San Francisco Fashion Film Festival Spring 2012

“San Francisco is a city of filmmakers and film aficionados. It is also a city of designers, taste-makers, and fashion lovers. In the Spring of 2012, film and fashion (and fun) will unite at the inaugural San Francisco Fashion Film Festival,” (fashfilmfest.org)

This Spring 2012 San Francisco will be holding its first Fashion Film Festival at the Roxy Cinema, courtesy of San Francisco bloggers Adelle (fashionistalab.com), Annie (PoeticandChic.com), and Kim (JadoreCouture.com).

Through their passion and eye for fashion and film, these three local fashionistas have come together to create an event that will highlight the history of fashion and film in San Francisco.  Through well-known Hollywood productions, to indie films, and documentaries we will get the opportunity to live through our favorite moments in fashion and in film.  This effort is similar to one done recently in New York with Fashion In Film that Vanity Fair and the Film Society at Lincoln Center put together during Fashion Week in September – see Fashion in Film with Simon Doonan.  I attended this festival and was super impressed with the moderators.  Hopefully SF’s efforts will include a panel of speakers who can give their take on fashion in film.  After all we have such classics as Hitchcocks “Vertigo” (costumes by Edith Head) and “Flower Drum Song” (costumes by Irene Sharif) in our costumistory!

Some of the best periods of fashion, costume design, storytelling will be explored in the dramatic film category. Stories of designers and artists who have changed and formed the world of fashion, art and film will be told through documentaries. Local independent filmmakers are also encouraged to submit their work for the chance to be shown.

“The goal is to feature films that have inspired trends, beauty, design, and culture, and give attendees insight beyond the usual standard bearers of Hollywood and grant access to the creators and influencers who have affected style through film,” (fashfilmfest.org)

 For more information on how you can submit your films, donate, or be a part of this festival please visit
http://www.fashfilmfest.org
  – click below to watch the video.

Three Must-Have Items in Your Closet

I have been a stylist for 47 years. I have poured over countless magazines, books, videos, blogs, and websites. I have lived in Japan, Miami, and my current home-town Huntsville, Alabama. My profession as a CPA has taken me to New York, Chicago, D.C., Boston, Fort Lauderdale, and other stylish cities. In visiting and living in these various places, there has been one underlying style I have seen time again – mine.  You see, I have been a stylist for me.

I know myself better than anyone else. I know my favorite styles, colors, likes and dislikes. I understand every nuance of my body. I have a style that is unique, yet timeless.  My style belongs to me. I own it.

In evolving my style over the years, I have created a checklist of 25 items that all stylish women should possess.  Perhaps this list is not the customary list found in all the books and magazines that women study in the hopes of finding her style, but it is a list that is fail proof.

Here are the first three items on my list.

A full-length mirror.  A full-length mirror is your best friend.  It never lies. It does not try to sell you the latest fashion fad. It actually does the opposite. It tells the brutal truth. If you listen to it, you cannot purchase a poor choice for your style. The mirror saves you from yourself. This item will show up time and time again in my checklist.

The “Black Suit.”  My black suit is actually a charcoal gray pantsuit. The jacket has a one button closure, and the pants are straight-leg, no pockets, and sit low on my waist. The black suit is a staple that should be in all women’s closet, but it can be defined to the person wearing it. The color need not be black, but the color that looks best on you. The style can range anywhere from a skirt suit with a jacket made for your body, to pants with a cardigan as the jacket. Find the suit that looks best on your body. You know your body. Trust your instinct to choose your best “black suit.”

Skin Care.  The one item you wear every day, regardless of your outfit, is your skin. This item should be of the best quality your money can buy. Though you can hide a great deal of your skin under clothing, you can rarely hide the skin on your face. Look at skin care the same as you look at dry cleaning. Maintain the one item worn everyday as you would your favorite item of clothing. Treat it with the upmost care and it will be the classic that rewards you over and over.

I have covered the first three items on my style checklist and look forward to sharing with you my next items.

Until then,

Julia’s Closet

Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum

Lovers and students of fashion all over the world were given an irreplaceable gift yesterday. On December 5^th, iconic fashion designer Valentino Garavani launched the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum, a downloadable desktop application, the first of its kind.

