My Top 5 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show Sets

While some people fashion is so much more than just clothes on a body; it's a production!

5. Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2012
The innocence and nostalgia of the carousel was a perfect match for Marc Jacobs's sugary sweet spring/summer collection. Not only is Jacobs a master mixologist of fashion and theatricality, but he always knows how to have fun!





4. Dior Spring/Summer 2014
In an era of machines and skyscrapers, it's nice to see some designers implement lush vegetation (four for you, Raf Simons). I think it would complete my existence if sci-fi spacecrafts looked like this as opposed to having bleak white corridors and metal doors.





3. Chanel Fall/Winter 2010
Icebergs! Global Warming! Hooray!!




2. Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2012
Some sets make you realize that  And people ask me why I think Marc Jacobs is the best thing that's ever happened to Louis Vuitton... Sure, Nicolas Ghesquiere knows how to cater to the stylish, active woman but I'm gonna miss the days when steam engines used to glide into a Louis Vuitton show.





1. Chanel Spring/Summer 2012
Who can deny this all white underwater world? Something about this set makes me want to give up reality and live as a full-time mermaid.

Tis the season for buying new shoes! (Oh wait, that's every season ever...)

... but particularly this season, because recently I've stumbled upon an online store called ZOOSHOO, which is currently having huge holiday sales, and finally, it has dawned upon me what I've been missing all these years.

ZOOSHOO carries a variety of brands, including YRU and Chinese Laundry. However, I've really come to fall in love with its brands Qupid, Brekelle's and Bamboo. Their shoes are what dreams are made of, but it's their prices that make your dreams come true.

Now that Christmas and New Years are coming up, that means parties and dinners are also underway. So here are some great party heels (no pain, no gain; am I right?) that will do a great job of completing your evening outfits.

BURTON-01 WEDGE

How amazing does that Lucite wedge look? Dear. Lord.

Left: HOLLY-15 SANDAL; Right: ENRICH-151 WEDGE

Sporty chic has really been the theme of 2014, and with all the momentum it's gaining, it sure looks like it's going to carry over into 2015.

Gossamer Paradise

When the summer started, I was determined to make it my summer. I thought I could find inspiration in solitude and pensive midnights, but instead, I stumbled upon heartache. Lonely days faded into lonelier nights. Before I knew it, summer had passed me by.

Yet somehow, I now look back at the past two months fondly. Even though I recall few singular moments of happiness, I still think of the larger picture as laced with tranquil and harmonious overtones. And that was my summer-- a land of demolition beneath a translucent layer of gossamer paradise.

Until next time, August.

Fashion Changes When the World Changes

(Note: I do not own any of the images in this post)

Let's consider the 1920s in America. World War I had ended. It was a cause for celebration. Partying. But not the kind of partying that set you free. It was the kind that made you temporarily forget about the sadness that was like icicles in your heart. Hemlines rose. Women did all sorts of things that were considered taboo. People enjoyed their lives because these were the lives that their husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons died to give them.

The 1930s weren't much better. The stock market crash of 1929 meant that one day people had a place to stay, food in their bellies and a life to live, and the next, people lost their home, fed on scraps, and instead of living, all they could wish for was to stay alive. Just like the stocks, hemlines plummeted overnight. When you were frightened, you clung on to what was familiar to you-- tradition. We left the ways of the 1920s, not only because your average American couldn't afford it, but because we thought we were punished for being so bad. The light was shrouded.

When the 1940s came, our men left for war again. Women were burdened with the weight of the world for the first time and we were determined to carry it. How? By wearing the suits our husbands left behind with broad, defined shoulders, of course! As factories became filled up with real-life Rosie the Riveters and the troops welcomed women to help out wherever they could, it was a decade of pure empowerment.

