[WISHLIST WEDNESDAY] Chanel Fall Couture Show Gives Us New Vintage And Glittery Legs

In her recent coverage of the Chanel Fall 2012 Couture Show, Fashionista.com's Cheryl Wischhover asked, "Are we all going to be wearing shiny pantyhose this fall?" My only thought was, "Hell yes please."

I really liked the shiny stockings because they brought a touch of light to the somber collection. And don't take somber in a bad way, I just mean that the colors and shapes convey a gloomy kind of beauty. It's the kind of beauty that catches your eye on a stormy day, when the good memories of lost love leave you with a single tear.




After reading the article and having these borderline emo thoughts, I instantly took to the web to find some "shiny pantyhose" and "glitter stockings". Whether or not they'll be a hot Fall item is still up in the air but I sure enjoyed them. And Chanel proves that they look amazing with a wardrobe comprised mostly of black.

If you look on Google, you will find a lot of glitter stockings for under $10, most of them by Leg Avenue. I've purchased Leg Avenue hosiery before but I don't remember much about the quality.

If you really want a deal, Ebay has various sellers peddling "shiny pantyhose" in various colors, not just Chanel's black-silver shade. The only problem there is you get what you pay for, but at $3.59 a pair, I'm taking the risk to try them. Hopefully, by the time they arrive, the weather will have cooled down and wearing them won't be uncomfortably hot.


Runway pics via Style.com & Pantyhose pic via Ebay Listing I'm Buying

[WISHLIST WEDNESDAY] Versace's Dark Crosses & Armoured Fall 2012 Runway Prepare Women For Battle

Hot on the heels of World Goth Day, Versace's 2012 Fall RTW popped up on my Reader exuding the right type of Darkness to be called Goth-inspired. I've dedicated posts to modern medieval style and crosses used in fashion, but this collection blends both in what seems to be a tribute to The Crusades.



Speaking of The Crusades, most of these pieces would be perfect for a Church assassin - like in the movie Priest. I could totally see them fitting in a dark, post-apocalyptic vampire movie (cover yourself in crosses and the vampires can't get you).



Cross motifs aren't as big a part of my wardrobe as they were five years ago. Seeing them more online (and on my sister), though, I feel nostalgic and want to incorporate them in again. I'll probably start with a tank or two, more rocker chic than the bedazzled, faith ones. These beautiful dresses by Versace, however nice, are way out of my price range.



Pics via Style.com

August Alexander Flew Us First-Class with Debut Fashion Show

I've never been to a fashion show in plane hangar before, but I hope it's not the last time. Designer Courtney Russel debuted his line - August Alexander - this last weekend from Hangar 10 in Addison and he did not skimp on the style.

The fashion show started when a lone figure pushed open the hangar door to reveal a jet plane. The fashion was no where in sight but the crowd was already pumped. Then the models came out and, one by one, began to walk the 40-ft (appx) runway.

[TOP 10 TUESDAY] Questions for Local Designer Larry Stewart Following His Debut Fashion Show

If they look at my dress and they say, "Oh my God, its gorgeous" I’ve already done my job because I’ve captured their imagination. ~ Larry Stewart

I had the pleasure of attending a local fashion show not too long ago of an old classmate, Larry Stewart. I remember he had a big personality and an attitude to match. The fashion on the runway reflected that - it had volume, detail and a Whoa! factor. The big Whoa! came, however, when he announced that the collection had taken two years to create by hand! That kind of discipline and patience can only come from an artist truly dedicated to his craft. But he's more than that, he's fighter with long road that lead to this fashion show. I sat down with him afterwards with Ten Questions to see how it came together.

1: How did you get into fashion?I worked with Donna Karen [for eight years], but not as a designer. I actually worked as someone sweeping the floor, like the building cleaner. I did nothing in fashion. I used to watch those streets - see I’m older than you, much older - I used to watch them run down the street during fashion week with these big racks of clothes.

What's Your Fashion Status? Interview w/ Designer Sarah Jones

I first met Sarah at a Runway Monday fashion show in January, wearing pieces from her signature line STATUS. The drape, shape, and overall mood of her dress caught my attention for this street fashion snap. She told me she was a fashion designer and I didn't see her again for months.

Fast forward to last week's trunk show, where Sarah was busy zipping back and forth between racks of her clothing and ladies who came into Circa 2000 Menswear not expecting to find something for themselves.

"That long dress has been really popular. It's a great maxi dress and can even go black-tie depending on the accessories."

In between the dressing rooms and racks, talked about starting out as a designer, her line, and the Dallas fashion scene.

