Snakeskin is the New Leopard

That's my trend prediction for Spring/Summer 2011 right there.

I love leopard with all of my heart, but I think I could be tempted to show a little love for our reptilian friends out there as well.*

Chinese Laundry Platform Sandal

Chico's Clutch

Macy's Dress

*What kind of nonsense am I talking here? You've seen my shoe collection, half of them are snakeskin. New rule: leopard on top, snakeskin on bottom.

Photos Chloe F/W 2011 Courtesy of Style.com

Favorite Fall 2011 Trends

I know, I know, we're just trying to get through until spring right now. But it's still freezing, so I need a little excitement to get me through winter's last death march until spring.
Plus, it never hurts to plan for next season when the sale merch is still out on the rack, am I right?

So here's what I'm super excited for in fall 2011:

Ponchos and Capes
Because I love my modcloth cape with a passion. I seem to just have a love affair with voluminously fugly things : )

Band of Outsiders 

Thigh High Slits
Because I got legs, and legs love thigh slits. Enough said.

Michael Kors

Tuxedos 
I have a small love affair with masculine tailoring, and tuxedos are no exception. Perhaps I'll find the perfect razor cut black tuxedo jacket next season.

Jason Wu

Peplums
This might actually give me some real curves and hips, not to mention balance out my shoulders. Here's to trends that give figure-flattering options.

Thakoon

Fur and Shearling
Loved it this season, and I'm still excited to see it going strong for next season. I'm on the look out for the perfect shearling coat.

The Row

How to Wear a Crop Top

One of the big trends this season  year has been the crop top, and looking at the runways for spring it looks like the trend is not letting up any time soon.

Yet, many women are shy of this trend (for the obvious reasons). But thankfully I think I've found a  few ways to wear this trend without looking like a Britney flash back.

Go High-waisted

It's really a blessing that these two trends have occured at the same time, because they are perfect companions for one another. A crop top shows off a pair of high waisted trousers or a skirt perfectly, and the higher waist gives some modesty to a crop top.

So pair a loose crop top with a high waist, so instead of showing off your entire belly it's just an inch or less of rib cage. Cute.

Untitled by erind90 on Polyvore.com

Layer It 
The other obvious option is to layer a slim tank top underneath a crop top or bra top. You still have the look and proportions of a crop top, but with more coverage.

Untitled by erind90 on Polyvore.com

On the other hand, you can also layer over it as well, which is another preferred option of mine. A boyfriend cardigan or blazer keeps it classy, so that you are only showing off a little sliver of belly in the front.

Untitled by erind90 on Polyvore.com

Vintage Nails

I really liked this little mini-trend that's been popping up, but unfortunately my lady at Bijoux Nails had no idea* what I was talking about when I asked for half-moon nails like Dita Von Teese.
What I'm talking about are these, as seen at the Ruffian show:

Hot right?

I'm more of a classic girl, so in my DIY mine came out like this:

(I apparently have very, very shaky hands first thing in the morning. That explains a lot)

In case anyone is interested, I used Essie Mademoiselle for a base coat (middle), then Opi Thrill of Brazil for the top coat (right). The color on the left is just Essie Berry Hard, and what you have before you is my entire nail polish collection.
Yeah, I'm kind of a classic girl.

If you'd like to give it a shot, I promise it's not very hard. My usual modus operandi for giving myself a manicure is dipping my entire finger in nail polish and letting the excess fall off in the shower. So if I can do it, you can too.

Here's the Youtube tutorial I used:



*It's okay, I still love you guys anyway

Strange Trends

 Can we talk about two strange trends that I've seen surfacing for spring?
I'm all for fringe trends, I always find them more fascinating than the usual "Hem lines are up! Hem lines are down! Its a season about _____ insert: boobs, waist, legs"

Fringe trends never seem to be about figure flattery or sex appeal, which can be refreshing.

Flatforms

Possibly the least big-foot friendly shoe created. Ever.*
Yet there's something very appealing about the look of these, they make me think of geishas.

High-street designers take note: I'd like a pair like these from Opening Ceremony, aka the altar of cool.

