Tag Archives: trend

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

U is for Uncool, V is for Vlog (!!!)

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I did it. I made a vlog. That is trendspeak for “video blog”… kind of like “Brangelina” or “Bennifer” or “Cronut”

Because two words takes, like, time.

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(^^bonus points if you can name that comedy sketch ^^)

I am going to share my vlog with you, but before I do that, please remember this: I am uncool. I know this, I’ve accepted this, and I ask that you prepare yourself to be underwhelmed. Even uncool people can play cool kid games, okay?! Okay, moving on.

So, yeah! I made my very first “dorky chick” vlog! I’m actually kind of excited about it because 1) it was fun! and 2) I have a lot of ideas for ways I can make better ones! I wanted to try out a new fun way to show off clothes I love, and I thought how about bringing “trenndayyy pics” to life! This is a vlog for anyone who has lost track of time before they need to be somewhere  where they need to look like a civilized human. I’ll show you how I get from Bedhead Betty to a casual gal-pal lunch date!

FYI:

– Yes, I do shower. I did the night before.

– Some footage with better pics of the whole outfit were deleted. Rookie mistake.

– I arrived on time. BOO YAH.

– Next time I’ll kick it up a notch with the brand shout outs for those of you who are interested. 🙂

Lemme know what you think! Would you want to see more of these vlogs? Or maybe you think I should stick to pics? I’m just a tweet away. ( @pdxcaroline )

Cheers! To being uncool on camera,

X

Drawing Practice: Grocery Gown!

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It has been awhile since I pulled out my beloved Prismacolor markers and pencils for a little drawing practice. Turns out, I think I need more of it… (as if that wasn’t blatantly obvious) . I decided that today I would try designing something that I would wear myself and that would suit my lifestyle. I wanted to incorporate design elements that I love from my wardrobe with trends I’m loving right now. Most importantly, I wanted to design something I thought would be wearable. So often I get excited to draw funky furs and intricate lace, that I wanted to think inside the box. Realistically speaking, we dress “inside the box”, (i.e., I’m not going to wear this to the grocery store…) 

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or this….

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If I wore that, the people at the grocery store would probably think I had just done an embarrassingly bad job of stealing from the meat counter.

You get the point. The thing about fashion is that there needs to be a certain amount of digestibility (no pun intended…). I’m not going to wear something weird or over-the-top, so I need to think about how I become a more versatile designer also- one that clothes people who go to the grocery store.

I’m absolutely in love with the maxi-dress and maxi-skirt takeover. I think that every woman deserves to wear gowns, even if that means they are just going to Trader Joe’s. Maybe that’s my inner pageant girl. Keeping this in mind, I decided to design a “grocery gown” suited to my tastes!

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This summer white jersey knit has a cowl neckline and stops just above the ankles! I wanted to incorporate the black & white stripe trend and the graphic tee trend, but I gave it a twist by making the stripes silver. Balancing with fabric and graphics is a good way of eluding to that hourglass shape, especially since many women are smaller on top. 

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Also, I wanted to make sure that it was short enough to be worn with any shoes, so you can show off when you find cute ones like these that I found on Polyvore!

 Charlotte Russe $43

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I had a difficult time trying to mix the colored pencils and the markers in the drawing. You can tell especially by the shotty shading on the skirt and semi-contorted foot. I never said I was the best drawer. I’ve determined that for the time being I should stick to one medium until I’ve honed my skills.  I definitely see where I can improve, but was having so much fun putting this one together that I couldn’t be bothered with creating a masterpiece. I’m happy with the mind exercise I was able to get from the experiment, and it is definitely therapeutic to spend some time engrossed in a coloring project! 

It’s funny, I realized if I was going to draw myself I needed to use a bright red marker for my hair… something I’d not yet done. One of my wonderful readers has suggested a caricature superhero for Dorky Chick in Lipstick so stay tuned, more red-marker hair to come 🙂 Maybe this guy will have some pointers for me….

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Ba da ba ba ba I’m lovin’  terrified. 

Anyways, another drawing done and just in time to get ready for work. They say “practice makes perfect” but I say practice makes me hungry. 

I’m off to fix that. xo 

 

Blearning Blog: Today’s Episode Brought to You by the Letter B!

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For those who missed it, I’m working on a new regular blog feature called “Blearning Blogs” and I’m highlighting a designer A-Z that I’ve never heard of before. Clearly if they have an established career I’m behind the times, but I take comfort in accepting there is a first time for everything.

So how’s about a proper introduction to today’s letter? Hit it Beetles!

 

 

Haha, I hope you watched the whole video, because I sure didn’t. Enough of my trickery! Today’s letter is B and I am highlighting designer Brandon Sun.

