Friday, April 29, 2011

The Wedding of The Century

Cheerio!!


Did you miss us??  We have been overloaded with work lately so we haven't had the time to blog but we felt this was too important to miss out on!  We woke up at 3:45 (yes, 3:45 A.M.) to watch history in the making: The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.  Pomp, tradition and fairytale were the three words on everyone's lips this week leading up to the wedding.  We want to share with you our thoughts on the entire affair!! But where to begin???


First our obvious FASHION FIXATION du jour is most definitely the dress.  Pure. Perfection.  That was all we could think of as, then Catherine Middleton, exited her hotel and got into the car that would take her and her father Michael, to Westminster Abbey.  All we could see through the windows was the beautiful lace bodice and the perfect veil, not to mention her gorgeous hairstyle (half up, half down and perfectly curled) and makeup (which she did herself!!!),  but that was more than enough for the 2 billion viewers of the nuptials to realize that she was the absolute embodiment of a princess.  She made her way to the venue smiling and waving demurely to the adoring crowds the entire way.  She finally arrived and the world was let in on the best kept secret of the past few months.  She stepped out of the car and we were instantly transported to Monaco in 1956 and Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly's iconic lace wedding gown.  A vision in white silk and lace, Catherine made her way into the Abbey.  The dress was a perfectly tailored lace over a sweet-heart bodice which led into a full silk skirt accented with lace on the bottom of the skirt- a perfect silhouette.  The dress was also adorned with a cathedral train slightly over eight feet long.  Catherine was the embodiment of elegance, grace and class in this truly iconic gown.  The designer who created this masterpiece of a royal wedding dresses is Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton.  The perfection however did not stop with the dress. Her tiara was a vintage Cartier diamond tiara given to her by the Queen.  


Catherine and her father made their way up the aisle to her prince.  Prince William who wore the Irish Guards uniform looked like a real-life Prince Charming.  The striking red jacket was adorned with medals and a blue sash and was complemented by the red stripe down the side of his black pants.  


The Wedding was absolute perfection.  A completely emotional experience to all who watched.  The loving couple said their vows and left the Abbey to return to Buckingham Palace in the traditional carriages.  Beaming and waving they rode through the streets of London to the deafening cheers from the crowds.  When they arrived back at the palace they made their way onto the balcony to greet their public as the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.  The world swooned as we watched the amazingly happy couple share not one but two history-making kisses. 


This Royal Wedding definitely lived up to The Wedding of the Century!  


We have soooooooo much more to come about the wedding!! Stay tuned for many more blogs about the fashion worn by the guests, the families and the wedding party!!!


Stay Flawless and Fabulous!
Love,
Lyndsey and Jenn
:)


"Only do what your heart tells you."
           --Princess Diana

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

La Mode Français

Happy Tuesday!

We hope you are having a great day!  We just got back from a presentation by the creator of Life Is Good.  He talked about his mission behind his brand which is OPTIMISM and spreading it to others.  His passion for this lifestyle is what drives his company.  We were incredibly inspired by all that he achieved without ever compromising the integrity or message of his original ideas.

Now onto our FASHION FIXATION du jour! As you can probably deduce by now--because of our almost obsessive use of it--we are very enthusiastic French students!  Last semester we had to (a.k.a.had the amazing opportunity to) create a presentation about a piece of French culture of our choosing.  Naturellement, we chose LA MODE DE PARIS!!  We focused on four staple French designers: Chanel-Karl Lagerfeld, Louis Vuitton-Marc Jacobs, Yves Saint-Laurent-Stefano Pilati and Christian Dior.  These fashion houses have become iconic and maintained their MAH-JOR (to quote Rachel Zoe <3)  reputations for a reason.  They have become synonymous with the words "french fashion" and the main events of Paris Fashion Week.  


Since its inception,  Chanel has brought and inspired class and elegance (and a lot of black and white) to every woman's wardrobes.  The incomparable double "C" emblem is an image that evokes an almost religious experience in the hearts admirers of this fashion house. (Maybe thats a bit much--but come on its CHANEL!) 
Louis Vuitton is yet another remarkable label.  Marc Jacobs uses the phrase <<Et Dieu créa la femme>> as inspiration for his designs.  This means "and God created the female."  He focuses totally on how the clothes should flatter the woman.  And in our book MARC JACOBS=GENIUS.

YSL and Dior are both definite necessities for the wardrobe of any respectable French fashionista. These   classic brands will forever be the foundation of French fashion.

Stay Flawless and Fabulous!
Love,
Lyndsey and Jenn
:)

"Do what you like. Like what you do."
                --Life is Good


Monday, April 11, 2011

**"Take pride in clothes that make a difference."

Hello there!

Hope you had a good Monday! Ours was very exciting. We just got back from attending a presentation about justice for garment workers. In honor of this, our FASHION FIXATION du jour is fashion that gives back to others. This cause is very important to us. We believe that fashion can serve a greater purpose than just being trendy. There are so many companies, organizations, and movements that exist solely for the purpose of creating merchandise that, when purchased, donates the proceeds to people around the world in need of money and clothing.
TOMS Their 'One For One' movement, created by Blake Mycoskie, donates shoes to a child in need of a pair with your purchase of  TOMS shoes.
Made With Love Made with Love In Brazil. In Africa, In Haiti: Mary Jane Marcasiano purchases women's crafts in poor communities and sells them to raise money to support women and children in poor communities. She also supports NGOs (non-governmental organizations). Made with Love in Africa works with the A.S.A.O. (Association du Sénégal de l'Afrique de l'Ouest) who created L'Empire des Enfants (an organization to help impoverished children in Dakar, Senegal) to help women and children in West Africa. The products on this site are beautiful handmade crafts such as jewelry and key chains.
Alta Gracia Apparel Alta Gracia is an athletic apparel company, sold on college campuses, that gives its workers fair wages and treatment that inevitably helps them to provide for their families which they were unable to do before. On campus, we were able to have a skype conversation with two of the people employed by Alta Gracia. They were very thankful for the opportunities that the company provided for them and were happy to share their information with the audience.
Japan Relief Effort Many fashion houses and companies have created limited edition merchandise to be sold to raise money to help after the recent disasters in Japan.
There are even more companies out there that have a mission similar to these and we absolutely love them. It is so important to recognize the power that you have, not only as an individual, but as a consumer as well. Knowing where your money is going to is invaluable. We hope that this post inspires you to involve yourself in these, as well as other, movements.

Stay Flawless and Fabulous!
Love,
Lyndsey and Jenn
:)

"Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance."
          -St. Francis of Assisi

**the slogan of Alta Gracia Apparel

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Bon soir!

I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend! Our weekend was very busy and quite eventful. Now that we're nearing the end, we are feeling exhausted, so much so that creating this blog is taking about all we have left. But, fear not young and chic people because we still have enough for this post.
Our FASHION FIXATION du jour is eye masks. So slip into your comfy PJs, grab your teddy bear, and snuggle on your favorite pillow because we are about to tell you how to sleep in style! Even our heroes (Audrey Hepburn) donned their designer eye masks in such classics as Breakfast At Tiffany's. Whether its pink and fuzzy or black and sleek the eye mask serves two purposes: style and the magical ability to help you slip slowly into a peaceful slumber.

We hope your new sleep accessories help you to catch up on your beauty sleep! 
Stay Flawless and Fabulous!
Love,
Lyndsey and Jenn
:)

"Keep calm and carry on"
           --British Government 1939

Saturday, April 9, 2011

"Let's Get Physical"

Happy Saturday!!! Today was a very lovely day!!  It started off with a quick breakfast before we headed over to watch a little tennis! Our athletic outing inspired us to go on the hunt for adorable work out attire.

So that leads us to our Fashion Fixation du jour... cute athletic apparel!!  Sweats tend to get a pretty bad rap.  Thanks to the 80's and Olivia Newton John's Let's Get Physical music video, visions of neon spandex, sweatbands and ankle-biter sweatpants come to mind when we think of gym-wear.  When going to the gym there is no need to dress like you're Sweatin' to the Oldies with Richard Simmons.  Athletic fashion has made great strides since this time however.  We now have great inventions such as yoga pants, athletic-fabric capris,  non-spandex shorts, and great racer-back tanks.

Some stores that we DEFINITELY recommend checking out before your next visit to the gym are:
1. PINK by Victoria's Secret
2.Lululemon Athletica
3. Sports Authority
4. Under Armour

These stores/companies can definitely run a little expensive but investing in good workout clothing is definitely worth it.  If your choices are more expensive than you wanted to spend, try to buy a good pair of black pants or shorts that will match with many different color tops.  Also, size is key!! Just because they are clothes to work out in does not mean they should be too big OR too small.  Properly fitted clothing can make all the difference to your work out.

Equipped with cute gym clothes and accessories you will definitely be motivated to hit the gym a little more often!! We hope these tips help you in your search for the perfect work-out apparel!!

Stay Flawless and Fabulous!
Love,
Lyndsey and Jenn
:)

"The best fashion statement is no fashion statement."
      -Lisa Birnbach in True Prep

Friday, April 8, 2011

"Girls just wanna have fun!"

Hi All!

TGIF! Hope you are all enjoying your Friday fun! I know we are, today we had a girl's night! Cute outfits, out to dinner, Fro-Yo, and a little bit of shopping! ;) Girls' Nights are always such wonderful excuses to shop, dress up, chit-chat, and have some amazing food! We highly suggest having these girly days often!

While pondering today's topic, we found the answer after chatting with a friend of ours!
Our FASHION FIXATION du jour is headbands! Our friend wants to know everything there is to know about how to wear and choose this accessory! As per usual... we have tips!
The essentials in your headband collection are black, white, brown, and tortoise. Along with these colors, add your favorites. Pinks are great and blue is too. Metallics are also necessary; silver and gold are perfect for this category! Headbands with embellishment are tricky. Rhinestones and glitter are fun but if there are too many, your head could end up looking like a disco ball... pas jolie. Flowers and bows are adorable. But again, size is key. Your pointer finger is a good way to measure an appropriate size. If the flower, bow, etc. is longer or wider than your pointer finger, it is too big! Thickness of the band itself depends as well. If the back of the headband is not touching your head, it is too thick. After this rule of thumb, you have a wide range of options. Skinny headbands are great, they are understated and are great for layering. Elastic headbands: cute, but sometimes they require maintenance. They are great for athletics as well as any other activity but they are known to slip off the back of head easily. Try to find some with a rubber lining on the inside to prevent loosing your headband!
Armed with this new insight, grab your straightener, start curling your hair, and prepare those locks for some intense accessorizing!
Good Luck!

Stay Flawless and Fabulous!
Love,
Lyndsey and Jenn
:)

"It's not money that makes you well-dressed, it's understanding."
     -Christian Dior

Thursday, April 7, 2011

"under my umbrella"

Hello there!
Today was a very interesting day. Between the rain and a mix of academic and social stress, it was a lot to juggle. But we're excited to be online today to blog about our FASHION FIXATION du jour which includes wellies and rainy day outfits!
With rainy weather comes the absolute necessity of rain boots. They go together perfectly. These rubber boots will keep you dry as you jump through puddles all day long! However, there are so many different colors, styles, patterns, and sizes and it can become overwhelming to find the perfect pair. If your one for designer labels, COACH and Burberry are wonderful options as well as Hunter Boots. I (Lyndsey) love my pair of grey Hunters; they are super tall, very comfy, and go with everything (which is so important). And for me (Jenn) COACH is my pair of choice. But, if you're not looking to spend too much, Target always has fun colors and patterns that will be sure to please.
When it comes to your outfit, think colors, layers, and waterproof. Even though it's grey outside, it doesn't mean that your outfit has to match! Incorporate fun colors with a scarf, fun headband, or t-shirt; or maybe your boots are already covered in happy hues. Along with these colors, add a cute sweater or jacket. To cover it all, put on a jacket equipped to shield you from the wet. Trench coats are classics and perfect for these days. But if you would prefer less of a look, try a simple coat (with a hood!) in your favorite color. To top it off, open up a big umbrella and prepare to strut your stuff in your chic and well-constructed outfit!
Hope you find these suggestions helpful!

Stay Flawless and Fabulous!
Love,
Lyndsey and Jenn
:)

"Put on a trench, you're suddenly Audrey Hepburn walking along the Seine."
     -Michael Kors

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

"Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed!"

Hello again!!  Welcome to day two of our blog and what a day its been!!  We have done a bit of reconstructing on our page that we think you will enjoy! On that note...LIKE US ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW OUR BLOG!!!! Also read our about us to learn a little more...about us (hehe).

So our day started off (like most days) with our outfit choices.  We decided that in honor of our blog we would wear pink!!  Armed with a pink cardigan and string of pearls we went on to French class where we were asked en français to model our outfits.  Without hesitation we shared our style with anyone who would listen!  The rest of the day was spent in and out of classes and doing homework and such until we made a trip into town for Pinkberry!! The fro-yo of choice was pomegranate with strawberries and chocolate chips (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) <33 Then we ended up back in our dorm to blog and watch Julie and Julia and Legally Blonde (hence the title of this post).  As you can see we have had a pretty eventful day :)

So our FASHION FIXATION du jour is sunglasses!!!  Since today was the first hint of sun in quite a long while we decided to spend some much needed quality time with our shades.  We donned our Ray-Ban aviators and Marc by Marc Jacobs black sunnies and ventured outside.  Finding your perfect pair of shades can be hard work (but well worth it) so here are some tips:

Things to Consider When Searching for Sunnies
1. Face Shape- make sure your glasses flatter your face.  An oversized pair could swallow a small face while complementing a fuller face.  Some commonly flattering shapes are the classic wayfarer or a simple large rectangular frame.
2. Lens Color- black is always flattering and disguises the eye so when you're feeling a little mysterious or you just forgot your make-up that morning black is a great choice.  We also like dark grey or brown.
3. Frame Color-  when it comes to this focus on black, brown, tortoise, metal(for aviators) or a fun and funky color.  Depending on the style of frames the color can be a deal-breaker.
4. Utility-  if you're having a relaxing day an awesome pair of Ray-Bans or Marc by Marc Jacobs are always a hit.  But if you are doing something active a cheaper pair is probably a better option.  Some great stores for cheap but cute glasses are H&M, Forever 21 and Target.

Hope you enjoy our advice for picking out some great shades for spring and summer!
Stay Flawless and Fabulous!
Love,
Lyndsey and Jenn
:)

"The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize."
                --Olympia Dukakis in Steel Magnolias

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Bonjour!

Hi, we're Lyndsey & Jenn. We are OBSESSED with all things fashion and style. So much so, that we wanted to share our obsession with YOU! More is to come on Lifestyles of the Young and Chic so don't forget to keep yourself updated!

Stay Flawless and Fabulous!
Love,
Lyndsey & Jenn
:)

"Fashion fades, style is eternal."
     -Coco Chanel