What's Happening on the Runways: London

Last week was London Fashion Week and here is a recap of the looks I'll be drawing inspiration from for my wardrobe for Fall 2012.

Wine will definitely be the color of the season, but did it quite as fun as the bold red legs of Vivienne Westwood Red Label. I always find I love several things from her line and I will so be getting some red tights to follow suit.

{Merci for all photos Style.com}

Now I always get a kick out of unique fashion shows (I'm a big fan of different), and the Burberry Prorsum show, beyond being fab as usual had the models in snow with umbrellas for their final walk! And I absolutely love the cropped puff coats in the Fall 2012 line. I usually have a strict NO Walking Sleeping Bag Policy, so the cropped provides a  nice alternative!

Inspired by Marlene Dietrich, the Fall 2012 line of Marios Schwab was swimming in beautiful dresses topped with too-cool-for-school hats! You know I love a good hat. And these side sloped babies come packed with sass!

Technicolor patterns are definitely a thing of 2012 and although very reminiscent of Prabal Gurung's S/S2012 line, I was still loving the electricity in the looks of Peter Pilotto. 

Although not a line that I would mark as innovative, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Todd Lynn (who's also kind've a cutie) had me loving about every look that walked the runway. Bold colors, feminine silhouettes. This one look in particular with the full sleeve leather gloves had me floored! Forget Opera Length he has upped the ante!

That's what happening on the runways in London. 

Color, as I love to always count on from this town, edge, and class. 

What was your favorite London look?

Behind the Scenes Fashion Show: Jenny Packham

This Fashion Week F/W 2012 was a whirlwind and I forget that I still have so much to post for you guys. My account was Jenny Packham and I was so excited to work on this fashion show! Jenny's line is adored by red carpet goers and royalty alike and she is one of my favorite designers, and I am so excited to take you guys Behind the Scenes!

 The models always do a practice run of the show, 

usually while they are barefoot, in jeans, with curlers in their hair.

 Kaylee Defer from Gossip Girl backstage

The Jenny Packham F/W 2012 line did not disappoint with inspiration from Film Noire the runway entrance was filled with smoke and the models emerged like Ingrid Bergman in a Casablanca scene, victory rolls in their hair and all. It was runway perfection.

 Kaylee Defer and Dita von Teese sat front row. 

Dita has already been spotted at an Oscar after party in one of the collection's dresses.

Me after the show finally feeling like I can breathe...

well as much as you can in a leather black pencil dress!

Here were some of my favorite looks...

Jenny Packham is amazing and her F/W 2012 fashion show did not disappoint.

What was your favorite look from the collection?

Do you love Film Noire?

Pourquois Pas? Become a Redhead

Happy Leap Year! Now, I've said it before, I will say it again. It's not blondes who have all the fun, it's redheads! Well after Fashion Week ended I was bored with my look and wanted something bold, fresh, and fun. What is a strawberry blonde girl to do? Become a Redhead! REALLY Red! I searched Pinterest tirelessly for hair colors that caught my eye...

Source: Uploaded by user via Angie on Pinterest

I wanted something bold and very saturated. I knew I wanted red, but that is a shade with a thousand meanings. I did not want to become a redhead if it meant carrot or Ariel. But I have gone auburn before and wanted something much more fierce than that.

Here is me before.

Then I took a trip to Ricky's, lingered on hair swatches with the minutest differences and consulted with Pinterest on my phone. And I must say, this color was the hardest to dye my hair at home, only attempt if you are really very good with your hair. I saturated my hair in sections working bottom to top, root to end.  My whole sink and arms was tattooed in red from places my hair had brushed or my bottle had dripped. While my hair set I played Mary Poppins scrubbing (literally with a Brillo pad) to get my sink white again, and washing my skin back to normal. 

Here is me now.

This is just the bold red color I had in mind and it really does garner a lot of attention. To become a redhead, at least in NY, you have to be able to handle a few more cat calls than normal. But you also get positive attention from this rockstar color, and I love how it electrifies every outfit I wear! 

So become a redhead!

It's Leap Year after all!

NYC Digs: Shopping in the East Village

Last week I went on an adventure vintage shopping in the East Village. I found a lot of great stores but this boutique I happened to stumble upon as I was leaving. JULA has an array of affordably priced women's wear and really cute jewelry sourced from New York City. The storefront caught my eye and I ventured in, didn't realize I'd be leaving with the gold bracelet I've been looking for!

JULA, like most shopping in the East Village, has a small store space with a carefully selected collection. The clothing is simple and girly and the handbags are structured and colorful.

The jewelry was my favorite, a lot of gold which I love. The necklaces ranged from very delicate to bold statement necklaces. The same goes for the bracelets. This boutique was the perfect way to end my shopping the East Village.

What I Did This Weekend: The Oscars, The Artist, The Lower East Side

This was the most jam packed weekend I have had since New Year's, mainly because New York Fashion Week does tend to demand 100% of your social life. So apparently I managed to fit 2 months of social events into 2 days. What I did this weekend started with a band in the Lower East Side and lots of catch up with good friends, followed by seeing The Artist in an iconic NYC theatre, and ended (very late) with a viewing of the 84th Annual Academy Awards! And I found that The Oscars did not disappoint!

The dresses from The Oscar's Red Carpet this year were pretty (I have a few of my favs below, in no particular order) but I must say I was far more excited (and impressed) with the movie round-up for this year's Academy Awards.

Source: stylebistro.com via Dawn on Pinterest

Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji

Source: stylebistro.com via Dawn on Pinterest

J Lo in Zuhair Murad

Source: zimbio.com via Dawn on Pinterest

Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton

Well one movie at The Oscars that blew me away, The Artist, a classic silent film, was beautiful, enrapturing, and truly unique. A marvelous tribute to the magic of the movies and how you should feel when you experience a film. I walked across Central Park to the NYC icon The Paris Theatre (the French theatre Carrie visits in Sex and the City) and was transported into movie magic by the ambience and the incredible film that was The Artist! Here's a snippet in case you are behind...



I also ventured to the Lower East Side, the grunge hip Manhattan neighborhood known for vintage shopping, tattoo parlors, and lots 'o bars, and met up with a few friends to hear a new band. (I love New York). Stephie Coplan and the Pedestrians ended up being really fun. Catchy songs with a less hateful Lily Allen sense of humor, these guys put on a fun show! Please be sure to give their single Jerk a listen! The Lower East Side is so great for diving into a bar and discovering musicians. We happened to be invited to The Living Room for a listen and I'm glad we did!



Oh and I almost forgot to mention...did anyone miss Angelina Jolie's Barbizon leg at The Oscars? I was already laughing the second she stood still. But in case you missed it...there is a twitter account created in her honor...@AngiesRightLeg. I died laughing when I saw this tweet. In 10 minutes it had 1,600 followers by the end of the night it had accrued 6,500 followers and counting. I'm so glad someone finally called her out on her bullshhh...well you know. But in all seriousness...she really needs to eat a burger, the girl looks terrible.

What did you do this weekend?

Spotted: Riverside Park

Back in January New York City was dusted with just a little snow. It was the kind I like because it had melted by the next day. Well I took a stroll through Riverside Park to enjoy the view and to share some pics with you which I posted the next day. I also happened to run into street photographer/blogger extraordinair Lord Ashbury!

He grabbed a shot of me walking in Riverside Park and boy can he take a picture! Now I must apologize because he did happen to catch me with zero makeup on, just popped out of the apartment for a quick stroll and a stop for some groceries...so that goes to show you, you should always look your best walking out of the house. Mais t'inquiete pas my dears, c'est la vie.

Source: lordashbury.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Lord Ashbury continually snaps great photos of the style throughout New York City for his site, so be sure to stop by and be inspired. He got plenty of goods from the recent New York Fashion Week and this vixen in the patterned fur has me particularly dreamy eyed.

Source: lordashbury.com via Jessica on Pinterest

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Guest Blogger | How to Start a Fashion Blog: Tips and Advice

My lovelies, I started The Embellished Life close to 3 years ago wow! Can't believe it's been that long and to start my blog I basically just started typing.  A screen shot of my original blog compared to today's would be vastly different. I have enjoyed every step along the journey to start a fashion blog so when Jennifer Nelson from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco reached out to me to guest blog a post for tips and advice on blogging, I loved it! 

So please gain some fashionspiration and get those fingers typing!

Source: inslee.net via Nikki on Pinterest

 

How to Start a Fashion Blog: Tips and Advice

By Jennifer Nelson

Fashion blogs are quickly becoming the next big thing in the fashion industry. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to be on the cutting edge of fashion by starting a fashion blog. By following this advice about how to make a fashion blog, you will have all the tools you need to spin up a successful fashion blog! Here are five fashion blogging tips that will keep your fans coming back for more!

Tip 1: Be in the Know

The fashion blogging revolution is shaking up the industry, and you have to know what’s out there. Read the fashion blogs of successful fashion schools, fashion merchandising schools, fashion community sites and research blogs. If you know the type of blogs you like, then honing in on your blogging style will be a synch.  

Tip 2: Gotta Love It

What makes you and your fashion style unique is what will keep your readers coming back for more!  Are you a bargain fashionista who enjoys finding the best fashionable deals? Or would you rather post pictures of how to make every day wear more chic? You could also blog about trend spotting or high fashion. Deciding whether you would like to showcase your fashion photography with a small caption or write full fashion articles is a good place to begin. Blogging takes time and dedication, so if you are not writing about what you absolutely love then you could burn yourself out in no time. You know your style; don’t be afraid to put it out there.

Source: lookbook.nu via Eliza on Pinterest

 

Tip 3: Create a Haute Name

You could have the best, most relatable fashion blog, but if your blog’s name is hard to spell, or even worse, hard to remember, your readers could get lost. Your name should be catchy but hint at what your blog is about. Keep it simple. Keep it fun. Make it fashionable!

Tip 4: Create a Couture Template

Find a blog hosting service that works for you. Make sure to choose a template that is fun, easy on the eyes and simple to manage. The most imperative aspect of your fashion blog is that your content is intuitive and fun to navigate, and easy to search.

Tip 5: Don’t Be Fashionably Late

There is nothing worse than anticipating new content from your favorite fashion bloggers only to be let down by the same old posts. Some fashion bloggers update their blog many times every day, so if you have limited time, make sure you are updating your blog at least once a week to keep your readers coming back for more.

Source: corto-on-line.blogspot.com via Agnese on Pinterest

 

With these simple fashion blogging tips in your arsenal, you will be stylishly blogging in no time!