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Spring Lookbooks

March is officially here, along with spring lookbooks in my mailbox. Bright colors, floral prints, and sundresses are on the horizon, and I don’t know about you but I’m dying to put my spring wardrobe together!

So what are designers and stores giving us this season? It seems like they all have their own tastes and styles this year that cater to many unique spring looks. So who is your spring muse, and where are you going to find outfits for this season? I have put together some of my favorite pieces from the Nasty Gal, Free People, and H&M spring collections so you can get some inspiration from what these designers and stores have to offer.

Fashion Illustration Muses

Many believe that fashion is only what one wears, but fashion is also an art form with many different branches. From fashion photography to runway to visual displays to illustration, there are many different careers and medias that fashion belongs to and takes part in.

Fashion illustration is an ancient art form that has been around since clothing. Until the 1930s Vogue would pay different artists to illustrate the cover, and when one went shopping or flipped through a fashion magazine they saw illustrations advertising garments instead of photographs.

Nowadays fashion illustrations have been taken over by fashion photography, but that doesn’t mean illustration doesn’t exist. There are many artists today who call themselves fashion illustrators and create modern work published in magazines and on websites.

Fashion illustration has a whimsical and fairytale-like nature. The artists use many different mediums including paint, drawing and even digital programs like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Many artists use mixed media to create an imaginative and dreamlike piece, with just enough reality to tell a story. The dreamlike nature of fashion illustration is what sets it apart from photographs.

Cate Parr, Sandra Suy, and Elisa Mazzone are a few of my favorite fashion illustrators. Take a look at their illustrations below and find some inspiration. Not only are they artists, they are also fashion designers who create characters and muses to dress.

DIY: Crop Top out of an old T-shirt

Last weekend’s 70-degree temperatures got me in the mood for spring. I started going through my closet and pulling out all of my favorite dresses and shorts, but just like with any new season I started longing for new clothes. Instead of going shopping I decided to get creative and turn old clothes into new.

This season a huge trend is crop tops. They were a big hit at the spring New York Fashion Week last fall, and I’m starting to see them pop up in boutiques and street styles. They go perfect with a pair of high-waisted shorts or a skirt, and give off a super-cute vintage, summertime feel.

But who knew it was so easy to make one out of an old T-shirt? I put together a DIY project with step-by-step instructions to make your very own crop top out of an old T-shirt. Have fun!

Highlights of NYFW fall 2013

Twice a year designers, models, fashion enthusiasts and everyone in between head to New York City to celebrate new collections and runway shows. New York Fashion week started in 1943, and has been growing ever since this year having 90 emerging and classic designers. A grand number of 100,000 were in attendance of the runway shows and whirlwind of events to follow making it one of the biggest fashion weeks yet. 

Sadly I was not able to attend being across the country, but luckily 2013 marked the first year the show could be streamed online for the world to see. This week I have been religiously streaming the runway shows, finding inspiration for fall fashion while being enthused by the wildly entertaining collections designers have created. 

I have put together a list of some of my own favorite moments and collections of the 2013 fashion week so you can be entertained and inspired too incase you haven’t been watching. 

1. Marc Jacobs

Fur and sequins dominated Marc Jacobs fall collection. Fun, sexy, and chic this collection contained lots of blues, blacks, and whites. The pieces can be worn on and off the runway, with everything from business casual to evening wear. There will be no winter blues with all of the sequins this collection has. 







Sequins and fur dominate the Marc Jacobs fall collection. Photo courtesy of The Sartorialist. 

Nostra Style House

 Inside  “Nostra Style House” you will find a selection of unique and trendy women’s apparel. Being not even a year old it’s no wonder why they won the Phoenix New Times “Best New Boutique” award.

To start the new year off Nostra decided to spice things up and relocate from their 6th street location into their new location not too far away on Roosevelt. They saw an opening for the space, and couldn’t help but fall in love with the more urban feel. The interior of the shop is kept simple, only painted black and white, which really allows the colorful clothing and accessories to stand out.