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Monday, January 28, 2013

Mondrian meets colorful colorblock style!

Ever heard of Piet Mondrian?  If not, you have probably heard or at least seen the well known Mondrian style.  Piet Mondrian was the artist that created these famous paintings that would later inspire an entire genre of fashion and accessories:

File:Mondrian Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow.jpg 
Mondrian Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow
 

 Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red by Pjet Modrian
  
In the 1930's designer Lola Prusac designed a series of silk squares, bags, and luggage inpired by the Dutch painter.  Later in the 60s Yves Saint Laurent popularized the patterns in her iconic collection that featured dresses inspired by Piet Mondrian's paintings.
 
 
Yvest Saint Laurent's famous Mondrian dress

 After the 60s the mondrian style really took off, showing up for spurts on the fashion scene in the 80s and also, today!  It is interesting to see the evolution that the style has taken, from just red, yellow, and blue, to pinks, purples, and greens, from the shift style, to scoop neck and fitted, different patterns, and etc...

Thus introducing, my mondrian inspired dress, (with a twist of extra color and  a bodycon fit)...


 

 This fun little number has been on my ModCloth wishlist for eons..so when I saw it for $23.99 during the cabin fever sale I nabbed it.  And am I ever so glad I did!!  I love the bright color block meets Mondrian style of it, and it is so fun to mix and match with other colors. It would be a great number for a late night date (which I have already used it for :) or a museum stroll (although the latter would require dressing it down a little ;)  So at last I have my color block beauty...however, a disclaimer for this: it is not for wearing outdoors.  Nope, not right now.  I took a few photos of it without my jacket just to get a good shot, but boy- was that freezing!!!!  I have decided that the rest of my outfit shots this winter will need to be in warm, cozy (albeit still colorful) layers.  Sooooo get ready for some fun posts on how to still look cute with all that layering and fluffy fabrics! haha.


Ahhhhh at last, the jacket...haha.  A little warmer now.  LOVE THIS JACKET!  I got this from H&M about 4 years ago I want to say?  I have gone through a lot of buttons on this one, but it is totally worth it!  I love the 60's geometric shapes and fun tent shape.  It satiates my love for mod geometric style.  Not the warmest for winter, but great for dressing up outfits in the spring and fall.











Do you don any Mondrian style accessories or clothing?  I really love the style and like to throw it in here and there on occasion.  It's really fun with some bold lip color and cateye eyeliner ;)

While I was getting dressed for this outfit post, I realized I hadn't yet photographed an outfit before with my bright purple tights.  Pretty silly, considering I wear them all the time...So  I recapped some of my favorite outfits from the past few months and it's easy to see how much I love wearing bright colored tights!  


I found that I especially seem to have an affinity for yellow, green, and orange tights in my outfit photos. Looking back at these helped to show me which colors I haven't posted yet and gave me lots of ideas for future postsI realized I haven't even worn my mint tights in a post yet (and I wear them all the time!)  So it will be fun to do an entry on pastels :)
Go here:  www.welovecolors.com  to find the widest range of brightly colored tights imaginable! I get so much use out of these through the winter, fall, spring and even summer!  The microfiber tights are my favorite for their thickness, comfort, and opaque colors!

Until next time,
xoxo
~Alyssa

Sunday, January 20, 2013

The Closet Expedition: refinding a rainbow gem!


Ahhh...the joy of resurrecting an old favorite.  I haven't worn this funky vintage dress for almost 2 years, and guess who found it?  My husband.  The story goes a little something like this:

Me:  "Bleh.  I have no idea what to wear today.  I want something super fun thats also really flattering and makes me feel good."
Daniel:  (walks over to closet, and searches through dresses)  
Me:  Waiting on bed patiently...

Daniel:  "What about this?  This is really cool, I've never seen you wear this!"

At first, I wasn't convinced..I am not a huge fan of button-up collars, (unless they are peter-pan style which I love) but with this dress the collar doesn't really bother me.  It's flattering and sits well, the pattern is guaranteed to make you smile, and the colors are so much fun!  Add a belt for that extra little touch, and voila!  I was feeling the winter doldrums today and I probably would have never thought to pick out this dress from the back of my closet, but it gave me the perfect "pick me up" to remind me of how much I love expressing myself through style, and why I was so excited to find this beauty on ebay in the first place! 


