Hello To You, Philip.

Philip Lim holds a very dear-and very large, might I add-portion of my heart. I remember only a year or so ago looking at the most beautiful khaki jacket I had ever laid eyes upon in the Lincoln Park Barney's Co-Op; proof that love at first sight is possible. Additionally, I became completely infatuated when the young designer unveiled his "Go Green Go'' line. Really now, paying $209 for a gorgeous, eco-friendly designer dress is quite reasonable.

Here's a jacket from the Go Green Go line- darling, isn't it?

The Fall '08 line looks more mature than his previous creations, but gorgeous nonetheless. A wide range of fabrics-from chunky knits, silk, velvet, brocade and cotton, among others-were used which created the perfect contrast in all outfits. One thing I noticed in particular was the contrasting length of a high-waisted pencil skirt (my newest obsession) and a lengthy cardigan.

Is this not darling? Perfect contrast of fabrics and length. Decadent.

The mixture of a chunky necklace, a sheer, high-waisted skirt and a simple t-shirt is gorgeous. I cannot get enough of this look.

This is my ideal sweater. I have a complete obsession with oversized v-neck sweaters right now, and yellow is my favorite color. Need I say more?

This is adorable. The gothic, nerdy-chicness of it all is all that is glory in my book.

Stay classy, my darlings.

Couture: Chanel

Lots of interesting cutting and plays on the classic Chanel look in this collection. I personally was a bigger fan of the more classic pieces, and not so big on the more inventive styles.

I like this jacket

This suit is classically cut

not feeling this one, though...

There seemed to be a lot of fur, although I liked the cutouts (appliqué?) on some of the pieces. I definitely liked the dresses that were shown, Chanel continues to do good work with the classics, which are my favorite pieces. Very architectural, with the interesting shaping of some of the skirts (again, not my favorite...) although as style.com pointed out, it would probably be completely different to see all of these garments up close, and to be able to see the material and workmanship.

I like all three of these dresses, although they have very different feels. The first is very classic, but with the interesting details it takes to make it pop. The neckline is also very clever, making the architectural statement without the overblown shoulders of some of the other pieces. The second dress, I am not such a big fan of the sleeves, but the fabric looks like it would be so interesting to look at and touch! I definitely would want to get up close and inspect all the work that went into that one. And the third is just..fun.

A note on the hair and faces: I thought they actually detracted from the pieces, although they followed the building-esque theme. It seemed too harsh at some times, and a little dark.

THE List.

Greetings, hola, bon jour, konichiwa, salom, guten tag, shalom, ni hao.

While Eileen is the most fabulous person to walk this fair earth, I hope that I can suffice for the time in which she has taken leave for the northern lands.

While the magazines I have been receiving have been gearing up for the Fall season, Summer is still in full swing. In fact, darlings, it has only just begun. So, in the spirit of things, I'd like to chat about what I both have ready for summer, and a few things on my wish list (in no order, of course). As this blog points out, our town is in desperate need of a wardrobe update, so I suppose I am feeling generous by sharing my opinions.

• High Waists- I am completely in love with this trend at the moment. High-waisted skirts are a dream; they hide not-so-nice stomachs, create a waist if a woman does not have one, and accentuate hourglass figures. Belts are a perfect companion with these skirts - I highly recommend them - and can be placed either at the horizon where the shirt and skirt meet, or around the band of the skirt if it is large enough. This trend is definitely geared towards more slim, pencil-shaped skirts, for trying to wear a full skirt high on the waist usually results in a tacky illusion of large thighs. If skirts are not your thing, there are also shorts (which I cannot seem to find at a length that is appropriate) and pants, which are usually wide-leg. Often I like to balance the volume: The more wide the bottom article of clothing is, the more slip the top article should be. However, an all-slim silhouette (only if you have the figure!) can be very chic.


