Winter Fashion - Earmuffs and Scarves

Winter is just around the corner and it's about time to start thinking of what to buy as far as accessories go. Neary everybody has heard the saying that accessories can either make or break the outfit, and in winter, that's especially true. Not all the time does the coat make the outfit, but the earmuffs, scarves, or whatever else goes with it. Remember, you can look fashionable AND stay warm at the same time. How often do you admire the under-dressed girl shivering and chattering her teeth, no matter how fashionably dressed you are? Stick to these winter staples to stay fashionable and warm:

A good investment would definitely be in the peacoat, a timeless coat which never seems to get out of fashion. The peacoat also requires less accessorizing than usual, since the peacoat already has more buttons and pockets than a regular coat would have.



With or without a peacoat, accessorizing is vital to one's outfit. This can be done with a scarf, which can be tied in a multitude of ways around one's neck or head. One good option is buttoning your coat up with your scarf tied around your neck and the ends of the scarf tucked into your coat, with part of your scarf still showing. This is especially good if your coat is a neutral color, like most coats are, and your scarf is of a brighter color to bring some color to your outfit.

Faux-fur earmuffs and other accessories with faux-fur are also in this season, and quite easy to pull off. Not many people can pull off the bulky caps or other unflattering hats (that can end up ruining your hair) without making them look quite unflattering. This is where earmuffs come in, keeping your ears warm without smashing down your hair and looking pretty stylish at the same time. HINT: Look out for earmuffs, scarves, peacoats, and other coats with faux-fur trim to keep yourself looking stylish and warm this winter.

Barcelona Street Fashion and Spanish Mealtimes

I was just told by my parents that we will be traveling to Chicago for Christmas, mainly to see family but also because my parents were both raised there and they'd like me to see all the snow there during the winter (we don't get that much in Missouri). So since it's about twenty degrees colder than Missouri, as I've heard, I'll need to be on the look-out for heavier winter coats than I'm used to. But right now I'm so excited for the malls with multiple floors, since our small mall in my city is only one floor.
I've also been working in a project for Spanish III about different foods they eat in Espana. I found the recipe for Tarta de Cappuchino, and it actually turned out better than I thought it would. I'd definitely reccomend looking up the recipe if you like coffee cake.
By the way, I found another good video about Barcelona street fashion:

In addition to the recipe for my spanish class, I had to find some extra information about the food. For example, Spaniards would usually eat the coffee cake for breakfast, tea, or as a snack, since dessert is usually fruit. But other than that, since Tarta de Cappuchino isn't really a traditional food they may eat on holidays or other big events, there wasn't really a history that I could write about. So instead, I looked up the different meal times in Spain, which I found really interesting.

Breakfast (Desayuno) is 9 - 10am

Pre-lunch snack (Chateo) is 1 - 2:30pm

Lunch (Almuerzo) is 1:30 - 3pm

Tea (Merienda) is 6 - 7pm

Pre-dinner snack (Chateo) is 9 - 10:30pm

Dinner (Cena) is 10 - 12pm

Tokyo and Beijing Street Fashion

First things first, my outfit for the day:

Animal print tank top, a black tiered skirt, gray tights, and dark gray ankle boots.  Now, I know my blog is called EUROPEAN-style couture, but Asia is such a big influence on fashion as well because of all the millions of people that live there that I have to put in some Asian fashion every once and a while.





I don't know about you, but I sure like the Chinese fashion better than the Japanese fashion.  Both are really fashion-forward and modern, but the Japanese outfits are sometimes a little out-there, unless I'm the only one who has noticed that...? 

More Pretty Pictures!

Parisian Chic - Bomber/Jean Jackets

Just a little Parisian chic fashion video to satisfy your craving ;)

"Even if I'm not from Paris, I feel like I can be Parisian chic just by feeling inspired by magazines and fashion.  And on the streets of Paris, it's so inspiring you know, just looking at all the amazing fashion and how the girls dress here."

I completely, 100% agree!  I would like to feel like I am Parisian chic, even though the boring Midwest of the United States is FAR from Paris.  But one thing I would like to point out... A bunch of Parisians in this video were wearing leather bomber jackets (aka aviator jacket), including in the background just walking down the street.  According to Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, bomber jackets are "chic and a little tough at the same time."

Which reminds me that I need one, especially since it's been on my mental shopping list for the past month or so.  Speaking of jackets, a new jean jacket would be nice too.  I saw a couple in the Parisian chic video as well, and my own jean jacket is getting kindof scruffy.

My Outfit and Bubzbeauty Videos

My outfit of the day... I got the belt from Charlotte Russe and the shirt from a small shop in San Diego.  I've seen a lot of variations of a white tiered tank top though in stores like Forever 21.  As for the boots, which, again, you can't really see in the picture, I got them from Papaya:

I love these boots.  They're brown suede, and the heel is only about one and a half or two inches.  I'm not really one for wearing drastically high heels to high school, even though I like seeing them on other people. 

