Summer is here...Wear Your Whites

Happy Memorial Day everyone!! Today is especially happy because my party was just delightful last night and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.  It was dramaless and so much fun!  I hope your weekend has been just as pleasant as mine.  Today my roommate and her boyfriend as well as my boyfriend and I are planning a hike for later this afternoon with a packed lunch and a couple of beers and wine coolers to celebrate National R&R Day.  My roommate thinks I'm crazy for even thinking about what I'm going to wear.   But.... As I surf the Internet my cyber wave takes me home to my all time favorite fashion site - Vogue.com.  Today there is an article welcoming the Summer season as an opportunity to take full advantage of the fact that it is now perfectly acceptable to wear all white...

"Memorial Day is here, and while an extra day of R&R is certainly appreciated, what we're even more excited about is the return of a head-to-toe white wardrobe. Yes, we’re all for stylishly defying tradition (even Emily Post revised the age-old rule decreeing that bright white cannot be worn before Memorial Day or after Labor Day), but we have to admit, we love the idea that etiquette plays a role in dictating dressing. So today, the official start of summer, we finally put away those dark winter clothes and bring our palest eyelet dresses, peasant tops, and capri pants to light."- Vogue Daily Blog

Now this can make a girl nervous especially if she hasn't tanned and her skin is anything but  All White Wear quality.  Still, it's my day off I don't HAVE to wear black, so I think I'm going to take their word for it and welcome the Summer with hints of white in my hiking gear. 

I just love outdoorsy pictures, especially the ones from Vogue, they always look so refreshing and natural and for a city girl who doesn't really 'do' the Great Outdoors -thing too often, it can be a great inspiration on how to dress appropriately for outside and looking chic at the same time.

So try something different today, why not? It's Summer, there's a like this unwritten law that it's okay to let loose because once the Fall hits it's back to the drawing boards...

Photo taken by Arthur Elgort - Vogue 2011

Penelope Cruz in this month's issue of Vogue Photo taken by Mario Testino

Arizona Muse Photo taken by Peter Lindbergh Vogue 2011

Blake Lively Photo Taken by Mario Testino

Blake Lively in ABW - sorry I had to.  Photo Taken by Mario Testino

Photo taken by Hilary Walsh - Vogue 2011

Photo taken by Arthur Elgort-Vogue 2011

All photos in the post were taken directly from Vogue.com

Jitterbugs . . .

I thought a lot about the 1920's today for some reason; it could be because I'm anticipating the party and I found the most perfect hat!!

Now my costume is complete and all I can think about is hair and makeup.  I have the makeup covered, and I found 'wispie lashes' to give that delicate feathery look!!

                                      Here are a couple inspirations I've come across...

The Truth Behind the Black

'All Dressed in Black' refers to not only a part of a favorite childhood hand game of mine, but also my everyday wardrobe. My friends and family have all taken notice to my obsession with the color black.  Typically people see ABW (All Black Wear) and think gothic depressed problem child from hell, but I like to think that ABW can be timeless and very chic.  The French do it all the time!!So why can't ABW be chic, feminine and very presentable?

Holly Golightly

My first inspiration with ABW was the great Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's as Holly Golightly....le sigh! It was so individual, so different yet so simple.  I was in love with black!

Holly Golightly was only the beginning of the love affair.  Coincidentally, I got a job as a Gallery Attendant at a museum about two years ago - think docent with a walkie-talkie- where the dress code is simply ABW or at least a black top.  Some hate this dress code but I don't mind it at all as long as we have the freedom to wear whatever as long as it is black and within professional dress code!  So there it is! I wear ABW 5 days out of the week, attend class twice a week, and see my friends at least once a week most of the time I am wearing black! And I don't mind it one bit...

I kinda like to play with it, I do a lot of the Model Off Duty-thing.  It's comfortable and allows me to layer - layering is very important where I'm from because the weather is so unpredictable! Here are some outfits I would love to rock at work:

Victoria Beckham

Girl in Paris

Natasha Poly

Freja Beha Erikson

Girl in Milan

Lily Donaldsom

Daria Werbowy

I just can't seem to incorporate colors into my wardrobe.  Everything I own in in the black, grey, white family and though I do my best to keep it clean and polished and as un-gothy as possible, I still question whether or not people see me as the 'Sad Girl in Black?' 

I would like to know "My Color," you know how people say "Oh blue is SO your color!" Well, I want a color dammit!!  I just don't know what!  I'm on a mission....

The Dark Spot

So every once in a while, I will post a picture of someone (wearing black of course) who I feel A: Has an awesome all black outfit and B: is of some inspiration of some sort. For the first Dark Spot, I have chosen none other than Marylin Monroe, classic sex symbol, movie star, and model.  The museum I work at just had an exhibit all about her.  It was amazing to find how sad her life was and how lonely she was. Even her latest pictures towards the end of her career looked different.  However, her photographs still leave us speechless. There will never be another Marylin Monroe.

Marylin Monroe

What Do 'Avant' to Wear??

I went party shopping today!! Theme is black (of course) with subtle splashes of color, think shiny black table cloths with multicolored plastic cups and Funfetti Cupcakes!! There will also be a little station where I'm going to put  markers, crayons, stickers, and multicolored paper to make goodbye cards for my friend!  Hopefully everyone is taking the dress code seriously, because if they do, this is going to be The Mad Tea Party gone Studio 54 and I'm so okay with that, in fact I believe such a look has appeared in a few lines this Spring:   

Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs  

Prada

Prada

Chanel    

Chanel

As the hostess I am going for over-the-top yet timeless.  I have chosen to wear a very tight fitted black dress with a feather hemline, this is something kind of like it only the neckline on mine is straight across, but the runching and the feather is just like it:

  

I wear to accessorize this dress with a small pillbox hat-like hat with preferably with a veil. Like this:

 

And then my makeup is going to be real dark and film-noir looking.  This is where I will attempt my first Cupid's Bow lip and very very dark eyes:

I love how light her skin is too. I want my skin to look like porcelain! I found this tutorial on how to do 1920's makeup.This girl had my favorite style of eyeshadow and I like how it's silent because then it deters from any confusing instructions!

    Ugh!  So excited for this party!!! Hope you all have fun memorial day weekend coming up!  Good Night!

Avant Garden

This is my first post!! Yay!  So I begin this blog by discussing my up and coming party which I am throwing for a one of my dearest friends who is leaving next week to explore better options.  We're having the Avant Garden Party - the garden being my backyard with a strict "Come dressed in your craziest" dress code.  This is the perfect opportunity for me to put my new Sangria recipe to the test!! Now what to wear....

As I am sending out invites via Facebook, I have a lot of curious people wanting to know what exactly is Avant Garde?