Style Inspiration: Alessandra Rich

Alessandra Rich is a designer that has been on my radar (I posted her gorgeous lime lace dress as a Wednesday Pretty here) for a while, but I was reminded of her when Evan Rachel Wood wore an Alessandra Rich dress to her movie premier in Venice.  

I think her shoes, as well as the randomly stuck-out leg, ruin the look a bit but what I love is still there: it's so different.  There's no denying the beauty of Elie Saab and his ilk for red carpet gowns, but the austere and restrained style of Rich's designs are such a breath of fresh air for formal dressing.

Here are a few of her looks:

images (and dresses on sale) at Net-A-Porter

There's lots of mixing of lace and heavy silks (but the two middle dresses are actually stretch cotton!), cut in rather simple and severe styles. I do wonder whether these are dresses that will look good on anyone over a size 2.  At over $1200 a dress, that is a real-world problem my fantasy closet can ignore.  

While I'll likely never have an Alessandra Rich dress, I'm definitely keeping these images in my 'inspiration' file for pattern making and style ideas.  

BCBG: Colourblocking for fall

From the BCBG Pre-Fall collection:

The last one is my favorite - something about the flowy, asymmetric top with the simple black shorts. Although I wish the top weren't sheer (I suppose that's easily treated by wearing a cami underneath.  However, it does make me wonder whether the pieces work not paired with other BCBG pieces. 

 In general, I like that the colour blocking serves as an accent to black here, but what I (oddly) find most appealing are the "mullet" style tops.  Weird, right?  The drapiness, the belt, and the cape back are all really trendy, yet somehow minimalist and classic.  Am I totally on crack?  Perhaps.  But I love it.  

I don't really have anything in my closet like this, and I doubt it's a look that'll be picked up by the high street.  I wonder whether I could improvise a pattern to create a similar look?

New Obsession: Wallpaper

Does that sound like the most boring blog topic or what?  

I think that most of us have been scarred by bad wallpaper at some point in our lives; and anyone who attempts to remove old wallpaper has probably stated repeatedly how much they never want to see wallpaper ever again.  

But seriously, wallpaper is awesome. 

It really appeals to the part of me that wishes I lived inside an Anthropologie store, the part that loves Whistler's peacock room and William Morris, the part whose design aesthetic is gradually evolving into a weird mix of mid-century modern and Georgian, clean lines and tapestry fabrics.  Yeah, I'm weird.

Anyway, while wandering aimlessly around Waterstones trying to decide on a book, I stumbled across this fabulous book:

Wallpaper: The Ultimate Guide

Charlotte Abrahams describes the revival of wallpaper in modern design, details the major names in wallpaper, and lists endless amounts of resources if you're interested in (admittedly not inexpensive) wallpaper for yourself.

Here are a few of my favorites from the book:

Horses Stampede by Florence Broadhurst

Muscat Yellow by MissPrint

London City Gents by Lizzie Allen

Best in Show by Osborne & Little

And for the ultimate in luxury, check out the bespoke, hand-painted silk, embroidered chinoiserie from Fromental:

Unfortunately, living in a rented flat means no wallpaper for now.  Which is nice, because that means I don't have to worry about how expensive it is!  I can just look and dream.  

Wardrobe Wishes

While it doesn't always work as planned, I've been working on a list of must-haves that my wardrobe is sadly lacking, in an attempt to limit my impulse purchases of fun, but not practical, additions.  Some of the items are slightly 'trendy' but they have to have the staying power of classics. 

Some of the problems lie in several factors: (a) to buy a classic, keep-forever piece, you really don't want to scrimp too much, but my cheap side dominates my spending habits, keeping me from making investment purchases, (b) to buy an investment piece, it should tick all the boxes, but some of these pieces are difficult to find...or at least, difficult to find exactly what I've got in my mind's eye.  

Here's my list:

1) fitted jean jacket

It needs to have a very small amount of shrunken character.  I finally donated my old Guess jean jacket I've had since high school - it was fine, but didn't have the more sophisticated fit I was looking for.  This classic from Levi is really what I'm going for.

Levi's Classic Denim Jacket - $155

2) blanket coat

My ideal is this Oasis coat from last season (and long-since sold out)

These examples from Vince are nice, but a little too cardigan-like. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for that something perfect.

