Fashion for everyone

the new j.crew catalogue landed in my box today, and though their collection is typically a bit too boxy and casual for my taste, i actually thought the styling was really cute this time around.

i also thought it was very familiar...

louis vuitton spring 2007, is that you?

though the clothes themselves are different, the look (accessories, fabrics, color scheme) is strikingly similar. the thing is, i think fashion - at all prices - is and should be inspiring. i love taking a look and making it my own (let's be honest: half the time, that's what this blog's about)! but is it different when big companies do this?

what do you think? in a case of inspired identity, what is on point and what's just out of line?

for the last few days, this blogger has had the 80s on her mind, but consider that a short-lived trend. in case you couldn't guess from my most recent haircut (have you called lenny yet?), i'm actually having a much more serious 90s moment.

though the style itself was originally perfected in the 1960s, by vidal sasoon on mary quant...

...it had its zenith on linda evangelista in the 1990s:

also big in the 90's:

heavy-duty choker-style necklaces, pouf skirts, fluo floral prints, halter-tops and bare shoulders.

though i can hardly believe it, i'm working each and every one of these trends today (fashion victim much?):

how do i even begin to explain myself?!?

start at the top, i suppose.

seasoned readers may remember this shirt, which i knew was due for a makeover exactly 3 seconds after being introduced to the idea of the bolder, colder shoulder by peeps.org (via stylebubble):

to get the look, i cut a large circle off each shoulder, roughly the size of a cantaloupe, then turned and sewed the edges under. that my top is a lightweight silk helps the new vents drape softly; that it's printed in a gaudy floral means it's ludicrous enough for the whole 'missing shoulders' thing to be believable. so far so good.

now between us, never since the 90s did i think i would again entertain the idea of close-cropped neckwear, but the louis vuitton fall 2009 accessories really helped change my mind:

when i saw that show, i knew a tide had turned. soon after, i set to work creating my own interpretation. the first version, my beloved caramel coated carcanet, is currently en route to a new home, but its slightly smaller sister, the coal coated collar, just arrived in the glamporium:

for better or worse, the last century left such distinct, delightful decades to pull stylistic inspiration from (flappers, mods, grunge, oh my!). what do you think our current moment will be remembered for?

blame it on the recession, hand it to all the cool girls crafting across the internets, give it to the green movement, but there's no denying the do-it-yourself ethos has gone viral!

some late favorite links ~

glamourai reader madeline created her own version of my DIY candied crumbcatcher, itself an awestruck imitation of the gorgeous marni breastplates. i love that this project is so personal ~ it's all about integrating and celebrating your personal favorite trinkets:

louis vuitton's runway was another favorite, for its delightful deluge of ditzy DIY ideas, one of the simplest suggestions being the groovy, pre-school-style, paper chain collars. ever on point, elle.com has launched a video tutorial for recreating the look here.

i'm thrilled that the freshest fashion DIY's are all about decorating, rather than destructing (enough with ripped tights already, no?!).

april showers bring craft hours!

tickled by the plethora of charming "homemade" details on the louis vuitton fall 09 runway, notably the wrecked taffeta bunny ears and mock paper-chain collars, reminiscent of a kindergarten christmas tree, i'm calculating my next diy initiative.

i'm thinking of taking any old cotton or cashmere t-shirt to my tailor to have button holes inserted sporadically across the collar seam, so i can loop vintage scarves or ribbon reams through them like so:

the effect looks so adorably french, seems both frivolous and functional, and it will be fun to change the insert with every wear!

yesterday morning, i woke up feeling a bit wonky, like real life had returned from the holidays too fast and left me spinning, so i sought refuge in a few favorite fashion talisman: a sort of dr. suess cap, comfy leopard chubby, gothic crucifixes, and charlie - brown stripes:

by night my mood had reversed, and so had my motifs. i swapped the spotted outer for a slinky leopard under, and slid out the stripes from bottom to topper:

i commonly go through many outfits (and moodswings) in a day, but this particular sartorial switcheroo was to appropriately attend the launch party for a stephen sprouse (the punk glamour god!) exhibit at deitch projects in nyc, hosted by louis vuitton. for a fun event like this, celebrating a designer like sprouse, i figured there was no way to wear too much pattern!

arriving at the gallery, the first look to catch my eye was a wild acid-stripe dress, worn with a wonderfully overdosed crucifix charm necklace - the phsychedelic version (vision?) of my own costumes of the day:

it seemed that silly skins + shiny stripes was a mini-trend-of-the-moment, and i couldn't have been happier!