Rag Report: White after Labor Day? Yes, Please!

Rag Report dives under the covers of fashion publications to rant or rave about all the glossy goodness.

This spring collection featured a refreshing, different trend. All-white outfits are now all the rage. The essential little black dress has transformed into the little white dress or LWD as fashionistas like to call them. In this month’s Elle magazine, a whole spread is dedicated to the white ensemble.

The color white is traditionally thought to represent purity and innocence. Not so here. Model So Young Kang’s face and body language present a different image. Her outfit is buttoned up, but she is not. Even the background, featuring L.A.’s public transit, projects a gritty element. An all-white outfit is no longer only for those who don’t get down and dirty.

What can be a better backdrop to show off a white outfit than a seedy motel in Los Angeles? The open back of this Bottega Veneta jacket and the garter-like stockings peeking out of white shorts are anything but innocent.

A crown of thorns paired with this white outfit is tough. Kang’s pose shows that she has attitude. The lip-shaped chair adds to the fierce, fearless disposition. This photo solidifies the point of the spread: the new white is rough and tumble, not afraid to get dirty.

Elle shows us that white can be dirty and very sexy.

-Jessica Dysart

Rag Report: Down-to-Earth Under the Fireworks

Rag Report dives under the covers of fashion publications to rant or rave about all the glossy goodness.

Katy Perry went from the singer of “kissed a girl” to a pop culture sensation overnight. It’s no wonder Elle magazine put “pop’s sweetest vixen” on the cover of their March issue. Carter Smith captured Perry and Joe Zee styled her in the latest trends. Readers can see the personality of this pop sensation and, how grounded she truly is.

In this photo, Perry has her arms spread like an eagle allowing us to see her as she is. Her facial expression is soft yet serious, showing us she has nothing to hide. There is a sense of promiscuity in her gaze, but also a contrasting sense of innocence. She is wearing a white Pam Hogg lycra romper with chiffon sleeves and a gold headband around her waist. Her outfit offers angelic connotations, which conveys a sense of innocence.

The second photo Perry wears a strapless Oscar de la Renta dress with a swansdown skirt and Christian Louboutin water snake pumps. Her luscious wavy hair frames her soft facial features. She wears an interesting expression of confusion or uncertainty, which shows us that although Perry is full of self-confidence, she doesn’t always know the answers. In the article readers will get a sense that Perry [doesn’t feel like she can “act like an entitled bitch yet.”]

Readers see a more sensual and seductive side of Perry. She is wearing a Blumarine silk-bland dress with a Robert Lee plated brass collar around her neck. All of the angles of her face are beautifully pronounced as she gazes into the mirror. The shadows also add to the atmosphere and the lights create noticeable highlights on her face.

The articles and photos portray Perry as a fashionable, bold and fun pop star. She is in love with her career, husband, Russell Brand, and staying true to herself.

-Brittany Fowler

Rag Report: In Bloom

Rag Report dives under the covers of fashion publications to rant or rave about all the glossy goodness.

Springtime and flowers are like peanut butter and jelly; they go hand-in-hand. It’s only natural that spring designer collections are filled with floral delights. Elle’s February issue features a 10-page spread with model Devon Akoi in 2011 blooming designs from the likes of Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, and Vera Wang.

Marc Jacobs updates wintry leather with a lighter hue and a flower design on this silk gauze dress. The bottom of the dress falls like flower petals and the red neck piece is like a wildflower emerging after the cold of winter.

While this silk crepe Tommy Hilfiger dress is a solid color, the shade of yellow is so like that of spring daffodils that the image of a flower comes to mind. The crepe material is also delicate like the daffodils that bloom in springtime.

The New York Botanical Garden is a perfect backdrop for this spread. The conifers mirror the embroidery on this Oscar de la Renta gown, a print refreshingly different from normal floral patterns. The poured-glass flower brooches from Mark Walsh Leslie Chin serve as a beautiful embellishment that enhances, rather than clashes, with this dress.

This floral spread comes at a perfect time. When most are still suffering from winter blues, the colorful blossoms and patterns shown here make the world look a little brighter and springtime look a little more within reach.

-Jessica Dysart

Rag Report: The Good, the Bad, and the Furry

Rag Report dives under the covers of fashion publications to rant or rave about all the glossy goodness.

In this month’s issue of Elle, photographer Kt Auleta channels The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, motorcycle culture, and bohemian style to showcase fur pieces in the spread “Easy Riders.”

The lighting in the photographs gives the shoot a Western feel. It looks as though the models are in the open, airy plains of the West. The black color and texture of the model’s dress draws the eye in, especially when placed against the light, open background. The metal belt adds a tough, biker-chick edge.

Here the model’s clothing and position conjure up images of Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The hat and boots are reminiscent of a cowboy yet the model still looks strong and dominant.

Not showing a model’s head is an unusual technique, but in this photo it works. The model’s body extends off the page and this puts the emphasis on the fur jacket and the rest of the clothing. The dried wheat and grass on the ground and the furs again lend the pictures a certain Western, easy-living attitude.

-Jessica Dysart

Rag Report: A Night of Haute Couture

Rag Report dives under the covers of fashion publications to rant or rave about all the glossy goodness.

There are many definitions for art, and ELLE put two of them together. Ancient skeletons  and preserved spiders the size of your face appear alongside endless organza ruffles and waves of deep blue silk. Model Olga Sherer, photographed by Carter Smith, is dripping in jewels and swathed in couture gowns among artifacts in the American Museum of Natural History.

This editorial spread is high fashion meets Night at the Museum—in the best possible way. The Givenchy Haute Couture silk organza confection by Riccardo Tisci juxtaposed with a hulking elephant’s leathery skin highlights the vivid wave of purple fabric and the dazzling crystal encrusted bodice.

The contrast of the eerie modern glass displays of bugs and reptiles and the timeless old world sophistication of a swirling Atelier Versace gown is a welcome shock to the system. However, the look is far from jarring; the colors complement each other so that every look fits in naturally. The delicate pearl necklace is an arrow to the sculptural lines and unusual feather motif of the dress.

The museum as the setting for the photo shoot caught our eyes immediately. Sherer’s calm and serene facial expression makes us think of the quiet respect you adopt when entering an exhibit. It is the same feeling you get when you fall in love with a stunning ball gown as it emerges on the runway.

- Lindsey Mather

Rag Report: We want to work in this office

Rag Report dives under the covers of fashion publications to rant or rave about all the glossy goodness.

ELLE reinvents the workplace wardrobe in, "Anything but Ordinary," in the April 2010 issue. Model, Kori Richardson, flaunts everything from an anorak jacket over a metallic dress to knee-highs that accompany a shirtdress. Photographed by Mark Pillai, the issue is ELLE’s homage to Work and Power and this is exactly what the clothes capture. 

The white background allows the clothes to be the focus. Richardson wears a leather, Julie Haus, skirt with a cotton H&M blazer and cotton, DKNY, tunic. We dig the combination of Richardson’s large, curly hair with work wear essentials. It gives a new spin what can be appropriate workplace attire.  

We love stylist Kate Lanphear’s use of mass-market clothing and couture. In one shot Richardson models an Ann Taylor light pink lapel jacket and silk shirt, which are paired with White House Black Market pants, a transparent Prada handbag, and Oscar de la Renta flats. Elle shows us that designer and retail finds can coexist. 

Throughout the spread, Richardson pulls off each look with ease. Whether she is wearing Gap poncho or Balenciaga wool and leather boots—she makes wearing the clothes look both stylish and effortless.  

 

As graduation and summer internship season approach, ELLE creates eight, fresh, workday looks that leave any woman saying: I want to wear that to work tomorrow.

- by Molly Gallaher

The Craze: Seeing in black and white

The Craze is a trend report bringing you the latest (and, duh, the greatest) in beauty and style.

Black and white: It's one color combination that never goes out of style and works in any season. But if you're not careful, it can get a little boring and uniform-like.  

In one of Elle.com's latest trend reports, we see clothes, shoes and accessories in "Graphic Black and White." What we love about this trend is how versatile it is: You can pair a black and white piece with practically any color and it pops. That being said, we took the liberty of combing through a few sites and stores to see what graphic black and whites they offer that won’t break the bank.

 

Forever 21 printed skirt

This graphic print skirt from Forever 21 has a very similar pattern to a Oscar De La Renta dress from the 2010 resort collection, but it’s only $11.50!

Forever 21 cropped jacket $27.80

Another Forever 21 find is this cropped jacket. Now, bows aren’t always done properly, but something about the simplicity and lines of this piece say Chanel.  Pair it with some jeans, a white tee and a black boot or ballet flat to get that effortless, well-put-together look.

For those of you who want to take the plunge in your pocket, here are a few splurges we found at Nordstrom. 

BCBG MAXAZRIA dress $117.90

 

Tory Burch dress $395

 

Some of these pieces may be a little skimpy for February, but keep in mind that spring break and a warmer Syracuse are just around the corner! 

- by Rosalind Dean