Unofficial color(s) of Spring '08: NEON!

Ok...so due to a painful and extremely inconvenient cyst on my tailbone (ouch x 10) I haven't been doing much sitting, so the blog has gone without posts for over a week now...but it looks like no one's reading it so I'm not too worried about mobs of drooling CaptainVee followers coming after me.

This spring, gorgeous hues of neon and uber-brights have hit the runway and the streets; I love seeing trends like this come along because they are much more accessible to those of us without disposable incomes.

(Left to right) 3.1 Philip Lim, Dsquared2 and Zac Posen all chose to incorporate little touches and/or individual pieces that were vibrantly neon in their collections. Jill Stuart, however, made her entire Spring '08 collection about neon! She also draped sheer, gauzy fabrics over her garments, showcasing another gorgeous Spring trend. The girl is on top of things!

I wish I could wear the gray and orange outfit on the center bottom for a picnic in the park with my charming and handsome boyfriend. Unfortunately, I don't have the outfit or the boyfriend.

Laters!

Official Color of Spring: Green!!!

Ok. So the green I'm talking about isn't technically a color. It's green as in eco-friendly, something that's being talked about constantly these days (which is def. a good thing!). Plenty of designers are showing pieces made with recycled materials, and some designers like Linda Loudermilk (#1 best name EVER) are doing nothing but eco-friendly pieces. Loudermilk's clothing is made entirely from all natural fabrics made of Japanese leaves called sasawashi, bamboo, sea cell, soya, and other plants. She also makes pieces she feels connect the wearer with the earth. Her website has the following mission statement:

"Nature may be beautiful. But nature is not pretty. Think about it. Domesticate the land: Thresh it, pave it, put up stoplights and call it Sunset Boulevard; nature knows better than all that. In one terrible instant it could all be gone. The foundation shakes. The earth takes the sidewalks into its growling maw. Gone. Later, flowers will grow where once there was a strip mall. And the flowers will be beautiful, because nature makes no apologies for itself. Nature is the original punk."

How great is that? And surprisingly her garments are incredibly wearable and cute. Even Maison Martin Margiela (who I knocked in my last post) has some recycled items. Check out this blog to read more and see pics: http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/05/20/martin-margiela-artisanal-reclaiming-clothing-design/

MMM has some fun jewelry that uses normal household items like soda can pop tops and wine corks. I'm not positive that the pop tops are real, but they still have a very cool, earthy, "I only eat Tofu" kinda way. Plus, you can always make them yourself if you don't want to pay $695 (actual price for the pop top necklace!). Not that I recommend copying....

And remember those braided headbands I was recommending making a few posts ago? Great way to use old scrap of fabric or even the remains of a dress long deceased. Recycle your clothes and you can create a brand new wardrobe for free!

Maison Martin Margiela...not quite sure how I feel yet

Ok. So I took a look at the Spring '08 collection from Maison Martin Margiela (who used to be the head designer for Hermes), and I gotta say...I don't really get it. I've always felt that I could appreciate fashion as art even if the piece isn't something I'd wear or even particularly care for. But MMM's done an entire collection based around colorblocked Spanx and cheesy horse t-shirts. I mean...come on...really? The first two looks are the ones I'm referring to as Spanx, and the third just kinda looks like she managed to barely escape an attack by a very short lion. The fourth look is ok; MMM's following that trend of super boxy structured looks like Balenciaga's corset dress (the one Jennifer Connelly wears in the ads). I actually do like the last one, it's sleek and elegant, which I guess it what he was going for with the whole collection.

Next, however...we have the big problem. MMM is suggesting we wear the dress version of those horrible animal shirt that only hicks and math nerds wear. The same kind that I'm sure a number of hideous velvet "paintings" depicted.

Ready for MMM's take on the classic?

And here the runway version:

Seeing a connection? Am I wrong to not get it?

Braided Headbands

I'm kind of in love with this new trend. I've been deeing braided headbands everywhere recently and I think they are the perfect way for the vintage timid to try something new. As the bohomian trend quiets down in some aspects, and changes course in others, hair accessories are quickly becoming an easy way to add a touch of something different to your outfit. The first two are from Urban Outfitters, and the third is Free People. I like the free people one the best, and I'm slowly working up the courage to wear headbands over my hair on my forehead. I found some cute terry cloth ones from a company called Unique Sports Accessories (http://www.uniquesportsaccessories.com/apparel-cushees.htm). I can just imagine them with a summery vintage dress and leather sandals; very Chloe Sevigny. They're cheap enough to buy a few in different colors.

Of course, the cheapest way to achieve the look is also a big trend right now: french braiding your own hair across the side.

Molly Sims has a more dressed up look, Ashley Olsen's got her little Swiss milk maid thing going with a braid all the way around the crown of her head, and Lauren Conrad's hair is a slightly more casual version of Molly's. I myself have been rocking this look, although until I learn how to french braid I'm cheating by just pinning back a braid starting at my temple. Ah well.

As soon as I find my camera I'll take some pictures of the braided headband I made the other night. I also made a belt the same way, though I don't recommend wearing them at the same time. Ew.

Later Gators
Vee

Circus crazy

Is anyone else totally in love with Miu Miu's new harlequin inspried clothes? They are so bold and crazy I'd be afraid to wear them in public amongst normal people, though I feel like a hot NYC party or fashion show would be a perfect place to try them out. Not that I can afford Miu Miu...but anyways.

The first dress is my favorite. It's Miu Miu's harlequin bubble tunic, and I swear it has every color of the rainbow. I'd wear it with some gladiator heels, like the ones Carrie wears in the Sex and the City movie trailer (which I'm pretty much dying of excitement over). I can't remember the label (I swore they were Balenciaga, but I think I'm wrong), but Nine West makes a great look-alike pair for a lot less than Ms. Bradshaw's surely are. There's also another Harlequin top, but the colors are far darker and I definitely prefer the brighter one.Matthew Williamson also has a circus inspired dress, but it's not as bright and crazy as Miu Miu's desgins.

Lastly, Miu Miu made a fabulous leather tote to go along with their new found inspiration. I can practically smell the soft leather.....

Losing a friend

So today I ended a friendship with someone who I used to consider one of my two best friends...and I'm feel quite awful right now. She is a freshman in college and didn't make any effort to keep in touch with me, even though she promised over winter break (when we sat down and talked about how unfair it was) she would. But she didn't keep her promise, and I waited for her to. I found out yesterday that she'd gotten a tattoo similar to my own, and the fact that she did something that should have made her think of me and it apparently didn't really hurt me. It was like I didn't even cross her mind anymore. Anyways, after many text messages she semi-bluntly told me that she didn't care about me enough to put the effort into it. She wasn't apologetic at all! She got angry at me for something that was her fault, and she was far meaner than I'd ever thought possible of her. I spent the better part of the morning sobbing on the couch with my mother consoling me, and while work was a good distraction, I'm now feeling sadder and sicker than ever.

How do you stop thinking about someone when you end a friendship? How do you go and delete everything on your computer that links you to her? Do you take the pictures out of the frames and burn them? I feel like she's still close to me and I feel like there's a whole that she created with her not caring. Until I figure out how to get over it and forget her, I'm afraid that gloom with overtake me. All I really feel like doing is crying.

I'm a bad blogger : (

Bad Cap'n Vee. BAD! *slaps own wrist*. I really want to be good at this, but I guess it takes more than just inspiration and a love of fashion. It takes motivation. I have been filling my need for fashion advice with working on the look book I'm making for the boutique I work at. Filling the pages with beautiful new trends and advice on how to wear them is my idea of fun.

Anyways, there are a few peices I've been drooling over lately.

First off, Prada's Spring '08 collection is one of my favorite of all time. It hits me right on my geeky, fantasy loving spot.
Gorgeous, right? The organza bubble skirts and high waisted blouses are so delicate and otherwordly. And who can forget those shoes!
I think they look like flowery chess peices, and I can't help but wonder if their chunky-ness makes the shoe more comfy (always an added bonus).

Lastly, and since I won a pair on Ebay, more importantly, Marc by Marc Jacobs' mouse flats. They are cute beyond words and just whimsical and excentric enough to be wearable but still different from what anyone else in the room has on.

I can't wait for them to arrive. My feet are yearning for a little charm.

Ok all, hopefully I be doing better in the future. I have another acting job this weekend, which I'm really looking forward to. Wish me luck!

Vee