The College Wardrobe

Also:

2007-08-06T10:40:00.000-06:00

I Want These Shoes.

J Crew is king of preppy -- great for basics, but rarely inspiring and any pieces that ever crawl towards the verge of fashion-forwardness are almost always enormously overpriced (read: Talitha Getty-inspired maxi-dress, originally priced at a ridiculous $495, now down to $299 and I bet it's still not exactly flying off shelves - at prices like that, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want a print that you'd get sick of after wearing it once), but occasionally they do have some things that make me go weak in the knees. Pricey at $250, so I'll have to wait and see if they go on sale at some point. But they are fabulous. They look like they're your great-great-grandmother's dancing shoes from when she was the belle of the ball in the 1920s or something (okay I totally made that up because there is not the faintest chance any of my great-great-grandmothers wore shoes like that but maybe one of you do!)

They look gorgeously vintage, like they've been loved and lived in and danced in, except that they're NEW! i couldn't bring myself to wear real vintage shoes, that's just a line i don't think i could cross, so i love finding shoes that look vintage but with the assurance that no one else's gross sweaty feet have been in them before yours :) and these shoes, i would love them with all my heart but i wouldn't have to cry if i got them a little scuffed up!

My Greatest Pleasure: Chocolate

2007-08-06T09:59:00.000-06:00

I'M BACK!

Major apologies are in order, I've been completely completely MIA. It's been a busy summer!

But here's a short post, because I'm addicted to chocolate and I love to travel, so I wanted to share this little piece from USA Today (well, really, the article's from about a week ago but I just found it today) about the 10 best places in the world to eat chocolate -

"The processing of the cocoa bean with sugar — and later, milk — were two of the most inspired ideas in gastronomic history"
-- Clay Gordon, publisher of chocophile.com and author of the upcoming Discover Chocolate

1. Colonial Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Va.

On the first Tuesday of each month (except summers), the Historic Foodways program at Colonial Williamsburg presents "Secrets of the Chocolate Maker," a re-enactment of the way chocolate was made in 18th-century America. "Stay for the evening and partake in a chocolate-themed dinner featuring Colonial-era recipes," Gordon says. 800-447-8679; www.cwf.org

2. L'Etoile d'Or
Paris

"Many consider L'Etoile d'Or (The Golden Star), near the Moulin Rouge in Paris, the best chocolate shop in the world," Gordon says. "Owner Denise Acabo is known for carrying the crème de la crème of French chocolate brands. In fact, many of the country's best premium brands can be found only in her store; most notably, hers is the exclusive Parisian outlet for chocolates made by Bernachon, the grandmaster chocolatier of Lyon (bernachon.com)."

3. Eurochocolate
Perugia, Italy

"In October of each year, the Umbrian city of Perugia plays host to Eurochocolate, the largest chocolate festival in the world," Gordon says. "More than 1 million chocolate lovers sample the wares of hundreds of exhibitors during the nine days of the festival. Perugia is also home to Etruscan Chocohotel — the only hotel dedicated to chocolate, from chocolate-themed bed linens to an enticing chocolate menu in the restaurant." eurochocolate.com; chocohotel.it

4. Naked Chocolate Café
Philadelphia

The obvious place for an American chocolate pilgrimage may be Hershey, Pa., but you can have a genuine chocolate experience without leaving Philadelphia. "Naked Chocolate Café offers three kinds of rich, liquid chocolate: drinking, sipping and dipping," Gordon says. "After sampling a dazzling array of ganaches, you can take home your selections in a colorful and artistic edible box." 215-735-7310; nakedchocolatecafe.com

5. La Maison du Chocolat
Paris and New York

"House of Chocolate" founder Robert Linxe carries on the tradition of his native Bayonne, where French chocolate was born after making its way across the border from nearby Spain. "Both the New York and Paris boutiques offer 'courses for initiates' into the chocolatier world, in which La Maison is known for its attention to craftsmanship," Gordon says. 212-744-7117; lamaisonduchocolat.com/en

6. Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker
Berkeley, Calif.

First-tier artisan chocolate manufacturer Scharffen Berger hosts factory tours that show all the stages of making chocolate, from the bean to the bar. "Scharffen Berger, now marketed by Hershey's, is the purveyor of the broadest range of high-cacao-content dark chocolate made in America," Gordon says. 800-930-4528; scharffenberger.com

7. Choco-Story Museum
Bruges, Belgium

"Browse the more than 40 chocolate shops in this romantic city of canals, but leave time to visit the Choco-Story Museum," Gordon says. "Housed in a meticulously restored medieval building, it portrays the history of Belgian chocolate and offers unique after-hours workshops in the arts of making pralines and sculpting chocolate. Plan to come in early April, to enjoy the annual Choco-Late festival." www.choco-story.be

8. Ganong Chocolates/Chocolate-Fest
St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada

"Since 1873, the Ganong family has practiced the chocolate confectioner's art in Canada's oldest continuously operated candy factory," Gordon says. "Try to make it to 'Canada's Chocolate Town' for August's Chocolate-Fest. And any time of the year, taste my favorite Ganong invention: Chicken Bones, which are cinnamon candy straws filled with very dark chocolate." 506-465-5616 or chocolate-fest.ca for the festival; 506-465-5611 organong.com for thechocolatier

9. Cadbury World
Birmingham, England

"From humble beginnings in 1831, Cadbury has grown into a leading multinational confectionery corporation," Gordon says. "The company town it created for employees was a tremendous success in social pioneering, serving as a model of management-worker relations — and for the Hershey company and city in Pennsylvania." Cadbury World is an award-winning, chocolate-themed multimedia attraction. www.cadburyworld.co.uk

10. After the Rain spa
Geneva

"The Swiss eat more chocolate than any other nationality, a testament to the well-deserved reputation of Swiss chocolate," Gordon says. In the land that invented milk chocolate, there is even a spa where treatments feature a chocolate bath — a soak in milk, grated chocolate and cocoa bean oil — as well as a chocolate body wrap. Other spas around the world also are beginning to incorporate chocolate for its beneficial antioxidant properties. spa-aftertherain.ch

***

So I've had Cadbury's hot chocolate in England, but I haven't been to Cadbury World. I was in Switzerland in June and I made sure to buy lots of chocolate to eat, but sadly failed to try chocolate spa treatments while I was in Switzerland this June (but I'm pretty sure soaking in chocolate might be a little too extravagant for me at this stage in my life). So in the forthcoming years of my life, I am going to make it my goal to actually hit some of these chocoholic destinations around the world. Maybe see what La Maison du Chocolat in NY can teach me? And definitely go to Philly, if only for the Naked Chocolate Cafe (how sexy is that name? It has a total beatnik vibe like "Naked Lunch" by William Burroughs. Or the Naked Chef.) And next spring when I'm in Europe I will do my very best to be in Bruges for the ChocoLate festival! Exciting :)

My Guilty Pleasure: Jezebel

2007-07-19T17:29:00.000-06:00

I love reading blogs, especially political blogs. Two of my all-time favorite blogs have to be Gawker, a media blog, and Wonkette, a political blog written by the hilarious Alex Pareene. Both blogs are part of the Gawker blog network, and both report news in the most hilarious, laugh-out-loud fashion possible, which is why I love them. Wonkette also live-blogs political debates with great commentary, which, if you're anything like me, is the best idea ever.

Anyways, very recently, the Gawker Media network started up Jezebel. I usually stay away from celebrity gossip blogs and the like; I feel some of them are kind of crazy and besides, celebrities don't deserve that much attention from us. Why give them the attention? It just inflates their egos and make them think they're important, when hardly any of them have done anything considered important (Bono and Angelina Jolie are good exceptions to this rule). BUT Jezebel changed that. Despite my very public rejection of celebrity gossip, I find myself drawn to Jezebel. It's witty, it's well-written, and often times their commentary goes beyond just reporting the minute details of celebrities' lives and actually has some significant insight on pop culture and media today in American society. They also gossip about political figures sometimes too, and they mock those celebrities whose actions deserve to be mocked --rather than putting them on a pedestal and worshipping. The team at Jezebel is not afraid to tell it like it is, at the risk of hurting hundreds of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton fans the world over.

For instance, Jezebel recently became notorious for exposing just how airbrushed Faith Hill really was on the new Redbook cover, and wrote a great, honest piece about how airbrushing celebrity photos is wrong and promotes a false ideal to young women:

"So why do women's magazines continue to insist on providing readers just the opposite? Is it stubbornness? The selling of fantasy? Or the selling of other things, i.e. advertising revenue? And if so, is it really necessary to shave 10-15 pounds off a woman and erase exactly what it is (the freckles, the moles, the laugh lines) about her that makes her human and accessible and interesting in order to sell a bit of fucking soap? Look at the picture above, and tell us that Faith Hill is not fucking gorgeous and vibrant just the way God -- not Photoshop -- made her....Magazine-retouching may not be a lie on par with, you know, "Iraq has weapons of mass destruction," but in a world where girls as young as eight are going on the South Beach Diet, teenagers are getting breast implants as graduation gifts, professional women are almost required to fetishize handbags, and everyone is spending way too much goddamn time figuring out how to pose in a way that will look as good as that friend with the really popular MySpace profile, it's fucking wrong. And we're glad you agreed."

Dare I say it's...an intellectual celebrity blog?

Libertine for Target

2007-07-17T13:50:00.000-06:00

The newest of Target's Go International Designers, Libertine, just released his collection today. So far, despite the fact that Target has gotten some impressive designers (Behnaz Sarafpour, anyone?), the actual collections have not been too exciting to me. But I continue to write about them here because, hey, on a college budget, it's worth checking out any high-end designer's cheap-chic collection.

Okay, I like this shirtdress. It's simple, but cute, and I like the length and the detailing. Would go well over jeans and with some fun jewelry.This skirt is definitely not bad either. I'm not thrilled with the skull and crossbones print, since we saw that everywhere last fall and I thought that look was over - but this skirt isn't bad.

This vest could be cute, but it's only problem is that you'll see millions of wannabe-punk girls aged 11-18 wearing this out every Friday night. It will get overdone, fast.

Overall, not a particularly impressive collection, but none of Target's Go International Collections really are ever that impressive.

The rapid decline of MTV

2007-07-12T17:48:00.001-06:00

Remember when MTV actually used to be...music on television? Nowadays MTV is rife with plot-less reality shows and self-absorbed, spoiled teenagers such as those on Laguna Beach, The Hills, My Super Sweet 16...MTV is no longer even worth our time, sadly.

I hate Laguna Beach. On the rare occasions that I have watched it (yes, I have...) it's mostly out of a keen fascination over how such crazy people can exist and function normally in the real world when they are so clearly living in their own rich bubble of a world. I loved this post today lamenting the decline of MTV at College Candy, which talks about the ever-lame Laguna Beach spinoff The Hills:

"This show is trash. Pure garbage. White 20-somethings bitching and whining that their deep pockets aren’t deep enough and their amazing jobs aren’t amazing enough. Bleach blond breast-implanted bimbos who aren’t doing a thing to make this world a better place. Interning at Teen Vogue and working the door at some Hollywood club? This is supposed to drama? This is supposed to interesting? This is supposed to be camera worthy?
And god forbid the producers let a person of color or of a different race step into the frame. Darkly tanned and brunet does not count as diversity.

Why do people watch it? Mostly because it’s there, but also because it covers fantasy with a realistic sheen, making most of us mistakenly think we can live the same way. Not many people who move to the Hollywood Hills have millions of dollars in their bank accounts, not many people can stride into any club they please, or land topnotch internships without any experience."

Agreed! When is MTV going to come up with something creative that real people can relate to and enjoy? Or, oh, here's a fresh idea, actually showing music videos!

Changes for the college wardrobe...

2007-07-10T21:34:00.000-06:00

Those of you who are reading this: thanks for being loyal enough to stick around while Aparna and I figured out what direction we want to go in. We're getting things moving again, so expect more posts. We will be focusing on fashion, but not limiting ourselves just to fashion. We will be writing more about other topics of interest also, although fashion will be the predominant theme of the blog. And as always, we will focus on a younger demographic, and often the college age demographic, but not always specifically college. Most of our posts will still pertain to topics college students care about. We promise we won't bore you, and we hope you'll enjoy the other things we will be writing about in this space in addition to fashion and college.

Thanks for reading!

Dior Couture Fall/Winter 2007-2008

2007-07-10T18:03:00.000-06:00

Last week was couture week in Paris, and brought with it dozens of fabulous couture shows ranging from the magnificent to the slightly crazy. The one show that everyone can't stop talking about, of course, is Dior. Each piece is utterly magnificent in its own right. This is the best of haute couture; excellent detailing, creative, whimsical designs. Of course, you can't wear them-- but that's certainly not the point! The point of couture is to be able to look and admire these pieces for their artistic value, and they are truly wonderful pieces of art - take a look!

Dresses

2007-03-17T21:51:00.000-06:00

Hey sweethearts! I know this here blog's been severely inactive, and that's absolutely unforgivable but please find it in your hearts to forgive us anyway - on top of crazy schedules the last few weeks, Nisha and I are going through a sort of blog-related identity crisis, so cryptic as that sounds, that's the reason for our cyber-absence. More on that later, when we figure out where TCW and we are headed, but for now here's some quick fashion!

Net-a-porter, I know, is not exactly financially accessible for most of us. But I love their Magazine pages to help me get right on top of the biggest trends.

One of their latest and greatest features is their low-down on dresses - from the A Line to the Sack, you're going to Dress to Impress! It's a great resource to get you completely informed and help you figure out which style you like best or will like your body best. Next step, head to forever21.com, urbanoutfitters.com, anthropologie.com (in decreasing order of affordability) and shop, shop, shop!

On a slightly unrelated note, wedges + metallic = this gorgeous Gucci dream. I want!

And don't forget to take the Coutorture survey on the left, you guys! It's going to be a HUGE help to the network!

14 February 2007

2007-02-14T12:57:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day, my beauties!

If you're deliciously single on this day of Hallmark insanity, buy yourself a piece of clothing that's as divinely, fashion-forwardly red as this piece by Christopher Kane from his latest collection which just showed in London. And even if you're not a member of the Swinging Singles Club, I think we can allow you some buying of red gorgeousness, no? Just to show your man candy that you're Hot Stuff.

(Note that the minis-with-tights-and-ankle-boots has continued on its merry way across the Atlantic as well. This is a big trend, folks.)

Source

New York Fashion Week Fall 2007 wrap-up

2007-02-12T10:02:00.000-06:00

Well, finally, three days late, here comes tcw's wrap-up of all the important highlights of New York fashion week, after 6000 looks by 221 designers over 9 days (christ, that's a lot!)

-plenty of ponchos, shrugs, and capelets mixed in everywhere. Why are these back? They didn't look good the first time around...
-also saw a plethora of dresses, tights, obnoxious hats, and quite a few pairs of ankle boots
-I was impressed with Ralph Lauren as always. I LOVED the puffy gold vest, I'd totally wear that.
-Isaac Mizrahi was finally back, and his collection was one of the most fun out there. Mostly A-lines and simple designs, but bold colors and prints made it interesting
-I read a review somehwere criticizing Vera Wang's originality (or lack thereof) but I will say that I liked her creative, messy-chic layering of different fabrics and textures.
-I see minis and tights everywhere!, especially from Doo.Ri, which went reallyheavy on the minidress/black tights combo

Images, from top: betsey Johnson, Ralph Lauren, Isaac Mizrahi, Vera Wang, Doo.Ri

Proenza Schouler Fall 2007

2007-02-09T15:31:00.000-06:00

Was it just me, or did anyone else think Proenza Schouler's Fall 2007 show was a little disappointing? I'm usually a huge fan of these guys and their work, but this time felt less exciting. I love dark colors for fall, but I think they went a little too heavy on the black this time...and the caps. I mean, how original did this seem to you? It's chic, for sure, just not that fresh or exciting.

