Trend Alert: Skater dresses and skirts

This summer there is one wardrobe piece you will want to have: the skater dress and/or skirt.

There is nothing particulate new about this style. According to Langston, the idea has been around since the 1980's when a dress with a gathered waist that flared out into a full skirt became popular. What has increased the styles popularity this season is the full return to a high waist line. Body con skirts with this style came on trend quite a few years ago. What is different about a skater dress/skirt (or fit & flare) is the flare, which emphasizes your legs instead of everything below the waist.

Shorts, pants and skirts are fully dedicated to accentuating the thinnest part of your body now. (Yay for us!) The high waist silhouette of the skater dress/skirt is right on trend.

Why buy?

If for no other reason, buy this style because it will hit your waist at the correct spot. No matter how much we wore it, our waists were not built for those low-rise jeans. We naturally struggled with those because they were hitting us below the waist, instead of on it.

The somewhat dramatic flare also highlights and elongates your legs. Really the way this happens is by the dress leaving the body and adding more "volume" to your silhouette.

Lastly, the skater dress/skirt is a classic. This is a trend, not a fad. You will not be staring at your closet months from now wondering why you bought those silly dresses. The cut, fabrics, lines and patterns are all off of a basic/classic look. I have already had a skater dress for a year and a half now. Every single time I wear it I get compliments.

No doubt, this style will give you confidence while you are going about your day.

Browse some selections at Charlotte Russe, Express and Forever 21.

"To Tommy, From Zooey"

The public has grown to love her wit, humor and one-of-a-kind personality. Now, women will have the chance to love her for her fashion too.

Zooey Deschanel and Tommy Hilfiger have meshed Hilfiger's fashion capabilities and Deschanel's vintage style to create a fashion line together.

The "capsule collection", titled "To Tommy, From Zooey", is set to hit 200 Macy's stores on April 14. Fourteen of the 16 dresses in the collection with be there.

The 16 dresses are all inspired from Deschanel and Hilfiger's mutual love of anything vintage. The main colors are red, white and blue. Some of the fabrics include oxford cloth, silk and linens.


According to Karimzadeh, "The overall aesthetic merges Mod with nautical, or 'Modical' as Deschanel, who named each dress after a friend, described it". 

Glamour notes the versatility of the line in their in-depth article of the collection in the April 2014 issue. Hilfiger enjoyed the collaboration because he sees Deschanel as the ideal Tommy Hilfiger girl. Deschanel loved it because she could put her fashion interests into action.

It is clear each dress was inspired by the style Deschanel herself wears. They have a playful, flirtatious vibe. The placement and attention to structured details highlights the happiness and joy the two aimed for.

The 14 dresses will be priced between $98 and $199.

To see more of the collection, go to this slide show.


                   

Book Review: "The Vogue Factor" by Kirstie Clements

"The Vogue Factor" by Kirstie Clements is a tell-all book about what it's like to work for the most famous fashion magazine company, Vogue Australia. Clements reveals these details through the telling of her own rise to editor in chief. While it could be said that this is only one account of working for such a publication, the point of view gives insight not only into Vogue's inner workings, but shows the kind of emotional roller coaster brought on by such an environment.In other words, this book is real.

The remarkable close attention to detail in every story shared gives an outsider  a true glimpse into Vogue's world. Undoubtedly, you will walk away with a new appreciation and understanding for such a devoted fashion magazine.


I love this book...and you should too
 
As a fashion-addict myself, I couldn't get my hands on the book fast enough. Vogue has always seemed far away, something almost unattainable to understand from a middle-sized city in Colorado. So to get the chance to get the inside scoop, I was over the moon. (Plus I love to read!)

There are two important qualities Clements uses in her writing that caused me to actually fall in love with the book.

1) She is honest about the industry...and herself. 

 The fashion world does what it can to build up a god-like stereotype. Everything is supposed to be magical and perfect. Clements does what she can to make it clear that these are people, just like us. In one specific example, she recalls how an intern for Vogue Australia is sitting on the floor in tears because she couldn't find the right shoe and their editor, Judith, was going to kill her. Clements decides to post a sign in the office that said, "'No, this is really serious. We don't have the right shoe.'...Fortunately Judith saw the humor in it."

Clements recognizes that some aspects of the fashion world are, in fact, ridiculous. However, she also recognizes that as reporters of the fashion industry, they have no choice but to adhere to these guidelines: "but shoes— to this  day— remain a make or break factor in the world of high fashion".

She also readily breaks the ideal that every Vogue editor is going to be like Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. "Many times over the years, people, after they have met me would say, 'Oh gee, you're so nice and normal,"...I could never really win. I was either expected to be terrifying or snobbish. And I don't consider myself either."

Vogue is a publication with people just like us. These people have feelings, want friends, want a good life and work hard to get there. It is very apparent in this book how much stress, thought and energy goes in to making each issue. I certainly have more respect for what people at Vogue do after reading this. 

