HAPPY HALLOWEEN from the Fashion Blog!

     Even though our childhood days of trick-or-treating are long gone, I hope everyone had a great weekend dressing up in your adult costumes! What did everyone dress up as?! Better yet, what are you plans for this Monday-Halloween-Night? Whether you are staying in to watch gory and chilling horror movies, or It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (which is as adventurous as I'm going to get with horror) I hope you're stylishly dressed for the occasion and that it involves lots of sweets! 

p.s. isn't this mini Audrey Hepburn in her LBD the cutest?! best Breakfast at Tiffany's reference ever! 

Love, KB

Video Obsession: Emma Watson for Lancome Midnight Rose

     As I turned to the first page of Vogue's November 2011 issue (featuring The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo's leading lady Rooney Mara) I was greeted with Emma Watson's vibrant and pleasantly romantic print ad for Lancome's new fragrance, Midnight Rose. The Internet was buzzing about this new endorsement since March and now the end product is finally in print and video form and the television commercial is already running in Europe. I can't get over how well that pixie cut suits Emma let alone those bold colored lips! -- don't even get me started on the black moto jacket put together with a romantic sheath dress (a very nice play of hard and soft, and ankle boots!) and the androgynous ensemble that I've been obsessing over (lace shorts, white shirt with a poplin collar and bowtie, blush hued blazer) -- and if you're really curious the fragrance smells like mischievous blackcurrant, sweet rose, and mysterious wood. Enjoy the video! 

Love, KB

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