Second City Style Fashion Blog - Style, Luxury, Beauty & Shopping

Haute Historian. A Hurt So Good

Bonnie J Brown for Second City Style Magazine

Warning! Ladies, there is an article on nymag.com and circling the net spouting the negative effects shoes have on our delicate little footsies. You Walk Wrong Adam Sternbergh, claims that wearing shoes disrupts our gait and ruins the millions of years of perfection our feet have developed. Let me say, reading the article was a complete waste of time on my part; for one, because Sternbergh doesn’t even suggest we go barefoot (a concept that never truly entered my mind until now, but the only real cure for this malady) and two, the shoes he suggests to wear are, in all aspects, cringe-worthy! Sternbergh did make the point, however, that it doesn’t matter what type of shoes we wear; from stilettos to flip-flops and pumps to tennis shoes, all shoes are ruining our feet. So, from one shoe lover to the next I suggest you wear only the most gorgeous of shoes, no matter how excruciating...you’re feet may hate you, but isn’t a little pain worth it?

Since we’re agreed that a beautiful pair of shoes is well worth a little pain, I would like to share with you a secret…I stalk Christian Louboutin shoes. While I currently can't even afford one shoe, let alone a pair and I’m not sure I can even pronounce his name correctly, I search the net looking for his latest styles and visit Neiman Marcus on a regular basis just to hold a pair in my hand and view the exquisite detail up close. And no, I am not ashamed to admit it.

If you’re unsure who I am talking about, Louboutin’s creations are instantly recognizable by their red-lacquered soles, their, more often than not, four inch heels, their beautiful hand-crafted details, and their $1,000 price tag. It’s very likely the shoes you wear are Louboutin knock-offs, since fashion designers such as Chloe, Alexander McQueen and Jean-Paul Gaultier have used his shoes in their fashion shows, bringing the artistic footwear even further into the lime light.

Read more "A Hurt So Good" here

Haute Historian. “It-Girl” Turned Fashion Icon

Bonnie J Brown for Second City Style Magazine

What makes an “it-girl?” I’m not talking about your everyday, run of the mill celebrity here. I’m talking about the “it-girl” whom all of us strive to emulate, the girl we stand in the extra-long grocery aisle just to read up on in our favorite rag magazine and still end up buying because we can’t put it down. Wikipedia defines her as a “charming, sexy, young woman who receives intense media coverage unrelated or disproportional to personal achievements.” But what brings on this immense amount of attention and makes her so different from all the other charming, sexy, young woman we know? It could be the guy she’s dating is a hottie and we want to see pics of him (but not likely), or it could be the fabulous events she’s attending and who she’s mingling with; but for me and, I think, for most women and girls alike, we look to see what she is wearing. Whether it’s the gorgeous dress she’s donning on the red carpet or the jeans she’s sporting while sipping coffee, we HAVE to see. And yes, it is all very materialistic and slightly embarrassing to admit, but we’re addicted and can’t get enough!

It would be easy for me to pick a modern-day “it-girl,” like Jessica Alba, Scarlett Johansen, etc. and dissect her wardrobe, but why? Why indeed, when they all pale in comparison to Audrey Hepburn, one of the first and most popular of all “it-girls.” And it is no wonder that she has this title and is still considered one of our favorites, since her personal stylist, per say, was none other than Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy; a.k.a., Givenchy. Most likely every movie Hepburn starred in is a movie she wore Givenchy from start to finish. Movies like Sabrina, How to Steal a Million and yes, even her most famous movie of all...Breakfast at Tiffany’s, were all films where she wore Givenchy designs. He is even mentioned in the opening credits of Charade as outfitting Audrey Hepburn’s wardrobe. But it is in the film Funny Face where I instantly fell in love with Audrey Hepburn and vowed to only wear black skinny pants and a boat-neck top paired with ballet flats. This look was created by Givenchy and worn the world over, still.

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Haute Historian. Oh, How Romantic!

