trend – Lo Bosworth

The Sleeve Detail

I am a student at The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Throughout my undergraduate career, I have learned so much. In fact, I have taken countless classes that explain the fashion industry as a business and I’ve also taken classes that study sleeves in great detail—yes, sleeves.

Do you know how many different sleeve styles there are?

Here’s a hint: there’s more than one. To name a few, there’s the Bell, Peasant, Puff, Bishop, Juliet, and Dolman. Yup, you’ve guessed it. The list continues.

Sleeve details are one of my favorite trends. The trend is currently dominating fast fashion and I LOVE IT! I personally prefer wearing a great sleeve in either the spring or summer season so that it doesn’t get lost behind my jackets or coats. Bring on the warmer weather, Mother Nature! A detailed sleeve is truly an epic fashion statement.

I generally like to think of the sleeve as an added accessory. When wearing a shirt that includes this trend, I avoid bracelets or rings to keep the focus on my top rather than my jewelry. I also try not to spend a lot of money when purchasing a shirt with this dramatic concept because I prefer to invest in staple or basic pieces. One typically wears this type of shirt a few times before it is quickly remembered by friends and family. I can only get away with wearing it so many times before I look like a serial outfit repeater. Yes, the struggles of a true fashion gal.

If I haven’t already sold you on the sleeve detail trend I will now. A sleeve statement can be worn on a dress or a jacket too! It does not have to be strictly limited to tops.

The dramatic sleeve is a chic look—picture yourself with a sleek updo and fitted pants, with that perfect sleeve hanging over each hand. Here are of few photos of me braving yesterday’s snowstorm wearing a Zara striped bell sleeve top!

With Love,
Ashley Attianese
@ashleyattianese

DIY Chokers

I wrote off chokers when everyone started rewearing those plastic ones from the 90’s. To be completely honest, I wore one, without fail, from the ages of six to nine. Actually, I still have it! It’s in my baby box right next to the onesie I wore home from the hospital. Even so, I just don’t think they’re that tasteful. Since chokers are here to stay for this season at least, I figured I might as well experiment and make room for them in my style. Here is what I learned:

Don’t wear a choker for the sake of wearing a choker. Make it work.
Layering is your best friend. Combine thin ones with different fabrics or cascading gold chains.
Don’t spend $15 on a choker that you can make with a quick trip to Michael’s.

Seriously, go to Michael’s and buy ribbon/rope/whatever your heart desires and voilà a DIY! I bought suede ribbon, velvet ribbon, and leather cord.

In case these don’t do it for you, here are some other options that are TLD-approved.

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Blondes Have More Fun

[title subtitle=”Chronicles of a Hair-Dyer”]…and I’m Having an OK Time[/title]

Wednesdays are reserved for adventures.

Hey, LoDown fam! It’s Chris again, the sad sack of garbage who brought you the juice cleanse story. I’m back because you all enjoyed reading about my agony (how dare you). On this particular adventure, I will explore the world of hair dying. Now, I won’t be talking about going to a salon or whatever people who have money and time do to get their hair professionally done because that would be too simple and too easy. I’m talkin’ about sitting on my bed while my friend, who is visiting, has no time to think of an excuse to get out of helping me. Ah, friendship.

But first, where are my manners? Allow me to give you some backstory as to why I dyed my hair. A few months ago, I stole a MacBook from the Apple Store and ended up killing a man to get away and needed a new identity. Just kidding, although that would probably make for a much better adventure—maybe next month?

In all seriousness, I’ve wanted to dye my hair white for so long because I just wanted to do something crazy and live on the edge. Naturally, I turn to hair dying for that rush of adrenaline. I know, I know. I’m WILD!!!! One day, I thought long and hard, which means maybe 2 minutes tops, about it and realized that it’s only hair, and as the great Drake once said, “YOLO”.

To be honest, I went into this process like Helen Keller went up stairs—very blindly. I couldn’t have known less when I walked into Ricky’s NYC to get an buttload of hair bleach (yes, buttload is an actual form of measurement) and a bunch of other miscellaneous stuff. Back at my apartment, my room suddenly felt like the set of Breaking Bad because my friend Dori and I were mixing chemicals with other chemicals in a very small space.

After 45 minutes and tolerating the feeling of each hair being plucked out one by one, I washed the first round of bleach out only to find that I looked like a mass-murdering Ed Sheeran to star in a redundant Marvel film coming out early next year. At this point, I was saying what my mom probably said at my birth, “WHAT THE F%$K HAVE I DONE”?

After recuperating, we did a second round of bleach to get my hair even lighter. At this point, it felt as if every Boy Scout troop ever created was having a bonfire on top of my head. Fun! I washed that out and toned my hair with a “Pale Ash Blonde” color, which to me translated to “a bunch of adjectives all describing the same thing” but that is neither here nor there. By now, I was happy with the color, mostly because it didn’t feel super yellow blonde and because I had left behind my role in the upcoming Marvel film. Looking back on it now, with a head full of dead white hair, I hate the color “Pale Ash Blonde” created.

You may be asking, “But Chris! How did you get your hair white?”. Fantastic question, *insert your name here*. The secret to getting your hair as light as possible without fully killing it is using Shimmer Light’s purple shampoo and conditioner. I leave the conditioner in for 3-5 minutes. It’s crazy how well the conditioner turned my hair white/slight purple tint.

You also may be asking, “But Chris! Was it worth it?”. Okay, first of all, you need to relax with all these questions. But yes, I couldn’t feel happier and more myself with my new hair. I look at old photos with my brown hair and I feel like that isn’t the real me. I am so much more confident and have learned to really live for myself and not worry about what other people think, which hasn’t ever really been an issue for me. My message to you would be to just do it if you’re thinking about dying your hair. It’s hair. But also, it’s really difficult hair to maintain. I was thinking I would just dye my hair and everything would be great, but it’s a lot of maintenance, which is something I absolutely despise.

I can’t believe I just wrote a whole adventure about my hair, but it’s happened and there’s no turning back now. Let me know in the comments which hair color you like better and also what color you would want to dye your hair!

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Fatass Does a Juice Cleanse

[title subtitle=”…but Barely”]I Survived[/title]

Wednesdays are reserved for adventures.

Hey, LoDown fam! My name is Chris. I’m the guy who takes all of the photos you see on a daily basis. I know what you’re probably thinking, “Why the eff is the photographer writing a story?” That’s a good question. Let me explain…

While discussing possible adventures to take on in the world of food and fashion, juice cleanses came up. The team immediately shifted their focus to me, a self-proclaimed fatass. They figured it’d be funny to give the “foodie with a booty” a three-day juice cleanse. Let’s fast forward to when my story begins.

August 24, 2015 (The Day Before the Cleanse)— The LoDown crew hits up Juice Press in the East Village where I get my three day’s worth of juices (and a lifetime’s worth of anxiety). While the whole team exchanged giggles and I eyed them with death glares, the Juice Press staff neatly lined up 18 juices, colors ranging anywhere from green to yellow to red. I received a pamphlet and felt reassured by its second bullet point. “Rest,” it read, “For best results, take a break from exercise.” I remembered thinking there was hope. Famous last thoughts.

Day 1

9:19 a.m. Just woke up. Took what I expected to be my last solid shit. Ridiculously anxious at the thought of no food for the next three days, which is a nightmare I have definitely had before.

10:07 a.m. First drink down the hatch called “Love at First Sight”. If that’s what love at first sight is like, I have no problems with being single. Feeling much better about this cleanse, but still super fucking hungry and lowkey bitter that I couldn’t put a greasy bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich into my body.

10:37 a.m. Got to work. On the way, my bag fell off my bike and I was more worried about the juices than my $3,000 MacBook. The juices are changing me. I also passed approximately 213 restaurants, and each was a kick to the babymaker.

