STYLE SPOTLIGHT: 7 Questions for @ErinJeen

GW Student and fashion blogger extraordinaire Erin Yogasundram speaks her mind. Her boldness is not limited to her "tell it like it is" attitude (if you don't follow her on Twitter, you should! @erinjeen), she clearly does her own thing when it comes to style. We caught up with the fashion forward college student to ask her 7 questions.

1. What do you love most about fashion?
   What I love the most about fashion is the ability you have to make what you want out of it. Everyday when you wake up, you decide what you want to wear. Fashion can mean whatever you want it to mean.


2. Who is your favorite fashion designer and why?
   My favorite fashion designer may quite well be Riccardo Tisci. I am a HUGE Givenchy fan and he has really taken over the brand. Everything about Givenchy is great-from the couture to the ready-to-wear to the men's to the accessories! The nightingale is my favorite bag of all time.


3. Who do you think are the three most influential persons in the fashion industry and why?
   I think the three most influential people in fashion are Bryan Boy, Tommy Ton and Tom Ford. Each of these people have a very genius way that they work. Bryan Boy is not just a blogger, he is a mastermind at branding and he has made himself the "it" blogger. I have the utmost respect for him. Tommy Ton went into street-style photography not even knowing what "Balmain" was. He has the keenest eye for fashion and the quality of his photographs separates him from every other photographer. Tom Ford does it ALL. He has created his empire because everything he does is strategic. He wants to be controversial. Every interview ends up on every blog. I love the fact that he keeps his presentations secret and has celebrities walk...he is just a genius.


4. Who would you love to bring back from the past to have dinner with and why?
   I'd really like to have dinner with John Galliano, (he isn't dead but he is certainly from the past!). I'd love to pick his brain and see how he felt about watching everything he created be shoved down the drain after simply saying the wrong thing. (I do NOT condone his actions nor feel sympathy for him. Rather, I am intrigued by the event and curious about his future in fashion. I am pleased with the decisions of Christian Dior).


5. Who is your style icon(s) and why?
   My style icon is hands down Victoria Beckham. I grew up during the Spice World and I remember just thinking she was so chic! Not only do I appreciate her style but she is quite the woman, who I look up to as a role model as well as a style icon. I am also influenced by Nicole Richie and Diane Kruger.


6. Describe your personal style.
   I don't really know how to describe my personal style. I like the color black. I like leather. I wear a lot of blazers.


7. What can't you live without?
   I can't live without my boyfriend. He has helped me so much with my career. The fashion world is quite grueling to work in and he has been the greatest support and help. We have the same passions, goals and dreams. We recently launched a men's clothing brand together with the first release being only 2 weeks ago.

Learn more about Erin Yogasundram's men's clothing brand

DC FASHION EVENT: Ties That Bind(less)

First Street Style presents, “Ties That Bind(less),” an exhibition and sale of vintage 20th century, Italian, men’s neckwear curated by Michael Joyner.

The exhibit opens this Saturday, August 28th at NOA Gallery from 3:00PM until 6:30PM at 132 Rhode Island Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001.

“Ties That Bind(less),” will run until September 11th, and be open during the week from Wednesday through Friday from 6PM to 9PM.

The collection will feature an array of luxurious neckties that span various decades in Italy’s rich fashion history. The ties afford a unique ability to accessorize with a stylish sophistication that is sure to distinguish one from fleeting fashion trends, while allowing the style novice to ‘up-grade’ even the most basic ensemble.

Crafted from some of the finest silks and wool, the ties feature original patterns and weaves that design houses of today are working vigorously to emulate. The vintage provenance of the ties will make it virtually impossible to find another gentleman wearing the same tie. The collection features classic brands like Clubman, Tino Cosma, and Yves Saint Laurent to name a few.

The art direction and display for, “Ties That Bind(less)” is a collaboration of Michael Little of NOA Gallery, and Michael Joyner of First Street Style.

Links à la Mode: Fashion is Booming

Fashion is Booming

Edited by Fashion Pulse Daily
Style cares not about the economy, so we continue on, falling in love with a fabulous pairs of shoes, lbd, and the perfect little cardie. New boutiques, designers, ideas, and innovative, avant garde concepts continue to emerge, and we can't help but start a new love story with our latest DIY project, amazing vintage find, department store score, or simply a fabulous floral umbrella. And so, as the title suggests, fashion is booming, creativity is soaring, and we can take a big exhale and shove our worries aside - it's time to allow ourselves to get excited about wearing some new or all-time favorite spring-weather garments and accessories.

As expected, there was a fabulous round-up of links in the forum as well, all worthy of your eyeballs!

[Note from Jennine] Oh, and if you're looking for something to do this summer... IFB is looking for interns!

Links à la Mode : April 15th

• 39th and Broadway - An Interview With The Person Who Really Determines How Your Clothes Fit!


• Chic Steals - What happens to a piece of clothing once it is donated to a charity such as Goodwill?


• Dedicated Follower of Fashion - Explores the new Spring/Summer Collection from Stylesmith:


• Denim Debutante - Three Things You Probably Didn't Know About Your Jeans


• Evoluer - My best friend & I came across mint condition vintage Chanel at the local thrift store!


