Today vs Yesterday: Emma Stone

Actress Emma Stone has become quite the red carpet fixture in Hollywood. I LOVED the Pink Valentino dress she wore last night to the ELLE Women in Hollywood Event. From my Stylist perspective I adore the Black & White gingham shoes and clutch too (belting this dress would have also been an option).

It always makes me happy to see fashion's past being re-styled and designed in a modern way. I guess the designers at Valentino had a peek into Mr. Valentino's archives for this piece from the 2013 Resort Collection. 

TODAY

Want the look in an authentic Vintage way? Style with current accessories or reach out to your seamstress and have the dress shortened to knee length as Emma is wearing it.

YESTERDAY

VINTAGE Chic In Coral ~ $70

Sole Sister Sunday: Loren's Closet

It is my personal Sole Sister delight to bring you the AMAZING shoe close of Internet Business Power House & Entrapreneur Loren Ridinger.  Besides her obvious affinity for all things fabulous, including shoes Loren splits her time this way:

*SVP Of Market America

*Creator of Loren's World - A daily digital dose of motivation, inspiration and information.

*Fashion/Style Blogger At Fashion Cents

*Creator of Motives Cosmetics

*Creator of Cellular Laboratories Skin Care Line

*Designer/Owner of Loren Jewels

*Designer of the HSN hit Jewelry Line Yours By Loren

Not to mention the countless hours she spends travelling around the world to meet and motivate her teams! She is a total inspiration to me on both a business and a sole sister level.

She is also a mother and wife who in her "spare" time LOVES fashion and LOVES her shoes!!

I had a chance to chat with Loren about her coveted closet recently.

LG:  What is your FAV pair for summer? 

LR: My Valentino stud sandals.  These stylish nude color sandals with studs along the straps are versatile for casual daytime wear as well as a great sundress in the evening for a super chic look. 

LG:  What are your "Go To" shoes?

LR: That would have to be my Christian Louboutin Crystal Studded Booties.  I love studded shoes but by far, these are the ones I always wear.  You can’t go wrong with these fabulous shoes and the black studs make them more wearable than most studded shoes. I love wearing them with a simple black blazer, a white wife beater and a pair of my J Brand jeans in a light wash.  Super fashionable.

LG:  Your FAV Shoe Indulgence? 

LR: Christian Louboutin of course!  I absolutely love the signature red sole and Christian happens to be a dear friend of mine.  His personality is fabulous and he is super funny.  So whenever I wear his shoes, which is mostly everyday, I just have to smile thinking about him.  Love him.

LG: If you could give my readers one piece of advice as it applies to shoes (styling, purchasing, etc.) What would it be?

LR: Shoes are a very important component to any outfit.  Pair them up with beautiful jewelry and a great blazer and jeans to make your most fabulous shoes stand out.  You don't have to wait for the right occasion to wear them,  ROCK them daily.  .  Shoes define your personality so don’t be afraid to have fun with your style.  Most important tip:  Think about comfort if your a girl on the go like me.  There are fabulous designers who have comfy shoes, and if you need some added help, always use pads in your shoes to help keep those toes in place. 

Connect with Loren on Twitter - She is passionate about her brands and products and I'm sure would love to hear how Fabulous you think her shoe collection is .... but I think she already knows.

HAUTE COUTURE: The Real Deal

The most over used and misused terms in my opinion in fashion is the term "Couture". I thought that I would post the REAL definition of the term Haute Couture along with some history.

The definition of the term Haute Couture is french for "high dressing" or "high sewing" and it refers to the creation of exclusive, custom-made, custom-fitting clothing. Haute Couture garments are made to order for specific clients and utilize the best and most expensive fabrics and embellishments. The garments are usually hand constructed and sewn by the hand of several skilled seamstresses that pay exceptional attention to details. The execution of these garments are very labour intensive and time consuming, hence the high cost. Couture is a commonly used abbreviation of Haute Couture but it is referring to the same thing.