Ever have a day where you're just feeling kind of down?

Know that you are so special and beautiful!

Treat yourself, get dressed up, pull out an old closet favorite and don't worry about what the world thinks!! <3



In these photos Daniel and I went back to an old haunt we first discovered almost 4 years ago when we got back in touch with each other and started hanging out.  It was some kind of mill dating back to the 1800s.  Now it's mostly concrete walls, boarded up windows and graffiti, but I still think it's beautiful, even if just for being nothing more than a nostalgic memory.

He took me there as a surprise on our way up to Glen Mills, PA to check out the new Whole Foods (hey, we don't have one around here!!!)  and I could not have been happier to be there traipsing around and going on new adventures.  The place just feels like it's "ours" :)


The windbreaker in the photo was made by Seattle turned New York City designer "RHLS" or "Ruffeoheartslilsnoty"  I found these guys on etsy.com almost 5 years ago and they made me this fabulous windbreaker from deadstock materials completely to my measurements and liking.  For the past few years I have worn it on and off since they (admittedly) actually made parts of it too small , (but it was too brilliant to send back!) and it seems to fit better now anyway.  I love the flashy "Sars Guard" at the top that I can sling across my chest when I get cold!  Too cool.

  




The New Year is a great time to start digging through your closet and resurrect old favorites with new pairings (and adventures) !

Here's a Battleplan to help you get started!

1.  If you're like me, you have a "back of the closet".  Rotate things from the back to the front so that they are the first options you see in the morning.  Think of old things you used to love wearing and go find them.  Have any new accessories you could rock them with?

2.  Have a self proclaimed "80's week" (that's what I am having this week ;)  or "60's week" or "Complimentary colors" week or "Animal pattern" week.  This will give you a chance to pull out a whole slew of clothes of the same theme, and you are certain to find a few pieces you haven't worn in a while, and now you have the excuse to!

3.  Theme your closet by color.  This would take me forever and a year, everything is a hodge podge and mixed together and I have way too many "more than one color" dresses, but this is a good way to get organized and remember what you have!

4.  Host a clothing swap party!  *this is on my to do list* Go through your closet, find old flames that have burnt out and invite some friends over to exchange them with!  You might end up with something fun and new for yourself too!  This is also a great option if your clothes are a little too tight or a little too loose or just don't "feel like you" anymore.  

  Any old outfits your hoping to rock again this year? :)

xo,
Alyssa

Sunday, January 13, 2013

"And the fog comes up from the sewers and glows in the dark"

Glorious fog...Delaware has been getting a lot of it lately.  And what does that mean to me? Besides zero visibility, it's a fabulous photography opportunity!  So off I went to face the fog today in bright mint, yellow, orange and neon pink. I have really been feeling bright colors this winter (although, when do I not?).  I have never been into dulling things down during the colder seasons, and I have decided that if I am feeling "summer" colors in 30 degree weather, than I will wear just that.  Luckily, it was not 30 degrees today... but probably in the mid 40s.  It was cold enough for my eyes to start pouring tears after this photoshoot, but it was so worth it!  I have always found something so mysterious yet cozy about the fog... it's sort of like a thick dewey blanket, wrapping itself around you, while keeping whatever is behind it a secret. 

And I am soo excited about this outfit!  I got a Francesca's gift card from my parents for Christmas and my friend Beth and I made a trip up to Greenville to check out the shop (as well as a fun vintage shop I frequent) and I stumbled across this gorgeous mint dress.  I really wanted something with sleeves, there are so many charming dress styles that are sleeveless, but I really adore a sleeved dress, they are more cozy and flattering in my opinion (atleast for me ;).  So when I stumbled upon this, I knew I should make it mine.  The clutch?!  Ahhh!!! $12!!  Only $12, I couldn't believe it!  But I do believe their sale is still going on if you want to check it out.  It looks like mint and coral are making another full go in the fashion world, which is perfectly fine with me since they are two of my favorite colors (especially together).  But I decided to go a little more bright rather than romantic with this one, and I had so much fun doing it!  



