Bay Area Fashionista

Fabulous ways to avoid being pinched on St. Patrick’s Day

 in General Fashion  tagged green / holiday fashion / spring 2011 / st patricks day / tips by

St. Patrick ’s Day is this Thursday and anyone who dares to leave the house without wearing green is in grave danger of being pinched! Not only can a Fashionista run the risk of being pinched for not wearing green, the absence of the color being integrated into one’s wardrobe is a fashion faux-pas!

Of course the obvious way to avoid being pinched on Thursday, March 17, 2011 is to wear something in your closet that is green. If you own a green shirt, dress, sweater etc that happens to be the shade o’ the shamrock, then you are in luck! For everyone else, creativity is in order.

The easiest way to wear green and keep the Luck O’ The Irish on your side is to wear a St. Patrick ’s Day tee-shirt. Target Stores have a large amount of Irish themed tee-shirts in stock which start at the nice price of $6. The tee-shirts have a variety of traditional Irish sayings such as “Kiss Me I’m Irish,” “Go Green” and “Lucky Charm.”  

Not into wearing green? Never fear! You can easily avoid the pinch by wearing accessories that are green, or even wearing a green barrette.  If you prefer to go lux, a green gemstone ring or pair of earrings is a good choice. A more light-hearted choice would be a green mardi-gras bead necklace.

No green and no time for shopping? There is still a way to Go Green without getting pinched. Instead of wearing green, BE green! You can use March 17 as day for finding ways around your home to reduce, reuse and recycle. You can also work hard to reduce water and power usage too. If you have clothing or accessories made from sustainable materials, you can wear them and technically be green! And if someone tries to pinch you? Stop them in their tracks by telling them how you have been green for St. Patrick’s Day! Fabulous!

St. Patrick’s Day is a light-hearted holiday which was first celebrated when Catholicism was brought to Ireland. Over time, the holiday became associated with the celebration of the Irish culture. In modern times, the holiday is still a religious holiday for Catholics while the secular world celebrates either the Irish culture, or celebrates for the sake of celebration! As for Fashionistas, religious or not, the holiday is also about making green fabulous. Happy St. Patrick’s Day, try to avoid getting pinched, and stay fabulous 

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Why do we wear green on St. Patrick’s Day?

 in Color Trends / General Fashion  tagged green / historical fashion / holiday fashion / st patricks day by

Have you ever wondered why people wear green on St. Patrick’s Day? It has nothing to do with the fact that Ireland is sometimes referred to as the “Emerald Isle.” It also has nothing to do with green being St. Patrick’s favorite color  Green is worn on St. Patrick’s Day in order to honor an ancient Irish custom. The custom originated hundreds of years ago when the Irish burned leaves and boughs in the spring. After burning the leaves and boughs, they would spread the ashes on the fields in order to make the land richer. By wearing green, people are honoring this ancient custom.

It would be fabulous if this custom actually made the land richer in wealth as oppose to fertile. If the land was rich in wealth, we could grow our money in the backyard! A girl can dream. . .

Source: Cantwell, Mary; St. Patrick’s Day; Thomas Y. Crowell Company New York, 1967

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Photo: Getty Images

 

Paris Fashion Week fall winter 2011/2012 recap

 in General Fashion / Trends  tagged fall 2011 / paris fashion week / runway trends / winter 2012 by

Paris Fashion Week ended on Wednesday and left fashion fans sad and happy at the same time. Sad because we have run out of runway shows to watch, and happy because we now have a glimpse of which trends from spring are continuing into fall. We also now have insight into new, up and coming trends.

New York and Milan visited past decades from the Art Deco era, the Depression era, the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s. In Paris, the tone was more sedate and although designers took their inspiration from the same time periods that were shown in New York and Milan, the tone was dark and serious.

Louis Vuitton took visitors on a train ride in the 1940’s with a serious yet classic tone. The music was deliberate and the silhouettes were ladylike and tailored. Chanel sent their collection down a runway that seemed as if it had been bombed out and dressed models as if they were walking on the city streets; not showing Chanel’s collection to buyers, editors and clients.

The overall vibe of Paris Fashion Week was tailored; long hemlines, dark colors, luxurious fabrics and a return to ladylike dressing. Black was a dominant color with spots of red, burgundy, mustard, forest green and shades of grey. Winter white also made an appearance on the runway either alone or paired with black.

The shoes shown on the runway varied between high heel booties, lace ups and menswear inspired tie shoes. Paris showed a handbag collection that mirrored what was seen in Milan with a large amount of top handle satchels, shoulder bags and daytime clutches.

It should be interesting to see which styles hit city streets and which trends remain on the runway and in the archives. Will we be seeing a large amount of red? Will everyone dress in black and grey? Will worn jeans make a comeback paired with luxury aka Chanel? Will Art Deco and the Depression push the 1970’s out of 2012? It should be interesting to which trends store buyers gravitate towards, and which ones are left without any orders for fall.

To view a video of the Louis Vuitton show, please click here.

To see fifty photos from Chanel, please click here.