At least we'll be keeping warm next fall, eh? Although most of their collection was along those same lines, they did produce a few standout designs that I absolutely loved, like this crazy coat and gorgeous drop-waist dress:

5 Very Special Things About Me

2007-02-09T03:32:00.000-06:00

As you can tell, I procrastinate a lot. TF tagged us about two weeks ago and it's taken me this long to get around to doing something about it. And I have 8 drafts of posts for this blog, just waiting to be finished and published. But let's talk about things you don't already know.

1. I'm vegetarian, but I really don't like raw vegetables or fruits. I tolerate bananas, apples, grapes and watermelons. I'm averse to all other fruits, and when it comes to soup or salad I'll always pick soup - unless there isn't a vegetarian soup option, in which case I opt for salad and proceed to waste most of it. I like extremely healthy vegetables though, like spinach and asparagus and broccoli and okra. And then I have a royal weakness for anything with chocolate, unless nuts are involved.

2. I have total OCD when it comes to hygiene. I wash my hands a million times a day, and I cannot go to bed unless I feel like my feet are clean enough. Also, when I return from parties at 4am (even when I'm smashed) I do not go to bed until I've had a shower to get the gross smell of Party (beer, smoke, occasionally vomit - all that good stuff) off me.

3. I love all things French, except their high-end cuisine because vegetarians don't eat snails or goose liver, no sirree. I love croissants, I love French onion soup, I'm learning French now and I love it, I'd love to live in Paris, I'm going to study abroad there next year if all goes according to plan, I love French movies, Catherine Deneuve is one of my idols, and of course French fashion is extremely dear to my heart.

4. I understand exactly three sports - soccer, tennis and cricket. None of them manage to hold my attention for very long. And in PE in primary school, I was definitely the girl who was picked last. In middle/high school (secondary/junior college in Singapore), I just skipped PE classes most of the time. And it's been about three months since I've been to the gym. Maybe it's that great diet of cooked vegetables, cheese and chocolate that's still keeping me alive and small enough to fit through doorways. Sometimes I wonder.

5. I'm having a hard time thinking of more interesting things about me, so I'll just sort of return to the idea of procrastination, except more specifically it's that I have such a bad punctuality problem that sometimes I wish there was rehab for people who're never on time. Ask Nisha - when we met to go shopping I kept her waiting for atleast an hour. Atleast part of that can be creditted to the sad lack of transportation options out of Hyde Park on a Sunday morning (and a bus that literally broke down), but I was mortified that I was meeting this lovely girl for the first time and I was SO late. That isn't the last of my getting-places-late stories, but it's one of the best so I'll save the rest for another time.

Now I'm gonna sleep so I can hit the stores bright and early in the morning! (You can start betting now on the odds of my actually leaving the house before noon.)

Palette Du Jour: Black, Purple and Red

2007-02-08T22:50:00.000-06:00

Purple's a difficult colour to wear, but I absolutely love it. I definitely have a weakness for red - you're probably aware of that by now. And either one of them mixed up with a little bit of black = So, So passionate, modern, regal, sexy. I adore it.

Ad Campaigns:

YSL. I am crazy about this ad. It's genius.

Miu Miu. The Lindsay Lohan doll-face edition. Not a huge fan of Ms LiLo, but the wild shopaholic teenager in me (only a teenager for 2 more months! omg.) occasionally feels a kinship to her craziness. And these ads are pretty damn special.

There's a Prada ad as well, which is very strongly red-black-purple but I've been searching for a picture online for days and I just haven't been able to find one. Maybe when I get back to Chicago I'll just scan it in from Vogue. If someone knows which one I'm talking about and has a picture available, please post a link in the comments!

S/S'07 Runways:
YSL, Gucci, Narciso Rodriguez

Celebrities:
Zooey Deschanel and Keri Russell at Sundance - these are good examples of combining these colours in a more subtle, wearable manner. I like Zooey's quirky green boots, even if they totally clash with the rest of the colours. It's a dark enough green that she's able to pull it off.

And then there's this handbag by Gucci - available for pre-order at Bergdorf Goodman. It's not a bag I'm dying to own, but there's something very unabashedly stylish about the bold colours and the shape. I kind of like it. What do you think?
Just today I picked up the a purple and white dress from the Proenza Schouler collection for Target - it's not purple and black but I just wanted to inform you that I'm pulling some purple into my wardrobe and so should you!

Keep Calm

2007-02-07T00:41:00.000-06:00

How cute would this silk-screen look, hanging on a dorm room wall?

‘Keep calm and carry on’, a message fly-posted around Britain during World War Two, in order to prepare the public for invasion! These hand-pulled silk screen prints have been produced as a modern tribute to that statement.

I really want it in Plum but that colour's sold out.

£25.00 each + £6 Postage & Packaging, at keep-calm.com

PS - I also have to apologise for the lack of posts, especially regarding New York Fashion Week. I've had a beyond-crazy past week. But starting tomorrow night I'm taking myself a little break - I'm going to get me some Rest, Relaxation and Retail therapy. And I'm also going to blog a whole lot. I'm actually taking off to New York, but unfortunately I don't have passes to any of the good Fashion Week shows. I may try to find some tiny off-site show that I can get into somewhere, though given that I'm trying to take a break, I'm not going to stress out too much about running around looking for a show. So while I don't want you to hold your breath for a personal account of a Fashion Week show, definitely watch this space for a lot of posts based on the photos provided by the fantastic people at Coutorture and ShopStyle!

New York Fashion Week, woohoo! And apologies

2007-02-05T08:45:00.000-06:00

Ok, I know I haven't been around lately, and my timing is particularly unexcusable because we are right in the throes of New York's Medrcede-Benz Fall Fashion Week!!

I wish I could update this blog multiple times a day to give you readers up-to-the-minute coverage of what's going on in New York, but I can't--balancing a full schedule of 18 hours of class, a job, an internship, an a cappella group, and various other committments this semester has been very very hectic. So emails have been piling up unanswered and this blog, which has really only been a beloved hobby for me (as opposed to an avenue for a potential career, I guess), has been put on the backburner...but I'm back! I wish I could truly enjoy fashion week full-time like all the fashion industry professionals out there...but instead fashion is what I indulge on during study breaks and free time (which, by the way, is actually nonexistent right now).

Anyways, here's some things I've liked about Fall Fashion week so far, when I've had the chance to look, and/or read those pesky daily emails from Style.com:

This gorgeous Luella Bartley drop-waist coat, which unfortunately can only be pulled off the by the extremely skinny, but looks nice all the same ans is everywhere for fall

This edgy Diane Von Furstenberg dress (paired with ankle boots, no less)

I loved this gorgeous gown (among other things) by Naeem Khan

For more obsessive fashion week coverage, I recommend some hotspots:
New York Magazine's Show&Talk Blog
New York Magazine's Fashion Show Index
Style.com, of course (if you have time, create your own lookbook)
Fashion Wire Daily (a personal favorite of mine)
Women's Wear Daily
Coutorture, newly revamped just for fashion week

That's it for now...I'm hoping I'll be able to update a bit more this week with more fashion week related-posts, but as I've got work and school and two exams tomorrow night and a performance wednesday, I can't be sure. In the meantime, indulge yourself in all the fashion week coverage you can find, and I'll be just a little bit jealous...

Citizen Anna

2007-02-03T11:48:00.000-06:00

Check out this fantastic article by Cathy Horyn of the NYT (who else? I love Cathy. And you all are probably aware that my favourite 'blog' is the NYT Fashion&Style section.)

This is the woman that TF and I both hope to overthrow at some point in our lives. Most of the time I just don't get her, but I kind of secretly have this enormous admiration for her. She's going to be a hard one to overthrow, that Anna.

I want her boots.

2007-02-03T11:25:00.000-06:00

Source

Can someone tell me who Eva's boots are by? I am in love with them. And grey boots are So In right now.

For a less-cute, but currently very-much-on-sale alternative, try these by Dolce Vita (crazy sale on their website!!! Stocks are running out so shop fast!)
They have them in an amazing Midnight Blue as well.
I'm trying to decide if I should get myself one of these. They're only $50, but right now I have so many pairs of boots that I don't even wear enough to justify having all of them, so I don't know if I deserve any more.

Paris Couture, a little bit belatedly

2007-01-28T16:43:00.000-06:00

I know couture is about as far away from the typical college wardrobe as one can possibly get, but this season's shows are so utterly beautiful they just about broke my heart. I am not kidding. It doesn't shame me to admit that the Dior show brought tears to my eyes. I am normally a stone-hearted person, but fashion manages to make a soft weepy woman of me.

I can't imagine what it must've been like actually sitting there and watching the shows. Seeing a couture show - and buying couture, of course - are among my Things To Do Before I Die.

Also, couture is the kind of clothing you preserve forever in beautiful boxes and never, ever throw away. So this is related to the link Nisha recently posted about "fast fashion" contributing to higher carbon emissions -

save the world, buy couture!

If only it were so simple.

Here's the latest greatest article from the NYT, Far From Hollywood: Haute couture is everything the red carpet is not.

Anddd of course what would a post about couture be without pictures?

John Galliano for Dior
In the words of Annie at Blogdorf Goodman, "Galliano gave me beauty and hope yesterday. He gave me a technicolor dream filled with china blossoms, origami and geishas."

The colours were delightful, like candy shop treats, but the frothy white confections were my favourites. The shapes, the sharp origami details (I've always loved origami), the extent of Galliano's imagination - breathtaking. And I loved how each piece was presented like a treasured work of art, just as fashion should always be. And unfortunately, all the other shows really just paled in comparison to this one.

Armani Privé
Japanese for Dior, Indian for Armani. I think Galliano did a better job bringing out the spectacle of geisha culture for the Dior show, but it would have been very un-Armani-like if he had actually brought the culture and loudness of true Indian culture into his show. Instead, he conveyed the influences subtly while maintaining the modern sleekness and poise that are his trademark. I loved how some the perfectly tailored suits have a sort of hoodie look about them, reminiscent of the way Indian women drape their saris over their heads. The dresses were cut beautifully, full of movement and life. Ohhhh to have a kurta by Armani.

Elie Saab
I didn't actually know that Elie Saab showed during couture week, so I was surprised. He's always seemed like the type who made some pretty dresses for the red carpet, but nothing quite so fantastic that it was worthy of the title 'haute couture'. This show didn't really disabuse me of those notions - it was definitely all stuff that I could imagine J Lo and Beyonce and Halle Berry wearing to a glamourous awards show. However, the dresses were definitely pretty, and they helped me get over the shock of that painfully gold Elie Saab number Beyonce wore to the Golden Globes! I liked the tight, controlled babydoll tops with voluminous bottoms, and the baby-blue-and-black colour combination on a couple of the dresses was bold enough to briefly be worthy of haute couture. Then there were lots of shimmering diaphanous pieces which were... pretty, I guess, but quite blah, really. Not my thing.

Jean Paul Gaultier
Dark religious kitsch. Not really my thing, but really quite fascinating. And he achieved the artist's purpose of making his work stick in your mind. Lots of Catholic iconography - halos, modernistic wimples (funny how a simple hood can recall an Indian sari or a nun's wimple), stained glass effects, dramatic make-up that resembled statues of the Virgin Mary. With a sort of ironic spin, like a pale blue dress with a shiny bleeding heart, and naturally the dresses reveal a lot more skin than the church would really approve of. Ironic but not, I think, patronising. I liked it the same way I liked one of John Galliano's shows a year or two ago which was inspired by the French Revolution. Haunting and hard to understand, but a great work of art in its own right. And some of the dresses, taken seperately from the elaborate headdresses, are really beautiful and wearable.

Valentino
This collection was unexpectedly young, innocent and flirtatious. Quite a departure from the signature red dresses. But I liked it - it was refreshing, light as spring, and some of the more modern pieces (polka-dots, a bold cut, etc) were really nice. The Jackie O-style coats were adorable, and pastel colours are so soothing. In fact, according to style.com the pastel pink coat (second from left, bottom row) has set the fashion world talking and left many frustrated that there wasn't more like that in this collection. There was one hideous flowered dress though. I'm not sure where that came from (bottom left corner). Ah well, apparently Valentino's preparing himself for a whopper of a show for the July couture season. Will look forward to that.

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel
Was rather disappointing. Couture is supposed to show you something new, it's suppose to surprise, excite and inspire but there wasn't much that was particularly inspired about this collection, in my opinion. Some nice proportions going on, but the mod silhouette's been going on for a while already, the mainly black-and-white palette is getting old, and the occasions when Lagerfeld tried to inject colour in seemed quite contrived, frankly. And the dresses with the bits trailing down like shredded paper? I couldn't make sense of them. But there were some ensembles which hinted at the classic Chanel goodness that we've come to expect.
And then there was a grossly unflattering, frumpy, poofy gray dress which just made my jaw drop in horror. It's like a prom dress nightmare from two centuries ago, if that makes any sense to you.
Let's hope next season sees a Galliano-esque rediscovery of genius for Mr Lagerfeld.

Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy - "the metamorphosis of sailors into mermaids"
I saved this for last because I don't usually see great clothes from Givenchy, but this show was crazy, dramatic and outstanding in the way that only a couturier can pull off. Loved the moody atmosphere, the modern shapes and brilliant tailoring. And there was lots of navy blue. Am a sucker for detailed tailoring and navy blue. This collection had a poofy gray dress that was just as unflattering as the one at Chanel, but it was so misguidedly over-detailed that I found it in my heart to excuse it. Oh and the huge hats! What's a good couture show without something ridiculously unwearable playing a central role in the collection?

I am not bothering with Christian Lacroix because I never like his couture shows. They all look the same - weird shapes, excessive colours and glitter and makeup. And somehow they just seem to wholly lack originality.

Phew. Long post. Time to get back to writing a Humanities paper!

Bobbi Brown Violet Palette

2007-01-28T13:47:00.000-06:00

Ok I know I said that brown girls should stay far, far away from this Violet palette. This is because an experience I had about 3 years ago, when I was young and didn't know anything about beauty. I got a makeover at Estee Lauder where the saleslady put a really pretty violet on my eyelids - atleast it looked fantastic in the compact - and I blissfully walked away from the counter feeling on top of the world. And then I looked at my pictures from later that night, and decided that never again was I going to let anyone persuade me to put purple on my face because it made me look hideous. Thus the instant prejudice against the Violet Palette, which incidentally looks just as pretty as, if not prettier than, the Estee Lauder colour which screwed me over so many moons ago.
However, the MakeUpGirl has the following to say about this palette:
"Now brown girls, I know what you are thinking..."That's too pink for me..." NO IT ISN'T... Even though the palette is named Violet...I would categorize these colors are warm and rosey. They are very wearable and have no hint of chalkiness whatsoever."

So, fellow brown girls, if any of you give this palette a shot, tell me what you think of it!

Yeah, I love shoes. Get over it.