Bonnie J Brown for Second City Style Magazine

For those who aren’t yet aware, the top fashions and trends of the 1980’s have already emerged or are reemerging on the fashion runways once again. The floral fads, the neon colors, the mini skirts, and the masculine take on women’s fashions all can be seen in any fashion magazine you care to flip through and, if you aren’t already wearing them, you’ll definitely be sporting these fashions come summer, no matter how much you profess otherwise right now. However, there is one 80’s fashion fad that has thus far been over looked, that being the New Romantics.

The New Romantics, named so after the Romantic era of the late 18th century, materialized during the early 1980’s in Britain night clubs and was a revolt against Punk, the anti-fashion. The New Romantics wore flamboyant and ultra-glamorous garments made of bright colors, luxurious fabrics and decorated with accents of braided rope and bold hardware, giving them an almost costume-like appearance. Wearers of New Romantics style longed to recreate the golden age of Hollywood fashion and glamour.

Read more "Oh, How Romantic!" here.

Haute Historian. Fashion’s Club

Bonnie J. Brown for Second City Style Magazine

There are book clubs, glee clubs, chess clubs, country clubs, men’s clubs, even math clubs. For every niche out there, there is a club to go along with it. When it comes to fashion, however, the club every fashion elitist wants entre into is the world of haute couture. Yet, unlike your regular run of the mill club, a driving interest isn’t the only thing you’re going to need to get in; you’ll also need a pocket book big enough to get you access to the front row of fashion. In order for you to be a “club member” you have to be the owner of couture pieces, like those of Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel or of John Galliano for Christian Dior. With dresses costing millions of dollars and requiring an average of 150 hours of working the materials, haute couture has never been clothing, but wearable art.

It’s true, haute couture isn’t what it used to be. In its prime Christian Dior was Dior and Coco Chanel was Chanel. Couture employed more than 46,000 people and 100 fashion houses were considered to design haute couture. Read more here...

Haute Historian. The Garment that Made a Fashion Designer. Second City Style Fashion Blog

Bonnie J Brown for Second City Style Magazine

2007, the year of the bra, is coming to a close! Whether you’ve been celebrating it all year, or this is the first you’re hearing about it, it is important to note that 2007 is the 100 year anniversary of the brassiere. While there had been bra styles a-plenty long before the term was bandied about, it was in 1907 when Vogue magazine featured the very first advertisement for the modern day brassiere. Mind you, the term “modern day” is used in only the loosest of forms here; if you have ever found yourself (or someone close to you) struggling to clasp or unclasp the contraption we call a bra, just imagine how difficult it would have been to get out of the “proto-bra” designed by Mortimer Clarke, the multiple straps held everything in place, including your skirt. While the garment has changed drastically over the years (thankfully so) the purpose remains the same...lift and separate. So, in the weeks before the year of the bra is over, what better way to celebrate every woman’s favorite and least favorite garment than to look back at the designer who took the bra from under the blouse and put it on the runway; none other than couture classic...Jean Paul Gaultier. Read more here...

Haute Historian. Popular Inspirations. Second City Style Fashion Blog

Bonnie J Brown for Second City Style Magazine

Inspiration. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines inspiration “as a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation.” It also says to be inspired is to be “outstanding or brilliant in a way or to a degree suggestive of divine inspiration.” With these definitions you would think that only an elite number of people would have this ability to be inspired. However, everyone can and is inspired at some point in their lives; you just have to be open to your surroundings and willing to trust your instincts. 

Artists, more often then not, allow themselves to be inspired more than anyone. They look for inspiration in their everyday lives; the color of the sky at sunset could inspire them to paint a mural; the shape of a petal could lead them to create a sculpture. Fashion designers, like artists, often look for inspiration when designing their next fashion line. In the 1960’s, it just so happened, that fashion was inspired by the popular art of the day. Propaganda Art, Popular Art and eventual Pop Art was more often than not an image that was, believe it or not, popular in everyday society. That image was then repeated over and over again over, no wonder it was popular. Read more here...

Haute Historian. Coco Chanel’s Designed Lifestyle. Second City Style Fashion Blog

Bonnie Brown for Second City Style Fashion Magazine

Coco Chanel. Seamstress. Fashion designer. Fashion icon. Life-stylist?

Whether you live or die by Coco Chanel’s fashion mantras (there are so many, how can you possibly keep track) or couldn’t care any less about her or her fashion legacy, one thing is certain: Coco Chanel made an impact on the fashion world that can still be seen on every woman out on the streets this very day. True, her fashion line continues today under the guiding hands of Karl Lagerfeld who designs for Chanel as if embodied by Coco herself; Lagerfeld seems to capture the straight lines, black and white motifs and casual elegance that Chanel emphasized in her designs and they still look as modern today as they did in 1926. However, it is not the House of Chanel alone that carries on the Chanel image, for Chanel’s fashions go much deeper than clothing alone. Prior to Chanel, clothing was fashion, yet, Chanel was able to transform fashion into a lifestyle.

During Chanel’s own life, she wasn’t afraid of telling people she was 10 years younger than she really was or becoming a mistress – multiple times over. In fact it was probably these traits that helped her open her own millinery shop and eventually create such popularity for herself that she was able to move on to fashion. Read more here...

Haute Historian. RL: An American Classic. Second City Style Fashion Blog

Bonnie Brown for Second City Style Magazine

Now that fall has officially arrived and all my flirty little summer skirts and dresses are packed away, I like to move away from the ultra-feminine look I don for the warmer months and instead adopt the famous “Annie Hall” look. While I hate to admit that I am not a Woody Allen fan, I have always loved the look Diane Keaton sported in his film. The wide-leg baggy trousers and button-down shirt topped with a vest just seems like the perfect look for the cool months of fall. It’s a wonder, however, how surprised I was to find that one of my favorite designers, a.k.a., Ralph Lauren, worked with the costume director for that very same movie.

Ralph Lauren is the epitome of American fashion, past, present and future (if I have anything to say about it.) He captures the essence of the American lifestyle that is Polo, but more than that, his Black Label portrays an aura of confidence every man and woman adopts when wearing one of his pieces. Read more here...

Haute Historian. Emilio Pucci – “Prince of Prints” Second City Style Fashion Blog

Bonnie Brown for Second City Style Magazine

Emilio Pucci was a forerunner for today’s fashions. While well known today for his vibrant and swirling patterned scarves, in the 1960’s Pucci was able to capture the jet-set lifestyle the new modern woman was enjoying. His plan was not only to liberate women but to give them freedom and movement. A part of this freedom came from the colorful and constantly changing patterns he created. His inspiration came from the landscapes of the Mediterranean and other exotic cultures. Known as the “prince of prints” by the international fashion press, Pucci ultimately achieved his goal by creating clothing that was light-weight, wrinkle-free and easy to wear. So easy to wear that fashion columnist, Diana Vreeland, was quoted as saying “it is like wearing nothing at all.” Read more here...

Haute Historian. Glamorous Dames of Society. Second City Style Fashion Blog

Bonnie Brown for Second City Style Magazine

Long before the radio air waves blasted out Fergie’s anthem of living a glamorous lifestyle and much longer before Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie became the infamous non-celebrity-celebrities they are today, there was a different type of socialite who captured the attentions of the populous. Like today, these women came from the upper crust of society; their families were in banking, shipping or the hotel industry and had the bluest blood in all of America.

Prior to the era when supermodels ruled the world (if in fact they ever did,) the American socialite graced the pages of every fashion magazine, including Harper’s Bazaar and the forever popular, Vogue. These women were photographed wearing the most sumptuous clothing imaginable; whether they were attending the most popular and extravagant parties, relaxing on their yachts or even having a cup of tea in their very own home. They were photographed not necessarily because they were beautiful, but for the sole purpose that they were the only women who could afford to wear the most fashionable clothing of the time. Read more here...