Perfume Fashion: March 2011

Style Questions Answered: Cocktail Attire

A couple days ago I saw a message in my inbox from one of my guy friends from college. His dilemma was that he was going to a beach wedding with a "cocktail attire" dress code and had no idea what that required. I love that my friends are still forwarding their fashion questions to me a 1000 miles away, and I wanted to take the opportunity to write a post on it, with lots of spring weddings on the way!

For Women, Cocktail Attire can mean knee length dresses in silks and woven fabrics. I like the idea of brightly colored dress for a Spring wedding, and pairing it with fancier looking accessories and complementary shoes. Avoid cotton fabrics that can look too casual, sandals, and of course wearing the color white.

For Men, Cocktail Attire can be quite formal. Depending on the location of the wedding, look for a sport coat or blazer, with dress pants, and shoes that match. I like the idea of an oxford shirt with a pop of color underneath the jacket paired with a stylish, patterned tie. You can even go the extra mile and wear cuff links. Avoid tennis shoes, shorts, and going too casual; every girl loves a well dressed man!

Do you have any fashion dilemmas or questions I can help you out with! Feel free to email me or leave them in the comments!

xoxo, lauren

LA TEXTILE SHOW::Megatrends: Moving Towards Sustainability Seminar

The LA Textile Show kicked off today with several education seminars and received lots of foot traffic on the 7th and 13th floors. I went to "Megatrends: Moving towards Sustainability" seminar because the "green" trend is becoming more and more widespread. You see it all around; eco-friendly doggy bags, sustainable architecture & even the plastic water bottles I buy have modified its design to be more eco-friendly. So I wanted to find out more about how designers/manufactures can become sustainable and pass on the knowledge to you.

The seminar was presented by Nicole Bassett who is a consultant for Textile Exchange, a global organization providing increased value to sustainable textiles market. Bassett pointed out that our knowledge of the world has changed dramatically since 1954. We thought that resources were abundant, whereas now, they are scarce. There is also an increasing number of people who want to know, Bassett said. These people want to know what is in the products that they're buying. As a result, designers/manufacturers need to listen to their Stakeholders. These include people who are internal (investors) and external (clients).

The textile industry is important to everyone. It's in the clothes you wear, the car you drive, and the home items you use. It is projected that the world will have 9 billion people by 2050. And the textile industry needs to satisfy all of them.

Here are some interesting facts:

It takes 700 gallons of fresh water to make 1 cotton t-shirt
In 2009, the world used 3 trillion gallons of fresh water to product 60 billion kilograms of fabric
Textile waste occupies nearly 5% of all landfill space

As a result, it is important that the textile industry turn to sustainable opportunities to satsify a demand. How? Here are some examples:

Reusing materials for new products
Design for disassembly
Turning to reneweable, biodegradable materials such as bio-based polymers, corn, soy, castro beans
Re-exploring better, finer fibers

If you have more questions or are interested in moving towards sustainability, please contact:
Daren Abney
Textile Exchange
daren@textileexchange.org

The Higher the Hair the Closer to Heaven

I feel like "big hair" gets a bad rap. It gives people get flashbacks of 80's hair bands or Texas beauty pageants, but I am totally ready to bring it back. Of course in a different way; a little less hairspray, and teasing; no helmet head effect! This Allure editoral does it perfectly; super volumized and a little tousled; total bombshell.

There are a few beauty tools needed to get the big hair look:

Would you ever rock a big hair style?
xoxo, lauren

Blue Crush

When YMI Jeans offered to send me a sneak peek of a few of their styles for Spring I jumped at the opportunity. I own a couple of pairs from previous collection and they've become my go-tos; cute and flattering! I love the flare style for Spring/Summer as an alternative to skinny jeans!

I wanted to create a look that felt effortlessly chic because that's my favorite way to wear denim! It's so hard taking outfit pictures when your hands go numb from the cold, but hey, I'm learning (and look! the snow is almost all melted away.. thank god!).

