did not know existed. This person may affect our life more than we could ever know. Run on fashion friends, and continue reading! Thanks for all your support!

Ring or Bag?

OK, who came up with the idea that when a women needs her hands as free as possible, that she needs to carry a bag in her hands?! The clutch can be a nuisance, but let’s face it girls, it makes the outfit! How many times have celebrities been shamed on the red carpet because of their bag? (Or praised for it?) I have to say that Alexander McQueen’s new clutch is a revolutionary idea. Instead of having to actually hold onto the bag, you can stick your fingers through the skull jewel-encrusted loops and the bag doubles as a rings and a clutch! The skulls are a trend that has been on the rise for a while. This “trickle-up” trend started nearly a decade ago, and it is my belief that it had to do with 9-11, but that’s just a hunch. For those of you who don’t know what “trickle-up” is, get ready for fashion 101. “Trickle-up” is when a style comes into vogue from the street up to the runway. (And yep, you guessed it, “trickle-down” is when a style comes into vogue from the runway down to the streets, and this one is the most common theory of all… but I digress.) This McQueen bag encompasses everything that one needs in a clutch, and even mimics a “hands free” device. I hope to see other designers using this style to make our lives just a little easier.

Run towards this bag fashion friends!