coutorture --

So Cherry Clichéd

coutorture — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:19:32 -0700

Beauty copy can be a tangle of clichés as writers struggle to find fresh descriptions for minute changes. We almost wish the copy editors would give in and admit it! So when the ne plus ultra of beauty clichés, the cherry, came out in force this Fall the overbearing metaphor seemed almost charming. Its as if everyone agreed to say, eh, why force it? Everyone loves a deep cherry red lip so let's not struggle to call it anything but. Its the beauty copy equivalent of calling a spade a spade. And that refreshing honesty about the limits of descriptors somehow makes us that much covetous. Why strive to over market when we all know that we love it we suppose.

And clearly our community feels the same way as MAC's Cult of Cherries and Laura Mercier's Cherries Noir are getting rave reviews. Beauty 411 loves Cherries Noir for what we might call a sister cliché 40s Hollywood glamor. 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic goes right for the kisser with MAC's Cult of Cherry with a cherry lips entry. Temptalia too goes for cherryliscious lips. Makeup and Beauty Blog continues the trend Mercier's Cherries Noir cherry lips. And because it can't just be about the biggies, So Loverly found a Silken Naturals Cherry Crush lipgloss.

Vie Couture, M.I.S.S Crew, and Nessasary Makeup round up the coverage with general reviews.

Not Max'd Out Yet

coutorture — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:51:28 -0700

The maxi dress is the older sister of the bubble dress. Both dresses were flavors of the month last summer in what felt like an endless season of cheap and easy to wear fashion that didn't ask much of the wearer or her pocket book. And yet the maxi-dress always felt like she had a little more staying power than her kid sister.

The allure of the maxi-dress isn't as simple as the bubble dress. The cute and obscuring bubble dress was the sartorial equivalent of the one hit wonder. But the maxi dress hints at so many possibilities and we don't just mean what is under the folds of fabric. It suggests a certain kind of life with leisure time, extraneous bank accounts, and a lack of concern for dirtying the fringes with concrete sidewalks (or the boardwalk). The maxi dress is casual and yet with its length it goes formal in a wink, something the bubble dress never did manage.

And we clearly aren't the only ones wondering if the maxi dress deserves another summer in our closet. Community member Margarite Elaine has tips for wearing the dress (for short girls like two of our editors she recommends having them stop just above your ankle) in any situation or on any body. But the real proof? Six of the bloggers at our DVF X Bloggers fashion shoot chose to highlight a DVF Maxi Dress including The Daily Obession, SheFinds, See Pretty Things, Shopalicious, The ShoeBlog and Clothes Pin.

DVF X Bloggers

coutorture — Tue, 27 May 2008 06:50:23 -0700

The streetwear symbol for collaboration involves combining two names with an "x" as a signifier that two brands joined forces for a creative project. Often it is the collaborations that bring out the best from each side, highlighting the strengths of the players while creating something that is greater than the sum of its parts. It is the "x" factor of unique teams coming together to do something great. It is this spirit of collaboration that inspired us to host a photo shoot with iconic womenswear line Diane Von Furstenberg and the Coutorture community.

Thus it seems fitting that we call the Coutorture community's collaborative photoshoot with Diane Von Furstenberg DVF x Bloggers. After an agonizing process of slimming the potential list of collaborating blogs to ten (though we shot eleven as our intern Maleeha The Shoptometrist got in on the fun) we brought Shopalicious, Fops and Dandies, The Shoptometrist, See Pretty Things, Clothes-Pin, Eyeshadow Government, The Daily Obsession, SheFinds, The Fashion Bomb, The ShoeBlog, and Fashion Indie.

Ten bloggers arrived at Diane Von Furstenberg's 14th Street Meatpacking District store to discover a full crew of professional photographers, models, makeup artists, hair stylists, sales women, publicists, creative directors, and a few interactive agency types from Morpheus Media (the collaboration may have been our idea but Morpheus helped bring it to fruition) ready to help the bloggers play.

And play we did as bloggers dressed, styled, and modeled (and ate and drank) to their hearts content. Every blogger looked fabulous in the diverse number of outfits their educated fashion minds gravitated towards. It was a true testament to the project's aim, to bring the personality of the bloggers to DVF and the integrity (and, we must say, wearability) of the brand to the bloggers.

We hope you will enjoy the results and take the time to peruse the many galleries, write ups, links and Shopstyle Spreads we will be posting through out the next few days to help celebrate this phenomenal creative collaboration.

