Fashion - More

Sunday, November 2, 2008

The Little Black Dress

This article was inspired by one of my favourite movies; Breakfast at Tiffany’s. This movie is known for the little black dresses the character Holly Golightly (played by the always fashionable Audrey Hepburn) wore throughout the film.

So what is a little black dress (LBD)? A little black dress is a simple evening or cocktail dress. Often, but not always does the LBD have a short skirt. The little black dress was originally made popular in the 1920s by the fashion designer Coco Chanel. She wanted to create a dress that outlasted trends, was versatile, affordable and accessible to a wide variety of women. The colour black is a neutral colour so it just fit in simply.The little black dress can be dressed up or down to accommodate the occasion. All you need is the right accessories.

Dressing Down:
Boots
Flats
Bolder heels
Pops of colour in accessories
Bigger, funkier bags
Colourful tights

Here’s an example:

Dress: Delia’s, $39.50; boots: Alloy, $39.50; Bag: Alloy, $34.50; Earrings: Alloy, $14.50.

Dressing Up:
Simpler accessories
Dressier shoes
Plain tights in mainly black, skin colour or white
Small bag; clutch if possible

Here’s an example with the same dress:

Dress: Delia’s, $39.50; shoes: Alloy, $29.50; tights: Alloy, 2 for $7.50; clutch: Payless, $14.99; Necklace: Fred Flare, $10.

See it’s as simple as that. You can dress up or dress down, just think about the accessories and the occasion. Have Fun!

Dresses:
(Please note that for many of the dresses shown here, they can come in other colours.)

Dress 1: Lulu’s, $64; shoes: Lulu’s, $29.00; Dress 2: Lulu’s, $44.00; shoes: Lulu’s, $106.00

Dress 3: Alloy, $36.50-38.50; Dress 4: Alloy, $42.50-44.50

Dress 3: Delia’s, $39.50; Dress 4: Delia’s, $44.50

Dress 5: Delia’s, $44.50; Dress 6: Delia’s, $44.50

Shoes and Accessories:

Shoe 1: Payless, $38.00; Shoe 2: Payless, $19.99

Shoe 3: Fred Flare, $28.00; Shoe 4: Alloy, $39.50

Shoe 5: Alloy, $34.50; Green Bow Purse: Fred Flare, $14.00

Key necklace: Fred Flare, $12.00; Watch Locket necklace: Fred Flare $22.00

Black headband: Delia’s, $8.50; Purple headband: Delia’s, $9.50

Monday, October 27, 2008

Save the Whales!

This is not fashion related but I just wanted to ask you to join SocialVibe.com and sign the petition to save the whales.

The goal is 1,000,000 signatures on SocialVibe.com for the exclusive Whaleman Foundation petition. The goal is to stop all commercial whaling and lethal scientific research whaling by Japan, Norway, Iceland, and to enforce the current global whaling moratorium. This petition will be taken to the June 2009 meeting of The International Whaling Commission.

It's easy, free and you are actually doing something!

So please join and save the whales.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel

I have mentioned Chanel numerous times but never gave her biography- until now.

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (August 19, 1883 – January 10, 1971) as born the second daughter of traveling salesman Albert Chanel and Jeanne Devolle in the small city of Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France. In 1895, when she was 12 years old, Chanel's mother died of tuberculosis and her father left the family a short time later because he needed to work to raise his children. Because of his work, the young Chanel spent seven years in the orphanage where she learned the trade of a seamstress. When Coco turned eighteen, she left the orphanage, and took up work for a local tailor.

In 1913, she opened up her very first shop which sold a range of fashionable raincoats and jackets. Situated in the heart of Paris, France it wasn't long before the shop went out of business and Chanel was asked to surrender her properties. This did not discourage Chanel; it only made her more determined. During the pre-war era, Chanel met up with an estranged and former best friend of Étienne Balsan, Arthur "Boy" Capel, whom she soon fell in love with. With his assistance, Chanel was able to acquire the property and financial backing to open her second millinery shop in Brittany, France. Her hats were worn by celebrated French actresses, which helped to establish her reputation. In 1913, Chanel introduced women’s sportswear.

All her clothes were emblazoned with the famous Chanel symbol, the interlocking "C"s. This, however, was not her own design. The symbol was given to her by the owner of the Chateau de Cremat (a Chateau on the outskirts of Nice in the south of France). Chanel always kept the clothing she designed simple and comfortable and revealing. She was instrumental in helping to design the image of the 1920s flapper, a "new breed" of young women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz music, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior. The flappers were seen as brash for wearing excessive makeup, drinking, smoking, driving automobiles, and showing a lot of skin.
In 1939, at the beginning of World War II, the designer closed her shops. She believed that it was not a time for fashion. 1954, was the year she returned to the fashion world. Her new collection did not have much success with the Parisians because of her relationship with a Nazi spy during the war; however, it was much applauded by the Americans, who were to become her most popular buyers.

Long after her death, the Chanel empire still carries on. The German designer Karl Lagerfeld has been, since 1983, the art director of Chanel, both for the haute couture and prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear).