Black Friday Deals

Check out my article on CollegeOTR about Black Friday Shopping Deals!

(www.natalielee.com )

Personally, I'll be on my way back to school for our huge ival football game, but I might squeeze in some online shopping! I hope everyone has a wonderful Turkey Day!

xoxo, lauren

Don't Be Fooled by the Rocks that I Got

First of all, my deepest apologies for the lack of photo editing! I'm at home for Thanksgiving break without a laptop so I'm pretty much limited to Paint.. yikes!

Anywho, after seeing the huge jewels at the Prada show the image of them against a plain backdrop has stuck with me. A solid colored white, black or navy tee with jeans and a huge hunk of jewelry just sounds so fabulous yet casual at the same time. I'm all about drama when it comes to my clothing choices so I think it's a great pick. I prefer the necklaces or chandelier earrings in rich jewel tones like emerald, magenta, citron, and royal blue.

I love the new Teen Vogue's editorial with Twilight's Kristen Stewart. If you've read the book or seen the movie you'll see that this look pretty much describes her character Bella; simple yet beautiful.

Tommorow i'm going shopping (i've been deprived of a decent mall while away at school!) & this is one of the items i'm on the hunt for. I think it'd be perfect paired with a little black dress for a holiday party. Sure guy friends might tease you and ask if you're on my way to prom or something, but they'll probably secretly be impressed that you've got the guts to pull it off!

xoxo, lauren

Tacky Holiday Sweater Time

Around the holidays everyone's schedule are usually full of cocktail parties, gift exchanges and dinners. A tacky sweater holiday party is one that I've always wanted to host!

You can channel on your old elementary school teacher's bedazzled sweaters and hit up your local thrift stores for a donated treasure. The more reindeer, sequins, jingle-bells and light-up elements the better! Obviously, don't spend $100 on a tacky sweater, but seek inspiration from the examples above. Award prizes for the ugliest sweater!

Pour some egg nog, create a holiday theme playlist on your ipod (i recommend *NSYNC's Christmas album!), and invite all of your friends for a fun night!

xoxo, lauren

The American Dream

Sadly, it seems that in recent years Americans have lost a bit of their sense of American Pride. I'm hoping a new presidency can inspire the country and make them proud again! David Wolfe, of the Doneger Group told us in his lecture that he believes we will start making a shift towards young American designers just as we have in other trying times. I have high hopes for the future!

W Magazine just did a quirky editorial for their December 08 issue about good ol Americana icons (prom, batman, cowboy hats, and instant pudding to name a few):

xoxo, lauren

Brrr..It's Cold Out Here!

As a Floridian, whenever the temperature dips below the sixties I kind of spaz out. I just don't know how to handle the cold weather! I'm such a wimp.. All of the sudden a lightweight sweaters not enough and my ears and face get chilly. Of course, there is an easy fashionable solution to this.. the stylish winter hat.

Headwear is going to be big for winter and its come in more unique shapes than ever before. Slouchy beanies and berets are great for a laid back hipster look. A cloche offers a vintage fix in true twenties fashion. Skullcaps and beanies offer the most warmth & are coming in bright colors. The nordic ski cap with ties is a traditional look that mixes great with an edgy leather bomber or black blazer. A stylish altearnative to a hat is a knitted headband to cover the ears and not give you hat hair.

xoxo, lauren

Swingin' Sixties Style

I've always loved fashion from the sixties; the bright colors, loud prints, crazy make-up and accessories overload are right up my alley. I stumbled upon these vintage magazine scans and had to share! There is so much that can be learned about fashion just by studying the clothes from other eras.

1967 Vogue

1965 Vogue

1965 vogue

1967 Vogue

1968 Vogue

How strange will it be to look back on our current fashion from the future? Will they find it inspiring, lacking direction.. boring?

xoxo, lauren

Customized Kicks from Keds

When I was little I used to look through my gramma's Lillian Vernon catalog & pick out potential christmas gifts. I always loved how you could monogram everything and make it personalized. Well the new Keds studio is like a grown up version of this & much more fun. Maybe it's the fashion student in me, but I love any opportunity to get creative with my clothes and accessories.

The site lets you play designer and upload your own graphics or text onto 3 different styles of shoes. You can customize 6 different areas of the shoe & even the sole, laces, and stitching.

How cool would that be if you were actually talented enough to sketch your own designs? Another innovative area of the site is the option to release your shoe design to the "marketplace" where you can receive profit from each shoe sold in your style.

