Viral Video

It should come as no surprise that the recent boom in technology has affected the fashion industry just like every other.  Fashion shows have progressed with music, lighting, and ridiculously intricate stage settings.  This week, technological fashion has gone to a whole different level.

Gareth Pugh has been a respected British designer for quite some time.  Exploding onto the runway scene in 2006 fresh off of a coveted internship with widely respected designer Rick Owens, he made an impression with his inflated designs.  Today, he is making an impression in a brand new way; by trading traditional runway shows for an artistic video to showcase his collection.

The video, which is avant garde to say the least, shows his model of choice in various poses and situations wearing his new collection for Spring 2011.  Innovative and different, Pugh's video does have some minor issues.  Despite the fact that fashion is and always should be about its creativity, the truth of the matter is that the video simply does not display his collection as well as a runway show should.

Seeing clothes displayed on a model in person can give one an entirely different impression than it would on film.  There is a certain moving quality that can only be found in a face to face setting.  While the video is unique and rather lovely, Pugh may be missing out on opportunities due to his lack of a runway show.  That's mostly personal opinion, but some editors have spoken out about the issue in terms of why a runway show would have worked better.

While it may not be the most practical entity, one must admit there is a certain brilliance to it.  Don't take my word on it; check the artistic brilliance for yourself below.

Break Out of Winter Blues

Let's face it.  

The weather outside is cold and that often means a serious drought in fashion, especially for us college students.

Jeans, fleeces, and those terrible Ugg boots are absolutely everywhere right now.  It's enough to make any self-respecting fashionista want to sob.

Luckily, there is something saving those of us who care from a fashion wasteland of winter snores; tights.

I'll be honest; tights are not as warm or as practical as jeans or sweatpants.  When it comes down to it, though, being a little chilly while walking to class is worth it if it means keeping you from an unfashionable death.

There are many varieties of tights for one to consider, and they are all lovely for many different reasons.  The most obvious tights of choice are the standard solid tights that we've all donned since childhood.  Many websites sell solid colored tights, some with thicker fabric for more warmth, but my personal favorite store for such a purchase is Target.  Affordable and stylish.

Brightly colored solid tights are a great way to stand out.  Bright pink, red, or even some shades of blue can look really awesome with dresses you probably already have in your closet.  Sometimes even summer dresses can make the transition to colder weather with the right pari of tights.

Patterned tights are my personal favorite way to make a statement.  Whether they are patterned fishnets or printed straight onto the material, patterned tights are a cool way to look different.  Patterned tights can also be found at Target, as well as Urban Outfitters and Forever 21.  

Whether you prefer solid tights, patterned ones, or even funky colored fishnets, there are plenty of types for sale to satisfy any fashion craving.  Happy hunting!

Feathered Friends

It is hardly news in the fashion world that feathers are an excellent accessory.  Embellished on dresses, hairpieces, belts, and even shoes, feathers are absolutely everywhere.  The question is, what is the easiest way to wear feathers in every day life without looking absurd?

My personal favorite way to get in on the feather trend is with hairpieces.

Some feather hairpieces are all about the headband, such as the one below.

This headband, which can be purchased at Forever 21, is simple and elegant.  The blue color makes it mildly flashy, but the feather is not overwhelming or costume-like.  Since the design is so simple, you could wear it with anything from a shift dress to jeans and a cute blouse.  The flexibility of headbands with feathers makes it impossible not to want one.  Unless of course, headbands aren't your thing.

For those who don't enjoy wearing headbands, hair clips such as the one pictured above can be a good way to use feathers with fashion.  This clip is relatively small, which is good because it means you can still do something with your hair.  Whether you're adding it to an up-do or pinning back some side bangs, this clip is a great way to use feathers without looking silly.  This clip is also found at Forever 21.

Of course, if hairpieces aren't for you, you could always go out like Ke$ha.

I'm certain that the peacocks found her coat to be lovely.

Power Suit Comeback

In the last couple of months as the weather has gotten colder, women have been strutting the red carpet wearing something more practical than a dress; they have been wearing full suits.  Not pantsuits, made of silky material or meant to be ultra feminine.  We're talking about full suits, a look famously known of for clothing business men around the world.

This is hardly the first predominately male trend has worked it's way into the female closets.  Oxford shoes, which exploded onto the mainstream fashion scene barely two years ago, are also largely associated with the male consumer.

So the question remains; why are so many female starlets walking around in suits?

Answer; because it is powerful and occasionally quite sexy.

Take AnnaLynne McCord, an actress on the CW's 90210, for example.  Recently, she attended Spike's TV Video Game Awards wearing this suit.  She took a feminine approach to the look by wearing white and adding brightly colored heels.  This look is polished, feminine, and still looks put together.