This style is available for pre-sale on their site now. Hope y'all have a beyond amazing weekend!!

xoxo, lauren

Sample Sale! Sample Sale!

purses and handbags for sale at ANDM Showroom, 10th Floor of California Market Center

Initial necklaces at Charlene K for $20 (originally $50)

$15 beaded bracelets at Charlene K

DKNY bras $5, bra sets $10 and other lingerie at Wells Sample Sale Room (Showroom is on B-301 in CMC)

Hundreds of women's lingerie and sleepwear at Wells

Shoppers at Renee & Co. looking at 100% silk dresses. $30, 2 for $50

Belts from $10-$20 at L on 5 showroom, Suite B-511 at CMC

Sample Sale Shoppers

Sample sale shoppers at Voom by Joy Han

A huge turnout of sample sale shoppers today at the LA Fashion District. There was a lot of foot traffic at the California Market Center and at the Cooper Building. I went to take some photos of the sample sales at Cooper not knowing I had left my memory card in my computer! I hate when that happens! But what I can tell you was that shoppers were at every floor of the Cooper Building, hence the long wait for the elevator. Showrooms like Ella Moss on the 10th Floor and Romeo + Juliet Couture at the Mezzanine floor were well attended by shoppers. If you didn't have a chance to come today, make sure April 29 is on your calendar for the next one! And we'll be sure to give you a sneak peak of what's for sale =)

Happy Shopping!

Tricked Out Tribal Jewelry

When it comes to accessories for Spring & Summer, I'm still loving statement necklaces. The new spin on the look though is in tribal inspired pieces with an African or Carribean feel. I'm absolutely LOVING all of these styles, unfortunately they're all super out of my price range so for now they'll just have to serve as inspiration!

All of these styles would look chic paired with a silk top & patterned skirt or boldly colored tank dress. They perfectly evoke feelings of summertime; now I'm on the hunt for something I can afford!

xoxo, lauren

Live Colorfully: Think Pink

I hope everyone's enjoyed my series of "Live Colorfully" post! I hope it inspires you to live your life with a little more color. My final color inspiration post features pale pink; so gorgeous paired with mauve, heathered grays, and cream!

Can anyone ID this last picture for me?! I'm dying to put this illustration up in my bedroom, I would say it's pretty much me in a nutshell!:)

xoxo, lauren

LA Fashion Weekend @ Sunset Gower Studios - Photo Diary

Dina Bar-El

Dina Bar-El. Photo by Volker Corell

Biatta Intimates. Photo by Volker Corell

Nuvula. Photo by Volker Corell

Z Brand. Photo by Volker Corell

The last fashion show that wrapped up my week was the LA Fashion Weekend at Sunset Gower Studios presented by Gallery LA. Six different designers showcased their collection, but I only posted several outfits I liked and I thought were memorable. The event was jam-packed with press, industry folks, and some celebs, but very random ones I must say. Jeremy Piven, in which I asked for a picture but got rejected and yelled at by his publicist, and Ron Jeremy. Yes, Ron Jeremy. How does he fit in fashion? - we may never know. But it just goes to show that this event was a must-see by everyone! =)

WGSN Seminar: Post New York Fashion Week Wrap Up

I recently attended WGSN's Post New York Fashion Week Wrap Up seminar and was schooled on the 2011/12 trends seen and set by the designers themselves. Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler, the list goes on...here is your comprehensive recap at styles hitting retailers worldwide.

Sally Lohan, Head of Content from WGSN, the leading online trend-analysis and research service for the apparel, style, design and retail industries, stated tgat "the overall look and feel of the styles was a return to glamour." Soft tunic shapes, color blocking, plaids and winter stripes also play a role in Fall 2012 trends.

The key trends:

"Lunge" (luxe + grunge)

40's dressing

Multi-layering

The key colors:

Cognac

Grenadine

Marigold

Mallard

Sapphire

Thakoon - hip emphasis, plaids, bold colors, and draping

The key pieces:

Hip emphasis

Tunic dressing

Shirt dresses

Cropped pants

Shell tops

Outerwear:

Ponchos/Capes

Cropped jackets

Fur vests

Accessories:

Metallic accents

Sturdy ankle boots

Bold striped heels

Playful clutches

Luxe satchels

Marc by Marc Jacobs - bold color stripes, capes

Jason Wu - long maxi skirts