Punk Rock Princess



Vest, H&M.  Top, Urban Outfitters.  Skirt, Tracy Reese.  Shoes, H&M.

Today's outfit is piggy-backing off of last week's Bohemian Rhapsody post, and messing with the  girly + tough formula that I'm constantly testing, tweaking, and perfecting.   My good friend Natalie and I have been talking about how to incorporate tutus into our everyday life, and luckily I had a tutu in my closet to play around with!  I think the trick to wearing a tutu out and about is finding ways to make it casual, a la Carrie Bradshaw in the Sex and the City opening credits.  She pairs hers with a men's Hanes tank top- how genius!

I found my own fashion inspiration for this look when I stumbled upon this picture on Pinterest:

I LOVED how this fashionista paired her tutu with a casual top and a tough leather jacket, and my mind immediately started racing with ideas of how to create a look like this with my own Tracy Reese skirt. 

When you come across an outfit, picture, or print that inspires you, decide what you love about the look.  Is it the colors, the proportions, the actual piece of clothing, or the overall feel of the outfit?  I made a mental checklist of what I liked about this picture: 

1.  The tulle + leather combo

2.  The "statement" piece of jewelry to top off an otherwise simple outfit

3.  The casual vibe

While this Pinterest look was a little preppy, I wanted to go punky so instead of stripes, I added a rock tee.  The leather jacket was a little too heavy for the LA sunshine, I so threw on my trusty leather vest.  In lieu of a statement necklace, I added a stack of bangles and my favorite Alexis Bittar ring.  These AMAZING metallic cap-toe pumps were the perfect finishing touch- the shape is so elegant and ladylike but the metal/black combo is so edgy.  And they were only $30- a must have!!  Blue fingernails and a red lip served as pops of color for my usual black-on-white color scheme. 

Bracelets from top-bottom:  Bedstu, Amrita Singh, F21.  Ring, Alexis Bittar.

Today's tips are going to focus on how to make your own fashion statment based on someone else's look.

Fashion Tips from "Punk Rock Princess":

1.  It's OK to "copy" someone else's sartorial ideas, just make sure you find ways to make them your own.  Personalizing makes all the difference!
 

2.  Decide what you like about a look and think of creative ways to use your own wardrobe to the same effect.   For example: if you liked the proportions of the poufy skirt with a tucked-in top, focus on finding those shapes in your closet.  A high-waisted pair of jeans with a cropped top would actually create that same hourglass shape!

3.  Make a habit of skimming throgh fashion magazines, clicking through Pinterest, or making mental notes on street style you come across.  You never know where your next outfit inspiration will come from (maybe even from Hell or High Fashion?!)!
 

Here are links to some of my favorite places to hunt for high fashion ideas:

whowhatwear.com

thesartorialist.com
seaofshoes.typepad.com
www.cupcakesandcashmere.com
www.olsensanonymous.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

American Girl

I'm a girl who loves to play dress up. I will take any chance that I get to put a little more pizzazz into my outfits, and prime time for this kind of dressing- the winter holidays- is finally here! I'm already dreaming up my seasonally appropriate Thanksgiving outfits and even contemplating how I'll inject the Christmas spirit into my look come December. However, dressing up for the holidays comes with a big challenge: walking the fine line between "holiday cheer" and "walking greeting card". I took this idea for a test run on Election Day!

Jeans, Kill City.  Tank, Principessa.  Shoes, H&M.  Jewelry, Alexis Bittar.

I was so excited to get out and vote on Tuesday!  I mailed in an absentee ballot for the last presidential election, so this was my first time going to a polling place, waiting in line, and marking my ballot in-person.  I wanted the whole world to share in my patriotic excitement, so I put together an all-American outfit to carry me through the day.

The trick to spreading holiday cheer while still looking fashion-forward is picking one "holiday" aspect (color, print, etc) and sticking to it.  For my election day outfit, I shied away from the typical red-white-and-blue theme and focused on a black and grey palate.  Since my outfit had little-to-no color in it, I could mix these AMAZING American Flag printed jeans with a printed tank, no problem!

I think these Kill City jeans are one of the coolest things I own.  You may have seen them already- Wiz Khalifa and Billie Joe Armstrong both have them as well! (Confession: I am wearing men's jeans.)  They bring a grunge vibe to American pride- such a cool combo.

