My new favorite thing.

I am knee deep in studying for finals and completing final projects.  This is why my previous post was on the Spring 2011 collection from Missoni.  That post was for one of my journalism classes and it gave me the opportunity to use a couple of tools that I wasn’t familiar with.

This semester I have been keeping this blog up with  Windows Live Writer which is a program that connects to my blogging account.  It is my new favorite thing because it makes it super easy for me to create fancy slide shows, link followers to websites, and keep an archive of all of my work all in one place.

I find it a lot more convenient and easier to use than the editor on Blogger.  If you guys invested in the new Windows 7 it should come with the software and its totally worth it! 

You can reap the benefits of my new favorite thing by viewing my “Mercy Mercy Missoni” slideshows.

Windows Live Writer Screen Capture

Windows Live Writer Screen Capture

Windows Live Writer Screen Capture

Mercy Mercy Missoni

By: Ashley Abbatelli
  

Spring 2011 Ready to Wear VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

“The Missoni woman loves the emotion of color and loves to express herself with it…”- Veronique Gabai-Pinsky Italian Fashion Watch

The Collection Overall
For this collection, this quote is an understatement to say the very least.  I know the emotion I was feeling and it reminded me of a camping trip I took with friends in high school which involved hallucinogenics.  

Talk about a bunch of trends all rolled into one. The familiar Missoni checked print was mixed with psychedelic geometrics and tribal prints.  And when I say geometrics I mean every shape you can think of intertwined; squares, triangles, and diamonds were all on top of each other in a tangled web of the world on acid.

Your veteran Missoni fan would have to look twice at this collection.  Though the silhouettes remain airy and easy to wear, the concept, colors, and theme were quite different than any Missoni Collection I have ever seen.

They left no stone unturned, no color ignored, and no accessory left behind.  I can’t help but wonder, if the entire collection speaks at this volume, what will their campaigns feature? 

Details

Detail Shots VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I couldn’t help but notice the cry out to consumers while viewing Spring 2011 from Missoni.  Rather than discuss the hidden message on the oversized caftans or the silk wrap mini-espadrille as their seasonal sandal, lets focus on the clear shopping bag carrying one of the actual handbags featured in this collection.

My takeaway was this- either Missoni wants to remind you that this is what it looks like when you actually make a purchase or they understand that when consumers now empty their pockets they protect their purchases from the plague.  Either way, I was perplexed and this was my favorite detail in the collection.

Beauty

Beauty Shots VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The clothing and accessories were definitely the stars of the show.  The makeup in this runway show did its job in not outshining the collection.  Simple yet heavy black eyeliner with nude lips accompanied untouched coifs covered by wide-brimmed hats.

In Conclusion
I felt as though this collection was a breath (from Margherita’s mouth) of fresh air for the fashion house.  The question for those of us familiar with the line is- Was it more of a gasp or a sigh of relief?

Sources used- http://www.style.com/, http://www.nymag.com/, fashion.telegraph.co.uk

GG Christmas!

 

How I love our Christmas Tree.  Trimmed in silver and gold.  Did I mention all of the ornaments were purchased for under $40?!!!  Thanks Dollar Tree!!!

A gift is a wish your heart makes.

The holiday season is upon us and I have begun to compile lists not only for the loved ones in my life but for myself!  For me, who I have to buy for changes a little every year.  In my immediate family , we pick names rather than buy everyone gifts because lets be real, times have changed and we aren’t the Kardashians.  I also have a new manboy in my life that I need to buy a gift for. A) Because I want to and B) Because I know he ordered my gift yesterday.  Last but not least, lets not forget my roommate and bestie.  I wanted to review the choices for all three of these loved ones in my life.  I want your opinions and it also helps me compartmentalize my thoughts.

I picked the older of my two younger brothers, Nick.  He and I have grown to be waaaay close over the last few years and I am super excited to have picked him.  Here are the options:

 Beer Kit from Mr. Beer (Perfect for the Chico Drop Out in him)

 

The Droid.  Sure it’s a little over budget but one of my goals in life is to be the best sister ever.

Tickets to see one of our favorite comedians, Daniel Tosh, live.  He’s the host of Tosh.0, one of our favorite shows to watch as a family (this is a gift for me as well).

I will be back later in the week to share ideas for the manboy and the bestie.  See you soon!

My final finals

Before                                After

As you know, I like to share as much as I can with all of you when it comes to a few different aspects of my life.  The next couple of weeks are finals weeks.  By final I mean final.  These finals are the final finals of my entire life.  I have a couple papers to write, a narrated slideshow to produce, and a marketing presentation to complete along with final exams.  I have a headache just typing all of this.

Because I have this idea in my head that all of my readers really care about all of this, I wanted to share with you one of the projects I am working on. 

I completed a photo shoot focused on the simplicity of the white t-shirt.  the shoot was titled “Undressed”.  The picture above was my favorite out of 15 shots I took that evening.  Naturally I ran into obstacles like the flash not working, and the lighting being horrible in my apartment.  Therefore, I had to utilize photo editing software.

The image is targeted to the reader of a fashion magazine that focuses on women’s contemporary and junior clothing and accessories lines.  I am sure you are all familiar with Nylon Magazine.  The increased contrast and changes I made to the color to me, made the picture more unique and consistent with the research I did on past Nylon photo-shoots.  What do you guys think of my before and after?