FIENDWEDNESDAY: FASHION EDITORIAL, PT. II

CONFESSIONS OF A FRUGAL FASHIONISTA (CONTINUED)

G)oodwill: I found a Dior sweater at a Goodwill for eight dollars a few years back. There is a lot of muck to sort through but on a good day you will be rewarded with true jems for five dollars.

H)ennes & Mauritz: Key pieces here are any trendy items you are drawn to but cannot commit a paycheck to pay for. (150 Powell Street and 865 Market Street)

I)cing: The cheap accessories are a given but I spotted some hot trendy boots for thirty-six dollars that someone should buy and write me about. (865 Market Street)

J)ust stick with the basics and splurge on accessories and shoes to create impactful looks. You can take looks a long way with the right versatility in adornments.

K)id's Section: For petite women, shopping in the children's section can be a cost effective way of finding clothes that will fit them better without alterations. Children's collections follow adult trends for half the price.

L)eggings: They haven't been a huge trend for at least four seasons, but consumers will not them go. You can recycle a sweater dress or tunic by switching out solid leggings for patterned styles.

Ruffled Dress, Fun Fun, $34.00 from X Generation 1606 Haight Street

Purple Tights, $2.75 from New York Apparel 1772 Haight Street

Booties, Forever 21, $20.80 from Forever 21 7 Powell Street

Bangles, Forever 21, $5.80 from Forever 21 7 Powell Street

Belt, Photograper’s Own

Total: $63.35

PHOTOGRAPHER: Megan Bayley

MODEL: Shelby Rothwell

STYLIST: Seth Leeper

FIENDTUESDAY: FASHION EDITORIAL, PT. I

CONFESSIONS OF A FRUGAL FASIONISTA

Every true fashionista knows: when you're strapped for cash, it is not about which designer label you are wearing, but looking like you are wearing it. Of course, every true fashionista has at one time or another skipped a meal here and there to help pay for those special items with aspirational price tags.

Below you will find your secret A to Z shopping index of San Francisco's best places to satisfy your sartorial fetish with a high style quotient at a low price. Some of these places you may have heard of, while others are smaller boutiques - soon to be your new obsessions where you can find a range of fashions from Marc Jacobs jackets for $32.50 to Diane Von Furstenberg-inspired dresses for under $50.

I scoured and hunted many of these places to present you with four styled looks for $100 or less, including shoes and accessories. I dug, toiled, and fought over Missoni sweaters for eleven dollars (yes, you read that right), at Goodwill, and cried when the Dries Van Noten shoes were not my model's shoe size, but alas, I emerged triumphant with heaps of cute clothes and styling solutions report back on.

A)merican Apparel: This entry should come as no surprise. Child porn-ish advertisements and glittery leggings aside, American Apparel is a reliable source for basics. Key items to shop for here are T-shirts, cardigans, and zippy sweaters. (2174 Union Street, 1615 Haight Street, and 363 Grant Avenue)

B)uffalo Exchange: The prices have risen here in tandem with the rest of the Haight Street thrift stores, but you can still find women's shirts for under five dollars. (1555 Haight Street and 1210 Valenicia Street)

C)rossroads Trading Company: You'll have a lot of luck finding big name designers for small prices at the Irving and Market Street locations. Cross your fingers they have your sizes, too. (1901 Fillmore Street, 1519 Haight Street, 630 Irving Street, 2123 Market Street)

D)SW: The women's shoes are much more consistent than the men's collection, but you'll find rock bottom prices for name brand footwear in the basement, where the clearance is located. (111 Powell Street, 306 Westlake Village)

E)state Sale: It may seem creepy to wear a dead woman's clothes, but she can probably save you a lot of money.

F)orever 21: Key items here are booties for under thirty dollars and stacks of bangles and bracelets you can get for just seven dollars. There's also the designer-inspired pieces and leather jackets you can get for around thirty dollars. (7 Powell Street)

*Portions of this text were originally published in Xpress Magazine.

One-Shoulder Dress, Double Zero, $31.99 from Pink Lilly 1748 Haight Street

Heather Grey T-Shirt, H&M, $9.90 from H&M 150 Powell Street

Booties, Forever 21, $20.80 from Forever 21 7 Powell Street

Tights, $2.75 from New York Apparel 1772 Haight Street

Total: $65.44

PHOTOGRAPHER: Megan Bayley

MODEL: Shelby Rothwell

STYLIST: Seth Leeper

FIENDMONDAY: COMING ATTRACTIONS

Stay tuned. This week I'll be unveiling a new fashion spread. Pulled from San Francisco boutiques, I styled four distinct looks for under $100 as a companion piece to a recession-friendly shopping guide I wrote, originally published in Xpress Magazine. I'll post a shot per day and portions of the article to accompany each day.

FIENDFRIDAY: THE FUTURE OF FASHION?

DECADES OF INSPIRATION

As we approach the start of the decade's final year, the future of fashion is up in the air. True, there a trends that can be forecasted, since we can already see what designers are going to dress us in next Fall, but how will the 2000s be remembered and what will the 2010s look like?

The fashion cycle accelerated at a fierce pace in the 20th century that was unprecedented, thanks to the Industrial Revolution, which brought the ability to mass produce garments. Where before a single silhouette or style could be in vogue for several decades or even hundreds of years, suddenly each decade brought with it new styles and innovations that would cast out what came before.

While fashion is essentially about change and looking forward, somehow we would find ourselves looking back to take inspiration from the past into the here and now. In the 90s we abhorred the 80s, celebrated minimalism, and somehow found ourselves back in a relaxed 70s aesthetic of plaids and wide leg pants, for which I blame Old Navy.

Now that we're nearing the end of the 00s, looking back it seems the 80s has left its stamp on fashion. The decade that was once thought best forgotten by those who lived through it was ushered back in by their children: first in the guise of music, then by the appearance of the skinny jean, which bubbled over into the resurgence of Members Only-inspired jackets and studs.

It seems the past couple decades we've simply skipped the decade that came directly before and mined the one before that for inspiration. The 90s looked back on the 70s, and the 00s yearned for the 80s.

Does this mean we're poised for a 90s renaissance? Fashion editors have already seen the 70s creeping back, which, frankly, is just a step away from a free fall of 90s mania.

How do you like them apples?

PHOTO CREDIT: Alexander Wang Spring 2010 from style.com.

FIENDTHURSDAY: PRE-FALL 2010

JASON WU

Though he branched out and offered suiting pieces, Wu's dresses were the highlight of his Pre-Fall 2010 collection. A triumph of draping and ruching, Wu's dresses are modern, sexy, and versatile. Take them from day to night with metallic jewelry and boots, ankle or tall.

PHOTO CREDITS: Jason Wu from style.com.

FIENDWEDNESDAY: EXAGGERATION

VOLUME AND SCULPTURE

Studs may come and go and skirts will elongate and shrink, but proportion is forever. The one consistent trend you can count on is volume, sculptural techniques that give silhouettes exaggerated shapes and power shoulders. Details that exaggerate the waist, or flare in an a-line silhouette. These are the lines that speak chic, easy, and fashion forward moving through the next few seasons.

Pre-Fall 2010 is an apt indicator of this. Pictured are looks from the Pre-Fall collections. Click on thumbnails to see full-size images.
PHOTO CREDITS: Narcisco Rodriguez [top], Carolina Herrera [left], Donna Karan [bottom], and Oscar de le Renta [right] from style.com.

FIENDTUESDAY: TREND WATCH

MONIQUE LHUILLIER

A look through Monique Lhuillier's Spring 2010 collection is a snapshot of the major trends of the past few seasons: bows, volume, draping, and animal prints.

PHOTO CREDITS: Monique Lhuillier from style.com.

FIENDMONDAY: FASHION 101

TRAVILLA

William Travilla was a costumer designer for film, theater, and television best known for dressing Marilyn Monroe in several of her films. Perhaps his best known work can be seen in the films The Seven Year Itch, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How To Marry A Millionaire (for which he received an Academy Award nomimation), and The Valley of the Dolls. He was also the costome designer for The Thorn Birds.

Looking at the work of Travilla in the 1950s is to see the groundwork for contemporary fashion, in particular for the Fall 2009 season, which is all about fine, delicate, and feminine details. His influence can be seen in the current collections for Marc Jacobs to Alber Elbaz for Lanvin.
PHOTO CREDITS: Top from The Glam Guide, Bottom from adorocinema.com.

FIENDFRIDAY: TAKE A BOW

FASHIONISTAS (PUT A BOW ON IT)

Already a trend for Fall 2009, bows are big for Spring 2010 as accessories and details on dresses.

PHOTO CREDITS: Marc by Marc Jacobs (top), Aquilano.Rimondi (top), Anna Sui (left), Lanvin (center), and Luella (right) from style.com.

FIENDTHURSDAY: GREAT SCOTT

L'WREN SCOTT SPRING 2010

There's a lot to love in L'wren Scott's Spring 2010 collection, not the least of which are her myriad dresses, but tonight I want to applaud her menswear-inspired looks, her mix and match suits.

Both slick and frilly, Scott's pant looks incoportate just enough ruffle to compliment the sleek silhouettes. Equal parts Mad Hatter and Prince, , these looks show what could happen if women discarded their dresses and walked the streets as dandies.


PHOTO CREDITS: L'wren Scott from style.com.

FIENDWEDNESDAY: SERPENT'S TALE

MARCHESA

I don't usually write about what celebrities are wearing but Marchesa has been something of a red carpet darling this year, which gives me license to write about Georgina Chapman, Keren Craig, (the company's founders and creative minds), and Marchesa's Spring 2010 collection. Olivia Wilde, Heidi Klum, and Sandra Oh wore Marchesa gowns to the Emmy's this year.

Before its debut collection in Spring 2007, the Marchesa name was building hype off the backs of the big name actresses and starlets who donned the brand's creations at major events. Since then, Chapman has turned into a fashion A-lister and editorial favorite, being interviewed and featured in Elle and Vogue articles.

The house was named after the legendary European satorial icon Marchesa Luisa Casati, notorious for her colorful behavior as much as her style. She wore serpents as accessories. Fierce, no?

Pictured are looks from the Spring 2010 Marchesa collection. Click on the thumbnails to view larger images.
PHOTO CREDITS: Marchesa from style.com.

FIENDTUESDAY: PRAIRIE CHIC

HOME ON THE RANGE

Perhaps the economy has ushered in an underbelly culture of rustic aesthetics and down home sensibilities. Maybe society's sick of looking at hard-edged street fashions. And maybe the young "it" girls have moved from their mothers' to their grandmothers' closets. Whatever the case, in the wake of 80s-inspired extravagance designers are pushing a prairie appeal in apparel. Signatures of the trend are lace, floral patterns from your grandmother's curtains, and square neck collars.

PHOTO CREDITS: Chanel (top), Alabama Chanin (right), Gary Graham (center), and Altuzarra(left) from style.com.

FIENDMONDAY: TREND WATCH

A ROMP IN THE RACKS

Call it a jumpsuit, a romper, or a one-piece just don't call it comeback because the romper never left. Checking in on this trend that jumped its way back into the fashion zeitgeist in Fall 2008 and continued into the Spring and Fall 2009 seasons, it looks like the jumper has arrived to romp another day.

PHOTO CREDITS: Roland Mouret (top), Alberta Ferretti (left), Hermes (center), and Chloe (right) from style.com.

FIENDFRIDAY: DEREK LAM S2010

STARS, STRIPES, AND PRINTS OH MY!

A first look at Derek Lam's Spring 2010 collection doesn't lend itself to a united vision, but a second look reveals a large body comprised of several small collections with impeccable details and subtle links between looks in the uses of stripes, stars, and floral prints. While it may not be a blatant marriage of cohesion, Lam nonetheless presents a luminous collection of hits.

PHOTO CREDITS: Derek Lam from style.com.

FIENDTHURSDAY: THE MODERN DIVIDE

CLASSIC NEUTRALS

In response to the opulence and flashy 80s-inspired looks that have been so prominent the past couple seasons, a movement of simplicity and refinement has begun to rise and will be poking its head high above the ground come Spring 2010.

Even Marc Jacobs, who cemented the 80s trend's permeation with his Fall 2009 collection, is moving in a different direction come Spring. The tension between the two aesthetic camps is symbolic of our current cultural dilemma: in the face of economic strife, do we move into a more somber, subtle place in minimalist looks or come out swinging in studded boots and (updated) shoulder pads?

Houses like Chloe, Celine, and Tod's are reliable for easy breezy minimal style with fine details. When in doubt, s0me designers have decided to straddle the middle by working within a nuetral palette of black and white, a classic combination that seems to recur season to season as a safe option with innovative potential if technique and styling are used to full effect.
PHOTO CREDITS: Marchesa (top), Marc Jacobs (bottom left), Karl Lagerfeld (bottom right), and Givenchy (center left) from style.com.

FIENDWEDNESDAY: THE WAIT IS OVER

BELLE DU CELINE

Philomaniacs (or Pheobe Philo fans) were rewarded today with the first runway showing of Celine by Phoebe Philo. She did not disappoint. Philo sent out smart pieces with a slight military bent to them in a palette of functional neutrals. Here are some of the best looks. Click on thumbnails to view larger images.

PHOTO CREDITS: CELINE BY PHOEBE PHILO from style.com.