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fashion life, style, trends, style file, SS15, chic, classics, italianstyle

How to update your style with fall trends #Italianstyle

How do you keep up with your own style without plunging meaninglessly into trends and end up looking like a copykat with no personality? 

I get the question all the time and that's why I am writing a book. I think that the way Italians do it has a lot to do with timeless style, yet always current and sometimes anticipating the trends.

Everybody is special. The important thing is trying to figure out who you want to be
— Renzo Rosso

Culottes, slouchy pants, wide leg trousers may sound and look anti-passion. The idea is contrast - wear an un-shaped bottom with a sartorial-cut blazer, a crop top and sexy heels.  If you want to go flat with Vans slip-ons it's good too, though.

The mechanic jumpsuit can become bon genre bon chic with strappy heels or dramatic pumps. Trick is good jewelry, a clutch, blush and everyone will be in awe and forget the manual labor attribute that comes with the adjective mechanical.

masculine esthetic paired with a feminine silhouette
— Italian style tip

Lace. You can never go wrong, unless it's a cheap one, which, please ... 

Fuzzy necklines boho meets Hollywood glamour. Perfect in the sub-tropics where you may not really need a coat, but a collar is fab. Flea market on Lincoln Road has plenty.

the absence of reason
— Italian style tip

Winter whites. You can wear white all year long as long as you respect those reasonable unspoken rules 

The cape is royal, the cape is stately (in Italy the carabinieri wear it in their official uniform), the cape makes a t-shirt and jeans a masterpiece.

The long vest 

Borrowed from the boys
— Italian style tip

Sneaks anywhere: the disruptive element

make flaws work, we want contrast
— Italian style tip

Animalier is glorious, yet can be tricky: choose wisely, pony hair for shoes always makes it richer. When in doubt think Mrs. Robinson from The Graduate not Snooki. 

As far as I am concerned, leopard is a neutral.
— Jenna Lyons

trends, style, chic

Prints: to mix or not to mix?

Floral prints are the THING this season, alas I am resisting them. I have always been a monochromatic, solid girl, it's easy in the morning: all navy, navy and white, all black, black and camel, white on white, camel and grey.

Let's put the cards on the table: if we consider stripes as a 'print' then I am game.

some stripes-on-stripes therapy (Dries does it perfect)

Taylor Tomasi Hills mastering some casual raggedy stripes mixing 

As I was saying, no florals catch my eye this season and less the ones  that everyone seem glorifying. They look good on Solange and on a slew of bloggers, those Alta Moda Dolce & Gabbana floral marvels we saw at the MET Gala were incredible.

After reconsidering the parameters,  maybe instead of floral + floral, how about mixing prints?  

Dare the unknown, act at the edges of your possibilities, take your mind to the edge and dive, trust the waterfall and go for it, take a leap of faith and enjoy what comes ... 

florals + stripes 

street style sleek and sensual

street style sleek and sensual

geometric + stripes+ checkers 

Stella Jean is what I have in mind

Do you mix or not? 

chic, style, trends, niche

The boyfriend long shorts: fascination for contradiction

What can be casual, work-appropriate and feminine at the same time?

The long short, bermuda, boyfriend short.

Shall we call it that not-too-sexy item that can be squeezed into the season's looks? It only needs to be pulled off nonchalantly. 

Observing the masters will come handy: watch how they werq it and give all your best to emulate.

Above are my favorite looks from the runway shows back in September. Marc Jacobs and Dries Van Noten have come up with the coolest swag. Unless you prefer someone else, then please tell me.

Below you got the street-style magister ludi of the likes of Miroslava Duma, Taylor Thomas Hill (as seen in Who What Wear) and their interpretations: dress-up doll, casual weekend errands, first-row worth buyer for example. 

And now what? How do we DYI?

Craftsmanship, initiative and will to commit mistakes are the ingredients. Finally we all succeed. 

You can search through thrift stores, or consignment boutiques, you never know how many of those coulottes invented by Elsa Schiaparelli and adored by Mrs. Chanel are still hiding in remote corners. 

To make it easier, here's a line up of my go-to online places (you will recognize them, I prefer not to give credit as I am just an independent blogger and I am not affiliated with anyone other than my own style)

Now here's an Italian brand (to which I am not affiliated neither) that I adore and follow closely. 'It talks to me', it grasps my concepts and translates them into clothing: Semi-Couture by Erika Cavallini. Whenever I think of a piece or a collection I imagine a story, the mood of the look. That is how I have been trained when receiving the presentations of the collections back in the days. Cavallini, collection after collection, does that.

I am ready to give them a shot. 

classics, chic, niche, style

11 sexy ways to wear THE shirt, the ultimate (spring) top

A cocktail to revisit the button-down shirt this season:

1/4 of Italian sensuality,

1/4 of fast fashion

50% of your own sense of style

Think blue

When you say the blue shirt the collective imaginary says 'boring'. This season it's a re-birth, a joyful, sexy and playful one. Spruce it up from your man's closet, like Camille Charriere suggests in her interpretation of the man's shirt or reinterpret your own. 

  • with a leather mini-skirt and flat sandals
  • with skinny black jeans and Gucci loafers
  • fasten the first button and let the rest unbuttoned like at the Alexander Wang's runways
  • wear it over a pair of skinny khakis
  • buy a sophisticated, feminine painter's version like in Valentino's print ad
  • bell bottom denim and heels

If you don't own a blue one, when you buy one just remember a few key points:

  1. it should be fitted,
  2. made of a delicate, soft and gauzy cotton, ideally chambray,
  3. the color should resemble a light denim blue. 

The white essential shirt

Ok here is classics department. There's no limit to how many white shirts you must own. No less than three is a standard: fitted, button down and oversized. 

  • oversized over cropped khakis and slip-ons
  • painter's shirt over denim shorts with Birks
  • fitted raised collar and an high waisted long full skirt. here you can go flats or heels, chic as hell
  • french collar, one extra button opened tucked in a pencil skirt and heels
  • french collar, cuffed denim, penny loafers and car coat: a spring winner

chic, style, trends, niche, classics

Stan Smith, Adidas Originals: so iconic it doesn't even realize

The Stan Smith and their legacy multiplied by millions. Everyone has one or infinite definite memories laced to them. 

it all started here: blue and flag green

Those beaten up Stan stand with pride in the sneakers section of your shoe closet. Every time you look at them a picture, snapshot of that field trip you took in 10th grade, the smell of freshly baked spanakopita of that summer you ended up in Greece. 

The revealing moment when you see a piece of your life as a rewinded movie behind a garment is when you got the fashion bug.

That's when you know you are the proud owner of pieces in your closet that will stay there forever and survive no matter how many times you move, sizes you change, years are gone by. 

Check all that apply.

Converse, that size 25 Levis 501, your first Porselli, the Panama hat, the black biker jacket, the Burberry trench coat. It's a mini museum of yourself, a retrospective to dive into with a sigh, a teary eye and a Monalisa smile all together.  Nobody will take them away from you.

This spring the award goes to the Stan Smith Adidas Originals. They have walked miles from their birth, we may or not still have them. 

The new generation has evolved.

Bloggers wear them, they are featured online and in magazines as the seasonal trend.

They have their own Twitter handle and they have a life on their own. That is why a series of limited editions have started trickling down, with meticulous science. 

Adidas Originals Stan Smith embossed reptile 

And then the bomb. As if we weren't excited enough for having put our hands on the embossed reptile Consortiums and having found the ostrich version at Dover Street Market, Pharrell announces a collaboration. 

The man who auctioned for charity and sold for $44 K a Vivienne Westwood hat, opens the imagination to infinite possibilities. At the press conference he talked about reinterpreting the Stans and the tracksuit with the 3 stripes and, for the conscious consumer, using fabrics recycled from ocean's plastic debris. 

Are we hyped enough? 

Wait until you see this: did you see him wearing Custom Crystal Swarowski Stans at SNL??? Bedazzled! He only knows what we are set to expect from such a statement. 

Custom Crystal Swaroski Stan

classics, style, trends, chic

The army jacket: the spring essential revisited

It's been there for a couple of decades: don't fall into the temptation of getting rid of it. Time to wear it and be chic about it.

Do you own an utility jacket? One of those military green short coats with lots of pockets?

You (or your boyfriend) should have it in the closet, it's a staple, that is how stylists call those elements of a wardrobe that loyally stay, move with you, hibernate during winter and wake up again for summer, be landed to a friend with a ransom in place if she will not consider returning it and never end up in the Salvation Army pile. As for that, you should go to Salvation Army to look for one. Consignment and vintage stores are the best source for the military jacket.

Why? 

Because fashion is a recurring river of reinvented innovations and you should never #consciouslyuncouple from the investment pieces. You may have bought it in the '90s in a flea market and then it wasn't cool anymore. You should at least have one (5 if your name is Garance Dore). Pull it off the corner of the closet where it took the dust of the year, take it to the dry cleaner and be prepared: the army jacket is back. 

How to wear it [and don't look like an extra from MASH]

  • Use it as a disruptive element, to spice up a conservative pant suit with distressed gold brogues and give some attitude to an eyelet pleated dress with single sole strappy sandals.
  • Just because it was born as an utility instrument to use at war or training camps, it doesn't mean it cannot be worn at work. Wear a LDB with heels (avoid boots, remember MASH) and throw the jacket on your shoulders. Like Miroslava Doma does in the streets of Paris.
  • The jacket has some character no doubt, but if you think outside the box, dust off its masculine flair, you'll end up a chic winner. 
  • Trick here is to borrow it from the boys with a twist 

Where to buy it?

