2014 VMA Fashion

Ahhh, award season is upon us and I love when it starts with some of the more fun awards ceremonies - where stars are more apt to take some fashion risks. At this year's VMAs, there were three looks that I think were the best out of all, though there were some interesting ones that I think are better left to Perez Hilton to comment on.... As an overall comment though, silver seemed to be very in this season, as well as simple, slicked-back hair.

So here they are, in no particular order:

1. JLo in Charbel Zoe - She can still outdo girls half her age and look twice as good. Do you see her obliques in that dress! I mean damn! Not to mention it looks like it's painted on her.

2. Iggy Azalea in Versace - Now usually I don't particularly like Iggy's style because it's too young and trendy for my taste, but I think she did this right. She knows she has curves and her stylist knocked it out of the park with this dress. It fit her to a T!

3. Rita Ora in Karen Atlier - Same comment as Iggy. She dresses way too young most of the time, but this is a sexy red dress that could arguably go down as a classic...(ok, maybe a sexy classic, but you can't tell me that Marilyn Monroe wouldn't have worn this dress).

Best Dressed - VMA's 2013

I’m not gonna say anything about the worst-dressed, because those people are already getting plenty of publicity. Instead, I want to venture into territory unknown and talk about the positive fashions (go figure).

First off, this isn’t a usual kind of style for me to pick as ‘Best-dressed’ because I’m a more glamorous kind of girl, but Ariana Grande killed it on the red carpet with her high-waisted, floral, short, twirly dress and white pumps. She looked so innocent and so damn cute, you wouldn’t think she has pipes like Mariah (I thought the song she has out WAS Mariah). She has a very petite frame so the long hair added even more length to her look, although her legs go on for days in that dress.

My runner up for Best-dressed is Selena Gomez (whose style usually is pretty understated) who had the glamour-punk rock look that made all eyes pop. To some, she was the worst-dressed, but I think it takes major cajones to pull off a dress that revealing and cutting-edge. The green drop earrings also added the right pop of color to the royal blue and black accents of the dress. Work it gurl!!!!

Shoes - Is It Worth It To Go Designer or Deal?

So from time to time (ok, more often than not) I look around online to see what the latest trends in shoes are (more admittedly for my own personal obsession). I found a really sexy pair at DSW that just struck a cord with me because of the contrasting vibrant colors. Then I realized I had very similar shoes. The only real difference to me was the price. Can you tell which is the designer brand ($999 to be exact) and which is the deal ($60)?

Take a look and leave a comment:

It’s An Epidemic! Women Wearing Athletic Clothes to Brunch

Ok, let’s be honest, we’ve all done it. Well, at least I’ll admit to it. I’ve been lazy enough that once I work out, I do my grocery shopping afterward without showering or changing. Actually, I’ve gotten into my workout clothes, intended to workout, but just ended up wearing my workout clothes to run errands the rest of the day (I got my workout in running around town eventually, right?) However, I’ve also been that person that doesn’t feel like dressing up (here you go peeps, confessions of a fashion stylist!) and I will be that girl that wears my workout gear (yoga pants most often) to brunch on a lazy Sunday morning. You know, I’ve often wondered, “what’s really wrong with that?” and here in LA, I think it’s become more of a fashion trend than a laziness factor. But, if a company like Oakley (sunglasses, that is) is noticing this and moving into the women’s athletic wear space, maybe it’s more of an epidemic than we all thought. Here’s the link to the article that discusses this…

http://www.businessinsider.com/oakley-workout-clothes-for-women-2013-4

What are your thoughts on this new trend?

Newest Fashion Trend – Natural Shoes

When I say ‘natural’ I’m really talking about the color. The newest trend in shoes lately has been the natural browns and golds, which compliment a person’s skin tone, especially during the summer months when we all are getting our tan on. The best part about it? You can wear them with just about any outfit. Here are a few that I’ve recently picked up, all at three different price points:

High heels, Aldo, $79 - These are very comfortable (for heels) and are pure soft leather so they don’t cut into your skin like a lot of the more cheap heels do. Also, as you wear them, they get even softer. Score!

Mix No. 6 Gold and brown gladiator sandals, DSW, $34.95 – Super comfy and super cute. These are perfect for the summer, especially for an outdoor concert event, an evening walking along the pier, or even a day at Disneyland.

Brown and Teal sandals, Payless Shoes, $14.99 – Ok, so they’re not as soft as the leather heels or as comfy as the gladiator sandals, but that’s because I’m a sandal snob and I’m all about comfort. Honestly, it’s more about the fact that it has the long divider between the toes, but that’s a personal preference. You get what you pay for and these are more about aesthetics than anything.

Kim Kardashian is Pregnant - And??

Come on, we’ve all talked about her, especially during her pregnancy. But why are we all so obsessed with her body and (often poor) fashion choices while pregnant? I believe there are two sides to it. First, the media’s obsession with her pregnant body and second, how she is dressing herself (I believe as an indirect response to it). 

I think it’s fascinating how much flack the paparazzi is giving her about her weight gain. She’s preggers people! And she’s short and curvy already, so yes, she is going to look like she’s much heavier than the average women. Hell, my mom put on 80 pounds with me! There are certain body types that just put on weight much easier and gain it all over. She just happens to be one of those. So what’s the big deal? Is the expectation that because she’s a celebrity she’s supposed to be skinny all over? Or is it just an excuse to hate her?

