Fashion Me Fabulous

This week finally brought us the print challenge. I love this challenge. I think it's one of the best in the Project Runway arsenal. Unfortunately, the designers rarely live up to it's potential. This group, however, has done some of the best work overall. Again, the judges assigned teams and sent them off the the Guggenheim museum for inspiration. Each team of two designers had to create an art piece and a ready to wear item that went with it. The challenge has a prize of $10,000 and some HP computer-y thing. Daniel and Layana were paired and chose to work with a geometric print, which was just OK. Daniel originally wanted to create the art piece, but relented so Layana could have more creative control. I mostly like Layana. And last week, Daniel went all drama queen on Michelle. However, this week Layana got a little too self-important and lost her direction completely. While Daniel created a put-together and chic ready to wear look (left), Layana made a messy and confused

This year, my husband and I decided to work on one of those I've always wanted to 's and learn French. (We are using Duolingo , which you should check out if you want to learn a language or keep practicing one you've learned.) I am also currently reading two books connected to France -- French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew , a series of essays about food festivals in France and The Teahouse Fire , about a little French-American girl who travels to Japan in the 1860s (I like all the cultures at once). Perhaps I am wistful. It's been thirteen years since I first traveled to Paris, a trip I hold dear as a life-altering experience. No money in the coffers for another international jaunt, but I could certainly swing one of these French-themed items from Etsy. Oui and Non earrings by Beneath Glass Postcard pouch by Rosie's Amoire Tri-color t-shirt by Zig Zag Flag Eiffel Tower charm bracelet by Rare Jewel by Kathy Fleur de Lis gold st

Yesterday, I took a spin through the mall during my lunch break. Every dress I saw or cute skirt seemed to scream the same thing -- "This would look perfect with minty green tights!" Part of this is the abundance of vivid greens in stores and florals featuring the pale green color. I couldn't help but head on a quest. It only turned up a few results, but they're refreshing finds. Pictured: Mint Opaque Tights, Anthropologie, $9.95 Jade Tree Capri Tights, Target, $5 Ombre Green Tights, Modcloth, $15.99 Not Pictured: Pastel Mint Solid Tights, We Love Colors, $8

Pinterest is exploding with tutorials explaining how to contour makeup. The picture on the right is a mild example, and just look at all of that! This makes perfect sense for a photo shoot or a professionally pretty celebrity, but it seems like a lot of work for an everyday look. (And before you start telling me it's an evening look, I've seen plenty of girls sporting it in the day.) Or maybe I don't like it because most of the pins feature Kim Kardashian. I don't especially care for the end result either as the stationary highlights and shadows are very "I'm wearing a mask!", especially when the wearer isn't looking directly at you.  I've never been a huge fan of makeup that's supposed to look like it's not there, and as previously stated, I don't feel this look even pulls that off. Do you use makeup to thin your nose, diminish your chin, and highlight your cheekbones? Do you think this is a bit much for everyday, or am I just no

Shop: elaarte Why We Love It: I love finding unique pieces. While I love a big statement piece, sometimes I just want something understated yet terribly interesting. That's how I feel about these little wooden face necklaces from elaarte. They are small and quiet, but you get to wear a tiny sculpture around your neck. Price Range: $67.50 for necklaces. Other sculptures vary in price. Favorite Items: Pictured above: Face no. 4 $67.50 Pictured below: Faces necklaces $67.50 each

My annual "Ooh, Spring!" dress post is usually hard to edit. I want to wear all the pretty things. This year is even harder as it's nearly April and still below freezing. Where are my daffodils?! Guess I'll just have to wear them and think warm thoughts. My desire for spring has lead to less editing than usual, so please enjoy the wealth of very pretty dresses I cannot wear at the moment. Ugh. Where are my thermals? Florals Top: roses on black, Mod Cloth $90 full skirted retro shirt dress, Pin-up Girl Clothing $118 yellow and blue daisy fit and flare, Nordstrom $128 green maxi dress, Mod Cloth $73 Bottom: pale pink silk maxi dress, Anthropologie $198 green sheath dress, Mod Cloth $145 blue cowl neck sheath dress, The Limited $90 (50% off with code) floral explosion white shift, Anthropologie $178 blue maxi dress, Macy's $40 (sale) Lace/Embroidery neon pink and nude burnout lace dress, Mod Cloth $160 blue and white embroidered dress, Anthropo

Image Source: Toothpaste for Dinner Dear beauty companies, I regularly buy a small collection of products. Most of the products I buy are so popular they are frequently sold out at local stores forcing me to order them or trot around from store to store trying to get them. Clearly, these are big sellers. These products have been going strong for years. These were my frizz cream, my hairspray, my moisturizer, my shampoo, my conditioner, my body conditioner, my favorite summery red nail polish, my favorite eye shadow color, and so much more. You discontinued them. Why? Why must you do this to me? Sincerely, becca I know companies want to reinvent things, keep the products fresh, and streamline their product lines. It just feels like they often do this with very little regard for their customers. Nearly every product I've used and lost has experienced a massive outcry from users online. The company offers some vague reason why they cut it and offer something completely diff

Spring is here, and I can't wait to get outside and start cleaning up my yard. I also need to clean out my car. Of course, my house always needs a little attention. But I also need to attend to my fashion cleaning. Here's my usual to-do list. Clean out your closet. Throw away what is torn or stained. Give away what doesn't fit correctly or is no longer your style. Don't forget your accessories. You can even have fun with it by hosting a clothing swap with your friends. Clean your shoes. Polish, wax , touch up with marker, re-apply protectors . Do you need a professional buffing or to have heels retipped? Clean out your purse. Why are you hoarding all those coffee receipts? (So said the woman with 6 months of grocery lists in her bag.) Clean out your makeup bag. Eyes are so sensitive and bacteria can build up on the surface of your eye shadow. Generally, you should throw a shadow out after six months have passed, mascara if more than three months. It's

This week a witnessed the Lord & Taylor challenge. The designers each had to create a look for Lord & Taylor. The winner get's it sold. Pretty basic stuff. Honestly, I don't know why they stuck with the "team" thing for this challenge. The teams were meant to be like little critique groups but only functioned to foster drama. In fact, the teams really didn't play much of a role in the judging either. Stanley (left) and Patricia (right) were on the only safe team this week. They had an awful lot of drama while creating their looks. Stanley went way too controlling and Patricia responded by not responding. Both looks were fine, but not great. They deserved to be safe. Michelle (left) and Daniel (right) landed in the top. Honestly, Daniel's poorly made boring dress should have dragged Michelle down enough to stick her with safe and elevate our boring buddies above to winning status, but Lord & Taylor wants to make money so the judges pretend

Alexander Wang showed a line much truer to the Balenciaga history than we've seen recently. Starting only recently, in January, Wang pulled together a collection with plenty of history. Now we just need to see how he moves beyond the legacy and takes it forward. Givenchy showed a fascinating collection full of pieces more casual than I expect from the line. At first, I wasn't, but the more I clicked through the collection, the more I became intrigued. The colors were vibrant and the layers of sheer mixed well with weighty leather.   Louis Vuitton didn't wow me with clothing, but the textures were interesting and the shoes were amazing. Image source: Style.com

We have suddenly found ourselves unfashionable. It's not that we don't still have a distinctive style and expression with clothing, but our overtly feminine and romantic style is not what is dominating all the stores at the moment. The most irritating result of this is people stopping us in public places to tell us they hate our clothes. (What sort of grown mean girls do this? Does it make you feel better about yourself?) Really, what woman doesn't keep clothes around for a few years? Few of us can afford to buy a new wardrobe of trends each season. We should always buy what we like, not be a slave to what is popular. The key is mixing it well and staying out of a rut. I look at some of my coworkers who were in high school in the mid 80s, and they are still wearing teased mullets and garish windbreakers. I do not want to be them in 2033. This is why young adults can wear your granddad's clothes and look incredible; they're not coordinating the items like they w

