Plaid With A Twist

Plaid shirts are characteristically un-feminine, but this year, they’ve been revamped. The shirttails are now being tied at the bottom to give it a flirty twist making it look like a bow, which of course is always okay. On second thought…

Plaid has never been a feminine look. The tie at the bottom is just a way of making a shirt cover less of your body. The point of plaid is to insulate for more heat. It’s a winter fabric. If you’re supposed to look like Daisy Duke, I suggest you move South so you’re not bitter cold in that shirt. It’s an oxymoron on a mannequin.

Let’s talk about the color options too. Plaid fabrics could use some better color choices. Winter colors are dark, but mashing them all together in a checkered pattern is not acceptable. It’s like a designer throwing a bunch of colors together because they cannot pick just a few favorites to use for their collection. It’s hard to match an outfit to every color thrown together. Fashion stylists often advocate a three-peat, which is using one color in three parts of an outfit to make it appear cohesive. Plaid throws this foolproof rule out the window, just like the proper placement of a bow.

A bow typically goes in your hair or around your neck, not at your navel.

- Jenna Jacobsen

Faking Thin

For many of us, Thanksgiving is the first time we will have been home since August. So, in order to avoid that “What the hell happened to her?” moment, I’ve compiled a list of ways to appear skinnier, even if those crammed recent hours spent at the gym are giving you zero results.

Rule Number 1: Stand straighter

I know, I know all of our moms and grandmas constantly nag us on standing up straighter and not slouching over.  I’ve had numerous times in my life when my mom has literally come up to me and pulled my shoulder’s back.  However, over the years I have realized a good posture not only makes you look skinnier, but also makes you feel more confident.

Rule Number 2: Wear clothes that are the right size

This is probably the most important rule. If something is too small, don’t wear it! You may feel good if you somehow manage to squeeze into your old pair of jeans, but if your fat bulges, giving you a muffin top, it’s just not worth it.

Rule Number 3: Belt it

I always suggest wearing a long sweater and cinching it with a belt. Belts always define and help draw attention to the narrowest part of your body.  You can do this by wearing both thin and thick belts.

Rule Number 4: Don’t Wear Stripes

Stripes usually make you appear wider. So don’t do it unless they are horizontal, which make you look longer and leaner.

Hopefully you listen to my advice because you definitely don’t want to go home and hear people whispering “what the hell happened to her?”

- Lauren Levine

Weather Woes and Your Wardrobe

It’s hard to know what to wear when the weather decides to be a bipolar bitch. It’s even more unfortunate that this is typical for Syracuse. It mocks you for being over prepared and changes so often you’re often lost in preparation for the day. You can leave your house wearing rain boots and ten minutes later you wouldn’t have needed them at all that day. You can have it be snowing, raining and sunny all in the same day. Not only can Mother Nature not make up her mind, it’s also like she laughs at us for living here for the next four years.

You carry an umbrella around for days expecting it to rain, and the one time you don’t take it with you, it rains. It’s even more unfortunate when you leave for class in shorts and then try to find a ride home, because the temperature dropped to an unreasonable low. It gets even worse when you wear a sweatshirt and leggings only to have it warm up throughout the day, and because you got dressed in five minutes, you’re literally wearing a “sweatshirt.” It’s gross and sad, but we have all been there.

Rock those rain boots, even though it rained for ten seconds right before you left the house and not again that day. Pretend you planned it. No one needs to know Mother Nature won that battle, even if it is rather obvious. You never know, you might be the next style icon. The only rule that should be followed is: stop trying to make snow boots happen, they’re not going to happen. Seriously though, they are for snow emergencies only and are rarely pulled off in an acceptable manner. It’s the one fashion faux pas that won’t be tolerated due to Mother Nature’s inconvenient behavior.

- Jenna Jacobsen

Ombre: The Two Tone Hair Trend You Should Avoid

When I first heard the word “ombre,” I actually heard the Spanish word “hombre” and wondered why the hell a girl would call her hair “dude.” Naming hair trends is not at all like naming a car, which would be more acceptable. I mean, I’d drive an Ombre…

Unless ombre in your hair is done really well, it ends up looking like someone dipped half your head in a container of bleach on accident. This leads into the two-tone hairstyles this year. It could just by a dye-job gone wrong.

The time to experiment with your hair is in your childhood when your parents cry the first time you chop it all off, and then in middle school when you dye it with your friends and your parents cry again. By the time you’ve reached college, you need only to look professional. You take hundreds of photos a year, and you better believe that companies are judging you by your appearance. These photos can determine whether you get a job or not. Why would you jeopardize that for the latest trend in hair color? You know you’re going to regret that look when you’re older. Your body is a temple, so your hair should be held to the same standard.

In the words of Elle Woods, the rules of hair care are simple and finite:
1. Your natural color is your best look
2. Well-matched highlights or low lights add dimension
3. Go by the shape of your face for a complimentary cut
4. Avoid adding unnecessary chemicals to your hair. It only damages it in the long run, which is why you want to avoid too many dye-jobs.
5. Healthy hair is sexy hair; get it trimmed every 6-8 weeks!

- Jenna Jacobsen

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2012

There’s always that one night a year that brings more guys together than any football game ever could.  It’s not hard to guess what this very special event could be, being that it involves both super models, and lingerie. Yep, that’s right, it’s The Victoria Secret Fashion Show.

This year’s show took place Wednesday November 7^th at Lexington Armory in New York. Whether it’s because we have girl crushes on them, or we simply stare at them in envy, there’s no denying that the angels of Victoria’s Secret look unworldly beautiful.

I was actually surprised when I read that Ed Razek, Victoria Secret’s Chief Marketing Officer, said that the advertisers target audience is women ages 18 to 34. It seems as if though they’re targeting younger and younger audiences with their Pink collection, but that’s just my opinion.

The Victoria Secret Show has changed vastly over the years. The budgets for the first show in 1995 was $120,000 compared to last year’s whopping $12 million dollars and 10.3 million viewers. Aside from the ridiculously gorgeous models, thrown into the mix was some Adam Levine sexy goodness and any woman with a set of eyes made sure to tune into the show.

Each year, there are different themes that the lingerie adheres to, with various accessories to accompany them. This year, there were six themes: “Circus”, “Calendar Girls”, “Angels in Bloom”,  “Pink Is Us”, “Dangerous Liaisons, and “Silver Screen Angels”.

Eighteen makeup artists, seven manicurists, and twenty-two hair stylists were required to turn the supermodels into angels.

Most of the bras were literally pieces of art.  The most expensive bra of the night was the Fantasy Bra that Alessandra Ambrosio wore.  It was covered in crystallized flowers which were created from over 5,200 stones and worth $2.5 million dollars.

Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, and Rhianna all performed for the one-hour special.  The event will be televised December 4 on CBS so boys and girls, prepare to drool.

- Lauren Levine

Brrr… it’s cold in here

Instead of giving in and bringing out my winter coat when the temperatures drop to 40 degrees, I layer up. Where I’m from, winter coats won’t come out until a hard freeze or cumulative snowfall, whichever comes first. If you give in before, you might as well leave the state. Minnesotans pride themselves on weathering cold temperatures. What I’ve learned is that it’s all in the layers.

A long sleeve shirt underneath a sweatshirt goes a long way when you’re on main campus all day. When you layer a hoodie and a fleece, you’ll find inner peace.
Don’t get too excited and layer all of your clothes at once like Joey from FRIENDS, but if you do, take a picture and send it in! Sadly though, my approval is all that you’ll win.

If you already broke out the winter coat, you’re in for a rude awakening when winter really arrives. If you haven’t yet, you’re either from the north or downright crazy. Until it’s in the low 30’s, it’s still sweatshirt weather!

-Jenna Jacobsen

Fleece Leggins are gonna be where it’s at

Picture a North Face fleece jacket and then imagine it turned into super-skin-tight pants. That’s the image that comes to mind when the words “fleece leggings” are mentioned. Fleece leggings are the new way to wear leggings without sacrificing fashion for functionality. Since living in Syracuse is like living in a snow globe, you can mock them now and come November you’ll have three pairs in your dresser. The good news is that the fleece is on the inside. They’ll still look like normal leggings, for the most part. The extra padding is good for the girls that have skinny chicken legs, but for everyone else it’ll just add about a quarter inch to your thighs (no big deal). You can sweat that off in an hour at the gym with some cardio, and then put on the leggings to maintain a proportionate leg size. Free People, Anthropologie, and Victoria’s Secret PINK all carry fleece leggings, so feel free to stop in and clear their selection. When December rolls around, fleece leggings will be just the things to run around campus in, but most of you will still be wearing the threadbare ones from places like H&M and Forever 21, because they’re cheap and no one wants to spend $40 on plain leggings that have weird fuzz on the inside.

