Beauty

There is something about the equestrian thing on women that just makes men go nuts. Here you have a look that is sexy, sleek, with just a little bit of masculine edge at the same time. Ralph Lauren has captured this look in his Spring Collection of the Blue Label line. The collection has a lot of standard Ralph in it. Fitted polos, crest blazened blazers, and striped oxfords that are Ralph wardrobe staples. But he’s added some colors and pop to this line that make the equestrian even sexier than it has been in the past. And even though the label is blue, there are some smart fresh colors alive in this collection, and red seems to be a fave for Ralph this Spring. You are going to see slim jodphurs, fitted *everything* and a Spring wardrobe that is going to have men falling at your feet. Love it!

I love how this Diary Etched Print Polo looks so simple, but is made to look so sexy. This vibrant, intricately designed harness print creates a singular equestrian look in Ralph’s limited-edition Diary polo, styled for a slim shrunken fit in breathable cotton mesh.

Pair it with Ralph’s Middlebury Chelsea jean. A harness-and-horsebit motif painted down the legs of our Blue Label jean creates chic equestrian character in deep indigo denim, designed for a slim silhouette with skinny straight leg.

Or, pair it with these sexy Hudson Jodphurs that will leave your man, and any other in your presence, drooling. Ralph’s slim, sexy Blue Label jodhpur in sleek stretch cotton twill expertly captures the preppy, sporty sophistication of equestrian style. The snap-tab at the hem makes it perfect to wear dressed up with heels or tucked into riding boots for a chic look. These are available in a cute orange as well.

But it’s not all about sexy masculinity. Ralph brings to this line a soft feminine twist that will bring out the girl in you. This Ambrose Madras Dress is just one example of such. Preppy cotton madras becomes sophisticated and chic in a muted palette, styled in a paneled silhouette with a drop waist that’s at once flirty and feminine. So cute! And anything with spaghetti straps has me definitely signing up, and FAST.

You know, fashion changes so much, this is after all what makes the industry and the art so very interesting. At least for me anyway! We have already taken a look at the most important aspects of the fashion for last year – fashion and beauty trends from 2007. And they were all lovely! But what happened in the business?! Believe it or not, designers come and designers go, but they all cater to the masses and when one house changes creators for another, it’s big news. This year the industry saw a LOT of changes, and a lot of revolutionary outcomes as a result. The runway down the Great Wall of China is the kind of thing I am talking about. Now THAT took some serious artistic genius, and THAT is what I love about fashion. So what was big, who was big, who wasn’t, and how is this going to affect us this year? Let’s have a look at the first five (in no specific order)…..

The designers worked for the MASSES this year! And I just loved it. Who wouldn’t? Pick up a dress by Proenza Schouler at Target, and you can STILL tell people you are wearing Proenza Schouler. Noone needs to know the difference, right? Yes, many big names really worked for the people this year and the fine (but sadly, oh so very *not straight*) boys of P.S. fed their hungry fans pieces going for $39.99 for the Go Target brand. And these also caused quite the frenzy overseas at Colette. Kate Moss followed suit with the Topshop line and Vera Wang did the same for Kohl’s. In fact, you can no longer purchase Vera at Kohls as the line is completely sold out. You snooze you lose! The big winner here for the masses was Roberto Cavalli. His fans lined up outside H & M for 24 hours just to snag some of his mass marketed pieces.

I know, you all just love to hate her, but I have to mention her, I just HAVE to. Mrs. Becks, Victoria Beckham, or Posh, call her what you will (I am sure many of you have your own names). Busy girl! No wonder she doesn’t have time to eat! Yes, she made waves in the industry this year as well. Why? She authored That Extra Half an Inch, a book we have featured here. She also established herself as the designer of dVb (denim by Victoria Beckham), she’s married to the cutest man from Europe…what else what else…well, there is the whole Spice Girl reunion thing as well. Catch her on the cover of ELLE this year, and this spring, yes, she will be the new face of Marc Jacobs. Man, I don’t really like this girl, but MAN I’d really like her LIFE!

