Aliology

Romping around

by Alison Posted on April 5, 2012

sheer fuschia top from Fletcher by Lyell, white lace romper by Dolce Vita, leather and knit belt by Kimchi Blue, turquoise bag by Deux Lux — { sheer fuschia top from Fletcher by Lyell (UO), Cheri lace romper by Dolce Vita (Letters from LA), leather and knit belt by Kimchi Blue (UO), turquoise bag by Deux Lux (UO) }

Soon after I moved to the Los Angeles area, I discovered a boutique called Letters from LA. There I found this adorable Dolce Vita romper – the first romper I’d ever tried that I actually felt good in!

{ sheer fuschia top from Fletcher by Lyell (UO), Cheri lace romper by Dolce Vita (Letters from LA), leather and knit belt by Kimchi Blue (UO), turquoise bag by Deux Lux (UO) }

I’ve tried on a lot of rompers since they started coming back in style, but they never were a flattering fit. They always cut across my stomach in the wrong place or were too unshapely on my… backside. However, I recommend going through the effort because, once you find the right one-piece for your body, they can be really comfortable and fun.

One of the best ways to ensure a flattering fit is to find well-made, very tailored rompers. The thoughtful construction is there to flatter your body, creating the best shape to show you off.

{ Mallory Stripe Romper from Marc by Marc Jacobs }

While the beauty of a romper is that it can always go solo, there are so many ways to style them for different whims or occasions. While I made mine appropriate for my casual work environment with a sheer blouse, you can also use crop tops to add dimension.

{ Olsen Tie Neck Romper by Alice + Olivia, Viscose Voile Crop Top (Free People) + Easy Days Off the Shoulder Sweater (Free People) }

Rompers are the perfect no-muss, no-fuss, go-to piece for an active day on the town, but they can also be dressed up with a sheer maxi skirt to add some drama and movement.

{ Madeleine Cookie Teal Romper + Chiffon Full Length Skirt by American Apparel }

For the evenings, you should play with proportions by choosing a long cardigan to keep you warm.

{ Sucre Romper by Roxy + Long Gauzy Cardigan by Warehouse (ASOS) }

Or, take it a step further by wearing a full-length, button-up dress open from the waist down to showcase your legs – and, yes, your romper, too.

{ Printed dress by Zara + Angel romper by Cheap Monday }

sheer fuschia top from Fletcher by Lyell (UO), white lace romper by Dolce Vita (Letters from LA), leather and knit belt by Kimchi Blue (UO), turquoise bag by Deux Lux (UO) — { sheer fuschia top from Fletcher by Lyell (UO), Cheri lace romper by Dolce Vita (Letters from LA), leather and knit belt by Kimchi Blue (UO), turquoise bag by Deux Lux (UO) }

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Posted in Fashion, Top Post | Tagged Alice + Olivia, American Apparel, ASOS, bag, blouse, button-down dress, cardigan, Cheap Monday, crop top, Deux Lux, Dolce Vita, Fletcher by Lyell, Free People, Kimchi Blue, LA, lace, leather belt, Letters from LA, long cardigan, Los Angeles, Lyell, Marc by Marc Jacobs, maxi, maxi skirt, purse, romper, Roxy, sheer blouse, sweater, Urban Outfitters, Warehouse, Zara | Leave a comment

Color clash

by Alison Posted on April 3, 2012

One trend that has really stood out for me this season has been mixing saturated reds and pinks in the same outfit. I know that for me, growing up, I was taught that red and pink almost always clashed. Well, they look surprisingly good together to me!

{ "Mad Mango Sheer Top" by Sophie & Kate (Frock Candy), "Riley" Purse by House of Harlow 1960 (Piperlime), "Tulle" Wedge from DV by Dolce Vita (Piperlime) }

Being such a powerful color, it can sometimes be really difficult to mix red pieces with other colors. Bright red always looks good surrounded by neutrals, as Jill Stuart proved, but that doesn’t mean it can’t look good with other brights too. In the outfit above, I was inspired by a popular Southwestern color palette of red, yellow and turquoise.

Below, I combined a vibrant red dress with a soft pinks and neutral tans to sweeten it up.

{ Gracia Dress by Moulinette Soeurs, Nadina Platform Sandals from MICHAEL by Michael Kors (Bloomingdale's), Odette Saddle Bag by Sam Edelman (UO) }

While I originally found this dress at Anthropologie, you can still find it on ebay, where I saw sizes 0, 4, 10, and 14 available.

