ShopFlick

As air, sunshine & lip gloss are essential to my everyday life- having the perfect t-shirt is essential to my everyday wardrobe.

Like a good pair of jeans or the perfect handbag, a tee is a staple in any healthy wardrobe. Dressed up w/ skinny jeans, a cute blazer and leather pumps- you instantaneously have a fail proof outfit. OR running some errands while taking a casual Friday and want to toss on flats & leggings - the perfect T is essential to the look!

Basics are important, so do not hesitate if you start to see a lot of plain t’s being added to your attire. A simple white T-shirt is a clean slate for your look – what you do with it is key- dress it up / dress it down- mixing unique vintage pieces or designer accessories can complete a look.

The flip side, gravitating towards a t-shirt that is the main focus. This doesn’t necessarily mean bright nor full of print- but can hold its own in the wardrobe, alias the t-shirt if your statement.

Shopflick has a ton of great styles to choose from, whether you’re looking for a simple basic or a fashion statement via cotton. For starters- Raquel Allegra’s super soft up-cycled shirts, Maggie’s cool selection of Sophomore basics, and Amy Frederick’s T-shirt designs for Mikada. Check out “Talk of the T” on the homepage for more one-of-a-kind T’s & keep in mind the material, the wash, the fit, the neckline, the sleeve length, the graphic… and your wardrobe will thank you.

One of the most important parts of my job at Shopflick is keeping up with all the great up-and-coming designers so that we can bring them to you via our taste-maker selling community. So this week, I travelled to New York to attend Blue and The Collective trade shows. As always, it was exciting to see all the new collections. And New York has such an exciting fashion culture, its even exciting to see the attendees! Here are some of my favorite lines from today’s show…we hope to have them in our Shopflick community soon: Leonello Borghi had some of the most amazing bags I’ve seen in a long time! Very sheik and rich. George by Steven Carrieri-a new collection of T-shirts that I fell in love with. I’m not a big fan of the graphic T’s trend…I feel like its become a bit overused, but these shirts are truly unique enough to wear with pride. The shirts not only look cool, they also have some fun messages on them. Topo Ranch is another adorable new line of mens and womens apparal, featuring little animals and creatures such as the “flying togo”, which is spanish slang for rodent…(they added wings on him to make him cuter). And finally, a line that I’ve had my eye on for several years: What Comes Around Goes Around. This line was developed by the vintage store under the same name in NYC. Their designs are all bohemian vintage inspired, and they continue to impress me every year. That’s news for now….by the way, I’ll be attending the Intermezzo show on August 3, so stay posted for photos and news on that! 

 This is a little reflection on a conversation I engaged in recently; particularly the practice of wearing headbands in an alternative fashion, and reasons to be proud of doing so….Hipsters are a subculture created by the masses to describe a group of people who define cool. Of course, hipsters have not always been cool. In fact, the original hipsters, OG’s if you will, were outcasts who fled mainstream culture because they did not fit in. In doing so, they started a movement, and along with that came all the lame followers. Yes, these are the people who pretend to be “uncool” to prove how “cool” they actually are. These are the people who will give you rude looks because you are not wearing the correct attire for a given neighborhood, and these are the people who bastardize playful fashion customs, such as wearing bands around your head, simply because it has been declared “hip”. With that said, these customs, which have now become trends, stem from something much more authentic. Wearing bands around one’s head was originally a Native American tradition. Yes, Indians are the inspiration for many contemporary trends: fringe, feathers, headbands, large stone jewelry etc. It later became a staple in the American hippie revolution. Those who feel a connection with these cultures wear them now as a nod to both icons of bohemia, translating them into their own unique style. I think this is both creative and beautiful. Of course, it is annoying to see the masses follow suit with no understanding or appreciation for the creativity and thought behind the inspiration. But…such is life, trends, fashion. What can you do? So for all my bohemian, Silverlakian, Indian ladies…I encourage you to wear your headpiece with pride, as long as its coming from a true place of love for the garment. Coincidentally, I have put a lovely example of this fun accessory in my Shopflick store, which will be up on the site soon! Check it out for more of my flavorful picks and style suggestions. I’ll upload the link when its up and running. In the meantime, click HERE for an example by Night Cap.

As I was researching and scouring important information today, and no I’m not talking about cnn.com, I realized that someone thinks she’s a designer! That’s the thing about becoming a celebrity nowadays. It’s like you start off thinking you’re an actor then you suddenly realize that you have even MORE talent, and a voice and you are surprisingly transformed into a singer (Scarlett Johansson) ? Wtf? You then realize you have so much potential to be the Jack of all Trades that you’ve decided to start your own clothing line (dare I say Heidi Montag?). Ahhh sigh….. to all the agents and managers that push their clients into this idealogical bubble to make them believe whatever they touch turns to gold and “glimmer.” And in this sad case, glimmer leggings!

Oh yes, just when you thought Lindsay was stopping at DUI’s and coc snaps she hits you with leggings which is a little overdue, don’t you think? Talk about being on the “cutting edge” of fashion. I mean leggings only got popular like 2 YRS AGO! Can you say innovation? Ya, she offers different variations but whatever man same deal. The things these people get away with?! Not only can these B list celebs drive their babies without car seats, smash someone’s car with an umbrella, and flash their “you know what” every time they step into their car which is gonna be pulled over for a DUI anyways…but they can make clothing lines too! Can you say modern day Benjamin Franklin? Sometimes I wish I were a celeb, seriously! Honestly I would, party all day and night then come up with random creations in my head that I can actually get people to pay for! Then I’d just laugh in their face while I’m spending the dough I’m making. That’s if I’m not asking 50 Cent to loan me money. Okay, that’s not fair… the whole thing about Lindsay running out of money is just a rumor. Wait, actually, it probably isn’t…which is why I introduce you to 6126 which is actually sold at Intuition, which happens to be a Shopflick seller. Funny how the world works ain’t it? And I’m assuming some of these leggings were made with some of Lindsay’s past work experience in mind…

Til the next time I significantly increase your IQ

Yours truly –Katrina

Photo Credits

Intuition

Quite possibly the biggest trend of Summer 08; the gladiator sandal has adorned the feet of both celebs and people on the street. The styles of this strappy shoe range from ankle-high to knee-high and flat to high-heeled. When I first saw this style I thought it was HIDEOUS. To me, a lot of the gladiator styles look kind of ridiculous, such as the knee-high caged sandal ( the photo above is a great example). I personally favor the ankle high style with more diagonal straps rather then the ridged horizontal lines. I really love these sandals in metallic colors as well ( the photo below is a pair that I recently purchased!). The high heeled versions are HOT too!

I remember the first time I saw someone on the street sporting the knee-high ones; my first thought “You are not Sparta, why are you wearing those?” Well since that day, I have seen 100’s of different styles of the gladiator sandal, both in shoes stores and on the feet of people I see walking around the mall or beach.

I have battled a love-hate relationship with these shoes. I actually own a couple pairs now. But I didn’t invest much money into them because I figure either they’ll go out of style or I’ll decide not to like them anymore, lol. What’s great is you can find inexpensive versions of the gladiator sandal if you know where to look. Mine were only about $25 to $30 each! But don’t get me wrong, some of the more expensive designer ones are pretty gorgeous so it may be worth the splurge!

Want a pair like these? Check these out:

In God We Trust Mogul Gladiator Flats

Modern Vintage Fernanda Gladiator

Intuition’s Matt Bernson Gladiator Sandal

Photo Credits:

Camillionaire’s Photostream

Urbanog

Posted by: Kyla

“What would you think if I sang out of tune,
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song,
And I’ll try not to sing out of key.”

Ah the joys of blogging. The joy of typing as fast as the mind moves. The joy of immediate satisfaction once you push publish. They joy of giving the world a piece of your mind, body & spirit. This is not my first go at a blog… there has been a few- but a collaboration, a team, a role, a purpose- this is a bit new. With these aspirations in mind, I hope you enJOY.

As a 26 year old Minnesota native who landed in LaLa land four years prior, I have had a few experiences to draw from. Backpacking through New Zealands & Australia, residencies in Colorado & South Carolina, travels to London, Figi, Mexico & beyond, and most recently my life in Los Angeles have influenced my taste, judgment and style. I’ve also had the fortune of landing some amazing positions at great companies- including a radio station in St. Paul, an Ad Agency in WeHo and an Interactive Marketing Agency in Silver Lake. But my newest position at Shopflick has fulfilled me in a way other “jobs” have not. As employee #4 I’ve experienced the real bliss and hardships of a start up company thus far. My role as Merch & Trends Manager has allowed me to work along side of many talented designers, artists and entrepreneurs across the states and has been a consistent inspiration to me each day. There is something to be said about following your dreams and I can guarantee you the folks you find on the site are doing just that. As Shopflick continues to grow and improve, I look forward to sharing funny moments and cool experiences with you throughout the journey!

So I hope you will join me and the Shopflick Style Scout Team (AKA Katrina, Danielle & Ky) as we open up our heavy opinions and outrageous tastes! .. .and hopefully give you a little insight on what goes down around “these parts”.

That said I give you my song, and I’ll try not to sing out of key.

Till next time, ciao!

Xo

courtney