The Look - 2015-16 Men's Clothing

These are just some of the great looking clothing combinations for men for fall and winter 2015-16.  The addition of color, the fitted garments, the combination of sporty and dress clothes, this is the making of a new men's look.  I give this 2 thumbs and 2 index fingers up (A++)!

by Thom Browne, fashionablyntl.com

Banana Republic, maxmayo.com

naecus.com

by Thom Browne, pinterest.com

thebestoffashionblog.com

Till next time, next blog!

Color and Print - Mens' Cotton Shirts

 All right, I'm not sure what or who inspired me to look at mens' shirts this week.  My brother went clothes shopping today, but, no, I've had the urge to research mens' shirts from earlier in the week.  I'm sure I must have seen a man's inspirational shirt this week which sent me down this road.

Men may not have a lot of different silhouettes to wear, like we women do, but there seems to be a variety of prints and colors in cotton shirts.  I'd like the uncommon colors to be used more, like navy blue, hunter green, brown, and taupe as well as graphic prints for mens' shirts.

www.rustyzipper.com

 

Vintage Red blue tunic, www.jollybargains.com

 

Vintage Red shirt, www.jollybargains.com

John Lewis cotton shirt, www.letsbuyit.co.uk

Burton Black grey shirt, www.comparestoreprices.co.uk

 Till next blog!

New Blouse and Shoe Designs: Love Them!

I've been surfing the web again looking at the fantastic clothing available to those who have extra cash to shop.  Isn't it funny how we seem to go with the flow, well, a lot of us, regarding the clothing designs for each year?  There are those people who stick to absolute basics and aren't interested in clothing.  I wonder what it's like to not care what one wears at all?  Oh, forgive me, I was like that when my children were young.  My focus was taking care of my kids, 24/7.  Now I have some time to be interested in what I  look like.

I've found some interesting blouses online.These blouses have a lot of interest and style which are attractive.  I did say I'd post something with more color.  The tank is black, but what makes it summery are the aqua beads and the cut.  I think it's cute and can be dressed up or down.  The silk blue, black and pink print blouse is absolutely fantastic, I haven't seen anything like it before, print wise that is. The grey ruffle blouse is very feminine and unusual, light and whimsical.  I'm thinking children's fairytales when I look at it.  I don't know why...

I saw a pair of shoes on www.tracyreese.com for 2010 that absolutely caught my attention.  They were a cut-out design.  And so I found some cut-out design shoes that I like a lot.

I don't know who first designed the cut-out shoe, but usually designers all have the same idea regarding clothes and accessories every season.  I'm not one to pay too much attention to shoes, and I don't care too much for heels, but if I could purchase one of these, I would.  The grey dove shoe ( that's the name of the color) is from the Tracy Reese collection 2008. 

What styles do you like?  Feel free to let me know.   Till next blog! 

grey ruffle blouse  by Wan-nabe - www.mad-by-rae.com
blue,black and pink print blouse - www.millionlooks.com
black tank with aqua beads - www.oldnavy.com
blue and white shoes by David Dixon - www.townshoes.com
grey dove shoes by Tracy Reese - www.ebay.ca
green and black shoes by Miz Mooz - www.townshoes.com

Endless Creativity...

My body may be tired from going through a mini "bootcamp" lastnight, thanks to my daughter, but my imagination and creativity has been going for a couple of weeks and not tiring yet.  My daughter decided to put me through what she has to go through in Phys Ed class every now and then.  Beep test.  Constantly moving, running, burpies, push-ups, lunges, for 10 to 20 minutes.  I was practically on the floor when I was done.  Prior to that, I had a fantastic idea for a dress and I'm looking forward to working on it and my tank top designs either tomorrow or Monday.  Hope to post pictures of them next week.

Well, I was looking at designer dresses yesterday online.  There's no end to the creativity regarding clothing designs.  Caroline Herrera has some fantastic dresses for her fall 2009 collection.   Sheer fabrics and ruffles really make an outfit absolutley feminine and ethereal.

 

Tracy Reese is a fashion designer I love.  Color must be the first thing that inspires her designs.  She usually uses unusual combinations of colors in her clothing that make the pieces fresh and unique, and the combinations work! These two pieces are from Tracy Reese's spring 2009 collection.

 Revolve Clothing Company is a Canadian clothing business based in Toronto.  Revolve uses eco-friendly fabrics to make tops and dresses for women.  The designs combine clean lines and stylish silhouettes.  To view the designs, go to www.revolveyourworld.com.

I was looking at my fashion business notes earlier and came across the names of the Project Runway season 1 contestants.  The name I focused on was Daniel Franco.  He was the first to be cut from the show.  Daniel came back for season 2 and I was rooting for him.  He didn't make the final three contestants to show his collection, but he was on the show long enough to prove he's a good designer and a gentleman.  I looked at Daniel's website, www.danielfranco.net, and I love the projects he's working on currently.  You should visit Daniel's site to see what he's done and doing.

Till next blog!

Black ruffle gown by Caroline Herrera- www.fashion.about.com
Black jacker over ruffle gown by Caroline Herrera - www.fashion.about.com
Red blouse, plaid skirt by Tracy Reese - www.fashion.about.com
Red and black print dress by Tracy Reese - www.fashion.about.com
Brown and yellow trim dress - www.revolveyourworld.com

The Youngest Fashion Designer

I'm hoping that my teens will pursue starting their own business this summer in the event that they aren't fortunate to land a part-time job.  Doing research on young entrepreneurs on Google, I came across this young wonder.

Cecilia Cassini is a 10 year old fashion designer.  She's the youngest fashion designer in North America according to the press.  When Cecilia was 6 years old, she received a gift of a sewing machine, and has been sewing ever since.  Cecilia mainly teaches herself to design and sew; she's taken a few classes though.  At her first trunk show she sold 50 pieces. She now has her own clothing line and has some of her pieces in a children's boutique in Los Angeles called Tough Cookies.  The Today Show will be featuring Cecilia Cassini this month, so look for the program.  I will be.  This is a fantastic story!

For the young girls interested in accessory, clothing and jewelry design as well as fashion illustration, there is a company called Crafty Couture holding classes in Brampton, Thornhill and Toronto, Ontario.  The classes are for want-to-be designers from the ages of 7 to 17.  There are summer and winter camps.  Summer camps for fashion design start July 5, 2010.  For more information go to www.craftycouture.com.  I hope to enroll my daughter in this program.  We'll see what happens.

And now to change the subject, I've been looking at men's clothing.  Here are a couple of items I came across that I like.  Men should wear more color this spring and summer.

The green blazer looks to be made of a nylon polyester fabric.   Dark green fabric adds interest on the cap of the sleeves contrasting with the lighter green.  The side panel gives way to a closer fit to the body.  From each back shoulder to the armscythe is a vent.  This design is very millenium.  Two thumbs up!  The white blazer is refreshing and is something I'd love to see more men wearing with contrasting t-shirts or a pale colored shirt.

Enjoy your Easter weekend everyone.  Till next blog!

Cecilia Cassini sewing - www.google.com
green blazer - www.denhamthejeanmaker.com
white blazer - www.oldnavy.com

Ideal Winter Coat

On Monday, I went shopping for a few things.  Took the transit.  People watched.  Maybe I wasn't having a great winter last year, and noticed only black winter coats, or maybe this year more women like myself want to wear more color for the winter season.  All I know is I was pleased with the amount of color women in particular were wearing as outer wear.

The older women get first prize for wearing winter coats of color.  Quilted and padded nylon coats are still  the particular coats of choice, and I saw medium green, blue, red, purple(not a common color ) coats on women over 40 years of age.  I have to add that my coat is a purplish-blue for this winter season.  For the past how many years I've been wearing a beige winter coat made of a polyester/nylon fabric with padding.  An A+ for the mature women!  The younger women still tend to stick to blacks and dark browns.   Coats with hoods trimmed with fake fur, zippered fronts, and waist or hip lengths are still the favorites.

A color choice that I'm warming up to is the white winter coat or jacket.  When I saw women wearing that color as outer wear a few winters ago, I was not a fan.  This year, I like the look.  It's most attractive when there isn't too much snow on the ground and the outdoors is just colorless.  The white coats just give a brightness and a clean touch to the grey scenery. 
  
The future for winter coats?  I think future popular coat styles will soon be made of a fake suede-type fabric, padded, with detailed trims and faux fur, and the popular lengths will be mid-thigh, knee length and calf length.  We need to cover up more for the cold winters we're experiencing more often.  

Check www.zuki.com for some beautifully crafted winter coats.  The prices for these coats most likely would take several life times for many of us to purchase just one, but the colors and designs are beautiful.
  
white hip-length coat with hood - www.himfr.com
white suede-look mid-thigh coat - www.fashion-era.com