Cacharel flatform

Feather Hair Extensions

These just might be for a style that's more boho than mine. My room-mate who looks like she walked out of a Wildfox Couture catalogue would rock these hard (I'm dropping hints for her to get some ; ) )
However, still very intrigued. I wonder how they would look after a week of washing and blow-drying?

Anyway, I'll keep you guys updated if I see any other interesting fringe trends.

* Except maybe creepers. Those I won't touch with a ten foot pole, my feet are big enough already.

Photos thanks to Style.com and Refinery 29

Body Chain Debate ft. Emma Roberts

What's all the fuss?
For some god-knows reason everyone's in a tizzy about Emma Roberts wearing a body chain. My favorite is Lovelyish doesn't even know what to call the damn thing (kinda like they didn't know to put my name on my articles that they syndicated. Hint, you call that ERIN. But I'm not irritated about it or anything).
So here's the picture that has everyone saying "OMG what is she wearing?!"

Yeah, I didn't see the big deal either.
Actually, I think it looks great. That's how I'd wear it.

Also the Queen's at The Kingdom of Style and Emily at Cupcakes and Cashmere have been rocking the body chain for a year or so now.

And I believed that I mentioned how much I loved the look (but really can't justify buying one) back in 2009 in this post here.

Anyway, a big YAY to Ms. Roberts for trying something a little different, and a big YAY for personal style. The world would be so boring without it.

P.S. If you want to try out the trend yourself for cheap, check these out:

Shoulder Chain by Nassarius $28

Body Harness by People's Couture $29

My favorite ever is still this one by Peace Images though....

Body Chains vol 4 $42

Gorgeous.

Super Hero

Lizzie Cape by Wren

I'm going to ignore the fact that I know this will make me look like I have velociraptor arms.

I will also ignore the fact that it is thoroughly impractical to carry anything other than a wristlet with this coat.

But I really want a cape. My inner five-year-old/super hero demands it.

 I know that there's a shop on Etsy that was selling perfect, navy, double breasted WWII surplus nurse capes for a reasonable price.

Now if I could just find where I stowed that link...

Fads

I'm not sure how I feel about fur coats and over the knee boots becoming a trend that everyone and their moms are wearing.

It seems that when I love something no one is making it.

Then a plethora of really awesome options become available.

Then everyone has it, and the appeal wears off a little.

Then I mentally kick myself that I didn't pick up a really awesome [insert item here] before the fad has passed.

But here's the game plan this time around.

Considering that I loved these two things before, and that they are very in my personal style (Androdynous/50's/with a bit of glamour/sex bomb thrown in. Makes sense to me anyway)

I figure I'll take this as a chance to buy some high-quality stylin' versions, then have them sit out in the time out corner for a little while until people have moved onto something new.

There's nothing as bad as trend saturation is there? Especially when you're emotionally invested.

But here's a few of my favorites from the season that I'm thinking about investing in:

Fur Coats

Just My Luxe Jacket by  Modcloth

Vintage Look Blonde Fur Coat by ASOS

Vintage Faux Fur Coat by Urban Renewal

Over the Knee Boots

Kenley Boots by Report

Nathaniel Boot by DV by Dolce Vita

Monochrome

I took another browse at the S/S 2011 runways and the one trend that definitely caught my eye was monochrome ensembles.

Again, I'm not sure if you can even call this a trend, since it's just a color choice, but it does play nicely with the whole "minimalism" trend that is resurfacing with the 90's.

I've already complained before about people who matchy-matchy match, such as one person who told me "I have a pair of gold earrings and I need to find a gold top to match".
Or my clients who still insist that you cannot pair a pink blouse with a pair of brown pants. No, they insist, the blouse, the cardigan, the shoes and the pants must all match in the exact same shade of brown.

Ugh.

So how do you pull off a monochrome ensemble and avoid looking like a color-coordinated soccer mom?

Texture, proportions, and knowing when to call it quits.

As I mentioned in my post on how to pull off minimalism, since you no longer have color to add interest to an outfit, texture and proportions become your new best friends.