Valentino teamed up with his long-term business partner Giancarlo Giammetti to create a virtual museum, showcasing 50 years of the designers work in 3D technology which gives the experience of actually being inside an Italian art museum.

In this virtual world viewers can experience various wings and galleries, that if real would cover over 107,500 square feet, exhibiting over 300 of Valentino’s dresses in great detail. Click on the dress and they revolve 360, showing every line and every stitch in amazing detail.

The application doesn’t stop there.

By clicking on the garments we are also able to discover the history behind them, who wore them, where, and when. With a media library containing over 5,000 images and over 150 videos, that take us back to his original sketches, ad campaigns, and runway debuts. We really get the opportunity to experience all things Valentino, to his thoughts and inspirations behind his wonderful collections.

Not only is the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum a great experience for fashion and art buffs, but for fashion students and for aspiring designers, it’s a great resource. With this application, we get to experience and iconic fashion moments, designs, and icons from past to present.

Check out a tour of the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum.

Click here to download.

Marni for H&M Spring 2012

Not long after the recent pandemonium of the Versace for H&M launch this past November, Swedish fast-fashion power house, Hennes & Mauritz announced this past week their new spring collection partnership with Italian designer Marni, is scheduled to hit select stores March 8 for spring 2012.

H&M consistently builds up frenzy among young fashion lovers with their designer collaborations, which have included Karl Lagerfeld, Roberto Cavalli, Comme des Garçons, and Lanvin.

Marni, known for their bold mixing of prints and colors are designing a capsule collection for both men and women that will also include a line of accessories.

Things to look forward for in Marni’s women’s collection with H&M for spring are African-inspired patterns and prints, color blocking, cropped trousers, and jacquard knits. Marni uses fabrics ranging from silk to cotton poplin. Women can also get excited for jewelry, bags, shoes, and scarves.

For our male fashionistas Marni has designed a line of “relaxed ensembles” that has a more subtle use of prints and color that causes some contrast details in garments.

Marni has such a fun way of playing with colors and prints, but keeps it very modern, yet classic with their shapes and lines; they are the perfect collaboration for H&M’s spring collection.

Not to familiar with Marni? Check out our polyvore set of their recent spring 2012 ready to wear collection.

 Click see what founder, creative director, and designer of Marni, Consuelo Castiglioni has to say about the new line! Designer Collaboration with Marni, H&M Spring 2012

What I Really Think About Uggs

I quite like Uggs for a few reasons, the first being aesthetics. Uggs come in a variety of shapes, cuts, styles, and colors to fit any outfit and any personality. When it comes to Uggs, you have a lot of fun, unique style choices. Their boots range from ankle to knee height, flats to heels, fuzzy to sleek. There is the traditional style that Uggs are well known for,  the Elissa, with variants such as the Lansley and the Over the Knee Bailey Button that are still consumer favorites. Uggs displays fantastic variety with the Edmunton and Belcloud, which lend a look of utility — they look like shoes that can take a beating and still be fashionable!

That brings me to my second reason: functionality. I love how warm and waterproof Uggs are, especially up here in rainy Oregon weather. Uggs keep your feet nice and toasty, and most importantly dry, and have the added perk of going with almost any outfit.

Combine these two reasons and you’ll understand why Uggs are so awesome. Some people may say the brand and style are over-hyped, but I think as long as something looks good and feels great on your feet, it doesn’t matter. Just don’t wear them in the summer!

Uggs are a popular fashion staple today, and the Australian brand has grown more popular in the last few years. We all love Ugg boots — they go with just about any outfit, and the Ugg brand has expanded the style, giving the boots a range from calf-high and fur lined, to knee length heels.

But Uggs does more than shoes now, and all their non-shoe items are as great as their ever- popular boots. Ugg Australia now does coats, vests, gloves, handbags, and accessories. All of their new items follow the same motif of their shoe line, giving a great variety of styles. Now it’s easier than ever to coordinate your outfit with a one-stop shop at the Ugg store. They have sequined, fur-lined, and leather scarves, handbags, and gloves to match any and every shoe available. They also have three coats of different cuts and three different vests.

And the handbags! What an amazing collection. Ugg Australia has rolled out its own leather-and-fur take on classic items such as the clutch, doctor bag, and tote. They’ve even made a duffel and briefcase!

 Now is the time to peruse these wonderful new items, especially with Christmas right around the corner.