If I were in her position, I would have the biggest complex about my body. Which leads me to my second point. Maybe that’s why she is still trying to dress in tight-fitting clothes that she would have normally worn when she wasn’t pregnant (i.e. a tight leather skirt). I do feel for the girl, really I do. Regardless of who she is and who she’s dating, it’s difficult to live your life on such a public stage and be judged constantly. I can’t say I agree with her fashion choices; I think she needs to embrace her new body and basically give the middle finger to people who are calling her ‘fat’. But by either trying to hide yourself completely in a curtain-patterned dress or act as if you aren’t even pregnant with a belt tied tightly around your mid-section, you are showing how insecure you really are about your pregnancy body. And there’s nothing to be ashamed of! This is a time in a woman’s life where she should be able to feel free of judgment but unfortunately, the public can’t seem to get enough of the drama and shit-talking. It’s a shame; let her be happy. 

My Breakup with Zara

I usually don’t do this, but in this case, I had to say something publicly because I am so disappointed in a company that I’ve had a long, seemingly happy relationship with for years.

Here’s the situation: last week, I bought a pair of $80 shoes that were as kick ass as could be. I didn’t think about how close it was to “Black Friday” or “Cyber Monday”. In any case, I bought those bad boys and wore them a day later, of course getting compliments on them everywhere I went (even if just to CVS). I just so happened to look online for any upcoming Cyber Monday deals and I thought, well let’s see what Zara has to offer; low and behold, I found those same shoes on sale for $50! “Ok, customer service isn’t open this late, so I’ll call in the morning”, I thought. That’s important because later they will say that since it’s ‘sold out’ online and in the stores that they can’t do anything about it. How the hell was I supposed to get this resolved in the middle of the night?

Well, when it came time to call Zara, not only was I transferred 5 times between customer service, corporate and the Santa Monica store (because apparently one doesn’t have control over the other and vice versa – I call bullshit), but they told me that their systems were not set up for a price adjustment. Now, I could have been a complete bitch and just cleaned the bottoms off of the shoes (because they had been worn), put them back in their box with their tags (because I do save tags for a few weeks in case of something like this) and marched right into the store, taken them back then rebought them. But it just wasn’t worth my time. Instead, I thought being the ‘great’ company I thought they were, they would make an exception for this loyal customer and credit me back the measly $30. You know what they told me? After ‘reviewing the situation’, they called me back and said ‘The only thing we can do to resolve this situation is have you send the shoes back to the online store for a full refund’. Umm, how is that resolving the situation in the slightest? You want me to TAKE BACK an item I wanted? THAT’S your solution? Of course I asked for a manager multiple times; and guess what…none available…shock.  That’s when I took to writing about it, because I’m tired of big companies treating us little people like shit. $30 bucks to Zara isn’t shit compared to what that $30 means to me. But even that’s beside the point.

As women, we develop relationships with our favorite brands. Hell, I just endorsed Zara after someone asked me on my blog about where to get a particular kind of pant. But when something as small as a $30 credit could have resolved this situation, it’s also $30 that causes a situation as big as this that could make me as a loyal customer feel betrayed, just like in a relationship. And that’s what it is (well, was)…a relationship between loyal customer and company brand. However, as in any relationship, sometimes there is a situation where the other party shows you their true colors.

Now, this is going to be a bad breakup, because like most of those, you usually go back for a late-night booty call hoping they will prove you wrong. So I may have the urge to shop there again, but I will try hard as hell not to go back to a place that has wronged me, not over something so small.

You know what, maybe this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have been as thoughtless as to buy ANYTHING right before Black Friday. But I did, and for that I take responsibility. But I also know, after having worked in retail for 5 years, that a company can do MANY things to ‘makeup’ to a customer how they ‘wronged’ him/her. But Zara didn’t even try with me. They basically gave me a “fuck off” response. What about a ‘20% coupon off your next purchase’ or a ‘$10 off coupon’ – shit, I would have been happy with that and that wasn’t even half of what I was asking for back. But you live and you learn. Thanks Zara for proving to me how wrong I was about you. 

Flash Back Fridays: Jean Jackets

Everyone from Rihanna to Kanye West to Nicole Richie have been spotted in recent months sporting the 80's fashion, jean jackets. So how do we make it look up-to-date on ourselves? Check out my video!

The Perfect Fall Outfit

Elie Saab – Does He Ever Get It Wrong?

I mean, damn. This guy is a genius when it comes to designing clothes for women’s bodies. He seems to get it right every time. His Spring 2013 collection is just….too good. This could be a problem (although, I don’t see this happening): he is setting himself up to the expectation that he will always produce a winning collection. What happens when he gives a lackluster performance one season? The fashion industry, as we all know, is very unforgiving. Again, I am a huge fan, so I find it hard to believe that he could ever fall from the ranks of Fashion-Iconism (if that’s even a word).  Elie Saab has dressed movie and music stars for years and from this newest collection, we can see why.

So, back to the collection…there are three words to describe this latest collection: Lace, Lines and Beading. I would wear every single piece in this collection because not only is he able to incorporate the latest styles (i.e. flowy yet structured button down shirts) but he also keeps true to his signature style of body-conscious dresses and long lines that highlight a woman’s curves in just the right places. He highlights these with his beaded and lace dresses that outline softly with a change in the fabric the lines giving the garments depth and dimension, while his black and white items are very bold yet still feminine in their patterns and cut. The color-splashed garments have black lines that outline a woman’s body as she moves, meaning it would look good on any body type and in any situation - whether a woman is standing or walking down the street, this would flatter any figure. He uses bold colors (blues, reds) yet they do not overpower the actual garment, adding just the right pop to offset the seemingly tame construct. And back to the beautiful beaded dresses that will catch the eye of anyone…the short hemlines offset the high necklines. Even the black and cream garments have a complexity in the style unlike anything you’ve seen before. Really, you just have to look at the whole collection to really understand the true genius of this man. Check out a few pics below.