CFDA Fashion Awards

When I woke up Tuesday morning and checked Twitter (shamefully a part of my morning ritual), I noticed that Rihanna had a lot of explaining to do regarding her Adam Selman gown at the 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York City. If you haven’t seen her attire already, here are a couple shots of the controversial gown:

Though I’m not the biggest fan of the dress, it sure takes some mad confidence to walk around in that getup. Outside of Rihanna, there were still plenty of outfits to take note of. Check out some of the highlights of the red carpet below:

Blake Lively in Michael Kors

Chrissy Teigan in Rachel Roy 

Emmy Rossum in J. Mendel

Sophia Bush in Marchesa

Joan Smalls in Prabal Gurung

Solange Knowles in Calvin Klein

-Kristin

Trending For Summer: Made By Wallflower Cases

Summer is finally here in Chicago and you know what that means: spending your days on the beaches of Lake Michigan, living in your bikini, J.Crew cover up and Ray Bans, and sporting your favorite summer styles that we all so desperately missed over the cold winter. While what you’re wearing on your body is important, don’t forget it’s just as important to dress your phone!

We here at Designed by DePaul were recently given the chance to test out a couple of the Made By Wallflower phone cases. We could only come up with one word to describe our experience: LOVE!

These cases are on point for summer trends. With fun colors and prints, they’re the perfect summer accessory. I’ve been a long time fan of Made by Wallflower cases and their new designs just keep getting better and better. 'Chester' was my first Wallflower Design Co case and to this day it is well loved and I still get compliments on it (see below). 

From their new collection, my favorite case is ‘Ella.' I love combining words and phrases with gorgeous scenery so this case is perfect for me (see below). 

Allison is completely obsessed with the ‘Tiffany’ case because “it’s fun for summer because it has the beach on it and I love the quote ‘everything happens for a reason,'" (see below). 

Kristin’s favorite is ‘Logan’ because she’s “more of a neutral phone case type of person and this would look really well with a white iPhone - also black and white goes with everything!” (see below)

Isabelle’s favorite is ‘Goldie’ because “it’s trendy and kind of flashy. You can pair gold with anything and dress it up or down with your outfit for any occasion!” (see below)

We hope you love these cases as much as we do, comment on this article with your favorite phone case!

Make sure to stay up-to-date on the newest releases from Wallflower Design Co by following their Instagram: @madebywallflower and go purchase your favorite at www.wallflowerdesigncompany.com

XOXO

Sara

Summer Playlist 2014

We made this playlist in two parts. The first part was created while sitting on a blanket in the quad. The second part was created in the middle of class. We’re so college it’s amazing. 

1. Sweet Life by Frank Ocean

2. Out of My League by Fitz and The Tantrums 

3. Shadow by Bleachers

4.  Nothing But History by Gemini Club

5.  A Button on Your Blouse by Drowners

6.  Reflections by MisterWives

7.  Wouldn’t It Be Nice by The Beach Boys

8.  Stuck In My Teeth by Circa Waves

9.  Life Round Here  by James Blake

10.  I Don’t Know You by From Indian Lakes

11.  Feels Like We Only Go Backwards by Tame Impala

12.  Down by The Kooks

13.  Salt by Bad Suns

14. Love Like This by Kodaline

15. Young Hearts by Strange Talks

16. Talk! By The 1975

17. Woe Is Me/Hawaii (I Don’t Want to Go) by Naïve Thieves

18. Blood Stutter by Handsome Ghost

19. Cotton Candy by Papa

20. Hannah Hunt by Vampire Weekend

21. Black Mambo by Glass Animals

22. Feel by Bombay Bicycle Club

23. Ride On / Right On by Phosphorescent 

24. Good Mistake by Mr. Little Jeans

25. Simple and Sure by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

26. To The Top by Twin Shadow

27. Atlas by FUCK ART, LET’S DANCE

28. Come Back by White Denim

29. Everything’s Gonna Be Alright by Mike Mains and The Branches

30. Young Love (Ft. Laura Marling) by Mystery Jets

31. Bad Blood (F*U*G*Z Remix) by  Bastille

32. Bloom by The Paper Kites

33. My Number by Foals

34. Dreaming (The Chainsmokers Remix) by Smallpools

35. A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay

36. High Society by Betty Who

37. No Better by Lorde

38. Borderlines and Aliens by Grouplove

39. Eros by Young the Giant

40. Thunder Clatter by Wild Cub

41. Pumpin’ Blood by NONONO

42. Sparklers by Gemini Club
43. Hey Mami by Sylvan Esso

-Kristin and Leah

My Take on Selvedge Denim

In my previous article, Men’s Shoes, I implored the significance of creating an outfit starting from shoes then moving up. My favorite type of bottom to wear is jeans.

 My particular jeans are selvedge jeans. They are my first pair of selvedge jeans. What is selvedge/selvage denim you ask? You might have heard of selvedge or salvage denim, but not necessarily its meaning. They are jeans that are made in a specific kind of loom. Shuttle looms have a certain weave that creates a stronger stitching and leaves the denim with finished edge. Due to modern advancements in the mechanical age, and higher demand for more jeans, the creation of the fabric has modernized. Therefore rendering shuttle looms to be useless for the time being, after years, the notice of shuttle loom produced denim to be better quality.

Wearing raw denim, as selvedge jeans are, shouldn't mean being a part of a trend, but rather telling a more personal narrative. Stories are made from the actions we make, and my selvedge jeans will say a lot about me. For example my front pocket will say I have an iPhone, and right off the bat you can naturally assume I am an Apple advocate. The whiskers and honeycombs say that I move a lot, and that is completely true, if I am not on the train systems or not raining I walk.

