Halloween 2012: Part Of Your World

Wildfox Couture cropped shirt / Mary Katrantzou maxi skirt / Reiss clutch purse / Kenneth Jay Lane necklace / the little mermaid

(Whoops, Halloween is in a week and a half. So I'm going to ramp up the costume options.)

Taking it back to my childhood once again, this is the sartorial interpretation of The Little Mermaid. The first time I saw this Mary Katrantzou skirt, I couldn't help but think that if would be perfect on Ariel herself, what with the mermaid silhouette and reptilian-reminiscent detail. I adore the kitchy shell bra top, and the coral necklace and shell clutch make for the perfect under the sea accessories.

"Manchester" - Kishi Bashi

 

 

Not sure if you've heard, but it's going to be 75 degrees this week in Minneapolis. HOHHH MY GEE. Finally. This summer is going to be fantastic - I've got an anniversary vacation coming up, loads of local concerts to go to, Tough Mudder, and Bonnaroo. And that's all before June! Summer is the best. You know what else is the best? This song. I think I found my song of the summer - and it's only March!

 

This is yet another "instant love" songs. I think I'm starting to understand the formula I need for me to feel an attachment to a song. It usually involves at least one of the following: hopeless and/or beautiful declarations of love; an infectious melody that builds on itself with grand instrumentation; the ability to spark the desire for me to stand up and twirl around until the song is over. Kishi Bashi has included all of these qualities in "Manchester".

 

The song begins with a dreamy string and percussion sound and builds into the chorus, when Kishi Bashi sings "Oh, hello/will you be mine?/I haven't felt this alive in a long time". And what makes one feel more alive than sporting some high waisted geometric printed shorts and a cutout blouse? P.S. - "Oh, hello" is one of my favorite ways to begin any story, conversation, anything.

 

Please listen to the song here (along with other tracks from his Room For Dream EP).

"Born To Die" - Lana Del Rey

[I'm deviating from my usual formula for today's post, and perhaps experimenting in what will turn into an additional formula going forward: discussing the styling of a music video. Instead of creating a unique look for a specific song, I'll be analyzing some of the stylistic details of a specific music video and creating a collage of looks similar to those seen in the video. Cool? Cool. Here we go.]

all screenshots taken from the music video

Lana Del Rey is an interesting artist, no? She's certainly beginning to garner much more attention in the recent months. She signed with Interscope in October, her debut album is due in January 2012, and her video for "Born to Die" received over 1.5 million hits in two days. 


She's not brand new to the scene, however. Amanda Dobbins of nymag.com wrote an excellent piece summarizing her rise to fame, as well as the backlash surrounding it. Essentially, she's being marketed as a sexy new indie sensation, but a number of music bloggers have called her out for being a poseur and adjusting her image to fit into the indie mold (Dobbins' piece references most of those bloggers and their articles). 


As for me, I've enjoyed listening to her singles "Video Games", "Blue Jeans", and now "Born To Die", but at the same time the idea that she may be manufactured to appeal to a certain audience leaves a bad taste in my mouth (bad sound in my ears? Does this idiom work?). And then again, how many hundreds of other artists are completely manufactured in order to be successful? I think the issue here is it's typically pop artists and the machines behind them that fall into this category and their listeners don't care as much to lead to any real backlash. Lana Del Rey's people tried to pull one over on the wrong demographic. As an indie sensation, she's appealing to the hipsters, those vehemently opposed to "the mainstream". I know I'm stereotyping, but I think it's those stereotypical hipsters that are being the loudest over all this. If your audience yearns for authentic indie cred and then finds out it's not authentic at all, you can bet they'll yell about it. 


Anyway, this is a fashion piece, so let's be done with the politics and controversy and get back to the style, because, you guys, this video is pretty stunning. 


The song is about a relationship that's essentially doomed to fail (hence the title) and, in the video, it does so, quite literally. The video was shot in a French castle and the juxtaposition of shots in this ornate location and the gritty scenes in the car is beautiful. The colors are simple and impactful, and the flames at the end are especially abrupt as they provide a bright pop of orange after scenes of neutrals, reds, whites, and blues (minus the tigers, of course).


Each look worn by Lana is fantastic and understated, and the beauty is spot-on. In her throne she wears an Antonio Berardi gown with her floral crown and pet tigers. We also see her face featuring a strong red lip, dramatic cat eyes, and oh-so-trendy triangle nails, a favorite of refinery29 nail DIYs. The next time we see her she's wearing a classic Americana chic ensemble with Daisy Dukes, some red hiker boots and a fabulously fringed motorcycle jacket. Her final outfit is an uncomplicated slip with a perfectly curled hairstyle and nude lip.


Want to recreate one of the looks? Here are some ideas.

"King of Anything" - Sara Bareilles

I think this is such a kickass look. Not in the literal, if I wore this I'd be able to hurt you, kind of way (although I probably would if I stepped on you), but in the totally confident, send me any challenge and I'll crush it kind of way. A brocade minidress and fur boldly paired with some thick knit socks and badass leather half-gloves? It's beauty meets total toughness. Maybe not total toughness, but there's definitely a message of "go ahead and try me" here, and I love it. The wearer of this outfit trusts herself wholeheartedly and is self-reliant while still maintaining a careful attention to and appreciation for detail. She values what she has, because she's worked so hard to get it. 


On my iPod, you'll find a "pump me up" playlist. I'm not talking about an exercise playlist, that's a separate one entitled "WORKOUT JAMZ". This is a playlist specifically for when I'm feeling sort of down and need a pick-me-up. First on that list is Sara Bareilles' "King of Anything". I absolutely love everything about that song. I love the melody and I love the message. It has a witty way of declaring independence: "I hate to break it to you, dear/but I'm not drowning/there's no one here to save". It's all about owning who you are and the choices you make and, not to get too cheesy, I think that's a fabulous statement to make.


Listen to the song here.

"Go Do"- Jónsi

It's nice to have that rush of energy hit during winter, when it's so easy to get bogged down with the short days, frigid weather, and grayscale wardrobes. Not to knock the gray on gray look, it's very chic, but a little color never hurt.

Pantone just released its Spring 2012 Fashion Color Trend Report, and Tangerine Tango was the top color for the season. I couldn't be happier. Winter is really starting to hit hard and I can't think of a better to way to start looking forward to spring. The color is so fresh and inspiring and makes me think of swimming and riding my bike and taking naps on the beach of Lake Calhoun. 

Anything that makes me think of summer is my favorite thing. Swimsuits? My favorite. Sunglasses? Favorite. Watermelon? MY FAVORITE. Some music selections have a tendency to remind me of summer as well, and one album in particular that does so is Jónsi's 2010 debut solo album "Go". The first release from the album, "Go Do", was played on repeat in my car when it first came out last year, and the mile a minute pacing and enthusiastic woodwinds always put a smile on my face. I thought it would be the perfect match to this mega-cheery ensemble. 


Listen to the song here.

H M flare dress
£30 - hm.com

Senso shoes
$175 - solestruck.com

Reed krakoff handbag
$490 - net-a-porter.com

Kenneth Jay Lane gold plated jewelry
$75 - net-a-porter.com

Karen Walker Eyewear neon shades
$220 - gargyle.com