Vince Stripe Blanket Coat - $395

Vince Colorblock Blanket Coat - $395

3) high-waist, wide-leg trousers in black or navy

Finding wide-leg trousers that are actually wide-leg and not just basically-straight-leg has proved difficult.  Also, even though a higher waist is coming into fashion, the combination of the two isn't as prevalent as I would hope.  I've found a few expensive options.

Alexander Wang Wide Leg Pant - $450

Lafayette 148 Ludlow Wide Leg Trousers - $348

I may take a stab at these first (though my trouser-making skills are not tip-top), especially if I can pick up the pattern during a Jo-Ann's Vogue pattern sale.  

Vogue 8717

4) midi-skirt

Looking at the high-fashion mags, the midi skirt (just-past-knee length) might already be on its way out again, but I don't care.  I still love my minis, but the flowy dirndl skirt look really appeals to me.  And in a basic or neutral, it would be a really versatile piece.

Asos Drapey Pocket Midi Skirt - $64

Asos Midi Skirt with Pleats - $64

5) black Hunter boots

I've actually got a pair of green Hunter farm boots from my veterinary/farm days, which are very useful to digging the car out of snow or walking through cow/sheep enclosures.  Unfortunately, they're really heavy, which means wearing them for general walking in snow/rain, they're not terribly useful.  Since we're going to be in the land of year-round rain for a few years at least, I think this is the perfect time to invest in another pair of Hunters - this time in basic black.  My sister-in-law got a pair of the standard rain boots for Christmas a few years ago, and I've been jealous ever since.  I did, however, want to pick a boot with enough style that I could easily wear them with skirts without looking like a small child, so I decided upon the lace-up Watling.  

Hunter Watling - $175

6) high-waist skinny jeans

I mentioned these in my J. Crew post yesterday.  I basically only wear skinny jeans (I do have a trouser pair, but they hardly ever get any use), and last year decided to bite the bullet and buy a more expensive pair than my usual Gap ones.  Unfortunately, the Joe's Jeans that I bought have lost a bit of their deep wash colour and have stretched out in the knees.  What they do have going for them is a higher rise, so that I don't feel like my butt is going to fall out of my jeans when I lean over (and actually problem with my older skinny denim).  Since I've worn several of J.Crew's slim-fit trousers and cords, I'm holding hope that these jeans might work well for me.  

Do you have closet basics?  Or basic wishes?  What's the one thing you're missing from your wardrobe?

Style Inspiration: Rachel Bilson

If I were more organized, I'd put up a whole collection of Bilson looks to demonstrate her fabulous style.  But as we're moving today, I've just got this one from yesterday:

Rachel has always been good at putting together comfortable, fashionable outfits that don't overwhelm her tiny size.  I just adore the Olivia Palermo-like combination of prints and colours.  For me, the animal print pumps are the just the perfect finishing touch.  I think I've got the makings of this outfit in my wardrobe - maybe I'll have to see how well it might work in real life.  

Catalog Inspiration - Reading Nooks

This was the Anthro email I got today:

It reminded me of this image I tore out of the latest Pottery Barn:

These are my favorites of the beautiful arrangements:

source

I found a few other inspiring nooks floating around:

Man, I really wish I had space for a reading nook.  This is definitely going on the long-term wish-list.  Especially the bench enclosed with the curtains.  Makes me think of Jane Eyre.  Who wouldn't want a house with all those comfy hiding spots for reading?

Style Inspiration: Olivia Palermo

It seems like Olivia Palermo is on everyone's "best dressed" lists these days, so I feel a little like I'm jumping on a bandwagon.  

Her style status is certainly earned, though, isn't it?  She's got such a knack for putting together outfits, especially the incorporation of accessories.  Plus, she's got such a casual chic that would be wonderful to emulate on a day-to-day basis.  She's layered in designer goods, but fortunately, some of her style is actually achievable on a budget.

Palermo style by Ellabel18 featuring sling back shoes

I especially like her recent inclination for taking on (or driving?) a wide-leg trouser trend.  

I've added trousers to my clothing wish list, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a nice pair that is (1) affordable, and (2) long enough to pull off the look above.