Last night was Halloween, and I was out and about to witness some very interesting costumes.
More and more, Halloween fashion has transformed from fun and silly costumes to the most creative, best put together, best makeup, and many times in college -- most revealing costume styles.
Many of the popular ones I have seen this season are:
Sexy Cop
Sexy Nurse
Sexy Bunny
Sexy Cat
Sexy Anything?
I am sometimes apalled at what people decide is a costume or clothing. Last night, I saw a girl wrapped purely in bubble wrap. Oh, that's a costume? I had no idea.
Personally, if I am going to dress up for Halloween, I am going to try and do something creative. I thought I was being creative, until the same costume surfaced all over Facebook, but never the less, I chose Black Swan.
I have two favorite parts about this costume. The first is the corset. I have never worn a corset before, but have always wanted to. Although this one was a little bit cheap (pleather, Charlotte Russe, $15) it did give me my first corset experience, so I like it. Wow are they fun! I don't think my posture has ever been better. Loved wearing that. I also LOVED the makeup. It was so much fun to do, I watched Youtube videos to teach me how to do the specific Black Swan makeup. When I was done, I was so proud of myself.
I enjoyed the spectacle of Halloween from my corset and black swan-y eyes, and I can only imagine what next year will bring.
Its booooooot season. Wahoo!
Boots are an incredible asset to any outfit. To me, they make every outfit just one step up.
There are so many styles to choose from:
Whatever you choose, pair your boots with jeans, leggings, a dress, a skirt, JEANS AND A BLOUSE, ANYTHING and you are sure to look ba-nan-as.
In the words of the woman herself, Rachel Zoe is everything.
Rachel is the mecca of all stylists, she is the the fashion opportunity we all wish we had, she is THE fashion authority and archive.
I first heard about Rachel Zoe when Nicole Richie was starting to get herself together-- she completed her crazy, trashy, drug and alch fueled phased and started to be the incredible fashionista she is now. (Love her House of Harlow and Winter Kate lines). I read online somewhere that Nicole Richie was working with her new stylist Rachel Zoe. I remember this picture so vividly, because that is when I heard Rachel's name, and when I instantly had an interest in her.
I would google Rachel once in a while, but couldn't find TOO much on her, just that she was an incredible stylist to the stars. As she became more well known, my access to her became easier. This was thanks to the internet. I was able to go on her website, and follow her blog. I registered for her daily "The Zoe Report" emails, which offers a daily fashion and styling tips.
And then...
THE RACHEL ZOE PROJECT
This show on Bravo premiered in 2008, and chronicled the daily life of Rachel Zoe, her husband Rodger, and her styling team. Soon, viewers got a glimpse at Rachel's hilarious quirks, her incredible closet and lifestyle, and her impeccable eye for fashion. I became obsessed. I have an inner Rachel Zoe. She inspired me to want to style, to want to get ahold of an incredible vintage Chanel piece and marvel at its beauty. Everyday I wake up and try to channel my inner RZ. My appreciation for fashion has completely changed, thanks to her. And thanks to technology. Without the internet, and without the phenomenon of reality tv shows, I would have never had the chance to have a first hand view into this world. Technology provides me with incredible fashion opportunities, it provides me with access to my idol.
One of my favorite quotes of hers is from her book, Style A to Zoe:
"The thrills of stepping out your front door with the biggest smile and the highest heels; hanging out with your favorite people and laughing until it hurts; jetting away from home to an even more thrilling place -- living it up because you're truly alive. There's an intrinsic charge to those three very simple words: living.it.up. It's about being happy, positive, alive. There's even something so chic in the brevity of that phrase, as if it were a synonym for style itself. On those nights when we live it up, we feel our most glamorous and our most confident."
Let's take a minute to talk about online shopping. It is THE BEST! I remember around first or second grade (2000-2001), my family started using the internet very often. I can't remember when it was exactly that online shopping became a phenomenon in my family, but I do remember everybody being a little bit skeptical over putting credit card information in over the internet. I guess it was daunting, but I am very happy that everyone did it anyways. Online shopping is truly amazing. Almost every single clothing company has an online shopping option. This opens so many doors for fashion opportunities. Now, you are not limited to what you can find locally, or wherever you may be at the time. You want something from Bergdorf's but are stuck in Tallahasee? Dont worry, just go to their website and wam bam you've got what you want. It literally opens the doors to the world of fashion from the comfort of your own home. Thanks to technology, online shopping has changed the world of fashion completely.
See my "Places to Shop" Tab for some great online shopping!
Fashion, like almost everything else, is affected by technology. Once it joined the game, fashion was never the same. One of my favorite parts is a specific website called Rent the Runway. If you don't know what it is, it is a website where you can rent designer dresses and accessories for up to 90% off of the retail price. It is a "netflix" style website. Essentially, you join for free, log in, choose the date of your event, and then they show you all of the dresses available to rent. To think, you could rent a $700 gown for $75 is incredible. I am doing a little self-promoting, because I am a campus representative for Rent the Runway, but this is honestly an amazing website. You are able to order two sizes for the price of one, not to mention you can order a second dress for $25. What I think is so amazing about this, is how easy it is. Thanks to technology, the internet, and technically online shopping, any person has access to one of Fashion's best closets. Their headquarters are in New York City, and without this technology, I, a student in Florida, would not have access to this amazing opportunity. I can browse this closet from the privacy of my home, order my dresses from the privacy of my home, and LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT, straight from the privacy of my home. It is incredible that technology has provided us with this.
Also, on the note of promoting, I also LOVE how social media can affect Fashion. With events, it is always important to have a large attendance in order to make the event successful. For fashion designers, you need a big audience to see the line, and therefore promote it. Facebook provides us with this incredible opportunity. Rent the Runway on FSU is having a Trunk Show Thursday Nov 3rd, and without Facebook, we would not be reaching the wide audience that we are. We are now expecting close to 200 attendees, which is amazing. And a great deal is in thanks to Facebook events. (If you are in the Tally area, please attend!) Click THIS for the event!
I am feeling a little obsessed with blouses these days. As is the fashion world, so I guess that is where I get it from. They are classic. I love that blouses can be so different. There is everything from a perfectly tailored and crisp blouse, to tailored but flowy, to just plain flowy. I see that people are pairing blouses with EVERYTHING these days, and finding that you can dress them up or dress them down.
My inspiration Cupcakes and Cashmere is doing it (see her mustard yellow take). For those of you following in Tally, I found this blouse at Henri Girl for about $40, and they have it in a multitude of colors! She also covered Jewel Tones back in August, but the blouse is TO DIE FOR. I wish. If you have $210 to blow on a blouse, pleasseeeee buy this.
If you are like me, and need to find the cheaper version, here we go, from good ol Forever. $19.80
I went on my own little blousing spree this weekend. Here is what I picked:
Pair any blouse with anything. seriously. try a pair of cutoff jean shorts, leggings, white jeans, classic jeans, jeans and boots, a tight black skirt, ANYTHING and you will look chic and to die for. blouse me up baby.