~ So how did you start your own fashion line, STATUS?
For design school and different things, a lot times I'd have events to go to and I couldn't find what I want so then there's a number of cocktail dresses I made for myself and everywhere I went [people would ask] "Oh my gosh, where did you get that? Can you make me one?"

[TOP 10 TUESDAY] The Shinniest Things @ Paris Haute Couture Week FW 2010/11

10. Valentino
The collection stole my heart away, though it only featured one shiny dress.

9. Jean Paul Gaultier
The Shiny here was
more subtle and metallic.

8. Jean Paul Gaultier
It concentrated more on the texture of The Shiny.

7. Givenchy
This kind of shiny was created by details.

6. Chanel
It seems like gold
is replacing silver
as the Shine of choice.

5. Chanel
There's something
antique-ish about
Karl's shiny...

4. Armani Privé

3. Armani Privé

2. Armani Privé

Pictures via Style.com


1. Chanel's Lion Centerpiece
"The inspiration for the lion is clear – born on August 19th, Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel was a Leo. She loved lions and they surfaced everywhere from her apartment decor, buttons and even her gravestone. The centerpiece for the haute couture runway show is a replica of a marble sculpture from her infamous apartment at 31 Rue Cambon."

Picture & Quote via La Chanelphile

[GEEK OUT] I USE MY POWERS FOR EVIL ~ Fashion Brand Evil Twin Mixes Dark Glam & Punk Grunge for FW2010

Last year I found a label via WithAsianStereotypes that truly embraced the dark side. Evil Twin had an I-Don't-Care Punk attitude with Goth Girl details (like a red rose motif on black sheer fabric).

As some one who still frequents Hot Topic, I couldn't help but fall in love. So, of course, I was ecstatic when TrendHunter posted pics from their FW2010 Lookbook. And WOW! it was like the collection grew up.

For a long time, there's been a debate online and IRL about dressing "Goth" after high school, especially when normal "functioning" society frowns on the alternative look. I still have plaid skirts and Tripp pants but the times I wear them now are few and select.

It seems that Evil Twin could be a possible solution. Their new collection marries punk grunge and dark glam while still incorporating current trends. Scroll down and see for yourself. And while you're looking, listen to this little tune by Lesbian Bed Death. I don't like the band name (>_<) but I love this song and "I Use My Powers for Evil" really goes with the lookbook.

DRAPE

Drape and Flow has been a reoccurring theme for the past year. While some struggle to keep fabric close to their body (i.e. leggings) others are content with just letting it be.




OMG SHINY!

From sequins to glitter to metallics, it seems that people
are slowly morphing into disco balls. Yay!




TEARING IT UP

Drawing inspiration from 80's/90's punk & grunge, the deconstruction trend has
evolved past jeans. For FW2010, anything can be shredded and hole-y.




Their US rep Agent Icon recently posted on their blog that Evil Twin will debut in stores soon. I'm e-mailing them to see which ones.




JUL 16 UPDATE:
Agent Icon replied saying ShopBop and ShopNastyGal both carry the line. The prices look like they'll be in the $50-$150 range. It's not cheap but worth saving up for. I really want the Oil Slick Cape.

Finally, In a (FASHION) League of Their Own

This comes as good news to me because I always seem to end up with Butch (or borderline Butch) girls. I don't believe in the whole Butch-Femme Dynamic but I can't deny that skirts and wedge sandals put me in the Femme category. It also seems that feminine girls don't really go for me - I've tried. The few times I click with another Femme, I'm already dating another girl (a Butchy one). But I'm not complaining because I like all kinds of girls - whether they wear pumps, sneakers, or thong sandals in the Winter.

Up till now, the general view of Butch girls has been that they want to be guys. If you're thinking to yourself "Well, I never thought that" - trust me, you are in the minority. Yet, you can't really blame the people on the outside looking in - they don't really know these girls. They see them walking around in jeans and button-up shirts from the men's department and draw their own conclusions. After all, our clothing, our fashion, says a lot about who we are.


Pics Via Trendhunter
"Butches don't want to be or look like men; we just don't want to wear female clothing," says Shaw Riley - and many of my Butch friends would agree. With this in mind, Riley started the Butch Clothing Company, a fashion label that caters specifically to Butch Lesbians. "All those years of having to wear men's clothes will be behind me now. BCC will make a lot of butch women happy. If they have ever had to put up with negativity from people because of being butch, my clothes will give them the confidence to hold their heads up high."

It's one small step for lesbians but one giant leap for Butch-Kind.

