Tuesday, April 29, 2014

#Trending... the Fashionality edition

#Trending... the Fashionality edition
April 29, 2014

This week's blog post revisits one of our previous topics, #trending which focuses on IT looks regarding hair and styling.  This time out the focus is more on fashion, and with summer just around the corner, there have been some hot looks to inspire upcoming  vacations, weddings, and beach day BBQ's.

Coachella

Having never attended Coachella, I never gave it much thought, but after my Facebook and Instagram feeds were filled with all the style recaps on this modern day Woodstock, I decided to feature the event in this week's blog.  The early 90's are definitely back, if Coachella has anything to say about it, and I felt horrified seeing that the wardrobe from "Blossom" and Laura Ashley have been found from all the bargain thrift shops.  Mom jeans rejoice and have a second life as the new daisy dukes, giving me flashbacks to middle school nightmares.  Here are my wins and losses from the music festival.

Win- Bright near neon prints and electric accessories.  

Lose- High waisted do it yourself jean shorts, tacky tube tops and mismatched, beat-up shoes.
Win- Greenery and floral in a large print, subdued neutral accessories to not overpower the look.
Lose- Porkpie hat with sunflower puts this outfit over the top
Coachella has definitely been an influence on collections for Spring/Summer. The California concert sends an echo of airy, effortless fun.  Prints and greenery are major and being a personal fan of gardens, I love it.  


"The Other Woman"

The summer movie season kicks off with this past weekends chick flick starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton.  The movie itself was ok, but what kept my attention were the great style choices made by Patricia Fields, who did all the wardrobe for Sex and the City.  The film has had a few premieres around the globe and here are the best, the so-so and the worst.  

Best- Kate Upton, the hair is glam, the dress is flattering with the mini belt and hourglass silhouette.
So-So- Cameron Diaz, great shoes, simple little black dress.  The hair done up would've sold this for me.
Worst- Leslie Mann, too much flannel print and bottom heavy, the fabric looks stiff and matronly.  

Bests-Leslie Mann's bright pink and orange ensemble is magnificent.  Kate Upton party dress shines and the hair and makeup are perfection.
So-So- Nicki Minaj goes more neutral and plays it safe, it looks good on her.  Taylor Kinney has a winning plaid blue suit, but the proportions are a bit off.
Worst- Cameron Diaz, another little black dress with a plunging neckline and again the hair is too low-key for the overall look.  
Best-  Cameron Diaz, love the print, love the gold, great legs, perfect silhouette and with the pulled back hair, tres
magnifique.  Leslie Mann, sultry, satin and siren waves, perfection.  Kate Upton, strong side part, punchy red, perfect makeup, all yummy.  
Marketing for films has become more and more of an event with all the product tie-ins and merchandise.  It used to be that a film centered around something more theatrical or fantasy based would be the only ones that got fashion based merch like makeup and hair products, but these days, any and every genre spills out to every niche it can market itself to.  So prepare yourself for all the May blockbusters and movie premieres.  This past week 'The Amazing Spiderman 2' got the red carpet treatment.  
Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone look very much like a classic Hollywood couple.  Sharp lines on the suit and minimalist coloring allow for his girlfriend to steal the spotlight in that amazing yellow.  From this angle the only thing that I would change is the sleeves, but from other vantage points, they go with the gown brilliantly.  I cannot wait for the Cannes Film Festival so that I can rate and review the red carpet and hear about which picture will win the Palme d'or.

For the Men

Summer suits lighten up in beautiful golds and grays.  I love the subtle shine that we are seeing in the fabrics this season, and taking the edge off the formality by skipping the matching pants and jacket. The options open from just the plain khaki and navy jacket with the recent colorful expressions from recent red carpets. Time to go shopping!
Matt Bomer on the cover of this month's Details magazine in a bronzed khaki suit. 
Day/Evening Wedding chic
Formal chic
Summer Party chic
WIth mens' grooming, dapper is still on point.  A longer look can be highly styled and slicked or blown out for more of a coiffed look.  Growing in length on top and keeping the sides tapered keeps the look versatile and can be worn a little more unkempt on weekends or evenings.  

Slick style

                                                                                 

Mens Fringe

For shorter mens cuts, putting a ton of texture and leaving it more disheveled.  Alternating between a matte finish and more of a gritty shine to change up the look from day to day.  There are pomades on the market that you can add powders to change up the play factor and switch up their performance easily.  True Grip from L'Oreal Professionnel is in itself a texturizing powder and its own product, but it can also be the X factor and give other products extra edge and further their styling capabilities.  It is great for volume, hold, texture and refreshing a look. 


Style and Beauty at Every Age

People magazine's 50 most beautiful issue hit stands and what I liked about this issue was that they featured beauty on actresses and everyday women over a 60 year time frame.  I think it is a shame that with our youth obsessed culture, the focus on looking younger takes precedence over looking great at our age and focusing on not just the external, but on the elements that make true beauty glow.  



Anti-oxidants aren't the only things that are good for our health, forgiveness and compassion go much further, as are being comfortable in your own skin and knowing how to let it all go. Now that I've gotten that rant out there, I would like to place some focus on a blog I came across that recognizes fashion is for every age, and focuses on the dames of our society.  It showcases only people of a certain age, with style, with grace and reminds us to not become invisible.  The truth is that for most of us, the times that we can buy those beautiful garments is when we finish paying off our student loans and send our kids off to college, and I really love that Ari Cohen is shining a spotlight on these members of fashionality. 


Check out the blog here and add it to your bookmarks.


See you next week!  Take Care,





















No comments:

Post a Comment