French Birds

"French bird" sounds like "blackbird," right? Just a little? Maybe? I'm trying to explain to myself why I suddenly have "Blackbird" by The Beatles stuck in my head. As of late my friend Elly (you'll see more about this very girl in a few weeks' time) has been attempting to convince me that certain words sound like others when in fact they don't. Her favorite phrase is currently "Uganda dobby gureli!" because she claims it sounds like "You gotta stop it already!" She particularly enjoys saying it out of context. I digress. Back to French birds. 

My shirt and sunglasses are both French and my jacket is bird-like. That is my story. I've become quite skilled at telling really lame stories. Exhibit A right here. 

I'm pretty sure I've written about each article of clothing that I'm wearing in the below pictures at least once, so I'm going to link back to all of them 'cause I feel like it's time to reminisce. Today's the day that only happens every four years, so why not? Those two thoughts were completely unrelated, I just had to slip in the whole Leap Day thing somewhere. 

This is the last outfit taken of me in Lincoln Center during New York Fashion Week. 

Photos by Octavia Bürgel (now you know who she is!!!) 

Can you spot skraf man in the background? It's like Where's Waldo!

Top: Louis Vuitton (worn here)

Skirt: made by me (worn here and here, during last season's NYFW!)

Ostrich feather jacket: John Pappas Furs (worn here and here and here) via my grandma via her papa

Leopard print Converse: designed by me, made by Converse (worn here)

Sunglasses: some store in Nice, France (worn here)

A chilly wind did blow; 'twas quite a frigid day.

Caught mid-speech. This is what we would call "subtle ugly." Other examples of subtle ugly: pre-sneeze face, post-"Cheese!" face. 

People were probably wondering when I would take off. You know, as in fly away. I have wings, don't I? Okay, I guess bird jokes are over. 

On a completely different note, I was told that on 30 Rock, they said you're supposed to wear blue and yellow on Leap Day, so I did. It was like I was part of a secret group. An elite secret group. My friend Emma wore the two colors by accident today, so she must be really in tune with the stars and whatever. That fish cray. 


Tomorrow is March 1st, which means it's only 20 days until spring officially begins. That means within that period of time I will tell you about all the fancy makeup, accessory and hair trends for spring 2012: the season we've all been waiting for. This is it, guys. GET PUMPED. 

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Farah Angsana Fall 2012

This is the last show from New York Fashion Week that I attended that I'm covering for this season (but be sure to check out the second Geoffrey Mac review I wrote on Chictopia). I'm so behind on the collections. I've kept you all in NYFW when everyone's already in Paris, the final stop during fashion month. What I would give to be there right now... probably my sister. Or my dog (if I had a dog).

The feeling I got from Farah Angsana's Fall/Winter 2012 collection was classy business woman by day, classy partier by night. It's like a sophisticated Hannah Montana analogy. (Note: I am not comparing the high fashion clothing seen on the New York runways to that of the blond wig-wearing bong-smoking insane teen who clearly has identity issues.) The one thing in common between the two, though, is that neither style is never boring. Ms. Montana chose to wear a yellow zebra print top, a poofy white skirt, brightly colored tights and a pair of boots that resemble roller skates whose shade mimics that of urine. Farah's girls, on the other hand, just like to keep things interesting. If the silhouette of a garment is simple, the it's in metallic green, or embellished like there's not tomorrow. If the color is neutral, there's some fancy tailoring, like a peplum, or even arm peplums. You'll see those in a minute.

I think the message from this show was about living life to its fullest and having fun. Just like how I described above, the entire collection was just a big party--some peplums here, metallic coats there, several orange gowns peppered throughout (cue Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper from Blue's Clues). There were definitely some more serious looks, like a long-sleeved shift dress with what appears to be a lace body and white sleeves. Sounds boring? Probably not, unless your style is akin to Lady Gaga's or our good pal Nicki. No judgement (disclaimer: I am lying. I am judging you.), but if it's true, pairing the look with dramatic but simple eye makeup, a sleek chignon and a bright red lip (make that two lips) might spruce it up for you. Blue hair is optional, if you're channeling Katy Perry.

This is the last time you'll be visually assaulted by a ridiculous amount of photos for a while.

What did I tell you about the embellishments.

And there it is! That lace with white sleeves dress. Not so boring now, is it, Gaga-Minaj-Perry wannabe?

Shrink the dress in the previous photo by accident? No problem! Throw on some leather pants and you're all set.

Is that a fur collar I see?

PEPLUM!

ARM PEPLUMS!

