What to Wear: Spring 2012 Trend Summary

In short and summary,

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My day now begins and ends with Crest 3D White Glamorous White Toothpaste.  My dental pearls demand the function and form of strengthened enamel and stain removal.  This glamour paste foams its proprietary micro-cleansing whiteners into every oral nook and cranny, which means my smile is shinier top, bottom, and between.

Freshy Spring Trend 2012: Peplum

Spring 2012 is definitely partial to peplums, the short little flounce attached to a fitted bodice.  A natural mirror of both lower figures and hourglass shapes, adept at accommodating curvy posterior assets.  Yet the peplum can also create shape for a linear figure, and add balanced flare to an upper figure.  A peplum can even camouflage the soft undulations of a middle figure.  

peplum passion: tuked peplum tank (anthropologie, similar) / 3/4 sleeve button tab top  (old navy), orbit necklace (j.crew)  /  ag rosebud jeggings (gilt groupe, available here) / kerry sling back booties (sole society, similar)

Basically peplums are Pangaea.

Jason Wu, Spring 2012

Edgy Ethereal

Dear Mister Wu, please send me one of each, as well as a tube of the tangerine lipstick.

Badgley Mischka, Spring 2012

The Peplum Brigade

Cultivate your hourglass with any of these peplums:

More Asos...

Let Cardigan Empire fashion you for Spring.  Freshen up with a complete Fashion Package: combining a theoretical look book & a practical virtual shopping session

Freshy Spring Trend 2012: Bold Pattern

kate spade's spring collection of florence broadhurst prints

Color blocking is still firmly entrenched in the retail barracks, but prints are waging a counter attack for closets this Spring 2012. At the avante garde is led by bold, brave prints in strong contrasts and large scale.

anna sui's twenties inspired prints

reachel bagley supporting pattern play.  tippi sweater (j.crew) / daughters of the liberation go-getter pants  (anthropologie, similar), kate spade pink dotz necklace (amazon)  / leopard print shoes (banana republic, similar)

While the boldest of the bold may wear a single print from crown to heel, others can test the trend by adopting a fresh uniform of patterned trousers and solid blouse.

more ways to support the print-surrection.

More Asos...

Let Cardigan Empire fashion you for Spring.  Freshen up with a complete Fashion Package: combining a theoretical look book & a practical virtual shopping session

Freshy Spring Trend 2012: Pastels

Louis Vuitton, see the show complete with models riding on white carousel horses

With easter season warming the eastern horizon, a sunrise of delicate hues have streaked their way across spring 2012 runways and unto merchandise racks.  While the strict interpretation found in a bag of jordan almonds is available,  I adored alice + olivia's parisian macaroom take, delicate pastel crusts with bold creamy fillings.  It included tonal blends, mixing tints (colors mixed with white) with fully hued shades (colors mixed with black).  

alice + olivia, see the show with models prancing along artificial grass under trees of shoes

levi and i channeling alice + olivia
reachel : clean ponte pencil dress (topshop) / anthropologie felted lei cardigan (ebay) / kate spade pink dotz necklace (amazon)  / daniblack jacky peeptoe pumps  (endless) /

unexpected color combinations abound this spring from violet and rust to baby blue and flame red.  

cirro blouse (anthropologie) / no. 2 pencil skirt (jcrew) / leopard print skinny belt (asos) /  pearl necklace (old-similar here) / waving grain pumps (anthropologie old)

if pastels don't suit your complexion, try pale tints on the bottom half as a trouser or skirt. 

More AG Adriano Goldschmied...

Or if your southern half has enough presence without a spotlight, try a handbag or shoe.

More Topshop...

Let Cardigan Empire fashion you for Spring.  Freshen up with a complete Fashion Package: combining a theoretical look book & a practical virtual shopping session

Thirty-Three Celebrations

Mister Bagley

I am giddy at the thought of celebrating every March 19th with you until we both spontaneously combust at age 92, you from too much cheese, me from too much stress.

My only regret is that I was unable to attend all your birthdays preceding our fated meeting.  Luckily, we cloned you, and I can dress your tiny type up in boy frocks and snuggle you in miniature while we read Little Women together.  

I adore you darling, really I do.

5 Steps to a Signature Style

a truncated version of my previous signature style studies

in case you like overwritten ramblings

PART I  ----  PART II

If your signature style analysis has uncovered some closet needs, check out La Redoute Women's Clothing.  My personal rebranding efforts could benefit from slim frenchy trousers and a sweet peachy dress.

Click here if you're on a budget and looking for some new styles, at Macy's.

Define Your Signature Style: Part II

to wear, to be.

The long awaited part II release of my style discovery compendium is now complete (for those who missed part i, click to rewind) the rest may browse on below.

step four.  illuminate aspirational luminaries
No one can fill a frock like you can.  Your distinct combination of bone structure, coloring, lifestyle, and charisma defies duplication.  Yet you share fancies with others, and your unique aesthetic may benefit by borrowing a word or two from someone else's visual essay.  Select between three to five individuals that inspire you stylistically and cite specific looks you feel incapsulate your aspiration.  With your collection in a single frame of view, structure your fashion thesis identifying commonalities between individual cases (a process similar to your earlier personal closet analysis).

my style celebrities: michelle williams, emma stone, emma pillsbury, blair eadie of atlantic pacific

I recommend printing, clipping, and pinning a board of your style inspirations within your dressing area.  This canvas can assist you in cross pollinating your existing inventory while simultaneously providing structure for a strategic shopping list.

fashion your own closet pinboard

step five. categorize

Stereotypes can actually help us move beyond generalized understandings.  They provide a template upon which we can elaborate differentiating details.  Rather than having to sketch every line of demarcation, you can pour talent and labor into fleshing out unique features rather than the underlying outline.  Stereotyped categories save time which can then be dedicated to drilling into depths that may never have been imagined in a definition designed from scratch.  So are you romantic, bohemian, traditional, modern, or dramatic?  (Click this previously published summary for a review).  


step six. add your own stamp
It might be the cuff of your trouser legs or the angle at which you tie your scarf.  Whatever your method, consistently sign your look.  Accessories are a dextrous tool with which to pen the necessary strokes.  Whether you always wear the same delicate posts or rotate within your extensive collection of brooches, apply a touch of something distinctly you.

In the meantime, tell me about someone's style which inspires your envy and admiration.

Desire something deeper? Reserve a 60 minute virtual shopping session to compile a portfolio of uniquely personal ensembles. Rather than teetering between blasé and flagrant, relax knowing you will have an expert to offer informed opinions, creative outfitting advice, and savvy shopping experience. Sessions initiate with a signature style discovery interview.

Define Your Signature Style - Part I

my closet all-stars

Having scripted and debugged my style twenty-twelve program, moral obligations compel me to release the vogue code for open source consumption. Feel free to copy, paste, and reformat the template for your personal wardrobing needs.

step one.  identify your closet all stars
Following long, a dear friend is no more lost, a reunion looms in the next quarter-hour, which closet talent would you be most likely to summon?  In other frames, imagine yourself European, where wearing the same smart frock days in succession did not an express a lack of options but rather brilliant wardrobing success.  Which items would you queue for repeat?  Identify five to ten items that quite unequivocally robe your external self with your internal essence.

Careful now, avoid flagging the purely nostalgic or aspirational.  Those stone washed coveralls may have been your closet's Michael Jordan, but 1992 has long since set.  Go with items you've worn and relished in the last month.

my trend terminology

step two. trend similarities
Are there categorical common threads running through the grouping?  Carefully analyze colors, silhouettes, patterns, and fabric.  Weave a usable language between the items.  Wardrobes needs a shared culture and diction within which it may socialize.  Yet be sure you've included complimentary as opposed to duplicative items.  To construct a stylistic statement, you need metaphorical nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, not a colony of nearly identical blackish blouses.

a helpful list of terms to help you speak in clothing-ese

step three. weed and scrutinize stumbles
What we are NOT also defines us.  Which garments of clothing never leave the hanger?  Repeat the same process with dresser duds.  Abhorrence may not characterize your relationship, but something in their cloth or zippers inspires aversion.  Catalog your culls to reveal your indubitable inclinations.

Come back promptly for part II.

In the meantime, tell me about an all-star player and/or benchwarmer in your closet.

Desire something deeper? Reserve a 60 minute virtual shopping session to compile a portfolio of uniquely personal ensembles. Rather than teetering between blasé and flagrant, relax knowing you will have an expert to offer informed opinions, creative outfitting advice, and savvy shopping experience. Sessions initiate with a signature style discovery interview.