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

my fair ladies

(Left to Right) Supermodels Coco Rocha, Jessica Stam, Shalom Harlow, and Karen Elson

What do Coco Rocha, Jessica Stam, Shalom Harlow, and Karen Elson have in common? Beautiful and successful, most certainly, but it's their creamy fair skin that sets them apart from the bronzed ladies walking the Victoria's Secret runways. The desire to be tan has long since been the most coveted trait for girls and women, especially the ones my age…and especially in Omaha. You'd be hard-pressed to find a strip mall that doesn't have a tanning salon of some sort, and the number of self-tanning products sold in grocery stores is at an all-time high. With so many models and actresses embracing their pale, why is it that tanning is still the most sought-after physical attribute? 

Everyone has their thing; I know many people who cannot imagine not hitting the tanning beds at least once a week. I know people who won't dare step into the sunlight without being slathered in SPF 100 (myself included…and, yes, they make such a thing). It used to be that being tanned was seen as "lower-class" because it showed that you were working outside all day. Nobility had the very fair skin because they were able to lounge around indoors. Certain societies would actually try to whiten their skin.  How did it all turn around? I blame Coco Chanel.  She inadvertently bronzed her skin while vacationing in Cannes on a yacht. When she returned to Paris, everyone wanted her golden glow. And so the trend began. Thanks a lot, Coco. Flash forward to 2010: the uber-classy ladies of 'Jersey Shore' have such a deep tan, it's practically orange. Marc Jacobs has his models in the Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 show donning a vintage look, completely with fair skin and curves. Who do you want to emulate? 

Snooki from MTV's Jersey Shore and Jessica Stam at the Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 show

Having been extremely pale my whole life, I've experienced my  "fair" share of alienation and teasing in grade school. Even today, I can't go in public without people staring at my ghostly white legs. Yet, strangely enough, I've never felt the urge to join a tanning salon or lay out in my backyard. I think people should embrace what they have (naturally) and look to role-models who do the same. I love reading French Vogue and Nylon and seeing the cover girls rocking their porcelain complexions, some of them. Most models featured in any fashion magazines today are imperfect or, dare I say, even strange looking. Pale skin, crooked teeth, gap-toothed; It's what makes them so interesting and beautiful.

(Left to Right) Fair actresses Anne Hathaway, Julianne Moore, Rachel Weisz

                      

So for those of you who share my plight, remember that you're beautiful the way you are, tan or not. Pale skin is glamorous and healthy; it's okay to be different. And being true to yourself? It's fabulous and always in vogue. 

xox

Jessica

why i love models

Yes, they're annoyingly perfect and photogenic. They're not afraid to take photos in the first place, which I envy, but I have looked up to models for most of my life. This sounds bad, I know, but I never had any crazy eating habits or any kind of body dysmorphic disorder because of it. It was all because of how tall they were. It was required of them, in fact, because that's the "standard" of beauty (in the fashion world, most of them time anyway). So when kids in school told me that I was a freak, it was a relief to hear otherwise for once. Being a 5'10" girl since age 12, models were the ones who made me feel better about being different.

I was teased all throughout middle school. Everyone called me "the big girl", "the tall girl", "stilt woman" and any other colorful nickname they could give me. My release was reading fashion magazines and noticing how "big" these girls were. I had never realized that having long limbs was actually a good thing and even an enviable quality. "I wish I were taller," people would say to me longingly. What?! Where were you when I was getting ridiculed for wearing high-waters in 7th grade? All I could do was hope one day I would grow up and be like the supermodels. What sweet revenge to all of my pygmy classmates who laughed at me.

My favorite model when I started to pay attention was Shalom Harlow. I thought she looked like my mom, and in my eyes, there's nobody more beautiful than Mum. She made modeling look like art. I will never forget her face or how she made me feel like there was hope for gangly, awkward me.

I wonder if anyone ever teased her...who's laughing now, sucka? 

xox

Jessica