Here at FMF we love books and we love fashion. We have long enjoyed the combination of the two by reading about fashion, but now we can wear our favorite literary classics. Lithographs creates shirts and posters with entire books (up to 75,000 words) printed on them. While printed shirts alone are cool, these come with lovely designs in the print. The books currently available are The Great Gatsby (pictured), Moby Dick , Alice in Wonderful , Sherlock Holmes , Origin of Species and Peter Pan . Each shirt costs $34 and comes in the unisex style pictured or a women's deep v-neck. The company also prints posters and is adding new designs. Click through the slideshow below to see all the current shirt designs back and front. View this collection on Polyvore Lithograph Shirts by fashionbeccafabulous on polyvore.com

Shop: Sandee Royalty Why We Love It: Winter. Blarg. It snowed yesterday. It will probably snow today. I'm so done. I want to wear pretty shirts and not freeze to death. These skirts from Sandee Royalty make me think of spring, and anything that makes me thing of spring is super happy right now. Price Range: $70 - $120 Links: Blog / Pinterest / Twitter / Tumblr Favorite Items: (click through the slideshow below to see favorites) View this collection on Polyvore Etsy Shop of the Week: Sandee Royalty by fashionbeccafabulous on polyvore.com Pictured: Blue and White Chevron Striped Skirt $78 ; Orange and White Striped Skirt $70 ; Black and White Mega Polka Dot Skirt $78 ; Newspaper Headlines Skirt $78 ;  Black and White Chevron Striped Skirt $78 (also pictured above)

When asked who are my fashion icons, I always say Queen Elizabeth I. She is a fascinating woman to start with, but as a fashion nerd, I deeply love her clothes. Huge skirts, dramatic collars, and embellished everything are some of my favorite wardrobe touchstones. We think of designer clothes now as being something for the very rich, but could you imagine the wealth and power of a person with precious stones sewn into their clothing? That's the power of a person with a Tower. Sarah Burton focused on the church of England for Pre-Fall, and returned to that idea for this brief show of only ten looks. To me, however, this reads as the peak of the Elizabethan Age. Regality, strength, power, sexuality, imprisonment. And all of those pearls... The McQueen woman of 2013 is stunning and withdrawn, or is she pushing people away? Her face barred. Her fingers gloved. Is she a decoration or making a bold display? Virginal or naughty? Like Queen Elizabeth I, she's complex, fascinating

Who: Balmain What it made us think of: The 1980s at its most excessive. What we liked: square shoulders, thigh high boots, leather What we didn't: I actually like certain elements of 80s fashion, but this doesn't incorporate them in any new way. This is outright costume from a house whose iconic looks are not from the 80s. Speaking of 80s icons... Who: Jean Paul Gaultier What it made us think of: A cluttered mind living in the past. What we liked: jackets like medieval armor reimagined in glove leather, floaty skirts, modularity, What we didn't: the hair, logo print, fur things, patchwork Who: Kenzo What it made us think of: Oh, no! The fabric store closed. What can we do with these ribbon scraps and a wallpaper sample book? What we liked: metallics, brocade, casual shapes, reptile texture, What we didn't: shoes, eye print (though the right woman could really work it), Image source: style.com  

Georgina Chapman has decided to expand her Marchesa line for the masses, and she's doing it just in time for prom. Her Pearl line at jcpenny is stocked with fun, flirty, fluffy, frilly dresses perfect for proms, weddings and all sorts of fancy to-dos coming up this spring and summer. The line if full of the fantasy found in the Marchesa collections but in much more wearable and affordable items. It ranges in price from $50 to $250, which isn't bad for fancy clothes, let along fancy clothes from a designer name. It looks like Georgina really did try to reach a new customer base. This is a much better effort than the $100 toddler dresses in the Neiman Marcus line. In fact, the priciest piece, at $250, could easily double as a wedding gown (and that's a great price for a wedding dress). I only wish there had been more separates. I would have loved a fancy Marchesa-style skirt to mix with everyday pieces instead of a collection made mostly of clothes for party-time only. Th

How did these escape last season's runway horror gallery ? I missed them entirely until Celine started running their spring ads with these furry shower shoes front and center. Those flats look like the high fashion version of the hideous Adidas slides all my peers wore in high school. And the fur pumps serve what purpose? (I know, that's a silly question for a fashion blogger to ask.) They will keep your feet hot for spring and make them look swollen. Can you imagine trying to keep them clean? And I thought suede was a nightmare. I don't think any of these designs are available in the U.S., but rest assured that they cost several hundred dollars where available.