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According to his website, the designer graduated from Parsons in NYC and was named “Designer of the Year” amongst a handful of other awards. He went on to work with J. Mendel and Oscar de la Renta. His work is noted especially for his incorporation of furs, which you can tell even still a place in his 2013 Spring ready-to-wear line. He’s moved on to become more independent, and you can find a high-end fur accessories line at luxury retailers like Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, BoontheShop, and Savannah. Others were mentioned, but, admittedly, none of which I’d heard of.

So check it out! Here are some pics of my favorites from his recent Spring 2013 independent collection. There are some beautiful styles here and it’s clear that construction is both innovative and mindful for Sun.

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Check out those furrrrocious furs!

What’s super cool is that Brandon Sun actually designed a mink collection exclusively for Janet Jackson which she used in a promotional campaign for Blackglama called “What Becomes a Legend Most?” (Blackglama is an extremely high-end mink fashion retailer that boasts it’s exclusivity by deeming less than 2% of the world’s mink worthy of their designs. Also, Blackglama starts with the letter “B”….. Booyah.)

Check out this vid I nabbed from his site!

Make sure to do a Google search first if you are wanting to look up Brandon Sun. If you go to http://www.brandonsun.com, like I did, then you’ll find yourself on the newspaper website of the 2nd largest town in Manitoba, Canada. You guessed it — Brandon. 

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Top stories and photos include :

-a car wreck where a car hit another car and also hit another car. Everyone’s fine.

– a member of the “Prairie Thistle” band bagpiping at a community event.

– somebody riding a bike, and separately somebody riding a skateboard. It’s 0 degrees Celsius there, so I think I’d take a picture too.

So cheers to Brandon Sun and the Brandon Sun! One of which is warm under layers of expensive fur, and the one who is in freezing temperatures to the North. Maybe they can work out an endorsement deal….

Signing off from a sunny spot in PDX!

have a great wednesday, xo

My dad doesn’t need Google for fashion advice

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My dear readers I have a special treat for you- my first guest contributor! After reading my suit article, I got an e-mail from my favorite guy in a suit! My dad! (yes apparently he is reading my fashion blog- what a guy! haha) So with his permission, I’ve included his two cents! 

Miss Caroline,  As one who started his working years in the men’s clothing business, at a high end men’s retail and tailor shop, I know a little something about suits.  My personal preference is in the style.  There are different styles of men’s suits.  The traditional style calls for a three button coat, a single “hooked” center of the back flap, and lapped seams(rather than single seams).  In the summer time cotton poplin, linen, and seersucker are my preferred cloths, though a very light hard finish thin wool can be nice.  In the winter I prefer 100% wool, with a hard finish.  Soft finish, like thick cloth, for blazers is good, too.  The trousers can be either plain front or pleated, but traditional calls for cuffs on the trousers.  I prefer a 2 inch cuff.  A lot of the high vis folks you pictured were wearing more fashion oriented suits, but my favorite is still the classic traditional style.  Hope that helps.  I love you,  Dad

Thanks, Dad! He doesn’t need Google to know what’s up. Let’s take a look at his pointers.

Traditional style coat has three buttons:

images-4 NO

images-2Yes

A hooked back flap?

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Oh! I get it now!

Wait, lapped seams? *tikka tikka tikka* I know these! I’ve been taught they are called “flat fell” seams. These are the kinds of seams you can probably find on the inside of your leg on your jeans! Look down! In fact, I used these on those flashy PJ’s I wore in “Breakfast-Casual” and Hairdryer Glamour Shots both on the shoulder seams and on the inside seams! If you weren’t wearing jeans and need a better idea of what I’m talking about then behold: the flat-fell/ lapped seam

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My dad mentioned his preferences for fabrics, also, which is an increasingly relevant topic in my life. (I just started my textiles classes tonight!) And he’s not kidding– he boasts a sharp collection of seersucker suits. If you aren’t literate in fabrics yet, thats okay! I probably wouldn’t know what seersucker was called if I hadn’t seen him wearing it all these years. You’ve seen it- its a lightweight fabric that is striped in white and pastel.

images-3 << I think he has at least 3 out of 5 of these colors.

I neglected to clearly acknowledge the way the seasons correlate with fabrics as it relates to suits, so this was a great point to address.

Moving on to pants, here is a great photo showing both styles my dad mentioned in his note. The left is the pleated complete with 2 inch cuffs, while the right is pleat and cuff-less.

Pleats-vs.-Flat-Front

Even though my dad would pass up Justin’s “Suit and Tie” to listen to these suited gentlemen…

…he still knows what he’s talking about.

And you can take that to the bank!