In high school I was reprimanded more often than not for wearing tops that showed a hair too much décolletage. I was young and shy (I still am) and thought the only way to get teen boys attention was showing off my two very perky friends. Though I might have been slightly right, we all know the mentality of a 16-year-old boy, but that didn’t help my confidence.

At 17, I graduated from high school and high-tailed it out of the little Midwestern town I’d lived in for years— and when I say high-tailed, I mean graduated on a Saturday and moved the next  Tuesday with my family. We settled on the East Coast, and I pretty much left every remnant of the girl I was, including the chest baring tops and need to please everyone.

For the last four years, I’ve generally covered up more and loved every bit of the process, the confidence, and the sexiness I’ve learned to exude without guys being able to look into the depths of my shirt. That is, until I found this amazing, wonderful, unbelievable, super perfect— I’m at a loss for superlatives— vintage Emauel Ungaro top at a local consignment store for, get this, $35, I KNOW!

The shirt had shoulder pads, which I promptly cutout, and is cut down to the belly button. The draped fabric making up the crossover leaves quite a bit to the imagination, but every now and then, it likes flash a bit of skin/bra  and say, “well,  hello there!” Though this shirt has the potential to show more skin than I did during my entire high school career, there’s something quite demure about it. Plus, now that I’m more aware of my body and internal sexiness— you know, the kind that attracts guys without making you feel sleazy— I’m dieing to get my hands on more tops and dresses with this sort of draped wrap.

I’ve grown up in a time of platform sneakers and boy-bashing tees, bell bottom jeans and cropped tops, and of late, shoulder pads and metal overload. The only thing I’ve yet to truly experience in my short lifetime is pretty sophistication. Sure, I had pretty as a baby with my itchy crinoline dresses and patent leather mary janes, and there is always some level of sophistication, but it’s never been trendy, and in 2010, I hope my cravings for what I lack will be satiated.

For spring, it seems the fashion industry is divided. The editors will quite obviously fill their magazines with the underwear as outwear trends seen all over the runway, while the rest of the world looks on in horror or at least confused amusement. New York Magazine’s The Cut Blog even describes spring’s look as “a lot of panty bottoms and feminine ruffles and bras we’re supposed to wear as tops. You know, conventional femininity of yore, skank gear [...]“, but I’m not exactly sure that’s what spring will be.

Sure, that may be what slinky models wore down the runway and what will be on display in a Vogue of your choice, but I’m not sure designers or editors, for that matter, are as incredibly out of touch as people are making them seem. I’m sure they realize the proletariat masses aren’t going to be seen wearing a boudoir style bra while walking down Broadway— unless it’s a work uniform of course.

I think… I hope… the boudoir movement is less about getting naked and more about how it feels to be naked, the sexiness and apprehension you feel when peeling off your clothes for another person, the delicateness of a woman’s body. We’ve experienced an eternity, at least in fashion years, of geometric silhouettes, skinny jeans, and sharp shoulders, but now it’s time to be pretty. It’s time to strip away all the armor and replace it with amour, to work with the natural, soft, feminine beauty, and this doesn’t mean every fabric worn should be sheer, garters should show, or actual shirts should disappear. It just means, the clothes created and worn should feel good against your skin and make you feel as if you’re baring it all without having to bare anything, all things I personally feel Phillip Lim, though a young designer, does quite well.

Lim’s spring 2010 collection is going to be my personal guide to nudity because not only are the designs pretty, something I’ve longed for, but they evoke a certain boudoir feel without actually going that extra mile and put panties on preview.

After perusing the Forever 21 website today, looking for something— I don’t know what, but something— I suddenly realized, the reason I couldn’t find that something was not because there weren’t cute clothes, like this mineral wash vest, on the site, but because for some strange reason, in my mind, no amount of cuteness could make up for the cheap fabrics and poor construction of the items.

I’m not sure when it happened. It seems like only yesterday I was trotting my happy heiny to F21 to pick up anything and everything and caring less that I would have to re-purchase new clothes in the very near future.

Maybe it all started with Target’s GO International collections. No matter the designer, Proenza Schouler… Alexander McQueen… Rodarte, I couldn’t wrap my head around wearing fabrics that draped as well as a paper bag, so instead of spending $40 on a polyblend dress, I went to the accessories department and bought another pair of $10 sunnies that I knew I would lose.

I sort of miss the carefree girl who shopped and bought just for the sake of it, but after being exposed to and wearing well-made designer duds, I’m not sure she’ll ever come back. My wallet however needs her to come back because I, unfortuantely, can’t afford to shop at Needless Mark-ups Neiman Marcus all the time.

I’m not sure what’s going on, but things better make more sense in 2010. ]]> http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/12/28/forever-21-and-i-are-on-a-break/feed/ 9 http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/12/01/forever-peaking-at-21/ http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/12/01/forever-peaking-at-21/#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:58:50 +0000 Chelsea Rae Simmons http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/?p=1488

I have two problems. The first is, though I may be an ideal candidate for Shopaholics Anonymous, I haven’t had the time to go shopping in almost 2 months— this may not be as much of a problem as I think. The second is I have birthday money that is simply burning a hole in my wallet, meaning not only will I need a new wallet from the singeing, but also, I need to get rid of this flammable money for safety’s sake, yikes!

My solution was going to be Cyber Monday, but that ended up being a major bust. So, in a last ditch effort I headed to my favorite standby Forever21 and found this Flutter Peak Shoulder Top among other things. Though, in theory, this top would be perfect— the shoulders are on trend, the fabric perfect for casual use, and the price, right— but, due to a slight obsession with the TV show What Not To Wear and its darn ‘try before you buy’ mantra, I can’t quit bring myself to key in my credit card number to buy it online. I need to head to my local F21 and try this top on, but I have no time, as I mentioned before.

If I didn’t have those two silly problems, none of this stress would be occurring, but it is, and until school is over I’m just going to have to deal.

Only a week and a half left, only a week and a half left, only a week and a half left.

I first took notice of MYNE only a few days ago, after seeing Rachel Bilson sporting one of their perfectly patterned skirts. I headed to their website and fell hard for their fall 2009 collection. The cut of the the tops, bat-wing sleeves and all, are exactly what I’ve been looking for,while the structured skirts and silky fabrics would be perfect for work.

My three favorite pieces from the line are the Frankie top ($176 on Shopbop.com), the Skylar skirt, and the Stella dress.

Click here to see where MYNE is sold. ]]> http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/10/26/my-birthday-wish-no-2/feed/ 0 http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/10/19/linnic-a-bit-of-glamour-in-every-top/ http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/10/19/linnic-a-bit-of-glamour-in-every-top/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:12:46 +0000 Chelsea Rae Simmons http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/?p=1386 There are certain items in which every girl is constantly in search, the perfect Little Black Dress, jeans that make your butt look like Giselle Bündchen’s, comfortable yet sexy black stilettos, and a t-shirt that can go easily from day to night without looking as if you just rushed from class. I’ve yet to find the first three items, but I think House of Linnic may in fact produce the perfect day-to-night tee.

The comfortable yet chic creations concocted by Linnic designer, Lindsay Nichol King, not only go perfectly with a pair of casual jeans or shorts for an easy day with friends or at school, but the same tops effortlessly transform into dazzling conversation pieces paired with a simple black pencil skirt for cocktails with your beau or better yet, topping a pair of oh-so-trendy sequin leggings when you’re ready to club-hop your little heart out.

Though some may simply attribute King’s eye for elegance and sheer talent to years of schooling and hard work— she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design & Marketing and paid her dues as a celebrity stylist— I, however, think such panache can’t simply be taught, and as King will readily admit, “she was born into a family of talented artists, designers, and trendsetting fashionistas.”

I think wearing head-to-toe glitz only works for the Beyoncés of the world, that is why a bit of glamour on something as casual as a t-shirt or tank top works so well. I could undoubtedly create a remarkable outfit using any Linnic top, however, my favorite pieces include the ‘Feliciana’ sweater (above), the ‘Alexandria’ tank and the ‘Carolina’ cardigan (both below).

Check out Linnic’s online store and let me know what your favorite top is, and where you’d wear it!

Having been under the weather since Friday, all I wanted were cute, comfortable pieces of clothing I could lounge in and be paired casually with a hoodie for the times I had to leave the house to walk my dog or get cupcakes to make me feel better. Oddly, these items were nowhere to be found, and that’s because they were still on the Laura Dahl website waiting to be purchased.

Laura Dahl, a Las Vegas native, moved to NYC to pursue her dream of designing clothes. She worked under Cynthia Rowley, Anne Bowen and Catharine Maladrino, then went solo. Dahl started with the Wifebeader line, a collection of intricately beaded tees, tanks and tops, in 2003, and in 2006 launched the Laura Dahl line which is currently tops, bottoms and outerwear.

Not only would most of the pieces in the collection have been perfect for the chilly weekend I spent coughing, sniffling, and aching— I had a cold and my wisdom teeth were killing me— but they’re things I could see myself wearing on a daily basis, mixing them with more structured pieces for work or just wearing them as is for school and play dates— yes, big girls should still make play dates with friends.

My favorite items from the collection are the ‘York’ top ($54), the ‘Warhol’ dress ($238), and the Keats jacket ($348).

p.s. Laura Dahl also has a blog called Dahlight where she talks about everything from food recipes to fashion news to movies, music, and life lessons.

The skirt, as I remember, was beige and brown with polka dots— maybe they were stars, it was a long day— from Topshop, and she paired it with an orange tee. I sort of wish I had taken a picture of it.

As soon as I got home I visited Topshop.com to hunt down this warlock of a skirt, with no luck— darn you skirt gods! However, I did see a black ‘Triangle Stud Kaftan’ from Kate Moss’ Autumn/Winter ‘09-’10 line. It may not be my mystery skirt, but it will suffice. I think I’m obsessing over kaftans now. ]]> http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/09/01/kate-moss-soothes-all-woes/feed/ 3 http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/07/24/why-the-snarl/ http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/07/24/why-the-snarl/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:04:31 +0000 Chelsea Rae Simmons http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/?p=1168 I don’t get the Christopher Kane Gorilla T-shirt dresses.

I’ve given them a chance, months of a chance actually, but their appeal is still lost on me. I understand that having a mean looking gorilla splayed across your body is rebellious and a bit hardcore, but seriously, WHY?

The gorilla looks like some kid has been banging on the glass at the zoo or some wildlife filmmaker just look a silver back in the eye. Angry animals are never beseeching to me. I prefer the docile, or at least, even-tempered.

Not only is the gorilla more awkward that appealing, the whole concept seems like something Animal Planet would sell to promote their show Untamed and Uncut— not that I’m knocking Animal Planet, it’s one of my favorite channels.

I’m sure this tee is a simple misunderstanding between me and Christopher Kane’s creative mind, because I generally like his designs. So, I leave it to you dear readers, please EXPLAIN! ]]> http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/07/24/why-the-snarl/feed/ 5 http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/07/16/screw-follow-the-leader/ http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/07/16/screw-follow-the-leader/#comments Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:13:05 +0000 Chelsea Rae Simmons http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/?p=1151 When the entire fashion world seems to be veering toward hard lines, big shoulders, and studs galore, every inch of me is moving in the opposite direction. I want soft lines, flowy fabrics, and girlie details. That’s why through all the 80s style vintage jackets on Nasty Gal, I found myself clicking on an ever-bohemian crochet shawl.

Perhaps, this urge to be contrary is a latent rebellion from my mild-mannered and overall anticlimactic teenage years. Perhaps, I am simply tired of constantly following the new “it” trend. Perhaps, I just like the shawl. Does this mean I’m truly finding my personal style?

Maybe, but I’ve always been slightly drawn to gypsy looking things. Though, I do think my strong leanings toward the kinder, gentler garments are simply my way of being contrary. I’m officially biting my thumb at the fashion machine.

This rebellion still isn’t going to keep me from carrying my new DIY studded bag, though. I do love contrasting aesthetics! ]]> http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/07/16/screw-follow-the-leader/feed/ 5 http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/06/29/anthropologie-love-rejuvenated/ http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/06/29/anthropologie-love-rejuvenated/#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:41:03 +0000 Chelsea Rae Simmons http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/?p=1123 I used to love heading to the Anthropologie website to find my latest skirt obsession— they have gorgeous skirts— but, until recently, Anthropologie has fallen to the wayside. About a month, or so, ago I bought a great dress and necklace from the Anthros store around the corner from me. Now, my obsession for the the store has bee rejuvenated.

The clothes are all very well made and super chic. These are my newest loves from Anthros!

Bag, $78  •  Cardigan, $98  •  Skirt, $148  •  Dress, $478

My designer crush, Yigal Azrouël, is eBay’s latest collaboration. It’s Azrouël’s designers with a slightly smaller price tag on the auctioneers website. Some of the proceeds benefit, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

If the prices are still too painful for your college-student wallet, this tee is perfect. Not only can you say you officially own something designed by Yigal Azrouël, but it’s a simple gray v-neck tee, and it’s only $35.

Thanks for the heads-up TeenVOGUE!

I contemplated taking the train to NYC to go see what was up at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn, over the weekend, but the sun and the beckoning of a perfectly heated pool rendered me utterly useless to do anything but lounge, eat olives, and swim. This is slightly unfortunate considering then number of fantastic indie designers I had to forgo viewing whose trinkets were more than lust-worthy, one being Cubist Literature.

I found out about Cubist Literature while scrolling through the first look of some Renegade Craft Fair merchants on NYMag.com. As I went through the slideshow, I couldn’t help but stop on a t-shirt that had french words scrawled across it. the shirt says:

“Moi, je veux te dire que je ne te quitterai jamais. Et puis, si tu es triste, je pourrais toujours te donner un peu d’alcool pour te rechauffer le couer. xo”

Which they translate as, “I’ll be there for you always. And I’ll get you drunk when you’re sad,” but literally means, “I want to tell you that I’ll never leave you. Then, when you’re sad, I’d always give you alcohol to warm your heart again.”

In some strange way, I find that sentiment romantic. Someone to always be there for you with a bottle of rum in one hand and cola in the other.

Needless to say, I missed my chance of nabbing this tee without having to pay shipping, but I think it might be worth the extra charge.

Decisions. Decisions.

How much is that student discount, again? ]]> http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/05/12/the-topshop-paradox/feed/ 2