T by Alexander Wang Spring 2012 Campaign

After Alexander Wang's hypnotic campaign video for his Spring 2011 T line (featuring Diplo and model Ashley Smith), I have been eager to see what, if any, videos would follow. He upped the ante this season by featuring South African "Zef rap-rave" group (not completely sure what that means), Die Antwoord, in the T by Alexander Wang campaign. Check it out:

NYFW Fall 2012: Day 4

The body-conscious cut and interesting color combo made this look my favorite of the day:

Victoria Beckham Fall 2012

NYFW Fall 2012: Day 3

Prabal Gurung's show was one of the highlights of day 3 of fashion week.

Prabal Gurung Fall 2012

NYFW Fall 2012: Day 2

Favorite look of the day:

Peter Som Fall 2012

NYFW Fall 2012: Day 1

Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week officially kicked off yesterday at the Lincoln Center, and so the frenzy begins.  To keep you posted on the latest from the runway, I am trying out Look of the Day posts.  You've got the rest of New York to look forward to, then onward to London, Milan, and Paris!



Creatures of the Wind Fall 2012

Rings on Her Fingers

Besides mixing and stacking, I have never considered wearing rings to be a real styling opportunity.  I love a good cocktail ring, but I usually keep my ring style pretty simple.  That is about to change. On the umpteen fashion blogs that I follow, there is one trend that has caught my eye that I can't stop thinking about, involving, you guessed it, rings.

Well, it's actually a two-part trend. 

First, there is the above-the-knuckle ring.  I love this, because you can take a ring that you ordinarily wear on your ring finger, move it over to above the knuckle of your index finger, and voila!  A completely new look.  The style looks amazing when another ring of the same style/size is worn just below the knuckle of the same finger.  I am obsessed!  The ultimate ring designed for this style is the Repossi Barbere.  Unfortunately, it costs an arm and a leg.  I am on the hunt for a knockoff.

The second ring style involves wearing one ring on each of your fingers.  I have been eyeing this Maison Martin Margiela ring set for a while, but a cheaper alternative is buying 4 of the same wide band ring, and creating your own set.

Another option is combining the two styles...why not?  A couple below-the-knuckle rings here, a couple above-the-knuckle rings there, and you have something totally unique and cool.

Runway Beauty D.I.Y.: Louis Vuitton Spring 2012

It's been a while since I've done a beauty D.I.Y. post, but I couldn't resist recreating the feminine beauty look on Louis Vuitton's spring runway.  The models' makeup was dewy with a major emphasis on lashes, and hair was coiffed into messy bun/twist hybrids topped off with sparkling headbands.  I have a feeling that the headband is making a comeback this year, as already evidenced by Charlize Theron and Michelle Williams' Golden Globe hairstyles.

HAIR:
The hair was MUCH simpler than I expected.  I prepped my tresses with my new favorite product, Oribe's Dry Texturizing Spray, which built up some volume at the roots and imparted a dry, piecey texture, perfect for the updo.  After several sprays and some teasing at the roots, I finger combed (you don't want to brush out the texture) and pulled my hair to one side, bobby pinning straight up the back to hold it in place.  Then I started my twist, coiling up the base of my head toward the crown, covering up my row of bobby pins.  Instead of leaving the ends to stick out at the top, I wrapped the twist around and back down to the base, and pulled the body of the twist to overlap, leaving some ends to stick out haphazardly.  Then I secured with 3 spin pins--these work wonders!  I added a couple more bobby pins as needed, but left things pretty messy.  To finish off the look, I turned an old rhinestone necklace (from high school prom!) that I found in the back of a drawer into a sparkly headband.  Thank goodness I save weird stuff.

MAKEUP:
The beautiful runway makeup was created by guru Pat McGrath.  The skin was extremely dewy, so I began by using a luminizer all over my face.  I think I overdid it, because my face is looking more oily than dewy in these photos.  I used my usual liquid foundation next, and then went back in with the luminizer over cheekbones, under the brow bone, on the inside corners of my eyes, and at the cupid's bow of my lips.  I used a sheer pinky peach blush on the apples of my cheeks and slightly contoured my cheekbones.  For my eyes, I found that the Dior Rosy Tan palette provided the perfect range of colors.  I used the shimmery beige all over the lids, the darkest brown to contour the socket line, then the lightest pink to highlight the center and inner corner of the lids.  This was followed by a bit of dark brown liner, just on the upper lids.  For the lower lids, I just softly lined with the dark brown eyeshadow.  Next, I applied mascara and pulled out the false eyelashes.  This was my first time applying false eyelashes, so I don't have any real words of wisdom, except to make sure the glue sets up a little before trying to adhere the lashes.  For the Louis Vuitton show, Pat McGrath's team of makeup artists sewed together TEN pairs of false eyelashes for each model.  My lashes look puny in comparison.  I finished off the look with some quick brow grooming, and a little bit of peachy lip gloss.

Pajama Party!

Viviana Volpicella of Vogue Nippon, Christine Centenera of Harper's Bazaar Australia, and Marina Larroude of style.com

Pajama-style separates have made appearances on the runways for the past couple of seasons now, and all of the coolest girls in fashion have even taken the look to the street.  The style is all about the insouciance that comes from wearing a loose, silk button-down shirt or billowy pair of printed pants.  I am not a fan of the full-on, Hugh Hefner look (pajama shirt + pajama pants + velvet slipper flats), but incorporating one of the pieces into an outfit evokes an easy chicness.  The key is to accessorize with sky-high heels and a bold piece of jewelry, to avoid that just-rolled-out-of-bed look.


An untucked pajama shirt is perfection over a pair of leather pants or bright skinny jeans.

Clockwise from top left: J. Crew, Olatz, Tucker, and Bodas pajama shirts

A pair of printed wide-leg pants looks submlime when topped off with a tank top and blazer.

Clover Canyon, 10 Crosby, By Malene Birger, and Marc by Marc Jacobs pants

Spring 2012 Fashion Week: Paris

The carousel at Louis Vuitton

Finally, I've made it to Paris, and therefore, my last recap of the Spring 2012 fashion weeks.  Paris's shows are the ones I wait for with bated breath, the ones I know are going to be game changers.  This season, my favorites were Dries van Noten, Louis Vuitton, and Alexander McQueen (always).

DRIES VAN NOTEN

This collection felt like a breath of fresh air--the perfect spring wardrobe for the modern woman.  Dries van Noten does a fantastic job of mixing varied references with crisp, seamless results.  He masterfully blended together sculptural silhouettes, photo print collages, ruffles, and intricate embroidery, for a uniquely cohesive collection.  A black lace-up motif added another twist to his garments--closing off jackets, adding sex appeal to an open-back shirt, or tying up his sandals.  This is one of those collections that you love the longer you look at it.  Let's just say that I'm head over heels.

LOUIS VUITTON

Marc Jacobs loves to keep us on our toes.  After showing a dark, S&M inspired collection for the fall, he did a complete 180 and presented a girlie, sweet-as-cotton-candy collection for the spring.  The show opened with models perched on a white carousel, and closed with the legendary Kate Moss, making this was one of the hottest tickets of fashion week.  The cloud of soft pastel looks took the form of  frothy dresses and skirt suits, accented with oversized eyelet collars and floral appliques.  Sugar was piled on top with beaded headbands (sometimes tiaras), feather trim, and white parasols.  For the tougher girlie-girl, Marc crafted pastel crocodile biker jackets and chrome-tipped pumps.  Even if you don't have a sweet tooth, this collection's charm is irresistible.

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

Sarah Burton delivered an exquisite collection worthy of the McQueen name, yet again.  This season, she took inspiration from life under the sea (as did Riccardo Tisci, Karl Lagerfeld and Donatella Versace, to name a few).  Some of her looks took the form of a floating sea anemones, some were ruffled coral clusters, while others were shining mother-of-pearl shells. The lace caps and towering sculptural platform shoes elevated the looks to an otherworldly level.  As always with McQueen, couture-level detailing, such as embroidery, beading, and appliques brought each garment to life.  This is the sort of collection that dreams are made of.