I think I'll pass on comfort....

because I want these beauties of a shoe:




The shoes are from Olivier Theyskens last collection for Nina Ricci Fall 2009.






A truly talented designer who is going to be greatly missed this fashion season. Hopefully the rumors are true and he will be starting up his own fashion house. I have loved his design aesthetic since his time at Rochas. I will never forget the exposed seam dress he did during his years for them. I was always taught from my design instructor that the inside of a garment should be just as well constructed as the outside with the mentality that you could wear the dress "inside-out" and no one would notice the difference.

Starving Fashion Student

I start class again this week at the Fashion Institute of Technology. It's going to be a long day; work from 9-6 then straight to class until 10pm, then a 20 minute subway commute home. The long day isn't what I dread the most; it's lugging all my patternmaking supplies from work to school as it's pointless to wait for the subway 5-10 minutes for one stop when I still have to walk 4 streets to get there. My work is in the Garment District and I have to walk 10 blocks and 3 avenues through some of the busiest, overcrowded places in the city: Times Square and Penn Station. It is such a headache carrying my heavy Marc by Marc Jacobs dumpy canvas tote and my cheap portfolio case that only has a handle that is too small to fit through my wrist, all the while trying to talk on my phone and dodge the slow, lolly-gagging tourists. I need a bag to carry that is fashionable, durable, and can fit my pattern paper, rulers and all my other drafting tools. This bag by Denmark designer bARBARA Í gONGINI would be perfect.



I could sling this over my shoulder and pair it with the Alexander McQueen clutch I've been dying to have for the past several months that could hold my wallet, IPod, cell phone and lipstick:



Or if I really wanted to splurge I could buy this version:


This bag is a 2 for 1 deal: a glove and clutch all in one. Plus it would be great to carry this clutch on my lunch break for the times when I like to sit in Bryant Park when the weather is nice.

I bought a pair of Chanel fingerless gloves several years ago and they are one of my most treasured possessions (worn with my favorite Zodiac bracelet that was my grandma's and given to me by mom).





Now I need to find some sky-high heels to wear that won't butcher my feet or get torn up by the dirty city streets.

Studs and Shreds and Capes, Oh My!

Studs on these hardcore Giuseppe Zanotti boots and rocking a Hervé Léger swimsuit that you probably wouldn't have know was a swimsuit with this look.


















A simple, black maxi dress accessorized with a intricately beaded Boudoir D’huitres’ shrug and a favorite of the moment: T.U.K. shoes






















Beautifully cut slashes on Haleh Nematzadeh’s leggings; my guilty celebrity fashion line crush William Rast jacket and the best accessory- Noir bracelets.


















A definite must for the summer: a Sass & Bide tribal print dress would look great by the poolside in Arizona with a teeny, tiny black bikini or even cooling off near the fountain in Washington Square Park in hip Greenwich Village on a muggy, humid day. What a way to complete the outfit with statement pieces such as the Baccarat necklace, Noir bracelets, and scarf tied around the arm.
























True styling skills: taking a simple Ungaro bustier, Acne skirt, and adding the singer Kesha Sebert's black cape draped over the side complemented with Ben-Amun by Isaac Manevitz necklace worn as a belt and Draugsvold brooch.
























I just want the crazy, wild, curly hair which I've attempted unfortunately lasts a mere 10 minutes.

-WWD August 26, 2009

Wouldn't you like to shop with your favorite designer?

Well, you can't unless you are in NYC. Fashion's Night Out is all anyone can talk about here and it's going to be one amazing night! It seems like every single store in Manhattan and in various stores around the 5 boroughs is hosting some type of event. When I first heard about this, I brushed it aside thinking that it was going to be like Fashion Week, where it is next to impossible to get into the tents unless you know or work for someone in the fashion industry. But anyone can attend this event. I'm thinking of heading over to the Barney's event. When am I ever going to have the opportunity to see Isabel Toledo, Narciso Rodriguez, Behnaz Sarafpour, Alexander Wang, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Thom Brown, Jonathan Adler and Rag & Bone designers David and Marcus all in the same store? Then I can head over to Bergdorf with Zac Posen, another appearance by Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen (who will be serving drinks) and Alexander Wang. Huge legends of the fashion industry André Leon Talley, Donna Karan and Isaac Mizrahi will also be there. I'm still trying to convince mom to come out here for the event, but if she can't make it I'm forcing her to come with me to the Anna Sui fashion show.



I bought both my mom and I the Fashion's Night Out t-shirt. Not only does the shirt feel like heaven (it is a perfect summer tee for my hot, humid months and mom's burning hot desert weather), but all proceeds go to charity. The shirt is not the most fashionable looking item; it's very boxy and big for a size S, but I think this was purposely done in a way so fashionistas could interpret their own spin on the little white tee. Alexander Wang did his own version and I'm loving the style (he's going to be selling them at Bergdorf on the 10th). I'm thinking of shredding mine up a little, adding some chains, nailheads, maybe give it some more length to make into a dress; who knows? Or, I could just taper it in with a belt and add layer upon layer of jewelry.














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"Fashion fades; only style remains the same."

Our blog is dedicated to all things that influence our style. As Coco Chanel puts it:
“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

Having grown up in Arizona and moving to New York City almost two years ago, I have noticed how a huge difference in dress. New Yorkers have a more unique, individual sense of fashion as there are so many cultures to influence one's personal style. The thing I like about New York is that you can take risks in your daily wardrobe, and people are less judgmental. It doesn't hurt either that NYC is the fashion capital of the country. Arizona, on the other hand, seems to play it more safe when it comes to fashion, which I found very boring. It takes Arizonian's a long time to finally catch on to the trends that have already passed seasons ago and when they do catch on, it is watered down from the New Yorkers that were working it long before.

I think another huge influence on personal style is your family. I am very fortunate to have a mother who has never lost her sense of style. Growing up in Japan, she had a tailor that made her beautiful clothes that she took out of the pages of Vogue, which gave her the title of 'Best Dressed' in her high school class. The one thing she truly loves is accessories. Both my mom and I share a love of black clothing, but we both see it as a blank canvas that we can brighten up with the right accessories. We are always sending each other pieces that we know each other will love, and we are always trading off; mine from flea markets in Chelsea and sample sales in the city; hers from the Antique Trove in Scottsdale and funky pieces from Betsey Johnson. She can pick out costume jewelry that is inexpensive and make it look like a million bucks.

Some of the most fashionable people have passed on their good style genes to their daughters. There was an article in the July 2009 issue of British Vogue that made me think of my mother immediately. Lady Amanda Harlech, a muse to some of the greatest designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and John Galliano is styled by her 20 year old daughter Tallulah Ormsby-Gore. Her daughter took influence from her mother's amazing sense of style, and added some of her edginess that created an avant-garde look:












































American Vogue's Anna Wintour has had a strong influence on her daughter Bee Shaffer. She has inherited her mother's amazing journalism skills, writing for The Daily Telegraph's style pages on top of her mother's fashion sense. Both have a style that is clean, elegant, polished and timeless.




































































The most amazing mother and daughter team is French Vogue's Carine Roitfeld and daughter Julia Restoin-Roitfeld. They were rocking Balmain before most people caught on to the trend and who can say their mom looks good in Christopher Decarnin's sultry gowns? I'm drawn the most to their look because it is edgy, sexy, dark and mysterious.























































































Thank you mom, for being such a huge inspiration to me. Without you, I would have never built up the strength to move out to New York to follow the path that I've chosen in fashion. It is hard on both of us to be so far away from each other, but everyday when I am picking out my favorite accessories, I can feel you close to my heart and thank my lucky stars to be blessed with the greatest mother and best friend a girl can have.

-Ashley