Fashion in Films (Audrey Hepburn Classics) : Funny Face

     There is something about Autumn that just makes me want to snuggle in bed and watch the classics like The Wizard of Oz and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. But of course it wouldn't be complete without the Audrey Hepburn series of classics. While her role as Holly Goligthly in Breakfast at Tiffany's cemented her position as the one of the greatest actresses in cinema as well as a fashion icon (you cannot associate the LBD without Audrey Hepburn) my absolute Hepburn favorite was when she played the bookish type turned supermodel Jo Stockton in the musical Funny Face. I want to become a fashion editorial stylist someday so it's important for me to form a foundation of iconic references to draw from and what's more fitting than a classic Hepburn film about a high fashion magazine shooting an editorial spread in Paris? tres chic, yes?

     This 1957 film also stars Fred Astraire as the photographer and love interest, Dick Avery and Kay Thompson as the editor in chief of Quality magazine, Maggie Prescott, who was rumored to resemble former Vogue editor in chief Diana Vreeland. The plot of the film revolves around the accidental discovery of Hepburn's character as a result of a guerilla photo shoot in a book shop where she worked. She was then made the new muse and face of Quality magazine and quickly whisked away (after a brief convincing via a musical number) to Paris, France where the fictional couturier Paul Duval was to design an entire collection dedicated to the this so called "Quality woman" who will model the clothes in a fashion show as well as be photographed in a high fashion editorial spread to be featured in the magazine -- which of course was my favorite part! 

     The editorial spread which featured a total of eight looks -- from a timeless black A-line frock to a wedding gown -- were completely separate from the pieces that were shown in the fashion show. And thanks to Hollywood's most iconic costume designer, Edith Head, this film has the same profound impact as the costume design in Breakfast in Tiffany's in motion picture fashion history, despite the fact that the latter was released four years after this film. Breakfast at Tiffany's can have the Little Black Dress, but this film featured other timeless pieces such as the trench coat, ballet flats, turtleneck, and of course, the skinny black jeans which inspired Gap to produce the Audrey Hepburn Pant (basically black skinnies) in their 2006 "Keep it Simple" campaign which was inspired by her dance number in that smokey cafe in Paris.  

trench coat

black skinny jeans, flats, & turtleneck

Love, KB

An Open Letter to You

where I've been -- 

So a few (if any) of you might've been wondering why the posts have been abruptly lacking as of late. I wrote during the beginning of the summer that I will be spending a lot of time traveling and enjoying the simple pleasures of this very relaxing season via sun, water, and good company. As it came to an end and fall slowly approaches, I found myself in such a deep of a funk that I was left completely uninspired to do anything at all. So what did I do? Tell me that fashion is at least in there somewhere! Of course fashion was still completely 100% involved. I immersed myself in books (fashion photography, fashion history, and classic literature like Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's) watched a lot of movies especially with the help of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly (just think of all the Hepburn classics and Rear Window) took a lot of pictures (film via my instax and digital) and listened to a lot of music that made me dance, that made me happy and sad, oh and a lot of Brigitte Bardot. And of course keeping up with my monthly glossy favorites (Vogue and Teen Vogue have been producing a lot of great issues) I guess I was trying to find myself in the thick of it all -- the present, the future, my reality, hopes, dreams and fantasies -- it's very easy to get overwhelmed and find yourself lost. The truth is, I'm such a dreamer. I've always envisioned something greater for myself and life is full of unavoidable letdowns and disappointments. What's more is that running a personal fashion blog takes a lot of work and dedication and a hybrid of fashion enthusiast and blogger like myself can't be running on empty, or else the posts would be terrible.  As cryptic as all of that may sound -- no matter -- fashion is still the only thing that makes sense. Just know that I'm still here and thank you for all the support. 

KB

Magazine Covergirl -- Teen Vogue: Lily Collins (October 2011)

jacket by Michael Kors / dress by McQ by Alexander McQueen / 

earrings by CC Skye

     I'm such a sucker for beautiful cover spreads more than anyone I know (never mind the fact that it's my greatest dream to produce editorial style essays as a stylist, let alone for a Conde' Nast publication.) For this month's Young Hollywood Issue, it was more than fitting to feature Lily Collins for the Teen Vogue cover story for she embodies everything that this particular issue aims to display -- a young, up and coming, and very promising talent. The inspiration for this cover story, which was styled by Lawren Howell and photographed by Paola Kudacki, was regal Alexander McQueen, which should've been made obvious by all the plaid, crowns, and headpieces with a hint of something dark and imperfect, but beautiful and ethereal. I'm also a romantic which pulls me toward photographs that are very whimsical and dreamlike. All of the messy tulle and chunky knits is perfect for fall as well as the royal and fantasy theme of the shoot titled Happily Ever After, for Collins is due to play Snow White in a third iteration of the classic tale, due sometime in 2012. 

sweater by Isabel Marant / skirt by Christian Siriano / 

Houston Young & Ng headpiece

Jennifer Behr crown

blazer by Libertine / blouse by Ruffian / tulle skirt by Pettiskirt Style / 

plaid skirt by Woolen Mills archive / Stephen Jones Millinery Crown / 

Louis Vuitton earrings / ring by Jennifer Fisher

cape by BHLDB / dress by McQ by Alexander McQueen / 

Paris Couture Antiques Crown / necklace by Gripoix

sweater by Haute Hippie / gown by Morgan Le Fay / 

Victoria Grant headpiece / collar by Anne Fontaine / 

cuffs by Chrishabana / gloves by LaCrasia 

as Snow White

Love, KB

Inspire Me Pretty: Emma Watson

     Fall is one of my favorite seasons to dress for mainly because the cooler seasons give way to a great amount of creativity and experimentation through layering and the mixture of colors, prints, and texture. For this upcoming fall season, I'm particularly inspired by the juxtaposition of masculine and feminine pieces. And one look that epitomizes this very image is the one with Emma Watson spotted in a very Parisian chic ensemble during her Lancome ad set. I first gravitated toward the white blouse with the poplin collar complete with a simple silk bow used in a bow tie. I'm a sucker for preppy details, especially ones with a touch of androgyny in it. The high waisted lace shorts makes the entire ensemble look more feminine while the tailored blazer makes it look more polished and put together, especially with the addition of a skinny black belt which defines the waistline. Not to mention, simple minimalistic and lace pieces are very on trend right now. The white blouse tucked inside creme-colored lace shorts will definitely make you skeptical at first, but the subtle and varying degrees of color and texture actually gives the outfit more depth and interest. 

Love, KB

Vogue September 2011 Issue

     Drum roll please.. Vogue's 2011 most anticipated and famous September issue is 758 pages! Which is relatively small compared to that famous 840 pages from 2007 which still holds the record for the largest issue produced by the magazine. And in true September issue fashion, the first three hundred pages or so are dedicated to ads (advertisement = $$$) which includes the usual, like Dior, Chanel, and Prada and range from Drew Barrymore modeling in a stunning16 page series of Neiman Marcus ad, a first look at the Missoni for Target collection, Karl Lagerfeld's Impulse capsule collection for Macy's, and even the Mad Men inspired collection that the costume designer Janie Bryant designed for Banana Republic. 

     As for the editorials, the wedding coverage ("Kiss me, Kate") and pictorials for the covergirl's Kate Moss summer nuptials were so whimsical and romantic with a great story about John Galliano's wedding gown design for his long time muse and the bride. Other editorial spreads include the young  supermodel Karlie Kloss in a "Go East!" shoot sporting a very short do in China, and of course we can't forget Grace Coddington's work -- they're the ones I look forward to in all of the issues. She did a fantastic Mod inspired spread, called "My Generation" featuring Natalia Vodianova in a very Twiggy-esque hair-do which showcased a lot of upcoming fall trends such as clean and tailored pieces and lady-like looks. Grace also styled a spread with Micheal Philouze called "Playing to Type" which further showcases upcoming fall trends such as lace, delicate knits, boxy and monochromatic wool jackets, polka dots, and colorful mixture of prints. 

     And of course, as the 2011 New York Fashion Week is scheduled for September 8-15, a great initiative to promote Fashion's Night Out (FNO) is very evident throughout the entire issue. FNO is a shopping event hosted by Vogue, the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), and the city of New York which helps promote local fashion retail businesses and helps celebrate the industry in a one night event. On September 8, from New York, to Los Angeles, to Miami and even overseas (London is having their own FNO) fashion enthusiasts, shoppers, and fashionistas alike can enjoy a night of shopping with tons of fashion related activities in the works during this great nighttime event for a great cause (40% of the proceeded raised in the event will benefit the NYC Aids-Fund). For more information visit fashionsnightout.com

"Kiss Me, Kate" 

photographed by Mario Testino 

"My Generation"

styled by Grace Coddington

photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot 

"Playing to Type"

styled by Grace Coddington and Michael Philouze 

photographed by Steven Meisel 

Fashion's Night Out (FNO) September 8, 2011 

Love, KB

Fashion Heads Up: Missoni for Target Update pt. 2

     Aside from official kick-off of college football season, here are some of the things that I'm going to be looking forward to in month of September: 

• the premiere of the fifth season Gossip Girl 
• the return of the Rachel Zoe Project on its fourth season 
• new fall shows like the New Girl starring Zooey Deschanel on FOX
• Karl Lagerfeld's Impulse capsule collection for Macy's 
• AND of course,  Missoni for Target! 

Fashion Blog's last update on this grand collaboration (the biggest yet in Target's history!) featured behind the scenes shots of Margherita Missoni shooting the print ads and television commercial for the collection and here's the first look of the finished product that will be coming in your favorite glossy soon! What's more is that the September 2011 issue of Teen Vogue featured some of the pieces that will be in this 400 piece collection in the magazine's 14 Fall Fashion Hit List. The brief cover story on this much anticipated and very affordable collection (most pieces including home decor are under $40, but ranges from $8 - $200 which includes a beach cruiser!) includes a knit dress, ballet flats, and swimsuit pair in that very familiar and signature Missoni Italian zig zag pattern. That's enough teasing already (and I don't know what I'll do as soon as they release the official look book) -- September 13 can't get here soon enough. 

Love, KB