Military glam: splurge vs. steal

Preparing for the OLIVAROSE Summer 2010 fashion show! The date is set for Friday, May 7th at 7 PM at the Fairhaven High School Performing Arts Center (again). I am so pumped, but I still have quite a lot of sewing to do!!! I already have made so many rosettes that I want to punch something! (I won't, don't worry (: )






So for my piece today, and for the next couple of blogs, I'm going to put together some rad Spring/Summer 2010 outfits for you in splurge and steal form! We'll return to FW10/11 shows in a little while when it gets chillier and people aside from fashion bloggers and magazine execs care. (:



Let's take a look at the military chic trend!! This is my personal favorite of the season, continuing many ideas started in the Fall Winter 2009/10. Look for studs, camo green (please avoid actual camo, for my sake), leather, and even bullet holes! If you're rolling in dough, go for this:



MARC JACOBS Twill military jacket, $2,200



BALMAIN Slashed army t-shirt, $1,625


BALMAIN Chain-insert cotton cargo pants, $4,705


GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI Peep-toe canvas boots, $875


SONIA BY SONIA RYKIEL Studded canvas messenger bag, $315


HTC Pyramids studded leather belt, $405


DANNIJO Celia gold-plated necklace, $345



And now, THE STEALS! :



AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS Soft military jacket, $49.50


LNA Ripped tee, $47


CHELSEA & VIOLET Skinny cargo pants, $118


QUPID Luxe Akeisha lace up bootie, $40.90


MARY KATE Studded messenger, $49.95


HOT TOPIC Copper pyramid stud brown non-leather belt, $24


TORRID Silver gold and brass knotted chain necklace, $16





Enjoy your military look for less! Now, tschuß Leute! xo

More of FW10/11

Preparing my Parsons application is absolutely crazy. The famous "Parsons Challenge" is basically to have 3 epiphanies and to visualize them in an image/other piece of art. This is my first. Inspired by my car accident a year ago, I had Jack photograph me with the car in my Alice and Audrey dresses from the OLIVAROSE FW09/10 Collection. The emphasis was on the contrast between the 2 dresses; I also did different hair, make-up, and shoes. Realllly fun shooting in 35 degree weather with people driving by staring (: The photoshopped results look rad though!! Just 2 more to go...


Okay, more Fall Winter 10/11 critiques:




BEST: BALMAIN. Thank you Balmain for bringing back metallics, shoulder pads, fur, sequins, and everything else I adore. Totally glam, sophisticated, and edgy as usual. A plus: the dresses are long-sleeves so you can stay warm without having to purchase a matching jacket. (:





WORST: ETRO. I am a big fan of Etro's runway, especially last Spring. This, however, is not good. The model's all look about 20+ pounds heavier, and the cuts and colors are just awful. The first 2 looks are cute, and some others are on the right track. However, overall, this is an overload of Granny's wardrobe.



Tschüs für jetzt, Leute!

The Good and Bad of FW10/11

So the sen10rs shirts totally selling! Yay! (: I spend my Sundays painting and my Monday tagging, it's quite the life. But I enjoy it, I get to jam to techno while I work and such. So hopefully even MORE people will order tshirts to support the senior class and ORAD at the same time!


So Fall/Winter 2010/11 Fashion Week....some things have changed, some things haven't. I haven't watched everything yet, but here's one awesome show and one bad show:









VERSACE. I loved that Versace brought on the leather and fur for yet another fall winter season!! I filled my wardrobe with leather as many of my classmates know (:D) so I'm glad that I can recycle these outfits! The gowns were really cool too, pairing blue and yellow. Truly electric! The cut-outs and major slits truly payed homage to Gianni. My favorite look: the red and blue metallic bustier dresses at 5:50.




MARC JACOBS. Am I 80 years old? No. Then why would I ever want to buy these clothes?! They even make the models look old! Frumpy shapes and cuts, tacky patterns, youth-sucking colors. With the exception of a few dresses towards the end, I absolutely hate!! Marc's last fall season was all about 80s and neon colors, and now he is all about dowdy? What happened?! The biggest WTF moment (aside from the bad music): Freja's cat lady jacket and ill-fitted slacks in a slightly different shade of gray at 2:48.




That's enough for now! Tschus Leute!!

