Hey Says: Fashion Tribute to Elizabeth Taylor

Fashion Tribute: Elizabeth Taylor

(1932-2011)

Last week, the world lost a legend, a magnificent Actress, a devoted philanthropist, and a divine beauty. I wanted to take this opportunity to hold a tribute for one of my favorite actresses of all time, Dame Elizabeth Taylor.

Liz's clothing and jewelry were legendary, and beautiful, she graced the silver screen in magnificent motion picture productions like, "Cat on A Hot Tin Roof," "Butterfield 8," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," and "A Place in the Sun." The two time Academy Award Winner for Best Actress was known for her exquisite fashion sense, her clothes became timeless staples in the fashion world, and pop culture as we know it.

For instance, her 1961 Oscar dress, which was a beautiful yellow top, white ball gown skirt with a green sash and red rose was elegant and divine, and truly expressed her beauty as she accepted her Best Actress Oscar for her wicked performance in Butterfield 8. Besides the dress, her hair was perfectly made into a beautiful effortless coif.

She graced the Best Dressed list for countless years, in 1970, she wore an Edith Head light blue ensemble accessorized with a beautiful jeweled necklace, which showed her ability to recreate her style as an aging actress in Hollywood.

Liz's best fashion moments also came from her memorable screen performances. For instance, in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, she wore a simple, yet sexy white dress, which epitomized women's fashion in the 1950's. It seemed that by this time, anything Liz wore, was magique!

As a Golden Age Hollywood mega-fan, I am honored to write about Elizabeth Taylor, I think we can all agree that she was the monumental actress of her time, an angelic beauty, and sex icon. She aged beautifully as the years went on, and didn't stop her reign as Queen of the beauties. The world is very lucky to have witnessed Liz's transformation from young, innocent child star into an international sensation.

Personally, I will miss her very much, I will cherish her movies and her luscious style that will forever be timeless, and will forever awe audiences forevermore.

From He Wore She Wore,

This is Diér.

2011

He Says: Nautical Wear for Spring's Awakening

Spring Awakening: The Nautical Style

So I have been obsessed with Nautical wear lately as I prepare for the upcoming fresh Spring trends. This year we are going to see a definite influence of nautical inspired clothing; this includes stripes, blues, and navy tones accompanied with simplistic clothes that put it this way, move in the wind.

Here are my tips for addressing your inner boatsman:

How to Start: The Nautical style is symbolically unique because of the colors, navy and white. If you are interesting in exciting your inner sailor, perhaps purchase a white and navy striped shirt to start, then add to it. For more formal looks, perhaps try a collared shirt, and for more casual looks, a long-sleeved striped tee! As far as purchasing pants, generally navy goes well with white or light khaki, but if you are like me and can't give up black not even for spring, then go for it! Brands/Desginers: Club Monaco, Nautica, Ralph Lauren

The Shoe: A must have in achieving the Nautical look are Sperry Topsiders; you can get the original navy blue like myself, or switch it up a bit and try a different color, they have many! Sperry Topsiders are boat shoes in short, they are made up a special leather, and are designed for an athletic purpose while still having a chic and sophisticated flare. They are affordable and can be found at all major department stores, so you shouldn't have difficulty finding a pair! ;)

The Bag: Another suggestion would be to carry a bag, not a man bag, but a bag for men. There is nothing wrong with having a bag, it serves a purpose and it shows that you mean business. Since a majority of your outfit will probably be navy and white, I suggest purchasing a brown tote of duffle bag to offset the monochromatic tones. What you put inside is of course, up to you! Perhaps your favorite magazines, water bottles, ipods, etc. Whatever you want, the options are endless!

The Windbreaker: Every guy needs a windbreaker this season, windbreakers are in! Here's why: Spring is still a chilly season, you need to keep warm without wearing a heavy trench or peacoat, so a windbreaker or other light jacket is perfect! I chose a very basic Ralph Lauren windbreaker in the image as a starting point. If you love basic styles, this is perfect, if you are more edgy, there are also other options to choose from! If you are interesting in windbreakers, I will be doing a post devoted to Spring Windbreakers so stay tuned!

The Accessories: This is merely an option, I find that the best part of an outfit are the finishing touches. I have selected some nautical inspired rings, a navy nautical watch, Rayban Wayfarers and a spring scarf, if you feel the need!

• I chose Rayban Wayfarers because they are classic and are sporty, yet not sporty in the sense that you can wear them while boating, but you probably can run a race in them. But I digress. :) I feel like every guy needs a black pair because they are iconic and are the original. However, you can find many colors that can compliment your color palette.

