Plaid, Plaid, Throwback Plaid

Normally I leave fashion commentary to my co-author. But as I'm sitting here thinking about my latest pickups at the mall, I have to ask Blame Girl and the rest of our audience, (which numbers at least in the low dozens!), what is up with the recent switch back to plaid and checked shirts for guys?

Maybe it took me longer than most people to realize this, but if we completed a study of guy's shirts on display right now at retail centers, I guarantee a large chunk would be checked, plaid, or otherwise similarly patterned.  After all, were I of the opposite gender, I might have read Elle magazine's prediction and been caught less unawares:

Whether checkered, tartan, or houndstooth, we'll all be marching straight into Fall 2013 with a wardrobe of plaid jackets, dresses, trousers, and more.

 But this leads me to the final point: whether it's the idiot 50's throwback seen above, or the more recent grunge era (see below, ouch),

I guess what I'm saying is I'm mad I threw out my plaid shirt from middle and early high school every time I go out to a bar full of people dressed like Scotsmen. And, at the rate men's trends are going in this country, (back to plaid, back to the 1960's style buddy holly glasses), I am just kicking myself for not keeping a few extra pairs of Tommy Hilfiger carpenter jeans, a trend that is sure to come back in the early 2020s.

 

Colorful Kicks

This weekend, I was at a kids' basketball game, and I was mesmerized by their feet.  It was like moving art as the boys rhythmically ran up and down the court.   Color really is powerful in all fashion, even sports.   In a group, from the feet up, the teams conformed with color; but from the feet down, beautiful, individual, colorful chaos.  A sight worth capturing. 

Youngsters usually sport the hottest new kicks. But only in South Florida do all the athletic shoes come in neon colors.  Now that I think about it, my soccer cleats are neon and yellow. 

Holiday Fashions: Part 2

As I previously discussed, we held our annual firm Christmas party this month. And as I said in my previous post, I planned the outfit over a couple of months.  No I didn't buy my dress in September, but I did weigh my color and my styling options. 

Ultimately, I decided to go with a blue dress from H & M because blue is my color for the season. Additionally, I pulled out a pink/nudeish necklace that gave my outfit some dazzle.  This left me with the option of nude for my heals.  I completed the look with a nude headband, that I spruced up with a gold headband with a bow and some bling.  I kept my earrings small and nude, since I was already rocking a giant necklace and wearing hair accessories.  Oh yea, and no jacket! What do you think about my south Florida holiday wear? 

Many of the guests were in cocktail wear, however there were a few who decided to go casual with jeans or office wear. Danielle and Shemeka went with the always classy and classic little black dress (LBD).  They also had the bulky necklaces.   

And then there was the lady in white.  White in the winter you say?  Before moving to Florida, I would have said ONLY if it's winter white. But I loved Janelle's white dress and I do see a lot of white in the winter here.  We played with the zippers on her neckline and the dress became club sexy if you unzipped it a bit.  This option actually came in handy later.

There was another holiday outfit that was worth mentioning, but she missed the holiday party. It was Nia, Danielle's daughter's.  You can see her outfit for her school holiday function to the right.  Don't forget, the kids need a holiday wardrobe too!

The Art of Journalism: Kapuscinski on Film

We try to bring you the cutting edge of the cutting edge here at the FAD.  So, far in advance of a movie that you might eventually see and love (see below), for our readers in Valencia, Spain, (!) we bring the announcement that a selection of Ryszard Kapuscinski's photographs taken in Cold War Russia will be on display at the Valencian Modern Art Museum.

Why even bring it up? Well: ask yourself, when was the last time you opened the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, or any other paper, for that matter, and read a dispatch from abroad that was so vivid, so captivating, that it called to mind literary greats?  Or that made you say, "this would make a great movie?"

Kapuscinski was Poland's foremost foreign correspondent for decades.  If you haven't read his accounts of, say, the downfall of Ethiopia's Emperor Haile Selassie, the Angolan Civil War, or the Soccer War in Central America, you are missing out on some serious Indiana Jones mixed with Hunter S. Thompson, with some Naipaul or Theroux mixed in.  So, fear not, we bring you the trailer based on his account of the war that broke out in Angola immediately upon independence:

Shot in the animated-documentary mode of the Award Winning Waltz With Bashir, an Israeli soldier's account of his role in the Lebanon War, this cinematic experience will no doubt be infinitely more exciting - and more stylish - than the usual Hollywood trash (we're looking at you, Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug).

And remember, you heard it here first.

Fashion Yea or Nay: Warhol's Tupac

Strolling the pristine streets of Lake Worth, I met this nice local chap:

So, loyal readers, a quick yea or nay to this matching hat and shirt ensemble?  For me, I give it a slight yea.  Tupac given the Warhol treatment is a big yes, but a matching hat with neon themes might be pushing it.  Then again, just I argue with architecture critiques, regardless of your stand, at least he's not being invisible - people are likely to love or hate this look, which is always good, in my opinion.

Holiday Fashions Part I

So it's the holidays and while you are gifting, eating and celebrating you will most likely be clothed.  What will you wear?  I always plan outfits for actual holiday's such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, because I know I will be seen.  I usually go for festive, but trendy as opposed to classic and traditional.  But these are not the only days to plan your holiday fashion.  What about holiday parties?

One big event I plan my outfit for is my work Holiday Party. Honestly, I have been planning my outfit for our firm's Holiday party for months.  I've pondered on color, accessories and hair more than I care to admit. But we will save that for next week.

This week, I found myself at another company's Holiday party.  I like to stay professional without sacrificing my style. Additionally, I wanted something that would transition from the office to a holiday party well.   It was Friday, so I went with jeans, a nude shirt with sequins on it and a navy blazer on top. Remember, I've got the blues for the fall/winter.  I'd like to add that the nude sequin top, is one that I've had in my closet for over ten years.  I love being able to pull out oldie but goodies. 

While at the party, I met Kate.  Kate glammed it up with a nice classic black cocktail dress. It was a sheer black lace with a nude underlay belted with a nude ribbon. It even had a classy cutout, protected by the nude underlay.  Cutouts are a hot trend for this season.  I always love black and nude together, in fact, I wore black and nude cocktail dress to our firm's Holiday party last year. Kate definitely picked a winner for the Rock Legal Holiday party this year.  

I realized that I didn't ask who she was wearing.  But is that really important? Another thing that's not important when selecting holiday wear is cliche colors.  When choosing color, don't feel confined to red and green cause it's Christmas or blue for Hanukkah.  In addition to color choices, you have attire choices. You can glam it up with a cocktail dress like Kate or you can opt for a more casual look like I did for this party.  And the best thing about holiday parties in South Florida, no coats necessary!

Staple Pieces

It's November and I live in Florida.  So it's not really autumn, just November.  But as a fashionista I like to stay true to picking my colors of the season, even if I live in this tropical season-less paradise.  I've chosen blues for my fall color; deeper blues from navy to cobalt to electric and royal blue.   Like with color, I am also guided in my shopping and my styling by scarves and hair accessories. They are my staple pieces.  I am usually always wearing one or the other, if not both. 

As you see above I have on a printed, navy and warm toned scarf.  I am also sporting a tweed camel flower in my hair.  I think it personalizes my look because the majority of people neither wear scarves, nor hair accessories.  But because I do like to wear a scarf and hair accessory, I keep it simple with my jewelry. I have to wear earrings, but usually just simple hoops Nothing to detailed. The scarf along with the colors gave me a fall look without the heavy layers.  I was at the beach and it was warm. 

My co-blogger Dustin Zacks, took the picture of me as we were at the "Lake Worth Beach" ArtFest. When he considered what his staple piece was, he settled upon his gold chain and bracelet. 

After talking with festival attendee Marilyn (pictured left), I realized that many people settle on jewelry for staples. Marilyn's staple was her scorpio necklace, because she's a Scorpio.   I suppose you could look at my scarves and hair accessories as jewelry.  

But a staple could be anything.  What do you wear most?  What's your staple?  Jeans?  Black pants?  A particular belt?