Loudermilk

Linda Loudermilk: innovative eco-friendly fashion designer extraordinaire.  Six years ago, Loudermilk found her designs strolling down the Paris runways and at the top of high fashion, but instead of feeling success, she felt disappointment.  She felt she was "creating beauty without a soul."  It was then that she began a new eco-friendly clothing line. Her personal mission is to inspire change in the world and within ourselves.  She wants to ignite expressiveness, encourage clarity, and bring about gratitude for this planet, all with a sustainable, "luxury eco" lifestyle.

She began using organic textiles woven from natural sources like bamboo, seaweed, and corn and collecting scraps of lace and other fine fabric remnants from European sources.  Her designs are beautiful and dramatic and hand finished mostly in the USA.  Loudermilk is recognized as the first to identify and successfully market to the luxury eco consumer.

Her designs are unique and edgy.  I really appreciate her mission and technique, and I think you'll like her designs too!

Winter Accessories

When Winter comes around, it gets hard to maintain your sense of style while trying to keep warm.  Even though we may want to go out in ballet flats, a loose-fitting tank, and a light jacket, we know we would immediately regret that decision when we step out the door. So we are forced to be "practical" and wear layer upon layer of sweaters, jackets, tights, jeans, and boots, along with that scarf, that hat, and those gloves.  But rather than grumble over all the things we can't wear in Winter, let's get excited over all the great Winter accessories that we won't get to wear once the snow melts! I put together a "Winter Accessories" set on Polyvore of all my favorite accessories I get to wear this Winter season!

Winter Accessories by ESP3726 featuring slouchy hats

Gloves, hats, scarves, shrugs, and, yes, sunglasses. There are so many different styles to choose from! My favorite gloves are the ones with the bow on them, I have a pair of black and white striped gloves with a bow on them myself! Long leather gloves are always a good choice for when it is especially cold, they will keep your hands the most warm. For hats, you could go for any style, covering your head is the key to staying warm! If you feel like going for a more classy look, pick the cloche hat, and if your feeling in a more cozy mood, put on the knit beanie!

Sometimes the coldest days are the clearest days, so sunglasses are a must! I recently bought a pair tortoise-shell square frames from Anthropologie, and a much less expensive pair of aviators from the car wash!  You never know where you might find a fun pair of sunglasses! And my favorite accessory is the scarf: right now I'm big into the big and cozy knit scarves, but if it's not so cold out, I would go for a smaller scarf. 

This Winter will probably be another cold and gray season, but it's no reason to get down about your wardrobe!

Goth Princess

John Galliano has a new video campaign called "Parlez-moi d'Amour chez Marionnaud" and who is the star?  Taylor Momsen, the long ratty blonde hair and raccoon eyes sporting goth princess from the TV series "Gossip Girl." Although I am not a big fan of her style choices, I do have to give her props for landing the campaign, not only as the model, but also as the singer and songwriter. 

Galliano's new fragrance, Parlez-moi d'Amour, is the subject of the ad campaign.  He said he wanted the name to be something that could be easily understood in English-speaking countries. He was inspired by Momsen's iconic youth and by her lyrics.  The narrative is about a girl who had been touring around Europe with her band and had fallen in love with one of the band members.  When they parted, she was stranded in an airport without any means of communication.  The only way that she could speak to her lover was to write it out long hand.

One of the Pioneers

He was the pioneer of the sleek gowns and flowing jumpsuits that moved across the floor at Studio 54.  He was the fashion superstar of the 1970s and beyond.  He was Halston.  Born far from Fashion Mecca in Des Moines, Iowa in 1932, Roy Halston Frowick, aka Halston, is known as the first designer to realize the potential of licensing himself.  He was one of the first designers to make his clothing designs available to women of all income levels, something that at that time was very controversial, but many designers today do with their own lines. 

Halston at Studio 54 with Mick and Bianca Jagger

Take Michael Kors for example.  His clothes are sophisticated and look expensive, but his ready-to-wear line is very affordable, with several pieces under $100. 

Michael Kors fashion show

Betsey Johnson's designs are also affordable, with fun and quirky tops and dresses between $100 and $200. 

Some fun dresses from Betsey Johnson

Halston brought in a new era of designing.  Not only were his designs iconic, but also he helped bring high fashion to all women, not just those with heavy purses.

A Stylish Place to Live

This apartment is amazing! Created by Samantha Boardman, M.D. and husband Aby Rosen and with the help of architect and decorator William T. Georgis, this modern apartment is filled with ornate decorations and artworks by the likes of Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, and Francis Bacon.  I was, yet again, snooping around Vogue's website when I came upon this article and fell in love with this apartment. 

Every room has something unique about it, whether it be a wall covered in Andy Warhol portraits, an ornate green and gold matador outfit, or an inflatable dog hanging from the ceiling.  I took a Modern and Contemporary Art History class this past term, and I have really come to appreciate both movements.  This apartment is filled with it.  I do love the cozy feel of traditional homes, and modern homes tend to be cold and sometimes off-putting, but Boardman and Rosen were able to make a modern home feel cozy.  My favorite room is the library.  Even with the plesiosaur skeleton hanging from the ceiling, I could see myself curled up on the couch with a blanket and a good book.

I think it must have been Boardman's touch that helped soften up Rosen's idea of the perfect apartment.

