What Is Happening To Fashion?

Fashion Through The Years;

Where Is It Now?

"Fashion is forever changing" - that's the quote that we hear on an almost daily basis as a fashion student. But is it really true? From the 1900's to 2000's, fashion developed at such a rapid pace, that it was almost difficult to keep up with what was In and what was considered Out at any one time. Each decade had it's trends and faux pas and as a result, we now find ourselves looking at an outfit and thinking, "that is such a classic 20's look", or "feeling inspiration from the 80's today, love?".

That, however, is exactly the problem with fashion nowadays. It just recycles and repeats itself. Designers and street style are using trends from decades passed and integrating it with florals for Spring and dark colours for Fall. It's repetitive and quite frankly, boring me to tears. I used to look forward to Fashion Week (I still do, don't get me wrong), to see what sort of clothes would be on our high streets six months from then, but now I feel as though I couldn't care less. 

This might seem a little out of the blue and strange to randomly start talking about, but I was just catching up on all of the Couture fashion collections from last week (I was in Leeds for 5 days, so I didn't have time to keep on top of it all) and just did not find more than one collection that I felt that I could write about without falling asleep half way through. Even my idol Elie Saab had me thinking that I was suffering from a case of Deja Vu and had seen it all before. Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting designers to come up with something completely new every time they create a collection, but I just don't want to see similar things every time. No one does. Especially with Couture - it's supposed to be unique for crying out loud!

Perhaps it is this reason that I haven't been all that interested in blogging these past few months. I just haven't found something that makes me think 'Wow, I have to write about this'. And that's really disappointing. Maybe I should expand Vita di Moda into lifestyle and then I would have more to write about? Everyone loves a good sex and relationship blog, let's be honest...

What do you think about fashion nowadays? Do you think it's as repetitive as I do? Let me know what you think!

Photo Credit: www.mytights.com

Designer Luxe; Laptop Bags

Designer Luxe:

Laptop Bags

Good news everyone! Tomorrow is the first day of Couture Fashion Week AND I'm finally fixing my laptop situation and getting a MacBook next week. Happy days! I'll be blogging about some of the couture shows throughout the week, but for now, I thought I would do a little post on some of the designer case options on the market at the minute. Everyone has a laptop, so I thought it would be a good one for most people. Plus I just love accessorising and need to get something for my new Mac. I already have a Ted Baker case for my iPad, so the laptop has to look equally as stylish. 

Standard really, no?

The cases shown above are available from the Apple store, Farfetch, Macy's and Bloomingdales; so obviously it might depend on where you live for each product to be available to you, but I'm trying to accomodate my lovely readers from all over the globe. If I could provide products for everyone, believe me, I would. Anyway, prices range from as little as £36 to a whopping £665 (Jil Sander satchel, lower right corner) so there is something for everyones budget. 

Although I like each case that I've put into the collage, I am particularly fond of the black Michael Kors shopper (bottom left corner) and the neon pink Marc Jacobs case (do I really have to point that bad boy out to you?). I think I might be verging on forking out the £250 for the MK one, but if not, I reckon the £36 MJ one will do me just fine. 

Would you pay £665 for a designer laptop bag though? That's what I want to know. I suppose you could look at it in the sense that you're getting a designer bag - albeit smaller and designed specifically for a laptop - for less. I use my Ted Baker iPad case as a clutch every now and then, so why not?

Want to check out any of the bags shown above? Just pop on over to my Polyvore profile and follow the links next to the image! 

Photo Credit: Farfetch, Apple.co.uk, Macy's, Bloomingdales - Edited on Polyvore.

Summer Wedding

Summer Wedding:

What The @#!* Do I Wear?

As I was clearing out some magazines, books etc from my old room at home, I came across some wedding magazines from when I was engaged in my last relationship. You can imagine how thrilled I was to find those. But it did get me thinking of a potential blog post, so I can't complain too much, now can I? 

I may know that I never want to get married, but that doesn't mean that I won't want to attend a few over the next few years. So then I thought, what would I even wear to one actually? The only time I've been to a wedding, I was part of the bridal party so I didn't exactly have a say in anything that I wore that day. If I were just a regular guest though, I think I would wear something along these lines..

Now, considering the fact these these items cost between £100 - £1000+ each, I think it's safe to say that they're wish list items and not exactly something that I could readily go out and buy if I were attending a wedding any time soon. Not with my current student status anyway! I suppose I could always find a high street alternative.

