Style Fix

Am I getting old? I see tweens, teens, and early 20-somethings today and I just don’t get their fashion choices and statements. In particular I am talking about …

1. Shaving off your eyebrows. Isn’t this something that drunken frat boys do to each other when one of them passes out? When did frat boy pranks become inspiration for a fashion trend. And yes, it is a fashion trend not just a hipster look — read about it in New York Magazine.

2. Wearing tights as pants. If you stretch a piece of clothing and the material becomes see through, then it is an undergarment or an accessory. This one particularly goes out to the girl walking downtown this week in hot pink footless tights and two tank tops: take a look at your rear in the mirror while walking. Tights are cute under skirts, but are by no means meant to substitute for the skirt entirely.

3. Hair that is purposefully cut uneven. On some people this look can work if it is executed skillfully by a talented hair dresser. On most, however, it tends to look messy, matted, and butchered.

4. Sloppy eye makeup. I can’t figure this one out. My best guess is that slapping too dark black eye shadow on haphazardly, above and below the eye, is supposed to make you look super emo, as if you have been crying.

5. Oddly placed headbands. They are meant to hold your hair back, out of your face so why are teens today using them to press their hair down flat in their face? Why are they being worn across the middle of the forehead? Why?

Okay designers, joke’s over. Bringing back leggins was funny at first. When Ray-Ban and LA Gear made a comeback, it started to be a little less so. The return of Members Only jackets was a bit much. But now you’ve done it, American Apparel. You’ve taken it too far, to a place that should have died when the ’80s ended: the scrunchie.

American Apparel is now shoving on unsuspecting teens “a throwback to every girl’s favorite 80’s accessory.” First, the editor in me has to point out that it’s ’80s not 80’s. But even though we - yes, myself included - absolutely loved accessorizing with wacky colored and printed schunchies, that does not mean that they should be revived … especially when the wound (created when the ’90s made us realize how ugly they really were) is still so fresh.

If you simply must relive this faux pas, and don’t have any scrunchies left in your closet, you can snag some in plain or print cotton, shiny lamé, or neon-colored nylon for a rip-you-off price of $6 per hair band. But wait - if you buy the cotton two pack, available only in solid black and solid white, you can save $2 and pay just $10!

While shopping online, you can also view some odd ’80s scrunchie porn that they call a “slideshow featuring this style,” complete with a nipple slip. The slideshow also shows the many ways that you can wear your new/old look: Stack several on a super high pony tail, line your wrists or ankles with a variety of colors, secure a loose side braid, slick your hair back into a side pony tail, or lay in a pile of them.

Enjoy your ’80s throw back if you must, but know that bloggers everywhere will be mocking you.

Joe, the middle Jonas Brother who plays keyboard, guitar, percussion, and sings, is recognizable by his flat-ironed hair. Even if you don’t know the difference between Joe, Kevin, and Nick, if you have ever seen a photo of the three then you probably noticed his stiff, over straightened locks.

Well, good news! Joe let his hair go au naturel at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in L.A. last weekend, ditching his straightener in exchange for a diffuser. Joe rocked his natural curly hair, as his older and younger brother always do.

NY Mag’s blog bashed the new look, suggesting that “whoever lost his CHI iron should get fired.”

Maybe I’m biased as a curly haired girl, but I strongly disagree. Letting your hair go the way God made it is almost always a better choice. I’m not the only one that thinks this way either: Click on the picture to take People magazine’s poll, where right now curly is winning with 62 percent of the votes.

Victoria’s Secret college-age girl line of clothes and cosmetics, Pink, has been growing and expanding lately, now including vegan products, eco-friendly packaging, and more. Pink has especially expanded its interactive and online features. The newest way for teen and twenty-somethings to get involved is by joining the VIP access community Pink Nation.

Pink Nation, which will officially launch at the end of this month, is an exclusive club where members receive free gifts, special offers, and the inside scoop on the brand.

If you join now, before the official launch, you will receive a free gift (no purchase required!) and $10 off any $35 purchase. The free gift and discount will not last. You have to join Pink Nation before March 31 in order to take advantage of this great offer.

Head to the Pink Nation site, click the “join now” graphic, provide your basic contact info … and you’re in! Then print the image as instructed and take it to a local Victoria’s Secret to claim your free gift.

Imagine this: you’re plus size and you’re a trendy teenage girl. Where do you shop? When all of the hip stores focus on helping curve-free size zeros squeeze into stretchy clothes, where do the early developers, the big boned, and the bootylicious go?

I must admit, I was a tiny teen without hips (and if I’m really confessing things here, I’ll admit that I still have no hips nor bottom). I shopped and worked at the now-defunct 5*7*9. So I don’t know the answer to this question. What I do know, is that more stores are recognizing that bigger girls want to wear the top trends, too.

According to WWD, the plus-size market has to most potential for growth right now, especially with Americans being larger than ever. This coming May, 2009, ‘tween shopping sensation Forever 21 will launch their first plus-size line: Faith 21.

While in-store shopping and browsing is always more conducive to finding the perfect fit than online guessing and hoping, there are some good plus-size options on the Internet. So while the curvy await the arrival of Faith 21, here are some sites to check out:

* One Stop Plus caters to sizes 14W to 44W and carries a large selection including tee shirts, bathing suits, formal gowns, shoes, and more.

* Some stores that don’t have a number higher than 12 on their racks, have an extended size selection online, such as American Eagle and Alloy.

* Torrid is perfect for the rocker chick or diva in need of a 14 or bigger. The picture shown is from here.

* B & Lu provides outfits on the off-the-runway side of fashion, only in plus sizes.

Teen Vogue has announced the 2008 Readers Choice Beauty Award Winners:

BEST BODY LOTION: Bath and Body Works Black Amethyst
BEST BODY SCRUB: Bath and Body Works Wild Honeysuckle Daily High Lather Scrub
BEST ECO-FRIENDLY LINE: Burt’s Bees Collection
BEST FACE LOTION: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel
ULTIMATE SPLURGE: Chanel Chance eau fraiche
BEST FOUNDATION: CoverGirl TruBlend #3
BEST DRUG STORE BUY: CoverGirl TruCheeks #5
BEST CONCEALER: CoverGirl TruConceal #5
BEST TEETH WHITENING PRODUCT: Crest Whitestrips, Premium
MOST WANTED PRODUCT: Miss Dior Cherie L’eau
BEST BODY WASH: Dove Go Fresh Body Wash
BEST HAIR, STYLING: Garnier Fructis Style sleek & shine Anti-Humidity Hairspray, Ultra Strong
BEST RAZOR: Gillette Venus Embrace
BEST SELF-TANNER: Jergens Natural Glow moisturizer
BEST HAIR COLOR: L’Oreal Paris Feria multi-faceted shimmering haircolour
BEST LIPSTICK: Mac Creme Lipstick, Impassioned
BEST EYESHADOW: Mac Eyeshadow in Stars N’ Rockets, Swimming, and Moon’s Reflection
BEST EYELINER: Mac Eye Kohl in Smolder
BEST PERFUME: Marc Jacobs Daisy
BEST MASCARA: Maybelline New York Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara, Classic Black
BEST BLUSH: Nars The Multiple, Portofino
BEST SUNBLOCK: Neutrogena Ultimate Sport Sunblock, SPF55
BEST FACEWASH: Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash, Pink Grapefruit
BEST NAILPOLISH: OPI Nail Polish Elephantastic Pink
BEST CONDITIONER: Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Lengths Conditioner
BEST SHAMPOO: Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Lengths Shampoo
BEST ACNE PRODUCT: Proactiv System
BEST FACE SCRUB: St. Ives Apricot Scrub, Blemish & Blackhead Control
BEST LIP GLOSS: Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush In My Cherry AMOUR

Sports Illustrated 2009 Swimsuit Issue cover model Bar Refaeli joined Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte, Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas, Robert Buckley of Lipstick Jungle, and Frankie Delgado of MTV’s Bromance and The Hills at House of Blues Anaheim, California, on Wednesday, February 25, to judge “Walk the Walk,” a fashion design competition developed by skating clothing company Hurley. Hurley founder Bob Hurley and Rosemary Brantley of OTIS College of Art and Design also joined the celebrity judges.

The competition allowed artistically inclined high school student to express their fashion sense. Hurley collections were redesigned by high school students and paraded in front of the judges in theatrically staged and performed shows. The shows were modeled, produced, and produced entirely by local high school students.

Fountain Valley High School took home top honors, which came with a hefty $5000 donation to its art and music program. Gahr High School won a special design challenge and will see their two original head-to-toe designs featured in a future Hurley collection.

And Hurley is not stopping there for inspiring young, upcoming designers! This event also served as the launch of the Hurley Microphone for Youth t-shirt design competition. Now through March 30, aspiring designers and artists can submit their artwork at Hurley’s Web site for the public’s vote. The designer of the winning tee will be announced on April 1, 2009 on Hurley.com, will receive a prize of $5,000, and will have their design sold through Hurley’s online store.

Through all of their contests, Hurley hopes to inspire creativity and confidence among future generations.

I never cease to be caught off guard by celebrity spokesmodel choices made by companies or the endorser. In this case, it’s more the willing model that surprises me …

Brazilian supermodel, Gisele Bundchen will appear in Rampage’s 2009 marketing campaign.

Gisele. As in the world-renown face worth an estimated $150 million. The woman whose resume boasts Victoria’s Secret, Versace, and Dior. The name that’s been in Forbes and the Guiness Book of World Records.

Yes, that Gisele.

“What I like about Rampage is that it works for everyone,” said Gisele Bundchen.

And yes, the Rampage clothing brand that teens buy at department stores. I’m not judging, just expressing my shock at a seemingly mismatched duo. Perhaps she is using her super celebrity powers to help Rampage reach their goal of expanding to higher-end department stores later this year.

If you have been keeping yourself away from the temptations of malls and clothing stores, you are missing two big things right now (which are perhaps reason enough to brave the temptation and head to the shopping district):

1. Barneys is the exclusive retailer of Michelle Obama’s designer of choice, Isabel Toledo. The store will be featuring the yellowish dress that Mrs. President wore on inauguration day in their windows and on their racks, for about $1,500, starting in March. “I’m sort of annoyed that Michelle Obama has spring merchandise before us,” Barneys creative director Simon Doonan said. The dress for sale will not be exactly the same as Michelle’s as hers was custom tailored for additional warmth.

2. Alexander McQueens line for Target stores - McQ - is on its way. Nylon Magazine has a sneak peek. Click on Nylon’s header below to view more outfits and pieces from McQ.

There are a lot of fierce looking women on magazine covers right now. In these examples here, the women are all incredibly sexy, yet so different from one another. November is diversified sexiness month!

Yes, I am partial to anything Drew Barrymore related, but this Bazaar cover is superbly flattering and eye catching. Poor Scarlett Johansson, on the other hand, had a sad attempt at getting this same look on the cover of Cosmo Girl.

Glamour has long been my top choice in magazines, but this cover floored even me. Keira Knightley looks ridiculously good here. Plus, it is a unique pose for the cover of a magazine.

The fashion mag that’s thicker than necessary - InStyle - has done the impossible this month: they got me to appreciate Beyonce.

Something about shiny, healthy, jet black hair catches my attention. Courteney Cox is not only lucky enough to have this trait naturally, but she is also a strong woman, mother, and Marie Claire cover girl.

Okay, so it seems weird to refer to a teenage magazine cover as sexy, so I’ll go with “cute” instead. Ashley Tisdale is at the height of teen cuteness on this cover for Seventeen.

Point taken: Amy Adams is more that just a cute, bubbly sweetheart. Thank you, Vanity Fair, for proving that a sex kitten can be hiding behind innocence. Though, please don’t do this look every day now, Amy. We like you sweet.

And finally, the much anticipated W cover of a natural Angelina Jolie at home. This picture, and the rest of the photo spread inside the magazine, were taken by Brad Pitt.

Those that don’t get my nod of approval? A skanky Maxim cover featuring Stacy Keibler and a sleazy Esquire with Halle Berry.

After printing the December 2008 issue, Hearst Corporation’s CosmoGIRL! magazine will be closing its doors for good.

Created as a Cosmopolitan spin-off for teens in 1999, CosmoGIRL! has struggled to compete with the likes of the long-running, fellow Hearst publication Seventeen magazine, which sold almost twice the number of ad pages as CosmoGIRL! this past year.

Subscribers will be absorbed by Seventeen, and will receive the remainder of their subscription from it. Seventeen also absorbed Teen People after it was canceled in 2006.

In January 2007, CosmoGIRL! Executive Editor Ann Shoket moved on to succeed Atoosa Rubenstein as editor-in-chief of Seventeen. CosmoGIRL! Editor-in-Chief Susan Schulz will be kept on Hearst staff for special projects, according to the publishing company. The rest of the CosmoGIRL! staff members will be given opportunities to interview for other positions with other Hearst publications.

In 2004, YM, which ran for 72 years, ceased publication after its December/January issue and its readers were absorbed by Teen Vogue. Elle Girl has also suffered: it was canceled exactly five years after it was first published, running from August 2001 to July 2006. Unfortunately for Editor Christina Kelly, she was the editor-in-chief of YM, Elle Girl, and Sassy Magazine when each stopped publishing.

Aside from Seventeen and Teen Vogue, teenage fashionistas-in-training still have yet another Hearst creation - Teen magazine, which has been around since 1954.

Between consumers’ desires to be environmentally friendly, their economic struggles, and the Internet, magazines and newspapers nationwide have been suffering a loss of sales. Hopefully, the death of these teen magazines will not be a trend that spreads.

Teenage and young 20-something girls and women tend to get overzealous when it comes to accessories. When getting ready (likely in a group, with chipper pop music playing), they get too focused on liking each individual piece of flare, that it becomes too hard to see the big picture.

