Back to Basics?

Fashion week came and went like a whirl wind, and I have to say, some shows definitely stood out more than others. Dolce & Gabbana's Fall 2010 RTW was one of them. For Dolce & Gabbana's show the duo went back to basics, or at least their basics. The famous pair revamped the pieces, and trends, that made them famous. After much talk of lacking quality among high fashion brands, the show emphasized the craftsmanship that goes into Dolce & Gabbana garments. Simple is the best word to describe the show, no muss, no fuss, it was all about the clothes and their quality. The color palette emulated this word. It consisted of black, cream, ruby, and emerald with gold embellishments to add a touch of shine. The shoes were classic mary-janes and pumps. The make-up was simple as well, by centering around a berry lip, accented by soft cheeks, lightly lined eyes, and upswept hair.

The tone was set by the calming and romantic music, one song was chosen for the entire duration of the show, "Come What May" from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. The slow beat started before the models walked out, to draw attention to the silent film at the back of the runway. The screen showed scissors and sewing machines at work with the help of patient and skillful hands (the footage continued throughout the show). Then, the first model walked out wearing a classic black suit jacket, and lingerie inspired bodysuit underneath it, this trend continued. The brand expanded on what it has become known for, such as tailoring, with its suits and corset dresses, as well as its delicate draping, and use of lace, leopard print and sheer fabrics. The Dolce & Gabbana "classics" were revamped by bringing in knits. The show featured knit suits, dresses, and sweaters paired with lingerie inspired pieces. Embellishments were used on tailored cocktail dresses, body suits, and suits. The show and footage ended with an emotional close-up of the seamstresses that work for the brand as the models flooded the stage wearing different variations of the classic black blazer.

After seasons of over-the-top, and unrealistic fashions the top designers seem to finally have stopped to think, with Dolce & Gabbana leading the way. Women today, especially in this economy, want to wear what works, tried and true pieces, which serve as investments without being boring. Not that a woman wants to walk into a board room with an excellently crafted blazer and sheer skirt. However, a slip could easily be fitted beneath such a piece, and as we all know, many runway looks are altered before they hit the sales floor- what would a runway show be without a little risk? Ultimately, a woman can look sexy and smart by using quality to her advantage, a well made corset looks instantly sophisticated when paired with an equally well tailored blazer. The Dolce & Gabbana woman spoke and Dolce & Gabbana listened, somehow the designers were able to pull off sophisticated sex appeal once again.

This just in!

Breaking news- at least for me and my closet! I just bought a Valentino suit at the Nordstrom Rack originally priced at $4,450 but I paid only... $250!!! I was so excited, it was the only one there and it fit me perfectly! All I have to do is change the buttons. The suit is black tweed, with a knee length skirt, its one of those classic pieces that I can wear forever, hoping I can still fit into it in forever : )

Isn't it the best feeling when you get a deal like that?! Its like a shopping high! After the high wore off though I started to think about the whole situation. Here are the facts, the suit's price was originally $4,450 at the store but then it got marked down to $1000 at the Rack, where it was eventually marked down again, to 75% off, and after all of that Nordstrom and Valentino still managed to make a profit. So imagine how much designer clothing is marked up originally? Is that bad? Which begs other questions; should we never pay full price for clothes again? Should there be restrictions on how much things are marked-up?

After plenty of deep shopping related thought, I've decided that I'm fine with all the mark-ups, companies can charge whatever they want for their garments its their perrogative, just like its ours to decide whether or not to buy retail. If you have the money to buy something totally fabulous at full price go for it! Finding steals like my suit are a chance in a million. However, I personally will think twice before buying retail ever agian.

Blogging?

Ok first off let me say, welcome to my blog! But I honestly have no idea what I'm doing so I have to apologize in advance, you see, one of my professors made me start a blog as a class assignment and she basically said write whatever so here we go...

I have to say I've never read a blog before, I know, its amazing right? I feel like everyone is reading blogs today except me. Maybe I never read one because I didn't know how to look them up? On the other hand, I guess I never tried... oh well!

So I was reading an article in TOBE report about their top blog picks and I have to say that so many of them seemed like fashion magazine websites instead of actual people's blogs! They were interesting and everything but if I wanted to know the latest trends I would go to style.com or flip through my latest copy of Vogue. I want to know how people are wearing the trends, where they are finding great picks, and their opinions on random things in the fashion world. So, I've decided that that is what my blog is going to cover.

Out of the entire list in the TOBE article I have to say I really enjoyed www.seaofshoes.com. It was nice to see a real person in her own clothes, writing about her fashion experiences. The blog was very easy to get around and all of the pictures were fabulous!

I hope to be an interesting read, even if the only people that read this are my professor or incredibly supportive friends, and maybe I'll be daring enough to add pictures... we'll see : )