2) She calls the journalism industry on it's weaknesses.

This book makes Clements' merit as a journalist clear. She isn't afraid to say that some parts of our movement forward in journalism aren't great. She also isn't afraid to call other fashion publications out: "I think witty copy on a fashion page is a must. I've always labored over them. Generic cover lines such as 'Great shoes and bags!' are a terrible, tired cop out."

Repeatedly, she insights how the quality of a piece should be worth more than quantity.

Clements proves how Vogue Australia readers demand credibility in what they read as much or more than news publications. For example, her questioning email interviews gave insight into the problems that can really arise for settling to this as a way to interview: "you can't be sure who the person at the other end answering them is".

When Vogue Australia went this route for an exclusive interview with Elizabeth Taylor, a reader challenged that is was even Taylor. To calm everything down, Elizabeth Taylor herself called Clements to explain that it actually was her.

From story to story, Clements emphasizes her belief to always put the reader first. Not even the fashion is more important than their audience.

"The Vogue Factor" is an eye-opening book to what it's like at a Vogue publication and inspired me more to get in the thick of it in my career. I can't wait to read it again!

Trend Alert: The one-piece swimsuit

The one-piece. What used to be thought of as old, outdated and conservative has made a come back. A bikini wearer myself, skepticism set in when the style showed up at 2013 fashion week swim.

However, facts have been revealed to me that is causing my mind to shift. Take a look at the video below.

These are pretty interesting facts. To open myself up to being looked at as an object is not a goal I was going for when wearing a bikini.

Here are some pros to wearing a one-piece swimsuit.

1) The designs are intriguing. You can wear something not everyone has and be able to stand out in a stylish way (something I always strive to do).

 

2) You won't have to worry about how you look in your swimsuit as much on your less fit days.

3) You will give off more of an air of mystery.

Some cons:

1) Finding the right style for you in a one-piece could be more difficult. 

2) You will get funny tan lines.

3) A bikini could be easier to find in stores, depending on how many affordable stores stock the trend. 

Browse some examples of one-piece swimsuits at Victoria's Secret and Pacsun.

Trend Alert: Waist Optical Illusion Dress

On March 4, Rihanna and Keira Knightley went to Chanel's show at Paris Fashion Week in this shocking illusion style.

This is Karl Lagerfeld's new type of illusion dress, which premiered in a fashion show in January. Optical illusion dresses have been around for years. However, the trend has not been taken to this extreme until now.

On Rihanna, it does not seem as shocking. The fanny pack and accessories add more visual interest that do not draw the eyes instantly to what seems like a very small waist. Knightley's more classic choice creates a very extreme frame. The silhouette "made her waist look so impossibly tiny you wondered whether it could be an optical illusion".

According to London, the contour is made by the boxy cut of the top and the A-line skirt sitting at the widest part of the hips.

Many think the style is going to be very popular. For one thing it does make you look very skinny. Crop tops were also a big trend last spring/summer season and this style continues along with that same idea.

What do you think?

What you didn't know about the Fort Collins Foothills Mall remodel

The discussion of the Foothills Mall remodel has been long and confusing. For years now citizens in Fort Collins, Colo. have been confused what the renovation means, or even when it will start.

Here are a few updates on the project.

For one, the actual renovation has started. Construction equipment has broken through the walls and demolition is beginning. According to the video and city press release, they plan to have the mall completed by the holidays in 2015.

So what took so long?

Mainly, all of the plans for the new mall had to get approved by the city. The new mall is expected to bring in a community investment of $313 million. Alberta Development Partners is going to spend about $100 million developing the mall. Because of such a big outcome, every little change has to be discussed and approved.

For example, in a Zoning and Planning board meeting about a month ago, the public and board were trying to come to agreement on the type of LED signs that will be put up along College Avenue.

At this same meeting the city was able to get full support from the Zoning and Planning board. With that approval final, they could start the actual work.

What will it look like?

In terms of construction, the city has a three-phase plan that explains what will happen when. In phase one, a new 10,500-square-foot retail building will be built where Tres Margaritas used to reside. Phase two is where the existing mall gets remodeled and added to.

Phase three is somewhat unexpected: housing units are going to be built near the mall. This brings us to the last detail. The renovation is not just to the building our mall is currently in. Large portions of the area around it are going to be utilized.

Since the end of 2013, Alberta Development Partners has been telling stores around the area that they must vacate. Arc is currently in discussion with the company about this very detail. Many of the stores leaving will not be returning once the mall is finished.

However, this is not true of all stores. Sears and Alberta Development Partners are negotiating how Sears can stay open while moving to a different location that will be within the new mall. 

The End Result

The finished Foothills Mall will have:

-a movie theater
-activity center
-800 new housing units
-a pedestrian/bicyclist underpass under College
-2,822 new parking spaces
-a parking garage
-669,631 square feet of retail space.