Street Style Chi Interview: For the Sake of Fashion

Watch out, Chicago! Today we’re giving you an inside look at the girl behind the scenes of StreetStyleChi, and she’s about to rock you like a hurricane! Alexandra Moresco, a junior PR major here at DePaul University, began the blog the summer after her freshman year and has been going places ever since. You’ve probably seen her on social media and passed by her flyers on campus, now check out our interview with her to get the full scoop:

Designed by DePaul: What made you become interested in fashion?

Alexandra: I started a street style blog when I became interested in fashion because we here at DePaul have style, we just aren’t recognized for it. Most fashion blogs are geared at 25-30 year olds who can afford to drop a grand on a dress. I started to blog with an interest in fashion and style for college students and the young professionals!

Designed by DePaul: How do you manage to stay on top of schoolwork and do so much with StreetStyleChi?

Alexandra: I just block out a section of time each day to blog just like people block out sections of their day for working. It means a lot of late nights and early mornings.

Designed by DePaul: How would you describe your personal style?

Alexandra: Eclectic, all over the place, and really just depends on how I feel that day. I love shopping at Wicker Park boutiques and Nordstroms, because I love wearing stuff that no one else is wearing. I supplement a lot with TopShop, but really it’s not where you shop, it’s how you style it.

Designed by DePaul: Do you have any staple accessories or clothes?

Alexandra: Always white tanks, a great a-line skirt, and gold chains. I have a million different gold chains and I wear them all the time.

Designed by DePaul: So tell us everything about the fashion show?!

Alexandra: Last year, the current president of the UNICEF club here on campus asked me to help plan a charity fashion show. We were expecting around 180 people to come but more than 300 showed up and we raised more than $2000! We hope to exceed both those numbers this year. The second annual show is going to be held in Cortelyou Commons on March 8^th and doors open at 6:30! Suggestion donation is $10, For The Sake of Fashion! This year we’re getting inspiration from the Fall 2014 DKNY line so give it a look for a sneak peak!

Designed by DePaul: What would you like to tell our readers about your upcoming fashion show?

Alexandra: The show is my baby, I work on it year round and I really hope it does well. Even though its fashion related the whole point is to create awareness for UNICEF and raise money for charity. Hopefully next year it will grow even bigger!

She’s just incredible, right? Now readers, let’s take to the Internet!

Check out her blog: http://streetstylechi.com

Giver her Instagram account a follow: streetstylechi

Get her hashtag trending: #FTSOF

If there’s anything you have to do this quarter at DePaul, it’s attending StreetStyleChi’s fashion show. We hope to see you all out in full force at her show on March 8^th, remember doors open at 6:30 at Cortelyou Commons! Here are a few pictures from last years show just to get you excited!

Credit: Yuya Ohashi

Credit: Yuya Ohashi

Credit: Emily Willaims

- Sara 

Iconic Oscar Dresses of Years' Past

As the Oscars are approaching, I think it’s time to pay respect to all of the past years of gorgeous gowns. After searching the Internet and numerous slideshows, I’ve come up with some of my personal favorites. These dresses were beautiful and memorable (Angelina Jolie’s leg, anyone?) but all exemplify the elegance of the Oscars. Enjoy! 

- Kirsten

1951: Marilyn Monroe in 20th Century Fox wardrobe department (Source)

1954: Audrey Hepburn in Givenchy (Source)

1955: Grace Kelly in Edith Head (Source)

1995: Uma Thurman in Prada (Source)

1997: Nicole Kidman in Dior (Source)

1999: Gwyneth Paltrow in Ralph Lauren (Source)

2001: Julia Roberts in Valentino (Source)

2006: Kiera Knightly in Vera Wang (Source)

2007: Penelope Cruz in Versace (Source)

2009: Frieda Pinto in John Galliano (Source)

2011: Mila Kunis in Elie Saab (Source)

2012: Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford (Source)

2012: Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace (Source)

2013: Jennifer Lawrence in Dior Haute Couture (Source)

2013: Halle Berry in Versace (Source)

2013: Anne Hathaway in Prada (Source)

2013: Amy Adams in Oscar de la Renta (Source)

2013: Kerry Washington in Miu Miu (Source)

My Ultimate Icon, Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton, also known as the Duchess of Cambridge, is my ultimate icon both in life and in fashion. And how could she not be? The 32-year-old beauty is intelligent, down-to-earth, and elegant. She is intangible yet somehow relatable. Not to be cliché, but she holds a certain "je ne sais quoi" about her. She glows.

She grew up like most of us, humbly, among two young siblings; one girl, Pippa, and one boy, James. Her parents both worked in the flight industry. In 2005, she graduated from the University of St. Andrew's in Scotland where she met Prince William. 

Then, in 2006, she accepted a position as an accessory buyer for the UK clothing store Jigsaw. This is around the time she emerged into the fashion scene and magazines started to recognize her as more than Prince William's girlfriend. She created her own image and a great one at that. Her public image specifically is a large reason why I admire her. I aspire to emulate her grace.

Kate and William's split in 2007 proved to the public they were a real couple just like anyone else. When they got back together a few years later, everyone swooned. An engagement in 2010 was ridiculously exciting. Especially when we learned she received Princess Diana's engagement ring.

The Royal Wedding in 2011 went down in history. Kate looked beautiful as ever and her Alexander McQueen dress was stunning. Not surprisingly, the same was true in July 2013 when Kate and William showed the world their handsome little boy. Kate radiated just one day after birth, further proving she is a goddess.

Lately, she has been in the news for picking up dog poop like any other commoner and even rewearing a dress. You can't tell me she isn't perfect. Let's take a look at some of her best looks.

From gowns to casual wear, Kate works everything she wears. I'm looking forward to seeing what 2014 has in store for her style and her life :)

- Meghan

Revamp an Old Shirt

2014 Brit Awards

Let’s face it, we all have a slight obsession with British people. Their accents, charisma, charm, and not to mention they ALWAYS dress well. The 2014 Brit Awards were this past Wednesday night and even though they took place thousands of miles away, we’ve already managed to pick out the best dressed of the night. Some winners of the night included breakthrough alternative rock band Bastille, the always beautiful Ellie Goulding, the international heartthrobs of One Direction, and bad boy rockers Arctic Monkeys. Check out some of my favorite looks below!

Bastille

Nicole Sherzinger

Tom Daley

One Direction

Lorde

HAIM

- Kristin

Conquering the Quilted Skirt

A few months ago I purchased this perfect black quilted mini skirt with silver zipper details. Usually when I’m buying clothes to add to my wardrobe I try to think of clothes I already have that will complement my new purchases. However in this case, I cannot find anything in my closet to pair with this skirt and it’s killing me. In a case like this I had to go out and buy a few new tops that would pair well with the skirt, but I’m okay with that. Here are a few outfits I put together revolved solely around a quilted skirt. The skirt in the Polyvore set is similar to mine, but mine is quilted and cotton rather than sleek leather. Let me know if you have any trouble conquering a certain style or piece of clothing and I can blog a post about it!

- Gretchen

Purple Haze

From time to time I’ve been known to have purple hair. More than a handful of people have asked me just how I achieved such a color from inside the bathroom walls of University Hall (shhh, don’t tell my RA). So the last time I dyed my hair (about a week ago), I convinced some friends to help me document the process. 

On top of these riveting images displaying me wrapped in an old purple towel, each step for acquiring a lavender head of hair is documented.

First and foremost, the tools needed:

1. A head of hair (an obvious necessity, but hey, it counts)

2. Bleach (I used this)

3. Hair dye (I used this and this)

4. Container to put your bleach and hair dye in (I used this)

5. Shampoo (I used this)

6. Comb

7. Hairdryer

8. Old Towel

9. Old T-shirt

10. An Old Hair Tie

11. Hair Clips (I used these)

12. Shower

Step One: 

Make sure you have not washed your hair 24 hours prior to this DIY activity. In order for the new color to truly adhere to your hair, there should be natural oils.

Step Two:

Brush out your hair. Personally, my hair seems to look like I have a slight perm at all times, so really make sure everything is sorted out. 

Step Three:

Open up your bleach kit, that comes equipped with developer as well, and follow the instructions on the side of the bottle. This is also when you’ll get your handy-dandy hair dye cup out to have a final destination for said bleach.

Step Four: 

Separate your hair into four sections. It might help to visualize dividing your hair in a way that resembles a mathematical plus sign on top of your head. I don’t know if that visual is helpful, but hey, that’s the best way to describe it.

 

Step Five:

Generously apply bleach and developer to every section of your head, as high as you’d like your final color to go up your head.

Step Six:

Let the bleach sit, the time depends on the darkness of a person’s hair. In order to help determine the amount of time you’ll need, I’ll have you know that I let my bleach sit for 35 minutes.

Step Seven:

Rinse out the bleach with shampoo. For best results, use the recommended shampoo listed earlier in this post to help get your hair as light as possible. 

Step Eight:

Blow dry your hair and brush it out.

Step Nine:

Pour the hair dye into the same container that your bleach was in (make sure you have washed out the container!) and mix with a generic conditioner to dilute the hair dye.

Step Ten:

Section your hair off and apply hair dye to desired locations (make sure you have also cleaned the brush off from your previous use with the bleach!)

Step Eleven:

Pin your hair with the dye back and let it sit for about 45 minutes. The longer you let the color sit, the deeper the color will be.

Oh, look. It's me patiently waiting.

Step Twelve:

Rinse your hair out with water in the shower.

  

Step Thirteen:

Instagram the process, naturally. 

Here's the final result for me via my sassy Instagram account:

  

  

I hope these step-by-step instructions paired with visual documentations help all of you seeking out a new style! And can we all just have a quick laugh about this entire hair process happening in the dorms that may or may not be considered a policy violation? It’s all in the name of creativity.

- Leah