Mint and Rose

In a fit of inspiration (and as a way of procrastinating on calculus homework) I redid the bulletin board in my room. I'm really digging mint and rose as a color combo, with some browns, silvers, and purples thrown in there for good measure. Tulle skirts, macarons, and jeweled headbands are all I can think about lately!

FROM TOP LEFT, CLOCKWISE: Gap flower pin; Model at Nina Ricci; Model in tulle from Elle UK; Tinsel coat from Elle US; Young Diana Vreeland; Anthropologie cat-eye sunglasses; "So Retro!" Post-It Note; "Is Ready-to-Wear the New Couture?" Article from the Wall Street Journal; Diane Von Furstenberg Fall 2011 look; "Polaroid" from Elle US; Laduree bag; Elle UK picture; "Mint and Pink: think les macarons" Post-It Note

(all images taken with Instagram)

Moody Judy

In sewing class we've been talking about what really inspires a designer and how the process of creating a cohesive collection begins. Mood boards are really the basis of creating an understandable collection. Like a thesis statement makes or breaks an essay, the mood board is the explanation of inspiration. We humans are visual, and so a collage-style representation if inspirational images, text, and fabrics makes it easy to explain to others what message you are trying to get across with your clothes.

So of course I spent the afternoon searching the internet for cool mood boards by various designers. Here are some of my favorite finds:

Anna Sui

Matthew Williamson

Phillip Lim

Louis Vuitton

J. Crew

Meadham Kirchhoff (Picture from Rookie)

Jason Wu

Givenchy

(images not mine)

Let Them Eat Cake

Spring Fashion Week seemed to make me hungry. Like, really hungry. And not like, hungry for that new PS1 but actually hungry. For food.

Now, you may say, 'Why, Lindsey, you seem slightly crazy right now," but I kid you not- so many of the looks I saw seemed to remind me of food. And not just any food, but Dessert! Cakes and candy and cookies, oh my! Spring is just full of absolutely delectable treats.

Don't take my word for it? See for yourself! I carefully paired the most "bad for your heart but good for your soul" looks with the delicious deserts they reminded me of. Just be careful- you may want to grab a cookie or something to munch on.

Chanel is as classic as this wedding cake

Louis Vuitton shares a sunny disposition with this cupcake

Richard Nicoll loves a good ruffle

Dolce & Gabbana has as many sprinkles as these donut holes

Giambattista Valli has a taste for butter cream frosting

Mulberry and macarons share a love of pastels

Viktor & Rolf takes the cake with this fanciful dress

Runway images from Style.com

Dessert images from Marthastewartweddings,com and various tumblrs (aka not mine!)

Take me away to paradise!

One could very easily analyze fashion the way one analyzes language. Connotation, diction, and syntax develop themes the same way visual motifs and connotations exude the inspirations of designers. But the question to be asked is why? In the same way that word choice makes a poem what it is, themes and inspiration make a runway presentation. One only has to read the clothes with a magnifying glass to identify what message the designer is trying to get across.

In the case of spring, very literal motifs of paradise reigned supreme. Palm trees, sunset hues, and marine life all contributed to this tropical vacation feel, but why? I know it sometimes seems excessive to analyze every piece of alliteration or personification that comes our way, but this idea really struck me. And a number of things -the rain, mostly, and the summer nostalgia that accompanies it- brought me back to a question I've been asking myself for the past few weeks: why are designers showcasing so many vacation-inspired looks?

And then Pier Paolo of Valentino said it perfectly: "Fashion is a dream, and in this moment we need dreams."

The world is a mess. I mean, ever since Eve bit that stupid apple it has been, but especially now. And more locally, the world of fashion is more unpredictable than ever. McQueen is gone, couture is plumetting, Galliano is done, and designers are shuffled around houses more than cards in a casino. We really aren't sure who the key fashion players are going to be five years from now. Bloggers and street style stars have become ten times more influential than celebrities in the past few years. Fashion has become more accessible and yet more extravagant all at once.

But here's the thing: we don't have all that much control over the future. We can't get rid of the demons inside someone's soul or stop someone from drinking and saying rude things or even tell celebrities that they seriously need to get stylists if they want to be considered fashion icons. We can only control the clothes we wear and the lives we lead. The uncertainty of these times cannot be changed. But at least we can live our lives like we really are in paradise.