Not So SHORT Story: Dressing up for summer

Before 1- Kristina's typical summer style

Kristina was in desperate need of an update to her summer wardrobe.  She was tired of the tee-shirt-and-shorts look she had been wearing since, well, high school.  She felt like her look had no real style, and needed help putting together outfits.

Before 2- Kristina wanted to get away from just tees and shorts

We needed to do some serious shopping to get her ready for her trip to the Galapagos Islands next month.  Off to Bloomingdale's to take advantage of their end-of-season sales on summer clothes right now (additional 40-50% off the already reduced prices!!)...

Now you may look at this Aqua brand dress (below) on the website and move right on past it, probably because it doesn't seem very versatile.  Isn't silk too dressy for the day?  Sure Kristina could wear it on her vacation, but how was it going to translate into her day-to-day once she got home?  How do you make an outfit out of a dress?

Image of dress as styled on the Bloomingdale's website

First thing we did was to remove the belt that came with it (simple matching fabric sash style), and replace it with the rich brown Michael Kors woven leather belt.  The elasticized waist and flowy fabric of the dress were calling out for something with a little structure.  We balanced out the heaviness of the belt with this great military green jacket from Guess.  To pull the colors all together and finish off the look, we added dark brown sandals.

Re-styled dress Option 1

To change up the dress some more, we decided to keep the belt (it looked so great already), but soften the look by replacing the military green jacket with this great sleeveless cardigan in an oatmeal/tan color.  We replaced the brown leather sandals with some Marc by Marc Jacobs ballet flats to balance out the structure of the belt, and to bring back that military green color into the outfit.

Re-styled dress Option 2

Kristina left our shopping appointment happy and loaded down with shopping bags full of fresh ideas for her summer wardrobe.

What is your summer style?  How do you make an outfit out of a dress?

Dress image courtesy of Bloomingdales.com

Who's Who in Fashion: Marc Jacobs

Even people who have been hiding under a fashion rock have probably heard of Marc Jacobs. Whether they know it or not I'm sure they have even seen his clothes being worn around them.

Who

Despite his rocky personal life and recent substance abuse issues, Marc Jacobs remains at the very top of the fashion biz.

Backstory

Jacobs was born in the city; his dad died when he was seven, and he spent his childhood bouncing around the tri-state area, with stints in New Jersey, Long Island, and the Bronx. It was while attending the High School of Art and Design that he began embroidering jeans and sold his first line of knitted sweaters to the Upper West Side boutique Charivari,

where he worked as a stock boy. He went on to Parsons and then launched his own label in partnership with Robert Duffy, who had attended his senior year fashion show. Although the line was well-received by critics and received orders from Bergdorf and Bloomingdale's, it was far from profitable; it only lasted a year before Jacobs joined Perry Ellis as creative director in 1988. Four years later, Jacobs made waves with his legendary grunge collection, which earned horrible reviews and resulted in his dismissal (although ironically, he won the Womenswear Designer of the Year award from the CFDA that same year).

Jacobs and Duffy re-launched the Marc Jacobs label, opening a small showroom in SoHo. In 1997, with the label again struggling financially, Jacobs accepted an offer to become creative director of Louis Vuitton, a deal that also required LVMH to fund the Marc Jacobs label. He's juggled both jobs ever since, updating Vuitton's once-stodgy luggage brand via collaborations with modern artists like Takashi Murakami as well as building his own eponymous fashion empire. As has been the case since the beginning, Duffy, the omnipresent man behind the curtain, handles the financial side of Marc Jacobs Inc., which allows Jacobs to focus on design.

Of note

Though Jacobs' work has evolved over time, he's generally known for his clever revamps of vintage styles, and a quirky, indie-rock aesthetic that appeals to hipster celebs. Sofia Coppola is a close friend and muse, and has appeared in his ads. When Winona Ryder went to trial in the fall of 2002 for stealing clothes (including some by Marc Jacobs), she exclusively wore his demure secretary's outfits and appeared in his Juergen Teller-shot adcampaign the following year. Now one of the

most influential brands in fashion (even though Duffy says it only became profitable in 2006), the Marc Jacobs brand encompasses women's and men's lines, a lower-priced Marc by Marc Jacobs line, the Little Marc children's line, fragrance lines, and an accessories line.

Indeed, the business is growing so fast that there are now four Marc Jacobs stores on Bleecker Street. Jacobs has reportedly also signed the lease on a fifth West Village store, at the corner of Bank and West 4th Streets, leading some to snipe that his brand is becoming as ubiquitous as Starbucks—and that's not the only negative attention the designer's been getting lately. On top of widespread bitching about his love life and his appearance (see below) his September '07 show didn't go down great with the fashion press, which deemed the clothes, and Jacobs himself, "obnoxious" (WWD) and "a parody" (Suzy Menkes). Not that the designer is necessarily too worried: As he admitted to the New York Times in November 2007, "what I love more than anything is attention. That is about as honest of a statement that I could possibly make. I want a reaction, because I want the attention."

In person

The designer has recently undergone a dramatic physical transformation: previously pale and verging on chubby, with long hair and big black-framed eyeglasses ("for 20 years, I wouldn't even look in the mirror," he's claimed), Jacobs is now crop-haired, skinny, and tanned, and sports contacts and Harry Winston diamond stud earrings. He says he spends two hours a day with a trainer and eats an exclusively organic diet. The new physique—as well as his appallingly corny tattoo of a smiling M&M man—was displayed in a spread in the September 2007 issue of Out where he posed in his underwear.

Image and information from http://cityfile.com/profiles/marc-jacobs

Clothing images from Neimanmarcus.com

Bows Are Back... I Mean Front

Bows are no longer just for little girls, especially when they are a prominent statement on the front of a dress.  These bold additions scream "I am woman, hear me roar," in stark contrast to the menswear inspired fashion being seen as its Fall trend counterpart.  So put away your tie-back-dresses from summer and get ready for those bows to move about-face.

Behnaz Sarafpour Crinkle Bow-Front Dress

$1295

 

Jay Godfrey One-Shoulder Cocktail Mini Dress

$440

Marc by Marc Jacobs Velveteen Bow 

Dress $568

Katy Rodriguez Wool & Silk Bow Dress

$1380

In addition to dresses, you will see bow front blouses in all types of fabrics and price ranges, all over the place.  I especially like this one from the Gap.  It has a removable tie so that you aren't stuck with this trend forever.  It will nicely turn into a basic plain front blouse for next year.

Images courtesy of Saks.com and Gap.com