A Night on the Town

T By Alexander Wang bustier shirt  |  Dolce & Gabbana patterned skirt  |  Isabel Marant strap sandals   

Floral Knit shirt |  Josh Goot gray skirt  |  Jeffrey Campbell black platform booties 

Zara printed jacket  |  CÉLINE short sleeve top  |  Rebecca Minkoff black leather shorts  |  Forever New flat heels

From polished to edgy to casual chic, these are my ideal looks for a night on the town. 

Polyvore makes playing dress up so much more fun.


: @jessicaswu
: @jemappellemoi

LUST FOR LIFE X MADISON HARDING

LUST FOR LIFE X MADISON HARDING COACHELLA STYLE by jessicawu

What I'd wear to Coachella if I won the LUST FOR LIFE X MADISON HARDING Coachella style contest.

In the Green

I found a Christmas tree in February. Then subsequently proceeded to sit under it and wish it was covered in snow. 

Beanies are my favorite kind of hat, and this Free People beanie has seen a lot of wear since I bought it in the summer. While the weather in SoCal is technically pretty warm compared to the wrath of Nemo in New York, I decided to pay homage to the blizzard by wearing my favorite beanie (again) since I styled this outfit during NYFW. Not very original, I know, but any excuse right? 

NYFW 4

J. Crew

Always polished and refined, the J. Crew fall collection utilized rich hues and dazzling prints and patterns that will take anyone's look up a few notches. This collection screams encouragement to never shy away from mixing contrasting prints.

Marc Jacobs

Finally pajamas are now considered high fashion. Itty bitty little silk pj suits and pants-less sweater ensembles were seen on the runway at Marc Jacobs, alongside the models' short pixie hair dos. 

Marchesa

Marchesa gowns are always the perfect blend of luxuriousness and elegance. I'm positive the hot pink number will be making a red carpet appearance.

Milly

Cool and chic. The play on textures with the sleek holographic sweater shirt skirt suits and liquid leather pants paired with fuzzy cropped sweaters was amazing.

Porenza Schouler

An almost entirely monotone collection focused heavily on textures and interesting silhouettes.

Oscar De La Renta

Stunning stunning stunning. Oscar De La Renta never fails to impress. With a collection ranging from every day pieces to jaw-dropping evening gowns, everything was a success. I particularly loved the grey wool hooded cape.

Ralph Lauren

Equestrian chic. Little cropped boleros, rich velvets, and polished silhouettes.

Michael Kors

I'm finally posting a men's collection. I'm dying over that army green trench with leather sleeves. The looks were polished and styled, with an interesting twist of edge from the typical men's looks. More men need to be rocking trenches with leather accents.

NYFW 3

3.1 Phillip Lim

This collection is so bad ass. With the inspiration drawing from bikers' girlfriends, the looks used leather, patched denim, textured fabrics, and comfy sweatshirts. While there are a lot of layers, the looks emote a cool effortlessness.

Alexander Wang

Those fur mitts and knitted caps! While so impractical for our California winters, I commend A. Wang's creativity. I really liked the drop waist silhouettes and interesting cut-outs, but my favorite part of the collection was the asymmetrically-cut black heels.

Altuzarra

The cut and fit of the garments was impeccable. I was surprised with the use of vinyl in the hourglass side-slit dresses and super cropped jackets, but according to style.com, Altuzarra said it was rainproof and ages better than leather.

Band of Outsiders

The sweep of eyeshadow across the models' eyes (and temples) are a rather striking complement to the large, floppy hats. I adored the use of silk, particularly in the dual color nipped-waist pencil dresses. My favorite piece is the oversized, strong shouldered double-breasted blazer/dress.

Calla

Spring invaded Calla's Fall collection this year. The vibrant colors and bright floral prints were stunningly beautiful and feminine – this might just reinvent the colors of Fall.

Hervé Léger

Those abs... Okay now that I've gushed over that, who knew dresses over pants could be so chic? Hervé Léger is definitely making a statement with the midriff exposure for Fall.

Jonathan Simkhai

Collegiate chic. All the pieces remind me of what I would see a tremendously stylish college grad rocking after she ripped off her graduation gown on her way to a cafe lunch.

Mara Hoffman

With the vibrant colors and gorgeous beadwork, all of the pieces in this collection would be perfect for a tropical vacation.

Marc by Marc Jacobs

So incredibly polished and librarian-secretary chic. I see tons of 70's inspiration with the loud, fluffy hair, knee length hems, satchel bags, oversized boxy outerwear, and prim silk shirts. With the funky, collegiate feel of Marc Jacobs, this collection was a bit sexier.

Prabal Gurung

One of my favorite collections: It's sexy meets tough, the ultimate juxtaposition of silk dresses against leather harnesses. Prabal Gurung expertly utilized contrasting fabrics with impeccable tailoring and deep peplums at the waist. I've never seen cut-out shoulders in a thick knit turtleneck, yet it looks so right that I wonder why no one's done it before.

Rodarte

The Mulleavy sisters have been known for their intricately-constructed DIY-esque garments. This Fall collection is no different. The gorgeous tie-dye and acid-wash silk prints and crystal-studded sweaters were so unique and 'Rodarte'. The Rodarte aesthetic is so idiosyncratic and distinctive, and this collection is no different.

NYFW 2

Charlotte Ronson

With a presentation format, Charlotte Ronson's collection was full of tweeds and prints inspired by the English schoolgirl meets mod tomboy. The looks came off very sharp and polished, with cropped turtlenecks and A-line minis. I enjoyed the earthy tones and smart silhouettes.