• Dresses of all kinds- My obsession with dresses may perhaps be the end of me. I am always asked why I am wearing a dress to such a low-key event, but darling, a) over-dressing a little never killed anyone and b) wearing a dress is perfect for a lazy girl like me. I usually do not wear a dress to be fancy, rather, I am usually too lazy to put on restricting pants and throw on a dress instead. Currently I am loving shirt dresses and belts.


• Scarves- Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I have an unhealthy obsession with scarves. Now, it may be warm out, but summer scarves are very light and most often used as simply an accessory instead of a warming article of clothing. Wearing a light, flow-y scarf with a skimpy dress or loose-fitting top is such a beautiful, effortless look.


• Fabulous Footwear- There is a huge variety of footwear this summer: the ubiquitous gladiator sandal (from D&G to Mootsies Tootsies, I promise that there is a pair for you); the delicate, dressed-up thong (have you seen the gold mediallon Calvin Kleins?); the audacious architectural heels (namely Prada, Vivier, Tod's...) and the never-failing open-toed flat. I want them all, and you should too. Just please, please don't ruin a fabulous outfit with a pair of Old Navy flip flops.


• Loosey Goosey- I am a person who enjoys comfort with her fashion, so I have an intense love for loose, flow-y, '70s-looking tunics. But that is not all; I also love my loose, cuffed J.Crew shorts that have stuck with me since last spring. Occasionally I pair the two with a belt, or I balance the volume of the tops with slim pants or shorts.


• Going Green- Summer goal: pick up tons of ''green'' fashion. Hopefully this can be achieved during my trip to San Francisco. I know that it is more expensive, but it is absolutely worth paying a few dollars more. Honestly, if you have not fallen in love with the Philip Lim's "Go Green Go'' line (see right), there is something wrong with you. Full article on this coming later.

Anyway, my dears, this is most likely too long as it is. These are only a few of my favorite things, feel free to leave a question or comment for more!

Off to the Wilds!

I'm off to Northern Minnesota for 2 weeks to learn German.. allegedly. It's an immersion thing, and right about now I am having a small, very contained, almost imperceptible to the untrained eye, panic attack. Ack, the sweet smell of possible failure and humiliation. It's a good time. Plus I am completely cut off from the outside world of the Internet. Double ack.

While I'm off, I leave you with this. Why do designers persist in using models of such boyish thinness? This isn't about health or portraying women badly or negative ideals, I prefer to take a more economic viewpoint. Since most women--I'll throw out a statistic I made up and say 90%--don't look similar to the models on the runways, why would they want to buy the clothes? Designers claim the clothes fall more gracefully on these types of models, but that begs the question of how they fall upon everyone else? If you can't contour to an hourglass, sweetie, should you really be designing? In my personal opinion, sometimes, just once, it would be nice to see these clothes on more "real" women, if only so I could get a better idea of what I would look like in that garment, and see how the clothes fall in real life, not the magic land of runway models.

What do you think?

Off to College?

Today is Green Carpet Day, where I go and visit MSU and get to eat not so delicious food. Hopefully there will be some fun things to take photos of and/or interesting characters. Stay tuned for updates! (Picture of Sparty from msu.edu)

Short Skirts

My big question for the day: What is the trick to wearing relatively short skirts? Its all fine and dandy when one is standing up, but go to look at a clearance shoe rack near the floor and suddenly, you are in danger of showing your lady bits! And yet, I see people rocking them all the time. Of course, I am not talking about the ubiquitous frayed denim look (see left). Those kinds of people just need to go find a hem for their skirts, ASAP. I was thinking more along the lines of "I just found this at a Prada sample sale, and it is dih-vi-ne," or "The last good skirt in Goodwill--it is mine!"(like on the right, not wild about the boots, but how does she SIT?!---From Facehunter)

Since skorts are not to be found any longer, and indeed, conjure up awkward images of your kindergarten teacher (but not mine...she was Japanese...mostly wore slim pants, years ahead of her time), are the only solutions to either wear ridiculously cute tap pants or not sit down (or both)? Thoughts? (although just starting out as a blogger, so, I don't expect replies now...)