Lorelai Gilmore Outfit #7: Barbie Convention at the Dragonfly Inn *Bonus Item Revealed!*

Okay, I have to be honest here.  Like yesterday, I didn’t actually have a scenario in my head that I was creating an outfit for.  My goal for this outfit was to start using some of the clothing items that I haven’t yet.

But when it came together, again like yesterday, a fake event came to mind.  With the introduction of pink to this outfit, I thought of how hilarious it would be to host a Barbie Doll Collectors Convention at one of the inns (I’m thinking this is more of an Independence Inn thing rather than a Dragonfly Inn thing…don’t know why, just do).  Don’t get me wrong; I don’t automatically think Barbie when I see pink, but I think I had it in my head since the black purse that’s part of this capsule wardrobe is actually a Barbie Pop Culture purse.  Two gatherings that automatically came to mind were the Maple Syrup Convention and the infamous Poe (as in Edgar Allen) Convention, where Rory decides she wants to go to Yale (again, sorry for the spoilers if you haven’t watched the series all the way through).  So I thought, “Why not a Barbie Convention?  Sounds plausible.”  Can you imagine if this were a real episode?  I, for one, would definitely watch that.

Anyway, I think I actually came up with something pretty cute:

I think there’s just enough pink here to give a nod to Barbie, but it still looks professional and not over-the-top girly when it’s toned down with the baby blue and black.  I think it would also help to differentiate Lorelai from anyone else who would be there.  By the way, I love baby blue and hot pink together.  It has to be one of my favorite color combinations.

Cardigan: farfetch.com, $91
Tank top: houseoffraser.co.uk, $39
Skirt: net-a-porter.com, $1490 (!!!nope, that’s not a typo)
Pumps: charlotterusse.com, $30 (also not a typo)
Purse: boohoo.com, $45
Necklace: tacori.com, ??? (price unlisted)
Cuff Bracelet: shrevecrumpandlow.com, ??? (price unlisted)

And now, the moment you all have been waiting for!  Drumroll please!

.

..

…

….

…..

The winner of the “bonus item” vote is this:

Tank: etsy.com, $21

I have to say I’m glad this was the one!  It gives the capsule wardrobe that extra element of quirk that was missing, and that is so Lorelai.  I’m excited to start incorporating it into some future outfits, starting tomorrow!

Have a great night, everyone!  🙂

Style On, Stylists!

 

 

Lorelai Gilmore Outfit #6: A Night Out On The Town

As mentioned yesterday, today was a no-restrictions (save for the capsule itself) day as far as outfit styling went.  That being said, I had so much fun putting this together.  I would even dare to say it was the most fun outfit I’ve put together so far.  For some reason, I guess I still get “getting dressed” anxiety, even if it’s not my own wardrobe.  Which is ironic, because the original point of capsule wardrobes was to avoid this very anxiety.

Originally, I didn’t have any scenario in mind, and that stayed true throughout the construction of this outfit.  But as it came together and I looked at the outfit, a couple of different scenarios came to mind.  I’ll discuss them after showing it to you:

I love this outfit SO much!  I guess it’s not really my personal style, but it’s a style I aspire to be brave enough to wear.  My style is not as edgy and sassy as this outfit is, and I don’t think I’d have the confidence to pull off this bombshell.  It does, however, have Lorelai written all over it.  Pairing the structured dress with the Jimmy Choo boots (*superfan moment:  I had to get her at least a couple pairs of Jimmy Choos as a nod to that episode where she gets money from her dad for her birthday and she calculates how many Jimmy Choos she could buy) and the cummerbund belt give it a delicious rock ‘n’ roll vibe.  Then the feminine accessories of the bag and jewelry give it another complex layer.  I also like seeing an outfit that isn’t dominated by blue.  I have nothing against the color; it’s just that I feel I haven’t been able to get away from it in the last five outfits.  This is definitely a welcome change.  For me at least.  😉

Anyway, like I said, there are two scenarios where I could see this outfit going well with.  Both involve nights out on the town, so I think this outfit is a great catchall for any fun outing she might have.
1) A random trip or date to New York City.  There are two times that I can recall off the bat that she went:  once for a Bangles concert, another time with Luke, where Luke is ranting about how much he hates cities.  I think there was one more time where she went with coffeehouse guy (for the life of me, I can’t remember his name, but he’s the one Lorelai learned to fish for) and Sookie and Jackson to see a musical that Sookie made up the “I am so very mad, so very very mad” song about….