The Library, with the plesiosaur skeleton and the matador outfit

The Play Room, decorated with Andy Warhol portraits

The Living Room, complete with the inflatable dog

Rosen's Study

The Dining Room, with a glass-enclosed biosphere as the centerpiece

The Year's Best Dressed

I am back in the States!  It was very sad leaving London; it was so much fun living in a big city where there is fashion everywhere you look!  But it is great to be home.  One of the first things I did when I got here: went to the US Vogue website and snooped around for interesting things.  What I found: the Best Dressed women of 2010.  Vogue chose ten women, from which people voted on for who they thought was the Best Dressed of the year.  The winner: Lady Gaga with 8,257 votes.  She won by a landslide; the runner-up was Blake Lively with 3,350 votes.  And in third place was Sarah Jessica Parker with 1,439 votes.  Other contestants included Alexa Chung, Marion Cotilliard, and our First Lady, Michelle Obama. 

The top three women are all very different.  Lady Gaga is the creative, avant-garde Pop Queen, Blake Lively the young and beautiful actress (notice I didn't say talented), and Sarah Jessica Parker the classic and experienced fashionista.  Although she has had some rather weird outfits, like her dress made entirely out of meat, Lady Gaga definitely deserves the recognition.  She is always coming out with something new and different, something unforgettable.  Her outfits may be a bit out there, but she is being creative and having fun with it! She doesn't just pick out pieces from a designer's collection, she actually designs her outfits to be completely unique.  So, Lady Gaga, congratulations!

Lady Gaga

Blake Lively

Sarah Jessica Parker

Like Father, Like Son

As you know I like to do, I was browsing around Elle.com's "Need to Know Designers" section today and this name came up: Moises de la Renta.  The adopted son of the infamous Oscar de la Renta has recently entered the fashion business designing his own line called MDLR. 

Moises hadn't been interested in fashion his whole life, like many of us are.  He attended Marymount Manhattan College studying Communications for two years before he decided to drop about to take an internship at Phat Farm.  Phat Farm is a line led by Russell Simmons, the founder of the modern day hip-hop movement, designed as a symbol of men's contemporary American culture.  After that internship, he moved to his father's studio to work as an assistant.  And before you know it, the T-shirts he designed were walking down the runway and became one of the hits of the collection. 

He now has branched off on his own ad recently launched his first collection for MDLR.  It definitely reminds me of the punk-grunge fashion that I've seen here in London and I think it's great!  Here are a couple of pics:

 

Define "Redefine"

There has been a lot of talk in the fashion world lately of Asian models "redefining traditional concepts of beauty."  Recently, designers like Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, and Valentino have been casting more Asian models for their collections, and Estee Lauder and Maybelline both have Asian models as the spokesmodel or face of their beauty line, but does this necessarily mean that they are redefining beauty?  I wouldn't go that far.  Yes, Asian models are becoming more widely accepted for big name designers, but I don't see them all over the place.  To say that they are redefining beauty is a bit of an exaggeration.  They do have a very different look, Asian faces are so different from Western faces, but they are still tall and thin and beautiful like all other models.

Putting that issue aside, I do think that it is great that Asian models are getting more recognition.  The porcelain skin and jet-black hair is beautiful and a refreshment from the usual.  It is nice to see something different and I hope to see more of it!

Ming Xi on Elle.com



Fei Fei Sun on Asian Vogue



Bonjour Mes Amis!

This weekend, I journeyed across the channel, or rather, under it, to the land of Chanel, of Louis Vuitton, of Dior: Paris.  It was hard not to notice all of the stylish people instantly surrounding me as I got off the train.  Ponchos, fur gilets, and leather boots galore!  I know some of you are not feeling the poncho vibe, but they really are the item of the season!  Personally, I love them. I have not been able to get my hands on one, but I do admire from afar.  There are so many different styles and patterns, it would be hard to find the perfect one! My guess is that it is a trend that may not last past this winter, so if you are considering getting one, better to get it sooner rather than later. You may not get to wear it for very long!

I only had about a day and half to tour around the City of Lights, so I made sure to hit all the hot spots: Les Champs-Elysees, Le Tour Eiffel, et Les Jardins de Tuileries to name a few.  I spent Sunday morning shopping through the windows of Dior, Chanel, Tiffany's, and Louis Vuitton while in search for the perfect crepe (the perfect crepe being nutella and bananas).  Despite the bitter cold weather, the snow, and the rain, I had a wonderful weekend in one of the fashion capitals of the world.  I made sure not to leave without first buying a copy of French Vogue to add to my collection from around the world.  By the time I get home to the States next weekend, I will have a copy of Vogue from each of the fashion capitals: Milan, Paris, London, and New York!

Monet's artwork at Le Musee d'Orangeries

Le Tour Eiffel

Chanel, who had exquisite pieces of jewelry in the window

'Tis the Season

The snow is falling, the streets are bright with Christmas lights, and John Galliano's Christmas Tree is up at Claridges Hotel in May Fair!  I have never seen anything like it. From the giant jellyfish to the pink seahorses to the blue and green lights, this tree is something to see. This underwater tree is the perfect holiday addition to the already decked out hotel. This is the second year that Galliano has designed the tree for Claridges, his prior tree being a frozen tropical tree, trimmed with ice, snow leopards, and blue parrots.  He is truly an artist, not only designing for the House of Dior, but also creating worlds that one might only see in their dreams.

Of Claridges, Galliano says, "The majestic beauty of Claridges Art Deco interior never fails to inspire me. I hope we have created something as sumptuous as its setting and this inspires a truly luxurious escape and a very festive season at Claridges."

A festive season it will be! Wishing you all a happy holiday season!