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Dress Along To: Begin Again by Taylor Swift

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Oh, dear God! It’s Monday already! But hey! Cheer up! Monday means a brand new week is here for us to seize! Just think of all the great experiences ahead of us, the beautiful clothes we’re gonna wear on the following days, and the lovely combos we can make with them… 

Anyway, I do know it can be hard waking up from the weekend, but you know what helps a lot? Music! And what can be better than that? Music + Fashion. That’s why I’ve created this section: Dress Along. Here I’ll choose a song per week and afterwards, I’ll proceed to check out the music video’s wardrobe.

“I’ve been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does is break, and burn, and end… but on a Wednesday, in a café, I watched it begin again”…

Do you recognize it? Yes! Those are lyrics from Taylor Swift’s “Begin Again”. If you haven’t watched the video, what are you waiting for? Here it is! 

The outfit that caught my eye from this production is the one Taylor wears most of it: a pleated flowered long white & blue skirt with a translucent bowed light blue blouse. It exhales nostalgia because she’s remembering her long lost love and, at the same time, she’s recalling the first time she saw her new beloved. It’s a rather classic composition, but vintage looks are in nowadays.

The skirt is up to the waist so she looks taller. The pleats help it have more volume and motion, which ads grace to her every move. Light colors reflect light on her face so she’ll look younger. The bow in the center focuses the attention to her chest, distracting it from the ribs & waist, causing the illusion of a torso like this: V, making her appear slimmer.  The baggy short sleeves contribute to this effect.

Remember: if you have some tummy to hide, wear the skirt up to the waist with a baggy top, it will disguise it! ;)

I’d wear the skirt with a simple cotton plain white t-shirt as well. A different option for a good matching clothing piece is a white silk chemise or a white collared top. Most colors are allowed when talking about t-shirts, of course, but just plain shirts, ok? Don’t add any more patterns because we have enough with the one on the skirt. Now, if you really want to wear something patterned, make sure the pattern belongs to the same style and well, it can’t be a t-shirt anymore, it has to be something a little more formal. Preferably, the pattern has to be smaller than the one on the skirt. It’s perfect for a walk around the park or an informal brunch.

The look fits the song perfectly, don’t you think? What do you say? Taylor knows about style? Are you going to dress along?

Have a wonderful day and remember to dream on and shine all over, my crazy diamonds! We have a whole new week ahead of us and who knows what surprises it may bring us… 

Take Care, my friends! Lotta Love! Ciao! 

Givenchy: Ricardo Tisci’s Gothic Glamour

In the world of fashion, as in any, really, your reputation precedes you. The hardest part of it all is working at one of the Grandes Maisons, labels specialized in haute couture that have been around for a while now. Why? Because there are a lot of expectations, like, for example, “Will s/he be able to keep up the brand’s style and add his/her personal touch?” or “Will s/he just imitate the previous designer”. But hey! The good news is that this is just at the beginning, when the public is sort of testing you. If you survived a whole year, you made it. There are even some times when the acceptance is so big the designer becomes the maison, like Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel or Ricardo Tisci and Givenchy.

1) Look A

Givenchy is one of the big legends, and belongs to the classics-with-a-style-not-so-classic; well, no, what could be classier than Holly Goligthly’s (Audrey Hepburn’s) beautiful black dress at “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”? Yes my friends, a Givenchy production. Being completely honest, I recently watched “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and that’s were I thought to myself: “Hey! Why haven’t you written about Givenchy?” So here I am.

After Hubert de Givenchy, founder of the label, John Galliano (former Dior Creative Director) took it over, but it was until 2005 when Givenchy’s Womenswear division passed to Tisci’s hands.  In 7 years, Ricardo Tisci has shown us a new both, glamorous and gothic face of Givenchy that we love more and more as seasons go by. Want to love it too? Parfait! Here, from the Spring-Summer 2013 Prêt-à-Porter Givenchy Collection, my Top Three:

2) Look B

1) Look A. Interesting indeed. I love the blouse. The cut of the upper layer is unusual, but it completes perfectly the look along with the halter underneath. Halter blouses make your neck look longer, stylize your torso and give the illusion of leaner arms. The transparencies used are a trick to make them think you’re not showing anything but then again, you are. Also, see how the layer on top is bigger? It is so because that way people perceive the body covered with the halter is smaller (in other words, thinner). The metallic brooches give it a futuristic taste, don’t they? Though I’m not sure about the detail on the neck. I mean, it does reflect light, but then again, makes the neck look thicker, counteracting the effect of the halter. What do you think? I adore the shoes. That barefoot appearance is the perfect to go with the artificiality of the rest of the outfit. The skirt is really pretty, pencil cut with the piece of fabric on the front that sways along as you walk. The metallic brooches in this part of the look make you focus on the central part of the body, marked by the part of fabric that hangs at the center of the skirt and is smaller than the whole piece, making you look thinner. Again, layers.

3) Look C

2) Look B. Turtle neck to make the neck appear longer. Sleeves that open at the end for the visual effect of smaller hands. Stitches at the center to divide the body in two and make the torso appear smaller. Stitches under the shoulders to make the arms appear leaner. The star of this outfit is the skirt (same as the previous one) and it’s tail. Look how it flows with the wind! If only life could be like that!

3) Look C. Now, this is what I was talking about! Hello, Gothic princess! The upper part is gorgeous! Look at the detail on the neck! Wow! So many faux necklaces and the fact that they’re in dark colors, make the neck look longer. The bagginess on the upper part of the body is meant to contrast to the faux belt on the waist, so it appears to be smaller. The fact that the skirt (from hips to the edge) isn’t wider than the top makes us look thinner.  The black jeans underneath are just to make it casual, but here’s an interesting effect you may cause if wearing leggings: Tell me, where are the knees? The legs seem longer than they really are, making us look taller and generally, slimmer.

I’d certainly explore my dark side wearing Givenchy, I mean, wouldn’t you? Gotta go, crazy diamonds! And remember, shine all over and dream on because that’s what we’re meant to do! Lotta Love. Ciao!

P.S. Images taken from Vogue ES. Here’s the link to de photo shoot of the whole runway show!

http://www.vogue.es/desfiles/primavera-verano-2013-paris-givenchy/7871

Copy Cat-Walk: Drew Barrymore

Style could be called the 6^th sense, because even though it’s related with sight, being able to see doesn’t mean being able to match glamorously. Really, one of the advantages of it is its capability to be developed, so well, that’s another difference: you’re not born with it, it grows in you. One of the many mistakes made is that people often believe that designers’ clothes and expensive brands guarantee style and I don’t have to say they’re awfully wrong, right? Oops! I said it. Because it’s true.  You don’t have to have an expensive wardrobe to outstand, garments sold at places like H&M, Forever21, Zara or Mango, will do.

For today’s post we’ll get inspired by someone who mixed pretty basic pieces that clarify haute couture isn’t the only one able to create a fashionable outfit: Drew Barrymore. This is what drew wore for an informal outing at the launch of Kimberly Snyder’s nutritional juice bar, Glow Bio, and it granted her a place into the Best Dressed on the week from November 12 to 18 by VOGUE UK (http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/celebrity-photos/2012/11/12/best-dressed-12/11/12/gallery/1).

So, what to you say? Shall we begin?

Who is Drew Barrymore?

An American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer, and model, descendant of the legendary John Barrymore. Her whole family is in the film industry either as producers, actors, screenwriters or directors. Her breakout role as in Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”. She had a difficult childhood and spent most of her teens in drugs and alcohol, but after being in Rehab twice she found her way through it and now she’s one of the brightest stars.

What is she wearing?

Drew Barrymore

Drew is wearing dark blue skinny jeans, black boots, a horizontally stripped black & white t-shirt and a sport coat. Now, I know I’ve been saying for a while now that horizontal stripes make us look bigger, and well, I’m right about that one, but if you want to wear them, this is a perfect way to do so: with layers. Remember visual illusions are here to help, and that our brain perceives that the last layer (from outside to inside, the first one outside being number one) is our real body surface. What did Drew do here? Wear a blazer that shortens the amount of stripped t-shirt we see, leaving a well-defined opening.

Here’s something important, how do I know it’s a sport coat? If the fabric is light and manageable, it is a sport coat, if not, it’s a jacket. The advantage of this blazer is that it delineates Drew’s body at the aperture, letting us see something like this: ) ( : the basic woman figure.

I wouldn’t have worn boots though the trick is that they sort of match the jeans and therefore they produce the effect of longer legs.

Why skinny jeans? They’re the best choice for us girls, they define our legs perfectly and in dark colors, stylize them a whole world.

See how she tucked in the t-shirt? It creates this baggy-shirt effect that make us believe she’s slimmer than she really is because it’s as if her body was too thin for the garment. Plus: it hides tummy bumps if any.  

How to copy?

This one’s a really easy one, isn’t it? I believe I have the elements to copy Drew’s outfit right here in my bedroom!

3 Final tips:

1)   I’d recommend pumps instead of boots, because high heels + skinny jeans are a killing combo.

2)   Wear colored blazers, warm colors (pink, red, orange, yellow), are the best options.

3)   Accessories! There isn’t that much place in here for accessories, but a bracelet with charms in one hand makes a real difference.

4)   You can wear this at a breakfast, at school, for a cup of coffee, at a brunch, at the office (most of them). Make this your wild card.

Well, my crazy diamonds, I hope you enjoyed today’s post! Keep shinning all over and dreaming on like I know you love to and until Thursday! Lotta love. Ciao! 

Altuzarra: The Fashion World's Capricious Boy

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Today we’re going to talk about a relatively, new talent: Joseph Altuzarra. Altuzarra worked as an intern in Marc Jacobs after sending his resume to the company in a whim. He consolidated his career as designer for Givenchy, even when he didn’t have such a warm welcoming to the company, why? Because he hadn’t studied fashion like everybody else; fun fact: He actually majored in art. No wonder he’s got such an extraordinary vision!

Altuzarra is not afraid of experimenting and innovating over and over again. His designs are quite unorthodox, but, oh, God! Aren’t they wonderful!

2) Look B

1) Look A

Wanna take a look? Alrighty! Here it is, from the Summer-Spring 2013 Ready-to-Wear Altuzarra Collection, my Top Three:

1) Look A. Whoa, the jacket!!! You can wear it either putting your arms inside the sleeves or, as we can see on the image, not! It adds movement to the walking, plus a lot of poise: it sort of reminds us of the preppy boys, doesn’t it? The rest of the garment ‘s got a rather traditional cut. I love the patterns, but remember, if you’re a little bigger than usual, they’re definitely not a good idea. What is a good idea is the t-shirt underneath, for example: long V-neck, vertical lines, and hidden by the layer on top. The skirt is classic as well, but look at the belt: Genius! The belt helps us look slimmer by being wide at the edges and thin at the center. Why? It produces this “v” effect that makes us believe the waist is smaller. Tell me what the heart of the outfit is? The clasp of the belt (which becomes he point of the “v”). Also, thanks to the belt it seems you’ve worn the skirt up to the waist, which is all the glamour without the discomfort.

2) Look B. Wow! I fell in love with this outfit. Skirt up to the waist with a large edge belt-like on the upper part, a little black jacket that works the same way as the previous outfit, and that beautiful blouse. Love the golden frills and the aperture on the chest (it divides it into two and makes us look leaner). The neck detail (haltery) is always a good option because it outlines the neck and makes it look longer. Plain colors, especially black, favor any body structure.

3) Look C

3) Look C. Now, this is what I was talking about when I mentioned imagination! The golden top with fake scales is amazing! Pros: The relieve hides any tummy you might have. Cons: The relieve makes your body look bigger. Where’s the skirt up to? That’s right, the waist! Attention! Be careful and make sure the gap on the bottom is small; if it’s open you’ll look pretty large because it will follow the fall right from the hips, which happens to be a very wide body part. Gap on the bottom small? How do I even walk? That’s why Altuzarra placed that strategic opening on the left side of the item. The final detail is that sort of scarf she’s got on the right side of the upper part of her body and tied around her waist, falling gently on the hips. Falling on the hips? It makes them look bigger and therefore, your waist looks smaller. Covering the right side of the top is another mind trick: it makes our brains believe the model is as thin as the part of the golden top that shows.

What do you say? Altuzarra’s got a bright future ahead of him? I certainly think so! Have a wonderful day, my crazy diamonds! Shine all over and dream on like you always do! Lotta Love.

P.S. Images taken from Vogue ES. The whole collection is wonderful, be my guest:

http://www.vogue.es/desfiles/altuzarra-primavera-verano-2013/7636/galeria/14110/image/638291

Copy Cat-Walk: Elle Fanning

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Once upon a time there was a little girl who happened to be Dakota Fanning’s baby sister. This girl grew up awfully fast and, with only 13 years old, she attended to Paris Fashion Week for the Chanel Couture Extravaganza runway show at the grand palais. Enough? Never, that same year (2011) WMagazine had her photographed along with her sister for a special article called: “Sister Act”. Ever since then, she has only continued climbing the ladder of success, participating in several audiovisual productions and, on top of all, becoming a true fashionista. Who am I talking about? Elle Fanning, of course.

VOGUE UK

She’s pretty amazing, isn’t she? With only 14 years old she dresses up as many of us would like to. For this Tuesday’s entry, we’re going to analyze Elle’s look when attending the screening of Ginger & Rosa at L.A. last week, which awarded her a place into VOGUE UK best dressed celebrities from November 5, 2012 to November 9, 2012. Here’s the link! (http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/celebrity-photos/2012/11/5/best-dressed---09/11/12/gallery/11).

So much for an introduction, don’t you think so? Let’s get started!

Who is Elle Fanning?

Elle Fanning is an American actress who started acting at age 2, playing the role of her sister’s younger version in the mini-series Taken.  You may have seen her in I Am Sam (2001), Babel (2006), The curious case of Benjamin Button (2008) among others. Her most recent participation was on the film “Ginger & Rosa”, where she plays Ginger.

What is she wearing?

Elle is covered in Dolce & Gabbana, from the tip of her toes to the top of her head.

Just Jared

The shoes don’t show very well (boomer), but thanks to JUST JARED (http://www.justjared.com/photo-gallery/2754170/elle-fanning-ginger-rosa-screening-with-christina-hendricks-10/), here’s another picture where we can actually look at them: Beautiful pointy white lace shoes! Perfect for the classical look. Why are these a good option? Because they pump up every look. You could be wearing blue skinny jeans, a plain random color t-shirt and a little jacket and voilà! Add the shoes and you’re extra chic.

The skirt is perfect for her because, well, she’s still a child. It’s very formal and, see how it goes right under the knees? That’s alright if you’re her height (1.70). Never use one of this without high heels, never! It accentuates the waist and makes it look smaller due to the falling of the fabric, which sort of opens at the end.

The chemise is pretty basic: white, in what appears to be silk, baggy sleeves, smaller collar details: perfect. The master stroke? The ribbon. What a ribbon! It’s “T” shaped and falls beautifully on her chest, giving an unusual taste to the whole thing. It invades “all that white”, which makes our brains believe she’s thinner, like all there is is the ribbon, or the white that remains uncovered.

Final detail: the headband. WHAT A HEADBAND! A beaded accessory that completes any outfit.

How to copy?

High cut skirts (up to the waist) that open op all the way to the end. Wear it with a chemise and remember, no patterns! Just plain colors. Match wisely, here’s a page where you can actually see if they match or not: http://colorschemedesigner.com

Pumps with pointy or round ends are perfect for the outfit. Remember, if your skirt goes right under your knees, high heels are mandatory.

Instead of the ribbon (which can be easily imitated), you can also wear a brooch, preferably one that contains a big jewel and it’s metal platform, nothing else.

The beaded headband can be found at any mall, really. Wear them with your hair down, a pony tail, a braided bun (or just the bun)… there’s a world of possibilities, try them all and see what favors you the most!

And that’s pretty much it, crazy diamonds! Easy, huh? Remember to shine all over and dream on! (Though I do know I shouldn’t tell you to do so because you do it anyway). Until Thursday! Ciao!

Versace: Little Black Dreams

“I scream for quality and fantasy.”- Gianni Versace

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Whenever somebody talks about Italian fashion, three labels pop into my mind immediately: Gucci, Armani and Versace. Now, I’ve already spoken about Gucci and Armani, so it’s about time to complete the holly triad with a post dedicated to Gianni Versace’s legacy. Why hadn’t I written about it yet? Because, to be honest, I didn’t like their haute couture fall/winter 2012-13 collection (Sorry!). The thing was that the colors used at their designs were too bright for the season. I know fall/winter isn’t synonym of opacity, but it’s certainly necessary.

1) Look A

Why? Well, have you noticed how when it’s really hot wearing dark colors makes us feel like we’re getting cooked? That’s because dark colors absorb light, which goes through a process I’m totally unfamiliar with that ends up turning luminosity into heat. What most of us want during fall and winter is to be nicely warm, right? Unless you live on the southern part of the hemisphere where there’s sun and fun, which makes Versace’s fall/winter haute couture collection perfect for you. Bright colors reflect the light, so it doesn’t capture it and no extra energy is heating up our bodies.

2) Look B

The comical thing is that Versace’s prêt-à-porter fall/winter 2012-13 collection is based on a dark palette, mainly black, one of my favorite colors. I know we’ve been checking out Summer-Spring 2013 collections, but the weather has become really cold lately and I thought, “I love all new collections, but this climate inspires me to write about fall/winter instead.” And so I’m doing. Here’s my Top Three from Versace’s prêt –à-porter fall/winter 2012-13 creations:

3) Look C

1) Look A. Simple but complex at the same time; futuristic yet classic; bright and dark at the same time: a complete paradox. The cut of the dress is pretty simple, what makes the garment a real something is the detail on the upper part of the outfit, that silver horseshoe shaped detail. What is it that makes it great? This bright thing reflects the light into our faces, eliminating shades and therefore, making us look younger. As we can see, the rest of it is black, which every woman knows helps us to appear to be thinner. The plus here is that the faux metal feature on top outlines the figure, so when we see the person wearing we focus on the darkest part and our brain thinks: ”Oh! That’s a really teeny tinny body.” Another thing, see where the horseshoe-like element ends? Right under the ribs, right before the waist. What does this do? Generate the illusion of a longer torso, a leaner body and a smaller waist. 

2) Look B. Another paradox. The cut is traditional, the faux metal downward “T” is the modern touch that revolutions the whole outfit. The horizontal light colored line is in the same place the horseshoe detail of the previous dress ended, see? It has the same purpose: leaner body, taller woman, smaller waist. The vertical line right in the middle of the chest divides it into three perfectly equal parts. Vertical lines will always make you look taller and thinner, specially if it’s only one in the middle, because it cuts you into two and instead of seeing one full-size bloc, we see two little ones.

3) Look C. This piece leans more to modernity than to classics, even though the cut is, like in the previous dresses, traditional. The neckline is wide and goes a long way down, which could make the upper part of your body look bigger than it actually is. The details that define the waist and go from the lower half of the breasts right to the hips delineate and redefine the shape of our body, creating curves even if they’re not there. See how they outstand at their ends (upper and lower)? That’s because the metallic edges, being so bright and out, make the breasts look bigger and the hips look wider.

What has Versace taught us today? That it takes one meaningful and unique thing to revolution your whole image and transmit your essence. Have you found it yet?

I hope you are having little black dreams tonight where you’ll be wearing these beautiful little black dresses, I’m certainly gonna. And if you wear them awake, well, you’re probably walking on a dream. Speaking of dreams, promise me to always dream on, crazy diamonds, because dreams built our future and help us become who we really are: bright stars meant to shine all over.

Now go ahead and have a wonderful day! Lotta Love.

P.S. Not enough pics? All the images were taken from Vogue ES, check out all the runway looks!

http://www.vogue.es/desfiles/versace-otono-invierno-2012-2013/7295/galeria/13525/image/599814