If I Could Wear One Designer Forever It Would Be…

Burberry.

1. Trench Coats
2. Neutrals
3. Belts
4. Draping
5. Shimmer
6. Sparkle
7. Emma Watson
8. Repeat

Burberry Porsum Spring RTW [NYM]

Fashion Week Recap

One of my favorite looks by Jason Wu

1. High heels are a must at all times. ALL.TIMES.
2. The weirder you look, the more your picture will be taken.
3. Male models, though cute, are not the best runway walkers.
4. Anna Wintour is more intimidating in person, which is awesome.
5. The love of fashion is contagious but fashion sense is not.
6. The tents are really hot and fans or a cooling system are a must because sweat is the worst accessory. Ha.
7. I felt way too entitled this week.
8. In order to feel entitled I need to attend a fashion show party and sit closer to the runway.
9. Favorite collections: Oscar de la Renta, Milly by Michelle, Jason Wu, Max Azria, Christian Siriano, Sophie Theallet
10. I went to the tents more than once and neither developed an eating nor a body image issue.  I see that as a huge win.

For the best Fashion Coverage [New York]

Fall Into the Memories

So, thedith and I were talking and we’ve decided that this September has been especially crummy.  Everyone is all “blurg” and there’s no real reason, slash there is and it’s because the planets are wack according to astrology.  So, while I’m moping about I thought about being mellow and lame, which led me to this youtube wonder:

Which then led to these:

Dear Gap,

Please bring back these random commercials.  They were pointless yet entertaining.  What’s not to love about singing or dancing models?  Well, a lot actually, but I mean it’s better than those annoying free credit report commercials, which I’m not even going to link to because I hate them so much.  So Gap, think about it.

Kisses and Bubbles,

melsanie

Ten Things I’ve Learned During Fashion Week

1. Way to be more fashionable: spend less on food, more on accessories.
2. I need to wear more eyeliner.
3. Wearing and walking in high heels for longer than 3 hours at a time is not only a skill but an athletic feat.
4. Rachel Zoe was right (as always): pairing a bomber jacket with anything instantly makes you chic–it was my saving grace for all the events I went to (which I’ll discuss later)
5. The fashion world is freakishly self-involved which makes me want to run away from it and be a part of it at the same time.
6. I need about 10 more pairs of shoes, 2 gold necklaces, 6 dresses and anything metallic, in that order.
7. I have confirmation that high heels make any outfit sexier.
8. Most male models are incapable of walking down a runway.
9. Actual fashion show run time: 10 minutes.
10. I love fashion.

I’m Not Really a “Fashionista”

But I do work in magazines and I’m soooo excited for The September Issue, which is a documentary of Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue.  The September issue is usually the biggest issue in terms of Ad sales for all magazines, but Vogue‘s is always the biggest, last year’s came in at a whopping 972 pages.  Working on the publishing side, I see all that goes into getting ads for September, which means the edit side must be even more hectic because they have to produce a book that’s worth reading…if you can find the edit between all the ad pages.

Anyway, as someone who would love to look as fashionable as the models in Vogue and the girls who work there, I’m really looking forward to the movie.  They seem to go behind the scenes, really talk to Anna, who appears to be exactly how Meryll Streep portrayed her in The Devil Wears Prada.  At one point in the preview she says, “This type is so large and pretentious. It looks like it’s for blind people.”  I mean, come on.  How can this not be amazing?

I Still Hate American Apparel

she even has a hipster haircut. also, why is the crotch halfway down her legs?

she can't believe she's wearing those hideous leggings

ok, i kind of want that cardigan. but not shiny pants. she's not a robot.

"why me god? i just want to wear a ballerina dress and twirl!"

Why am I going to buy a kid $55 glasses that I could buy at a thrift store for $1?

meredith’s take on the leggings:

no, i like shiny leggings for kids

it will put an end to shiny leggings on adults

no one wants to dress like a 5 year old

annnd little kids love shiny shit, they’ll eat shiny leggings up, and then it will be so awful to be sitting next to a kid on the subway wearing the same outfit

and voila! the end of adult shiny leggings

True, but still. I’m not a fan.

Fashion. Turn to the Left. Fashion. Turn to the Right.

Tonight was the night of the Met Gala Event.  Because I’m not a fashionista I had to look up the reason for this red carpet.  According to Wikipedia, the gala’s purpose is to fundraise for the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute, which contains over 80,000 costumes and accessories.

Due to the fragile nature of the items in the collection, the Costume Institute does not maintain a permanent installation. Instead, every year it holds two separate shows in the Met’s galleries using costumes from its collection, with each show centering on a specific designer or theme.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the new exhibit, The Model as a Muse: Embodying Fashion, which “focuses on iconic models of the twentieth century and their roles in projecting, and sometimes inspiring the fashion of their respective eras.”

Well, it looked like the attendees had fun with the theme.  Some of the actors/singers/models/designers/socialites were innovative and stylish while some were just out of left field crazy or yawn worthy.  Below, my ever so astute and well thought out (read: first impressions) of the over 66 looks from tonight.

Yay:  Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Ashley Olsen, Bar Rafaeli, Gisele, Marion Cotillard, Kim Raver, Molly Sims, Liv Tyler, Anne Hathaway, Marisa Tomei, Chanel Iman, Iman, Jessica Alba, DVF, Claudia Schiffer, Carla Gugino.

Yikes: Emma Robert, Shalom Harlow, Katy Perry, Mary-Kate Olsen, Brooke Shields, Kirsten Dunst, Madonna, Leightom Meester, Blake Lively, Rose Byrne, Hilary Swank, Rihanna, Paulina Porizkova, Elizabeth Banks.

For more of the looks from the Met Gala, check out The Cut’s awesome, awesome slideshow.  [NY Mag/The Cut Blog]

In Defense of Leggings

Lindsay Lohan has a line of leggings, and I think that’s swell.  She couldn’t have picked an article of clothing that most clearly reflects her: both have come under fire recently for finding themselves in inappropriate situations; however, when utilized correctly, you can’t deny that bitch is ta-len-ted! [finger snap]. 

Take this look for example:

Leggings clearly being used as pants, and you know what? It works.  Normal pants would be too chunky underneath. Tights would be not enough coverage. And bare legs?

Why we need leggings -- Exhibit 1: Tara Reid

I’ll let this picture of Tara Reid speak for itself.

I’m not gonna lie, I’m a big fat fan of leggings.  I wear them lounging around the apartment, when I go out with friends, the 2 times a year that I work out, to dinner, at the doctor’s office — hell, at my old job I wore leggings at least twice a week.  

You can dress them up 

 

Careful with this look though, Victoria Beckham's like thisclose to being confused with Tranny Spice

Or you can dress them down

doesn't she look more comfortable than you, right now?

You can even, do crazy shit like this

 

Not gonna lie, I would wear these

 

The fact of the matter is, leggings are comfortable.  People like being comfortable.  People are never gonna stop liking being comfortable.  Thus, through the transitive property of leggings, we can deduce that people are never gonna stop wearing leggings, right? Wrong.  As in generations before them

 

I think Men's Renaissance fashion introduced us to leggings

 we will eventually put down our leggings, relegating them to the back of our closets to become some lucky moth’s lunch.  This is a sad, yes, but also? This is fashion.  There’s no crying in fashion.  Although there is a lot of whining.  

Basically, what it comes down to?  Let the people enjoy their leggings while they can.  Just like I let you enjoy your khakis without (an insanely disporportionate amount of)  judgment, let me, LL, and all members of the spandex-lovin’ world enjoy our moment.  

Besides, it’s almost over anyway.

TIGHTS ARE NOT PANTS

Seriously. I don’t care if you have the legs to carry it off (I’m looking at you Lindsay Lohan and Olsen Twins). TIGHTS ARE NOT PANTS.

Oh em gee. Congrats. You have skinny legs. I don't care. These are NOT pants. I don't want to see your business jiggling about. Cover that up.

Or you could learn the hard way:

kate: in first grade my mom sent me to school in thick tights and told me they were pants and i realized they were see-through at recess and cried

And I’m glad there is a website dedicated to this cause. [Tights Are Not Pants]

UPDATE:  Leggings are the same as tights. [Leggings Are Not Pants]

Michelle Obama is My Style Icon

The girls over at “The Cut” blog on nymag.com have put together a running slide show of every.single.outfit that Michelle Obama wears in public. So stoked about this.

Number 1:  I love slide shows. Number 2:  Documenting all of her clothes?  Effing brilliant. Number 3:  The more I can see those awesome J.Crew cardigans, the better.

The Michelle Obama Lookbook [The Cut]