The timeline image below shows how selvedge denim uniquely designs itself over time.

Each brand has their signature twist; one brand might have a specified weight, type of stitching, and their choice of indigo color. Current jeans are cut at the edge and woven/stitched together (See Figure 1 below).

Figure 1

Selvedge jeans, as previously stated, are made from shuttle looms and have a finished edge which looks like the red, green, or orange stripes (See Figure 2 below).

Figure 2

There is a trick to keep your selvedge in top shape. The key to having a successful pair of raw denim is to not wash it as frequently as other garments. This helps build the lines you are looking for, but at the same time washing them every few months removes the dirt, but keeps the strength after each proper wash. Good denim speaks for itself; this link shows it off perfectly.

-Danish

2014 Billboard Music Awards

The three main things that I gathered from watching snippets of the 2014 Billboard Music Awards this past Sunday night:

1. Kendall Jenner can’t read very well. (Video here)

2. Lorde killed her performance of her new single, “Tennis Courts” while wearing feathers and I loved every second of it. 

3. We seem to live in a world where Katy Perry beats Beyonce for Top Female Artist. (???)

The major trend that I noticed on the red carpet consisted of lots and lots of cutouts, some I didn't like, (Kelly Rowland, I’m looking at you), and some I did like! 

Check out some of the my favorite red carpet stand out looks below:

Lizz Hernandez, Miranda Lambert, Iggy Azalea

Kesha, Shakira, Nicki Minaj

Kendall Jenner, Ricky Martin, Rosci Diaz

Jack Antonoff, Five Seconds of Summer, Pete Wentz

-Kristin

Beauty Bloggers on Instagram

As the weather gets warmer and sweaters are changing to tees, many of us are looking to discover the season’s new trends or to mix up our look. To make the search a little easier, I’ve put together a few unique beauty bloggers with creative designs that will brighten your newsfeed.

For nails: @Wahnails

The blog features designs from the popular Wah Nail Salon in London. The blog has a vast array of designs from trendy colors to really complicated, intricate designs. Given, the diversity of styles, there are enough designs to try out for the summer and beyond.

Other suggestions: @fleryrosenails, @stephstonenails, @jinsoonchoi

For clothing: @troprouge

For a diversity of looks @troprouge is a unique blog that features outfits and peaks into the blogger, Christina’s, everyday life. She is a model and blogger who runs her own website as well.

Other suggestions: @sincerelyjules, @thenativefox, @blaireadiebee, @weworewhat

For eyes: @tal_peleg

This blog is run by makeup artist Tal Peleg and although the designs aren’t the most wearable, it will most definitely add flare to your newsfeed.

For more wearable designs I suggest @Vegas_Nay. With nearly 2 million followers she is a strong force in beauty world. Her page features lip and eye combos as well as displaying which kits and shades were used. She also features the creations of other make-up artists so the design possibilities become endless.

Other suggetsions: @iinala, @makeupbyman

-Danielle Kavanaugh

Who Wore it Better? Met Gala 2014

I’m going to be painfully honest for a minute. Before this moment in time, I did not know what the Met Gala was. All I knew was that it was an annual event where A-list celebrities show up to pose on the red carpet and wear awesome clothing. After I did some research (Wikipedia), I discovered that the Met Gala is a fundraiser meant to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The star studded event is one of the biggest fundraising opportunities of the year, with nine million dollars raised in 2013. 

Black: Gisele Bundchen vs. Adriana Lima

Model vs. model; who’s going to win?! Although both of these women looked gorgeous in black, Gisele Bundchen’s dress is probably one of my favorites I’ve seen in a long, long time. Is it weird that the first thing I thought of when I saw Adriana’s dress was Star Wars? Probably.

White: Rihanna vs. Victoria Beckham

At first, I thought that Rihanna’s outfit consisted of this white cropped top and the skirt, but I saw a photo of the outfit from behind and realized it was a dress! At first, I hated this look, but now I really like it a lot. However, I have to give this round to Victoria Beckham. I’m obsessed with this dress! Posh looks so Posh! (Sorry, I had to. How could I write an article without adding a pun?) 

Black AND white: Hailee Steinfield vs. Charlize Theron

Both of the actresses looked stunning in two very different black and white gowns, but I have to side with Charlize Theron on this one. The jacket strewed over her shoulders made the look! Hailee’s hair and makeup are on point, but the overall look fell flat because of such a large dress on a very slim girl.

Brights: Emma Stone vs. Allison Williams

Although I LOVE both of these looks, I have to give it to Emma Stone. My personal favorite of the night, Emma looked absolutely breathtaking in this light pink tank paired with the magenta skirt. Her hair, makeup, everything; she was 100% on point! Allison looked lovely as ever, but her dress blended in a bit too much with the carpet to stand out in my eyes. 

Pale Pink: Taylor Swift vs. Blake Lively

It takes SO MUCH for me to not pick Taylor Swift’s style out of everyone (love you, girl) but my woman crush every day, Blake Lively, NAILED this look. She looked like a glamorous 1960’s movie star! Not to mention she has one of the most gorgeous men in Hollywood as her husband. Sorry T-Swift, you’re still my girl and I loved your dress, but the inner Gossip Girl fan in me picks Serena Van Der Woodsen. 

Ball gown: Liu Wen vs. Arizona Muse

There were a ridiculous amount of ball gowns present on the red carpet, but these two were probably my favorites. I then realized that Arizona’s gown reminded me of Jennifer Lawrence’s  2013 Golden Globes dress. (Is it just me?) I pick Liu Wen’s dress for the win; this shade of blue is one of my favorite colors.

-Kristin