Emmys Part 2

So! Let’s start round 2. I’m just getting started. I love this. I really wish there were more of these just so I could just do this all year. So let’s cut to the chase and judge these celebrities!

Kerry Washington
Very pretty. Fairy princess pretty, but subtle–not Barbie fairy princess realness. This is elegant. I like it.

Tina Fey
Way to work it Tina! Love this so much. Everyone take notes, because this is a grade A example of red carpet dressing. Bravo!

Julianne Hough
I’d like to call this piece “wardrobe malfunction in progress”. Really do not like this. The top itself is a train wreck but paired with the triumphant duo of the sheer skirt and granny panties. Why? No, really, how does this in any way shape or form sound like a good idea? Really. I vote there be a “yank” patrol at these sorts of events to make sure such incidents don’t happen. They would be stationed before the actresses got to the photographers. They’d also hand out fashion tape. Lots of it. In short, girl, yank up your dress and buy yourself a slip. There are other ways to show off your legs.

Elisabeth Moss
Love this Andrew Gn dress. She looks so fabulous. This is another favorite. Definitely in my top 5.

Miyam Bialik
I really like this too. The color’s gorgeous and I love the details.

The Emmys: part one!

Sorry I kind of dropped the ball on fashion week. To be honest, I was hating a whole lot of what I was seeing, but that’s in the past now. It’s Emmy time! I must say the Emmys were pretty good this year as was the red carpet. Not too many fashion disasters surprisingly enough. Just like the Emmys had a few snags (cough cough Carrie Underwood cough cough) so did the red carpet but it’s not much that people will be taking about the next day. So let’s start talking about what these people wore!

Michelle Dockery in Custom Prada
The clear winner of the night as far as dressing goes. I love it, I love it, I love it. It’s great because it’s got balance to it. A bold color combo paired with a very simple elegant silhouette. This is such a leap up from that wrinkly sad satin mess she wore last year.

Claire Danes in Armani Privé
It’s pretty, but I absolutely hate it. Let me explain: the dress is gorgeous, the details are sublime. However this is so terribly wrong for her I can’t even get started. It’s the wrong color for her. She looks like a shiny pale blob. The waist should be at least two or three inches higher. The straps need to be raised about the same amount. Oh and I understand the need for it, but that is an icky modesty panel right there.

Rose Byrne in Calvin Klein
Very pretty. Not a fan of the midriff dresses, but this might convert me.

Julianna Margulies in Reed Krakoff
I think I like this. The dress is very pretty, and I am very happy to see that she decided to not do the super severe DIY facelift hair. However, I think I might have a “I’m beginning to sound look my mother” moment. She has pretty eyes, and it would be nice to see them both. Otherwise, it looks great. Very elegant.

John Hamm
The whole time he was presenting I wanted him to yell, “We need to get back to the island!!!” Seriously though. Why spoil such marvelous facial features with the Crazy Jack beard? Also, his suit looks a teensy bit too tight.

Lena Dunham in Prada
I really don’t like this dress. I’m actually really close to hating it, but I can’t because she looks so happy and comfortable in it. I’ll start off by saying that I like the color. It’s very flattering to her complexion and her hair. I hated the matchy eye make up. Isn’t obvious from the photos but I was cringing the whole red carpet interview. It just looked juvenile. I really like the top half. That’s a really good style for her. The bottom is where we run into issues. The fabric is much too heavy. It looks like it’s just standing on its own which just doesn’t flatter anyone. Speaking of, that print is awful on so many levels.

Alrighty that’s it for part one! Please switch to side B for part 2. Actually part 2 will be coming later so keep your eyes peeled!

Images: Style.com and Huffpost.com

NYFW SS14: Tadashi Shoji

It’s NYFW!! For the first time in a year I’m actually able to cover it! That’s one of the perks of graduating. I’ve decided, with these circumstances, that I would dust off the old blog and get her back up and running. I’m making an initiative for myself, to use social media to its full potential to promote myself as a fashion designer, blogger, and vlogger (my youtube channel is boldlysewing).

So yeah, fashion week. It’s happening. Let’s look and some pretty dresses and I’ll tell you what I think.

Let me preface this with the fact that I love Tadashi Shoji. His work is always stellar. I was actually extremely fortunate to get to see his show last season and it was a dream.

Style.com‘s review had a great quote from him, “You don’t have to wear big shoulder pads and dark suits to be a powerful woman.” So much love for this quote. You can see this throughout the collection.

Overall, this is one marvelous collection. It’s like opening up a box of lacy, flowery and plaid macarons (someone needs to get on that. Plaid macarons would be amazing.).

