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.

"Home" - Phillip Phillips

Topshop sweater / Clover Canyon pants / Dolce & Gabbana boots / Proenza Schouler handbag
Home

Work has been exceptionally stressful lately; it's a busy time and it's been a little difficult to stay motivated. I'm not someone who is satisfied with less than 100%, so I'm able to get through it, but not without some emotional nights. I mention this because it's the first time since I started my career that I've felt a consistent struggle, and, as you may imagine, that's been difficult. Fortunately, I have an amazing support system, consisting of family, friends, boyfriend, fulfilling hobbies and activities, and music. It's incredible how a song can lift my spirits. So perhaps it's fate that right at the moment that I need some extra motivation, Phillip Phillips graduates from American Idol and inundates the radio waves with his first single.

This song can't help but inspire with it's strong bass drum beat and uplifting chorus of "ohs". It begins softly, with a plea to hang in there, because no matter how hard it gets, you're not alone, and you have a home (Perhaps I'm trivializing it when I connect it to how I'm feeling about my job when one imagines the other immense difficulties that others face, but that's something I love about music: I can relate on whatever level I need to relate, and others may do the same.).

As I created this look, I considered how I've been feeling and wanting to feel: comfortable, but not safe. I'm not asking for my life to be easier, and I don't want to stop being challenged, but I want to maintain some level of peace. This look embodies that theme, with a giant Topshop sweater (one of my all-time favorite pieces to wear throughout half the year), some Clover Canyon leggings, and Dolce & Gabbana boots. The pieces alone are always an easy, comfortable outfit option, but the print and pattern are strong and deliberate. The wearer is bold and willing to take risks.

Listen to the song here.

Halloween 2012: If She Doesn't Scare You, No Evil Thing Will

I wasn't kidding about these Halloween costumes, you guys. I've got a bunch up my sleeve. I thought I'd wait and reveal this one towards the end of the month, since it's what I will be sporting this October 31st (not exactly this look, mine is a thrifted version, though a girl can dream, amirite?), but I couldn't resist. I am very much looking forward to embodying this crazy character this year.

Cruella De Vil is arguably one of the best dressed Disney villains in existence, and if her wardrobe was faux and she wasn't fighting to murder puppies, perhaps she wouldn't be a villain at all. I've always enjoyed the utterly insane glamour she exudes - to the point of being unhinged. This is a woman who gave up everything for fashion (not that I'm condoning that level of devotion - I'm certainly not condoning the obsession with fur - it is a cartoon, after all). 

Jason Wu dress / Miu Miu coat / Versace heels / Kendra Scott ring / Causse Gantier gloves
If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will

Halloween 2012: Dorothy Gale, from Kansas

Valentino lace bodice dress / Lili Gaufrette pink socks / Jeffrey Campbell glitter high heels / Rewind Vintage Affairs handbag
dorothy gale, from kansas


Halloween is, and has pretty much always been, my favorite holiday. Perhaps it's my flair for the dramatic, or maybe my incessant sweet tooth, but I live for Halloween. To celebrate, I will be dedicating a few posts a week to Halloween costume inspirations. I don't particularly believe in store bought costumes; I like the thrill of putting it together myself, and what's more fun than giving a classic costume a modern, couture spin?

To kick of the month of October (yes, I'm a day early. Favorite holiday, remember?), I've put together a modern day Dorothy Gale, after one of my all-time favorite movies. I was the child insisting "I'm not a witch at all, I'm Dorothy Gale, from Kansas" and getting to dress up as Dorothy as a four year old was a dream come true. I love the idea of reprising that character now that I'm grown, and these Jeffrey Campbell boots just may be the perfect ruby slipper for me to do so.

"Bad For You" - Haley Bonar

This is such an adorable, simple song. The message is clear and concise: everything's bad for you. I listen to it with a smile, having grown up eating dirt along with carrots straight from the garden and spending my time singing and talking to myself in the woods day after day. It's no secret that we've become much more protective of our health and safety in recent decades, and often for good reason, but doesn't it sometimes seem a little excessive? That's what this song means to me: maybe it's not actually all that bad?

I loved envisioning what the wise grown-up singing this song would wear. Very proper, very modest, very smart, but perhaps a little off - she takes everything a little too far, both in her wardrobe and her advice. This Moschino Cheap & Chic dress gives a hint that the wearer is a little off-balance with it's quirky blocks of color and that surprise pop of yellow. The look is put over the top with this outrageous Meadham Kirchhoff faux fur coat, evoking a crazed monster. Everything really is bad for you after all, it seems. 

Listen to a live version of the song here.

Moschino Cheap & Chic lace cocktail dress / Meadham Kirchhoff  faux fur coat / Rupert Sanderson pumps / Alexander Wang leather wallet / Rebecca Minkoff sunglasses
Everything's Bad For You 

Things Emma Loves: Animal Sweaters

Remember how I said this may look a little different in the coming weeks? Let me introduce you to a new feature where I gush about a particular trend/genre in fashion/music with which I'm currently obsessed. Today, I am channeling my inner five-year-old and adoring all these fine-knit pullovers featuring our furry friends (believe it or not, all that alliteration was totally an accident - but I'm not going to correct it).

"Sweet Sour" - Band of Skulls

What do you call a more innocent version of a femme fatale? Like, someone that has just a bit of edge - not enough to be dangerous, but enough to be interesting - and still an undeniable adorability? I'm not sure exactly what she'd be called, but I do know that Band of Skulls' "Sweet Sour" would be her anthem and this would be her signature look.

This look appears almost preppy until you stop to notice the details: leather almost everywhere, sky-high Louboutins, accessories boasting a bit of hardware. This chick has layers. She is complex. She will keep you guessing and keep life exhilarating.

I love how this song is a bit reminiscent of 80's rock - the look is almost too tame for such a genre, but I think the added subtleties of the look make the pairing all the better. It makes the resulting personality of the wearer that much more surprising.

Listen to the song here.