Now before I get on to the video I need to post, have you ever heard of Bubzbeauty on YouTube?  She is a gorgeous girl from somewhere in Ireland, judging by her accent, and she is a makeup guru.  Sometimes she posts hair tutorials, which I seem to like better than the makeup tutorials.  Anyway, in addition to being blindingly pretty, she also has a great fashion sense.  She's only made about five videos containing some normal outfits she would usually wear, but I still think they're fabulous. 

Next time you're on YouTube, look up Bubzbeauty and check out her tutorials.  By the way, the song in the second video is a piano-only version of Haru Haru by Big Bang, which is a popular Korean boyband which I just love, and the second song in the same video is a techno-only version of Nobody by the Wondergirls, whom I also love.  Now here's her two best fashion videos (I will post her other couple fashion videos later):

Just Some Pretty Pictures ♥



Shorts and Musica de Espanol

Summer may be almost to its very last end, but shorts and skirts are still very much in -- even internationally.  If the weather is starting to get chilly, though, consider warming up your shorts or skirt with leggings or tights, which I discussed in my last blog post and are also in-style.  Shorts and skirts can be mixed-and-matched with dozens of different types of shoes and shirts for different looks:

"When a person is in fashion, all they do is right."

- Lord Chesterfield

And I don't know about you, but looking up different pictures of Spanish street fashion while listening to Spanish music can help me "get in the mood" of dressing like a Spaniard.  Might seem a bit strange, but I feel more influenced to dress Spanish if I listen to Spanish music while browsing pictures of clothes.  But maybe that's just me.  I've made a collaboration of Spanish songs on this playlist that I listen to quite often, in the post below.  I add more songs to it periodically, so check it out!

Listen to Musica de Espanol

Tights/Leggings and Barcelona Street Fashion

As I've said before, I absolutely love street fashion.  Wherever I travel, I always make sure to look at people's outfits to get some inspiration from what others are wearing.  Here I found a good Barcelona street fashion video off of YouTube:

So, obviously sunglasses are muy importante in Spain.  My favorite outfit in this video has to be of the girl with short black hair who is wearing a red scarf, black T-shirt dress, black tights, and tan calf-high boots.  Even looking in the background of the street fashion videos I watch, looking at the people in the crowd, can give me inspiration for other outfits because sometimes street fashion videos don't interview many people and only give glimpes of a few outfits.  But in this video especially, there are lots of tights and leggings, which are a big trend right now.
Some example pictures of this trend would be...

Basic European Clothing Staples

Clothing trends can come and go, but these main clothing staples are the safest bet to stick to if you’re in Spain, France, or any other major European country and are not aware of the clothing trends of the moment. Dark-washed skinny jeans with high heels are always the most fashionable way to go, except if you’re planning on touring the city, that might not be such a smart move. Skinny jeans and elaborate gladiator sandals or boots would work in that case.

As for shirts and purses, you can pull off just about anything in Europe. Anything goes. If going shopping, though, and not wanting to carry a lot of the bags in your hands and having to keep track of it all, carrying around a tan messenger bag could come in handy for storing some of your bags.

Scarves are also very popular in Europe, even more so than in the United States. So if vacationing to Europe, be sure to buy some light pastel-colored scarves to brighten up your outfit, since the majority of outfits in Europe are composed of black or other neutral colors.

Jackie-O’s would be a good way to go as far as sunglasses go, which Spaniards wear for the majority of the day. But, most importantly, be sure to wear some of your own pieces with your signature American style. Completely blending in with the locals won’t get you as much attention as a well-put-together outfit with different fashion trends.

Welcome to My Blog!

First blog post of my Vintage European-Style Couture blog!!!
Not much to say right away except to give you a little preview of what kind of things I'll be posting about... The pictures I'll be posting will mainly be some of the outfits I wear, to give fellow fashionistas examples of what to wear, because I don't know about you, but I definitely love looking up different ways to mix and match clothing in ways I'd have never thought possible. Or cute enough to wear.
For example, this is what I'm wearing today:

 

I'm wearing a gray, three-quarter sleeve, off-the-shoulder Tshirt-dress from Papaya, which I got in San Diego during my last vacation there. I'm also wearing plain black tights I got from Wet Seal, and high heels from *gulp* Shoe Carnival. But hey, they were really cheap. And since you can't quite see my ring I'm wearing, here's a close-up of it:

I absolutely love it!!! I got it from Charming Charlie for $8, which made me very happy because I've been looking for one of these kind of rings for a long time. I really like old-fashioned rings like these; speaking of which, I'll have to raid my grandma's jewelry stash sometime soon and see if I find anything else like this. Ha.

In addition to pictures of plain ole me, I'll be posting links to little-known (or well-known) fashion websites I like and pictures of cute street fashion from different major cities across Europe. Specifically London, Barcelona, Paris, and Rome. I almost like street fashion better than what's on the runways because sometimes the outfits on the runways are a little over-the-top and I can't really wear those outfits to school... Haha, whatever. Happy shopping!