Cool chicks cut their own hair

By Neslihan

Kristen McMenamy

You remember those cool girls in high school? You know the ones that always looked effortless without even trying. The ones who cut their own hair and wore high waist 80's jeans without looking like they had been cut down in two at their middle. Those bad ass chicks who wore ugly trainers and totally rocked them. They started trends without even wanting it. They formed this unaccessible, yet accessible click and they said "You can't sit with us" without even opening their mouths. They could even make chav or homeless look glam. This post is dedicated to those girls. To all the quirky chicks who had the balls to take their destiny into their own hands and cut their own hair without even their hand trembling. 

And I respect that. I do! I've got my straight bangs for almost 5 years now and haven't seen my forehead since 2008 (a little exaggerated but you get the point). I visit my hairdresser once/2 weeks since my hair grows quite fast, or at least my bangs do. I hate that two-weekly visit. I think it's a tremendous waste of time but since I lack the cut-your-own-hair skill, I'm not risking anything. I've once tried it and it's never to be repeated again. My bangs were unequally cut and I had this wave thing going on. That was a hair disaster, say a dark page in my hair history. So NEVER, NEVER, NEVER again.
I can imagine that amazing feeling of freedom or selfconfidence when taking those scissors in your hands though. It's this "I'm the creator of my own disaster" thing but that's not always the case. Because there are a lot of successful stories aswell. Alexa Chung for example cuts her own hair too and always looks fabulously flawless after doing so. Some poeple take the extra mile by giving theirself a pixie haircut, now that is something to admire, I think. And so does Vogue UK in their November issue:

 Call it the ultimate in laid-back chic, call it recession ringlets, call it what you will - but there's a whole new wave of creative women taking hair maintenance into their own hands. "Traditionally cutting your own hair was something not spoken about, a social taboo", says hairstylist Zoe Irwin. "But now it's a sort of throwaway beauty adventure, a new way of embracing the spirit of our times." -From 'Making the cut'

 I love Freja Beha's chaotic straight bangs. Since she has different layers in it, it looks easy to cut it yourself.

GIRL CRUSH #1

Florence - I have awesome hair- Welch

Hair heroine

Hey, I'm Zooey - awkward- Deschanel

Cute pixie

Michelle Williams

Alexa Chung and her homemade haircut

Trashy glam

Belles de Banlieu shoot in Jalouse FR (November 2012)

Or the bad girls from the block

Photography by Timur Celikdag

“It’s about the bad girls I knew at school, the ones I envied”, Miucca Prada on establishing Miu Miu.

Sources: Vogue UK, Jalouse FR, both November 2012

Good Taste/Bad Taste

By Neslihan
Every season there are some remarkable trends/clothing pieces. Pieces that make you think: ew no, I will never wear this. You have to get used to the ugliness and/or oddity of those pieces. Once your eyes get used to it, you fall in love though. And only you get this love, you cannot explain. You cannot make others love it too. They won't understand. No one will but you don't care because the joy those pieces bring is worth every strange look you're given in the streets. It becomes your favourite piece and you wear it, you cherish it. You live it until the next season brings something else. It's time to let go. Some of us do and think: what was I thinking? Others don't and that item becomes a part of thier lives. It becomes a historical item. Something to pass on to the next generation.

Baggy luxurious sweaters

Absolute talk of the town are Balenciaga's excentric yet very cool sweaters. They have those strange 80's pictures and crazy laserish effects on them. Purple, pink, red: you name it, Balenciaga has it. Those chic sweaters were also spotted on Hakaan's runway but he went for a chilly metallic version. The sleeves were equally puffy. (Both fall/winter 2012 RTW)

Metallic patchwork

A little shimmer a day keeps the doctor away. I think sparkles, glitters, metallics certainly light up your outfit and even your mood. I like how a little bit of the previous can give your outfit this playful naiveté. As if you stepped right into your childhood again. And that was just what Huseyin Chalayan evoked in me. You cannot put Chalayan's dress as simply childish patchwork though because it's too sophisticated for that. Look at that finishing and the fit of the dress. See how he has used beige to keep the whole outfit in balance. It's kindergarten for grown-ups. The second dress is not from this season but it belongs to s/s 2013. This actually shows us that metallics are a keeper this year. Thank you, Hugo Boss.

Layering

While Marni kept it simple, A.F. Vandervorst went in overdrive. Marni was about taking 'colourblocking' to the next level. See how every piece totally 'stands' on its own and how it -at the same time- blends in with the other pieces. It's all about layers and neutral colours making the totality wearable. 'Wearable' is not a disgusting word. Repeat after me: WEAR-ABLE. Good girl/boy. We saw something else on the A.F. Vandervorst runway though. The Belgian couple played hide and seek with us and were inspired by Joseph Beuys. Google this man and you'll get the hats. Fashion was never this anonymous. (Both fall/winter 2013 RTW)

Living sculptures

You can interpret this one as wide as you want. Maison Martin Margiela never disappoints me, that's one thing I can say. When haute couture was about the amazing diamond masks, ready to wear is a little less freaky. You'd almost say 'civilian' if you didn't look past the three first looks because those skirts are divine, you've got to admit. Creating a new meaning for two previous trends (peplum and asymmetrical skirts) in only one show? I'd say genius. Look at that gorgeous fish tail/peplummed skirt. Look at the rich fabric and prints. See how this image clashes with the image underneath it (read 'Viktor and Rolf'). The Dutch duo based their collection on strong women. "Oh, how original." Stop right there. They went for femme fatales and actual female warriors (the red faces say it all). Look at the coat, it looks like it's made from shiny grey, handicraft paper. The gear wheels are murderous. (Both fall/winter 2013 RTW)

A lesson in history

Dries Van Noten had access to the archives of the Victoria and Albert Museum. He used Japanese and Chinese images and mixed them with his well-known abstract prints. This created new prints of course. And aren't amazing prints Van Notens trademark? While Dries focussed on the Eastern history, the Italian fashion duo, Dolce & Gabbana, chose the Sistine Chapel as inspiration. The embellishments combined all together were at times too much but the prints are definitely something to think about. (Both fall/winter 2013 RTW)

No go?

H&M 39.90 EUR

Marc Jacob's pelgrim shoes (fall/winter 2013 RTW)

Christopher Kane's flat sandals (spring/summer 2012 RTW)

Backstage at Chanel (fall/winter 2013)

Pictures: Vogue Paris

Make up your mind

By Neslihan
Fashion is about extremes. You wake up and being a good girls is en vogue. You go to bed certainly noticing that bad is the new good. Fashion is constantly in motion and so is beauty. Lara Stone is being praised for her voluptuous body in 'Vogue Paris' while 'W' is screaming that Freja Beha Erichsen is the norm. Even fashion people do not agree on a certain level, which makes fashion a fickle industry. Fashion though is so much more than just an industry. It's a factory of handcrafted dreams. Note the contradiction. Yes, fashion is about mind blowing contradictions. That's also what I noticed when comparing the two pictures below. The first one is a shot from Anna Sui's f/w 2012-2013 show while the other one is from Givenchy's last s/s collection. Both have an incredible similarity: the make-up. The models have this cute little dot right under their lower lashes but they're both still very different. While Anna Sui's model looks like this amazing rock chick, Riccardo Tisci wanted his models to look like angels of the ocean. His models have this shiny, silver tear which makes the look  even more poetic. Which one do you prefere?

Pictures: Vogue.fr