breakfast

so it's driving me a little crazy that my camera isn't working. everyday wandering around the village i see these fascinating once-in-a-lifetime street looks and i think to myself: "new york is so big, i'm never going to see this person again. they might not even live here!"

so while i wait for my new lens and battery charger, here are three more lines that took my breath away this year.

Christian Lacroix:

this is some of Christian Lacroix's couture spring 2009 line. out of all the asymmetrical lines this year, i really like his more organic take on it. cold sophistication has its time and place, and the elegant geometry of line's like Calvin Klein, Chado Rucci and Gareth Pugh are beautiful and insightful- but Lacroix's more intuitive pieces and giggling color schemes are like warm butter on toast.

Christopher Kane:

this below is part of Christopher Kane's spring 09 RTW line, and if you haven't yet heard, its creating quite a stir. british vogue reports that it sold out on net-a-porter the same exact day it launched (yesterday)- and i totally get it. full of pop-up sculpture, Kane's fifth line is light and edgy and utterly wearable.

Jonathan Saunders:

Jonanthan Saunder's RTW spring 2009 is another little something i missed until recently. it's almost understandable (although never excusable) given the quiet subtleties of his collection. either way, i love it- just look at this sophisticated kaleidoscope of color and patterns.

images from nytimes.com

enjoy
-jen

its official!

i got an internship working at a fashion showroom in soho for the fall semester! i'm so excited, its like i'm actually on my way to to my dreams. sounds over-the-top, but sometimes i feel like there are just as many aspiring young fashion designers in new york as there are aspiring young actors in l.a... which is why i'm studying psychology.
but yes!! starting next fall, i'm going to be in on the meetings with both designers and boutiques/department stores, helping with clothing samples, matching outfits, sending pieces to magazines and stylists... and filing, a whole crap load of filing. i was so pleased i bought this pair of gorgeous Cynthia Vincent (professional) pumps for 75% off.
SUCH a good day.

i also found these gorgeous shoes that are officially on my "to complete me:" list.


left- aldo maune pumps; right- dodie wedge (bone) heels

to celebrate: here are some of my favorites RTW so far:

both John Bartlett's and Antonio Azzuolo's entire collections for men. i usually have very little interest/patience for men's fashion, but these two collections are so full with personality-infused silhouettes and styles i wish would be modified for a bust line. it's probably the strong hipster influences in the two collections that really caught my eye (as much as i hate to admit it).

John Bartlett, RTW fall 2009.

(and i suddenly wish my boyfriend wore glasses)

Antonio Azzuolo fall 2009 RTW

the line that really caught my eye was Wren's (a newish l.a. based designer). her previous lines have kinda been "eh" for me. her looks never really went above and beyond corporate apparel before- but these looks in her fall 2009 line are adorable! i love the spunk and the color. more outfits with personality!

wren RTW fall 2009

this last one is my favorite, by far. it's such a good example of both aesthetic and functional fashion.

i hope your days were just as lovely as mine

-jen

50 degrees

so one of my other adventures this weekend was going up to the botanical gardens in the bronx for the sunday afternoon- it was 55 degrees out! this turned out to actually be rather chilly, especially with the wind chill, but it was mostly about the principle of the thing.
i celebrated the weather with bright colors.

(cream cardigan - gap, black cardigan - jonathan martin studio, colored blouse - urban outfitters, velvet dress - secondhand, sock- cut off urban outfitters tights, heels - nine west)

there it is! my first blogged outfit.
cheers,

-jen

gilbert and george

in honor of this last weekend being the first nice weekend of new york spring, my roommate and i traipsed all around new york. one of our stops was the m.o.m.a., to take advantage of one of my favorites parts of new york: the general galleries are free after 4 on fridays. we were hoping that pour your body out was stilling showing in the atrium- but my roommate showed me something even better hiding in the contemporary galleries.

this is the text from the right side of the diptych:

