Entries Tagged as 'Fall 2011'
During their Fall fashion discussions, a lot of style blogs in my orbit are singing the praises of the high-heeled loafer. And every time that I read one of these posts, I ask myself, “Why?”
They’re clunky. They’re dated. They’re unflattering on the foot. And most of all, they’re a one hit wonder that you’ll spend $200 on today and shove in a Goodwill donation bag tomorrow.
As a student of history, I can tell you that those of us who do not learn from our mistakes are doomed to repeat them. High-heeled loafers were very big in the 1970s, and they had a brief moment in the mid-1990s. But, apparently, the memory of that hideousness was not enough to keep them from rising from the ashes for round three.
(For those of you who are too young to remember this trend, it was during the post-Nirvana, pre-N’Sync years when we were all wearing extreme flare leg jeans and ruffled, Georgette blouses. For those of you who just said, “Who?,” Google it and then go listen to your Justin Bieber station on Pandora. The grown ups are talking.)
We must protect future generations from the scourge of the loafer pump. I’m counting on you to leave this ugliness on the store shelves this season, in the vain hope that in twenty years, designers will think twice before including this nonsense in their Fall ranges. Remember, only you can prevent fashion faux pas.
Polyvore Set Here.
Grab a pen and pad because we’re about to have a briefing on wearing black and brown together. Yes, it can be done. No, you shouldn’t be afraid to try it.
Personally, I love mixing black and tan, and not just in a glass. It’s a versatile and sophisticated pairing. And while I don’t mix black with other shades of brown very often, a rich dark brown can be equally chic.
A nude shell is the perfect foundation for any color or style of suit, except khaki. Khaki and beige is just a boring, and frankly, unappealing combination. But if you have a beautiful suit and you are wondering what to wear it with, start with a nude shell until you develop some more ideas.
Mixing a basic black suit (I like J.Crew 120s, but I used more expensive pieces in the set to get the look I wanted.) with a nude shell, you can easily add a dark brown belt to bring it up a notch. To make it work, add in dark brown accessories to pull it together. Here, I decided to use wooden bangles. But to keep from going to far with the pairing, I stuck with a basic black pump.
If you’re feeling Fall 2011′s animal print addiction, then a leopard, calf-hair bag is the perfect compliment to this sophisticated suit. It’s playful but glamorous, feminine but on trend. So indulge a bit in animal prints, but not too much. I don’t want to see anyone wearing leopard print pants. Unless, of course, you plan on changing your name to Huggy Bear.
Polyvore Set Here.
Floral dresses are a Summer staple. But once Fall comes around, most of us put our florals in a box under the bed until the weather warms again. This is a mistake, because florals, especially florals in Autumn hues like green, purple, grey and orange, can be worn all year round.
For this outfit, I added a cardigan in a darker purple, a complimentary eggplant. And I made sure that the neckline of the dress complimented the neckline of the cardi. Nothing irks me more than when someone wears a crewneck tee with a v-neck cardigan or vice versa. I think the look is much cleaner when the necklines match.
The artsy, pendant necklace also compliments the neckline and adds a little sparkle without compromising the casual nature of the ensemble.
Also, this is the most expensive cardigan ever to appear on this blog. I do not expect anyone to spend this kind of scratch on a sweater. They should save it for a downpayment on a Ford Focus. But J.CREW, Madewell and others will sell plenty of v-neck cardis this Fall, and one of them will probably be dark purple.
Now, for this ensemble, I would leave the cardi unbuttoned. Then, I would belt it at the natural waist or just a hair below if you have a long torso. And I would make sure that the edges of the cardigan didn’t touch, so that you could see two inches or so of the dress running vertically to create a nice line.
I like these boots. They’re a funky alternative to the basic riding boot. They also make the look a bit more fun.
And, if this were my outfit, I would wear a pair of dark purple tights. It’s not a strict adherence to my two-out-of-three rule, but the print is purple, so it’s close enough.
