Jason Wu Spring 2012

Thanks for all the kind words on my last post... I'm very excited about starting school! To answer your questions, I'm going to Portland State University (which has 27,000 students, so if you're thinking about being a creeper and stalking me in real life, good luck finding me!) and studying linguistics and education.

Anyways, on to more important matters!

Pop Quiz:
Leanna's Favorite Designer is...
A) Jason Wu
B) All of the above.
C) A and B.

Yay! You got it right!
Mr. Wu showed his Spring Ready-to-Wear line at NYFW, and like any devoted fan would, I refreshed Style.com every hour until they posted the pictures from his show. Because, as you all are well aware, I'm a nobody and will never be enough of a somebody to merit an invitation to such an event, so I much satisfy my fashion cravings via the all-knowing interwebs.

Images via Style.com

I've blogged Mr. Wu's three previous collections (Pre-Fall 2011, Fall 2011, Resort 2012), and if I'm being honest this one if probably my least favorite out of the 4. That's not to say I don't like it, but it doesn't make me say...

OHMYGOSHILOVETHATIWANTITANDINEEDITLOVELOVELOVEFREAKINGGORGEOUS!!

... like his other collections have.

Probably the main reason I'm not totally in love is the liberal use of granny panties, of which there are 5. That's 5 too many granny panties for me. Also, I really don't like the styling, which I know has nothing to do with the clothes themselves, but still... it's just distracting. I really hate that orange lip stick they're all wearing, and what's on the back of their heads?

Like I said, though, I'm definitely not saying I don't like the collection overall. Take away the granny panties and funky lip color and there's some really great stuff going on here. That black and white floral print is pretty gorgeous, but even more so in the blue. I really like the peachy-pink color he used some at the beginning, but definitely do not like the pink he used at the end. There's a couple pieces in there that are pretty unflattering, but mostly there are lots of clean, elegant silhouettes. 

My favorite part is that so many pieces from this show are actually wearable. So often you see "ready to wear" shows that look like couture shows, with ridiculously outrageous color and silhouettes that no one would really ever wear. And while a lot of the pieces from this collection are a little more fancy than most people probably have use for, there are still a number of pieces that could be incorporated into an everyday wardrobe. 

Style Inspiration: Polyvore

So I know a lot of you guys already know about Polyvore, but I only found it fairly recently so I figured I'd share anyways in case there are any other poor folks like I was that hadn't heard of it.

I don't really know how to describe Polyvore without just using pictures, so that's what I'll go ahead and do. Pictures:

I just whipped up a few of these to show as an example. On Polyvore, you search for items ("red top", "white shoes", etc.), click and drag them on to the template area, and create outfits. They even have accessories like belts, sunglasses, and headbands so you can create a full look from head to toe. This is pretty cool for a lot of reasons:

1) It's the grown up version of paper dolls. And who didn't play with paper dolls as a kid?

2) You can experiment a lot more quickly and easily that trying on clothes in real life. Say you've been wondering about mixing some prints together. Instead of grabbing 20 things in a store and spending the next hour in the dressing room, just find a few things on Polyvore, lay them out, and see what you think. Also it's great for seeing what colors you like together.

3) It makes shopping easy. OK, so maybe this is actually a bad thing. But really, all you have to do is click on an item and it tells you what store it's from, how much it costs, and gives you a link to the actual item so you can buy it if you want. So once you find that perfect stripes and spots combo, you don't have to run out to the store to find something similar, you can just buy the outfit online right away and you know it'll look good.

So what are you waiting for? Head on over and start creating! 

Style Inspiration: Michelle Williams

I just realized that I actually have never seen a movie with Michelle Williams in it (and I looked up her filmography on IMDb to confirm), so I have no clue if she's a good actress or not. I do, however, know that I love her style. She's another pixie-cutter, which seems to be a common trend among the people I find fashionable. Anyways, check out some of her looks:

She's definitely into neutrals, but I have to say the last dress - which she wore the the Oscars a few years back - is my favorite dress out of them all and the color is amazing. She also definitely likes vintage inspired looks, which I appreciate quite a lot. Overall, I really love what she wears. Perhaps I'll have to check out some movies she's done to see if I like her acting as well.

Style Inspiration: Steven Alan Fall 2011

This blog post could also be named any of the following:
"Leanna Has an All-Out Hipster Moment"
"Urban Outfitters Just Found Their New Head Designer"
"My Dream Wardrobe"
"Do you think it would be hard to find a guy that dresses like this in real life? Take my poll!"

As I've been looking through the final list of Fall 2011 collections on Style.com, I've been finding myself really drawn to the vibrant, progressive collections that, as I said in the Mary Katrantzou post, are more art than actual wearable clothing. The result of that is having blogs full of gorgeous pictures of gorgeous clothing, but they're not particularly practical or applicable for mere mortals such as myself. While I still plan on posting about those gorgeous, artful collections (though I haven't seen any yet that top Mary Katrantzou or Suno), I thought I'd throw one in here that's extremely applicable and attainable for those of us not blessed with the ability to look cool in head-to-toe floral prints.

So this is where my dear friend (I wish) Steven Alan comes in. Inspect:

While I would like to take some of Mary Katrantzou's pieces and hang them on my wall to look at forever and ever, I would like to take Steven Alan's pieces, put them on, and walk out the door to go to work. This is by far the most wearable, relevant collection I've seen so far this Fall 2011 season, at least to my generation. A lot of designers aren't concerned with what younger people think of their clothes nowadays because young people don't have money, so it's nice to see a designer trying to appeal directly to the younger crowd. Go Steven Alan!

Side Note: LOVE the footwear in this collection. Do you think Steven would send me some for free if I asked really nicely?

Style Inspiration: Mary Katrantzou Fall 2011

So, my dear blogging friends, are you ready for an eyeful of awesome? I sure hope so. Ready, go!

Like the Suno collection, this is more art than actual clothing. Have you or have you not ever seen so many sumptuous prints all together in one place before? (10 point word for the day: Sumptuous.)

I Love:
-The prints, duh.
-The rich, vibrant colors,
-The shapes. Not exactly flattering, but who cares?
-The styling. Hair and makeup are both quite simple, keeping the focus (rightfully so) solely on the clothing.
-The boots. Oh, the boots.

I Hate:
-Nothing. This is perfection.

Close-ups:

Quite possibly my favorite part:

Well, now that you've had more than twice your daily dose of amazingness, you can go to bed now. Wouldn't want to overload you or anything. :)

All images from Style.com.

Style Inspiration: Peter Jensen Fall 2011

Is this the new thing? To take pictures of your line instead of having it trudge down a runway like a funeral march? If so, I like it. Pretty backgrounds, pretty styling, and pretty clothes. More of this, please.

[via Style.com, photography by Autumn de Wilde]