Photo courtesy of Arkasha Stevenson/Los Angeles Times/MCT

With the first weekend of Coachella 2012 behind us, online sources are posting their pictures taken at the desert music festival for all who weren’t there to see. I viewed pictures on websites such as Harpers Bazaar, Elle, Style.com, Vogue, Stylelist, and a couple others to see what was going on clothing wise. Other than some people taking into account the rain and cooler temperatures, the outfits were nothing far from the regular festival attire. I’m sure there was an eclectic mix of styles and outfits, but since I was not there, I can only go by what I saw in the pictures provided.

First let’s start with the necessities. These are the top items that I continuously saw throughout the photos:

• Ankle boots
• Jean shorts
• Messenger bags
• Sunglasses
• Fringe

More popular items I spotted were short and long dresses, large floppy hats, a lot of denim, crop tops, and hip length jackets paired with shorts.

If you plan on going to a music festival/concert soon or over the summer, you can find ideas from the items listed above…or from Dsquared Spring 2012 ready-to-wear. All of these items come in many styles, giving you the freedom to create your own look. For example the ankle boots could be suede, fringe, cowboy style, or military boots. Your shorts can be denim in different shades of blue, black, white, gray, bleached, leather, lace, biker shorts, etc. The messenger bag could be small or large, structured, slouchy, have fringe, as long as your hands remain free. Well, you get the point, most people will have the same essentials, but wear and style it according to you, and more importantly have fun!

This coming weekend, the Coachella lineup repeats itself, but will the outfits have a new beat?

— Raina 

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If you’ve ever seen the documentary entitled “Seamless,” a film by Douglass Keeve, you would know how Proenza Schouler started from the ground up.

As an avid user of Netflix, I found myself browsing the endless categories of movies and TV shows when I stumbled upon “Seamless” this past summer.

I was instantly amazed at the history behind each designer’s story and strife. If you are as fashion-conscious as I am, and are always willing to learn, you’ll want to check out as many fashion documentaries as you can! I love dusting off my old “September Issue” DVD and relearning how Anna Wintour got her start as the Editor of Vogue.

Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez are now showcasing handmade fabrics in their fall-winter 2012 runway collection (as featured above!). This year, their collection is said to hold an “urban warrior” theme, and I am overly excited to see what these men have in store for consumers.

I’ve been a huge fan of Proenza Schouler for a long time now, and I especially enjoy its sense of youth and flexibility. The brand is on the rise because of the influential individuals that carry it. This month, the CFDA, Council of Fashion Designers of America, awarded McCollough and Hernandez with the privilege of becoming finalists in their annual competition.

This level of prestige seems to be a regular accomplishment for the designers! In 2012, they are up for Women’s Wear Designer of the Year and Accessory Designer of the Year.

For their fall-winter collection, I noticed a lot of oversized outerwear, wide-leg trousers, sporty chic trends, draping, wrap skirts, and much more. Prices ranged from $175 to $8,850. By being compared to as a “young Marc Jacobs” in the industry, the duo continues to combine prints and use their textile knowledge in order to succeed. With their youth nearly behind them, the men of Proenza Schouler continue to steal the spotlight.

Have you heard of Proenza Schouler in the news lately? How have you enjoyed their most recent fashion shows? I would love to hear your runway feedback!

Proenza Schouler remains one of my favorite young American designers, and the work ethic of the two designers behind this brand definitely shows. I’ll leave you all with a laughable quote from Lazaro Hernandez, stating his opinions on his work: “I often wonder, sometimes I think the people who buy our clothes live in a parallel universe. Hell, we can’t even afford our clothes.” Lazaro, I would love to buy your clothes!

— Alex

Photo courtesy of Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/MCT Campus.

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The spring/summer season has always been my favorite time to explore retail stores for unique treasures.

Usually, we all become very excited to see the new swimwear collections because of their eye-catching bikinis, monokinis, tankinis, etc.

HOWEVER, I have always loved swimwear collections for their beach coverups.  You may think there is not much use for a coverup, but let me explain…

Time and time again I see people limiting a fashion item to the single use that it states on the tag.  The key when shopping is to go in with an open mind while thinking of different ways to use items.  For example, a necklace doesn’t have to be just a necklace.  You can wrap it around your wrist to make a bracelet or even put it in your hair to enhance your ponytail.

Same goes for beach coverups.  Most people limit their use to just the beach or pool, but I love to style them as a focal point of my outfit.  During a hot summer day, nothing beats wearing a light, beautifully colored coverup as a dress.  Throw on some heels, huge sunglasses, and your favorite floppy hat, and you will instantly turn heads.

Here is a list of chic coverups that will have everyone drooling over your “dress”.

Merida Striped Coverup- Marc by Marc Jacobs

Iniko Beach Coverup- Diane von Furstenberg

Sequin Coverup- Beach Bunny Swimwear

Tassel Coverup- Victorias Secret

Voile Swim Coverup- Xhilaration

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