In this Issue No. 14 - Summer dress inspiration

 It's summertime and the living's easy.

 

At least this is what I will trick myself into believing, if only due to the fact that it's warm enough now that I can prance around in pretty dresses and girly skirts, acting like I have nary a care in the world.

My ode to summer is less a poem and more of a visual display of the dresses and skirts that I have seen (and bemoaned that I didn't have the money to buy) in pages of magazines past, that I still adore to this day.  Ahem, and to start:

1.  Seriously the prettiest dress ever. If it were still available, I'd snatch it up in a hot minute.

 (Lucky, June 2010)

2. Pink Plenty! By Tracy Reese dress, top right. I love the illustrated flowers and the flare of the dirndl skirt. Perfect to wear to a wedding.

 Allure, February 2008

3. That skirt can be worn with anything. Dress it up, pair it down. At the office, out for drinks. Tomayto, Tomahto.

 Lucky, date unknown

4. I love how relaxed, yet put-together the model looks. This photo shows that there is no reason why comfort and languid ease must be encapsulated only by the constantly perpetuated vision of t-shirts and sweatpants.

5. I love the duality of this dress; it can act both as a beach cover-up or a dress to wear out on the town - provided that dress has killer accessories to liven it up (see: headband, earrings).

 Lucky, June 2010

6. Again, with the full skirt. Love 'em. They make your legs look soooo loooong.

 Glamour, date unknown

7. It's no big secret that I'm attracted to bright colors like bugs are to a light, so this tangerine, coral and fuchsia combination makes me giddy every time I look at this picture. The excess displayed here - in colors, jewelry, volume of hair, pose - I love it all.

 Elle, date unknown

8. I remember when this Gucci outfit made the rounds in almost every magazine and on several celebrities, such was its appeal, and I willingly jumped on the bandwagon. It has an equal mix of high culture meets low-brow, as can be seen where the pairing of expensive fabrics and masterful tailoring meet gratuitous decollete on display.

 Cosmopolitan, April 2011

 

9. Much like the Gucci dress from above, when this skirt hit the scene, you couldn't throw a rock without hitting someone that was wearing it, or see an editorial without it being featured. Tilda Swinton wore the pale yellow version to the Golden Globes and Kate Bosworth wore the light green runway version to an event. I love the rich orange hue, as seen featured below.

 Glamour, March 2011

10. I hadn't heard of the brand Saloni before read the credits for this fun, brightly patterned dress, but I soon became a fan after I noticed that all of the brand's designs are as eye-catching as this one.

 Vogue, June 2011

11. I'm probably beating a dead horse at this point, but having just discovered my affinity for yellow, I became obsessed with finding a skirt that looks like this. Don't worry, I've already created seven or eight outfits in my mind that incorporate this skirt.

 Marie Claire, November 2010

12. Another take on the Gucci dress featured in No. 8. I love that the voluminous curls and hoops lend a certain vivaciousness to the bold colors of the dress. It wouldn't do to have a meek personality while trying to rock such a style. You can't let your clothes wear you; it has to be a partnership. *Side note: Those shoes. Those. Shoes.

13. I'm talking about the white babydoll dress on right. You know the rule that states, "Show legs or chest, but not both at the same time,"? Playing on that idea, since the bodice is so austere, I'd match this dress with some serious heels, be they wedges, stilettos, platforms, booties.

 

Nylon, January 2012

14. It's obvious at this point in the list that I like the tiny-waisted, flared skirts. The cap sleeves and v-neck combo is what drew me to this look, though, as it's a combination that's very flattering and yet I don't see it on many pieces. I love the barest trace of the ikat print near the waist.

Real Simple, September 2010

15. Though I wouldn't bust this gorgeous dress out for a summer party, this outfit makes me immediately envision myself to be in 18th century France, sipping tea, eating pastries and playing croquet (Did the French play croquet or sip tea in the 18th century? I might have to read up and change my daydream accordingly).