11:13 a.m. I already want food and coffee. I feel tired and sluggish, but that might be because I don’t have my life together… the jury’s still out on that one.

12:41 p.m. Just finished my second drink. It had a thicker consistency. I don’t feel like fainting as much. To be honest, I can’t stop thinking about smelling pad Thai and French fries.

2:04 p.m. I’m watching my coworkers eat our catered lunch…excuse me while I stab myself in the leg with a thumbtack. If you know me, there is nothing I show more enthusiasm for than free food. I am weak.

3:06 p.m. Just finished drink number three and my mouth now tastes like a mix of my front lawn and a middle-aged man’s vegetable garden. I’m feeling good every time I drink a juice because my stomach feels fuller. This is probably what it’s like to be a model at Fashion Week—to crave food but to not be allowed to eat it.

5:08 p.m. Trying to get through “Doctor Earth”. It is ROUGH. There’s more ginger in it than a redhead convention. My hunger hasn’t been bad, but I miss eating actual food and the idea of eating.

5:14 p.m. I just opened a bag of chips in the office to smell them. Actually, it worked very well. I’m now getting weird looks from people in the office.

7:37 p.m. I made the mistake of going into Whole Foods with my friend. Had a very public meltdown. The Lord is testing me. If you’re doing a juice cleanse, stay home with no food and just sleep for three days.

9:49 p.m. I finished juice number five, and it was VERY gingery. I’m a bigger fan of Nickleback than I am of this drink. Also, I just want some fried chicken and Chipotle. I’m now staring at a bag of chips from across the room in my bed. Heavily debating whether or not to sneak one, but I have too much pride (and a really aggressive conscious).

11:47 p.m. Finished my last drink called “Glo” and enjoyed it very much. I would definitely enjoy a Dominos pizza way more but oh well. Time to go to sleep or pass out from the lack of usual calories. We’ll see which happens first…

Day 2

11:12 a.m. Woke up after sleeping in because I’m worth it. I actually feel…great? I know, I’m surprised too. I don’t feel hungry or anything, but I have to unleash the Pacific Ocean from my bladder.

12:34 p.m. I just finished the first juice of the day. Really delicious, but I’m already hungry and my apartment smells like pizza. So, there’s that.

1:37 p.m. Finished juice number two called the “Fountain of Youth”, and I feel like Jennifer Anniston. It may be my favorite drink of the cleanse.

4:17 p.m. I finished “Doctor Earth” and it was worse than I remembered. I thought I was going strong today, but as the day progressed, I desperately want food…and to not be an adult anymore but that’s life, Chris.

6:47 p.m. I went to Duane Reade to get a jug of water because that’s the only other f%*&ing thing I can put into my body besides these damn juices. I’m getting frustrated with not being able to eat, as you can tell. New York gets boring real quick when you take solid food out of the equation.

7:14 p.m. – Finished a red drink called “Lucky Seven”, and I hated it as much as I hate school.

9:04 p.m. Just sharted my pants.

9:09 p.m. False alarm.

Day 3

11:41 a.m. I just woke up and am feeling great mostly because I’m thinking about all of the food I will be knee deep in tomorrow.

12:14 p.m. Finished juice number one. I have so much motivation to make it through to the end of today.

3:29 p.m. I forget how many juices I’ve finished at this point, but I can assure you that they all tasted very green and very NOT like a cheeseburger with a side of fries.

5:47 p.m. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel…or is that just a neon sign advertising 99¢ pizza? Either way, I’m very into it.

7:01 p.m. Jamming to Justin Bieber’s new song “What Do You Mean” which was exactly what I told the Juice Press staff when they said I couldn’t eat for three days.

9:58 p.m. I JUST FINISHED MY LAST JUICE! I would do a celebratory dance but that would require more energy that I have so let’s just use our imaginations.

