the time is now

i-D Summer 2013

come as you are

Vogue UK- March 2013

Photos: TFS

bcbg max azria fall 2013

Another great interpretation of neo-grunge. I was so inspired when I saw this collection, in the simplest way, that I decided to wear a beanie with a floral dress the next day. 

BCBG Max Azria Fall 2013

Photos: style.com

what i've learned from new york fashion week f/w 2012

1.) I love Marc by Marc Jacobs a LIIIITLE bit more than Marc Jacobs

I've gone back and forth with the two brands, and what I've decided that MMJ is a little more my style (and way more within my budget), especially this season. GRUNGE. '90s. DARK COLORS. YES, YES, YES! Just about every look was a win for me. The shaggy coats and oversized sweaters are everything I want in a collection, as were the socks and combat boots combo.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Fall/Winter 2012

2.) Only Rodarte can make heavy brown powder look good


Okay, so the makeup was not my favorite, I did love the brown color scheme on the clothing. The oranges and terra-cota with black, frills and sherpa was somewhere between girly and outback.

Rodarte Fall/Winter 2012

3.) I wish I could wear giant hats in every day life. 


Without getting strange looks, that is. I absolutely love these furry Marc Jacobs hats that are something between Dr. Seuss and the lead singer of Jamiroquai. I am also a huge fan of Marc putting the royal purple and mustard together (the purple and red is pretty rad as well). I can't wait to see who rocks these pieces in real life, especially the shoes and that purple and yellow paisley blazer.

Marc Jacobs Fall/Winter 2012

4.) I'm into the exaggerated turtle-nets at Alexander Wang


And what else? Well, putting Shalom Harlow on the runway. Also the black leather, black shear and black everything, of course. But I already knew all of those.

Alexander Wang Fall/Winter 2012

5.) Proenza Schouler is keeping sporty chic alive.


Somewhat Alexander Wang inspired, but I still love it for its own reasons. The brightly colored woven leather is beautiful (I could've done without the oversized leather jackets that are not pictured). The quilted leather skirts with the oversized ties, though...perfection.

Proenza Schouler Fall/Winter 2012

6.) Milly, I just don't give you enough credit.

Milly is consistently great every season. I always love the colorblocking and prints and silhouettes of the pieces. But it's not one of those names that I think of very often and rolls off my tongue like a Miu Miu or a Marc Jacobs. I don't know why! It's great! I love how the colors kind of sneak in and don't overwhelm. When I wear color, this is how I do it. But I'm really more of an Alexander Wang girl. 

Milly Fall/Winter 2012 

7.) I want pretty much all of J.Crew's stuff.

And I want some of Jenna Lyons' self-esteem...she included a look-alike amongst the other models. Hehe.

J.Crew Lookbook Fall/Winter 2012

8.) Ruby Aldridge is EVERYWHERE!

And I'm not even mad about it. Ruby's one of my favorites, and I'm so glad more designers are taking notice of her. I've loved her ever since she started modeling in Urban Outfitters ads. More Ruby!

(Left to Right) Michael Kors, Diesel Black Gold,  J. Mendel,  BCBG Max Azria, Carolina Herrera, Derek Lam, Oscar de la Renta

(Left to Right) Diane von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, Vera Wang, Helmut Lang, Prabal Gurung, Cushnie et Ochs, Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan 

See you in London! 

xox

i love the '90s

When I was in 5th grade, I desperately wanted my first pair of Dr. Martens. I saw them at my local department store (okay, at Von Maur): the tortoise shell patent leather 1460 8-eye boot. I couldn't wait until back-to-school that year so that I might beg my parents for a pair for my school shoes for the rest of the year, NAY, the rest of my life! It was a sad day, come the end of August, when they were out of my size and another pair could not be located because they were so special. They were the ones that got away.

I settled for a pair of basic black boots which I wore to death until my feet grew out of them the next year. Last week, I requited my long lost love with a pair of black patent leather boots from Zappos.

When I wear them, I feel like a more grown-up version of myself at age 10. I love that we can all take things from our childhood that meant so much to us and still make it apply to who we are now. I can't say that about many things, especially things I wore. A lot of them represent who I was in the past, and that's where they'll stay.

Some fashion trends were too cool to be a memory frozen in time. I've seen a huge resurgence of '90s-ish clothing these last couple of seasons. As a child of the '90s, naturally, I feel comforted by these trends and reminded of how simple my life was watching Nickelodeon and reading The Baby-Sitters Club. I wanted to be just like those girls from the books and Melissa Joan Hart's title character from 'Clarissa Explains It All.'

Clarissa (Melissa Joan Hart) was fearless when it came to her outfits. And, hey, look! Patent Docs! 

Claudia Kishi from The Baby-Sitters Club, as portrayed by the book cover artist.

We don't always have a picture of what Claudia is wearing, but we usually get a vivid description in the books. She has an extremely eclectic sense of style, always described as wearing things that you would never imagine to go together, but she makes it look amazing. Like Clarissa Darling, Claudia loves bright colored leggings, big earrings, vests, lots of denim, and cowboy boots. Claudia and Clarissa would've probably been friends had they gone to the same fictional junior high school. Also, they would be great thrift store shopping buddies.

In contrast to the bright colors and prints, the '90s also had its share of moodiness. Charlotte Ronson's Spring 2011 collection was inspired by Claire Danes' character on My So-Called Life (Angela) with lots of flannels, shirts tied around the waist, florals with boots, beanies, and denim shirts.

Angela was angsty and post-grunge adolescent to the max.

Seeing these trends making a comeback makes me happy. It's not even completely that I loved wearing them, but because they remind me of when I was a kid and how excited I got over everything. Life was just good. No stresses over work or school. And the TV shows? They were so good! I feel sorry for any generation that can't grow up with Nickelodeon or TGIF. Not the crap Nickelodeon has today, which is basically a pre-pubescent version of MTV, but the old stuff. It's comforting and nostalgic when you see stuff from your childhood that brings back fond memories. I'll probably have a new pair of Doc Martens when I'm in the retirement home just to make me remember those days.

xox
Jessi Lou