Who: Miu Miu What it made us think of: A 1990's interpretation of the 1950s. What we liked: polka dots, stripes, underskirts, full coats, zippers, neckerchiefs, velvet mary janes What we didn't: thick soled shoes, a general feeling of sportiness (my least favorite 90's trend) Who: Viktor & Rolf What it made us think of: A family is saddened by their daughter's mood swings and withdrawal from the family. "Teenagers. What can you do?" they say. Little do they realize she had been bitten by an arctic werewolf. What we liked: black and white, bows, ruffles, What we didn't: The skirts are so short! Image source: style.com  

When I was out shopping the other week, I couldn't stop picking up the white lace dresses. I was especially enamored with the dresses with a bright lining. They felt so light and sweet and spring. It was a breath of sartorial fresh air in a month that has brought my area this season's biggest snow storms. If Easter weekend is springy like it should be, any of these would be perfect with tights, flats, and a cropped jacket. 1. baby blue fit and flare, Mod Cloth $83 2. yellow one-sloulder sheath, Macy's $148 3. orange fit and flare, ASOS $118 4. baby blue dress, Mod Cloth $53 5. yellow shift, ASOS $105 6. peach sheath, Mod Cloth $93 7. neon yellow skater dress, Express $49 (sale) 8. teal a-line, J. C. Penney's $40 9. navy skater dress, ASOS $88 10. neon red surprise inverse, Mod Cloth $58

I'm not even sure how to write about this episode. I'm with Heidi when she said she wanted to wrap early and eliminate everyone. Nothing looked good. In fact, it was so bad I couldn't keep from laughing as they came down the runway. The judges were even having a hard time. The clothes were the worst I've ever seen on the show. The designers were put into two teams of four and challenged to create tear away look for the Thunder Down Under - a troop of Australian male erotic dancers. I have several problems with the challenge itself: I don't like menswear challenges. This is a womenswear competition. I know fashion is for everyone, but it's not within the designers training and it doesn't apply to who is the best womenswear designer, which is the goal of the show. The designers only had one day for this challenge. They aren't menswear designers. They were set up for failure. This is the challenge where the judges picked the teams to see how people

We love prints, and we love colors. It makes sense then that we love the Duro Olowu capsule collection for J. C. Penney. While any one piece of the collection is wearable on it's own, the real fun here is the way the colors and prints interact and play together. It's here where the designer's strengths shine the brightest. I am head over heels for the gold dress and gold trench (though they're a little itchy). Both of the trenches fun actually, and they are the top of the collection's price spectrum at only $75. If you've been searching for the perfect emerald green dress , it's here. Heck, if you've seen searching for anything that screams warm weather, check out this affordable collection first.

Who: Lanvin What it made us think of: All the things I want to wear when I throw fancy, old school tea parties. What we liked: crowns, full skirts, white 3D roses, ruffles, bow heels, rhinestone heels, bug brooches, tonality , What we didn't: bug bead dress, word jewelry, Mr. T's styling influence, nude netting, slip dresses Who: Christian Dior What it made us think of: A cartoon of getting dressed. What we liked: black and white, touches of pink, full coats, What we didn't: Some of the knits are laughably bad. The pop art sketches could have been utilized better. Image source: style.com  

First, I'm sorry this post is a week late. I was celebrating the birthday of the amazing Jael Paris. It was one of the best weekends ever. Now, on to what could be one of the best Project Runway challenge ideas ever. The designers were greeted on the runway by Heidi and a duck. The duck was meant to represent Duck Brand Duct Tape. The designers would be taking the duct tape prom dress challenge. This week the designers were switched into different pairs. Out of bitterness for Stanley picking Layana, Richard chose Daniel and stole all the gold duct tape. It turns out, that may have been a favorite. Stanley and Layana were solidly safe. The dress they made was super duper cute. I really liked that they made a petticoat too. It was a sweet dress with some harder edgier details. I actually thought it could work as a day dress (with or without the bow, but my idea of day attire seems to be a little broader than most). It was cute, and I kind of want it. Patricia and Samantha