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I would be lying if I said I was On Top Of Things for fashion month. I am… not, to a painful degree. Sometimes life just has other plans for you, like moving and starting a new job etc. etc. But! I promise I’m working my way through the shows and putting together some posts to cover my favorites from each city- so stay tuned for that! In the meantime, I stumbled across this little gem of a collection that instantly set my imagination alight and made me put my fashion blogger cap back on for the night because it just has to be talked about.

Sequins, ruffles, billowing silhouettes, pastel colors, fun visuals- Germanier Spring 2020 pretty much checks off every box for things that make me go ooh and aah while perusing a fashion collection. But my affinity for it goes beyond its jaunty exterior of sublime shimmer straight to its joyous core- not only is the collection made with recycled materials, which is a huge plus in a time where sustainability and reducing our environmental impact is at the forefront of pretty much everyone’s minds, it’s also inspired by the iconic anime Sailor Moon. Cue the sound of me furiously falling in love.

sailor moon transofrmation gif
Sailor Moon transforming to fight evil.

Growing up as a young girl in the early 2000s, Sailor Moon was definitely a part of the little girl cultural zeitgeist. I remember my next door neighbor, a girl my age, inviting me over to her place so that we could lay on her parents bed (which seemed enormous at the time) and watch Sailor Moon on tape. I was equally fascinated and weirded out by it. Who were these girls with impossibly long legs and eerily large eyes that transformed into barely-there uniforms to fight the forces of evil? They were a far cry from the childlike vibe of the PowerPuff Girls I was used to. And yet, the aesthetic (and the irritatingly-catchy theme song) had me hooked.

Only later in life was I able to look back at Sailor Moon and appreciate it as more than a cute show I watched a few times as a kid. It depicted young women as heroes capable of saving the world without the help of a man- while wearing cute clothes. It paired prettiness and power, making it apparent that those two qualities didn’t have to be mutually exclusive. You could be a girl that liked girly things and still command respect.

This collection captures that sentiment and weaves it into robust garments that shimmer and burst into ruffles to mimic the beauty of the sailor scouts’ transformation sequences, even matching the aqua blue and pink color scheme. The eye-catching uniqueness of each garment exudes confidence and individuality, giving the wearer their own sense of power and ownership over themselves. Maybe Germanier is suggesting that we can be our own warriors that transform our lives by fighting against environmental destruction, while also looking pretty darn cute while doing it.

Check out my favorite looks from the collection below:

 

All photos from Germanier via WWD.com.

It’s a provacotive question, right? By asking it, I am insinuating that men’s fashion isn’t interesting, or wasn’t, at least- and in my opinion, it hasn’t been. Men’s fashion, in my opinion, has always been a parade of sameness with the same suits and collared shirts and jeans and T-shirts and beetle-ish dress shoes season after season. I’ve always thought that it’s a pity how men have so fewer choices for what society deems is acceptable for them to wear- shirts, shorts, pants, jackets- that’s pretty much it. Because of this unfortunate lack of diversity in the menswear industry, I’ve never really paid it much mind, preferring to leap headlong into the richness of women’s fashion instead.

louis vuitton Menswear Spring 2020 floral sweater with white pants fashion runway
This Menswear Spring 2020 season saw men’s fashion take a cue from womenswear with frilly details and pastel colors ruling the runway. Photo: Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring 2020

However, the Spring 2020 menswear shows carried forth a different message, with tons of gender-bending outfits rendered in precious pastels that made me consider the possibility that men’s fashion might finally be transforming, moving us one step closer to a world where people of all genders have the choice to wear exactly what they want without feeling pressured to adhere to a certain image.

For starters, pastels, the light, delicate tones that are often found with the most feminine fashions, were a prevailing theme in the Spring 2020 menswear shows. Suits, coats, pants, shoes, shorts, sweaters and more were all seen rendered in these playful colors, which created a more feminine vibe that you wouldn’t usually find in men’s fashion. There were also plenty of interesting pieces that I wouldn’t imagine normally seeing in the men’s section like sheer, flowing tops; ruffled blouses; preppy short shorts; tie-front jackets; beaded and embellished tops; flowery sweaters and accessories; a few skirts and even a dress or two.

Within these collections, it’s like the world of modern men’s fashion has finally opened up and has the freedom and space to allow men to think outside of the black suit, classic jeans, polos, khakis and the dreaded basketball shorts. I’m waiting and have been waiting for a fashion future where I can expect to see just as many fashionable, well-dressed men on the streets or the red carpet or on my Instagram feed as women.

But it’s one thing for the fashion elite to send these sort of looks down the runway and it’s quite another for the men of the world to actually absorb and accept these new possibilities. Unfortunately, we are a society run by gender norms and rigid expectations that put people into boxes and dictate what a normal man or woman should wear and how they should act. These types of issues don’t disappear overnight, and actually take decades, or even generations to break down and dissolve. Because of this, my only hope can be that pop culture will continue to push the envelope of gender stereotypes little by little, until it’s no longer seen as unusual or unacceptable for men to wear frilly, pastel clothing. So here’s to the future and hoping that change is coming!

Check out some of my favorite pastel looks from the Spring 2020 Menswear shows:

All images from Vogue.com.

Am I aware that it’s 2019? Yes, painfully so. Trust me when I say that writing about a collection from four years ago was not on my agenda tonight. I was preparing to do a write-up on the Prada Resort 2020 collection when memories of the Prada Fall 2015 collection came crashing to the surface of my mind, causing me to seek it out again and relive the joy of discovering this gem.

A sweet matching shirt and pants set featuring sleek, modern materials and classic, ’60s silhouettes. (Photo:
Monica Feudi / FeudiGuaineri.com via Vogue.com)

When I saw the debut of this collection, I was in awe of how fresh and innovative it felt. The smooth, plushness of the jersey knits; the the blown-up print that resembles chromosomes; the sweet, yet cold pastels that defied the normally-morose color code of winter; the cheeky bits of fur; the classic tweed; those sneakers that looked like leather socks; those gloves that extended up into the sleeves of the dresses. Every detail just built on the next to create a look that I had never seen before. Even now, looking back on it, I’m amazed and delighted anew by what this collection accomplished.

Playful in its concept and execution, this poppy collection dared to ask the question of whether or not artificial beauty (created through genetic modification and surgeries) is less authentic than natural beauty by combining natural elements like ostrich with less-than-natural elements, like the blown-up, science-y print comprised of an image of genetically-modified ostrich.

But the innovative clashing of concepts didn’t stop with natural vs. artificial- The modern materials, acid-toned colors, and lab-like atmosphere also abutted the classic and preppy, ’60s silhouettes and timeless tweed, creating a retro-futurism vibe that I can’t get enough of. All of the long-limbed girls on this runway could have been alien replicas of humans, or a robotic army of perfect women from some dystopian future- the narrative possibilities of this collection were nearly endless, which is why it has managed to stick with me through the years.

I remember carefully pulling the ads for the collection out of my well-worn copies of Vogue and hanging them on my dorm room wall so that I could stare at them when I was trying to sleep, or procrastinating on my homework. Sometimes I think it’s strange how our minds choose what to hold onto and what to cast out, as time renders things useless or no longer relevant, but I’m glad my neurons decided to keep this collection nestled inside me, and something tells me that this collection will always be one of my all-time favorites.

Check out some of the best looks from the collection below:

Cover photo shot by Steven Meisel/Prada. All other photos by Monica Feudi / FeudiGuaineri.com via Vogue.com.

Pastels, rainbows, sparkles, clouds, tulle, stars, flowers, sugar, spice, everything nice… Now all we need is a little bit of Chemical X and we can make the Powerpuff Girls. If you’ve ever wanted to dress like you were materialized into the fantasy world of an eight-year-old girl (in the best way possible), then you might want to take a seat while I tell you about Lirika Mitoshi, a small, online brand that gained notoriety on Etsy for their dreamy, embellished tights. I discovered them during one of my rare Pinterest browsing sessions. I guess that website is good for some things sometimes.

Lirika Mitoshi- with all of their poofy, tulle dresses; bejeweled shirts and socks; and shimmery, ethereal gowns embellished with sequin hearts and stars- is basically like the distilled essence of innocence, sweetness, and dreams. One look at these incredible, indulgent pieces will make your teeth sore. And while each piece is a little more pricey than what I usually purchase (they range from like ~$100 – ~$300), I can still see myself buying something to wear for some kind of special event, like a birthday party, or a music festival.

I think what I like most about these clothes are that, while fun and a little silly with all of their girlish sparkle and garish colors, they’re still super wearable, too. A sheer dress embellished with sequin stars can be worn over a T-shirt and jeans for an extra layer of detail. The fuzzy, blue skirt can be paired with a crisp, white blouse to balance out the camp-y texture and color. Studded socks can add a magical touch to pretty much any outfit.

You don’t need to be all-in with the ~*kawaii*~ aesthetic to add some whimsy to your wardrobe- just little touches here and there can make a huge statement and refresh classic outfit combinations you’ve worn a million times before. The magic is all in the details, and there are plenty of swoon-worthy ones here to make you fall in love with the Lirika Mitoshi brand and the possibility of fantasy in fashion.

Check out some of my favorite pieces currently listed on their site below. I can’t wait to see what they create next!

All photos from the Lirika Mitoshi website.

This post is not sponsored 🙂