If you've ever had to dress a Butch (or Butch-Inclined Lesbian), then you know it can be hard because female proportions just don't conform to male clothing. We have hips, slimmer shoulders, and breasts, though I've know girls who wear sports bras to squish them down - some even bind them back. But like I was saying, it's can be hard for Butch women to find clothing that fits them correctly.

What about ladies suits and button-ups? Why don't they wear those?

And we're back to what Riley said about female clothing. Female clothing, even the masculine-style kind, is all meant to accentuate certain curves in a girl's body. Not many, if any, Butches I know want to highlight these curves.

"The concept of our brand is simple. Butches are women; they are women who choose to wear men's clothing. Apparel is a major part of the butch identity. We aren't reinventing the wheel, just allowing our design team to create clothing based on classic male styles and the latest fashion trends."


Pics Via Trendhunter
BCC is based out of Brighton (UK) and only taking clients by appointment, for now, because the suits, pants, shorts and shirts are all tailored to the client. Eventually, Riley hopes to map out areas of interest and set up consultation rooms worldwide, she told Butch Style. "[For Example] we have alot of interest in New York. So when we have a list of clients stateside in NY or willing to travel there, we will arrange a consultation room and offer the same service we do in Brighton."

New York... Weddings... Not Surprised.
Lucky Bastards.

Weekly Geek Out ~ 5/7/10

Hello & Welcome to my Stream of Conciousness aka My Weekly Geek Out. I've been unable to keep up regular posts right now because I've taken on more web and graphic design gigs so pay of some debt... caused by a mix of driving very very fast and my closet. *cradles new purse* But I can't imagine not being busy! I have two fashion shows here in Dallas to cover tonight and one show from last week pending.

Boo! Did I scare you? I was speechless when I saw this, teetering on whether I liked it or not. I'm not a Kelis fan to begin with but there's something off about this look. Is she trying to be Lady Gaga or is outrageous the thing now? It is, I know. In the end, I just decided that she looked like a dinosaur and would have look SOOO much better without the tux jacket. I know it was red carpet but the jacket does not make it any more appropriate. To see a larger view, check out The New-Kidz Blog.

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Kurt Cobain is back the from the dead! McQ, motivated by the work of Alexander McQueen, has released its lookbook for the Fall 2010 collection. The other looks are undoubtedly grunge and remind me of the guys Cher was dissing at the beginning of the Clueless movie. Grunge isn't a bad look if you remember that it's about layering and looking like it didn't take you long to get dressed but secretly you know that you were going back and forth between the Cheetah print and a solid jacket. Even if MCQ only did one animal prints, it really peps up the grunge... which defeats the idea of grunge, right?


Speaking of pepping up grunge, Tokyo Fashion News found these two on different days in Harajuku, but I'm sure you notice the main similarity... The Tassel! It's very cute but I wonder what kinda look I'd get if I walked around with tassels on my neck. Hmmm... Idea for next week. The question is: does it look better in the guys grunge look or with the girl who's more clean cut? Click the pics to see the full outfits. Now I need to go borrow my mom's curtain tassels.

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This dress is made out of coffee filters. Back on Earth Day, Dallas held an eco-friendly fashion show (at noon on a Thursday so I couldn't go) with student pieces from local fashion schools. Sophomore student Allison Mayes from UNT won the 2nd Place with this dress made out of hand dyed coffee filters, recycled fabric, feathers, and twigs. As I sit here drinking my own cup of joe, I wonder it it would have been more Earth-friendly to actually use used coffee filters and let the coffee be a natural dye. If you add nutmeg to the grounds, not only do you get a spiced drink but it turns the filter an earthy red-brown.

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I'm loving the dark, girly direction in D&G's Fall Collection. The mix of lace and grays remind of dark, gothic Victorian movies with wrought iron fences and cameo brooches. The polka dots also bring to mind pearls - classy and elegant. Is anyone else noticing the trend flow getting more and more feminine? Should we bask in our girliness? *smooths out skirt* Can you call yourself a feminist if you're addicted to pearls and ribbons? That's another blog...

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My sister gets onto me for "making things gay" by seeing hidden gay undertones in TV or ads that don't really exist, or so she says they don't. Take this Get the Look pic from Style.com - the first thing I thought when I saw this was "Wow! She looks like a cute lesbian." The whole look gives me a lesbian vibe, like this girl could be a straight up futch (that's lez-speak for feminine butch or soft butch). I'm not playing when I say that I've seen that look at the local lesbian clubs during the summer. The caption reads "What to Buy to Make her Tough but Sweet Style Your Own" ... "tough but sweet" lol I think that's what a lot of girls are looking for in girlfriends, I know I do.