New Home, New Life, New Year--Welcome 2011

Okay.  We suck.  I logged on to our poor, neglected FleurStyle site to find that our last entry was posted back in September 2010.  SEPTEMBER 2010.  Yikes.  Well, in my defense, today... the last day of the first month in 2011... I have successfully survived my first year in a law firm, moved into a new house, am about to celebrate a 6-month anni with the love of my life, and trying to grab a tighter rein on my finances... which means... that's right.  Spend less money on my favorite hobby--shopping.
M and I have decided that while we ADORE [insert sarcastically sullen tone] our current careers as budding attorneys... we definitely adore something much more.  We adore the fashion arena, the stylista's world, and... we dream of opening our very own brick-and-mortar someday.  So... welcome 2011... you bring us new goals... and hopefully, some new triumphs... or, at least... a few baby steps that we can accomplish toward the end fantasy of doing what we love all day, every day!
With that positive and uplifting message about conquering challenges to pursue your passions, I leave you with a few items that I plan on purchasing in the next few weeks.  Hey... I said "tighter rein" on the shopping... not cold turkey right??  ;)

ModCloth - Flurry Up Top

Piper Lime - Big Buddha Bag in Brown, Mustard, & Grey

Asos - Quilted Crossbody Lock Bag

 Ann Taylor - Perfect Leather Pump in Red Lacquer

Fleur Promo--T-shirt Giveaway

M and I are trying to increase readership of our blog!!  Other sites have been successful in doing so by periodically doing small giveaways and promos, so we are going to test it out.  If you join the site as a follower, send the site's link to three friends, and post the most creative comment to the query below, you can win a free Original Penguin V-neck Tee or a Threadless Tee of your choice!!  Wit, language choice, and creativity do matter.  The winner will be announced on Columbus Day!!

Query

What is the most offensive male fashion faux pas you have witnessed--that has not already been covered by FleurStyle's August 17 post?

Quick Fix--Wearing Clothes that Fit

A few weeks ago, I ranted about guys wearing clothes that fit properly.  However, after ceaseless discussions with several guys, I am now at a stagnant point in my opinion as to how clothes should fit on men.  After a short photo session with some newly acquired items from the Original Penguin sale at Ruelala, I wanted to post my thoughts, and get some feedback from our readers (wherever they may be).

Jeans
With the advent of designer jeans for women, it's not uncommon to find a pair of 7 for All Mankind or Citizens in the majority of closets today.  Why?  Women who have tried them just cannot go back.  The quality of cut, fabric, and fit is unsurpassed by most middling cheaper brands such as Old Navy or Gap.  The biggest aspect of designer jeans that I love?  The ratio of cotton and spandex that allows for a hugging fit, but not an overly tight one.  While I am not encouraging all men to sprint out to Nordstrom and snap up a pair of jeans for $200, I do think there is something to be said about cuts and fits of men's jeans.  The skinny leg has crossed over from women's fashion into men's fashion, and I certainly am not a fan.  However, I think a guy's frame can really benefit from a properly sized bootcut or straight cut pair of jeans. 

I think the above photos are a good example of how jeans can engulf someone's bottom half.  I will admit... the majority of men have differing objectives as to how they want their legs to look in pants than women.  Women obsess about every minute aspect of any body part looking too big, too small, too lumpy, too short, too long, etc.  One overarching concept that is unflattering on men and women?  Shapelessness.  We aren't looking for a pair of jeans that outline the shape of your package a la Jonah Hill trying on a pair of too tight jeans in Superbad, but throw us a bone here.  We want to know if a guy actually has an ass.

While I argued with my subject that these new jeans are still too big, I have to admit that there is a big improvement just through his choice in a bootcut style... rather than whatever he was wearing before (first picture).  I think if he just sized down from a 34 to a 33... it would make a huge difference.  If he sized down from a 34 to a 32, it would be even better.  However, this might be an uphill battle for me. 

Boom.  I think the above comparison says it all.  Left = bad.  Right = better.  I win.

Shirts
The picture that I used in my "Buy Sh** that Fits" portion of the Men's clothing post in August demonstrates how pure my hatred is for shirts that fit poorly on guys.  The traditional dress shirt fit is not for every man.  In fact, it really is designed for this mythical American male figure who graduated from high school as a football star and then started working on a farm with a tractor every day.  THAT is how boxy and big these traditional dress shirt fits can be.  I think that a lot of men need to discover the "slim fit" or determine shirt brands or lines that taper off all that extra material, so that shirts aren't billowing like a sail in the wind behind them.  Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, and a lot of modern designers carry this more flattering fit. 

I sometimes wonder if a lot of guys just ensure that said dress shirt can button up over their body... and proceed to grab that shirt and buy it.  I think length, collar, sleeves, and where a shirt's shoulder seams hit on a guy's body really make a difference.  This is Tailoring/Alterations 101, but a lot of guys might not care/notice.  I DO.  Thanks to my subject for making these Original Penguin plaid button-down shirts look so nice!  The above pictures are a great example of how I think a shirt can, not only fit well, but flatter a guy's body frame in a subtle manner.

Same goes for t-shirts.  Baggy. T-shirts. Are. The. Worst.  I can't say that enough.  They are the ultimate offender in making a guy look sloppy and unkempt.  Obviously, no one is going to tailor a t-shirt so that it fits your body perfectly.  However, if it just hangs on you, toss it aside.  So the above statements are my two cents on what I look for in the fit of men's clothing.  I'm at peace.  For now...
KUDOS FOR THE ABOVE ITEMS GO TO:
*Original Penguin Brand

Cute Color Combo--Tame the Wild

With all this talk about the fall weather, and my excitement at its arrival now that we have officially passed from summer to autumn... my thoughts flickered to last winter.  YES.  The blizzard winter from hell.  While a lot of fashion/style posts have been inspired by the movement from the summer to fall season, the CCC today is almost a fall to winter color composition.  Call me crazy... but I think it's true.  I think it's because I will put off wearing a coat until it becomes absolutely unbearable without one covering my shivering shoulders.  We all know when that moment occurs--you get away with wearing a hoodie... or a thick sweater coat... and then BAM.  You head to work one morning, the knit layers are just not enough, and baaaaah--wool calls your name.
One item that I have been meaning to purchase for... approximately a decade... is a camel-colored winter coat.  WHY I have been unable to pull the trigger on this winter staple is beyond my comprehension.  I don't know if it's because all the available options I have seen were not in my size, outside my price range, or just not in an interesting enough style... I guess it's possible that my timing has been off for the last ten years... i mean let's be real--it wouldn't be the first time in my life that I utterly failed at making life events occur as seamlessly as possible.  In fact, I guess it seems pretty par for the course.

Alright--I guess I'll come clean about some other stuff... I bought those shoes from Endless a few weeks ago, and after staring at that coat all day... I bought that too.  I have some black dresses in my closet that will look pretty smashing in the outfit created above.  The only concern is the necklace... that necklace is quite perfect... hmmmm~ must. not. buy. necklace...
KUDOS FOR THIS OUTFIT GO TO:
*Etsy - Camel Double-Breasted Velvet Coat
*Nordstrom - Jax Twist Front Black Sheath Dress
*Endless - Vaneli Pouch Animal Print Sandals
*Nordstrom - Cara Accessories Crystal Bib Necklace

Fall Shopping Bag--Cutie Patootie Booties

Do I really need to spend too much time describing how awesome these Ann Taylor booties are?  I think not.  They are just beautiful.  Thank God they don't come in my midget shoe size.

It's Fashion Week--Clothing as Art

While the clothing from the collections I featured earlier this week were just straight-up items I would wear myself, I think that is generally an exception to the rule.  Often--the clothing draped on runway models during fashion shows are just really weird... similar to the strange, futuristic look that cars have in auto shows. I just came to terms with the idea of clothing as works of art, and there were several examples that actually fit that term to a "t."

Vera Wang's collection was borderline wearable in shape and style, but probably not for anyone who is not 5'9" and weighs 100 lbs.  However, her items were truly works of art in print and fabric choice.  The strapless top on the far right actually invoked Van Gogh's Starry Night for me... for some reason.  I think it was the swirly-ness.

Rodarte's line really encapsulates the idea of clothing as art with their eclectic combination of textures in the fabrics used, as well as the mixing of prints.  I mean, heck, if there was a genre of art that possessed the gilded beauty of the Mulleavy sisters' frocks, I'd visit a museum to view that exhibit.

Courtesy of Jezebel--Is Fashion Smart?

Jezebel's September article discussing the question "Is it really possible to be a smart person and like fashion?" was a very interesting read.  I always wondered this... mainly because I, myself, always discussed my love for fashion and style with a layer of self-consciousness.  I would gush over clothing and shoes with a select number of similar-minded friends, but when my passion came up in conversation to other individuals... I would play it off like it was some mindless form of entertainment--similar to watching a deliciously empty program on TV.  "Oh, yeah, I write a fashion/style blog--just for fun--you  know--just to use as a creative outlet... right..." would be my typical response.
When one thinks about extravagance in clothing, footwear, and accessories, a less than academic fluff socialite (Paris Hilton **cough**) may come to mind for a majority of the population.  It's hard not to make that connection when a lot of these heiresses or socialites make it a game to be wearing the latest and greatest of fashions and get photographed in them.  The following citation from the article is what I found most insightful:
     "Fashion is itself a way of engaging with the ideas that move our culture.  At least it can be--New York's second-largest industry, which is poised to generate some $770 million in economic activity for the town during the next week (Fashion Week) alone, intersects with race and racism, sex and sexism, consumption and consumerism, and it presents all sorts of murky ethical questions about how the garments we dress ourselves in are made, by whom, and under what conditions.  If you can't see those stories are fashion stories, then you're not looking hard enough.  (Or perhaps you're just the kind of "serious" person who would prefer to be engaged by issues of champagne and hemlines.)  A lot of the cultural resistance to seeing fashion as worthy of serious consideration is due to the corrupting influence of advertisers who would rather their glowingly photographed wares not appear opposite reporting on sweatshops or the dearth of women of color within fashion's image machine--but some of it is also doubtless due to the fact that fashion is an industry dominated by women and gay men, and ours is a culture that suffers from some deep, internalized misogyny and homophobia.  (Law professor Susan Scafidi, who decorated her office with pink and purple dresses, states--"Fashion is a pink-and-lavender discipline.  It's associated with women and gay men, and there is an ongoing perception that this is a lighthearted subject.")"
A further click on Susan Scafidi's name sheds light on a subject that I have looked into with fervor and excitement.  Not only does she serve as a role model that fashion can be "smart," she is pioneering an entirely new field of law.  As a budding first-year associate stuck in office doldrums that may or may not be the rest of my life, I read about this niche area of Fashion Law with great hunger, similar to how I research Animal Law topics with a vested interest.  Reading about the IDPPA, the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act, which is pending in Congress as we speak, defies my normal immediate instinct to pass out while reading legal material.  And God only knows that I have never really been interested in any facet of Intellectual Property law. 
Who knows--maybe some day--after I've put in my dues (i.e. years of associate and perhaps partner torture)... I can open up a boutique within a boutique.  Fashion law and animal law expert practices within the... that's right.... the Fleur clothing boutique I have dreamed about for years... hey.  A girl can dream can't she?