Finally – the biggest color “clash” of all – red and orange. I think you can mix cherry red with almost any shade of orange, from the yellow to the red ends of the spectrum. Just remember that your choice of red-orange needs to still be orange enough to read as orange next to your red (that way it doesn’t look like you just have a bad eye for matching).

{ Cherry Dove Top by Piko (Frock Candy), Berkley Bag by Cynthia Vincent (Piperlime), Lanvin 'Puzzle' Open Toe Wedge (Nordstrom) }

To add more interest and style to this look, I also combined two strong patterns. Generally, the rule is to make sure that, even when mixing bold patterns, one should be the “star” and draw more focus. This Cynthia Vincent graphic bag is still primarily made up of neutral tones, so the red shirt will catch the eye first. Finally, keep the shoes and the skirt simple with solids or color-blocking.

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Posted in Fashion | Tagged bag, Bloomingdale's, color block, Cynthia Vincent, Dolce Vita, dress, DV by Dolce Vita, ebay, Frock Candy, high heel sandals, House of Harlow 1960, Jill Stuart, Lanvin, MICHAEL by Michael Kors, Michael Kors, mini, Moulinette Soeurs, Naven, Nordstrom, Piko, Piperlime, platform sandals, purse, red and orange, red and pink, Sam Edelman, sheer blouse, Sophie & Kate, top, Urban Outfitters, wedges | Leave a comment

Darling, everything’s on fire

by Alison Posted on March 29, 2012

{ Katniss Everdeen's Reaping Day Dress }

Earlier this year, I devoured the Hunger Games Triology in a matter of weeks. I’ve been on the edge of my seat ever since to see the first Hunger Games film that came out this past Friday. Even though we reserved our tickets a month in advance, we still couldn’t get IMAX tickets until Saturday!

Just like when I saw The Help, I was just as in love with the costuming as the story. Even though the over-the-top, glam Capitol style has been getting most of the hype, it was the unadorned, utilitarian District 12 gear I wanted to take home with me – especially Katniss Everdeen’s dress for Reaping Day. The Los Angeles Times reports on the process of costume designer Judianna Makovsky in ‘Hunger Games’ fashion comes to fiery life:

She started her research by looking at photographs of working-class people from the turn-of-the-19th century to the 1960s in Appalachia and other places in America, particularly images by Lewis Hine and Mike Disfarmer. “We took the basics from that, the simple shapes of the clothes and the colors.”

The Sunday-best blue dress that Katniss wears at the Reaping, as the lottery for the Hunger Games is known, was also difficult to get right.

“We made dozens of different versions, some sheer, some not. Originally we thought it would be cotton, but rayon looked better. We found the fabric at the Western Costume fabric shop. And we bleached and dyed it to get just the right blue, and put some smocking at the top. It’s supposed to be her mother’s dress.”

Done with minimalistic makeup and braided hair, these sweet dresses are how I would reinterpret Katniss’s vintage Reaping dress for today’s girl. The vibrant blue silk of the Lil dress above elevates the look to something more in-line with modern ideas of special occasion attire. However, the attitude of the casual, sun-bleached blue rayon could be better recreated with denim or seersucker.

Pair sleeveless dresses with a cropped jacket or cardigan with pouf sleeves – or Juliet sleeves like this cardigan by Reiss – to recreate the volume in Katniss’ short sleeves.

{ 1969 chambray pin tucked dress by Gap }

{ Prairie Dress by Allsaints Spitalfields }

{ Ruffled Chambray Dress by See By Chloé }

Or, go off script with these dresses that play with volume, print and style but keep the spirit of the character and setting alive.

{ Women's Silk Polka-Dot Dress by Lands' End Canvas }

{ The Chambray Dress by Isabella Oliver }

Here’s a hauntingly beautiful ballad from The Hunger Games movie soundtrack by Taylor Swift, accompanied by my new favorite duo, The Civil Wars:

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Posted in Fashion, Life, Movies, Music, Top Post | Tagged Allsaints Spitalfields, books, cardigan, Chloé, costumes, denim, denim dress, District 12, dress, film, Gap, Hunger Games, Isabella Oliver, Judianna Makovsky, Juliet sleeves, Katniss Everdeen, Lands' End Canvas, Levi, Lil, Los Angeles Times, MiH, movies, music video, Reaping Day, Reiss, See by Chloé, seersucker, shirtdress, Taylor Swift, Thayer, The Civil Wars, The Help, Veronica Beard | Leave a comment

Not your boyfriend’s jacket

by Alison Posted on March 27, 2012

I love feminine clothing, with florals, frills and flowy fabrics, but I love them even more when mixed in with classically masculine detailing – interpreted for women. The contrasting pieces can use leather, denim, studs, and references to iconic male fashions, like the Gentleman’s tuxedo, Soldier’s uniform, Cowboy’s denim shirt, Detective’s trench, Biker’s leather jacket or Outdoorsman’s gear.

