born to be wild: guide to rock chic style

rock chic is the big thing this fall.

Alexander Wang/Jean Paul Gaultier

Blumarine

Twenty8Twelve

 

Balmain fall/winter 2009 rtw collection is entirely based on an 80's glam rock look (they started the whole trend actually, they've been using this theme for a couple seasons now), so it's full of inspiration. stud details, biker jackets, high shoulders, sequins, chain details, tight mini skirts (btw, minis are back, in case you don't know. try to balance them with a loose shirt tucked in), chunky ankle boots, cool metallics color palette are some defining items of this season. enjoy some looks I picked up from the show:

 

 

rocker chic: must haves by popsiclepout featuring Alexander McQueen

this is a very wild, revealing, sexy look. also, there's a certain scruffiness and "I don't care, I just picked up a pair of jeans and a top from my bedroom floor and I look great" aspect to it, so, there should be a balance of these two.

main color scheme consists of black, varieties of gray, white and metallics; but pops of bold, bright color is an important aspect, too (learn from taylor momsen's photo below)!

so, how will you  apply this trend in style? here's some rocker-inspred items you can add to your usual look:

*a denim/leather vest: either studded or plain, vests instantly add a rock kitten touch. the best part is, they go well with every outfit.

*something studded: from totes to jackets, they are literally everywhere this season. as a subtler alternative, you can go for a thin studded belt or bracelet.

*something sequined: for a glam rock appeal, look no further. use cool neutrals, gold and silver rather than brighter,neon-like colors to avoid punky look. we're aiming for rocker chic look here.

*shiny leggings or leather pants

*slouchy t-shirts: they balance out the flashy characteristics of rocker style. band and message tees are particularly cool. the best rock chic shirts announce bold sayings.

*something with zipper detail

*ankle boots: sky-high or flat, they're BIG this season. go for platform ones for an extra sexy look.

*a leather biker jacket: there's no other garment that screams rocker louder. preferably with big 80's shoulders this season. balmain made some really great ones to either invest on or get inspiration from.

*accesories with wing/skull/chain details:  necklaces, rings and bracelets with rocker-style details are an easy-to-wear way to add a rocker touch to your outfits. also, check alexander mcqueen's genius new clutch with a handle made of skull rings.

*a dark, tight mini skirt /mini bandage dress: to reveal your wild, sexy side and curves. for example, can be combined with platform ankle boots, a loose, baggy sweater and a bunch of rocker bangles/necklace.

*stonewashed, torn skinny jeans:  essential to any rocker look.

muses from today:

Sienna Miller/Agynes Deyn

Liv Tyler/Gwyneth Paltrow

Rihanna/ Taylor Momsen

muses from the past:

Jerry Hall/Brigitte Bardot/Jane Birkin/Debbie Harry

here's my polyvore looks on rocker chic. I made a bunch of them, considering different styles so more people can get inspiration. btw, polyvore is growing and growing on me every day. it's becoming a serious obsession.

----

casual rocker chic by popsiclepout featuring Alexander McQueen accessories

Glam Rock by popsiclepout featuring Christian Louboutin shoes

professional look with a touch of rocker chic by popsiclepout featuring Christian Louboutin shoes

Boho Rock by popsiclepout featuring See by Chloé boots

a dose of color by popsiclepout featuring Alexander McQueen accessories

I'd love to hear your opinions on my interpretation of this look. Anything you'd like to add?

I'll soon make a post about rocker-style beauty.

stay stylish, stay inspired! 

with love.

photo sources: 

http://www.style.com/

http://www.lovelylivtyler.com/

http://www.polyvore.com/

trend alert: green smokey

Dramatic eyes in forest colors such as rich brown, taupe gray, burgundy, plum, golden, deep green are big this fall.
Amongst all these, green smokey particularly grabbed my attention.  It's a refreshing alternative to classic black smokey, it's easier to wear, and it's such a pretty color choice for fall!


As I mentioned in my Ivy League post, Bobbi Brown went for a pearly, moderate muted deep olive/ivy green smokey eye look with subtle glossy nude lips in this fall's Ivy League collection. Instyle named teal smokey (which has been on the spotlight since Gucci's S/S 2009 show) "this season's version of classic smokey eye". Kim Kardashian recently rocked a leaf green, retro style smokey. Teal or green smokey is a must-do this season.

If you don't feel brave enough to wear green shadow directly, go for a more subtle look: brush on a taupe or brown shadow with green/teal pearl in it, such as MAC Club or Too Faced Label Whore. If you use a darker cream eyeshadow as base, the green pearl will show up better.

For a more dramatic, rock star-like look, use matte black cream or powder eyeshadow on lids and smudge till the brow bone. Then, press green shimmery powder (MAC Pigment in Antique Gold for a warmer look, or Teal for a cooler one) onto lids with your finger. Apply the same powder more intensively to the inner rims of your eyes.

  

Urban Decay Zero/ Avon Textured Teal/ Bobbi Brown Golden Leaf

Too Faced Blonde Ambitions/ MAC Antique Gold/ YSL Garden of Eden

I feel like Teal goes well with peachy pink lips & cheeks, while warmer tones, such as hunter green, tend to look better with toffee-nudes or tawny-nudes. This season's pearly greens pair best with glossy but not shimmery lips.

Giveaway alert!

 The very sweet Park Avenue Princess is having an amazing giveaway.

One lucky winner will receive a Tiffany blue, silver or black clock coffee-to-go cup set with a $5 Starbucks gift card and milk chocolates.

http://parkavenuechar.blogspot.com/2009/09/giveaway.html

Don't you just love the Tiffany blue one? Because I do. And how nice of her!

Anyways, if you're interested, check it out!

ivy league: a guide to preppy fashion

As a style-conscious nerd, Ivy League Schools are naturally are a dream of mine. Did I mention that Northwestern U.S. is my favorite place in the entire world? And believe me, I've been to a lot of places. Ahh, one day, one day! This fall, my favorite makeup line Bobbi Brown came up with Ivy League Collection, which includes rich, dark green/brown eye pencils and shadows and nude, glossy chunky lip pencils, and presents an overall clean but impressive look with elegant, subdued ivy green smoky eyes and glossy lips. It was clearly inspired by the clean-cut, preppy, very WASP Ivy League college student look, and also, I think by the colors and textures of New England area.

Ivy League look is not one of the main trends this fall, but some Ivy League inspired items such as oxford heels & flats, badged collegiate blazers, tartan patterns, Ivy greens are so hot this season! There's a collage for you I made of season's Ivy League-esque items (click to enlarge).

I believe that Gossip Girl is responsible for starting the whole trend, particularly Blair.

Though she didn't get the Yale acceptation she literally built her life on, Blair still has an Ivy League inspired preppy style.

Remember New Haven Can Wait ,the episode Blair, Serena, Dan, Nate and Chuck go to Yale? For insipation, look no further. Even Serena got a little bit out of her boho chic style and went for Ivy chic by putting some stripey Ralph Lauren badge jacket and Equestrian boots.

This super-elite WASPy look  has some key items: some would be contrast trims, blazers, oxford shirts, loafers, khakis, badges,oxford shoes, loafers, polo shirts, cropped pants, cardigans, college sweaters, etc. Color scale mainly consists of hunter green, camel, navy blue pale blue & white (especially for shirts), red (for details),  marroon, and stripe, tartan and tweed are the main patterns.

Some quintessential brands would be J.Press, Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren.

This style is highly associated with sports such as crew, horseback riding, lacrosse, track, polo, rugby, football, golf, sailing, skiing, squash and tennis. Particularly, equestrian or polo inspired items are a very essential part!

Northeastern America has this very essential American feeling to me, and Ivy League schools are mostly colonial colleges, having their histories almost as long as the nation's. So, to fully understand this style and tradition in general, I recommend you to read a little bit of American history, especially colonial period... It will just give you the feeling. I have this one and there's no better place to begin. In a completely different note, mine is a really old hardcover edition with a rich, dark green cover that used to belong to my grandpa... Oh, just how nice it is!

Here's a collage of some looks for inspiration:

So, how to adapt it to your style? If you weren't born into this lifestyle, it would be, um, a bit ridiculous to embrace a full-on Ivy League preppy look. At best, it's a nice inspiration to play up. And these items are very elegant additions to your own style. If you're confused, here's a couple polyvore looks I did that might help:

I think the slouchy, torn, light wash boyfrien jeans and the contrast trim, badge collegiate blazer balance each other very nicely.

ivy league look updated to f 2009 fashion by popsiclepout featuring Aeropostale

Trendy and girly. Reminds me of a tea party. I like the overall silhouette very much here. I tried to add the preppy touch through accesorizing. The top adds a slight 80's rock touch, which is big this season, but it's not overexposure to rocker style, and still complements the outfit.

trendy preppy by popsiclepout featuring Eugenia Kim hats

This one is the most casual and classic of the bunch. The sweater, the oxford shirt, the tote, the oxford flats, the cropped jeans are all parts of this style, but I tried to play them up a little bit.

casual preppy by popsiclepout featuring Marc Jacobs bags

here's a couple links for inspiration:

http://www.acontinuouslean.com/2008/05/19/take-ivy/

http://www.mensflair.com/style-advice/preppy-ivy-league.php

http://wasp101.blogspot.com

http://www.collegefashion.net/fashion-tips/how-to-dress-like-blair-waldorf/

http://www.ivy-style.com/

And lastly, I think you must see this... I'm obsessed:

with preppy love.

how to rock harem pants

harem pants (originally called shalwar or salwar) are basically a pair of loose and baggy  pants progressively tightening to the bottom part. it's an oriental piece of clothing, appearing in many countries such as pakistan ("shalwar kameez" is the national outfit of the country) and turkey, though contemporarily not often seen, especially in urban areas.

look at turkish countrywomen playing soccer-just how cute & comfy it is!

they've been on the spotlight for a couple seasons now. if you're still not quite sure how to wear this special piece, here's some tips & recommendations for you!

to keep the look from being costume-y, choose rough, masculine materials and variations of gray or earth colors and for shoes, go for chunky heels. it will balance out the very oriental & feminine effect.

I feel like silky textures and bright, jewel colors should be kept for nighttime looks. they make great statement pieces. 

*****do's and don't's*****

*always do tuck the top in.

*especially if you're harem pant rookie, don't go for a dropped crotch. regular crotch styles are much easier to handle. learn from kim kardashian's gorgeous black pants below.

* busy details such as ruffles don't work with harem pants. it will be just too much.

*do wear them with simple tops and don't let the top outpower the outfit. harem pants should be the main idea.

Judging from the celeb looks above, I think sienna miller did it best by keeping it I-don't-care cool. her pants are on the dressier side, so it's still a great nighttime look.

 kim kardashian looks so well-tailored. considering her usual glam diva style, she did a good job, and with the help of some final touches (bright pink polish & sparkly bracelet), she still looks like herself. She kept her makeup more minimal than usual, which is a good choice.

rachel taylor's futuristic approach is lovely aswell.

diane krueger's look is not my favorite. she looks classy as always, but I still feel like there's something wrong with the outfit. I think it's the puffy, silky, bright white pants and the sleek black turtleneck not being made for each other! not at all.

balmain (top left) used harem pants as a perfect balancer to the hard rock appeal of the collection. it's a great inspiration for us all for this season.

the indigo blue one by maje is such a statement piece. it's so well-tailored too.

the black velvet chloé piece is so classy in an "elderly" way. I wouldn't wear it, but I can imagine it looking great on a stylish woman on her fifties.

 here's two looks I put together on polyvore:

this one sort of channels the rocker chic trend of this season in a laid-back way. I am literally in love with these perfect beige cotton pants- there's nothing more chic!

I tried to add a masculine effect with the blazer. I feel like it should be worn with a kinda slouchy tee to keep it casual & fit the pants.

the chunky, sparkly bracelet & sky high ankle boots are there to add some glam rock appeal to the outfit.

learn from sienna: how to rock harem pants in an edgy way by popsiclepout featuring Christian Louboutin shoes

this one is about wearing these pants in a less rock star, more romantic and feminine way.

a blouse with ruffles and ribbons won't really work with harem pants, but this blouse is very romantic and interesting with its beautiful flow detail and gorgeous nude color, while being simple enough to combine with harem pants.

these nude pumps clearly spell "p-a-r-k-a-v-e-n-u-e-p-r-i-n-c-e-s-s" but they still don't outpower the outfit. the gray slouchy cardigan helps toning down the combination to a more casual effect.

as a last touch, some girly piece of jewelry won't hurt.

a romantic approach to harem pants by popsiclepout featuring Chanel tote bags

I think this look goes best with natural, clean makeup with an edge. chloe sevigny's bold, bright lip & minimal makeup elsewhere look will be super stylish. if you're more of an eye makeup person, you can go for a nude face and use a taupe/gray pencil and/or eyeshadow to make a subtle yet capturing smokey.

for hair, keep it casual and slightly messy. you can opt for tousled tresses such as sienna's or gisele's. a messy bun will look perfect, too.