Posts tagged Kate Middleton
Happy Birthday, Kate Middleton!
Jan 9th
Whether she’s donning a wedding dress or remixing one of her previously worn outfits, we can’t get enough of Kate Middleton. Over the past year, we’ve seen her go from casual (in the South Pacific), to glam (in a custom-redesigned Matthew Williamson), to modern (hello, bangs!). We personally can’t wait to see how this soon-to-be mom ups the ante of maternity wear, but until that happens we’ll be celebrating her birthday in style (with our own fascinators, of course). Happy royal birthday!
~Ashley, FashioniSTA
(images via Grazia, thebump.com, International Business Times, and trendmix.com)
New Year’s Style Resolutions: Make the Most of Your Closet
Jan 6th
Closet full of clothes and nothing to wear? That seems to be a common problem among the style-savvy, even those with stuffed closets big enough to rent out as a spare room. The best way to start with this is to make sure your wardrobe is organized (see our first style resolution blog post for tips). Once you’ve completed that, key pieces that could put together an outfit won’t be lost in the back of your closet. Put items that you’d like to wear but never do in the front of your closet to help you keep them in mind for all future outfits.
Also, look at the pieces that never seem to make it into your wardrobe rotation and figure out why. It could be that there’s a missing puzzle piece, like the right tank or accessory, to pair with the garment to make it wearable for you. This year, resolve to fill some of those style holes by picking up pieces that will complement and complete items that you already own, saving you money and helping you to get the most of what you have! You could also not be wearing these items because you don’t know how to style them. To help with this, next time you’re perusing through a magazine or you’re surfing Pinterest, be on the lookout for how people style similar pieces. It could inspire you to pair your own items with a color or accessory you never thought of before. If the pieces that you’re not wearing just intimidate you, this is the year to break them out! Become fashion fearless in 2012, you can always pack a backup outfit just in case.
Since Kate Middleton fluttered into our lives, repeating outfits has not only become acceptable, but it’s encouraged. To increase your chances of wearing the same pieces over and over, make sure you’re taking care of them in the best way possible. Start with a quality laundry detergent, even if you only plan on using it for delicate items (you can still wash your sports bras and t-shirts with the bargain brand). Try Woolite or any green detergent, like Mountain Green, none of which will harm items that are categorized as “delicate.” Wash color-saturated items inside out (such as denim) to prevent fading, and always hang these items to dry. To keep bras in their best shape, wash them in a lingerie bag rather than just throwing them in the washing machine. These bags cost about as much as a candy bar, and you probably already have one in your house. And remember, the dryer should only be used only for items that you wear to work out.
How do you make the most of your closet? Tell us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/staconsignment) or on Twitter (@STAconsignment)!
~Ashley, FashioniSTA
STA D.I.Y.: The Inspiration Book
Dec 5th
Truth: I’m a magazine hoarder. September issue season is similar to the second coming of Christmas. While I love each one that the mailman delivers, it leaves me with the inevitable surplus of material lying around my home. What’s a girl to do with so much material month after month?
Answer: Inspiration books/boards. With my passion for society and fashion, my inspiration books serve as the best current indicator of my personal style.
A bit different than journaling, there’s a few tips that every would-be inspiration bookie should keep in mind:
Pick the palette that’s right for you. For me, it’s a big basic black Moleskine notebook with graph paper. I prefer a sleek and simple canvas for its diverse inner-workings. For others, a journal with a favorite quote or motto may work. If you travel frequently, a notebook or sketchbook that you stumble across any random market may be perfect to use. Whatever you do, don’t just settle for that leftover Five Star notebook from your sophomore year communications class. Even the exterior of your inspiration book should reflect a piece of you.
Know that a notebook isn’t right for you? If you don’t want to put together a book, you can always translate this same concept into an inspiration board using a simple piece of poster board. Hang it on the wall next to your closet for instant inspiration!
Use a broad set of materials. While my main focus is my own personal style, I constantly remind myself that my style goes beyond my favored military blazers and one-shoulder frocks. Inspiration can be found not only in the latest issue of Vogue, but also in the Pottery Barn catalog that lands on my doorstep. Love the ocean? Grab a sailing magazine. Find an amazing photo on Tumblr that speaks to you? Print it out and grab a glue stick. Don’t limit an inspiration book to one topic – it’s a space to let loose on everything you love.
Intertwine your personal styles. An inspiration book is a perfect place to further explore your current style. Without a doubt, a trend will appear within the pictures you choose. (For me, it was a lot of Sienna Miller, Reese Witherspoon, Rachel Bilson and Ashley Olsen.) Use your images as a guide to (loosely!) define your style and tweak it to make it uniquely you. (You’ll find that yes, you can mix the button-down you adore on Kate Middleton and the boho skirt that Mary Kate Olsen rocks in the same outfit). Should you find yourself wearing similar pieces on a regular basis, this is the perfect way to find new and interesting additions to make your outfits that much more special.
Target what you have. Spy a picture of your L.L.Bean tote in Elle? The Catherine Malandrino LBD you nabbed on your last STA jaunt? The high-waisted Ralph Lauren pants you covet in your closet? Make sure to tear those pages out and work them into your inspiration book. See how professional stylists work them into their photo shoots for a new take on your longtime favorites.
The best part? Inspiration books always act as the best personal magazine. Can’t decide what to wear to work in the morning? Tempted to grab your default leggings and tunic combo without thinking? Flip open any page of your newly minted inspiration book for any quick dose of panache you need.
~Meredith, fashioniSTA/Shopper Extraordinaire
FashioniSTA File: Halloween 2011
Oct 31st
Happy Halloween to all of you stylish candy-seekers! This is the occasion where what you wear really does matter the most, and now it’s time for us to give your our best and worst picks. Some people really brought their A-game, whereas some either went a little too far (Coco), or not far enough (Nicky Hilton, I’m looking at you). From the celebrities to real girls, we sound off on all the costumes from this Halloween week.
Will and Kate Do Every Morning Show
It’s simply amazing, the royal couple were able to make guest appearances on both the Today show and Live with Regis and Kelly. They were also able to magically transform themselves to look like the show hosts, dressing up as the royal couple on their wedding day. Is there anything this couple can’t do?
While Regis (dressed as an uncanny version of Nick Lachey for the whole show) and Kelly earn big points for their adorable ode to the couple, the Today show really went all out. Fusing actual footage with their own scarily accurate reenactment of the royal wedding, we almost even bought Al Roker as Prince Harry. The cherry on top was the addition of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie shouting, “Mummy sends her love!” Clearly the Today producers don’t mess around when it comes to wedding reenactments, but the cuteness factor that Kelly and Nick doled out just couldn’t be matched. Kelly was a natural wide-eyed version of Kate on her wedding day, staring at William lovingly (which we probably would do too if we were fake marrying Nick Lachey…can you tell we’re secret 98 Degrees fans?). We have to give this one to Regis and Kelly’s show (minus Regis), under the caveat that if Regis had been filling in as Wills, we might not have swooned as much.
Most Convincing: Holly Robinson Peete as Lil Wayne. The best costumes of the ones that you least expect from a person, after all this is Halloween where you get to be anybody for one night, and we’ve got to commend this girl on going for it. Are we the only ones who did a double-take when seeing these photos? This resemblance to the rapper was nothing if not uncanny, from the tattoo sleeves to the tattoo tears to the grill she managed to rustle up. Not only would we not know where to find this stuff, but we can’t seem to figure out how to make that signature Lil Wayne face. And yes, we’ve been trying.
Most Original: How could we not give this award to one of our own? After seeing the costume our Nolita Manager, Tara (as seen on Bravo’s “Fashion Hunters”), put together, we were having a style field day. Not only is this costume an original homage to the late and great actor, but we’re loving the fact that she went for substance instead of something overdone. To top it off, these are all designer pieces that can easily be worn again. Leave it to Tara to make this Charlie Chaplin costume from pieces found in her own store. Her pants are Helmut Lang, the shirt is Steven Alan, the vest is Trina Turk. The blazer doesn’t have a label, but according to Tara, it was “the cherry on top and TOTALLY completed the outfit because of the tailoring….[Charlie's] blazers were always cut up in the front!”
Cutest Couple: Sure you expect stars to go way over the top for Halloween, I mean they can definitely afford it and probably have some unbelievable costume hook ups, but sometimes simple is better. Ali Larter and hubby Hayes MacArthur pull off bumblebee costumes in the best way possible. She looks absolutely adorable with a disheveled bob and some kick ass tie up ankle boots, and props to him for not being scared to don a one piece yellow spandex suit. Any man who goes to that length in order for the two of you to have matching costumes is definitely a keeper.
Creepiest Couple: Doug Hutchison dressed as his teenage wife, Courtney Stodden. Hypothetically speaking, if we were teenage girls who wanted to wear a scantily-clad costume, we might dress as Courtney Stodden. However, we can’t seem to figure out what would possess a man over the age of 50 to dress like her. We get that he’s into the whole underage, burlesque look, but we thought that only applied to his significant other. The only thing that creeps us out more is his wife’s costume as a “sexy cheerleader.” We won’t mention what we thought she was going for…
Most Expected: Snookie as some sort of cheetah/cat creature? Sex kitten gone wrong? Head to toe fur, over the top makeup, fake nails (and hair) we know we can’t really expect anything less from Snookie, but we’re just not impressed with her outfit choice this year. Instead of getting all dolled up she kind of played it safe by looking, well, very much like she looks every other time she’s out in public (albeit with a little more make up). We think Halloween would have been a great excuse for her to break out of her mold and go for more of a subtle kind of sexy or be something more playful and less New Jersey-ish, like Princess Jasmine or Batman.
Real Life FashioniSTAs: Keeping up with the trend of making your own costume out of designer goods, we bring you two friends of our dear FashioniSTA Leslie. Dressed to kill (literally) as Bonnie and Clyde, they made these costumes from their own closets and from raiding consignment stores. Love it!
BEST (and SCARIEST!): Heidi Klum (as always). No one puts in as much effort as she does, nor is anyone as original or creative. Runner-Up is Debra Messing as a Dia de Los Muertos character (pictured below). Gotta love a costume that requires such lengthy make-up application! And that head piece!
WORST: Tie… J-Woww, for someone who makes as much as she does, you’d think she could afford a better costume than something from a Legs Avenue bag… why I expected more, though, is beyond me. Another misstep was Coco, that chick who was walking around with Ice-T (pictured below). What was she? Just some kind of failed version of “sexy”? Oh, she was supposed to be a sexy devil, that makes sense. Another shock was Bethenny Frankel as some kind of Hello Kitty concoction. You are too old for that kind of thing, missy.
Finally, we leave you with what we find to be the most hilarious costume known to man: Kelly Ripa as a pageant toddler from Toddlers in Tiaras. Happy Halloween!
Halloween Costumes for the FashioniSTA in All of Us
Oct 27th
Stumped about your Halloween costume? That seems to be a recurring theme among many fashioniSTAs this year. Instead of going as a slutty train conductor, we’ll give you some glammed-up options that will make you a style-maker in the Halloween game.
Cruella de Vil
She may have tried to terrify over a hundred adorable puppies, but at least she did it in style. While we certainly don’t condone dog-napping, it doesn’t mean that you can’t channel her style this Halloween. This is the perfect opportunity to break out that LBD that you somehow haven’t gotten to wear as much lately. Pair a tailored black dress with an oversized faux fur coat in either an off-white color or a daring Dalmatian print. This is great especially for a chilly Halloween, but should you not be into bundling up, you can always sport a smaller stole. For a truly Cruella look, don red, satin evening gloves, a pair of jade earrings, a large cocktail ring, and carry that signature cigarette holder. Try a thin fishnet tight and pointy-toed heels, and to really cement the character, either go with a black and white wig or tease your natural hair.
And of course to portray the woman with the highest cheekbones known to man, break out the bronzer and contour yourself a supernatural bone structure (for a mini Cruella makeup overview, click here). Finish off your makeup with a dramatic smokey eye and a red lip, bring the crazy and you can color yourself Cruella. Puppies not included.
Mad Hatter/Willy Wonka
These are two equally stylish costumes that can be almost interchangeable with just a few tweaks. To be the Mad Hatter, first grab yourself a fitted blazer in a deep jewel tone - think plum or green. You can pair this with any fitted top of your choosing, just make sure that your neck has enough room for an oversized bow tie. Whether you go for a classic black bow tie or you mix it up with a crazy print, these are generally inexpensive, and you can always just use a piece of thick ribbon. Go with a shorter circle skirt on the bottom in any color, and finish off the look with tights and a top hat (feel free to go with a mini top hat!). For an added detail, take an index card and write 10/6 and stick it in the hat band.
To turn this Hatter into Wonka, go with a velvet blazer and simply take out the index card and spray paint it gold. Carry your newly made golden ticket and a couple chocolate bars and you’ll be the candy man himself in no time!
Couture Clown
I’m not sure if all of you saw the Bratz movie that came out a few years ago. No? Ok well, allow me to fill you in on the greatest clown costumes I’ve ever seen. The art to finding style inspiration is to look in unexpected places, so don’t judge my taste in movies just yet. The easiest parts of this costume are the white tights and the black shoes. For the mini top hat, they are available at a bunch of costume shops online, and I also stumbled upon some at H&M. You can also make a top hat using two black felt circles and gluing a thick piece of black felt between the circles (for a tutorial, click here). Take a piece of tulle about a foot long and tie it around the base of the hat for added texture.
For the outfit, grab a colorful circle skirt and stuff a tulle petticoat underneath. Or go with a black or white skirt and top it off with a colorful top. You can play around with these two pieces, but I would suggest going with a sweetheart corset top with piping and adding a colorful, short-sleeved, fitted jacket. You don’t need to go high-end with this, you can grab anything that has a bright color palette or pattern and mix them together. This is the perfect time to mix patterns and look great! The most important touch of this look is the makeup. Take a shimmer cream shadow in a bright color and draw an oversized diamond shape around one of your eyes. Fill it in and place self-adhesive rhinestones on each of the four corners. Ta-da you look like you’re with the chicest circus in town!
Eloise
You’ll look rawther chic (that’s French for fashionable) dressed up as me, Eloise! To go as the most famous Plaza resident, grab a shorter black skirt and a white, short-sleeved button-down and you’re almost there. For complete authenticity, go with a Peter Pan collar and a ruffled front with slightly puffed sleeves. Pretty specific, but there are also a ton of other options out there that will work.
If you have black suspenders lying around, I’m concerned on a number of levels, but they will come in handy for this look. If you happen to not own any, black ribbon will look great pinned to look like suspenders. Sport white knee socks and black Mary Jane flats, and top off your look with a red bow headband. This is also a great look because you can literally roll out of bed and your hair will be Halloween-appropriate (and you also get to wear flats, which is a nice relief).
To go the extra mile, round up a skinny pug dog (as if there is any such thing) to follow you around as your token Weenie.
If all else fails, you can always throw on a wrap dress, a pair of demure pumps, put an oversized sapphire on your left ring finger and dazzle as Kate Middleton. British accent optional.
~Ashley, FashioniSTA
Sneak Peek #2: Tracy Reese Coat
Sep 27th
We’re bringing you a second sneak peek of our Boston Fashion Week show on Friday with this Tracy Reese embroidered coat. And here’s an added bonus for you style (and Where’s Waldo) fans: see if you can spot this coat’s orange twin in the background! They’re both headed down the runway this Friday! They’re perfect for a fall or spring day, either paired with a conservative dress and pumps as a way to bring a little Kate Middleton into your closet, or paired with a funky, embellished dress and suede boots to release your inner boho goddess.
Ring Leader: The FashioniSTA Guide to Engagement Bling
Jun 7th
Even if you couldn’t care less about celebrity nuptials, everyone cares about the engagement ring. I know I’m not the only one who Facebook-stalks for ring photos as soon as I see someone’s status change to “Engaged.” But other than the ability to distinguish Tiffany from Crack Jack, sometimes the diamond details can allude even the best fashioniSTA. So we’re breaking down the dish on the left-handed bling.
Color
Unless your ring is a J. Lo-inspired pink diamond or a canary stone, the color difference is generally unnoticeable to the untrained eye. The general rule is the clearer, the better, with the whitest stone reflecting the most light. Diamonds are rated on an alphabetical scale from D through Z, with D being colorless and Z having a light yellow hue. However, unless you have a trained eye, a single spectrum difference – like that between a D rating and an E rating – will not make a big impact.
Cut
Although the diamond experts refer to cut as how someone cuts the stone to reflect the light, I think I speak for us all when I say that the cut we all care about is the shape. I don’t have a light reflector instrument on me at all times, but I have eyes, so you can guess what I’m focusing on. The eleven general shapes you have to choose from are: round, princess (square), emerald, radiant, oval, pear, marquise, heart, trilliant, cushion and asscher. Round is the most popular, making up more than half of all engagement ring selections, with the newer princess cut coming in second. Going for a solitaire is always a classic choice, and many engagement rings now consist of a solitaire with a pave band. Should you be a more ornate bride, you can also go with a floral theme, constructing a diamond flower from a center stone with a ring of smaller diamonds around it.
Clarity
Much like color, clarity is something you can only distinguish when there is a vast difference. Diamonds are rated on a scale from Flawless (FI), to Internally Flawless (IF), to Very, Very Small Inclusions (VVS), to Very Small Inclusions (VS), to Small Inclusions (SI), to Imperfect (I). While it’s great to go flawless, it will exponentially increase the price of the ring. You can always pass off the imperfections as a trendy “leopard” diamond.
Carat
This is the biggie. Let’s be honest, the clarity of Kim Kardashian’s ring never made headlines, it was the fact that it was 20.5 carats and covered her entire lower finger. Rings that big are even expensive at Forever 21. While all categories increase the price as you get fancier, upping the carat weight is the quickest way to drain your future children’s college fund on a piece of jewelry. Worth it? Probably, but the average size of an engagement ring is 1.18 carats, worth anywhere from around $1,500 and up depending on other bling factors. So don’t be afraid to be understated, you don’t want people to think your ring is fake.
Engagement Ring Hall of Fame
When you live the life of the rich and fabulous, some men ask their significant others to marry them in the most extravagant way possible.
Jennifer Lopez – cleaning up in both of her high-profile (recent) engagements, J. Lo first scored a $1.2 million, 6.1-carat pink diamond from Ben Affleck in 2002, then received an 8.5-carat, $1 million sparkler from hubby Marc Anthony.
Kim Kardashian – in true keeping-up form, Kim was able to outshine her sister’s impressive Cartier engagement ring with a $2 million, 20.5-carat emerald shape stunner (photo above).
Beyonce – this diva turned up the heat when she received an 18-carat emerald-cut flawless diamond set in platinum from Jay-Z, coming in at an astounding $5 million.
Kate Middleton – making her the envy of every young woman on the planet, Kate sealed the deal with her prince with Princess Diana’s sapphire engagement ring.
Heidi Klum – the woman who has it all also struck gold (literally) with her engagement ring from Seal: a 12-carat canary yellow diamond from Lorraine Schwartz.
~Ashley, FashioniSTA
White Me Up
May 31st
Memorial Day means one thing to fashioniSTAs: BREAK OUT THE WHITE! Whether it’s eyelet, summer cotton, a lightweight knit, or even leather, the warmer weather is the perfect opportunity to lighten things up. Take on this light hue by incorporating it into your wardrobe in place of other neutrals – such as black and navy. Brighten up your current outfits by adding a dose of white, guaranteed to make you look and feel summer chic in no time.
