ascot hats

since Ascot hats are widely regarded as a chance to be anything but conservative, they often show cutting edge features. Every year i am surprised by how much you can tel about real cutting edge fashion and upcoming trends by watching this years hats at the more extreme events...

http://beta.news.yahoo.com/photos/royal-ascot-slideshow/

achromatics and white

i have been seeing a lot more white on runways and in stores, and while you always see more white for summer, i dont recall it being quite so widespread...
http://www.refinery29.com/summer-fashion-2011-white-summer-clothing#slide-1

note especially the ruffle, high neckline and shoulder and leg emphasis on this dress...
and it is basically a muted achromatic plaid.. slightly oversized.

unusual materials

I thought this shoe showed a few trends we have seen lately.
unusual use of materials
sculptural looks in fabrics
heel plus platform (not so much, but some)
lace/ultra feminine styling
up toe

also it will look "nearly nude" due to the skin showing through the lace.

i dont think this one will catch on...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/28/BUHK1JGGBA.DTL&feed=rss.business

they are elongated toe boots... and they ARE up toes.. but i dont think these are on trend...

based on a medieval shoe crossed with a cowboy boot, they have actually been catching on as a trend in a few nightclubs. (well they are in that red color...)

royal watch: dress from Reiss

http://www.reissonline.com/blog/the-duchess-of-cambridge-wears-reiss/

note the nearly nude color, asymmetric pleats, (also the "texture and pleating effect") and the high neckline.. all on trend!

oversized tops plus sheers

Alexander Wang has been showing these very long skirts, often sheer, with oversized sweaters.. other times its the sweater t that is sheer.

the combination hits on a lot that we have discussed. matt metallics, sheers, oversized tops, longer skirts....

just a quick mention

while working at the school craft fair on friday, i saw a passerby with an orla kiley bag... i recognized the pattern immediately. i asked her about it and she said a store "a couple blocks down chestnut street" sold them. i am sad that i didnt catch the store name...

article full of names and pictures from Vogue

This article about Anne Hathaway and a Vogue shoot was noteworthy because it mentions so many names we covered in class.

"As she strolls through the store, wearing blue patent leather Sonia Rykiel flats, a flouncy Zara skirt, and a short-sleeved Lanvin T-shirt with a pink silk rose on the shoulder that on her somehow look all-American, "

she wears "3.1 Phillip Lim, Rag & Bone, and If Six Was Nine to Céline and Isabel Marant."

"Tonight, she has an Annie Hall look—black Helmut Lang pants and an Elizabeth and James vest over a white Vivienne Westwood blouse, untucked, topped off by a straw fedora to keep people from recognizing her."

http://www.vogue.com/magazine/article/november-cover-anne-hathaway/?mbid=ob_ppc_mag_16

THAT blue, and achromatics

the window display was almost all achromatic, with the ONLY color being items in that specific blue. the contrast was intriguing

all over the mall i also saw long skirts, or maxi dresses being offered...

store design

i was in King Of Prussia Plaza and looking around i noticed this store:

note the fact that in the mall setting it looked VERY much like you were walking into someone's home (if they lived in a mansion) and the white with black (and pink) accents.. it really reminded me of what we had been seeing in class...

Hermes kelly bag, in paper

this is kind of off topic, but cute...
this link goes to a print out of a "cut and paste Kelly bag" in paper... which can then be decorated and all that

cute project, rather off topic, but.. well. its a kelly bag and i can AFFORD this one (lol)

http://assets-1213794553.s3.amazonaws.com/kelly_papier.pdf

slideshow of wedding fashions from Elle

the slideshow is from elle, and shows a lot of the wedding guests at the British Royal Wedding. one thing that is very useful is that it often shows the entire ensemble, from shoes to hat.

also it names designers in several cases!

http://www.elle.com/Fashion/Fashion-Spotlight/Joe-Zee-s-Royal-Treatment/%28imageIndex%29/24/%28play%29/false

more on weddings and hats

the great hat scandal.... sort of.

as everyone has certainly found out, violating a written rule of conduct or clothing is bad, but violating an UNWRITTEN one will get you a lot of bad press and speculation.

you showed up in jeans when the invite said "black tie" tsk..tsk...you didnt wear a hat at a royal wedding when the official rules said "hats optional" OMG! the world is ending, its a political message!

Samantha Cameron, wife of the Prime Minister didn't wear a "hat" to the wedding, but did wear a jeweled hair ornament. From the press reaction you would have thought she showed up wearing a rude T shirt that insulted the country. editorials ranged from assumptions that it was a deliberate dis to the royals, over to the more reasoned reaction that this was "obviously done to spite her husband" politically and socially. the specter of divorce was discussed repeatedly...

because she didnt wear a hat...
at a hat optional event.

she is STILL in the news today, although with more people defending her choice.

hats, obviously still a VERY big deal in England....

obligatory wedding post

almost all of the hats that got "media time" at the wedding (including Beckham's and the two princesses) were from Philip Treacy.

love his work or hate it, he sure does make attention getting hats!

Harem and longer rise pants styles for MEN

sorry no pictures :(

i saw a couple of men in NYC wearing the longer leg pants and longer rise in DRESS PANTS. they were in the fashion district and looked pretty much like they might be pretty much whatever the male version of fashionistas is...
but i can honestly say i saw the style being worn on the street in the USA

(now being the product of my time that i am, i still cant quite get over the idea that their pants dont fit, but there it is)

in addition i saw several pants in stores that looked like VERY toned down versions of the men's harem pants. it was subtle (not like the runway) but blousy, almost pajama style pants being sold with the looser flowing shirts styles.. the same store had a shorter trench coat like we have been seeing.

wingtip shoes in local store

i tried to post this before, but apparently it got eaten.... i was at King Of Prussia this weekend and went "wingtip hunting". as predicted it was an easy hunt.

what i found interesting was the variety of styles of shoes that had wingtip designs. Here you see them in a loafer/docker variant, a suede sneaker looking variant, and one that brings in the "workboot" trend. (in addition to the more usual styles).

In addition all of these had some degree of "up toe" and many had the pointed square toe.

this was most notable in the Italian shoes.