My Stores & Me

For this post, I’m going to talk about a few of my favorite stores, probably some most people haven’t heard of.

Altar’d State. The first store opened in November of 2009 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Since then they have opened over 70 stores all over the country. They are a religious, high-end boutique that gives back to the community in many ways. Though their clothes are a little more on the expensive side, they are also very unique and exquisite.

My next store that I want to talk about is Tobi. Tobi is an online retailer for girls that sells inexpensive clothing, that is in style now. It’s more basic compared to Altar’d State. The clothing also ships pretty fast so its great for last minute shopping. They also always have great sales with prices as low as $9.99 (which is good for majority of girls clothing).

Another place thats great for quick and easy shopping is Amazon. Most people don’t think to look on amazon for clothing items because its not mainly based on its fashion categories. On Amazon, you can usually find the clothes you are looking for, from the brand you want, and most likely cheaper than from the retailers website itself. Also if you  have Prime on Amazon, your clothing will arrive faster.

The last store I want to talk about is, Target. Target is known for its fairly low prices, their clothing section is no exception. They have a ton of simple items like, cardigans, t-shirts, pants, and undergarments in all sizes and colors. You can also shop online with Target if shopping isn’t really for you.

Hope I’ve provided some new stores and ideas for your shopping experience!

Tips & Tricks:

1. When wearing white, check yourself in front of light to make sure nothing is see-through.
2. If you are wanting to buy something thats a bargain, make sure you love it & aren’t just buying it for the sale.
3. Carry a stylist emergency kit including things like safety pins, eraser pen, etc. in the car or in your purse for just-in-case moments.

 

 

Do’s & Don’ts: Accessory Edition

Strangely enough, last night I had a nightmare that I was on the show “What Not To Wear”, on TLC. For those who haven’t heard of the show, basically people who don’t dress well/appropriately get nominated by their friends and family to go on the show and get a total make over; new wardrobe, haircut, and makeup. The show is pretty entertaining but not something you would want to be on yourself. So todays blog post is dedicated to helping my readers stay off of TLC’s What Not To Wear.

Do: Try on both shoes at the shoe store, your feet are not both the same size

Don’t: Sacrifice comfort for fashion, if your shoes are uncomfortable or you cant walk in them chances are you either won’t wear them or you will look silly attempting to walk around in them.

Do: Invest in a really good bag (Kate Spade, Micheal Kors, etc.), pick a neutral colored purse with a basic shape so it’ll last you forever.

Don’t: Be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, try out new colors and patterns with inexpensive bags.

Do: Mix vintage jewelry with newer styles to get a unique look.

Don’t: Over do it!! The rule for jewelry is pick 3; earrings, necklace, bracelet, or rings.

Don’t: Mixing gold and silver jewelry is not always acceptable. *personal opinion

Do: Add scarves, tights, socks, or hair accessories for more color in your outfit (not all options at once). 

Don’t: Over mix, if your outfit is mainly brown leather based, stick to that throughout. Also use gold accessories with brown leather and silver accessories with black leather for a more all around together look. 

I hope these few do’s and don’ts will help you to complete your perfect outfit! Here’s a few extra tips to leave you with…

1. Make a list before you go shopping (like you would before the grocery store) to prevent yourself from over buying unnecessary items.
2. You should be able to see every article of clothing in your closet without rummaging, if this is not possible consider donating.
3. Always take a “not-so-me” outfit into the fitting room with you, you never know what will surprise you.

 

Makeover transformation from a What Not To Wear episode:

 

Mens Fashion

Most men do not get the same enjoyment out of shopping like a lot of women do. I believe thats because they get dragged around like pack mules carrying bags for hours (at least thats what we make my dad do). Also mens clothing is not nearly as broad or unique as women’s. Everything for them is the same, just in different colors!

This video gives men twenty simple style tips that all men should already know but most do not follow. I hope you all learn a lot!

Tips &Tricks:

1. Don’t wear more than three colors or three pieces of jewelry.
2. Always match the color of your belt to the color of your shoes (black belt w/ black shoes, etc)
3. Never wear sandals w/ socks or when its raining outside!

 

“A Combination of Dance & Art”

This is one of my favorite designers, Betsey Johnson. I personally do not own any of her clothes because most are too outrageous & expensive for me but I love her creativity and care-free living. Below are some of her designs.

http://www.betseyjohnson.com/home.jsp <—- link to her website

Betsey was born on August 10, 1942 in Wethersfield Connecticut. Her designs became extremely popular during the 1960’s. As a child, Betsey was absorbed in dancing and drawing, which later turned to her fascination with fashion design. She loved the elaborate dance costumes and wanted to create designs similar to the costumes. She attended Pratt University in Brooklyn to pursue her love for art and design. After a year, she transferred to Syracuse University. After college, she entered the Mademoiselle magazine guest editor challenge and ended up winning, which earned her a job in their art department.

A year later she landed a job as a fashion designer at Paraphernalia, a New York clothing boutique. This is where she learned her whimsical style and used tons of different fabrics like shower curtains and interior linings on cars. Here, she worked with famous designers Mary Quant and Andy Warhol.

After she left Paraphernalia, she became assumed creative control of Alley Cat, a sportswear brand. This is where she became the youngest designer only at the age of 29 to receive the Coty Fashion Critics Award. Once Alley Cat went out of business Betsey thought it was all over until London adopted the punk theme in clothing. Finally in 1978 she opened her own label with the help from Chantal Bacon, known as Betsey Johnson. She now has over 60 stores across the world.

In 2000, Betsey was diagnosed with breast cancer. One of her breast implants had deflated which caused her to have to go to the doctor where they caught the cancer in its early stages. It was a miracle that ended up saving her life. This did not slow her down one bit, which is why she’s earned a spot as one of my favorite designers. I also love how she ends all of her fashion shows with a cartwheel at the end. Still to this day she keeps a young heart and youthful influence in her designs despite being almost 75. Her designs make you want to smile and be happy. She has taken the seriousness out of designing and turned it into something fun. Betsey is a superb role model for young fashion designers and people who are interested in the industry, nothing should stop you from becoming who you want to be and to always have fun with the life you’re given.

Fun Facts About Betsey:

1. She hates to shop. “Unless I go to Lanvin and I can buy another ceramic figurine of a crazy fashion lady or another pair of twelve-hundred-dollar Giuseppe Zanotti shoes that I need but that I’ll never wear.”
2. She spends $20,000 a year on hair extensions. “It costs 5,000 a pop to look this cheap and trashy,” she said.
3. She dropped out of Pratt Institute after one year to pursue…cheerleading. “Pratt was a bitch. It was a killer year. I didn’t have time to do anything…well, I had time to eat. I think I gained 100 pounds. But we didn’t have time to sleep. I had to leave and cheerlead [at Syracuse University].”

From Then to Now

To easily explain how fashion has transformed into what it is today, I made a timeline and have added pictures below (numbers in boxes correspond to their pictures below) to show the evolution. Clothing is affected by the events going on around the world, like wars causing clothing restrictions or a change in the designs.

 

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7.

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10.

 

 

I hope this helped to show the fads of each decade and the progression of the fashion industry. We have come a very long way just from the early 1900’s in respect to fashion.

Extra facts:

1. Fashion trends repeat themselves every 20-30 years.
2. Clothing was introduced around 42,000 – 72,000 B.C.
3. Charles Frederick Worth is credited as being the first fashion designer.

My first blog post

Fashion is and will always be a part of our world. Fashion really became a part of my life when I reached middle school. I was so fascinated by the unlimited colors, textures, and styles that make up our fashion world. One day I was at our local craft store where I found a book that allowed you to design your own styles. The book contained stencils for any type of clothing and accessories along with squares of paper that had different patterns on them. I would spend hours in my basement making up “clients”, tracing, & cutting out model size clothing articles.

I believe that this is where my passion for fashion really began. Later on in high school, I took a fashion course my junior year. This course was not what I wanted it to be and I was 100% let down. This could have something to do with the fact my class was filled with dumb freshman who knew NOTHING about fashion. Although I received an A in the course I was not so sure this is what I wanted to spend my college career studying any more.

I have always, always, always been big into shopping just like most girls. Something about looking at the newest trends was so calming and peaceful. If I had a bad day or was just in a funky mood, I would turn to fashion. This later grew into something that I wanted to spend the rest of my life studying and learning. Hence why I am now studying Fashion Merchandising at Radford University.

Here are some tips to leave you with:
1. If you find a style flattering to your body, don’t be afraid to buy more than one
2. The best T-shirts are made with 95% cotton and 5% lycra spandex
3. A scarf is the ultimate accessory (especially in the winter)

Thanks for reading my first blog!! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoy fashion. Check back for more tips, tricks, and information with a personal twist on the fashion world (: