fall/winter 2019 – The Young Eclectic

Runway May 5, 2019

Fashionable Farm Girl Layering with Ace & Jig

Lately, I’ve been indulging a new love of comfortable, rustic-looking clothing that emulate something that someone living on a farm in the early 1900s might have worn. It’s so simple and no fuss, as well as being pretty dang cute- especially when in comes in provincial patterns like plaid and gingham! Because of this strange, newfound love of prairie, farm girl style, discovering the brand Ace & Jig was a surprising treat!

Designed by Cary Vaughan and Jenna Wilson, the mission of the Ace & Jig brand is simple: Create effortless clothing from interesting, eye-popping textiles that can be worn in several ways and for several years. Instead of designing to appeal to the latest trend that will die in a single season, Ace & Jig designs pieces for the long game, in timeless silhouettes that you can layer with other pieces to create new looks day after day, which makes building a wardrobe with a low environmental impact a lot easier!

Not only does Vaughan and Wilson’s brand help to cultivate sustainable fashion, it also empowers women in genuine ways, like employing a group of women in India and paying them fairly to weave their custom textiles. It seems that the essence of the Ace & Jig brand is wholesomeness and an honest desire to improve the world, which is something I have no problem getting behind!

And the clothes are pretty alright, too. I was instantly delighted by the vibrant plaid prints, as well as the surprising ways the outfits were layered, like having an apron-esque, pinafore layered over another dress, or a pair of overalls over a pair of pants made from the same print. All of the layering in the outfits creates depth through interesting silhouettes and refreshing color combinations, that I can’t imagine being unhappy while wearing one of them, and it makes me want to romp through a field of rolling, golden grass with a milk pail in hand.

I think we could all take some notes from Ace & Jig on how to refresh our wardrobes by layering our clothes in innovative ways. We can also probably all agree that the age-old rule that says you can’t mix prints may be a bit outdated.

Check out my favorite looks from their last two collections below:

Fall 2019

plaid pinafore over blue dress from ace & jig fall 2019

rainbow plaid layered outfit from ace & jig fall 2019

green dress and plaid shirt from ace & jig fall 2019

plaid layered outfit from ace & jig fall 2019

dress with bow shirt from ace & jig fall 2019

plaid rustic outfit from ace & jig fall 2019

Spring 2019

green dress over plaid dress from ace & jig spring 2019

yellow plaid dress and red skirt from ace & jig spring 2019

yellow plaid dress from ace & jig spring 2019

layered dresses outfit from ace & jig spring 2019

Runway April 25, 2019

Dressing My Dream Man in Bode Fall 2019 Menswear

An article about menswear? On this website? No, that can’t be right. If you thought any of those things, then I don’t blame you. Menswear has never interested me in any serious capacity because it has never had the same pull on me as women’s fashion. Because of the strict societal expectations on masculinity and how men should express it, men’s fashion options are limited, and there isn’t as much room for the whimsy and fantastical details that I’m usually drawn to. Because of this, I become particularly fond of any menswear collection that strays from the mold, which Bode manages to do in their latest collection for Fall 2019.

bode fall winter 2019 whimsical fun menswear the young eclectic — This jacket adorned with pennies pays homage to the childhood joy of keeping collections. (Photo: Vogue.com)

Emily Bode projects her unique vision into Bode, a menswear line that started with her creating one-of-a-kind pieces from antique fabrics. Her knack for telling stories through clothing comes through in all of the darling details that make this menswear collection stand out, like the plaid suit with houses printed on it, or the clear, plastic coat showcasing somebody’s penny collection.

There were so many unexpected, little details added to each piece, it creates a sort of magic that makes this collection irresistible by creating that eclectic, thrift-chic look I’m obsessed with. All of those endearing details along with the vibrant and cozy knits paired with vintage-looking suits, and plenty of fun color sealed the deal for me. And while I’m not the intended audience for these clothes, I would gladly dress my boyfriend in them because your dream man should wear clothes that you can borrow every once and a while, and only maybe give back, am I right?

Check out a few of my favorite looks from the collection below:

All photos from Vogue.com.

Fashion April 23, 2019

Trends I’ll Definitely Try, Inspired by the Best Streetstyle Looks of Fall/Winter 2019

Okay, guys. I’ve been scouring the web for looks to include in this article for no less than three hours, so you better get ready to swoon hard for these styles. While the focus of fashion month is definitely on the runway shows and the trends they birth, the streetstyle of the shows’ most fashionable attendees can yield a ton of amazing styling ideas that we can all learn from.

I went through and found my favorite looks from each leg of fashion month, then organized them into different trends I would like to try with my own style. Hopefully, you’ll find as much joy and inspiration from them as I did! Check out my picks below:

Monochrome Rainbow

The comforting uniformity of monochrome has always appealed to me, and this season people have added their own flavor and seasoning in the form of creating monochrome looks with different shades of the same color. You still get the same, stimulating effect, with a bit more fun and detail.

Gorgeous In Green

Green has usurped the throne from millennial pink to become the IT color of fashionable people everywhere, and there were plenty of looks gilded in green to make me wish I had more of the lush shade in my wardrobe.

Sleeves Fit For Shakespeare

Statement sleeves are a favorite of mine, so any style that employs a sleeve that steals the show is a winning look in my book. Whether it’s pirate-inspired puff sleeves, voluminous ruffles, or fanciful fur- I can’t get enough of a sleeve that demands attention.

Fringy Fun

This one is pretty self explanatory. Fringe is a foolproof way to add some fun to any outfit, and these streetstyle looks add some modern flair to this age-old trend by adding it in unexpected places, like a plaid blazer.

Delicate Ruffles & Pleats

Give me some ruffles and pleats and my life is complete, so I’m really excited to see that copious amounts of these delicate, girly details were everywhere in streetstyle looks this season. Trust me, if I could dress like a doll every day, I would.

Unexpected Denim

Denim is another one of my favorite elements to add to my wardrobe because it’s so dang versatile, and I’m always delighted to see people utilize it in new ways, like in a voluminous midi skirt that looks like it’s made of old jeans, or a statement outfit made of dark, denim ruffles.

Cute Collars

Add a cute, eye-catching collar to anything and I’m sold. I especially love all of the vintage, prairie-inspired looks that have been a continuing trend in recent years (thanks Batsheva!). There is just something so whimsical and adorable about a good collar that I just can’t pass up.

New School Prep

We can all conjure up the image of “preppy” style in our minds- pleated skirts, headbands, blazers, and plenty of plaid. This season saw plenty of preppy people stalking the streets in updated looks that added edgy details like a metallic jacket, thick gold chain necklace, and structured, over-exaggerated hips, to the normally-tame trend.

Precious Pastels

I love any color that makes my heart warm, and there were plenty of looks featuring soft, pastel shades that are absolutely perfect for spring. Bonus points if you pair multiple pastels for an extra-adorable style.

Which was your favorite look? Would you ever try any of these trends with your own style? My only wish is that I had more money, so that I could incorporate more of these dreamy trends into my own wardrobe.

Runway March 15, 2019

Athena Goes to Prom in Shrimps Fall 2019

It seems like women that are both whimsically pretty and powerfully strong are a pervasive theme in the Fall 2019 season. Shrimps, the faux fur brand, contributed with a collection of frilly frocks inspired by Athena and her gang of pretty nymphs, who all came walking out of a huge neoclassical fresco, as though they were being conjured straight out of the mythological world before our very eyes.

The bright, printed, satin dresses with puff sleeves and fitted bodices channeled the over-the-top styles of the ’80s and conjured up visions of Athena and her leading ladies attending prom in gowns that are appropriately fantastic. And while the color palette of the collection started off as subdued neutrals, the color story developed into one that included vibrant yellows, bright orange touches, and even a checkered pattern that they added to jackets, bags, and tights. One of my personal favorite pieces was a black dress interspersed with sheer, orange, lace panels that, for some reason, made me think of a flamenco dancer.

And, of course, the coats were fab- rendered in a feathery texture and made in epic proportions, they will make anyone a fan of the statement coat. I especially adored the one that featured a playful, mythological print that Shrimps designer Hannah Weiland made herself, transforming the grey and white color scheme into something beautifully dreamy. All of this to say, I wish I lived somewhere cold enough to justify adding one of these jackets to my wardrobe, but, alas, not even Athena is powerful enough to defeat the Texas heat.

Check out some of my favorite looks from the collection below:

Cover photo from WWD.com, all other photos from Vogue.com

Read My Thoughts March 10, 2019

Tomo Koizumi Fall 2019 and the Pressures of the Debut

If you follow fashion, and you haven’t heard of Tomo Koizumi at this point, then you’re a unicorn. The Japanese designer debuted his boisterously joyous, vibrant, ruffled organza gowns on the fashion industry’s biggest faces in his first runway show that took place in the Marc Jacobs store in New York during fashion week.

