Coachella Fashion 2016

Coachella is a star-studded music festival that takes place in Indio, California. Filled with the top music acts, parties, and celebrities, it is the place to be if you're into music and fashion.

Attendees don their best fringe, flower crowns, rhinestones, and mermaid hair to stand out amongst the crowd. Here are some of the best looks from Coachella weekend one:

Kendall Jenner

Margaux Brooke

Olivia Culpo

Chanel Iman

Emma Roberts

Aimee Song

Pineapples: the most fashionable fruit

This Spring and Summer, pineapples are by far the most loved symbol right now. They're popping up everywhere: fabric, shorts, shoes, body spray, candles, jewelry and everything in between. Right now, pineapples are meant to "remember to stand tall, be sweet on the inside and always wear your crown." 

Historically, pineapples were given as a gift in the south a a form of hospitality. 

Whether you're wearing pineapples to show hospitality, confidence, or just because they remind you of summer, they're all over everything this year. 

These Pineapple bracelets are sold on my website, www.shopthatssofletch.com

They have been selling like crazy! A fruit! Who knew?!

I would definitely wear all of these pieces at some point during the summer. Just not together. I don't want to look crazy! 

90's Fashion Comeback

Lately, I've been seeing teens and college girls wearing the same things I wore in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Back in those days, I would try to mimic any outfit worn by Sporty Spice of the Spice Girls, listen to everything by the Backstreet Boys, and trade Pokemon cards during recess. 

Here are the top five fashion and beauty trends from the 1990's that are trendy now:

1. Tattoo Chokers

I can't believe this trend is back. I had so many of these back in the day; from the choker necklaces to bracelets and anklets. I remember trying so hard to get a cool looking tan on my wrist while wearing the bracelet version. This one's for sale at Claire's for $6.50. 

2. Dr. Martin's Boots

I didn't have a pair of these when I was younger, but my sister bought a few pairs recently since they are trendy now. For $120 a pair, I think I will pass on this expensive trend. 

3. Floral Skater Dress

I remember the 90's being a very floral, girl power, almost hippie era. Maybe that's just me. Any print that is dark and has a lot of sunflowers or daisies always reminds me of the 1990's. This dress is available at ASOS. 

4. Scrunchies

I had so many scrunchies growing up. How else was I supposed to put my hair in a pony tail?! I also grew up figure skating, so I had scrunchies to match all my competition outfits. The black scrunchie I had with pink glitter all over it was my favorite, back in the day. 

5. Birkenstocks

I totally had a Target brand pair of these growing up. So easy to slip on and off when you're little, but the worst part was getting wood chips in them while playing at the park. I've seen these everywhere lately, even on campus. I'm dying to get a pair and these are available at Urban Outfitters for $125. I think I'll stick to the way cheaper Target brand of these sandals.

A lot of these trendy items were super popular in the 1990's, but were also big parts of other decades. Trendy fashion is almost always made up of items that have been recycled from different decades, so one can't totally classify it in one decade. Who knows what trend will be recycled next. 

Creating an Instagram Theme

Many people are drawn to Instagram accounts that revolve around a theme, and Instagram has to many accounts that you're bound to find an account that suits you. Like Pugs? There are hundreds of accounts dedicated to Pugs. Fashion? Thousands of accounts. There's even an account called, @IDREAM0FSUSHI with 66.5K followers.

People who are really good at Instagram can build their existing business, make money through sponsorships with companies, sell shout-outs, and sell accounts. According to this Huffington Post article, many millennials are making full time income, some with six figure salaries, off of Instagram alone. To make money, one must have a clear, thought out theme. Here are a few steps to getting the perfect theme:


1. Decide on what you'd like to post

As I've written in the beginning of this post, there are many theme accounts out there. Some post about dogs or cats, some post about a certain type of shoe or band. I have an account for my business, That's so Fletch and a personal account. For my business, I post pictures of the bracelets I sell and make, as well as some of the raw materials before they're turned into bracelets. On my personal account, I try to post pictures of places I've gone and things I'm doing, and the theme is centered around my life, obviously.

2. Choose similar elements in each post

For each post, focus on similar elements. Use the same few colors in the background, take photos in the same lighting, in the same place, or from the same angle. For both of my accounts, I like my photos to be light and bright, so I focus on using as much white or light grey space as possible.


