Editor's note: To be fair to each contestant, none of these blogger posts have been edited.
It's just another manic Monday. I wish it was Sunday, 'cause that's my Funday. My ‘I don't have to runday.’ And run I did! This year Valentine’s Day was extraordinary. Spending the day filming my interview with Refinery29’s Style Director, Piera Gelardi, Anna Plaks in Ad Marketing, and camera crew, Randy Stulberg, and Meghan Sims. It was our second day of filming in my cozy little Astoria apartment and the weather was just perfect. We were able to capture some footage on my fire escape, which was rad. The night before having spent reviewing my challenge (interview with designer, Chris Benz) and making a quick dash to my fashion designer friend Haleh Nematzadeh’s apartment. She had a few pieces from a previous collection that we thought would look great on camera.
Early morning start and was excited to see the girls, even more excited to meet Chris Benz and review his Fall 2011 collection. Slipping into my Oak black step through dress and setting up for an interview with Piera, my nerves really started to kick in. I had an outfit in mind, a romper with vintage corset and ruffles I borrowed from Haleh, and couldn’t decide if it was going to work for the show. As I went through my notes for Chris, I started to feel flustered and anxious all at once.
When it comes to fashion, it is so important to look to the past for inspiration because there are certain trends that simply never go out of style! Case in point: seventies bohemian. I’m infatuated with the exotic prints, billowy shapes, and carefree nature of the trend and recently it’s been popping up all over the S/S and F/W 2011 runways in forms of bellbottoms, platforms, and maxi skirts.
The seventies bohemian style originated from the Indian gypsies of the 1300s who migrated their style from India to Europe, and eventually the United States. This is why there are so many Indian influenced patterns and textures in the style! The Beatniks of the 1940 and 1950s revived the Bohemian trend, and inspired the hippies of the 1970s, which was when the trend became mainstream. In the early 1990s, the term “hippie-chic” was used to describe Tom Ford’s collection for Gucci and inspired celebrities like Sienna Miller and Kate Moss to reinvent the bohemian style.
Derek Lam presented a gorgeous denim bell bottom in his collection, while Alice and Olivia had a stunning burnt orange pair, and TopShop Unique boasted a floral version. Platforms were most notably reminiscent of the seventies when they were presented in flatform style (my favorite being the tweed Chanel version) and maxi skirts were flowing down the runways of Rick Owens, Rag and Bone, and Rebecca Taylor.
In my video challenge, I share how lucky I am to find so many seventies bohemian inspired pieces in my mother’s closet and how to find similar pieces in modern stores! Groovy? I think so!
For my Style Blogger challenge, I was to create a runway makeup look for spring. To me, springtime equates to sloughing off the makeup you’ve worn all winter to reveal a fresh face. A bronze glow is cast with a light swipe of bronzer and a subtle, peachiness radiates from your cheeks. Still, a neutral face alone simply wasn’t enough to convey the perfect spring makeup look. After scouring runway trends and seeing line after line of lightly made-up faces, I came across photos from the Fendi SS 2011. What resonated with me was the bright, bold lip color used on all the models. Other designers like Jil Sander and Gucci featured the same look: a pretty, fresh face with the brightest burst of lipstick.
It’s no surprise that bright colors go hand in hand with springtime. After months of enduring blankets of white snow, puddles of slushy mud, and days lacking sunshine, our desire for another color palette is heightened. Hints of spring begin to emerge when trees begin to bud tiny, green sprigs and when the sky opens up to reveal a bright blue alongside the vivid, yellow sun. All of the sudden, one’s urge to grab a dark jacket subsides and the habit of wearing your darkest eyeliner seems too heavy.