• Fashion Pulse Daily - Discovers a new way to think about dress via Linda Grant's 'The Thoughtful Dresser'


• 
  
  Fasshonaburu - Need inspiration on fun color combination? Try looking at wedding palette articles!


• For Those About to Shop - Breeyn McCarney's eco-conscious collection finds beauty in despair


• House in Tillford - An interview with two big blogs: learn from their experience on how to grow your own blog


• Idiosyncratic Style - Recycled Style Project: DIY paperclip necklace


• Independent Fashion Bloggers - Microsoft Launches KIN : The Social Media Phone


• Maple Sucre - The Women x Women Exhibition: Inspiring Young Women to get Behind the Lens


• M.I.S.S. - The Rag Trade: Wear it Now or Wear it Later


• Oranges and Apples - Ways of wearing vintage


• Retro Chick - Video Tutorial: Vintage style victory roll fringe bangs


• Some Kind of Style - Mr. Sartorialist In Town...


• Style Eyes - Couture: What's the Point?


• The Coveted - March Springs, April Showers.... Floral Umbrella for Spring


• TheWellAppointedCatwalk - Suneri on Newbury


• TheWorkingWardrobe - Battle of the Blazers: 25 different blazers for 25 different styles and body types


• TrueQueen - Can Sweat Pants be Sexy?


• Tweet - Simon Ekrelius: Chalk, Mirrors and Confessions


• Widespread - An Interview with a new SF based store who gathers inspiration from the world

Links à la Mode: Thinking Fashion

Thinking Fashion

Edited by Retro Chick

It never ceases to amaze me the quality and variety of links that get submitted to IFB each week and how hard it is to pick just 20. Fashion & Style Bloggers are intelligent, thoughtful and insightful people who really understand their subject. Whether it’s Second Hand Shopper questioning the distinction between fashion and style, Shrimp Salad Circus discussing how much of ourselves we should put into our blogs or a whole plethora of posts on the subject of body image.

Of course, we also love a bargain and this week we have a DIY Pillbox Hat, tips on thrift shopping the Spring trends and a gorgeous giveaway.

I really would urge you to take the time to check out the links that didn’t make it in the forums. I don’t think there’s a bad post among them….

Links à la Mode : April 1

• Alyson Is Neat – Revealing secrets on how to go into a store and not purchase clothing.
• Awakened Aesthetic – How to live green, without giving up the “unethical” stuff you already have.
• blackdog finds – How to Thrift Shop for Spring 2010 Fashion Trends:
• British Style Bloggers – A preview of the finalé of British Style Bloggers’ Body Image Season, including a random and rambling tour of BSB’s head office (aka my house).
• DailyDivaDish – Spanx for Men: Is shapewear for men really going mainstream? Why I think it’s a bad idea.
• Despising Life is So Passe – Pillbox Hat DIY
• Eternal Masquerade – Monroe Monday: A Look At What the Wardrobe Should Mean to Every Woman
• Grit and Glamour – A signature fragrance is your invisible identity—it becomes part of your brand
• High Fashion Girl – I write about Lady Gaga like you’ve NEVER read about her before.
• Idiosyncratic Style – A Peek at the life and style of illustrator Rachelle Scarfo
• Independent Fashion Bloggers – How to make your blog mobile friendly
• Oh, the Places You'll Go! – Fatsionable Art and Inspiration from Eva Hannah.
• Retro Chick – How every girl can be a Princess
• Second Hand Shopper – Second hand shopper pits the escapism of fashion against the expressionism of style
• Shoulderache & The Closet – The most expensive wool in the world!
• Shrimp Salad Circus – How much of yourself should you put ‘out there?’
• The Demoiselles – Graceful Empowerment Comes in All Forms (including that of eating the other guy’s tacos).
• The Greyest Ghost – Behind the scenes of the Chanel f/w 2010 ad campaign in NYC with Abbey Lee Kershaw, Freja Beha Erichsen, and Karl Lagerfeld.
• The New Wave – Going once, going twice, SOLD! A visit to the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection auction.
• The Well-Appointed Catwalk – Highlights and my impressions of “Health Matters: Weight and Wellness in the World of Fashion,” a panel discussion I attended featuring Anna Wintour, Michael Kors and Natalia Vodianova.
• True Queen – Examining the use of fur by designers on the runways of the Fall 2010 fashion shows.
• Unfunded – Unfunded teams up with the U.K. retailer NEXT for an awesome giveaway!

GIVEAWAY: Get Your Project Runway On @ Fasshonaburu

Vyque over at Fasshonaburu is having a fab giveaway thanks to the folks over at Atari.

One Grand prize:
1 Project Runway Video Game + 1 $50 Visa Gift Card

2 Second prizes:
1 Project Runway Video Game

To enter, just leave a comment and an e-mail address you can be contacted at on this post, as well as whether you'd prefer the game for Wii or PC DVD (we have 1 copy for Wii and 2 copies for PC DVD to give away) prior to 12pm March 26th, and we will select three winners at random.

I'm Featured on This Week's Washingtonian's Blogger Beat

I was so tickled when Washingtonian's Blogger Beat editor, Emily Leaman, contacted me to be featured for their Blogger Beat series. I was blown away and feel very blessed. I actually like the picture (which is shocking because I HATE to be photographed). Check out the feature here.