“Sisterhood” Thought I would do a playful spin on #SAturdayStyle’s “hat” theme today. Below is a shot of a girl who I saw at a very special event Lane and I attended in May: the 100 Year Anniversary of Girl Scouting. Events celebrating the centennial were happening simultaneously all over the country, and Lane, Luxe and I attended the third largest event in the nation: over 20,000 mothers and their daughters came from all over Northern California for a weekend of camping, celebration, and bonding.  Not only were mothers and daughters encouraged to camp for the entire weekend, but girls were able to go rock climbing, meet heroes/role models, like Brandi Chastain, America’s most famous female soccer player, attend concerts, and watch glorious fireworks displays.  One of my favorite events was a beautiful campfire, sing-along, and candle lighting ceremony that took place on Friday night.  And one of the most interesting attractions was a whole building of booths dedicated to science and technology, where girls could go engage with science in fun and fascinating ways.      The hat featured in this shot is loaded with something called Swaps or as they say “Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere.” Swaps are a very special girl scouting tradition that inspires and promotes friendship between young girls. Basically, girls are encouraged to design their Swaps in such a way that tells something about the giver and also about their community.  When girls meet each other, they exchange Swaps. The Swaps also have the giver’s name and contact info so girls can keep in touch. Each Swap represents a special memory of a Girl Scout Sister. I included this shot today because I thought it was a wonderful hat that represents two things that never truly go out of style: friendship and the bond of sisterhood :) I hope you’re having a wonderful #SAturdayStyle.
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“Sisterhood”

Thought I would do a playful spin on #SAturdayStyle’s “hat” theme today.

Below is a shot of a girl who I saw at a very special event Lane and I attended in May: the 100 Year Anniversary of Girl Scouting.

Events celebrating the centennial were happening simultaneously all over the country, and Lane, Luxe and I attended the third largest event in the nation: over 20,000 mothers and their daughters came from all over Northern California for a weekend of camping, celebration, and bonding.  Not only were mothers and daughters encouraged to camp for the entire weekend, but girls were able to go rock climbing, meet heroes/role models, like Brandi Chastain, America’s most famous female soccer player, attend concerts, and watch glorious fireworks displays.  One of my favorite events was a beautiful campfire, sing-along, and candle lighting ceremony that took place on Friday night.  And one of the most interesting attractions was a whole building of booths dedicated to science and technology, where girls could go engage with science in fun and fascinating ways.     

The hat featured in this shot is loaded with something called Swaps or as they say “Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere.” Swaps are a very special girl scouting tradition that inspires and promotes friendship between young girls. Basically, girls are encouraged to design their Swaps in such a way that tells something about the giver and also about their community.  When girls meet each other, they exchange Swaps. The Swaps also have the giver’s name and contact info so girls can keep in touch. Each Swap represents a special memory of a Girl Scout Sister.

I included this shot today because I thought it was a wonderful hat that represents two things that never truly go out of style: friendship and the bond of sisterhood :)

I hope you’re having a wonderful #SAturdayStyle.

“Healing with Style” My contribution to #SAturdayStyle, curated by myself and Lane Langmade. We’re having a little macro party today :) Holly Golightly: You know those days when you get the mean reds? Paul Varjak: The mean reds, you mean like the blues? Holly Golightly: No. The blues are because you’re getting fat and maybe it’s been raining too long, you’re just sad that’s all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you’re afraid and you don’t know what you’re afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling? Paul Varjak: Sure. Holly Golightly: Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany’s. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that’d make me feel like Tiffany’s, then - then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name! The shot I bring you today is a macro of my emerald-cut Tiffany & Co. amethyst cocktail ring set in sterling silver. I thought this would be the perfect thing to shoot for our macro party because Tiffany & Co. is a jewelry brand that is synonymous with style and elegance. The death grip Tiffany’s has on style is partly due to “the very highest standards in design, materials and craftsmanship” according to the care and handling brochure that came with my ring . But the brand’s monopoly on style is more likely due to the prominent role it takes in one of my favorite movies, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which stars the late, great style icon, Audrey Hepburn. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is wonderful not only because it is so smart about style, but also because it has so many smart things to say about life, given that the script was adapted from Truman Capote’s novella, one of the most important writers of the last century. (If you haven’t had the chance to read In Cold Blood, you are seriously missing out).  In the film, which I first saw with my mom, Tiffany & Co. is treated as a haven: a place you can go to feel whole again. When the protagonist, Holly Golightly is feeling afraid, all she has to do is get a cup of coffee and a pastry and go down to Tiffanys. But she doesn’t need to go inside. Ironically, she just stands in front of the store, window shopping—just taking in its ambiance.  In this sense, the film is suggesting that the Tiffany’s brand is ironically a kind of benign luxury that everyone can afford. You don’t need to buy Tiffany jewelry to own a piece of the brand. The brand is owned by everyone who appreciates the design, quality, and tradition of their jewelry. In this sense, the movie really taps into how style can not only help us to define who we are, but can also be cathartic—something that can heal us from the outside in. After all, as Holly Golightly astutely observes of Tiffany’s: “nothing very bad could happen to you there.” I really could have written an epically long post about Tiffany & Co. as well as Breakfast at Tiffany’s but my Ide-Kick +Paras Shah has recently staged a G+ comeback and he schooled me long ago on the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) strategy to life. Needless to say, when I slip on my amethyst cocktail ring, I carry a little bit of the healing magic of Tiffany’s style with me wherever I go J
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“Healing with Style”

My contribution to #SAturdayStyle, curated by myself and Lane Langmade. We’re having a little macro party today :)

Holly Golightly: You know those days when you get the mean reds?
Paul Varjak: The mean reds, you mean like the blues?
Holly Golightly: No. The blues are because you’re getting fat and maybe it’s been raining too long, you’re just sad that’s all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you’re afraid and you don’t know what you’re afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?
Paul Varjak: Sure.
Holly Golightly: Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany’s. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that’d make me feel like Tiffany’s, then - then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name!

The shot I bring you today is a macro of my emerald-cut Tiffany & Co. amethyst cocktail ring set in sterling silver. I thought this would be the perfect thing to shoot for our macro party because Tiffany & Co. is a jewelry brand that is synonymous with style and elegance. The death grip Tiffany’s has on style is partly due to “the very highest standards in design, materials and craftsmanship” according to the care and handling brochure that came with my ring .

But the brand’s monopoly on style is more likely due to the prominent role it takes in one of my favorite movies, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which stars the late, great style icon, Audrey Hepburn. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is wonderful not only because it is so smart about style, but also because it has so many smart things to say about life, given that the script was adapted from Truman Capote’s novella, one of the most important writers of the last century. (If you haven’t had the chance to read In Cold Blood, you are seriously missing out).  In the film, which I first saw with my mom, Tiffany & Co. is treated as a haven: a place you can go to feel whole again. When the protagonist, Holly Golightly is feeling afraid, all she has to do is get a cup of coffee and a pastry and go down to Tiffanys. But she doesn’t need to go inside. Ironically, she just stands in front of the store, window shopping—just taking in its ambiance.  In this sense, the film is suggesting that the Tiffany’s brand is ironically a kind of benign luxury that everyone can afford. You don’t need to buy Tiffany jewelry to own a piece of the brand. The brand is owned by everyone who appreciates the design, quality, and tradition of their jewelry. In this sense, the movie really taps into how style can not only help us to define who we are, but can also be cathartic—something that can heal us from the outside in. After all, as Holly Golightly astutely observes of Tiffany’s: “nothing very bad could happen to you there.”

