Shopping Up the East Coast

Wow I haven't posted in a while. I need to get better about that. Looks like I have a lot of catching up to do!

This summer I went on vacation to the East Coast and went to states like: Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, Rhode Island, and a couple others. While on vacation, I had two amazing shopping experiences.  The first was when we stayed in Philadelphia and decided to check out the local mall, King of Prussia Mall. It is the world's best mall. They had stores such as: BCBG, Bloomingdales, Cartier, Free People, Guuci, H & M, Hermes, J. Crew, Lilly Pulitzer, Lord and Taylor, Lululemon, Madewell, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Ralph Laure, Tiffany & Co, Tory Burch, and a lot, lot more! It was all my favorite shops crammed into one building! I was especially excited that they had a Madewell because they don't have one in Minnesota. My second experience was when we made our way up to Free Port, Maine and I saw all the "Outlet" shops my dad had been telling me about. We spent our whole first day in Free Port shopping. I've been to outlet malls before, and none of them even came close to being as nice as this one! You couldn't even tell the shops were shops because they were all set up in little house lined down the street to keep the small town charm. Here, they had outlet stores like: J. Crew, Cold Haan, Coach, Banana Republic, Gap, North Face, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and more. They didn't have as many up-scale shops here, but that was kind of nice. My mom and I spent all out money in Cole Haan where we both made some big purchases. I got boots and a belt and my mom got a purse and two pairs of shoes! We had so much fun! The one thing I was disappointed about on this trip was that we never got to go into New York City since it was "out of the way." But I have already been there before and we can save that for next summer!

King of Prussia Mall

Free Port, Maine

The Royal McQueen

   The world has been buzzing about the Royal Wedding these past few days, and more specifically Kate Middleton's beautiful dress. It was hand-crafted by Alexander McQueen's designer, Sarah Burton. Her dress was long-sleeved lace and ivory satin v-neck (white) dress. It fit kate perfectly and the v-neck accented her tiny silhouette nicely. Kate was looking for a modern, yet traditional dress and the design was inspired by Grace Kelly, the Princess of Monaco's, wedding dress. Kate wore a Cartier tiara that was loaned to her by Queen Elizabeth II-something borrowed and something new. 

   Prince William wasn't allowed to look at Kate while she was walking down the aisle, but Prince Harry couldn't resist so he snuck a peek at her and supposedly told his brother, "Right, she's here now. Wait 'til you see her." This must've made it ten times harder for William to wait until she made it all the way down, but he managed and his face lit-up when he was allowed to look at her. 
   I am excited to see how the growing lace trend will explode after Kate's dress, and I'm sure Alexander McQueen won't be complaining about slow-business for a while.

The Other Bolyen Girl

Tonight I watched The Other Boleyn Girl and I was quite impressed with the magnificent costumes. They were so intricate and beautifully designed. Designer Sandy Powell was the brains behind the costumes, and she was greatly praised for doing such a wonderful job. Vogue even did an article about her. The dresses had amazing patterns and such detail. I loved the sophisticated pearl necklace with the gold B that Anne Bolyen wore. 

It's kinda hard to see but there is a gold and blue pattern on the torso of the dress which perfectly accents the red velvet part.

I love this vibrant color of green with the matching headpiece.

I love the combination of green silks put together so well with the gold detailing on the neckline. 

The zig-zag blue ribbon detailing is very clever and makes this dress beautiful. The pearl necklace looks great with the turquoise. 

Spain

Over Spring Break, I took the best trip of my life in Spain. For all those of you who don't know where Spain is, it is in west Europe. It't not a huge country, only being a little bigger than twice the size of Oregon. We started off in the capitol of Spain, Madrid, which some people consider a Fashion Capitol. After having gone there, I now do too. The people there dress so differently than in the United States! I can honestly say I didn't see a single person (besides my brother) who was wearing a sweatshirt or sweatpants/athletic shorts. All the women looked so stylish and intimidating, and the men were quite attractive. But I did stand out a little bit because I was packed for a warm Spring Break since it was predicted to be in the 70's and 80's, so I had warm weather clothes (dresses, shorts, skirts, white, etc.) It was only in the 60's and 70's, but apparently that is cold for the locals because they were all wearing boots (over-the-knee boots were everywhere) skinny jeans, scarfs, and leather jackets. The men were all wearing straight-leg jeans, collared shirts, dress shoes, and quite a few wore fedoras. I'm sure everyone knew I was a tourist by the way I dressed. In Madrid, we walked around the town and went to a castle and shopping. The castle was unbelievable and giant! Wish I lived there....The shopping was amazing! I've never seen so many cute, stylish shops in one town. They were all around! In Spain, the streets are narrow and winding with adorable Spanish boutiques surrounding you. I got a couple things in Madrid from Mango and another store that I can't remember the name of...I was counting on going to Marc Jacobs and Chanel because I was told by my mom that we'd go there, but she didn't keep her promise because we'd have to go on a detour to get there, which was a huge downer. We also went to an art museum called the Prado which was breathtaking! There were well-known painters' art there, I even got to see a Leonardo de Vinci! For the next 3 nights we were in Seville, which is farther South. It was noticeably warmer there so people were wearing a little more reasonable outfits and weren't quite as bundled up. But I was still one of the only people not wearing boots... In Seville we went to a very famous cathedral (which was actually very cool,) went to a bull ring, and went to two more palaces. They were all very cool, but my favorite was the Cathedral! My mom and I also went shopping in Seville. There were Mangos, H&Ms, Topshops, and shoe markets everywhere! We spent quite a while wandering into all the different shops, but everything there is super expensive so we didn't buy a lot. I ended up getting a couple things at a store called Massimo Duti which could be compared to a more up-scale J. Crew. My favorite purchase was a blue and white gingham shirt. It is now my new favorite! I sad an adorable pair of oxfords at Mango for 50 Euros (about $80,) but I'm mad I didn't pounce on them. Now they're all I can think about. The following 2 nights we went to a tourist town called Nerja. This was the most Southern part of Spain. Here, we went to the beach and walked around. We did a little bit of shopping here, but now a ton since it was a super touristy town so they didn't have great shopping. The last day we went back to Madrid to be close to the airport. We walked around for a bit, but the majority of our time we were taking care of things we had to do before we got on our flight. My mom and I were disappointed because we discovered out there was a shopping mall 30 minutes outside Madrid where all the luxurious fashion designers had stores, and the clothes were last season so everything was 60% off...next time. Overall, it was very impressed by Spain and I hope to study abroad in Madrid when I'm in college.

Stylin' Working Supplies

I adore looking at cute school supplies. I always look online even though I never get anything. I look forward to when my mom has to go to Watermark or another cute work-supplies store so I can stroll around. Here's some supplies you can use to look stylish while you work:

 Gallison-$9.50

7 Year Pen-$8 Each

 Paris-$15

 Kate Spade-$12 Mom has these and loves them!

 Spectacle Stick Note Pad-$8

 Russel and Hazel-$24

 Kate Spade-$8

 Lilly Pulitzer-$10

Suzy Jack-$8.50

The two main websites I like to look at supplies on is See Jane Work and Crane and Co.

Closet Confessions

Ever wonder what Kimmora Lee Simmons or Johnny Weir's closet is like? Well, your in luck! There's a website called Bluefly that will show you all this and more! Some of my friends showed it to me and I was in heaven. The celebrity closets are amazing and make me insanely jealous. The one bad part is that they don't post very often, and I don't know a lot of the celebrities....but it's still amazing! My favorite Closet Confession is The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Kyle Richard's closet. It is absolutely staggering!
You can watch it on the link below. Enjoy!
Closet Confessions Featuring Kyle Richards

Vintage 101

Shopping is my second favorite things to do. I love the rush you get when you find an amazing shirt or sweater, or finding the perfect jeans. And then going and buying it at the register knowing that that new item is now YOURS to do whatever you want with! It's my favorite sensation. But my all-time favorite thing to do is shop for vintage clothing. Some people might think it's gross and out-dated, but every style will eventually come back and you have a very good chance of buying a one-of-a-kind item when you shop vintage. Vintage stores aren't always the most welcoming or easy places to shop, but thats one of the things I love about them. I like to hunt for my clothes and when I finally find the perfect thing, I feel very satisfied, and know I've won the battle. Plus, vintage pieces are cheaper than what you can find at a regular store. And if you shop at the right vintage stores, you can find some pretty good brands! Vintage clothing has for sure become more appreciated in the fashion world and I've seen women on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and other shows with amazing fashion sense shop at vintage stores. In almost any fashion book you buy now it'll have a section on shopping vintage. Whenever I ask someone where they got their shirt or shoes and they reply by saying, "Thanks, it's vintage," I instantly like it ten times more. I am fortunate enough to have an amazing vintage store right down the street from my house called Circa where I have found many great finds. Here are a few of my favorite vintage items:

I added the laces...not sure if I like them.

FAVORITE vintage item. Looks better on.

I LOVE vintage jewelry....

My 'Ballet' Shoes

Classy.

We'll Miss You Galliano!

Christian Dior announced that they were firing the world-renouned fashion designer, John Galliano. They are doing this because they found a video online of Galliano praising Adolf Hitler. The video showed him drunkenly telling a cafe customer "I love Hitler." Natalie Portman, one of Dior's spokesmodels, being Jewish said she "will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way." This isn't good news for Dior since the latest Paris ready-to-wear show begins soon. Hopefully they'll be able to pull through without him. I know everyone will be missing his beautiful designs.

Academy Awards

The Academy Awards are always fun to watch, not just for the movie awards, but for the fashion. There are always some amazing dressed being rocked on the Red Carpet. Halle berry, Gwenyth Paltrow, and Mila Kunis were definitely on my Top 10 Best Dressed list.

But I think the girl who stood out the most to me against that Red Carpet was Halie Steinfeld. She sported a one-of-a-kind Marchesa dress that she designed herself. She is only fourteen years old and I think that is very impressive! That girl's obviously got some style!

Eyelet and Lace Trend

I am IN LOVE with this spring's eyelet and lace trend. I think it looks so elegant and fun at the same time! My favorite take on this trend is in a white dress with some contrasting shoes. Here's a few looks:

W Magazine-"The Fashion Bible"

Fashion's Who, What, Where, When, Why? W is a fashion magazine based off of these five questions. It is by far my favorite magazine I subscribe to and many people refer to it as "The Fashion Bible." It comes monthly and is jam-packed full of articles, tips, pictures, ads, etc. of everything in the fashion world. Many famous celebrities have been featured on the cover. They emphasize that fashion IS art and have done many segments about that. Just recently on Gossip Girl, Blair was spotted interning for W.
WHO is it for? Fashion-obsessed women.
WHAT is it? A Fashion Bible
WHERE can I get it? At your house-subscribe to it!
WHEN will I receive it? Once a month.
WHY do I want it? Any fashionable woman does.

Sunglass Season

Sunglass season is coming up! Be sure your ready for when the day comes by having an amazing and stylish pair of sunglasses. Here's a few pairs that I love!

 Prada-$270

Kate Spade $128

 D&G $149

D&G $135

Marc Jacobs $85

Tom Ford $340

Ray-Ban $145

Gucci $220