Next Hot Thing for Spring 2012: Flashback to the 1920s

Hi Beautiful People!

I have just discovered the great new series Boardwalk Empire by HBO. Personally, I absolutely adore HBO…I have been a huge fan since the series Carnivale (check it out if you haven’t seen it).

So, what does Boardwalk Empire have to do with fashion and style? The series is set in Atlantic City and Chicago in the 1920s and there is a HUGE resurgence of styles reminiscent of the era…low waisted dresses, cloche hats, low heeled shoes and art deco inspirations.

Being a Chicago girl (born and raised in the Chicago suburbs), I have always had an interest in the 1920s gangsters and most especially Al Capone. Rumour had it that Capone had a hideout in South Holland, which was only about 20 minutes from my childhood home. Just recently, my Father revealed that his maternal Grandfather was a driver for Al Capone! How exciting!!

I, for one, absolutely LOVE it! What do you think? Do you have any favorite 1920s inspired pieces that you have your eye on?

xx,

FFF

 

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier from the Sidewalk to the Catwalk

HI Beautiful People!

I have some VERY special news!

As a self-proclaimed fashionista and museum nerd, I couldn’t be more excited to write about an upcoming exhibit at the de Young museum in San Francisco. Dare I call myself a fashionista? IDK, but I digress. I actually love the de Young Museum and have been a member for several years. They always have world-class exhibits coming through and the permanent collection is quite impressive as well.

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk is open from March 24, 2012 -  August 19, 2012. The exhibit was organized by the Montreal museum of Fine Arts in collab with le Maison Jean Paul Gaultier & features 120 prêt-à-porter and haute couture looks from the last 40 years. Many notable garments from his hey day in the 1990s will be on display including one (or more) outfits from Madonna’s 1990 Blond Ambition tour (cone bra, anyone?). Whether we loved it or hated it…we can all agree that the cone bra definitely jarred the fashion world.

Jean Paul Gaultier & Madonna on the cover of the FAMSF Magazine (Winter/Spring 2012)

As an emerging museum professional, I am interested in this exhibit because it is quite innovative in the use of dynamic mannequins with digital faces. Personally, I have never seen such a mannequin so it will be a completely new experience for me! Stoked!

Finally, and most exciting for me personally, the de Young in sponsoring a live interview with International Herald Tribune FAshion Editor Suzy Mendez and JPG himself on March 24. I am going to determine how much tickets cost and see if I can go!

What does a girl wear to go see a live interview with Jean Paul Gaultier? Hopefully, I will be asking myself this question soon!

xx,

FFF

P.S. FFF has recently reached over 10,000 views! Thanks to all for reading. Bisous!

Entire lookbook for Jason Wu for Target!! (and my picks)

Hi Beautiful People!

Just two days ago Target released the ENTIRE lookbook for the Jason Wu for Target designer collaboration. Whew! This collection will definitely be worth the wait.

As my loyal readership know, I seek out the best of the designer collaborations to determine what is the most wearable for the average woman. And when I say wearable, I mean, appropriate for work, school, a night out, and hanging out with your girls. BTW, I heard somewhere that ladies these days are dressing more for their girlfriend than for the men in their lives (or who they want to be in their lives/bed). I wholeheartedly agree with this observation because I love to dress up for my female colleagues. My girls are good about saying ‘you look so cute!’ which feels so great. But, I digress!

Anyways, back to JWFT…I have to say nearly EVERY piece in this collection is classic and wearable! This collection is so unlike the other designer collaborations that I just could buy every damn piece. The pieces are both classic and fresh due to Wu’s use of navy blue, pastels, pleating, boat neck and collar necklines, and lots of horizontal stripes. Now, horizontal stripes are NOT my favorite (or anyone who is only 5’2″ but it is a huge trend right now and I can’t seem to get away from them. Wu is right on Target (no pun intended) for what is in for Spring 2012. Yay!!

Below, I love this sailor suit inspired navy blue dress because it is not costum-y at all. I think it is gorgeous and the button detail up the shoulder is adorable and just enough without too much. I hope the belt comes with this. I like this contrast shoulder b/w shoulder bag. So classic, however, I am worried about this bag getting dirty. :-/

Blue sailor suit inspired dress ($39)

I also LOVE the blue and yellow floral print on the scarf and two handbags. I am not a huge blue person (I am trying to branch out more) but I do adore blue and yellow together. Add in some daisies and FFF is a super happy girly girl.

Jason Wu for Target Blue Flower Square Shoulder Bag ($39)

Jason Wu for Target Blue Flower Scarf

A woman can never have enough tote bags and I especially LOVE this one. Too bad it is $40!!

Jason Wu for Target Mila Tote ($39)

My absolute FAVORITE part of the collection, funny enough, is the navy blue shorts and super sweet red/blue top. I really love the simple chic of this outfit…and shorts are something I could actually use in my bureau.

Jason Wu for Target Navy Shorts & Stripe Top

and finally the white dress with black lace petticoat is chic and femininity incarnate. It is simply divine and just gorgeous.

White Dress with Black Petticoat ($59)

There are many many more adorable outfits in the collection including a baby blue cardi, a blue and yellow dress.  See the rest of the collection below (all shots courtesy of Glamour.com) and prices can be found here.

What is your favorite piece from the collection??

xx,

FFF

P.S. What about those black ruffly socks worn by the model? Hmmm….

Next up at H&M: Marni

HI Beautiful People!

The time has come for me to discuss the Spring 2012 designer collaboration for H&M. Now, I know I am a little late as the announcement for this collection was in November (shortly after the Versace release) and I didn’t even peep on it then. I was just super busy in the midst of my semester, which payed off BTW because I got straight A’s (!) for only the second time in my life. However, those straight A’s cost me 30 lbs….! More on that later, maybe? But, I digress.

Anyways, last November H&M announced their next collab will be with Marni, an Italian design house founded by Consuelo Castiglioni in 1995. Quick question though, was Marni really started as a FUR-ONLY fashion house? The wikipedia page says so. If that is true, it strikes me as odd that H&M would choose a potentially controvesrial designer for a collaboration. Who has the intel on this for me? but again I digress.

Regardless, the collection will be available in 260 stores worldwide (none of this UK-only BS like the Versace Cruise collection) on March 5, 2012. The teaser video features a purple polka dot suit (its nicer than it sounds) and a pair of silver platform heels (not necessarily my personal style). My interest is slightly piqued from the t-shirt and the brown print dress. Castiglioni promises lots of fab prints in the collection. yay!

Marni for H&M Teaser

As usual, I will probably skip the clothes in the line and focus more on the jewelery and/or accessories that are often much more wearable than some of the outrageous clothes in H&M collabs (printed shiny spandex leggins anyone?). Snark!

Yesterday it was announced that the T-shirt will be sold to benefit the victims of the Japanese earthquake.

Marni for H&M Tshirt sold to benefit victims of the earthquake in Japan

Waiting in anticipation to see the entire Marni line for H&M! Hopefully, the entire lookbook will be releasesd soon.

xx,

FFF

What is your favorite shampoo from the drugstore?

Hi Beautiful People!

Today I am here to ask the readership for some advice! As I have mentioned before I have always been slightly obsessed with my hair.

Right now, I am suffering from the economic crisis and am pinching pennies in every way possible. I am sure things will look up soon (hopefully in time for Jason Wu for Target!), but for the present I am not spending a lot of money on beauty products.

Which leads me to my topic for the day…What is YOUR favorite drugstore shampoo? I really want to hear from the readers on this so please take a second to leave a comment on your favorite affordable shampoo.

My hair is ULTRA thin and fine with just enough curl to make it frizz out if I don’t use product and/or heat to straighten it out. Unfortunatley, the heat and product wreck havoc on the ends of my super fine hair so I am forever battling split ends. Often, I end up trimming the ends of my hair over the sink between visits to the salon, just so my ends don’t look terribly frizzy.

In my lifetime I have tried TONS of different shampoo’s from the cheapest (White Rain, anyone?) to some pricey brands like Federic Fekkai (love!).  But I have yet to have a tried and true ‘favorite’ shampoo that I like and, more importantly, can afford on a daily basis. Besides, $25 for an 8 oz. bottle of shampoo is really outrageously expensive, right? Ugh, totally expensive.

So, here I am asking for your advice on which shampoo I should try next. The brands I have already tried include:

–Herbal Essences (for long hair)

–Pantene (for fine hair)

–Finesse (for normal hair–I wish I could find the Finesse volumizing shampoo in the stores but it is only avail online)

–Garnier (for fine hair)

–Suave Rosemary Mint (my husband’s shampoo!)

So, what kind of drugstore shampoo do you recommend?

xx,

FFF

 

 

First Images from Jason Wu for Target Lookbook

Hi Fashion Lovers!

Happy New Year! I hope that 2012 is beautiful for all the lovely ladies out there in fashiondom.

I am here today to pull you out of the post-holiday winter doldrums by introducing images of some lovely dresses and a handbag from the upcoming Jason Wu for Target collab. Mr. Wu became infamous when our lovely FLOTUS chose him to design her inaugural gown. Now, not all the reviews on this dress were positive but I really liked it. I thought the dress was elegant and beautiful.

President Obama and First Lady Michelle in original Jason Wu

 

Target announced their latest ensemble with the well known collection last October and since then have been relatively mum on the collection. On January 3, the NYT released a vingnette with Jason Wu about the collection along with two photos. Wu says he did not attempt to copy pieces from his couture collections but he created completely new pieces based upon his fresh aesthetic and a mischevious black kitty cat named Milu. Personally, I love her jaunty red bow and she reminds me of a naughty black cat my Mom had named Tabitha. (all images courtesy of Target)

Milu is the Muse for the Jason Wu for Target Collection

Jason Wu for Target Sketch

I LOVE the clean lines and ‘all american girl’ look of these dresses and the handbag. The sailor-suit inspired dress is ador-able and I for one hope to see it on our fabulous First Lady. By far, my favorite piece in the two photos that were released is the black and white contrast canvas bag. I absolutely adore this handbag. I have been looking for a black/white handbag (*that I can afford*) for probably a year. This one is classy, elegant and very Jackie-O in my opinion.

Jason Wu for Target Ad (Dress: $40; Handbag $50)

I have to assume that we will see the entire lookbook soon, because the collection will debut in stores in about a month (Feb. 5). I leave you with the formal advertisement featuring a cute pink, yellow, and black sleeveless dress. Horizontal stripes and pleats are VERY trendy right now and this dress has both. I think it will be a hit. Apparantly the black shoes in the ad are also part of the collection, too bad we can hardly see them in this image.

Jason Wu for Target Ad

I am looking forward to seeing the other pieces from the collection! The NYT article teased us with hints of knit t-shirts and tennis skirts (!) in the collection. Yay for us.

xx,

FFF