Runway Report: Stella McCartney Fall 08

So here we go again, another back-logged runway report. Ah well, this is the way it goes.

Stella McCartney Fall '08:

I don't think Stella gets enough press. Her collection isn't completely cohesive, so I understand she gets marked down on her report card (ie press coverage--just go with it!). But, I love her work with jackets. As a native Oregonian, the jacket is a (practically year-round) staple in my wardrobe. So new shapes and creative work within a black-and-white palate are really exciting to me. I do love brightly colored jackets (I don't own a black/navy/brown/gray coat), but they aren't exactly the most practical ones. Black and white really goes with a lot more.

Plus, the overall monochromatic structured look is really appealing to me. And to switch things up entirely, Stella also shows us that she can do unstructured colored pieces that are just as texturally interesting as her structured ones.








Can't we all relate to that?







And for you, try this:

Stella McCartney 1 by synapse2synapse

Jacket, Old Navy; Dress, Buckle; Clutch, Target; everything else, Forever 21!

Weekend Update?

So today would be the day when I tell you about and post a collage of everything I did this weekend, but honestly...what I did during the day was boring and what I did at night was top secret. SO I'll give you a recipe I used recently with delicious results!



Devil's Food Cake:

(From Better Homes and Gardens' NEW Cook Book)

3 Eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups cold water

1. Allow eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a fluted cake pan and lightly flour it. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on high for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla, beat until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly combined after each. Alternately add flour mixture and water do the butter mixture, beating on low after each addition until combined.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. A toothpick (or butter knife) should come out clean when inserted.
4. Enjoy your delicious, moist cake.

Inspiration Saturday: Plaid

Here we are, on a lovely Saturday afternoon and I don't have anything new to tell you. I just wanted to express my deep undying love for the farmer chic.

Farmer chic? You heard it here. Button-down plaid shirts+jeans=farmer chic. In my book, anyway. A few weeks ago, I picked up two plaid button downs at Gap, thinking they were comfy and would be a nice addition to the wardrobe. I was so right. Unfortunately, I've been wearing them constantly ever since! Somewhat embarrassing, right? Yes. Oh well.



Shirts, Gap; pants and camis, Torrid; accessories, Forever 21; shoes, Charlotte Russe.

For you, I have a few suggestions:


plaid by synapse2synapse
A lot of these items are from Forever 21. Those that aren't are: The shoes, which are Wet Seal; the pink coat, which is Dorothy Perkins; the blue button down, which is from Lou Lou; and the black and white dress, but I'm not really sure where that's from since the website is in a language I can't read!

You will note an absence of plaid pants. I love plaid a lot, but I will tell you that plaid pants have a tendency to look incredibly tacky. Just a thought.

Return of the Runway Report!

Alright, so due to moving, school starting and the untimely loss of my camera cord, I've been M.I.A. from the blogging world for a couple of months. But, I'm back! I recently discovered that my printer has an SD card reader and am also trying to be more organized with my school work so I'll have time to play. Ha.

I have a back log of runway shows I want to share with you, so please bear with me as I re-hash F/W 2008 styles until January. I know that everybody's already done with SS 2009, so what the hell am I doing a season and a half late? I don't rightly know, but this is what I have and this is what's still inspiring to me. I do what I want!

This week, I'm going to show you Iceberg's RTW F/W 2008 line. I'm not 100% certain what I was thinking when I put this down in my "to review" list, but I do know what I'm thinking now: I want to watch Iceberg more. It's so...weird. There are so many cool designs in it, like this exposed zipper coat:



But then there are some things that are just atrocious.



I mean, really? Green faux fur? I almost threw up when I saw that.

The rest of the collection runs the full gamut of awful-to-inspiring. However, I'm very fond of their simple dresses and this fabulous coat!











Photos courtesy of Elle.com

Now, to create a similar look, try this:


Iceberg FW '08 by synapse2synapse

First, try a jacket with a good amount of architectural detail. Layer it over a black-and-white dress, top with a waist-cinching belt. Finish it all off with black opaque tights and boots!

For the key look (based off my favorite, the green jacket), find another jacket with a lot of visual interest. Don't let your other clothes compete with it, just wear skinny black jeans and fierce boots!

The last outfit is based around the dress. Find one that's loosely draped, then pair it with black leggings or tights and of course the signature boots!

