Creating a Color Story

Color stories are common for apparel collections. A color story is a palette of colors which designers use to identify individual garments as part of a collection for a season or line. Retailers use color stories to organize product and create a visually appealing display. Check out the current shipment of fall apparel for Lauren Ralph Lauren (available at Macy's):

Which colors do you see in this color story? Furthermore, think about why a color story is useful when you are shopping.

Did you know that a season's colors and prints are determined up to two years in advance? Forecasting companies use data research upcoming trends in color and fabric to determine what will be popular for the season they are researching. However, culture (pop culture, street culture, the arts) also has some influence over upcoming trends. Once colors are determined, fabric mills will dye fabric which they will then bring to trade shows for designers to look at and ultimately buy sample yardage for the collection they're working on designing.

Think about it: your favorite mustard yellow sweater from last fall was determined to be a popular color back in fall 2010. Crazy, right?

When I am pulling together an outfit, whether for myself or for a cluster of mannequins, I try to keep an eye out for pieces in a similar color story to create a cohesive outfit without looking monochromatic. Here are two outfits I styled in May of last year which provide a pretty good example of a color story:

In the first photo, my color story was cool with teal and seafoam green, anchored by black. In the second photo, my color story felt nautical (and cool, again) with navy/white stripes, blue, and a pop of yellow to warm up the look a bit. While mixing several colors can be impactful (ie: colorblocking), it's often much easier to stick with one or two main colors and one accent color. One of the reasons designers stick to a color story for a collection is to encourage shoppers to buy multiple pieces at once. Basically, color stories provide a one-stop-shop opportunity for people who might otherwise have a hard time coordinating outfits.

All of this said... I generally like to jam as many colors into an outfit as possible. As easy as color stories can be, in my book, there's nothing wrong with going for gold and dressing as a rainbow!

Packing for a Long Weekend

I can't contain my excitement - on Sunday at 6am, my honey and I are heading to VEGAS! Squeeeeeeeee! We haven't been on vacation for two and a half years, so we are overdue. I'm not really sure what to pack, though. It's supposed to be in the 100s, but it's dry heat.... we had 100s and crazy humidity as recently as last week, so I'm not sure what to expect. For now, my plan is to live in maxi dresses and bikinis, so that will have to do. However, it's always fun to day dream and plan the perfect "mobile closet" for a trip, so I popped over to Rent the Runway to browse the gorgeous pieces I could rent if I had the budget! Here are my top picks, and where I would wear them!

Parker Floral Ruffle Getaway Maxi - Rent it for $50!

This is the dress I would travel in. I always get cold on planes, so having my legs covered is muy importante. However, once I get out of that gloriously air-conditioned airport, I have a feeling a wall of dry heat is going to knock me on my ass, which is why the breeziness of a maxi dress is ideal! Besides, I like to look nice when I travel. And apparently I look sketchy to all TSA agents, because I always get tapped for a friendly feel and the wand, so the lack of hardware on this dress might help keep me out of their poke-and-prod line.

Elizabeth and James Share the Love Dress - Rent it for $75!

Mike doesn't know it yet, but he's taking me to Paris for dinner at Mon Ami Gabi for my beloved Chicken Grandmere. I went to Vegas with a girlfriend five years ago, and we ended up going to Mon Ami Gabi two nights in a row for this meal... I haven't stopped thinking about it. YUM. Anyway, about the dress - I want to show a little skin, and I love my legs, but I'm a firm believer in balancing out that skin with a little extra coverage elsewhere. The neckline and sleeves on this dress are perfect, and the little bit of shimmer on the sleeves makes the dress perfect for dinner and then crossing the street to watch the Bellagio Fountains. The black is perfect for hiding any mascara and tears that end up on my clothes thanks to this song. (And yes, I did in fact watch this YouTube video and cry... again. I love this song...)

 

BCBGMAXAZRIA Class President Dress - Rent it for $60!

I would stroll the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in this dress, and look fabulous doing it. Enough said.

Trina Turk In the Lead Shift - Rent it for $60!

I would wear this cute little color blocked dress to the breakfast buffet at the Wynn. Afterward, it would probably be cute to wear to Fremont Street to check out the Old Strip. Or maybe I would just dump Mike at The Gun Store and go see the early show for the Jabbawockeez.

Badgley Mischka Midnight Glamour Dress - Rent it for $75!

Finally, what would a long weekend to Vegas be without cocktails and dancing? And of course, I would insist on matching the glitter and glitz of Vegas in my own spangly dress. This one even has nice draping at the waistline to hide my inevitable cocktail belly. Winning! I wouldn't even need jewelry, so it makes getting dressed for a raucous night out that much easier!

Have you ever used Rent the Runway? How was your experience?

Maison Jules launching at Macy's next month

Have you heard the news? Macy's is introducing two new private line Millennial brands in August - Q Mack and Maison Jules. The store I work at will be making room for Maison Jules, and I am very excited to work with the product. Seriously, I can't wait to set up the visual collateral for the shop! We're getting a red beach cruiser bicycle to raffle off, but before it leaves the store, it will be part of my visual presentation. (I already called dibs for the first ride through the store... if I manage to get some photos, I will be sure to post them here!) I wish we were getting Q Mack as well, but I will have to go to the Boston store for that. In the meantime, I've been drooling over their Facebook page!

Maison Jules is a "Girl Next Door" collection with Parisian flair. Who doesn't love a little Paris-inspired flair for their wardrobe? Picture it: tees in quirky (but cute!) conversational prints, feminine A-line dresses belted at the waist, color-blocked skirts, leggings, skinny pants, and cardigans. The collection is all about knits, cute little dresses, and layering pieces which are perfect for mixing and matching. Here are some of my favorite pieces and looks:

I'm obsessing over the polka dot dress, yellow boyfriend cardigan, and that cute bicycle printed tee. My rule of thumb when shopping is to come up with three to five different ways to wear an item with the stuff already in my closet. These three pass the test with flying colors... Macy's might as well keep my pay check. To see the entire line, head over to your local Macy's next month, or check it out on their website, here.

Also, here's some of the hype about this new private line at the following sites:

• Refinery 29 - Macy's And Garance Doré Team Up For A New Parisian-Inspired Line — Ooh La La!
• Elle.com - Maison Jules Creates Bikes with the Martone Cycling Company - Macy's New Maison Jules Brand

And check out Jeanne Damas, the "It Girl" behind the collection. Her personal blog has some gorgeous photos! http://jeannedamas.blogspot.com/