These are definitely going on my Christmas List!

xoxo, lauren

Forecasting Fashion with David Wolfe

As part of my college's "Fall Fashion Week" I had the opportunity to hear the country's premiere trend forecaster David Wolfe speak. I was completely enthralled by what he said; everything was so relevant and real; nothing sugarcoated. I'm going to tell you about some of the things I took away from his speech!

-Some Thoughts on Fashion:
The media makes us feel guilty about the pleasure of fashion. There are concerns over issues more pressing than fashion. Therefore, its time to make some changes to the industry:
Fashion is no longer eurocentric, it has become much more global. Designers are going to where the consumers are (the super-rich are a bulletproof niche market, unaffected by the economic downturn), Kids are an important market because families will not stop spoiling their children despite a sour economy.

-Upcoming trends: 30's and 50's looks
* Chic & Elitist: a return to powerfully rich dressing as if everything is okay in your bank account (furs, embellishment, luxe fabrics)
*Ensembles: We're so used to items separately and mixing and matching a la Carrie Bradshaw so a pulled together look is refreshing and exciting.
*Tailored Feminimity: Jackets, blouses, and suits in fabrics like tweed, silk, and charmeuse and elegant trims like feathers and fur.

In modern times these are some guidelines that should be followed so that the fashion industry continues to thrive:

1. Design something people think they need;
- A timeless LBD
-An intervew suit for job searches
-Blouses (for underneath suits)

2. Make It "New"
-Descending hemlines; dresses and skirts can't possibly be any shorter
-Snakeskin seems different when reworked by big designer names
-Soft shades seem new to those wearing blacks, brights, and neutral.
-True newness like high performance textiles.

3. Provides Escape
-Fashion should offer an escape from a harsh reality. (Ex: Sex and the City)

4. Change and Reinvent:
-Delivery scheule needs to change in retail stores: people buy clothes when they want them. (bathing suit deliveries in december don't make sense!)
-No consensus on "what's in": there are too many trends going on at one time that people don't know whats in and what to buy.
- Fashion that is too far out of touch will not sell: "we can't afford to look ridiculous".

xoxo, lauren

Scoping Out Shopbop

Whenever I'm feeling less than inspired I stop by Shopbop's online lookbook. It's updated once a week with new shots and although its nothing revolutionary or editorial its great for outfit ideas. In the fall/winter I feel like its so easy to just throw on a sweatshirt or coat, but outfits like these showcase great style too.

In these particular looks I'm loving the unique hosiery, scarves, & outerwear that seem to "make" the outfits. Just because it's chilly outside doesn't mean you have to resort to drab options. The lookbook always seems to perfectly capture the ideas I have in my head for outfits and bring them to life. The styling is practical yet trendy and fashionable.

It makes me never want to wear a baggy sweatshirt outside again!

xoxo, lauren

World's Largest Mall Opens in Dubai.. Anyone up for Shopping?

Today marks the opening of the World's largest mall. The mall spans 5.6 million square feet with 1,200 stores and 120 food outlets. Despite the failing economy worldwide, the mall is expected to bring in 30 million visitors in its first year. The Dubai Mall will make history in its opening today and I must admit, is making me crave some retail therapy!

xoxo, lauren

Fashion News On the Run

• Carbon Couture shares a bejeweled Lanvin shoe D.I.Y.
  
• Lauren Conrad is touring college campuses with her newest clothes collection
  
• Lisa of Solo Lisa y Nada Mas shares her spur of the moment political Halloween costume
  
• Connie of Pretty Legit has a tumblr site and its slightly addictive!
  
• The recession is wreaking havoc on the magazine industry (R.I.P. Men's Vogue, Radar and CosmoGirl
  
• What are the potential future women of the White House wearing?
  
• Stylista; as if i need another guilty pleasure fashion reality show.
  

xoxo, lauren

PeaceLove&Stella Accessories

I hope everyone had an awesome Halloween! I had fun dressing as "the fashion police" one night & a hippie for another halloween party out of clothes I had hanging in my closet!

Last night I wore my braided leather hair wrap from Stella Accessories and got lots of compliments on it. I also broke out my favorite pair of vintage suede knee high boots. It pretty much was a more flamboyant version of the usual way I dress.

I just wanted to share some awesome news with you about Stella Accessories. Since I last featured them in a blog post their business has grown tremendously.

The girls are participating in a trunk show at HENRI BENDELS!! This is so huge, and an awesome opportunity. I'm so happy for them!

Come out and show some support & buy their one of a kind hair accessories, they have some absolutely gorgeous new specialty pieces.

Here are the details:

Where: Henri Bendels's in NYC

When: Dec. 11th (10-8) and Dec. 14th (10-8)

Peace & Love my Fashionable Friends & Don't forget to vote on Tuesday!!

xoxo, lauren