Stella McCartney is one of my very favorite designers.  She did a kids line for Gap Kids last year which featured adorable little clothes!  It was limited edition and was gone quickly.

Chanel

Chanel is always a favorite of mine.  It's so ladylike!

Chloe

Minimalistic and simple.  I love the nude dresses!

Christian Dior

Leave it up to John Galliano to send these somewhat crazy/somehow perfect ensembles down the runway!

Lanvin

This was a gorgeous collection by Alber Elbaz.  He is consistently one of my favorite designers!

 

 

Nina Ricci

I loved the romanticism displayed in this collection.

 

Rochas

I loved this whole collection!!!  Yes, most of it (if not all of it) looks like really expensive sleepwear, but it's soooo beautiful!

Roland Mouret

So classic and simple with perfect construction.

 

Stella McCartney

Stella is definitely my favorite designer.  Her ability to produce collection after collection of perfectly chic, simple clothes is unmatched.  

Alexander McQueen

This was Sarah Burton's first collection after taking over for desinger Lee McQueen after his death in February.  She did a fantastic job maintaining his level of theatricality while softening the edge a bit with her own aesthetic.  Gorgeous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zac Posen

This whole collection looked like it could be a modern wardrobe for The Great Gatsby!  *Sigh*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Row

Who knew the Olsen twins would turn out to be such great designers!

 

 

 

 

Valentino

Feminine, simple, flattering. 

 

Yves Saint Laurent

I have to admit that I am sometimes bored with the looks that come out of this fashion house... but, this time there was just enough surprise to keep me tuned in and enough simplicity to make me love it!

 

Phase 7: 

This is the final phase (for now) of my style makeover.  First I set my goals, then I analyzed my style, then I used Closet Couture to organize my clothes visually, then I did the actual organization and sorting, then I took a trip down memory lane to revisit stylish moments of my past and then I designed a uniform that works for my life and style... Now I have created a wish list of items to help complete the makeover.  I hope, in some way, that this has been inspiring or entertaining to read about!  

  

By creating a complete list of items I would love to add to my wardrobe, I have a limited and comprehensive list of things I want.  This will help keep me on track to fill out and complete my wardrobe without buying anything unnecessary.  This will help me to determine if it's really something that will help attain the "completed wardrobe" or if it will be just another item that I don't need.  Naturally, as with all of this style makeover, this may seem a bit obsessive and over the top, but it was fun to make and I hope it will prove useful...I've recently gotten to cross off a couple of items so I left them on to show the idea!

  

The Wish List: 

  

Tops: 

Sweaters:

Long cardigan (Black and Grey)

Cardigans (Black andWhite)*

Cute Cashmere* (2-3 basics)

 
  

Coats:

Trench/Peacoat (Black)

Blazer (Black or White)

Motorcycle Leather Jacket, preferably vintage (Black)

 

Tops:

Long t’s/Tunics

Tunics

Tanks (thin straps)

T’s (nice, basic, feel good, long enough to tuck in the front)

Blouse-y tank (White/Black)

Feminine Camisole

Nautical long sleeve T (Black and White)

Victorian/Feminine blouse (White or pale pink)*

Long Sleeve Hooded T (Black)*

 

Bottoms: 

Pants:

“Audrey Hepburn” pants (Black)

Jeans-skinny, (Black or extremely dark wash)*

Trousers (Black)*

 

Skirts:

Black Pencil Skirt

Tiered “Paris” Skirt 

 
  

Dresses:

Vintage dresses (2-3)

Basic dress (Black)

Sweater dress (Grey)

Simple Summer dresses (3-4)

 

Shoes:

Gladiator sandals*

Short Converse (Black)

Basic Summer Sandals

 

Boots:

Flat Over the Knee Boots (Black)

Ankle Boots (Black)

Frye Campus Boots (Brown)

Hunters Wellies

 

Heels:

Pumps (Nude)

 

Accessories:

Scarfs: 

Vintage printed scarves

Scarves/Pashmenas* (2)

 

Socks and Leggings:

Leggings (Black)

Tights (Black)

 

Hats: 

Beanies (Classic/Snood/Black/White)

Cap

Bowler (Black)

Sun Hat

 

Belts: 

Thin waist belt (Brown)

Waist Belt (Black)

Thin studded belt (Black)

Thin Belt (Silver)

 

Jewelry: 

Thick and thing bangles (Gold)

Leather bracelet

Vintage mens watch (Silver)

Fake diamond earring studs

 

Misc.

Tano Purse (Black)

Clutch (Box)

Aviators

Vintage Bag (Chanel)...someday

Leather Gloves (Black)

“Underwear” Shorts (White)*

 

I have printed this out (without the photos and in very small font) and keep a copy folded up in my wallet.  Now when I go shopping (which isn’t often) I have this list to help me determine if I’m agonizing over something I want or “need”.  In other words, I hope that the time spent making this list will help me make great purchase choices, save money and build a wardrobe that I love!

 

*’s indicate items that will allow me to complete outfits with clothes that I already have

 

I’m not normally a huge fan of Louis Vuitton’s collections, but this time around...I’m in love.  Designer Marc Jacobs completely impressed me.  I couldn’t help but become enamored with the newly released images from their Fall 2010 campaign.  The 1950’s styling, the lighting and the composition just blew me away. The campaign was shot by Steven Meisel and features Christy Turlington, Natalia Vodianova and Karen Elson. The models ages range from 20-40 and they all look sophisticated and stunning.

 

The campaign:

 

  

A behind the scenes video on the making of the campaign:

  

 

 

Phase 6:

  

So, I'm getting back on track with my style makeover.  Between my trip to L.A. and wrapping up this quarter's school work I got a bit sidetracked!

 

Creating a Uniform: 

 

Step 1: Finding the Common Denominator (yes, that’s right I used a math word...that’s the last you’ll see of that for years to come!)

 

I spent some time looking over my style goal images from Phase 2... http://acollectionofpassions.blogspot.com/2010/03/phase-2-style-analysis.html

...my own images from my virtual closet...

 http://www.closetcouture.com/members/kmcmackin/?hl=

...and my images from the times I felt the most stylish... http://acollectionofpassions.blogspot.com/2010/04/trip-down-memory-lane.html

  

What I found was that the things I was drawn to were repeated over and over again in some variation of:

 

-tomboy hats 

  

-tanks, t-shirts, tunics or dresses

-simple jackets/blazers/sweaters

  

-jeans, tights or leggings

  

-boots, sandals or ballet flats, cute heels

-simple accessories

 

I am occasionally drawn to crazy things like:

But, since I’m slowly nearing thirty and don’t have loads of money to spend on ridiculous shoes, I think it wise to focus on a basic wardrobe that I will be able to utilize for the next decade not just the next season! ;-)

  

By sticking with simple and mix/matchable tops and bottoms I will be able to slowly build a "uniform" of comfortable and cute clothes that can be worn in any combination.  As I solidify my “uniform” and add pieces to it, I’ll be able to build a closet full of clothes that are easy to style, wear and make me feel good.  Isn’t that the point of fashion after-all? It’s kind of like that children’s puzzle with the bear cut into three pieces...

  

... and you can swap out the tops and bottoms to create a seemingly endless number of clothing choices.  Narrowing down my style into this simple “uniform” will help me to figure out what’s missing from my wardrobe.  Which, in turn, will allow me to shop smartly (clearly I don’t need any v-neck long-sleeve t-shirts from The Gap) and to wear more things in my closet.  I will be able to use Closet Couture (which has turned out to be a great investment of three hours) to create my outfits  ahead of time and pull them out the night before, thus creating an enjoyable system for simple dressing!  

 

Next Week: Phase 7:  My Wish List (and the final Phase of this project...for now)!