 What. Did. I. Tell. You.

Metallic coats are coming back. I can feel it.

See? Three Two makes a trend. No, it doesn't, but for our purposes here it does.

Orange gown number one.

Orange gown number two. I'm not even a huge fan of orange (you'd never guess from these two posts), but I love the bedazzled sleeves. Ço (pronounced "so," just that much classier because it involves a French accent mark) fun. 

Dayum girl. Own that chiffon. Work it.

Red is hands down my favorite color ever at the moment, so obviously I love this one. Deep v-necks are having a moment as well, so this is right on trend. 

This look is a little sweeter, less "COME AT ME BOYZ!!!" and more "How 'bout you and me discuss this over a glass of champagne?" What you're discussing I do not know, your private life is none of my business. 

Not gonna lie, this one reminds me a little of American Apparel. 

A bejeweled dress is practically a neutral. Jayplay, it's a statement dress if there ever was one. 

That just might be the highest slit I've ever seen. 

That looks heavenly. She looks like she's swimming in her dress (funny, 'cause it's blue, like water). 

Very Zac Posen-esque. 

Leather gloves are a thing! I can totally dig that. 

She was probably making sure she wasn't leaving a trail of awesome behind her, or something. Also, please take note of the old lady's head taking up one-fifth of the photograph. Oh hey chica. How you doin'. 

Mermaids, unite! 

I actually love this one so much. The sequin blue/black combo is killer, and the classic sheath silhouette balances the bling perfectly. Also, ankle warmers? Hm...

This one was great. It was the finale dress, I believe, and it was falling off that model. That's why her hand is flapping awkwardly; she had to pull it up because it had fallen down. She could totally enter the Man Repeller vs. The Rainbow Fish competition with that dress. 

That's Farah! In a smiley face t-shirt...okay. I can respect that...?

And we're done! That's all my shows for this season. 

I had fun with this. Did you guys like it, or is it too much? Did I put in too many photos? I get a bit overenthusiastic. Let me know your thoughts. Comment below, post on my blog's Facebook wall, Tweet me, email me, you name it, we'll have a nice conversation. I pwomise! 

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Can I Have Your Closet: Octavia Bürgel

You may recognize her name from this blog because she takes my outfit photos occasionally. If you go to the same school as me, chances are you know Octavia. If you don't, you should. She is seriously one kool kat...who likes cats, but is also confused by them. We ask them "why?" but they tend to not respond. Octavia is half black, half German, and takes equal pride in both sides of her heritage. You go Glen Coco girl! She is enthusiastically celebrating Black History Month while simultaneously speaking German fluently. The latter fact probably explains the whole European style she has going on. Europeans are notoriously well-dressed, and she is definitely no exception. Fun fact: she loves the color yellow. Spring 2012 is going to be such a breeze.  So, Octavia Bürgel, answer me this: can I have your closet? Please? I'm not kidding.


Here's our little interview. She got her black jeans, btdubz, and I think she got something from Madewell. This info is slightly obsolete now...oops. 

Odelia: How would you describe your style?

Octavia: Okay, so I...hmm—I like simple things, I think, I like simple things, but I don't know...like, I don't really like things with too many things on them. That was really, really vague but it's true.

Odelia: Who are your fashion icons and who do you admire aesthetically?

Octavia: Um, okay. There's a lot. Hailee Steinfeld, 'cause she's so cool. Chloë Moretz, 'cause she's also so cool, and Alexa Chung, 'cause she's so cool. And, ugh, who was the other one...uh...A-O RIVER! [Laughs] Just puttin' that in, Portlandia quote! What—who are my style icons...I feel like there's one who I'm forgetting and I'm going to feel really guilty about that.

Odelia: Is it possibly Elle Fanning?

Octavia: She's really cool.

Odelia: If you remember, just like, shout it and I'll--

Octavia: I'll just shout it and be like “BLGALH!”

Odelia: Where are your favorite places to shop?

Octavia: J.Crew, and...Anthropologie and Madewell. I don't actually have anything from Madewell, but I like to go in and look at their things, 'cause they're pretty.

Odelia: If you could own one fashion-related item right now that you don't have, what would it be?

Octavia: Fashion-related item...an umbrella? No, I'm just kidding. I think it would be like, black jeans, 'cause I don't have any black jeans and I keep like, wanting them.

Odelia: Would you say that fashion is a big focus in your life?

Octavia: Yeah! I wanted to be a fashion designer for a really long time, like, starting when I was like, seven. And I kind of do, but like, not really, so it's kind of like, iffy, in the middle there. So yeah! I'm feeling really bad 'cause I know there's a person who I admire as a fashion person and I can't figure out who it is.

Odelia: Okay, let's think of things to jog your memory. Are they like, our age?

Octavia: No, I feel like this person is older. 'Cause I mean I already mentioned Hailee Steinfeld and she's so cool. Can I use a male style icon?

Odelia: Yeah!

Octavia: My dad. [Laughs]

Odelia: Anything else?

Octavia: Put a bird on it! Uh, Alison Mosshart: also really cool, and Bethany Consentino. I think that's her name. She's really cool. Also gingham is my favorite thing.

J-chillin' in Lincoln Center during Fashion Week with her mega cool anchor hat, Frye boots, striped shirt, corduroyalicious (does that not work?) skirt and Fjallraven backpack. 

Laughin' it up. I think I shouted "A-O River!" or something.

...And she's still laughing. It's probably not funny anymore. Except for the whole why cats thing (see above), that will always be hilarious. 

She should be in a Garnier Fructis commercial with that voluminous hair. 

Frye boots! For the longest time I thought people were saying "fried boots" and all I could think about was the episode of Spongebob where Mr. Krabs swallows the boots. I can quote that entire scene the same way I used to be able to recite the entire Bon Qui Qui video. No joke. 

I obviously have the most well-dressed friends ever. There are several more to come, don't you worry. This is going to become a weekly installment: every Monday, look for a new "Can I Have Your Closet." I've got 'em lined up all the way through April.


Thank God it's Friday, am I right? Wait...what? Crap.

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Spotted! NYFW Street Style Part Trois

You know how I love French and street style, especially when they're put together. Sadly, this is not one of those times, I just tried to duplicate the fun of people stalking in France by using the French word for "three." It's not quite the same, is it?

These are the remaining photos I snapped during New York Fashion Week. I may post a few more on my blog's Facebook page soon, so keep your eyes peeled like an orange! Is that not a saying?


Sorry about the visual assaults in the past few days; they'll be over soon.

Topshop leather backpack? More like Rochambeau copypack! Just kidding.

Platform Converse with bacon and eggs on them, which you can't see from here. What a kool kat. Also probably not a vegetarian. 

Neon separates are the way to go. Also fur. And leather arms. All of the above would work.

It's the same girl who was wearing those Pradadadada glasses last season! Oh hey girlfran'!

Jemma Jones from Free People and her photographer friend.

Sylvia and Sam from Lipgloss and Black. Also my fellow Chictopia editors! How cool are they?? Also they're Canadian, so...let's just say 10 points for Hufflepuff.

I loved this photographer's rings. Those are some snazzy knuckles ya got there, bud.

Speaking of snazzy fingers, these are the nail beds of Sylvia of Lipgloss and Black. DIY'd, of course.

Joanna Hillman herself (the Senior Fashion Market Editor at Harper's Bazaar) dashing away from the tents. Whoever she was with thought I was a freak for photographing them running, but haters gonna hate.

Check out that sheer beauty. (Pun!)

Printed coats are the perfect way to look super chic during winter. Why let summer clothes have all the fun? The answer is don't. 

Rocking dat skraf, I see! I commend you, good citizen.

Embroidered jackets? So cool. Medieval chic. 

The Man Repeller!!!! Here's what happened: I saw her on the big screen in the tents sitting front row at Nanette Lepore. So I watched the runway show and as soon as the last model left the runway, I ran outside to wait for her. And lo and behold, there she was! I was like, "Hi Leandra, can I take your photo ?" and she was all, "Yeah, sure!" So I took it, and then I was like, "I met you last September and--" and then she was like, "Yeah, I remember you!" And then I freaked out and said, "Oh my God, you remembered me? Ahhh!!" And then we both laughed and walked away. Best. Encounter. Ever.

The old man is Bill Cunningham, my bff.

It's Keiko Lynn! 

I think those might be burgundy velvet pants. I approve this message.

Printed dresses with red lips are so Miu Miu. 

Some bloggah. 

Me and Natalie Suarez are now tight. We've had three conversations thus far. This is the path to an eternal friendship, I think.

Wool upon wool: it's like a sheep, but not.

Mullet hemlines are making a comeback. Did they ever leave? If they did I ignored their departure. Mullets in any form are always lurking in the back, waiting to return. 

That about wraps it up for street style. I'm going to start taking more photos as the weather gets warmer, so I don't just do it during fashion week. Thoughts? Questions? Concerns. Hit me up in dat comments box, y'all. You know what to do.

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