Trend to Try Leopard

I have always been a fan of bright and colorful prints, but have kind of shied away from animal prints. If you just go a little overboard with animal prints, it could turn into a hot mess. Fortunately, I have discovered a way to incorporate animal prints in your look that is tasteful and chic instead of resembling a jungle creature – leopard-print bags! I have already described my love for Alexander Wang’s leopard bucket bag, but whether it be a clutch, hobo, cross-body or shoulder bag, I am liking the leopard-print trend.

Last night, Mulberry celebrated the launch of its fall 2010 collection at the Chateau Marmont. Stars like Cat Deely, Kelly Osbourne and Molly Sims were in attendance, but I was really interested in Alexa Chung and Kate Bosworth…and their bags. Bosworth paired a Fashion’s Night Out T-shirt, skinny black jeans and a Mulberry ‘Margret’ leopard-print chain strap bag. Chung wore a satin Mulberry blouse and jean cut-offs with her namesake bag from the brand in a leopard print.  Get Kate and Alexa’s look with a leopard-print bag (for less!):

How to Wear Cowboy Boots

“I’m subscribed to CF and read all the posts. I just purchased the cutest brown cowboy boots, but am finding it hard to find outfits to wear them with. Please help, How do I wear cowboy boots?” – Abby

I personally like the look of cowboy boots, and even though some hardcore Vogue readers will claim that they aren’t “in” right this second, I am a believer in wearing what you like, just making sure to wear it the right way! There’s no fashion discrimination here, except maybe against pajamas in public…
Read on to learn how to wear your cowboy boots while avoiding looking like you’re trying out for a part in the next Dukes of Hazzard… It’s not hard, I promise!

Cowboy Boots With Jeans
This is probably the most classic way to wear a pair of cowboy boots. There are two ways to do this, and which one you pick depends on your personal style and which type of jeans you prefer!
Under Your Jeans


Your boots will look like high heels, giving you a bit of height while still keeping your outfit casual. This look works the best with flared or wide-leg jeans, because cowboy boots are usually pretty wide around the leg, and could look bulky if you wear a more tapered jean. Also, make sure your jeans are long, because the goal isn’t to show off too much of the boot in this case.
This look is great because the toe of the boots peeking out from under your jeans will make your legs look super-long and thin, always a plus!
Over Your Jeans

Cowboy boots are perfect with the skinny jeans of last season if they’re still in your closet – it’s so easy to tuck skinny jeans in to any boot. If you don’t have any skinny jeans, regular straight legs can be folded over and tucked in to show off the boots. Try pairing this look with a leather jacket and structured bag to tone down the country-ness.

Cowboy Boots With A Dress

I love this look personally, even though it might not be the most “right now” way to wear it. This style has gotten a lot of flack recently because apparently Britney Spears loves to wear her cowboy boots with short dresses around LA. Don’t let Brit deter you though – it’s actually a super-cute way to wear cowboy boots if you pick the right dress and accessories.
With An Airy, Flowery Dress

One popular way to wear cowboy boots is with a flowery, loose and/or casual dress, as seen in the looks above. Go simple and white like Ashley Olsen or Jessica Alba, or for a more extreme look, pair boots with a colorful dress like Miley. (Disclaimer: Miley’s outfit is for the fashion-adventurous only!) Also, your dress should be above the knee, but not too short!
For some dress ideas, try Jovovich-Hawk for Target. I think their dresses would go perfectly with cowboy boots! Also, check out my article on Boho Chic for more dress ideas that work with cowboy boots.
With A Classic & Simple Dress

This way of wearing cowboy boots is my favorite of all! Rachel Bilson pulled this look off perfectly this past fall, when she wore bright red cowboy boots with a simple black dress. I love her look! Although Taylor Swift’s outfit was controversial in the fashion community when she wore the ensemble above (some loved it and some hated it), I think it was cute and showed her personality without being overly “country.” Both ways were cute and casual but still elegant.
To get this look, just wear your cowboy boots with a simple and understated dress. Keep the rest of your look simple: don’t wear too much other stuff or else you’ll risk looking too overdone.

