In the last article we saw a lot of Goth looks but this time things are a little different. The looks are still very strong only they are in a dark color pallet and not just all black.

The soft lines and gently blending colors in the fabric of this dress remind me of an widespread oil slick. Like some of the other dresses at Alberta Ferretti there is just too much fabric being used and what was once a flattering silhouette is completely lost in the extra mass. This dress is making the model look twice the width she actually is. If the model looks that bad imagine how it would make a regular sized woman look and feel. Great dress but not a good look.

I can see Rhianna wearing this coat in one of her videos. The dark amethyst really embodies her good girl gone bad image. This coat has a peter pan collar for days, meaning it’s the most exaggerated collar like that that I’ve ever seen. This coat is sleek and sculptural and I can’t wait to see it walking down the street.

This egg shaped cape/coat is a little odd to me. It reminds me of a Dior did in couture collections in the past, it was the year Galliano was obsessed with the French revolution, we’ll call it 2006. One thing that set this cape apart from the rest is the fact that it actually has slits for your hands. Let it be known that Alberta Ferretti is one of the few designers that takes mobility into account when crafting a cape.

There is something French about this look. It’s very effortlessly cool and the sunglasses really put this look over the top. This grey mock turtleneck sweater is as chic as it is comfortable. Worn with jeans on a casual day strolling through the park would be the ideal way to enjoy this sweater

This reminds me of what I had seen at Philip Lim with the side swept dart and light grey fabric. The difference would be that this side swept dart is done in a more refined way, at Phillip Lim the darts made the dresses look like curtains. Because the side dart is slightly above the natural waist the added fabric on the front of the dress will not add bulk to your belly.

I just noticed in the Alberta Ferretti 2008 fall collections if the models aren’t wearing knee high boots they’re wearing Mary Janes. What a contrast. I’m glad to see Mary Janes making a come back from children’s wear. There are a lot of completely wearable looks in the 2008 fall collection from Alberta Ferretti. I’m looking forward to seeing them all on the streets and on celebrities in the months to come.

Alberta Ferretti has gone completely Goth for fall 2008. For those of you that may not know what Goth looks like, its those high school kids who dress only in black. Typically speaking most people adhering to the all black and mostly morose lifestyle that is gothic tend to grow out of it after high school or even college. Alberta Ferretti found a way to be fashionable, adult and gothic all at the same time.

I wish I could see what this dress would look like without the heavy dark green sweater. I really like the use of dark colors in the practically psychedelic print of this dress. The black stones sewn to the collar of the dress are similar to what we have seen at the Christian Dior 2009 resort collection. This is by no means a new trend but its definitely a trend that is being used with no signs of stopping. This look is a little mature for my taste but I still like it.

There’s a goth girl somewhere who has been waiting for this dress for years. All that black velvet is bound to make someone happy. Maybe Mary Kate Olsen would love this dress too. The deep v-neck and floor length hemline make this dress great for those of us who would like to elongate our bodies. I’m fond of this dress but I don’t think I would wear it. All of that heavy fabric combined with wider than average sleeves sound like a pass, as in no thank I will have to pass on that.

Ladies and gentlemen, lace is back! And I couldn’t be more excited. When designers started overdoing it with the lace trend about two years ago I was a little miffed. Simply because if you don’t know how to make lace look elegant, I mean it does it on its own, you shouldn’t bother. Cheap looking lace makes us all feel bad. This is probably the most wearable of all the looks so far. You could easily wear that skirt with a variety of colored tops.

I love the idea of wearing a cape but it just doesn’t seem very functional. For example this cape has no opening for your hands. So if I slip and fall or even if I just need to open a door, how am I gonna move my hands? I guess as far as this cape is concerned the designers decided to choose form over function.

Here we go again with another totally goth look. Don’t get me wrong I am not saying there is anything wrong with dressing goth. Quite the contrary I am just excited that there is a way to dress in all black and its not boring. This dress reminds me of a snake because of the shiny almost scales along the surface. Again, not the dress for me but it’s very cute.

I love that tights are worn with every look we have seen so far from Alberta Ferretti’s 2008 fall collection. I’ll see you next time for the second installment of the Alberta Ferretti 2008 fall collection.

There really is no theme for today, I simply chose some bags that caught my eye for one reason or another.

Pictured above the “Watch me work”  bag from Celine. I love a big red bag all year round. This particular purse reminds me of so many cheaper and probably larger red purses that I have ruined/used to death in my day. I know what you’re thinking “I barely ever wear any red”. That really doesn’t matter because this bag can’t help but be the focal point of your whole outfit due to its color and size alone.  Something so big and shiny really isn’t meant to “match” with anything instead it “goes” with everything. My only concern with this bag is, I’m not so sure about the chain shoulder strap. It looks good but I hope you don’t intend to wear that bag for very long or you will be irritated and eventually in pain. Keeping in mind the size of this bag and the width of the chain link, if you had a semi full purse, which you will because the temptation to throw everything you need into this bag is too strong, it would be cutting into your shoulder by the end of the night. Personally I wouldn’t really worry about that. You would look much cuter carrying this purse on your forearm or in your hand instead.

Ladies and Gentlemen what we have here is an icon of the handbag world. The Fendi B Bag.  The B Bag is available in a wide variety of colors much like the Spy  bag from. I call this color duck’s foot orange because if you recall the scaly webbed part of a ducks foot is about the same yellow orange color. If you’re not sure what to  buy and you want something orange this season it should definitely be this.

I used to hate yellow and mini bags at the same time. Funny how I  am so drawn to this bright yellow Marc by marc Jacobs mini bag called “Percy”. I would love to have Percy on a night out that way when I hit the dance floor I don’t have a big clunker of a bag holding my groove down. I wonder if you can remove the shoulder strap from this bag, that way it could be used a wallet as well. If that is the case this could be a perfect summer time purse. Just carry it all day long in your big everyday bag and snap the strap on it when you’re ready to go out.
Looking back at all these bags I realize they do have something in common besides the fact that I love them. They are all warm colors which is definitely why I am attracted to them to begin with. I would say that these bags are perfect for summer but they are just as good all year round.

After talking semi smack about Juicy Couture in my last article I decided to give them more of a fighting chance. I know there has to be more there than just velour jumpsuits, excuse me, juicy suits. There is so much available from Juicy Couture that I decided to focus just on dresses.

This dress is California meets little house on the prairie and I love it. I do not need to remind you that it is still the summer time in the United States so wearing a lot of dresses is a must. Something about this dress says travel to me. It looks like you could wear it on a plane, bus or train and still be very comfortable. All the while it can be rolled up and stored to for next time in your carry on luggage. There is white crotchet along the bottom of this dress which sounds cute but is a bad idea because it us definitely going to attract dirt being that this dress goes all the way to the ground.

Do you remember that show Mama’s Family? You know the one about the sour grandma who is always getting her family out of trouble with the help of tough love and old time values? Well anyway the daughter in law Naomi was kind of a tramp who would always wear frilly peasant dresses. If only Naomi had seen this dress I think she would have gone for this one stead. It has all the charm of a peasant dress without going off the shoulder, that’s where things start to get a little different. This dress is fresh like a slice of melon.

I think this dress would look a lot cuter on then it does in this photo. Although strapless bras can be a pain it would be worth it to invest in a good one to go along with this racer back dress. Racer back is hot and its nautical how sweet.

When I first laid eyes on this dress all I could think of was “Very niiiice” in a Borat voice. This dress is very nice and then some. I get a little flushed thinking about finding the right yellow or white wedges to go with this dress. Shoot, the more I look at it I think I could even do a brown shoe and just boho it out a little with some wooden accessories. This dress like all the rest have a little bit of a country feel to them and that’s not at all bad. The country look is very relaxed and comfortable so why complain?

I’m relieved to see that Juicy Couture is doing big things in the dress game. I stand by what I said about their grocery bag though. If you’re going to buy Juicy you should go for a dress over a bag any day because these dresses are all multi-seasonal. While there have been a lot of articles on dresses lately but I’ll try to make this one the last for a little while. Goodbye Juicy Couture. Goodbye Dresses. See you real soon.

Less waste means a happier and cleaner life for all of us and that is why so many of us are switching to reusable shopping bags instead of the flimsy plastic bags that are given to us at the grocery store. Many brands have taken note of the desire of consumers to purchase bags that are eco-friendly as well as fashionable.

This striped bag from Marc by Marc Jacobs may not look like a traditional grocery bag but it’s a reusable bag that you will actually want to use. Although this bag is really cute its not exactly cost effective because you’re really going grocery shopping you will need at least 3 bags per trip. With the amount of money you might spend on trying to use these bag you could take a mini vacation. It is a good thing that this nautical inspired bag is cute enough to want use as your summer purse as well as your grocery bag.

This bag by Anya Hindmarch is without a doubt the most identifiable of all reusable bags. And yet it is not really suitable for bringing home your groceries. It would work much better as a handbag and that is how most women use it. I think what women like most about this bag is the fact that it pretty much screams “Hey I care about the environment more than you. Look I’m doin’ it right now”. I used to be a big fan of this bag until I found out that they are too small to actually use. Also they are outrageously popular, thusly making them lame to those of us who would rather be early adopters than followers, sad but true.

Even Juicy couture has made their own reusable grocery bag. Other than brand recognition I don’t feel anything for this bag. Not as a purse and it doesn’t look practical enough to hold heavy groceries. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again a strap that thin is going to hurt your shoulder when you fill the bag to its capacity. Definitely not worth the price unless you just want a status symbol. If that’s the case this is your shopping bag.

One of my dear friends told me about Baggu. They cost substantially less than all of the other designer reusable grocery bags. Sure they are plain in comparison but they are available in a wide variety of colors. Baggu is made of a very durable rip stop nylon while many of the other bags in this article are made from cotton. I wouldn’t carry Baggu like a purse like I would with some others but thankfully it can fold up into a little pouch that is small enough to fit into whatever purse you’re already carrying. The pouch is so small and flat it could even fit into a clutch I’m not kidding you. It’s great for impromptu shopping trips you could keep them in the glove box or trunk of your car and not even know they’re there.

We all know BB Dakota makes a lot of pretty dresses but what of their blouses and tops?  I did a little bit of research on the matter and I was pleasantly surprised. The designers at BB Dakota are definitely trying hard to provide a wide variety of styles that will fit everyone’s fancy.

Man, no, yuck. I’m not feeling this shirt at all. It reminds me of a very high school hippy look. This blouse is called the Boho but typically boho items have at least some element of luxury to them. Where as this shirt has none. I don’t think I have anything nice to say so I’m just not going to say anything at all.

Just when I think BB Dakota is style slipping they remind me why I loved them in the first place. This shirt is a testament to how chic this brand is. It is over done it is just simple and cool. Just add jeans and heels for the perfect casual night out or try this top with a mini skirt and some statement shoes for an even better night out. This shirt is available in both black and white although I personally think it looks best in black. I like this shirt so much I think I would probably buy two.

This blouse is so sweet. The black ribbon inlay reminds me of a baby bonnet. If you look closely you can see a big white bow on the center front that just adds to the overall sweetness of this top, it even has eyelet trim on the sleeves for crying out loud. The neckline is awesome for wearing necklaces although if you go too bold with your jewelry it won’t match at all. Instead you should try a delicate chain and charm necklace or if you want just bold black earrings.

This pretty aqua blue number is called the Picasso but why?  Who knows, its cute no matter what you call it. The website says that this is a mini dress or a top but if you wear this as a mini dress you are much braver than me  because judging by the hemline on the model that would leave very little to the imagination as far as I’m concerned. As a top I love the bright color and the lack of sleeves means it would be perfect for summer time. It would also be easy to layer with this shirt in the winter, just through on a long sleeve shirt underneath and you’re good to go.

BB Dakota appears to be in the street wear category although they don’t really make any t-shirts at all. Good for them I say. It is about time that street wear means more than just graphics on a white or black t-shirt. BB Dakota is breaking new ground for women’s street wear and we should all take note of that.

You may remember BB Dakota from previous articles where I reviewed a couple of dresses. I don’t remember which dresses and I don’t know much about the brand but hopefully what I have for our viewing pleasure today will make more of an impact on my memory. I’m ready to learn more about what this brand has to offer. Today we are going to take a look see at the dresses from BB Dakota.

This look likes my grandma house dress, right down to the white cording along the whole dress. I like this dress on my grandma but it makes the model look a little frumpy. Maybe if there was some gathers under the bust it would help out the overall shape of this dress. As far as comfort goes I’m sure this dress would get an A+ in that category because it is so loose and long. This is a cute dress for around the house or maybe to the beach but I definitely wouldn’t wear it on a night out.

A lemon colored shift and a tall glass of lemonade, what could be better on a hot summer day. Many people say that they hate yellow but I think that shit dress could change their minds. This shade of yellow would look on virtually anybody unless of course you have an existing sunburn, then you probably wouldn’t want to bring out the rosey glow of your skin. The “Dahlia” is the perfect dress to wear to that all day long summer concert you’ve been wanting to go to, see and you said you didn’t have anything to wear.

This is the “Emiko” in grape. I would love to see “Emiko” in as many colors as possible! This dress is a little ballerina-ish with its full gathered skirt and modest top. Typically I’m not much for waist belts and I especially dislike things that are too matchy matchy. While this belt is the exact same color as the rest of the dress it works because it doesn’t call too much attention to itself it just looks good. Emiko would fit in nicely at the theatre, ballet or your nearest symphony hall.

I think Marilyn Monroe would wear this dress in a heartbeat. Playfully named the “Soho Cherry” this dress has a very pinup vibe to it. It is longer than most dresses available right now which is unique. The hemline falls below the knee and the neckline is way above your cleavage. This means not only can you wear this dress out and about with friends you could wear it to church the next morning too. Yes I know that kind of a brash suggestion but its true!

I love that BB Dakota chose to pair up so many of their dresses with flip flops. I have a sneaking suspicion that this brand is from the west coast based on that alone. If you’ve ever lived on the left coast or the surrounding states you know that flip flops are a summer staple especially with our summer dresses. For this reason alone I will never forget BB Dakota.

****NOTE** I checked out the origins of BB Dakota and it turns out the creator is French. Gooood to know!

It’s 7 in the morning and its time to get up and go to work. You have to be in the car by 8 to be at the office at 9 and then you’ll be out on your way home again some time after 5. Such is the life of an Office Tramp. You have to experience the daily grind and the designers at Office Tramp are not going to let you forget that.

Look closely and you will see these slightly oversized medallions read 9,5. As in 9 to 5, the typical hours of most office workers. It is kind of symbolic to have those hours tied around your neck as if to say you are bound in chains to work those hours. If I recall correctly working a mundane job office or otherwise is a personal choice that can be remedied anytime by finding a new job. Office Tramp, youre kind of bringing me down…

Wallet chains are making a come back. Didn’t I already tell you that? Well if I didn’t I meant to. Like so many of the pieces from Office Tramp this chain would look great with or without the “vintage” glasses charm. One thing to be said of the “vintage” glasses they look more like Cazals from the 80s, when I think of vintage glasses I think of cat eye frames from the 50‘s, but hey that’s just me.

Girl don’t pick up your phone it’s your job calling trying to get you to come in on your day off…..Just kidding you better pick up the phone or you might get fired… I think this necklace is cute with its little dangling telephones. I also like that they chose to layer different types of chain. Something tells me I would like this necklace even more if it didn’t have the telephone charms but then how would we be able to tell that is literally Office Tramp jewelry?

I wonder if someone who doesn’t wear glasses themselves would wear a choker with a vintage glasses centerpiece. As an 8th grader new to the glasses game I used to own a pair of frames that looked just like these. Because of them I would proudly wear this choker, while wearing my current glasses of course. Somehow this necklace being silver and more minimal makes it a lot less gimmicky than the rest.

Is it wrong to call this brand gimmicky? Because really when you think about it the jewelry they produce at office tramp is a very obvious interpretation of their name. What are they going to do when all of the puns are gone? When the day is done and the weekend comes will you really be looking for an reminder of the office to wear on the weekend? I don’t think so but for the sake of the good folks behind Office Tramp I hope you do.

