3 Instagrammers Worth Following During NYFW

I am pretty sure New York Fashion Week exists to remind how much I wish I worked in fashion (and to get angry at my 16-year-old self for not following through on pursuing that dream). Not to reveal next season's trends and inspirations to the industry or give buyers a clue on what to stock their shelves with or to spur hundreds of fashionistas to hit the streets with the hopes of being captured by style photographers. Nope, NYFW is all about me. ;)

Image via Hillary Kerr's Instagram feed

This has all been exaggerated in the last year by my discovery of personal style blogs (yes, yes, I was hilariously late in the game) and Instagram. I love getting up-to-the-minute coverage on what is happening at Lincoln Center and beyond, but I feel like my feed has been clogged with some (not so) humble brags about how cool and important bloggers are in getting to attend the shows. I think I would share their excitement, too, but as a far-far away spectator, I want to get a sense of what is actually happening at the shows and what awesome looks we can expect for spring.

Luckily, there are a few Instagrammers out there who understand my pain and are dishing up some awesome insights from the tents. (Again, this is all about me.) And they are:

The Glamourai—I love her Instagram account for the same reason I love her blog. She has serious fashion industry and styling knowledge! She understands the little details that go into making an outfit look complete and timeless, and isn't focused on just piling on the latest trends Similarly, she Instagrams (that's a verb now, right? Just the way Facebook became a verb like seven years ago, yes?) amazing pictures with commentary that actually shows she understands the designer's perspective and where it fits in the greater fashion landscape. Not just "OMG OMG OMG I love this FRONT ROW OMG!" but things like this photo from Rebecca Taylor's show that remarks the look is "1980-meets-lady today."

Birchbox—Half the fun of Fashion Week is seeing the makeup looks designers are picking to best complement their collections. Birchbox, the amazing beauty products discovery platform, is sticking to what it knows and covering NYFW from this perspective on their Instagram. Earlier this weekend they were following around the fabulous Bobbi Brown as she created soft pastel and matte looks on the models at Tibi (seriously, how pretty is this?!?!).

Hillary Kerr—As the editorial director of Who What Wear, she's keeping her feed very much about what's coming down the runway, with an occasional personal outfit pic peppered in there. The main WhoWhatWear feed is equally informative. I spy white leather, metallics, denim mixed in with both of those, blacks, geometric prints, lots of sneakers, and a bevy of jackets. Can we just skip fall/winter, please?

What do you think? Am I taking the humble brags too personally? Or do you agree? Are there any other Instagram accounts you are turning to for quality, thoughtful NYFW coverage?

No-fuss Neutrals: 5 Awesome Blogger Looks This Week

I like color just as much as the next girl (maybe more, just look at my header). But I'm starting to feel exhausted by the head-to-toe neon, neons and pastels, color color color, maximalism, patterns times five, etc. that's been everywhere this spring and summer. (Alexandra of To Vogue or Bust just shared some great thoughts on this same concept).

Burnout, I guess. Speaking of, it's also just too hot lately for all these layers and elements in one outfit! As a result, you've seen in me in not one, but TWO black and white outfits this week. I'm pretty sure I haven't worn that color scheme in the history of this blog up until now (yes, all four, long months of it).

[My take on black & white, here and here]

I still love color, but I am feeling inspired by muted, soft, understated looks lately. I'm starting to realize this is probably why the 90's era of Calvin Klein minimalism came about: as a reaction to the over-the-top everything from the 80's.

I think others are ready for a bit of a break from the color explosion. I say that because three bloggers who I read regularly (and am used to seeing in rather dramatic hues and patterns) went for the neutrals this week. Their looks are surprising and lovely, so I wanted to round them up. (I've included images for the ones I've received permission to and will continue to update with more; the rest you will have to click through to see for yourself!)

1. Frassy: Muted

It's all in the blog name. Frassy's style is usually full of sass, color, cutouts, and sky-high heels. This time she went for a demure navy and gray-ish beige dress, a classic hat, and brown brogues.

2. Viva Luxury: Basically Black

Annabelle has a knack for combining bright, citrusy colors in ways you never thought possible, without look contrived, childish, or downright clashing. And seriously layering some jewelry. But she looked just as great in this effortless black dress, black sandals, and gold statement jewelry. A true chameleon.

3. Sincerely Jules: Pink Lady

Yes, I get that she's wearing hot pink. But she's wearing it over the most-neutral-of-all-neutral colors: beige. The result is still sleek and classic. Jules says it perfectly herself: "After wearing this yesterday, I realized I need to purchase and wear more solid basics from head to toe." She's actually been pulling a lot of cool neutral, polished looks this week, a slight departure (IMO) from her casual but bright California vibe.

These last two have a great knack for neutrals all the time, so their looks aren't anomalies at all. But they're so pretty I thought they were worth including!

4. The Glamourai: Silver Bullet

        

Kelly's taste is pretty impeccable, and today's look beautifully and creatively displays this fact.

5. Wendy's Lookbook: Classic Pencil, Slim Trousers & Nude Pumps

The slight details (polka dot sheer blouse, textured clutch) give this cream-and-black look some punch. I love those high-waisted pants she has; so modern and chic! I wish I had the torso (and budget) for them myself.

What do you think? Have we burned ourselves out with color too early on in the warm weather season? Or am I taking it all for granted now? Will I be fed up with navy, browns, and gray in December and desperately reverting to a fuschia/chartreuse getup? Am I crazy? Do you even care? Tell me!