Trendspotting: on the streets of NYFW

NYFW was definitely a whirlwind—tons of inspiring designs and beautifully executed clothing—one of my favorite New York seasons collectively to date!  There are a ton of new trends and styles to talk about for next Spring, but sometimes, I find that even more inspiring than the clothes seen on the runway (which won’t be available for several months anyway), are the clothes seen off the runway—outside the shows.

I draw a lot of inspiration from street fashion because the clothing is more relevant to the current weather and what we're wearing right now.  Here are three of the strongest trends I noticed being sported by the beauties outside the tents.  If you’re finding yourself in a seasonal rut right now, try mixing in a wildly patterned blouse, a sexy knee-length skirt or some color blocked separates, which will have you looking ready for fall, without forgoing your summer wardrobe entirely!

 

 

Style profile: Columbine Smille

 images via Columbine Smille 

Majorly crushing on Columbine Smille's style lately!  So much great outfit inspiration—just in time for fashion week!  I love her transitional styling and how she plays with proportions and layering to make even the most basic pieces look high-end.  On my shopping list immediately: blue converse sneakers, graphic skirts, black patent penny loafers and a hot pink knit!

Happy Fashion Week!

DIY: rock crystal earrings

Art/Layout by Dream & Dress

From left to right: Unearthen necklace, $345. Vanessa Mooney ring, $167. Unearthen necklace, $415. Academy cuff, $58.

Mania Mania ring, $295. Pamela Love necklace, $760. Pamela Love ring and cuffs, upon request.

Hope everyone had a nice Labor Day weekend!  I took a brief hiatus from blogging these past few weeks, trying to balance a busy work and travel schedule, while still making time to enjoy what’s left of summer took priority, but I also worked on some fun projects that I’m exited to share (including a TON of home decorating projects, but we’ll get to those later).

For now, I’m excited to share these chic and easy DIY earrings I created while confined to my apartment in anticipation of Hurricane Irene.  Lately I’ve been obsessed with all things rock crystal, as you can see from my collage of favorites above.   I love their organic, raw texture and how they exude a perfect mix of edginess and glamour.  The only downside to these magical little gems is that they usually come with a pretty hefty price tag—which is why I resorted to making my own.

I set out to my favorite bead shops in search of some raw crystals or crystal-like beads that I could use to start the project.  To my delight, I found an entire strand of white quartz crystals on sale at the second shop for only $23.99!   I grabbed it immediately—along with some some earring hoops and thin gauge beading wire—and was on my way.  I messed around with a few different options at first, until I eventually came up with the pair you see below. Here’s how you can create your own...

Photos/layout © Dream & Dress

I'm pretty pleased with the result, and fortunately I still have a ton of crystals left over to use for future projects!  I'm already working on a necklace version, so stayed tuned for part two of this post!  Also, if you're not already, please make sure to add me to your RSS feed or google reader (if you don't have this yet and you read blogs, it's a must!  Just log in to Reader through your Google account and click "Add Subscription" to add all of your favorite blogs to one easy-to-read, organized scroll!) and follow me on twitter and facebook, to keep up with upcoming NY Fashion Week updates and other in-between-post happenings!

XOXO