• Rings: I know, rings may seem like over-doing it a bit, but let me explain. I chose these rings not only because they have anchors, but because these tiny accessories can make all the difference. Guys, people will know you have style by how you finish off your outfits. You gotta have confidence and the rest will be a breeze!

• Watch: I'm not really a watch person, but the watch I chose, courtesy of Nautica, will give your outfit a different dimension. The silver will go so well with your outfit, the navy of course is appropriate. The watch will bring "pop" to your look, so why not try it?

• The Spring Scarf: This is a tricky one. Spring is not really the season to wear a scarf, however, you will encounter those colder than usual days out at sea! Instead of buying a heavy wool or cashmere scarf, there are a lot of thinner and more spring appropriate scarves out there, you just have to fins them. This option is up to you if you feel like you need to keep your neck warm.

Note that these suggestions work as little pieces to the puzzle; rule of thumb: keep it simple, this means not necessarily wearing everything at once, but somehow finding a simplistic and sporty look that fits your personality. My best wishes to you all!

-Diér

Fellow Sailsman

He Says: Japanese Fashion Hubs

Harajuku, Shibuya, and Omotesando Districts

(photos above: Gwen Stefani & the Harajuku Girls, teenager in Harajuku)

If there is one thing I am obsessed with, it is Japanese fashion. As someone who has been to Japan nearly 13 times, I have learned so much about my culture, but especially the fashion culture that is so rich and vibrant there. Japanese fashion has always been the inspiration for many Western individuals including Gwen Stefani and Lady GaGa. There are so many layers that make Japan's fashion scene so interesting and popular, and I will talk about some of these things below.

Harajuku:

Perhaps the most iconic part of Japanese fashion, street fashion. Japan is renown for its street fashion scene. The center of street fashion lies in the Harajuku district. Harajuku is known for its attention to younger fashionistas. Clothes here are mostly very affordable and fashion forward, and also emulates gothic, anime, punk, and other music-inspired styles. If I was to describe this place in one word, it would be "wacky!" Harajuku's main purpose is to house underground designers that have forward perspectives and styles. Harajuku is one station away from Shibuya-eki on the Yamanote-sen line.

Shibuya:

Shibuya is home to the higher end stores and brands, mostly American and European brands with the exception of high end Japanese brands. The Shibuya district is also the home of Shibuya 109, where Japanese trends begin. Shibuya 109 is a building across the street from Shibuya station. When you walk inside, you are immediately taken into a new world; mostly devoted to women's fashion, you see models who are wearing the latest trends, and are in complete makeup from head to toe, literally. It is one of those things you must see for yourself.

Omotesando:

Omotesando is Japan's Rodeo Drive. Nestled in between Harajuku and Shibuya districts, this street has it all. Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tod's are just a few of the dozens of high-end stores Omotesando has to offer. Being in a rich neighborhood, you are immediately surrounded by Japan's wealthiest and prominent residents.

As apart of my Japan Fashion series, my next post will include a special look into Japan's most prominent designers. Hold tight, but until then enjoy this brief post about Japan's major fashion hubs!

Music: I'd fly you to the stars & back again...

I've told this story so many times, I don't really know if I can repeat it. An ex-boyfriend of mine introduced me to Joe Brooks' music, and while the relationship didn't last-- my love for Joe's music has. Whenever I feel sad or gloomy, I can always count on JB's (not Justin Bieber...) music to cheer me up. He also has the classiest fashion sense ever. Hopefully Diér can post something about JB's sense of fashion later, but I honestly wish my boyfriends could dress like Joe does. When I met him at his show, he was impeccably dressed. And unlike most celebrities, he actually wears things more than once ;) Surprising, eh?

Ladies, if you want  your men to dress like this, I've done a "Dress Like Joe" article at my now-defunct Joe Brooks fansite (Sorry! I put all my time and energy into homework, my tumblr and now this blog!), located here.

Enjoy!
XO

He Says: Happy Birthday Lady GaGa!

Today is Gaga's Birthday Everyone!! *Note #bornthisday trending on Twitter! March 28th,

1986, our beautiful Mother Monster was born!! I am completely excited. To honor my favorite pop diva, fashion icon, extraordinaire, here are some of her past looks from red carpet events to magazine covers!