- Jenna Jacobsen

Finally Finding The Right Foundation

Ever see those girls whose face is 5 times darker than the rest of their body? I personally think it is the BIGGEST fashion faux pas when people can’t figure out what foundation or bronzer is right for their skin tone.  People also forget that their skin tone changes during the winter and summer months and they will need different foundation colors depending on the season. Duhh when you’re outside in the spring and summer more you obviously get tanner. Thank god for this because I am one of those pasty white ghosts in the winter and do not go tanning.  No, I do not want skin cancer thank you very much.  Anyway, I found out about a new device in July to prevent the two-skin tone problem.

Sephora collaborated with Pantone to create the Sephora + Pantone Color IQ.  Basically it is a handheld device that scans your skin that results in 27 images in less than two seconds.  Then the device assigns you an official Pantone skin tone number.  When this number is entered into the iPad app it gives you a list of foundations out of the 1,000 that Sephora sells to match you with the perfect foundation for your skin tone.  Usually about 10 results appear and than you can narrow it down to your preference on SPF availability, eco-friendly ingredients, coverage, etc.  Sephora pro, Gilbert Soliz stated “Sephora + Pantone Color IQ eliminated many of the variables that can affect shade selection, including pigment challenges, skin texture, and undertones which can distort the clients match”.

Sephora and Pantone patented this device so don’t expect anyone else to come out with it soon.  It is important to know that this device is only available at Sephora’s New York City Time Square location and at Sephora’s San Francisco store on Powell Street.  They are hoping to unveil this device at all Sephora locations soon, so lets cross our fingers that it will happen because I know many girls that are in dire need of this!

-Lauren Levine

White After Labor Day

The rules have changed. Wearing white after Labor Day is no longer a cliché.

Harper’s Bazaar labeled their photos from New York’s Fall Fashion Week “The White Stuff.” It should be called “white out,” which would be absolutely ideal for a themed party. The concept is simple: dress head to toe in white. It could be a jacket paired with a skirt, or even dress pants with a white button down. Pair the look off with a white hat and you could be a Q-tip for Halloween! The other suggestion is to wait for the first snowfall and then blend in to the white blanket of winter. The title is as creative as the actual outfit.

“The White Stuff” is downright impractical anywhere except the runway. If you’re going to wear an all white outfit, add some neutrals between accessories and shoes to create balance. Lastly, mix the types of fabric to create dimension using these tips: a sheer flowing top, ironed seams with dress pants, or a quilted jacket.

This look is definitely risqué, but less outrageous than the “Matrix” black leather outfit that Harper’s Bazaar had also decided was a fall essential. It’s also a wear only if you’re going to be cat-woman for Halloween type of outfit. Fashion Week, more often than not, is a one-stop shop for impractical, crazy outfits, which could also masquerade as a costume for a party.

- Jenna Jacobsen

Sexy vs. Skanky

Here’s your Monday through Friday guide to sexy versus skanky when it comes to outfits for class. These examples are one hundred percent original and have been spotted around campus. It wouldn’t hurt some of you to start taking notes in class, and from this blog.

Day of the week	Sexy	Skanky
Monday	Fisherman knit sweater	Fishnet stockings
Tuesday	Military inspired jacket	Camouflage cargo shorts
Wednesday	Lace back top	Lace top with black bra
Thursday	Cropped leggings	Crop top
Friday	V-neck with Juicy sweatpants paired with moccasins	Juicy sweat suit paired with slippers

Monday: It’s one thing to have a loose knit sweater on; it’s another to be wearing a part of a stripper’s get-up to class.

Tuesday: Military inspired jackets are in this season, cargo shorts never were. This fashion faux paus is trashier than it is skanky, but the point remains.

Wednesday: A lace back top can be paired with leggings for class and then worn out to the bars with a skirt that night. A see-through lace top is an absolute no-go for class, under any circumstances.

Thursday: Cropped leggings that show off your toned legs are always sexy. There is a time and place for your crop top; class is just not one of those places. People don’t need to know you have your belly button pierced.

Friday: Since only a few have class, people are bound to show up in sweats after a Thursday night out. If you must, one slouchy item can still be cute and “sweatpants, hair tied, chilling with no make-up on” sexy. The whole matching sweat suit complete with slippers is lazy and skanky.

*Check out the HelloStyleChannel on YouTube for Sexy vs. Skanky tips done up by Cosmopolitan Magazine.

- Jenna Jacobsen