Hello Hauteness

As I mentioned in my Resort 2012 post, wide leg pants are officially in.  Get ready to see more voluminous, high-waisted styles in the stores this Fall.  I know I know, it seems like as soon as you jumped on the skinny jean bandwagon they were “out”.  Well, you’re not alone.  I’m right there with you.  I don’t care what they say, I’m keeping my leggings for now.  They’re way too comfy and make me feel as if I’m channeling Audrey Hepburn (which is never a bad thing).

So how to wear this new trend.  Wide or flared leg pants are like any other style, you gotta find the fit that’s right for you.  For example, I have rather robust hips so I know better than to wear a pant that falls straight from the hip.  It only magnifies the wideness and is completely unflattering.  Don’t get me wrong, I actually love this pant style, but I can’t do the extreme wide leg pants.  I have to stick with more of a curvy flared style.

The key thing to remember when wearing this trend is to pair it with a more fitted top.  If you have a slim, boyish figure there is more room to wear something blousey because it will actually add volume to your shape where you don’t naturally have it.  For the rest of us, it’s best to keep it fitted on top and save the extra fabric for the bottom half of the body to keep the overall look as slimming as possible.

Here are some examples of the trend from the Fall 2011 ready to wear runway shows. (Images via Style.com)

Rachel Zoe

Ralph Lauren

Elie Tahari

Chloe

Gucci

As always, this latest trend is only a repeat from fashion cycles of the past. Katherine Hepburn looked feminine and masculine all at once in her draped trousers of the 40’s and 50’s while Farah Fawcett rocked the look during her heyday in the 70’s.  Today everyone from Jessica Biel to Annalynne McCord is rockin’ the look…and soon you will be too.

I started off my time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art meandering through the Greek and Roman galleries and I have to say that they took my breath away.  I’ve always been intrigued by the era in which the Greek and Romans lived (history nerd much?), but I’m especially in love with the draped fashions of the time.  I’ve always loved draped styles on women and those styles originated in this era.  Being able to view the exquisite marble and stone figures from the Greek and Roman times firsthand was such a study in design for me.  Every woman wants to look and feel like a goddess and each of these figures looked every bit the goddess.

I remember when I was a fashion student I looked forward to my draping class more than any other course I took because we literally got to take a piece of fabric and let it fall on a form naturally, creating a pattern from that natural drape.  I’m a huge proponent of letting fabric do what it wants to and fall where it wants to, so I will always be a student of draping.  This is exactly what the Greek and Romans based their fashions off of.  It’s so simple yet creates such a striking look, even on a statue.

Interestingly, I found myself being reminded of recent runway fashions as I made my way through the galleries.  It just goes to show that fashion is a cycle and everything comes back into style…and some fashions just never go out of style.  I think the Greek and Romans created some of the most timeless styles of all the ages.  I even found dresses from the 2012 Resort shows to prove my point.

Greek or Roman statue at the Met

Lanvin Resort 2012

Stone facade from the Met

Vionnet Resort 2012

Marble statue in the atrium of the Met

Lanvin Resort 2012

Considering the consistency in these looks, I took it upon myself to research past runway fashions that took their cue from the Greeks and Romans.

Charles Worth circa 1921

Jean Harlow circa early 1930's

Mary McFadden circa 1970's

Halston circa 1970s- the late designer with Bianca Jagger in one of his draped designs

A Halston design from the Spring 2011 collection

Ralph Lauren Spring 2004 RTW

Vera Wang Fall 2006 RTW

Monique Lhuillier Fall 2011 RTW

Amazing how these gowns mirror each other, right?!  Just goes to show, don’t make fun of what your parents wore back in the day because you could be wearing it in 5 years!

Of course, I would never be embarrassed by any of the above looks.  They’re timeless, classic pieces that have an effortless style about them you can never go wrong with.

I feel like Resort collections tend to be overlooked by most of those that are not obsessed with all things fashion (aka 95% of the population), but for those of us seeking a designer fix between the Fall and Spring shows, Resort serves as our oasis in the dessert.  I must say that this year’s collections did not disappoint.

Some of my favorites this season included Behnaz Sarafpour, Louis Vuitton, Lela Rose, Badgley Mischka, and Giambattista Valli.  Certain designers I always love for their classic style (Badgley Mischka, Monique Lhullier, Carolina Herrera, Ralph Lauren), while others are hit or miss for me depending on their inspiration each season.  I was pleasantly surprised to see some very wearable pieces from most of the designers this Resort season.  I feel like oftentimes designers are too busy showing their artistic side with a theatrical runway show to present something that girls like me (curvy size 8 with hips) can actually wear.  That was not so this go around.

After pouring over all of the Resort shows on Style.com, here are the recognizable trends I caught amongst the 2012 Resort collections…

1.  COLOR BLOCKING

2.  WHITE OUT

3.  WIDE LEG PANTS

4.  MELLOW YELLOW

5.  CROPPED PANTS

Diane von Furstenberg

Gucci

Tory Burch

Erdem

Yves Saint Laurent

6.  AHOY NAVY

BCBG Max Azria

Louis Vuitton

Monique Lhullier

Jason Wu

Erdem

7.  DRESSED UP SHORTS

Nina Ricci

Behnaz Sarafpour

Chanel

Emilio Pucci

Richard Nicoll

8.  ORANGE JULIUS

Behnaz Serafpour

J. Mendel

Monique Lhullier

Emilio Pucci

Vionnet

So those are the most prominent trends I noticed across the board for Resort 2012.  I’m personally very excited by all of the above.  The colors are fun, the cuts are flattering and there is an overall classic feel to the looks many of the designers featured.

Now, on to the fun stuff.  Here are a few of my favorites from the shows. Consider this the “Ashley Wish List” of the moment.  *SWOON*

(Disclaimer: This wish list is assuming I had limitless funds and a flawless body.)

Behnaz Serafpour

Donna Karan

Giambattista Valli

Michael Kors

Lela Rose

Tory Burch

Zac Posen

I’m like a child.  I’m constantly distracted by shiny objects.  I am at the point where I can’t even have a conversation without going off on a tangent (there are shiny objects of all kinds afterall, even in conversation and thought processing).

This holiday I am literally distracted by all that is glittering in the stores.  From shoes to scarves to makeup, sequins and glitter are all the rage. Inspired by this emphasis on shininess and the excitement that surrounds the holiday season, I found some of my favorite shiny objects currently available and thought I’d share them with you.

While I love a classic sequin dress for the holidays (a sequin black LBD is a staple for any girl’s closet), my preference for adding a little glitter to my wardrobe is via accessorizing.  That way you add a little flash without blinding a room full of people.  The clutches above are a fabulous way to sparkle, as well as hats like the one below or even a pair of Tom’s.

Just about every girl I know either has a pair of Tory Burch flats or wants a pair of Tory Burch flats.  The designer has managed to develop a brand out of her stylized plus sign symbol so that women of all ages, including me, will pay a ridiculous amount of money to wear it on their feet.

Aside from her fabulous flats, the woman designs a beautiful line of clothing.  She appeals to the 20-40 something woman that is looking for feminine yet sophisticated designs.  For Spring 2011 she remained true to her signature look and created a chic girly collection, complete with tailored pants and soft, flouncy dresses.

Trends by Tory include:  blazers, flowy fabrics, belts, platforms, pants, blue, and orange.  I love the mixture of the masculine blazer with the soft dress in the first pic below.  The belts and platforms perfectly accessorize her feminine looks, with punches of bright orange and navy blue to complete the season’s trends.  Gorgeous!