Vogue, 2006 (Total guesstimate)

In this Issue No. 12 - The Glopstil

I have a love/hate affair with "all the rage" products spreads like this Elle "It List" monthly feature. This is because even when I am casually and noncommittally perusing a magazine, these sorts of lists always - and I do mean always - halt me in my tracks and make me actually pay close attention to what I see on the pages. These pages that claim to play host to the latest and greatest products arriving (or just having arrived) on the market (perfumes, eye creams, nail polish, oh my!) suck me in with their dazzling, artistically displayed wares. And then, even after I've attempted to languidly start flipping through the magazine again, I've lost my rhythm due to one - or sometimes a myriad of - the items that continue to taunt me from the "It List' page. Instead of accepting the fact that there will always be a steady stream of new things coming out to tantalize consumers, it's like I unintentionally create mission for myself to discern whether a new product is actually better than anything I have at home on my own vanity. Because I'm always on the lookout for those Holy Grail items, you see.

Elle magazine's March 2011 issue, which I picked up to reread, featured in its "It List" two Clinique Chubby Sticks (and can we take a moment to appreciate the way I penciled in a tiny, self-defeated arrow at the products because as much as I regret admitting it, I was sucked in). These were vibrantly hued lipcolor hybrids - a lip gloss, pencil and lipstick in one well-rounded, glossy package. They were glopstils, lipstlosses, penglosticks...these hybrids possessed no common moniker as of yet. And look! There was also a self-dispensing turnstile attached to the bottom of the stick that released more product when it wore down from use. I wanted from the spread the pink Chubby Stick that was halfway hidden behind Mr. Red displayed prominently in front of it. 

It was brilliant. It was shiny. It was glossy, colorful, moisturizing (I'm sure it would be, anyway), convenient and pretty. I had to have it.

However, even after moseying to the nearest Clinique counter to check out there selection, I could never find quite what I was looking for. Sure, the moisturizing, glossy element was there, but none of the colors looked quite natural against my skin. They looked a bit garish, in fact. Somewhat disappointed, I left the store.

But don't worry, it gets better.

A few days later as I was browsing (casually, noncommittally - remember?) through a Sephora catalogue, it happened again. Another spread caught my eye, one in which a half dozen red lip products were displayed atop a millieu of women all of whom each embodied exceedingly different facial features. And yet, these various women were all wearing red lipstick as though to assert, "Hey you, reader! Yes, even you can pull off a bright red lip because you, no doubt, look a little bit like at least one of us on this page, and we're all pulling off the red lips with aplomb. No excuses from you, now! Go buy!"

After I weighed the pros and cons of a stark red lip, I noticed that the product listed fourth on the page reminded me of the Clinique Chubby Stick. It was Tarte's LipSurgence natural lip luster. It was a new glopstil (I'm keeping that word)!

After checking out the shades at Sephora, I went with a glimmery pink glitter-infused color called Adored. After performing the, "Does this make me look like a 12-year-old because of the sparkles and the pink?" check and passing with flying colors, I knew it was a go.

In this Issue No. 1 - Vogue

This post - and ensuing series of posts titled 'In this Issue' - revolves around my love affair with magazines.

I'm not a pack rat and I like my living spaces to be tidy, but I cannot part with past issues of my favorite pubs. Whenever I browse through my archives and reread an issue, I'll inevitably find an article, photo, product, style collage, advertisement, etc. that catches my eye and inspires me in a way differently than when I first got the magazine. I've torn out pages and tacked them onto my inspo (read: inspiration) board above my desk, kept pictures in my planner for constant reference (style photos and quotes most often get this treatment), used them whilst trying out a new makeup look and more. From well-written articles to adeptly organized trend sets to intriguing book, show and movie reviews, a magazine is a medium overflowing with well-curated information on a variety of interests and topics.

'In this Issue' is where I'll post the pages I've plucked from magazines and tell how and why they've inspired me.

No. 1: This September 2004 Vogue issue had a tri-fold cover that featured six of the world's top models of the time, including: Daria Werbowy, Natalia Vodianova, Gisele Bundchen, Isabeli Fontana, Karolina Kurkova, Liya Kebede, Hana Soukapova, Gemma Ward and Karen Elson. It was (at the time) the biggest issue to date, and gathered extra acclaim because it featured models on the cover when usually only celebrities received face time. This cover stands out to me because I had become intrigued by, infatuated over and then mildly obsessed with fashion and beauty by the time I was a freshman in high school. When this cover appeared at the start of my sophomore year, I remember picking it up while on vacation and rereading the issue until the spine came unglued. And the obsession with magazines, fashion and beauty has yet to subside.