I added an olive bag because olive is very big this Fall, and I’d rather mix in an on trend color than wear a brown belt, brown boots and a brown bag. Too many accessories in one color can look a bit like your accessories were made by Garanimals.
Breathe new life into warm weather frocks with blazers, cardigans and chunky sweaters. Just add a pair of flirty boots or tights and booties and you’ll get extra wear out of your Summer dresses.
Flipping through the stack of September issues on my night stand, one thing was abundantly clear, makeup for Fall 2011 is all about the eyes. From striking shadows to winged eyeliner, the eye makeup trends for this season are bold and beautiful.
Polyvore Set Here.
In the upper right hand corner, we have the best eye primer on the planet (as voted by CHS readers), Urban Decay Primer Potion ($18). Because if I am going to take the time to perfectly apply liner and shadow, it better stay and not stray. And then, we have the eyeliners. From cat eyes to the winged look to the full Cleopatra, we are drawing on the drama this season.
In this set, we have a tube of Sephora Kohl ($12), a chunky crayon used to achieve a perfect smokey eye with minimal effort. Then, we have the Buxom Inner Eyeliner ($14) so you can circle the whole lid in color with a feather-thin line. Then the NARS Life Long Eyewear pencil ($23) in amethyst for a pop of color without being too over the top. It also comes in emerald, sapphire and one of Fall’s hottest colors, dark teal.
Lastly, my must have product of the Fall, Josie Maran REM Pen 4-in-1 Liner ($32). The pen contains a shadow, an eyeliner, and two applicators. It also comes in a myriad of colors from purple to champagne, making it the perfect multi-tasker for your makeup bag.
Also in the eyeliner stack, we have a Brightening Stick from Sephora ($22). Use the skinny end to line your lower lid, and the chubby end to highlight under the brow, under the eye and in the dimple near your tear duct. Because all the liner and shadow in the world can’t save you if you look exhausted, so brighten up!
If eyeliner is too much for you, eyeshadow will be your best friend this Fall. In this set, we have two palettes awash in Autumn color. From Stila, the In the Light palette ($39) is the perfect mix of earth tones and shimmer. From gold to slate to taupe, this palette has all of the Fall’s must have hues.
The second palette is from Josie Maran, the Beautiful Eyes ($36) contains five complimentary shadows in a purple color scheme. The palette also comes in blue, nude, and smoke. Purple is best for green/hazel eyes, brown is best for blue, and vice versa, and smoke would look lovely on just about anyone.
While eyes may be the thing this season, especially eye liner, if you jumped into the red lipstick pool with both feet last Fall, that trend is back again. So hold onto your rouge lipsticks and scarlet glosses. But if you decide to do a strong lip and eyeliner, make sure to keep the eyeshadow color and the cheek color very neutral. No one wants to look like a bad Mary Kay experiment. And if you need photos of the season’s hottest eyeliner looks, pick up Sephora’s fall catalog.
Polyvore Set Here.
Like yesterday’s outfit, this one is also very versatile but decidedly more casual. It could be worn with flats on a plane trip or on casual Friday. But before we discuss the pieces, let’s address the white elephant in the room.
No, white pants are not faux pas after Labor Day. Designers have been showing white in their Fall collections for years and no one has died, so consider this rule invalidated. Though, I still wouldn’t recommend wearing white shoes. That is a bridge too far.
Here, I paired white jeans with a light grey tank and a charcoal grey, structured blazer with a crisp white jean. To pull it all together, I used a printed scarf with shades of grey, white, black and a blue accent. Then, I added a studded black pump and a shocking blue clutch. And last, a black, textured, pyramid-shaped earring.
This look would be best for a dinner out at a hip restaurant or a first coffee date. As I said above, however, you could switch in a ballet flat or an oxford and wear it on Casual Friday.
Looking for other ways to wear a white jean? A black tunic sweater, long necklace and booties would be nice. Or how about a floral printed button down, under a bright v-neck sweater, with a navy blazer over top and flat boots? But however you choose to wear white jeans, the trick is wear them with intention. If your look is chic and pulled together, you’ll never look faux pas.
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