Spring

Military

I absolutely love this trend... Seen anywhere with nice military pieces other than Balmain? I'm on the hunt for a great military jacket...(I'm actually on the hunt for just about anything featured in the above collage!)

I made this piece on a really interesting site called Polyvore. Check it out!

Valentino

The Valentino Spring 2010 Collection was my favourite of all the spring collections. Usually I can't pick a favourite, and it was a tossup between Valentino and Lanvin....but Pier Paolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri created one of the most beautiful, ultra-feminine collections I've seen. Have you guys seen any Valentino inspired collections out at more affordable places?

(all photos from style.com)

Nostalgia

On thesartorialist.com, Scott Schuman is holding an open contest for readers to win one of couple inspirational books produced by Celine. These books were given out at the Celine show, where alot of people left them behind. To win the contest, you have to send in an old photo, from before the 80s, that you think is sartorially inspirational. This got me thinking...

My parents...how fantastic are my mom's trousers?

My grandmother, her brother and her parents in London, England c. 1950. This was probably not even a special occasion, but everyone is looking their best. I love how my great-grandfather's overcoat is so casually draped over one arm.

My grandmother, grandfather and my dad as a young boy. I wish people still put in this much effort when they got dressed in the morning and thought about the elegance and grace of dressing, like a true sartorialist.

Stripes

Laaa lalala...I want a striped shirt! But not just any striped shirt...THIS STRIPED SHIRT. They're perfect for spring, under blazers, with khakis, jeans, white skirts! (Oh the possibilities.) This one here is unisex.

It's from Play by Comme des Garcon and it's probably the perfect striped tee. I'm finding it really hard to find a perfect one that DOESN'T retail for 112 euros, like this one. The hunt continues.... I recently bought my good friend a great Comme des Garcon tee on Ebay for his birthday...hopefully I can luck out and find this one too! I saw a short sleeved one at Joe Fresh if you're interested, I might have to go back and grab it! (at 8$, why not??)

(photo from Tres Bien Shop)

Denim...

OK- so I was talking with a friend of mine (who inspired this post) about the denim craze for Spring 2010. It's everywhere. Distressed, torn DENIM. Denim skirts, denim pants, denim shirts, denim shoes. It's seriously giving me the blues. (Sorry, I realize that was corny).

Sure, I love a pair of loose fitting jeans with a little wear-and-tear. But I also love super skinny high-waisted jeans. So for me, this super-faded thing is..well...tacky. Ok, let's take D&G Spring 2010 line....sure they incorporate some really beautiful neutrals, khaki and white (more on my love for these things later) but something went seriously wrong with the faded denim pieces. Are we REALLY back to denim mini dresses with 5 layers of ruffles...faded?! It's just something the tarts in my middle school would have worn to a dance in the gym.

Anyways, if you like the denim thing, and I'm all for this, The Gap has some fantastic jean going on, not just pants but shirts and jackets too. So picture this...a white eyelet sundress and worn-in jean jacket...and if you want to channel your inner American West D&G...throw in a pair of those cowboy boots that you were so pissed went out of style in '06. They're back!

(photo from style.com)

Helmut Lang, Please

Dark, slim silhouettes on the bottom half don't seem to be going anywhere from 2009 and transitioning right into 2010.

The fur stole/scarf and those BOOTS.

I would do just about anything to get my hands on a coat like this. It's fitting is beautiful, especially the length. But that collar? Fantastic. And the off-side zipper. Even better. I love the shearling inside and I'm going to need something like this for fall. Any suggestions on where to go without breaking the bank?

Anything from Helmut Lang's F/W 2010 Collection is on my "I can dream" wish list.

(all photos from style.com/fashionshows)

Zara S/S 2010 LookBook

The Zara Spring 2010 Lookbook (released in February) is stunning. It's a perfect mix of Chloe Stella McCartney S/S 2010 Collections, with a little bit of Balmain colouring and body-hugging, off-the shoulder dressing. Perfect.

THE WHITE BLAZER. A must-have for spring/summer. I wear mine from Zara all the time.

The Side Braid. Enough said.

The high-waisted trouser (or shorts) works so well with the belt fitted right at the waist. And with a crisp white button up. YES PLEASE.

(all images from zara.com)

Cheap & Chic

Cheap & Chic- For The Regular Girls (And Boys!)

Ok, so we're not all supermodels. Or editors. Or designers. We don't all live in Paris. But a lot of us love fashion. So, what about the rest of us? We can't all afford those Alexander Wang leopard print wedges or the Balmain military jackets gracing our style.com homepages. We can, however, dream a little. And maybe one day we'll get there, not dreading to look at our Visa statements because we forgot about that quilted purse we bought online (amongst other superfluous purchases).

Well, this is what Cheap & Chic is about.

1) For the regular girls (and boys) who love fashion but who can't quite afford their dream wardrobe just yet.

2) For those of us who follow Vogue like a personal bible and are always picturing the perfect outfit.

3) For those of us who have A BUDGET!!! (gasp) and have to sacrifice Comme des Garcon for Commes des Groceries.

4) For those of us who crave inspiration, I'll still post about favourite designers and collections, but add outlets for ways to do it cheaper, but just as damn good.

Until Next Time

-J