FEATURED DESIGNER: CHANTÉ GOSSETT

As many of you may know or have figured out (because I failed to tell you), I have been living in the Kansas City area after my move back from Chicago.  There are a lot of beautiful and creative people I know here in Kansas City, and I feel as though my blog could be a lovely place to share these splendid people with you.

The first girl on my mind was none other than-- Chanté Gossett

1st off, she's a total babe

2ndly, she's mega talented

About a week ago I sat down over coffee to chat with Chanté about life things and Kansas City things and it honestly felt so great to just soak in all of her positive vibes-- as we both find ourselves trying to flourish in a city that's in (what seems like) beginning stages of rapid growth and development within its artistic endeavors.

We talked about her upcoming plans and what's in store in the near future for her--

AND LET ME TELL U

Chante is bringing the fire

AND I FEEL THE HEAT

Being the con-artist I am, and Chanté being the sweetest human ever, I found myself blessed by the presence of the pieces from her most previous collection hanging in my closet this past week.

So with that,  I decided to saunter (yes, I've actually been practicing my sauntering) around the house  in Chanté's designs.  I couldn't have felt more like a modern-day princess if I tried.

I decided to try my hand at mixing up her pieces for this post because it is so incredible how well her separate pieces work with each other.  (be sure to check out her website for the original looks from her presentation show and more!)

^^^ hiiii, stealing this ^^^

Chanté gets my vibe and I get hers.  She designs with her models in mind..with real people she knows or has in mind, and I think that's a big key in how her work is to be understood and read.  I actually came to know Chanté as she worked on an outfit designed for me to wear for her first collection in the 18th Street Fashion Show.

  Her stuff is modern, youthful, and has that certain something about it in a level of interest that keeps you hooked. I think this is why I feel very at home with her clothing

...it's seriously stuff  I WANT TO WEAR 

and  MAN, I FEEL LIKE FIRE IN IT

Subtle; sometimes with beautifully hand-dyed gradated flowing fabrics,

it's equally as bold with the incorporation of leather, geometric cut-outs, and strong silhouettes.  

and oh, her prints? SET TO KILL

This look actually combines a top from the latest collection, with the shorts I wore for 18th Street from Chanté's first collection!

I honestly cannot wait to see more from this lady, and I hope she'll keep letting me wear her stuff.

I'll be posting a second installment of looks within the next week that incorporate pieces of Chanté's designs with some pieces I already have in my closet, so stay tuned!  

In the meantime please check out her amazing website for more pics & info: 

CHANTÉ GOSSETT

<3

BLACK MAGIC

I've always done weird things, and those weird things generally make it full circle...making my appearance  ~ "a little weird" ~

MY FAVORITE.

So the other day when I was being weird (looking for an eye patch....just, ya know, because i might want it for photos or something) I came across a cute lil...

S   N   A   K   E

A black and white striped rubber snake...nice and fake. I didn't know what I would do with it, but I knew...like an eye patch I would need it for something.

DEAR LORD, I'M A MESS.

But I found something to do with it----

wEiRd?

I

LIKE

IT

DO U LYK IT?

& because it's rubbery it's pretty comfortable

 .... for having a huge thing on your neck.

I honestly can't wait to wear this IRL

U SHOULD TRY IT 2

R U TRENDING?

R U THE TRENDIEST BITCH THAT U KNOW?

no, that's me
<3

But you can be the trendiest bitch that other people know (if they don't know me)

HOW?

~* TreNdY mAkEuP iS tHe KeY *~

You know I have been on that orange lipstick grind forever now (with no intent to stop even if it stops being trendy, i love it so) but I am always still trying to find something new and exciting.  I mean GAWWD, looking at my same face every day is such a bore I can't do it.

So when I saw images the day following the Chanel Couture S/S 14 show, I about cried.  Then I fixed my makeup.

hello.

um.

hi.

yes.

So I put it off recreating this look for a while because (strangely) I did not pack glitter in the suitcase I still live out of.  Finally, after being emotionally scarred-- realizing the shade of foundation I've been using for 2+ years is no longer in production...I BOUGHT MYSELF A FEW NICE THINGS-- LIKE--

You know what's great?  NYX brand is actually pretty great.  Now that its at most Targets too, that is great 4 us rural folk who don't have Sephoras/Ultas/etc but wanna be bEaUtiFuL, too!

SO WHEN I GOT HOME I WAS LIKE

NOW WHAT

~ because to be honest-- I look pretty plain without dark eyeliner on my top lids, and for 3 seconds I began to regret my purchase ~

then i remembered the Chanel Couture makeup look 

then i failed a few times and burned my eyes with glitter

then i cried happy tears when i looked in the mirror

I LOOKED LIKE A BOSS

I FELT LIKE A BOSS

I BECAME THE BOSS AND TOOK ALL YOUR $$$

My version is a lot more subtle than the Chanel couture version, obviously!  But I think it still works well and isn't overwhelming in the slighest...maybe still too wild to wear in the business office...but we all know I'll probably try :P

To get the vibe right:

1. Begin with a base of eyeshadow.  I like a crisp white or light cream color (matte if you have it!) on the whole of the lid

2. Slap on your favorite black eyeliner.  I run a pencil first, and then set and define things better with a felt tip eyeliner marker.  It can be pretty heavy, so go for it!

3. Begin, in dabs, to apply the liquid crystal gold liner just below your lower lash line.  Let dry and continue to build up in layers, smoothing it out into more of line as you go.  Follow the wing of your black liner when you get to the corners

My lower lashes are stupid long for some reason, so I just went with it and let them be glittery, too!

4. Add some mascara to the tops

5. EASY

6. DONE

also consider lining your lower waterline with white to make your eyes reflect light even more...it is crazy how bright your eyes will twinkle with this look!

<3

Alex

HEY BOY

What's better than dressing like a boy?

GETTING TO PLAY DRESS UP WITH A BOY, duhh

Today's post is about how to be a mysterious boy...MY FAVORITE. 

Hunter is one of those boys I know who dresses like I would want to dress if I were a boy.  It's pretty basic (I've never seen him wear anything not solid black or white), but it works.  I mean, he wears "dressy sweatpants"...he obviously gets what I'm all about.

The other day when he told me he'd just gotten a "jedi wrap" I immediately let out a squeal and began plotting when/how I would steal it from him...just you wait, I'll be wearing it on the blog soon :P

This "jedi wrap" reminded me of something I saw a while back-- somewhere in the depths of an internet journey one day, I came across a tag for "goth ninja fashion".  After LOLing for a minute over such a hilarious name for a type of style...I became really obsessed about the look, and, I mean...

it looks very goth

and very ninja.

It is very much mysterious and moody and combines a casualness of street styles and takes in high fashion ques from the likes of designers like Mr. A Wang (with his dark, streamline looks) the obvious Rick Owens, and Yohji Yamamoto (the layering...all the draping...the fact Yamamoto is probably a ninja himself..)

Hunter's look is more toned down and sporty with his Flyknits than the crazy looks I've seen for A REAL GOTH NINJA...but his vibe is very right.  Casual but REALLY COOL.  

SO,

The question is: WILL U B A MYSTERIOUS BOY FOR ME?

I don't know, but I think boys are scared to wear drapey things....and I get itttt but hey let's try something new for once because honestly boys NEVER DO ANYTHING FUN when they get dressed, and dressing like a ninja (and maybe being one) makes the ladies swoon.  So wear more drapey things for me.

//SWOON

DEETS//

!*JEDI WRAP*!~ from H&M

DRESSY SWEATPANTS~ from ZARA MEN

KICKS~ Nike Flyknit Lunar

Hair How-To: THE TRIPLE TUCK PONY

If you can recall a previous post from a couple of months ago (a diy, in and of itself) you may remember me promising a little something....

I didn't think it would take so long to get to, however, but I am here to stick by my word--

Here's a how-to for a fancy little hair-do that only takes a few minutes!

1. Section your hair into three parts horizontally.  Keep the top layer a little on the heavy side and tie with an elastic as far back on your head as possible (it'll look weird when you "flip" it if it's on the top of your head!)

2. Once your parts are in order, we are going to take the flip!  Loosen your top section with your fingers, creating a gap right in front of your hair tie big enough for your ponytail to fit through.  This step is a little hard to explain but once you do it it's easy...you kinda just take your ponytail through the top of the hole you just created, and pull through.

You'll be rocking something like this!

 

3.  Move on to your next layer of hair, and created a gap like you did when you prepared for your first flip. 

4.  Instead of jumping on in with the second flip, take the ends of your first pony, give them a little twirl and slide then through the gap in your second section of hair.

5. Add your second flip!

6.  As imagined, repeat steps 4 & 5 with your third section of hair

And you're done!

