blendnewyork…Fashion.Art.Style.Inspiration.Love

The color of 2012 is a citrus-red hue that will give your weary eyes a break from all of those neutrals. Tangerine Tango, Pantone’s 2012 color of the year, was selected because, “there’s the element of encouragement with orange, it’s building on the ideas of courage and action, that we want to move on to better things. I think it would be a disservice to go with a relaxed, soothing color now,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, told the Associated Press.

The Pantone color of the year — which, last year, was a bright pink shade called Honeysuckle — is an annual influence on fashion and design. Tangerine Tango has already begun to pop up in fashion and cosmetics, with a strong showing in New York’s fashion week this fall. The bright orange is not an especially tricky color to wear, but it’s also not universally flattering — especially when it comes to cosmetics. Can you picture Tangerine Tango-hued eyeshadow? Pantone can.

By Maura Judkis

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Thirteen-year-old blogging sensations are just the beginning. For Spring, designers kicked their youth obsession up a notch by indulging in some Lolita fantasies. Christopher Kane drew inspiration directly from the Kubrick movie for his sweet gingham baby-doll dresses, and Stella McCartney’s off-the-shoulder ruffled blouse and Moschino Cheap & Chic’s retro two-piece and floppy sun hat might also have been plucked directly from the film’s costume department. At Prada, meanwhile, itty-bitty pinafores were paired with pigtails, red lips, and plastic shades—the only thing missing was a cherry lollipop.

Tell us whether or not you’ll be flaunting the nymphet look….

- Romney Leader (style.com)

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Suddenly round sunglasses are the look of the summer…

See the original post:
Why Round Sunglasses? A Style Investigation

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The 1970s were not kind to macramé, but now designers have brought it back in a modern way this summer.

Continued here:
Fine Points: A Sleight of Hand With a Bit of String

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Ali Baba pants at Ralph Lauren, djellabas at Gucci, turbans everywhere from Dries Van Noten to Paul Smith—the Spring runways were as shimmering and vibrant as a Moroccan souk. And there were as many slouchy, sexy silk jumpsuits as there are stars in an Arabian night sky… Here’s some looks from the shows…

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Low-key and beachy is the theme this year, but you’ll still need a fat wallet.

More:
The Hamptons in Flip-Flops

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COCO CHANEL, who is the subject of a new French biopic starring Audrey Tautou, had an aversion to frills. “A woman is always overdressed and never sufficiently elegant,” she once said of turn-of-the-century fashion, which favored impossible layers of lacy frippery. She believed that simple well-tailored pieces borrowed both literally and in spirit from her companions’ closets made for a more sophisticated, modern look; and a century later, stylish women seem to feel the same way. From boyfriend blazers to grandpa cardigans to this season’s return of the pantsuit, women are filching from men’s wardrobes.

“I just feel more comfortable in a jacket and trousers,” said the stylist Anastasia Barbieri, who was one of many women wearing menswear looks during the Paris fashion shows earlier this year. Hers, an Yves Saint Laurent suit, right.

Chalk it up, if you will, to the current economic climate. It has been argued that menswear dressing tends to gain popularity during recessionary periods, when classic, structured pieces convey a kind of elegant fortitude.

“There’s a mood that comes with that kind of dressing,” said Scott Sternberg, who designs menswear for women under the label Boy by Band of Outsiders. “It feels protective, safe. A beautiful jacket is like a cocoon, and yet it lends a certain confidence.” But Mr. Sternberg is quick to point out that the style is not a passing fad for his customers. As he explains, these are women who, long before menswear-inspired brands like Boy and the Row came along, headed straight for the men’s departments and bought the XS sizes.

“It’s similar to vintage shopping,” he said. “There’s a sense of ingenuity that comes with wearing something not necessarily meant for you. It’s like a badge of honor for these women. They don’t want a waistcoat made into a dress with a ruffly collar. They want these basic pieces so when they get up in the morning, they can put themselves together.”

See original post here:
Noticed: It Works For Us

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Gucci. If there was any doubt that we are in the midst of an eighties moment, the longevity of leggings has cleared that right up. Every runway saw a pair or three…

Here is the original post:
Fall Trends: You’ll Still Be Wearing Leggings

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Velvet is growing up this fall. It’s no longer a little-girl fabric, nor prissy and prim. Instead, you’ll wear sophisticated looks that are classic, soft, and feminine with a hint of toughness…

Link:
Fall Trends: Velvet for Adults

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The news in jackets this fall? Size is everything. The masculine, oversize boyfriend blazer has returned from the eighties…

See the rest here:
Fall Trends: The Boyfriend Jacket Is Back

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Even though we don’t think that this trend will emerge until Fall 08, we are constantly seeing this leather leggings or faux leather leggings trend on the runways and media. See Scarlett Johansson on the cover of Nylon Magazine below. You can also look at our previous Trend Watch posts to see other pictures.

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Remember our post in March highlighting Balmain’s Fall 08 looks? Well, plenty of celebrities are latching onto his stylish creations – such as this dress worn by Christina Ricci on May 6th as she continued her press tour for Speed Racer, landing at the film’s Tribeca Film Festival premiere in a frilly keyhole dress and Manolo Blahniks.

How can you forget this dress from Balmain’s runway, worn by Kate Hudson on April 14th as she bared her legs follwing the U.K. premiere of her latest film Fool’s Gold.
The actress complemented the dress’s splash of shimmer with metallic peep-toe pumps.

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Fashion is turning in the direction of his kind of dark, romantic, faintly goth aesthetic…
Note the skinny leather pants and ankle / gladiator boots – these trends are emerging.

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