A Kim K Halloween

I've been planning my Halloween costume since August this year. It can be hard to figure out a cute and clever costume for you and your pet, so I start thinking about it a little earlier than most. I've been looking forward to Halloween that much more since I decided that Luxe and I would be Kim Kardashian West and North West.

I spent the whole night Instagramming like Kim K herself, including mimicking some of her own Instagram posts.

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Dec 11, 2014 at 3:07am PST

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Dec 9, 2014 at 9:30pm PST

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Apr 6, 2015 at 8:46pm PDT

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Sep 29, 2015 at 1:07pm PDT

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Mar 4, 2015 at 1:48pm PST

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Feb 10, 2015 at 6:18pm PST

Luxe even got dressed up in a white tutu, pearls, and ballet slippers as North West.

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on May 28, 2015 at 11:52am PDT

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Dec 14, 2014 at 10:33pm PST

I already can't wait for next Halloween!

Bad Blood

As a strong believer in the female friendship, I simply adore Taylor Swift and her girl gang. Like many women in my generation, I grew up hearing that boys make better friends because they "don't come with drama." This can be true (to an extent), but that largely discounts the benefits a female friendship has to offer. Friendship is not measured in presence of drama, after all. Female friendships are empathetic, supportive, and well worth having.

This is my attempt at transitioning into talking about Taylor Swift's latest music video for her song "Bad Blood." For lack of better words, I'm obsessed with this video. It's all about badass women in hardcore clothing rallying around Taylor Swift to have her back in an epic showdown. See it below:

After seeing this video (a couple dozen times), I was inspired to create a look that could fit into this kickass video. 

All photos by Emily Lane

I even let Luxe get in on the fun!

Selfish Selfie Style

I've been anticipating the release of Kim Kardashian West's book, Selfish, since I heard of its production. I love everything about this book: the concept, the execution, and especially the title. Through my teen years and even into my adult life I've been called selfish and self-centered by a number of people in my life. From a neurological standpoint, being selfish is an evolutionary advantage that we don't outgrow until our frontal cortex fully develops in our twenties. So, it makes sense that I've been selfish for the last four or five years. However, it is still something that I have a hard time letting go of. I try so hard to keep others in mind and be more thoughtful than self-centered. I'm finally learning that it was okay for me to be selfish in my teens, and that I am lucky enough to be in a position where I can be selfish in my 20's. If paying attention to my own needs and making sure that I am healthy is considered selfish or self-centered, I will gladly wear that badge. I require a lot of attention, so I need to give myself a lot of attention. 

I've been taking selfies for, like, forever. I was a pro with my point-and-shoot digital camera and I'm kind of a pro now with my iPhone. In all honesty, I draw a lot of my inspiration from Ms. Kim Kardashian West, who just came out with a coffee table book of selfies she's taken over the years. In an homage to the selfie queen herself (and one of my personal role models), I present my own book documenting my selfie style over the years.

...

What to Wear This Halloween

I've had my Halloween costume(s) picked out for weeks–though I won't be posting about it until after Halloween. However, I will also be in the airport flying down to Arizona for a cousin's wedding for Halloweekend so I won't be able to take full advantage of dressing up. I've thought long and hard about the perfect costumes for Halloween this year and, as I won't be using them myself, I figured I'd let you in on the secret!

This video may have come out in 2011, but it's so timeless and classic that it's still a relevant pop-culture costume for this year. After all, this is what really brought Lana Del Rey to the scene.
Get this look:
White cutout maxi dress
Flower crown
Red lipstick
Liquid eyeliner
Red stiletto nails

Okay, so Midas only ever had a daughter in the Nathaniel Hawthorne version of the myth... But who doesn't love an excuse to dress in all gold? Even if people don't know what you are, there'll be no doubt that you dressed up.
Get this look:
Gold lip temporary tattoo
Gold foil
Gold body makeup
Gold dress

Wear the extravagantly detailed uniform of a bullfighter without fighting any bulls– everyone wins! You don't need to support bullfighting to support the awesome style that's come from this ancient practice.
Get this look:
Black leggings
Black hat
Embroidered jacket

The colors and texture of this painting are so magnificent and easily recognizable. As it's one of the most famous paintings of all-time, they make clothing with fabric that looks like the piece of art. If you're feeling more creative/have the time, you can even paint Starry Night onto a white dress like Julia Reidhead.
Get this look:
Blue makeup
Yellow makeup
Blue hair chalk
Starry Night dress

Project Runway Season 13: My Favorite Looks

Tonight marks part one of the finale of season 13 of Project Runway. As excited as I am to find out who wins (fingers crossed for Amanda!), it's still bittersweet to think that I now have to wait several months to see another episode. To celebrate such an awesome season, I thought I'd show my favorite looks from each episode this season.

I'm so excited to see the final four designers' collections as shown at New York Fashion Week 2014!

Find these photos and more at the Project Runway website.

Destination Wedding: Versailles

I have a confession to make: I'm one of those cliche girls who's been thinking about her wedding since childhood. I've known the day (September 27), place (Palace of Versailles), maid of honor (my sister), and cake flavor (vanilla) since I was in elementary school. Don't worry– I'm still too young (19 still qualifies as a kid, right?) to associate weddings with marriage. To me, a wedding is just the epitome of a dream event. So, I was thrilled when the wedding site I see all over Pinterest– Lover.ly– asked me what my dream Parisian wedding would look like.

Though the Palace of Versailles is a bit outside of Paris, I couldn't miss an opportunity to create an inspiration board for my dream wedding; Parisian or otherwise. I channeled two of my style icons– Marie Antoinette, a resident of Versailles prior to the French Revolution and Kim Kardashian, who held one of her wedding celebrations at Versailles– in developing the atmosphere of my dream event. I went with a neutral and elegant color scheme of gold, blush, and navy blue and drew inspiration from the baroque decor in the palace when choosing place settings and jewelry. The final product is what you see above, but you can see more of my inspiration on my Pinterest board dedicated to this project.

Follow Hannah Goldstein's board Lover.ly Parisian Wedding on Pinterest.

Lover.ly provided me with everything I needed to plan my "wedding": the dress, stationary, place settings, shoes, jewelry, makeup, everything. It was like a wedding binder but collaborative and much more compact. I had so much fun going through all the dresses they have available; I'm a dress girl through and through and the sheer elegance of these dresses really spoke to me! Don't worry: I've made all my selections available on my Shopcade.

National Suicide Prevention Week: Your Wrist is a Canvas

Earlier this week, I posted a picture on Instagram of my wrists decorated with drawings that inspired and made me feel happy and encouraged others to do the same in honor of National Suicide Prevention Week. There are many reasons that people draw on their wrists. Besides boredom and creative inspiration, drawing on one's wrists has a special meaning in the mental health community.

There's the Semicolon Project, an organization that began when the creator wanted to honor a friend of his who had lost their life to suicide. It aims to inspire individuals who have suffered from any number of mental health issues, including self harm. The semicolon represents a sentence, or a life, that could have ended but didn't. Besides being something that is drawn on peoples' wrists, it is also a popular tattoo choice for survivors of suicidal thoughts.

A semicolon isn't the only tattoo that survivors get. Getting a tattoo in celebration of surviving a mental illness is an awesome way to remind yourself how much you've been through, and that you came out okay on the other side. Take, for instance, Demi Lovato. After going to rehab for her long-time struggles with bulimia and self harm, she inscribed "stay strong" on her wrists as both a reminder and a source of inspiration. Others get a butterfly tattooed on their wrist in honor of the Butterfly Project, a project which encourages those struggling with self harm to draw a butterfly wherever they feel like self harming instead of hurting themselves.

Many self-help sites encourage drawing on yourself instead of hurting yourself; be it a butterfly, a semicolon, or anything else you can think of. The sensation of running a marker across your skin is meant to distract you from the desire to feel the sensation of self-harm.

During National Suicide Prevention Week, TWLOHA encourages both supporters and survivors alike to write "Love" on their wrist to both support and raise awareness of the cause.

Whatever the reason or inspiration behind the temporary body art, simply sharing it with the world and explaining your support of National Suicide Prevention Week spreads the light to those who might not know just how serious this cause is. As amazing and helpful as celebrity support and organizations like TWLOHA are, there still needs to be an active and widespread effort to prevent suicide and help those struggling with suicidal thoughts. In an age when mental health is finally starting to be recognized and treated properly, it's important to spread this awareness and incite dialogue in homes, schools, and even the government. It's important to keep an open mind, an open heart, and open your mouth about mental health so it can stop being so taboo and something can actually be done to help those struggling.

Thank you to Lauren, Hannah, Allie, Rachael, Kim, and Sarah for the pictures.

Statement vs. Style

Not everything that goes down the runway does so with the intention of starting a wearable trend (can anyone say, "bleached eyebrows"?). But there's often an aspect of a fashion show that can spark inspiration for the masses. Take, for instance, Cara Delevigne wearing all black at the TOPSHOP Fall 2013 show at last year's Fashion Week. Then compare how she translates the trend to something a bit more wearable.

Both looks are cute, right? They're both essentially taking the same trend and wearing it as a statement on the runway and as a style on the street. Here are some of my favorite trends for this fall and how to wear them whether you're making a statement or incorporating it into your everyday style.

Winged eyeliner is almost a beauty staple in modern fashion, so why not try mixing it up with a double wing look? Connect eyeliner on your lash line and the crease of your eye to form the first wing, then have the second wing swoop out from your bottom lash line.

Let's be clear: any time I talk about fur, I'm talking about faux fur. Not only is wearing fur kind of rude to the poor animals who had to give up their skin to give it to you, but it's damn expensive. Go all out or all in with fur this fall!

Cornrows don't always look so great on white girls due to the natural texture of their hair, but doing just a couple is manageable while still making a statement. Or, you can use my personal favorite hairstyle to rock mini braids: braid your bangs back off your forehead.

When going for a look in a head-to-toe color, neutral colors like oatmeal or gray are much less intimidating. Are you looking for a challenge? Try wearing all red!

When I was in seventh grade, I discovered my "ring role model" in the Friends character Phoebe Buffay. She used to wear a ring (or two or three) on every finger. By sticking to a similar color scheme or minimalistic lines, you can pull this look off without drawing too much attention. If you're looking for attention, just pile them on there!

It takes a bold person to wear cheetah print, whether you're making an outfit out of it or using it as a print on an accessory. Either look is awesome, and it's kind of fun to push your own style boundaries!