NY fashion week came and went and for those of us not so lucky to have attended, I have compiled a mixed tape both music and fashion lovers can appreciate. Designer fashion shows are notorious for featuring emerging talent and this time was no different. Big name artists or not, these songs had me struttin’ my stuff all week long. Enjoy!

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Badgley Mischka

Beirut “My night with the prostitute from Marseille”

Benhaz Sarfpour

Animal Collective “My girls”

Charlotte Ronson

Puppini Sister “Heart of glass”

Dsquared2

Ella Fitzgerald “Night and Day”

Vena Cava

Cocteau Twins “Beatrix”

Temperley London

Massive Attack “Angel”

Generra

The Ting Tings “We Walk”

Chris Benz

M83 “Graveyard Girl”

Carlos Miele

Max De Castro “Iluminismo”

E. Y. Wada

White Lies “Death”

The Fashion Gods have Spoke: Cardigans are the staple item for any wardrobe this Spring. Ken Downing, Fashion Director at Neiman Marcus, released his 9 ‘must haves’ for this fashion season, and when this icon in the industry speaks, fashionistas, listen up.

Downing has an uncanny knack and love for fashion, and advises women to consider colorful cardigans the new jacket.

Cardigans are simple and versatile. This wardrobe essential adds polish to dresses and separates; and to really add a touch of personality and style try belting a cardigan over jeans with your favorite pair of flats.

“I’m a true believer in seasonless dressing and fabrics. I think we all understand that it’s hot all over the world and you can layer. It’s not about traditional heavy wool clothes anymore. [It’s about] a little cardigan or a lightweight jacket,” says Downing.

With a skirt, over a cami or to dress up a pair of Sevens, cardigans are timeless. Our mother’s mother wore them and this is one piece that every woman should have accessible for the upcoming months to create the classiest of  looks this Spring.

XOXO

No, ladies this time I’m not talking about our favorite breakfast beverage, but the official color for 2009.

“Mimosa” (a shade of yellow) has been branded the “color of the year” by Pantone — the source for color standards in the design and fashion industry.

“I think it’s just the most wonderful symbolic color of the future,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “It’s invariably connected to warmth, sunshine and cheer—all the good things we’re in dire need of right now.”

Our First Lady, having selected a yellow inauguration dress and spotted in this year’s color on multiple occasions, must agree.

Does Mimosa get your vote for 2009?

Take a peek at the behind-the-scenes action during the Louis Vuitton Spring/ Summer 2009 advertising campaign that Madonna brought to life.  Marc Jacobs speaks about the strength and iconic status that Madonna has become and how this was the perfect fit for their shoot.

I have to admit, she takes a great picture and this video makes for an interesting 5 minutes.  Trendsters…enjoy!!

2009 is the year of minimalism. People are cutting back on everything from that Disney World vay-cay to that extra bite of crème brule. This exercise in scaling back is having a drastic impact on people’s wardrobe decisions. Even the Hollywood mega-stars are trading in overtly lavish gowns and ginormous diamonds for more understated, monochromatic looks as evidenced by this week’s Golden Globe awards.  When making purchases this year we’re thinking about consuming less and spending less; it’s about quality over quantity.

I traveled to India over the holidays to visit my family. Usually on trips to India I return with an extra suitcase full of cheap (and useless) trinkets—elephant bookends, intricately designed pencil holders, 1,001 uniquely block printed table cloths. This December I said no way José to filling my suitcases with nonsense. Instead, I bought myself two gorgeous dresses, one pair of shoes, a lot more room in my luggage, and a renewed sense of clarity.

Take a trip back to the basics this year and hand pick essential items that will revolutionize (and minimize) your identity as a fashionista. In order to start a stylish wardrobe from scratch, there are a few basic items every trendster must have. However, don’t forget to accessorize to your hearts content to ensure an individualized and unique look.

Jeans. by ❤Natalie Winston de Rossiシ [OFF]

1. The Perfect Pair of Jeans
You may find them at Old Navy or you may find them at Nordstroms however, a perfect pair of jeans is an absolute necessity. When searching for the newest addition of denim threads, take your time. Bring along your best friend and try on hundreds of pairs until you fall in love. My personal favorites are Citizens of Humanity. Citizens are a bit pricey, but I’ve had my first (and only!) pair for three years and I still wear them almost daily. Believe it or not, on a recent trip to Costco I discovered they carried Citizens, Hudsons, Sevens, and even MAC makeup. Search around before bolting straight to Bloomy’s.

2. LBD (Little Black Dress)

The perfect little black dress can be dressed-up, dressed-down, dressed sideways and always makes you look and feel amazing. I recently invested in a wallet-friendly LBD from American Apparel and haven’t taken it off in the past month.

3. Incredible Black Heels

Shoes make or break an outfit. The ideal black heels make anything look fabulous, jeans, summer dresses, that LBD, or even your birthday suit … When shopping for heels, take a moment to think about comfort. While six-inch stilettos may look amazing on my 5’1″ frame, my booty walking around like I have a turd in my panties does not look amazing.

4. Coat

Every woman needs a perfect black pea coat as well a gorgeous trench coat. My perfect black pea coat is from Urban Outfitters (two seasons ago). It’s double breasted with a large ruffle. Coats are items to invest in and have fun with.

Elegant lady by Marijana.

5. Dressy Skirt

The perfect black pencil skirt is an absolute must-have. It will take you from formal interviews to fun dates. A lot of women are afraid of skirts initially, but I’ve discovered that once you try that you rarely go back.

