photo: the sartorialist

After sprinting through fall fashion recaps galore, I’ve been happy to indulge in the spring 2011 runway coverage. Amongst the fashion show chaos there is always an array of beautiful, stylish and talented industry types making waves behind the scenes. In hopes of sneaking a peak at what the It Girls are wearing right now, I skip the whole college sports thing in favor of people watching the fashion elite online. No one is better at this sport than The Sartorialist’s Scott Schuman. He spotted this young lady in NYC back in September, but she just now caught my eye. Though I haven’t a clue whom she may be, I applaud her minimalist choices and unique nod to classic 70’s style. We all long to be like her in some way: intriguing, comfortable, eclectic, effortless, chic and so on. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery than hopefully she wouldn’t mind if we did a double take.

case clothed.

1. Topshop Mesh Floral Neck Blouse

2. Scala Pronto Felt Floppy Hat

3. Forever 21 Square Sunglasses

4. Hot Tools 2″ Curling Iron

5. Smith’s Rosebud Salve

6. Twenty8twelve Jack Flared Jeans

7. Pura Lopez Moccasins With Heel

8. Marc Jacobs Magazine Clutch

Over it? Brigitte Bardot.

Last year I was adamantly opposed to over the knee boots; however, thanks to some design makeovers I’m down to settle the score. There is so much variety in the market now making this trend more accessible to a skeptical customer such as myself. There’s one overall ruling: over the knee boots have sex appeal, and to avoid any Pretty Woman comparisons you must loosen up on top. A 50/50 masculine-meets-feminine combo always equals dressed for success . OTN boots + form fitting dresses + hose are only fit for… well, ho’s. Now that’s a ruling I won’t be going back on next year!

{ Here’s two ways to work it without looking like you’re a working girl }

If you’re down with brown, then go for a shape with a rugged, chunky look and pair it with a slim jean.

1. Sam Edelman Pierce

2. Frye Sarah

3. Miss Sixty Melody

4. Chloe Poncho Cardigan

5. Paige Verdugo Jegging

If you’re back in black, then a thick black legging pant is your best bet for creating a long, lean silhouette.

1. Chloe Flat Leather Boot

2. Mia Limited Edition Tallula

3. Sam Edelman Sutton Suede Boot

4. Thomas Wylde Feathered Cashmere Sweater

5. Current/Elliott High-Rise Legging Jean

gesundheit! photo courtesy: AP

Guten Tag! As a half-German Frau, I’ve dabbled in a little Deutsch kultur when possible. As a young Mädchen I eagerly awaited for pre-Christmas gifts from the German Elf (the Who? I dunno. He brought gifts, that’s all that mattered!). In college I studiert abroad in Berlin (though I brought back more clothing than knowledge). My Großmutter, Mutter and Schwester deserve awards for their outstanding German pancakes. My cocktail of choice is Bier and I certainly wouldn’t turn down an invite to der Rheinlander … oh, and I am officially google-able thanks to the Society of Germans From Russia (apparently Catherine the Great was not so great to my Familien)!

Anyhow, since I’ve got all this German street-cred it should come as no surprise that my dream ensemble for fall bares a slight resemblance to traditional German lederhosen chic. I ditched some formalities and decided to take it up a notch with a faux fur vest, pleated tweed shorts, textured tights, sturdy booties and a feminine blouse (it’s not meant to be a costume after all). I had to throw in something I’m currently coveting: an old-fashioned men’s leather briefcase to store my laptop and fashion mags in. Surely my Großvater, an incredible businessman, carried one to our family office each day. Clearly that hard-working German trait still runs in the family… Well anyway, at least you’ll know what to wear to Oktoberfest this month! Prost!

Sprechen Sie Style?

1. Dondup Fedora w/Detailing

2. For Sure Faux Fur Vest

3. DSquared2 Pleated Silk Blouse

4. Apepazza Strasburgo

5. Topshop Tweed Shorts

6. Brooks Brothers Double Gusset Classic Briefcase

7. American Eagle Herringbone Tights

and i thought i had issues!

The blow of saying goodbye to summer is often softened by the world’s collective love of fall fashion. We’ve all seen The September Issue by now, right? My fall must-haves list is made long before leaves even hit the ground due in part to the brigade of magazine subscriptions scattered about my every working and living space, handbag, car, lunch room, and so on. After flipping through every last mag (I favor Elle and Lucky) and runway show online, I put together my favorite looks for fall; thus, granting me license to shop with only my key pieces in mind.

Annually, I choose to kick off the seasonal style transition in my Sister’s city, San Francisco. After treating my Sis to a few of her fave things, we hit the town in search of the season’s best. This year I was deeply disappointed with the lackluster selection at my always favorite H&M, but was blown away by how swiftly Zara stole the #1 style slot with its blatantly designer knock-off influenced collections. Sister has raved about Zara since her days as a student living in Greece, but in typical fashion it took me awhile to catch up with her. I won’t even get started on my overwhelming excitement of my introduction to the secret wonderland that is Sports Basement. Thanks to that safe haven, I can now kick back after a long day of speed shopping in a freshly discounted pair of cozier-than-thou Uggs. Hey now, go easy as I am primarily a standing shopgal. Comfort isn’t always stylish or merely seasonal!

Here’s a sampling of my overall fall inspiration. I’m loving the combination of camel, khaki green, grey and navy mixed with animal prints. Pants are back with an oversized bang (I always prefer high-waisted), but I’m equally intrigued by tweed shorts or long skirts paired with tights and lace-up boots. The new bold minimalism is long, lean and accented with a slouchy neck tie, fur scarf or shearling collar. It all amounts to a lovely little something I’ve dubbed “Late 1970’s secretary in loose  menswear on a camping trip.” And just like that (!) I’ve defined my personal style muse for fall. Perhaps we’ll call her Autumn for short.

autumn leaves.

sizing up my competition.

Warning: this is not your average Style Trial post! Rarely do I venture out on assignment, but I jumped for boy-crazy joy when I heard that my ultimate crush was in town to show off his superior skills in the Dew Tour’s vert competition. And yes, I did have to google the definition of vert, but I’m totally on board now. Did I actually think that Shaun White and I would lock eyes and our style connection would bond us forever? No way! Was I certain that my general admission ticket would guarantee a spectacular view of The Dew? Absolutely not! But that didn’t stop me from stepping out of my clothing comfort zone and into something a little more skater skimpy (aka Pro Ho) to possibly get his attention if I got the chance! Helping guide my ensemble was a random 100 degree heat wave, and I can’t help but point the finger at my Hot Ginge for that one. I bribed one of my bestie’s to “do the Dew” with me as we set forth in search of Shaun White, skater chic… oh and to watch some epic skateboarding too!

step 1: arrive early for once!

every skater kid (and their mom) gave us the WRONG directions to find the vert competition! thank you coffee for helping us persevere!

an exception to my every rule: short-shorts, but i had to!

was it the shorts or just plain good luck 'cause this was my freakin' view!

just dew it!

he won...

... and clearly i did too!

"LOVE Shaun White!" so i guess autographs are back in style now!

Note to self: dreams dew come true, it doesn’t hurt to show a little leg, and always be the bigger person!

feel the burn.

Though I’m no Tracy Anderson, I can admit to a pretty steady relationship with working out. I embraced this necessary evil once it finally clicked that I feel productive and healthy every time I do it. All I really know about exercise  is the filthier the rap, the longer I can run (everything else I learned from a book at the public library). You might assume I strut to the gym in some supa dupa fly tracksuit, but in actuality I never look dumpier than in my college t-shirt and men’s basketball shorts. I have always thought workout wear was for posers until a recent random purchase of running shorts. I felt like the gym harlot in such short shorts before accepting their comfortable practicality; however, you will never see me pumping iron in a skimpy sports bra (let’s all agree to leave that one to Gabrielle Reece). With my newfound functional fashion discovery has come a flood of ways to spice up my sporty. Perhaps you too will be inspired to flex your abs of style after some motivational retail therapy.

make it work.

1. Eminem Curtain Call; Missy Elliot Best, Best; T.I. Paper Trail

2. The North Face Bounce-B-Gone Sport Bra

3. Nalgene Squishy Bottle w/ ATB Cap

4. Nike Tempo Track Short

5. Nike Free Hyper TR

6. Adidas Wooster Watch

7. Adidas Sleek Logo Tank

8. NBA Logoman Headband

rocknrolla.

It was a nearly a year ago that skate über-brand Volcom debuted its Road Tested Denim in a “rock and roll collaboration” with Jennifer Herrema. Um, who? After finally doing my research, I am now thoroughly intrigued by the designer in question (and apparent winner of the fashion X-Games). In short, if Stevie Nicks and Keith Richards had a love child, Jennifer would be it. She has earned street cred as an indie-rocker/artist/model/stylist/muse, and it’s paying off with enviable success now that Volcom is sold out of her limited-edition, handmade denim. Watch Jennifer snip and smoke her way through the design process here and if you’re  feeling her crafty buzz then take the high road in her signature ensemble.

cig's & beer sold separately.

men’s woven plaid shirt, Just A Cheap Shirt

hooded sweatshirt, T by Alexander Wang

aviator sunglasses, Forever 21

hair lightener, Sun-In

rhinestone bracelet, Urban Outfitters

leather snake chain cuff, Cecilia de Bucourt

billy short boot, Frye

525 bootcut jeans, Levi’s

dressmaker shears, Gingher

faux fox tail, Campise

super nanny!

With the exception of French Kiss, my favorite movie is, has and always will be Mary Poppins. Not only is she practically perfect in every way, but her style is Supercallifragilisticexpialidocious. She can also sing, dance and charm an entire town including the hottest chimney sweep/one-man-band around. It’s no wonder I would spot the upcoming boot trends and immediately reference Mary. For a modern look this fall gals will be tucking their slim, straight leg jeans into  shorter boots or going for a leggings/tights + feminine dress + boots ensemble. For further how-to inspiration watch Singles or Empire Records and replace the grunge Doc Martens with a Poppins boot instead. After all, everything is wonderful with Mary!

Step in time! Step in time!

1. Miz Mooz Harlem

2. Charles David Randsom

3. Seychelles Cheerio Bootie

4. Boutique 9 Rivit

5. We Who See Fringe Boot

6. Jeffrey Campbell Bradley

happy 4th of july!

Oh say can you see: sunshine, BBQ’s and fireworks today? Then it must be the Home of The Brave’s 234^th birthday; thus, another summer style opportunity! As someone who frequently ditched my high school history class (in favor of Starbuck’s and shopping) and who only read half of  A People’s History of the United States (turns out Christopher Columbus was a major D-Bag) it is safe to say I am no political expert on this great nation! However, I do know how to celebrate in style and show a little patriotic respect for our forefathers and the brave women and men who continue to have our back! In their honor, go all out in a look that is classic country Americana and throw some sparkle in there too!  This easy ensemble will come in handy while chugging a Bud Light, watching a hot dog eating contest or blasting some Springsteen! Let fashion freedom ring!

Red, White & You!

1. Tory Burch Bandana Square Scarf

2. Joe’s Jeans Single Pocket Relaxed Shirt

3. Ralph Lauren Leather Concho Belt

4. Aeropostale Rolled Up Denim Bermuda Short

5. Frye Melissa Short Boots

6. Juicy Couture Bead Boutique Woven Bracelets