Back to School Fashion

After a long summer hiatus - the Style Muse is back and ready to get down to business! I'm glad to see that in my time away not too much has changed - miraculously one-shoulders are still in, black&white, and animals are circling the subway - you know the drill.

But there are subtle differences to the upcoming season as there are every season, which require us to update our wardrobes and pick key pieces to keep us looking fresh and feeling better. So, after trying my best to show restraint shopping this summer, I can indulge in so much needed retail therapy without the guilt!

Even if it has been some time since we have stepped foot in a classroom, we can still remember what it was like to get the mail with our new teacher, class list or syllabus, buying our back-to-school pencil box and matching bowl cut (wait was that just me?). Even if the clock restarts on January 1 for many of us it will always be September with the changing air and feeling that you have a new start - so to that end I'll be scouring the sales and new trends to find the best deals to put your best foot forward this season.

As a start, here's a skirt that I found that will not break the bank but fulfill the much needed animal print for the season. For those of you like Sister Muse 2 that can't see themselves in such a print, try incorporating the spotted trend in small ways such as shoes (flats, pumps, but please not boots) or a skinny belt, handbag etc.

Go gett'em tiger (or leopard or zebra)...

I'm in Love with Isaac and Liz

Usually when I flip through O Magazine I go fairly quickly through the fashion - frequently I think it is better suited for, well, for someone else. But yesterday, I was looking at the newest issue and was floored then ecstatic - Isaac Mizrahi has done it again! This time partnering with the decrepit line, Liz Claiborne.

I'm sure most of us haven't paid Liz Claiborne a second thought since the early 80s, if at all. But I think it is back and in a big way. I'm over the moon for the new line with Isaac. It is fresh, with vibrant colors and familiar prints that remind me of Mad Men and a time when women could be women.

It says spring 2009 - so I'm dying to know when I can get it! I plan to start saving my pennies now for a few spring essentials like the pink gingham skirt or the sailor outfit or the rattan clutch. OK, so maybe that it is more than a few pennies, but almost everything is under $200. The line is carried at a few venues including Macy's, check it out.

Investing in Classics During a Recession

Now it is getting interesting...The bubble has burst and no matter where you look there are reminders of the economic turmoil facing our nation; including a heavy emphasis on fashion. The stories are everywhere - the elite shopping in private so as not to appear uncouth. Or designers such as Vera Wang, Carmen Marc Valvo and Betsey Johnson cancelling their fashion show or severely cutting back. The period of excess is over. It is no longer trendy to show off your ridiculously expensive purchases, and bragging rights over addresses, vacations and clothing are so passe.

While in some ways this makes it more difficult to be a style muse in other ways it is a huge sigh of relief. It is a welcome realization in my life to understand that I do not need to have so much (clothes or anything else) especially when others have so little. And before anyone thinks I've gone completely George Bailey - my stripes haven't changed all that much. I still believe in fashion and in representing yourself and your spirit through personal style.

But, as a culture, we will embrace a new way of living, at least this is my hope. It is the old adage of quality over quantity. Personally, my goal is to think French in 2009 -- meaning invest in a few necessary items now that are durable, classic and even luxurious and wear them with the quiet grace that is befitting of this period: a winter of stoic sensibility.

So while it may seem counter intuitive, now is in fact a time to buy. As a recent article by David Coleman in the NYT pointed out, luxury [read: quality] has never been so affordable. Now for people like me, that does not mean just because Manolo Blahnik's are marked down to $175 that you need to buy them - What it does mean is that you think about your needs and purchase wisely, sometimes for as much as 50% off - Saks in particular is having some great deals at the moment.

Look inside your closet - what is worn out? what is lacking? and make a list and buy only from that list. For example, The Muse is looking for a winter dress coat that will last an innumerable number of seasons and possibly a some black cashmere to add to the chest. But will not, repeat will not, succumb, no matter how inexpensive, to buying any sequins.

I'm brewing my version of fashion must-haves and will update soon!

First Lady Style

The frenzy has died down a bit today, and now I can turn my attention to the "dress" that Michelle Obama wore election night. Shockingly, the Muse didn't see this as the most important issue of the evening. In fact, I don't think it enters top 10 or more. There is so much to discuss, so much change, but this is indeed a blog on style, so I will not focus on the politics of the evening but rather what the next first lady will demonstrate in terms of style. And even though the Muse is an ardent feminist, I can still get down with wanting a first lady (or first female President) to have the style and grace of Jackie O.

As the Obamas prepare to journey to the White House the comparisons to Camelot are plenty and rightly so. Michelle Obama is young, vibrant and beautiful and I think that we'll see four years of grace and style (I hope).

That said, she didn't get it right on election night. Yes, kudos to her for choosing Narciso Rodriguez an amazing American designer, but that dress was just wrong. I believe in taking fashion risks, it is what makes fashion fun and style personal. But it is also the thing that makes us laugh looking back at old photos -- that perm, those leggings, booties! Any of our photos last a lifetime, but for the next First Lady they will have a different kind of permanence -- historical. Considering, there are museum exhibits of Jackie's Presidential style, Mrs. Obama has quite the shoes to fill to be considering in the same company.

For this reason, I believe the dress was a mistake. Aside from the unflattering fit, and unfortunate cardigan. The dress itself was bold, too bold for election night. For a night that will go down in history books. When in doubt go classic. Always. There is a reason that certain items like the Little Black Dress have surpassed the trends, they fit, they flatter and they let the woman shine through (cheesy but true). While I'm not saying she needed to wear an LBD or something so simple, all the lines, the cardigan, the colors - it was too much for such a momentous occasion.

Andre Leon Talley, the editor at large for Vogue said in an insightful NY Times piece that Michelle “is not sitting around going through fashion look books and having confabs. She is just going through her closet and picking out what’s right for her.” While I'm not one to argue with Mr. Talley -- stylist or no stylist -- someone of this stature, of this public nature, needs a second and third opinion. And we cannot just believe she didn't plan, the entire Obama family is in perfectly matched shades of red and black.

Maybe she should have a shopping date with Carla Bruni who seems to be playing the card just right these days. Regardless of her choice Tuesday, I look forward to see her choices moving forward and am excited for the Inaugural Ball gown. And I think the message for the rest of us is that for the big moments simplicity let's the moment shine through.