Gloves!

 

 

Leather gloves are one of my go-to winter accessories, and after just losing one of my favorites, I am in need of another pair! Since I am already designing a pair to complement a project I'm working on, I thought that I should make some for myself as well. These are some of my favs that I've seen so far, and because I really like them all I think I am going to have to find a way to combine the details of all of them into one pair of fabulous gloves.

Aexander Wang + Balenciaga

Alexander Wang will be succeeding Nicolas Ghesiquiere at Balenciaga!  
When I first found out that Nicolas Ghesiquiere was leaving Balenciaga, I was pretty sad- after all, he's responsible for modernizing the label and making it everything it is today! The innovative silhouettes and overall graphic quality of the collections that he has sent down the runway season after season have always been incredibly captivating, and I am sorry to see him go.
However, I am very excited to see how Alexander Wang's perspective will influence Balenciaga! Because he is best known for his interpretations of street clothing, I'm sure he will definitely be bringing an urban appeal to Balenciaga, and I can't wait to see what his first collection will be.

WANG

+

BALENCIAGA

=

?????

*photos courtesy of style.com

Lovely Layers

It's December! Which means the weather is just going to keep getting colder, so it's time to start wearing layer upon layer of cozy knit sweaters. I am obsessed with Missoni's knitwear! I am always amazed at how creatively they layer on so many different patterns and textures (of knits and wovens) and make them all work together.
These are some looks from their F/W 2012 collection that will be inspiring how I bundle up this winter!

             

    

*photos courtesy of instyle.com

Fabric Manipulation

While I was doing some research for a design class I discovered a hand-sewing technique that creates this beautiful fabric manipulation! I was so in love with it that I decided to give it a try and use it in a garment that I am currently working on. 2 yards of fabric and 9 hours later, I ended up with the photo above! It was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it! I definitely improved my hand-sewing skills, and surprisingly, it was relaxing (except for those times when the thread became tangled and knotted).

RTR

Have you heard of Rent the Runway? Well, RTR is a great company that allows you to rent designer clothing and accessories for just around 10% of the retail price! Which means you can wear something from your favorite designers without spending a fortune. They even send you the garment you choose in 2 sizes in case one doesn't fit right.
I heard about their website a long time ago, but I just read an article about something they started doing recently that made me really excited. Now when you shop on their website you can see how the garments fit on people with different body types! For each piece of clothing that has been rented, photos of people who rented them are uploaded to the website. Listed next to their photos are their size, height, weight, body shape, and their review of garment, so you really get a good idea of how it fits.
How amazing would it be if every clothing retailer did this?! Shopping online would be so much easier!

Here's an example from RTR's site. Check it out for yourselves! http://www.renttherunway.com

BADGLEY MISCHKA

Rental $125

Sequin Bell Sleeve Sheath 

• Retail $800

RENTAL $125

 Christine's Moment 

Age: 29 | Usual Size: 8 | Height: 5'8"

Body Type: Pear | Bust: 36B

Weight: 140 lbs.

Rating:     

Size Worn: 10

Worn to: Formal Affair

Overall Fit: True to Size

LOVED this dress! Wore this to the local TV News Emmy Awards this wknd - and I felt like the golden Emmy statue! Got lots of compliments. Dress runs true to size... Ordered a size 10 and 12, the 10 fit, despite my hips' attempts to derail the process. The 12 was too loose overall. I have really thin arms, so I had to push the elastic portion of the sleeve further up so it would hold, making my sleeves shorter than the model on the website... but I liked it anyway. Only reason it didn't get 5 stars is because it came with a dangling sequin in the front that I had to improvise with.... and having sequins on the butt area means you get up, and inevitably leave sequins behind. But otherwise, very well made and GORGEOUS.

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DVF Parisian Perfection

Over this past Thanksgiving holiday I finally had some time to catch up on some much overdue magazine reading and I came across an article on Diane von Furstenburg in the December issue of Instyle, featuring her Parisian apartment. It is the epitome of what you envision when you think of romantic Parisian decor, and has unbelievable views of the Eiffel Tower, the Seine River and the Institut de France! The apartment very much reflects Diane von Furstenburg's gracious style and her fashion label. It is filled animal print rugs designed by DVF, and thanks to a few of the pieces she has collected throughout her travels, reflects many worldly endeavors. After seeing this photo spread I think it is my new goal in life to own a space as relaxing and luxurious as this apartment!

*All photos courtesy of Instyle magazine

Patrick Demarchelier

So I just finished (literally, like 10 minutes ago) creating a presentation on Patrick Demarchelier that I will be presenting tonight for my photography class. For those of you who don't know, Patrick Demarchelier is a world renowned fashion photographer who has done photo-shoots for every major fashion magazine, including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, W, Elle, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire... and the list just keeps going! His work is absolutely beautiful! While doing some research, I found that what is most important to him when photographing his subjects is to capture them being themselves, and that it is his goal to make them forget about the camera. He will even pretend to take test shots when he is in fact taking actual photographs in order to do so! This approach is what allows him to create photos that have a genuine and naturally elegant feel to them.

Here are some of Patrick Demarchelier's photos that I haven't been able to take my eyes off of! I hope you enjoy them.

*photos courtesy of demarchelier.net