Inspiration...

It's raining,
It's pouring
School is pretty boring
I go to bed
and in my head
are fantasies worth adoring...

It's storming pretty hard in my town, so hard there's much flooding, and people are dead/dying, luckily no one I know is hurt. Earlier today, as I watched twigs drift down the lane from my driveway my mind drifted to fashion week. If I could be THE editor, getting to sit front row at each exclusive presentation of collections, what would I wear? Who would I sit next to? How would I live? So in this dull state that only comes at this time of the school year, I needed something to remind me of what I'm working hard for...

Miroslava Duma (Ryder, this is for you :)

My favorite thing about this Russian fashion editor is her stylish mix of downtown hipster and uptown high fashion-ista, and she's not afraid to take risks and play with proportions. She also seems pretty sweet in this blog from Altamira. I've noticed she wears the latest trends without looking like an obsessed style slave, and she wears them really well for her petite frame. I wouldn't mind sitting next to her at a YSL show.










For more of her style, check out dresslikemira.blogspot.com

Olivia Palermo
I know, so typical, but you gotta admit, this girl knows how to put a look together. I've heard her character was seriously misrepresented on "The City", but I don't doubt she might be a bit catty, but I guess I'll discern that if/when I meet her.
Also, look at her apartment in New York's Gramercy neighborhood, pretty aspirational. La Couturier, still up for raiding her closet? ;)








Randomness (via The Sartorialist)

I have no idea who this young man is, but he looks like he'd make a good partner in couture-crime.

A real glamorous eccentric, Hamish Bowles, may be my future colleague when I one day work for Conde Nast. Don't you just love the "Hehehe, these are dad jeans" expression on his face? Go Hamish go!

Lauren Santo Domingo, another future co-Voguette

My other two partners-in-crime, who would just've come for having Starbucks/ Caribou Coffee (yum!) with me over what shows we've loved so far.
____

A caramel Macchiato from Starbucks, which always smells like happiness

A white chocolate mocha from Caribou Coffee, my favorite!

Rachel Zoe, the fairy godmother. Her style and personality, plus expertise, are pretty admirable.

But, take a look in the mirror, my fellow fabulous bloggers, because I'm pretty sure I'll see you at the tents, also.

The park (Madison Square, which looks quite circular to me-oh wait, now I see it) I'll strut through on my way home from a busy, beautiful day. A lot of fantasizing, but I think one needs a little whimsy while working as a nice escape, no? It's all aspirational...
-xoxo Mo

Falling For Fashion; A Runway Review

In the somewhat fashionable city of Atlanta, lies a stellar newspaper made by teens, for teens. I happen to work at this paper, and am pretty much the staff fashion aficionado-- I ALWAYS write about fashion and something else, of course. So it only made sense that for my latest article in VOX's latest issue, I covered the Fall 2009 fashion season and what seems to be the hottest trends for my peers, and other fashion-philiacs (you guys ;). I've put the article here, but be sure to check out the full issue, my co-intern-slash-bff and I worked hard all summer helping to coach this issue. So, Voila!


There’s a memorable scene in a movie I love, “The Devil Wears Prada,” where Meryl Streep explains the trickle-down process of fashion.

“You go to your closet and you select out, oh I don’t know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue. It’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis. It’s actually cerulean,” Streep says in the role of powerful fashionista Miranda Priestley to her unaware assistant. “You’re also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar De La Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves St Laurent, wasn’t it, who showed cerulean military jackets? And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of 8 different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down... However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff.”

As Streep explains, it takes a lot of time, money and people to put together the hottest styles for each season. Though Fall Fashion Week was back in February, the runway trends are showing up in stores now. The most popular styles are right here!

Tuxedo
A staple for the classic gentleman, designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Erin Fetherston have taken the essence of the tuxedo and reworked it for a woman’s body. From tailored blazers to structured and sleek dresses, tuxedo-inspired styles are sure to give you a touch of class.


Detailed Shoulders
80s style has been back for a few seasons, and shoulder pads are the latest runway revival. With heavy studding and beadwork, designer Christophe Decarnin for Balmain has taken shoulder pads to an all-new edgy level, creating the “Balmainia” craze that drove many stars crazy. Get the look by wearing your dad’s blazers or looking through thrift stores for vintage apparel.

