Style By Design (SBD)

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Style Icon: MK

She gone Gatsby on me...

One thing clients often ask is that I categorize them into a "type". "Just tell me what style I am and where I need to shop from now on," a busy, professional mother once pleaded with me. "It will make my life so much easier!"

While this may work in some instances, it's not always so simple. We all have different facets to our image and dress sense. Our look and preferences are constantly evolving based on age, lifestyle, outside circumstances and influences...sometimes even a film we just happened to watch. I even have a hard time categorizing myself into any one particular style bracket. And I've known me a long time. I'm preppy at the core, but I love edge and a touch of boho...within limits. Nothing too busy. I guess that would make me a minimalist. So I'm a preppy, edgy, minimalist? Does such a style genre even exist?

A tactic I've found effective is to refrain from looking at one’s own wardrobe to draw a conclusion. Our closets may not be representative of what we truly love because for whatever reason, we haven’t successfully channeled our likes into real-life. Look to others in order to determine what gets your heart racing. Most people can rattle off celebrities or socialites whose aesthetic they admire, the ones whose ensembles they lust after and think "YES...I WOULD TOTALLY LOVE TO WEAR THAT!" Whether or not we actually wear those outfits is a different story. Factor in lifestyle, age, body-type, budget, modesty preferences, resources and... we are limited. However, we can still aspire to be inspired, keeping in mind these constraints. It is possible.

Pinpoint a person whose style you consistently love. We all have someone. It can be a celebrity, or someone you know. Then work backwards and figure out what elements of their look you really like. Is it that they take risks? Is it that they can successfully mix prints? Maybe they have a similar look or body type to yours, making them more relatable to you. Is it the fine tailoring of their wardrobe that draws your eye? That they always look neat and put together? Or is it the effortlessness of their look you can’t get enough of? We all have different likes and dislikes, and being able to hone in on exactly what you love about a look is a valuable tool in developing your own personal style.

This is a highly subjective exercise, so be really honest with yourself. It's got to be love at first sight. If you have to think about whether or not you like it, chances are you haven't found your style icon just yet.

I'll give one such example for myself. I kinda fell for her without even realizing it. I always found myself eyeing and being helplessly, hopelessly drawn to her outfits. Not her beauty, but her street style (be sure to differentiate). She’s visually statuesque and stunning, no doubt (she is the literal epitome of wearing a potato sack and still looking flawless. You get my drift). I fell head over heels, consistently across the board for every single look I spotted her in. The dialogue in my head went something like this:

Her again? Why are her outfits always so on point?
I would so wear that. Like, in a heartbeat.
MMM-mm. This girl. YES.
B**** stole my look!

Just my luck, she happens to be a Victoria’s Secret model with ethereal limbs, porcelain skin, and the hanger-type physique designers favor to showcase their work. Despite her being an easy- to-hate ubermodel, I love her style. She's got the genetic blessing of looking good in anything she wears - yet she favors much more tasteful clothes than your average lingerie-model. It's precisely why I covet her distinctly restrained element, and the fact that she keeps her overall look elegant and unfussy, versus provocative and trite.

Miranda Kerr is the ideal of preppy, minimalist, sporty-chic with edge, if this fantasy combo of mine ever existed. Whether on the red carpet or casually strolling the city streets with her baby boy Flynn, the girl dances the precarious tango of mastering clean and modern without EVER delving into boring. It's not easy. (Believe me, I've tried!) Since photos are indeed worth a thousand words, I'll stop writing and let you see. Then again, her look may not get your blood pumping the way it does mine...

So ask yourself - who is your style icon, and more importantly – what exactly is it about their style that really draws you in? It's the first step towards answering the age-old question: "what is my style type?"

Oversized, preppy-chic…with leather pants. I want every single coat this girl owns

The queen of pairing quality basics with lust-worthy bags and accessories

Those Marant boots! And she's not afraid to repeat (re: coat). Love

Modern Hamptons #ootd

Did I mention I love her coats?

Not afraid of color. We'll see these shoes again...

B*** stole my look! In the infamous Marant sneaker wedge

Tone-on-tone. Sigh

Red carpet perfection

The perfect touch of Boho. And there are those shoes again!

B**** stole my look! Minus the slit. We won't hold that face against her.

I almost cannot HANDLE this one

Clean basics + Cool Accessories, Take 2

Love x 3

Maybe 2 people on the planet could pull this look off with a toddler in tow

Classicly ladylike

Written by Saba Ali - stylist, writer, and founder of SBD - Image Consulting

Comments? Questions? Leave below or email us at stylebydesign.sbd@gmail.com

Monday, September 16, 2013

Fashion Week SS14: A Closer Look Into Spring's New Style Collective

Fashion week has wrapped up in a whirling New York minute, and the highly anticipated Spring/Summer 2014 ( (or #ss14 if you speak hashtag) collections are making their way into the mainstream psyche as designers, models, bloggers, socialites, actresses, and minions gathered for what is perhaps the most anticipated event all year.

