Fashion Week Olympics - Which city wins gold?

Fashion month is the jam-packed time a few times per year where hundreds of designers present their runway shows in one of several international cities. Though many countries host their own fashion week in order to showcase offerings from native designers, the four main venues that host well-known talent are New York, London, Milan, and Paris. As pictures, reviews, and videos of the designs, backstage commotion, and front rows of every show are delivered instantaneously to eager, global audiences, this month can be as exhausting as it is exhilarating. I, for one, was guilty of experiencing anxiety when I wasn't able to check my phone or computer for hours while at work, as I knew that style.com and New York Magazine's The Cut would have already posted  several new blog articles and runway pictures and I was dying to scroll through the new content.

The fun part about checking out fashion week pictures is being able to play judge and jury, similar to the way audiences decree which films look worthy enough to see when viewing previews at a movie theater. More and more websites are foregoing the act of waiting to post runway pictures until an accompanying review is able to be displayed alongside it. Instead, live streamed videos and pictures are posted alongside a small blip which reveals that the review will be posted later (after a writer has had time to write it). Everyone wants to see things nownownownow, which means that we can no longer wait for a style writer to compose a stream of sentences to sum up the feel and look of a designer's collection before we actually see pictures and make our own opinions. And I'll admit that when a slew of new shows roll in, my scrolling finger gets its fair share of exercise as I vie to see every.single.look from every.single.show two.times.through.

As the shows roll in and we see trends popping up, it's fun to compare designer's seasonal aesthetics against each other.

Which designer's use of lace was preferred? 
Whose equestrian-chic undertone was most appealing?
Which grunge throwback was most appreciated?

And so on.

Here are a few trends with offerings presented from various designers, with various cities; designers being compared. In this international fashion match-up, who gets your vote for each trend?


1. Best Little White Dress (LWD)

New York: Robert Rodriguez via Style

London: Temperley London via The Cut\

Milan: Blugirl via The Cut

Paris: Elie Saab via The Cut

2. Best Menswear

New York: DKNY via The Cut

Milan: Salvatore Ferragamo via The Cut

Paris: Saint Lauren via The Cut

3. Best Mod

New York: Kate Spade via The Cut 

Milan: Moschino via The Cut

Paris: Louis Vuitton via Style

4. Best Print

New York: Mara Hoffman via The Cut

London: Erdem via Style

Milan: Mila Schon via The Cut

Paris: Christophe Lemaire via Style

5. Best shoes

New York: Narciso Rodriguez via The Cut

London: Tom Ford via The Cut

Milan: Versace via The Cut

Paris: Elie Saab via The Cut

6. Best peplum

New York: Christian Siriano via The Cut

London: Peter Pilotto via The Cut

Milan: John Richmond via The Cut

Paris: Giambattista Valli via The Cut 

7. Best blazer

New York: Donna Karan via The Cut

London: Antonio Berardi via Style

Milan: Just Cavalli via Style

Paris: Paul and Joe via The Cut

8. Best glitz

New York: Marchesa via Style

London: Giles via Style

Paris: Talbot Runhof via The Cut

9. Best gown

New York: Zac Posen via The Cut

London: Antonio Berardi via Style

Paris: Elie Saab via Style

Fashion Instagram accounts to follow

I wasn't sure how to use Instagram when I first downloaded the app; I thought that it's purpose was to lend an artsy tungsten/sepia-tinged hue to photos that I could then share with Twitter followers.

I was wrong. Once I got the grasp of using Instagram, I started finding and following people that posted photos of the things I found particularly inspirational and interesting, namely: fashion, makeup/beauty, architecture and food.

This post is centered on fashion-centric Instagrammers, so perhaps this compilation of the cool photo-takers that I follow will inspire you as well!


Fashion Instagrammers

• @songofstyle - I followed Aimee's blog, songofstyle.blogspot.com, for quite a while before I discovered she also had an Instagram account. While I read her blog for both the photos and the written content, her Instagram account provides stunning visuals for those times when you are scrolling through your phone and don't have time to get to her blog.

 A few of her photos:

• @cheetahisnb - Alicia, like Aimee, also has a consistently updated, fabulous blog called cheetahisthenewblack.com. Though her Instagram photos contain lovely doses of fashion-centric photos, Alicia also peppers in pictures of her everyday travels, like the occasional cup of tea, nail polish sets or architecture, for example. 

A few of her photos:

• @emilyschuman - From the author of cupcakesandcashmere.com comes photo after photo of delightful treats. Whether in the form of a glitzy manicure, new ballet flats, a striking sunset or any other pretty package, Emily's photos always add an element of glam to my day.

A few of her photos:

• @Inslee -  As a fashion illustrator who creates and sells custom stationery at inslee.net, she keeps her viewers updated with daily photos of her day-to-day affairs, which I am jealous to say always look very, very chic and uber-stylish. I love it when I see one of her newest sketches (some of which are just casual drawings, some of which are commissioned by individuals and others which have been requested by major retailers) pop up on my Instagram feed! It's immediate happiness. One of these days I will pay to have my very own Inslee drawing done, but until then, I'll just live vicariously through the lovely Instagram photos she posts. 

A few of her photos:

• @laceperspective - Lacey keeps up the blog alaceyperspective.com, and her Instagram is full of dogs, dresses, ice cream, beer, jewelry, handbags and bright colors. To sum it up, you might not know for sure what you're going to get when you check her photo feed, but you'll never be disappointed. 

A few of her photos:

• @saucyglossie - You can follow Lindsey's fashion narrative at her saucyglossie.com website where she has mastered the art of pairing high-end and bargain-priced items together to create effortless-looking ensembles that any girl would be able to afford and wear. I can appreciate that. Her Instagram account bounces around from self-portrait outfit posts to city views and shots of the never-fail pairings that she creates with her jewelry and accessories. Definitely one to watch. 

A few of her photos:

• @purseblog - Contrary to the username, this account will give you colorful views every few hours of a far-ranging docket of lovely images, from macarons to the NYC skyline to fresh fruit plates to purses (see, there are purses featured sometimes). This is the girly-girl's constantly-changing aspirational moodboard. 

A few of the photos:

• @fromthefrontrow - Leah Bourne is a fashion writer in NYC, and though she doesn't post extremely often, the images she captures are like photographic gold. Whether seeing her posted photos of designer seasonal collections before the mass public has been given the opportunity to view them (as was the case for the latest Banana Republic, Target and Alice and Olivia lines) snapping photos backstage at runway shows or just sending little photograms of amazing accessories, this account gives you a lot to love. 

A few of her photos:

• @russhmagazine - An indie magazine with a focus on fashion, beauty and the arts, Russh's account will fling you from pictures of pastel-haired models backstage at a Chanel show to classic movie stills to runways photos and back. Might as well tag along for the wild ride. 

A few of the photos:

• @lifeisbananas15 -  Creator of littlemayra.blogspot.com, Mayra updates at least once a day, and fuses her love of sports, healthy food and great shoes into a hopping Instagram account. When she posts food pictures, I immediately want the recipe and when she wears cool shoes, I want to know who designed them so I can grab a pair for myself. And when she attends sports events, I wish my own local teams were worth watching and getting as excited about.

A few of the photos: