Rain or Shine?

Do most people dress according to the season or the climate? I have had this debate with many of my relatives ( I honestly don't know why). Ever since I was a little girl, all I could remember is my mother dressing me according to the season and not the weather. So if it was fall, lets say, my mom would dress me up in boots, long sleeve shirt and a jacket...sometimes a scarf so I wouldn't catch a cold! (god forbid). Ok I know she was only looking out for my best interest, but then I would find myself dying of heat and embarrassment, because it would get to be so warm all of a sudden at a random point in the day. I would come home so upset because I was the only one in the class with a wool hat on while it was like 75 degrees after the morning was like o 40 degrees. Had a rough childhood-you could tell....no I am kidding.
Well in any event, now that I am out of my mother's site I could do what I want...literally. Especially when it comes to clothes! unless she buys them. I think it is obviously smart to dress according to the climate..DAH! I mean take Ithaca for example, people do not know what to do with themselves when it comes to starting off their day by facing the freezing cold morning and then sweating profusely after the lunch hour rush.
I wanted to write about this topic for quite some time now since it is starting to get warmer out. However, the temperatures keep fluctuating not only a daily basis in Ithaca, but they change on an hourly basis. One minute its sunny and beautiful. You feel like you want to run around in shorts and a t-shirt. As a matter of fact you just want to run outside because its nice out. And then you go to the library or you actually choose to go to class, and through the windows you see that the sky is getting darker and darker. And then you say shit, the rain...and I don't have an umbrella. Note to self, ALWAYS carry an umbrella with you in Ithaca. Also, I never want to carry a closet with me around campus, cuz thats just a pain. So I figure the best way to approach this bit of a style vs. comfort issue, is dress in layers. Always check the weather before you go out (weather.com always good) and if you really want to, have a pair of flip flops thrown in your backpack. They are light...its fine. So get ready...tomorrow will be gross and rainy, but the weekend in Ithaca, NY should be sunny and warm. Dress wisely!

Boys: can't live with them, cant live without them!

Remember that time when your dads or uncles wore those hideous "in your face" fanny packs?I know that my dad totally rocked one back in the day along with his out of control stalin-esque mustache. I am definitely glad those days are over.
This thought brings me to discuss some male fashion "no no's" and the "yesses." Granted I am not trying to have guys worry about what I can find in that thing they call the closet. However, I would like to enlighten and direct their attention to actually care a little bit about their appearance and presentation in various environments. . In any event, I was skimming through the askmen.com website and a very witty author presented definite fashion NOS! for the male species. One of them is clippings of electronic gadgets. Those bulging electronics hanging off your belt looks ridiculous. If you MUST have it, then hide it, be all incognito about it. Thats where the visual attention shifts for a female when she sees that thing out there. Sounds kind of dirty, I know, but seriously...no blackberry clippings, or cell phones, looks lame.
Another thing, do not ever wear your button down shirts tucked in without a belt. Makes you look round, and unfinished. The belt is a necessary accessory to not only show off how much money you make, but to also execute and polish your outfit in the proper way.
Also, when it comes to slacks or jeans, guys please wear the appropriate length. It looks really funny if you don't. Short pant length makes you look a lot shorter than you are, so make sure that tailor doesn't cut off too much of the bottom. I think that I could go on for a lot longer talking about presentable male fashion vs. looking presentatable at various contexts. I will follow up on that next time. But in the mean time, please don't even think about a fanny pack! thanks!

Gucci or Shmuchi?

Gucci vs. Guess, H&M vs. Neiman Marcus, Rolex vs. Skagan. What is the difference between all three paired brand names? Well, all of these are brand names that are highly recognizable by the majority of consumers. However, the difference is that some of these stores and brand names carry products that are either very expensive or very cheap. Not cheap, but rather affordable. So why do people still pay outrageous amounts of money for accessories, clothing, gadgets? why is there a disparity in prices for clothing that looks so similar? it all comes down to people's personal preferences and what they can afford. Sometimes, consumers would still pay an incredibly high price for something that they can't even afford. Name recognition holds a lot of weight in this country and splatting a brand name on something could be an empowering indicator for some consumers. Shopping in Trader Joe's vs. shop rite is also a big difference in consumer preferences and tastes. Trader Joe's happens to be the more expensive supermarket that carries on a variety of healthy, organic and more expensive produce and costumers constantly flood the floors of Trader Joe's to buy and enjoy the "better quality" foods.
Anywho, back to clothing and accessories. I personally like to mix and match between buying things that are very expensive, good quality and that I plan on having for a long time. At the same time, I also enjoy buying items that are only trendy for a certain season or that I know won't last me a long time. Furthermore, the older I get, the more I realize my parents decrease the amount of money they give me. To them I am a young adult who is well on her way to afford her own way of life. Yup, thats my parents. But I think its an interesting dynamic between people who perfer splurging on an item because of the brand name and those who decide to make wiser investments that give them that bang for the buck.

a little bit of everything

So last night was the Cornell Design League Fashion Show and I thought it was well...GREAT! students on this campus are really talented and always seem to be inspired to design something that is unique. All of the pieces were unique in their own way that separated them from the conventional type of clothing we see every day. There were themes and stories told through the clothes that were presented. Designers ranged from freshman to seniors and seniors were the ones who had more than one piece for this show. I was very impressed by what I saw and the entire production was very professional. A round of applause to those who participated and took an active role in developing and executing this show.

Since this is a fashion blog, I am going to go back a little and do a bit of fashion instigation among our celebrity friends. Actually I don't even know whether they are our friends...whatever! they are fun to look at nontheless. Case and point, Paris Hilton. I don't know what this girl is thinking, but seriously wouldn't you try a bit harder if you knew the whole world is watching your every step. AND the best part is that she puts herself right in front of the camera to get some photos snapped of her.

On the other hand, a different blonde, actress Blake Lively is making segway in the fashion world. She is climbing up to the top with so many of her fashion hits as opposed to misses. She dressed very classy and not trashy. See Paris, you are trashy, Blake is classy. Its not that hard to distinguish and they equally get attention and media time. Ok maybe Paris gets more media time due to the controversies she dubs in from time to time, but that irrelevant to my blog. Blake Lively sets the tone for young females in their youthful years of how a lady should look like. Obviously, I am not saying we should all look like Blake Lively, but her clothing choices are on the dot. Check them out!

On the catwalk

One of my favorite shows is Bravo's Project Runway. And in light of things, this Saturday night is the Cornell Design League annual fashion show. Students from this campus get the opportunity to have their own "project runway" moment and show off their designer talent. I had always admired those who have an artistic touch to create something thats well...SO COOL! and different. Just a bit about fashion shows, the catwalk is a place for designers to display their art. They are artists and instead of stagnant art (i.e a picture hanging in a museum or a sculpture), they show moving art on a body of movement. Quite honestly, going to the CDL fashion show will be my first fashion show ever so I am really excited to see what its all about. I will be blogging about my experience during this event next time. But in the meantime you should check it out!
CDL Fashion Show
Barton Hall
Saturday Night 7pm!

See you there!