We are only human sculptors in that
we get up every day, walking some-
times, reading rarely, eating often,
thinking always, smoking moderately,
enjoying enjoyment, looking, relax-
ing to see, loving nightly, finding
amusement, encouraging life, fighting
boredom, being natural, daydreaming,
traveling along, drawing occasionally,
talking lightly, tea drinking, feeling
tired, dancing sometimes, philoso-
phizing a lot, criticizing never, whist-
ling tunefully, dying very slowly,
laughing nervously, greeting politely
and waiting till the day breaks.

my roommate pointed this out to me specifically because of something i had said about fashion:

fashion is functional, living sculpture. in that way, fashion is the most complex and relevant kind of art yet created. what other medium can boast that each piece affects hundreds of people every day, makes them feel beautiful, elegant, fiery, soft... ? a fashion designer takes his/her vision and shares it. consumers become a part of the art. together, an exuberant woman her choice of well-tailored, innovative and flattering pieces become living artwork. the pieces together become a unique combination of silhouette and color, and she within them, loving them, brings a whole new dimension that all the other, separated forms of art can't even approach.

-jen

mrs. president

so i'm going to put up a longer post/introduction and bit of a guide i was planning in my head later in the week, but for now:

this is a little collage of all my favorite sketches that women's wear collected for Michelle Obama's inauguration gown. i created it a couple weeks back when i needed some inspiration- and got sick of digging through my bookmarks to find it!


this is the article. this is the full size image.
(i'm sorry for the photobucket link, when i have time to get organized, all of these images are transferring to my personal host server)

also, if you haven't seen the garance doré post for yesterday, you should. it's one of the most beautiful images i've seen in months.

-jen

2009

9 suggestions and fetishes for 2009

NO LEGGINGS AS PANTS. this is not a news flash.
there's an entire blog already dedicated to this idea.
if you're reading fashion blogs you probably (hopefully) know
better already, but if just one person changes their habits
after reading this, i will have made the world a better place.
just cover your bottom!

COLOR! spring looks like its all
about black and white, but
never underestimate what a
little bright splash (belt,
scarves, glasses, shoes, a layer,
etc.) can do for your look and
your mood.

marc by marc jacobs, spring 2009--->

DO hi-waisted. this is so in,
they made an abbrev for it. it's a
perfect time to go for this: it's
been around so long no one will
eyeball you for it and there's a
whole messload of it on sale. try
changing up any basic jeans-shirt/skirt-shirt combo with a highwaisted item and you'll instantly feel more fashionable.

DO poofy headbands!
headbands in general should be
approached with caution because
not everyone can pull them off
without looking twelve. me, for
example. however, if you can, go
for it! this is a trend that is
probably only going to happen
once (in your lifetime) so exploit!

<---ban.do

DO tights! tights are very in and very fun!

whether you want to go really crazy, or just some
of the pretty colors, you should try it! instant spice
for an old dress. they'll still work in the spring, so invest now!
urban outfitters has good value basics and so does forever 21.
my favorites i got from FCUK for 10 dollars.

GLOVES! this is a new
thing. we've been going
through the accessories
lately: scarves, socks,
necklaces, rings and the
hobo glove fad- now
beyonce's got her
monstrosity and paris has
been spotted with her
half-gloves. my hope?
pretty and lightweight
gloves to spice up spring!

WORK BOOTS! "wtf?" you say, "spring is all about pretty this year!" but, ma cherie pretty + grunge = fashion. notice all the biker-like zippers at fashion week? my friend will kill me for posting this, but take a hipster card on this one. she was totally right. its like the moccasin trend- only tasteful.

do RUFFLES and WHITE. i've always had a

fetish for the overly virginal and girly, but this year milan
came with me. i suggest you play up both sides of this fad!
maybe do a little moshing of the extremely badass with the
extremely delicate. i'm so excited!

LAYERS are not quite dead. you can go

fashion forward, and discard this silly fad that will
most likely be leaving us for good soon, or you can
hang on for dear life- like i am! layers are versatile,
warm and a wonderful opportunity to add color to
a dull outfit, or match to accessories. either way,

make a stand!

-jen