Stylitics: Virtual Wardrobe and Style Assistant

By Christy Lucca

Stylitics.com is an up-and-coming website that coins itself as “your own personal style assistant that makes being stylish easier than ever.” Thousands of fashionistas have been testing out this new style platform, which launched late last year. Stylitics offers a way for its users to view their wardrobe virtually while incorporating personal style trends, outfit history, and connections to popular brands.

The website serves to facilitate a smarter way for people to make decisions about their wardrobe. Users can input every item in their wardrobes and update them according to what they buy and wear each day. For each item, Stylitics will show the last time you wore it and other items you wear most with it. It keeps track of how much you spend on your wardrobe, so you can make smarter buys. It also sends alerts according to trends in your area and new ways to wear items in your wardrobe.

One of our own Design and Merchandising students at Drexel, Caitlin Stelben, is a campus representative for the company. She believes that, “It’s beneficial to students because they receive feedback about what they wear, allowing them to make smarter purchase choices in the future.”

Stylitics is the first website of its kind and revolutionizes the way people think about their own style. One of its biggest perks is the rewards and incentives from brands the more you use the website. After its launch, Stylitics will continue to grow and could potentially become the next biggest “trend.”

Visit the following websites for more information: http://www.stylitics.com/

http://www.facebook.com/Stylitics

http://stylitics.tumblr.com/

Can you see us now?

SOPA

By: Candice Watts

For as long as people have been freely surfing the worldwide web, there have been arguments over copyright infringement and financial loses.

SOPA or the Stop Online Priacy Act is a bill introduced on October 26th, 2011. The bill was proposed by Texas Republican Lamar S. Smith, to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods. In other words, SOPA would make it possible for companies to block the domain names of web sites that are simply capable of, or seem to encourage copyright infringement. The bill, if made into a law, would also allow rights holders to cut off the source of funding of any potentially infringing web site. This means if a website has a tool that provides users to post information, such as YouTube.com or Tumblr.com, and the posted information exhibits copyright infringement, any other companies doing business with this site would have to stop, including search engines and advertising companies.

On Wednesday, January 18th, there was the largest online protest in history, when Google.com got over seven million people to sign petitions against the bill. Other websites such as Wikipedia.com and its British partner Reddit.com organized an Internet ‘black-out’ which cut off their services for a day and replaced them with a link to contact your local senator.

After a heated protest, Senator Smith decided to postpone endeavors to draft the bill. This was seen as a “win” for the Internet and the 7 million people that protested against one of what could have been the worst move on the government's part.

There Can Never be Enough Color on Your Wrists

By Tatiana Beckman

My wrists are never naked. Over the winter break I did some holiday shopping for myself and family and no matter where I went I was always distracted by bracelets. I love finding bracelets with pops of color and unique styles. When we find something unique, many of us say, “Oh, I can make that!” and walk away from the usually over-priced piece of jewelry. Although I have given in on a few things myself, I also stuck to my word and made some bracelets of my own. I bought string, links and clasps from AC Moore and searched for a little inspiration. I love the idea of mixing materials because it adds fun and sophistication into one accessory. You can wear all the pieces at once or layer them with a charm bracelet and watch. There is nothing boring about layering bracelets, rings or any jewelery, and every piece you buy and stylize will be unique. Just remember when you say you can make it, you really can, so stop spending $20 on friendship bracelets when a pack of string costs $4. 

Best Pictures of 2011 (No Relation or Association to the Oscars)

Nominations for the Oscars have finally be announced today. With that, I have thirty-three days to see nine of the ten films that are up for Best Picture this year. As I tried to predict which films would make the cut into the category, I saw many movies this year, hoping that it would decrease the stress of the next month of constant film screening. Needless to say, I guessed the films incorrectly, and I sit with the challenge of nine films in thirty-three days.

Several of the films that I consider to be the best of 2011 unfortunately won’t be recognized as such. Because of that, I have created the the Best Picture award as voted by a committee consisting of myself. The nominees do not receive anything for being mentioned in this blog, sadly. With that, here are the nominees for the Robert Reynolds “Best Picture” Award:

The Descendants / Alexander Payne

This is the one film on my list that also exists on the official Oscars list. Staring George Clooney as a man whose wife slips into a coma after a boating accident, he must deal with the troubled times of his family, while also amidst the selling of a huge amount of property he owns. This only gets troubled further when his older daughter tells him that his wife had been cheating on him prior to falling into the coma. With the scenery on the beautiful islands of Hawaii, we realize that family issues exist even in the most paradise-like places. An amazing cast with a beautiful, simple, and true story lays the groundwork for one of the best films of the year. (It also doesn’t hurt that 50-year-old Clooney is looking better than ever.)

Like Crazy / Drake Doremus

Like Crazy, like The Descendants, is beautiful, simple, and comes across as pure and true. While on a semester abroad, British beauty, Anna, falls for an American boy, Jacob. Her visa expires, but infatuated with her relationship, she stays in California. They have a quirky, cute relationship that makes you smile while sitting in the dark by yourself. She returns home to the United Kingdom to see her family, and once trying to reenter the US to see Jacob, she is informed that she isn’t allowed back into the country because of her offense of overstaying her visa. The movie shows their struggles of wanting to be together, actually being together, wanting to be apart, and being forced to be apart. The film is beautifully shot and has an amazing soundtrack to accompany the scenes.

Bridesmaids / Paul Feig

Simply stated: one of the funniest films I have ever seen. I’ve seen this one in the range of twenty to thirty times since it came out. With a basic story of a group of bridesmaids’ adventures between engagement announcement to wedding day, the major success is in the writing and the cast. This movie is proof that girls can tell a fart joke, and even tell it more successfully than their male comedian counterparts. Every member of the cast delivers a different element to the group, and together create a riot to watch. This movie is one of those that you will end up quoting into your life more than you’d expect, as I find myself making a Bridesmaids reference almost daily now. While Kristin Wiig and Maya Rudolph are the leads and are both tremendously funny, Melissa McCarthy gives the most hilarious performance from a supporting actress in recent history.

Beginners / Mike Mills

Beginners gives proof that no matter how old we get, we can still be considered beginners in relationships. Ewan McGregor stars along side of the beautiful Mélanie Laurent in an unexpected relationship that is equally involving of his dog, Cosmo. Christopher Plummet, nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, plays McGregor’s father who comes out as gay in his seventies and spends his final years of life proudly and openly being gay while fighting cancer. Each time I’ve watched Beginners, it has managed to make me cry during both happy scenes and quite opposite scenes. Beginners is another film where the soundtrack in bang-up and completely sets the tone for the film.

Weekend / Andrew Haigh

I had previously reviewed Weekend for this blog a few months back, so if you’d like a complete review of it, go back a few pages to check that out. Weekend is an honest depiction of a gay relationship that lasts for, as the title suggests, a weekend. While the relationship is brief, it is sweet and true. They reveal things about themselves that often don’t come out until much later in relationships, and also manage to be extremely believable characters with many dimensions, which differs from the often one-sided gay characters that are displayed in films. Weekend is a much different variation on the traditional love story, but still comes off very charming and sweet.

Christian Dior Spring 2012 Couture

The 2012 Spring Couture shows have arrived, and after a year of scandal, the Dior house seems to be regaining an even keel. After a rollercoaster of a collection presented during the Fall 2011 Couture show, John Galliano’s former right-hand man and current stand-in Bill Gaytten presented forty cohesive looks. The Spring 2012 Dior couture collection harkened back to the New Look. The color palette was simple, ranging from white to grey to black, with pops of red and deep purple. The first look out featured the wide lapels, nipped waist and full skirt characteristic of the New Look. A romantic embellished floral pattern danced along the see-through taffeta skirt, mixing the sweet nature of yesteryear with the bold and risqué element of modernity. The full-skirts gave way to the wrap jacket and pencil skirt that were also popular in the late 1940’s, and again, the see-through fabric gave the collection a modern twist. A luxe array of fabrics and textures also added to the rather traditional silhouettes. Sleek black alligator-skin jackets were paired with delicate skirts, as if to counterbalance the delicate pieces that preceded them. The beautifully constructed collection gave way to floor-length gowns that appeared to be variations of the first dresses in full bloom. Tight-fitting bodices exploded into huge, flared skirts that consumed the runway in ruffles and pleated tulle.

Gaytten’s nod to the original house of Dior coupled with the grandiose and artful notions that Galliano brought to the house in 1996 show that Galliano’s right-hand man might have what it takes to assume the position of creative director at the scandal-stricken company. With multiple collections being displayed after Galliano’s departure, it seems as though LVMH is unable to find the perfect replacement for the line. Perhaps this collection will solidify Gaytten’s place as the final contender for the position of creative director at Dior.

