Wordless Wednesday

(image via pinterest.com)

Sorry Target, You're Not Cutting It

Dear Decision Makers at Target:

I have a major bone to pick with you since your release of your collaboration with Neiman Marcus that features various members of the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America). I'll preface my concern by saying I am normally very pleased when you folks decide to collaborate with designers. I agree it is a great way to give regular people with a love for fashion an opportunity to purchase items from designers they look up to. Your Missoni collaboration last year was well executed and every piece added something special to the overall collection.

I was equally if not more excited when I found out you would be collaborating with Neiman Marcus to make designers I am obsessed with (Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenburg, and Tory Burch) readily available to the American public. But, I have to be honest and say that every designer's pieces left something to be desired.

I am just going to focus on the three designers mentioned above and give you my two cents on the matter:

1. Marc Jacobs: Marc Jacobs is my all time favorite fashion designer. There is no way around the fact that the man is a creative genius. I also believe his attempt at the collaboration was the most genuine. He actually created designs of items similar to those he actually sells in his own line. He came up with a leather pouch (clutch) in gold, rose gold, and gunmetal shades. I appreciate the fact that he used real leather to create his pieces, but the color choices gave both of the gold shades a rather artificial look. And, I think it's a little counterproductive to pay for real leather that looks fake because of the way it is crafted. Also, the fact that the clutch is a pouch, gives it a very pencil case-y look. I can't quite figure it out, but the clutches look like they belong in a bag instead of being stand-alone pieces. Marc Jacobs also designed a black scarf for the collection. Again, it seemed like a genuine effort, but I cannot justify blowing seventy dollars on a solid black scarf that could easily be found elsewhere.

2. Diane von Furstenburg: Ok, what happened here? When I heard Diane von Furstenburg was on the list of designers creating for Target, the first thing that came to mind was the legendary wrap dress silhouette that was birthed by her. I thought for sure she would create some version of that dress or at least gift us with some dupe of her many other amazing silhouettes. But, what did we get instead? A jewelry box and a yoga mat! Really, a yoga mat?! And fifty dollars a piece at that I might add! I just feel like we deserved to see an actual garment from a fashion designer who makes garments instead of a box and a mat in a punchy print.

3. Tory Burch: Alright, last but not least, I think it was a great move to get Tory Burch in on the Target action. She is fairly new to the fashion scene and has been growing in popularity among celebrities and fashion lovers alike. Her fame primarily comes from her classic reva flats and many variations of handbags that both feature the legendary Tory Burch medallion. It would have been really phenomenal to see her incorporate the metal medallion into her Target pieces in some way. Oh well. But, I will add that it was refreshing to see her use one of her most famous prints on both pieces she did for the line (lunch box and beverage container).

Overall, I just feel as if these designer collaborations hurt the image of designers if there pieces do not evoke the same emotions in the customer as do the pieces from their regular lines. I also believe that the designers' talents are not portrayed accurately through collaborations if they are not executed thoughtfully. I think when doing designer collaborations, it is more important to focus on quality and authenticity rather than quantity and speed which I didn't see happening this time around. I really hope there are more collaborations in the future that include pieces that more effectively demonstrate the talents and individuality of the designers involved.

(All images via target.com)

Today Is Not My Day...

...tomorrow doesn't look too great either.

I woke up today with good intentions. I figured since I didn't have a class to go to or any immediate deadlines, I would do something I don't often have the time to do: CLEAN. So, I made up my mind that I was going to clean the kitchen top to bottom. I wiped all the counters, washed the dishes, polished the sink, swept the floor, you get the picture.

Perfect. Well almost. I spotted a white styrofoam takeout box sitting next to the toaster.

"Ok, no big deal", I thought to myself. "I'll just stick this in the refrigerator and then everything will be perfect".

Boy, was I wrong! As I reached to pick up the box, water gushed out of the box onto the entire counter and all over the floor. And, I'm not talking about ordinary water. This was straight up feta water. For those of you who have had feta cheese before, you know that soaking it in water helps to keep it moist and lower the sodium content. And, you also know that as good as feta may TASTE, the SMELL is heinous!

So, by now the aroma of feta had dispersed into the entire kitchen along with tiny chunks of feta everywhere.

Great. Back to square one.

So, after drying, disinfecting, and polishing, I realized I should probably stick to school work...and that feta cheese smells way too nasty to be considered edible. Well, that was my Friday morning. How was your day?

P.S. There is no real moral to this story. Just thought I would share it and enjoy the humor of the situation rather than get frustrated over my clumsiness.

If You Didn't Snap It, You Didn't Eat It

Today, I was going through the pictures on my phone and I noticed a certain trend. Aside from the kabillions of photos I take in stores and send to my mom to ask permission before buying something, I realized I take A LOT of pictures of food! I know for a fact I'm not the only one though because 90% of my instagram feed consists of food shots. I am sure pretty soon restaurant menus are going to come with suggested instagram filters. And people will ask the question, "If I didn't post a photo online, did I really eat it?" Some of you might think things are getting a little out of hand, but I think it's cool to see what everyone else has been metabolizing lately. So, here are some of the more photogenic foods I found on my phone complete with instagram filters and everything. Sorry in advance for the salivation that might occur as you scroll down :) And, these photographs are pretty self explanatory, so I'm not going to label or explain anything. If you have a question about what something is called, just comment below and I'll be glad to let you know!

(Note: All the above photographs are taken by me. If you would like to use them, please contact me at thedesiknot@gmail.com Thanks.)

Wordless Wednesday

        (image via 100layercake.com)

Black on Black on Black

There is nothing more sophisticated or breathtaking than a woman wearing all black the right way with subtle accents of either gold or silver hardware accessories. It works no matter how old you are, where you live, and what you look like. So, the title of this post is probably the best advice you will ever hear. I promise. You have to say it with a certain flair for the full effect, but my black theory should definitely be made your style mantra if it isn't already. Yes, you read that correctly, it is MY black theory and I am taking full credit for it. You are more than welcome to use it though! Alright, let's get into the meat of the mantra. Follow these pointers and you will look like you have a personal stylist living in your closet. Shhh....

The Fit
Yes, we all realize that black is the holy grail color for hiding that food baby, but that is not to say that size does not matter. Make sure your garments are snug, but not squeezing, stretching, or pulling in all the wrong places. Below are two prime examples of perfectly fitting black. I don't need to say much about these because you can clearly see how well it works. It just works. Over analyzing will just take away from the effortless beauty of this outfit. I will add though that the Prada bag is the blackberry cherry on top!

Accessorizing It
When it comes to accessorizing, I believe that statement pieces in gold and silver look much more subdued on black than on any other color. If done correctly, you can get away with a lot in the name of black. Here are some examples of bold hardware pieces that look stunning on black!

The Modesty Factor
Another one of my favorite things about all black clothing is the level of skill it takes to look vulgar. Basically, unless you are trying to look tasteless, black will prove to be super flattering and sophisticated looking without much effort. Here are some of my favorite black outfits. See? Covering up can be beautiful!
 

(all images via tumblr)

Bloggers I Love...

Reading blogs can be a very time consuming activity and with all the blogs out there, its definitely hard to read very many. But, I have compiled a list of blogs that I cannot miss a word of. Here are the bloggers I am obsessed with at the moment and why I love them so much!

1. Paris Rouzati, creative director of Sweet Lemon Magazine recently started a blog called Chicamoo. She used to write a different blog, so I am familiar with her writing style. I love how her writing is a perfect marriage of intellect and humor. I just can't wait to see how her site progresses over time.

2. Another blog I love reading is called A Series of Serendipity started by a girl named Melina. The site is in Porteguese, but there is an option to let Google automatically translate it for you into English. Melina definitely has a knack for photographing interesting parts of her life and I love reading about what is going on in her part of the world.

3. One of my new favorite blogs is Veronika's Blushing. Veronika is a YouTuber and a blogger and she literally writes about EVERYTHING! Whether you like reading about makeup, fashion, decor, or fitness...Veronika has got all the bases covered. By the way, I'd like to add here that she has amazing taste in interiors and her home is probably one of the most beautiful that I have seen yet! You can check out photos of her home and renovation projects she has done under the 'Interioirs' section of her blog.

Ok...well seeing as I am fighting a terrible case of the sniffles right now, I think I will leave you with this list and call it a night. I will feature more bloggers later if you all are interested in seeing more! Let me know and good night! Hope you enjoy reading these blogs!