ABW Challenge: Day 29

Day 29

Today was the ACTUAL day for my presentation, in which I led a discussion about PETA, social media, and DKNY. I believe I did well, even though people were not readily participating. But, hey, that's life.

There are many reasons why I love this dress; the color, the cutout, the swingy skirt. It's just a fun dress to wear!

Because I woke up early to work on my online course, I had enough time to curl my hair with a wand. I thank my sister for the idea to do a waterfall braid with wavy hair. I love the way it came out. The curls were defined enough that they were noticeable, but not coiled so tight that I had to brush them out.

Shopping List

• Blue cutout dress: TJ Maxx

Spring 2013 Trend Report

With the wrap up of Spring 2013 fashion weeks around the world, the trends for the upcoming season has been revealed to the masses. A number of designers shared similarities in what they believe will be hot commodities in the future. After sorting through ( a lot!) of pictures covering the runways, I've come up with a list of must haves for spring.

The color next season just might be no color at all. Designers like Brood, Marc Jacobs, and Juan Carlos Orbando (pictured left to right above) showed how dynamic the contrasting colors can be. The color duo also bleed over onto other trends of the season, including the always spring worthy floral and art deco prints.

Stripes played a big role on the runway. Dolce and Gabana, Jonathan Saunders, and Marc by Marc Jacobs all brought out their own colorful lines to the stage. I'll be looking forward to the trend, along with playing between the contrasts of stripes and dots, a forbidden combination that can work quite nicely if put together correctly.

Last spring, it was all about peak-a-boo backs and midriff revealing tops. Next season, it's a combination of the two. Dresses and tops will look great with cut outs in the front. If you're one for a bit more modesty, try the cut out look with sheer coverings, just as Nicole Miller and Jason Wu (left and center) brought to fashion week. Feeling daring? Go for a dress like Erdem's (right) as a nice addition to your summer dress wardrobe.

The Summer Dress

This set is the first in the new segment I'm making: The Looks of Summer 2012.

The idea originally came up by accident. It was two in the morning, and I could not get to sleep. So what better way to spend my insomnia than doing something productive, like making a new set. The issue was that I could not figure out what I wanted to put together. Inadvertently, I made different sections of skirts, dresses, tops, and shoes that I wanted to wear this summer. Knowing that I could not include all of them in one set, I instead chose to feature each by themselves.

These dresses are the shapes that will featured this summer. The peplum is a new favorite, paying homage to a style that can be traced back as far as the 19th century. Back then, the look was done with an overcoat. The modern peplum came in fashion around the 1940s, and have now made a reappearance.

I love cutout dresses, especially ones with shapes or bows. There's something very alluring about an open back. I like this dress especially because of the heart shape in the back and the flared out skirt.

The high low dress is the newest trend, its shape previously seen in gowns and formal dresses. The shape will be featured more for the skirts segment.