Where was I?

Oh yeah.  So all of those times, I remember her being somewhat casual.  This is an outfit where I think she’d take NYC by storm, hitting hip hangout joints and blending in with the social scene.

2) If she’d actually taken Sookie up on a night out.  There was an episode where Sookie was super-pregnant, but she wanted to take Lorelai out to cheer her up.  Lorelai suggested dancing or a movie, which Sookie both agreed to tentatively with the caveats that she’d be super-tired or have to get up and pee.  So Lorelai decided to just do pizza and a movie in instead.  But I think if they had ended up going to a club, this would’ve been a great outfit for Lorelai to wear!

So what do you guys think?  Do you love this outfit as much as I do?  Does anyone remember coffeehouse guy’s name?  (Because that’s so gonna bug me now.  So much so that I might just have to look it up.)  Do you like the color?  Do you think it screams Lorelai as much as I do?

Tomorrow’s the big day!  I’ll be choosing the winnng bonus item.  It’s not too late to put in your votes!  Other than that, I hope you all have a great Tuesday.

Style On, Stylists!

Lorelai Gilmore Outfit #5: Back to Work Monday

Okay, gotta make this one short and sweet because bed is calling me (and also because I did two posts in one day, and also also because I’m feeling bad about neglecting my other blog…).

My fifth Lorelai Gilmore outfit from her capsule wardrobe is this:

For some reason, I’m having a really hard time breaking away from the navy blue and black (though I did add a pop of the baby blue in here via the tank and the necklace).  But I really do like this outfit and think it’s a great Monday outfit for Lorelai.  It’s not trying too hard, but still looks professional and has that hint of playfulness in the tank top that keeps the whole look from being too stuffy.

Tank Top:  johnlewis.com, $62
Blazer: republic.co.uk, $78
Skirt: riverisland.com, $25
Pumps: nordstrom.com, $575
Necklace: tacori.com, ??? (price not listed)
Bracelet: shrevecrumpandlow.com, ??? (price not listed)
Outfit Total: (without necklace and bracelet) $740

Tomorrow, because I desperately want to give the more colorful items of this wardrobe a chance to shine, I’m going to take the reigns (more than I usually do) and have no “situation” to restrict the outfit other than it’s an outfit I really love.  I’m looking forward to sharing it with you!  🙂

My apologies for any weirdness or grammatical errors in this post.  I fully admit that it was rushed.  I’ll end by reminding you to vote on which bonus item I should include in this capsule.  I can’t wait to add the winner to the mix on Thursday!

Style On, Stylists!

Lorelai Gilmore Outfit #4: Last-Minute Sunday Brunch with the DAR

So this is my first “made-up scenario” outfit.  The other three that I’ve posted so far are based on real episodes and real episodes, but this scenario doesn’t exist in the actual series; only in my imagination.  Not that it’s a huge stretch, but I’m just putting that out there.

This outfit is what I would imagine Lorelai would throw on if her mother Emily happened to call her on a Sunday morning to do a last-minute brunch with the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution):

As promised, I introduced more color to this one!  I love the scarf detail of the blouse, very formal and appropriate for a DAR brunch, I think.  And the structured blazer on top is a nice touch.  I really love how the purple pants and blouse work together to make one slimming line; it almost looks like a body suit.  Finishing touches include the (right-hand, of course) amethyst ring and diamond-and-sapphire earrings.  After all, if you’re running with the rich people, gotta play the part, right?  Then I still give Lorelai an opportunity for girly, inexpensive flourishes, like the pink bag and heels.

Blouse: farfetch.com, $295
Blazer: profilefashion.com, $715
Trousers: theoutnet.com, $185
Pumps: charlotterusse.com, $30 (great price for shoes!)
Purse: boohoo.com, $45
Earrings: lordandtaylor.com, $1350
Ring: myjewelrybox.com, $199
Outfit Total: $2819

I have to admit, this outfit was so much harder to put together than I thought it would be!  I LOVE color, yet for some reason, I kept getting pulled towards the navy blue and black neutrals for this DAR brunch.  I think it was mostly because those colors looked the most refined.  But I had used navy blue and black for the previous outfits, and I was determined to get some color in the mix.  Besides, who said color couldn’t be refined?  In the end, I’m happy with the results, even moreso because I think it’s very Lorelai-like to try and break the mold of what the definition of “refined” should be.

Also, I realize there are some fallacies in my proposed scenario.  First of all, Emily would never, ever catch herself unprepared for a DAR event.  I couldn’t picture her doing anything DAR-related at the last minute.  The only thing I can think of would be that Rory was originally planned to go to the brunch, but she cancelled, either because she was upset with Emily and didn’t want to go out of rebellion, or she had an emergency Yale News meeting (depending on what part of the series we’re at).  So Emily calls Lorelai and says she can’t have an empty seat at the brunch because that would be humiliating, and the tables would be imbalanced.

The other thing is that I can’t think of a reason why Lorelai would ever agree to a DAR brunch.  Maybe she owed Emily, or maybe Emily threatens something similar to when she threatened Lorelai that she would book a DAR meeting at the Inn every weekend for the rest of her life.

Either way, this situation is hard to imagine, but not wholly impossible.  😀

Also, call me naive, but I never realized the DAR was a real thing until a few things happened almost at the same time:

1) I used to work at a store that specialized in custom printing (special occasion invitations, stationery, etc.).  I kid you not, a mother-daughter combo came into the store to order invitations for a DAR reunion, somewhere in New England (I forget where now).  Needless to say, I was floored at the discovery that it was a real thing.
2) The hubby and I visited Washington, D.C. and saw a DAR headquarters building.
3) I started reading the Beautiful Creatures young adult series (which, by the way, is FANTASTIC and highly-recommended) and found out that a few of the main characters were involved in the DAR.

Anyhow, what do you guys think?  Too much color?  Or just the opposite, is it too reserved?  Also, only 2 more days to vote on the bonus items for the month!  If you have a few seconds, make sure to include your vote in the comments!  🙂

Style On, Stylists!

Lorelai Gilmore Outfit #3: Date Night With Jason Stiles

Yesterday’s post reminded me of something else that happened during that episode.  To avoid giving a play-by-play, I’ll just say that Lorelai was asked out at the beginning of the episode by Jason Stiles.  He told her he had reservations at a fancy restaurant and that she should wear a little black dress.  She had to turn him down in favor of the game, and he answered something along the lines of, “That’s a shame.  I bet you look good in a little black dress,” to which she answered, “Well yes, I do.”

Later on in the day, Lorelai decides to go on the date after all.  Jason reminds her to, “wear something evil.”  And Lorelai wittily replies, “So horns, tail, and my Wolfowitz t-shirt?”  “Perfect,” Jason says.

Much as I would’ve loved to have seen Lorelai in that getup (perhaps a future outfit?), she of course shows up in the aforementioned little black dress.  While she did look stunning, I came up with something a little bit different, using things from the capsule:

It’s still a little black dress, but with more personality and fun.  I love the polka-dot lace overlay on this dress!  Cute and sassy.  I added the cummerbund belt to add a unique touch, then kept the ballet flats and earrings from her Yale game so it would be a relatively-easy switch out.  Then for a touch of class and glamour, I added the diamond necklace that picks up the baby blue in the flats.  Also, no purse with this one.  I figured Jason could pay, so no need for a purse.  😉

Dress:  hm.com, $39 (I love it so much, and it’s at such a great price point, that I’m so tempted to buy it for myself!)
Ballet Flats:  frenchsole.com, $140
Earrings:  wetseal.com, $3.99
Necklace:  tacori.com, ??? (no price listed)
Belt: cusp.com, $54 (I have to say I’m quickly falling in love with this belt, too…but I have something similar to it already.)
Outfit Total:  $236.99 (without necklace)

I think tomorrow it’s time to finally do some color!  So I’m excited for that.

What do you guys think of this outfit?  Would you wear it to a classy restaurant?  Also, only 4 more days to vote on the bonus item to include in the capsule!  Can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

Style On, Stylists!

Lorelai Gilmore Outfit #2: What She Should’ve Worn to the Yale/Harvard Game

Today I’ll be continuing the “What she should’ve worn” trend, though tomorrow that’s going to change (hint: some form of a skirt will come into play!).

Lorelai is attending yet another milestone in Rory’s education: the first homecoming football game at Yale (for those of you who haven’t watched the series yet, sorry for the spoiler).

Lorelai starts the day wearing a red sweater and black vest.  As she arrives at the game, her mother Emily (Yale alumni along with Lorelai’s father, Richard) is appalled at Lorelai’s choice of clothing.  She goes on about how she can’t be seen wearing crimson, which is Harvard’s school color and just so happens to be who Yale is playing that day.  In an attempt to cover up Lorelai’s grievous error, she throws a black jacket over her outfit and adds her navy blue scarf (Yale’s colors are navy and white), telling her daughter to please button up the jacket so no one can see the crimson peeking out.

Luckily for me, navy blue is one of the colors I included in Lorelai’s capsule wardrobe.  Here’s what I came up with.  I think Emily would’ve approved:

There’s definitely lots of navy blue to go around in this outfit, but I wanted to put some personality in it, too.  The combinations of navy and baby blue I think would look stunning on Lorelai, but the sweater/jeans combo is still very comfortable.  I originally played around with putting boots with it, but it looked too boring to me, so I threw in the leopard-print flats.  A bonus would be that Emily would be bothered by it.  🙂

Sweater: jcrew.com, $30 (what a steal, especially for JCrew!)
Jeans: lagarconne.com, $200
Ballet Flats: frenchsole.com, $140
Earrings: wetseal.com, $3.99 (WOW!)
Ring: swarovski-elements.com, $320
Scarf: farfetch.com, $645 (why, I don’t know, but I’m sure you could get something similar for much less)
Purse: pinterest.com, ??? (price unlisted)
Outfit Total: $1338.99

Let me know what you guys think of the outfit in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote on which bonus item to include in the wardrobe!  Only 5 days left!

Style On, Stylists!

Lorelai Gilmore Outfit #1: What She Should’ve Worn to Rory’s First Day at Chilton

For those of you who don’t watch the Gilmore Girls, a little backstory/setting:

On Lorelai’s daughter Rory’s first day of Chilton, Lorelai has a little bit of a clothing issue.  She forgets to pick up her clothes from the dry cleaner’s, so all she is left with is her ratty clothes.  Chilton is a private school that Rory has just been accepted to, so Lorelai wants to make a good, professional impression when she drops her daughter off.  Instead, she has to drop her off wearing a pink tie-dyed shirt, cowboy boots, and cutoff jean shorts, which gets her many stares and not-so-under-the-breath comments.  Hilarity ensues.  Flash forward to later in the episode, after she has had a chance to pick up her dry cleaning, and she’s wearing a baby blue blouse and structured a-line skirt (die-hard Gilmore Girls fans, feel free to correct me on this…I was just too lazy to actually pop the episode in and reference-check).  She announces to anyone within earshot that that was the particular outfit she was supposed to wear.

This brings us to today’s outfit.  I came up with an alternative to her blouse and a-line skirt, using items from her capsule wardrobe:

I think this outfit is snappy and professional, but still shows a little bit of personality with her necklace.  I almost threw the black blazer on it instead of the navy one, but thought it would’ve looked too monotone. 

Blouse: mango.com, $16
Blazer: profilefashion.com, $715
Trousers: uniqlo.com, $15 (price went down from yesterday!)
Pumps: nordstrom.com, $575
Earrings: lordandtaylor.com, $1215
Necklace: endless.com, $55
Purse: pinterst.com, ??? (price unlisted)
Outfit Total: $2591

What do you guys think?  Is there a different combination that you’d choose from the capsule wardrobe for her first day at Chilton?  Do you think I went too conservative and perhaps should’ve added more color somewhere?  Let me know what you think, as well as vote on which bonus item I should include (see yesterday’s post by clicking on the “her capsule wardrobe” link above).