I really could have written an epically long post about Tiffany & Co. as well as Breakfast at Tiffany’s but my Ide-Kick +Paras Shah has recently staged a G+ comeback and he schooled me long ago on the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) strategy to life. Needless to say, when I slip on my amethyst cocktail ring, I carry a little bit of the healing magic of Tiffany’s style with me wherever I go J

“You’ve Got It All Backwards” Some #SaturdayStyle for ya Thought I would do a little something on the backwards necklace or “backdrop” necklace trend.  While backdrop necklaces have always been a staple of weddings, more recently Hollywood elites (Nicole Kidman, Ashley Olson, Kate Hudson) have started to put a little twist in this tradition by simply taking a standard necklace and flipping it well…um…backwards to spice up their everyday wardrobe. This style trend works best with dresses or tops that have a higher neckline in front and a deep or plunging scoop in the back.  Given that #SAS is informally focusing on metal in fashion this week, I decided to put a further twist on the backwards necklace by swapping out gems and pearls, commonly seen in this trend, with an artisan necklace that mixes industrial metals, including pieces of pipe and chain, with brightly colored, soft string chains. (The model in this shot is my niece . Thank you Luxe for so graciously lending me your back :))
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“You’ve Got It All Backwards”

Some #SaturdayStyle for ya

Thought I would do a little something on the backwards necklace or “backdrop” necklace trend.  While backdrop necklaces have always been a staple of weddings, more recently Hollywood elites (Nicole Kidman, Ashley Olson, Kate Hudson) have started to put a little twist in this tradition by simply taking a standard necklace and flipping it well…um…backwards to spice up their everyday wardrobe. This style trend works best with dresses or tops that have a higher neckline in front and a deep or plunging scoop in the back. 

Given that #SAS is informally focusing on metal in fashion this week, I decided to put a further twist on the backwards necklace by swapping out gems and pearls, commonly seen in this trend, with an artisan necklace that mixes industrial metals, including pieces of pipe and chain, with brightly colored, soft string chains.

(The model in this shot is my niece . Thank you Luxe for so graciously lending me your back :))

“Out of Style” Orange: The Color We Love to Hate Okay, it’s time to confess. I fell in love with Jimmy Choo when I was in Paris this spring :D This week for #SaturdayStyle (#SAS) we thought we would discuss “Ugly Chic,” which is really thinking about how standards of beauty can be broken up. I chose this shoe today not only because I haven’t done a shoe post in a while, but also because this is a bright orange shoe. I mean really bright orange. Why does this matter? Well, orange is actually listed in most color preference studies as the #1 least favorite color of women. (I’ll give out a prize to anyone who can name women’s top 3 favorite colors in the correct order) What’s more, there is only one color that men dislike more than orange, and that’s brown. Not only that, among both genders dislike of orange increases with age—only 57% of people 18 or younger cite it as a least favorite color, but 90% of people between 25 and 60 cite it as their least favorite color. This distaste for orange is often seen—or maybe unseen—in the fashion industry.  Orange is such a taboo color in the fashion industry that in 2010 when it was featured in a few collections it was listed as a “surprise break out hit of the season.” Perhaps we women in California think of Caltrans vests or prison jumpsuits when we think of orange and apparel together. But whatever it is, it is an unofficial secret that orange is, well—a fashion faux pas. However, when respondents were polled and asked to list qualities they associate with orange, the qualities they listed were overwhelmingly positive—bright, luminous, glowing, warm, metallic, autumnal, jovial, lively, energetic, hilarity and exuberance—which suggests, according to color experts, that dislike for orange may actually only reveal that the color is simply *“out of style.”* :D So I commend Jimmy Choo, a name synonymous with style and grace, for going out on a limb and crafting this glorious “Letitia” orange heel and showing that orange can be both sporty and chic at that same time.  Whad’ya think? Isn’t it time we made orange stylish again?
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“Out of Style”

Orange: The Color We Love to Hate

Okay, it’s time to confess. I fell in love with Jimmy Choo when I was in Paris this spring :D

This week for #SaturdayStyle (#SAS) we thought we would discuss “Ugly Chic,” which is really thinking about how standards of beauty can be broken up.

I chose this shoe today not only because I haven’t done a shoe post in a while, but also because this is a bright orange shoe. I mean really bright orange. Why does this matter? Well, orange is actually listed in most color preference studies as the #1 least favorite color of women. (I’ll give out a prize to anyone who can name women’s top 3 favorite colors in the correct order) What’s more, there is only one color that men dislike more than orange, and that’s brown. Not only that, among both genders dislike of orange increases with age—only 57% of people 18 or younger cite it as a least favorite color, but 90% of people between 25 and 60 cite it as their least favorite color. This distaste for orange is often seen—or maybe unseen—in the fashion industry.  Orange is such a taboo color in the fashion industry that in 2010 when it was featured in a few collections it was listed as a “surprise break out hit of the season.” Perhaps we women in California think of Caltrans vests or prison jumpsuits when we think of orange and apparel together. But whatever it is, it is an unofficial secret that orange is, well—a fashion faux pas.

However, when respondents were polled and asked to list qualities they associate with orange, the qualities they listed were overwhelmingly positive—bright, luminous, glowing, warm, metallic, autumnal, jovial, lively, energetic, hilarity and exuberance—which suggests, according to color experts, that dislike for orange may actually only reveal that the color is simply *“out of style.”* :D

So I commend Jimmy Choo, a name synonymous with style and grace, for going out on a limb and crafting this glorious “Letitia” orange heel and showing that orange can be both sporty and chic at that same time. 

Whad’ya think? Isn’t it time we made orange stylish again?

“Purplelicious” A quick post for #SaturdayStyle and the #PurpleCircle. Some of you know I help to curate the #PurpleCircle. You already know, in other words, that I’m more or less obsessed with purple. A few of the more stylish contributors to the PurpleCircle have asked me if this obsession extends to my wardrobe. What can I say except um, yeah, of course it does—tons of purple in my wardrobe. My mom always used to say that there is nothing as fierce as a tall woman in purple. A girl’s gotta make an impression right? So today I’m sharing a photo of one of my favorite purple handbags, constructed out of faux alligator skin (note: I’m into sustainable fashion, i.e., green chic, so nothing in my wardrobe was made from the skin of any animal) I have many handbags and briefcases in different colors, and I usually switch them out depending on what I’m wearing that day. But you can tell how much I love this handbag by looking at how worn the metal is on the handle. I’m not really sure why I’m digging the faux purple alligator skin handbag so much except that when I was a kid my dad got us a baby alligator as a pet.  Yeah really. Not making this up :D Happy #SaturdayStyle my friends
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“Purplelicious”

A quick post for #SaturdayStyle and the #PurpleCircle.

Some of you know I help to curate the #PurpleCircle. You already know, in other words, that I’m more or less obsessed with purple. A few of the more stylish contributors to the PurpleCircle have asked me if this obsession extends to my wardrobe. What can I say except um, yeah, of course it does—tons of purple in my wardrobe.

My mom always used to say that there is nothing as fierce as a tall woman in purple. A girl’s gotta make an impression right?

So today I’m sharing a photo of one of my favorite purple handbags, constructed out of faux alligator skin (note: I’m into sustainable fashion, i.e., green chic, so nothing in my wardrobe was made from the skin of any animal) I have many handbags and briefcases in different colors, and I usually switch them out depending on what I’m wearing that day. But you can tell how much I love this handbag by looking at how worn the metal is on the handle.

I’m not really sure why I’m digging the faux purple alligator skin handbag so much except that when I was a kid my dad got us a baby alligator as a pet.  Yeah really. Not making this up :D

Happy #SaturdayStyle my friends

“Repetto” for #SaturdayStyle Did someone say ballet flats??? Oh yeah, I did :D How could I not post a shot of something that combines two things I love so much: ballet and shoes. So this is a shot of a wonderful display of Parisian Repetto ballet flats that I took at Printemps, a grand magasin or department store in Paris. Ballet flats, especially some of the cap toe flats in this display, are a top ten fashion trend for Spring 2012. And Repetto flats are simply the best—a little shoe whose popularity is really rising. You can see trend setters wearing them from Milan to New York. Oh but don’t worry, a pair of these babies will only set you back about $300 dollars.  :D  
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“Repetto” for #SaturdayStyle

Did someone say ballet flats??? Oh yeah, I did :D

How could I not post a shot of something that combines two things I love so much: ballet and shoes.

So this is a shot of a wonderful display of Parisian Repetto ballet flats that I took at Printemps, a grand magasin or department store in Paris. Ballet flats, especially some of the cap toe flats in this display, are a top ten fashion trend for Spring 2012. And Repetto flats are simply the best—a little shoe whose popularity is really rising. You can see trend setters wearing them from Milan to New York.

Oh but don’t worry, a pair of these babies will only set you back about $300 dollars.  :D  

“Plasticity” for #SaturdayStyle (Pretentious alternate title: “The Rise and Fall of the Plastic Handbag” Would you be caught dead wearing a plastic purse? Well, if this was 1950 you would. And more importantly, you’d be a trend-setter. Believe it or not, in the 1950s, the hottest trend in handbag design wasn’t leather, but plastic, and bags made of plastic were pretty much an exclusively American style. This fashion craze began when a new type of plastic was introduced in the late 1940s, called Lucite or acrylic glass, which was an optimal material to create “boxy” purses. The trend for Lucite handbags reached its peak in the late 1950s in major cities, particularly New York and Miami, so most of the top designers hailed from one of these two cities, including Willardy of New York, Patricia of Miami, Charles Kahn, Llewellyn, and Rialto. According to Frank Maresca of A Certain Style, The Art of the Plastic Handbag 1949-59, not only did women of all ages carry these bags, but they were also considered “works of art.” In fact, Lucite bags were designed in all shapes and sizes, including beehives, lanterns, hatboxes, and embellished with rhinestones, colored glass, pearls, and shells. Essentially, they were wearable sculpture. By the late 1950s you could find Lucite bags in virtually every color of the rainbow and in both opaque and translucent plastic. The most exclusive bags sold for $75.00 or what would be over $700.00 in today’s market. Today there’s a fierce collectors’ market in Lucite handbags, and those by one of the designers featured above can fetch over $900 dollars in the collectors’ market. So, I give you this shot of my original Charles Khan collectible Lucite handbag. The body is an opaque tortoiseshell Lucite and the lid and handle are made of carved translucent Lucite. It also features a classic and distinctive three-ball metal clasp, which is Charles Kahn’s signature.   So yeah, I’d be proud to be caught dead or alive in this purse ;)
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“Plasticity” for #SaturdayStyle

(Pretentious alternate title: “The Rise and Fall of the Plastic Handbag”


Would you be caught dead wearing a plastic purse?

Well, if this was 1950 you would. And more importantly, you’d be a trend-setter. Believe it or not, in the 1950s, the hottest trend in handbag design wasn’t leather, but plastic, and bags made of plastic were pretty much an exclusively American style.

This fashion craze began when a new type of plastic was introduced in the late 1940s, called Lucite or acrylic glass, which was an optimal material to create “boxy” purses. The trend for Lucite handbags reached its peak in the late 1950s in major cities, particularly New York and Miami, so most of the top designers hailed from one of these two cities, including Willardy of New York, Patricia of Miami, Charles Kahn, Llewellyn, and Rialto.

According to Frank Maresca of A Certain Style, The Art of the Plastic Handbag 1949-59, not only did women of all ages carry these bags, but they were also considered “works of art.” In fact, Lucite bags were designed in all shapes and sizes, including beehives, lanterns, hatboxes, and embellished with rhinestones, colored glass, pearls, and shells. Essentially, they were wearable sculpture. By the late 1950s you could find Lucite bags in virtually every color of the rainbow and in both opaque and translucent plastic. The most exclusive bags sold for $75.00 or what would be over $700.00 in today’s market.

Today there’s a fierce collectors’ market in Lucite handbags, and those by one of the designers featured above can fetch over $900 dollars in the collectors’ market.

So, I give you this shot of my original Charles Khan collectible Lucite handbag. The body is an opaque tortoiseshell Lucite and the lid and handle are made of carved translucent Lucite. It also features a classic and distinctive three-ball metal clasp, which is Charles Kahn’s signature.  

So yeah, I’d be proud to be caught dead or alive in this purse ;)

“Workin’ It”  for #ShoesMonday and a late submission to #SaturdayStyle This shot was taken in SF’s financial district.  The subtitle could be “How to Keep Warm in Style.”  From thigh-high boots to faux fur, I loved the casual elegance of this look (especially the way the leopard clutch is just dangling while she keeps her hands warm in her pockets). Way to work it gurl!
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“Workin’ It”  for #ShoesMonday and a late submission to #SaturdayStyle

This shot was taken in SF’s financial district.  The subtitle could be “How to Keep Warm in Style.”  From thigh-high boots to faux fur, I loved the casual elegance of this look (especially the way the leopard clutch is just dangling while she keeps her hands warm in her pockets). Way to work it gurl!

“Toe Cleavage” —submitted for #ShoesMonday and a late submission to #SaturdayStyle on G+ Toe Cleavage: The Reinvention of the “Strappy” Sandal Yup, I said it: Toe Cleavage. Why? Because it’s one of the signature design traits of shoe designer, Manolo Blahnik, who rocketed to celebrity status when he became the designer of choice of Carrie Bradsaw, the shoe-obsessed protagonist in the hit HBO TV series _Sex and the City_.  In fact, Carrie Bradshaw is so obsessed with Manolo Blahnik, that in one episode, when she finds herself in one of the bad parts of town and comes face-to-face with a mugger, instead of begging the mugger not to take her money, she pleads with him not to take her “Manolo Blahniks.” She’d rather the mugger take her ring or even her watch than her favorite pair of strappy sandals. However, there’s a lot more to Blahnik than the strappy sandal. He’s actually a pioneer in the field of shoe design and is generally credited with reviving the stiletto heel in the 1970s when the market was still dominated by awkward platforms as well as refining the mule into a staple. But what we really want to know is what makes Blahnik’s strappy sandal so appealing to Carrie Bradshaw. Well, according to Blahnik, the secret is in the toe cleavage: “I’ve been studying the art of the shoe… for over twenty years. I know every process. I know how to cut and cut away here (the side of the shoe) and still make it so that it stays on the foot. And the secret of toe cleavage, a very important part of the sexuality of the shoe. You must only show the first two cracks. And the heel. Even if it’s twelve centimetres high it still has to feel secure – and that’s a question of balance. That’s why I carve each heel personally myself – on the machine and then by hand with a chisel and file, until it’s exactly right.” So now you know not only what the secret is to Blahnik’s strappy sandal, but also how to get just the right amount of toe cleavage :)
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“Toe Cleavage” —submitted for #ShoesMonday and a late submission to #SaturdayStyle on G+


Toe Cleavage: The Reinvention of the “Strappy” Sandal

Yup, I said it: Toe Cleavage. Why? Because it’s one of the signature design traits of shoe designer, Manolo Blahnik, who rocketed to celebrity status when he became the designer of choice of Carrie Bradsaw, the shoe-obsessed protagonist in the hit HBO TV series _Sex and the City_.  In fact, Carrie Bradshaw is so obsessed with Manolo Blahnik, that in one episode, when she finds herself in one of the bad parts of town and comes face-to-face with a mugger, instead of begging the mugger not to take her money, she pleads with him not to take her “Manolo Blahniks.” She’d rather the mugger take her ring or even her watch than her favorite pair of strappy sandals.

However, there’s a lot more to Blahnik than the strappy sandal. He’s actually a pioneer in the field of shoe design and is generally credited with reviving the stiletto heel in the 1970s when the market was still dominated by awkward platforms as well as refining the mule into a staple.

But what we really want to know is what makes Blahnik’s strappy sandal so appealing to Carrie Bradshaw. Well, according to Blahnik, the secret is in the toe cleavage: “I’ve been studying the art of the shoe… for over twenty years. I know every process. I know how to cut and cut away here (the side of the shoe) and still make it so that it stays on the foot. And the secret of toe cleavage, a very important part of the sexuality of the shoe. You must only show the first two cracks. And the heel. Even if it’s twelve centimetres high it still has to feel secure – and that’s a question of balance. That’s why I carve each heel personally myself – on the machine and then by hand with a chisel and file, until it’s exactly right.”

So now you know not only what the secret is to Blahnik’s strappy sandal, but also how to get just the right amount of toe cleavage :)

“Eco-Chic” Submitted for #SaturdayStyle’s special St. Patrick’s Day Edition, curated by myself and +Lane Langmade Since #SAS is going “green” today, I thought I might submit a fashion shot that is both literally green and eco-friendly—thus, celebrating all things green on St. Paddy’s Day while also illustrating the way the fashion industry is increasingly becoming committed towards a new mode of environmentalism and social responsibility. The couture gown below is from Oscar De La Renta’s Spring 2012 line, and it’s made out of emerald silk taffeta and battenburg lace with a broderie anglaise bodice. Notice the asymmetrical hem lines here, which is a recent couture trend. If it looks familiar, you might have seen Nicki Minaj wearing this gown at the 2012 American Music Awards. I took this shot in the Oscar De La Renta boutique in Vegas—cuz when I wasn’t doing all kinds of sinfully pleasurable things at night there, I was shopping until I almost dropped. While this gown is beautifully designed, it becomes even more attractive once you realize it was created by an eco-friendly designer. Sustainable fashion is a design movement in which a product is created and produced with consideration to the environmental and social impact it has throughout its total lifespan. This of course includes its “carbon footprint.” Obviously, one of the major factors to consider is the sustainability of a material. Eco-friendly fabrics include organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, soy, corn and seaweed. Oscar de la Renta, has said, “Sustainable fashion implies a commitment to the traditional techniques, and not just the art, of making clothes,” and he has experimented not only with hemp, but also bamboo. So here’s to being eco-chic in green —-not just looking “good” when partying in some serious style, but feeling good when you do it. You know, all that stuff about being beautiful not just on the outside, but on the inside too. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
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“Eco-Chic”

Submitted for #SaturdayStyle’s special St. Patrick’s Day Edition, curated by myself and +Lane Langmade

Since #SAS is going “green” today, I thought I might submit a fashion shot that is both literally green and eco-friendly—thus, celebrating all things green on St. Paddy’s Day while also illustrating the way the fashion industry is increasingly becoming committed towards a new mode of environmentalism and social responsibility. The couture gown below is from Oscar De La Renta’s Spring 2012 line, and it’s made out of emerald silk taffeta and battenburg lace with a broderie anglaise bodice. Notice the asymmetrical hem lines here, which is a recent couture trend. If it looks familiar, you might have seen Nicki Minaj wearing this gown at the 2012 American Music Awards.

I took this shot in the Oscar De La Renta boutique in Vegas—cuz when I wasn’t doing all kinds of sinfully pleasurable things at night there, I was shopping until I almost dropped.

While this gown is beautifully designed, it becomes even more attractive once you realize it was created by an eco-friendly designer. Sustainable fashion is a design movement in which a product is created and produced with consideration to the environmental and social impact it has throughout its total lifespan. This of course includes its “carbon footprint.” Obviously, one of the major factors to consider is the sustainability of a material. Eco-friendly fabrics include organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, soy, corn and seaweed. Oscar de la Renta, has said, “Sustainable fashion implies a commitment to the traditional techniques, and not just the art, of making clothes,” and he has experimented not only with hemp, but also bamboo.

So here’s to being eco-chic in green —-not just looking “good” when partying in some serious style, but feeling good when you do it. You know, all that stuff about being beautiful not just on the outside, but on the inside too.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!