Cowboy Boots With Leggings or Tights

Wearing cowboy boots with leggings or tights is a little bit more daring than the jeans or just a dress looks, but I think it can work really fabulously if you do it right and have the confidence to pull it off!
I like the look of brightly colored tights or leggings under a plain pair of cowboy boots, paired with a simple dress and possibly a cardigan if it’s a little cold out.
With Leggings

The above photo of Mary Kate Olsen circa 2005 was the best picture I could find of someone rocking cowboy boots with leggings. It’s one example of a way to wear cowboy boots with different types of legwear. An extension of this look that might work would be non-ripped leggings, cowboy boots and a tunic dress and cardigan. Remember to keep the colors in your outfit simple because the cowboy boots are a statement in and of themselves.
With Tights

I found the above photo of Flickr user iluvrhinestones on Wardrobe Remix and thought it was a great example of a stylish and unique way to wear cowboy boots. Tights look cute with boots and you can wear them with dresses for a cute spring outfit that doesn’t require bare legs! Take a cue from the photo above and try wearing your cowboy boots with a dress or tunic and bright tights.

How Not To Wear Cowboy Boots

Here are a few examples of what NOT to wear with your cowboy boots.
Don’t go “cowboy themed.” You aren’t trying to wear a costume, you’re trying to incorporate a pair of shoes into an outfit. Leave the checkered tops, fringe and super short Daisy Dukes for other outfits to avoid looking cliche and over-the-top.
Don’t wear them with a loud outfit. Keep the rest of your look simple if you’re going to wear cowboy boots. They make a statement on their own, so let them be the focus!
Don’t wear them every day! Cowboy boots are better as a once-in-a-while thing. While you may love them like crazy, switch off with your other footwear to avoid being branded “that girl with the cowboy boots.”


These are just some of my ideas on how to wear cowboy boots. Feel free to improvise with your own and be creative in your outfit choices!
What do you think? Do you like cowboy boots or do you think they’re so five years ago? If you like them, how would you wear them?

The cycles of fashion

A thicket of tweed chokes the alley near Eighth and H streets NE. Men in newsboy caps and knickers crunch over shards of glass in their leather hunting boots, looking like they're on an urban fox hunt. Ladies twirl parasols and tug at their full-length silk slips, which are growing clingy in the insistent November sun. They wipe their brows and mind their 1970s bicycles and snap self-portraits on their cellphones in a queue that stretches down to I Street.

Bike bells jangle. Crispy red leaves fall from backyard trees. A gray cat perches on a fire escape, keeping a yellow eye on this clash of eras, this queue to the starting line of the District's first-ever tweed ride, in which dapper cyclists will sally forth across town simply because it promises to be a jolly good time.
Is this mere dress-up? Folderol on wheels? Another hipster stab at spontaneous coordination, flash-mob conformity in the name of pretentious originality? The motive, the purpose, the paradox of it all -- such cogitation furrows one's brow, dislodges one's monocle. Zounds. Perhaps there are answers in this alley.
Heather Guichard, 24, sits astride her silver '71 or '72 Gitane cruiser, wearing a cardigan, tweed knickers and a flapperish hat. She says our hyper, sloppy, postmodern society has begotten a longing for the classic elements of any era, for purposeful fashion and polished behavior.
"I miss the style," she says wistfully, then catches herself. "Well, I can't say I miss it because I wasn't alive then."
No matter. A mash-up generation has mash-up tendencies. We steal the tailored vests of the Victorian era for our office wardrobe, we play Gatsby in whatever neo-speakeasy has opened around the corner, we add a tie clip to evoke Don Draper and we hop on our mustard-colored vintage Schwinn for a tweed ride. It's the inaugural recruiting event of the District's newest social club, Dandies and Quaintrelles, which materialized in the blogosphere a week and a half ago and attracted hundreds of people to this alley on short notice, as if everyone were sitting at home with their outfits already laid out.

Obama Fashion Fever Rages On Post-Election (PHOTOS)

in a story titled Obama Fashion Fever In Paris, we asked if Obama inspired wears, like the looks presented on the runways of Sonia Rykiel and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, would still be popular post election. The verdict is in: Obama still rules the runways!
In Rome, on Februrary 1st, a model wore a dress featuring an enlarged portrait of President Obama, hemmed with the word "CHANGE", down the runway of Italian designer Gattinoni's show.

Other international shows displayed clear Obama influence. In Milan, Donatella Versace dedicated her collection to Barack Obama whom she called "the man of the moment". In Paris, Dutch fashion designer Lucas Ossendrijver used a model with an uncanny resemblance to the Commander and Chief to lead off his 2009-2010 Fall/Winter Menswear show for Lavin on January 25th.

Will Obama continue to capture the fashion world? With New York Fashion Week, The United States' biggest biannual fashion event, starting February 13th, do you expect to see clear Obama-influence coming from the tents at Bryant Park? Tell us!

How to Dress Like Blair Waldorf

For the second part of College Fashion’s Gossip Girl Fashion series (and in honor of the season finale), here’s a guide to dressing like Blair Waldorf, everyone’s favorite GG bad girl.

Blair Waldorf, played by actress Leighton Meester, is Serena’s best friend on Gossip Girl, and the “Queen Bee” of the Constance Billiard School for Girls. With a fashion designer for a mother, it’s no surprise that Blair has amazing fashion sense and a true signature style.

Blair Waldorf Style

Blair’s style is very classic, preppy, and polished. She always looks as if she stepped out of a department store window; her outfit is flawless, and she never has a hair out of place. Blair’s fashion sense is definitely the quintessential upper-east-side stereotype, and she’s not ashamed of it!
Blair would never step outside with unwashed hair, wear an outfit that didn’t match, or buy anything “distressed” or “boho chic.”  That said, here are some of Blair’s signature looks, pieces you can almost always catch Ms. Waldorf wearing around the streets of Manhattan.
Dresses & Skirts

When I was looking for photos of Leighton Meester / Blair Waldorf, I quickly realized that I couldn’t find a single photo of her wearing pants! Blair is all about skirts and dresses, worn with tights in the winter and bare legs in the warmer months. She’s not into denim at all, so if you want to dress like Blair, forget about jeans.
For lots of cute dresses, look for designer pieces at ShopBop (their sale section can have some great bargains!), and cheaper dresses at H&M and Charlotte Russe. Look for structured dresses in high-quality materials, with fun details like ruffles and belts to get the Blair look.
Tailored, Classic Pieces

Since she attends an upscale private school, many of Blair’s outfits are school-uniform appropriate. That means she wears lots of collared shirts, simple skirts, and ties. You can channel a little bit of prep school chic yourself with a structured button-up blouse and navy blue skirt. For extra Blair appeal, add a brightly colored headband and tights.
For classic white shirts, shop at Gap.com, and for structured skirts, try Banana Republic or Ann Taylor.
Pops of Color

No matter how subdued Blair’s outfit may be, she always incorporates a pop of color in some way. Whether it’s a bright red trench coat over a navy dress, a technicolor bag, or orange leggings under her school uniform, Blair keeps her look fresh with brights.  Her favorite colors are red (her signature), orange, and yellow.
Girly Details

Blair is a total girly-girl at heart, and because of this, she loves to incorporate feminine touches like lace, bows, and ruffles, into her outfits. This is also her go-to look for formal events and parties. For a similar look yourself, Charlotte Russe is known to carry lots of girly pieces that Blair herself would approve of.
Dressed-Up Loungewear

Even when Blair is sleeping, she still looks completely chic! A Waldorf doesn’t wear regular flannel pajamas to bed – she sleeps in a designer negligee. And hanging around the house doesn’t mean wearing sweats! Blair has been known to wear a satin dressing gown instead. Nordstrom carries lots of negligees that are classy, not trashy, if you want to get one yourself!

Blair’s Accessories

Headbands

Blair’s signature hair accessories are her hundreds of different headbands!  From tartan to satin, Blair wears her headbands in every style you can imagine. She usually wears them with her hair down, but occasionally pulls a headband over a sleek bun or ponytail. For lots of cute headbands for cheap, check out Wet Seal.
Tights

In the winter months, Blair’s wardrobe revolves around tons of different pairs of tights. This season, she rocked every shade of tights imaginable, from bright red, to white, gray, and the ever popular black opaque tights. Tights are on the way out because warmer weather is fast approaching, but of course you can still wear them on cold days or if the mood strikes this summer.

Blair’s Hairstyles

Blair Waldorf almost always wears her medium length brown hair down in loose waves with lots of volume. These aren’t Serena’s messy curls,though. Blair always looks polished, and her hair is no exception.