Falling for Spring

More additions to my Spring 2012 Favorites list? Yes! Joining Versace's amazing collection this week are the likes of  Carven and Roland Mouret. They're two separate, distinct Ready-to-Wear lines that I couldn't help but swoon over as I sipped my mocha coffee inside the Hub, furiously scrolling through more style.com fashion shows, instead of cramming for Oceanography.


But who can focus on transform boundaries when Guillaume Henry is painting a real-life fairytale before your very eyes? Carven kept with its reputation for legginess, but added a touch of cheek with cutouts in the blouses and removable collars.



Roland Mouret was one of several ultra-feminine shows this season, but one of the few that stood out. By incorporating a modern twist to the classic bra top (a recurring element in this collection's garments), Mouret ensured his women wouldn't look too soft.



images from style.com

Valentino Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear

As I spent my Sunday afternoon (routinely) scanning through Style.com's plethora of fashion shows documenting the Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear Season, I stumbled upon the Valentino collection. And holy Mexican Gothic-inspired Independent Woman. What a show.

"It made me excited to be a woman." Front row-er Jessica Biel exclaimed. "[The clothes] are about confidence. Just put it on and kill it."

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Picciol's Spring 2012 Collection for Valentino was designed for a woman "who makes her own revolution in her mind," described Picciol, who hoped to channel a "space of the mind where you can find yourself," conveying Mexican influences through the feminine garments.

"You see the collection but in some way you can touch the collection," Chiuri elaborated, "We think that when you see a show, it is important that you use all your senses."

"You can smell this color; it is so exciting, this pink color," Chiuri said of the dress at right.

Nicole Phelps of Style.com said, "Too ladylike, too precious, too little-girlish, too vulgar. Any of those outcomes could've befallen a show as laden with lace and flowers and embroideries... but they didn't. Not for a second."

Though all the frocks were beautiful and lovely as only Valentino can be, my absolute favorites are posted below. The dress at right is a little too haute-couture for me, but hey! What's true fashion without a little risk?














images from style.com

Flitting into Fall

As my mildly agreeable Florida temperature dips a tad lower each week, I can't help but wish I was up North where those lucky kids are experiencing the first signs of seasonal change. We Floridians wouldn't know a thing about that!

But a girl can dream. And more specifically, dream of New York City and Central Park's changing leaves.

So I've constructed a little post in honor of Fall in the City, something I wish I was in the middle of experiencing right now.

But I do love my Palm Trees, and I don't think Central Park's got any  of those.







If only I lived in a world where Taxi gloves were of use to me!



images from centralpark.com, fabsugar, whatshaute, collegeprepster, juicy.mashkulture.net, handbagdujour

In the Spirit of Cyclists

Strolling the sidewalks of UF's lovely campus is wonderful, except when you're nearly struck down by bicyclists.

Although if those crazy kids were pedaling atop these stylish beauties, I probably wouldn't be as irritated. Probably.

Missoni

Lilly Pulitzer

 sweetgabrown.blogspot

Campus Cool

September is here and it's back to the daily grind, be that your hectic class schedule or a grueling 9 to 5. Incorporate a little fun into your day with two well-loved (but revamped) back-to-school classics: modern-styled mary janes and pleats.

Mary Janes. Perhaps you didn't know that Mary Jane started out as a comic strip character from Buster Brown in the early 1900s. The creator, Richard Outcault, sold the rights to the Brown Shoe Company in 1904, who then hired actors dressed as the comic strip characters (and wearing their shoes) to tour the country. The style of shoe worn by Mary Jane was forevermore a part of  history.

                               

Make history yourself with some modern takes on the shoe.

L'Autre Chose. Boyds, $439.                                                                                                     Anyi Lu. Bloomingdales, $425.
                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Miss Albright. Anthropologie, $168.                                                                            Stuart Weitzman. Neiman Marcus, $345.



Pleats. Keeping that schoolgirl aesthetic chic since before we were born. And oh so many variations! My favorite's the sunray/sunburst pleat, easily identified by a smaller cut that gets wider towards the bottom.



Dion Lee pleated skirt 2011

If this style's too formal for your everyday ensembles, check out the more casual variations below.

                                 
Pleated Halter Swing Dress. ASOS, $76.84.                                                                    Broomstick crinkled chiffon skirt. Adam, $300.


Fabulous!

images from sparehed.com, realsimple.com, fashionising.com, secondcitystyle.com, net-a-porter.com

Best Day of the Year

It has arrived; the September issue of Vogue is in my dorm room! All 758 glorious pages of the beloved fashion bible's most important annual issue now lie strewn, dog-eared and marked, across my lemon patterned Lilly Pullitzer twin XL bedspread.

But of course you all knew that. What really matters is what miraculous ensembles leaped from the pages this month, projecting where the rest of the season is going.

Here are my personal highlights:

1.  A spotlight on Elle Fanning, fashion and cinema's fresh new face.
   In particular, the face of Marc Jacobs's newest ad campaign. The middle schooler, labeled "enchanting" by Jacobs, is definitely attracting serious attention. Elle was seated in the front row of Karl Lagerfeld by Lagerfeld himself, and was commended by Vogue for putting her ensembles together with "a casual, offhand grace".
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Sam Riley was a contributor this month and I'm embarrassed to say I've only the vaguest idea of who he is. His Vogue picture (shot on location in Brighton) caught my eye first (of course) and then his impressive list of accolades and the like. His 2009 portrayal of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis (in the film Control) sounds incredible. Searching Netflix: Now.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   3. Vogue dedicated the "Flash" section this month to the emerging Primary Color trend, documenting fashionable streets everywhere that are splashed with "Lichtenstein inspired" pop prints. Definitely a prime example (see what I did there?) of some easy color block trends to work into your wardrobe. Balenciaga heels and Lisa Perry (seen with her own designs, also featured in Vogue, by the way) below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   So much more to say, but being the responsible sleep-deprived student that I am, I must cut the post short and promise that there's more to come.
   
    
   images from marieclaire.com, garrettjohnhedlundfan.com, talkshoes.com, seattletimes.nwsource.com
   

A Stylish Debut of Orange and Blue

Just for my personal enjoyment, as well as the enjoyment of Gator fans everywhere, I've collected several looks from the Fall 2011 Fashion Week collections (J. Crew pictured directly below) that encapsulate the Florida spirit.

Seeing as I'll be on UF's campus in a little under a month, I figured I'd explore the material my favorite designers have given me for a little orange and blue inspiration!

Diane Von Furstenberg

Fendi

Paul & Joe

Proenza Schouler