Costello Tagliapietra

Costello Tagliapietra is different from the aesthetic that I'm normally drawn to. However this collection, with its clingy fabrics and messy-chic up-dos, was immensely appealing to me. The looks were very  quirky and granny chic, with its modest silhouettes, obi belts, and thick knits. I found the collection to be oddly refreshing with its eccentric touch.

Kate Spade New York

Am I the only one thinking of Homer Simpson and his infamous donuts here? All jokes aside, despite the obvious 80's influence in this collection, the silhouettes stayed clean and polished to showcase the statement prints.  The collection was cute, quirky, and fun – the epitome of the chic New York girl  with a wicked sense of humor and ready to have a good time.

Lyn Devon

Here's a collection of luxurious, polished garments with an air of New England chic. The models donned richly wavy locks and sensible shoes in each look. The ankle-skimming trousers, in both a high-waisted cut and bold floral print, burgundy tones, and thick wools struck a balance between luxuriousness and wearability.

Nicole Miller

To me, this collection screams Erin Wasson. The looks consist of sheer fabrics, luxe furs, tight (leather?) trousers, wide-brimmed hats, and buckled boots. The collection emotes immense nonchalance and rock 'n' roll chic.

Pierre Balmain

Balmain's getting rebellious this fall, and I guess the fishnet stockings are making a comeback. With approachable silhouettes and polished, slicked back hair, this collection has a little something for everyone.

Rachel Comey

Donning boyish haircuts and mysterious sunglasses, the models strutting down the runway gave off a minxish air at Rachel Comey. There was a definite menswear influence in this collection as the looks gradually transitions from masculine to feminine. My favorite look was comprised of a printed blue skirt, a dark sweater with oversized printed flowers, and slouchy boots.

Rag and Bone

Minimalist, clean, and chic. The classic houndstooth print was blown up to bold proportions and showcased on oversized sweaters paired with sexy sheer thigh highs. According to style.com, this season's Rag & Bone silhouette was a very abbreviated hemline, elaborated throughout the show by fitted and flared miniskirts and graphic A-line dresses.

Rebecca Minkoff

The combination of textures and patterns is stunning... STUNNING. I'm going out on a limb and saying that this is my favorite collection so far. My three favorite adjectives to describe NYFW for F/W 2013 is: luxe, chic, and urban. The contrast of textures between the use of leather, fur, tweed, wool, and knits strikes a note of perfection (topped off with a beanie!).

That leather mini dress is my favorite. It's everything.

Suno

Suno showcased a lot of bold, allover prints and ethnic silhouettes in this collection. The make-up and hair was very simplistic and minimalist to focus the attention on the looks. The palette was entirely made up of strong prints that really popped against the minimal setting. 

Yigal Azrouël

The entire collection has an air of sexy eerie-ness with a ghostly quality. The silhouettes were very architectural and structural. In addition, the high side slit made a statement on the runway of Yigal Azrouël. My favorite look was the leather peplum dress topped off with a soft fur stole.

NYFW 1

BCBG Max Azria

It's no secret that I'm a sucker for beanies and easy, slouchy pieces. The mix of slouchy beanies with flimsy chiffon garments and luxe furs on statement outerwear gave off the feel of gypsy meets urban street chic. The inspiration behind this fall collection was drawn from Istanbul and Phil Frost's gritty contemporary art. As noted on style.com, Lubov Azria said, "We wanted to take something that was centuries old and combine it with something modern."

Jason Wu

Ever since Michelle Obama donned Jason Wu for the first (and second) inauguration, the designer has blown up on the fashion scene, particularly with the launch of his new line Miss Wu and his collaborations with Target. While being known for his feminine, polished looks, this collection had a definite edge with the strong shoulders, nipped waistlines, and sheer fabrics. It emoted the feel of a strong woman rocking some serious fashion and taking a few risks.

Timo Weiland

Not the biggest fan of some of his wallpaper jacquard looks, but all in all, I always love a mix of plaids and sheer and a done-up collar. According to style.com, designers Timo Weiland and Alan Eckstein said that they had been inspired by English Tudor houses, with the imagery of hip East London girls heading to the country for the weekend.

Erin Fetherston

I've always been a fan of Erin Fetherston's collections of feminine frocks with a touch of sweetness and glam. With the floral crowns and pairing of sweet dresses with opaque black tights, this collection had me thinking of Bonnie of Flashes of Style in the fall. The mix of sweet and edgy with those bow-adorned gloves and tousled hair is quite appealing. My favorite look was the luxe black gown paired with a metallic sort of parka topped with a floral crown. The unlikely pairings just make this look so very right.

10 Crosby Derek Lam

Chunky knits and slouchy pieces... I'm a complete sucker for weekend-type knits in nude tones and rich neutrals. The patterned boots and pointed patent loafers make such a statement against the pairing of masculine tailored overcoats over the knits and delicate, sheer dresses. In my opinion, this collection is the perfect mix of femininity and masculinity. I'm dying over those chiffon frocks and open back knits.

Creatures of the Wind

Known for their folk-ish, punk aesthetic, this season's Creatures of the Wind collection was made up of polyester film and vinyl in masculine silhouettes, boyish cuts, and drop-waist silhouettes. The looks definitely popped against the red catwalk, particularly the funky colored prints.

Tadashi Shoji

Volume and Russia. Those were the two hallmarks of this Tadashi Shoji collection. The silhouettes were inspired by Russian dresses and the robes of Russian Orthodox priests. The lace overlays on many of the gowns was gorgeous, giving off a subtle air of refinement and elegance.