A Tribute to the Sen10rs and to Mr. McQueen

And here are the results from the much-anticipated Sen10rs photoshoot!! I managed to pull together some rad models and a photographer with the lure of cookies and a free tshirt, and we had a quick photo sesh in the basement of the old building during period 7. The results are awesome, and I've already gotten a lot of orders! If that doesn't include you and you'd like to change that, you can order your custom ORAD Sen10rs tee at the online store at olivarose.storenvy.com , or directly through me by emailing oliva.rose@live.com . There are 3 girls and 3 boys styles, and each tshirt is $10. For each tshirt purchased, $7 goes to the Class of 2010 for prom, class gift, class trip, etc! Order up! (:




And now the main event. Alexander McQueen passed away last Thursday, a shock to the entire fashion world, just weeks before his Fall Winter 2010/11 womenswear Paris show. When I heard this news, I broke down. McQueen is by far my favorite designer, and his shows are literally visual masterpieces. Each season, his inspiration varies greatly, and the clothes (and make-up) are always shocking. Perhaps it's this shock that I love, the fact that McQueen would never conform. From his beginnings at Savile Row writing profanities inside suit linings to his alien models in his last Spring 2010 collection, he has always separated himself from the chic pack by leaps and bounds. Some criticize him for his eccentricity, but I (along with many celebs like Lady Gaga and Camilla Belle) appreciate his embracing of life's wild side. There are many fashion shows that start to bore me a little at the 7 minute mark, but McQueen's have never been on that list. Here are some of my favorite looks from the past years:

Spring Summer 2002

Fall Winter 2003/04

Spring Summer 2005

Fall Winter 2006/07

Spring Summer 2007

Fall Winter 2007/08

Spring Summer 2008




Fall Winter 2009/10


Spring Summer 2010

Will anyone ever be able to express themselves in fashion as much as McQueen did? My guess is no. So farewell, Mr. McQueen, you've most certainly changed the world of fashion and will be sorely missed. Tschüs Leute.

Sen10rs and shoes

I can't wait for this week! Why, you ask? (Or you should be asking.) Because I doing my senior year photoshoot!! I've designed 6 different styles of ORAD tshirts, each reading "Sen10rs" because 2010 is our graduation year. The tshirts sell for $10 each, and $7 of each tee purchased goes towards the Class of 2010 for prom, class trip, class gift, etc. I would say all $10 go to the class, but then I would go broke (: I need 2 seniors girls and 3 senior boys who have Period 7 free to go model in various locales around the school... my art teacher is probably going to kill me for taking everyone out of their classes, but this is kinda important. The results from the shoot will be posted online as soon as they are editted.




Now, with only 18 days until womenswear Fall Fashion Week in NYC, it's time I (try to) embrace this SS10 (despite the fact that I hate it) and give you my opinion on....duh duh duhhh...this season's shoes to buy!!! I may not have liked the clothes much, but designers from Qupid to Alexander McQueen put out some seriously haute footwear! I'm ordering these babies from most affordable to most outrageous, so get ready! (:






Qupid Taupe Faux Leather Stud Peep Toe Ankle Booties, $19.99.

To be worn with leggings, pants, shorts, dresses, anything. These booties have the rock edge that was dominant in the fall, but look awesome in the warmer months because of their nude color. Despite their 5" height, these shoes are incredibly comfortable. Edgy, flattering, and above all, affordable! I have a pair in black, and have these nude ones in the mail :3






Vivienne Westwood Melissa Anglomania Wing, $190.

Can you say OMG adorable?! Westwood has designed a new shoe label called "Melissa," and these are the debut pair, shown in her Red Label show during London fashion week. Another epic fact: in case for some crazy reason you get tired of these shoes, they are 100% recyclable! (: On sale this month. Get in line behind me (;







Ashish for Topshop Leopard Wedges, $300.

I drool whenever I look at these. These are quickly gaining worldwide popularity and can be seen on the feel of about 50% of the fashionistas at lookbook.nu . So outrageous that they're fabulous! Slightly out of my price range sadly ):







Gucci Daryl Platform Sandal, $930.

The geometric cutouts and shapes that make up these heels are fabulous. Their precise, sharp look is incredibly chic, and their 4" inch makes them (somewhat) wearable by more women. They look, and are, quite expensive.






Giuseppe Zanotti Zip Cuffed Jewel Sandals, $1360.

Absolutely show-stopping heels! These initially were designed for Balmain in its SS09 collection, and this spring they have reappeared bearing only Zanotti's label. These shoes are worth the investment for their timeless glamour and sophistication.








Nina Ricci Lace Booties, $1392.

Carrying the ankle bootie trend into the spring, Ricci creates a feminine, lighter version of the previous black hard rocker look. I can't decide what I love more, the lace front and tie, or the curved heel! These come in pink, white, and other pastel hues. It's too bad the price of being cute and girly is this high.







Alexander McQueen various heels, $1000+.

Certainly the most wild shoes of the season. Recognize the pair on the far right? Lady Gaga wore them in her "Bad Romance" video, and the pair in the middle too for that matter! These heels are only for the most daring of fashionistas, as well as the most loaded. Not to mention they can only be purchased upon special request...








Love love love em all (: So get shopping Leute! Tschüs für jetzt (:

Ideas ideas ideas...

Happy Homecoming!!! I finally uploaded all my homecoming pictures, I'm only what 3 months late with that (: They came out wicked cute, especially this one! I'm on the far right in a vintage red gown that I chopped up and sewed back together :D The boy is my brother Jack, with his lovely date/now-girlfriend Laura, both of whom modeled in my fashion show back on 12/1. See if you can ID them, scroll down this page for the video (in LQ still...sorry guys!)


So, I have been inspired this week, but have yet to actually do anything!! Here are some of my crazy ideas and goals:

1. Do a photoshoot for the Flora dress. That's my blue dress, btw. The snow is so gorgeous, and I really just wanna pop on the dress, some heavy make-up, a plastic hair rose, and a pair of stilettos and go sit in it :D After some photoshopping, it should make an excellent new front page for my main site http://olivarose.webs.com

2. Do a photoshoot for the ORAD new fleece sweaters. Instead of tshirts this winter, my principal item of sales is going to me a fleece-lined poofy sweater. I've made mine so far; it's gray with black tie-dye, and I have a heart-shaped cut-out that I backed with white leather. It's uber-cute and so so warm!! I'm thinking of selling them for $12. I think that's pretty reasonable, and if I go any lower, there's no profit XD

3. Design a Sen10rs tshirt and sell it with proceeds towards the FHS Class of '10. As class president, I know that our class needs moolah for prom and after-prom, so this is my little way of contributing. I have a design picked out already, I just need to make a few, do a photoshoot with some seniors, then start advertising. This should be fun and for a great cause.

4. Design an OLIVAROSE Summer 2010 line and put together a show. The first part will happen soon. The second part is pending on funds and attention attracted. The funds could come from ustrendy.com where there is a weekly $100 prize given out for the most-voted design. With some Facebook support, I could totally give the contest a shot. I need to do a good photoshoot with the Flora dress first though (: Money money money $:

So yeah, those are my goals. Yeah. It's a lot. And friggin college applications suck. FML. And my research paper. And my AP calc lab. Ewwwww, so much for Christmas! Since apparently I have work to do, tschüss for now Leute!

Runway 2009, LQ!

Get ready for OLIVAROSE apparel&design's Runway 2009, the first ever runway show produced by my label, showing at Fairhaven High School's annual Miss Blue Devil pageant. (Click play.)



Okay, I know I know, for such an impressive and extensive title that I preceded the video with, you would've expected slightly better quality...The answer is, better quality is coming!! I'm working with Danny, MBD's 2009 producer, on cropping a more-professionally filmed version of my show. No offense to my dad's filming; he has a steady hand and all, he just talked a lot :D And my little pink Kodak takes awful videos. So it's a double whammy. But like I said, HQ is coming!! And I won with this talent, so you know that there's something good under the pixelated layers of bad-quality film ;D


On a side note, OMFG ReSeT! My favorite Italian DJs have some beautiful techno mixes available on their website wearereset.com if any of you care to check it out. This (along with the 20s and urban chic roflll) is the stuff that inspires me the most, so you can get a glimpse of the insane workings of my creative vision (; Also out this week, Timbaland's Shock Value II!! Epic album, I bought it straightaway, I recommend everyone do the same. Wonderful collaborations as always, in particular Timbo and Drake's "Say Something." Love love love it!!


Okay Leute, jetzt muss ich gehen, tschuss!