Countdown to Fall - {Alice + Olivia}

Welcome one and all to A Blonde Ambition's first ever "Countdown to Fall" Fashion Week! One of my blogger friends Sarah suggested this fun idea last week and I'm so glad she did. I know we're all in a bit of a summer slump right now, so hopefully this will post series will give us a little light at the end of the oh-so-long-and-hot tunnel.

One of the main goals of A Blonde Ambition is to help make fashion more approachable and less intimidating to the masses- "the masses" being the normal, average, working girls of the world.

 I mean, I know so many women, (myself included) who look at runway collections and magazine spreads and think, "Gosh, those outfits look amazing, but how in the world could I translate that into everyday wear?"
Let's face it, girls- outside of Project Runway, 8 inch armadillo patterned platforms don't really make sense, (though they would make for a great conversation piece at the office staff meeting : )

My mission with this blog and post series like this one, is to shed light on style in small, palatable bites; to show other would-be fashionistas how to pull inspiration from various couture collections for their everyday wardrobe.

So here goes.

We'll start the Countdown off right by looking at one of my favorite design houses, Alice + Olivia. I've always liked A + O for two reasons; 1) Their stuff is very wearable and not too over-the-top or crazy; and 2) Their designs are easy to replicate on a budget.

This year from Alice + Olivia's Fall 2010 RTW collection, we saw tons of ruffles, feathers, sleek pencil skirts, tights and blazers- all things that are totally office-appropriate. Ok, maybe not the feathers, but you could rock those on a weekend...maybe.

I fell head-over-purple-Miu Miu-heels for this neutral palette below. L-O-V-E the fringe, feathers and ruffles juxtaposed with the comfy cardigan sweaters.

And take a look at those presh beige rounded toe pumps and pendant necklace. Yowza.

Needless to say, I also really dug these Vaudevillian-inspired looks. Fitted black blazers, tweed shorts with tights, and rich jewel tones ruled this portion of the collection, as well as body hugging dresses in blues, blacks and grays. I doubt I'll be sporting a mini top hat this fall, but I might go crazy with a feathered hair barrette or something : )

This fall will be the season to pull out all of those pencil skirts or better yet, go buy yourself some new ones. Alice + Olivia did the skirt proud yet again this year, by adding some ruffles and draping to the otherwise straight-up-and-down pencil...utterly adorbs.

Definition of the Day: RTW

{Don't let those snooty designers scare you with their important sounding acronyms and weird fashion lingo...allow me to translate some of the oft-used words from runway world.}

RTW- in the fashion world, this acronym translates to "Ready To Wear", meaning it will be available for we normal chicas in stores and online. It also translates to "cheaper" ; )

Today's Take-Aways

-Search for skirts and dresses with fun detailing like fringe, feathers and ruffles to add a fun twist to your look.

-Try pairing cozy cardigans with dressier outfits for a cool, multi-dimensional ensemble.

-Invest in a couple of fitted black blazers to add instant polish to your regular jeans and tee-shirt look. Look for three-quarter sleeves and scalloped detail along the bottom of the blazer for added visual interest.

-Tights + Tweed shorts= Fall Fashion Do!

-When buying fall heels, go for a rounded toe platform in a beige or coal black. 

What do you guys think about the Alice + Olivia Fall RTW collection? Do you prefer the light, neutral looks or the darker looks better?

Be blessed, lovelies-

Photo credits: Alice + Olivia