Red Carpet Recap: MTV BMA’s

By admin|August 25th, 2014|Celebrity Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

Last night marked MTV’s 31st Annual Video Music Awards and also the fact that I’m way too old to be watching it. My friends and I kept exchanging puzzled looks as one unrecognizable (to us) tween took to the red carpet after the next. I had never been so excited to see Gwen Stefani or Jennifer Lopez as I was last night. Phew! Somebody we knew. It became quite clear as to why E! has cornered the market on red carpet pre-shows. As I quickly found myself on the brink of a melodramatic meltdown, I yelled at my TV, “Sway, WHO ARE THEY WEARING?” After having cooled my rage with a glass of prosecco, the actual show began.

Within seconds of the opening act, I was concerned that Nicki Minaj had somehow pirated the entire event as there was much more booty on stage than on any ship. She became this year’s Miley while pirouetting her posterior to her current single, “Anaconda”, which left me hoping Sir Mix A Lot was somewhere wiping his own rear with all the royalty money he received from that song. She then joined Jessie J. who forgot her pants and Ariana Grande who appears to have a perma hairstyle for their song, “Bang Bang” complete with wardrobe malfunction. She later joined Usher for his song, aptly named, “She Came To Give It To You.”

Right around the time I’d given up on humanity and started Googling how to obtain an Australian work visa, Miley Cyrus shocked audiences again. This time, however, it had nothing to do with flagrant twerking or her wayward tongue. When she won the VMA for Video of the Year, instead of accepting the award herself, her handsome mystery date took the stage. He identified himself as “Jesse” and proceeded to deliver a touching speech revealing that he, himself, had grown up homeless which was hard to imagine as he looked like far less homeless than the boys of Five Seconds to Summer in his well tailored suit. He encouraged viewers to learn more about My Friend’s Place and to get involved by visiting and donating on Miley’s site.

But (with a capital “B”) Queen B., herself, Beyonce, was not about to be outdone. Bey performed for a solid fifteen minutes in a stunning jewel encrusted leotard before accepting the Video Vanguard Award from her husband, Jay-Z and the absolutely adorable Blue Ivy. If all those divorce rumors do have any merit, she should have picked up an Oscar as well.

The other big “B” for last night had to be for Balmain as Jordan Dunn, Chanel Iman, Joan Smalls, and Kim Kardashian all wore the label. Pro-tip: Do not show up to an awards show wearing the same thing as a supermodel. While Katy Perry and her date, Riff Raff, gave a nostalgic nod to Britney and Justin, everyone’s favorite good girl wore a romper so short, she could have been a Minaj backup dancer. Black was a red carpet favorite, but all renditions from sheer paneling to leather pants felt fresh and innovative rather than basic and boring. Red, pink, and blue were the other colors that were most prevalent, mainly in jewel shades. While everyone looked “nice,” I didn’t feel floored by anyone in particular… except for Amber Rose, that is.

Ban-Do:

Jourdan Dunn in Balmain, Miley Cyrus in Alexandre Vauthier

Anything but Basic Black:

Kendall Jenner in Alon Livne, Kylie Jenner in Alexandre Vauthier, Chanel Iman in Balmain

Power Couples:

Ireland Baldwin in Roberto Cavalli and Angel Haze in Helmut Lang, Adam Levine Behati Prinsloo

Sister, Sister:

Beyonce in Nicolas Jebran, Solange Knowles in H&M Studio

Fulfill Your Destiny:

Kelly Rowland in Kaufman Franco, Michelle Williams

Soft and Subtle:

Kesha in Johanna Johnson, Jessie J in vintage Halston

Silver Lining:

Iggy Azalea in Versace, Jennifer Lopez in Charbel Zoe

Animal Instinct:

Nicki Minaj, Charli XCX in Moschino

Red Alert:

Rita Orain Donna Karan Atelier, Demi Lovato in Lanvin

Double Trouble:

Kim Kardashian West in Balmain, Joan Smalls in Balmain

Pink Ladies:

Gwen Stefani in L.A.M.B. Couture, Chloe Moretz in Louis Vuitton

Cobalt Queens:

Sarah Hyland in Kaufman Franco, Julianne Hough in Emilio Pucci

Singing the Blues:

Katy Perry and Riff Raff in custom Versace, Taylor Swift in Mary Katrantzou

You’ve Got Chainmail:

Wiz Khalifa, Amber Rose in Laura Dewitt

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: Black Dress, Jean Shirt

By admin|August 17th, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

Perhaps your need to be discreet regarding last night’s outfit is a bit more innocent than the aforementioned instance. After a beautiful dinner complete with across the table hand holding with your beau, you both awake with a hankering for Eggs Benedict, but seeing as you are not (as of yet) co-habitating, you’ve got to work with what you’ve got. And isn’t that what life is all about? A swanky dinner at Claudette called for the perfect little black dress (a favorite LBD of mine worn two ways here and here) and sexy stilettos. As stunning as you looked last night strolling past tables packed with wealthy Wall Street types and their girlfriends who smacked them for gawking, wearing the same thing this morning to Bubby’s may raise some eyebrows for entirely different reasons. An incredibly simple way to disguise your enticing ensemble is to simply tie a denim or chambray shirt around you (a flannel variation would work as well) and embrace the uptown/downtown amalgation by also embracing your bed head with a simple rope braid (learn how here). You’ll look so “devil may care” that the only reason someone’s head may turn this time is to figure out which tabloid star you are. Order a mimosa for me.

shirt: Scotch & Soda, dress: similar by Young Fabulous & Broke here, bag: similar by Alexander McQueen here, shoes: Steve Madden, sunglasses: street vendor on Washington Street, similar by Oliver Peoples here

xx,

WhyDid

Photography by Michael Stiegler

Why Did You Wear That: Crop Top Ya Don’t Stop

By admin|August 15th, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

We’ve all awoken as the morning sun manages to creep through the black out shades rendering us nearly blind to the startling realization that the water glass on the nightstand is empty and that nightstand is not our own. The second pang of panic comes barreling through shortly after groggily recalling that what we deemed appropriate attire for a late evening dalliance may not exactly translate to daytime, let alone during the morning commute with other responsible, gainfully employed adults. I was not a Girl Scout, but I am always prepared. 98% of the time, there is a pair of sunglasses stashed safely in my bag (I painfully learned this lesson during that other 2% of the time). Sunglasses are essentially a real life force field. Whether they actually prove to disguise your appearance from curious onlookers or not is irrelevant so long as you feel like they do. As you carefully tiptoe your way to the restroom only to discover that your previously perfect blowout more resembles Bob Marley’s dreadlocks, you breathe a sigh of relief knowing that you have a hair tie on your wrist and a collection of bobby pins in the bottom of your bag. This is when when a top knot comes in handy (tutorial here). The only problem left is somehow making that tiny crop top look less Pretty Woman and more Carrie Bradshaw.

One of my favorite outfits and favorite shoots (which you can see in totality here) is a perfect example of something that would garner compliments post sunset and could attract clientele come morning if you’re seen standing on the corner too long awaiting your Uber. Whether your evening prior to sunrise had been raucous or rather innocent, sometimes you’ve got to borrow from your boy’s closet to save some dignity, but how does one do so without looking like a total shacker? In this instance, wearing a belted pair of shorts with your crop top and pulling your hair into a squeaky clean top knot will certainly fool any innocent bystander into believing that you did, in fact, wake up like this.

top: American Apparel, shorts: Hurley, belt: similar by Rag & Bone, shoes: Jimmy Choo, bag: vintage, similar by Barney’s, sunglasses: Ray-Ban

xx,

WhyDid

photography by Michael Stiegler

Why Did You Wear That: When the Lights Go Down

By admin|August 9th, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

My love of sunsets is no secret to friends and loved ones. My father often snaps his West Coast stunners for me so that I get to experience not one, but two beautiful skies a night. That’s love -and one reason I’d totally be down for a long distance relationship. Cloud coverage, humidity, and time of day can all affect the palette used to create each night’s masterpiece making it nearly impossible for it to ever grow old. Each night, I’m undoubtedly awed. The only catch to my sherbert sunsets is that why, yes, that is the W Hoboken. That’s the irony in all of this. Joke’s on you, Manhattan. You pay thousands of dollars a month in rent to gaze appreciatively at New Jersey. At least Brooklyn gets to take in our beautiful skyline. Even though we laugh at the fact that all of these glorious sky paintings are hung in the gallery that is New Jersey, I still show up for the show.

Tomorrow marks the second super moon (not to mention the Aquarius new moon), the largest of three super moons this summer. Shit is literally going to get weird and you can bet I will be perched atop my roof to take in the lunar glow sparkling against the Hudson (and New Jersey). I’ve been known on more than one occasion to wear nightgowns as evening gowns– a trait I earned honestly from my mother. Which is why some of my favorite clothing items came directly from my mom’s lingerie drawer. Vintage lace tops worn with this summer’s favored outerwear, the kimono, is perfect for staring at the moon.

But I sure do miss the stars.

kimono: similar by Ecote here, top: vintage Mom’s, shorts: similar by MINKPINK here, shoes: French Connection, bag: Louis Vuitton, necklace: Nina Nguyen, ring: Erica Annenberg, bracelets: Alex + Ani

xx,

WhyDid

Photos by Michael Stiegler

Friday Frocks: Chemise-try 101

By admin|August 8th, 2014|Friday Frocks, Why Did You Wear That?|

I remember slumber parties. I don’t remember pillow fights in my panties though. I think that cliché is some sort of sleazy scenario concocted by pervy males, when in reality, most slumber parties I attended involved Cosmo quizzes, Dr. Pepper, and pizza. I guess nearly nude party games do sound a bit saucier. At our age, most of the sleepovers we now attend are a bit more exclusive- like party of two and maybe a lucky dog at the foot of the bed. While we probably should keep playing games of truth or dare until we die, we don’t necessarily need to continue donning oversized t-shirts and Soffe shorts of platonic slumber parties of years past. One way to ensure the fire doesn’t dwindle after hours is to dress for bed like you’re dressing for your first date. Not literally, of course, because you wouldn’t necessarily wear something see through to dinner at Le Cirque and a bodycon dress for bed might be too binding- but maybe you’re into that. Swap your boxers for something silky, skip the pillow fights, and get right to the pillow talk.