As we came out on the winning end of World War II, but not without a massive cost, families became reunited in the 1950s and the American ideal of the perfect family was born. A house with a white picket fence, 2 and 1/2 children, and 1 dog. People really lived like that. It was the time of suburban homes and automobiles and television. It was the time when women wanted to feel feminine again. The hourglass figure was the most obvious indicator of womanhood, so we squeezed ourselves back into corsets. Ew. But who cares? After all, we've had decades of turmoil, and now our biggest problem was having our abdomens being uncomfortably tightened. Not complaining. 

Of course, there are many examples, and the ones I gave above are only simplified versions of the complicated relationship between fashion and everything that's going on in the world at the time, and boy, is that a lot to consider.

So let's consider now. The present.

Getting the Koons Look

As my teacher Amanda Hallay taught me, fashion is influenced by everything else that's going on in the world-- art, film, culture, etc. With the recent launch of Jeff Koons: A Retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art (for my review of the exhibition, please click here), surely it's going to impact the way people think and dress. So, why not get ahead of the fashion, and rock that Koons look today?

Superhero Craze

All of us have a DC/Marvel fangirl inside of us. Clearly, Koons is not an exception. Superheroes are a recurring subject in his work. The two pieces above are from the series Popeye and Hulk Elvis respectively.
(I personally think that DC > Marvel, but hey, each woman to her own)

Left: Marvel Characters Collage Hair Bow; Right: Fancy Superman Tee Bonus: The Superman symbol is covered in tiny rhinestones!

Like the keyboards in that second piece? Opt for a piano dress. Very classy and unique.



Flowers in Heaven



In his series, Made in Heaven, an exploration of human desire, Koons' former wife Ilona is shown wearing a flower crown. For my take on flower crowns, please click here.


In general, a lot of Koons' work involves bringing together very unrelated elements to form strong juxtaposition and visual interest. To recreate his aesthetic, don't be afraid to mix and match colors and prints. In particular, look out for graphic shirts if you want to incorporate some pop art into your wardrobe. You can also channel Koons in your makeup looks.

Left: Koons' Magenta Balloon Dog (Not shown at the Whitney Museum), Right: MAC Flat Out Fabulous lipstick.

Here's some Koons fashion inspiration.

 Left: Mary Katrantzou Spring 2012, Right: Moschino Fall 2014

Susie Bubble Street Style 

Fact: Flower crowns make everyone happy.

Another fact: Wearing a flower crown completes your transformation into a magical fairy queen.

Conclusion? The world needs more flower crowns.
And I don't mean those tiny bands that you find people wearing at Coachella. If you want to do something, do it 100%!

Yes, I realize that floral is completely overworn. Yes, I still wear floral. Tons of it. But one of my favorite ways to rock some petals is in my hair. When I told my friend Amanda that I wanted a flower crown for Christmas, she didn't believe I would wear it. But here I am, looking damn good in it, and telling all of you that you can all look damn good in a flower crown. (Okay so technically this is a flower headband. "Crown" just sounds way better.)

Flower "Crown": etsy.com. Etsy has a lot of beautiful hand-crafted flower crowns and headbands. They range from affordable to I'm-pretty-but-I-will-bankrupt-you. Here are a few pretty inexpensive flower crowns.

Note: I do not own the images below.

Top Left: Layers of Pink Ranunculus Crown

Top Right: Coral Pink Rose Crown

Bottom Left:Not your sweetheart- Pastel goth pink and pastel colors flower headband

Bottom Right: Red Black Rose Flower Crown

For more options, check out their respective stores

Inspirational People Series: Cate Stiffler

I met Cate Stiffler during my summer at LIM College Fashion Lab. She is aged 17, from Naples, Florida,  where "there are a lot of old people, like, a lot." Right away, she struck me as a girl with a sunny attitude and had some interesting things to say. She did not fall short of those expectations, but as I got to know her, I realized she was so much more. Not only does she have a big personality and big dreams, but she doesn't just sit around and let her dreams rot away in the corner; Cate chases them. And she chases them. And she chases them.