STYLE GURU STYLE: Femme Fatale

August 19th, 2015 at 2:10am

Posh is the perfect word to describe Nanette Lepore’s aesthetic. She’s all about feminine beauty and frills with a fun-loving charm; she’s a woman who designs for every day women. Plus, she’s one of few American designers that stresses the importance of the New York City Garment District and inserts herself into the fight to keep it alive. That’s why if you are lucky enough to own one of Nanette Lepore’s flowy silk blouses, you’d have the satisfaction of seeing the tag say, “Made in the USA”.

Her fall 2015 ready-to-wear collection stays true to the Nanette Lepore style we love, but includes a quirky storyline (which does not surprise me). The line is about putting a lady in charge, putting all ladies in charge. Women are the leaders of government and big companies, but the girlish fun that Nanette Lepore inserts into her clothing shows in a different kind of way. The fun translates to a polite rebellion. There are two diverging styles in this line, the commonly known posh femininity and a somewhat erotic defiance. Erotic because who can actually say a woman in charge isn’t hot? The femininity shows through traditional silhouettes, flowy sleeves, hemlines and high necklines. That is all disturbed by large cutouts in the cleavage area, clashing bright colors and the models wearing magenta lipstick throughout the show, as well as platform patterned shoes. Women are usually shorter than men, so maybe in this women’s wonderland, a lady’s height shows her power. Some hard shells are also seen to show power with strong militaristic outerwear but always with a sweet and girly soft side underneath.

I was taken hostage by the colors used in the show. The magenta lipstick as well as the mismatched pinks and blues seemed like they should not have worked, but they definitely did. That’s why I chose to wear three different shades of pinkish-red: a burgundy skirt, a rusty blazer and a rousing red lip. My blazer and button-up show the harder side seen in the show but the high collar and skirt reveals the classic Nanette Lepore femininity. This was a fun outfit to style because I like the feuding drastic looks. It was somewhat of a challenge to make them work together, but I think the little golden donut on top of my head and my leopard print sneakers enforced a “who cares?” kind of expression that I love.

Get My Look: 1. Button-up. 2. Leopard print sneakers. 3. Red lipstick.

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