The 10 Commandments of Fall

First of all check the lovely interview Tuesdai from ...a reflection by Tuesdai featured me in!!
check it out here!

On our last trip to the Salvation Army, my sis and I got hold of a 2003 September Issue of Vogue. We spotted it amongst the sea of magazines that were on this huge shelf - the issue is incredibly huge so yes, it caught our eye quickly. We found this cool article on the 10 Commandments of Fall - definitely stuff I will follow to have the fashion gods in my favor, lolz.

I think though they are 2003 advice, they are applicable to any Fall Season, my notes are in red.

The 10 Commandments of Fall
1Be Perpetually Polished-from the tips of your fingers to the toes of your alligator shoes, well groomed sheen is queen.

2Keep Them Guessing-over the knee boots and leather opera gloves, leave something to the imagination.

3Take a Deep Breath-waist cinching coats, curve clutching skirts and tight little sweaters are sleek, sharp and positively aerodynamic.

4Invest in a Chic Party Dress- dance floor sweeping or upper thigh grazing, this season's after-dark looks are seriously soignee.

5Think Like a Movie Star -'nuff said.

6Cozy up to a Faux Fur Stole- yeah you guys already know I don't like fur.

7Shock Them With Color - Turn on the brights, whether it's a huge emerald cocktail ring or a fushia satin bag.

8Sharpen Your Wit- trying a ballerina skirt or a dress of playful chiffon flower petals

9Paint it Red-Forties era crimson lips are fall's most important war paint. (I found this comment so funny style's a war - where's my ak 47 ...errrmm purse I mean)

10Emulate Kate the Great -Katherine Hepburn that is, from her tweedy menswear to her regal bias-cut gowns all is just so autumn-ish.

Btw, thanks guys for all your sweet words of encouragement, seriously they mean the world to me. I'm getting my act together, focusing full time on the shop, I'm planning to make it my full time job, and concentrate hard on school and just hope for the best. =)

xoxo
Sophie

It's Dark in Here...

Today was just one of those days in which it was better just to sleep through. Sincerely, I'm tired- I don't want this to sound like a downer entry but I can't really help it. I really wish life would lend me a flashlight because, it's just so dark in here. I feel so lost right now; as if there were nowhere to run to, I know I have nowhere to run to.

Laying here sick with a huge cold, not being able to sing, being behind on the back to school collection, having a dead car, being jobless and a billion other things are rotting my mind. I just think no matter how hard I try, no matter how much I swim, I always end up drowning. I always end up trapped in a dark room finding a way out.
And it's just too dark in here...

~excerpts of my personal diary

Taylor Momsen as The Material Girl

Though to me it really wasn't a surprise that Taylor Momsen was the golden it-girl chosen to be the face of Material Girl, her style totally reflects the line's vibe.
In this collection I really see a lot of things I would wear myself, contrary to other collaborations of designers with department stores and such; I believe each piece in the collection can be matched with any other piece; making it totally versatile.

*and yes that is Madonna & Lola in the last pics*

Designer Update: Chase Cohl

I have been told a few million times that I cannot ever be two things at once, that I should either stick to music or fashion, because "you simply cannot love both things equally"!

Boy, are they all soooo wrong!

Singer/Songwriter and Accessory designer Chase Cohl has definitely taught me otherwise.
This amazing artist is a sweet indie/boho musician and designer that remains true to herself and you can very much feel that in her pieces and songs.
Littledoe is the name of her line so make sure to have a look see. =)
Some of her Littledoe creations:
*images taken from Google and her band's myspace (WeePaw)*

Glee Geek

I might have gotten the Glee bug a little late (been watching them for a bit more than a month -still trying to finish the first season) but I just had to share this cute editorial on the girl cast of the show. Though I do think the shoot was a tad short (well the amount of posted pics is just 3 or 4) it still reflected how fun the show and cast really are.Any of you watching any shows lately?

xoxo
Sophie
*pics taken from Glamour.com*

Fashion Trends that should disappear...

Stores are a tad boring for me nowadays. Instead of being all happy with back to school shopping, I'm quite disappointed. Why you ask? Well everything I find at the mall you find in every store! Ok, not like the same garment or anything, it's just same trends that have been going on forever and ever (maybe not forever, just a few years now) and I believe this has to stop!!

List of trends that should die now:
1. Gladiator sandals - they are adorable but they've been around for a while now (since Summer 2008) and I just think it's time to retire these lovelies and take them away from the Summer sun for a bit.

2. Skinny jeans - they are comfy, I admit, but they are the only cut I find in stores like f21 or Zara and it's just too much. I already owe a closet full! Boot cut or flare please??

3. Crocs - I find them ugly. Period.
Sorry if any of you guys loves these, I'm just letting the fashion industry know they need a little innovation... =)

xoxo
Sophie
PS: if you guys wanna exchange links with me send me an email (look in the contact link above)!! I want to update my blog roll. =D

PPS: I'm running the Shop's First 10%OFF Mid-Summer SALE! Get the discount on these four adorable items this Weekend only =)

Visit the shop here!

