Oscar Madness

Did anyone else watch the Oscars last night? I really only saw the red carpet & then searched the web for the info on who won the next day. I absolutely loved some of the gowns from last night. Angelina Jolie looked stunning in her simplistic black dress with vibrant lips. Emma Stone looked lovely in her brightly colored funky dress. I think Sandra Bullock's gown might be my favorite. It was so different than the usual one colored dresses, and the back was gorgeous! I'm so happy that Streep won an award & she looked great in her gold gown.

Little Black Dresses

One item I think every girl should own is her version of the little black dress. Black is timeless and so is the little black dress. I have 2 that I love and they're both very different. One is a strapless bubble dress with minimal detailing. The other is a one shoulder, fairy-like dress with ruching for the bodice and extra stuff on strap.
One book that I like to reference for inspiration is Didier Ludot's "The Little Black Dress Vintage Treasure." In the prologue Ludot writes, "The little black dress is an alliance of opposites. Symbolizing the respectable woman with an eye to seduction, the little black dress makes her feel safe and, at the same time, much more dangerous." To me, a little black dress is like a blank canvas in which I can exude confidence and be myself, totally at ease anywhere.

One of my favorite looks is when a little black dress is paired with red heels or bright red lipstick. I think the tiny pop of red makes the ensemble even better and gives it more pizazz.



Coco Chanel

         I had always liked Chanel's chic look with its simplicity. But, when I read "Coco the Novel" by Patricia Soliman, Gabrielle Coco Chanel became my favorite designer. I recommend the book to anyone who loves romance, adventure, girl power, and fashion. I was hooked from the first line. I know it isn’t biographical, but the book gave me all of this insight into her life. She did it all and never accepted “No” as an answer. I have a lot of quotes from her but my favorite would have to be-“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” Coco Chanel is a very inspirational person and I can only imagine what the fashion world would be like today if she was still around. Ladies, we have (mostly) her to thank for being free to wear pants everyday and for no more corsets!! I adore Christian Louboutin’s  magnificent creations and Dior’s gowns, but Chanel is my go to artist. When I was in France and went shopping in Paris I got to go in my first Chanel store. I have to be honest- I lost my breath for a moment. I was amazed with every glance around the store. The workers looked polished and sophisticated, the counters clean, the space organized, and everything was so beautiful. I don’t own anything Chanel as of now, but when I do it will be something that I’ll keep forever. Coco Chanel is a really remarkable women and a marvelous designer. I hope to one day work within the Chanel niche of design, or just visit her apartment in France, that would be amazing.

Chanel on her staircase of mirrors.

Killer Confidence

Have you ever heard a really tall girl tell someone they don't want to wear heels because they don't want to be "too tall"?? Well I sure have. I have a lot of very tall friends and they hate wearing heels. I on the other hand am average size and LOVE heels. I'm always trying to convince them that heels aren't a hazard to their look, it could really make them stand out. However, they don't want to stand out more than they already do. All it takes is a super dose of confidence and no one will question your height or why you're heels. They'll be awed by how graceful you can be. One of my friends told me confidence is all about posture and I agree. All it takes is shoulders back, a straight back, head up, and a walk like you don't care who's looking.

Chic Code

I like to read and I own alot of books. One book I have is All You Need to Survive, by Anna Johnson. Within the book she lists the rules for dressing chic. I'd like to highlight just a few:

• Chic is half a size bigger than your usual body size- not skin tight but not baggy. It should be skimming over your lines.
• Chic limits textures and distractions within a single outfit.
• Chic doesn't have to be expensive. Look matters more than label.
• Conspicuous display of Designer logos is not chic.
• Chic is having your own scent and sticking to it.
• Chic women make one item stand out rather than six.

With these and other rules you can create your own idea of chic. Chic should be effortless and look like you know exactly how to dress your body. Some great examples of Chic women in history who ignored the outlandish fashion trends and made a name of themselves: Audrey or Katherine Hepburn, Jackie O., and Coco Chanel.

A Lacey Spring

One of the things I love about spring- girly floral patterns, pastels, & LACE.

I think lace is can be feminine, rocker, or bohemian, depending on what you pair with it.

Lace has been in a couple of the runway shows lately and I've loved it.

I like the shirts that have either the whole back lace or where parts of the sleeves are lace. It gives an outfit that extra pizzazz to spice things up. Lace has that special lure to make people look twice.

Here's a shirt from last year, when lace wasn't as "IN" as it is now:

I hope lace is here to stay, it spices up even the simplest look.

Red Lips

I am a huge fan of red lipstick. I think it’s classic and chic. Since I wear glasses I don’t like to wear a lot of eye make-up. I usually just wear mascara and maybe some eyeliner. But when I want to feel like a million bucks I wear red lipstick. I have 2 go to shades: a bright, fiery red lipstick and a darker ruby red.

I think that with all the various shades of red out there that any girl can find their perfect match.

Everyone should go out and try a new shade of red just for them.

A Doll

Almost every little girl has been the proud owner of a Barbie doll. The Barbie doll was thought up by Ruth Handler and introduced in 1959 by Mattel at the New York Toy Fair.

Barbie has held basically every job, from ballerina to president to astronaut to doctor. She's had her wardrobe designed by famous designers such as Vera Wang, Bob Mackie, and Dior. She's probably the woman with the most shoes, clothes, and purses. Barbie has been around for over 50 years and is still as popular as ever for little girls as well as adult collectors. As told in the Barbie All Dolled Up, "Because it's not merely about playing with a toy; it's about acting out dreams. Barbie memories are always about more than a doll; they are the first experiences with fashion, the eye-opening possibilities of role-play, and the delight of imagining one's grown-up self." 

Well, I'm a Barbie collector; I have been since I was little. I would get a Barbie and instead of opening it, I would decide to leave the doll in its box unopened. My collection varies from the Holiday Barbie to Princesses to just cool pop culture dolls such as Barbie Loves Woody from Toy Story 3. One collection that I have completed is the Landmarks Collection. I bought the Statue of Liberty Barbie on Liberty Island in New York. I then received the Eiffel Tower Barbie, Sydney Opera House Barbie and Big Ben Barbie as gifts for Christmas. I’ve been to London and saw Big Ben, I’ve been to France and ate dinner on the second level of the Eiffel Tower, and I’ve taken a tour of the Sydney Opera House. These dolls are souvenirs with wonderful memories connected to them.

I know that I want to go into Fashion as a career, and I think it would just be amazing to design a Barbie doll. I think it would be nifty to design for Barbie and when you saw the doll point to it and say to the lady next to you, "I designed that outfit."

Colors to Flatter Skin Tones

So I ran across an article forever ago on matching the clothes you wear to you skin tone. Here is the gist of the article with the wesbite all the way at the bottom so you can check it out too. 

Step 1: Decide which season most accurately describes your complexion.

              Everyone can be divided into "seasons" depending on their skin tone.

1.  "Winter" complexions have blue or pink undertones. Skin can be pale white, yellowish-olive, or dark. Winter people are generally brunettes, with deeply colored eyes. Many Asians and African Americans fall into this category.

2. "Summer" complexions, have blue or pink undertones. Skin is pale and pink. Summers are often natural blondes or brunettes with pale eyes.

3.  "Autumn" complexions have golden undertones. Many redheads and brunettes with golden brown eyes fall into this category.

4. "Spring" complexions have golden undertones and are usually creamy white or peach. Spring people generally have straw-colored or strawberry red hair, freckles, rosy cheeks, and blue or green eyes.

Step 2: Once you've decided what your skin tone is, here are the colors that will flatter your lovely tone.

"Winter": Winters should wear colors that are sharp, stark and clear. White, black, navy blue, red and shocking pink all go well with winter complexions. For lighter colors, wear icy tones rather than pastels. Avoid subdued tones like beige, orange and gold.

"Summer": Summers should choose pastels and soft neutrals with rose and blue undertones. Lavender, plum, rose-brown and soft blue suit summers well while black and orange do not.

"Autumn": Autumns should select colors with golden undertones, like camel, beige, orange, gold and dark brown. Avoid colors with blue tones, like navy.

"Spring": Springs can wear warm colors like camel, peach, golden yellow and golden brown. Avoid dark, dull colors.

I think I would fall under the Summer category. However, I had a hard time deciding if I'm a Spring or a Summer but they both say stay away from dark, dull colors and black. Although, I love wearing black. I love wearing a LBD, and I don't think I will ever not wear something black.

This post is based on an article I read online and is just one way to dress according to your skin tone. I think that a person knows what colors don't work for them and they can make their own decision on that, but to know what colors would only help you look even better- that's the point of this post. Some people may have never known camel would look best on them or a shocking red would bring out their personality.

**Here is the article: How to Choose Colors to Flatter Your Skin Tone | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_3249_choose-colors-flatter.html#ixzz11DDMrQT3**

First Post

I'm Brianna and i'm just going to blog about anything and everything that somehow relates to the fashion world, thru my eyes. I want to go to college to be a fashion designer. I love Chanel and Dior and Oscar de la Renta. Evening gowns, cocktail dresses, and wedding dresses are what I mainly want to focus on. I adore fascinators and high heels. I think Christian Louboutin is an absolute genius and incredible artist. I plan on blogging every day but right now with school, band, soccer, and French club it may get a little hectic. However, I’ll hopefully catch up on the weekends!

So, Welcome to my Blog.