Charles Frederick Worth was dubbed the "Father of Couture" and this talented Englishmen relocated to Paris in 1845 where he ultimately found his success. Worth frequently used lavish fabrics and luxurious trimmings. He incorporated elements of historic dress and paid particular attention to the fit of his designs. He created one-of-a-kind pieces for his most important clients, he also displayed a variety of his designs on live models at 'The House of Worth'. Clients made their selections and from there each garment was tailor-made in Worth's workshop.

CHARLES WORTH


A large number of surviving Worth garments are part of the permanent collection of The Costume Institute (MET), as well as in other institutions in the United States. He was popular among the American wealthy, as well as European royalty and aristocrats. his fashion house continued after his death at the hands of his sons but was closed in 1952 when his great grand-son retired from the family business.

((Source: Charles Frederick Worth (1826–1895) and The House of Worth Thematic Essay Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History The Metropolitan Museum of Art))

DID YOU KNOW? In France, the term haute couture is protected by law and is defined by the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Paris based in Paris, France. Their rules state that only "those companies mentioned on the list drawn up each year by a commission domiciled at the Ministry for Industry are entitled to avail themselves" of the label haute couture. The criteria for haute couture were established in 1945 and updated in 1992.

The couture house is customarily composed of two parts, one devoted to dressmaking (flou), the other devoted to tailoring (tailleur) of suits and coats.

CHRISTIAN DIOR ~ 1947

PAUL POIRET, 1919


To earn the right to call itself a couture house and to use the term haute couture in its advertising and any other way, members of the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture must follow these rules:

1) Design made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings.

2) Have a workshop (atelier) in Paris that employs at least fifteen people full-time.

3) Each season (i.e., twice a year), present a collection to the Paris press, comprising at least thirty-five runs/exits with outfits for both daytime wear and evening wear.


There are 4 categories of membership which include; Official Members, Correspondent members (Foregin), Guest members, Jewelery and accessories.

2011 Members include (Official & Correspondent - foreign): Adeline André, Anne Valérie Hash, Atelier Gustavo Lins, Chanel, Christian Dior, Christophe Josse, Franck Sorbier, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Maurizio Galante, Stéphane Rolland, Elie Saab, Giorgio Armani,Maison Martin Margiela, Valentino.

HUBERT De GIVENCHY, 1968

VALENTINO

CHANEL, 1937

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER, 2010


Jewelery: Boucheron, Chanel Joaillerie Chaumet, Dior Joaillerie, Van Cleef & Arpels

DIOR JOAILLERIE
Accessories: Loulou de la Falaise, Maison Michel Massaro, On Aura Tout Vu


FORMER MEMBERS: Donatella Versace, Elsa Schiaparelli, Emilio Pucci, Chado Ralph Rucci, Christian Lacroix, Erica Spitulski, Erik Tenorio, Fred Sathal, Guy Laroche, Hanae Mori, Jean Patou, Jean-Louis Scherrer, Lanvin, Lecoanet Hemant, Loris Azzaro, Louis Feraud, Mainbocher, Marcel Rochas, Nina Ricci, Paco Rabanne, Pierre Balmain
Pierre Cardin, Ralph Rucci, Torrente, Yves Saint Laurent, Gai Mattiolo
Anna May

ATELIER VERSACE (Gianni Versace)

CHRISTIAN LACROIX 1987

I read somewhere that there are approximately 2,000 women who still purchase haute couture. The designers reserve their high-end creations for celebrities to wear down the red carpets around the world. It is an amazing advertisement for the houses and still makes the dying craft relevant.

The term has been mis-used within the industry since the 1980's ~ Imagine the looks on the faces of the REAL "Couturiers" when they see a Velour Track suit with the label "Couture" .. . not so Juicy.

Haute Couture?? I don't think so ....

