Welcome to "outfit lab," something new that my desire to stare at outfits has taken to a new level! Here I will post an outfit from any number of photo genres--street style, celebrity, editorial, etc-- and "dissect" the look (get it? lab, dissect..ha ha..anywayyy). Today we alliterate with menswear!

Today we have a casual fall look that is pretty easy to duplicate. Though this brooding, city strolling model is wearing head-to-ankle Club Monaco (pretty sure he's wearing Vans sneakers), this look can be patched together by any number of brands. Let's break it down. We have a standard collared shirt at the base of things, worn under a sweater quarter zip. With black jeans (also would look great with traditional blue!) and sneakers, this potentially professional or semi-formal look is toned down to what annoying people refer to as "smart casual" and it's an easy polished outfit, a great start. But THEN, this baseball jacket situation really takes it up a notch. 

The jacket is a non-traditional choice in a great combination of neutrals. Instead of a blazer or a pea coat, this option is unique while still on trend, masculine, casual and cool. Especially for fall, baseball jackets are a great choice to have in the outerwear arsenal for those transitional not-too-cold days. If you're spending a lot of time outside, it makes for an upgraded look no matter what's underneath, and thoughtful layering, forgive the pun, knocks it out of the park. Baseball season might be ending, but this jacket is a great investment for fall AND spring.
-E 

About seventeen years ago, my mom became a breast cancer survivor. Four years later, she became a double survivor, very thankfully. Since that time, the breast cancer cause has been one that's very close to me, whether it's contributing through races and donations or really any other type of support possible. This is why I love the fashion industry and the "girl power" attitude that comes with it. Over the years, many fashion and beauty brands have come to participate in the cause, so it's very easy to get involved or contribute money through various "pink" efforts. Now, so many national companies are on board, not just in fashion and beauty, but food, tech, activewear and many other genres of business. I'm so thankful that such a large number of companies get on board so that more people struggling now and in the future can have success stories like my family's. I love you, mom, and I'm grateful every day for your fight.
-E

food
Chop't salads, Panera bread and Crumbs Cupcakes are just a few food outlets that contribute to BCA efforts, both with financial contributions and specialty food items and containers that signify the cause.

beauty
Tons of beauty brands participate in BCA efforts with different pink beauty offerings the contribute to the cause. Amongst them are popular brands Essie, Ralph Lauren, Bobbi Brown, Bumble and Bumble, Clinique, Estée Lauder and Paul Mitchell.

fashion
Fashion brands are also quick to get on board with the cause. Big names like White House Black Market, Rebecca Taylor, Ann Taylor and LOFT, Lilly Pulitzer, Van Cleef & Arpels and Coach all have clothing, accessory and jewelry offerings as contributions.

bonus: sports! love from the men

what it is: Kenzo Paris "graphic" sweatshirts
why I love it: It's finally sweater weather, and as much as we all love a chunky knit or the feeling of soft, warm cashmere, sometimes it's fun to go a little edgier. Just like the equally sporty baseball hats, sweatshirts are really having a fashion moment. Brands and designers are veering away from the plain, oversized, fleecy variety for more made-for-women types with interesting designs that work just as well with jeans and cool boots as they do with a mini or maxi skirt and heels. These Kenzo varieties, which are favored by street style stars, are a little more aspirational in price, but the French brand does an excellent job of utilizing fun colors and designs that work well with both very styled as well as cool casual looks. One of these is definitely on my wish list. In the meantime, it's not hard to use these as inspiration when shopping for one in a more practical price range.
where to get it: Kenzo.com, prices vary
-E

Thank goodness for Converse. My mom bought me my first pair, of the low-top black variety, when I was in seventh grade. I still have these, frayed shoelaces, drawn-on soles and all. Since that initial pair, I've added a pair of white low-tops and off-white high-tops. I can't say enough good things about them. I know there are other sneaker options out there, I personally have my beloved neon kicks, and Supergas are having a big moment, Keds have been around forever, Vans, I get it. But there's something so classic and sharp about punctuating an outfit with a Converse sneaker that no other sneaker variety seems to offer. It's like the shoe that's there when no other shoe quite works. And for that they are owed some positive reflection.

When I only had my one pair, Converse were just starting to shed their association with the "goth" crowd in middle school, and my 2003 self felt that I needed to prove my distance from that group's classification, wearing the black low-tops with slightly flared jeans and a velvet blazer ("business" on the top, casual on the bottom). I wore them with shorts and skirts and just about any outfit you wouldn't expect a sneaker to go with. When I went for my white ones, they were meant to be more of a statement. They were intentional. I paired them with white jeans and a white v-neck t-shirt and dresses that called for a much more formal shoe. I stumbled upon the slim-soled high-tops sometime in 2011, and stalked them for a while. I waited too long and they stopped making the off-white kind, so I just went for the original, and I'm so glad I finally gave in. 

My high-tops offer more variety than I could ever expect. From chambray shirts with jorts and sweater/shorts combos to rolled up skinnies with lots of layers to a leather skirt with my new Boom sweatshirt plus swingy dresses, maxi skirts and just plain keeping it casual (on gameday, go Wildcats!), they're shockingly versatile, but in a way I also anticipated (which is why I stalked them for so long, I guess). 