- Melanie

Philanthropy In The Industry

Philanthropy.   A word rarely associated with the fashion industry or its partakers, but Tory Burch has proven otherwise.  A native from Pennsylvania, she has become a model business woman in her philanthropic approach to running her business and supporting the lives of individuals who share her same dream.

I was surprised to hear that this amazing designer took the time to offer guidance and support to women across America, who are trying to start up businesses to provide for their families.  Burch’s outlook is to give resources to exceptional individuals that don’t have access to it and teaching them about finances and skills to run a business.  It is more about investing in the hope of the American, rather than throwing out money to people that might not know how to use it or spend it.  She is creating job opportunities that are declining in a time of economic disarray.

Her efforts can be praised, as she is supporting a new generation, like myself, that looks for social responsibility and patronage in companies and corporations.  But why wouldn’t you want to share your knowledge and expertise?  Wisdom is meant to be passed along, so that our world can mature and advance to bigger and better things.  Like Burch, I don’t see it as creating competition, but a way to reward others and yourself for your personal achievements.

Restaurant Week: Is It Really a Good Deal?

After staring at the intimidating list of restaurants over and over again, my family and I decided on a new restaurant to try for lunch. It was the first day of restaurant week and the new Jose Garces restaurant, Garces Trading Company, was booked! The atmosphere was chaotic yet fascinating, as people were crammed next to one another with servers running from table to table. The French-inspired restaurant, opened last February, was set up like a market, with a house-cured charcuterie, wine shop, and retail items such as coffee, olive oil and vinegars. The restaurant serves as a quick spot to grab lunch or a place to sit down and unwind with a nice glass of wine. 

For restaurant week, lunch is $20 per person and for dinner it is $35 per person. Typically, lunch is three courses. My family decided that because portions would be smaller, we would all try different items on the menu and share. The goal was to leave full and satisfied. Among the different dishes we had mozzarella cheese, pasta fagioli, house antipasti, scallops, pan panelle, citron and winter verrine. At the end of each course, each of us found ourselves with a different plate sitting in front of us. 


With five restaurants in Philadelphia, Jose Garces did not fail to live up to our expectations. Normally, a meal for the four of us would cost $75; in this case it was over $100 after we made some purchases at the market. At the end of lunch my dad, a first-timer on the Restaurant Week train, asked if it was worth the $20 deal. I thought to myself and came to the conclusion that although I would normally order one dish for under $20, I loved the fact that I could try a few different appetizers, entrees, and desserts. The entire experience was definitely worth it. All types of foodies can enjoy restaurants that they may not try if it weren't for Restaurant Week, (including college students who do not have a lot of money). The secret behind the Restaurant Week hype is that it seems cheap for three [mini] courses, or four for dinner, and people have a chance to say, "I ate at a great restaurant for a great price!"

NYFW cordially invites you...

It's New York Fashion Week....show schedules are jam packed. How do you decide which shows to attend? I personally adore these cards as I think emails are a little overused nowadays. If I'm was VIP or a VVIP, I'd want to get an invite card in the mail. A handwritten one would be even more impressive.

-Best Athayu

15 minutes of critic fame.

That golden time has come and gone and is now swimming aimlessly throughout the most searched topics on the web. From ‘sexy and sultry’ to ‘frumpy and what the hell were they seeing when they looked in the mirror,’ photos are flooding news feeds all over. Everything from celebs to even the bugs on the red carpet were being criticized for what they were wearing so I thought I’d say forget what the critics say and listen to what Amanda Rodriguez has to say. This is an article I’d like to call 15 minutes of critic fame where I’ll showcase the most fab and burn your eyes with the most drab.

STONE fox:
Emma Stone wore a breath-taking color blocked plum and raspberry Lanvin gown which complimented her pale milky skin wonderfully. Both the perfect mixture of edgy and elegant, with the dramatic eye and simple updo, this goofy clutz was nothing short of a fashion goddess.

Blue Ringer:

What do you get when you throw watercolors on a poorly draped table cloth? That’s right, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s dress. This dress was anything but flattering for this un-aging beaut. From hair to make-up I give this all thumbs down, but I do give thumbs up to her for wearing the dress her two-year-old daughter picked out. Sweet mother but there is a time to say no.