So Vogue

Lauren Santo Domingo, the woman who writes "APT with LSD" for Vogue.com, has given readers a look into her own APT with LSD.  She says, "If there's one thing you can say about my apartment it's that it's constantly evolving, constantly changing."

Her apartment, which she lives in with her husband and soon a new baby, is definitely something to see.  The coffee table in the living room is adorned with odd, decorative things, including a giraffe skull and a strange glass beaker.  The living room is also graced with a Lalanne hippo that magically transforms into a bar, and a bronze statue of her dog, Georgie sits near the coffee table.  Her shelves are filled with books, little statues, and candles.  She has a large drawer just for her jewelry and an entire closet just for her shoes!  On the walls hang artworks by Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, and Max Ernst.  Santo Domingo has to be the queen of interior design.  This rivals the one I wrote about a couple months ago, "A Stylish Place to Live."  I love all the fun and strange decorations she has!

The coffee table with all its odd decorations

The hippo slash bar, along with artworks by Salvador Dali and Max Ernst

The fun shelves

Her jewelry drawer

The Andy Warhol images of General Mao and Santo Domingo herself

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2011 Couture

Jean Paul Gaultier's new Spring 2011 Couture line is fabulous!  It has a very punk downtown meets uptown feel, with each of the models sporting creative mohawks and bright red lipstick. There is a lot of black, with a few punches of color mixed in.

Gaultier is a french fashion designer and grand couturier.  He has never had any formal training, and quite obviously didn't need it!  He has a line for everyone, women, men, juniors, and will possibly be coming out with a line for babies in 2011.  He also designs perfumes and eyewear, and has designed the wardrobes for many motion pictures, including The Fifth Element and Kika.

His couture designs are unique, edgy, and absolutely beautiful!

If you want to see the full collection, go to www.vogue.com.

Hugs not Uggs!

What is it with college girls' obsession with wearing Uggs, sweatpants, and Northface jackets? I didn't notice how extremely popular the over-the-top laid-back look was until I went to London for three months and came back.  (Side note: people in London like to actually look nice when they go out)  Before I could even get through customs I was surrounded by fuzzy pants and puffy boots.  At first I thought, 'Well, people just like to be comfortable when going on an airplane.' But no, the sweatpants and Uggs did not cease as a I left the airport, stayed in San Francisco for three weeks, and now have been back in Eugene for three weeks.  Does nobody look at themselves in the mirror anymore?  I walk around campus every day and more than half of the girls I pass look like they just rolled out of bed and left for class.  But here is the problem: they have makeup on, their hair is brushed, and they're wearing jewelry.  So are they actually trying to look this bad?  Don't get me wrong, I like wearing clothes that make me look three sizes larger too.....

Yes, this is what you look like.

The Up and Comers

There some new up and coming designers that really stand out for 2011.  First up: Katie Gallagher.  She recently graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and has been working on her own since.  Back in September, she launched her all-black collection, Veil, at New York's Fashion Week, jump-starting her career as a designer into the spotlight.  Hints of white, gray, and cream grace her Fall/Winter collection.  Her designs are futuristic, well-tailored, and textured and are selling for a very pretty penny.

 

 Another designer to watch in 2011 is San Diego native Jonathan Cohen.  His collection also debuted at New York's Fashion Week back in September, but unlike Gallagher, Cohen likes color, lots of color.  His high-priced tops and gowns are bright and vivid, with prints that look like long, smooth brushstrokes of paint.  He recently graduated from Parsons School of Design and has interned for several designers, including Oscar de la Renta.

And now for my favorite: the beautiful and creative London designer, Felicity Brown.  She graduated with a Masters from the Royal College of Art, and left with several awards, including the Royal Society of Arts Award.  Her designs are the epitome of couture and her latest collection was inspired by the paintings by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrecs, which featured flamboyant and provocative women leaning over a bar wearing extravagant silk dresses.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Eugene Hippies

So I've been back in Eugene for about a week trying to get myself moved into the new house, which is mostly why I haven't posted in a while.  The other reason would be that: there isn't much fashion in Eugene.  Don't get me wrong, the students at the UO have some great fashion sense, or at least most of them do.  The other day I saw a girl with tie-dye hair and thought, "Well that might be cool for a model walking down a runway for an avant-garde fashion show, but for everyday wear, I'd stick with one color."  I guess it's time to get used to seeing the interesting hippie fashion that is so common around here.

Now, I do like the hippie styles that were so popular not too long ago, but some of the people in Eugene just take it to another level.  Think of dreds, a long purple skirt made out of hemp, a tie-dye T-shirt, and some Tivas and you've got the perfect image of a Eugene hippie.  Here is the kind of hippie styles that I like; I like the styles that feature a little bit of a Native American influence:

Hippie-Chic by ESP3726 featuring asymmetric tops

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!