Usually, this makes for good critiquing of teen celebrity outfits. But that seems too cruel to do too often. Especially since hardly none of us, myself included, can claim innocence in the matter: we all did it in high school, college, or both. It is just a way of developing our fashion taste and style identity.

So I commend the Bag Lady on her fun way of pointing out that starlets at the Teen Choice Awards loved their accessories, without destroying their ego: a fun matching game of teen-to-20 celebs’ faces and their award-night accessories. Go check it out!

She’s on the cover of TV Guide this week, looking like a smoking hot 20-something starlet … except she’s only 15. But that argument and commentary on Miss Miley Cyrus, of Hannah Montana fame, is over played.

On Monday, July 21, Miley stopped by the MTV TRL studios, along with Teddy Geiger and Emma Stone, in the teen-appropriate getup shown here. You have to hand it to the little pop icon, she has more confidence, spunk, and sheer cuteness her little pinky that most celebrities can ever dream to have.

Five points to Miley for an age-appropriate outfit that makes her happy.

However, those points are immediately negated by the sheer number of accessories. A hat, a bubble ring, two belts, a lace vest, and several bangles.

It’s a common youthful mistake, and even college girls still struggle with it. But ladies, the age old advice always holds true: Take off one accessory before you walk out the door.

Traver Rains (right) and Richie Rich (left), the New York City design duo known as Heatherette, who are famous for their elaborately staged and performed runway shows like Fall 2007’s Wizard of Oz inspiration, did not show a collection at the Fall 2008 Fashion Week.

Gossip and fashion snoops ran rampant with theories of Richie and Traver’s breakup, of Heatherette’s demise. But au contraire: Heatherette is alive and kicking … and expanding!

Aside from Richie working on an album (featuring Fergie), the Heatherette boys have been busy designing their own line of makeup with (who else?) MAC. And inspirations are just as crazy-fun with ideas coming from bubble tape and glitter. Plus, the boys say that their new makeup is perfect for the upcoming prom season.

Yes, it’s true: Heatherette has prom on the brain.

Read an exclusive Heatherette interview with ELLEgirl magazine online now! Find out what Traver and Richie wore to their prom (teaser: one went with an era theme; one wore a kilt), get suggestions about how to make yor look your own, and check out pictures (including the one here) from an awesome styling shoot with model-heiress Lydia Hearst.

And stay tuned to Style Fix, because after dishing on what I wore to my proms I hunted down photos of all three …

It’s May which means that tomorrow is my birthday! But, aside from that, most high schoolers are getting ready for prom.

All the prom buzz has me looking back on what I wore, and whether or not I was a delusional school girl with my dress choices.

SOPHOMORE YEAR

I was asked by a senior, and decided to make my own dress. Back then, I was not the sewing machine that I am today. This took a lot of help, but in the end I felt that it was worth it because I had an original … wait! Over there … that senior girl totally has the same dress as me!

I (and crew) used a deep blue, sequined (enter the sewing nightmare: sequin glue loves to ruin needles) fabric to make a halter-style, long and lean cut gown. And Tara, who did not make her dress, and was not pleased to see a little sophomore at her senior prom in the same dress, matched me identically!

JUNIOR YEAR

I went to prom at another school besides mine. Sneaky, smart Drew asked me light years
before. I was working at 5*7*9 at the time and snagged a clearance rack, satiny, pale mint green, empire waist number with bead and sequin work on the bust.

What I loved (and still do) about this prom look was how I accessorized: I got my makeup done at a Clinique counter, and had fabulous shimmery mint eyes. My hair was done up, in massive, soft curls with one of those boingy metal butterfly clips (with mint green jewels on his wings).

SENIOR YEAR

I didn’t go to my prom, or even the same school from my junior year. I went to a third school’s dance, with a guy that I hit on when he ate at the pizza place where I was hostessing.

I wore a white streamed-line dress that was also a 5*7*9 clearance rack find, and also had sequin and bead work on the bust.

Mom and I decided that the spaghetti straps were not flattering - so we took them off and made it strapless. Then, we saw my bare chest, back, and shoulders as a canvas. Intentions for Mom to paint a design on my back were foiled (see the irony, Mom? That was your idea and now I have a tattoo there) when the hair school that I went to for an up-do took hours and hours to style my hair.

Here’s the kicker to this get-up: I used eyelash glue to attach fake diamonds to my chest, continuing and extending the sequin/bead pattern from the dress.

I spurt out all of this, because the Heatherette boys recently interviewed with ELLEgirl magazine about prom. Aside from the gorgeous pictures with them styling model/heiress Lydia Hearst, they mention several ways to make your look your own … hence, I got thinking about how I did this.

Heatherette interview clips and photos up next, including what they wore to prom. … and possibly photos of all three of my prom looks. Do I dare?