The eagle printed "Freedom" tank was an impulse buy a few weeks ago.  It reminds me of my dad, the most All-American, patriotic guy I know, and his crazy eagle tattoo.  Shout out to Papa Hector!  The slouchy, cozy fit really makes the tank a fashion-forward piece- had this print been on a plain old tee-shirt, I don't think I would've bought it.  Exaggerated armholes and a loose knitted fabric bring a level of design to the look that you just don't get from a standard tee.

The jeans-and-tank combo was a little inappropriate for my workplace, so I made sure to bring a blazer with me.

Blazer, vintage.

A neutral colored blazer tied in nicely with the muted colors of the tank and added a level of professionalism.  I love this particular blazer because it's a "shrunken fit"- meaning it fits a little bit tighter than your traditional suit jacket.  A shrunken blazer is cool instead of stuffy, and adds sophistication to pretty much anything. 

I finished the look off with gunmetal fringe earrings and stack of Alexis Bittar bangles, and of course my signature swipe of red lipstck.  But the best accessory of the day was my "I Voted" sticker!

Fashion Tips from "American Girl":

1.  When dressing for the holidays, don't go overboard.  One color or print will do the trick!  For example, wearing either red OR green (instead of a combo of both) on Christmas will keep you looking chic.

2.  Look for a neutral blazer with a shrunken fit to throw on top of little tanks and dresses.  Voila!  Office-appropriate apparel that's still fashion-forward.

4.  A slouchy tank is a great alternative to a tee-shirt.  If you're a girl (or guy) who sticks mostly to a jeans-and-tee wardrobe, mix it up a bit with a stylized tank every once in a while.  It's just as easy to wear and 10x cooler!

3.  Shop outside the box.  One of my favorite pieces of clothing in the world came from the men's section!  Don't be afraid to take a gander into menswear stores, or even the kid section.  A little girl's XXL jacket could turn out to be your favorite shrunken blazer!!

Stay tuned for my next post, where I take on a tutu!  Also, follow me on Instagram (@jdefino) for more outfit snippets throughout the week.  

Marooned



Pants, jacket, and bag; F21.  Tank, H&M.  Shoes, Prada.

If you are a regular Hell or High Fashion reader, you may remember that I did a post about these striped pants not too long ago (click here to refresh your memory).  If you're a very devoted reader, you might remember my blog post from over a year ago featuring my 8th grade cheerleading varsity jacket (click here for that very old, very embarrassing post).  I'd say my style has evolved quite a bit since then!   Today, I wanted to feature my updated take on striped pants and varsity jackets.

I've said it once and I'll say it again: I love printed pants!  They have all the ease of a great pair of jeans, but add something special to even the most basic outfit.  I've been struggling with coming up with new ways to wear this particular pair, since I don't own a lot of navy or green clothing to match these jeans and I'm (dare I say it!)  getting a little sick of black.  Enter the most versatile color of the season: maroon! (Fashion tip: referring to maroon as 'oxblood' earns you major high-fashion points.)

I wore this same maroon tank in my last post- I just can't get enough of it!  This color manages to be neutral without being boring, and it somehow seems to match absolutely everything while still adding contrast to any look.  Love it! 

This shrunken varsity jacket is going to be my go-to topper when the LA weather turns chilly.  It doesn't sacrifice fashion for the sake of warmth, which is the mark of a good coat in my book.  My Prada pumps from a few season ago matched perfectly and added a girlish charm to what could've been a pretty androgynous look. 

Lately, I've been all about the accessories so I slipped on my high school class ring to compliment the varsity jacket.  The ribbing on my vintage watch mimicked the stripes on my pants, too- it's the littlest details that make the look!

I want Hell or High Fashion to be a blog that inspires people to cultivate their individual style, so I'm going to start doing a recap at the end of each post of the fashion lessons I'm putting into practice.  I'm excited to try out this new section!  Let me know what you think.

Fashion Tips from "Marooned":

1.  Mix up the way you wear your favorite pieces- an unexpected combo might make for the best outfit!

2.  Maroon (or 'oxblood') acts as a "new neutral".  The color is so deep and rich that it can mix and match with almost anything.  Wear it as an alternative to black!

