British Style Icon: Alexa Chung

Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Alexa Chung

Alexa Chung by chickface featuring mulberry handbags

In case you live in a cave with no access to TV, news papers. or any human contact (besides the internet), last Friday was the kick-off to the 2012 Olympic Games hosted in London, England. And London, England also happens to be the home of some fabulously stylish people like Kate Middleton, Sienna Miller, Emma Watson (a.k.a. Hermione) and Victoria Beckham (a.k.a Posh Spice). But, one of my favorite British style icons right now it the fabulously hip "it girl", Alexa Chung.

Alexa's style has inspired me in many ways over the years. Her space dress was the inspiration for my DIY space shoes,  her signature Mulberry bag inspired me to purchase this bag, her vintage clothing flair with peter pan collars inspired me to incorporate peter pan collars into my wardrobe (see here, here, and here) and her bob with bangs hairstyle inspired me to give bangs a shot. And her appreciation for hats on girls has only re-invigorated my hat enthusiasm.

So what do you need to get style like Alexa's? Alexa is well known for her hip, edgy style with hints of vintage and long-bob hairstyle that's sometimes ombre on the ends. Look for neutral colors such as white, black, navy, grey and denim, plaids and stripes. Load up on blue and black blazers, jackets and sweaters. Look for simple dresses, high waist skirts and shorts, jumpers (in the American sense of the word), and skinny jeans. Inject some vintage into your wardrobe. And don't be afraid to mix different patterns, textures and silhouette's. 

Who's you're favorite British style icon? Let me know in the comments below.

 
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Previously on Project Runway: Season 10, Episode 2

Monday, July 30, 2012
a.k.a. The "unconventional challenge" 

This week the designers were taken to Dylan's Candy Bar where they were given $500 plus a 50% off discount in order to purchase materials to make an outfit out of candy.While in the workroom Gunnar and Christopher continued to verbally cat fight amongst each other ( I think those two should seriously, just get a room and go make-out...you know they want to), Elena decided to use hot glue while wearing short-shorts and burned her leg and needed medical attention, and Tim Gunn dropped the s-bomb as he instructed one of the designers to just "glue the s#@! out of it." Overall, I thought this week's winner and looser were rather predictable. Let's take a look at their sweet designs.

Safe

Raul
I thought Raul chose a good color palette, concept and used the materials well. I, personally, wouldn't wear this outfit because I'm not a fan of showing off my midriff, but I could see someone else wearing an outfit like this.
Raul
Kooan
Kooan stayed true to his crazy/kookie style, but went a little bit overboard with the candy. Originally, Kooan used a lot more cotton candy on the bottom, but Kooan learned the hard way that cotton candy shrinks and dissolves over time and when exposed to moisture.


Kooan
Nathan
The outfit looked pretty good on the runway, but Nathan said his skirt weighted nearly 20 lbs. I'm sure this outfit was no-fun for the model to wear.
Nathan
Fabio 
I thought Fabio did a great job transforming the candy to look like fabric, and he created a fashion forward look.
Fabio
Dmitry 
I wished that Dmitry had used more candy in his look rather than just embellish his look with candy beads. However, kudos go to Dmitry for creating movement on the runway.

Dmitry
Christopher 
Christopher had immunity this week, but Christopher decided not to slack off. I liked the way Christopher patterned the candy into a fun, chevron-esque print.

Christopher
Andrea
Andrea described her look as "Victorian candy bar clerk." After a critical critique from Tim Gunn, Andrea stormed off and asked the producers to turn the cameras off. At first, Andrea considered scrapping this look altogether, but later she decided to go with her gut and continue with the apron. She does know this is a fashion show, right!?
Andrea
Alicia 
I don't know how I feel about Alicia's look. It's a little bit George of the Jungle. I definitely wouldn't wear this walking down the street.
Alicia
Melissa 
Surprise! Surprise! Melissa chose to use black liquorish and silver twist ties for her outfit. This look was very cool and very rock and roll, but I'd like to see Melissa experiment with color.

Melissa
Top

Gunnar
This week Gunnar proved that he's about more than just trash talk by making a gorgeous and fashion forward peplum dress. The only things keeping him from the win were Sonjia, Ven and a little more fun.

