Book Clubbin’: A Front Row Seat by Kirstin Sinclair

Edited by Samantha Lim

From behind the scenes to the front row, Kirstin Sinclair‘s new book A Front Row Seat takes us through all the aspects of who is who and who sits where at a successful runway fashion show, all through her personal camera lens.  She even goes into how blogging and the Internet have drastically changed the runway show process.  Divided into chapters: The Front Row, The Editors, The Catwalk, The Designers, Backstage, Street Style, and Model Style, you learn about everything there is to know when it comes to a proper strut down the catwalk. Find out what we think after the jump. 

Book Review: Anything Other Than Naked

Edited by Josh Linam

Fashion Indie doesn’t always read. (We’re amazing at thumbing through volumes of glossy model spreads.) But when we do, it’s probably something like Harry Potter, Descartes, or vampire erotica. Yet we recently found a men’s style book that was definitely worth the read. A style bible for men to dress well on any occasion, here’s our book breakdown of Anything Other Than Naked.

NY FASHION WEEK: Vivienne Tam Spring 2011

Edited by The Fashion Web

 
S pringtime for the East.  Vivienne Tam made her mark bringing a tongue-in-cheek vision of Chinnoiserie and Asian motifs to contemporary fashion.  In her book, China Chic, the designer talks about iconic themes and the color of red.  This season however, I did not see any of …

Reading Pretty: Look Book by Nina Garica

Edited by The Fashion Web

%images%
Nina Garcia's Look Book is her latest tome for every fashionista.  The Look Book – What to Wear for Every Occasion is divided into events such as a first date, interview, or black tie event and what is appropriate to wear at each. For the past few years …

Take Ivy Redux

Edited by The Fashion Web

In 1965, a Japanese magazine publisher sent photographer Teruyoshi Hayashida to Ivy League schools in the United States where he took a series of candid campus photographs that were later assembled into Take Ivy , a now-iconic ethnography that will be released in English for the first time by PowerHouse Books…

fall beauty trend: morning-after eyes and nude-orange lips.

Edited by The Fashion Web

Link Love:fall beauty trend: morning-after eyes and nude-orange lips.

It’s common knowledge that the smudged, just-rolled-out-of-bed eyeliner look is one of the easiest (and the sexiest!) makeup tricks in the book! This look, along with a nude-to-orange lip color, were all the rage at A/W 2010 fashion week! Yes, we may not all have professional makeup artists on hand, as Constance and Daria (above) did backstage at Michael Kors. However, with the right products and a steady hand, you can get the look at home! Here’s a step-by-step guide that I use to achieve the look for less!

01) Be sure to apply makeup to a cleansed and moisturized face. If your face is unwashed, your skin’s natural oils will seep through the makeup quickly, causing it to come off!

02) Apply a face and eye primer to even skin tone, eliminate sheen and prolong the wear of the makeup.

03) Apply a sheer foundation, such as a light liquid foundation or a tinted moisturizer, all over face and neck. Apply a cream-based concealer to any blemishes.

04) Buff a pressed powder all over face to seal foundation and concealer with a large, fluffy brush.

05) Apply a highlighter or slightly shimmery powder to your t-zone (forehead and nose). If your skin is on the oily side, skip this step or apply to your cheeks only.

06) Apply a peach blush to the apples of your cheeks. If you have a pale skin tone with a lot of red undertones (like me!), choose a blush with a more neutral tone to avoid looking too dramatic. If you have darker skin, choose a peach blush with a bit more pigment in it!

07) Line your upper lash line and the outer corner (or the whole lower lash line if you wish) with a black or brown eyeliner pencil. Gently smudge the line with your finger or a Q-tip.

08) Apply a light colored eyeshadow to your eyelids. I’d recommend a pearly white, shimmery beige, icy blue or pale lilac.

09) Apply a coat or two of black mascara.

10) Apply a lipstick or lip gloss in a neutral shade (with orange undertones), or go bold with a tangerine shade. if you choose lipstick, be sure to put foundation on your lips and then lip liner to prolong the wear of the lipstick!

My interpretation of the look: MAC tinted moisturizer, Benefit ‘Boing’ concealer, Smashbox face primer, Benefit eye primer, Benefit pressed powder, Benefit highlighter, Sephora blush, Sephora eyeshadow, Sephora lip gloss, CoverGirl eyeliner, L’Oreal mascara.

(All images via Style.com)

Cats In Adorably Fashionable Outfits Is The New Black

Edited by The Fashion Web

art crush: betsey johnson's eloise suite.

Edited by The Fashion Web

The incredibly talented fashion designer, Betsey Johnson, has recently added a new title to her resume: interior designer. Betsey was handpicked by the Plaza Hotel (likely the most famous hotel in NYC) to design an Eloise-themed suite. For those who don’t know, Eloise is the imaginative and whimsical children’s book character who frequently adventures through her atypical home, a suite in The Plaza. After finding this information out, I thought “Who better to design the suite than Betsey herself?”. Personally, I believe that she has the biggest “inner child” in the fashion industry. Betsey said it best herself when she told Styleist : “I do kind of seem that am the perfect kid to do this. My reputation is of being pink and fun – I think they got my brand.”

After all, both Eloise and Betsey like to stir up some trouble and break all social norms and rules. While Eloise is pressing every floor button and letting her turtle loose in The Plaza’s luxurious halls, Betsey Johnson is still using pink zebra print (despite it being one of the worst prints in history, yet she still gets away with using it) and does cartwheels down rectangular runways, despite being 67 years old.

The 18th floor suite features candy striped walls, gilded gold mirrors and seating, zebra flooring, a King sized bed with oodles of pillows, various quotes from the book painted on the walls and lots of pink florals. The suite costs a hefty $995 per night, however includes a roster of swag to take home with you. A monogrammed bathrobe, a framed photo of you and your guests in the suite, the Eloise book, an Eloise camera and a $100 gift certificate to the Eloise store inside the hotel are included with the fees.

I don’t think I could name a better place to release your inner child while maintaining your fabulousity when you are staying in the Big Apple!

(All images via Styleist, Elle and Toronto Sun Newspaper)

One Shoulder Graphic Suit

Edited by The Fashion Web

Love this print, very rock and roll colors for swim! Atypical = awesome in my book Plus you must check out the back, tres fab! Buy at Need Supply (thanks District of Chic for introducing me to the site!) for the sale price of $70.

Icon of the Week: Fifi Lapin

Edited by The Fashion Web

DespiteCathy Horynpenningsignsof the death of couture, the fact remains that we're all still enjoying the haute this summer. Which is why I thought it fitting to pay tribute to the bunny who's been blogging to preserve couture's relevance since 2007. MeetFifi Lapin, who according toElle Magazine, is the world’s most stylish bunny!

Lapin was born in London to a carrot and lettuce stock trader and his family of 257. When she turned one, however, she became the sole survivor of the herd due to an outbreak of myxomatosis. After which, she was mollycoddled by her parents, and grew into an extremely stylish clothes-hoarding socialite.

In February 2007, Lapin began to keep a log of her daily outfits on a blogspot page.

From very early on, Lapin established that she didn't care too much for creatively styling herself by mixing and matching brands. Instead, she preferredto trust and retain the designer's initial vision in her looks.

But somehow Lapin always managed to make each look her own, despite the fact that most of them came straight off the runway.

Much of this is due to the fact that Lapin has always been inclined toplayfully whimsicaldesigners, like Sonia Rykiel, Luella, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Chloe and Eley Kishimoto.

And her penchant for youthful kitsch reflects even when donning haute Chanel items.

The fact that Lapin manages to steal looks directly off the runway and campaigns, and still make them her own teaches her readers a fine lesson: as long as you’ve got attitude, you’ll never lose yourself in your clothes.

But nevertheless, when the vintage trend swung to it’s peak, Lapin showed no signs of difficulty in styling her own secondhand finds.

Part of Lapin’s initial appeal was that she was always honest with her readers. Right from the beginning, she admitted she was always yo-yo dieting; going from carrot sticks one minute to carrot cake the next.

And that she always felt insecure in a pair of trousers because they “made her legs look weird”. In being relatable, she showed her readers that it you could feel imperfect in designer wear too.

In July 2007, Lapin introduced her boyfriend, Sonny Hare, and subsequently began posting looks for couples. They are still currently together.

While they aren’t in any hurry to get married, Lapin has already revealed her dream wedding outfit plan.

Later in September, Lapin adopted a puppy, Stella, and her looks changed accordingly whenever she took her out for a walk.

In 2009, Lapin introduced readers to her best friend Ruby Gatta, who later started her own blog about design.

With a full franchise in order, people couldn’t help but take notice of (and interest in) Lapin. The funny thing is that she became more globally renowned when she started traveling around the world, releasing a series of private holiday snapshots. How old school Hollywood glamour of her!

She soon began popping up in Vogue Magazine…

And began to dabble in fashion designing by collaborating with various lines.

Pac Sun

Forever 21 / Heritage 1981

Topshop

Lesportsac

And even began selling exclusive prints of herself online!

Lapin continues to maketrends into her own today andcouture pieces street-friendly, though she recently underwent surgery…

Only to reveal a new nose last month!

Currently, Lapin is hosting a competition on her blog. Applicants are to submit an outfit for Lapin to wear at her book launch on the eve of London Fashion Week. Winners will receive a copy of her new book, What Shall I Wear Today? Style Secrets of a Furry Fashionista, an invitation to its launch, a Fifi Lapin for Lesportsac bag, a t-shirt, an autographed limited edition print, and a limited edition brooch. For more details, click here.

Competition aside, Lapin made the international fashion illustration blogging scene trendy, paving the way for others to get bookmarked. Her looks may not be the most uniquely styled, but they translate haute couture into relatable street style for her readers. What do you think of Fifi Lapin?

Photo Credits: fifi-lapin, ruby-gatta,twinklemode, fifilapin,the-vanilla-journal, antlermag,liliconfetti, trendyhunter,miasuraya, youarewhoyouwear, ilovmymarc, lanaloustyle, thestylesophisticate, heartymagazine, zimbio