Who or what inspires your style? Many of us use movie characters (like Margot Tenenbaum) or celebrities (like Courtney Love) as style inspiration, even though, most of the time, they are being dressed from head to toe by the best stylists. Which we don’t have. And sometimes it’s damn near impossible to work their Hollywood looks into our not-so-Hollywood lives. I’ve made it my mission to tap into the mind of a fashion stylist and show you how to take your style inspiration – whatever it may be – and make it more you!

Being an Italian-American myself, I’ve always been drawn to things that rep’ my ethnicity, whether it’s contributions like calzones, or “contributions” like The Jersey Shore.  But if there’s one thing Italiano that I could never take my eyes off of, it was a little show called The Sopranos.

Unlike most people, however, I wasn’t obsessed with the drama, the people getting whacked; it was the style that kept me coming back week after week. (OK, and that other stuff, but Adriana La Cerva, too!)

Adriana La Cerva is the fiancée of Christopher Moltisanti, the nephew and protégé of the boss himself, Tony Soprano.  Long story short, after getting caught up with the Feds and having no choice but to rat out her family-to-be, she ends up getting whacked.  And somehow she still looks bad-ass during the process. Read More »

Who inspires your style? Or better question, WHAT inspires your style? Many of us use fashion icons (like Edie Sedgwick) or celebrities (like Chloe Sevigny) as style inspiration, even though, most of the time, they are being dressed from head to toe by the best stylists. Which we don’t have. And sometimes it’s damn near impossible to work their Hollywood looks into our not-so-Hollywood lives. I’ve made it my mission to tap into the mind of a fashion stylist and show you how to take your style inspiration – whatever it may be – and make it more you!

I’m going to be completely honest with err-body in the club gettin’ tipsy.  I’ve watched Mad Men maybe one time (or less) during Christmas break and wasn’t exactly its number one fan. But for some reason I couldn’t take my eyes off of Joan Holloway’s style and attitude on the show. And that’s probably the only reason I lasted as long as I did…

In the office, Joan wiggles around making the majority of her male (and some female, unsurprisingly) co-workers on the show pull at their collars.  Not because of her bold red hair or even the fact that she lets her curves do the talkin’ when it comes to her tailored-by-a-naughty-secretary office-wear.  It’s that one word we can never stop using: confidence. Read More »

Who inspires your style? Or better question, WHAT inspires your style? Many of us use movie characters (like Penny Lane) or celebrities (like Leigh Lezark) as style inspiration, even though, most of the time, they are being dressed from head to toe by the best stylists. Which we don’t have. And sometimes it’s damn near impossible to work their Hollywood looks into our not-so-Hollywood lives. I’ve made it my mission to tap into the mind of a fashion stylist and show you how to take your style inspiration – whatever it may be – and make it more you!

Describing Chloe Sevigny’s style in one word would be like attempting to describe color to a blind man: Impossible.

She is a wild child with a wild style. It’s vintage-meets-designer, quirky, eccentric and European chic with just the perfect hint of grunge. It doesn’t sound like it would turn out well, but somehow Chloe works it. Not to mention that smirk she’s always sportin’ that says, “What I’m wearing right now is what you’re going to be wearing next month.” Only she’s not arrogant, which I totally would be if I had her ability to wear a potato sack and have a million people be inspired by it.

Although she works as an actress by day (most notably as the second wife on HBO’s series, Big Love) her newest job and eternal interest has always been related to fashion.  It has apparently always come easy to her, considering she never actually follows trends but seems to instead set them. Read More »

Who inspires your style? Or better question, WHAT inspires your style? Many of us use movie characters (like Penny Lane) or celebrities (like Leigh Lezark) as style inspiration, even though, most of the time, they are being dressed from head to toe by the best stylists. Which we don’t have. And sometimes it’s damn near impossible to work their Hollywood looks into our not-so-Hollywood lives. I’ve made it my mission to tap into the mind of a fashion stylist and show you how to take your style inspiration – whatever it may be – and make it more you!

Edie Sedgwick, best known for being one of Andy Warhol’s muses, is my muse for this week. In addition to being a quadruple threat (actress, model, heiress and socialite), she was also known to be a major style icon.  Although she is no longer with us today, her style still continues to appear as fashion inspiration from runways to sidewalks.

We are all shaped and fashioned by what we love to do and Edie exhibited that in her style.  Many hours of her day would be spent practicing ballet and other types of dance, which would require tights and a leotard.  Instead of changing after dance into a more typical outfit her time, Edie was known (and infamous) for throwing on a large (most likely fur) coat and going about her business. And thus it became her signature style. Read More »

Who inspires your style? Or better question, WHAT inspires your style? Many of us use movie characters (like Penny Lane) or celebrities (like Khloe Kardashian) as style inspiration, even though, most of the time, they are being dressed from head to toe by the best stylists. Which we don’t have. And sometimes it’s damn near impossible to work their Hollywood looks into our not-so-Hollywood lives. I’ve made it my mission to tap into the mind of a fashion stylist and show you how to take your style inspiration – whatever it may be – and make it more you!

I’m just going to start this off by saying I would have absolutely no qualms switching lives with Leigh Lezark for a day, or a month, or longer.

I don’t remember how or when I first heard her name, but I immediately wished my name was an alliteration that easily rolled off the tongue like hers. Too bad we can’t always get what we want (thanks, parents!). On the bright side, something we can achieve is her effortlessly bad-ass sense of style.

For those of you still wondering, Leigh Lezark is a DJ in the trio Misshapes in New York City.  Oh yeah, and she’s a model.  Yes, a DJ and a model.  Très, très jaloux (which is French for, I’m mad envious).

DJ Leigh and her Misshapes posse like to bump electronica and indie rock.  They are also known to attract the Hispter crowd, but I try to stay open-minded to the boundary-pushing that she, and her party-mates, tend to inspire people with. I just love their sound. I also find Leigh Lezark incredibly chic, cool and mysterious with her all-black ensembles, signature jet-black bob and aversion to ever smiling in a photograph. And while The Misshapes tend to dress in some brands that are a bit out of my league (Alexandre Herchcovitch, House of Holland, Imitation of Christ, Jeremy Scott, Obesity and Speed, Pleasure Principle, to name a few), I’m going to toss some more affordable options in your general direction.

Because you don’t have to spend like a DJ/model to dress like one. Read More »