White Dresses For the Everyday
I used to only think you needed a white dress if you were graduating from prep school or getting married. While when I was graduating it was nearly impossible for me to find a white dress I liked, they have really taken over in the past few years, giving all of us a great alternative to a little black dress. For a casual daytime look, throw on a white jersey dress with a denim jacket and metallic flat sandals. To spice up your nighttime, go with a white minidress, and don’t be afraid to add embellishments, the lighter hue will keep your outfit from looking too formal. Whether it is a bauble necklace or dramatic earrings or completely embellished pumps, take white to the next level when the sun goes down by adding a little sparkle.
Also, white, lace dresses have been popping up everywhere on a variety of celebrities. Try out this look during the day with a pair of ballet flats and a low bun for a feminine ensemble. Take this into your nightlife by going with a shorter hemline and adding platform pumps and soft waves to complement the girlie lace detail.
For a summer getaway-ready look, take this trend to the maxi – maxi dress that is. A long, white maxi dress paired with oversized sunglasses and a large, bright-colored chunky necklace reads more boho than bride. Or take a cue from Nicole Richie (right) and play up the dress with gold accessories for a truly Grecian-inspired look.
Neutrals on Neutrals
Go white hot by using airy neutrals as the basis for your ensembles, and going white-on-white by mixing different variations of the shade will help you easily achieve this look.
Head-to-toe white in the same hue will read a little “hospital,” but you can make it all work if you add in complementary accents of tan, beige, yellow, gray, or even blush pink. Make a white, cotton sundress work at the office with a wider, beige belt and tan wedges. This would also work with white pants or skirt with a white top, for those of you not hyped up on the white dress trend.
Should you want to go further than just tiny touches of other neutrals mixed with white, try color-blocking your outfit using white plus another similar neutral. Trying a tan pencil skirt with a white flowy top and gold accessories will give you a timeless look with a modern flair, and with pure white on top, it won’t wash you out if you happen to have fair skin. You can also go with white jeans and a gray top (a la Kate Middleton) for a posh and preppy ensemble, pairing them with flats and a long string of pearls. Go for the girlie with a blush pink A-line skirt matched with a fitted, white tank and ballet flats. Or go with khaki safari shorts and a white tank for a casual look with an African twist. The result of all this similar matching? An effortlessly chic ensemble that transcends any age group and any style decade.
White + Bright = Summer Done Right
Wearing white to work can sometimes read a little bridal if it’s not done the right way.
Adding a pop of color to an all-white ensemble ensures that you’ll ease into this trend without feeling too overwhelmed with white. For an easy formula, take your white sundress and pair it with a long cardigan in a bold, summer shade such as royal blue or orange. Top off the look with a neutral color belt and pumps, and accent with simple gold jewelry. Should you want to mix it up more, feel free to use the white dress as your canvas and experiment with blazers, pashminas, clutches, boots, etc, all in bold hues. The contrast between the bright color and the crisp white will read as clean and streamlined no matter how little effort you actually had to exert.
Going with a stark black-and-white ensemble is also a one-way ticket to chic town. Try a black pencil skirt with a white peplum jacket for a classy corporate look, or mix textures by trying a white eyelet skirt with a sharp, constructed black top.
Pairing white with bold, summer colors is also a great way to get that instant getaway look. For a truly Saint Tropez ensemble, go with a pair of white shorts with tan, canvas espadrilles and a vibrant coral or azure top, perfect for vacation, or for bringing the vacay vibe to you. Channel Amanda Seyfried’s cool and casual look (below) to also incorporate this idea into your everyday weekend pieces, making your weekends your own mini vacations.
Now it’s up to you, fashioniSTAs, to take white from bland to bold, just use these easy steps and you’ll be white hot in no time!
~Ashley, FashioniSTA