This year was Henry Holland’s Opus as well. Apparently you weren’t anybody in the industry unless you became immortalized on one of his T-shirts. What, it just takes a cheeky saying and some cotton to go big? I could so do that….He was better known for slogans such as “Do Me Daily, Christopher Bailey”, “Wham Bam Thank you Stam”, and “Flick your Bean for Agyness Deyn”. Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters went crazy knocking these babies off and they just FLEW off the shelves. The most famous one? Holland’s own opus he wore at the show for his Fall 2007 collection: “One Trick Pony”. Wow. WAY too much information.

Happy Anniversary! This year hallmarked some big milestones for some of our faves. Valentino celebrated his 45th year in the biz at his teensy little chalet in Rome. The affair hosted 500 VIPs and ran for 3 days. Someone remind me NOT to throw out the Valentino card next year! John Galliano for Christian Dior celebrated his 60th and of course in the industry, it is all about out-doing the last designer so he swept Valentino’s soiree to pieces by hosting a sunset party at Versailles. His runway show for the party included supermodels Gisele, Shalom, and Linda and included an orchestra, gospel choir, and well, he could not forget the flamenco dancers. (well, that would just be rude). Ralph Lauren was another classic that celebrated an anniversary, and this was his 40th year in the design biz. No flamenco dancers for Ralph, his was definitely a much more downscaled affair to remember, and was quintessential Ralph Lauren. Classic, elegant, and gorgeous. His was held in New York Fall Fashion Week for the spring collections, and came in the form of a candlelit gala at the Conservatory. The party was as much Ralph as anything could be — manicured gardens, champagne, and timeless elegance as only Ralph can do. Yes, Happy Anniversary and wishes for many many more for ALL of these design gods.

Saving my favorite for the last today!! WHEEEE!!! Believe it or not SHOES actually made statements this year, when Saks Fifth Avenue opened their own store exclusively for shoes. But no no no girls, this was not just any shoe store. You may call it, Shoe Temple. Yes, if my time comes before this exquisite architectural foot shrine closes, please bury me underneath the Louboutins. This “store” is so big it has its own ZIP CODE. Yep, 10022-SHOE. And I am not even joking. It holds 10,000 square feet of space and is home to over 100 THOUSAND pairs of shoes. And yes, you will find plenty of Louboutin, Gucci, Manolo Blahnik, Yves Saint Laurent, Giuseppe Zanotti, Givenchy, Prada, and Roger Vivier to name a few. I want to win a trip to New York just to see this store. And yes, I’d have to buy new shoes for it. Just so I could say, those are the shoes I wore in the Shoe Temple. And just for maybe just a day, I would look, not touch, and just be the happiest girl in the world. Ok, y’all know I’m gonna hafta touch at least one pair…but thats IT. I simply must! And no, I’m not kidding when I say you must refer to this haven as the Shoe Temple.

Photos: Elle Magazine

I apologize for the lateness on this as holiday *schtuff* kept me insane yesterday. I would like to take this time to congratulate all of the winners in our most recent blog contest. Here is how we did!

Our GRAND PRIZE WINNER is ~*~*~*~* ~flowergirl~*~*~*~*~ Congratulations to flowergirl for contributing the most comments in our 2007 blog contest with 96 comments! Flowergirl wins our grand prize of a Ralph Lauren FTBC polo shirt valued at $75!!

Our SECOND PRIZE WINNER is ~*~*~*~Lesha~*~*~* ~who came in a very close second with 90 comments! Way to go Lesha! Lesha is the winner of a $50 gift certificate from the sponsor of her choice!

Our THIRD PRIZE WINNER is ~*~*~Jeans and Tee~*~*~ who won the third slot with 59 awesome comments. Jeans and Tee takes home a $25 gift certificate from the sponsor of her choice!

But the BIGGEST winner of all, is the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer Foundation who will ALSO receive a donation of $50. This donation is a compilation of reader’s donations and donations from subscriber matches.

All contest winners, please email me at chrissie@ragstyles.com or contact me through the Contact Us link for your prizes. Flowergirl, please email me your color choice and size information and I will place the order for your shirt. For our other winners, please send me your personal details on what sponsor you would like your certificate from, and where I can send that.

And I can not stress enough!! Thank you all so very much for participating in our very first blog contest. THIS was such a huge success, and I am proud of all of you for the efforts you have contributed to help this very worthy cause. I hope you all stick around Rags and Rouges to keep an eye out for our future contests as Rags just wouldn’t be the same without you! New contest being announced SOON!