meg white: unsung fashion hero

I just watched The White Stripes' new live DVD Under Great White Northern Lights. For those of you not in the know, the 92-minute film follows the band on their tour of Canada, where they play a show in every province and territory in the country. The DVD is most satisfying for die-hard fans, since it doesn't really reveal anything new about the band. But since this is a style blog, I'll talk about one thing I re-realized upon watching: Meg White doesn't get enough credit for her fashion sense.
One thing Jack White talks a lot about in the film is his desire to make playing music as difficult as possible for him. He believes that by limiting himself (playing old instruments, having only two band members, never using a set list), he challenges himself to be as creative as possible. In a world of limitless choices, I think The White Stripes' mission statement is as relevant as ever. From an aesthetic viewpoint, Meg and Jack always look interesting and stylish even though they only wear three colors. How do they, and specifically, how does Meg, pull this off? Like Jack implies, having only three colors to choose from forces her to be imaginative when constructing an outfit. Let's take a look:

She wears hats: I'm a firm believer in hats. I think they can totally make (or break) an outfit. And when you're choosing from only red, white and black, plenty of hats can make an outfit more interesting. I can't think of anything more adorable than a red or black beret, which Meg has worn plenty of times.

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She accessorizes with scarves: When your wardrobe contains a lot of plain white t-shirts, scarves can keep your outfit from getting boring. I love Meg's polka-dotted scarf here.

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When in doubt, wear hot pants: I couldn't have been more surprised to see this picture of Meg wearing little red shorts at a show. But maybe when it's hot outside and you're sick of wearing red, black or white skinny jeans, you have to break out the mini shorts.

She cleans up nice! Whenever Meg has attended a red carpet event with Jack, she always looks darling and put-together. Thankfully, her color palate allows little black dresses, and she gets creative with a fuzzy white bolero-type thing.

Telephone

So, the Telephone video, huh? I'm still recovering from the awesomeness of it all, and I think I need to watch it a few more times before it all sinks in. But can we all agree that we can't even compare this video to Bad Romance? Telephone is so twisted and really more of a short video set to music than a music video. Here are a few of my favorite highlights.

The jailhouse dance party.

The text reads: "Thanks for bailing me out Sista!" I love B and G together.

Beyonce bails Lady G out and the real fun begins.

Let's make a sandwich! To poison everyone with!

Love that B got to wear the Mickey Mouse sunglasses of death.

Patriotic post-homicide dance party.

And sassy beekeeper outfits.

ring, ring!

Today is the day Lady Gaga's Telephone video FINALLY premieres at 11:30 p.m. EST on E!. All the hardcore fans will be waiting with bated breath for what she and Beyonce unveil. All we know so far is that it involves bright yellow hair telephones, police tape outfits, prison breaks and lots and lots of insanity. Hopefully the end result lives up to Lady Gaga's promise that the video is a "masterpiece" that will put Bad Romance to shame.
In the meantime, I re-watched several of Gaga's videos. All fantastic.

Chanel's fall 2010 show just the tip of the iceberg

Ha-ha, literally! Oh, the wit. Chanel's fall 2010 collection was paraded down a chilly-looking runway with a giant glacier in the middle.

glamour.com

The runway set the tone for what was to come, specifically, Abbey Lee Kershaw wearing this

style.com

A little Where the Wild Things Are meets the Abominable Snowman. Reportedly, all the fur on the runway was fake, which is relief since I can't imagine anyone actually leaving the house in this fuzzy mess. But, this being Chanel, my all-time favorite label, there was plenty of classic goodness in this collection. Observe:

style.com

If I ever had a reason to attend a red carpet event, I would no doubt wear the floral number on the bottom left. And there's nothing I wouldn't do to get my very own Chanel tweed.

Three confusing spring fashion trends and how to wear them

Like I mentioned yesterday, spring really is just around the corner, and malls are stocking their shelves with floral dresses and skirts, bathing suits and shorts. But with the beginning of each season comes a host of new trends that can be mind-boggling and difficult to pull off. These trends usually trickle down from the spring runways, which we first saw back in September. It's always fun to pontificate which wacky clothes will get knocked off at the likes of H&M and Forever 21, and now we finally get to find out. Of course, we're not all fashion models who can easily pull off sky-high heels, bare midriffs and ruffles galore. So how do we translate these high-fashion looks to reality? Let's see.

Trend #1: Clogs

Seen on: Chanel's spring hoe-down themed runway

 

style.com

Can we do this in real life? Probably. When I first saw these clogs on the runway, I had instant flashbacks to a pair of grotesque Candie's clogs I owned in middle school, and I definitely don't want to pull them out of retirement. The beauty of style is that it's open for interpretation, so I'd recommend seeking out some slightly less extreme clog-like shoes with studs and chains that make the look more modern. 

1. Steve Madden; 2. Target; 3. Steve Madden; 4. Veganchic.com

Trend #2: Peplum skirts and dresses

Seen on: Several spring runways, most notably Victoria Beckham

style.com

Can we do this in real life? Sure! But remember a few guidelines. Any time you have a piece of fabric flaring out from your waist, you risk looking a little wide in the hips. I learned this lesson the hard way in a Forever 21 fitting room. If you want to rock the look in a way that's flattering, stick with dark colors and stay away from crazy patterns. If you're really hesitant, choose a skirt or dress with a top layer that extends beyond the hips. 

1. Wet Seal; 2. Forever 21; 3. Aqua

Trend #3: Crop Tops

Seen on: Erin Wasson for RVCA

Can we do this in real life? Kind of. Unless you've been doing major ab workouts, my guess is that you don't want to strut around town in a crop top. However, there is a way to pull this trend off in a modest way if you wear a crop with a pair of high-waisted paints or skirt. Your belly won't be exposed, but you still get the drape-y effect of Erin Wasson's top, above. Make sure the top is loose-fitting, and you could even wear it over a slim tank top for a cool layered look. 

1. Forever 21; 2. ASOS; 3. Forever 21; 4. Urban Outfitters; 5. American Apparel

Topshop's pretty spring clothing

A while back, I talked about my futile quest to find some pretty lingerie-as-outwear tops and dresses. I found lots of hard-to-wear corset tops, but nothing I'd be willing to leave the house in. It completely slipped my mind to check Topshop--the UK's answer to H&M. I normally count Topshop out because of geographical issues. They finally opened a store in the U.S. about a year ago, but it's in New York, which is close, but not close enough for lunch break shopping sprees. Either way, they have some really pretty, delicate looking camis, skirts and dresses that won't leave you looking like you popped out of an 80s-era Madonna video. Behold:

Any of these pieces would be a great addition to a spring/summer wardrobe--they look soft and flowy, and would keep you cool on a stuffy day. I know it's only the beginning of March, and we haven't quite arrived at spring yet, but it sure is nice to daydream about it.