The Fashion Bomb X DVF

coutorture — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:05:42 -0700

When our network partner, The Fashion Bomb, walked out of the dressing room to be shot in her first of two outfits, jaws dropped. The print and silhouette of her chosen dress and her confidence transformed her into a vision of fabulous unrivaled at the shoot. She so clearly knows a thing or two about fashion as she went straight for a frock that suited her perfectly (an eye for what works is a very important thing). Her blog is also a reflection of her fashion qualifications. On it she examines fashion from an urban context (her slogan, "All Urban Fashion...All The Time") while paying attention to style icons in the media, print ads and magazine covers she finds noteworthy, and also current season clothing at contemporary price points. Her blog is an encapsulation of what it means to be young and intelligent and somewhat obsessed with clothing and it's truly a pleasure to read.

Check out The Fashion Bomb's two great outfits, both with sophisticated a-symmetrical cuts and body skimming silhouettes. She said, of the event, "I'm a huge fan of Diane von Furstenberg so this shoot was a special treat! Though I'm typically devoted to her wrap dresses, I decided to get a bit adventurous and try out her one shoulder styles. Surprisingly the cut was supremely flattering, and the fit? Perfect. I was in love!" For more of The Fashion Bomb's DVF style check out our spread of similar (and also downright amazing) DVF offerings including the Societies One Shoulder Silk Dress with vibrant print and Per Se Black Patent Shoes, otherwise known as the perfect black heels.

The Shoptometrist X DVF

coutorture — Fri, 23 May 2008 09:52:21 -0700

Shoptometrist isn't simply blogger to us, Maleeha is also Coutorture's intern! Over the past 6 months she has pulled and returned about as much many dresses, shoes, and accessories as our crowd of 11 bloggers pulled off the racks at Diane Von Furstenberg for our shoot! OK she has probably pulled a lot more even though eleven women trying on a million outfits is a lot of fashion. That experience has paid off as Maleeha has a keen eye for styling. Some of our best styling ideas, like the Ace-Bandage top from our Brace Yourself shoot has come from input from Maleeha.

She was a little nervous at first about getting dressed and in front of the camera. But once she got into the Tuvallu Dress in Zig-Zag Jungle Lime we think she started to feel better! But you don't have to take our word for it as she has blogged about the entire shoot herself already.

The ShoeBlog X DVF

coutorture — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:35:09 -0700

A girl can never have too many shoes and trust us we tested that premise with The Shoe Blog at our DVF X Bloggers shoot. In fact you could say we went downright overboard. While Shoeblog's JitterbugBaby was content to pose Diane von Furstenberg Shoes Milano Suede Ballet Flats in Teal Coutorture and the DVF staff had other ideas. Pair after pair of sandal, pump, wedge, and flat were pulled off the shelves and placed at the feet of our dear blogger. The Provence shoes in gold and pink were our personal favorites but with a pile that large one would be hard pressed not to find a pair to take home.

She had this to say about the event:

What a fantastic evening! I imagine a lot of us who now blog oh-so-passionately about fashion started out as little girls who loved playing dress-up. I know I did. And even though my taste has improved, there's still a basic, visceral thrill in putting on pretty clothes and shoes and jewelry that's really no different from how I felt as a kid.

The DvF staff were lovely and helpful and so welcoming, and the Coutorture gals were prepped and ready and made the whole thing run as smooth as Italian leather. A great time was had by all, as you can tell from all the smiling faces and beautiful, happy bloggers. I'm glad to have had the chance to connect some faces with the blogs I read regularly, and to hang out with my fellow fashionistas in some seriously delicious duds.

For More of Our DVF X Bloggers Shoot Click Here

Fops and Dandies X DVF

coutorture — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:34:13 -0700

Fashion really is all about the styling. Yet ironically fashion's iconic personalities and larger than life labels can often feel like the hardest to style. Indeed, Fops and Dandies original concern for our DVF x Bloggers shoot was that they would be unable to to let their complex layered style shine through because of the DVF popular prints. But Melissa and Lauren were able to easily collaborate on two outfits that were not only uniquely their own but incorporated DVF's signature prints and bright colors.