What to expect when doing a juice cleanse: So, unless you’ve slipped into a coma at the beginning of this adventure and woke up here, at the end of the story, the point to take away is that you can’t have food unless you count a few almonds. It is possible to do but it also takes a lot of will power. The first day was the hardest for me. After that, I began to feel more and more like an asshat because the cleanse was all I talked about. Then, I got mad at my friends for eating food. Sorry, friends.

Stock up on adult diapers. You will live in the bathroom. I’m trying my best to avoid being graphic for our sensitive reader with social graces. But anyway, let’s just say that as a guy, I didn’t have to sit down quite as much during the cleanse. When I did though, it was a runny doozy.

All in all, it really wasn’t as bad as I was expected, but then again, I was expecting to look and feel malnourished and be well on my way to my deathbed. Would I do it again? Probably not. I love solid food far more than the average human should. However, I did feel very healthy and I did notice my skin clear up. Was it a coincidence I didn’t have a single zit either or those three days? That’s not important. Anyway, duty calls, a.k.a. a very large plate of Pad Thai!

5 Fall Fashion Must Haves

[infobox subtitle=”5 items your wardrobe needs” bg=”pink” color=”black” opacity=”on” space=”30″ link=”no link”]Fall Fashion[/infobox]

It’s here again, the season we all know and love: Fall. So just what comes along with such lovely season? Cable knits, scarves, boots, coats, rich color pallets and so much more. Here’s a few things on our must-buy list that you absolutely must have to be prepared for the season ahead.

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5 Fall items by ainsleyellen featuring vintage style jewelry

Elie Saab print blouse, £1,155 / Whistles pink coat / Balmain pleated mini skirt, £2,950 / Black heel boots / J Crew holiday jewelry, £140 / J Crew vintage style jewelry, £135

1. The not-so-basic black bootie – You may already have two or three pairs of black booties in your closet from seasons past, so it’s time to upgrade.

2. Statement earrings – It’s all about the statements, baby. The easiest way to dress up a basic look it with a brilliant pair of earrings.

3. Printed blouse – Crisp and clean, yet still fun. A dainty printed button up blouse acts as the perfect layering piece, whether it’s over a tank on those warmer days or under sweaters on cooler days, this is definitely an item your closet needs this fall.

4. Faux leather skirt – Dress it up, dress it down. Leather is not what it used to be. A great knee-length skirt is perfect for pairing with tights for the office, or go bare for a night out.

5. Fun fur – Nothing says glamour quite like fur. This season fun and funky fur is everything. Ditch the traditional, and go with a fun pop of color.

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Pretty in Pastels

[infobox subtitle=”Rocking the pastel hair trend” bg=”pink” color=”black” opacity=”on” space=”30″ link=”no link”]Candy Colored[/infobox]

Pink introduced us to it first, followed up by Kelly Osborn, Katy Perry, and even more conservative gals such as Rachel McAdams, which is our clear indicator this trend is big. A few years ago shades of blue, green, pink in your locks might label you as punk, but we know better than that now. Pastel pink hair has even made its way to the pages of Vogue, and celebs wearing turquoise tips on the red carpet, proof again that this trend has officially gone mainstream.

First thing to do before jumping on this bandwagon is to select a color that best suits your natural coloring.

Now that you have a color, do you want to do a full head? Tips? Streaks? Permanent or wash out? It all really comes down to personal taste and lifestyle. Maybe you have a create job that wouldn’t mind a full head of pink hair in the office, or maybe you just want to do something different for a night out. Either way there’s something for you.

Brands such as BLEACH London have monopolized on this hair trend. They offer a wide selection of pastel color dyes, all of which wash out in 2-10 washes depending on your hair. Everything from peach, purple to aquamarine can be purchased on their website.

Kevin Murphy Color Bug is perfect for the girl who is looking for just a tiny touch of color that washes out in 1-2 washes.

Seagull Hair Salon in New York City is for the gal ready to make take the plunge into full on color. Because permanent all over color can be a touchy matter, it’s best to leave this one up to the professionals.

Now get out there and be COLORFUL!

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