Christmas wish list: cashmere

It's been a few weeks since I last wrote - a lot has happened: a hurricane, midterms and projects, Thanksgiving weekend, a Miami vacation.. As Christmas quickly approaches, I thought it would be fun to put down all the trends that I am obsessed with in this Autumn/Winter, and the "must haves" that could be great presents or stocking fillers. Most of the inspiration comes from the trends that I see here in NYC, but in a few days I will be travelling to Milan, so I will be updating you also on what are the trend for this holidays on the other side of the ocean.

But let's start with the first one: cashmere. Who doesm't love it: soft, warm and cozy. Many cashmere sweaters are quite basic, v-neck, turtle necks and crew necks in all the possible colors. Have you ever noticed that? But here in NY I found a brand that produces great cashmere and in fashionable styles, it is called Aqua and as far as I know it is primarily sold at Bloomingdales stores.

I fell for this particular electric blue and deep blue v-neck sweater that Kristen Stewart wore a few weeks ago, I made a research online and there it was on bloomingdales.com! I bought it online and got it for 40% off with one of the endless promotions Bloomingdale's sends me daily! I cannot provide you the link, because the sweater is, of course, sold out.

http://thefashion-court.com/2012/11/kristen-stewart-the-twilight-saga-breaking-dawn-part-2-la-press-junket/

But there are other styles in trend that are worth trying: here in NYC you can see almost in every store crew necks with animals intarsia, or stars, or hearts. Here a few example from Aqua in casmere:

http://www1.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/aqua-cashmere-sweater-bulldog-crewneck?ID=627878&CategoryID=1000658#fn=BRAND%3DAqua%26spp%3D28%26ppp%3D96%26sp%3D1%26rid%3D19

http://www1.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/aqua-cashmere-sweater-bulldog-crewneck?ID=627878&CategoryID=1000658#fn=BRAND%3DAqua%26spp%3D28%26ppp%3D96%26sp%3D1%26rid%3D19

Another brand that I discovered here is C.Wonder, and they offer the same styles, in wool at great prices (88$), here a few examples.

For the cashemere lovers but friendly budgets, I can suggest Uniqlo cashmere collection, from $39.99 to $79.99.

How would I wear it? with classic jeans, or leather skirt, as simple as that!

Aqua cashmere by trendfulnyc featuring a cashmere crewneck sweater

Aqua cashmere crewneck sweater / 3.1 Phillip Lim leather skirt / Ted Baker skinny fit jeans, $100 / Jimmy Choo high heel shoes / Valentino ballet flat

Black skinny pants, leggings, jeans

http://www.thefancy.com/things/152979602552129913/Faux-Leather-Leggings

This is a timeless trend, but every season it is a fun fashion exercise to start from the basic skinny pants or leggings or jeans and play around with them with the trends of the season. Here a few examples to comment, all:

I kind of like this outfit: jeans jacket, black leggings, black booties, structured black bag. To replicate the look: 

Soho NYC inspired by trendfulnyc featuring a denim jacket

Denim jacket / H&M , $9.61 / rag & bone high heel boots / Satchel handbag, $120 / Ray Ban Wayfarer black, $175

What about this? Cream sweater, black leggings, beige suede booties, big black leather bag. Replicate the look like this:

Cream and Black by trendfulnyc featuring shiny pants

Jumper sweater / River Island shiny pants, $29 / ALDO western booties / Yves Saint Laurent genuine leather handbag

I really like this ensemble, mix of basics with a touch of color: grey sweater, black and white scarf, black denim and red boots. Replicate this look with a bit of cachemire and Dr Martens!

grey, black and red! by trendfulnyc featuring patent leather boots

Jardin des Orangers knit top / J Brand skinny leg jeans, $195 / Dr. Martens patent leather boots, $145 / rag & bone wool scarve

Black skinny pants are not a trend just for women, also men pull this out woth a jeans shirt and black jacket. Here below this fall menswear inspiration:

Menswear Fall Inspiration by trendfulnyc featuring sneaker wedges

J.Crew tailored shirt / Barbour quilted jacket, $240 / dVb Victoria Beckham skinny leg jeans / NIKE sneaker wedge, $135

Great pieces: parka jacket, black leggings, sneakers and a black balenciaga bag. To replicate this look you can have a look at one of my previous posts NYC Uniform.

Very wintery: camel coat, black leggings, leather brown boots, red cross satchel bag. Replicate the look around a camel coat as the key piece:

Warm camel coat by trendfulnyc featuring low heel boots

Joseph hooded coat, $600 / Diane von Furstenberg skinny pants, $375 / Sergio Rossi low heel boots / John Lewis body bag, $145

And this pic is for those who like it very edgy :) For those who want to try, here are my tips:

Fur Vest by trendfulnyc featuring leather handbags

SLY 010 fur vest, $1,280 / Current/Elliott / Leather booties / Zara leather handbag

So, which you prefer the best? Don't forget to leave here your comments! And stay tuned for more updates!

What I'm wearing

My dear follower Cécile suggested me to dedicate some post to what I wear here in New York. So, as now we finally approached into Fall fashion, I can start sharing with you some outfit pics! Do you think I am pulling off the trends of the season?

Today was a super cold day, therefore I decided to wear: a newly bought grey wool oversized sweater by Zara, a black long-sleeved T-shirt by Benetton - the jeans are a bit of a splurge (Dolce & Gabbana, a similar style here), as the biker boots (which I love, by Fendi. A similar style here).

Hope you like it!

ps: sorry for my pink flip flops, they are always in my way :P

Fall trends in Soho

I have to be honest: I've had a hard time. Up to know I was not able to spot any particular trend, because the weather has been changing so much. It is one of those transitioning periods in the year when you can't spot a definite trend, because people don't know what to wear and mix up everything: summery clothes and jackets, jumpers or sweaters (whatever more suitable to keep warm if it gets chillier), sandals, Uggs or boots.

Today I wondered around Soho, because it was one of those New York-only beautiful sunny dry days and it was the first really cold day of the month, 11° Celsius. As you can read, I am still referring to Celsius for the temperature, the other table confuses me a lot and actually I am not putting a lot of effort to learn it!

Anyhow, I spotted this woman in Prince Street, and I believe she shows exactly the "scruffy chic" "non pretentious" trend of downtown New York. And the trend is basically this: total black, jacket, leather (leggings, jacket or pants), motorcycle boots, high street designer bag (possibly in a color that grabs attention), big scarf, Ray Bans. That's it. As simple as that. But Newyorkers are really good at this, because even though it is a really simple trend to put together, it is never ordinary. There is something in her outfit that makes her pull this trend in an edgy and not pretentious way. Would you wear it?

N/A in NYC...yet: COS by H&M

This sounds odd, right? a successful international brand that does not have a store yet in NYC? the fashion capital for definition? It can happen and I have an example.

I discovered this brand in Berlin (Germany) back in 2011. I was there for a week-end with my friends and, while we were sightseeing, we noticed the store on Friedrichstrasse and we decide it to enter, believing at first it was a local brand  I instantly liked the style: basic colors, simple, straight and sleek lines. At the register, I asked a sales person if she could tell me more about the brand and finally  I found out that is the "luxury brand" of H&M and it is named COS. COS stands for "Collection of Style" and was born in 2007. It counts 46 shops around Europe, and a new one opened in Milan.

While we are all accustomed to H&M high street and budget friendly fashion, COS is a luxury brand, where attention is given to selected materials and details. Of course prices would be a little higher, but nothing so shocking, since the low cost policy, it seems, is inherent in the DNA of the Scandinavian fashion group.

COS just opened doors before the Summer right in the Fashion District in Milan: a three floors 400 square meters shop - a mega store that is hosting its first autumn line. Benedetta sent me a few pics.

Just to have a feel of what the brand and its offering are like in other countries, I asked my friend Paola to send me some pics of the COS flagship store in Amsterdam.

I love the colors, the lines and the minimal design..it's so me! As any successful fashion brand in Europe, I don't feel we will have to wait long to have a store here in the city. In the meanwhile, if you are in Europe you can shop online at cosstores.com

fall is coming to Milan..

My friend Claudia back in Milan filled me in on what is going on in terms of Fall trends and fashion over there. After a long and nice Summer that offered the background for the month of September, now it's time to start shopping for the new season also in Milan. And Claudia is quite lucky, as her sister owns a chic boutique, "My Fifth Avenue", and therefore she has "all access" to the best Italian fashion brands. 

Here you can see an outfit she put together while in her store, an outfit she named "worwkear with a twist": black pants by Patrizia Pepe, green sweater with beaded profile by Scee by Twin Set, beige studded shoes and bag both by Patrizia Pepe. 

If you have never heard/seen of Patrizia Pepe you should check their collection. Edgy and chic. An Italian brand created in Florence by Tessilform in 1993, it is one of the most loved brand in Italy. I have always been a huge fan of it (as Claudia), and I would literally just shop there before the advent of Zara. I always found great pieces for workwear, events and nights out. I believe it is still not distributed in stores in NYC, but you can browse their e-commerce at patriziapepe.com 

how to replicate a look

Olivia Palermo inspired by trendfulnyc featuring short sleeve shirts

H&M short sleeve shirt, $11 / Zara leather jacket / J Brand cropped skinny jeans / Gucci eyewear / Zara Teardrop Choker / Shoemint shoes

I recently saw this picture about Olivia Palermo running errands in New York, and I instantly loved it. I believe this ensemble is a great transitioning outfit and realy easy to replicate. Put into the mix: a leather sleeved grey jacket or sweater (I bought them both at Zara, but the sweater is not available online), a basic burgundy H&M t-shirt, skinny jeans and a yellow-earth suede pumps, big black cat-eye sunglasses and a statement necklace  And you would look absolutely street chic! Here below the inspiration.

http://www.instyle.com/instyle/lookoftheday/0,,,00.html