I can’t imagine living alone. Who would tell me that those shoes just don’t go with that dress? Or that those earrings make me look like a whore? Or that my dress doesn’t pass the “bend over” test (you know, the one where if you bend over and your ass hangs out, the dress is probably inappropriate. Unless that’s what you were going for, of course).
Well thanks to TheGloss’s “Fashion 101″ columnist, Brooke Moreland, there’s an iPhone app that will give me honest, unsolicited advice about whether an outfit or new haircut is embarrassing or not. Brooke and her husband, Joe Wiesenthal, co-founded Fashism.com, a website where people can send in a picture of their outfit, haircut or two different pairs of shoes they are choosing between and seek advice from random people across the Internet. But luckily I have an iPhone and since the Fashism iPhone app debuted recently, users can now determine a verdict on their outfit decisions virtually anywhere.
After testing out the app, I’ve come to two conclusions. One: The application is identical with its website counterpart, and that’s a good thing. Two: People are mean.
In regards to the former, honestly, Fashism is a great concept. I put on an outfit this morning, was unsure if my top and skirt matched and my roommates are out of town so I was left with no one to help me. So I looked to my phone and uploaded a picture of myself to the Fashism app. I added a description to my picture basically explaining my concerns. Within minutes, I had responses. This brings me to my second point. The first response I got made me feel extremely self conscious. I had already left my apartment when someone pointed out that she thought my skirt was “too old” for me and I should find something a little younger. I was immediately resentful because some random person I don’t and will never know thought maybe my skirt was meant to be purchased by someone 10 years older than me and it was already too late for me to go back and change. Thankfully the rest of the responses thought I looked cute, so I obviously weighed those more considerably than the first. By 4 p.m. Fashism had sent me a “verdict” e-mail telling me that including votes and comments, 72 percent of the people who looked at my outfit liked it. That’s pretty good, right?
Unfortunately, some people don’t have a good handle on style and unfortunately some people are mean to them. There are people out there who will vote poorly for someone’s outfit and will comment “Nooo put it down,” or “U look ridiculous. All I could do was laugh at ur outfit. Sorry.” I think the purpose of the application and the website is to offer constructive criticism. It’s the people who kindly suggest how to improve the outfit or maybe try a different mascara that really help those in need. Telling someone you are laughing AT them is unproductive and plain mean. Fortunately, the girl who told me my skirt was too old didn’t say I was ugly or that I’m a terrible person, but it was hard to hear something I wasn’t expecting. So unless you’re afraid of the harsh and cruel critics, perhaps this app is not for you. But if you’re willing to be fearless for the sake of fashion, go ahead and try it!
Post from: TheGloss
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Fashion can get a little tricky when trying to mix lots of pieces with different textures and patterns, and for better or worse (we think for better), texture and pattern are all over the place lately. The moment’s trends call for bold looks from head to toe, and it can be a little daunting to try and figure out how to piece together a look like that at the mall – in fact, you really don’t want to know how many pieces I went through before I chose the ones you see above.
Because we like to be helpful, we’ve put together two bold looks, one casual and dressy, based on the very trendy Marc by Marc Jacobs Tribal Pixie Bucket Bag. A bag that has so much personality can be hard to style, but if you focus on incorporating pretty prints and standout accessories, you’ll have an outfit in no time.
The Bag
I wasn’t sure about it initially, but the more I look at the Marc by Marc Jacobs Party Girl Tribal Pixie Bucket Bag, the more I love how spunky and fun it is. Also, it’s the perfect size to use for day or night: it’ll fit your essentials for weekend activities like shopping or lunch with friends, but it’s not too big or bulky to be inappropriate for night. Plus, with a neutral color and gunmetal hardware, the folks at Marc by Marc Jacobs did a good job reigning in what could have been an overly exuberant design. Buy through ShopBop for $398.
Now, on to the looks:
Casual
Roberto Cavalli Printed Silk Kaftan: This may not be the first top you look to for a casual outfit, but fashion is all about reconsidering our conceptions of print and texture recently. Why can’t something as beautiful as this be worn during the day? There’s no good reason, particularly if it’s styled correctly. The painterly color palette gives you a million colors to work with, but in order to dress down, you should let this kaftan speak for itself without layering on the colorful accessories. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $815.
Paige Denim Jimmy Jimmy 2 Jean Short: If there’s a better way to make a dressy top casual than by pairing it with jean shorts, I certainly can’t think of it. The downmarket staple has become something of a fashion hit this season and they’re a perfect foil for a flowing, girly top. I prefer a dark wash to keep your look high-end, and this particular pair can be worn as a cuffed short-short or rolled down as a pair of mid-thigh cut-offs. I’d roll them up so that they just peek out from under the Cavalli kaftan. Buy through ShopBop for $129.
Jeffrey Campbell Nena Sandals: I’m not much of a fan of black sandals for summer so I went to great lengths to not include them, but I also wanted to make sure that the shoe still coordinated with the bag in some way so that they’d both make sense in the context of the outfit. Since the gunmetal hardware on the bag is so prominent, the similar gunmetal finish on these nearly all-metal flat sandals is almost an obvious choice. You could pair the shoes and the bag with nearly any outfit and still be ok, but the metal coordinates well with some the Kaftan’s darker hues. Buy through Nordstrom for $99.95.
CC Skye Pavé Pyramid Stud Earrings: With such strong statements in the bag and top, you really don’t need anything but a bit of bling at the ears for a daytime look. Keeping the shape simple and modern keeps the look young. Buy through ShopBop for $150.
Evening
3.1 Phillip Lim Printed Silk Dress: I can’t even tell you how in love I am with the splatter-paint pattern of this dress. Not only is it thoroughly and completely modern, but the spots mimic the hardware of our bag and the colors give us tons of inspiration for accessories. When a dress is mostly dark, the best trick for a standout ensemble is to pick accent colors from the pattern and pull them out for bold shoes and jewelry. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $650.
Yves Saint Laurent Agate Drop Earrings: Chunky jewelry with lots of personality will get you more compliments than anything in your wardrobe, I know that for a fact, and the bright purple raw stone in these YSL earrings are the kind that will make you want to wear your hair up at all times to gain maximum exposure. They’re so vibrant that I want to build an outfit around them, too, but that’s a thought for a different day. Buy through Saks for $295.
Elizabeth and James Mason Suede Platform Pumps: This chartreuse color is my favorite of the moment, and putting it on an suede pump with an architectural platform is pretty much an awesome decision by whomever designed these. They lighten up the outfit considerably, and I could see them being paired with everything from this dress to a pair of super-dark skinny jeans and a neutral top. Chartreuse platforms will make pretty much any outfit exciting and modern. Buy through ShopBop for $350.
DANNIJO Frankie Cuff: This cuff could actually fit in equally well in either outfit (and basically every outfit in my closet), but I put it with the evening look because everyone wants a little more jewelry at night and it ties in the color of the bag’s hardware with the rest of the outfit. The bracelet is big and noticeable without being too much bling. Buy through ShopBop for $430.
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