When it rains...

Yes, one more day. I survived one more day. I wasn't a mere observer of my life. I was living it, catching and dodging every curve ball and lemon life threw at me. This past week has been hard; got laid off at the day job, car breaking down, insane rain pouring non-stop for days - seriously sometimes I'm certain the weather is like a mirror to my feelings.

However, it still rains. And, instead of feeling like nature is being mean to me, I'll embrace the little drops of water that fall on my head and walk my way home smiling, convinced that it'll stop pouring soon.
And when I get there I'll change into my comfiest pajamas and grab my teddy bear and a cup of green tea and honey and stare out the window and realize I have arrived to where I want to be.

Blog Makeover Part III

Yes, I am twitching around once more. =D
So, don't hate me if things look like a Picasso painting for a few, lolz.

xoxo
Sophie

Takahiro Miyashita, Not another men's fashion designer

As you all might notice from past posts, I'm getting quite interested in men's fashion a lot more than I ever was. There is something intriguing about this field, something untouched. Maybe the limitations that uninspire some designers and just attach them to creating just for women are a challenge to me. The colors, cuts, understanding the men clothing psyche, what appeals to them and what they want to express thru style is something I'm wanting to venture.

Anyhoo, browsing around searching for a messenger bag for school (yes, I'm already shopping for school -any excuse is good for shopping, no?) I fell in love with this Japanese designer. I accidentally found one of his bags for sale on ebay and just flipped head over heels about everything else Takahiro Miyashita has designed. His line Number (N)ine was driving hiatus lane for a while but he's now back and I'm sooo happy I discovered him.

These are some insane pieces from past collections:

Style is who you are...

Voice yourself out. Your voice isn't the only thing that expresses who you are and how you feel.
Style, hair, that smile on your face that can light up a town, all these little things yell out who you are and what you want to be and say.

Tom Ford F/W 2010/11 Look Book

At times, I believe that the fashion world is somewhat biased and only concentrates in creating for women and we miss incredible talent and astonishing pieces created for men. Knowing that most of the guys I know couldn't care less about fashion, maybe this apathy is what un-inspires designers and we get all stuck in the thought that style should only interest girls.

Anyhoo, Tom Ford's new collection is an amazing array of clean and classic with an air of vintage cuts and an invasion of blacks, browns, navys, purples and grays.check the rest of the lookbook here!

Designer Update - Summer 2010 Season Inspiration Stage

I know the name of the blog is Diary of a Young Designer and I kinda realized I don't post much about the progress and the procedures of how my sis & I develop our accessory line so, decided to write a little about how we gather inspiration for our new designs.

Lately I've been totally inspiration-less, as dry as an old dried out well; so my sister decided to gather lastest trends and fabric samples and build up this super portable inspiration board.

In designing the collection there are a billion steps to cover. From inspiration gathering to sketching to finding the perfect materials and the final product, it's all one huge adventure. We both divide tasks; my sis is the researcher, she's the one that predicts trends, finds inspiration & fabrics/materials, and programs and styles all photoshoots. I am more crafty. I'm the girl behind the sketches, the needles and glue and the sewing machine.

Well I'm thinking about making this a regular post, so probably next time I'll post some sketches and drawings. =D

The Material Girl Lives in a Material World

August 3rd is the day the Planet as we know it will transform into the Material World we've always dreamed of. Madonna and her daughter Lourdes (aka Lola) are launching a junior's line: Material Girl. This is a line so full of 80's charm; crosses, lace and leather (pleather that is).
I sincerely am very excited to see what this line's all about. I've always admired Madonna's incredible style and Lola is definitely following in her mum's footsteps. The official site is already up so check it out here!

Never Fear of Being Different

Ever since I was a child I always knew I didn't blend in the crowd. While every little girl was busy learning to wear make up behind their mom's back, I was busy learning new words. Growing up I knew I was never the one to follow the bunch; I didn't have the need to feel part of something, I rather stand out . The way I dressed, the way I thought, my personality and my beliefs were always colliding with my surroundings and, now at this moment in my life I couldn't be more proud of remaining true to myself.

You might think that people that are a tad older will embrace your ways and accept you, admire you perhaps or even see something special; however, I have learned that that is so far from the truth. Age doesn't determine their maturity. Being made fun of because of how I dress - tho I believe it's quite stylish - about not drinking or smoking, about being "old fashioned" and believing in virginity (yup being made fun of at work for that -I'm like their version of the 40 yr old virgin) and so many other things that I feel are right to me, that make me who I am well, this all makes me understand once more that if you are different in this society, you will suffer all this, so you better be strong.

Being different comes with a burden; you might be an outcast, people will judge you wrongly, you might not even find like-minded people however, you will find peace in yourself and you'll find the strength you need to keep being you.