A few concepts spotted early on in the week drew inspiration from confection in blush pastels (rose, lilac, butter) and stark white in women's wear. The soft colors were balanced with strong asymmetrical lines in silhouette from powerhouses such as Alexander Wang, Victoria Beckham, Tadashi Shoji, and Prabal Gurung. On the contrary, last season's statement patterns grew bolder in all their animal, tribal, floral, and pinstriped glory on soft, minimalist shapes at Diane Von Furstenburg, Donna Karen, and Tracy Reese.

The overall verdict? Styles seem to be drawing consistently from last season's spring collection, yet pleasingly topping their predecessors with added oomph in graphic prints, structured cuts, and modern aesthetic. This was embodied best in the prevalence the full, flouncy skirt, which made a stunning comeback (in varying lengths) at collections across the board, from department store favorite Alice-and-Olivia to Spanish-darling designer Delpozo.

Delpozo

3.1 Philip Lim

The full skirt is also a key example of a startling shift. The continuing movement away from the ultra feminine, bodycon apparel of the past seems to be here to stay. Cool-girl uniform master Philip Lim stunned with boxy shapes orchestrated in rock and fire prints as well as subtle embellishments, a collection so dazzling in itself that the models were sent down the runway with shades, wet-looking hair, and barely-there makeup. Lim is just one successful example of the widespread appeal of a more restrained approach to fashion, where something is being left to the imagination. What started out as a natural shift last year due to the see-saw nature of the industry has been fully embraced, and is now being recognized as a conscious international effort on part of several designers to to tap into the infamously conservative emerging markets of Southeast Asia and the Middle East. One look at Valentino, now owned by Qatari royalty, and it is apparent that the brand has traded in skin for lush fabrics and demure necklines which are equal, if not greater, parts glamorous than their skimpier predecessors.

DKNY frontwoman Rita Ora

Other luxury brands are trying out voluminous yet structured shapes, not just with large winter coats, but in fresh spring concoctions of roomy knitwear and boxy jackets as was apparent all over the Spring/Summer 14 collections. While lush, full silhouettes in heavy, rich fabrics were the epitome of high-end couture for fall, the notion is just as relevant on the street-style side for spring. DKNY's 25th anniversary collection, featuring large logo'd nods to decades past, as well as a closing strut by trend setting pop starlette Rita Ora, epitomized this notion with tailored staples, billowing trenches, and clean neutrals that were young, edgy, and anything but dowdy. Such conservative approaches as seen in menswear, grunge, and throwback 90's looks like DKNY's (think of the consistently popular hi-tech, roomy sweatshirt) prove that covering it up is quickly becoming mainstream. Blame it on the comfort and ease of movement, those with their eyes on the prize of conservative yet lucrative fashion markets, or a natural progression from bodycon, the restrainted aesthetic seems to be here to stay, and the all too pleasing #SS14 collection further proves across the board that this is the case.

90's Menswear at DKNY

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Oh Menswear, How I Love Thee. Let Us Count the Ways...

When I was a tween, I favored preppy button-ups, baggy rolled up jeans, vests, and slouchy V-necks. When my own closet fell short, I unapologetically dove into my brother's (much to his dismay) collection of henleys, tees, and sweatshirts...and not just because they were modest. Back then, I wasn't actually sure why I adored them so much. I remember very fondly wearing a mechanic shirt in a swampwater-green hue, complete with arm patches emblazened with random petroleum blurbage. I wore it until I bore holes in the elbows in college...and this was before I patched it. There was just something effortlessly cool about these unconstricted, non-girly silhouettes I was so drawn to.

It wasn't until recently, as a grown adult that I realized WHY I was so smitten. There is something remarkably untrying, something understatedly confident about a gal in dude's clothing. It's like subconsciously flipping the bird to all those ridiculous expectations society has of women - to be ultra feminine, to wear confining shapes, makeup, hair did, everything did, much like Coco Chanel with the invention of her relaxed suit in an era of corsets and ultra-femme looks. It's not really caring about being ladylike. I'm not talking about being androgynously masculine, the goal is never to try to LOOK like a guy...rather, it's to bring in masculine elements which, surprisingly enough, highlight femininity. As much as I enjoy dressing up and looking "pretty" on occasion, menswear allows me to "hide" in my outfit in a subtle and edgier way, without having to wear a potato sack or a burqa to protest the societal norms of curling my hair, donning a skirt, or...wearing pink.

Real life menswear - strong and effortless

For all these reasons, the Kurt Cobain era of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" chic holds a sweet, nostalgic spot in my heart. My own clean, not-so-grungy take on grunge was an everyday version of menswear that was realistic for me...because unfortunately, I was never invited to as many black tie galas, where I could sport my pinstripe tuxedos and slicked back hair, as I would have liked. Sad face.

Neo-Grunge

Plaid with Boyfriend Jeans

Docs. Nuff said.

Already an avid menswear and grunge fan when it flourished in the 90's, the trend allowed me to wear my flannels, non-tight jeans, and Doc Martens with reckless abandon. With the reemergence of tartan, combat boots, and "picnic tablecloth" print these days, I'm particularly excited...and I just can't hide it.

If you've ever thought about diving into any form of menswear but weren't sure how, here is a guideline to keep in mind - be sure makeup and hair can hang by keeping them ladylike yet strong (red lips, winged liner, sleek but soft hair), and add feminine accessories as a foil to the hard apparel (think dainty necklaces, chains, charm bracelets, pointy pumps).