In terms of models’ makeup and hair, nothing too crazy has happened at Fall 2012 Fashion Week. Unadorned faces and lips leave room for over-the-top eyes to really pop; designers seem to be going back to beauty basics.
Nude lips: Models with pale peach and neutral lip colors were prevalent at many shows, giving them a low-maintenance and fresh aesthetic. The surprisingly black lips at Christian Siriano were a stark contrast from the low-key shades at Derek Lam.
Dramatic eyes: While less seems to be more this season with most other makeup, designers are really playing up the eyes. Prabal Gurung juxtaposed dewy skin and nude lips with bold, bright blue eye shadow. Other designers favored a 60s cat eye, such as Jeremy Scott and Zac Posen.
Bold nails: Previously the unsung hero of the fashion world (aside from nail-polish-trendsetting Chanel), high fashion manicures are being taken to the next level. Textured patterns and semiprecious stones are showing up on nails. More daring shades, including bold purples, were seen at Peter Som.
Simple hair: Straight and relaxed styles dominated hair trends at Rachel Zoe and Victoria Beckham. Basic hair and makeup really gave the collections themselves time to shine. Fuss-free and easy ponytails kept the All-American classic style of Tommy Hilfiger alive, giving the models a chic equestrian edge.
Anyone who has stepped foot in a nail salon is accustomed to hearing these words. Spoiling your hands with a soothing soak, massage, shaping and a fresh coat of polish is routine for many avid salon goers. However, thanks to the makers of popular nail polish such as OPI and Essie and constantly changing trends in the fashion world, picking a color is not so simple.
There are colors for every occasion and thousands of shades of the same color that are so similar, yet so different. OPI releases a new line of colors every season keeping up with trends- creating new ones, making pop culture references and playing with words. However, keeping up with these trendy Essie and OPI polishes will set you back about $8-$9 each, causing nail polish lovers to fall victim of a pricey addiction. Especially when your favorite celeb teams up with these brands to make a line, like Katy Perry and Serena Williams who both have signature polish lines with OPI. And if these $9 polishes didn’t sound crazy enough, you can always shell out $18 for a Deborah Lippmann celebrity color, created with the input of celebs like Gaga, Kelly Rippa, Sarah Jessica Parker and Mariah Carey.
Brands have made their polishes unique in their names. It’s not enough today to call a blue nail polish by its shade, but it needs to be given a personality. For example, OPI has an emerald green polish named Call My Cell-ery and an orange rust color named Cozu-melted In The Sun. Lippmann has an iridescent silver called Stairway to Heaven and gold glitter called Shake Your Groove Thing.
Polishes have created a whole new territory in the fashion world, one that is unique and obtainable for just about anyone. One of the best examples of nail fashion and the culture can be found on the runways. Bare nailed models are no more. There are now celebrity nail stylists from OPI, Deborah Lipmann and MINX manicurists who work with each designer to create some innovative manicures that get the people talking. Some recent trends in Fashion week were reverse French manicures as seen during the Pamela Love earthy spring 2012 collection inspired by Essie manicurists. Nicole Millers line included checkerboard nail designs with bright bold colors that made a huge statement on the runway. Pointy false nail extensions are another trend in the media, from the runway to Lady Gaga’s hands and the favored DIY tip of beauty bloggers all over the Internet.
Beauty bloggers are the final step in breaking down this newly popular nail polish culture in the fashion world for the everyday fashionista on a budget. They provide step by step DIY’s for tons of nail designs like scotch tape manicures, water marbling and stamping patterns. They even go as far as to provide swatches of almost every color there is now a days regardless of the brand. After all, most of these pricey polishes never really look the way they do in the bottle on our nails (at least not without a couple… or 6 coats). One of the most useful tools out there for polish lover not looking to spend a small fortune on their color collection is the dupe list. Where beauty bloggers compare the more expensive polish colors to their cheaper, drug store available, soul sister. Most of which are almost identical to their pricier counterpart. The popular beauty and fashion blog Temptalia.com has one of the most extensive dupe lists out there. Not only does it provide nail polish dupes but it is the holy grail of thrifty beauty products that do the same job as the popular name brand products.
When it comes to following the latest fashion trends it gets a little difficult. They change so frequently and some are out of reach for a lot of people, including some of us college students shopping in the dollar-a-pound at the Garment District. However the attention that nails have been getting in the fashion world creates a simple way for a fashionista to stay in the loop.
Rain did not deter the mass of teenage girls eagerly waiting to meet style-icon and now designer, Alexa Chung, outside Madewell on Newbury Street on Friday night. The British “it” girl premiered her second collaboration with J. Crew’s younger label, Madewell – making an in-store appearance, including a meet-and-greet with the designer herself. The collection has been so popular that at its online launch Thursday night, Madewell’s website crashed.
Would the collection to sell out just as quickly at the Boston Premiere? Or were the throngs of young women were only there to bask in the glow of (and maybe snag a Facebook picture with) the international starlet? We were there to find out, speaking to many of the girls who attended the launch. Huddling under an umbrella, we spoke to Toni Farreira, an MIT grad student who had her sights set on buying. Shopping the collection on her iPhone as she waited in line , she said “Alexa has such effortless style, she is absolutely 100% my style icon. Her style is different, it’s uniquely her. The clothes she wears I can actually imagine myself wearing.” It seemed the girls in line and those online were eager to emulate Alexa’s put-together twist on grunge.
Speaking to others, we discovered that simply meeting the Brit “it” girl was the aim for many. Twins Sara and Abi Bistany, 15, were there “cause we love Alexa. She’s not Miley or Selena, her style is amazing.” Emerson sophomore Young Park said “I really like her – I’m so drawn to her sense of humor.”
As the doors opened at 7, the crowd of girls piled into the store where a British themed party awaited them; complete with a photo-booth, a nail bar, shortcake cookies and for those of age, Pimm’s cocktails and Guinness. A retro 50’s playlist set the mood for an equally retro collection, inspired by another decade: the ‘90s.
Alexa greeted guests upstairs, friendly and inviting in a lace top and jeans as she spoke with each giddy girl. When we asked her what inspired the collection, she said that her biggest inspiration was the music of the 90’s. “I was really inspired by Nirvana, Sonic Youth, even the Spice Girls with the shoes.” At that she pointed to her own her own boots, complete with a Baby Spice-worthy platform. “I was really inspired by the girl-bands and youth-culture of that era.”
Alexa’s inspirations harkened back to our own childhood, when style icons displayed originality and talent. Indeed, the 2000’s youth culture of over-processed pop stars can’t compare with the creative energy of the Courtney Loves and Madonnas of the ‘90s. Thankfully, we have designers like Alexa to remind us of the creativity of the generation and give a modern twist to the styles we remember so fondly.
It seems like everywhere I go nowadays, I hear people talking about the red pants Justin Bieber wore to the Video Music Awards (no I don’t). Since I always follow whatever trend The Biebs is rocking (I don’t), I decided to run out and buy a pair myself (I already owned them and have for about a year).
Colored denim is one of those trends that seem like it should be super easy, but come actual execution time, it proves to be a bit trickier than just slapping on a t-shirt and rolling on out the door.
Colored denim was a major trend this spring/summer, but, worn in the right way, it can easily transition into fall. Pair brightly colored pants with a chunky cream knit sweater for a look that is comfy and almost exactly like last year, but way more Rainbow Bright approved (Oh. And it’s more fashionable)
Easy does it! Justin Bieber is one of the most confident people ever, which I know from watching Never Say Never twice, so it’s no surprise that he is fine wearing bright red. For those of us who aren’t so attention-seeking, consider colored denim in cobalt blue. It’s similar to the denim you already wear, but way more chic
Whenever you have a loud trend like this, steer away from wearing other loud trends at the same time. Instead, pair colored denim with classic pieces, like a black blazer, a chunky gold watch, black ballet flats, and a black and white stripped tee. That being said, risky accents, like J.Biebs’s leopard sneaks, work come nighttime. Treat leopard smoker flats like a neutral and just don’t go too crazy with the rest of the outfit. Remember: Boys like when you act crazy. Not when you look it.
Will you be wearing colored denim this fall or do you think it looks a wee bit ridiculous/Delias catalog?
Drive (September 16): Other movies are coming out in September. Probably. But this is the only one that you need to pay $12 for. The plot (“A Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong”) doesn’t necessarily sound like anything to write home about, but the cast of Ryan Gosling (who, if you haven’t heard, is the closest thing we have to a superhero on this awful earth), Carey Mulligan, and Christina Hendricks make this a must-see.
Televsion:
2 Broke Girls (September 19): This is a show that could go either way. All the ingredients are there — Kat Dennings as a fun-bitchy Brooklyn-based waitress who can pull off having a boy’s name; Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cummings are the creators, which is a strange, but exciting, combination; Molly McAleer, one of the funniest people on the Internet ever, is one of the writers. But it’s on CBS. And there’s a laugh-track. And the preview involves a joke about a horse.
New Girl (September 20): The word twee was invented because Zooey Deschanel was born. That is a fact. If you want to know why we’re on the fence, check out the description on the official Fox site: “Jess (Deschanel) is an offbeat and adorable girl in her late 20s who, after a bad breakup, moves in with three single guys. Although she’s dorky and awkward, she’s comfortable in her own skin. More prone to friendships with women, she’s not used to hanging with the boys.” If you want to know why we’ll still be tuning in on September 20, look at a picture of Zooey Deschanel.
Music:
Father, Son, Holy Ghost by Girls (September 13): The expectations are high for this captivating garage rock band duo. Don’t believe us? Just check the Internet.
Laura Marling (September 13): Marling’s third album will be a deeply honest and personal record and, presumably, not an upper. A Creature I Don’t Know, the first song released off the album, is haunting and lovely, which is what we’ve come to expect from Marling.
Clothing Lines:
Missoni for Target (September 13): Objectively the most hyped-up Designer for Target line, well, ever. Get your zig-zag on and try not to get punched if you dare enter a Target on the 13th.
Alexa Chung for Madwell (September 22): Madewell, J.Crew’s sassy younger sister, has done it again with this line by Alexa Chung. The full look-book has not been released, but expect to see lace details, Peter-Pan colors, leopard accents, and high-waisted bottoms.
Square or round? File or cut? Pick a color. 
Rain did not deter the mass of teenage girls eagerly waiting to meet style-icon and now designer, Alexa Chung, outside Madewell on Newbury Street on Friday night. The British “it” girl premiered her second collaboration with J. Crew’s younger label, Madewell – making an in-store appearance, including a meet-and-greet with the designer herself. The collection has been so popular that at its online launch Thursday night, Madewell’s website crashed.
It seems like everywhere I go nowadays, I hear people talking about the red pants Justin Bieber wore to the Video Music Awards (no I don’t). Since I always follow whatever trend The Biebs is rocking (I don’t), I decided to run out and buy a pair myself (I already owned them and have for about a year).