Converse are the best. There's almost nothing they can't go with outfit-wise, and sometimes just the prospect of wearing them with an outfit gets me excited. I thought they deserved a shoutout.

Okay, I just have to vent for a second. I know that the whole jacket over shoulders "look" is a "trend" but it's getting out of hand. Jackets are made to keep people warm with SLEEVES. I get toting a jacket along in case you get cold or if you're worried you might not go home before nighttime and the temperature drops (and mayyybe so it's easy to see an outfit under it in a picture), but seriously, if you're not WEARING your jacket, sleeves and all, please don't drape it over your shoulders. It looks ridiculous and must only work for pictures because how does it even stay on when you're moving around like a human? Can we please stop this as a "thing" and choose? Jacket or no jacket, it's not that hard! Just like half sheer maxi dresses, this needs to be OVER. Also, I promise you'll be warmer if you put your arms in the sleeves!
-E 

It's pretty obvious that I love outfit making. It's something that I think about almost always, and I'm easily inspired by so many things I see on a daily basis online and in NYC. There's just not enough time for all the outfit possibilities! 

Right now, I don't get to show many people my "creations" because I'm not out and about so much, so I'm putting some of them here. I don't have a photo-savvy boyfriend or artistic photographer friend at my beck and call either, so for now, outfits artfully folded on my bed will have to do. Love you, West Elm bedspread.

Anyway, this is the first installment of "it's fall, but not that cold yet." Fall, for me, is a lot about reworking my summer staples. I don't want to rush winter clothes quite yet (they'll be necessary for quite a while and I'll certainly get tired of them), plus it's not that cold in October, so certain summer leftovers are still possible. For this outfit, I'm daring to go denim on denim. I don't ever want to put away my cutoffs. It took me about three years to track down ones I actually liked, and they've gotten their fair share of wear this summer. I'm squeezing out every day I can because I know I won't be seeing them until around May (tear). It's not quite warm enough for a breezy top and sandals, though, so I tuck in my chambray shirt (and maybe roll up the sleeves) and high tops for a very downtown feel that's just a little Canadian tuxedo. I don't usually like to keep things too casual, though, so a stack of thin bangles, a statement necklace and a polished boyfriend watch contrast the casual in the clothing.
-E

what it is: Sole Society, "Helena" bootie
why I love it: This bootie, (which comes in four colors) reminds me a lot of a Christian Louboutin bootie I fell in love with a year or so ago, in terms of the shape. Booties are obviously great for fall and winter, and the shape of this one is so unique and feminine, I think it would add a gorgeous line to the end of any leg in any outfit. I love the idea of a red bootie because it's a little more unexpected. Black is obvious, and there's a reason for that, but red can look good finishing off a monochrome neutral outfit, complementing red somewhere else in an outfit or artfully popping with other colors. I somehow don't own any red shoes, so I'm thinking I'm going to have to grab these to remedy that rather large problem.
where to get it: Nordstrom.com, $79.95
-E

Don Jon has a lot going for it as a movie. Mainly, it has two very notable leads and it's the writing and directing debut of almost universally loved Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The movie had me at JGL. I went to see it last weekend, and there were many good things about it. It's an interesting parody on a certain type of person, socioeconomically, geographically and stereotypically, but it's also a commentary on the different perceptions people have of sex and love through the media. This all ended up being accurate, but nobody told me the costumes were going to be so good. I was so impressed by how costume designer Leah Katznelson portrayed a realistic wardrobe for this Italian-American, New Jersey based family and didn't cross the fine line of parody costuming, which would have been extremely easy to do (think every Jersey Shore Halloween costume you've ever seen). She outfitted the actors honestly and parallel to the story without distracting from the action onscreen.

There's not too much else to say besides the presence of vests, bandage dresses and wife beaters was rampant and so, so right. Let's take a look:

I couldn't find a picture, but another of my favorite outfits of JGL's character was a church-going outfit where he wears a cobalt blue button down. It's pretty eye-searing and so right for his character's standards of "Sunday best."

One of my biggest takeaways from this fashion month was the office. I'm not big on pencil skirts in general. It's like, why would you wear one outside of the office when they are so clearly destined to be work wear? Well, now I'm convinced otherwise because every city had many killer pencil skirts paired with tanks, crops, button downs, shirts of all kinds, and they looked great. Count me in for this trend outside of the office now that designers have offered many new types and ways to wear them.
-E

*All images via: Style.com unless otherwise noted.

Fashion month is over, and it's bittersweet. On the one hand, the inspiration, creativity and excitement that comes with all the new collections gets toned down until February's shows, but it's really stressful to keep up with all the shows! It's probably for the best. Anyway, one of the best parts of the month is the getups people sport to the shows. I've compiled some of my favorite shots from TheCut.com, Refinery29.com and Style.com from all four cities as a wrap up to what has been a great spring 2014 debut.
-E