Coogi is for the man who wants to be seen. That being said it is no surprise that so many rapper love Coogi so much they mention it in their rhymes. Yes most of the hip hop world is chasing Ed Hardy right now but Coogi has been a hip hop staple since Notorious BIG mentioned their name in “Juicy”. If Coogi is good enough for a hip hop legend it’s got to be good enough for you. If you’re ready for the attention that is.

I think Coogi took Hawaiian print to a whole new level with this button down. There is so much going on in this print the only discernible object I see is the parrot on a branch. This could be the perfect shirt for Birdman but I’m not sure who else. The island theme is fun and the color combination is actually on point. As a whole the print is just too cluttered for my taste but I’d love to meet the man brave enough to rock the parrot button down.

This shirt is so pretty! It’s like wearing a kaleidoscope of colors. The possibilities for matching your sneakers are limitless due to the fact that every color in the rainbow is alive and well on this shirt. In some round about way I think all of the white circles spell out Coogi, pretty cool huh?

Apparently when it comes to scary shirts Surface to Air isn’t the only brand in the game, Coogi is right behind them. That looks like the profile of some kind of demon on this shirt. I’m not much for dark graphics like this but I do like the color combinations. In fact its really all the different oranges that make this graphic look so hellish to begin with. The orange topstitching on the sleeves is a nice touch too. I don’t know who the designers at Coogi are trying to scare but it’s working.

Coogi calls this the Zeus tee. You know Zeus like the Greek god, however I think the creature in the print is more of a gargoyle than anything. It doesn’t really matter what you call it because this shirt is hot. I like that the Coogi name is not the central focus of the shirt instead it is on the sleeve, chillin. This shirt speaks for its self, you know its Coogi without even seeing the name.

Coogi clothes really are for a specific kind of a guy. A flashy guy with enough attitude to back up any of his fashion decisions. To me that is awesome, it doesn’t happen often that men take fashion risks. Almost every piece from Coogi is a little bit of a fashion risk in itself. Coogi wearers everywhere I salute you.

I’m not really sure what the inspiration for this whole Nylon jewelry collection was. If I had to take a stab at it I would say these are all objects I recognize from childhood except the deer head which would have just freaked me out as a child. There has to be a common thread in all of the pieces of this collection perhaps by the end of this article I will have figured out exactly what it is.

Dang that’s one mad deer! I guess I would be too if someone shot me and kept me around a reminder of their “strength”. I don’t like hunting or the practice of displaying the heads of the slain on the walls of ones house. This necklace puts lends a sense of humor back into the whole hunting scenario. This necklace is unisex at its best. It is ironic enough to appeal to women and masculine enough for the men. All hunting connotations aside I love this necklace.

Ice cream is normally a associated with words like cool and refreshing but this season that’s not the case., Ice cream is so hot right now. From ice cream cones to ice cream bars, this sweet inspiration is dripping all over the accessories world lately. Although I have never seen an ice cream bar with rainbow sprinkles, these are made from tiny glass beads. The idea of sprinkles is exciting but I think they would have been bettered suited on a donut or perhaps a cupcake.

Lego as a fashion statement, they said it could never be done. Legos are everywhere in the world of accessories right now. The most notable appearance would have to be the Lego belt buckles made by Marc Jacobs. I loved legos as a child and I love them still as an adult as a pendant on this necklace. The robot shape of this pendant makes it much more memorable in comparison to other Lego pieces, for example the Marc Jacobs belt buckles I was referring to just look like 4×6 bricks of Lego, kind of boring. If these two accessories got into a fight the robot would definitely win.

Mixtapes are long gone and so is the romance associated with them. It used to be that you would communicate your feelings to someone on a cassette tape filled with music that illustrated your love and or infatuation with them, however times have certainly changed. Cassette tapes are now obsolete and many would argue that romance has suffered the same fate. Lucky for us we can keep the idea and magic of the mixtape alive with this necklace. I’ve never heard the Nylon mix but I will just pretend it is full of slow jams and thoughtful raps dedicated solely to me.

I have bad news and good news. The bad news is I still don’t know what the central idea is for this collection. The good news  is I no longer care because my enthusiasm for Nylon jewelry as a whole has grown by leaps and bounds. I look forward to collections to come and hope they will be a little more cohesive. If they are not I will still probably like them anyway…..