Let’s break it down with some highlights:

From Style.com

This is going to sound like a ‘duh’ statement, but I like to start with the first look. In a fashion show the first look should be, in many ways, the thesis statement of your collection. I should be able to tell you exactly what the rest of the collection is going to be about from this first look. What do you see? Really look at it and see what you think you’ll be expecting from the rest of the collection. First off, there’s the sea foam green. That clues us into the color scheme. There’s the top, in that sheer plaid. That gives us another hint, and then there’s the metallic sheen of the dress. So what can we expect to see? Pastels, metallics and plaids. Overall I think this look is cute. It doesn’t quite muster up to the rest, but it’s still very pretty.

from Style.com

This is very cute. Love the lace, love the colors. I could see Michelle Obama or maybe even (and this may just be the model) Michelle Dockery wearing it.

From Style.com

I can’t decide whether I like or dislike this. I feel like theres a bit more sheer to actual dress than I would prefer. The waistline should be more defined and then the should be a bit shorter.

Style.com

This is fabulous. I want this dress. My favorite piece in the entire collection. Don’t need to say much more. Bravo.

Style.com

I want this one too. So cute, and I want those sandals too.

From Style.com

2nd favorite dress in the collection. It’s so pretty and ethereal. Those shoes do not belong though. Should have gotten an extra pair of those white sandals

From Style.com

This would make for a great press event/premiere dress. Love it.

Here are some more of my favorites:

From Style.com

From Style.com

From Style.com

From Style.com

From Style.com

From Style.com

From Style.com

From Style.com

From Style.com

From Style.com

From Style.com

Red Carpet Report Card: Amanda Seyfried

The awards have been handed out, speeches said, bubbly drank, jewels returned and dresses packed up. That means that, alas, red carpet season is over. It does not mean, however that it is time to give up on commentary. My witty quips and discerning eye are not a seasonal thing, and I refuse to let them go to waste. As a result I have devised a fun little series of posts. I will take some of the bigger stars and grade each look from the Oscars, SAG awards and Golden Globes. Then I’ll give each a “final grade”. Who will pass and who will fail? Stay tuned, because class in session.

In Givenchy

From Style.com

This is stunning. It’s just the right white for her and it really complements her skin tone and hair. Fit is good, hair and make up are nice, overall well done

Grade: A

In Zac Posen

From Style.com

I feel like it’s probably the flash, but the color seems ever so slightly off. Train’s a bit too long, but the hem detail is fascinating. The necklace feels like an odd accessory to wear with that ensemble.

Grade: B-

In Armani

From Style.com

The details are gorgeous, but the neckline isn’t doing it for me. Train could have a good six inches cut off of it, but otherwise it feels a bit too safe and standard.

Grade B-

Final Report: Nothing too adventurous and nothing too boring

Final Grade: B

 

Alrighty. I promise, these will get more exciting. I promise!!!

Oscars: Round 3

I’ll be honest, powerblogging with a full day of classes is taxing. I’m exhausted. Nonetheless I still have opinions to give so lets keep these dresses rolling!

Anne Hathaway (Prada)

Style.com

This dress has been the object of much discussion and debate. As an entire look: I like it. It’s sweet without being too girly and it’s has a classic sophistication and elegance to it.

However….

THOSE FRENCH DARTS ARE UNNECESSARY AND MAKES IT LOOK LIKE SHE FORGOT HER UNDERGARMENTS AND THERE’S A RATHER CHILLY WIND IF YOU CATCH MY DRIFT. hehe.

Rage aside, It’s sweet. There’s something awful going on in the midsection–the fit’s just a bit off–but other than that, well played.

Jessica Chastain (Armani)

Style.com

Pretty. That lip color is pulling most of the weight in making this look work.

Jennifer Lawrence (Dior)

From Style.com

Jennifer is awesome, Jennifer’s dress is awesome. That is all that needs to be said.

Sally Field (Valentino)

From Style.com

Enh. It didn’t really do it for me. There’s no one solid reason for it, but I never really like sheer fitted sleeves. Just looks off to me. Skirt’s great though.

 

The rest are some fabulous looks but I really have to get some homework done. Maybe at some later point.

Samantha Barks

From Style.com

Octavia Spencer

From Style.com

Olivia Munn

From Style.com

Stacy Keibler

From Style.com

Catherine Zeta Jones

From Style.com

Queen Latifah

From Style.com

Alright guys, that’s it for now! Thanks to everyone for reading and posting and spreading the love!

Sew on!

Emily!

Oscars, Round two

Alrighty kids, I’ve got about 40 mins. until my next class so I’m going to see how many dresses I can cram in before then. Ready, set, go!

Kerry Washington (Miu Miu)

from Style.com

Love the color, top is iffy. Personally, I think if it was more coral and gold and less white, it could have worked. I also would have gotten rid of the train, looks much too limp and lifeless.