Whenever people think of wedding outfits, they automatically think 'dress'. It's effortless, so I can see why you would go for it. That being said, I quite like the idea of a skirt and top combo. Each of the tops that I've chosen would be tucked into the high waisted skirts with a belt to add a more defined waist and little extra decoration.  

In terms of other accessories, I don't think I really have to point out that I was feeling something luminous, whether it be the shoe or clutch bag, but I think it's just a lot more summery and eye catching.  It also makes the outfit look more youthful as well. I really wish I had a wedding to go to now!

If you want to look at any of the items from the post, just click here and check them out via my Polyvore account.

Photo Credit: Websites: Farfetch, Cruise, House of Fraser - Edited on Polyvore.

NYLON; Treats Under $50

NYLON;

Shop The Under $50

Summer is my second favourite time of year, but it also means that I have a lot more time to socialise and make the most of being away from uni. Unfortunately, this also means that I neglect Vita di Moda because I don't want to be sitting on a laptop all day whilst the sun is shining. Plus my own laptop is broken, so I'm having to borrow my sisters MacBook for the time being. 

Wow. Even I'm struggling to find a valid excuse in that paragraph. I'm just being lazy. Full stop. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things, now that the new man in my life keeps telling me to write a blog post every two seconds. He'll keep me in check with any luck. Anyway, here's a short post featuring some new products over at NYLON that I currently have my eye on - all of which are under $50 each!

Nylon hasn't really been a magazine that I've had an interest in reading before, but recently I've found myself having a little nosey on their Twitter feed and as you can see above, their online store. 

I'm quite into slogan tshirts etc at the minute, so when I saw these on the shop page, I knew I had to make a quick post about them. I can't decide if I like the "Lets Get Weird" tee, or the pink jumper with Mean Girls "On Wednesday's, We Wear Pink" quote. If you're as much of a Mean Girls fan as I am, then you'll understand my need for that jumper. It's just brilliant. Even the little popsicle earrings are cute. I just want everything. Sorry bank balance, but it's gonna be a rough ride. 

Photo Credit: Clipped from shop.nylonmag.com & edited on Polyvore

All That Glitters Isn't Gold

Northumbria University:

Fashion Film - All That Glitters Isn't Gold

Seeing as I've just finished my first year at Northumbria University studying Fashion Communication, I thought I would share a fashion film with you all that my friend Sophie and I worked on together. Oh, she has a blog as well, so you should go check her out if you fancy some new reading material - The Girl With The Blue Bow. 

We were given a pretty open brief, simply asking us to create a 2 minute long fashion film. When Soph and I put our heads together, we decided that we didn't want to create something that was so obviously fashion focused: i.e all about shoes, or clothes etc. In the end, we went with a theme/topic that isn't widely spoken about in today's culture, yet it happens more often than we would care to realise - abuse. The glitter was added simply as a means of bringing some sort of fashion aspect into the film and it also helped provide us with a title for our film.

Considering how often this happens to people on a daily basis, we didn't want to sensationalise the issue, or portray it in a distasteful way. What we came up with seemed to go over well with our class and lecturers, so I hope you will all enjoy it as much as they did. 

                                  

Music: Passenger - Let Her Go

Summer Picks

White Hot Picks:

H&M

As you may have already read in my Cannes Film Festival post yesterday, I'm currently coveting anything white at the minute. For someone who generally goes for black, this is quite a revelation to say the least. But alas, I have seen the light and now I can't stay away from it. Earlier in the week, I decided to have a little (or rather, a large) clear out of the wardrobe and ended up with four black bags full of clothes that I no longer had any use for. My friend Sophie then remembered that H&M have their recycling service, where you give them a bag of unwanted clothes (they can be from any brand) and in exchange, they give you a £5 voucher to redeem in store or online. It might not seem much, but when you think about how said clothes would have just ended up in the bin, it's not such a bad deal. You can give two bags in per person, per day, so I'm now currently the proud owner of £10 in H&M vouchers. I'll give them the other two bags another day, but what does that mean for now? More shopping of course...

Ankle grazers, ripped skinny jeans, summer dresses, funky sports bras (love my sports bras), summer day dresses, embellished shirts, panda phone case (obviously), perforated bucket bag and the sexiest sport luxe heels that I've seen from H&M to date - that's what is taking up space on my shopping list at the minute. There are a few more items from H&M that I love, but I've already bought those; like their white 'New Icons' tee and white cami with black leather spaghetti straps for example. It's a top that I would wear 24/7 if I could. 

It's usually a hit and miss with H&M for me, but this season they're tugging on all the right strings. I want something every time I go into one of their stores, which is probably why my bank balance is suffering now. Well, that and my girls' constant need for cocktails from Nancy's Bordello. Sigh.

Photo Credit: Images clipped from H&M website onto Polyvore.

Cannes Film Festival 2013

Best Dressed:

Cannes Film Festival '13

When it comes to festivals or award ceremonies, I can't say that I pay much attention at the best of times. I'm not particularly into celeb culture - in fact, I pretty much despise it - but there's just something about the Cannes Film Festival that just has me sitting up right in my seat to pay attention. If you're a regular at Vita di Moda and have been for a while, then you'll know that I blogged about the best dressed from the festival in 2012, so obviously I feel the need to blog about it again this year. Let's see if you agree with my picks shall we?

From left to right: Zoe Saldana in Emanuel Ungaro top and skirt, Jessica Biel in Marchesa and Cheryl Cole in Zuhair Murad beaded gown.

That skirt and top combo that Zoe Saldana had going on would have been pretty boring to the say the least had she not injected a bit of colour with her orange platforms. I don't know why, but lately I've been gravitating towards anything in that colour (H&M have got their hands all over it this season), so her outfit definitely made it into my best dressed list!

Is it just me who thinks this, or is it near impossible for Jessica Biel to look horrid in anything that she wears? She could have worn a black bin bag and still looked good - bitch. Marchesa gowns are always stunning, so it was only natural that it would look more than fitting on her - stunning.

I can't say I've been a fan of Cheryl Cole in the past, but I would be kidding myself if I didn't admit how gorgeous she looked in that red gown. It's just the design and positioning of the embroidery that makes it - slightly strange seeing a celeb of her stature at the film festival though I thought..

From left to right: Cindy Crawford in Roberto Cavalli, Jennifer Lawrence in Dior & Liam Hemsworth in Dolce & Gabbana

I'm definitely feeling anything white this Summer, which is quite a drastic change from my usual black, so with this in mind, I was immediately drawn to Cindy's RC dress. I loved the designers collection this season, so it's pretty standard for one of his gowns to be in this best dressed list really.

Now, I'll admit that Jennifers Dior gown - although undoubtedly beautiful - doesn't really have a wow factor, but I wanted to put her in this list purely because I had to comment on her figure. Am I the only one who thinks she has gotten a lot thinner recently? I'm not going to start saying she's too thin like most tabloids would do, but she was a celeb who made herself relatable to women of all ages because she repeatedly told us of how happy she was with her figure and that she wouldn't subject herself to the media and its pressures to be a certain weight. She looked fab as she was - and still does now, i'm not going to lie - but it's a little disappointing if she has gone and lost some weight. She's only human though, so I can't be too harsh on the matter - I would be dieting constantly if I had her life!

Then we come to the beauuuutiful man that is Liam Hemsworth. A man in a suit will always be a pleasant sight, however when said suit is D&G, you know things are going to be x100 more attractive. He just looks so sleek; and that's not just because he doesn't have a Disney starlet on his arm anymore..

Who has been your best dressed from the festival this year? 

Photo Credit: www.vogue.co.uk

Location, location, location

Times Are Changing:

We're Relocating!

If you're a blogger yourself, you may have recently been renewing your domain names and potentially, like me, having issues doing so. With my first year at university having just finished a couple of weeks ago, I think it's fair to say that I was under a bit of stress and couldn't really focus on VdM and getting things such as content and indeed the domain name fixed once it was reaching its expiry date. As a result, you may have been typing Vita di Moda into your search bar and coming up empty - for that I am truly sorry. It is only now when I'm home visiting for Summer, that I've been able to get things sorted and focus 110% on it. 

Although we're no longer .com, I hope you'll all find that a .co.uk URL is just as suitable for the blog and easy enough for you to all type into Google or the top search bar when popping round for a visit. It could have been worse though, I was about 10 seconds away from changing the blog name altogether. Just the thought of rebranding is enough to give me a nightmare, so I'm glad it didn't come to that! 

If you could all do me a huge favour and tweet this post, or even just mention the URL change on Twitter/Facebook or word of mouth when you see your friends, that would be fantastic. A total rebrand would have been hellish, but a simple address change is going to be just as challenging - help me make it as smooth as possible?

Maria xo

How I Wore It: Shelfies Printed Sweater

How I Wore It:

Shelfies Sweaters

Now, I don't normally do outfit posts (I sort of did a while back, but then it faded out) however within the past couple of weeks I received some amazing statement sweaters in the post and felt compelled to make a little outfit or 'how I wore it' post to show you all what they look like. Now, you may, or may not remember a post that I wrote a few months ago featuring the outrageously printed sweaters from the Canadian brand Shelfies. If you do then fantastic; you get a gold star and can stick around for a bit, but if not then don't worry because you can catch up on it here.  

As you can see from the picture above, I am now the proud owner of the sugarcube and gummy worm sweater. Problem is though, the gummy worm unfortunately doesn't quite fit me - well, how I would want it to anyway - so I let my sister try it on for size and now it's pretty much all she ever wears. As much as this pains me, at least it's getting it's moneys worth.

Follow Vita di Moda on Instagram! - "vitadimoda"

I decided to wear my sweater with the Black Milk Skeleton leggings and neon pink/black Nike Air Max. I suppose it was a bit of a statement outfit with both top and bottom having prints on them, but I figured it would be acceptable because the jumper is mainly just white tones with some brown on the shadows. Obviously it wasn't an outfit which needed very many accessories, however my sleeve did add a little extra something to it. See, tattoos can come in handy for outfit choices - it's like effortless style and doesn't get in the way like bracelets do!

In terms of fit, the sweaters are unisex (there's more about measurements etc on the Shelfies website when you purchase one), so for mines being a size small, I felt the shoulders and arms were a bit bulky. You just need to roll the sleeves up though and it's fine. They're 100% polyester with a fleece lining, so they have an alright stretch in them and keep you relatively warm. I wore mines out without a jacket or top underneath in Newcastle this week and didn't feel like I needed anything on top of it. 

Ocean Wave & Cloud of Love Sweaters
(Both $59.99)

Since last writing about the brand, they've come up with a few new designs to add to their catalog which includes some pretty comical sloth designs. Although I can't say I would pull one of those off, they do have these two sweaters which I'm mentally adding to my wish list as I type this.

What do you think of the sweaters? Would you be brave enough to wear one and make a statement? 

Want one for yourself? Head on over to their website and get shopping! 

Music Meets Fashion

(Yves):

Saint Laurent Music Project 

It's usually when you see music performers coming into fashion and certain campaigns that you begin to get a feel for that particular brands personality, what they believe in and the kinds of people that they're likely to converse with. The Saint Laurent music campaign imagery - photographed by Hedi Slimane in various locations from NY to LA - reminds us of the brands relationships with rock stars in the past (Yves dressed Mick & Bianca Jagger for their wedding in St Tropez in 1971) and has each music star styling themselves in an outfit from collections over the years. As you can see by the post title, I'm never quite going to forgive Hedi Slimane for dropping the whole "Yves" thing, but I actually quite like his decisions with the types of rock stars to include in the campaign. 

Google Courtney Love for Saint Laurent & you'll see some of her more 'rough' looking photos.
The one I've chosen at least gives her a little credit.

For starters, he gave us Marylin Manson - a complete God to some in his field. Even if you don't like his look or music, you can't deny that he must have been doing something right when he bagged Dita Von Teese once upon a time. I definitely liked this decision, as I was a fan during my little goth phase in my teens. Then came Courtney Love however, and I was little more skeptical. Yes, she's possibly just as controversial as Marylin Manson and her outfit choices did get some brownie points from me, but I'm still not 100% sold. She's known for her less than stellar antics and habits, so perhaps that isn't something that you want to associate with a brand that radiates luxury and edgy class. People can change, yeah, but don't photograph her when she looks as though she's nursing a hungover if you want people to think that.

Next up was Kim Gordon from the band Sonic Youth and Ariel Pink. I'm going to be honest here and say that I haven't really got a clue who these people are - sure, I've Googled them but that's as far as it goes. They both have a good look though and I love the outfits that they've chosen to wear for each shoot, so I can't really fault them. Oh and I found a quote from Ariel Pink in a previous interview with LA Weekly when he was talking about his live performances to an audience. It kind of made me relate to him a little. What can I say? I can have a personality like Marmite at the best of times, so I know how he feels:

"People boo me everywhere...They don't even hide their contempt. I'm used to it now...Hey, I'm giving audiences the real thing...For better or worse, I'm out there, and those are the circumstances. People don't like it when it seems like you don't know what's happening, or I'm getting bummed out with certain aspects and I can't hide it. I think people feel that pain and just think it's bad."

