New York & Color! (FB 5)

Ahh New York and Company. I feel like it’s one of those stores that you never really walk into, but when you walk past you see so many different things you like and want, or at least I do. (Sorry about the glare!!)  

 

Luckily for me there’s a New York and Company right next to my gym so every day when I go to the gym, I get to see what their window display is because they change it so damn much! But that's not a bad thing; every time they change it, they always have so many different bright, bold, pastel, and even neutral colors with these big ads behind them that just make living in NY and get to commute to the city look ever so fashionably fun (although in reality, we know neither of those are true) . 

Color called "Journal Blue"




Color called "Cony Island Red"




Color called "Explosive Yellow"

And with colors like "Cony Island Red" and "Journal Blue", how can you not want to be the first to be wearing these colors this spring? 

Each time I walk past a New York and Company storefront, the colors of the clothes are what really catch my eye and make me want to walk up the block again just so I can take another peek at the windows. No matter what season or what trend, they seem to always nail it and be right on spot; whether they have pastels in the spring, black and white (especailly this spring), or emerald green (the color of 2013 which I’m kinda loving), you can always keep up with the latest trends while staying classy and professional.  
 

I don’t know… it’s something about their clothes and the way they style the store that makes me want to be a 9-5 New York City working women as strange as that sounds! The white clean store with the bright bold colors and standout pieces of clothes just draw in my attention and make me feel excited!  

 
Even today when I was leaving the gym, I noticed their store front has some tan and black and “Ultimate Coral” colored trench coats in the windows that have my name on it, especially with these full on rain and wind storms we’ve been having (and can look forward to into April). I can always count on New York and Company to keep me motivated to head out to the gym just so I can keep an eye out for the season’s trends, cute, clothes, and a whole lot of color to give me something bright during the winter.

Spring daffodils at my grandparents house last spring

    
Check out some trendier, colorful items you can get at New York and Company now!

Was that or wasn’t that fur on the Fendi runway? (FB #4)

 
http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/fendi-is-that-a-rabbit-in-that-hat/#more-26601 

Fendi: Is That a Rabbit in That Hat? By Kathy Horn

Ahh New York fashion week sweeps in again as the wind keeps on blowing here in New York.  Just as I was getting ready to pack up my faux fur coats and bring out my white vintage denim Levi's jacket, Karl Lagerfeld has done it again but this time, he’s playing with some serious fur. Lagerfeld was heard backstage at the ever so fur-filled Fendi show talking about what mind trick he’s trying to pull over on us this time (aside from his famous coke and vegetable diet) ; what was fur and what wasn’t? Lagerfeld declared, “Fashion is almost always about illusion” (Kathy Horn ).  


  In other words, whether fur was or wasn’t used on the runway at the Fendi show, the truth doesn’t need to be confessed; after all, it’s the minimalistic cool black coats seen down the Fendi runway that we all want to know about.  

The ever-controversial runway displayed shaved mink fur sporadically fashioned on the Fendi garments, skimming the classic jet black wool coats, continuing to keep in mind the frigid New York temperatures of F/W. However, this year the fur was limited to a minimal which makes for easily wearable garments with a modern sleek finish.   




Image from New York Times

 
The modernism of the 20^th century with added touches of warm neon blue and pink have stimulated the mind of the creative genius otherwise known as Karl Lagerfeld. The man of the show put out “two-sided pieces”(Kathy Horn) composed with fur high-lighting these contemporary dresses and coats. Drizzled with neon bands, these neon hits of color are sure to be taxi stopping on the cold, busy streets of New York (although with this ultra-soft mink fur, not so sure you’ll be in need for one).  These highly-styled coats were wreathed with…umm, well it’s hard to say. Maybe it was fur, or was it compact frills? As the words said by Karl Lagerfeld himself, “Fashion is almost always about illusion” and that quote remained true for the entire Fendi show.  


Trousers and tops were seen as sports inspired, at least that's what the majority of viewers who were fortunate enough to view the collection as it came down the runway believed. From striped to shaved, fur made its way off of the actual garments themself and onto many of the accessories as well. Yes, the fur continued to be seen on eye-glass stems, bracelets, and even shoes (because how could we forget about those temperature numbing feet those winter nights brings?).    