Gunnar
Sonjia 
I thought Sonjia was going to win the challenge this week. I loved her candy color choices, I thought the dress was flattering, and the design was beautiful and unique from front to back. The only critical remark to be made was that Nina thought the outfit could loose the hat.
Sonjia
Ven
It's hard to deny that Ven's look was deserving of the win this week. He used liquorish and crushed up rock candy to create a beautiful stained-glass look that is both flattering and on trend. Dylan had the only complaint which was that Ven only used 2 types of candy.
Ven

Bottom

Elena 
Elena stuck to her futuristic design aesthetic with strong shoulders, but chose cream colored pina colada liquorish as her candy of choice. Her final look came out boxy, unflattering, and boring, and began to fall apart on the runway. When the judges called Elena out on her design flaws, Elena decided to use her fighting words to point out that she stayed true to her aesthetic, which only annoyed the judges and made Elena look arrogant.
Elena
Buffi 
In the workroom, I thought Buffi had a good thing going when she started to weave the liquorish belts together. However, I think Buffi let time get the best of her and decided to turn her woven dress into a bright pink Carrie Bradshaw dress. Unfortunately, the judges felt Buffi's dress looked more like Toddlers in Tiaras than Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw and Buffi landed in the bottom two. The judges and I are starting to question Buffi's taste level, but for now Buffi is safe.
Buffi
Lantie 
Lantie decided to scrap her original design at the last minute and create a dress out of an umbrella and embellish it with candy. Although the judges gave her kudos for transforming the rubber rain boots into Mary Jane style shoes, the judges criticized that Lantie did not use enough candy and Lantie tried to cop out that she didn't have enough time to complete the look as she wanted and that she is not used to working under these conditions. This week, Lantie was deservingly sent home.

Lantie
Did you see this week's episode of Project Runway? Who do you think had the best/worst look? Did you agree with the judges decisions? Let me know in the comments below.
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This Week On Instagram: July 22-28

Sunday, July 29, 2012
Potato Party c/o The Flying Stove truck
The Flying Stove food truck
Tofu Croquet with Wild Mushrooms c/o The Flying Stove
Braum's chocolate frozen yogurt. So good, I couldn't wait to eat it.
Meet my new painted friend, Tiger
Coffee flavored yogurt. It tastes like a coffee flavored yogurt smoothie.

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What I'm Listening To: Boy George- Video Games

Saturday, July 28, 2012


That's right kids. Boy George has done a cover of Lana Del Rey's song, "Video Games." Check out the video above and tell me if you prefer the original version or the cover.
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Moo Business Card Perk

Friday, July 27, 2012
This week I participated in the MOO business card perk from Klout. For those of you who don't know, klout.com is a website that measures your influence on others based off of data gathered from your interactions on social media sites. The more you increase your influence, the more perks you can earn. Today my score is 47.

Redeeming my MOO business card perk was super simple. A quick link took me to the Moo business card site where I was able to upload and edit any images I wanted to place on the back of my cards, and I was able to upload a small image or logo and add the information I wanted on the opposite side of the card. MOO even gave me the option of having my cards printed on fancy gloss paper or eco- friendly paper (of course the hippie in me made me choose the eco- friendly paper). You can check out my cards in the homemade video below.

 Music: Flock of Seagulls- Who's That Girl (She's Got It)
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What I Wore: 7/21/12

Thursday, July 26, 2012
Cardigan: Old Navy (get the look here)
Moomin T-Shirt: gift from Finland
Teal Pants: UO
Shoes: c/o Crocs

Originally, I thought this was just going to be a t-shirt and bright colored pants day, but I felt like something was missing from this outfit. Luckily, my new Old Navy polka dot cardigan came in the mail and my outfit was saved.
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What I Wore: 7/20/12

Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Aka. Pop of Neon

T-shirt: GAP
Jeans: Levi's from Ross Dress for Less
Nike's: Ross Dress for Less
Belt and Watch: Target
Green bracelet: random

My hometown recently opened up 2 new Ross Dress for Less stores. If you already have a Ross Dress for Less store in your town it might not seem like a big deal, but where I'm from it's a big, freakin' deal! I picked up these jeans and purple shoes during the store's opening week and I wanted to put together an outfit to showcase my new duds.
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Previously On Project Runway: Season 10, Episode 1

Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Hey everyone! So I finally got to watch the season premiere of Project Runway Season 10. This season appears to have an eclectic mix of designers with a variety of styles, backgrounds and sewing skills. For the first challenge, the designers were asked to bring one outfit to New York that best represents the designer. Then, the designers were asked to create a companion piece to their original looks. Both looks would be presented in Times Square before a live audience in honor of Project Runway's 10th Season Anniversary and would be judged by Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors and guest judge, Lauren Graham. Tim Gunn was his old dapper, "make it work" self", and the judges were just as snarky as ever. Let's take a look at the designs.

Safe


Alicia 
I thought that Alicia's first look was just okay, as it was a good representation of her style and was sell-able, but it wasn't a "wow moment". I didn't feel like Alicia's second look was very cohesive with the first look, and her top appeared poorly constructed on camera. I feel like Alicia's point-of-view kept her safe this week.
Look 1
Look 2

Andrea
I was surprised that Andrea presented 2 black and white looks sans poetry this week as neither look was reminiscent of the looks Andrea presented during her audition (however, I preferred her current looks to what she showed in casting). Her looks somewhat reminded me of Mila's outfits from previous seasons. I'm curious what Andrea will do next.
Look 1

Look 2

Buffi
I was somewhat disappointed with the looks Buffi presented this week as I felt they came across as rather cheap. However, her looks did look as if they belonged in the same collection and I do enjoy Buffi's personality and personal style, so I look forward to seeing what she can do in the future.

Look 1
Look 2

Dmitry
I thought Dmitry's looks were impressive (and I am talking about his outfits, not his super blue eyes)Dmitry's looks appear to be all about drama with all of the glitter and cut-outs, although his second look could use some tweaking in the construction. I felt like this was a good effort and I'm hopeful that he'll go far in the competition.
Look 1

Look 2

Elena
I loved Elena's futuristic style from the start. I thought that her first look was both unique and body conscious and her second look continued to reflect her futuristic personal style. I think someone should create a Sci-Fi movie and use all of her outfits as costumes. I can't wait to see what she does next.
Look 1
Look 2

Fabio
I really liked Fabio's personality and laid back attitude, but this week I felt like his outfits were kind of ho-hum. I felt like his first outfit looked a bit sloppy and his second look with it's half-sleeveless/ half-sleeved look appeared to be the fashion equivalent of the mullet. The judges let Fabio continue, and I hope his future looks better reflect his easy-going personality.
Look 1
Look 2

Gunnar
Oh Gunnar Deathrage! What am I going to do with you. You've already brought your cat fight claws out towards Christopher and we've only just begun. I thought that both of Gunnar's outfits were great if this competition were just about Ready To Wear,  as any of his pieces could be sold in your local Macy's, Nordstrom's or Sak's tomorrow. But, Gunnar is going to have to step up his game if he wants to be a big name designer and win this competition.
Look 1

Look 2
Bottom 3

Kooan
Lord knows, I love me some polka dot's, but Kooan's first look was more suited for Comic-Con than the runway and his second look fell victim to some terrible fabric choices. I still feel like Kooan was selected because of his wacky personality rather than his fashion abilities and I'll be curious to see how long he lasts in the competition.
Look 1
Look 2

Lantie
Lantie's first look (the lace dress) was wonderful, although it could have done without the vest. However, Lantie tried to inject more animal skin into her second look to make it seem more like her audition collection, but her poor time management skills and fabric choices resulted in her creating a dress that looked cheap and managed to make her model look bigger. This week,the lace saved Lantie and she will continue next week.
Look 1
Look 2

Beatrice (OUT)
Resident jersey girl, Beatrice, presented two ho-hum outfits this week, rather than showcasing any of her specialty eye-catching knits. Heck, even the outfit that she had on was more eye-catching than this. Ultimately her blandness was her downfall and Beatrice was given the Auf Wiedersehen this week.
Look 1

Look 2

Top 

Melissa
Melissa appears to be this seasons resident Goth (ala. April Johnson of Project Runway All Stars) except this girl can sew. Both of her looks appeared to be both fashion forward and ready to wear. I just wonder if Melissa will be able to push herself into the world of color, or if her all black palette with have her fading into the shadows.
Look 1

Look 2

Nathan
Nathan flew under the radar for me this week. Upon second inspection, I felt like Nathan's first outfit exposed a little too much boobage, but I appreciated that both of Nathan's outfits utilized a similar draping techniques and were in the same color family so they appeared to be from the same collection.
Look 1
Look 2

Raul
Raul's collection utilized a similar fabric and color pallet to unify his collection.  In the studio, I worried if Raul's sheer ruffle fabric might be too sheer and that we might see some nudity on the runway. But, Raul pulled it off and was able to land a spot on top.
Look 1
Look 2

Sonjia
After watching Sonjia's casting, I thought she might struggle in the competition. But Sonjia proved me wrong after presenting a fabulous leather jacket and outfit and creating a cohesive dress to take the collection from day to night. 
Look 1
Look 2

Ven

I felt like Ven was high and above everyone else and would be the clear winner. I felt that  Ven's first look showed off his masterful manipulation of silk, and Ven's sculptural abilities. I felt that his second look was a good interpretation of Ven's collection. I thought Ven was robbed of the win.I felt like the judges held back from awarding their most talented of the week, in order to give a younger designer a chance at the win.

Look 1
Look 2


Christopher (Winner)
Christopher presented 2 black dresses with structural and architectural details. While both looks appeared to be cohesive and expertly crafted (I especially liked the 2nd look), I felt like I had a bit of fashion Deja Vu's, as if I had seen both looks (or similar looks) before.  Christopher's second look  appeared to appeal most to the judges and Christopher took home the win.
Look 1
Look 2
Did you watch Season 10, Episode 1 of Project Runway. Who do you think should have been the winner/looser? Let me know in the comments blow.
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