I'm going to start off by saying that I am in no way a fashion expert. However, I do know that if you're walking down the road and people are tilting their head to the side with scrunched up brows it's probably because you're wearing something weird. That in itself is perfectly fine. I mean that's how we've come so far in the fashion industry is taking risks. What comes after the initial reaction is key though. Smirks, laughs, shakes of the head and even coughs are generally a bad sign. On the flip side, there are few indicators of positive feedback. You might catch a nod and some whispering, but the latter is not always a good thing.
Now to get closer the the point of this post. I was poking around some websites and came across Elle's 2015 Fall Trend Report. Check it out
here for a peak at what I'm talking about.
Let's just go over each one and I'll express my confusion towards people's decisions.
First off we have bling. Whenever I hear the word bling, I think of rap videos and Flavor Flav's giant stupid clock obsession, but hey that's just me. In all seriousness, they are referring to oversized, sparkly, gaudy jewelry. Fine, I can handle seeing that. All in all, it's tolerable and not too overbearing.
Shoes! I am in love with shoes. I have a Pinterest board dedicated to my absolute love of high heels. That being said, this next trend makes me gag. It gets worse and worse each time I look at it. Apparently lady loafers are the It shoe for this fall. No! I can not express to you how much I dislike this trend. However! Some of them are not as bad as others.
These are adorable! And they're crochet to boot. Pattern
here.
All of these make me queasy. Just no...
Carwash pleats ... I can honestly say I haven't seen one person walking around in a skirt like this. It's quite literally how it sounds. You know those flaps you drive through at the carwash? Imagine that style skirt and there you have it. It sounds silly, but it's not so bad really.
Oh! Another shoe! Stomps ... Ok there really isn't anything special about these. Not much to say about basic, relatively plain, boots. I can get behind a simple trend like that. Consider me in.
The next is difficult to describe. Happy hemlines.
It's basically a pencil skirt that added a little party to it's life.
Yeah, that's what I'm going with. I don't like it though.
Ah ... The next ... another shoe ... furry feet. I'm finding it difficult to find words for how truly cringe worthy this trend is.
I think it speaks for itself ... wow ... I really did not know that was a thing. And what a horrible thing it is.
Cuffs. So now you can have furry feet and wrist/arms! Nope...
Gloves. You know like those fancy elbow length gloves people wear with dresses. Not really new and inspiring, but a trend nonetheless.
The next one made me giggle. Not because it's funny, but because of the title the author went with. "50 Suits of Grey". And the short paragraph in which you can get the distinct feeling they are so over 50 Shades references, but were forced into it. The trend itself is straight forward, nothing ground breaking there.
Uh ... I expected the high-waisted pants scene to make an appearance. I can't seem to go to any store now without this trend being shoved down my throat. I just got used to skinny jeans! But this is more a problem of body type for me. See I have a big butt and thighs. (Gasp!) This leads to that bubble feature on the lower back that's hard to avoid with a style like this. Not something I'm willing to put up with.
The next is not a trend per se, but it is for the runway. Male models on Women's runways. Cool, that's all I gotta say.
Ha! Short skirts. That is so not new. Not even going to bother talking about how normal that is.
Super long sleeves? This is a little strange. Apparently the trend is to hide your hands in super long, baggy sleeves. The pictures make me laugh. Check it out.
Then there's the opposite, one sleeve items. I prefer that to looking like I'm wearing a giant's clothing.
Oh! OH! OH!! Plaid! Yay plaid! I absolutely love plaid. I used to have plaid sneakers in high school that I wore until they were nothing but holes and cracked rubber. After, I couldn't find another pair so I sadly had to settle for plain ones. I used to wear my dad's old flannel shirts too. The pictures they show aren't very flattering for the plaid look, but I'm still game.
Skinny scarves. I used to wear those too. First time was just to cover up a hickey, but then I grew to like it. I stuck with that one for a bit until I lost the only one I had.
What I fondly refer to as 'hooker boots' are in this season. No argument from me. I recently found a pair at a rummage sale. All black, side zipper, looked like they'd never been worn. Guess how much?? 50 cents! Guess that lady didn't know about the upcoming trend.
Funky tights ... They've been around since the skinny jeans popped up and some of them are cute. Others make me shake my head and mutter, people buy that??
This next one I had to stare at the picture for a moment to really take it all in. Dickie turtlenecks. It sounds like it should be a sweater, but it's not. It's just the neck part. I don't think I understand this one. It's like a scarf, but not. Oh, it's a really small infinity scarf. Stupid, plus it makes your neck look really long.
Victorian styling of just about any article of clothing is a big thing on the runway. This is one of those things that can only be judged by individual pieces rather than the whole as a trend. Most of the things Elle pictures is not flattering in my opinion. However, I am fond of the era and the overall idea of the style. It's all about execution though.
And there we have it. Fall fashion trends according to Elle. I'm very happy that most of the things seen on runways never make it to stores regular people shop at. There have been many times that I have seen runway designs and I've been genuinely scared for future clothes shopping expeditions.
Hope you enjoyed my attempt at discussing fashion. Do you agree or disagree with me?
I have a crochet tote in the works, but I thought I'd shake things up a bit this week. It's a relatively easy crochet project with a little sewing thrown in the mix. I'd recommend reading all the directions before beginning. I'm terrible about that, myself. That's probably why I've had to wing it a few times with certain patterns. Anyway, moving along. So here's what I'll be making.
(Any yarn will do, this is just what I like to use for this project. You won't need it all)
Starting off with the crochet portion.
sc in same stitch (#3) and along the edge evenly.
First lay fabric over the whole work and cut to size. (#7) Tuck in sides to match up with the top of the third stitch in. Outer edge will consist of edging round and the top of the previous row. Pin to crochet. You want to try to get it relatively tight, but it can be adjusted while sewing, so it's not absolutely necessary. (see mine's not perfect)
Now that it's all pinned to your crochet work. Blanket stitch along the bottom edge first. This will help hold it firmly in place for the next step. Once that is complete then you can remove pins from the sides and fold work in thirds. This will form the pocket and flap. Make sure it is even on both sides with both fabric and crochet work. You'll stitch side of the fabric pocket first.(As pictured on the right) Should end up looking like the above picture. 
Follow suit with the rest of the sides being sure to keep it even. Attach button to match up with button hole and seam up the crochet sides. Once it's washed those wrinkles will smooth right out. 
Stick it in the generator and out pops something like this:
Purchase here.
These are adorable! And they're crochet to boot. Pattern here.
I think it speaks for itself ... wow ... I really did not know that was a thing. And what a horrible thing it is. 
Purchase 