* Of course,  you may want to consider small clear hair ties for your look, but heyyyy I'm lucky to have found 3 hair ties at all :)

* Try loosening your twists to hide the obviousness of the parts

* From my bracelet DIY post, you can see that the same idea works well with curled or wavy hair...this allows you to be even more messy when parting your hair...so I'm all about it

<3

<3

<3

1, 2 STEP

Shoes are very important.
You can, like, not get diseases and things if you wear them and whatever.
Also, they are beautiful and I love them more than I do many human beings I know

I haven't bought a new pair of shoes in FOREVERRRR (maybe 3 months, which is forever to a girl, okay?)  This past Friday I "treated myself" to a few new items because I was using the excuse that it was my birthday Sunday.  Two of them being some reall boring white t-shirts...and...a new pair of kicks!--

I've been plotting this whole "change everything and live my life as a tribute to all that Ivania Carpio does and wears"  and upon my recent purchases, I've realized I'm on a probable path to full enlightenment...but...

as I continute to soul search for white jeans that-

1. don't have fake distressing and gargantuan holes 

2. aren't thin as paper (seeeee-through)

- I have to figure out a different way to style things rather than playing white-out like I so wish

SO HERE WE GO:

What goes with white? A little black, maybe?

MHMMM, you know I am all about a little Ebony + Ivory

So let's talk things over:

I think the mid-ankle height of this shoe is of utmost importance when styling your outfit.  

- Socks are always good for balancing things out and connecting your footwear the rest of your apparel...in this instance I think they give a bit of an athletic feel to the look, which I'm very down for.

- The length of pant or (in this case) skirt you are considering is also very important. You don't wanna chop your legs into small bits and pieces.  Anything that hits at the knee is ideal, and midi-length things are even better with the height and hefty chunk of heel we have going on.  Consider cropped skinny jeans if you are going to do a pant.

- You may remember this hot topic from a couple of months ago. Side slits r fun and if you are wearing all black it will *literally* split things up and add some interest

shoes r like art

pretend u r art too

Deets

KICK_ASS_KICKS from H&M

BOSS_HOUSE where I am officially squatting

<3

FASHION: AN EXPERIMENT

As I’ve defined my idea of what “style” is many-a-time, the most encompassing and poignant way to identify style is to merely deem it as... AN EXPERIMENT.

Today we experiment with how to wear a sweater. Sounds really uneventful, right?

Sometimes experiments can go wrong, but sometimes you can cure your cold with a mixture of strange elixirs and home remedies that don't make sense.  Does fashion make sense? More often than not, no. So let's get to experimenting:

Today's blog post is inspired by a look (above) from Christophe Lemaire's Fall RTW collection seen in Paris just a couple of weeks ago.  I know there's huff-and-puff about the change of seasons in fashion-that the shows are merely projections of what will be happening come Fall (in this case).  Is it wrong to draw inspiration immediately?  I don't know, but I also do not care...today it is 40 degrees and I can wear fall-like things if I want.

One of my favorite ways to change up my wardrobe is figuring out new ways of wearing things I already have.  
A good example of such an idea that immediately comes to mind is the Alexander Wang Spring 14 RTW collection where regularly structured button-downs are only buttoned at the very top...creating a whole new thing--

I have a dress that I only ever wear backwards now.  And doing weird things like that excite me.

So, although my wardrobe is highly limited (as I still find my clothes living in three places) I couldn't get that look by Christophe Lemaire out of my mind.  I had to try it.  

Wanna see the results of my experiment

?

?

A sweater as a scarf?

I CAN VIBE

There are many people out there that are "Scarf People"while I find myself in a mess of knots when I attempt to "rock a scarf."  The sweater-scarf may look a little silly when people figure out what you are doing....but they also know that you know that you just did that--you are wearing a damn sweater as a scarf...THEY BETTER RESPECT U

Most importantly, in the whole scheme of things is...you have a sweater with you if it gets too cold out :)

You bet I looked a mad fool when I was trying out different sweaters to "wear" but if you want to try the look yourself, it is going to take some trial and error.  This sweater is cropped and very bulky so it didn't look much like the inspiration, but I think it still worked.  The cool thing too is you can use the sleeves in different ways, leaving them loose to hang over your shoulders in front (v. preppy!) or tie them up for a more finished look.

...and maybe scarf people must just be hat people, too.  It makes sense now.

For kicks and giggles and the sake of experimenting, I decided to try out the sweater-scarf idea with a basic crewneck.  It doesn't look too stupid, ~~~only maybe just a little ~~~

What's the conclusion? That I'm here for your entertainment, per usual

--Alex