Kimora's Kollection - A Fashion Archive

Many of you know Kimora Lee Simmons for various reasons. She was the creative force behind the Baby Phat brand which she developed and grew for over 10 years. While there she diversified herself into fragrances, cosmetics, KLS collection, Kouture By Kimora, Fabulosity Jr. Line, Hello Kitty Jewelry, Books and still continues her evolution. She is now living a PHAT free life and is focused on the KLS brand and all it's fabulous products; "Onward and Upward" as she put's it. A new skin care line to come this spring as well as the launch of her new fragrance "Love Me" (which is her 6th). This blog was inspired by the re-launch of her website www.KLS.com. It got me thinking about her evolution within the world of fashion and her celebration of fashion as an art form.

I have read that there are people who feel much of her success can be attributed to her ex husband Hip Hop Mogul Russell Simmons. From where I sit he has been a great mentor, friend, creative partner and inspiration for her but NOT the reason for her continues success or her break into the fashion industry. She was part of the high fashion business as a model long before she became Mrs. Simmons.

Kimora started her career in fashion at the tender age of 13, in true Kimora style. She did not start in a catalogue, or doing local modelling jobs in her home town of St. Louis, Missouri - she went straight to the runways of Paris courtesy of fashion designer and creative genius Karl Lagerfeld. Right out of the gate the biggest honor a model can receive was bestowed on her by the house of CHANEL, she was the finale bride in the 1989 Haute Couture show in Paris. She went on to model for Valentino, Yves St. Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld (his own label), Fendi, Mary McFadden, Susan Lazar, Anna Sui and others.

Fashion has always been part of Kimora's life and over the years she has collected an amazing archive of clothing, accessories and treasures that would make The Metropolitan Museum of Art's costume institute consider an exhibit!

My favorite and in my opinion one of the most impressive fashion treasures is the late Gianni Versace's BED. Not a bed and linens from his home signature collection but HIS bed from the master bedroom from his Miami home (Casa Casuarina). I could not even imagine the energy this piece would bring into one's home. To lay your head where one of histories GREATEST fashion designers slept, worked and possibly cultivated some of his designs is AMAZING.

She also has the largest private collection of Louis Vuitton purses, bags and luggage second only to the house of Louis Vuitton. Not all of it is contemporary either.

She has a large collection of Vintage items such as steamer trunks and the BEST piece: A LV hat box that belonged to the late Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis, complete with hair strands left behind; if that box could talk.

I think her signature bag has to be the Hermes Birkin!

Kimora pictured with a small fraction of her Hermes Birkin bag collection - YES she has one in MAUVE (I LOVE IT) ... and yellow, white, pink, black, orange, green, blue and various shades of brown/tan. It is my personal belief that Hermes should create a custom Birkin named "Kimora": in bright LIME!

I am also aware that her collection of Chanel clothing and accessories is vast, spanning the decades. She has vintage pieces, pieces given to her by Karl Lagerfeld personally and those she has accumulated through purchase. I love the patchwork head band from the Fall 1990/1991 show (As seen on Kimora on the runway). It reminds me of my youth spend watching fashion.

She also loves her classic patchwork bags. She even has a bag that she says “Chanel didn’t even know they had”

(Photo posted by Kimora via Twitter of her closet recently)

She has expressed to me via Twitter her love for Vintage clothing and the history of fashion. Her closet is full of both contemporary and Vintage designer pieces. Her collection is so vast she houses it in two seperate locations, in 2 states! Her "satellite closet" as she calls it is in her house in LA and I suppose the mother ship resides in her New Jersey boudoir.

Then there is her love of shoes! She has 2 closets stuffed with the most sought after, designer shoes. The majority being 4", another not so subtle expression of her "go big or go home" attitude! BRAVO KLS! My favorite item: Custom made and Custom designed pairs Manolo Blahnik's

Can you imagine having a closet like this?

NJ

LA

The 'mother ship' Closet in NJ (shot for InStyle Feature 2007, Life and Home

The 'satellite' closet LA (from her Bluefly Closet Confession)

See Kimora's Closet Confession Here:

Next time Kimora take the camera's to the mother ship and call LisaG when you feel like purging, we wear the same size shoe!