The dreamy, absolutely bogusly-huge dresses were a refreshing change to the normally consumer-focused, fairly serious nature of New York Fashion Week. I was instantly taken by the sheer youth and femininity of the collection, which oozed all of the charm and fantasies of the Kawaii aesthetic of his native country. Koizumi even cites the internationally beloved anime Sailor Moon as being an inspiration for his dresses, which are supposed to act as a sort of armor, or proof of the idea that a woman can be cute AND strong. It makes me wonder why we view powerful women like men, in bland suits and plain makeup. Why can’t a powerful woman wear a rainbow-hued, ruffled dress? These are questions that are yet to be answered.

tomo koizumi fall winter 2019 nyfw new york marc jacobs style runway ruffles pastel kawaii cute dresses the young eclectic — One of my favorite looks from the collection, this adorable, ruffled gown looks like a traditional Japanese kimono from an alternate reality where everything is whimsical and kawaii. (Photo: Vogue)

But the real topic this show truly brought to mind for me, is the pressure of the debut. While Koizumi had already found some success with his ruffled creations in the kawaii-centric Japan dressing celebrities and pop stars in his signature sugary, architectural designs, he was by no means well-known worldwide- until he caught the attention of famous stylist Katie Grand, who had all of the connections in the fashion world needed to put on such an incredible show. His first show was a tremendous success, launching him to fashion stardom instantly. This vision of the debut just strikes me as unfair, and definitely outside of reality.

I’m not trying to disparage Koizumi or his work- I think it’s all gorgeous and deserves recognition for how unique and playful it is (my favorite piece was one that resembled a ruffle-fied traditional kimono) and I’m glad he was given this stage, so that I could be inspired by his work. I just think that it more cements the idea that the debut, whether it be a fashion show, an acting role, a novel, an academic paper, or any other kind of work, has to be some kind of earth-shaking event that causes the world to see you. And if your debut isn’t like that, then maybe you’re not as good at something as you thought. The fear of the debut flop might even cause some people to not try in the first place.

To put this in a more personal light, I am someone who grew up being told they were “gifted” (ugh) all the time, so I thought that I could be naturally good at anything I set my mind to, and that just simply isn’t true. This ingrained belief causes me to give up on things immediately if I’m not automatically good at them, making it so I never really step outside of my comfort zone and try new things. To put it simply, I am limited by a fear of failure and ridicule, one that continually causes me not to put my work out there. The reality is, most people will not have a spectacular debut, because it is your debut. Firsts are never perfect, and should only serve as a jumping off point to improve your craft and keep trying. If you keep at it, someday the world will take notice. I just wish I could practice what I preach!

Check out some of my favorite looks from the show below:

Cover photo from WWD.com, all other photos from Vogue.com

Runway March 6, 2019

Alexander McQueen Fall 2019 Is a Darkly-Romantic Love Poem

Love is in the air for Fall 2019, so much so that Valentino even created a book of love poems to give to the guests of their show, which aligned with the light, airy, dramatic, lovey-dovey atmosphere of their latest collection. Sarah Burton’s Fall 2019 collection for Alexander McQueen still brought us love, but in a much different way, by incorporating more intense elements, like hard metals, stark blacks and whites, and even a furious, passionate red that pulsed through the collection, creating a darkly-romantic vibe.

alexander mcqueen fall 2019 runway fashion style love romantic the young eclectic — The iconic dress embellished with heddles, or pieces from looms, which mimic the sound of a fabric factory floor when they move and clink together. (Image: Vogue.com)

And while the fluffy silhouettes of some of the more flouncy dresses, as well as the repetition of rose imagery throughout prints and couture-esque, sculpted gowns where volumes of fabric gather to create the visage of a rose in bloom (one of my favorite pieces being the impeccably-tailored suit with silk sleeves that culminate in a gorgeous floral whirl at the shoulders) create the notion of a romantic love, this whole collection was really Sarah Burton’s love letter to the textile industry of the northern UK. While the audience sat atop bolts of fabric, they watched extremely English, exquisitely-tailored suits traipse down the runway, as well as other dresses inspired by everything from suffragettes and their prim, white attire, to the Victorian frills of the Bronte sisters. Everything in the collection served to lift up the culture of her home.

