A bra is not a shirt

The lace and sheers have been a trend for a little while now, but it appears that the industry has taken it further to  coin it as "the lingerie trend".  Mixed feelings here.  Though designer collections have used this trend and styled it to be synonymous with class, femininity, and romance, I question the "ready-to-wear" label of some of the styles.  Take for instance, Nina Ricci's spring collection.  On one hand, the collection holds such a delicacy to it with sensual cuts and materials.  I can understand drawing inspiration from the overall impression of these designs, but so help me if I was to actually see certain pieces around the city. Pretty sure if we saw a girl walking down the street showing off her bra under a lacey blazer, "classy" wouldn't exactly be one of the words that would be used to describe her. 

Professionally unprofessional

Realistically, there is no good occasion to wear this outfit.  Stating the obvious, it's a tad on the over-dressed side for a typical school day.  With its hint of business with the blazer, that means it would be fine for a working day, right?  Well, I guess.  Though I've heard a little debate on the work appropriateness of over-the-knee socks.  Apparently they're more scandalous than blatantly going without the stockings.  Why is that?  C'mon, I'm showing way less skin than Legs in accounting!  Obviously, it's possible to still be work-appropriate without being frumpy.  Though I guess this is just one of those things that boards on the faux-pas line. Oh, and speaking of faux-pas...the dress kinda breaks the index finger rule.  I'm just gonna overlook that.  I sit at a desk all day anyway- no one will ever notice!

Photos by Pop Champagne


What I'm wearing:
-Black boyfriend blazer from H&M
-Printed dress from Forever 21
-Heather grey jersey scarf from American Apparel
-Ribbed over-the-knee socks from Costa Blanca

Uniquely ugly shoes

Don't get me wrong, I like unique shoes as much as the next girl.  Yes, yes, statement shoes can really pull an outfit together.  And that applies to a good high heel, edgy boot, or reasonable wedge.  But what is up with this new trend of shoes that look impossible to walk in stand in because of their crazy shape.  Then there are the shoes that resemble feet being encased in cement blocks.  If you thought that heels were foot torture, you obviously haven't seen these kinds of shoes that look like little prison cells for your feet.  Jeffrey Campbell undoubtedly made a dent in the fashion world with the ever-so popular classic Lita, but this new wave of chunky shoe strives a little too hard for fashion-forward...and misses the mark.  In the classic debate between fashion and art, I think that some of these shoes are better off being moulded from plaster and displayed in a museum.

So here's my little list of a few unique ugly shoes...or better stated, shoes that make me go "what the hell?!"

Images via nastygal.com

Black and white rainbow

I think the unseasonable (but welcome) warmth is getting to my head and making me crazy.  Or easily amused.  Probably a bit of both.  As if the glorious sunshine that melted away most of the snow wasn't enough, I got a little surprise after looking at my photos.  Do recall what you learned in elementary where sun + reflections off water = a rainbow...or something like that.  Who doesn't love rainbows, right.

I want more dress-up occasions.  Or I want it to be more socially acceptable to wear fancy things like fringe skirts on any typical day.  I tried to dress it down with a basic long sleeve white shirt, but honestly, dressing it down is like messing with its essence.  A fringe skirt was meant to be fancy- I should just let it fulfil its purpose. 

 

Photos by Pop Champagne

What I'm wearing: 

-White long sleeve shirt from Charlotte Russe

-Black fringe skirt from Dynamite

-Gunmetal heels from Aldo

Grab some green

It's that time magical time of the year again when everyone suddenly becomes Irish where massive globs of green groups crowd into every pub in the city.  Yes, I'm talking St.Patty's day.  While it may be sort of ceremonious to wear clover-shaded green, I'd like to remind you not to neglect the other shades of green.  Okay, so you might be coloured like a shrivelled clover or the colour of a bad hangover (à la 'pukey green'), but the less popular shades of green deserve some love too.  So while you're binging on beer on Saturday, set yourself apart from the mass of wannabe leprechauns by trying a rich emerald or bright jade tone.  And sure, the standard green "Kiss me, I'm Irish!" t-shirt is a classic and all, but green accessories are also a great way to show a little festivity.  Personally, in the true spirit of the occasion, I'll be kicking back to a nice cup of green tea.   

Polka dot prep

I'd like to declare that the warm weather is here to stay.  Sure, there may still be patches of ice around, but I refuse to acknowledge their existence, and I'm optimistic that they won't survive another week.  This weather's been kind of crazy where we've pretty much skipped the mildly-chilly temperatures of leather jackets and gone right to light jacket/blazer season.  I don't mind too much, because it makes wearing long socks and skirts all the more acceptable.  Though it is a little disheartening when I still see people in UGGs and parkas.  We're just gonna insist that they're the people that are weather confused, not me.

I noticed a general tend in when I wear my red cardigan.  Usually, it has something to do with a variation of a preppy look with either stripes, polka dots, collared shirts, and/or long socks.  I'm gonna point to general typical depictions of English prep school looks.  That's so much more fun than American public school looks of jeans and hoodies, right?

Photos by Pop Champagne

What I'm wearing:
-Red cardigan
-White top from Joe Fresh
-Blue polka dot skirt from Forever 21
-Grey over-the-knee socks from Costa Blanca
-Black heels

Transitional weather confusion

Today was an unseasonable warm day; a spring weather teaser, if you will.  With a brief blast of nice weather comes dressing confusion.  You know, it's the guys that are in bermuda shorts, the girls in their t-shirts and chunky scarves, and the people that missed the memo completely and are still dressed for a snow storm.  For me, I see these seasonal transitions as that small window where wearing shorts and tall boots are acceptable (and it was a tad chilly still, so tights were necessary).  Do you know what the highlight of my morning was?  Getting dressed.  Yes, as sad as that sounds, I was really excited to have the freedom to mix and match sweaters, blazers, shorts, and cute shoes again, without worrying about freezing or snow damage.

So I've compiled a little ideal outfit with a few of my favourite weather confusion/transitional season things.  I've discovered that I'm quite the fan of mixing more subtle feminine pieces and shades with edgier pieces, usually black as a contrast.  And I've also been discovering a love for bright pink lipstick as the final complement to the feminine-edgy combination.  And of course, sunnies are a necessity for the sunny seasons!

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Purse-onality

Similarly to how much I appreciate a good pun, I appreciate accessories with a sort of quirky edge to them.  Like this wonderful selection of bags/clutches/wallets from Modcloth.  Now the vintage postcard and notebook bags are one thing.  I'm sure they'd look great with just about any soft romantic palette and hold a certain versatility to them.  But how wild would it be to paying for your lunch out of a food-themed wallet?  Personally, I prefer wallets that hold a bunch of change and cards, but I'd be willing to put my wallet contents on a diet just so I could carry around a hamburger or PB & J wallet around.  And I super-want that rubix cube bag!  It definitely takes "retro-chic" to a whole new level.  And with six colours on the face of the cube, it pretty matches anything.  With accessories like this, I'd gladly put my thoughts on functional bags to the side just to carry around these natural funny-bone teasers.  Oh yes, I'd love to get some purse-onality.  Seriously, it's like carrying around a physical pun!

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