Friday, July 27, 2012

J. Crew Fall/Winter 2012

The heat wave that has gripped the country this summer makes it nearly impossible to believe that fall/winter is just around the corner. With just a few more days until August, stores are starting to release their fall/winter 2012 lines. J. Crew released their seasonal lookbook today with the option to pre-purchase certain looks through their personal shopping service. Here are the items I am most interested in for J. Crew fall:


Best Item: Nordic Sweater in Green
Can be worn with a pencil skirt as here, dressed down with skinny jeans or with winter white trousers for the office

Best Item: All of it!
But not necessarily together...
The pants would be great with a simple black tee or black crewneck sweater
The blue sweater, although beautiful with these green skinny pants, would also look great with a pencil skirt 

Best Item: Jewel-colored pumps & stripes
 (both the shirts and pencil skirt)
Wear the striped pencil skirt with an emerald green top and black pumps or with emerald green pumps and a white tee.
Wear the striped shirt with EVERYTHING, particularly black skinny pants and the purple pumps show at the right.

Trends for Fall:
Jewel Tones
Pencil Skirts
Ski Lodge Sweaters
Slim Leg Pants
Stripes
Classic, Pointed Toe Pumps
Cross-Body Bags
Structured Accessories

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Olympic Outfitters

The London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony is this Friday. The soccer events are already under way, with many of the first soccer games played yesterday. Before the games even began, there was controversy over the U.S. Olympic uniforms being made in China, forcing Ralph Lauren to publicly promise that all future uniforms would be made stateside. In the meantime, retailers all over the country have released London 2012 clothing lines so that spectators can show their support for America as the games commence. Here are some highlights of souvenir clothing items that are created to be representative of the spirit of the games without being too cutesy.

Ralph Lauren:
I bought a jacket similar to this Olympic 2012 jacket ($165) during the 2006 U.S. Open: same design, same fit, different sporting event. Six years later, I still wear it often even though I do not generally wear casual sporty jackets, this one is always chic & practical and reminds me of an event I thoroughly enjoyed.



This USA Duffle ($225) is vintage-inspired but still heralds the arrival of the 2012 London games. Every time you grab your bag to pack for a trip to some exotic locale, you can bring a little piece of American Olympic pride on the road with you. 

BOTH of these items enables you to have a souvenir from the games but one that you will actually use again and again. As someone with a similar jacket, I can vouch for the fact that it is something you will reach for time and time again. The duffel is something that echoes Olympics past and is slightly more timeless than a big horse polo with 2012 emblazoned on the front.

Gap:

The Gap is carrying a line of vintage-design Olympic tees, each representing an Olympics past represented in tank or tee-shirt form. Here are some of my favorites:



NBC Store:

As the broadcasters of the London 2012 games, the NBC Store has an extensive line of Olympic gear, including a highlights DVD. The Union Jack tee is my favorite of all the clothing and accessory options because it is representative of the games without being cutesy or kitschy.





Wednesday, July 25, 2012

EMMY 2012

The Emmy nominations were announced last week. Here are my wishes and predictions based on the nominations:

Best Comedy Series:

Who I want to win:
Newcomer "Girls"

Who will win:
Multigenerational Fan Favorite


Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:

Who I want to Win:
Larry David
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"


Who will Win:
Jim Parsons 
"Big Bang Theory"

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:

Who I want to Win:

Kristen Wiig
"SNL"


Who will win:

Kristen Wiig
"SNL"
Her final season and the start of a successful movie career

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:

Who I want to win:

Ed O'Neill
"Modern Family"
Oh... Al Bundy
Who will win:


Eric Stonestreet
Modern Family


Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: 

Who I want to win:
Amy Poehler
"Parks & Recreation"
Critical Darling

Who will win:

Zooey Deschanel 
"New Girl"
Fan Favorite
Best Drama Series:

Who I want to win:

"Homeland"
My personal favorite although it has some stiff competition in this category particularly from my OTHER favorite show, "Mad Men"


Who will win:

Critics & fans love it

Lead Actress in a Drama:

Who I want to win:

Claire Danes because Elisabeth Moss would be her only competition and she had a smaller role than usual this season

Who will win:


Lead Actor in a Drama Series:

Who I want to win:
Jon Hamm
It's his time

Who will win:

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama:

Who I want to win:
Her acting in the Jaguar episode was subtle & heartbreaking

Who will win:


Best Supporting Actor in a Drama:

Who I want to win:
His character's demise was well-acted and avoided melodrama

Who will win:


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Cinema with Style Fifth Edition: Gidget

The first time I was introduced to the "Gidget" character, it was in the Sally Field TV Series, Gidget (first aired 1965), on Nick at Nite. I found the character amusing & endearing & the series became an instant favorite. 


Sally Field as Gidget in the 1960s TV Series

The Gidget character originated in a 1957 novel entitled Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas, a book written by Frederick Kohner. Kohner created the character of Gidget in honor of his daughter, Kathy, a teenage surfer girl in 1950s Malibu. There have been countless television & movie interpretations of the Gidget character.

The Inspiration for Gidget: Kathy Kohner

Less than a year later, I saw the Gidget (1959) movie starring Sandra Dee and realized two things: 

  1. Gidget Loves Moondoggie
  2. I love Gidget's 1950s California surfer girl style 



The Plot

California Good Girl Meets California Surf Bum & Becomes California Surfer Girl Only to Learn that Her California Surf Bum is actually a California Good Boy


Gidget (a nickname) starts as an awkward teen who is not taking seriously the fact that she has no steady boyfriend (a punishable crime in 1950s Californian suburbia). Instead, she cares only about her grades and wants to stay a kid so she can keep playing outside with the boys. She is adopted into a group of surfer bums who teach her to surf over the summer. One of the surf bums, Moondoggie (also a nickname), catches her eye and helps her to decide that that growing up may be tolerable if the process is accompanied by a hot male surfing companion. The summer ends, the surf bums disperse & Gidget & Moondoggie graduate from their summer of surf school by revealing their true identities to one another and in turn admitting their true feelings. 

The Result?

TRUE LOVE.

My Plot:
Florida Good Girl watches movie about California Good Girl who wears 1950s California Tomboy Style. California Tomboy Style slowly transitions into California Surfer Girl Style which Slowly Blends with California Glamour Girl Style. 

The Result? 

TRUE LOVE.

1950s Cali Surf Style as Interpreted for 2012:

Inspiration:
Tomboy Gidget Feels Out of Place on Beach Day with her Childhood Friends
SURFER GIRL TREND: STRUCTURED RED ONE-PIECE


Interpretation:


Literal:
Inspiration:


SURFER GIRL TREND: BRIGHTLY COLORED CASUAL WEAR
Interpretation:



Inspiration:
SURFER GIRL TREND: DENIM + CHAMBRAY



Inspiration:
SURFER GIRL TREND: SUMMERY TANK DRESS FOR BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION WITH THE FAMILY

Interpretation: 







Inspiration:


SURFER GIRL TREND: FLORAL CROP TOP

Interpretation:

Inspiration:



Inspiration:


SURFER GIRL TREND: WHIMSICAL SWIMWEAR



Inspiration:






SURFER GIRL TREND: SHORT PAJAMAS FOR NIGHTTIME SURF PRACTICE

Interpretation:





Inspiration:


SURFER GIRL TREND: Peach Colored Dress for a Beach Party




Interpretation:













Inspiration:










SURFER GIRL TREND: Embroidered Summer Dress for a Drive in a Convertible


Interpretation:


Literal:












California Girl 2012:







As always, I leave you with one final image...