So weather you can afford Fendi or like me, live off the Fendi worn by Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City, the fur is here to stay yet another A/W. Although I know I’m not a fan of taking real fur from animals that are the real ones that need it, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what PETA has to say about this…        

1.SILHOUETTE & DESIGN

-minimalist black wool coat

- modern and easy to wear

- trousers and tops

- chic dress with a loose-back effect

2.DETAILS

-left-side panel

-black shaved mink

- thin belt that half closed the garment

- block arrangement 

- compacted frills

- sports influence

- striped fur

- shaved fur

3.COLOR

- neon band of color

- bright pinks and blues

- bright white

4.FABRIC

- new textures

- fur

- leather and feathery bits

5. CREATIVE “JARGON” (the language, especially the vocabulary peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group: fashion jargon. )

- decorative touch

- two-sidedness

- assertive dashes of color

- sharply colored, engaging collection 

- partly overlaid

- cut on the round 

Grease Lightening Anyone? (FB 3)

The one that I want would have to be Sandy’s disco pants. Even though disco is dead and so is John Travolta’s career, disco pants have become such a hot trend in street fashion and they can be so versatile and look good in every seasons. My sister, Christine, got a pair of them for Christmas this year but before when she was ordering them online, I had actually never heard of “disco pants”.  When she told me she was ordering disco pants from American Apparel I was picturing some shiny, metallic, sequenced hot mess of a pair of pants. I had to see what these were before I let her make any fashion fopa, which made me realize these pants were actually really cute.  

So, here she is with her American Apparel Disco pants

These pants come in so many different colors, pants or shorts, and are super comfy, it’s hard not to like them. They can look great paired with a grungy outfit, a chic blazer, an oversized sweater, cropped tops, or like Sandy in Grease, an off the sholder top.

 

Many celebrities have been seen taking this trend to the streets also:   


Gwen Steffani



Demi Lovato

Shenae Grimes



Jessie J

Photo from Lakshmi in Trance Blog    

So clearly I was a little behind on the trend but now that I’ve learned what they are and how you can wear them..I’m hooked! Let me know if you’d try this trend?!

These pants can be bought at :

American Apparel ,Topshop ,Urban Outfitters and just about anywhere else! (The original "disco pants" trend started at American Apparel)

 Here are some images of some girls on Lookbook in diso pants:

Springing Ahead (FB 2)

Still stuck with that spring fever but I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed in the trends this spring. Don’t get me wrong I still LOVE the trends this year that include polka dots, stripes, and black and white but what it really comes down to is I’m more of a pastel girl. Springing ahead to spring 2014 (see what I did there), some of my absolute favorite things I’m looking forward to is the pastel doll house, toy story, bittersweet themes. From the “silk denim, stretch jersey, matte satin, double-faced nylon” to the “fancy tweed, jacquard burnout, applique lace, dot velour”, the Doneger Group has really got me excited for next spring. These “vintage” “barley there” concepts are made up of light colors along with neutrals which seem to be lightening up this spring’s black and white craze. Mixing these light fabrics and layering them on top of each other is one of my favorite parts of spring; it’s the time to try out new things and feel like a whole new person. 




Photo from Doneger Group



Must haves for spring 2014: light, pastel, colors that have become more modern and have moved away from the “Eastery” side of pastels. These colors can be worn in light fabrics that look clean and refreshed with a mix of different fabrics. Also, geometric graphics, such as squares, zigzags, and sports influenced separates with draping in off-white/eggshell.  

Doneger Spring 2014 Design Workshop

Some other trends include:

• Tailoring (menswear inspired) 
• Simplified accessories 
• Less metallic and less shiny 
• Draped/relaxed look 
• Scallops/pearls/embroidery  
• Denim on denim   
  

  

  Spring 2014 Accessories 
  
  

  

  

So while I watch the A/W13 runways shows and wait for the blizzard to entrap all of New York, I leave you with some eye candy for warmer days ahead (according to the ground hog!)