Paris Fashion Show 2011

Dear Sarah,
This summer I was lucky enough to visit France and Italy over vacation. To keep things short, here are a few photographs from a fashion show I attended while in Paris! The clothes were magnificent, and many were collaborations of various designers such as Galliano, Kenzo, Givenchy and Diane Von Furstenberg. The overall theme was that of 50's and 60's Hollywood with bright turquoises and pinks galore.
Enjoy!
--Charlotte

Mary Katrantzou

Spring 2012

Spring, 2012


Spring 2012 (All photos above credited to Style.com)


Rodarte uses the digital projection technique--Fall 2011 source: Vogue


Anna Dello Russo in Mary Katrantzou, source: FAJO magazine

Dear Charlotte,

I am aware that you aren’t a big floral fan. This is a fact that I have always accepted due to the froufrou 80’s prom dress that pops into my head upon the mention of floral attire. However, somehow Mary Katrantzou has changed my mind.

Katrantzou has a knack for prints. That’s actually quite an understatement, seeing as she’s at the forefront of a new era in fashion, in which digitalized images can be incorporated into clothes. Both Rodarte and Alexander McQueen have dabbled in the use of such technology to high acclaim. However, it is Katrantzou who really captured my attention because her clothes transform the wearer into a walking collage.

When Katrantzou was first beginning to really be noticed, for her Spring 2011 collection, she was mostly using images of rooms in her designs and adding details like skirts shaped like lamp shades to keep things out of the ordinary. While the collection did leave a lasting imprint on many viewers minds (how could it not?!), it was a little too wacky for people to really want to buy.

In her Fall collection for the same year however, she amped things up, and used Faberge eggs as a motif as well as Chinese pottery. This garnered the same fascination as the collection before, but now the designs were wearable-a perfect combination of art and semi-normalcy. Soon enough her designs could be found on the likes of Anna Dello Russo and Keira Knightley. 

For her Spring 2012 collection, she used a combination of nature (hence the floral comments above!) and man-made images to produce some surprising designs. The meshing of metals and florals is hypnotizing, and if I had bajillions of dollars at my disposal, I would be buying the whole collection.

And THAT is the perfect transition into very exciting news for us mere-middle class consumers—she is doing a collaboration with Topshop coming out this Spring. Praise all spirits that be, we may have some Mary Katrantzou clothes on our hands sometime soon!

AU REVOIR MADAME,

Sarah

Mixtape

Dear Sarah,
As you know, you give me so many new great artists and songs to check out so I give you full authority to take credit for finding any of  these songs. ANYWAYYYYS here are some tracks from my little music library brain think I believe are worthy of being on someone's next mixtape:

1. Ruby Falls-Guster (I mean...I just really really like them. ferrealz...)
2. West Coast-Coconut Records (I'm realizing already that these songs aren't exactly new, so that's all I have to say.)
3. Being Around-The Lemonheads (ditto^ but so good.)
4. Big Dreams-Likely Lads (I found them a while ago and I'm so proud of my discovery. WOOO)
5. Swing Tree-Discovery (Yep, this one is DEFINITELY credited to you my fine friend Sarah)
6. Man of the Hour-Pearl Jam (What a lovely song to listen to as you lay on your floor and sing)
7. I Am The Walrus-The Beatles (I felt walrus-y today. this is the only song I know about walrus's.)
8. Loser-Beck (Foot tapping away)
9. Annie Waits-Ben Folds (I don't really know why more people don't know this song. If you are in fact a person who knows it well however, I appreciate you.)
10. Into The Ocean-Blue October (Walrus's live in the ocean too. I'm sinking into insanity. goodbye)
11. First Day of My Life-Bright Eyes (Go watch this music video. It's so cute, I want their relationships)
12. Sixteen Military Wives-The Decemberists (Don't have much to say on this one. I'll speak in French :"Oui oui mon poisson!" there you are. The extent of my French knowledge.)
13. Sugar-Imperial Teen (Thanks mom)
14. Ooh La-The Kooks (If anyone would like to purchase tickets for me I suppose I'd be open to that.)
15. High And Dry-Radiohead (Always nice to have a little Radiohead up in thur...)
16. Kissing The Lipless-The Shins (...and The Shins)
17. B.M.F-Rick Ross (What a beautiful man. This was put on here semi-ironically. I'm sorry I can't say it was entirely a joke...oh my life.)

LOVE YA!

--Charlotte

50/50

Dear Charlotte,
As you know, I kind of have a thing for Joseph Gordan-Levitt. This doesn't really make me unique seeing as he has a fervent cult following, made up mostly of tumblr-frequenting, "hipster" girls (and sometimes boys) who wonder if they (we?) would look good in Zooey Deschanel bangs. Seeing as I love JGL so much, it only makes sense that I would go to see his latest movie, titled 50/50, which came out earlier this Fall. In it, Adam (Gordan-Levitt), is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. He bears the many procedures that must be endured, with the help of a very concerned mother (Anjelica Huston), a self-absorbed yet still lovable best friend (Seth Rogan), and a pretty therapist (Anna Kendrick). I laughed and cried my way through and came out immensely satisfied with the movie as a whole. The soundtrack was a masterpiece unto itself and tied together with great acting (JGL strikes again!) and writing, it was bound to be a success. However, seeing as everyone has some connection to cancer, there was bound to be some criticism on the comedic moments in the movie. While I can't even begin to fathom what it would be like to have cancer, I think that the movie's sometime-hilarity makes it a more realistic and well-balanced story--without humor what would life be worth, anyway? On that philosophical note,
GOODBYE MADAME,
Sarah

Fall

Dear Charlotte,
The season of Fall is perhaps my favorite one. I say "perhaps" because when I get to thinking about Fall it gets me thinking about winter which gets me thinking about its polar opposite Summer, which gets me thinking maybe Fall isn't my favorite season. ("What about Spring?" you may ask. Spring is my birthday season! But for some reason it's still my least favorite season.) HOWEVER, the point of this post/letter/whatever it is, is to tell you about Fall. I love Fall because I love the clothes. Chunky sweaters, black tights, mittens (In Maine mittens are necessary as early as Fall), L.L. Bean boots, long socks, hats, and layer upon layer upon layer--you can wear everything at once! I love Fall because it becomes legitimate to pile blankets on the bed and sleep in a cocoon and because drinking apple cider is much more common in Fall than in any other season. And finally I love Fall because somehow music sounds better and deeper when it starts to get cold and my photographs come out with Fall's light upon them. Every aspect of my day-to-day life is somehow affected by the feel of Fall and it seems everything is a little more meaningful. Maybe I'm just going crazy!
FARETHEEWELL,
Sarah

NANOWRIMO

Dear Writers,

Working with the theme of the last post...National Novel Writing Month has officially started today, and Sarah and I have decided to attempt it. For those of you who don't know, the goal of NaNoWriMo is to complete an entire novel(50,000 words...dear lord) by the end of November. While the task seems daunting, (I'm currently procrastinating by blogging and hot-chocolate-ing) the success afterwards will make up for your social life lost...

So, for all of you out there who would like to join us, it's not too late! grab your laptops and coffee, lots and LOTS of beautiful coffee...and let us embark!

xoxo

Charlotte

link to the website: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/dashboard