2007-01-27T15:52:00.000-06:00

Came across these darling flats and had to share -

Embossed leather in three very refreshing, unexpected colours. Perfect to stock up for spring, no? $98 at Anthropologie.com

Looks To Be Inspired By

2007-01-27T03:09:00.000-06:00

I am an ardent reader of people.com - after the New York Times, that's my next stop for Important News Of The Day. Not only do I get the latest scoop on my favourite celebs, but I loooove looking at the Star Tracks pictures, just to see what are the latest and greatest looks being worn by them. They do, after all, have access to some of the best fashion the world has to offer. This is not to say that Hollywood is at the forefront of fashion at all, but I love to be inspired by the Hollywood girls who get it right.

Keira Knightley in a painfully chic trouser suit. I love the widelegged trousers with the fitted jacket. I really don't like KK as an actress, and she's not even normally worthy of a best-dressed prize, but I really like this look on her. Great accessories as well - who would've thought to pair a menswear-looking hat with a bright red clutch? Her friend as well - for an older woman, she knows how to look good.

Rachel McAdams setting off her pink-and-blonde hair with a sexy black dress. Loving the smokey eyes and nude strappy sandals.

This is my favourite - Kate Middleton (okay she's not Hollywood by any means, but she's definitely rising in the celeb stakes and she's developing a very acute sense for fashion. She's one to look out for.) I am on the hunt for a swingy little grey tweed skirt to wear with a blazer, tights and slouchy boots. I wore a black skirt the other day with black tights and my new black slouchy boots, which was pretty cool but a grey skirt with a little bit of movement about it would have been perfect.

Colour trends: Cobalt

2007-01-27T03:04:00.000-06:00

This is one of my favourite colours in the world, and it's popping up all over the runway and the red carpet. In another post I'll find you a bunch of cute clothes in this fabulous colour, but for now check out some great suggestions by the girls at Omiru!

Proenza Schouler for Target

2007-01-26T01:46:00.000-06:00

Hey girls,

Go here to check out the collection. If that link doesn't work, go to shoplocal.com and enter "Proenza Schouler". Some lucky people, such as Julie at Almost Girl, have apparently been able to actually order a bunch of items, but for some reason when I click on the links I'm just taken to Behnaz Sarafpour stuff. Maybe Target got wise to the fact that their stuff was being sold wayyy in advance of when it was supposed to start selling and very efficiently did something about it. I don't know. So for now I'm just contenting myself with thoughts of that adorable blue silk bustier top and a snappy purple pencil skirt (say that three times, fast.)

Source: ShopDiary

UPDATE: Some, not all, of the links work. But the ones that do take you to a Proenza item on Target.com say that the item's sold out. But atleast you get to see nice big pictures of some of the things you can look forward to in a couple of weeks!

Remember -- Feb 4.

Breaking: fashion is bad for the environment!

2007-01-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

I'm a news junkie, so part of my routine when I get up bright and early every morning (I have 8 ams 4 days a week!) is to check the New York Times online- the only news source worth reading, in my opinion (Kristof and Friedman: best columnists ever, I LOVE those guys). Anyways, point here is, I found this article about fashion pollution, Can Polyester Save The World?, both alarming and slightly hilarious. The idea is that low-budget, disposable clothes from such cheap-chic giants as Target, Old Navy, and H&M are contributing to a rise in carbon emissions and worsening the global warming crisis. Sad, but true.

The bad news? The more clothes you own--especially of the cheap, dispose-at-every-season variety-- the more you contribute to global warming.

But the good news? At least now we can justify solely buying Gucci and Chanel--it's better for the environment!

This has nothing at all to do with fashion

2007-01-24T19:30:00.000-06:00

Is it just me or do Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Gosling bear uncanny resemblance to one another? When I read that Mr Gosling had been nominated for an Oscar, I was like "Yay! That's the guy from The Notebook! Rachel McAdams's boyfriend! I like him! I'm happy for him!"

And then I saw a picture of Ryan Reynolds and I thought "Wait, isn't THAT the guy from The Notebook? So who's the guy who got the Oscar nod?"

To solve the pressing mystery, I turned to imdb for help and discovered that Rachel McAdams's boyfriend is indeed the lucky Oscar nominee, and that Ryan Reynolds shares his name and occasionally his face.

Guess who's who?

Okay I guess the one on top is cuter. But they do look amazingly similar, don't they?

10,000 hits!

2007-01-24T17:12:00.000-06:00

Dear friends,

Here's celebrating 10,000 hits, which we made sometime last last night. I am so excited at how quickly this little blog of mine is growing. I love it, and I love you guys for being such great, enthusiastic readers!

Love and kisses,
Aparna

P.S.

2007-01-22T22:32:00.000-06:00

This is a note I would like to add to the previous post by the lovely Aparna. The question from a reader was about any makeup tips we can offer for Asian/Indian/South Asian women. Aparna did a fantastic job offering opinions and advice so I'd recommend readingher post first--this is just my tidbit addition to her post :-)

I use the same foundation as Aparna--Stila Tinted Moisturizer in Warm. I highly recommend this stuff no matter what your race or skin tone, because it comes in a wide range of shades for everyone, goes on easy, and looks great.

Most Asians and Indians, including myself, have yellowish undertones to their skin, so you should find a yellowish-based concealer. A lot of concealers specifically made for undereyes are yellow-based, so I recommend one of these--most brands are fine to use on the rest of your face also. Don't use any foundation/concealer that has pink or orange-y undertones, because that will stand out against the rest of your skin.

For lipgloss, I recommend Neutrogena MoistureShine. Some of the shades that would look bright on fair-skinned girls actually look perfectly natural on Asians. I like sheer reds and browny-pinks that sort of brighten up brown skin but still look natural. Try Neutrogena MoistureShine in Chic or First Blush,both of which I think look great on Indian skin.

um, that's it. I'm no expert on beauty, I'm just sharing what works for me. check out aparna's post for more ideas!

Make-Up for Indian Skin

2007-01-22T21:41:00.000-06:00

Maya left a great comment asking for advice on make-up for Indians. This, I think, is another niche that fashion/beauty blogs need to address, because there are loads of beauty blogs for white girls and there are some great ones catering more to African-American girls as well, ShakeYourBeauty being primo among these. Unfortunately there isn't much advice going around for Asian skin, though the BagSnob, whom I believe is Korean, has just started BeautySnob which looks like it's going to become religious reading for me. But for South Asians, good tips are few and far between.

So. Make-up is really not my area of expertise - I do love reading beauty blogs, but skincare and haircare are more my thing than make-up. Also, my obsession with clothes, bags and shoes doesn't leave that much room for expenditure on beauty products. Still, I have SO MANY lotions and sprays and gels and scrubs and shampoos and conditioners that my mom yells at me and my roommate laughs at me everytime I come back with a new one. I guess I've dealt with acne and frizzy, curly hair for basically my whole life, so I've been quite eager to invest in whatever will help save me. And I can assure you that better products do make for better skin. And before I left Singapore I had a smashing haircut at Toni&Guy, and somehow the price ended up being about half of what I expected to pay which made it even more smashing. Anyway I'm digressing from my point, which was that I do occasionally bother to put some make-up on my perfectly cleansed and moisturised skin, so I can tell you a few things about making up Indian skin.

For foundation, usually I just let the sales assistants help me pick out a shade. I don't regularly use foundation, but my Stila Tinted Moisturiser is in the 'warm' shade and my Laura Mercier concealer is SC-5. For Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser, I'm an Almond. By the way the Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage concealer is fantastic because it gives you a light and a dark shade that you can mix so it suits your skin exactly. This is great for me because I tan quite easily so I can just work with the same concealer whether I'm deeply tanned or paler than pale.

I use Dallas bronzer/blush by Benefit, which I absolutely love because you can build as much colour as you need and it suits pretty much all skintones. And NARS Orgasm blush would probably work because it's been widely touted as a universal skintone flatterer, though I haven't tried that myself. As for eyeshadow, unfortunately I'm not the best person to ask because I hardly ever use any. I'm desperately attached to my soft black NARS eyeliner which I use to line my lids as well as the inside of the lower eyelid, which is an Indian tradition my mom handed down to me. Usually, that's more than enough eye drama for me so I've never bothered much with eyeshadow. But I'm guessing that as long as you stick to warm tones (since Indians tend to have brown eyes) you should be fine.

For lipsticks as well, avoid the colours with blue and pink blended in them because those are meant for pink-based complexions. Tia Williams of ShakeYourBeauty recently recommended a fantastic shade of Spanish Red by NARS. I don't ever use lipstick (that's more my mom's forte, and she swears by Brownie by Bobbi Brown.) I like light glosses and tinted balms for my lips - Benefit benetint lip balm, for instance, was one of my favourite things ever, until an ornery airport security official took it away from me at the beginning of the no-liquids-and-gels regime. Nowadays when I feel like some colour on my lips I use MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner in Plum Perfect.

I'd recommend splurging a little more on foundation than on other things because drugstore brands like Loreal and Maybelline do great mascaras, lipsticks and eyeshadows but for foundation I think you really get what you pay for.

In general I think warm tones are good for Indians. Don't, for instance, get taken in by the utter prettiness of the new Bobbi Brown Violet Face Palette because chances are, the only thing that's going to prettify is the surface of your dressing table.

Personally, my skin colour is sort of like a white person with a slight tan so it's relatively easy to work with. It sort of fits into a "medium skin tone" category that a lot of lines have products for. The thing, though, is that Indians tend to have such a wide variety of skin colours that it's really hard to prescribe shades and even eyeshadows that work. In fact there are some Indians I know who're so fair that cool shades work perfectly on them. So you really need to have a good chat with the sales assistants to help you figure out what works for you.

Ok I'm not sure that really helped, but I hope it gives you some direction. Nisha, please feel free to add anything else - I remember you wearing some pretty nice makeup the day we met, so I'm guessing you'll have much more to offer.

Also, if anyone knows of any good beauty blogs catering to Indian women, please leave links in the comments! Merci beaucoup.

Surprise!

2007-01-22T20:13:00.000-06:00

I am normally the first person to brutally denounce Paris Hilton, but how cute does she look in this outfit? Except for the suburban trophy wife hair, I mean. I think the polo minidress with white mary janes is so, so adorable. And you gotta admit, she does have a great pair of legs. Does this girl ever even go to the gym or is she just incredibly genetically blessed?

Style Obsession: Houndstooth

2007-01-21T19:23:00.000-06:00

Between reading every fashion blog and publication I come in contact with and serial-shopping my way through Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, I have come to the conclusion that I am obsessed with all things houndstooth. This classic, clean print doesn't have to be stiff and boring--it can be easily dressed up or down with the right accessories for a fresh, original look, no matter what your price range is. It's a look that is fabulously retro and mod at the same time. Just a couple weeks ago I purchased these fantastic houndstooth flats for only $15:

The key to wearing houndstooth right is to play down the rest of your outfit and let the houndstooth print take center stage if wearing a large piece such as a coat, sweater, or dress. More options for every budget:

Skirt, Isaac Mizrahi for Target, a mere $10. target.com

Coat, Bloomingdale's, $139. bloomingdales. com

Scarf, Marks & Spencer, £18.00, marksandspencer.com

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes

2007-01-21T17:36:00.000-06:00

Clearly, in terms of obsessions I have moved on from bags to shoes. I apologise for the lack of posts lately, my week has been crazier than crazy. And I am suffering from a dilemma - those gorgeous Kenneth Cole boots arrived a few days ago, and they are a bit slouchier than expected, so I'm trying to decide if I should return them. Decisions, decisions.

And I haven't had a chance to wear either pair of my new Bandolino flats, because Chicago has been SO cold. But meanwhile, there are pretty shoes to be admired!

The Lavetta flats by Nine West are utterly, butterly stylish. They look a little bit like moccasins, only prettier. Aren't the colours adorable? $79, at ninewest.com

Also, one of the few good things about Uggs? Their Dakota slipper, $89.95 at Nordstrom. My roommate has a pair in the Tobacco shade, and I am dying for a Coffee-coloured pair. They, are so cute and incredibly comfortable and warm enough even for the miserable weather in Chicago right now.
The above two are out of my price range at present, due to my recent expenditure. However, I may just take TF's advice to scoop up a pair of royal blue patent leather flats at Payless. At $12.99, I can probably get the black ones as well - I have been desiring some black patent leather for my shoe wardrobe for a while, and the price is rather irresistable, even if I am a little suspicious about the comfort levels of Payless shoes. Whatever, I'll probably give it a shot. What do you think?

Golden Globes Roundup: Best & Worst

2007-01-16T17:53:00.000-06:00

THE BEST:

America Ferrerra was absolutely gorgeous in a perfectly cut purple gown and she was just glowing. When she won her award she was so adorable. I love this girl!

Eva Longoria has made some questionable fashion choices in the past but played it safe last night in a gorgeous, flattering navy blue gown.

Felicity Huffman may play a tired, kind of haggard housewife on Desperate Housewives, but she looked gorgeous last night in this flowing gown.

Reese Witherspoon took that stage to present her award and literally personified the statement "Looking good is the best revenge." She. looked. stunning. I bet Ryan Philippe is eating his heart out right now. Idiot. Oh, and the shoes? Amazing. Cameron Diaz, on the other hand, kind of went the opposite direction as Reese (see below).

Evangeline Lily was my favorite for wearing something a little bold. The pale colors are muted but the pattern is different from anything else you might see at such an event and she works it perfectly.

THE WORST:

Ellen Pompeo: Um, what the hell. Could you make yourself look any paler, sicker, thinner? The severe hair and draping, unflattering white sack of a gown just made her look ridiculous, drab, and unattractive. Ellen pompeo can be so gorgeous when she tries!! WHY does she keep picking such ridiculous outfits, and WHEN is she going to fire her (clearly high) stylist?!

Cameron Diaz, recently broken up from her boyfriend JT, did the opposite of Reese and showed up to the Globes looking frumpy and weird. This dress is all wrong for someone as tall and thin as her--the layers of ruffles weigh her down and hide her figure and do not flatter. Plus the one sleeve/strap is just odd. I do love the dark hair though.

Chloe Sevigny is supposed to be this supposed amazing style icon and everything, but I thought her dress was just an attempt to look cool, but not executed well. Plus, it wouldn't kill her to lighten up and smile. I couldn't find a picture of her alone so there you have her two co-stars. The shoes smack of bondage fetishes and the whole thing makes her look sort of like a fierce girl being forced by her mom to put on a dress and make nice.

Vanessa Williams: Honey, we all have bad hair days once in a while but NOT AT THE GOLDEN GLOBES. That ridiculous hair coupled with that outrageous fur stole just made her look kind of like a '70s cartoon character version of the real Vanessa Williams.

Other things worth noting at the 64th Annual Golden Globes: Eric Dane was extremely hot in a tux as usual but has not yet ditched Rebecca Gayheart, Forest Whitaker won best actor in a drama and surprised everyone (well, at least me), Sacha Baron Cohen's acceptance speech was all about his co-star's testicles, Tom Hanks talked way too long, and Meryl Streep gave a phenomenal acceptance speech. Blah Blah. When are the Oscars again?

Charge It To The Insula.

2007-01-15T23:21:00.000-06:00

Another great article from the New York Times - The Voices in My Head Say ‘Buy It!’ Why Argue?

I am fascinated and thrilled to find yet another way to justify my spending habits. Evidently, I have a dopamine addiction, a very responsive nucleus accumbens (I like how that word bears such uncanny similarity to 'succumb', because that is exactly what I do whenever I see a cute coat, bag or pair of shoes) and an incredibly sluggish insula. Given the link between dopamine and shopping habits, maybe I should go to the gym more often in order to improve the health of my bank balance. Exercise releases dopamine, right? Or is that endorphins? Or are they the same thing? Clearly my brain needs a work-out. Or some sleep. I've been staring at my math problem set for the last 4 hours.