Asymmetric
Show a little shoulder! Fashion houses like Givenchy, Emanuel Ungaro and Lanvin went to the other extreme, choosing to show some skin with sleek, one-shoulder dresses. If your school’s dress code bans such styles, try wearing a nice jacket over your asymmetrical piece for a finished look that keeps you out of trouble.

Old Hollywood Glamour
Glamour-icon Marilyn Monroe embodied many traits of a great woman. Designers for Armani, Nina Ricci, Gucci and Michael Kors paid homage to her and her era by incorporating old Hollywood flair into their fall collections. Luxe evening gowns and frilled peplum jackets filled fall ad campaigns. You can get this look by wearing over-the-knee pencil skirts, evening gloves — another popular trend — or riveting-ringlet curls instead of your usual hairstyle.

Renaissance Art
Don’t just stop at the 40s. Travel further back in time to the era of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpieces. Garments printed with Renaissance art dominated the runways of D&G Dolce and Gabbana and Burberry Prorsum. The historic “moody portraits” are soft and sensual, yet thought-provoking. Wearing them on a T-shirt is a cool way to show appreciation for art history.

Short Velvet Dresses
You might think velvet only belongs at medieval-times fairs and on southern-charmed sofas, but this season’s short velvet dresses are cozy, yet chic. Dresses like Diane von Furstenberg’s have a smooth, soft “touch-me” texture and give a taste of luxury.

The Edgy LBD
Find your inner Audrey Hepburn and conjure up the attitude of a James Bond vixen. Your result is this season’s little black dress. Jill Stuart and Alexander Wang added a futuristic twist on the classic staple with sleek cutouts and form-fitting style.

Monotone
You might’ve heard that wearing the same color from head to toe was wrong, but this season, think again! The monochromatic look can help you look taller and slimmer. Try wearing several pieces in one shade, like pale yellow (Narciso Rodriguez) or all black (Jill Stuart).


Origami Pleating
The Japanese art of paper folding made its way to the runway with intricately-folded silky fabrics in rich colors and jewel tones like purple and forest green. Origami pleating can do wonders to accentuate a bustline like in this season’s collections by Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan. “The tricky folds highlight the sexy décolletage area without revealing too much — making it a DO for both flat-chested and busty gals,” says Glamour.com, the Web site for Glamour magazine.

Fur
Luxe, warm and oh-so-cozy fur stoles were seen at many shows including Givenchy and Dolce and Gabbana. Statistics even agree with this trend; showing that more Americans are finding it acceptable to wear fur, up from 54 percent to 61 percent in the past year, according to a Gallup.com poll. Look for faux fur to avoid getting caught up in controversy or spending big bucks.


Sweetheart Style
Become an autumn darling this season, like the girls at Erin Fetherston’s show, by adorning your hair or neck with a bow. It dresses you up and helps you look tres adorable.

Stockings
Be schoolgirl-chic by wearing knee-high stockings with skirts or dresses that stop right above the knee, like the models at Jill Stuart and Louis Vuitton. Be careful with this look though. If you’re short or if the proportions don’t quite add up, it might not work for you.

Tattoo
From pierced red roses to pinup girls, tattoo graphics were printed on jackets, shoes, and bags at several design houses like Maison Martin Margiela. Look for less expensive pieces from Ed Hardy and Christian Audigier.


Vampire
Call it the “Twilight” effect. Darker colors, blood-red lipstick, and faux fangs bit their way into high-end magazines like Italian Vogue and Cosmopolitan. To revamp your look without getting into horror movie territory, try wearing a Victorian-style ruffled blouse with dark denim or adopting the rocker style of lots of black leather and tight pants — just not too tight. ;)


Modupe, 16, is a junior at Stephenson whose style icons include Miroslava Duma and Olivia Palermo, and she loves September magazine issues!

Sources: Glamour.com, coutorture.com, teenvogue.com, Elle.com and style.com

*Photos Courtesy of Style.com

Also, for VOX, I've been chosen as one of this school year's interns. I have the title of Interactive Publishing, which means I get to work on our awesome paper, developing our video department as well as working on the VOX blog! (So be sure to check it out.)
Aussi, I might be starting another blog in the future, which will include the fashion related, but more explorative of other topics. Not quite sure yet, but just letting you know...;)

-xoxo Mo