Fashion Your Self: color

Showing posts with label color. Show all posts

10.20.2013

Colored Boots for Fall and Winter

As I'm sure you are all well aware, I love color. There's nothing I find more sartorially depressing than a closet full of black or gray. One of the things that I love about Autumn is that it opens up so many more options for layering colors.

The keys to remember here are 1) keep the rest of your wardrobe neutral, 2) go monochromatic for an "easier" and more subtle look, 3) use complimentary colors to create more drama.

Steve Madden "Troopa" in Wine

Wear with:

Merlot Tights

Anne Klein "Caelina" in Navy

Wear with:

Dark Purple Tights

Tsubo "Tayla" in Charcoal

Wear with:

Espresso Tights

Elizabeth and James "April" in Forest

Wear with:

Mustard Tights

Steve Madden "Milaan" in Burgundy

Wear with:

Charcoal Tights

All tights courtesy of SockDreams. Shoes via Zappos.

2.28.2013

Neon Fan

Wasn't I just saying that the most flattering of all the neon hues is pink? Well, look at what happened last Sunday:

Fan Bingbing at the Oscars

This is a lot of dress. And she is tiny. But, somehow, this really works. First of all, look at her face. It's really hard to make that look unattractve. While I don't love the fact that the lipstick matches, it has the effect of making her look even more like a living doll.

I mean, that is a serious amount of silk satin. I love that the folds are very structural. she looks like a Chinese princess made out of hot pink satin origami paper. I have always felt that Asian are more sartorially adventurous than us Westerners, and this just proves my point. What Western actress can you think of that would have pulled this exact look off so flawlessly? Potentially Blanchett.

The inset of embellishment at the back adds a bit of textural interest without detracting from the rest of the dress and has the effect of looking like an obi being peeled away. Super cool. Marchesa works for her because it has the right amount of dreamy drama to compliment her looks and personality.

This is also an instance of great styling. you can plop the dress on her but, as we saw from Renee Zellweger, that isn't where you should stop. The hair has to fit the face and the angles of the gown, while keeping the head in proportion to the rest of the body. This beehive looks retro, architectural, Asian, and modern. all at the same time. Perfect. I maynot have chosen pink sapphires for the jewelry as I feel it tends to blend in with the fabric and lipstick, but I don't really mind it either. In this case, a contrasting color like turquoise could have been striking, but may have been a bit overdone on such a small frame.

In short, this is flawless perfection and I want to have this dress and wear it around my house and to Target carrying a mimosa and long feather boa.

2.21.2013

Neon Nation

Remember 80's neon? I do. I had a day-glo Body Glove t-shirt and neon pink leggings. I wore them with my tiered denim acid wash skirt and side ponytail. It was not a good look, but I was committed.

Since those days, designers have tried a few times to give it a comeback, but it's never really stuck. I assert that it's because neon just really is not flattering. In fact, they are harsh and aggressive.

Neons are bullies. They scream "LOOK AT ME! I will burn your eyes and harass your retinas, but you will LOOK!" And I'm just not a fan of bullies.

Nicki Minaj

See? Isn't that harsh? I mean, the color of her hair actually hurts to look at. With such treacherous waters out there in the neon sea, I figure I should do my part to offer safe navigation.

Start small. Choose a piece of jewelry, watch, bow, belt, etc. They are easy to integrate into a closet and you can buy them cheaply enough to get rid of them when this trend's (hopefully, short) half-life is over.

Deborah Lippmann "Who Run the World (Girls)" Collection

Alexis Bittar

Adidas

Topshop

J. Crew

Nordstrom

If you are going to wear any highlighter color at all, I feel the best choice by far is pink. While you may risk it bringing out unflattering redness in your skin, it won't make you look nearly as zombie-riffic as yellow or green.

For the love of all that is sacred a pure, please put your neon on a neutral. Navy blue works especially well, but khaki, grey, and most any denim will work very nicely. White is a bit more challenging, as it can increase the harshness of the neon and give you a 'highlighter on printer paper' effect. Someone with medium to deep skintones can pull this off, but I encourage the pale girls to stay away.

J. Crew

If you feel particularly bold, choose a neon shoe or bag.

Vans

Rebecca Minkoff

J. Crew

Wouldn't those Vans look adorable with cuffed skinny jeans? The sandals would work with denim shorts and the flats would look great with a navy skirt.

Wear this with khaki shorts/skirt and boat shoes for a nautical look:

J. Crew

Tuck this into a navy pencil skirt and pop a blazer over it for work:

Ted Baker

Add a dark denim jacket and a grey tank for date night:

J. Crew

And please, please, please, do not wear multiple neon colors at once. You may end up looking like this:

6.17.2012

Emma Stone's Mixed Blues (Bonus Andrew Garfield)

When I say that navy and red are neutrals and can be worn together with other colors I am serious.

First of all, the skirt is freaking adorable. Its 1960's secretarial vibe would normally lend itself to a pairing with a sleek button-down or even a bustier. I like that Emma has added super-trendy stripes to the look and, by doing so in the form of a t-shirt, adds a youthful edge.

The blue stripe of the shirt does not match the skirt. And it's cool. It's called 'tonal'. I don't love the sepia/sienna stripe in the shirt, but it acts as a nice, earthy base and works tonally with her hair.

To avoid that sepia washing out her complexion, she has added a turquoise collar necklace. It works well with both blues (more tonal) and looks great with the earth-tone. Plus, it's young and fresh.

As for the shoes: who doesn't love navy and red? The cut of the pump is flattering for her feet and legs and gives the whole look pizazz.

I guess that's just another 'Easy A' (wah-wah) for Emma Stone!

3.18.2012

The Duchess Does Citrus

Looks like Miss Catherine's been at it again. With her hubby off in the Falklands, she's keeping busy by hanging out with the in-laws. Stylishly, bien sur!

What Kate Wore

For a visit to Great Britain's Men's and Women's Olympic Field Hockey Teams, she wore a navy Pucci blazer, official London 2012 scarf, white tee and navy L.K. Bennett 'Art' pumps.

The jeans were a smidgen too tight for my taste- she is a Princess after all...

But, I adored the color. Way to look youthful and trend-appropriate, Kate! "The Today show" called her as-yet-unidentified jeans "tangerine", though I would definitely err on the side of coral or, perhaps, bittersweet.