*Spring 2013 Trend Alert: stripes [+stars].

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And a happy new week to all! [even though it's Tuesday]

Hope you are all back on that work flow after what hopefully turned out to be a relaxing and enjoyable 4th of July weekend.

[reminds me of a certain *americana post, no?]

Maybe you spent it barbequing with fam, lounging by a pool or [like me] sleeping the weekend away indoors in front of an ac unit.

But regardless of how you spent the holiday, it is a time to marvel at how far this great country has come in the past 237 years...and wonder how much further it can go in terms of development.

Hmm...so, in celebrating ye old stars and stripes...how about another Spring 2013 Trend?

Yea?

Hitting the runways last season's fashion weeks, we saw a reemergence of Stripes on the runway. Not exactly having gone out of style, as various fashion mags have reported them to be a trend in Spring 2009, 2010, 2011 and both Spring AND Fall 2012, it is clear that these bold lines are here to stay. 

Angular. Sophisticated. Chevron.

Furthermore, with designers constantly challenging themselves to reinvent the wheel [or in this case the line] collections are featuring a lot more color, as opposed to the traditional b&w stripes, a combination of horizontal AND vertical all in the same look! and even the increasingly popular chevron stripes.

Designs by Dolce and Gabbana, Christian Dior, Lacoste, Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta, Paul Smith.
Images courtesy Style.com and Google.

So go out! Raid every H&M, Zara and Topshop...I hope you each start rocking some bold, linear looks serving zebra crossing realness!

And, just cause I can...

"Stars" in Stripes! Ha!

Top L-R: Chanel Iman, Rihanna, Cassie, Hailee Steinfeld
Bottom L-R: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Blake Lively, Olga Kurylenko, Katy Perry

Enjoy!

xx

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*americana

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Hola!


Checklist? And, go!

Firstly, I must apologize yet again for taking such a long hiatus from blogging [especially after my last post *hides face*]. I really do love it and, if I could, I would do it all day, every day... But, slowly I'm beginning to learn my limitations and regrettably, being the ambitious student that I am, I currently have a plateful of more immediate things that require my attention.

Secondly, and probably more exciting, is the fact that I've been traveling again! Haha. No, no...not glamorous international travel like before...but U.S. state-to-state travel, which means I've had quite a few road trips [and a few too many hours in a car] recently.

Between spending my Spring Break week in Vermont [don't ask me why anyone would go to more snow for their SPRING break] and currently being at a conference in Philadelphia, I've gotten quite a large dose of the American culture lately. And, although they have both painted very different pictures of this country and its people, they have both been enjoyable and eye-opening experiences.

So, while I'm laying in a plush, king sized hotel bed, looking out on a sunny Philly day, I'm going to try to get churn some of these posts out, starting with...

Philly!

Just being here, I feel such a buzz of patriotism and culture in the air. Dubbed, 'The City of Brotherly Love,' Philadelphia, the second largest metropolitan city on the East Coast of America, is also rich in both art and history, the being an integral meeting place for the country's Founding Fathers who not only signed the Declaration of Independence here in 1776, but also the Constitution in 1787.

Additionally, with a number of important historical artifacts housed here, such as the Liberty Bell, it should be no surprise why today's 'Daily Pretty' is Americentered!

Good ol' Stars and Stripes y'all! [reminds me a bit of Lana del Rey who really plays up on the American culture, no?]

Anyway, off to see the city! Be inspired!
xx

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