Jennifer Anniston (Valentino)

Style.com

I really like this dress on her but the hair. THE HAIR. IT NEEDS TO CHANGE. Sorry, couldn’t control the fashion rage there. I love the volume and the fit otherwise.

Nicole Kidman (L’Wren Scott)

From Style.com

I really liked this one. I mean, black, gold and sequins–I’m sold. The hair looks a bit too unkempt, but otherwise; high five.

Jennifer Garner (Gucci)

Style.com

I love love love love the color of this. The ruffle–I’ll get back to that. Construction is a bit funky (you can see some of the boning and there’s a bit of a pull at the bust. I feel like it needs a belt or something at the waist.

Salma Hayek (Alexander McQueen)

Style.com

It’s Counselor Troi goes to the Oscars. In all seriousness, she just looks pained. For someone who basically can get her hands on any haute couture she wants she looks really uncomfortable. Kudos for wearing velvet though.

Kristen Stewart (Reem Acra)

Style.com

Oh honey. Go home, take a few aspirin, and lie down. Try again tomorrow.

Halle Berry (Versace)

style.com

Fierce. Halle brought it. This is how you do it.

Okay, two minutes until class starts, time to stop. Look for round 3 later.

Red Carpet Rundown: The Oscars

The Oscars happened last night. I watched almost all of the red carpet and the opening bit, but other than that, I was doing pattern making homework. Ain’t no rest for the one year design student. Next year I will resume my tradition of watching the oscars all the way through. Intently. Seriously though, I love it. There are three things I am really passionate about–obviously fashion is one of them, video games and last but certainly not least is film. I think what I love most about all of these is the beauty of understructure. The story they tell, the techniques used to create a vision, the emotions they convey as well as their rich history.

Soliloquy aside, actresses wore dresses to this shindig. That means I have an opinion and I’m sharing it with you.

Quvenzhané Wallis (Armani)

From Style.com

Adorbs. Kudos for the puppy bag. Also, I want her flats.

Fan Bing Bing (Marchesa)

from Style.com

She’s just unreal. Would have preferred a less severe ‘do, but still mauve-elous (those eye rolls you’re doing right now? Totally deserved it.)

Reese Witherspoon (Louis Vuitton)

Style.com

Looks great. Fit’s just a smidge too tight in the bodice, but she looks fabulous nonetheless. Love what the color blocking is doing for her waistline. Her hair is also impeccable.

Jennifer Hudson (Roberto Cavalli)

From Style.com

Definitely one of my favorites of the night. She looked flawless, comfortable and like she loved what she was wearing. It really showed too. However, it does feel like she could have used a bracelet, on her clutch-holding arm. The length of that sleeve is just begging for it.

Jane Fonda (Versace)

From Style.com

You go girl! This is how older actresses should dress. I loooooove the shoulders, the color is great, the fit is flawless. I would have picked a different shoe, maybe a gold one.

Amy Adams (Oscar de la Renta)

Style.com

I love Amy Adams, I love how she isn’t afraid of a dramatic dress, but this just reads torn tissues. Had it been in any other color, a deep red, a hunter green or a navy blue, I would be all over it, but the color does nothing for her.

Charlize Theron (Dior)

Style.com

Bravo. Flawless. The fit is amazing. Just amazing.

Zoe Saldana (Alexis Mabille)

From Style.com

I like it. It looks like a fun dress. Love the chiffon on the bottom.

Adele (Jenny Packham)

Style.com

I don’t like it. I’m not sure what exactly I don’t like, but I feel like changing the color would help immensely. Imagine it in navy, or better yet an inky green. I would also lift the hem about a quarter of an inch and hack off that barely a train.

Okay so that concludes part 1. I will hope to have part 2 by the evening or tomorrow morning.

Sew on!

Emily

Red Carpet Rundown: The Emmy’s

Alrighty! So the Emmy’s were last night and sadly I didn’t watch. I had homework and Doctor Who to catch up on. Oh and laundry. Anyhow, the fact that I didn’t watch the Emmy’s will not stop me from giving my two cents. So let’s roll!

Heidi Klum

Fabulous. Color, cut, and styling are marvelous. Only Heidi could make me turn back on my extreme hate of double slit dresses. Bravo.

Zooey Deschanel

I want to like this dress (color is fabulous) however

A) It looks like her limo drove off with the front of the skirt caught in the door

B) The bodice needs a good yanking up. Either the dress needed to be better fitted to her or she needs some good ol’ double sided tape, because it looks proportionately wrong.

Julianne Moore

This was terribly underwhelming for me. That’s a whole lot of yellow and the fit of the bust is strange. I had read that it was a two piece look (Dior couture) and in that case it looks like the skirt starts right under the bust which looks good on very few people and doesn’t seem to be doing so here.

Claire Danes

At first I wasn’t all that crazy about this look. It appeared way too casual and the top was a bit too drapey for my tastes. Note that the first time I saw this it was a straight on shot and I had no idea she was pregnant. So for that I give Lanvin a high five. From this view, it’s nice, and those shoes are just downright loco. My one issue is the super heavy liner. Way too much. Can’t even see her eyes.

Juliana Marguiles 

Wonderful silhouette and I love the print, but on a ball gown it looks sort of like a granny’s couch sort of print. On a day dress it’d look fabulous, but red carpet? No. Her hair is also way way way too pulled back.

So that’s it for now, have to go and get some food and then drape some stuff. Yipee! Tune in for more!

Photos from Style.com

An Explanation

While I know I apologize all of the time for my inconsistencies in posting, I feel that this period of absence deserves an explanation. I’m unsure as to whether or not I posted this here or not, but I am in New York City at the Fashion Institute of Technology. I am studying Fashion Design in an extremely challenging and competitive accelerated program. It’s pretty much a full time job and nearly all of my classes are design related. That being said, I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to post on here. I’m not “quitting” or “signing off” but I just wanted to let my readers know that I will post to the best of my ability, and that that may or may not be consistently. 

Anyhow, I love it here. The small bit that I’ve seen of the city is beautiful, vibrant and diverse. I do miss seeing the actual sun and sunsets and all but it’s okay. 

Sadly, I have been observing fashion week from my computer instead of at the tents (is it still plural?) and Fashion Night Out was more like Fashion Night in the basement of my dorm working on draping homework (party, right?) But I have been to H&M (made a magnificent purchase) and I made a very brief stop in Mood (may revisit for a post). Oh and I made several trips to whole foods and K-Mart! Yipee!

Regardless I haven’t been sightseeing because I have been throwing myself into my work, and while it is extremely challenging and testing I love it. I love every second of it. Even though there is a lot of personal second guessing, I am where I am meant to be. I am where I have always meant to be, and it feels just right. 

Last week I watched this amazing documentary. Beautifully shot, and beautiful in its message. This part really struck a chord with me and I wanted to share it.

Style Cents: Suit up! (Sort of)

I’m on a roll now! Well, maybe. Anyhow, I thought I’d break out the good ol’ style cents again and see how things fare.

Since I’ve covered your regular casual beachy look and a more after 5 look, I thought I’d try to round things out with a more work appropriate look. Work wear has a special place in my heart because that’s kind of where the first spark of real inspiration came from, at JFK airport on my way to South Korea. That’s a story for another time, but suits and work attire were a large portion of what I sketch before I knew how to design, and it’s also a large part of what I am hoping my first line will include (more on that bit later). So here we go:

001 by sewintoit featuring white handbags

Cotton shirt
$32 – topshop.com

Dorothy Perkins long jacket
$39 – dorothyperkins.com

A Wear pencil skirt
£8 – awear.com

American Apparel patent leather high heels
$16 – americanapparel.net

Wallis white handbag
$35 – wallisfashion.com

Madewell golden necklace
$48 – madewell.com

Outfit total: $147.50

 I love this outfit, and I kind of want it for myself–not that it’s different from the other two looks,  but that is really cute. All of these pieces are wonderfully versatile.

If you’re the type who loves structure and guidelines, like myself, to help you through picking an outfit, here’s a great one:

If you have a looser top, go with a more fitted bottom. If you are wearing a more structured top go with a looser bottom.

Let me explain. This does not have to do with fit, but rather silhouette. Let’s say you’re wearing a flowy, sort of bohemian top. Best thing to pair it with? Boot cut or skinny jeans.

An A-line skirt? A fitted blouse, or a nice knit top.

Of course this isn’t an ALWAYS sort of rule. It’s just a good way to start thinking, and a great thing to remember when you’re either too tired or in too much of a hurry in the morning to try on every item in your wardrobe.

With that rule in mind, the top, while it is a more fitted bodice has a peplum (that skirty thing at the bottom) and thus an a-line or fuller skirt would de-emphasize said peplum. To maximize peplum drama, but still keep it sophisticated and work appropriate, a black pencil skirt was chosen.

While this look is great and the skirt and top could easily stand on their own, jackets are fabulous and can really help to add oomph to an outfit. I chose this one because A) color is awesome and achromatic black an grey workwear makes me kinda sad and B) It’s simple, doesn’t detract from the rest of the outfit, and the collar has a marvelous elongating effect.

The purse and necklace are sharp, and add some retro flavoring to the outfit.

The shoes are actually vintage, and I’m not sure exactly what it is about them, but they look absolutely fabulous with them.

So that’s it for now, I should have the second part of this article posted sometime in the next week or so.

Sew on!

Emily