6. White Blouse

A white blouse is a mature and essential fashion choice. The best white shirt I’ve ever found is from (I hate to admit it … ) Brooks Brothers. They have a wrinkle-free pristine white shirt that comes in various cuts that always looks impeccable. And no, I don’t usually shop at Brooks, but my boyfriend  introduced me. I’ve never looked back. Hey…even Oprah wears this shirt!

weekend explorer by kaboom

7. In Lieu of Sweats

In the good ‘ol J.Lo days (pre-Marc Anthony) this consisted of a velour track suit. Nowadays, we’ve graduated to Lulemon yoga pants and a North Face fleece. Whatever your weekend warrior outfit choice may be, invest in something. You never know when you’ll run into your ex .

8. Casual Dress

My favorite casual dress is a green jersey knit dress I got from Anthropologie. I can layer it with boots and a cardigan or just throw on some flip-flops. I can dress it up for dinner, or dress it down for brunch. Either way, it’s comfy, stylish, and multi-purposeful.

9. T-Shirts and Blouses

Every woman needs the perfect t-shirt. My favorite is (again) from American Apparel; it’s their fine jersey short-sleeve tee. I have five of them and wear them almost daily. Blouses and tees are a place to save money, have fun, and show your personality. But always be sure to get some basic, quality, neutral colors in long and short sleeves to add diversity to all your pieces.

10. Flats

I love ballet flats. They are perfect for work and perfect for errands. Invest in a few comfy yet sleek pairs. Don’t be afraid to dabble in color and prints.

Trends come and trends go. With the deepening of the economic meltdown, it’s best to scale back and think about what you really need. With the right accessories, this ten-piece basic wardrobe will keep you stylish, sleek, and classic for this season, next season, and the one after that.

The idea of camping outside a Target store in order to get first dibs on an Alexander McQueen creation has crossed my mind…. and admit it! Its crossed yours too. So now I have the dilemma of having to camp out for other designers as well! Target has some fab designers lined up for Spring 2009 and I’m afraid I’m just going to have to take permanent residence by their doors.

Below is a sneak peek at what is to come. So be sure to take it all in and cast your vote at the end of this post. Tell us which Spring 2009 Target collaboration are you most excited about.

FYI- No word yet on who will be the next designer after Tracy. Any guesses? Leave us a comment.

Tracy Feith

Tracy Feith designs are a cross between California bohemian and lady like vintage. A beautiful palette of reds, yellows and turquoise will perfectly bring together this collection slated to hit stores May 17th. His (your heard right…its a he) summer essentials range from $14.99-$44.99. Expect to see shorts, swimsuits, light jackets, pants and tops.

McQ Alexander McQueen

McQ Alexander McQueen for Target will feature lightweight sweaters, skinny jeans, bubble dresses, slim skirts and cuffed shorts. The collection features a muted palette of black, white, gray and tan with accents of cobalt blue and hot pink. His signature rock ‘n’ roll edginess is apparent throughout with his use of studs and mesh. Pieces include a black trench, a gray denim cropped jacket, a menswear inspired tuxedo blazer and a color-blocked one-shoulder dress with a bubble hem. The collection also will include swimwear and cotton voile print scarves. No exact date has been give but we hear it is some time in March.

Loomstate

Its Rogan Gregory’s second collaboration with Target. The eco-friendly collection is slated to release on April 19th. The launch is timed to coincide with Earth Day on April 22nd.

“The Loomstate for Target collection will feature graphic Tees such as a pelican print named Persey and bikini board shorts with the Persey design. Prices will range from $14.99 to $44.99. We did a drunken yarn dye with a little curved wabi-sabi feeling that’s totally unique,” Hahn said.

• Everyone here at Oligoville would like to wish our readers happiness, love, health and prosperity in 2009 and beyond! Thanks to everyone who believes in us and our mission! Get ready for an even better Oligoville this year with our beta site launch just around the corner. Happy New Year!!! Be sure to check out the videos below for some of the world’s most amazing fireworks.
• Parisian designer, Ted Lapidus dies at age 79 in the French Riviera this week. His label, created in 1951 and now run by his son Olivier Lapidus, came to be defined by the clean lines of unisex military clothing and revolutionizing the safari look. In a tribute, French president Nicolas Sarkozy said Lapidus had “democratised French elegance and classicism” by making fashion available to ordinary men and women.
• Everyone is now shifting their attention to luxury brand, Chanel as an indication of our global economy. The ‘recession proof’ brand is now the latest in a series of luxury lines that have been hit hard by declining sales. 200 workers, which represents 10 percent of the their work force, have been laid off according to the NY Times.

Not everything is doom and gloom in the fashion world these days. Couture designers introduced some girlie, bright and pretty collections in an effort to revitalize our closets and the economy. With shoppers holding back on spending, it just makes sense to achieve the look through accessories instead. For example, a beautiful evening clutch is far cheaper than a party dress and it is an accessory that will add sass to on outfit many seasons to come.

I’ve compiled some of the season’s greatest trends. This is the first in a series of Spring/Summer Accessory Reports that will help you make sense out of the most recent runway collections around the globe.

Since it is bitterly cold out today and I sit here wearing a scarf, boots and my furry vest, I cant help but drool over the less clunky and dainty accessories Spring has to offer. I’m talking about flowers, cameos, pearls, lace, bows, pastel colors and anything with a vintage look.

Galliano did it best when he sent models down the runway with doll like poofs of hair, powdered faces and rosy cheeks. You dont have to leave your house dressed like a vintage barbie but come thing Spring, you should consider accessorizing with pearls, a cameo pin or a neatly tied bow head band. Anything pastel or lacey will add a femmine touch that will be classic and timeless.

Adding a few of these details into your wardbrobe does not have to be an investment but if you choose to go all out, rest assured that accessories are always a good investment.

Stay tuned for our report on how to pull off  twenty first century femme bot details and still look like your from earth.