I'm sure many of you out there are better at biology than I am! And, since this is, after all, a blog dedicated to university students, I'm sure one or two of you might be interested to read the actual working paper by the behavioral economists at Carnegie Mellon - so you can download a copy of Tightwads and Spendthrifts.

"Learn to be your own editor."

2007-01-15T15:47:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. I just moved back to campus yesterday so the last few days have been extremely busy and my laptop was packed Saturday through Sunday. Now that I'm connected to the world wide web again, I've been meaning to post about the recent FWD article 5 Ways to Make 2007 Determinedly Chic. My take on their five things...

See the Nan Kempner exhibit: of course, I think Nan Kempner is fabulous and would LOVE to see the exhibit. She only possessed the best closet in the history of fashion and was a style icon to all who aspired to be chic, but not all of us can jet to NYC at the drop of a hat nor is it easy to get a copy of one of those elusive exhibition catalogues. However, I think most non-NYC based fashionistas should get points for even caring about Nan Kempner!

Look to non-traditional sources for valid information: well, if you're reading this, you're already doing it. The article suggests reading newspapers and blogs rather than just Vogue/W/Harper's Bazaar. I think most people who are really into fashion do this one anyways, including the people who even read FWD in the first place, so this is a pointless suggestion.

Acknowledge trends, don't become the trends: I totally agree. I think we need more style individualists and less trend-followers.

Shop online: Um, this is 2007. Don't we all?

Follow the shows: because you know we will! "You can learn about trends when they are printed in a magazine or thrown on the back of some red-carpet-walking star, months after designers actually present them on the runways, but why not get more involved and make a point to follow fashion more closely this year?" says FWD writer Erin Skrypek. Hectic schedules make it tough for people who aren't full-time fashion industry professionals to have the time to follow all the shows in all the cities (or at least the major cities), but it's definitely worth the effort! This week, men's lines are debuting in Milan :-)

Beauty is discipline, artistry, effort

2007-01-12T18:03:00.000-06:00

I just read a really great article about what 'beauty' means.

I know if I wanted to be politically correct I should advocate being confident in your body and your looks. However, I think self-assurance isn't justified unless you put a little effort into the way you look. What I mean is that you can't just tell me that looking like a slob is all about being comfortable with yourself. You obviously shouldn't go to the extent of starving yourself (anyway that doesn't count as Effort the way I see it) but you have to put some time and thought into your appearance before you can honestly say that you're happy with the way you look.

"Yes, we are given forms by nature, but how we choose to present them is a matter of our own discretion. Few people are blessed by nature and circumstance with the Golden Mean proportions that seem to be universally appreciated. Thus, in the end, it is more democratic to think of beauty or attractiveness as an attribute that one can acquire, like speaking a foreign language or cooking well. To see beauty as a capacity like any other--the product of educated taste and daily discipline--is to see it as something chosen: to be possessed or left aside, according to one's preference."

The essence of the article is that beauty is a discipline that a woman can choose to pursue. And like any pursuit, it takes dedication and hard work. "A life of artifice is not for everyone. Once we see the effort and hours that go into making a body more appealing, we may decide not to attempt a labor-intensive presentation of the self. We may decide that other things are more important."

The same goes for the clothes and accessories that you choose to put on your body - some people may believe that fashion is slavery to rules that are made up by people who have far more time and money to invest in clothes and shoes and bags and make-up. However, I believe that at a very basic level, an interest in fashion is a decision to be attractive on a consistent basis. And with attractiveness go confidence, self-esteem and success :)

"In contemporary America, becoming thin is a choice that for most people requires rigorous and sometimes painful self-discipline. But so does becoming a lawyer, or a concert pianist. The celebrity press is wrongly decried for giving women false ideals. In fact, it has demystified the relationship between effort and beauty, between discipline and weight. It opens up a path for non-celebrities."

I think this is extremely chewy food for thought, especially for college girls - most of whom are particularly susceptible to being swayed by the thousands of images of gorgeous, slim celebrities that we're assaulted by. While anorexia and other eating disorders are certainly not the way to go, being healthy and keeping yourself attractive are undeniably worthy goals.

Ultimately, beauty is "something created, a condition to which anyone can have access with the right education and effort. This is a meritocratic ideal, not an insistent, elitist one."

Random Fun Things

2007-01-11T23:44:00.001-06:00

You know I love bags, right?

So I loved BagSnob's posts on the best and worst bags of 2006. I'm still lusting after that Pierre Hardy Besace like my life depends on it. A little bit of Lanvin wouldn't hurt either. But here's a tip for poor little college students like myself -- check out Aldo for cute purses. I've got three bags by them, and all are durable, fun, gorgeous and don't break the bank. The last one was just acquired on Sunday, when I went shopping with Nisha, and it is a delicious black-and-white confection. I've been going through a black-and-white phase lately.

It's this bag, except the red parts are black and the brown parts are white on mine. I kind of like this red version too. I definitely have a weakness for red.

Also, I have a tip about shoes. For insanely comfortable, affordable ballet flats - try the Onthefly by Bandolino. I have them in grey suede which I've been wearing to death because somehow the weather in Chicago has lately been nice enough that I don't have to wear boots all the time, and these heavenly flats just went on sale so I've ordered the red suede and the pale gold leather, for $29.99 each! What a great price for real leather/suede! Incidentally, they look exactly like Steve Madden flats which retail for around $70. I've had the grey ones since Thanksgiving and they're still looking pretty good even though they've traipsed around Chicago, New York and Singapore with me - not to mention airports in three different countries! So they're definitely durable. A deal if there ever was one.

By the way, the best part is that I've been pondering those red flats for a really long time, in fact when I bought the grey ones my original choice was the red but they didn't have my size, and then a couple of weeks ago I decided to check if they had them on the site, and they did but at that point they were $39.99 plus shipping and tax and all that so I was pondering over it for a while. I almost bought them yesterday but I decided to think about it a bit more, and then today when I went back to the site like a girl drawn back again and again to the bad boy, I noticed that the price had changed! With very little hesitation I picked up the red and the gold and I lived happily ever after.

(I find this hilarious, but I just went back to the site to get a picture and I accidentally clicked on the "add to shopping bag" button and it turns out that the red suede is no longer left in my size, which means I bought it just in time!!!)

Oh and I got some fabulous suede boots from Piperlime.com. They're Tribeca by Kenneth Cole, and on sale right now for $84.99. Plus piperlime has free shipping and free returns. Yessir, I've ordered three pairs of shoes in the last couple of hours.

I've been having some pretty good luck with sales lately - one day in Singapore I saw a gorgeous black coat at Zara for S$450 (US$300) and I thought to myself that it was the most delightful thing ever but that was a little too much at that point to pay for a coat. The next day was the beginning of the Zara sale, I didn't think they'd put such a gorgeous little thing on sale but I went back to show it to my mom anyway in the hopes that she might be feeling generous. Lo and behold, it was marked down to S$265 (approx US$170)! And they had a piece in my size without all the buttons torn off by avid sale-goers. And then the gorgeous black coat was mine.

The end.

Mr. Blackwell's Worst Dressed List

2007-01-10T11:16:00.000-06:00

I thought on this lazy morning I would share one of my favorite guilty pleasures: Mr. Blackwell's Annual Worst Dressed List. It's hilarious. And on it are some of our least favorite people, such as Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Enjoy!

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/entertainment/0701/gallery.worst.dressed/frameset.exclude.html

Love or Hate?

2007-01-08T20:06:00.000-06:00

Hey guys! Sorry I've been totally MIA for the last couple of weeks - between packing up my Singapore life to come back to surprisingly sunny Chicago, settling down, fighting jetlag, going back to class, and meeting the lovely Nisha for some fantastic shopping yesterday, I've been busybusybusy!

Anyway, what're your thoughts on these Steve Madden flats, $70 at piperlime.com? (UGH Blogger, ever difficult, refuses to let me publish the picture and you know how much I hate posting without pictures, it makes my mind wander too much! Okay I'm just being a drama queen but seriously, Blogger is being a right old pain in the ass.)

I think the stripey, busy flats could be cute to jazz up an otherwise simple outfit, but I won't be pulling out the plastic for this just yet, especially considering that my search for the perfect pair of black flats hasn't ended just yet!

On my wishlist for shoes:
Perfect black ballet flats
Perfect black knee-high boots with the perfect heel - stylish, but comfy enough to traipse around campus

EDIT:
Here's the picture -

Back to School: The Packing Conundrum

2007-01-08T11:46:00.000-06:00

As some of us get ready to head back to school this weekend or next weekend, it has dawned n me how impossible it will be to cram everything in my bags and hop a bus back to campus. Coming home in December, I could barely zip my bags shut with all the clothes I was bringing home. But now, after much winter break shopping, I am coming back to school with several more tops and accessories, a couple pairs of jeans I had left at home at Thanksgiving, and four more pairs of shoes than I came home with (I know, I'm horrible!). I'm also very partial to the layering look, which means I always overpack and want every article of clothing with me at school because I might want to layer it with something!

I'm sure I'm not the only one worrying about how to pack up all my stuff without having to leave anything at home, so here's a few helpful packing tips I've compiled for everyone who's heading back to campus soon:

-Start by organizing now. You probably have much more stuff to take back to school this time around, and it probably is scattered all around your house as opposed to your tiny dorm or apartment, so start early by getting eveything together to make sure you don't forget anything. If it helps, make a checklist to keep everything organized

-Pack as you go. If this is your last week of winter break, you're probably busy seeing old friends, spending time with family, and cramming in last-minute errands, so do a little bit of packing everyday so it doesn't overwhelm you. Everytime you do laundry, pack a few more things.

-If you're taking a plane, don't forget the TSA regulations on liquids and gels. You do not want to be the girl who has to throw away her entire makeup bag in the airport.

-Make sure you have an extra-sturdy, cushioned, extra-protective laptop bag. You don't want anything to happen to that precious laptop while in transit.

-Make the most of luggage limits. I'm taking a bus, and the bus only allows one large suitcase to be thrown under the bus, one carry-on, and one purse, which is not really a lot. So I plan to maximize that by taking the roomiest suitcase I can find in my house, stuffing as many little items as I can into the side pockets and extra spaces in my oversized laptop bag, taking a tote as a purse so I can fit more stuff in there, and taking one more carry-on than the bus allows since they never bother me about it. If you're taking a plan, train, or bus, make the most of what you're given! If you've got a car....well, you're a lucky girl!

-Make sure your rolling suitcase has sturdy, high quality wheels. One time on a vacation, one of the wheels broke off my suitcase, making it an absolute pain to drag around. Don't let that happen to you!

Enjoy the rest of your break if you're still at home!

Madonna for H&M

2007-01-08T00:18:00.000-06:00

Okay first of all: who doesn't love H&M? The Swedish cheap-chic giant has been an overnight success since hitting the US a few years ago.

I know this is old news, but I'm thoroughly interested to see the M by Madonna line that Madonna will design for H&M, set to release this March. When Karl Lagerfeld's line for H&M premiered in 2004, all I remember was getting there the day after the line released and everything was sold out already. But then again, that was Karl Lagerfeld. When Stella McCartney's line for H&M premiered in 2005, it sold out equally as fast. When Madonna's little tracksuit experiment for H&M came out...it was not nearly as much of a success. But, H&M is giving Madonna another chance and I'm interested to see what new ideas she'll come up with this time!

Hopefully I'll be able to high-tail it to my nearest H&M this March to check it out in person. Unfortunately I don't have an H&M near my campus, but if the line is any good I might have to make a weekend trip home to Chicago to check it out!

In other really random news, a thought: do you guys read ever read Glamour? You know, the Glamour Do's and Dont's, where they take pictures of people on the street and black-bar them and display their good and bad style choices. Do you ever wish you could do that and take pictures of people you see on the street whose style inspires you...or horrifies you? Aparna and I, while shopping today, sort of...followed...this girl around Forever 21 so we could get a full glimpse of her outfit, which we both absolutely adored (she wore this coat and balanced out its girliness with black tights and flat black leather boots)!! We felt kind of crazy, but you have to admit, it's really interesting to watch people on the street and wish you could blog every wild and interesting outfit you see.... don't you agree?

Style Obsession: Herve Chapelier bags

2007-01-07T22:48:00.000-06:00

So I went on another day-long shopping trip today. It's okay, because once I get to campus next week I won't be shopping for a very, very long time, since there's no good shopping in the area. So it's justified if I overcompensate by shopping a lot now....right?

However, my favorite thing I bought today wasn't during my shopping trip-- it was an Herve Chapelier tote bag I just got on Ebay for $20! It's the 925N bag in Tarama/Moka.

I love the Herve Chapelier bags because they're fun and cute but also roomy and really practical. The 925N normally sells for $115, so getting it for $20 on Ebay (brand new, with tags still on) is really a steal. Anyways, my point: these are extremely practical for college life because they a)are waterproof and have a ziptop so your stuff will always be shielded form snow/rain; b)have plenty of space for your books and laptop; and c)come in every possible color combination you could dream of. This is definitely going to be my new bookbag for this semester!

Style Obsession: Minis with dark tights

2007-01-06T15:26:00.000-06:00

I love the minis-and-tights look--it's a fresher, preppier, more hip take on the ever-popular denim-mini-with-leggings look.

Instead of leggings, try opaque, solid-colored tights in rich, dark colors like black, burgundy, navy, or even fuschia. Pair with minis of all different kinds of styles. Instead of the ever-present denim mini, try pencil skirts, wool minis, or minis with bold prints.

Top it off with flats or wedges and a slew of colorful bangles. Or for a really daring, hot-off-the-runway look, try it with ankle boots!

(I couldn't find any suitable pictures online, so the following are shots I took out of the January issue of Lucky, hence the not-so-good quality. sorry! But if you'll notice, the model in the second shot is wearing her tights and minidress with ankle boots that match the color of her tights, a look which I think is great)

TCW's Best College Fashion Trends of '06

2007-01-05T15:38:00.000-06:00

And now, after several months of avid people-watching ("fashion-watching," as I heard it called on some other blog), my absolute favorite trends of '06 as seen on college campuses everywhere. And at the end, a few thoughts on trendiness vs. style.

1. Skinny jeans: This one is almost certainly a love-it-or-hate-it item. I lean far to the love-it side, because I adore how these jeans look when worn properly. I know skinny jeans are not forgiving to many body types, which is understandably unfair and the reason why so many fashionistas despise these. But seriously, don't you think they just look so chic and smart?

2. Big Belts: According to writers at thestylephile.com (who also agree with me that Crocs must die!--see earlier post), "A waist is a terrible thing to waste. Get one in patent, satin, or leather to add some cinch to your figure. Do not wear it low slung on your hips. Only female cops are allowed in invest in holsters. " I couldn't agree more, and I loved seeing girls wearing big belts everywhere. If you haven't jumped on this trend yet, there's still plenty of time--big belts are sticking around in 07.

3. Pashminas. I saw a lot of cool scarves, but pashminas (real or not) are suddenly everywhere on my campus at least. I love love love them. I only have a couple but if I could I'd grab up a few more in different colors!