The most recent stars to join the Saint Laurent music campaign - and thus gets two thumbs up from me - are the French duo, Daft Punk. I can remember going to unders clubs in Glasgow when I was 17 and this was all they would play. It makes me feel nostalgic and happy whenever I see them, so it's brilliant to see them in the campaign. Wearing their signature LED helmets for the shoot, I think their campaigns are my favourites so far.

What do you think of the campaign and artists chosen so far? Do you think there will be many more artists being added to the list?

Photo Credit: www.marieclaire.co.uk

"The Great Gatsby" Fashion Inspirations

Guest Post:

Get Like Gatsby

After a three week break (and telling off from various people for a lack of posts), I think it could be safe to say that I've had a slightly longer than needed Easter at home and should start getting new content up for you all to read. So whilst I get on that, I thought this little 'get the look' guest post would do nicely to occupy your time. I absolutely love The Great Gatsby and the 20s style, so it's a win/win in my opinion. Enjoy!

From the lavish indulgent soirees to the impeccable, dazzling style of American royalty during the flourishing Jazz Age, "The Great Gatsby," F. Scott Fitzgerald's timeless classic, evokes the grandeur of the roaring 20s. As the novel's film adaptation approaches, the greatest Gatsby fans wait in anticipation and replicate the ostentatious beauty of that era by mirroring looks that are reminiscent of that world-class style and splendor. While waiting for the movie to hit the silver screen, celebrate Fitzgerald's epic literary tragedy by intoxicating yourself with the opulent style of yore.

Emulate the beautiful and radiant fashions with these Gatsby-style tips and inspirations:

Gatsby Costume & Couture 

 

Sashay into a 1920s jazz-age party in a sensational flapper dress adorned with a sparkling headpiece, pearls and a drop-dead smile. Any gal can dazzle in a 20s-inspired dress, whether you're looking for an embellished plus-size costume to accentuate your curves or gushing over an all-over sparkling beaded gown by Tory Burch. If you want to design your own flapper costume and Gatsby look, think tassels, glittery beading, feathers, sheath materials that shimmer and androgynous, yet sensual silhouettes. Fashion blog Refinery29.com suggest avoiding 20s-inspired stereotypes by focusing on "drop-waist tea dresses, Peter Pan collars and marabou trims."
With a customized headpiece, glitzy accessories and a feather boa, the following dresses can make a jaw-dropping impression:

• Beatrice Dress by Guess by Marciano: The "sheer chiffon peasant dress" and its "long bell sleeves" flows with delicacy and whimsy.
   
• Scallop Lace Dress by Juicy Couture: Accented with feminine lace and a scalloped hem, Juicy's angel-color frock will look Gatsby gorgeous with an elongated vintage gold necklace, jeweled chandelier earrings and bold statement rings.
   
• Lefkara Lace Dress by Anthropologie: The Lefkara Lace Dress's soft champagne color and pretty lace detail reflect the vintage feel, playfulness and femininity of the glamorous era.
   
• Honeyed Lattice Dress by Anthropologie: Designed in subtle honey-yellow and lattice floral lace, this dress will sparkle opulently with an art deco headdress and buckle flapper heels.

Art Deco Accents & Vintage Accessories

 

An art deco headband adorned with rhinestones, marabou feathers, lace and pearls stylishly reflects the rebellious sprit of the jazz age. Create your own unique Gatsby headpiece by hot gluing glitzy and glittery accessories to an elastic headband. The more extravagant and over-the-top, the more fabulous you'll look. Glue rows of diamond studs and an oversize feather or string of pearls to one side.
Actress Carey Mulligan who plays Daisy Buchanan in the Baz Luhrmann Gatsby adaptation also dons a patterned head scarf that accentuates her sleek bob. Emulate the fabulous look by wrapping a silk scarf around your head, tying a knot at the side nape of the neck and letting the ends drape across the shoulders. Nordstrom's Echo Springtime Paisley Silk Scarf, Burberry Print Silk Scarf and Emillio Pucci Leaf Profile Timeless Silk Scarf can glam up the hair for that Gatsby chic.

Your roaring 20s fashionable accouterments must include layers of pearls dripping around the neck and gemstone baubles to decorate the wrists. While accessorizing your Gatsby dress, don't be afraid to go for jewelry that's flashy and gaudy in platinum and gold.

Written by:

Jordan Frasier

Born in Chicago, Jordan comes from a family that has its history stitched throughout the world of fashion; her father was a tailor and her mother was a hat designer. So it makes sense that she would become a fashion writer. At least it makes sense to her.