Feather and Fringe

Street style. Two little words, one large impact. Like-minded fashion girls nationwide look to the never-ending slideshows of fashion's finest during Fashion Month (Hanneli! Anna! Miroslava! Random chick with the Chanel bag that has haunted precisely seventeen dreams of mine!) to inform the way they dress. I comb through these slideshows like a salivating puppy - more appropriately, let's go with a starved and ravenous eagle - but each click brings about a mixed Dior bag of emotions: a little inspiration, a lot of envy, some confusion (how the f*&# did the street style gods deem basic jeans and a t-shirt worthy of a snap!?), and a smile here and there that I give permission to surface on the corners of my mouth. More than anything else, street style thrills me and makes me want to spruce things up in my own wardrobe and share just how you can too.

This Outfix above screams 'Phil Oh, please photograph me or I will die an untimely death sans make-up!'. And lookie, lookie, Phil Oh already did a whole thing on the street style set rocking suede fringe so you're a shoe-in for a well-deserved snap. But damn, pair the fringe with feathers and gurl, you just won Fashion Week! The feathery top, too, is by none other than newly-minted street style necessary-designer Marques'Almeida - who has gotten the best buzz this week from both my spirit animal Leandra Medine of Man Repeller and the Greek gods of fashion - the writers of Style.com. To give the dripping tassels of fringe and the fluffity fluffiness of feathers a bit of a necessary tone-down, pair with light-wash denim and a peachy-pink bag( I am kind of am obsessed with it and featured here by the way!).

Shop this Outfix below:

Top by Marques'Almeida, $579  /  Jeans by Zara, $80  /  Lipstick by NARS, $26  /  Handbag by Zara, $90  /  Heels by Schutz, $135

The New Normal

The Gap ads had me feeling a whole lotta perplexed last night as I made my way to their gridlocked, tourist-trapped trenches on 34th Street. I work on 26th so this GAP felt like a hop and a skip, without the jump. I went looking for the perfect denim jacket at the perfect price but ended up scratching my head a thousand and one times. The tagline to 'Dress Normal' emblazoned proudly across the glossy ads, featuring the likes of Anjelica Huston and Michael K. Williams.

Dress normal? Why in the world would this be their new attempt to capture ADD-ridden consumers in the digital age? No shade to Gap as I've spent a pretty penny there unearthing hidden treasures in their Sale section but these campaigns just seemed dead wrong. It's 2014. Who wants to be normal? We have Man Repellers skating around the city in clod-hopping shoes and garments that scream with style. We have street style stars unabashedly adorned in the most zany of zany runway looks without the blink of an eye. We have Lady Gaga for Christ sake. This is the time to dress with unapologetic pizazz. This is the time to dress with the same fearlessness as Katniss Everdeen. This is the time to piss off grandma.

From a style and marketing standpoint, I didn't get why Gap would be pushing this message. But then I did my blogger due diligence and found this on AdWeek : "'Dress Normal' boldly instructs individuals to shape their own authentic, personal style—and intentionally challenges every one of us to dress for ourselves." It took me a minute to process and then EUREKA! Gap is actually championing every sentiment I am exploring in this blog post. They are pushing an idea of redefining what normalcy is and capitalizing on how an individual can explore themselves through their clothes and their vision of 'normal.' It's really quite genius. I squealed like a drunk guinea pig and simultaneously gave them a Standing Ovation. It was awkward.

This idea of redefining normal is the basis for today's Outfix (your daily fix of outfit inspo, in case you so forgot). Nix the done-a-zillion-times LBD and opt for a jet-black skirt and a rustically-charming cargo jacket for a night out. Pair with a sensational DANNIJO sparkler, a neon YSL bag that screeches 'look at me! I am fashion!' and strappy heels that could remove the eye of an aggressive cat-calling construction worker. You're welcome. Shop below:

Jacket by Barbour, $623 (similar for under $70 here)  /  Skirt by Isabel Marant, $505  / Necklace by DANNIJO, $770 (similar for under $50 here)  /  Handbag by Saint Laurent, $1,490 (similat for $120 here)  /  Heels by Zara, $60

Little Miss Carrie

Let's point the finger at Carrie Bradshaw for the sartorially-sadistic epedemic racing across the psyches of many a fashion-forward woman as they peruse their cluttered closets in search of the perfect outfit. Although she never could have afforded Fendi on a freelancer's budget, Ms. Bradshaw was a fashion chameleon who sauntered around the concrete jungle in Manolos and flitted down West 4th in fabulous frippery slinging a Baguette. 

Her walk-through wardrobe was a glam arcadia of irresistible bits and bobs that she carried well (couldn't resist the corniness, my insincerest apologies). And though she had some sartorial missteps along the way that made us cringe, Carrie Bradsaw seemed to always catch our eye like the rare birds, or shall we say, peacocks at Fashion Week who dare to go there.

Although a fictional visualization of a New York woman, Little Miss Bradshaw continues to inspire legions of fashion-girls who pound the pavement in sky-high heels - albeit with some minor tweaks: they have swapped the Manolos for the Gianvitos and traded the Marni for the Mansur to keep it fresh for 2014.

But it was not the exasperatingly-expensive Christian Loboutins that made Carrie Bradshaw - it was Carrie's inimitable style that breathed life into them. So, rest assured, that you can steal her style for a fraction of the cost.

Incorporate a whimsical stand-out accesory - in this case, a Kate Spade wicker bag in the shape of a kitschy, retro Volkswagen does the trick! - and combine this with another eye-catching piece (a zany polka-dot dress does the trick). Mix these statements in with a classic staple like an ivory blazer and add a choker necklace as a sartorial swap to the semi-ratchet nameplate necklace she wore all six seasons. Come on, would she not wear this to dinner with Mr. Big!

It's the Carrie Bradshaw Redux - on a budget!

Jacket by H&M

Dress by Zara

Necklace by Bauble Bar

Bag by Kate Spade

Shoes by Zara