The monochromatic palette I put together isn't entirely representative of the whole collection, but I feel it really captures the essence. Black and white allows the architectural and volumetric details Iceberg worked with to really shine through. Take it all with a grain of salt, I suppose!

Links à la Mode

Here's this week's roundup! I'm so glad to be back in the blogging world!

• a sense sublime - Make Do and Mend: Brilliant boot fair fashion finds!
• Add Bubbles To Taste. - Nikki gives Beautiful People Purple Eaters their fix.
• Clutch 22 - DIY: Bow Headbands (in seconds)
• Debutante Clothing - Vintage Vogues Go To Auction
• Dress Me Up Dollie - Seeking closed-toe wedges!
• Fab Fashion Blog - Skirts Tight Knee Length Almost Pencil Skirts Looks Fall Winter 2008 2009 Trends
• Fashion Architect - Athens Fashion Week is coming!
• fashion in my eyes - a great editorial containing the twelve most important regal women in history!
• Mademoiselle Robot - Let your style age with you.
• O.M.O. Writes - Fashion Icon: Dynasty The fashion sense from the 80s soap opera is seen all over Spring runways! Get style tips on how to make the look your own!
• Or False Glitter - How far do the opinions of others dictate our fashion choices?
• PR COUTURE - Fashion PR Call for Media Kits; Get Featured on PR Couture
• respectfully yours - is fashion taking itself too seriously?
• Retro Chick - The Boyfriend Blazer: Hot Picks
• ShopDiary - ShopDiary gets a piece of Eairth.
• Tainted & Sweet… - Old School Fly Girls!!!
• THE COVETED - Do you ever wear clothes intended for kids?
• The Life and Times of a Problem Child - Rediscovering a forgotten icon of architecture and turning it into a fashion occasion.
• The Ongoing Project - Developing your personal style, part 2

Want to share the love? IFB members can go to the forums here. Not a member? If your blog qualifies, you can sign up here!

Desperately Seeking

I've had an overwhelming desire to wear tights for the last week. I don't know why, the weather hasn't really cooled down enough to call for them, but every morning they call to me from my hosiery drawer. This morning, I caved and put on a pair of purpley-pink tights with a black dress and brown cardigan. (No pictures, thanks to me losing my camera cord in China.) I thought a pair of heels would polish the outfit off nicely and since I was headed to school, I would need to wear wedges rather than an actual heel. When I looked at my (shockingly extensive, for never having really cared about footwear) shoe collection, I realized something very depressing. I only own 2 pairs of closed-toe heels and they're both stilettos. I really wasn't in an exposed-toe-seam-with-sky-high-wedges place this morning, so I went with a plain pair of flats, but I was presented with an interesting problem: are there closed-toed wedges out there in the world? Ones that wouldn't look like I'm a prostitute (with a normal shoe shape put on a 5-inch-wedge just for the sake of being on a wedge) or some kind of weird geriatric lady with a fetish for being taller (I found a pair of wedge Keds...). I set off into the world and found that it's hard to find closed toed wedges and even harder to find ones that fit my criteria, but they do, in fact, exist! I polyvored up my favorites:



Bow Wedge Shoes by Oli: A nice size heel, a girly bow, a color that goes with everything. These are great.

Teal Wedge by Ami Club Wear: I love the color! And while the heel is high, the toe platform is low enough that they don't just look like a pair of buckle flats stuck on a wedge for posterity. Mostly, I'm in love with the color, though!

Peanut Round Toe Wedge by Christian Louboutin: What isn't to love about these. I need to start saving my financial aid so I can afford a pair of Louboutins. I like the lacquered look of these shoes.

Blue and White Studded Wedges from Rockit: I like the modest wedge and the muted palette with a hint of rock-and-roll chic with the flat studs.

Sporty Stripe Applique Sneaker Wedges by Asia Jam: Remember a few years back when Lacoste had sneaker wedges with just one strap and a big ol' button? These remind me of a cutsied up version of those. Plus they'd be great with a super casual outfit and I'm all about super casual.

Black and White Stripe Round Wedge Heel: I just find these interesting. I little L.A.M.B. like, I think. Totally wearable with some skinny jeans.

Mini does China

Yep, I'm in China y'all. I made it, I haven't died yet. Want to learn more? Check out the blogs:

Mine, the program's.