3.  Accessories make all the difference.  Thinking about little ways to inject your personal style into a basic jeans-and-tee look will take your look to the next fashion level!

I hope this post inspires you to make some unexpected fashion choices!

Also,  it's election day!!  I hope you all got out there and voted.  In the patriotic spirit of the day, here's a snapshot of my red, white, and blue Halloween costume from last week:

Happy Election Day!

Bohemian Rhapsody



Vest and tank, H&M.  Skirt, F21.  Boots, Zara.

It's no secret that I have been into a more edgy look lately.  My closet is bursting with black, leather, skinny jeans, skull prints, and distressed tees that are not only fashionable but functional.  As I mentioned in my last post, this type of clothing is preferred when I'm working as a stylist for a few reasons:  jeans and boots allow me to get around comfortably, and black helps me blend into the background.  However, this new style has created a problem for me that I've never had to deal with before:  looking like everyone else.

A few weeks back I helped style a project that called for 5 different wardrobe assistants.  When I arrived to set and met the girls I'd be working with for the day, I was caught off guard by what I saw.  All four other ladies were decked out in their own version of the standard rock-girl uniform: black skinnies, combat boots, a ripped up vintage tank, and LOTS of skeleton prints.  A lot of things went through my mind, a few of them being, "Wow, I love your outfit!", "You all look the same!" and, "Do I just look like a copy of someone else?"  

I love fashion because it allows me to express who I am and how I'm feeling, and it really upset me that what I thought was MY cool, new, edgy look was actually an overdone trend.  Not wanting to give up on my leather jackets and skinny jeans, I had to figure out a new way to rock my rocker duds that allowed me to feel unique & stylish.  The answer I came up with?  ADD SPARKLES!

This 1920s-inspired skirt from Forever 21 has been one of my go-to pieces lately.  The sparkles and sequins jazz up any plain old t-shirt, and the bohemian feel compliments almost all of my rock & roll gear.  As soon as I tried it on, I knew it would be the perfect foil for my black leather H&M vest.  Something about tough leathers against girly sparkles just makes me smile!  And since the skirt is such a statement piece, I wore a neutral maroon tank on top to tone down the shine. 

To me, "bohemian rock" is synonymous with "piles of jewelry," so I added on a few necklaces, bracelets, and rings. 



Bracelets, Amrita Singh and F21.  Rings, H&M.



Necklaces; Marc Jacobs, Vintage, and Kill City.

 

I chose long pendant necklaces to jumble together in a mix of gold and gunmetal tones.  I love mixing metals- if you do it purposefully, you can't go wrong.  The wishbone necklace was a present to myself from Marc by Marc Jacobs in Boston, and the clock pendant is a series of flea market finds that I strung together. I love my lightning bolt necklace- a gift from a music video that I worked on- because it's the perfect subltle statment piece.

 

And voila!  There you have it: an outfit that lets me explore my tough side without blending into the crowd!

 

 

 

P.S. For those who follow me on Instagram, I teased a photo of my next blog post yesterday- check it out and get excited!  I can't wait to share my next fashion adventure with you all.  For those who don't follow me on Instagram, what are you waiting for??  @jdefino

 

Here's the preview of my next post:

 

 

School of Rock: Part 2

Pants, H&M.  Sweater, Banana Republic.  Shirt, F21.  Shoes, Zara.  Bag, Street Level.

The pressure to come up with the perfect work-appropriate outfit is high when you work as a stylist.  Getting dressed in the morning before heading to a photo shoot/video shoot/shopping extravaganza is one of the hardest parts of my job!  What I wear needs to make my clients feel like they are safe in my fashion-savvy hands, yet at the same time it can't be too showy or flashy- I am, after all, working behind-the-scenes to ensure that someone else is at the center of all the stylish attention.   Depending on where the photo/video shoot is, I may need to brave the heat/cold/wind/rain/etc, so layers are key.  And lastly, I have to be able to move around quickly in case of fashion emergencies (which occur more frequently than you may think) so heels and dresses are usually out of the question.  What's a girl to do??

Today I assisted on a photo shoot for Coach, and I decided on this pants-shirt-sweater combo.  It's casual, fun, professional, and stylish at the same time; exactly what I want in an outfit!

Printed pants have been my style savior this year!  My first boss in the industry would always laugh at me when I showed up to jobs in skirts and stilettos, and I quickly figured out why.  It's hard to feel in-charge and powerful when a gust of wind blows your skirt up in front of a major rock band, or when your heel gets caught and you fall on your face in front of a crew of Vogue photographers.  Printed pants are functional without being boring, and they bring a rock-n-roll feel to my previously prim-and-proper wardrobe.

I threw on a plain white button-up and black crew neck sweater for an English schoolboy turned rockstar vibe, while a blue spiked purse added a pop of color (and doubled as a weapon)!

Today I was all about the accessories and piled on rings, bracelets, and a necklace to pump up the volume.  Here's a close up of my baubles:

Rings (from L-R): eBay, Alexis Bittar, H&M.  Bracelets (from Top to Bottom): Kirna Zabete for Target, F21 , Skylark).

The "Bad" ring was a $0.99 deal on eBay that I could not pass up- so Lana del Rey!- and the red lips bracelet is a piece that I have been dying to wear ever since I bought it.  I generally don't wear a lot of jewelry all at once, but there's something about dripping in jewels that just makes a girl feel cool.  

I love this look and it ended up being the perfect on-the-job outfit!

Very Vuitton

Top, Whitney Koos.  Shorts, F21.  Clutch, ASOS.  Tights, Urban Outfitters.  Shoes, Target.

 As regular readers know, I am obsessed with rummaging through the racks of Wasteland, the best designer consignment shop in LA.  A few weeks ago I found this amazing Whitney Koos shirt and loved the retro 60s feel of it.  Unfortunately, I found a lot of other great pieces that day and left this top behind.  Imagine my surprise when the Louis Vuitton SS13 show came out the next day and featured this exact checkerboard print!

Louis Vuitton Spring 2013 RTW

I knew I had made a mistake in passing up this graphic print but thought I had to suck it up and deal.  Wrong!  This top was waiting patiently in the racks for me, begging to be bought.  I finally made the purchase yesterday and I am SO excited about it.

Taking inspiration from the way Marc Jacobs showed the print at Louis Vuitton, I kept the look a bit 60s and a bit sexy. 

A BumpIt and a yellow bow in my hair were a nod to the styling of the show as well as the actual runway- I love yellow and black together!  The vintage-looking car clutch I found on super-sale at ASOS.com was an easy choice- it matched the racing-flag feel of my shirt- while leather shorts kept the outfit modern.

My new "tattoo" tights from Urban Outfitters brought a bad-ass touch.  Throughout the day I constantly was asked about my tiger tattoo!  These tights let me have all of the street cred without the commitment- I'm going to be wearing them ALL the time!!



I'll be rocking this outfit tonight at my BFFs birthday party!  She has a blog too- annikadotbenitz.com- and her constant posts have inspired me to start blogging again, so thank Annika for new Hell or High Fashion posts!

Borrowed From the Boy

Welcome back to Hell or High Fashion!  

I wore this menswear-inspired look to the flea market today and was stopped by a street-style fashion blogger wanting to take my picture. I thought, "Why don't I just blog my own picture??"  So here it is, the first blog post in months!

I have been in a real Diane Keaton phase lately, which mostly means that I've been borrowing clothes from my boyfriend a lot lately. 

 The way Ms. Keaton defined the menswear trend is so inspiring- she wore pieces tailored to a woman's body but with a man's sensibility.  I've put this idea into action quite a few times in past weeks, including a stint with suspenders,  a bedazzled tie-shaped necklace, and men's pants worn with feminine tops.  I think my favorite menswear outfit was the one I put on today!

The trick to making menswear look like womenswear (in my opinion):  for every one part masculine, you add two parts feminine.  To balance out my navy tie (borrowed from my man), I wore form fitting skinny jeans.  To counter the buttoned-up-to-the-top button up, I looked for a shirt in a quirky, girly print-- polka dots!  Because I topped off this outfit with men's sunglasses, I ended it with sexy leopard print pumps.  

For the extra womanly touches, I wore my curls big and bouncy and a red lip sealed the deal.  I might be wearing boys clothes, but the look is totally femme.

  Finding inspiration in fashionable men and exploring another part of my sartorial sensibilities has been unbelievably eye-opening; I never knew I could pull off a look like this.  I can't wait to share my next borrowed-from-the-boys adventure!