Opinions on Knock-Offs

Today I bought a fabulous Celine knock-off bag ($15!!) from my local thrift shop, and I absolutely love it. Those wildly popular Celine bags with the triangular side flaps are seriously sent from heaven.

The beautiful and heavily
counterfeited Celine bag I purchased
a knock-off of today

However, I (and a convo with Zachary...thanks mah bestie!) couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Should I really be supporting these people who are just human copy machines or should I save money to buy the real thing and support the amazing artistry and work involved in the development of these bags?

To be honest, I'm not sure what my opinion is on this subject. While I love (I mean love) the beautiful  designer quality and creativity we've come to expect from these top of the line names, I know that I won't ever be able to afford these beauties any time in the foreseeable future. H&M and Forever 21 are my kind of prices, with American Apparel and Zara being my stop for splurging. Honestly, my knock-off Prada baroque sunnies that I love so much are not all that different from my friend's real ones (Hers say Prada on the side and are made of a stronger, more matte plastic, if you were wondering), other than the fact I paid $14 and she paid $300. On the other hand, supporting quality, creativity, and craftsmanship is something I'm always open to doing, especially when I know that these pieces were handmade by skilled and passionate people as opposed to impoverished and poorly treated workers in sweatshops.

Trends from NYFW

Even though NYFW is over and LFW is gaining momentum, I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on this season's biggest trends on the runways of Lincoln Center. While I couldn't include all of the amazing designers and trends that went on during fashion week (will try to do better LFW coverage), this is just a quick sampling of the trends that we will be seeing this year. I love seeing how designers influence each other, sometimes even in subconscious ways. So many of these examples could fit into multiple categories, and it's fun to see how many trends and creative impulses can be incorporated into one look.

I hope you like these...get ready for some winter inspiration! (and yet another long runway post)

1. Pastels and White

Narciso Rodriguez

Best Dressed at the Grammy's 2014

For the past 56 years, the Grammy's was the event where the music industry got to show their amazing fashion and beyond beautiful gowns. It was at the Grammy's that the world realized that the best musicians can rival the best actors and actresses of Hollywood, stunning in couture gowns from Giorgio Armani to Elie Saab to Naeem Kahn.

However, this year was an exception.

There was an outstanding number of ghastly or just plain underwhelming dresses, leaving the best dressed list surprisingly barren. Of course, there were still the stunners as I mentioned before, but they were just a bit harder to find.

And now, in no particular order, the best dressed of the 56th annual Grammy Awards!


1. Beyonce Knowles in Michael Costello