Sep 13, 2012

70 Degrees and Sunny

Madeline Beard Fashion fall, fashion, NYFW, seasonal transitions 4 Comments

There is nothing quite like the beginning of autumn to make my heart flutter. The first mention of a day dipping below 80 degrees sends me into a state of euphoria, unearthing every chunky knit sweater I own and layering riding boots on leg warmers on leggings, even if we’re not completely out of the hot summer season. Clearly, seasonal transitions can be challenging for the over enthusiastic. During my New York trip, I got to work with a couple fashionable ladies who effortlessly tackled the changing seasons.

Meet Celia, founder of Autumn PR:

Celia paired neutrals with neons on our second day of appointments in the city. While it was still muggy and humid outside, Celia pulled her brown leather shorts and black Celine bag to bring the ensemble out of summer and into fall.

Meet Annina, the blogger behind Cinched at the Waist:

Annina is a Houston-based blogger who was in New York for the IFB Conference as well as to help out with the collection. I fell in love with her pairing of a silk, patterned tank with a high-low hemmed color blocked skirt (both from the CrOp fall collection!) and super chunky leather wedges. The whole outfit was gorgeous but I especially loved Annina’s floral Celine tote. I am so looking forward to this kind of subtle pattern-matching for the fall.

Even after a week of being back in DC, I still find myself constantly reminiscing about my time in New York– tomorrow I will post some final photos from the trip, including a look at David’s S/S ’13 collection. Until then, I will be sporting my fishtail braid and black riding boots, a la Katniss Everdeen.

♥

Sep 10, 2012

Cat Lady Chic

Madeline Beard Fashion cats, fashion, tshirts 4 Comments

Last week in New York, ~~(after some serious begging ensued)~~ I had the great fortune of being gifted this shirt:

I really can’t explain my fascination with bizarre, quirky pieces, but I have quite the collection of clothes that most people would look at and think Who in their right mind would wear that??. When I saw this cat shirt it was love at first sight. I immediately started thinking of all of the outfits I could pair it with — the shirt is a great way to offset a look that is too buttoned up. Yesterday was the first time I wore it out in public, and of course I got a few stares, but that’s half of the fun of wearing something so obviously playful. A lot of times, I am best at pushing myself outside of my fashion comfort zone — it feels the most natural to me and it is one of my favorite forms of self-expression.

Business on the bottom…

… party on the top.

Is my t-shirt the biggest fashion faux pas (or should I say, faux paw) you’ve ever seen, or do you get the humor of it? I like wearing things that can generate this sort of debate. Also, a big thank you to Tania Matsuoka who took these great photos!

♥

Sep 7, 2012

Fashion Friday: New York Adventure (Part I)

Madeline Beard Fashion David Peck, fashion, New York City, NYFW 4 Comments

So before I delve into the details of my New York trip from this past week, I wanted to share a crazy realization I had last night… In a few weeks time, it will no longer be completely appropriate to dress like a kid perpetually bound for one of the summer’s many music festivals. With this thought in mind, I decided today I needed to fully embrace the last of summertime dressing. If today’s outfit had a name, I’d probably call it “Coachella Child”.

A little out of focus, but you get the gist. The flower crown I’m wearing is from my trip to the Georgetown Flea Market a few weeks back… I may have to go back and buy about three more, but enough of this flower child chit chat, time for the important stuff: my trip to the Big Apple.

In a word it was amazing. I got to assist the designer David Peck in the preview of his spring/summer 2013 collection to dozens of fashion editors, bloggers and buyers. I got this opportunity through Celia, the founder of Autumn PR, a beauty and fashion PR firm based in New York City. I originally met Celia when she interviewed me for a summer internship last semester. While I was unable to accept the internship, I told her I would keep in touch, and contacted her a few weeks before fashion week to see if she would need any assistance. Lucky for me, she did, and next thing I knew I was on a bus headed to New York City. The collection preview happened inside a gorgeous suite at the Ace Hotel — hopefully I will have the chance to go back as a guest some day, the space was truly incredible. I am breaking up my New York trip into two parts on SLB because I can’t show any photos from David’s new collection until the Lookbook is released next week… so keep an eye out for next week’s Fashion Friday post for the second installment! Until then, here are photos from my other adventures in the city: