The Royal Wedding Dress

They did it! Prince William and Kate Middleton have tied the knot, and in style too! Kate's dress by Alexander McQueen was beautiful, complete with a long, flowing train and lace sleeves. She looked radiant! This dress was definitely the right choice.

I tried to stay up last night to watch the wedding live, but I failed. However, it has been an exciting morning watching the rerun of it. I wish I was back in London! It must be one of the most exciting places to be right now!

The Ready-to-Wear Show at Eugene Fashion Week

The Ready-to-Wear show on Saturday night at Opus VII Art Gallery was definitely a pick-me-up from the eco-wear show. It featured 14 designers, each with an individual focus. Deluxe's black and white designs smoothly sauntered down the figure-eight runway, United Workers' overalls and jumpsuits inspired by the 1950s working class marched in with ease, and Jaunty's colorful spring dresses fluttered up the catwalk effortlessly. There were still some dreads, piercings, and tattoos, but the more sophisticated designs of the night made them much less noticeable.

My favorite designer of the night was Grace Persson of Bohemiska. Her designs flowed beautifully as the models walked, there was a clear connection between looks, and a vision for the whole line. She did a wonderful job of accessorizing her bohemian looks with feathers, an item that is quickly becoming a popular accessory. She clearly has an awareness of what is 'in' in fashion.

It seems that Eugene Fashion Week is looking up, and I look forward to seeing the Club Wear and Avant Garde shows next weekend.

Deluxe

Bohemiska

Bohemiska

Bohemiska

Eugene Fashion Week

Friday night marked the first show of the first annual Eugene Fashion Week. In honor of Earth Day, all the designers featured in the show make eco-friendly apparel. There were some innovative designs, and there were some, well, interesting ones. All the designers are locals of Eugene, meaning they tend to lean toward those interesting hippie styles you see walking around downtown. There were way to many dreads, piercings, and tattoos for my liking, but it fit in perfectly with Eugene. My favorite designer was Mira Fannin of Sweet Skins, a clothing line sold in boutiques across the country and overseas. Her designs were creative and looked flattering on her models. And although she used inexpensive recycled materials, her designs looked expensive, whereas most of the other lines did not.

Tonight is the ready-to-wear show, I'll let you know how it goes! 

I love the high-waist shorts!

This is from her show at Portland Fashion Week

Is it Pants? Is it a Dress? No, It's a Jumpsuit

I proudly wear my light blue American Apparel strapless jumpsuit around campus, and I often get odd looks from passers by that are either thinking, "Wow, I didn't think a jumpsuit could look that good," or "What the hell is she wearing?" I like to think the former, but I'm sure sometimes it's the latter. Jumpsuits are one of those items that people either love or hate. I am one of those people that love them, mostly because so few people wear them. I have always been one to wear things that stand out, those things that get those funny looks. And it always affirms my style choices when someone points out that it looks good.

The jumpsuit had long been out of fashion until sometime last year. I still think they are "in," but they have to look right. Because it's something that is covering your whole body, I think it's best to go with strapless. That way you're showing enough skin that it doesn't look like you're wearing footy pajamas.

And when it starts to get a little bit warmer, you can start wearing rompers (the shorts version of a jumpsuit). They are fun and flirty and one of my favorite summer outfits.

This is the jumpsuit I have, although I like to pair it with a belt of some kind to break it up a little

Romper!

The Cropped Top is Back

Remember back in the 90s when no one was afraid to show off their mid-drift? I sure do because I was always getting in trouble at school for violating the dress code. I had to show at least an inch of skin between my jeans and the bottom hem of my top like the pop queens Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. The mid-drift has been hidden for almost a decade, but now it's showing up again, not just with pop stars, but in high fashion.

Now, this doesn't mean that any cropped top is fashionable, and it definitely doesn't mean that anyone can wear one (sorry to be discriminatory). Showing too much skin isn't good; if the top is barely covering your boobs you're starting to get to the risque side. The looser the better! And you have to have the right body type, meaning you better be fit and comfortable with showing off your midsection.

This is bad! Please don't do this.

These are some great street fashion examples of cropped tops

It's always great to see old fashions making a comeback!

And Here They Are

I mentioned back in March that the CFDA Awards nominees were going to be announced, but I realize I forgot to follow up with who the nominees are for 2011. And so without further adieu, here are the nominees for:

Womenswear Designer of the Year: Alexander Wang, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez, and Reed Krakoff

Reed Krakoff

Menswear Designer of the Year: Michael Bastian, Michael Ervell, and Simon Spurr

Accessory Designer of the Year: Alexander Wang, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez, and Reed Krakoff

Swarovski Award for Womenswear: Mary-Kate and Ashly Olsen, Joseph Altuzarra, and Prabal Gurung

The Olsens with Diane von Furstenberg

Swarovski Award for Menswear: Alexander Wang, Phillip Lim, and Robert Geller

Swarovski Award for Accessory Design: Alejandro Ingelmo, Eddie Borgo, Jason Wu, and Pamela Love

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Marc Jacobs.

Fashion Icon Award: Lady Gaga (of course)

The Media Award: Hilary Alexander of The Telegraph

Founders Award: Hal Rubenstein of In Style

International Award: Phoebe Philo for Celine

From left to right: Jack McCullough & Lazaro Hernandez, Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Lady Gaga, and Eddie Borgo