Fashion Friday: Top Five Looks of the Week

5.

Victoria Justice promoting her new album

4.

Kate Beckinsale 14th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards

3.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley at London Fashion Week

2.

Sophia Bush at a pre-Oscar party

1.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in SoHo

Fashion Friday: Top Five Looks of the Week

5.

Minka Kelly at The Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection 2012 Fashion Show in NYC

4.

Jenna Dewan-Tatum at the premiere for The Vow

3.

Kate Middleton in London

2.

Vanessa Hudgens at "Live With Kelly"

1.

Rachel McAdams at the premiere for The Vow

Year In Review, Part One

As 2011 comes to a close, so does many of this year's trends. To celebrate the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another, I've decided to make a two part post reflecting fashion in 2011. In this first part, I'm sharing some styles that I loved wearing and what I'm looking forward to seeing in 2012. You'll have to excuse the poor quality and backdrop of these pictures. Unfortunately, the decor of college dorms is not exactly on par with the Plaza Hotel.

Splash of color! Working in bright colors into basic looks happened to be one of my favorite trends of the year. However, since bold colors are usually more of a summer thing, I used dark fall colors to make my outfit fit the season. My jewelry obsession helped this look, without it being too matchy matchy.

Get the Look: Shirt: Express, Cardigan: New York&Company, Boots: Steve Madden, Jewels: So Good

It's not fall or winter unless you're breaking out some animal print. When the weather gets chilly(and I live in Boston, believe me it gets chilly), it's typical to throw on comfy and dark clothes. In fact, one of the reasons I love the winter is because it's acceptable to be a cliche and wear all black. Despite the lack of colorful patterns in this season, you can still jazz up your look. I love adding a pattern, like animal print, to keep my outfit from becoming plain and dull, but not being over the top. 

Get the Look: Shirt: Express, Cardigan: Express, Boots: Steve Madden

Never be afraid to blazer it up! Blazers are the easiest way to keep a look classy while still wearing a casual outfit. I paired my navy stripped blazer with jeans instead of leggings to avoid looking too dressed up. I loved wearing this look because it could easily be transformed for various environments, whether it be for work or just a typical Tuesday. 

Get the Look: Blazer: Express, Shirt: Express, Boots: Steve Madden, Jewels: New York&Company

The perfect cardigan is always hard to find during winter. Sometimes they aren't heavy enough to keep you warm or the length is wrong. After getting sick of constantly throwing a black sweater over my shirts, I decided to put the pop of color on the outside. While shopping at Express, I came across this cozy cream sweater. I knew it was love because not only did it go perfectly with the brown glittery shirt I was purchasing but it also could match the majority of my jewelry sets. It was my idea of a match made in heaven!

Get the Look: Cardigan: Express, Shirt: Express, Boots: Steve Madden, Jewels: New York&Company

Ombre styles have been a big trend this year! There have been ombre hairstyles, ombre nail polish, and ombre clothes. Again, I was drawn to this shirt because I could see the variety of ways I could wear it. Any piece of clothing that can transformed for widely different settings is an investment in my eyes. 

Get the Look: Shirt: New York&Company, Boots: Steve Madden, Jewels: So Good

It took longer than expected, but near the end of the year I finally got to wear my lace shirts! This particular piece worked better for night wear but could also work for different events depending on the color tank top put on underneath. For this night, I kept the look tame with a light pink tank.

Get the Look: Lace Shirt: Express, Boots: Steve Madden

This cardigan was one of my biggest obsessions of the year. I purchased it in the fall thinking I wouldn't be able to really wear it until spring, but it had surprisingly worked well for a couple of outfits this winter. I can already tell I'll be using it a lot in 2012!

Get the Look: Cardigan: Roni, Shirt: Urban Outfitters, Boots: Steve Maddden, Necklace: Avon, Bracelet: So Good

Can't wait to combine these trends with the new styles of next year! Look out for the second part of 2011's best fashion tomorrow, with the spotlight on the top fashionistas of the year. 

Fashion Friday: Top Five Looks of the Week

5.

Kate Middleton at The Sun Military Awards

4.

Kate Moss in London

3.

Kate Middleton in London

2.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in LA

1.

Charlize Theron at the premiere of Young Adult

Spotted: Roni

A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across an adorable boutique in NYC called Roni. I was immediately put at ease by the store's color coordinated collections of casual, work and night wear. The clothes were comfortable and very stylish, just like their employees. While my sister and I tried on our outfits, the workers at the Prince Street store were super helpful and charismatic. Instead of being a pushy salesperson, these people actually understood fashion and were eager to make sure you made a logical purchase. It was so nice to find a place with fabulous and unique apparel. I look forward to going back when I'm in NYC again! This store is definitely work checking out on your next shopping trip.

Follow Roni on Twitter for more info about their brand!

  

Fashion Friday: Top Five Looks of the Week

5.

Elizabeth Hurley in London

4.

Emma Stone at the Giorgio Armani/Vanity Fair private dinner in LA

3.

Zoe Saldana at the Second Annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in LA

2.

Charlize Theron at The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project even in LA

1.

Michelle Williams at the premiere of "My Week With Marilyn" in NYC

Spotted AD: Understated Is Overrated

While I was doing some shopping in SoHo this past weekend, I made sure to stop by the lovely Kate Spade. Not only are Kate's designs insanely adorable, but I'm in love with the setup of the actual store, especially the one in NYC! Whenever I step into a Kate Spade store, I feel like I'm entering a Parisian boutique. The chic designs are as girly as one can get, yet they have an appeal to older women. In fact, I even informed my sister that there's a strong possibility she'll be wearing a Kate Spade dress as my maid of honor (Side note - if you haven't noticed yet, I'm kind of wedding obsessed). During my shopping trip, I noticed the brand's recent bold ad: "Understated Is Overrated". Totes agree Kate! Some may believe less is more, but when you can deck yourself out in sequined shoes and flirty dresses (with fabulous silhouettes!), who's really complaining? The advertisement is very catchy and I plan on obnoxiously using it for every future shopping trip!

"She had a cocktail in her hand and confetti in her hair."

-Tagline for Twirl, a fragrance by Kate Spade

How Fashion Is Represented On Television

Lately, I've noticed how poorly fashion is represented in the entertainment industry. Yes, there's brief red carpet recaps and competitive reality shows, but that's really where it ends. Personally, I can only tolerate the constant makeover shows for a short period of time. I have yet to find a show that is made for people who are passionately interested in the fashion industry where designer's collections or new trends are discussed. And the shows that do try to touch on these subjects come off insulting with their shallow representatives.

Back in the fall of 2010, E! announced that their special of "Fashion Police" would air every Friday night. I was so excited to watch a show with weekly fashion updates. What could go wrong? The show would include four cast members who would discuss different red carpet looks, new trends, and name the best and worst looks of the week. It all seemed like a fun idea until I saw who the cast members were. First off, I can deal with Joan Rivers and Giuliana Rancic. I actually really like them. Joan is a comedian, but she's been doing red carpet specials for years. In fact, her raunchy humor is a big help to the show and its ratings. Giuliana works for E! news and co-hosts mostly all of the red carpet events. She has a fun personality, cute style, and actually sees all of the styles in person.

On "Fashion Police", there's not much credible experience in fashion. George Kotsiopoulos may be a stylist, but is a serious downgrade from Jay Manuel who used to be part of E!'s fashion coverage. Then, there's Kelly Osbourne. It's hard to sit still while Osbourne (who's claim to fame is that she lost weight and was on DWTS)name drops and brings up her 2004 feud with Christina Aguilera. Really?!

When one of these cast members is absent, their substitute is some D-List reality star. Because according to who's ever running this show, fashion has no serious substance. If you feel this way, watch and listen to Queen Meryl Streep's speech. Last week, the show redeemed itself a little when the guest was Kimora Lee Simons. It was interesting to hear Kimora's opinions seeing as she's a designer and a former model. I'm not asking for prestigious legends like Karl Lagerfeld or Anna Wintour. Just people who have earned their success and know fashion.

I really don't hate E!(it's actually my favorite network) or any of the people mentioned. It's just annoying to see something you love treated so terribly. I mean one of the show's regular segments is called "Rack Report." Do we really need to be notified when an actress wears a low cut dress? Recently, it was announced that Nicole Richie, Jessica Simpson, and John Varvatos will be starring in NBC's "Fashion Star". The Simpson part is a little questionable but I guess it's better than a Kardashian or another reality star. Besides, Richie is the perfect person to mix entertainment and fashion. NBC scored with The Voice, here's to hoping they can do it again while shining a positive light on fashion. Until then, maybe I should give Project Runway a shot?

"I think what I often see is that people are frightened of fashion and that, because it scares them or it makes them feel insecure, they put it down. On the whole, people that say demeaning things about our world-I think that's usually because they feel in some ways excluded or not part of the cool group, so as a result they just mock it."

-Anna Wintour

Alexander McQueen, The Mastermind of Fashion

"I want to empower women. I want people to be afraid of the women I dress."

-Alexander McQueen

This past weekend, I finally got the chance to check out the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met. I was so excited to see McQueen's designs in person. However, nothing could have prepared me for the emotional experience. McQueen was obviously a fashion genius but also a deeply disturbed man. His tragic death last year gave the exhibition a haunting effect. The layout really showcased McQueen's dark mind. He viewed the art of fashion in a very interesting way. Everything about the exhibit left an impact on me. The details of McQueen's designs, his thought provoking quotes, and of course the jaw dropping clips from his runway shows. Alexander McQueen was an artistic legend. The exhibit does a beautiful job of keeping McQueen's legacy alive. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside the exhibit but I thought I'd still show a little glimpse of McQueen's powerful mind.

"It is important to look at death because it is a part of life. It is a sad thing, melancholy but romantic at the same time."

-Alexander McQueen 

Fashion Friday: Top Five Looks of the Week

5.

Kate Middleton arriving in Canada

4.

Selena Gomez visiting "FOX & Friends"

3.

Kate Middleton at Wimbledon 

2.

Eva Mendes at Salvatore Ferragamo's Women's Resort 2012 Collection Fashion Show

1.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley at the Transformers 3 premiere in Germany   

And so it begins...

Introductions are always a little awkward, but I thought it was a necessary step to starting this blog. First off, my name is Nicole. I’m a seventeen-year-old fashion addict. I obsess over red carpet looks, different fashion advertisements, and of course, Queen Anna Wintour. My favorite season is award season and New York City is my favorite place in the world. Recently, I just graduated from high school and will be attending Boston University in the fall. With college right around the corner, I decided it was time to make my dreams reality. I’ve always been slightly interested in starting a blog, but constantly shied away from the idea. Now that I’m older, I figured it’s a great way to get my feet wet. In “Fashionista In Training”, I will reflect on various styles, designers, ad campaigns, and much more. I look forward to sharing my ideas and broadening my views on fashion!

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

-Coco Chanel, fashion designer