Wicked Whimsy

Posts Tagged ‘guest post’

Hi! This is noblebeeyotch from Call Me Stylista and the lovely Michelle asked me if I could do a post here on Wicked Whimsy. Let me tell you how incredibly excited I am about being here.

There are people (like us) out there who are born with style and fashion in their blood. We call them the Stylistas. But there are the unfortunate others who do not have an inkling of what style or fashion is. What should we call those? Anyway, whatever you call them, they are what they are and we are the ones who have to help them. (Just kiddin’. I personally believe everyone has a little personal style and fashion ingrained in them.) Moving on, there are some people in the world who by the virtue of their position or standing in the fashion scene feel as if it is their duty to impart their superior fashion knowledge to the measly commoners. They create television shows (Hello, Ms. Zoe!) or write books to fulfill their responsibilities of making the whole world fashionable or rather making fashion accessible to the masses. Some of their endeavors fall flat on the face, but there are some jewels that live up to the expectations and hype. I thought I’d share some of the more interesting and readable fashion/style books out there.

• That Extra Half an Inch by Victoria Beckham

I’ve always been a girls’ girl. And I know from experience that making the very best of yourself is something any woman can do. I was never the six-foot-tall pin-up. I’ve always been the girl-next-door who got lucky. I’ve come a long way in the last ten years, but this book isn’t my attempt to tell you what or what not to do. It’s just to share some of what I’ve learned.

That Extra Half an Inch is a beautiful, nothing-but-the truth, easy-to-use book on fashion, beauty and style. Victoria shares her personal style secrets so whether you’re getting ready for work, a night out on the town or even doing the school run, you too can feel confident and look great every time you step out of the front door.

• Vanitas Inshallah by Alexsandro Palombo

The book features around 100 illustrations by Palombo in which the designer analyses eleven years of his creations, accompanied by a symbolical figure, a melancholic yet exuberant little clown called Vanitas who, turning into a Virgil-like figure, guides him through the personal memories and dreams behind Palombo’s collections. The reader joins them through this journey, takes part in the making of the various garments and sits down in the front row to see the final catwalk, which represents the climax of this adventure into the world of fashion. During the final catwalk Vanitas presents Palombo’s new creations while the designer makes a satire of the fashion universe and of its main representatives.

• The One Hundred by Nina Garcia

Exactly what are fashion’s timeless pieces? The One Hundred answers this question and provides women with a tangible style map to follow when planning a shopping trip and stocking one’s closet. With illustrations from world-renowned fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo, The One Hundred contains the 100 items that Nina believes will never go out of style, and that have become absolutely indispensible for any woman reaching for her own eternal fashion look.

• My Wonderful World of Fashion by Nina Chakrabarti

An interactive coloring book for fashionistas of all ages, My Wonderful World of Fashion is packed with beautiful and sophisticated illustrations specially created by the leading fashion-illustrator Nina Chakrabarti.

The book encourages creativity, with illustrations to color in and designs to finish off, as well as simple ideas for making and doing (how to make a sari, turn a napkin into a headscarf, dye a T-shirt, and so on). Covering clothing, shoes, bags, jewelry, and other accessories, the illustrations span both vintage fashions—drawing on beautiful and interesting objects from past ages—and contemporary designs from the illustrator’s own imagination.

• The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman

Scott Schuman just wanted to take photographs of people on the street who looked great. His now famous blog was an attempt to showcase the wonderful and varied sartorial tastes of real people – not only those of the fashion industry. The book is a beautiful anthology of Scott’s favourite shots from around the world. They include photographs of well-known fashion figures as well as those shots of the anonymous passerby whose imagination and taste delight the viewer. From the streets of Rio to Bejing, Stockholm to Milan, these are the people that have inspired Scott and in turn, inspired designers and people of all ages, wages and nationalities with an interest in fashion.

These 5 fashion and style must-reads cover a wide range. From fashion illustration to fashion and style guide to fashion inspiration, this list has a book for everyone. These books will be a delight to savor for any stylista out there and I would love to hear you thoughts on these. You could also share your own recommendations here. In short, discuss, comment, make me feel welcome here and I will love your forever!

(Big thank you to Swati for sending me this post! Definitely stop by her blog and say hi!)

We’ve all been there: burned out, frustrated, staring at the screen and willing inspiration to come to us. Obviously, the best way to beat burnout is to avoid it, and an older IFB post covers that topic quite well. That doesn’t change the fact that sometimes, burnout sneaks up on you before you even realize it, and then all of the prevention in the world won’t do any good!

So what do you do in that scenario? I can’t guarantee they’ll work for everyone, but here’s some of my tried and true methods…

Want to read the rest? Check out my guest post at Independent Fashion Bloggers!

(Yeah, kind of a cop-out post. I’ve had a head cold all week that has seemingly sapped my ability to do anything but eat and sleep. I’m feeling better today, though, so expect normalcy returning soon!)

I wrote a guest post for the Demoiselles and it went up today. In case you aren’t a regular reader of TD (why not?!), they have an amazing blog that covers body image issues, sexism in advertising, and a whole host of other things. I love the Demoiselles and applaud Miss Elle and Jen for their work! So definitely go check it out!

(note: there will be another, although short, post up later today. I’m having some serious issues with my wrist and I’m not sure what triggered it, as I haven’t been typing any more than  usual, but it makes typing big chunks of text pretty hard.)

By D of Dream Sequins (which is awesome and you should check it out. Her designer and blogger profiles are great, and her Twitter-view questions are always creative!)

I was married nearly five years ago in a beautiful white, custom-designed strapless gown by Canadian designer, Justina McCaffrey.  It was a silk-satin gown covered in a cloudy haze of tulle at my request.  In short, it was the poufy, princess gown that girls doodle in notebooks when they dream about their wedding day, the type of gown prominently featured in mainstream wedding magazines.  What many people don’t know when they see pictures of me in that perfect dress, peeking demurely under a long, traditional veil, is the story of my first wedding dress.  The one that never made it down the aisle.

Like Sarah Jessica Parker’s character in the much-maligned movie length sequel to the Sex and the City series, my first wedding dress was a no-name vintage gown which I had proudly purchased on eBay for $50.  About a month after the Mr. and I got engaged, I began my search for The Dress.  On my entry-level salary, I knew I would never be able to afford anything designer, so my best hope, I thought, would be to buy something vintage or perhaps something at a sample sale.

Before even setting foot in a bridal salon, I discovered my first wedding dress on eBay: simple (I was appalled by the amount of dresses with every imaginable surface covered in sequins and appliqués), cream-colored, off-the-shoulder and A-line, with slightly puffed short sleeves.  My bid was accepted, and about a week later, I was lifting the dress from its plain brown mailer box.

“I think I found the dress,” I told my mother over the phone that week.

“Already?,” she said, sounding disappointed. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had envisioned my mother and me in a ritzy bridal salon, sipping champagne and chatting with salesgirls while I twirled in expensive couture gowns.  Yet, we were miles apart: she was in Los Angeles while I was in New York, shopping for wedding dresses online.

“Yeah,” I said.

“Was it very expensive?” She wanted to know.  After I told her the story of the eBay dress, she nearly dropped her phone. “Absolutely not,” she said, rage bubbling into her voice. “I will not have my daughter getting married in a used wedding dress.  Do you need money?”

Then I felt sad for her, and I felt sorry for myself, and I wanted to tell her it was going to be okay, that I loved the dress, and it wouldn’t matter what dress I wore, as long as I was marrying the right guy.  But that wasn’t exactly how I felt, either.  The dress, in reality, was made of a rough, matte satin, and the fit was slightly saggy in the bust.  There was a small, coffee-like stain in the back of the dress.

“Let me give you some money,” she continued.

But my mother was already paying for the wedding, and I didn’t want her to buy me an expensive dress that I would only get to wear on one day. “It’s just a waste, Mom,” I reasoned.

“Don’t say that,” she said. “It’s not just another day.”  Before I could protest, she said “I’m sending your sister over.”

Before I knew it, my sister and I were ducking into ritzy wedding dress shops together and one fateful day, we took the train to Brooklyn to Kleinfeld’s salon (now located in Manhattan), where I gravitated towards a rack of Justina McCaffrey gowns.

“Would you like to try one on?” The sales associate whispered, stroking a particularly rich looking gown.  I nodded, mesmerized by the designs, which were simple, modern and at the same time… so expensive looking.

And that’s how I met my second wedding dress.  It was, of course, the dress that made me feel like a real bride.  And while, like Sarah Jessica Parker’s character in the movie, my story could have finished in a very different way, this is how my story ends: I called my Mr. and had him come to the salon to see me in the dress. I know it’s considered bad luck for the groom to see the bride in the dress before the wedding day, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have a third opinion (in addition to my sister’s).

“Is this the one you want?,” he asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“Then, that’s the one I will marry you in,” he said, handing over his credit card to the sales associate.

(Timely subject, no? Also – we’re driving back home today, wish us safe travels please!!)