The clothes were, of course, very very beautiful. I was worried because Diane von Furstenberg is all about prints, which are hard to mix and match, but I think we were able to pull off two really great outfits (using only one print). They were both collaborative efforts, but the one on the left is mine, and the one in the right is Melissa's. That lilac wrap dress, which is the first thing I picked out, is even gauzier in person, and the rope trim almost visually "anchors" it so the fabric doesn't flutter away. I brought some accessories to make real outfits with, so you may recognize the metal headband from Mexico, my blue tights, and so on. They definitely helped personalize the ensembles to make the items feel less like other people's clothing and more like real wear. Like, if I had these items in my closet, this is how I'd wear it.

a href="http://www.coutorture.com/tags/dvf+x+bloggers">For More DVF X Bloggers Coverage

Fashion Indie X DVF

coutorture — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:56:41 -0700

Fashion Indie likes to break the rules. They are known for just being a little bit badly behaved and reveling in it when it comes to getting their voice heard. Sometimes we want to smack Daniel Saynt upside the head but we respect their taste when it comes to bringing together rule breaking styling. Combining the Bowenia Dress in Azalea and the Diane von Furstenberg Lunalilo Jacket is pretty daring at first blush. The combination of a pink cocktail frock with a blue hoodie-like jacket is just the sort of thing an independent minded Brooklyn girl would do. The outfit is of course quintessentially DVF even if you didn't quite expect it. And of course they just had to put their model in the most expensive dress of the evening the Alika Dress in Multi which just happens to be Look 39 from their Spring runway. The pricey frocks are what any self respecting girl playing dress up gravitate towards too. There is something to be said for rule breaking after all, at least when it comes to fashion.

For More Bloggers and DVF coverage

Shout Out: Network Partners to the Rescue

coutorture — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:11:39 -0700

Yesterday we were in a brooding mood as we pondered the effect the economic downturn would have on our fashion choices. However, we've since turned our frowns upside down, as we realized that the fashion world doesn't have to become a virtual strip mall of homogeneous, low-quality goods. While we're still aware of its pitfalls and are sleeping with one eye open, we've found solutions for the fashion-craving girl or guy on a paltry budget. Our network partners show us the way.

We found inspiration in the form of a puffed shoulder, via Kingdom of Style's tale of victory on eBay, where she scored a unique bolero jacket that sent her over the moon with rapturous joy. Her jubilant photo spread with said jacket proved to us that you can still sate your high-fashion appetites. You just have to know where to look. Even if bidding wars aren't your thing, there are many virtual stores on eBay that don't require you to engage in high-speed clicking battles with an enemy mouse. For the uninitiated, these stores allow eBayers to buy and sell goods at fixed prices.

If it's indie accoutrements you crave, Etsy is pretty hard to beat. As a marketplace for independent designers to showcase their wares without the costs associated with a brick and mortar shop, it's a go-to if you're looking for unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that you won't see everywhere else. Plus, it feels good to support a fledgling designer and stick it to our mass-producing culture. Network partner Stereoette makes and sells her own jewelry at her Etsy online store. She also recommends Gavin & Lily, and Holly Stalder.

If it's vintage you seek, our network partners have you covered. Shrimpton Couture is a treasure trove of vintage finds and is currently offering 15% off of everything on the site until May 31. Debutante Clothing lets you know where to find the great vintage styles and tips you off to the best eBay and Etsy shops. Zuburbia always features an enviable vintage pick of the day and provides a well-edited list of links to vintage resources.

Perhaps our economic woes will force us to become better, more resourceful shoppers. There will always be a niche to serve those discerning consumers who won't be satisfied with what traditional retailers try to peddle, and as long as we continue to seek it, the market will respond accordingly.

Bloggers With Bangs

coutorture — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:52:20 -0700

Personal style runs wild in the blogosphere. From DIY fashion to the very high end, the style blogosphere creates, consumes and styles so much fashion in a day it will make your head spin. Indeed, proliferation of blogs that explore personal style has reached a fevered pitch. And while there are plenty of photography blogs, Flickr pools, and party websites that let you check out street fashion from Los Angeles to Tokyo, our personal favorite genre on Coutorture is the wardrobe blog. While browsing through the network we noticed the straight cropped bang as a very popular style among the wardrobe bloggers. In fact, five amazing bloggers sporting straight cropped bangs. We have Style Bubble in London, Kingdom of Style's Queen Michelle in Glasgow, Style Bytes in Oslo, Wardrobe Oxygen in Washington D.C, and Fops and Dandies in New York City. We would say that makes it a very international adoption of the hairdo indeed.