Nicolas Ghesquière’s fall collection for Balenciaga explored corporate work attire. Styles ranged from a nylon jumpsuit to a high-powered, double-faced coat. And while they might not translate to the everyday woman’s staples, his attention to workwear proves it’s a complicated subject in modern fashion. No matter the office environment, these are the pieces that work across the board.

1. The Razor-Sharp Blazer
Offices are notoriously freezing, so be sure to stock up on a few jackets and blazers to get you through the seasons.

2. The Multitasking Dress
While some women may get away with an easy cotton dress in a casual environment, a more formal silk number makes a great day-to-night transitional piece.

3. The Tote-it-All Tote
Forget a briefcase - you need all the day’s essentials in one place. Opt for a comfortable and classic tote to help you lug around your life.

4. The Pump-it-Up Shoes
Fortunately, pumps are in this season, so your work shoes can finally double as your party shoes.

Get to work and shop our ELLE Editor’s Selection: What to Wear to Work Boutique opening Friday, March 23, 2012 at 11AM ET.

It’s always interesting as a fashion editor to see which trends from the runway carry over to the mainstream scene four months later. From shows in New York, London, Milan, and Paris, here are the top six trends that are actually wearable and accessible:

Florals & Pastels: It’s not surprising to see floral prints in spring collections, but this season saw a burst of vibrant, pop art-style prints worn head-to-toe on the runways. The palette of this spring is also saturated pastels seen in collections from Prada to Versace to Louis Vuitton.

Flapper Style: The drop-waist style of the Roaring Twenties was alive and kicking on the runways. Glitzy dresses were seen at Gucci and Marchesa, while deco accents like fringe bags and graphic earrings were shown at Givenchy and Dries Van Noten.

Athletic Elements: Designers like Alexander Wang and Rag & Bone utilized sportwear fabrics and trim like mesh, nylon, spandex, and elastic cord for their runway collections. Even Marc Jacobs showed an extreme version of a crewneck gym sweatshirt amongst plastic-covered dresses.

‘50s-Inspired: It was all about peplums and the suburban housewife at shows from Jason Wu to Prada and Rochas. The look is chic femininity with pinched waists, retro-print spring coats, and, of course, the pump.

Geometric Prints: Models donned swaths of solid color and geometric shapes for the season. From Proenza Schouler’s clean, modern lines to the angular couture of Hermès, the art world’s twentieth-century geometric abstraction movement made its way to the runways.

Global Influences: It’s also no surprise to find styles inspired by faraway places – from Polynesian prints to African raffia. Designers like Burberry and Missoni showed vibrant prints that hit all the right notes for spring and summer dressing.

Our ELLE Editor Selections: Spring Trends Boutique opens Friday, February 17, 2012 at 11AM ET.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we wanted to know – could your date’s attire really make or break a rendezvous? To find out, we took to the Twittersphere and asked our Members their take on the different outfit scenarios below. Turns out, outfits say a lot about you (as we expected). Guys, you might want to forget the chocolates and simply concentrate on your ensemble.

If your V-Day date showed up in tweed, you’d think…
“Swoon!!”
-@curlyemmy

“Am I dating a professor or a grandfather?”
-@carlyscala

If your date wore something sparkly, you’d think…
“We match!!:)”
-@JudithLeiber
Continue reading “Dressed To Impress: Valentine’s Day Edition” »

In honor of our ELLE Editor’s Selections: Award Season Kick-Off Boutique on Sunday, we’re taking a look at the best award-show fashion of the week. For even more glamorous eye candy, check out Monday’s Boutique. Insider tip: This Boutique is just the beginning! Rue La La will have award season style all February long.

Celebs impressed us all this week with a lineup of flattering and all-around cool designer looks on the red carpet. Beginning with the National Board of Review Awards Gala in New York City, Felicity Jones pulled off an effortless Fellini-esque air in Dolce&Gabbana.

The following day at the People’s Choice Awards, Ginnifer Goodwin stole the spotlight in a neon pink bell-sleeve dress from Brit designer Roksanda Ilincic — any celeb brave enough to rock neon on the red carpet deserves a thumbs-up in our book. And last night at the Critic’s Choice Awards, the ladies brought out the big guns: Charlize Theron donned a captivating Azzedine Alaïa layered gown; Michelle Williams opted for an elegant black and white Chanel number from the Resort collection; Elle Fanning brought on a boho edge in Rodarte; Jessica Chastain complemented her fiery red hair with a coral-toned Balenciaga gown; red carpet rookie Shailene Woodley proved she’s fit to be a contender for best dressed this season in a Calvin Klein Collection gown, and Emma Stone proved her power in a Jason Wu gown from the Pre-Fall 2012 collection that was debuted mere weeks ago.

