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Blearning Blog! Letter eeeEEEEEE!!!

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It’s Monday, which means it is time to put new information in your head and live a fancier and more fashionable life!

BLEARNING BLOG brought to you by the letter E!

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E is for Elizabeth and James!

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You know Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen? They are the masterminds behind this hip label, which they started in 2007. Ashley and Mary Kate went from Full House to powerhouse with their fashion careers post sitcom stardom.

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Elizabeth and James is the second of two lines. It is named after their siblings, and is the younger brand to their luxury line The Row. Here are a few of my favorite looks from the Resort 2015 collection. The good news is that the following eye candy is part of the less expensive label. The bad news: you still may have to “resort” to looking and not touching, because even the midi top is going to cost upwards of a couple hundred bucks.

If MK & A hired me to label these looks, it would go something like this:

The Short, Plump Cartoon Man that Never Was

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The Playground Outfit Not Made for the Monkey Bars

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The Powerpoint Presentation w/ Gun Show Encore

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The Laundry Day Skirt Shirt

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The DIY Sharpie Lab Coat … paired with the Rejected Color Jansport

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Okay okay so maybe I was poking a little fun at these looks, but I think even though they appear to be somewhat mod and stark in the way they have been styled for the photos, there is still room to be playful in these looks because of their creative lines and unexpected pops of pattern and color. The aesthetic is supposed to be a relaxed urban with just enough of a blend of femme and structure that it looks powerful and stays relaxed. I’d wear it because it would make me feel edgy and because the shapes allow for all kinds of pizza to be consumed. I wouldn’t wear it if I wanted to feel like a polished professional or if I wanted to show off my silhouette.  If I were styling someone who had a lax, urban dress code for work, I could definitely see pulling some of these pieces for their wardrobe, otherwise I see most of these pieces as meant for the everyday casual sophisticate.

Speaking of sophisticated, when I realized that today’s Blearning Blog was going to start with “E” I immediately thought of Mini Me from Austin Powers running and squealing, and thought “oh, I should definitely put a clip in my blog of that!”  Here’s what search engines gave me:

Because I said sophisticated and I meant it….  😉  Maybe a good look for my next post?

CheeeeEEEEEEEEEEEErs!

C

Blearning Blog: d’Orky for d’Orsay

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Monday it is! Learn we will.

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Blearning Blogs, for those of you joining us, are where I pick a topic the fashion world assumes everybody knows about, but actually doesn’t, and I write about it for you to read. I like it because we all become savvier without buying a damn thing. Street cred for all! 

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Oh, I should also mention that Blearning Blogs go in alphabetical order. If you want to catch A, B, or C, you can check them out here!

Letter A!

Letter B!

Letter C!  

Letter D! …. Oh wait that’s today…. Check it out!

Today we are learning about d’Orsay style shoes! I have seen these all over, and have heard the word d’Orsay, but have I ever used it in a sentence? Not once.  Let’s take a quick peek at a shoe that is not only everywhere, but it is also historical! Who knew?

If I were your best gal pal describing my new d’Orsay shoes on the phone, I would say something like this:

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“Yah, they’re like a kind of shoes that have, like, a cut out sort of on the middle sides so, like, you can see the arch of your foot, ya know? Like the toes and heels are still covered. Yah, and they’re like so in right now.”

If I were writing about them for fashion research project I might say this:

D’Orsay  (pronounced door-say) is a style of shoe designed originally for men in the 1800’s by Count Alfred d’Orsay, who wanted a better fitting military shoe that would accommodate wider feet.  Women loved the pointed toe, and incorporated it into ladies’ fashion shortly thereafter. The characteristics that make the d’Orsay shoe unique, are the point in the toe and the exposed arch, which comes from an absence of structured fabric between the heel and the toe box. In recent years, d’Orsay style shoes are experiencing a comeback to store shelves and sidewalks. They follow the “cut-out” trend and also offer versatility in that the exposed arch can be incorporated at any level of formality in both flats and heels.

If I had all the monies for all the shoes so I could buy them and show them to you,  here are pictures of ones I would buy:

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(Those Pierre hardy ones have blue mink fur around the top… wait, what!?? So drool.)

STOP!  Put the credit card down. Here are three more that won’t break the bank:

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My faves are the Ava & Aiden out of this bunch. These are perfect staples because they are sassy and yet still muted enough to wear with a lot of things. 

D’Or I say we have learned something today??

Ba dum chhhhhh!

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Cheers! Because d’Orsay shoes would look really terrible on men!

Happy Monday!

XO

PREPARING TO BLOW YER MIND…with baby steps

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Hello you beautiful people!

After nearly 100 posts of experimental blogs and features, the time has come to narrow down the pack. Dorky Chick in Lipstick is finally going to be on a regular schedule! The random whimsy was great for a beginning project, but I am only a few short posts away from TRIPLE DIGITS on posts. This means there will obviously be a massively massive celebratory 100th post, but before I hit the big leagues, it is time to spruce up. So check it out! These are the features that made the cut!

Monday: Blearning Blogs! That’s right. These are coming back. Each Monday I will post about something in the fashion industry I just don’t know much about and we can learn together. Together we will just be better at life. How bout that?

Tuesday: TRENNNDAYYYYYY! Oh obvi Tues is getting hella trendacious. On Trreennnnndayyy Tuesday be ready for pics of things I’m willing to leave the house in, pics of stuff I would buy if I were swimming in bennies, and tidbits from around the internet I’m loving!

Wednesday: Dorky Chick Diaries! My chance to get real, Dorky Chick Diaries is exactly that– a diary entry. I’ll tell you what is on my mind. You no likey? You no clicky. Capish?

Thursday: Throwback Thursday! I’m so original. There are almost a hundred blog posts in my arsenal, and what better way than to promote sustainability than with resurrecting a post you missed!

Friday: Fearless Friday! What better way to celebrate past adventures and embrace future adventures than a whole day dedicated to getting out of the comfort zone! I love that classic quote “Do something every day that scares you” … Why not give it a shot myself?? This might mean jumping in to a design project, making art and putting my work up for judgment, making moves on the job front, or eating cockroaches Fear Factor style!!! Whoa, kidding. Not that. 

Weekend: VLOGoManiA! Just when you thought I’d forgotten about the videos! My dear friends they are here to stay, and now I just have to figure out what the H-E-double-hockey-sticks I am going to talk about. Expect nothing, so I can impress you with sound effects.

BONUS** Once a month, I will be featuring a Dorky Chick as a “READER FEATURE“! I did this wayyy back when with my dear friend and fashionista, Laura, and would love to spotlight more incredible people that are out there walking around the world in heels! (Or whatever other tasteful shoes you choose ;))

Things to note:

I will not be posting on holidays. That is wrong, and I know you don’t love me that much.

If exciting things come up, I will post about those.

Don’t worry, I doubt any post will be as long as my NYC post. You should read that though, because it took an eternity. Scroll down, I say!

I would love some feedback. What’s working for you on Dorky Chick? Did I skip one of your favorite past features in the lineup?

Some jokes may get reused, and there will be grammatical errors. I feel like if I say it I’ve covered my tracks for the future….maybe?

Cheers! To taking our relationship to the next level 😉

XOXO

C

Trendayyy Vlog! I didn’t wear sweats to class and want to brag about it.

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I am convinced that wearing anything other than sweats to class falls somewhere on the scale of heroism. Or maybe I just felt like a hero because I basically was wearing a superhero cape/sweater/magic carpet/wing thing…

Here’s a new vlog where I try and fly and also dance and also be mildly fashion forward in class. Still working out the kinks of this method of diary, but will try anything that lets me shake my groove thing thrice.

Weeeee!

X!

C

Blearning Blog: “C” is for Cookie only 99% percent of the time

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It’s that time again for a …..

BLEARNING BLOG!

That’s right, gang! It is that magical time where I pick out a name I don’t know from an archive of designers and try and bolster my fashion-lover cred by a couple points. Today’s designer is brought to you by the letter….

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Yes, Cookie Monster. The letter C ! “C” is always for cookie, of course, but one of it’s less important jobs is being responsible for the alliterative and memorable name of today’s featured design house!

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This label calls Los Angeles home, and aims to capture the essence of California (which also conveniently starts with a C). Clover Canyon’s idea of fashion is not shy or subdued. Their website uses words like “jubilant” and “joyful” to describe these boldly-printed masterpieces.  Wild prints, forward-thinking silhouettes, and old-fashioned know-how of skilled structure are what make this label both trendy and timeless. 

Here are some of my favorite looks from their Resort 2013 line. The head designer Rozae Nichols chose Cuba (wait, what letter does Cuba start with again? 😉 ) as the inspiration for this year’s fair-weather looks. Bold floral accents and familiar architectural angles intermixed with loose island-worthy shapes and printed images have me captivated! Can somebody get me a plane ticket already?!?!

 

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I pretty much love everything about this. It is vivid and interesting and flattering and flat-out fun! And 10 bonus points for the model’s shoes being realistic. Heels that aren’t from hell?! I’ll take ’em!

The graphic on the novelty sweatshirt in the last image is of a cigar-roller Mavis Touissant Fuentes who was famous for her eccentric style. This is what she looks like when she is not immortalized on a sweatshirt….

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I’ll have whatever she’s smoking.

 

Want to check out some more from this designer?

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Want to weigh in? Drop a comment below! 

Cheers to being a little smarter and cheers to cheers starting with our letter of the day!!! Now about that cookie…..

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xo