Sadly, those were the only few items in college fashion that I truly loved in 2006. In this post from Style Tribes, the author describes how college is filled with girls who mindlessly copy trends they see in magazines or on Rachel Zoe clones and wear head-to-toe Urban Outfitters or Forever21. Style doesn't have to be about following every single trend just because it's cool (uggs, leggings, crocs...) but rather, about wearing what looks good on you and fits your individual taste and personality. It is rare to see real people (as opposed to celebrities) take fashion risks and wear anything out of the ordinary; most of us just follow trends rather than making them. I read the most interesting post on The Ivy that stated basically this same thing. We don't all have to dress the same and follow the crowd! Dress how you feel and how you look best--don't just be a slave to trends in 2007!

Die, Blogger

2007-01-04T19:35:00.000-06:00

I want to KILL Blogger right now. Not only has it been refusing to let me upload pictures for the last few days, forcing me to resort to putting pictures in posts the old-fashioned HTML way, but I just spent an hour writing a post I was really excited about that took me an excruciatingly long time (researching, typing, taking pictures and getting them on my computer and getting them hosted online, then inserting said pictures into the post the hard way) and upon hitting the "Publish" button, Blogger gave me a "We are unable to complete your request" message and deleted my entire post. All that work for nothing. Hopefully I will have the motivation to re-write it later when I am not completely dead tired.

Until then: do you hear me, Google guys? the new version of Blogger sucks!

TCW loves Lucky!

2007-01-03T21:56:00.000-06:00

I think I've probably mentioned before that I'm not much of a Vogue reader--but I absolutely adore Lucky magazine. Everytime I read a new issue of Lucky, or re-read an issue for the millionth time, I feel the burning need to drop everything and go shopping.I consider it the fashion bible (or other scripture of your choice, as necessitated by such awesome congressmen as Keith Ellison!). Anyways. I already love Lucky as it is and find it full of great styling tips, cool new designers, and tons of style inspiration.

The only thing that could make me love Lucky more: their article "Coed Cool" on p. 132 of the January 2007 issue focuses on college fashion!! How fantastic is it that Lucky manages to give a nod to the cool, preppy classics of college wardobes? featured among the items in the article are perfectly tailored skinny button-downs, shrunken corduroy blazers, voluminous knee-length wool skirts (unbelievably hip in an off-beat, '70s sort of way), the most gorgeous, swingy leather purse, and much more. These are the kind of things I love about retro-collegiate style!

I wish I could scan the article, but my scanner is a) not installed on my new laptop and b)extremely low-quality and crappy. But to anyone who doesn't currently read Lucky, I highly recommend it, and I love their college fashion feature!

TCW's Top 5 Worst College Fashion Trends of 2006

2007-01-01T13:08:00.000-06:00

Here's my roundup of the five worst trends in 2006, rampant on college campuses across America. Hopefully, these will all go out with 2006 and never be seen again.

1. Crocs: Okay, this one I never understood from the get-go. When I first saw them, I thought they were something you wear over your shoes in the rain or when you're gardening. then I started seeing people in my dorm wearing them. What possesses people to wear these ugly rubber shoes, I will never know.

2. Uggs: Aparna and I have said this one before and we'll say it again. Uggs were only cool on Paris Hilton in LA circa 2002. I know it takes about two years for a trend to make it from cities like LA & NY to the less-hip suburbs, but still, Uggs were over a long, long time ago. They're not cute, people! Especially when paired with minis or gauchos.

3. Leggings: In college fashion, there's something to be said for wearing something no one else is wearing. And, the reverse is true for wearing something EVERYONE IS WEARING. I've seen leggings under denim minis galore, I've seen leggings under dresses and shirtdresses, I've seen leggings under long t-shirts that are too short to be dresses, and it makes me hate leggings even more. So unless you want to look like yet another mindless college fashion victim or a Limited Too-loving preteen, stay away from this trend!

4. Gauchos: Are these pants comofrtable? Maybe. That's debatable. But are they unflattering, ugly, awkward, and prone to givng the wearer a bad case of camel-toe? YES.

5. Sweats to Class: Ok, I was guilty of this too. But only once! The just-rolled-out-of-bed look is not cool in class. I, for one, am resolving to dress up more for class. Don't you feel more productive when you look and feel clean and put-together?

Look for more posts coming soon on: New Year's Resolutions, the 5 Best College Fashion trends of 2006, style predictions for 2007, and how to transition your winter wardrobe to spring. Happy new year everyone!

New Year's Eve outfits

2006-12-30T16:23:00.000-06:00

New Years Eve outfits have always been a big deal to me. You want to look fantastic and stylish but, you don't want to look like you're trying too hard. In a perfect world, aka in my dreams, all parties would be posh cocktail parties and everyone would be wearing cocktail dresses and 4-inch Louboutins.

Right. So, I don't know how many of you have parties like that to attend. Much to my disappointment, I don't, and wearing a cocktail dress to New year's eve would probably seem a little crazy to everyone I know. With that in mind, here is my number one suggestion for finding a great new year's eve outfit for a fun, yet laidback NYE with friends: head to your local Forever21.

First of all, never underestimate the power of stores like forever21 on new year's eve. I know their stuff isn't particularly exciting or even well-made, but they have tons of cheap, cute, flashy tops that are perfect for one-time use on new year's eve. Personally, I like this one and maybe even this one if you really like sequins (their website won't let me post pictures). It doesn't hurt that everything at forever21 works for college student budgets, too.

Pair your top of choice with dark slim jeans or a cute skirt, and don't forget to add amazing shoes (I'm going with silver ballet flats), a cute little clutch or shoulder bag, and just the right accessories, like tiered chandelier earrings, a chunky gold necklace, or a slew of colorful bangles. One terrific standout accessory should be just enough.

Happy New Year's Eve!

Some of my latest web obsessions

2006-12-26T17:16:00.000-06:00

Someone asked me an interesting question recently: why do I choose to read fashion blogs over other fashion publications? Personally, I love fashion blogs because of the wide range of perspectives, the multitude of blogs out there, and the frequent updates--as opposed to waiting for your new issue every month. Aside from Lucky magazine, which I adore, I've pretty much made the transition from magazines over to blogs seamlessly. Here's a few that I've become particularly obsessed with lately, as I waste my winter break free time on the internet:

Sharplily: I think this website's slogan "sweet finds for smart girls" definitely resonates with many college students. I, for one, have never been particularly capable when it comes to financial matters, especially when dealing with my shopping habits. I absolutely LOVE Sharplily because not only do they feature tons of "sweet finds" on a budget, but read their "about" page and you'll find that they agree with me that style is not just for those with money. Though it maybe a challenge, those of us less blessed in the monetary arena can be just as stylish as the Park Avenue Princesses.

StyleDiary: This site is fun because you get to browse through the creator's never-ending slideshow of creative outfits, but the articles are even better, in my opinion. I love the features, such as the new Chicago shopping guide (since everyone at TCW is based in Chicago, we looove this), and the "toolbox" articles never fail to offer interesting perspectives and helpful tips ranging from new year's eve outfits to how to recover from a fashion slump. Plus, you can join MyStyleDiary and create your own lookbook of outfits. Personally, I have nowhere near the amount of time necessary for a StyleDiary, but it looks like fun!

Ivy League Chic: Here's another blog devoted to college life and fashion. The writer is a student at Cornell and always has a fresh perspective to offer on such things as Lindsay Lohan's deteriorating style, the differences between Miss America and Miss USA (trust me...it's interesting), and my favorite topic, "Sheep Style"...aka the style of millions of fashion-impaired college girls across America.

Almost Girl: This is the personal blog of Julie Fredrickson, founder of Coutorture Media. What I love about Almost Girl is that Julie, a University of Chicago graduate who dubbed her blog "Where Plato and Prada Meet," blogs about both fashion, life, news, arts, culture, media, politics...her blog is a veritable smorgasbord of not only fashion but everything else interesting about life.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday!

Sale Alert!

2006-12-26T04:17:00.000-06:00

Girls, check out the Arden B sale - there's some fantastic stuff going at really great prices!

Pierre Hardy

2006-12-26T03:25:00.000-06:00

I really want this Pierre Hardy Besace handbag. It's been around for a while - I think it's S/S 06 but I'm not really (yet) of the opinion that you're fashion roadkill if you're carrying last season's bag. In any case it's still up on the Pierre Hardy website, which probably means it's still available, which means if anyone wants to buy me a $1400 post-Christmas gift, please call 33 (0)1 42 60 59 75.

How To Wear Ankle Boots

2006-12-26T03:00:00.000-06:00

This is a very tricky trend, I know a lot of people hate the ankle boot revival because they feel that it's yet another unfortunate throwback to 80s fashion, it only works for 6-foot-tall supermodels, it makes legs look chopped-up and all that jazz. However, fashion is about taking risks. And just like boyfriend sweaters, ankle boots are very hot if you know how to wear them right. That said, I believe that experimenting should not come at the cost of aesthetics, so Use Your Judgement. And the more experimental looks in this case should probably be reserved for those of you blessed with legs up to there.

The hardest look to pull off is bare legs and ankle boots. It can, however, work if the boots don't cover your ankle fully and if the colour matches your dress.

A safer route is to wear opaque (or sheer but dark) tights. If you have extremely long legs, you can experiment a little bit with the colour of the tights. If not, go for a colour that matches the colour of the boots so that the line of your leg will remain unbroken.
Even if you do have long legs, the best thing is to stick to dark colours or colours in the same family as the colour of the boots. Too much variation can be just as bad as bare legs. An elongating monochrome look would be very stylish. For instance, I just ordered this black wool skirt (on sale for $29.99!) from Gap, which I'll be wearing with black tights and black ankle boots. I'll probably add a dash of colour on top, but I'm going to stick to dark tones.

Or try longish leggings with just a hint of skin showing above the boot. I know public opinion is that leggings are so not cool anymore, but I think this is one case in which wearing leggings wouldn't have the fashion police chasing after you with sirens blaring. Especially with a long sweaterdress or a gorgeous tunic, this would be very chic indeed.

Trousers arguably don't let you show off your stylish boots to their fullest advantage, but trousers are much easier to work with. Almost any kind of trousers will be fine, and long after ankle boots have gone out of style, you can wear them with trousers and no one will be any the wiser that you're wearing something so (gasp!) untrendy.

Skinny jeans can be great with ankle boots as Kate and Sienna have demonstrated to the world, but like I've said a thousand times - most girls, unfortunately, are not Kate and Sienna. Which means, if you're uncomfortable with skinny jeans, don't make yourself a slave to fashion.

If you are going the skinny jean route, look at this picture of Mary-Kate, it's hilarious because that's an awful shirt, clearly it was the hairstylist's day off, and those boots bear startling resemblance to medieval torture devices (I think they're Balenciaga, am I right?) but ironically it illustrates a good way to wear ankle boots, even for petite girls like the Olsen twins.
Just do it with a bit more flair - lose the plaid shirt, go for something equally striking but more feminine, flowing, sexy. And don't make it a very high maintenance look. Don't just walk out with MK's bedhead but keep things simple. With your skinny jeans showing off those great boots, keep the other accessories to a minimum.

Or wear your ankle boots with a pair of cute pinstriped trousers. This look would work for internships, interviews, etc, and you'd feel confident and stylish without showing your (future) employers too much attitude.

Try ankle boots with straight-leg jeans or slightly flared jeans. Just don't wear them with widelegged trousers, because that's going to make you look like you have ambitions of working in the circus.

If you're feeling courageous, you could try ankle boots with cropped pants. Top it off with a killer jacket and it could work -- give it a shot if you're feeling experimental, but I would say this would be best if you had really long, lean legs.
Add a healthy dose of confidence and ready, set, GO!

(By the way, a trick for making your legs look longer-than-long in a hot minidress: wear nude shoes. Even Cameron Diaz with her Hollywood legs works this look.)

HAPPY CHRISMUKKAH!

2006-12-25T02:24:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone's having a fantastic holiday, full of shopping and candy and presents!

Here are some cozy, festive sweaters to enhance the mood :) I know Christmas will have come and gone before you'll have time to get your hands on these goodies, but in most parts of North America winter is here to stay for a good couple of months so it's never too late to spread some cheer by wearing a reindeer on your chest, a la Mark Darcy! Don't worry I'm not advocating reindeer chic, all the sweaters I've picked are perfectly sane, subtle and stylish.

Free People Holiday Pixie Sweater, $98 at UrbanOutfitters.

J Crew Luxe Norwegian Sweater, on sale for $59.99
This is adorable but unfortunately very few sizes are left.

Ralph Lauren Blue Label Autumn Fair Isle Cardigan, on sale for $199

Banana Republic Shawl Collar Cardigan, on sale for $102.99
Or try a Gap Patterned Cardigan at a friendlier $79.99
Both are 100% wool, 100% comfy, 100% subtle and stylish.

And then I hit the motherload at victoriassecret.com -
Victoria's Secret Snowflake Crop Cardigan, $59

Victoria's Secret Fair Isle Pointelle Cardigan, $34.99

Victoria's Secret Fair Isle Crewneck Sweater, delicious for $19!

Victoria's Secret Cableknit Trapeze Sweater, $49
This doesn't have any sort of festive pattern on it, but the colour is undeniably festive and it's such an attractive shape! Also this is the easiest sweater to wear again and again after the holidays are over.

Cute coats

2006-12-23T00:27:00.000-06:00

Kimchi and Blue Asymmetrical Ruffle Collar Coat, $140 at UrbanOutfitters.
The ruffles and the sassy thigh length of this coat make it perfect for fashion-forward college girls.

J Crew Double-cloth Lady Day Coat, on sale for $209.99
A simple, classic coat but get it in this fantastic forest pine colour and you're ultra-stylish -- clearly I am feeling the green lately!

Victoria's Secret Flared Coat, $138
Love the feminine shape with those military-style buttons. Take a cue from the model and rock it with those skinny jeans and patent leather flats!

Oh, holiday procrastination...

2006-12-22T23:33:00.000-06:00

So I'm cooped up in my house right now during the holidays, with no one but my crazy relatives and my laptop for company, so here I am on blogger! This week, I finally began my holiday shopping--I know. After 4 months of little to no shopping in the cornfields of central Illinois, it was refreshing to visit all my favorites stores on Michigan Avenue and State Street in Chicago.

I was particularly interested to see the new Macy's, because as you all know, the Marshall Field's on State St., a store steeped in Chicago history, was recently converted to Macy's and no one in Chicago is happy about this. Call me a traitor, but...the new Macy's wasn't bad! I spent an inordinate amount of time hovering over the Lush bath products and cosmetics, which all just smelled SO GOOD that I couldn't tear myself away.

Therefore, even though it is two days till Christmas, I know some of you out there share my eternally procrastinating tendencies, so I am posting another holiday gift under $20: Lush's Karma Kream moisturizer. Actually, if you really want to get picky, it's 21.60, but worth every penny. This lotion has an absolutely amazing, exotic fragrance that lasts all day, and is really effective on dry skin.

Blogger is being problematic this evening and won't let me upload a picture of it, but you can all check out Karma Kream and all of Lush's other fabulous products here.

Happy holidays!

Otte NY

2006-12-21T21:05:00.000-06:00

Ohhh dear I think I made a big mistake not buying that green dress.
Was looking around Otte NY, and found this See by Chloe dress, almost identical to the dress I didn't buy, for US$400 :/ Admittedly, the back is a sexier deep V, but I think the Warehouse dress was a much prettier green - and of course it was far more affordable. I think I'll go there today and see if they still have it. Fingers very very tightly crossed!