Let’s see if these celebs keep the momentum when they hit the red carpet at the Golden Globe awards this Sunday.

Our ELLE Editor’s Selections: Award Season Kick-Off Boutique opens Monday, January 16, 2012 at 11AM ET.

P.S. Inside tip for Joe Zee groupies: It’s DVR time. Season Two of Joe Zee’s All on the Line premiers this Friday, November 25 at 9:30 on the Sundance Channel. We think it goes nicely with a giant turkey sandwich.

The Essential Little Black Dress: Curated by ELLE’s Joe Zee Boutique opens today, Tuesday, November 29, 2011 11AM ET.

This season, we’re all about bringing in animal prints as a neutral part of our wardrobe. We checked in with ELLE.com Editor Sydney Wasserman for her take:

“A leopard print blouse fits seamlessly with an office-appropriate skirt suit, and snakeskin accessories really do go with everything.”

Whether sprinkled into an ensemble as accessories or taking center stage as the main piece, we can’t get enough of the spot-on look. How are you wearing animal prints this season?

While we love to catch a glimpse of the newly unveiled collections inside the tents at New York Fashion Week, we’re just as excited to see what in-the-know fashion lovers are wearing outside the shows.

Here, ELLE Market Director Joann Pailey breaks down five of fall’s most major trends: deco detailing (think beading and 50s-inpsired silhouettes), 70s style (everything from shimmering gold lamé to drapey ponchos), dark romance (read: black dresses and textured rosettes), colorblocked minimalism (crisp lines meet even crisper colors), and menswear (suiting, trenches, and heritage prints galore).

Our ELLE: 5 Trends For Fall Boutique opens Friday, September 16, 2011.

A Stylish Necessity
For those of us not fortunate enough to live in a climate that’s 75 degrees year-round, versatile outerwear is more than necessary – it’s a means of survival. Even in the dead of summer, one can be caught in a flash downpour at any time of day, and as a conscious dresser, I could never bring myself to rock a plastic poncho from the nearest Duane Reade. What other choice do I have but to indulge in a variety of lightweight trench coats in shades from stone to camel to midnight navy? I actually don’t even look at it as an indulgence since the trench coat is truly seasonless and has proven to be one of the most timeless options for outerwear.
Continue reading “ELLE Editor’s Picks: Trench Dressing for the New Season” »

We love packing our beach bags with cheap novels, stacks of magazines, and the literary gems we’ve been meaning to finish. We checked in with some of our favorite designers, bloggers, and style authorities to see what they’ll be toting to the shore this summer to get some inspiration for passing along. Our personal reading recommendation:

1. Pick your own favorite summer reads (or take a suggestion from below!).
2. Print out bookmarks for all your friends.
3. Tuck a bookmark into every beach read you pass along this summer.

Who: Ben Busko, of Ben’s Garden
What: The Balthazar Cookbook by Keith McNally, Rainmaking Conversations by Mike Schultz, and House Beautiful and Martha Stewart magazines
Why: “My summer reading plans will be sure to include late afternoons by the oceanside, hopefully sipping mojitos, and listening to the whisper of the ocean as I dive into my latest favorites. To keep on point at work my Ben’s Garden employee book club is reading, chapter by chapter, Rainmaking Conversations; I enjoy discussing points of interest with everyone every Monday. Somewhere in my beach bag, and before the sun sets I would also be sure to get to my essential magazine reads.”
Continue reading “A Good Read: Rue’s Summer Reading List” »

Seasoned fashion editors tend to look to the Prada collection to reveal the “it” look of the season. Throughout the years, the collections have tended to shock at first – and then the next thing you know it’s what everyone wants to get their hands on (who could forget the satin and turban Spring Collection of ’07?). For her fall collection, Miuccia Prada sent down the runways knee-high boots and ’20s-style coats made out of intensely colored python skin. And it was good. While reviews of the show were mixed, we know that that python coat and those boots will be popping up everywhere you turn come fall, since it showed up in many other collections from Cavalli to Chloé.
Continue reading “ELLE Designer Spotlight: Kara Ross Masters the Snakeskin Trend” »