F/W Trends, Loli-fied

Few of you know this, but lately, in addition to lolita I've been really interested in modern mainstream &high fashion. I've been watching the shows, reading the magazines, observing the trends every chance possible, &let me tell you I am loving it! This season is going to be amazing &I am adoring it. Part of my observing has been trying to see what current trends I can combine with lolita, &let me tell you, I'm brimming with ideas. Sure, the stiletto peep-toe booties I've been seeing around don't exactly fit the bill, but let me show you some that do:

Another trend I've noticed, more this fall than so far this winter, is bright, fearless red lips. I personally love the timeless look of red lipstick, but I think it's far too overpowering for me or, in my opinion, most forms of lolita (I have seen it done well, though, especially in gothic). Then I started thinking, what about if it's a Clara Bow? The Clara Bow was popular in the 20's, when tube lipstick was a new-fangled invention that allowed the girls more freedom with its application. It is applied by paling out the lips with primer and/or foundation and redrawing them in smaller &fuller- a good tutorial is here for anyone interested. The reason I think this works well with lolita is that the smaller lip is less overbearing, but is still full &cutely pouty &suits the doll-like look of classic or maybe even sweet... but don't get crazy. The Clara Bow can also be overpowering if it's accentuated too much, so keep it simple!

The last trend I want to address, &one of my personal favorites, plays with color palettes. Use a neutral like black, white, or gray, and pair it with a few pops of a bright color. I used black with pink for this example, but some others are brown with powder blue, grey with lavender, and white with sage green. Note that my examples are muted pastels, but you could potentially do something like red or hot pink if you have the right stuff. Caution - too bright colors can look kind of 80's revival. ~Fashion~ (who?) says that in order for a color to be incorporated into an outfit, you should have three+ pieces of that color as well as your base, so a "pop" would be only one or two small pieces or accessories- a hairbow, socks, or purse, for example. This is, as I said, my favorite current fashion trend &totally defines my non-lolita style - I am SUCH a sucker for neutrals this season! Last year I avoided them whenever possible, but this year I am relishing them - right now I'm wearing solely black &grey as we (type?) speak &it is delicious!

You know I will never tell you to dress like the rest of the world, readers. I adore your individuality &support sartorial experimentation in all its forms, but I also think it's important to look unexpected places for fashion inspiration, and you never know - that place could just be the latest issue of Vogue or Allure!

What are your favorite mainstream fashion trends right now? Do you incorporate them into lolita?

(also, apologies that I've been so sparse lately - I've had a lot of stuff on my plate, not least of which being my first legit University finals. Semester's almost over, though, so soon I will be out of excuses &will go back to updating twice a week or so!)