Celebrity Fashion: Vanessa Hudgens

I think after four years of hiding behind my dislike of Vanessa Hudgens (Come on, homegirl was dating Zac Efron aka my dream man for the past five years. How could I not?) I'm finally coming out of the envy closet. The girl has a seriously amazing stylist, because some of the things that I've seen her wear in candid photos, as well as to premieres has suited her perfectly. Her outfits are young, fresh, and suitable for who she is. It's almost endearing to see her go from a California teen (dressed in Hollister-esque attire with a strong "I'm-from-SoCal-let's-go-surfing!" type of vibe) to a pretty boho-chic inspired look that MK&A started years before.

Unfortunately, homegirl must be going through a crisis because ever since her breakup (Sorry, Baby V-- we all know it's true) she's been experimenting with her life and pretty much going crazy with her look (and her men, but we're not going to comment on that. Unless you go older, there is no possible way you can upgrade from Zefron. I'm sorry.) And the experiments are not looking good at all... And I present the evidence to you below:

L to R: Paparazzi/candid shot in front of her house in LA, Pure Nightclub in Las Vegas, NYLON magazine's anniversary

Things that I don't like about her "new look?" 

Her Haircut: You can sort of tell Vanessa is trying out a reverse ombre sort of thing (or she really just is not taking care of her hair at all) because she has oddly placed highlights on the bottom of her hair. In the candid and the Nylon party-- the lighter strands are more apparent. Unless styled properly, the cut doesn't flatter her at all (see picture one), and it just looks too messy. The cut looks alright curly, but Vanessa needs to make sure it doesn't turn out too frizzy, or else it will become the mess that it is in the first picture. And straight, the haircut just looks awkward and weird. But maybe that's because the headpiece is throwing me off. You can't wear a headpiece like that with a middle part. It looks best with a full head of hair and some texture!

Her Makeup: While I'm glad she's experimenting with makeup, she's attempting to make herself look a lot older than she is and I'm not exactly happy about it. The dark makeup makes her look too old, and doesn't let her age as well as she is. She's part asian, come on! Enjoy and celebrate your youth. She's beautiful without makeup, and I wish she would stick to her old makeup techniques. The bold lip does not suit the girl, unless it's brighter. I suggest Vanessa sticks with brighter, more youthful lip colors. Maybe a bright pink, instead of a dark maroon. Or a bright red. Red is flattering on everyone. And it's sexy. You've done it before, try to do it again!

Her Style as of late: Vanessa usually hits it pretty well with me, but lately she's been missing a lot. I didn't enjoy her Sucker Punch or Beastly premiere dress. The dresses in themselves are gorgeous, but they're too old for her! The outfit she wore at Pure Nightclub was too matchy-matchy and off-putting. If you want to mix patterns, make sure they're not the same type of print. The snake/reptile skin dress and cardigan were too much for me to handle. As is the first outfit: green and earthy brown. While I know Hudgens has more of a relaxed, SoCal, bohemian vibe-- this was, again, too "matchy-matchy" for my tastes. It just didn't vibe well with me. 

Now let's see some of Vanessa's looks that I loved:

L to R: ShoWest Awards, Candid in LA, Candid in Montreal

THIS is the Vanessa I love to hate. She is fabulous, confident, and looks her age!

I wish I could dress like Vanessa in the Montreal candid during the winter. It's a perfect look for colder weather: slouchy boots, jeans (with leggings underneath if you're in severely cold weather like I am a lot of the time), with the beautiful (I'm assuming) leather jacket in a color that is NOT brown or black. The last outfit is beautiful neutrals, and she does it well. It's a departure from her more bohemian style, but I love it. 

The outfit in the center is at LAX, and I wish I could look that amazing while I was at an airport. I could throw on a nice dress, a cardigan, and some jewelry and just look great. She looks great in the picture in the middle!

The last picture, the one at ShoWest is one of my favorites. The dress is sequined and looks great. I know minidresses and such aren't in anymore, but this one is one of the best I've seen on her. It's gold-- so it warms up her skin tone and makes her glow. It also provides enough cleavage, but isn't slutty enough to reveal too much of anything, and the length shows her legs off. Also, the makeup she's wearing suits the dress, which is the overpowering statement. And her haircut here is to die for. I love her long, flowing locks as opposed to her short, choppy ones. She looks young and vibrant. And generally a lot happier here!

One of these days, I will probably get to posting a "Dress like" post of Vanessa Hudgens. But for now, bask in the fashion and hopefully Vanessa looks at old pictures of herself and realizes that maybe fashion isn't the correct mode to channel all that negative breakup energy into. ;) 

Maybe instead of younger guys, she should look for a Jake Gyllenhaal type to date. That's a definite upgrade ;)

XO