Some stars go for a more androgynous look with the suit instead of being ultra feminine like McCord.

Leighton Meester, an actress from the CW's Gossip Girl, took a more masculine approach to wearing the suit.  Her colors, grey and white, are very stereotypical for a male suit.  Meester also added a tie to her look, giving her a more masculine feel.  Her black high heels and the smaller fit of the suit offer femininity to her look, but it is still much more masculine than the way some stars have worn the trend.

Halle Berry took this trend as a combination of masculine and feminine traits.  Her suit is grey and pinstriped, but the fit implies a much more feminine image than if it were loose.  The blouse she is wearing is cut out and extremely girly.  The colors complement the pinstripes well, and she finished it off with a brightly printed bag.  Berry has executed the trend by adding very feminine touches to her suit.

All three of these looks have led me to believe that the suit trend is well on it's way to being a success.  The images were found at CocoPerez, along with tons of other great fashion articles.  Check it out to see more red carpet fashion and keep up with the growing suit trend.  It's a matter of time before we see it in retail stores around the world, because who doesn't love a powerful woman, right?

Fashion Gone Digital

Recently, I stumbled across a video that made me re-think the current concept of shopping entirely.  The video showed four Japanese girls using a projector to see how clothes would look on them.  Wearing all white they stood in front of a white screen that had a Google search screen projected onto it.  They girls searched for a specific type of clothing in Google Images, projected their chosen result onto the wall, and stood behind it in order to see what it would look like.

The idea is simple enough and virtually anyone could try this at home, if they had the appropriate tools.  It is because of this that I was immediately attracted to the idea.  While it seems like a silly way to have fun in the video, if it were perfected, this could potentially make shopping easier and faster for people around the world.

One of the biggest complaints about online shopping is the lack of visual it provides the shopper with.  Although you can see pictures of the items you are buying, it is impossible to see how it might look on you specifically.  This affects small things, such as color choices and sizing, but it is an issue nonetheless.  Although the sizing issue would probably not be solved with this type of video projection, it could help give consumers a better idea of items they would like to purchase.

This could help to lower online returns which is good for any companies that participate in online stores.  It could also lead to happier consumers, which obviously means a better fashion experience for the world at large.

Who knew fashion going digital could have so many benefits?

Jumping Downward

In the fashion industry, there are frequently trends that are questionable.  Jeggings, silly bands, platform shoes; every trend has a time that audiences are wary of whether or not it is acceptable.  Some trends get the passing grade from those who matter in fashion and eventually, every trend trickles down from the elite to the masses.

There is one trend, however, that I think we ought to do our best at preventing from making this transition; jumpsuits.

Of course, jumpsuits were popular long before the 21st century.  During the seventies, lovely ladies like the iconic Cher and Farrah Fawcett rocked the jumpsuit to the fullest extent.

Even now, celebrities are pulling out the jumpsuit like it's their favorite trend.  Recently, there have been some rather interesting renditions of the jumpsuit hitting the red carpet.  Take Leighten Meester, who stars in Gossip Girl, for example.

Talk about making a statement.  Leaving little to the imagination, Meester still manages to keep it classy and well designed.  This look is interesting and innovative for the red carpet, which is good because that it what celebrities constantly strive for.  However, in the real world, jumpsuits are a bit much for a trip to the grocery store.  

The practicality of jumpsuits provide a pretty decent argument, I must admit.  Functional and one pieced, one could throw it on in a hurry and, theoretically, still look polished.  Most jumpsuits I have seen in retail stores are too flashy to be worn in public without being mistaken for a halloween advertisement.

Luckily, there is a brilliant medium that is fit for mass consumption; the romper.  Also originally a trend of the seventies, it came back during the summer of 2010 with a vengeance.  It is similar to the jumpsuit in that it is a fully functional one piece ensemble.  The difference is that it is shorts rather than pants.  Although this seems like a small difference, it makes the entire look more normal and less costumey.  Rompers are usually meant for the warmer months of the year, but a lot of retail stores are selling rompers made out of material that could easily transfer to the colder months of the year with a cool pair of tights and a cardigan.  Forever 21 has a great selection of rompers, so be sure to keep them in mind for something both affordable and chic.

Of course, you could just be a normal person and wear jeans and a sweater your grandmother sent you. But honestly, where is the fun in that?

Pretty and Pants-less

A new trend has been on the rise with the stars we all covet in Hollywood; going out sans pants.

I'm not talking about a dress with a high hemline or some seriously short shorts; starlets everywhere are going out in little more than their underwear.

Lady Gaga and Rhianna are two of the biggest culprits of this fashion offense.  Performing pants-less is how Gaga first got the attention of a crowd.  In an interview that was posted on Perez Hilton's website, she claimed that she played a show in her underwear simply to get the audience's attention.

Style is undeniably used in order to get the attention of the world; people dress in flashy clothes, bright colors, or in a complete lack of clothing in order to garner the attention of the general public.  This trend of going out in little more than boy-short styled underwear is definitely an attention getter.

Leotards and unitards have also been on the rise as this growing trend has surfaced.  Various performers, including Ke$ha and Beyonce, have worn leotards in music videos and life performances.  Beyonce's "Single Ladies" video, which is arguably one of the most acclaimed music videos of all time, features the singer wearing a high cut leotard and dancing vicariously.

From a performance standpoint, leotards can be considered practical attire.  One of the best things to wear while performing a dance routine, it is definitely functional.  Using leotards as general attire, however, is something I find puzzling.  Camel toes and too much leg can be a bit overwhelming when you're just trying to go grocery shopping.

As a whole, I think this trend may be something that we should leave to the stage and the professionals.  Let's face it; your professor is hardly going to take you seriously when you show up to class in something resembling your undies.

Absurdity at it's finest

It would be silly to discuss fashion without pointing out one of the most prominent figures in fashion today; Lady Gaga.

Famous for strutting around in outfits formerly known as impossible, Gaga is doing her best to set the newest standard for the most avant garde and costume inspired fashion that there is.

Some people question her taste level, which is pretty understandable.  Who else in the public eye would wear a dress made entirely of meat, heel-less shoes, a dress constructed to look like it was made entirely of bubbles, and lingerie to see a baseball game?

This, of course, is why everyone is so fascinated with her.  She specializes in the completely absurd and her taste level is nothing if not intriguing.

The question I want answered is whether or not all this show boating can truly be considered fashionable.  She is expressing herself, certainly, but is it really fashion forward or just a lot of costuming in the public eye?  The only word I can come up with to describe her fashion sense would be "ridiculous".  And by ridiculous, I mean totally and completely epic.

Although some people might find her too ridiculous to be fashionable, I must admit that I find her ensembles too complex and well considered not to consider her a total fashion plate.  If fashion is about freedom of expression, as so many claim, then she is the ultimate master at expressing her true self.  Unafraid to be seen as bizarre by people who follow the mainstream, Gaga provides every fashionista with something they should be striving for; confidence in themselves.

Nails for Days

Recently, there has been a rising trend in the marketing industry.
Film stars, singers, and whole movie franchises have been releasing their own signature nail polish in order to garner interest.

Are you a twelve year old girl?
Not to worry; Justin Bieber has you taken care of with six shades that represent just who he is as an artist, ready-made to be worn on your bitten down nails.

Burlesque, a film featuring Cher and Christina Aguilera, is the most recent film to come out with a line of nail polish for promotion.  Twelve shades total for any girl who has always dreamed of shaking it onstage or belting out a serious tune while wearing costumes fit for a toddler.

From a marketing standpoint, this whole angle is slightly genius.  It would be foolish to ignore the sheer production value of this idea; nail polish, which is fairly inexpensive to make, is also one of the go to products for women when a recession hits the economy.  Beat out only by brightly colored lipstick, this product is the easiest thing to convince a woman to buy without bringing on a guilt trip.

From a fashion standpoint, however, this seems sort of cheap.  Why force beautiful shades to stand for a film to begin with?  Is it so wrong to want a pretty color to lay on your nails without being bombarded with imagery for the movie you must see or singer you must covet?

In all honesty, it's not about the marketing anyway.  It's all about the beauty, baby.

Glance at the newly released shades here and decide for yourself what sticks out most; the colors of the genius marketing ploy?

//Welcome//

Fashion is a complete and utter mess the majority of the time.  Miles of ideas, dreams, and fabric are left by the wayside in the world of the fashion-obsessed.  Whether or not this is an entirely negative thing has yet to be determined; true fashionistas are too caught up in the beauty to be concerned with the reality.  That's why we turn to fashion; we don't particularly enjoy numbers, soil sciences, or much of anything else going on in the real world.

We like to create, to share a vision.  This blog is all about the interpretation of that vision.  How do designers reach the public?  How can a college student show the general people of the world that yes, fashion is a worthwhile entity?  Exploration is key, and I'm leaving no stone unturned.  This isn't about words; it's about everything you do see and everything I think you ought to be looking at a little closer.

We'll start with one of my current obsessions; The Style Rookie.  The author may only by fourteen, but trust me, that girl has a very serious talent for eyeing the bold and the beautiful.  Enjoy perusing!