Vitruvian Girl

And so it begins…a quaint Fashion’s Night Out in the Magic City. Miami has a few budding art district’s, one known as The Design District is home to some of the city’s best furniture shops, restaurants and boutiques. It’s also my go-to choice for Fashion’s Night Out…

First Stop: Marni

Champagne, Spanish Vogue and Deco Prints for days, (hipsters too).

Shiny Objects, Supple Leathers and one old ass Cuban lady serving up Prosecco.

The District Factory is relatively new here, a place where pop-up shops come alive and die, all to try and find that sweet place into our hearts/closets (wallets)… Filled with many local handmades, free liquor and more importantly music!

Afrobeta an awesome local electronica band that kept us jamming through the rain.

FNO 2012 in the Design District has already been a great improvement since last year, and with the addition of Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Celine, Hermes, Cartier, Dior, Givenchy and Fendi heading our way, next years is surely a success in the making.

Until then! (tips hat, insert english accent)…

I know I may be late in the game, but this week I finally got my Pinterest login and joined Bloglovin’. 

Obsessed doesn’t even begin to illustrate the amount of pinning I am doing. It kinda’ definitely looks like this.

It’s essentially a more organized version of tumblr, where I can easily organize my images collected from blogs and tumblr and “pin” on to “boards”. One thing that is kind of sucky is that you can’t just join, there is a waiting period to get a login. Whatever totally worth it.

Here’s my link: http://pinterest.com/dstroppa/ and here’s one of my boards as a preview. 

It’s adorable. Get one..and make sure you have like 700 hrs available upon logging in.

As for bloglovin’ I love, love, LOVE, being able to see all my blogs lined up for my perusal. PLUS it’s an awesome resource to find new bloggers. 

I’m finally getting to streamline my favorite web obsessions (blogs and collecting images) so that I’m not some crazy internet bag lady, which possibly looks like this;

Don’t forget to follow vitruviangirl.tumblr.com on bloglovin’!

: )

So considering Miami is probably the last city in the country that anyone dresses “fall-ish”. I have to AT LEAST TRY. 

A couple of weeks ago I found the greatest article in Lucky’s November issue (Kim Kardashian cover) called “HOW TO: Layer Like a Pro“ on page 64. It goes from “Brisk” to “Chillier” to “C-C-Cold” to “Freezing”, (which in Miami is considered 50 degrees). 

This article has been amazing, and has been my inspiration for dressing for fall in a warm climate. The color schemes are on point and the mix of patterns are funky and vibrant. 

I literally need an IDIOT’S guide to layering, BUT NO MORE! After a few hours of surfing I believe I’m on to something..Check out my finds!

I CAN’T WAIT to get this stuff in the mail!!

Will have a follow up post once I incorporate it into my existing wardrobe. 

Any other tips for me?

As you can see from a few of my last posts I’ve been rainbowing it up. Mostly because I took a look at my closet and noticed how LAME my color choices have been. 

I did a little bit ( a-lotta-bit ) of research about color in fashion and how it affects you and your look etc. Here is a summarized version of my Research [insert sexy French/Russian accent]. 

Lesson 1: What about color?

Color IS the determining factor in evoking the mood of your clothing. Color brings you from “KoOky” to “Elegant” and sometimes has a sensible effect such as cooling you off on a hot summer’s night (especially here in Miami).

So BASICally you got your…

Basic Colors: BLACK- WHITE-BROWN-BEIGE-GREY-NAVY-BLUE

Subdued Tones: GREEN-WINE-TAUPE-RUSSET-MEDIUM BLUE

• BLACK - Absorbs Light, but great for your figure! Can also drain color from the face, accentuate wrinkling and sagging lines. BUT can be avoided by using color nearer to the face to liven it (accessorize). 
• WHITE- Reflects light. Crisp, clean, fresh and as versatile as black. Accentuates curves, sometimes flattering, sometimes not.
• BROWN- Warm, subtle and UNDERRATED. Elegant & distinctive are words that come to mind. Combine with off white, beige, pastels (mint green, pale pink and blues). Looks best on blondes, redheads and chestnut manes.
• BEIGE- combines versatility of black and white, yet warmer. Can be worn at any time of season.
• GRAY/GREY-is as changeable as GRAY. Variations move through morning to midnight. Cons: Grey needs to be accessorized & Gray can look harsh.
• NAVY BLUE- A basic color due to its brightness and more flattering color to the face than black or grey. Kinder to the figure than white or beige. Can be worn year round. 
• GREEN-WINE-TAUPE-RUSSET-MEDIUM BLUE: Makes for interesting fall and winter basics, good for accessorizing. These muted colors complement complexions and camouflauge faults. Definitely my favorite colors.
• PARFAIT PASTELS-Lime, Lemon, Orange, Rasberry, Lavender, Pale Pink and Blue= GREAT SUMMER BASICS!

Bottom Line: Color can bring a simple design, like an A-Line Dress (below), from A to Z.

Now imagine first if it were black. You might say its a formal, respectable something you might wear to a work event or yikes a funeral.

But now change it to red. Suddenly you are sexy, confident, (because RED definitely evokes confidence), and can now be a dress for drinks or a flirty night out. 

If it were white, creme it may be fit for a wedding (if you hate the bride), or a pastel color for a spring party.

Etcetera, Etcetera, [insert color]! I think you know where I am going with this…

I never really thought of myself as an artist..In the sense that I am talented at “arting” or drawing, painting, etc.

HOWEVER, I’ve realized that the difference between being good at something and NOT being good at something can simply be altered by just DOING IT.

So here I AM..DOING IT. That is learning to sketch..

WALA.

                     By tracing…But HEY IM LEARNING CUT ME SOME SLACK!

I made the mistake of leaving my clothes in the wash too long…long enough for someone else to lend a helping hand…a helping hand that totally torched my clothes in the dryer…

I know this kind of makes me sound/look like this…

But seriously… most people will just separate the colors and the whites, which is a great start…HOWEVER you may want to learn from several of my mistakes…

For Starters..

1. Wash jeans inside out. The denim won’t bleed onto the other clothes AND the color won’t fade.

2. Always, ALWAYS, ALWAYS HAND WASH BRAS!!!!! 

3. Don’t always Dry Clean. It’s expensive and the chemicals aren’t great for your health. It’s best to dry clean when either a) it says DRY CLEAN ONLY (duh), or b) when washing the item may alter size, color, or texture. Consider the cost and fabric of the item, and if you’re feeling brave try a hand wash.

4. Tumble Dry. Low. This is really what I mean by don’t fry your clothes. For towels and sheets that carry a lot of bacteria high temperatures are absolutely necessary. Other than that you’re just fading the crap out of your clothes.

I usually follow the 1/2 and 1/2 Method..That is tumble dry your clothes on low for about 20 minutes and hang until dry. This will also take out some of the wrinkles. It can also work vice versa, depending on how much time you have..

5. The gentle cycle is A LIE. Don’t use the machine.. hand wash.. use those muscles!

6. Further to the above, sorting your clothes is important. Read the labels if it says warm wash, DO IT. I also like to wash according to style or usage. Jeans with Jeans, towels with linens, work/dress clothes..you get the picture. 

7. Air dry (not in the sun) or dry flat whenever possible.

8. Don’t overwhelm your dryer…The more clothes you shove in there, the less drying that will get done. 

Although it all sounds time consuming (it is),  why spend the time looking for the perfect outfit if it’s never going to last ? The best way to keep your $3.50 forever 21 tank from shrinking is to simply take a sec to follow the tag guidelines. It’s not a deal anymore when you’ve bought the same shirt 7 times…

Toodles :)