Dedicated to the girl who loves horses

I enjoy being a pioneer as much as Fayettevillemandy enjoyed learning about them as a ten-year-old tomboy (she admitted to me over our romantic Valentine's Day dinner that these two phases did in fact coincide). Pioneer meaning an admitted trailblazer within the Business and Enterprise Management major. Me creating my own concentration basically translated to, "Yes, bitches, I'm serious about this being a viable career." Whether it's merchandising, buying and planning/allocation or brand management, by conducting my own time-consuming research and reaching out to those far more educated than myself, I've learned a shit ton about the fashion industry and the careers that lie within. That being said, as the second half of OB has taught me, it's now my turn to step into the mentoring cycle to provide knowledge to my own little minions of fashion within business. Exhibit A: Raquel Scharyj.

Oh, herrrrrrro.

I seriously applaud Raquel's willingness to wear six-inch heels to finance class (in B-02, of course-- the practicality factor of Murphy's Law), as well as her effortless employment of my two most essential philosophies: balance and layering. From the scarf over sweater over dress top-half to the just-above-ankle socks / cognac footwear contrast, it's as if all my principles have come together before my eyes in a single cohesive form, a stylistic execution that approximately 98.27435% of girls at Wake Forest have yet to learn. And from the trials of Theresa Breitton, we all know just how damn comfortable these Aldo oxfords are... naaahhhhttt. So let us raise our glasses to the future fashion trailblazers of Kirby Hall, and wish Raquel well on the final half of her semester before she begins a kick-ass internship at Oscar de la Renta in the greatest city in the world.

Scarf: (Roman street vendor)

Cardigan: Urban Outfitters

Belt: Comptoir de Cotonniers

Dress: Splendid

Socks: (own)

Shoes: FORNILI, Aldo

Wait. Jungle king. I'm totally not done. Aldo's shoe collection for Spring is quite good, minus those few bad apples, notably these and these... just no. Also, while imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, trying to overtly channel the one and only Jeffrey Campbell does not earn Aldo cool points. Stowing the negativity away for just two seconds, here are a few of my favorites.

CAPECORAL, $80

URQUIZA, $90

DESTIME, $90

AIME, $80

DONILON, $110

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.

We no speak Americano

And here's the follow-up to my first post documenting the sartorially-gifted muses I discovered while abroad. Writing this post kind of makes me miss traveling all too much.

Plaza Mayor

Salamanca, Spain

18 October 2009:

Seriously, I love bright pops of color. Photos like this are the reason I respect Europeans so much. While these girls were just hanging out in between classes, their outfits are just so much more awesome and interesting than those of anyone you would find in the US, particularly at Wake. I don't remember if the glasses belonging to the girl on the left were solely for aesthetic purposes or not, but they just work. I love the interplay between her structured blazer (great metal hardware at the sleeves) and the hot pink pashmina that totally changes the outfit in a great way. The girl on the right has gorgeous haircolor, and she also makes great use of a rich knit scarf. I love her oversized parka for the soon-to-be chilly fall weather, and that pair of brown leather knee-high boots is an undeniable staple item that transcends all seasons.

18 October 2009:

I met this fun pair of British travelers just walking the streets in a student group of their own. After exchanging "do you know this place"'s regarding London and the several tube zones, I complimented them on their concepts of layering and balance (surprise, surprise). While the girl on the left probably was not even planning on being photographed in her ultra-casual outfit, I applaud her use of a zip-up vest over the simple grey hoodie. This look inspires me to try a fitted charcoal/grey hoodie (maybe zip-up, maybe not) under my black shrunken motorcycle jacket with the hood and longer sleeves exposed. I'm a fan of those skinny Keds sneakers they're both wearing, now deemed rather city and hipster by brands like Urban, selling a simple pair of cotton sneakers for upwards of $24. Ouch.

Fast-Food Chain "X" (Help?)

Valencia, Spain

20 October 2009:

Without a doubt, this was probably the most inspirational as well as the friendliest group of individuals I photographed during the entire semester. A brother-sister graphic design team stationed in Valencia, I met this well-dressed group in line for bocadillos and onion rings. Classy, no? While looks like this are just finally starting to surface via fast fashion chains, the girl here dressed innovatively at least a year before her American counterparts... shame on our parts for not hitting the ground running in terms of the international fashion curve. I can't stop zeroing in on the wash of her grey leggings, which contrast sharply with the harsh line of her classic brown combat boots... utter perfection. And those guys are just awesome with the blazer/scarf/jean/sneaker combo. Casual yet put-together, something that 99.9% of straight guys in the US have yet to figure out, let alone master.

Haus Erasmus

Vienna, Austria

9 October 2009:

Boys and girls, meet Loveleen Sull, my fellow petite fashionphile. Currently working at an ad agency in her hometown of Vancouver (yes she's Canadian, but awesome), this girl knows exactly what flatters her enviable slender frame with a studded bodycon dress from Zara. As I've stated earlier, I'm not a fan of cap-sleeves, but this dress not only makes the concept work, but creates a need for it in order to create the very best sense of cohesion. The cut-out laced black patent oxfords are also an incredible touch. Never at Wake would you find such awesome shoes to go with an otherwise classic LBD-- the toes are pointed! Inspirational to the max, I'm planing on style-stalking Loveleen's facebook to find more incredible ideas (thank you, and you better stick to that New Year's resolution so we can be blog bffl's).

12 October 2009:

When I decided to spend a week with Nats in Vienna, I had no idea how many fun people I'd get to party (and engage in otherwise sober activities) with from literally all over the world. And I don't mean east coast to west, but from countries like Sweden (Molly, on the left) and England (Lizzie, on the right). Making use again of my favorite concept of balance, they both exhibit a sense of nonchalant, understated elegance that I respect so much. Instead of grabbing what's easiest and safest (read: ratty old zip-up hoodie) to pair with a pair of Citizens of Humanity jeans and grossly-overplayed UGG's, I'd like to challenge more girls at Wake to utilize a crisp blazer, something that completely transforms an outfit. Entering the most fashionably conservative context possible, let's imagine an outfit constructed of a simple Hanes wifebeater and a pair of dark denim skinny jeans with cognac leather riding boots. Instead of going for the black North Face Denali (don't even get me started on the Burberry scarf, the constant peripheral good of this piece), a blazer brings the outfit full-circle and ensures a much more grown-up, polished look that a fleece zip-up otherwise would not warrant.

14 October 2009:

When else in my life have I ever met people from Denmark? My party-hopping week in Vienna definitely allowed me to soak up as much global fashion as possible, so thank you again, Nats. And all in the kitchen of a university dorm? God, I love Europe. Only a year older than my sister, Tess is probably the coolest 17-year-old I know (16 at the time this photo was taken). I love how she uses the popping colorblock skirt to the outfit's advantage, that fuschia strip bringing to life the entire otherwise-monochromatic palette. Her friend on the right makes great use of those black leather over-the-knee boots, tied with tassels at the back adding dimension and texture.

Place Monge

Paris, France

14 November 2009:

I was introduced to Hillary, a very fashionably-aware NYU student from Atlanta, by the one and only Caitlin Garrigan-Nass aka sophomore-year Rooms. Interning for the likes of Oscar de la Renta, Hillary exudes the sophisticated dress of an UES socialite constructing her outfit from some of my very favorite esoteric labels-- LaROK and Miss Sixty-- and a touch of vintage with the chain-link bag she stole from her mom's closet. Mixing textures of the shiny silk blouse with the luxe white winter coat, Hillary's outfit screams nothing shy of remarkably put-together. In a single word: fabulous. While my tastes are beginning to lean more toward the spectrum of risky and even slightly ridiculous, this look reminds me of how fun it is to dress with some ladylike swag, as well.

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.

London scenery

As you've perhaps gleaned, I'm all about long-anticipated arrivals. So I was thinking... since I'm still at this over a year later, why not finally post the brilliant, inspirational London locals I photographed last F/W? According to my very favorite words from the wise Louis Vuitton Don (as terribly douchey as I'm sure many of you may believe him to be), "I know it's late and I took all year / but you can stop complainin', 'cause I'm finally here".

London Fashion Weekend 2009

Somerset House

23 September 2009:

Okay so the girl on the left chose a less-than-perfect time to blink. I wasn't going to leave it and pray no one would notice, because let's be real-- who doesn't judge a book by its cover? Realizing my serious interest in fashion by age 9, I was obviously one of those kids. Now back to these girls I met in line for the LFW '09 indoor sample sales, I was mesmerized by their effortless skill of layering. Even though it was nearing October, the center girl clearly didn't let the sharp London wind stop her from sporting a rather leg-bearing structured skirt. Paired with a navy blazer and those badass motorcycle boots, she conveys a take-charge look that perfectly suits her build. This skirt and boot combo represents the perfect departure from the unfortunate American desire to perpetuate the destroyed jean skirt/sand-colored UGG's look. So high school, so Jersey and just so embarrassing.

I love Blink Girl's (please never let her find this site...) drapey chambray blazer; the zip detailing is very different from the typical single-button schoolboy blazers you find in preppy goldmines like J. Crew. Ever since I read the Teen Vogue (if I remember accurately) feature in high school celebrating the combination of denim and cognac leather, I will always deem an outfit 900x more aesthetically pleasing should it display this particular interplay of color and texture. The girl on the right displays the quintessential candid celebrity outfit: oversized layered tops balanced with leggings and dainty ballet flats on the bottom. Seeing fashionable girls in group does to a certain extent seem to exemplify parts of the Cheerleader Effect (props, Mr. Stinson), but if anything, it works to your benefit if everyone is dressed consistently well.

23 September 2009:

These Italian beauties were kind enough to pose for a quick shot in front of the runway after Day 1's Manish Arora and Aquascutum shows. Making wonderful use of suede knee-high boots in two very different shades of brown, these girls played up their otherwise monochromatic outfits (besides the Patricia Field-designed limited edition pink leopard-print Ugly Betty Coca-Cola bottles we were gifted, of course. Yes, I still have mine). Standing by their neutral color palette, they make it work with their black minis and utilize shiny black leather in the form of an oversized tote and shrunken moto jacket to create another dimension for the top half of their outfits.

Slung Low's "They Only Come at Night"

Barbican Theatre

10 November 2009:

Zanna Beswick is for sure the only professor I have met who has not only shown appreciation for my fashion interest, but has encouraged it. Because it's awesome to have a professor who sports a black leather motorcycle jacket, it was just as awesome to meet her niece Georgia, who expressed her fascination with American brands, particularly the very familiar A&F and Hollister Co., and it was a great fashion-pertinent example of the cultural diffusion I learned so much about in Middle School. Citing Topshop as one of her all-time favorite British brands, I love Georgia's blazer/floral blouse/mini outfit combination with sheer tights and flats.

London Underground

18 September 2009:

Girl crush alert. How gorgeous are they? While the girl on the left's ensemble is not exactly groundbreaking and is actually rather reminiscent of the black elastic-waist colorblocked dresses I'm so very fond of (I say this dripping with sarcasm), it looks great on her, accentuating her tiny waist and hourglass figure. The girl on the right exhibits great use of dark tights and an adorably feminine dress. Usually I'm not the biggest fan of cap-sleeve blouses or dresses (this isn't fifth grade anymore, after all), but I am in awe of the major strengths of this dress. The jacquard fabric works perfectly with the textured trimming on the hem. The black vertical lines create a lengthening, corset effect, which I love. Certain dresses and tops get this line concept terribly wrong, but this is great.

24 November 2009:

I love this look because it is what it is: casual, carefree and candid. This girl's outfit isn't in any way over the top because it's quite the opposite: dressing well because it's the norm, not the exception. I love that in London, you can walk around for five minutes and find that nearly every female dresses like she walked out of an international fashion magazine without even trying. And I ask, why can't Americans everywhere dress like this? Instead, they resort to designer denim (yes, intuitively good) but pair it with something blah like a candy-colored Michael Stars or Three Dots cotton top (usually costing somewhere between a painful $50-$100... for a plain cotton tee. Why.), a black pashmina and Sperry's, defending their need to "look put together". Or maybe I'm just channeling the South. Regardless, this girl's use of balance and dark colors is just fantastic overall.

27 November 2009:

Now this is exactly what I imagine when I think about London and Euro fashion. What's not to love? Sure, it's slightly crazy, but that's also what's so damn commendable. Huge fluffy jackets, skinny jeans and shiny oxfords. While present-day American girls are just starting to experiment gingerly with one of the above trends, London locals seem to just have it in their blood to take risks and go a little wild. The best part is, to them, this is no big deal, even mild relative to actually going out of their way to dress with true innovation on the mind.

In short, while I undoubtedly wasn't the happiest girl in the world in London (minus spending 100% of my time with the wonderful Kristen Wood), I turned it around, learning a hell of a lot about myself and my interests, and was able to absorb as much as possible about their fashion-obsessed culture and norms of dressing. Juxtaposing a typical outfit of a British university student with that of a typical Wake Forest undergrad (guy or girl), I can't help but shake my head in disbelief at the extreme discontinuity in what's considered clean-cut and even worse, "cute". We'll see how this new year shapes up.

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.

2 years later

What a successful week in fashion. Congrats first off to Zegna (and the entire luxury goods sector of the industry, for that matter) for the remarkable turnaround and highly-anticipated growth for the coming year, recently reported about in both Bloomberg and WWD. And the partnership with Sowind to launch a not-just-limited-edition timepiece collection? Zegna is just one of those companies that does make it look fun to be a guy sometimes. Next, Rome is another target city on the map that Tory Burch can cross off her global conquest list: the first European boutique opened on the 20th. Totally a milestone. Good for you, TB. You make the Philly suburbs proud. As does VF Corporation's CEO Eric Wiseman, a Malvern native and Wake grad whom I had the serious honor of meeting a few weeks ago at the Board of Visitors reception dinner. As if VF isn't already one of the biggest names in the multi-lifestyle-brand sector, Mr. Wiseman reported a record third-quarter EPS and raised guidance, expecting 2010 revenues to increase 5% to $7.6 billion. Right, so how about that one time, when Dean Reinemund nonchalantly asked Mr. Wiseman if HBSP had written a case study on VF's strategy yet... as I was sitting right next to them, quite appropriately feeling like the starstruck undergrad who actually does write-ups on those cases, lucky enough to have the chance to be there in the first place. Filed under: Most legit dinner table conversations ever. Business school. TFM.

So, let's go back to Spring 2009, before London, before quant... basically before I was a real person. Yes, I have pictures from back that far that I have yet to post. What is wrong with me. I've mentioned time and time again that I would at some point dedicate an entire post to one of my dearest friends, Miss Yuri Jennifer Bong. (The American middle name gets me every time.) Nestled away in the first-floor three-bedroom wonder that was 1315, Yuri's stylish creativity undeniably felt stifled by the excessive amounts of Patagonia fleeces, sorority tees and cowboy boots that dominated (and still dominate) Wake's campus. With a simple J. Crew knit v-neck sweater, her trademark American Apparel black lamé leggings, a chic watercolor-print scarf and her beat-up laceless Chuck Taylors, Yuri's outfit from this night continues to inspire me. I remember her saying, "I think I'll wear sneakers... I don't really care." After stealing Matt Waite's wayfarers for this brief photo op, she  proceeded to single-handedly beat a team of senior Pikes at Civil War. Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you one of my best friends in the entire world, in all of her stylish glory.

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.

Level 23

I’ll be frank and I think you’ll agree— the last thing I’d call Winston-Salem would be a playground for fashion. With a grand total of two (TWO!) appealing boutiques, local shopping distractions are basically nonexistent. No Kitson or Olive and Bette’s here, which is probably a blessing in disguise considering our workload… but I digress.

Today’s adventure led me to Level 23, Winston’s newest retail addition. Housing oft-coveted brands like Ella Moss and Splendid along with denim staple Adriano Goldschmied, I recognized the path owner Angela Pereira wanted to forge and was curious about what else she had to offer. Upon my entrance, I caught a glimpse of swingy cotton tunics, bright empire-waist sundresses and of course, a denim wall. It wasn’t until I paused to browse piece-by-piece that I was able to set aside the store’s most interesting items for scrutiny.

 Puff Sleeve Top

Maj, $94

Jean Shorts

1921, $90

Bani Skirt

Yana K, $130

Cocoon Top

Maj, $127

 Boyfriend Short

AJ Jeans, $90

 Laser-cut Dress

Maj, $105

The clothes were fun, but perhaps the highlight of my trip was discovering that someone else shared our philosophy on Wake fashion. Tending the cash wrap, another Wake senior articulated her frustration over how blah style is on campus. “I just feel like a lot of girls at Wake wear this uniform that consists of J. Crew, Tory Burch and 7 For All Mankind," she said. "I’d say 70% of my closet is made up of clothes that are preppy and classic because it’s what I wear here, but the other 30% is very different stuff. I wish I could wear funky scarves and get dressed up more… and I don’t mean sundresses."

Well said. So while it’s undeniable that this town kind of has a long way to go in terms of competing with the global fashion capitals, I commend Level 23 for stepping outside the preppy bubble to foster these unique LA brands, as well as the mindset that personal style shouldn’t be confined to boundaries defined by a single design aesthetic.

Cross-posted HERE.

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.

No words

There are those inspirations whose magnitude reaches so far, I can't even begin to describe it. Mr. Scott Schuman, otherwise known as The Sartorialist, is up there at the top of the top. Not only is he one of the most influential fashion photographers in history (his On The Street... entries constantly reinforce the idea that effortless, not-a-thought-more style can exist anywhere at any time), but he himself is a strikingly handsome guy who understands the concept of well-tailored garments through and through.

Thank God.

So as I sit here withering away in my usual breakout room, I can't stop myself from reminiscing about New York City. Some may call me anxious, stuck in the past or even plain obsessive, but I've succumbed to, and now wholeheartedly embrace, the fact that the city is where I belong. Browsing The Sartorialist's archives all the way back to 2006, I've come across some of my favorite NYC shots, even re-collecting some images that I saved in high school as my favorite inspirational outfits. It's incredible how just one photo and street name can deliver memories, scents and songs of just a few months ago when I was undeniably in my element. Whether it was running office errands to pick up random items like sponge brushes, venturing into Woodside for authentic Filipino cuisine or discovering the best boutiques of the Upper West Side, I was always truly content with my surroundings. I can't even fathom how many times a day I would think to myself, "only in New York..." when something outrageous would happen, regardless of my specific location. It really is the only place like it in the world.

This post is dedicated to NYC in all its stylish glory, brought to you by The Sartorialist. I'm really at a loss for words (and time), and I know that nothing I say will do justice to what the photos convey.

Ladies...

(These last 3 are perhaps my favorite of all time.)

and Gentlemen.

Here's to you, fashion. Cheers.