Anyone can send you to Ralph Lauren and hurt your credit card for generations to come (sorry buddy, dear Ralph we love you and would not survive without you at fashion week, but the only way we can splurge on you is at the outlet store).

  • You can buy a cool timeworn look for the best of your bucks at TopShop, J. Crew, H&M, Zara (some on sale now);
  • consignment stores, flea market, Salvation Army have the best digs. Look for character, history, patina, personality. And enjoy now and forever ...

trends, chic

Get snapped by papz like a Fashion Month Queen

Fashion Month is gone and now what? 

Let's get our hands dirty and rock the looks.

Don't you think that this is only Paris, New York or Milan material.

Use your style, adapt your taste to the latest trends, search not to splurge and les jeux son faits

Ingredients

  • a classic LBD (or LRedD)
  • leather biker jacket (Zara, TopShop, Asos have great ones)
  • wide legs man trousers (crop them)
  • classic button down shirt (look in boyfriend's closet or go to Brook's Brothers)
  • full skirt (same fast fashion retailers)
  • trench coat (splurge at 'forever Burberry' or save at The Gap; the best is always the outlet)
  • open toe wedges (splurge with Prada and Miu Miu, save at Nordstrom Racks, Off 5th or go all Steve Madden)
  • knee high socks, ankle socks, stay-ups (splurge at Wolford or Emilio Cavallini & save at H&M, ASOS)
bef5df3ff6d91b9790c6f923f7520880.jpg

trends, chic, niche

Dos and don'ts of legwear: a trend with character

After a decade of bare legged winters we have officially entered a new era of embellished legwear for spring. 

How did we go from one extreme to the other? 

Blame it on Kate Middleton. With her there's a before and after.

Read to the end for the 'dress-up' dolls game.

BEFORE  

She started it with wearing what became her staple: matte and shiny sheer hosiery matching the tones of the outfit. Since the engagement, she kept the pole position in tone (pun intended) with the royal etiquette. Even after receiving the royal reprimand for showing her knees.

Sales of neutral toned, camel, oatmeal sheers have not rocketed, yet kept head-to-head with those of fashionable legwear. You may have decided to ignore them from the magazines because we live in hot steamy SoFla. That is how trends start, they trickle down. To use jargon, fashionable legwear consists of ankle socks, stay ups, boot socks, knee hight socks, tights 60 den and up.

AFTER

Coming down to us, the not-so-royal commoners, we have gone through a tectonic shift. A phenomenon that brought attention to legwear and socks for the spring.

Tights, knee high socks, boot socks, embellished sportswear-inspired chin warmers have become a key accessory to a look. A reminder that we ought to dedicate more attention to how we accessorize our legs, as well as we do our necks, wrists, ears and heads. Socks are not an add-on anymore.

HOW TO DO IT

If you live in SoFla remember that offices, banks, schools and supermarkets delight us with blasting air conditioning. Who doesn't experience the cold feet phase at one point during the day?

  • ankle socks + pumps or open toe platforms + pencil skirt
  • ankle socks + flats + cropped pants
  • knee high socks + wedges + jean shorts (risqué)
  • sheer or pontes tights and mid squared heels pumps

It is NOT a trend that everyone will embrace. And it is fine, gals: we would hate to witness wrong executions. Think Mad Men's maven Christina Hendricks and agree, with magician stylist Janie Bryant that the Mod 60s inspired trend suits better the likes of Jessica Paré.

the Mod fashion of Mad Men's new final season 

Below are some looks from the spring runways and some spotted Fall 14 fashion month attendees.

Do you have your own style? Wanna play 'dress-up dolls' & share?

chic, trends

The tucked-in sweater

Swag, swell, cool, hipster, 'shit-that-bloggers-wear': call it as you please, but if you know how to do it, the bug will hit you and you'll never leave the house again without doing it. 

Fancy playing with it? READ TO THE END

mariniere + cape+ washed denim 

Ingredients 

  • loose fitting tee or knit sweater
  • cropped pants
  • wide legs trousers + sneakers
  • boyfriend distressed jeans
  • jean shorts + knee high boots
  • mini, full, pencil, tulle skirt 
  • stiletto, high heels lace-ups 

Directions

Tuck the top only in the front, around the zipper area. It must luck as if you were running late and could not tuck it all in. That is called: effortlessly chic

  1. Look at some master examples.
  2. Practice ---> It is FUN.
  3. Do you want to show your style?

Wanna play 'dress-up dolls'? Share with me pics on how you rock the trend (mail@chicfb.com) and be featured in a collage.