Columbia Fashion Watch

LOOKBOOK// It feels so good to be bad.

2009-03-25T09:34:00.001-07:00

So. I have this friend, who's this web wizard because she continually manages to conjure up websites for me to look at and I am always amazed at HOW she found them, and I'm starting to think she made them up.

Anywho. Her latest pass-off to me was this site, lookbook.nu. It's full of pictures of wannabe fashionistsas (and there's some fashionist-bros on there, too-- like the name I've given them? I do.) flaunting their wafish selves, pretending to be too cool to look at the camera, looking forlornly away under titles such as "Bipolar Disorder" and "Lighntess of being!"

I love it. The vanity! The clothes! The misunderstood youth! My nails are bleeding emo onto the keyboard, the beauty hurts so much.

I can't help wondering if they could be any more pro-anorexic. Or any more ghoulishly WHITE. Or where the cute Cindy A. from Singapore found her scarf and flats. (But if I click on the pic, it will TELL ME. Ooooooh.....)

I hate it. I love it. I hate myself for loving it. Isn't that what being emo is all about, anyway?

Whatevs.

So the next time you find yourself scrunching your nose at a fashion magazine, thinking, "Ya OK no one actually wears this, right?" you'll know you're WRONG, oh so WRONG.

News Flash!

2009-03-19T07:37:00.001-07:00

Yo. It's like 60 degrees out. And sunny. So put the Uggs/knee-highs/leather boots away already. Yes, you. Are you asking winter to make a comeback?

Muffy, dahling, call the driver. Let's go to the boat show!

2009-03-15T09:19:00.001-07:00

These. Shoes. Are. Everywhere.

My mom-- a fashionista in the 80s, called them boat shoes. They're also widely known as Top-Siders, a brand that makes these shoes that used to be reserved for the stuffy people who had, you know, boats. Big ones. I believed they're called yachts.

I don't know what it is. I haven't seen them in any magazine or on any fashion show. I haven't even seen any advertisements for them. But they're everywhere.

I've seen them on grad students. On sorority girls (with black leggings, which makes absolutely NO sense to me, sorry). On a cute little emo-couple waiting in line for lunch at Upper Crust. As they held hands, their skinny little waists in skinny jeans, I noticed they were both wearing boat shoes-- hers were a the tan featured here, and his were a rich mahogany.

I suppose boat shoes are just a natural progression from the flimsy, arch support-less ballet flats. Or they're a natural progression to make us repeat the 80s even more so (and for me, make me look like my parents, who were in their teens then).

After all, ladies, the latest news from the fashion front is that shoulder pads ARE making a comeback THIS FALL. Cue the horrified gasps-- mine was a big one-- and get over it. Walking around in leggings and wearing your eyebrows all bushy, you're basically already there.

They come in a variety of hues and patterns-- dark, light, plaid, and that shiny material once reserved for rain slickers in a rainbow of screaming colors. So pick your poison.

Because we're all stars now.... in the boat show.

Body's too booty-licious for you, baby.

2009-03-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I'm funny.

Like when I think it'll be "fun" to go shopping for designer jeans. I remember I felt the same way in high school, each time there was a dance and I had to go dress shopping: Oooh, what'll I get? What'll I look like? A tango star? A princess? A couture queen? The harsh reality hit me each time as I tried to stuff myself into unforgivingly slinky dresses, wondering which part of me was supposed to fit where, exactly?

It was the same experience with the jeans shopping.

Admittedly, I didn't go to many places. I'm way too impatient to make this exercise last longer than an afternoon. I walked around downtown one sunny day a few weeks ago, and stopped in Swank Boutique, a place I've heard that is just so cool and that I just must go to.

It was cool. As I sampled my first taste of that oft-revered designer dream ware, I understood why people drool over it so much: it's different. It's original. It's clothing that's more like a piece of artwork than a reprinted poster. More like locally cultivated artisan cheese than pre-packaged Twinkies. The similies are endless; you get the idea.

But as I examined an original tank top that had the same quality of fabric as what I would find at Express, I found a price tag four times greater than what I'd pay at Express. Yikes. I browsed a bit more, glazed over the jean selection, but I didn't know how to manuever it. The salesgirl was too busy doing whatever, so I shuffled out.

I also stopped in Blackberry Exchange, another place I've heard about. This place is bigger than Swank, and it's full of gently used clothing at thrift store prices. I glazed over an entire rack of jeans, but I didn't find the kind I was looking for (I kept repeating my mission to myself: Dark! Bootcut! Stretchy!).

Mission. I was on a mission. I was going to bite the bullet. So I went to Britches, cornered a salesgirl and told her I needed help. I didn't even know what size I'd be in these designer places. In the stores at the mall, I'm often a six, but can also be a 4 or an 8, depending on the brand. She told me I'd be something like a 27 or 28 in designer world, so she pulled a few pairs of jeans (from the back of the rack, I noticed), and sent me off to the dressing room.

I will spare you the horrors that followed. I will say this: the jeans did not fit. I searched the store for a bigger size, but there was NONE to be found.

That's right. I'm a size six. I work out at least three days a week. I keep a food journal on the free web site fitday.com. I know the calories, protein, carbs, fat and fiber that I get every day. I eat my fruits and my vegetables. And you're telling me I'm too big to fit?

No wonder girls go anorexic, I thought, as I scurried my big self out the door. Trying not to sniffle, I tried to make myself feel better, repeating the logic I stated above, and remembering that even Tyra's body was too curvacious for couture, so she switched to commercial. (Although the similarities between me and Tyra begin and end there).

So instead of going home and giving up, I went commercial. That's right. I went back to the mall. I was on a mission, after all, and there was no stopping now.

I ended up finding jeans that fit me perfectly at Express, of course. Then I found two other pairs at Gap, that needed to be hemmed pretty badly (the Asian lady at the mall who hemmed them for me couldn't suppress her snicker as I tried on my new jeans for her). But I concluded my excursion triumphant--although not in the way I'd originally planned.

So in trying to expand my fashion horizions, I ended up coming home-- to the places where I've been getting jeans for years. And to places where I am not the largest size.

I guess, in the end, it doesn't matter so much where the clothes come from or how much they cost. It's more about how you feel in the clothes, and how they fit you. Jeans are especially tricky, and for now, I'm going to give my body the respect it deserves. I'm not going to squish it into assless jeans for stick figures; I'll flatter it in clothing that accomodates and enhances its dimensions.

Or I'll stick it to the designers this way: I don't think you're ready for this jelly. My body's too bootylicious for you, bitches.

How to REALLY find the perfect pair of jeans!

2009-02-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

I hate this title. Because it shows up in magazines usually every other month or so-- just in time to tell you what new jeans to buy for a new season-- and it's always the same. Women are "petite," "pear-shaped", "boy-shaped," or "curvy"(synonym for plus-size). I, however, have figured out that I am a short/sorta petite/hourglass shaped/J-Lo bootie kind of girl. And they don't make jeans for me.
Well, not that I've found anyway. It's not just the magazines that exclude me-- it's the stores, too.
And I know I'm not alone in this denim dilemma. I've heard countless women complain about how they never find jeans that are long enough or big enough or small enough, and I've started to wonder who they really make jeans for, anyway.
But I've decided to suffer at the hands of jeans designers no more! I've done some research, and there are resources out there to help. But it takes some studying up and some careful consideration-- no just running into the mall and buying something off the rack. So check out these sites:

Truejeans.com has you take your measurements even has a free tape measure that you can print out. It then shows you some designer jeans that, based on the ideal style/color combination for your body type, are supposed to look fabulous on you. I found it pretty helpful to look at the kinds of jeans that would be best for me-- but the only downside was that I hadn't really heard of the designers they showed me (and I don't think I'm that out of the loop!).
Zafu.com is similar to truejeans.com, but without the measurements. It asks some personal questions ("is your seat shape flat, regular, perky or wide?"), and then gives you suggestions for what jeans and cuts are best to buy.
Mejeans.com lets you totally design your own jeans, which is pretty cool. You get to pick everything: cut, color, length, hem style, little designy-thingies on your butt pockets... I just don't know if I have the $145-plus to blow on one pair of jeans.
And of course, the Women's Health magazine site where I found all of this information is pretty useful. It has a GREAT jeans slideshow, where it rates the best jeans (who knew that Gap classic straight legs look good on 9 out of 10 women?) by style and fit.

Now that I'm armed with all this information, and I know what kinds of jeans to look for, I'm going to head out into that wild jungle of Columbia this weekend just to see if these jeans do exist. And if the service around here is decent enough. Not to be a princess or anything, but based on what I've read (and a few lessons from good ol' Stacey and Clinton), I'm on a mission for the perfect pair for me: Dark, bootcut, stretchy, mid-low rise, with very few embellishments.
Ready, set, GO!

Overheard in Target's clothing section...

2009-02-18T18:15:00.000-08:00

Girl one: Ohmigod preggo shirts! I LOVE preggo shirts!

Girl two (eating popcorn): Ya me too. That way, when I'm at Harpo's, I won't look down down and be all like, Hello, Roll, thanks for coming out tonight.

Milan. Paris. New York. Columbia.

2009-02-08T19:55:00.001-08:00

Okay, okay, so Columbia, Missouri is as far away from high fashion as is Pluto from the sun (or from being a planet anymore, for that matter!). But Stephens College has a thriving fashion program, and this weekend it offered up its Preview Weekend Fashion Show for prospective students.
The theme, Marvel-ous, lent a superhero flair to work, active and swim styles.
Click on the slideshow on the right for a more close-up look at the fantastic fashion showcased!

London Calling

2009-02-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

Friday's beautiful and breezy weather brought out Kiersten's creativity. She's shown here wearing cowboy boots that she got for "super cheap" at a London vintage store. "I wanted boots this color, and I saw them from a distance, and I was like, 'Those are the ones!'" she says.

The rest of her outfit hails from the mother land, too. Her bright cashmere sweater-- which her brother outgrew-- is also from London, as is her patterned scarf. Turns out working for CNBC Europe last year added flair to more than just her resume.

But the jeans are totally American (as jeans out to be! Weren't they invented here?), and they hail proudly from the mother of places to find cheap style: Nordstrom Rack.

Why Maude Vintage is the coolest place you haven't really been to yet

2009-02-03T18:16:00.001-08:00

Reason 1: Because here is where Kanye got those sunglasses he wore for his performance of "Stronger"!

So I'd heard that Maude Vintage on Broadway was a cool place, but I didn't really know how cool. Not until I saw the collection of 80s plastic sunglasses, or the poodle skirts and disco suits in the "decade room," or costumes ranging from matador to army brat in the basement. This place is just fun.

And where does all this stuff come from? Customers, actually, says Carissa, who works there. They'll pay %40 of what they sell it for. Maude V, as its sign says out front, has been around for about 8 years, and has called 3 different buildings home.

Reason 2: Because you'll want to drape yourself, and your house, in everything.

But the place isn't just a dizzying amalgamation of the past-- the store features local artists who create pins, jewelry, t-shirts, backpacks, and all of those irresistible home decorating knick knacks that you'd drop like 30 bucks for at Pier-1. You can expect to pay far less for such items at Maude's.

By the end of my brief trip, I feel like the childhood me would love to hang out and play dress-up all day. Okay, who am I kidding-- I do want to come back and play dress up all day! But it must be noted that Maude's isn't just for the little girl in all of us-- it's for the boys, too. The store boasts just as much menswear (we're talking everything from hats to pants to shoes) as it does ladies' fashions.

Reason 3: Because oooh it's so... shiny...

So instead of pretending to be Olivia Newton-John in Grease or M.J. in Thriller or an escaped inmate, I took pictures. Lots of pictures. Take a look at them on the right, and ogle away. You just might be inspired to find the inner diva (or, for the guys, divo?) in you.

Remember 3 things

2008-12-09T17:28:00.000-08:00

Molly has that quirky mix of spunk and punk. How does she do it? Well, she's not really sure. But she did share the three things she keeps in mind. Want to know what they are? Watch the video below.

Ahoy from no-pants land!

2008-12-07T19:33:00.000-08:00

The other day, I walked in to my apartment to find my roommate in the living room playing with her dog and not wearing any pants.
I stopped and gave her a quizzical glance. "I know," she said. "But I'm so comfortable!" Turns out she returned home after a full day, wearing tights under her jeans, sweater tunic and snow-boot outfit, and just ripped her jeans off in a hurry for for the fastest comfortable possible. And then put her boots back on?
"Well, my feet were cold." And, she explains in her typical scholarly tone: "Well, I was also really trying to understand what makes people dress this way."
Well, I must say, she has a point: While it doesn't make much sense that the colder it gets outside, the more I see girls walking around with no pants on in the sweater-dress and leggings getup, it does make sense that it's one of the most snuggly outfits fashion has seen lately. And Columbia Fashion Watch is about watching fashion, and the truth is there are a whole lot more no-pantsers to watch than there used to be.
And I'm not making fun! Seriously, the getup is really comfortable. And once I'm no longer working in the newsroom, where I must dress "business casual, not campus casual," I'll probably employ the look myself.
And, I'll probably be really cold.

*This chick in the photo is not my roommate, but she nicely exemplifies the no-pants look, and the happily comfortable cheer that often accessorizes it.

Winter sparkle- and nope, we're not talking about snow

2008-12-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

In contrast to the spring-y Kaitlyn, Kelsi definitely looks like she's set for winter wear. But I just loved how the whole outfit gave a little glam to what can be a drab cold weather routine (Sweater.Boots.Scarf.Repeat). A shiny necklace coordinated nicely with knit boots, since the whole outfit is in the same kind of color palette-- something I'd classify as jewel-tone neutral, maybe? What else could you call the winning combination of gray, metallic accents, jeans, and plum? Whatever the classification, she certainly impressed. Below, she shares with us how she managed to stick out so subtly.

Parlez-vou Franglais? Frenglish fashion tips

2008-12-03T20:17:00.000-08:00

An ensemble of light blue pants, a cream cardigan, a lilac shirt, black nylons, red shoes and a teal scarf kind of sounds like the perfect recipe for fashion faux pas. But if you take a look at the smiling Kaitlyn here, you'll see that the combination gives a cool, artsy feel even in December. It's probably because the rather cool Kaitlyn minored in art during her undergraduate studies. So while she looks like she just breezed in from Paris, the rest of us look like we were blown in by a blizzard. Is it that certain je ne sais quoi that the rest of us mere mortals lack? Thankfully, Kaitlyn was kind enough to explain her style in plain English.

Forecast: An increased chance of vv-vvv-vvv with a slight risk of BRRRRR!!!!!

2008-11-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

At 8 o clock this morning, it was 8 degrees outside. Cold weather is officially in the building, folks. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that the response is dreary; in fact, if you take a look at the fashion around you, things seem especially cheery.
Candy-colored scarves, fairisle mittens, and thick knit hats popped nicely with color against the crisp morning sky. And there were some surprising trends too: both aviator sunglasses and shorts were spotted as people hustled to work in downtown Columbia or to class at Mizzou. But there was a winter flair to the summer wear. Aviators are surprisingly chic when paired with long, flowy scarves. And shorts (or even short skirts) look cozy when paired with thick tights, tall boots, and knit socks that peek out at the knee.
This is all way to great a photo opportunity to pass up. This young lady to the left said she brought over her style from Scotland. When she lived there, shorts with tights was the style, so she kept doing it here.
See more wintry goodness in the slideshow above.

Lessons in vitality

2008-11-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

Tracy is probably the most honest fashionista that CFW has covered. Are you ready?

She’s 47, and makes no bones about it. She also has two fashion philosophies, and she makes no bones about them:

“Cover up flaws, and [have] one noticeable garment. Like earrings or your scarf. That way you can look at one thing and feel okay about your outfit even if the rest of it sucks. Or if you have one jacket you really like—just dress around it.”

She’s been spotted in lots of black. What gives?

“Black is very grounding to me, which probably you could analyze, or my shrink could analyze,” she laughs. “I really do have so much that goes with black. Every now and then I pull out a brown and I can’t even function. I have black on every day.”

Black also serves another function for Tracy:

“If you have a tendency to feel big…black makes you feel smaller.” But she’s not… big. “I know, but there’s always that feeling. I had twins in utero and I can’t get past that feeling. I gained 70 pounds, so there’s always that feeling.”

Even though she’s a mom, and that has affected how she looks, she refuses to give up on her appearance. 70 pounds gained and lost, children to raise, and nearing 50, she won’t let herself blend into the sweatshirt-slugging mom masses.

“A lot of people I know are like that… where my kids go to school there are these moms and they have kindergarteners, and they’re full on gray.” And she’s not talking about hair: “It’s like they are gray. They’re done. Where’s that coming from?”

It’s easy to see how Tracy would have a hard time understanding where they’re coming from. She’s continuing her education at Missouri’s Journalism School, even after an already-successful journalism career. Tracy is the kind of woman that will probably be learning Mandarin when she’s 75. She’s not the kind to burn out, or fade away. But she knows you have to work at keeping yourself going.

“It’s awkward to say my age, but in a way it’s not,” she says. “Because what are you going to do? When I’m 57 I’ll go, gol, 47 was really young!” she laughs. “And there are people who are 67 and doing really great things. Why not?”

There’s another reason, too. A more painful one. “Part of it is, my mom died just over 50. And she was in bed from the time she was 40. So… part of it is probably from that bad experience.”

She recalls a movie, Finding Forrester. “There’s a line where Sean Connery says, ‘Who knows why some people live and some people don’t.’ You can look at that on a superficial level, but in a broader sense I think he means why not just live, versus not live?”

EVENT! Weavers and Spinners Guild craft show

2008-11-06T11:46:00.001-08:00

Craft shows are always a great place to pick up funky items to wear. But if the term "craft show" conjures up images of quilts and baby booties, check out this Columbia Missourian article here that calls the show "sophisticated and diverse." It has info about featured artists and what they make --everything from bowls to necklaces to blankets.

The important stuff to know is:

Where: Boone County Historical Museum, 3801 Ponderosa Road
When: Today 6-9, Friday 9am - 4pm, Saturday & Sunday from 11-4
Cost: FREE!

These craft shows are always a good place to find original Christmas gifts too, for those of us who think about these things early!

Halloween: Scary, slutty, and everything in between

2008-11-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

If fashion is just a costume, then there's no better holiday than Halloween.

A quick survey at Ragtag gives us a glimpse at the most popular costumes in Columbia:
Men dressed in drag was a big one, as evidenced by the plethora of men in wigs and mom wear; Zelda and Marilyn Monroe had some manly proportions last night. You could also see celebrities, such as two Kurt Cobains, Groucho Marx, Liz Lemon, Kid Rock, and John Cusak in Say Anything. Two Ghandis were spotted chatting with one another. Some others sported truly original creations, like the Absinthe fairy (complete with green hair, green eyelashes, and a huge sparkling sugar cube), what looked like a "rocket man," and a "bunny taking a crap on me" getup. The female pope gyrating against another woman was just one of many examples of blasphemy. And of course, there was everyone's favorite-- the non-costume "less is more" look-- which made the normally respectable streets of Columbia look like a brothel convention. Of course, that getup (or lack thereof) is the whole reason for the last category of popular costumes: creepy old men dressed as creepy old men.

So who needs the sugary stuff that will rot your teeth when there's eye candy all around? See the slideshow on the right to ogle some more.

Rainy Day

2008-10-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

With magenta lips and an undeniably English accent, Patricia confesses: "I'm studying journalism, but I'm very interested in fashion. I'd love working on a fashion magazine someday."

Even if she's a couple years away from a fashion journalism career, she sure knows how to dress the part. She's shown here wearing a loose black dress ("It was rainy and I feel black dresses are cool on rainy days") brown leggings, black heels, a Louis Vuitton bag, a gold peace sign necklace, and a bright orange scarf tied to her braid that she got from her mom.

Such careful selection just goes to show how "I try and find my own style and not copy." It takes time, though: "I search in every little store for pieces that I actually like," she says, "not just go to the big ones and wear what everybody wears."

So the next time it's raining, it might be fun pull a Patricia. Instead of blending in with all of the hoodies and rainboots hiding under umbrellas, why not don a little black dress?

"I like the nightlife, I like to boogie"

2008-10-12T21:24:00.001-07:00

Who said guys don't care about
what they wear?
These two clearly know how to accessorize.

Wishbone? Fishbone!

2008-10-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

Lindsay Ray's hairstyle looks like a braid, but not quite: it's called a fishbone. She says, "It's basically like a French braid, but it starts lower, and there's only two strands used instead of two." She found more detailed instructions at this wiki page. Here, she shows us the look, and then she shows how it's done.

Floral skirts & kid's shirts

2008-10-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

A petite Columbian talks about her style.

Paisley from Texas

2008-10-10T20:19:00.000-07:00

Brianna’s crazy dress came from Austin, Texas in a used clothing store. She says the wide collar and funky mix of paisley, floral and geometric patterns gives it a 70s feel. The halter dress also has some deep cut-outs along the sides, but she’s covering them with a sweatshirt since she’s in the workplace. “But after I leave here, this comes off,” she assures me.

Classic with a twist

2008-10-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

Jenny Rogers calls her style “updated classic.” “I don’t like overly trendy clothes,” she says. “I’ve been wearing navy and white stripes my whole life, just like my mom.”

Her classic look of boot-cut jeans, a white tee and a navy striped cardigan is updated with bright red flats and a co

ol tote that she got for free while working at a Florida college. (Who knew there was such thing as a Citrus major?)

What also stands out is an oversized watch. Jenny says she most likes men’s-style watches, because “I don’t think men’s watches ever go out of style.”

Her best accessory, however, is her refreshing fashion attitude: “I don’t think fashion is shallow,” she says. Instead—as per the CFW mantra—it’s a legitimate and very interesting way of expressing oneself.