In true McQueen fashion, there was one dress that really served as an art piece more than a garment- a dazzling silver dress embellished with heddles, which are pieces from looms used to weave fabrics. As the dress moves and the heddles glimmer and clink together, the sound is meant to mimic the sound of the factory floor where the fabrics of England are manufactured. And if that isn’t the coolest fashion-related thing you’ve heard all day, then I don’t know how to help you.

To say the very least and most, Lee Alexander McQueen would be proud.

Check out my favorite looks from the collection below:

All photos from Vogue.com

Runway February 28, 2019

Rodarte Fall 2019 Serves Us a Buffet of Frills, Chills, and Sugary Sweetness

Rodarte never fails to charm me with its insistence on girlish whimsy and dangerous levels of sweetness- and the Mulleavy sisters have done it again- achieved a collection that is all at once fun, vibrant, frilly, and fantastical to capture every inch of the human imagination. While their latest collection is rife with Rodarte’s usual bows, ruffles, light pinks, and wispy lightness (physically and thematically), black leather (albeit ruffled and pleated and fun in its own right) provided a juxtaposing darkness to the looks that only served to uplift the bright, happy vibes of the rest of the collection.

Inspired by classic musicals and their leading ladies from the ’30s to the ’70s, this collection was nothing short of theatrical with its oversized shoulders, fresh, floral headpieces, logoed belts and earrings, and kitschy, clear plastic heels that remind me of something I might have slipped onto my Barbie’s unrealistically-dainty foot.

Come to think of it, this whole collection seems like a perfect choice to outfit a battalion of dolls, which is exactly the kind of fashion I love. Something unique and sweet that nobody would consider wearing out into the actual world. Well, maybe it’s time we make the world a better place with fashion choices that make us feel more alive.

Check out my favorite looks from the show below:

All images from Vogue.com

Runway February 21, 2019

Fantastic & Fatal Accessories at Gucci Fall 2019

Gucci came to the Fall 2019 party guns a-blazing with a presentation that included a wall of flashing lights and mysterious, brightly- colored and almost-creepy, spiked masks (which Alessandro Michele admitted were only a fun detail for the show and would not be for sale). While the masks did their job of pulling us in and preparing us for the utter strangeness of the presentation, the rest of the collection firmly held me in place and kept me wanting to see the next look, and the next look, and the next look.

While the clothes themselves seemed to be more tame than Michele’s other recent offerings (he has abandoned his penchant for baseball trademarks and other logos almost entirely for a more subtle look), the outfits still seemed to impart an otherworldly quality that got my heart pumping as I flipped between the looks.

The silhouettes were oversized, hearkening back to menswear from the 1940s that touted extremely broad shoulders and wide pants (Michele’s were tied at the ankle, almost like a scarecrow), but he still added whimsy with plenty of pleats, ruffled colors, unexpected layering and ridiculous use of even more ridiculous accessories, which, in my opinion, became the star of the show.

From plated, color neck pieces to spiked headbands, these looks were embellished with accessories that were both whimsical and brutal, a delight for the eye to parse and the mind to imagine a character that would wear these accessories. Perhaps the most interesting of all of them were gilded ear coverings that made each model look like some kind of elf or alien- something I had never seen before, which left me equal parts confused and obsessed. Some other, perhaps more practical accessories included oversized fur stoles, logoed knee pads, and studded suspenders that will add some edge to any basic business looks in the season to come.

Alessandro Michele’s Gucci never fails to intrigue and delight me with its prolific and obnoxious creativity. I only hope I can learn to accessorize this boldly!

Check out some of my favorite full looks from the show below:

All photos from Vogue.com

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Meet the Editor-in -Chief

Anna. Austin, TX. 23. Recent college grad with a love for fashion, sci-fi, and all things cute and cuddly.

I liked the title Editor-In-Chief, so instead of waiting for someone to give it to me, I gave it to myself!

I work as a marketer and copywriter at a tech startup and moonlight as a fashion blogger/magazine editor extraordinaire. This is my effort at carving a little piece of internet for myself and those who relate to me.

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What Is The Young Eclectic?

Fashion. Forward-Thinking. Forever. | A Fashion Blog for the Modern Human in an Eclectic World

A fashion community/online publication excited about runway, style, beauty, poetry, film, literature, music, thrifting – an eclectic set of interests to express ourselves in the most holistic way possible.

We are constantly growing, changing, evolving, discovering, and learning, so the content we engage with should do the same.