One last hurrah for these designers, (and many others whom I couldn’t fit into this blog post) from the past decade. Yesterday, Annie covered two extraordinary designer lines per year from the year 2000 to 2005. And, in this post I will be covering a few of my favorites from the end of the decade.  Hope you enjoy!

2006

Eley Kishimoto Spring/Summer RTW

The duo consisting of Mark Eley and Wakako Kishimoto consider themselves “Surface Decorators” who strive to make the world a prettier place. I chose them, because personally they are one of my favorite designers, and this was one of the first lines of theirs that caught my eye when I was a design student attending the Kent Fashion School. Their lines often exhibit interesting cuts, adventurous contrasting prints, and exude a fresh kitschy feel. I’m always inspired by the duo’s creations and make a point to view their newest lines as they show!

Rodarte Spring RTW

This is the year that sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy at the ages of 26 and 24 debuted their line with prices that ranged from $3,000 to $11,000 per piece. Much has abounded in just four years for these two, whose signature styles can currently be found at Target in a much affordable price range, and who also fabricated as much hype with their ties to young blogger, Tavi of Style Rookie.

Keep reading to check out the rest of my favorites from 2007 to the present day…

Read the rest of this entry »

In light of being busy bees this holiday season, many of you were able to squeeze in a little time to kick back and celebrate with a twist, by either hosting or attending an ugly holiday sweater party, or just sporting one for the fun of it!

To both document and reward those who kept spirits bright through this holiday season, we created a Facebook Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest Group from which the entrant with the ugliest sweater had the chance to win a $100 gift certificate!

Congratulations to Christy, whose sweater really outshines any that I’ve seen in the past few years! Not only does her sweater stand out from the rest, so does her lighthearted and funny commentary, “I made this myself! It celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, and my love of Neil Diamond. You can’t go wrong with disco ball necklines and fringed sleeves.” She combined multiple holidays, made it herself, and come on, contrasting fringe sleeves-wowza! I am truly impressed.

Lastly, thanks for all who submitted photos, and honorable mentions go to these other entrants!

(Ugly sweater entries from Justine, Laurel, and Jon)

Zachary Quinto!

We know voting for ModMan of the Year was not an easy task; after all, 2009 was full of talented, hilarious, quirky, good-looking, big-hearted, paradigm-shifting men. But when it came down to the nitty gritty, 19% of you voted for  Zachary Quinto to be our ModMan of 2009! Since graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in 1999,  Quinto, a Pittsburgh native (what what), has won our hearts and minds with roles such as Sylar on NBC’s global hit series, Heroes (2006-present) and as the iconic Spock in this year’s box office hit film, Star Trek. He recently did an interview with his rescue dog, Noah, to promote pet rescue at the annual Hollywood’s Least Wanted event. With his new production company, Before the Door Pictures, underway, and as the only person in history to appear on the cover of Entertainment Weekly two weeks in a row, we can’t wait to see what our ModMan of 2009 does next.

Join is in congratulating Zach, and all of our ModMen of 2009. Happy New Year!

This is my favorite countdown of the year!

Nubby Twiglet doesn’t simply have a fashion blog – her site combines style, design, and art to produce a seamless aesthetic that is oh-so Nubby. In stark black and white, each aspect of her blog’s design is carried into her own personal style, from the mile-high shoes she’s wearing to her over-sized (sexy) nerd glasses. When you peruse the pages of Nubby’s blog, you’ll feel inspired to establish your own personal je ne sais quoi.

Keep reading to see an interview with Nubby, some of her favorite ModCloth items, and her namesake dress!

Read the rest of this entry »

[Outfit Above: Wis-tier-ia Wonderland Dress, Black Peacock Feather Tights, Eighth Wonder of the World Booties, Ice Crystal Necklace, Pleasant Pheasant Headband]

Who better to talk about putting together a New Year’s outfit than one of our fabulous ModStylists? Well, no one! So, this week’s Outfit of the Week features Nicole, ModStylist extraordinaire. We’ve been friends since I moved to Pittsburgh, and I’ve never met anyone with a more unique, fun-loving, playful sense of style. In fact, it’s her sassy sense of style that got us talking in the first place. You can see her Outfit of the Week above, but let’s hear what she’s got to say about it:

“Growing up, I had boxes full of dress up clothes. Clothes were passed down from my grandma, my mom, my aunts, my cousins. I loved getting lost in this sea of clothes and adored creating endlessly intricate outfits with them. The Wis-tier-ia Wonder Dress reminds me of those times playing dress up; It’s a magical make believe kind of dress! Like my childhood dress up clothes, it has cast it’s spell on me, and I just can’t resist that gorgeous two-tone jewel-tone iridescent color and those layers and layers of luscious fabric!

To this day, I still have fun when I get dressed! And I have to confess that, for me, getting ready for a party is sometimes more fun than the actual event! Mixing and matching different styles, finding the right shoes, listening to my “Shake It!” playlist, and sipping champagne; the grown-up version of playing dress up.

So it goes without saying that I’m looking forward to Thursday night because, let’s face it, there isn’t a better night to have fun with an outfit and to go all out than New Years Eve! So, don’t hesitate to add a little whimsy, a little magic, to your outfit this New Years Eve (or any eve for that matter)! I’ll be celebrating the new year in New York City, and I’m definitely going to be wearing the Wis-tie-ria Wonder Dress!  To add to the magic, I’ve decided to pair the dress with the Ice Crystal Necklace, the Pleasant Pheasant Headband, the Black Peacock Feather Tights and the Eighth Wonder of the World Booties.

Which ModCloth dress will you be wearing to ring in the New Year?”

from comixed.com

Have a safe & happy New Year, everyone!!

New Year’s Eve is quickly approaching, so I thought a fun way to commemorate a decade of fabulous fashion would be with a roundup of my favorite runway shows from the early 2000s. Tomorrow, Julie will offer her top picks!

2001

Viktor & Rolf Fall RTW

In 2001, Dutch duo Viktor & Rolf delivered a visually striking collection inspired by cosmic black holes. Colossal collars and billowing sleeves complemented asymmetrical dresses, cropped jackets, and sophisticated separates to tailored perfection. Viktor & Rolf’s classic equation of one part performance art plus one part immaculate styling divided by wearable, truly innovative clothing shows why I chose to highlight their work today: creative, calculated risks make for a timeless runway show and collection.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Fall RTW

The second Marc by Marc Jacobs collection was replete with separates which I consider to be quintessentially Marc Jacobs, solidifying Jacobs’ preppy-meets-edgy signature style while simultaneously marking the origin of every fashionista’s love affair with all things Marc. Faded military coats and graffiti-printed tees intermixed with flirty ruffled skirts, a floral peplum dress, and sophisticated double-breasted wool coats to create one of my favorite collections of the decade.

Keep reading to check out the rest of my favorites from 2002 and on… Read the rest of this entry »

Who: Julie, Fashion Writer (given as a gift to fellow writer, Hannah)

What: Frog Earmuffs!

Where: Antique and Flea Market somewhere between Pittsburgh and Maryland, spotted off of the highway

How Much: $3.99

When I use It: (Hannah) In the summer. Only in the summer. Do you believe me? No? Good, because that’s not true. These earmuff are possibly the world’s warmest covering for the auditory organs. So, with the chilly temperatures rampant here in Pittsburgh, I’ve got these frog earmuffs on all the time, cavorting around shops, walking to work, etc. They add a fun, silly touch to whatever I’m wearing, and, believe it or not, I get a ton of compliments on them whenever I wear them out (though it’s heard to hear those compliments through soft, cozy terry cloth)!

Shopping Tips: I’m 99% positive these aren’t vintage, however, I found them at a Antique Mall/indoor Flea Market, and they’re one of my favorite finds! More than I wanted them for myself, I had a feeling that Hannah would really appreciate them, as she is a fan of Jean- Charles de Castelbajac whose Fall 2009 line showed a few pieces paying homage to our good ol’ friend Kermit the frog.

Attention Blog Readers! – We know you guys are the most clever and most stylish bunch on the web, and we’d love to feature you on future Favorite Find Posts! Please email us (favfinds@modcloth.com) a picture of you with one of your favorite shopping finds (a piece of furniture, a hard-to-find record, the perfect vintage boots, or any other treasure) and answer the questions: Who, What, Where, How Much, When I Use It, and Shopping Tips. We can’t wait to see all the cool items you’ve discovered!

For the past six years, creative residents throughout Philadelphia have found a cure for the January mid winter slump, which for many businesses is also the beginning of the slowest time of the year. The challenge is called Fun-A-Day, and it’s a month long art project that occurs every year!

The concept is quite simple, “to pick a project to do every day for the month of January, that you can document in some way, to motivate yourself to stay creative and stoked for the coldest and biggest bummer month of the year”. Following the month of January, in late February/early March, an art show is held in each respective city (this will be Pittsburgh’s third year!) to document the creative ventures of those who participated!

“Last year projects ranged from hand stitching a quilt a bit everyday, to eating a new snack food a day and writing a haiku about it, making a new batch of muffins a day, writing a letter a day (in various forms), learning how to do a new origami project a day, visiting a new Pittsburgh place, and so much more!” (artclash.com)

Do you want to participate, but Fun-A-Day doesn’t exist in your city yet? Visit the founders’ website, The Artclash! Collective, and contact them to bring this event to your hometown.

Are you participating this year? Do you have any good ideas that you think would be great for this, but don’t think you’ll have the time? (I have my idea, but am keeping it confidential, so that it’s a surprise!)