I have to say that what inspired me to do this was an amusing post from a friend, wherein he asked what he should wear to a first date.  I found it amusing because I don’t recall him ever caring what he wore before.  In times past, I think he would’ve went for the guy version of the cutoff shorts and tie-dyed shirt.  There is much more to the story, but I’ll withhold it in order to save him embarassment (I try to be a good friend when I can).  Anyhow, I think that may influence tomorrow’s outfit.  I’m thinking it’ll be another “what Lorelai should’ve worn to…”.  But for now, I’ll say goodnight.

Style On, Stylists!  (I think that’ll be my official sign off for this blog.)

August 2012 Celebrity: Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore (*edited to include jewelry)

The first celebrity fashion icon I’m featuring is Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore.

*Above images from www.CelebrityStyleGuide.com.  I do not claim to own any of these pictures.

Once I started the Gilmore Girls, I couldn’t stop.  I was instantly hooked from the first episode I watched (in college, if you must know…my roommate was obsessed with the show and we watched the episode where Luke finally kissed Lorelai).  I checked out the first season from the library, then loved the first three seasons so much that I ended up buying all seven seasons.

Lorelai is the cool, fun-loving, young-at-heart mom who isn’t afraid to be her quirky self, and it shows in her fashion.  From the cutoff shorts and cowboy boots she accidentally wears to Rory’s first day at Chilton, to the infamous pink trench coat, to her love for the fringed-and-sequined jacket that unknowingly belonged to Luke’s ex, to the plum leather miniskirt she shamelessly wears to her job as manager of the Independence (then later Dragonfly) Inn, many of her real outfits on her show are extremely memorable, and ones that I would love to wear!

In this capsule (click on the link to get a closer look at any of the items), I chose black and navy as her neutrals and pink, plum, and baby blue for her accent colors.  I think the neutrals will go well with her dark hair, and the colors will not only go well with her bright blue eyes and skin tone, but also with her slightly-girly personality.  Enjoy!  🙂

*In the square in the bottom right-hand corner of the capsule are the “bonus items” up for voting on.  Please submit your vote on which item I should include in this capsule wardrobe in the comments section.  Voting will end one week from today (Wednesday, August 8th), where I’ll tally all the votes.  The clothing item with the highest number of votes will be incorporated into the capsule and featured in an outfit the following day (Thursday, August 9th).  Happy voting!  🙂

Total amount of entire capsule at the time of publishing this post (excluding bonus items):  $6595 (also, the black quilted purse didn’t have a price listed).

This averages about $228 per piece.

Least expensive item(s):  navy blouse (mango.com) and jeans (uniqlo.com), each only $16!

Most expensive item:  black/baby blue colorblocked skirt (net-a-porter.com), a whopping $1,490!

Surprisingly expensive-looking steals:

-navy blue skirt (riverisland.com), $25

-black polka-dot lace dress (hm.com), $39

Favorite capsule items**:

-leopard-printed ballet flats with baby blue trim (frenchsole.com), $140

-black cummerbund belt (cusp.com), $54

**These aren’t personal favorites for myself, because I think I wouldn’t look good in those items.  Rather, those are my favorites for Lorelai Gilmore, because each item I think fits her personality so well!  I think she’d snatch them up at the mall if she saw them!  (What do you guys think?)

Tomorrow I’ll be posting her jewelry capsule and Lorelai’s first outfit combination!  I’m so excited!

*Edit 8/2/2012:  Here is her jewelry capsule:

(I think I failed on having a “neutral” ring for her, but oh, well.  Also, I had to include a piece of jewelry with a dragonfly on it, thus the beautiful necklace.  I also tried to find something with a coffee cup on it, but didn’t find anything that quite fit with her wardrobe.  If anyone knows of something, please let me know!)

I would love to hear your thoughts or comments below.  Don’t forget to put in your vote for which bonus item you’d like to be a part of her wardrobe!

Style On, Stylists!