BIKER { Washed Biker Leather Jacket by Rick Owens }

Wear more tailored jackets, like these motorcycle and tuxedo jackets, with flirty dresses that contrast their angularity with more feminine shapes.

BIKER { Leather Jacket with Studs by Zara }

GENTLEMAN { Tuxedo-Style Blazer by Zara }

GENTLEMAN { Long Studio Smoking Jacket by Zara }

Icon Trench in Wool-Cashmere by J. Crew — DETECTIVE { Icon Trench by J. Crew }

DETECTIVE { Cropped Trench Capelet by Gap }

DETECTIVE AND COWBOY { Trench Coat with Chambray Trim by DKNY }

COWBOY { Brit Denim Shirt Jacket by Burberry }

COWBOY AND BIKER { Nappa Sleeve Treated Cotton Denim Jacket by Rick Owens }

Mackage Jackets — SOLDIER AND BIKER { Camel Debora Jacket, Aude Military Jacket & Leather Trimmed Edna Coat by Mackage }

SOLDIER { Phoebe mink and wool coat by Tahari }

Hunters Point Windbreaker Jacket by Spiewak — HUNTER { Hunters Point Windbreaker by Spiewak, from Urban Outfitters }

OUTDOORSMAN AND BIKER { Safari Jacket with Leather Sleeves by Zara }

OUTDOORSMAN { The Corona Jacket by Spiewak }

With these more slouchy shapes and fabrics, create more overtly feminine shapeliness underneath with form-fitting and body conscious pieces, like slim fit pants that accentuate your curves.

FISHERMAN { The Randalls Fishtail Coat by Spiewak }

OUTDOORSMAN { Quilted Jacket with Piping and Pockets by Zara }

COWBOY AND OUTDOORSMAN { Cinch Waist Anorak by Michael Kors }

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Posted in Fashion, Top Post | Tagged biker, Burberry, capelet, coat, cowboy, denim, denim jacket, detective, DKNY, Gap, gentleman, hunter, J. Crew, leather, leather jacket, Mackage, masculine and feminine, Michael Kors, military, military jacket, motorcycle jacket, outdoorsman, outerwear, Rick Owens, safari jacket, smoking jacket, soldier, Spiewak, studs, Tahari, trench, tuxedo jacket, Urban Outfitters, windbreaker, wool coat, Zara | Leave a comment

Graphic love

by Alison Posted on March 22, 2012

{ Bike Lane Dress from Anthropologie, Leather belt borrowed from a Myne dress, Feather print wallet from Urban Outfitters, Turquoise arrowhead earrings from Urban Outfitters, Sandals by Mossimo Supply Co. (from Target) and - finally - Revlon Colorstay Stormy Night nail polish }

I love this quirky, 50s inspired dress from Anthropologie for, oh, so many reasons.

For one, its structured bodice is fitted to the waistline, keeping this strapless dress in place and accentuating the narrowest part of my torso. There’s nothing more frustrating than a strapless dress that is always falling down and provides no support (ladies), but this dress is truly made well.

This particular silhouette flatters all women, but, for me, it works because – even though my waist is narrow – I have a relatively wide rib cage so that I don’t always have the curves I want from the front. The A-line skirt adds volume to my lower-half, giving me a smaller-looking waist and more pronounced hourglass figure all the way around.

The cream white fabric flatters my fair skin-tone. Tan may be in, but I try to be gentle with my skin – plus, I burn easily. So, I often worry about looking washed out or too pale, but this warmer shade of white actually has people coming up to me to compliment my skin. (Seriously, I had someone stop me at Panera.)

Finally – and I think most importantly – this large, graphic bike pattern just makes me smile. The bright, humorous pattern keeps this dramatic dress appropriate for the daytime with flats and a wide-brimmed hat, like today when I grabbed lunch with Matthew. But the shape and length let me dress it up with my turquoise pumps for a special night out, like our spontaneous date at The Cheesecake Factory a couple of weeks ago.

Here are a few more dresses with statement patterns that make me go weak in the knees: