This year as you may know from a previous post, I have been transitioning into a new style. It seems to me that as each year goes by there are more and more trends, and old ones don’t seem to pass that quickly, so that leaves us with tons of styles to choose from. One thing that I am very set on, is that besides looking good and put together, I also want to look different. I hate it when one trend gets super popular and all of a sudden everyone looks like they are wearing a uniform. Here in Ecuador that happens too much, I think people are afraid to try new and different trends and that leads to them just going for the safe path. I don’t think of myself as a trend setter or anything like it, but I do pride myself on trying new things.

There are 5 trends that have caught my eye this year:

1. Peter Pan collar: I have no idea why it’s called Peter Pan, since the boy who never wanted to grow never wore anything like it, but I love how adorable and sweet it looks. There are tons of variations, and there are also necklaces that simulate the collar. The only thing that I do not agree with this trend is when they wear the necklace with a shirt that has cleavage.

2. Pastel color block: We were introduced to color block probably by gossip girl and the trend is still very much alive since then. Colorful outfits give life to clothes, I don’t understand why during winter everything is black, brown, beige and white, its enough that the weather is terrible don’t depress me also with the clothes. Pastel color block is a sweeter version, it still plays with pairing colors but it doesn’t scream like a fucsia with electric blue outfit would.

3. Peplum: This is a completely new shape that may or may not flatter everyone, depending on their body shape. Looking at many peplum outfits I have reached to the conclusion that it looks better when it is done in a top rather than in skirts or dresses. It looks sophisticated and it doesn’t make your hips look as wide as it does when its in the bottoms.

4. Crop tops: Very tricky look to pull of, you are a centimeter away from looking trashy but if you do pull it off it looks amazing. In my opinion, in order to pull it off you have to wear high waisted skirts, shorts or pants,  you shouldn’t show your belly bottom. You show just a little hint and it will look flirty but keeping it classy. I think it looks best with maxi skirts and long sleeves.

5. Chevron oversized: Ok, people might start to get tired of chevron anything because it is everywhere, I know. But the print is so geometric and interesting that it is here to stay. It is perfect for color blocking specially when the lines are very big and bold. At the same time it is a print that is easy to match with almost anything, including other prints and it will always be a statement piece.

My shopping list is ready but I am going to have to wait for spring because the absence of color in every store I look is killing me, besides we are nowhere near a winter and we will never be. Forever Summer ;).

Photo credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

I’m a sucker for anything that has to do with ballet, I guess it has to do with the fact that I grew up with it. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I used to dance for a while. My mom was also a dancer, though at the same time she did track and played volley; she’s always been sporty, quality that neither my sister or me inherited (my brother did enough sports for the both of us). The main reason that ballet was always something I looked up to is because my older sister was and still is very passionate about it, so much as to dedicate her life to it by teaching it. I on the other hand wasn’t very consistent (shocker), I danced when I was 3 until I was 8 i think, and then started again when I was 11 or 12, then I quit and when my sister opened up her academy I got back at it again when I was 14 until I was 17. The worst part was that I was actually kind of good, I wish I could tell my 8 year old self to suck it up and keep on doing it, who knows I could be doing pretty neat stuff by now. I did however have a little defect on my knees that makes my leg look slightly bent even though it is stretched straight, that was what finally made me quit when I was 17, I saw a video of me dancing a solo and I just realized I was never going to be the perfect ballerina nor was I that passionate about being one. One might say that is when the quest to find that passion started. Still I never stopped loving it, you can still catch me sometimes watching ballet videos on youtube praising good pointes and hiperextensive legs, if I get the chance to see a good ballet company perform I will be there and of course I always watch my sister’s academy’s recitals.

Ballerinas have always been considered elegant and a little bit mystical (the body is not made to bend or move like that), creatives have often seeked for inspiration in ballet. This photoshoot for shopruche.com is one of those examples, but I particularly liked it because I feel like in someway it tells my story. There is this girl (the model) who is surrounded by ballerinas who are able to do amazing things. She tries to also learn to do what they do but she just can’t get up to their level, but in the end even though she leaves, ballet still follows her and is a part of her. I did not include the pictures of her attempt at ballet because the poor model clearly has never been on first position in her life and it was a bit painful to watch, but at least the story is there. The pictures that work the best are the ones that she contrasts against the ballerinas, not the ones that she is trying to be like them. I have seen many other fashion/editorial shoots that incorporate ballet, but they sometimes tend to get stiff like the recent one from Vogue Russia. This shoot is about a ballet teacher, the little students are beyond perfect (russian of course), but the model fails in her attempt to be part of the scene its almost as she is just in any regular shoot and the rest is a background. There is one picture where she holds a girl and it looks like when a guy grabs a baby and has no idea what to do. I still do appreciate the use of ballet for fashion, I just wish that the models would be actual ballerinas so that they don’t ruin the beauty with very badly done poses.

;

Photo shoot by: Stephanie Williams for shopruche.com

Changing your style is sort of a rite of passage, there comes a time when you see yourself differently, you start thinking differently and you want to portray yourself to the world differently. The clothes you wear say a lot about you as a person, some say that doesn’t matter, but haven’t they heard “dress for the job you want not for the job you have”? I have to admit I have fallen sloppy on that end, my day job requires me to use a uniform, and the lack of “emotion” to plan an outfit has also made me fall out on the beauty side. At the same time I want to shake things up and change my style, I have changed a lot over the course of these two years. I have been looking for some inspiration, and while I look for clothes I want to buy online, I find myself leaning to collared blouses, pastel colors, vintage patterns and mainly easy looking outfits. I like loose fitting clothes that at the same time are flattering, feeling comfortable has become very important for me. As a freelance designer (in the almost none existent time I have after my day job and classes), I have to portray myself as a person with good taste in design but at the same time as a serious business person. It can be a challenge to mix these two aspects but I think that this trends might hit it on the nail, now where to find it?

Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3 & 4 (I found on pinterest and were not sourced right)

Meet Hanna Muller, a swedish illustrator. I’m out of words to describe how amazing this drawings are, I’m specially impressed by the attention to detail and the softness of the colors. Her personal style is very defined, probably inspired by the pale colors of the north, she uses very defined lines and a pastel color palette. Many artists who draw or paint portraits usually concentrate on the facial expressions, but what probably differentiates Hannah from the rest is that she brings the attention to the clothes. Notice that she only uses pops of color on the clothes, while the model remains almost black and white. In every illustration we can appreciate the patterns on the fabric, the shape and also the texture. I should probably just let the images talk, enjoy some more:

Photo Credit, post designed by the little hibou

Fashion week’s main event is the runway, designers all over the world present their new collections for the world to see, but the indirect show going on in the streets is a probably more interesting one to watch. The people that come watch the runway shows are always bringing their A game when it comes to the outfit they wear, and we are talking about the real fashionistas of the world. During that week the streets of New York transform into another runway filled with stylists, bloggers, fashion editors, publicists, etc. These are the people who make a living out of knowing how to pull of the trends and to know how to combine bits and pieces from every designer to put together the best outfits they can think of.

From what we can see in these snapshots, bright and bold colors are still very in, and of course accompanied by daring prints. I notice that the “doctor handbag” is very popular, and that the logo covered fabric is not (finally). I personally love the bare back trend, one of this fashionistas took it to the next level with a bow twist on the back, and I’ve got to say I am dying to have a shirt or dress that has that back. Accessories have to be statement pieces and some of them have forgotten the “less is more” rule, but I guess there are no strict rules defined when you want to set a trend as long as you pull it of as nicely as this experts do.

What do you think about the street style seen on fashion week? Do you think its jaw dropping, or too over the top sometimes? I love to hear from you, get excited with some comments!

Photo by style.com, post design by the little hibou

If you want to take your personal style to the next level, you should be looking for inspiration on the runway. Even though most of us can’t get even close to being able to afford high fashion designers, we can still take note on their ideas and apply them on our budget. When watching a fashion show, you should pay attention at the elements that make the collection unique, and the trends that it is either creating.

Let’s take Jason Wu’s show for spring 2012: It is a very colorful collection, and it incorporates strong prints. We can see he used sheer blouses and middle length skirts that are longer on the back. The main trend that pops out is the retro mod that is very characteristic of Jason Wu. It also uses high waist cuts in skirts and shorts. If you want to see the entire collection go here.

Dress like Jason Wu for way less with this lovely pieces:

Get them here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

By the way, don’t forget that Jason Wu for Target hits stores on February 2012. Mark you calendars!

Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

We met her as Summer Roberts on The OC, but since then she became known as the fashion junkie. She is one of the best put together girls on Hollywood, even on street shots of everyday life, no one can ever catch Rachel Bilson looking sloppy. She knows exactly how to favor her figure and how to look effortless but super trendy at the same time. Her style goes along the lines of boho chic, with a bit of vintage, never afraid to try on new trends as long as they look good on her petite frame. I don’t know what she does but she never seems to look as short as she actually is, when she appeared on project runway she said she was about 5’2”, but as you can see in the pictures below, she looks tall and with a great presence. We haven’t seen her much lately as an actress, probably because she got involved more in the fashion industry. She collaborated with DKNY jeans, to create a line called Edie Rose, which was affordable for average women. As for present projects, she is now starting in the new CW series called “Hart of Dixie” which is Everwood meets Gilmore Girls. I saw the first episodes and it seems promising, it has a lot of that small town charm. Probably what I like the most about the series, is that they incorporated her style into the character. What I don’t get, is that she is supposed to be this cold hearted surgeon who has to spend a year doing general practice because she treats patients like puzzles. But she has too much of a sweet voice and personality, so it confuses me. All in all still I did like the show a lot and I hope to see more of her amazing outfits.

Photo Credit

Designer collaborations are in all the rage, and with good reason because not everyone can pay designer prices but we all want to have well designed clothes. We’ve had Missoni for Target, Lagerfeld for Macy’s and much more. Named one of the ten best dressed of 2010 by Vogue, Alexa Chung did not want to be left out of the craze. She’s a british talk-show host who later turned into a designer. Her style is very chic and classy with a bit of a twist:

“I like wearing something that you’re not supposed to wear for the occasion” she says (Vogue best dressed special edition 2010)

In her latest collaboration with Madewell, she incorporates a lot of her personal style. I personally love every single piece in the collection. It is very sweet and girly, but has a lot of personality. I like the fact that she is the one who modeled for the Lookbook because you get the sense that she would wear every single one of the pieces she designed.

Photo Credit

With the british royal wedding being this year, all eyes are on Catherine Middleton; but taking a break from all the media saturation, let’s focus on another royal beauty. Granddaughter to Princess Grace Kelly, Charlotte Casiraghi, most definitely inherited her sense of style. I know that she is not very famous outside of Europe, her mother Caroline (Princess of Hanover) tried her best to keep her children away from the mass media, so I know most of you reading probably won’t know who she is.  She somehow managed to have a quiet life as a private citizen, but being still part of Monaco’s royal family, she attends to some public events. Besides her undeniable sense of style, what makes her more interesting is her career as a magazine editor and a published writer. Her work includes an article at “AnOther magazine”, the sunday supplement to the british “The Independent” newspaper, and she was also the editor for Above magazine. After befriending Stella McCarney, she was influenced by her environmental conscience in fashion. On 2009, Charlotte and two other friends founded the “Ever Manifesto”, which is a free publication that uncovers the damage that the fashion industry does to the environment and encourages people to take action.

“aims to inspire positive transformations in how we live by generating sustainable solutions for both work and play that are aimed at protecting our planet for future generations” (Ever manifesto)

Besides the environment, her other passion are horses. She competes in equestrian jumping, and has recently participated in the Global Champions Tour. Gucci named her the official equestrian ambassador, and they tailor the clothes she wears at every competition and are one of a kind. All in all we can be certain that she is no ordinary socialite and we will probably be hearing about her more in the future. Her manifesto for the environment is a very inspiring idea, and I really hope it gets more press coverage so that it can raise awareness among people in the industry, as well as the consumers.

Photo Credit

What did you think about Charlotte Casiraghi? Did you know about her already? Do you think she is a role model for young people? Leave your comments, I would love to hear your opinions!

“Fashion fades, style is forever.” Coco Chanel.

Chanel said that because she did not want her label to be called “the Chanel fashion” because her concept was to create a style that would last forever. While fashion changes very quickly, it also has another characteristic that is very peculiar. Fashion is cyclical, meaning it comes and goes throghout the ages. Everything comes back, so I decided to use old photography to get inspiration for outfits that are trendy today.

To make it more interesting, I’m using old pictures from my family, meaning that this is how normal people dressed back then. This picture was taken somewhere around the late 40′s or early 50′s I’m not very sure. And I notice that they used a trend that is very in these days which is the high waisted pants and flowy blouse. Let me just say that in my opinion, my grandma was very trendy (the first one from the right), she could definitely pull this of. I think she’s also wearing oxfords but I’m not sure about that.
Here are some pieces that would form this outfit:

 Find them here: 1,2,3,4

Find them here: 1,2,3,4

Here we have some examples of people today using this trend:

Photo Credit: (1,2,3,4)

I hope you liked this post, there will be more to come from the series “vintage fashion inspiration”. You can also send me old pictures you have if you want me to find outfit inspirations!