Archive for the ‘Fashion’ Category
Ending the Year on a Fashionable Note
December 26, 2009
New Year’s Eve is a last chance to make an impression on 2009. It was a challenging year to be sure, but it was also one that exhibited flashes of brilliance within the realms of food, fashion, and technology. Rarely has human love and ingenuity for culture been so apparent. As you look back on the past twelve months, remember it for its many pleasant surprises, and not just its bleak economy.
Use the final night of 2009 to make your own contribution to the celebration. Since this was the year that fashion became a spectacle—with its many over-the-top fashion shows and rising pop fashion icons—it’s only appropriate that you attend your New Year’s Eve with a fashion statement of your own.
New Year’s happens to be a perfect time to take some style risks since the carefree environment tends to be more forgiving (or forgetful) towards adventurous outfits. Plus, any faux pas can be left behind in the passing year as you start fresh in 2010.
Below we’ve gathered a few “statement pieces” that should appeal to various Dining DNA strands. Any one of these will sufficiently spruce up an otherwise typical cocktail dress or blazer and jeans ensemble:
A Bow Tie
Since it’s a time of the year meant for retrospection, Suave Sophisticates can cease the opportunity to make their outfits a throwback to New Years of yesteryear. A bow tie, topped off with a fedora or a blazer is always a sophisticated combination. Agile Improvisers, on the other hand, can combine a bow tie with an otherwise more casual outfit to make for a classic and quirky ensemble. Those who strive for hipsterism can also go the extra step and select a flashy tie like a colorful, velvet bow tie, or a jewel-studded one.
A Feathered Cocktail Hat
If your date happens to be a Suave Sophisticate wearing a bow tie, try being a formidable Protagonista and one-up him with an eye-catching cocktail hat that maintains the throwback theme. This pre-war chic feathered hat from Urban Outfitters is perfect for the occasion. It’s a classic beauty that tops off an outfit without sending it over the top. Consider the white feathers a blank canvas for specks of confetti. Lastly: when else will you be able to get away with sequins on a hat?
A Shiny Belt
Shiny is the general theme of New Year’s Eve. It’s one of the few occasions on which we give into our natural attraction to all things that sparkle, glow, and twinkle. If you’re a comfortable American not prone to fashion experimentation, try the simplest statement piece of the bunch—a metallic-hued belt. It’s the cheapest and most subtle options that will literally hold your outfit together. Try it with dark wash jeans.
Metallic Outerwear
Continuing with the theme of shininess, this gold vest by Pyrenex at Opening Ceremony and shimmering jacket from Phillip Lim are strictly for more adventurous protagonistas and agile improvisers. These items are useful for anyone planning to spend a portion of their night out in the cold, plus you’re bound to garner more attention than any dropping ball or fireworks display. As a side note, metallic fabrics have been cited as an upcoming fashion trend, so you may get a surprising amount of mileage out of this ostentatious outerwear.
Frilly Slippers
Women: If there’s any chance walking a straight line will be a challenge by night’s end, why not leave the heels at home? There are plenty of ways to make a statement without the added inches to your height. These Lanvin ballerina slippers are lightweight and comfortable, and still eye-catching thanks to their cool steel blue hue and ruffled trim. If, however, you’re adamant about wearing heels, you could always bring the slippers as back-up—they come with a dust bag for easy traveling. Your feet will thank you.
A Final Note
When selecting a statement piece, remember, this is New Year’s, not Halloween. You’re not aiming for a complete costume. Settling on one standout clothing item or accessory is more practical, stylish, and affordable. Consider each of the above an extra dash of spice that will bring out the flavor of your entire outfit, whether you’re a Suave Sophisticate, a Protagonista, or an Agile Improviser (or, if you just want to dress like one for the night).
Photo courtesy of:
polyvore.com;
urbanoutfitters.com;
topman.com;
openingceremony.com;
aloharag.com;
aloharag.com;
curiouswines.ie.
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En Route and in Style: How To Be Travel Chic
December 21, 2009
In the frenzy of packing for your holiday travels, the last thing on your mind may be the stylishness of the outfit you wear to the airport or train station. When you’re running late, hauling an overpacked suitcase, or managing delays and cancellations, you might consider looking coordinated and chic a lost cause.
We, however, propose that there are still good reasons to look travel chic even during this most stressful time of year. For one, the time you spend in an airport exposes you to a multitude of travelers from around the globe. It’s your chance to be a global ambassador of style – Kate Moss was discovered in an airport, after all. Second, your travel outfit may be the first outfit your loved ones see upon your arrival. The outfit you wear is the first statement you make about how your life has progressed since the last time you saw distant friends and family. Lastly, wearing your most stylish items onto the plane ensures you won’t lose them should your luggage never arrive at baggage claim.
The best part is that looking travel chic needn’t mean compromising comfort or practicality – which tend to be the two priorities when traveling long distances. By looking calm, cool, and coordinated, you encourage your mind to feel the same way. Below are some quick tips and recommendations for either men or women on clothing and accessories that can keep you looking your best, even when you’re stressed.
The Right Eyewear
When you’re jet-lagged and travel-weary, your eyes can be a window to your disgruntled soul. Yet, with the right eyewear, you can be left feeling more refreshed than red-eyed when you awake from your high altitude nap. Those who wear contact lenses should consider eyeglasses for long flights and train rides, to avoid dry eyes. We recommend a pair of Oliver Peoples‘ eyeglasses for their retro flair. Sunglasses are also useful, since they can cover up signs of weariness or double as an eye mask while napping. Try a pair of souped up Ray-Ban Wayfarers from Oak. Their iconic design will be internationally recognized, but these unique designs help to redefine the look.
The Right Jacket
You might feel the urge to play it safe and wear your puffiest, most weather resistant jacket at this time of year, especially when headed towards wintry destinations. Yet, once you’re on the plane feeling like a parade balloon, you may wish you had reconsidered. Be realistic and think about how much time you’ll actually be spending outside. If the majority of that time is comprised of walking between a cab and the airport entrance, a trim pea coat will suffice. A Burberry rain jacket is also a reliable style choice. It will provide you with the necessary protection against the elements, and, since it’s made of thin polyester, it’s easily stowed away once you’re indoors.
The Right Sweater
Since you’re opting for a lighter jacket, you’ll want the added warmth of a sweater. Layering is not only the current stylistic preference, but it also allows you to adjust to a variety of temperatures on the fly. Tri-blend and flecked sweaters are a hit at the moment. Cardigans, on the other hand, can be shed without disturbing your hairstyle or your eyeglasses. A simple, neutral-colored cardigan goes well with most outfits. Customize the look by bunching up the sleeves or buttoning and unbuttoning to your preference. Oversized cardigans can also double as mini-blankets as you get cozy in coach.
The Right Pants
While sweatpants have been documented as an increasingly accepted fashion trend, we would wait until the trend proves its staying power before we recommend wearing them outside your living quarters. Unless you’re truly dedicated to your favorite pair of jeans, it’s best to steer clear of denim as well, especially if its raw or form fitting. Travel space will be tight enough as it is. For a pair of pants that maximizes comfort without disregard for style, try American Apparel’s affordable travel pants. The name says it all. The pants come in subdued blue and gray tones, plus a jazzier red option, and at less than $70, they’re relatively wallet-friendly.
The Right Bag
The first rule with a carry-on bag is not to overstuff it. This requires a good deal of discipline in the packing stage, but it pays off in the end. Remember: a tech chic traveler is one that isn’t bogged down by heavy baggage. Your bag should not be bursting at the seems and, if necessary, you should be capable of carrying it with one hand. Upscale labels like Louis Vuitton and Givenchy make excellent weekend-style bags that provide enough space for just that – a weekend’s-worth of clothes and necessities. J. Crew also makes more affordable men’s and women’s travel bags and mini-suitcases that mimic the sophisticated look of higher end brands. When it comes to laptop bags, we prefer tighter fitting sleeves as opposed to laptop shoulder bags, which tend to be clunky.
The Right Shoes
This is arguably the trickiest category. When it comes to footwear, comfort and style are usually required to duke it out. For women this is especially true. Obviously, high heels can be problematic and could potentially slow you down. We recommend avoiding heels or keeping them reasonably low. Loafers (without socks) are the epitome of comfort and maintain a certain level of class, but might not be appropriate for harsh weather. If needed, go for boots. If you don’t have a broken-in pair, you can buy them vintage at stores like Stock in New York. Otherwise, women, try this guide to winter boots - from high to low and everything in between.
The Right Guides
Being travel chic isn’t all about appearance. It’s also about the kind of know-how that comes with being cultured and experienced. Of course, you can always turn to a little helpful cheating with the right travel guides. Louis Vuitton and Wallpaper* produce travel guides that are fashionable in both content and appearance. The Vuitton guides currently cover over a dozen major cities, while Wallpaper* covers 80. Both sets of guides cater to discerning travelers and offer a more subjective approach to travel guides by listing addresses that best capture the spirit of the destination cities, according to the editors. The guides also prioritize beauty – in both the locations they cover and their own design-conscious packaging.
Source:
“Wallpaper* City Guides” wallpaper.com;
“Louis Vuitton City Guides 2010″ luxuo.com.
Photo courtesy of:
luxuo.com.
Posted in Fashion, Travel, Vacations, holiday season | No Comments »
Tech Chic Holiday Wish List: Luxury Edition
December 4, 2009
The smartphones in our U.S. and Europe wish lists might be fashionable, but the following luxury phones are the tech chic ideal: technologically advanced while still emphasizing good style and good living.
Phones designed by esteemed fashion houses and upscale brands may be perceived as gimmicky, but the following devices attempt to perfect both form and function. Added touches include branded software elements - like themes and videos - and luxurious packaging – from sleek boxes to leather sleeves. Those with an eye for detail will find much to enjoy.
These phones aren’t just meant to be used – they’re meant to be worshiped.
Ulysse Nardin Chairman
Retail: $13,000 - $50,000
The venerated Ulysse Nardin has been making watches in Switzerland since the 19th century. With their Chairman smartphone, they approach the technology with the same care and attention to detail as they do with their watches.
The Chairman’s technology alone would be enough to make it the most impressive device on our list – there’s a 3.2-inch touch screen, 8-megapixel camera, 32 GBs of internal memory, high definition video, and built-in YouTube and Facebook. Did we mention it also has a self-winding rotor mechanism? That’s right, like an automatic watch, the Chairman uses a rotor to supply back-up kinetic energy. It’s a sophisticated combination of classic and cutting edge.
Tie it all together with the Android OS, top it off with a fingerprint scanner, and encase it in precious metals and you’ve got enough here to make James Bond giddy. Of course, Bond would probably need to trade in his Aston Martin to afford the Chairman – models start at $13,000 and will cost up to $50,000 with all the bells and whistles. With prices like that, you’ll want to get yourself one sturdy screen-protector. For those interested, the Chairman is presently up for pre-order on the phone’s Web site.
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Posted in Branding, Culinary Trends, Design-inspired, Dining DNA, Fashion, Phones, Tech Chic | 3 Comments »
The Tech Chic Report:
Survival of the Savviest Shopper
November 12, 2009
When it comes to retail shopping, those who have insider knowledge are the ones who are privy to the best prices and the widest selection of merchandise. Thanks to fashion blogs and online clothing liquidators, the hunt for the best deals on luxury merchandise requires far more cunning these days. What’s a tech chic-ster to do?
Enter Lustr, a downloadable fashion-finder app for iPhones. With its insider’s advice on the sample sales, trunk sales, and other fashion events quietly tucked away within New York’s independent boutique scene, Lustr is about to up the ante for high end shoppers. To celebrate its beta launch, the app is teaming up with Independent Retail Week: New York (which begins this Saturday, November 14) to kick off the holiday shopping season with special promotions at independent boutiques throughout the city. As the sales get better, so will the competition from other shoppers. A little timely help from the retail experts at Lustr could go a long way.
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Posted in Fashion, New York, Tech Chic, shopping | No Comments »
The Most Tweet-able of Halloweens
November 3, 2009
Halloween costumes now tend to come in two strains: the timely and the timeless. The timely ones try to recreate snapshots of the then-current personalities and time; think Bill Clinton or SpongeBob SquarePants. The timeless ones embrace the traditional figures associated with the holiday such as Dracula or the Wicked Witch.
This Halloween, timeliness certainly took the spotlight, capturing our observations and emotions of the past few months as precisely as possible. Didn’t it seem every costume was conceived as the potential topic of a tweet—a momentary display of wit for a passerby? If your costume wasn’t based on a Twitter trending topic, then the boos you heard had no association with ghosts. It was incumbent upon you to go back to the drawing board and rethink what you wore.
Even the once timeless costumes could no longer be. If you chose to dress as a witch in pointed hat, then you were an ironic witch. If you chose to be a witch with a wink, you were nothing more than a quaint reminder of the past.
In hindsight, this gravitation towards timely costumes is inevitable. Our society is becoming ever more entranced with the consumption of the here and now—instant messaging, frequently updated status messages, Twittering, feeds on what your colleagues, friends, and virtual friends are doing and the like. We’ve become gluttons of the instantaneous. We want more of “it” faster since what is brilliant one minute becomes completely irrelevant the next.
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Posted in Community, Fashion, Halloween, Social Media, Traditions, Trends | No Comments »
The Tech Chic Report:
Gareth Pugh’s Gadget Fashion
October 21, 2009
Sometimes a perfect storm produces a killer phone accessory. This time, the three-way collision is between Paris boutique colette, Apple, and rising designer Gareth Pugh. The result: An iPhone case and MacBook sleeve that draw a continuum between Pugh’s groundbreaking clothing designs and the rather limited world of gadget fashion. Read More »
Posted in Design, Fashion, Phones, Tech Chic, Tech Chic Report | No Comments »
Some More Wisdom on Crowds:
The Euro Couture Crowd
October 16, 2009
Dior. Dolce and Gabbana. Lanvin. Just saying the euphonic names of these labels out loud feels indulgent. If you’re going to wear something from one of these design powerhouses, you better be ready to turn heads. What these labels lack in subtlety they more than make up for in shock value.
There’s a particular crowd that’s drawn to the ethereal glow of these clothing lines. They’re the people who like their blazers sharp, their heels high, and their service V.I.P. The Dolce and Gabbana crowd usually accessorizes with martinis and cosmos. The bars, lounges, and clubs they inhabit are like the clothes they wear—either trendy and fashion forward or classic and elegant. Read More »
Posted in Community, Crowds, Fashion, Lifestyle | No Comments »
Fashion Sees an Increase in Asian Names, But What About Asian Faces?
October 14, 2009
The Wall Street Journal recently announced the arrival of a rising generation of fashion designers – namely, the new Asian-American designers. With 25 designers of Asian descent sending their designs down the runways at last month’s New York Fashion Week, the prominence of Asian-Americans in the world of fashion design couldn’t go unnoticed by the mainstream media for much longer.
Names like Peter Som, Phillip Lim, Doo Ri Chung, Thakoon, and Jason Wu, have elicited warm praise from the critics with their cutting edge designs and knack for skillful tailoring. These designers are also meant to represent a triumph for a group that, until recently, was underrepresented in the creative realm of fashion design. Consequently, they’re used as symbol of progress in an industry that is often criticized for its lack of racial and ethnic inclusiveness.
Yet, as the fashion industry gets comfortable with more Asian names appearing on the labels of clothes, it hasn’t fully embraced the idea of putting more Asian faces on the covers of magazines. With all the designers of Asian descent working behind the scenes, Asian and Asian-American models still struggle to get on the runways and in advertisements.
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Posted in Community, Fashion, Trends | No Comments »
Burberry Prorsum:
Heritage Embraces the Digital Fountain of Youth
October 6, 2009
Fashion critics don’t get much warmer or fuzzier than they did at the unveiling of Burberry Prorsum’s Spring 2010 line at this year’s London Fashion Week. A critic’s scorn is rarely more stinging than within the realm of fashion, so when the highly anticipated show left the critics fawning, head designer Christopher Bailey must have breathed a long sigh of relief.
British Vogue called it Bailey’s best collection yet, while Style.com described the line as glamorous and youthful. Some went so far as to say Bailey had completely redefined the trench coat. Considering the focus on Burberry’s youthfulness and fashion forward bent, it’s hard to believe that just over 10 years ago the line was, according to The New York Times, a “moldering, old British clothing line” unable to shake off its tradition of producing drab, durable, military jackets. Read More »
Posted in Branding, Fashion, Social Media | 1 Comment »
Spring Fashions Seek to Revive Us with Nature
September 17, 2009
Last week we reported on Fashion’s Night Out, which we saw as a glimmer of hope and an escapist celebration for a world hampered by economic doldrums. Now, it seems designers are looking to bring back hippie ideals and romanticism by weaving nature into the Spring/Summer 2010 lines debuting at New York Fashion Week, and it could signal the start of a long mood recovery for a nation rising from hardship.
By using flowing fabrics and organic flourishes (like the bent wood used to form belts and sandals by Maria Cornejo), designers seem to be encouraging a rebirth and a return to simplicity. Vivienne Tam took the hippie theme to an extreme by using bold butterfly designs as the unifying theme for her line. Meanwhile, Band of Outsiders featured summer suits and a set made to resemble a beach – New York Magazine suggests the models might “symbolize especially good-looking Lehman Brothers staffers who have jettisoned their job searches and cast away on this strange island.”
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