STylish Books Accessories to Have and to Hold in 2012

Text and Images, Vivian Kelly

NEw Year’s Day was a day to trawl through my iphoto library to gather inspiration for the year ahead. Lots of cool fashion items, namely ACCESSORIES and BOOKS. Jan 1 was all about reveling in sloth-dom: an SVU Marathon, followed by Cameron Diaz in “Bad Teacher”. Self-imposed nactivity WILL get the creative juices flowing!

Happy New Year!

1. My close friend, Demi Schimenti, totally rocked these Jack Wills pink and navy socks. I have to have them and the argyle ones too! They’re part of the “wear more skirts and dresses this year” resolution and my continuing love affair with PREP.

2. Rings as a self-defense weapon – I remember these from the Capsule Trade Show post spring NYFW in September. What jogged my memory were some similar rings worn by Rooney Mara in “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” , a not to be missed movie, for the clothes alone! Two thumbs way up.

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - style!

3. Another coffee table book – I’ve already gobbled up my last second purchase of Jeffrey Banks’ PREPPY Cultivating Ivy Style while in the insanely long line at American Eagle yesterday afternoon.

This year’s MUST have is Assouline’s BALS: Legendary Balls of the Twentieth Century, by Nicholas Foulkes. It’s $175, but it’s SUBSTANTIAL, and with a blurb like this by Vogue’s Andre Leon Talley, the “maybe” turned into “order it now” for me.

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4. My first official HUNT item is for a vintage airline bag. It’s actually an item I didn’t get to last year that made the list after attending a LaForce & Stevens Party for the cast of Pan Am at the gorgeous Lisa Perry store uptown which will be moving to the corner this March. The new addy – 988 Madison at 77th Street. Put that in your calendar p/s!

The Tibi Spring/Summer 2012 Collection Show at Lincoln Center

Text, Carey Reed Zamarriego

Images of Front Row and two Runway Looks, CRZ

Individual Runway Looks, from Vogue UK

“I think women should dress in a way that’s effortless but never lazy,” Amy Smilovic, the American designer behind the Tibi label has said. Naming the ladies of Charlie’s Angels as the epitome of chic style, Tibi strives to provide pieces that take the effort out of creating laidback, modern looks. A feat that’s easier said, than done. I know I toiled away in front of the mirror the morning of the show agonizing over my outfit and trying to piece together an effortless, yet contemporary. In the end, I settled on a billowy red and white striped tank, navy boyfriend cardigan, gray skinny jeans and black booties. However, when placed under the bright lights of the runway show, my cool, collected appearance quickly began to melt.

Diagonally across from me though, were three ladies who seemed to beam in the heat of the show lights and represented the crisp, effortless modern style of Tibi to a T.

Socialite and part-time reality TV star, Olivia Palermo sat flanked by a male companion on one side and TV actress Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill). On the other side of Bush was Emma Roberts, tween actress (Nancy Drew) Julia Roberts’ niece. Olivia looked fresh and classic in an oversized gauzy cream blouse, a skirt so short it disappeared when she was seated, and animal-print pumps. Sofia opted for a strapless rouge leather dress, paired with a python clutch and Emma was decked out in a deep shade of plum.

The show began with a series of shorts, pants and tops in cream and pale hues of pink, green and blue, exuding Tibi’s effortless chicness. Next, there were pops of color with mustard and outfits pairing royal blue and black. Different textiles played off one another, some more successful than others. I didn’t really care for the short-sleeved leather tops, which awkwardly flared out at the models’ waists. There were several textured pieces: an eyelet black ‘nude-illusions’ dress and shorts, and several dresses that looked like they had been pressed with prints. Well-constructed, wide legged trousers and long cargo skirts were paired with sleek, feminine tops and represented Smilovic’s desire that “a woman should dress in contradictions – youthful and sophisticated, masculine and feminine, bold and muted colors.”

The show closed with a series of tops, shorts; and my personal favorite, a strapless, pocketed genie jumpsuit, which all had the same delicate white Asian flower print atop an emerald green and black background. The look was possibly inspired by Smilovic’s time spent living in Hong Kong. My other favorites included a strapless dress in mustard and Tibi’s gauzy halter neck dresses in baby blue and cream, all of which would easily roll up and travel nicely in a bag to the island for a day on the beach and transition, with heels, for an evening out.

Trends for spring/summer:

Return to long, cargo-style skirts

Wide-legged trousers

Royal blue and black; mustard and cream; slate blue and blush

Trends for fall (as seen in the crowd):

60’s styles a-la Mad Men

70’s boho chic: large, floppy velvety hats, oversized clutches, bellbottoms and hair left long, wavy and parted in the center.

80’s preppie style a-la any John Hughes film from the time

To view the collection and for more information on the Tibi brand, visit www.tibi.com

If you’re in NYC, drop into their  SoHo Location, at  120 Wooster Street, to browse.

Carey is the Editorial Director for (W)anderlust Writing. To see more of her work and current project, visit:

wanderlustwriting.com

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