Fashion Week Favorites (So Far...)

The Shows:

Vena Cava

What I'm digging: The breezy skirts/dresses, typewriter print, and bits of menswear

Marchesa

What I'm digging: One gorgeous, gorgeous dress after another, beautiful draping/movement

L.A.M.B.

What I'm digging: The London-y feel, shades, 50s headscarves, and eye-popping prints

Street Style:

Only one thing to say -- Gasp!!!


Quirky, yet fabulous

Fashion week is spewing out some great stuff this year! I'm surprised by some things, like the fact that I like the L.A.M.B. collection so much, and unsurprised by others, like the fabulousness of the street style. What do you think? Any favorite collections? Styles you're itching to try? Accessories to DIY?

Photos courtesy of Style.com and Facehunter.

Designer-Inspired Outfits

I put together some designer-inspired outfits with friendly price tags 'cause I love you guys so much. I hope you enjoy this as much as your wallet will!


Lace sorbet dress, $45 V for Vintage
Granny satchel, $58 Urban Outfitters
Double bar pump, $21.45 ASOS


Eyelet border jewel dress, $36.50 Wet Seal
Black patent quilted handbag, $36 Plasticland
Chain flat, $29.50 Alloy


Lace tube dress, $27.80 Forever 21
Leopard quilted chain purse, $36 Fred Flare
Aberdeen heel, $29.50 Alloy

Phew! That took FOREVER. Without the proper encouragement, I may never do it again (hint, hint, hint). Are there any other designer labels you would like to see me translate into a cheap outfit? Are there any specific runway looks you would like me to duplicate at a lower price?

DIY Runway Accessories

A few days ago, I was browsing through all the old DIY posts on Style Bytes, and was inspired by the way Agathe found ways to recreate certain runway accessories on her own for a fraction of the price. So, I headed to style.com, determined to find my own DIY projects, and here's a few of the things I came up with:


The Carolina Herrera sunglasses on the left aren't very practical, but I think they look amazing perched on that model's updo. And I think they could be easily made with a pair of old sunglasses and some lace or even a paper doiley. Just glue on the lace or doiley with modge podge or some other gloss, cut off the excess, and add an extra coat to seal it. I also like the Karl Lagerfeld lace arm warmers on the right. I plan to look for an old lace shirt and cut the sleeves off to make some of my own. Both the sunglasses and the arm warmers would look fantastic with a black leather jacket or vest, no?


If you look at the Anna Sui fall collection, it's bursting with DIY projects. I especially like the necklace on the left, which could be made with a small picture frame. Cut a piece of construction paper to fit the frame, cut some aluminum foil or gold paper to make letters, and glue them to the paper. Put it in the frame, and glue a wire loop on the back. Use the loop to attatch the frame to a necklace. I also like the waist pouch on the right, which could be created by sewing a piece of fabric to act as a belt loop on the back of a pouch and threading a chain (which you can get at the hardware store for very cheap) through it.

Let me know if any of you attempt these projects, or if you come up with some of your own. I'd love to see pictures! Email me! If I manage to find time to get the supplies I need, I'll post photos of my own projects. I'm not very crafty, but I did recently sew sequins on a somewhat drab trapeze tank and add a ribbon around the waist. I was very proud, since it turned out pretty well. You can see it here.

Heatherette Goes to Oz

I have always struggled to understand why certain designers present us with inherently unwearable, wacky collections. I understand their need as artists to play with volume, color, and texture, but I wonder how this works from a business point of view. Almost every job that exists requires the cooperation of the consumers. How can a designer make money off of pricey clothing that no one will buy?

While I remain confused as to the answer to this question, Heatherette's fall collection makes more sense to me. Yes, it's undeniably zany and has few pieces that I could picture someone actually wearing, but I can see why something inspired by The Wizard of Oz would have to be that way. TWoO is a story of a girls life turned completely upside down, a story of her life twisted into a crazed world where her neighbor is a wicked witch, lions can talk, and everything is in technicolor. When you think of it that way, the collection makes sense. After all, what represents Oz better than a myriad of colors and textures, models and celebrities, music and dance? Why shouldn't a delicate pale yellow dress be paired with metallic bondage straps? Why shouldn't space-age suits share the runway with vintage-look bags? Sure, it's twisted and loud and hard to wrap your mind around, but I appreciate that. Dorothy must have felt the same way when she first set eyes on Munchkin Land.

I am probably overly obsessed with The Wizard of Oz.

Planet Lulu!

So tonight was my first experience with Planet Lulu. Planet Lulu is a monthly online sample sale featuring tons of designer pieces at killer prices. And by killer prices, I mean 50%-70% off. I didn't really know what to expect tonight, but I logged on at 9:00pm PST (that's 12:00 in EST, which is where I live) and checked it out. I was actually very impressed by the selection. There were only one or two of my favorite items, but the prices were so good and a lot of the clothing was gorgeous. I was expecting so-so items at so-so prices, so this was a pleasant surprise. That said, I wasn't prepared for the fact that the best pieces were sold within minutes (and by best, I mean anything extremely cheap or in medium sizes, so if you're on the larger or smaller side, consider yourself lucky). I am a somewhat careful buyer. After a few unfortunate impulse buys in my early youth, I have perfected the art of deciding whether I really want something. The issue here is that I didn't have time to consider the pros and cons of my would-be purchases. By the time I decided that I did want to buy a gorgeous $9.00 Cosabella dress, it was gone. I was ashamed of myself. It seems the best tactic is to buy first, think later, and make the necessary returns. Ah well. Next month I'll be prepared.


This is the Cosabella dress that was cruelly torn away from me. It was marked down from $140.00 to $9.00. If you are the one who bought the last one, I'm afraid I'll have to kill you slowly and painfully.


If I was able to make it to my prom, I would snag this little number. What could be better than an adorable Betsey Johnson dress for $99.00? And it used to be $275.00, which makes it even better. (What can I say...getting something expensive at a cheap price makes me feel good)

Wanna get in on the action? The sale is invitation-only, so go here to sign up for an invite.

Abaete and Lela Rose for Payless

I'm getting kinda psyched for Abaete and Lela Rose's collections for Payless. The Abaete collection is due to hit stores in March '07. As in this month. So get ready for a major shopping spree! The Lela Rose collection won't be available until Fall '07, but that gives us plenty of time to get excited.

The above pictures are my 2 favorite shoes from each collection. The Abaete shoes on the top left are funky, unique, and they have the spring bling-bling trend down flat. Whether I can walk in them is another story. The Abaete shoes on the bottom left are what I like to call retro-fabulous. I'm a big fan of flat boots because I refuse to put my feet in anything that will cause them pain (well, unless it's absolutely gorgeous). I could see these boots with a lot of current trends, like jumpers, tunics, retro dresses, and pretty spring dresses. These are my favorite shoes from the 2 collections, so I will be picking up a pair of these. Hey, the price is right! The Lela Rose collection includes some pretty nice shoes as well. The pair featured on the top right is adorable. I love the t-strap look, and I love how they are chunky, but still femenine. I may have to spring for these as well. The red pair beneath these is nice, too. I don't find it incredibly special, but, like most red pumps, it has that old Hollywood glamour appeal.

Just to show how awesome the boots are, I'm posting a picture I found of a girl wearing similar boots. The pic is from the flickr group Wardrobe Remix, and it was uploaded by liebemarlene.

Cheap Designer Apparel

www.bluefly.com
Clothing, Accessories
Discount shopping online just doesn't get better than this, with an ever-changing and growing selection of designer clothing and accessories. Searching by size and designer is a snap.

www.designerapparel.com
Yes! The average person can now afford designer clothing!

www.smartbargains.com
Clothing, Accessories, HomeAn outlet center online: get everything from linens to Loehmann's fashion overstock.