I thought it was nice how the fog created this amazing, serene looking backdrop (it's just our local park!) and for such a bright and loud outfit, I really liked the contrast of it.. I was excited to get the dramatic, blurry background with the colors in focus.  The wind also picked up on the top of the hill and pushed my hair around which was nice for "effect" haha.

Neverending sky...







The jumping pictures are always my favorite to pose for ;)




By the end of this shoot I was definitely ready for my coat :)

So are you trying any mint or coral for the winter?  I've seen it everywhere, and I love to put my own spin on it.   I like pairing it with neons just because it makes me smile!  Try neon pink to really pack a punch, or go coral for a more subtle and delicate contrast.   

I had such a great time playing in the fog today, and I hope you enjoyed shuffling through my photos!

XO,
Lyss 

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Buggin Out!

     After a little "Holiday Hiatus", I am back to blogging and ready for new and exciting adventures in 2013!  2012 was...well, a whirlwind of things.  It was exciting and different, scary and anxious; stressful and surprising, another year of getting to know myself and the world.  But that's a blog post for another time...This post is about one of my all-time favorite things, bugs!  Some of you love them; (maybe only on fabrics or jewelry) others of you can't stand them- but they have been a huge influence on my life and thus- my style as well.  I am absolutely in love with the bug craze that seems to have carried into the new year, and I can only hope that I will continue to see beetle adorned jewelry, butterfly print pants and scarves, and amazing insect home accents.  My inspiration for this post was an awesome beetle necklace that I found in H&M yesterday, it is such a versatile piece and can be worn with so many different outfits.  The novelty of it really spices up an otherwise ordinary outfit or gives a "pop" when you need one.  So how have bugs been influential to me?  (and I know your probably stumped about his one).  Let me count the ways:

1.  Bugs really introduced me to nature and my love of all things in the natural world.  When I found my first Luna Moth at five years old it was love at first sight.  She was old and damaged so I prepared a place for her in my window-sill in an open jewelry box, she laid eggs that night and a week later there were little caterpillars crawling all over the place!  

2.  Bugs inspired my love of color- over the years I found caterpillars, beetles, and butterflies from all colors of the rainbow.  Their vibrance and otherworldly patterns inspired me to dress more colorfully.

3.  Bugs inspired my love for photography.  In junior high I started borrowing my family's digital camera (they were brand new then) to take pictures of the butterflies in our backyard.  A few years later they were the subject of my first official photography contest, which I placed third place in!  

4.  Bugs followed me into college.  I pursued a minor in Entomology, and had to collect, identify and pin over 700 species of insects during my last year of college, I have never done anything more challenging in my whole life!  

5.  Bugs inspired my jewelry line!  I have a whimsical jewelry line called "The Lemon Moth" that was inspired by my love of giant silkmoths and lemon flavored things, how they came together I'm not too sure!  haha.  

This list could be much longer but then it would just get ridiculous, so on to the fashion already!!! :)

Left to right: skirt from ASOS, "Very Hungry Caterpillar" skirt from Etsy
This vintage dress is one of my favorites!  I found it on etsy as a maxi dress and had a smart seamstress attach the original red stripe to the bottom of the new hem.  The neck scarf was a find at the "family thrift", and the orange beret from H&M is sooo comfy in cool weather.     


This scarf is amazing!  Daniel gave it to me as a gift last year and since then I have been trying to find ways to wear it.  It is SO big, so it can be used as a bathing suit coverup, a really big winter scarf, or even a cape!


Apples to Apples...

This dress combines two of my biggest fashion favorites- bugs and fruit!!! What could be better than a bright 60's mini dress covered in ladybugs and big red apples?!  Not much else (I think).  This was another great etsy find, and I decided to play up the apples by adding an apple headband and necklace! (the apple necklace actually opens up like a locket!)



  I found the vintage scarab beetle bracelet at a local antique mall, the scarab charms are only plastic but I love how chunky it is!

So take a cue from the bugs- and break out your bright colors for the winter!  Or try some fun insect prints or patterns.  It will help you beat some doldrums now that the holidays are over ;)  What is your greatest inspiration in fashion?  Do you draw any influence from nature, or any particular person, place, or thing?


Buggy Bonanaza redux