Yay for Dolce and Gabbana!

I was flipping through the latest issue of Elle Magazine when I came upon the new ad campaign for Dolce and Gabbana. To my surprise and, later, delight, I saw none other than Crystal Renn...the plus size model as the new face of Dolce and Gabbana! And she looked pretty hot and luscious clad in a leopard print corset and reclining in a very wild looking setting. Quite voluptuous I might add. Who is she? Well I first came to know her name in the February 2004 issue of Teen Vogue (yes I even remember which issue). There was a story about her struggle with weight. In the end she decided to become a plus size model, and ever since I have seen her face everywhere- in Vogue editorials and as the model for plus size lines like Lane Bryant and Torrid. You can actually see pictures of her at Torrid in our local mall. But being in a Dolce and Gabbana campaign...that's just a whole new level. Yay for her and yay for the fashion industry!
I would include a picture but I can't seem to find one.

Where Do You Get Your Inspiration?

I get my inspiration from a lot of different places but I like to stay loyal to a few of my favorites: Teen Vogue and celebrity tabloid magazines. They have never failed me. The two of them serve very different purposes. The former is for those high fashion but wearable days and the latter is for those hip but casual days.
Warning: this may start to sound like a complete plug for Teen Vogue but that just shows you how much I love that magazine. It is seriously the best magazine because it usually skips the riff raff (you know, like that ever present teen mag curse, the quiz titled "Is He Really Into You?"). Plus the magazine has a great balance between couture and affordable clothes ( however, leaning on the side of expensive), but I think that's good. I like to be left with a little bit of room for dreaming. Plus it's not like they expect girls to run out and copy those exact outfits featured in the fashion spreads. THAT is why I like to call it my inspiration. It gives me ideas. Fashion is about self expression and that is exactly what i do. Claudiaism #4: Don't let fashion become a chore. It should be complete fun.
Now Us Weekly is by far my favorite guilty pleasure. It has a lot more fashion than most of you think. Well think about it, we have to constantly keep tabs on the who's who of Hollywood and what can be more important than what they're wearing (other than their fascinating love lives)? Why are tabloids such fashion powerhouses you ask? Well the celebs wear the best. I would trade places with Nicole Richie or Lindsay Lohan any day. Those lucky girls get YSL Muse bags for free AND I think they have like hundreds and hundreds of Chloe (my fave designer) and Jimmy Choo shoes. AND they get them for FREE. Ooops I just said that twice.
But I don't just get inspired by periodicals. I get inspiration from the girls at Disneyland, my favorite fashion icons Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy, and movies. Like just recently I watched The Breakup and I fell in love with all those simple dresses that Jennifer Aniston's character wears to her job at the art gallery. This season is all about t shirt dresses, sundresses, wraparound dresses, just DRESSES!!!
Happy dress shopping girls and be on the lookout for inspiration! It can be right around the corner.
Love you much,
Claudia

You Can Never Have Too Many Pairs of Shoes

My life has finally calmed down and I am in the right state of mind to write about fashion, the first love in my life. A good outfit obviously requires good taste, and I'm sure a lot of people think they have good taste but sometimes people forget about the ACCESSORIES AND THE SHOES!!!! Claudiaism #3: No outfit is complete without shoes and accessories. Back in those middle school days I wore everything with athletic shoes. Everyone had about one pair of shoes and that was about it. But it's high school guys!!! We can branch out and change things up a little. Sooooo I dedicate this entry to shoes.... Since the summer season is well on its way (and we only have 4 more days of school!) I have nothing but garden parties, beaches, and popsicles on my mind. These images come accompanied with shoes. Espadrilles to be exact. Ahh. I even like the way the word sounds. These are the ones I've been eyeing for a while from J Crew. Aren't they very picnic-in-the-park cute?

Now as all of you know, I live in ballet flats. My favorite ones at the moment are my purple velvet Marc Jacobs ones. But I've been on this mad rampage in search of Ferragamo flats. All the ones I've seen are so grandmaish. I went to the Ferragamo store in its temporary location at South Coast and their selection was pretty limited. Why can't I just find those classic ballet flats with the bow and the logo? I refuse to believe that they would discontinue something I consider to be such a staple in a good shoe collection. My mom actually has a pair of navy blue ones that she bought in Italy years ago, but I can't wear them because of my stupid big feet.


I'm not giving up anytime soon, but I like these BCBG flats too! Aren't they adorable? BCBG makes some pretty hot shoes this season. I like almost all of the ones on Saks.com. I think ballet flats work on tall people and it says a lot if you can pull off the look. And another thing- they're pretty darn comfortable. AND Audrey Hepburn wore them...at this point you should be running off looking for flats at the mall!


The trend for this season are wedges and platforms. Not really flattering on people with short legs though, they sort of make people look squatty and if you're not careful they can make you look slutty. I'm not a very big fan of them, but I DO like these patent leather shoes by Jessica Simpson. They very much resemble those Christian Louboutin shoes( $500+) that you've been seeing on celebs for the past few seasons. But I like these better cause I can afford them.

Have fun with shoes this summer, but PLEASE do me a favor....don't buy any clogs. I can't stand them. They are big, heavy, ugly, and they make the most irritating sounds!!!

XOXOX,

Claudia