Friday's Favorites

Friday, August 31, 2012

fashion, Friday's Favorites, Menswear, outfits

jeans: Kohl's; shirt: Charlotte Russe/clothing swap; shoes: Steve Madden/clothing swap

jeans: Armand Thiery, shirt: Target, shoes:DSW

Monday, August 27, 2012

A few weeks ago, in my NYC trip post, I mentioned going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see a fascinating exhibit about Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada. In addition to being interested in fashion, I am also fascinated by fashion history. On display, were the collections of two famous designers who never met, had almost opposite ideas about fashion, and yet they their collections had strikingly similar elements.

Elsa Schiaparelli (1890 - 1973)

Schiaparelli came from a world where women sat a lot. Many women stayed at home, or if they worked outside the home, they were secretaries or sales girls (and apparently, they didn't stand too much). To compensate for not being able to show off fabulous legs, hats were very stylish and embellishments in outfits were generally in the top half of the female figure. Because of this emphasis on the upper body, Schiaparellis used it as the focal point of her designs.

Miuccia Prada (1949 - present)

Prada's design focus is on the woman's lower half. Skirts, pants and the lower half of dresses hold that special something to set her designs apart, whether it is pleats, pattern, or embellishments. She believes that as women's roles change in the world, the area of focus has become the legs rather than the shoulders, chest and head.

Here are a few brief highlights from this incredible exhibit.

(Schiaparelli photos are featured first, followed by corresponding Prada photos)

Embellishments

She may not be able to see, but that model is definitely making a statement with this hat and jacket. I love Schiaparelli's contrast of the soft feathers (or whatever those things are) and the hard metallic bits on her jacket. In contrast, Prada's dress is almost a little whimsical, but the use of geometric objects add a definite sense of power to each outfit.

Painted pleats

Pleats are gorgeous, but they are a beast to do really well. In some cases, painted pleats are an easy way to make a fairly simple dress look much more complicated (okay, so only easy if you don't have to paint the pleats yourself). The pleats in these dresses are fancy trompe-oeil paintings... even in person, these pleats look remarkably realistic. Don't you just love how flirty yet formal the Prada dress is! So beautiful!

Grecian Goddess

These Grecian designs definitely show versatility. I just love how statuesque each woman looks. I also love the change in emphasis for each designer. Schiaparelli's focus comes from that gorgeous waist cinch and strap, and Prada's focus is down around the knees with those beautiful bubbled pleats. The gold dress was even more spectacular in person.

The Cutting Edge

These two designs show the edge that both of these designers have. A little bit of modern quirkiness which could be construed as adorable, or perhaps just weird.

Two designers with incredible vision, remarkable breadth and overall panache... This really was a great exhibit. Maybe not worth going to NYC for, but if you are in town, it definitely deserves a visit.

Images taken from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website

Friday, August 24, 2012

men's accessories, men's hat, Menswear

In this world there are some people look great in hats; a fine example is one Mr. The Cat:

(image from seussville.com)

Then there are others who don't really look at all cracking in their hats (e.g. Princess Beatrice, on right):

(image from huffingtonpost.com)

Then there's me. See, I generally like the idea of hats and I love what they can do for some people (i.e. a fedora can do wonders for a platypus), but I've never really felt that I do them any sort of justice. I'm not really a ball cap sort of fellow, and anything else makes me feel pretentious. However, the other week I walked to our local library and during the 20 minute walk there, my majestic nose and noble brow both got lightly toasted. You see, sometimes clouds and Texas aren't friends.
In light of our family reunion in Park City earlier this summer, where we were outside a good bit, I went and bought a hat. It's neither as adventurous as some nor as regal as others, but it was to be had at an admirable price from JC Penny and it did the trick:

(hat: JC Penny, shirt:h&m (from Mike), jeans: Banana Republic, belt: Old Navy, shoes: Cole Haan (via DSW); basil: our balcony)

I don't know; is it too much?
If only I could find myself a proper fez. They may not do much to keep the sun off your face, but, then again, who cares? Fezzes are cool.
Wear it well,
Adam

Thursday, August 16, 2012

When I got an email this morning from DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) telling me that they had new reductions on clearance shoes, I became curious. Now I'm not currently in the market for new shoes, but since the last three pairs that I've purchased have all come from the clearance racks of DSW, I thought that I'd see what they had to offer.

I didn't buy anything, but I did find stuff. Man stuff. Pansy man stuff? I don't know. I'm talking about boots. Men do, of course, wear boots for all kinds of reasons: ranching, construction, fire fighting, soldiering, etc. All very manly things. But are they a little too ostentatious for the day to day?

Part of me feels that I should only wear boots if I'm doing tough work that requires tough footwear. About the toughest thing I do as a grad student is carry 30 pounds of books back to the library. If a guy is wearing boots whilst wearing normal casual clothes and not performing any type of manual labor, what kind of image does that project? Tough guy? Metro? Trying-to-be-tough-by-wearing-boots-but-we-all-know-that-you're-really-a-wimp?

A sample of styles all from DSW:

This first one is by Levi's. It has kind of an old-school military look to it that I kind of like. Though probably the one I could see myself wearing the least, it has a classic look to it.

Number two here is by Natha Studio. In addition to looking quite comfy, it totally looks like a boy scout boot to me; which isn't at all a bad thing. I could see this one loosely half-laced with some nice jeans half in, half out of the boot.

This black beauty comes to us from Rockport. Perhaps a little high-brow for some. I think that it would do well with a slim business suit, probably a three-piece, for a nice Mad Men kind of look.

I think that this last pair is my favorite. It hails from Rogue and gives me only one living desire: wear it with some skinny jeans, go into a guitar playing hermitage, and emerge to join an awesome rock band. That's all.

So, what do you think about guys wearing boots as shoes (as opposed to part of a work "uniform")? What particular image or thoughts does that provoke for you? If any. Just curious. About boots. That's all.

Cheers!

Adam

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

For the fourth of July, Adam and I flew to NYC to visit some friends, shop, and enjoy a long weekend off. I love how artsy New York is. I came home with a reaffirmed desire to eat more cool foods, exercise more, and wear awesome clothes (especially after we visited this exhibit).