Also, here's a shoe TF found that looks quite similar to Katie Holmes' cute red flats. Dru patent leather flats in yumi red, and indeed they are quite yummy. Almost as yummy as Katie's, and at $104 probably a lot more affordable than whatever she's wearing.
Nevertheless, continue to let me know if you find shoe similar to hers or somehow manage to get your hands on the holy grail itself -- mary-jane ballet flats are hothotHOT.

Bags I Want For Christmas

2006-12-20T21:00:00.000-06:00

I think I've mentioned before that I have a bag fetish. It hasn't really reared its head lately, apart from that Goldenbleu clutch, but I realised that there are some insanely expensive bags that I've been coveting. Unfortunately, despite a similar lack of spending power, unlike Nisha I can't stop myself from looking at pretty things! I wish I had the willpower. So I just thought I'd let you know. In the spirit of sharing and free speech and all that, you know... By the way, they are bags that are very practical for college use, if you have sufficient spending power. I know

Miu Miu Peggy Vitello Shoulder Bag, $890 at Neiman Marcus

Orla Kiely Greenberries Laptop Bag, $368 at Anthropologie

Anna Corinna City Tote, $396 at Otte NY

Aso Oke Two-Way, $398 at Anthropologie
In terms of functionality, this is very similar to the Anna Corinna - it can be carried as a tote or folded over and carried as a messenger bag. But I love the graphic print, it's so eye-catching.

Finally, an affordable bag! You can't go wrong with a great nude bag. Canvas convertible bag, $68 at Urbanoutfitters.

Enjoy the visual feast, if nothing else :)

Green confused

2006-12-19T20:39:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I saw the most adorable little green dress at a British high street store called Warehouse. It was S$193, which is around US$125. I almost bought it, and then I chickened out because I thought it might look a little too much like a nightdress. And I didn't know how often I'd wear it, or how best to wear it. They only had one piece left in my size too!

They had it in this plum colour which is really cute too, but I can't find a picture of it in green. The one I wanted was deep green like this dress. I absolutely adore that colour.

Tell me, do you think I made the world's wrongest decision? And if you'd bought this dress, how would you wear it?

Name That Shoe

2006-12-19T20:28:00.000-06:00

Katie, Katie, Katie. You married a weird guy who jumps on couches, you let him perform Scientology rituals on you and you wear sunglasses so often that my roommate thinks you must be hiding your hypnotised eyes. But you sure have cute shoes!

Does anyone know who those shoes are by?

RED shame.

2006-12-18T21:22:00.000-06:00

Finally found my camera cable, so I can share my disappointment over the Roland Mouret for Gap Product(RED) dress. This was the only dress left in the 5th Avenue store when I went last Monday, and I shall assume that the people who snatched up all the other dresses have some sense, therefore concluding that the other dresses must have been far better (or atleast less disappointing).

The cut left much to be desired, the drape was awful, and the fabric was some sort of rough, scratchy blend. Look at the drooping hem. God only knows what they were thinking. It could've been such a cute dress. The neckline's attractive, if unoriginal, and the sleeves could've been quite sexy if they hadn't been so excessively long. This was the smallest size and it looked and felt like a sack on me.

Needless to say, I did not end up fulfilling my Roland Mouret craving.

Was anyone else lucky (and efficient) enough to pick up one of the other dresses? What did you think?

Winter Fashion Find Under $30

2006-12-17T23:34:00.000-06:00

Until now, I had yet to check out Behnaz Sarafpour's line for Target--I know, I know, I'm behind on things. I had previously only seen Behnaz Sarafpour's designs in Fashion Week slideshows on Style.com, but I liked what I saw. After checking out her Target line, I am happy to say that Behnaz did not disappoint. I abslutely fell in love with so many of the gorgeous items, such as the taffeta dresses (trust me, they look better than they sound), the satin skirts, lace cardigans, tuxedo jackets, cute little clutches, off-the-shoulder tops, green satin miniskirts...pretty much everything. And all at such good prices. I cannot believe I hadn't checked it out sooner. If I'm correct, the Behnaz for Target line only lasts until the end of January, so I know I for one am going to be hurrying to my nearest Target this week to pick up a few of these items! One of my favorites was this pretty lace-covered cardigan, $24.49 at Target.com. I know it looks very prim-and-proper in the picture but when dressed down with jeans and the perfect bright, bold accessories, I think it could look terrific!

Holiday Gift Under $20: Argyle scarf @ Gap.com

2006-12-17T23:27:00.000-06:00

I love bold prints. Especially in winter accessories, because my wool winter coat is a dark grey/black-ish color, so I like to brighten it up with scarves, gloves and accessories in eye-catching colors and prints. I particularly love this bright green argyle scarf from Gap. At only $16.99, it's a bargain, and perfect for the uber-prep on your gift list. Check out the gap.com website also for a whole collection of other gorgeous, wallet-friendly scarves and hats, plus some very cute and reasonably-priced sweaters.

Being a Budget Fashionista

2006-12-17T17:46:00.000-06:00

While Aparna likes to rhapsodize about 890-dollar Marc Jacobs dresses and such, I will admit that I am perpetually broke and thus have neither the right nor the desire to write about clothes I clearly cannot afford. These days, my bank statements are depressing, my income is dismal, and even my morning coffee is starting to become a luxury I may have to cut back on.

But if there's one thing I've learned, it's this: Style is not just for the rich.

Sure the rich have money to buy nice things, but money doesn't guarantee style. Being a broke college student temporarily does not have to stop anyone from looking and feeling great. It's all about being a budget fashionista: one who tries to get as much fashion bang for her buck as possible. Especially during the holiday season, it's easy to feel bad about oneself if your finances are in as shabby a state as mine and you're scrambling to find affordable gifts for everyone on your list while also finding cute winter clothes for every party/appearance you have to make. Look no further, because in the next one to two days I will start putting up a series of posts on holiday gifts under $20 and winter fashion finds under $30. Hopefully I'll be able to get at least one posts under each category online later tonight :-) Happy holidays everyone!

These Boots Are Made For Walking On Snowy Streets

2006-12-16T02:55:00.000-06:00

So I have, thus far, been rather averse to Uggs - and I know Nisha shares this sentiment - but during my last week in Chicago, when I experienced my first snowstorm, I actually began to wonder if a pair of big fat furry snow boots might not be such a bad idea after all. It's just that my leather Kenneth Coles (which I love to death) despite being gorgeous and warm and knee-high, don't provide the greatest traction when walking on slippery, slushy ground. And I'm scared to death of wearing anything with heels on ground like that so my two other pairs of heeled boots are out of the question.

Yes, I'm a frightened little soul from sunny Singapore - who is currently hating that Singapore is so damn close to the sun, because the warmth and humidity are just about unbearable! But you have to admit, college girls do a fair amount of walking around campus; we don't quite have the luxury of stepping out of the limo and prancing into the building in our Louboutin stilettos.

Anyway, my point? I am searching for a pair of good, stylish-as-hell boots which are nevertheless designed to be just right for walking through the snowy streets of Chicago (or anywhere, really, in the temperate climes of the world where you may be subject to such a scenario.)

So here are ten options for your perusal.

Boot 1: Merrell Spirit Tibet High, $130 at Amazon.com
Now you must get these in white, because white is chic enough to pull off an athletic-looking boot like this. I love the toggles on the side, too -- very reminiscent of the toggle coats that are so hot this year. Please don't wear these with a toggle coat though, that would be Too Much Toggle.
Boot 2: Minnetonka Front Lace Boot, $62.95 at Amazon.com
Take a cue from Kate Moss, who has been rocking these boots for years with little skirts and shorts. Layer a pair of wool tights underneath to keep yer pins warm and toasty.
Boot 3: Hush Puppies 'Broadway', $135 at Amazon.com
Stylish non-slip boots from veterans of comfort footwear design. And in case you're inclined to like fur on your boots, these have just that little bit of fur around the edges to satisfy your needs without overdoing it.
Boot 4: Palladium Valencia Tall, $73.89 at Amazon.com
Try these burgundy beauties for a shot of much-needed colour in your winter wardrobe.

Boot 5: Ugg Dunwich, $200 (SALE) at shopbop.com
I know I said Uggs were not cool, but I have to make a qualification to that statement -- I don't like the regular, 'Classic', fat Uggs. However, there are some sleeker models that manage to warm the cockles of my heart. Like these. I love the deep chocolate brown and the buckles on the sides. I would get these Uggs in an instant if they weren't so expensive.

Boot 6: Michael Kors Delta Gum Booties, $215 at shopbop.com
So if at all I ventured to wear something that wasn't safely, boringly flat, I would pick these. The wedge is comfortably chic and the sole appears to have ridges that will keep you from slipping and breaking your bones for fashion (although one always appreciates such true devotion, going to such an extreme is quite unnecessary - I'm sure you'll agree.)

Boot 7: Report Starla boots, $81.99 at Piperlime.com
One more with wedge heels. I think I may actually go for a pair with wedges, because they tend to have well-designed soles and they're so chic. I love the little pom-poms on this pair. Adorable.

Boot 8: Somethin' Else by Skechers, $49.99 at Piperlime.com
Extremely comfy and affordable, plus buckles on the side keep it fresh.

Boot 9: Dr Martens Jolie Lace-Up, $104.99 at Piperlime.com
For the girl with heaps of attitude.

Boot 10: Trotters 'Frost' Boot, $54.95 at Nordstrom
As practical, durable and inexpensive as you can get without losing points for style.

One more for the Lust List

2006-12-16T01:12:00.000-06:00

Shutterbug coat, on sale at Anthropologie.com for $179.95
Extremely cute coat to pick up -- it's cotton, so you'll probably want to just stare at its eyelet prettiness until spring peeks its pretty face around the corner (unless you live in California or something), but anyway if your parents don't know what to get you for Christmas, this is a good suggestion to make!

I apologise once more for posting things that are expensively out of reach for many of us, but my rationale is that showing beautiful things doesn't hurt anyone, so long as it doesn't come at the expense of sharing ideas and items that are affordable. So I promise that a couple of helpful, budget-friendly posts are coming up! And meanwhile, hopefully there are some people out there who're fortunate enough to take advantage of the gorgeous+expensive things that I have a habit of posting. Make these babies yours and treasure them! Meanwhile, to the rest of us impoverished students: these are the things that keep me going during those long hours in the library! These are good things to aspire to.

Eternally Lust Listing

2006-12-11T22:43:00.000-06:00

Kindly inform me, dear readers, if it bothers you that lately I've just been posting pictures of things I want which are largely very much out of our reach. I promise that once I get back to Singapore and am bored out of my skull I will drum up some exciting, useful posts. Not that TheCollegeWardrobe is only my last resort when I'm bored, but... you know what I mean, hopefully.

I want this Goldenbleu clutch very very much. Despite the fact that I'm really not a clutch kind of girl - I like to tote way too much stuff around with my for a clutch to be suitable during the day (and yes in fact you can, in my opinion, take a clutch to lunch or something; it does not have to be strictly reserved for night), and if it's the kind of nighttime occasion to which a clutch is appropriate, then I prefer not to take anything at all because that leaves my hands free (for drinks!) Plus when the drinking is over I don't need to remember what I brought with me. Trust me, this is a good practice.

So my point is, I want this clutch. Scrumptiously sleek patent leather. $300.

FINALS WEEK

2006-12-10T23:47:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again...from now until Wednesday evening, I will be taking a little break from TCW to make sure I don't fail out of college.

To all the rest of you taking exams these next two weeks: good luck!! And just remember, when it's over, we can reward ourselves by finally getting to our holiday shopping :-)

I want... Black and White

2006-12-10T09:10:00.000-06:00

Lace Embellished Blouse by Andrew Gn, at Vivre.
Am a huge fan of Andrew Gn's designs. He makes beautiful, vividly imagined, colourful clothes. Oh and he's from Singapore, so I feel a special connection to him.

I love how this blouse has a romantic, slightly ethnic feel with the lace and the shape but the stark colours are so very modern. It's also so versatile - with a pair of jeans it'd be great for coffee or shopping, with dress pants and some pretty earrings it's good for a night out. Anyone have $1200 to spare?

Alice + Olivia Deco Babydoll Dress, at Shopbop.
I really don't like the ankle boots she's wearing that adorable dress with. Once again, the babydoll shape is cute and pretty but the bold B&W deco design gives it a modern edge.

I love white coats. I've been wanting one for a long time but I'm so afraid of ruining it with a inopportunely spilled coffee or splashes of pasta sauce from lunch, that I've just about convinced myself that I can't have one. But that doesn't mean I can't covet this delicious coat by Lux, at UrbanOutfitters. It's so chic it could kill.

Fendi canvas wedges, at Net-A-Porter.
I'm going to be in Singapore in a little more than three days, so I'm getting into a fabulously summery mood! If only I could have these $510 wedges to prance around in, along with my little skirts and jacket-less ensembles.

'Tis the season for dreaming!

Vows of Abstinence

2006-12-09T22:36:00.000-06:00

I have two things to tell you.

1. I lovelovelove the New York Times Style section. They have the most fascinating articles.

2. Earlier this year, I took a vow of abstinence... from shopping. For approximately 4 weeks. It was long and painful and it was sort of penance for a lot of shopping that I did prior to that, plus it was sort of a sacrifice to all the gods and goddesses who could help me -- because the 4 weeks ended just before the release of my all-important A Level examination results and I was rather terrified of flunking or something, though in the end I did fine. I'm Indian, Indians do all sorts of weird penances and pilgrimages in order to believe that their wishes are more likely to come true. I took a vow of abstinence from shopping, okay?

Therefore, this article really struck a nerve. I cannot fathom how she managed to go a whole year without any clothes-shopping whatsoever. My own penance didn't really last long enough for me to start hating my clothes (or I guess the feeling of I-Have-No-Clothes happens to me regularly enough even when I've just been shopping, is it just me or does that happen to everyone?)

However, it did make me realise the pleasure of waiting for something until you know that you really must have it - which explains the spree at the end of my 4 weeks. Normally I'm too impatient to think about purchases, I just buy and often regret because in Singapore, stores don't tend to have the friendliest return policies. Most of the time they force you to exchange it for something even if there's really nothing else you want from the store, and some stores even have a no return/no exchange policy. It is quite rare that you can just return something, no questions asked. I love that American stores have lots of flexibility when it comes to accommodating the fluctuating fancies of frivolous fashionistas. Oh look at that alliteration, it breaks my heart.

So tell me, what's the longest time you've been without shopping?

Chicago's Fashion Czar

2006-12-09T22:09:00.000-06:00

Just read a rather exciting article about the future of Chicago's fashion scene - from the New York Times.

"In June, the mayor appointed a fashion czar — or, more precisely, a director of fashion arts and events — to upgrade his city’s sartorial sensibility. Daley’s choice for the position, a former corporate lawyer and fashion-marketing graduate named Melissa Turner, will not function as the apparel police; there will be no edicts against too-long hemlines or tacky ties. Rather, with the help of a 20-member advisory council, Turner will help nurture the design industry to the point at which it can potentially compete with the thriving design scenes in New York and Los Angeles."

Frankly, the Midwest has its fair share of people who are just BEGGING to be arrested by the fashion police, but even just a person whose job is to bring dynamism and flair to the fashion industry in Chicago, is a very exciting development indeed!

"For those questioning the value of a fashion czar, Mayor Daley can point to a position the city created a decade ago: culinary director. Since that time, Chicago has become known as a foodie paradise."

So true! Melissa Turner oversaw Fashion Focus Chicago this fall, but I am embarrassed to say I don't know if Chicago regularly has a week of runway shows by established designers. Whatever it is, I can't wait for the day when designers will be falling all over themselves to show in Chicago. (A girl can dream. Or she can head to New York.)

Dear College Wardrobe...

2006-12-08T16:55:00.000-06:00

Question: "So I have a question I know you all can answer.I'm from Florida. I am a flip flop connoisseur. I own 30 pairs and wear nothing else unless I absolutely have too. But I really need something else in my shoe wardrobe!! Something for winter and something a flip flop girl would be comfortable in (but not uggs) I've been looking at boots, but my calves are usually too big to fit in them (its the running, its good for your heart, bad for making your calves larger than boots) and the fact they're high-heeled which isn't usually comfortable. Do you have any other ideas? I'm also going to Paris in March where it's in the 40's, so Im looking for something fashionable and comfy to wear around walking everywhere.Thanks for anything you can find! I love TCW!"

Dear reader: You've come to the right place! I'm not much of a runner myself (not motivated enough...props to you for being healthy!) but I feel your pain about finding shoes that are both comfortable and fashionable, something that is very important to all of us here at TCW (and by all of us, I mean Aparna and I).

Although it may seem like the only options for a college girl as far as boots are Uggs and heels, there are plenty of other options out there (and thank GOD. I'm sick of Uggs. My friend commented the other day that she wanted to buy a pair and I told her I sincerely hope she never jumps on that bandwagon...). Here's some things you can look for in boots:

Wedge boots. Personally, I think wedge-heeled boots look even cuter than normal high-heeled boots, and they're a bit more comfortable with the solid heel and everything. I'm in love with these wedge boots. And because they're from Dr. Scholl's, you know they're guaranteed to keep your feet comfy.
Flat boots. If the wedge heel is still too much for you, you're in luck, because since last winter, flat boots have been a hit, too. While flat boots may not always appear to be the most fashionable of choices, there are plenty of cute ones if you know where to look. Try Zappos.com and Overstock.com for starters--both have plenty of options at college-friendly prices. Even Old Navy has a couple cute flat boot options.
Stretchy boots. These are extremely helpful for those with toned calves, because they stretch to fit your leg and don't constrain you to a certain amount of space. In fact, Zappos.com has a whole section devoted to stretch/wide calf boots, which I highly recommend to anyone in need of stretch boots--there's a very bountiful selection there :-)

STAY AWAY FROM FURRY STUFF. It's just a cheap Ugg imitation, and especially if you plan on wearing these in Paris, anything fur-lined will just scream "american fashion disaster." Or rather, "une americaine qui n'est pas en mode." Or "tres depuis trois ans" (so three years ago). Or whatever. You know, my french is really, really rusty since I got to college because I have no one to speak it with anymore! I'm jealous that you're going to Paris, I'd love an opportunity like that! Bonne vacances!

*Got a question of your own? send it in and me or aparna will do our best to answer it :-)

How to wear a boyfriend sweater

2006-12-07T22:59:00.000-06:00

One of our readers pointed out that boyfriend sweaters look gorgeous on VS models, but they're difficult for real girls to wear. This is true. However, like most things, there's a right and wrong way to wear a boyfriend sweater.

Don't wear it with baggy old jeans. You want to look sexy, like you just tossed that ol' thing on - and damn right it's a killer colour which sets off your eyes just so. We could have a whole long discussion here about why it's called a boyfriend sweater (and I don't know the right answer) but I'm pretty sure that looking like your boyfriend is not the objective.

Also, don't wear a sweater that's both oversized and chunky. That would be a little too retro in a rather unflattering way. Go for a light weave that accentuates your curves rather than amplifies/muffles them.

So.

Wear it with sexy jeans. Especially when you're running around campus, this is comfy and chic. I have hips and am therefore afraid of skinnies, but skinnies + boyfriend sweater + ballet flats/ankle boots + large tote = cuteness! Try these NFY skinnies with these flats by Pedro Garcia. I'm not normally into skulls on my clothes, but I am quite enchanted by the cute little skull on those adorable flats! Oops, I am afraid to admit they're $450, so try these cute red ones by Bandolino for a much friendlier $65.

Alternatively, trouser jeans like these Seven For All Mankind Farrah Trouser Jeans would be perfect. Whatever it is that you pick, make sure they're well-tailored to set off the casualness of the sweater.

Wear it over a slip dress or a sweet little strapless dress.

Try it cinched at the waist with a thick leather belt to give it more definition.

You could also wear a boyfriend sweater with an ultra feminine vintage-style full knee-length skirt.

Don't forget to accessorise! Scarves, jewellery, heels.

Go for it!

Bag Aches

2006-12-07T16:51:00.000-06:00

The New York Times has a pretty interesting article about the increase in back problems caused by the recent trend of carrying oversized handbags - Ouch, My Bag Is Killing Me.

"In the last few years, bags have become ever more voluminous, and as women have fallen sway to their chunky charms, they have filled them up with necessities. These days many women are as burdened as mail carriers."

I think this is especially relevant to college girls, because I feel like many of us have gladly embraced the oversized bag trend -- finally, we can be stylish around campus and still have all our paraphernelia with us! And the fact that the fashion world finally validates large bags means we probably carry around a lot more than we really need to. I certainly can't remember the last time I actually cleared stuff out of any of my handbags!

This can cause back, shoulder and neck aches as well as headaches. So maybe late nights at the library aren't the only cause of your headaches. It's kind of nice to have something else to blame, isn't it?

"A common side effect is that one shoulder becomes slightly higher than the other. A lot of women talk on their cellphones while they’re carrying these bags, which only intensifies the problem, because in addition to balancing too much weight on one side, they’re lifting the shoulder at the same time."

Recommendations:
- Clean out your purse once a week.
- Use all the pockets so that the weight is distributed evenly within the bag.
- Keep the bulk of the purse towards the centre of the body.
- Rest the straps close to your neck.
- Instead of always carrying your bag on one shoulder, try alternating between shoulders.
- Many women have a habit of unconsciously lifting the shoulder that has the purse on it to keep the straps from slipping, so make an effort to square your shoulders.
- Or carry the bag in front of you. “It’s not exactly glamorous, but if at the end of a long day you find your shoulders aching, slip the bag off and carry it in front of your body with both arms like it’s an infant.”

And if you can afford the time and money, get a massage every so often.

Aparna Wants... Jewel tones!

2006-12-04T10:49:00.000-06:00

I am a big fan of colours. Despite my dreams of Manhattan living, I doubt I'll ever be a monochrome girl. Carrie Bradshaw never stuck to boring greys and blacks and whites, anyway, so who says I have to, right? So here are a few things I'm coveting in the most gorgeous colours ever.

I will just keep adding to this list as I find more relevant things that I want, so watch this space! And just in case you're feeling generous, email me and I'll be glad to give you my address =P

First, a dress that I spotted on Omiru and nearly fell over of sheer joy: Elie Tahari 'Natalia', $598

Victoria's Secret Silk & Cashmere Boyfriend Cardigan in Lingonberry, $39

The fabulousness that is SheSheMe, and a question for you readers

2006-12-03T17:25:00.000-06:00

There's a million fashion websites/blogs out there and clearly none of us has time to read them all. But one website that I just absolutely love is SheSheMe.com. It's witty and well-written and always interesting. I'm particularly loving their Holiday Gift Guide!

And my question/dilemma for readers is this: when I sat down in front of my laptop today with the intent of writing a post for TCW, I realized I had no idea what to write about, which is when I resort to posting links to things I like reading.

So, question: what do you guys want to see from TCW? What do you want posts about? Aparna and I love tailoring posts to what people want to read about, so gve us what you've got!

Catherine Deneuve/Kate Walsh

2006-11-30T22:08:00.000-06:00

I am a HUGE Grey's Anatomy fan. And Addison's probably my favourite female character on that show. I have the utmost admiration for her perfectly styled red hair and put-together fashion choices even while running around being a busy doctor.

Anyway this post really has nothing to do with fashion so I'll stop pretending that it does. What I want to say is, does anybody remember that episode in Season 2 of Grey's that a patient's husband tells Addison that she looks like Catherine Deneuve? Well I thought it was just a random remark, but a couple of days I watched Belle De Jour, a classic movie starring Catherine Deneuve when she was much younger. And the resemblance between her and Kate Walsh is... STARTLING, to say the least.

Television and film are my other great passions, apart from fashion, so I just thought I'd share.

Guess who's who!

Roland Mouret for Gap opens soon!

2006-11-30T13:03:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is the first day of December - leaving aside my amazement at just how fast this year has gone, I am excited because Roland Mouret's collection for Gap opens in NYC stores sometime soonish! I am honestly a little bit tired of Gap, but I am crossing my fingers that RM won't disappoint. I really like the red t-shirt dress, especially because I've been trying to think of some way to support the Inspi(red) campaign without having to plaster a slogan across my chest.

Items underlined in red on my itinerary for NYC trip next week (yeah I was just there for Thanksgiving but I was sitting at uncle's house eating and playing with adorable cousin, only ventured into Manhattan for a couple of hours the day I arrived, so This Is My Chance) --

Gap store
Uniqlo store
An Earnest Cut & Sew

I will add more things as I think of them. If any of you are reading from NYC kindly suggest more stores to visit (affordable, preferably, though I am equally wont to go into, say, Tiffany&Co to ogle baubles.)

$40 off shoes, courtesy of Closet Therapy Blog

2006-11-30T12:37:00.000-06:00

Get $40 off your purchase of $80 or more at Amazon.com, using this link. When your cart reaches $80, the $20 discount will be automatically applied to your shopping cart. Then enter coupon code KKCTMQXI for an -additional- $20 off and free shipping!

By the way, to get the second $20 discount for which CT so graciously provided the code, the shoes must be shipped from amazon.com.

Some of my picks:

Ok it is annoying me to no end that for some reason I can't save any of the pictures on amazon because they're GIF images? I don't know what's going on, but anyway check out Nine West, BCBGirls, Kenneth Cole, Steve Madden. Loads of great deals. As soon as I can figure out what's going on I'll put up pictures.

Popgloss

2006-11-30T12:06:00.000-06:00

So finals prep is killing me, I'm attending a frat formal Friday night for which I have yet to put together the perfect outfit, and next Wednesday at 6-fricking-15 in the morning I'm off for winter break so I also have a ton of packing to do before then. Oh and I haven't done laundry in a while, so I have to get on that.

So I need some procrastination time, right? How do I procrastinate? I (window)-shop online. And I just found an excellent site to nurture this obsession - very relaxing and recreational in my opinion, but nonetheless a rather unhealthy obsession - of mine.

Popgloss.com
Looking at the sitetracker for The College Wardrobe really yields a wealth of information, because sites that link to us are likely to be sites that are interested in the same things as us. I love technology.

New products are added to the site at breakneck speed, and given my penchant for posting lots of pictures, I love the "less talk, more pictures" tagline.

Some of the cutest, most covetable items I've seen in the last five minutes (rest assured by the time you check the site out there'll be hundreds more:

Matiko Laura flats. LOVE the colour. Saturated enough to be exciting and yet subtle enough for fall/winter.

Corduroy Blazer by Thalia Sodi. Only $26.99 and it's so classy-looking! I would try to check this out in person before purchasing, though, because a price like that just might be too good to be true.

Lauren Stripe Flat by Dru New York. $110. I have a weakness for black-and-white-and-red. And for stripes or polka dots. Unfortunately the one pair of really cute black-and-white polka dotted flats I scored sometime in July turned out to be too small, and they were the last pair at the store so I went home and cried for a while.

And, naturally, there's the expensive stuff like this Marissa V Josephine top. Perfectly romantic, perfect for layering. Only problem is it's 139 British pounds, which is... ouch. But for those of us (you, I mean, because I certainly can't. yet.) who can afford it, this fantastic site evidently offers some very attractive high-end stuff!

Sealed With a Kiss...and With Style!

2006-11-29T23:21:00.000-06:00

I am all over this Kate Spade holiday stationary. Who knew Kate Spade made holiday cards? Nevertheless, they're adorable, stylish, and will give all your friends and family that warm-and-fuzzy holiday feeling. I particularly love the "Reindeer cocktails" and "Hope Peace Cookies" designs :-)

Check it out here

Roll out of bed and go to class

2006-11-29T00:08:00.000-06:00

So, let's ignore the timestamps on this blog for a second because they're on Singapore time. Here in Illinois, it is currently 12:12 am on Wednesday morning. I just got home from spending 4 hours studying at the library. I will probably be up for at least another 2 hours reviewing for my upcoming final exams. AND I have class at 9 am, in approximately nine hours. Needless to say, it doesn't look like I'll be getting enough sleep tonight, or ever.

On those mornings when you're just too get exhausted to get out of bed for early classes, forcing yourself to get ready for class can be a lost cause. But I just came across an awesome article that featured some extremely helpful time-saving tips for your morning get-ready routines. Remember: each of these tips can save you several precious minutes of sleep AND leave you looking well-rested and put together for class...what could be better?

Organize Your Makeup: Just like your mom put your outfit out the night before school, have your makeup out and ready to go so you're not running around looking for your things in the morning. Arrange products in the order you will put them on.

Prep Hair Ahead Of Time: If you straighten your hair, do it the night before or, if you use curlers, put them in first thing in the morning to let them set while you get ready. You can also save time with an ionic blow dryer, such as the T3 Tourmaline model. Testers say it can cut drying time by up to 60 percent.

Use Multi-Tasking Products: Save time by killing two birds with one stone. Go for 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 products. These multi-taskers save you from searching for multiple products and they remove extra steps. Examples include tinted moisturizers, moisturizers with sun block, multi-purpose makeup colors, conditioners combined with anti-frizz, and in-shower body moisturizers.
Use Bronzer For Instant Glow: Bronzers add a quick healthy glow to any complexion year round.

Don't Skip The Eyelash Curler: Curling your lashes instantly makes your eyes look wider and brighter. And know how to use one: starting at the base or root of the upper eyelashes and working your way out to the middle of the lashes.

Keep Vaseline Handy For Quick Fixes: Vaseline is a must-have beauty product. It's inexpensive and has multiple uses. You can apply on lips to moisturize, on upper cheeks for a "glow" or dewy effect, to smooth or tame brows, and to condition and darken eye lashes. It can also be used to fake a fresh manicure. Apply Vaseline on cuticles as a moisturizer when your nails look shabby and you have no time for a manicure. The sheen allows it to last longer than plain old hand cream.

Full article available here. Got any tips of your own to share? Feel free to comment!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of The Year...*

2006-11-28T01:08:00.000-06:00

Morning, everyone! Hope all you college fashionistas residing in the US of A had a restful and wonderful Thanksgiving break, enjoyed some turkey and sleep, and didn't get too crazy on Black Friday...although I know I did! The deals at macy's were too good to pass up!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, we're back to the grind, and the last three weeks of the semester for us means studying, shopping, studying, finals, parties, presents, and, oh yeah, studying...but I'm not letting that get me down, because winter is here! I love this festive season more than any other time of the year. And besides, it's the one time of year you have a legitmate reason to shop often. Here's a few cute items I've spotted that will make everyone's holiday season a little brighter:

David Meister Strapless Cocktail dress, Overstock.com. This dress is perfect for holiday parties, not to mention absolutely gorgeous! At $105, it's a little pricey, but sure to be worth it, as it can be worn over and over again with a few different choice accessories!

Catalina Peep Toe Pump by Hype, www.onlineshoes.com
gorgeous red pumps--so perfect to get you in the holiday mood!

And finally, winter coats!

AK Anne Klein double-breasted wool coat, overstock.com. This wool coat is warm and stylish and will last for many winters to come. I particularly love the red, but the camel shade is pretty too!

*Pardon the cliche christmas carol-esque title, but I am all about getting into the holiday spirit here :-)

Excitement and exclamation marks!

2006-11-27T21:06:00.000-06:00

I hate to toot my own horn (or like I said a few posts ago, I really don't but I have ot say it anyway) -- but I am really excited because The College Wardrobe has earned its first magazine mention! In a subsidiary of Newsweek called Current, no less! Lots more exclamation marks!

Check it out here.

Also, hope you girls had a FABULOUS Thanksgiving full of great food and even better shopping. I scored a very trendy long grey cardigan, black suede ankle boots, and grey suede ballet flats. Along with the gorgeous red toggle coat I bought on impulse pre-Thanksgiving, my wardrobe is grinning very widely right now!

Coming up soon: wishlists and gift guides!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-21T20:58:00.000-06:00

So Thanksgiving is finally here!

I'm off to New York for the rest of the week, to get some much-needed Rest, Relaxation and Retail Therapy. Enjoy yourselves, my dear fellow college girls. You deserve it. And don't forget to take full advantage of all the full post-Thanksgiving sales.

If you want to start bargain-hunting right now, Fabsugar has a great list of Friends&Family discounts available online.

And before I go off to finally start packing, here's a little picture of J.Lo and her latest dress. I think she's a big ol' diva and she's made some terrible fashion choices in the past (to say the least) but every once in a while she puts on a glorious dress like this, and it just makes my jaw drop. That colour is just gorgeous. I have such a weakness for clothes that are any sort of red.

So how much do you love the new picture?

2006-11-15T23:17:00.000-06:00

I hate to be so self-flattering (actually that's not true, I don't care much about being seen as egotistical) but I love this picture. It's my favourite pictures from the ones I took in New York in September. This particular one is from the day before New York Fashion Week began, which was tragically also the day I left New York for Chicago. If I'd stayed on in New York for a couple of days I'd have definitely devised some ingenious way to get myself into the tents at Bryant Park.

So yeah the whole theme of Vying and Begging and Mad for designer duds? Perfectly sums up the fashion-crazy college girl's existence, in my not-so-humble opinion. We're (most of us) still at the stage where we're dreaming of owning those perfect little YSL booties, lusting after the Marni coats, coveting the Temperley dresses and trying to make do with the new mass-market luxury trend which is going on right now. But Roland Mouret for Gap, as many have discovered, is hardly the Roland Mouret perfection that we've seen on the catwalks.

For now, while we Pine For Proenza we'll keep on dreaming of the day when we'll be whizzing around New York in one of those cute yellow cabs, on our way to a fantastic show at Bryant Park.

Speaking of shows at Bryant Park, there's a new fashionista in the blogosphere!
Check out View From The Fourth Row. It's honest, outrageous and downright hilarious!

Where are you studying?

2006-11-15T22:49:00.000-06:00

So this is kind of cool and a little bit creepy, but I did promise that I would use the sitemeter to sinisterly stalk my readers, so today I found out that I could see which university networks were logging onto this blog!

It's only compiled from the last 100 users who visited my blog, though, so here it is:
University Of Wisconsin-Madison
Cornell University
University Of California At Berkeley
New York University
Washington University St. Louis
Boston University
University Of Connecticut
Vanderbilt University
University Of Maryland
Mcgill University
Temple University
Northwestern University
University Of Chicago
University Of Southern California
University Of Missouri-Columbia
The George Washington University
University Of Massachusetts
University Of Pennsylvania
Yale University
Emory University
University Of California San Diego
Mary Washington College
Madison County Schools

I'm really glad that my blog's reaching readers from all over the country and in Canada as well! And I think it's a really interesting aspect of writing a college fashion blog, to discover that so many girls who must be extremely smart, educated and ambitious also have an avid interest in fashion. I love that always being stylish - frivolous as some people denounce this to be - doesn't have to be divorced from conventional measures of success. Though of course we can't forget that fashion is an expensive hobby so the pursuit of academic and financial success is not something many of us can afford to turn our noses up at!

So I'm curious - whether you're at one of those schools or another one altogether inside or outside the US, leave me a comment telling me where you're studying and a little bit about college fashion at your school. Even if 'college fashion' is a completely alien concept where you're studying, tell us about some of the walking fashion disasters you've seen. Let's entertain each other, ladies!

Last Call

2006-11-15T02:09:00.000-06:00

Ladies, Neiman Marcus' Last Call is here!
Some fantastic stuff is heavily discounted, I just wish I'd cut down on the earlier shopping in anticipation of this.

Go wild!

UK Vogue and other random things

2006-11-15T01:53:00.000-06:00

I want - no, I NEED - a copy of the UK Vogue 90th anniversary issue. However, my campus bookstore doesn't carry it. Do regular bookstores in the city carry UK Vogue or will I have to call my mother and implore that she pick me up a copy in Singapore and keep it waiting for me in December?

I miss living in a relatively more international city. I could get UK Vogue, Australian Voguem, French Vogue or Italian Vogue whenever I wanted and all pretty easily. Or maybe it's just that I knew where to get them. UK, US and Australian are all available quite widely at newstands in Singapore though. French and Italian are harder to find but I knew where.

I can't wait for December! Much as I love fall dressing, I'm excited to briefly be able to lounge around in skirts and cute little t-shirts or tank tops. And flip-flops! (Much as I love heels and boots and all that jazz.)

Proenza Schouler for Target!

2006-11-12T13:29:00.000-06:00

I am SO EXCITED about this. I don't think this collaboration has even been officially announced yet -- I found the pictures on the Jane Magazine Dress&Primp blog, Catherine scanned them in from the invitation to the launch. This looks like the most promising line I've seen so far from Target Go International. Behnaz Sarafpour was exciting but I was a little disappointed by the clothes. This line, however, looks wearable and cute and very very Proenza. I wish I could see the front view of the coat because it looks adorable.

Viktor&Rolf for H&M

2006-11-11T02:51:00.000-06:00

The collection opened on Thursday in New York, as soon as I get the time I will be checking out H&M in Chicago to see what it's like. I hear that there's a lot of romantic embellishment - bows and hearts, which sounds a little... busy for my tastes, but I'll give it a chance.

From FashionWireDaily, "It was, in fact, hard to find a Viktor and Rolf's women's item that was not festooned with one or the other, from the heart buckle on a pouf-skirted trench coat to the white, quilted-heart puffer jacket to the delicate bow print that snaked across t-shirts and sweaters to the outsized chiffon bow that engulfed the torso of the V and R wedding dress - the first in H and M's 59-year history (and, at $349, a relative steal compared to the duo's usual couture-level bridal price tags)."

The outfit below is definitely worth further investigation. I love the Edwardian-style blouse, very romantic. The skirt's cute but not something I'd wear in the winter, most probably. Might look cute and slightly edgy with tights and high boots. Especially those gorgeous over-the-knee Ralph Laurens that are currently being sported by everyone who can afford them! But if you are fortunate enough to be wearing those boots with this skirt, streamline the top or else the whole outfit is going to be Trend Overload.

To check out more pictures of the collection, see this post at Fabsugar.

Sounds like it's worth taking a look at, at the very least! If any of you get the chance to check it out, please report back to let the rest of us know what you think!

Sweet Smell of Denim

2006-11-06T21:11:00.000-06:00

I thought this was interesting, because I have a friend who's obsessed with designer denim and I was wondering if he'd go so far as to invest in a pair of sugar-scented jeans.

From the New York Times --

"In addition to such urgent matters as straightness of seam or skinnyness of leg, designer-denim fanatics have something new to obsess over: aroma. Sugar Cane, a 40-year-old line that is available in the United States for the first time is made of Japanese selvage and spun with sugar-cane fibers, to emphasize the fabric’s subtle shading. The men’s jeans — some with a button fly and a stovepipe cut cribbed from vintage Levi’s — are about $300. Three styles, and one very sweet aroma."

At Blue in Green, 8 Greene Street, New York City.

Speak!

2006-11-06T17:57:00.000-06:00

Okay girls now I'm finally back in the blogging world -- I've been making little posts, fixing up the links on the sidebar and I added a sitemeter so I can creepily stalk all the people who read this blog.

Now winter is almost upon us, atleast for those of us this far up in the northern hemisphere. I do know that we have atleast one reader from South Africa and a bunch from Singapore and other parts of Asia to whom winterwear means absolutely nothing right now (or ever). So wherever you are, I want to know, what would you like me to blog about? This time I promise that all your questions will actually be given proper attention :)

Let the comments roll!

The World's First...

2006-11-06T17:50:00.000-06:00

SOCIAL FASHION NEWS SERVICE!

A new Coutorture feature being launched at:
http://www.coutorture.com/popular

In the spirit of social news sites like Digg, Reddit, and Lipstick, Coutorture has developed a site that will allow all users to submit and vote on the top fashion news stories of the day. Anyone who registers can submit a story and the entire user community will vote on the piece to determine its placement. The stories can come from any space in fashion whether traditional media, blogs, magazines, or forums. It is up to you the users to decide what gets top billing!

Please submit your own stories, vote on current stories, and post about the new service on your own blogs.

The new service will be as social and interactive as possible including user profiles, friend capabilities and much more!

Roland Mouret for Gap!

2006-11-04T22:32:00.000-06:00

I am a huge fan of Roland Mouret's designs so this is exciting news indeed. My personal opinion is that the grey shapeless (caftan? shirtdress? nightshirt?) thing on the left is really not the most flattering dress you could go for, but the navy dress in the middle is Really Cute and the red on the right is great great burst of colour for a winter wardrobe, and it's tres chic when layered over a striped or printed top. Also loving the tights and cute mary-janes. Definitely try this look if you can get away with minidresses and tights this winter (in other words, if you're not already freezing your butt off in, say, Chicago!)

From Women's Wear Daily:

"The American retailer has linked with British designer Roland Mouret to launch a capsule collection of dresses, mainly in select stores in Europe but also at a handful of units in New York. The collection will arrive in 160 Gaps in the U.K., Ireland and France on Nov. 7 and should hit the New York stores a few weeks later, according to Stephen Sunnucks, president of Europe, Gap Inc. International.

"A very small selection will go into six or seven Manhattan stores by late November, early December," Sunnucks said Monday during a press breakfast to unveil the line, which will be on sale only until the end of December."

I will definitely put Gap on my to-go list when I'm in New York this December. I'd love to score that navy dress.

Lucky Shops - Nov 9 & 10, 2006

2006-11-04T17:27:00.000-06:00

Lucky, the award winning magazine about shopping, will host its third annual LUCKY SHOPS event. Lucky’s team of experts have carefully edited and selected their favorite fashions, handbags, shoes, and jewelry, with most selling at up to 70% off retail! I wish I could go, but most tragically this huge event is a mere two weeks before I head to New York for Thanksgiving!

I'll definitely be logging onto www.shopluckyshops.com, though, just to make sure I get my fair share of shopalicious fun!

A portion of proceeds from tickets and select merchandise sales will benefit Baby Buggy®, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing New York City's families in need with essential equipment, clothing, and products for their infants and young children.

LUCKY SHOPS features two exciting new shopping opportunities not be missed:

Love Recycled® Boutique - a shop filled with one-of-a-kind, collectible pieces donated by some of the world’s most well-known and best-dressed women including Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane von Furstenberg and Lisa Rinna.
The Ultimate Closet - a chic boutique featuring extraordinary designers curated by KIRNA ZABÊTE and SCOOP NYC for Baby Buggy®. Designers featured in The Ultimate Closet will be: Allegra Hicks, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Chloé, Derek Lam, DKNY, Elizabeth Hurley, Jean Paul Gaultier, Kors Accessories, Louis Vuitton, Muriel Brandolini, Peter Som, Proenza Schouler, Stella McCartney, Thakoon, Tracy Reese, Tuleh, Vanessa Bruno, Zac Posen and more.

EVENT DETAILS:

Lucky Shops Consumer Pre-Sale Party

Thursday, November 9th from 4PM – 8PM

$65.00 in advance, $75.00 at the door.

Lucky Shops Consumer Shopping Day

Friday, November 10th from 11AM – 7PM

$40.00 in advance, $50.00 at the door.

An invitation-only fundraiser will kick-off LUCKY SHOPS on November 8th. The event will be hosted by Lucky’s Vice President and Publisher Sandy Golinkin, Editor in Chief Kim France and co-chaired by Jessica Seinfeld and Molly Sims.

Gotham Hall --1356 Broadway (at 36th Street) – New York City

TICKETS:

To purchase tickets please call 866-4LUCKYU (866-458-2598) or order online at www.luckyshops.com while supplies last. Phone orders will incur an additional service charge of $2.00 plus tax on every order. Online orders incur a service charge $4.00 per ticket plus tax on every order.

Giveaway!

2006-11-04T17:21:00.000-06:00

---CLOSED---

Lust

2006-11-03T19:10:00.000-06:00

If someone is more fortunate than me and able to afford these gorgeous boots by Frye for $325, kindly buy them and savour them.

Available here.

Mind games

2006-11-02T20:42:00.000-06:00

It disturbs me a fair bit that when I saw that picture on Popsugar, I just had one glance at the back of her head (didn't even scroll down to see the jeans and the boots) and I knew it was Gisele.

Also the next thing I noticed was that she's carrying a Dior Gaucho. For a moment I wondered if it might be a Bottega Veneta but the little buckle on the handle is clearly a Gaucho trademark. And the other pictures confirmed my suspicions.

I think it's clear that I spend far too much of my time surfing fashion/celeb gossip websites. I should probably reallocate some of my time to making my mind work faster when it comes to... math or economics or something. Or maybe get around to giving you girls a good ol' fashion-filled post! I've been obsessed with coats lately so I think a post is forthcoming. Hang tight!

News!

2006-10-30T22:31:00.000-06:00

Just found the most amazing fashion blog -- Fashion is Spinach, by a Singapore-based writer. Lately I've been missing home a whole lot, so her pictures and posts about Singapore have caused Strong Pangs of Nostalgia.

Also!

UrbanOutfitters is having a pretty sweet sale right now -- just until 31 Oct midnight EST!

2006-10-29T13:53:00.000-06:00

Little Ant and Dec Interview Victoria Beckham

This is so adorable. I finally have justification for secretly liking Victoria Beckham, despite some of her fashion choices astounding me (and not in a good way.)

She always was my favourite Spice Girl!

2006-10-27T11:58:00.000-06:00

Real Beauty

This ad's really been making the rounds lately -- it's one of the best I've seen recently. As a busy college girl with hardly any time to make myself look pretty, this is a great little ego boost :)

Oh and girls, exercising as often as possible is one of the best things you can do for yourself. I hate to sound like your mom (and this advice is anyway a bit rich coming from me because I'm the laziest and the vainest person around) but I really think that a half hour spent working out is a half hour better spent than if you were blow-drying your hair or something.

That's not to deny the prettifying effects of a good blow-dry, but I'd been feeling tired and my skin had been looking ever so sallow until I finally dragged myself to the gym yesterday and what a difference it made! My skin's in slightly better shape - not to mention my thighs - I have more energy, I got back and showered and actually bothered to put on a nice outfit, accessories, etc. Of course it helped that it was the afternoon and I didn't have a class to rush to, but still. Just one trip the gym and I felt so much better! I finally believe that exercise is a great beauty treatment.