3. edit your photos the same way

Even if your photos use different elements and colors, editing them the same way will help your theme look cohesive. Here are the most popular apps used for editing photos:

VSCO Cam

VSCO Cam is a widely used photo editing app that's free in the app store. With it, you can use filters and tone certain parts of each picture, like contrast, exposure, hi-lights, shadows, and colors. I like that you can copy edits from one image and paste it onto a new image so that you can make sure your photos all look the same.

Face Tune

Face Tune is a $1.99 app that is mostly used to fix up selfies. I only use the whitening feature to whiten the background and certain white elements of each photo. You can also use their smoothing features, filters, and lighting features to fix up each photo, but I like to use VSCO Cam better for those elements.

Instagram Filters

Everyone who uses Instagram knows of the various filters available in app. The names of each filter even have supposedly influenced baby name trends, which is a little too intense for me. I tend to not use these filters because of the editing I do on other apps, but my favorite to use is Clarendon to brighten up a picture a little more.

4. Find your voice in the captions

Similar to finding your voice in writing, finding your voice in the captions will help followers to understand the person behind the account a little better, as well as the feel for the account. If you want your account to feel bright, happy, and cheerful, use some exclamation marks and fun emojis in the captions. If you're a brand, caption the photo with something that reflects the feel of your brand, and make sure to include what product is being shown in the photo so that customers can easily find it on your store website. I'm still working on finding my voice for both my business and personal account, but this is something that will come with time.


5. Edit your bio and profile picture to reflect your theme

Make sure potential new followers know exactly what your account is about within the first few seconds of visiting your profile. If its a brand account, make your profile image your logo, and include your brand name, and what you do and sell in your bio, as well as your business website. For your personal account, make your profile picture a picture of yourself, and your bio something about what you post. For my personal account, my pictures reflect the places I visit and things I do, so my bio states: "23. Chicago-ish. Owner of @thatssofletchboutique. Here's photo proof that I'm not super lame."



Make sure to follow me on Instagram! 

Personal: Jenn_fletch22   Business: Thatssofletchboutique

Spring Break Bathing Suits

Spring Break is just around the corner (who else is counting down) and if you're lucky enough to go anywhere warm, I'm pretty jealous. If I was spending Spring Break on a private beach in Hawaii, these are a few of the suits I would purchase and pack for myself:

                                                         'Luna Lux' High Neck Bikini Top

O'Neill Maui Crochet Bikini Top

The Wrap Halter Top

LA Hearts Open Crochet Cropped Bikini Top

I love the trendy high neck, "strappy" look of the bikinis this year, but it kind of makes me wonder about the interesting tan lines anyone wearing them would get. Oh well, I'm not going anywhere for Spring Break so I'll only have to worry about being pale.

At least staying in the cold will give me more time to diet and work out for the summer. 

Pantone Color of the Year

Each year, Pantone, the leading authority on color for graphic design, home interiors, design and fashion, selects one or a few colors of the year. 

According to Pantone, the Color of the Year is "A symbolic color selection; a color snapshot of what we see taking place in our culture that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude." 

This year's color of the year is a first for Pantone: a combination of two colors: Serenity and Rose Quartz. 

Consumers will definitely see these colors, together or separate, more often. Fashion, home design, beauty, and advertisement industries have already implemented these colors in their Spring and Summer campaigns. 

Here are a few new items for sale now that center around Rose Quartz and Serenity: 

What do you think of Pantone's selection for Color of the Year? 

How to Wear New York Fashion Week's Top Trends

              New York Fashion week runs from February 11-18 and showcases the top fashion designers, from  Reem Acra to Rachel Zoe. 

             The runway style at fashion week is Obviously too much for everyday, casual fashion. Most people aren't going to wear a fully netted shirt without undergarments like runway models do at Fashion Week, but one can take the trends and incorporate them in their everyday wear.  

Here are some of New York Fashion Week's biggest trends for Spring and Summer 2016, and how you can incorporate them in your everyday attire: 

70's-Inspired Suede: 

  

Forever 21 Suede: 

Victorian Inspiration:
Puffy sleeves, high collars, floral and lace

H&M and Forever 21 Inspiration:

The X-Out Top

Forever 21 X-Out Top