Mix leather with jersey, silk with boucle, wool with linen.

texture by erind90 featuring a fur vest

Or, play with proportion. A maxi skirt with a shrunken jacket, or a long boyfriend jacket with a micro mini. Wide leg pants and a cropped top. Asymmetrical hems and architectural details are always a plus.

proportions by erind90 featuring a round toe heel

Of course, another way to do monochrome is to pick a color and stay within that color family. For example, this would still be considered a monochrome outfit, but the different shades make it interesting.

tones by erind90 featuring a round toe heel

Or mix in a big piece of gold or silver jewelery, just to break it up a little bit.

Or be a little loose with the idea of monochrome and add one pop of color, a look that is a personal favorite of mine.

color by erind90 featuring slim pants

Photos thanks to Style.com. From left to right: Acne, Calvin Klein, Bottega Veneta, Helmut Lang

Classic is Not a Trend

I think it's an absolute riot some of the things that are announced as "trends" every single season.
For example, here is four fall "trends":

camel
black
pants
lace

Since when have these not been in style?
Especially pants.

 I love it when pants are "in" this season, skirts are "in" the season after.
What's next? Shoes are "in"?
Since when is an entire category of clothing not "in"? Trust me, it's not like I'm walking around barefoot because no one has told me shoes are "in" this season.

And the strange part is that people seem to be very perplexed about this. I've had women come up to me at work and ask if dresses were still in fashion.
Um. Yeah. See above argument.
Or if black was still in style.
Trust me. Black is always the new black.
Forever and ever, amen.

So here's to a few things that I believe are classic (btw, classic can't be a trend either. that's pretty much an oxymoron) and will never go out of style.

Camel coats

Black

Lace

Knee high boots

Cardigans

Ballet flats

50's style dresses

Leather jackets

Pencil skirts

Trousers

Straight leg jeans

Button down shirts

Men's watches

Diamonds and pearls

Red lipstick

Leopard print

Sheath dress


As much as the fashion industry likes to declare something trendy, sometimes you just have to realize it was popular before, it's popular now, and it will be popular later.

Also, dressing like a lady is always in, whether it's my mom's definition or my definition (I'm much too young be wearing lady-like clothes without a wink and a smirk).

My theory is that a woman say or do anything she damn well pleases, as long as she looks like a lady.

So what are your classic items? Did I miss any on my list?


Photo thanks

Do the Gender Bender

Recently I've been admiring the androgynous movement that's been going on.

The androgyny really hit me over the side of the head when I was looking at the photo above. I personally was admiring it because I thought it was a) a great photo and b) a cute guy
My roomie looked over my shoulder and said "Wow, I love her hair cut. I wish I could pull that off"
"I think it's a dude."
"Are you sure?"
"It has no boobs."
"You don't either."
Touche roomie, touche. My point being I'm starting to feel like my generation's ideal of beauty and what is "feminine" and what is "masculine" is becoming increasingly blurry.

The fact that I'm mooning over a girl/boy and that I STILL cannot tell what gender my boss is (it's really a hilarious story. Remind me to tell you about it sometime) are only minor side-effects.

Also I've been noticing a lot of girls wearing boys clothes (all those clothes that are called boy-friend blankety blanks for example in stores)
and a lot of boys wearing makeup, jewelery (shout out to the man I met in the elevator this morning. It's JEWELERY. NOT BLING. Are you 50 cent? Didn't think so white boy) and tighter clothes than usual.

Anyway, this isn't anything new, check out these striking ladies who have been doing the gender bender way before the millenials (and oh yeah, I slipped in Adam there to represent the men.):

Patti Smith

Probably my favorite. How sexy is this picture?

Amelia Earhart

Annie Hall

Adam Lambert

My other favorite man in my life, my tailor, has been laughing because I've been bringing him in guy's clothes to nip and tuck slightly. He's always saying "But you realize these are men's clothes. Does your boyfriend know you are stealing his shirts?"
"Mustafa, don't worry about it. Can you just take it in at the waist slightly?"
and he just laughs, "Shop in your own section next time girly!"

Either way I've been really loving the look of a few menswear pieces (sometimes literally, sometimes not) mixed in with something uber-girly and light.

Here are a few photos from my inspiration folder, courtesy of Lookbook: