Ahoy, Matey!

It seems that the nautical trend rings true every spring season, and Spring 2011 is not an exception. Not that I am opposed, because I am particularly smitten with the classic navy/white stripe boatneck shirt. However, the nautical trend is so much more than just sailor stripes! Inspired by sailor ropes, espadrilles with their heel of braided rope are gracing the feet of women with their casual appeal. Stuart Weitzman has introduced his own take on the trend, a sky-high espadrille heel with braided straps, and this year, designer Michael Kors has incorporated the “ropes” into shoulder straps for his casual bags. 

MICHAEL Michael Kors Marina Large Shoulder Tote: Sun, $198.

Stuart Weitzman Womens "Alex" Sandals: Ivory Crochet, $365.

And of course, the most notable, the classic navy and white stripes have been fashioned on shirts and dresses. I have many navy/white striped shirts and sweaters, but I will probably purchase more as the season continues! Like I said, I’m smitten by the stripes! I love this Lucky Brand dress from Nordstrom's paired with the brown belt and sandals! So adorable! 

- Jennifer

Lucky Brand Stripe T-Shirt Dress from Nordstrom: American Navy/Wild Oats, $59.50. 

Could she be any cuter? A look at Alexa Chung

picture from www.guardian.co.uk

 Alexa Chung is without a doubt, one of my foremost fashion inspirations. Not only does she have the most fabulous wardrobe with a quirky chic/tomboyish/cheeky school girl bent, she's also a television host/model/British Vogue contributor. Not to mention the fact that she's dating Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys but her cool factor has definitely upped due to the fact that she has joined the ranks of it girls like Jane Birkin with an eponymous purse designed by Mulberry with her as inspiration and namesake. Also, I love her winged retro eyeliner and chopped, chin-length bob - let's face it: she's adorable. She makes style effortless, classy, but also playful in an elegant gamine way. In a recent question and answer session with The Guardian, she proves yet again why she's somebody to watch. Responding to a question of how she wanted to be remembered, Chung stated, "As someone who inspired women to dress for themselves." With the bevy of admirers that she has, her success professionally and her growing fame as a sartorial star, I think she's already accomplished that.  - C

Spring Stripes!

I have always loved stripes, especially contrasting color combos, such as black and white, navy and cream, and true green and white. This spring, I have noticed that stripes are being used, and I love the lines that stripes create when incorporated in small and large pieces! Here are just a few pieces that I love with stripes!

I have an obsession with hair accessories; I am always searching for a new hair clip or headband that won't clash with my flaming red hair. In the Nordstrom March 2011 catalog, they featured this Cara skinny headband. I love the black and white headband but I think all the colors are so vibrant and so fabulous for Spring! 

Nordstrom: Cara Accessories Skinny-Bow Headband, $28.

I do not like rain, but if I bought this umbrella, I'd want it to rain all the time! I love the cherry red accents  on this graphic umbrella.

Kate Spade Umbrella, $75.

I love the lines that DVF uses in this retro-inspired swimwear! I have always associated great stripes with DVF; I truly believe that DVF uses stripes better than any other designer. She understands them, and she speaks their language. 

Diane von Furstenberg Maryelle Striped Swimwear, $125-$135. 

-J

Let's PLAY!

picture from www.katespade.com

I'm obsessed with the new PLAY option on the kate spade website. Simply go to the website @www.katespade.com and click on PLAY to look at a variety of items related to kate spade spring-summer 2011. This is a great option for me - it allows me to have all of the fun of the whimsical, lovely kate spade merchandise without actually having to buy things (which, thanks to spring semester's academic costs and my mid-term celebration/consolation shopping spree, is my sad reality). I especially love the new advertisement campaign that they have this spring - Bryce Dallas Howard looks winsome and ready-for-spring! Another great feature is the inspiration board, which was compiled by creative director Deborah Lloyd. But I think my favorite feature of the kate spade spring-summer 2011 campaign is their short film Seven Henrietta Street, which is beautiful and reminiscent of Breakfast at Tiffany's with a quirky hipster prep vibe. Basically, it's stinkin' ADORABLE and epitomizes that classy playful element that IS kate spade.

 

 Go PLAY on www.katespade.com - it's the perfectly capricious way to welcome Spring! - C

Alexander McQueen Polyvore Set

A recent Polyvore set that I made :) 

I love this black/nude Alexander McQueen short dress.

Plus, the Yves Saint Laurent clutch is super cute! 

AND I totally want that Chanel nude nail polish! 

- J

Link to the original Polyvore set:

Click Here to be Directed to My Polyvore

It has been a little while since I have posted a blog entry, but I have been so busy! First semester of college was cake, who knew that the second semester would be harder? I didn't!

I've been falling behind on informing, but Cady and I both have a Twitter now. Follow us on Twitter to get daily insight into fashion and shopping-related news.

Follow me: www.twitter.com/the_purchaser
Follow Cady: www.twitter.com/cadylang

I had an interview at Ann Taylor LOFT today, and I hope I get the position! If not, better luck next time :)

Love, Jenny 

Ithaca is STILL SNOWY - WHY?

Snow day this morning. It's the week before spring break, which equals lots of stress. In fact, as I write this, I am trying to avoid thinking about my two essays, loads of reading, and quiz that will basically embody my midterm grades (along with the two exams and quiz I took last week). But back to my thoughts about snow days - at first, I was enchanted by them. Then I realized that having a snow day actually inhibits my productivity - I sleep in, instead of doing homework or studying, which, if I had attended my 9 am class, wouldn't be the case because I'd be forced to be awake. Personally, I think I'm just bitter that most of my shoes are ruined by the double evils of snow and salt. Also, I'm slightly miffed that it's STILL SNOWING. It's now the month of March, which means that SPRING is on the way, right? Wrong. It's currently 18 degrees outside, and contrary to what my fellow students may believe - THIS IS NOT WARM. Let me reiterate my sentiment from before, once again - IT'S THE WEEK BEFORE SPRING BREAK. SO, WHY IS IT STILL SNOWING? Also, I've become - gasp - practical (read: boring) when it comes to my footwear. I find myself shuffling through snowdrifts wearing Uggs day after day - shoes that were once reserved for swim meets and casual dressing. I'm quite sure that if my mother read this right now, she'd feel very smug - she told me that I didn't need to bring every pair of shoes that I owned (which of course, I did and now regret - but don't tell her that.) And this is why people wish that all girls could be "California girls" - because California girls don't have snow days when they should be having spring weather AND their shoes aren't ruined with salt, which makes for very cheery dispositions, as opposed to disgruntled ladies living in upstate New York. Instead of being bundled up the way I am in the picture above, I'd much rather be wearing this dress right now:

 

But enough of my venting - what are your plans for spring break? And more importantly, what are you planning on wearing during it? - C

That's Haute! HiFashion Studios first annual fashion show at Ithaca College

My college's fashion-minded student organization, HiFashion Studios at Ithaca College hosted a fashion show this Monday and it was breathtakingly stunning and surprisingly professional. I had initially previewed it for the school newspaper, which made me want to check it out all the more. The night of the show, however, the lobby in front of the venue was packed - in fact, I was incredibly blessed to have gotten the last two VIP tickets for me and my friend John (who graciously played fashion photographer with his iphone). The VIP tickets were definitely worth the extra cost - we sat in the front row that was lining the criss-crossing runway (when I spoke to the creative director, Pedro Maldonado, he said that it was inspired by Prada's Fall 2010 NY Fashion week metro-inspired runway), and saw every model first as he or she started walking on the runway.

The show itself struck a nice balance between high fashion and pret a porter - after all, the audience was mostly college students. The theme of the show was "Strangers Into the Night", a nice play on word on the Sinatra's "Strangers In the Night"; however, the collections featured were clever interpretations of gender roles and constructions. Two of my favorite themes of the night were the 50's themed collection and the Androgyny themed collection - I could sense Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 in the former collection, as well as the understated elegance of Jil Sander, while the Androgny collection had Pierre Decarnin and Riccardo Tisci influences.

However, it was the student collections that blew me away. Designer Hayley Nickerson's outfit of plum harem pants paired with a sheer lace blouse that had puffed sleeves a la Dynasty was so gutsy chic that it would have even made the Man Repeller swoon. Bianca Lupi's art history inspired designs were structural and made me think of origami/Francisco Costa at Calvin Klein. However, it was Jane Wong's etheral gowns that took the cake - floaty, airy florals in sheer fabrics that rippled down the runway. Her designs are the ones featured in the photos above - truly gorgeous, completely feminine, but with quirky little touches, like a daringly low back or unexpected detailing on a plunging neckline.

All in all, it was a lovely show. Props to Pedro and the rest of the HiFashion executive board - I can't wait for next year's show! - C

P.S. You can read my coverage of the show for the Ithacan by clicking here