There’s nothing like coming across a good ‘find’ vintage or otherwise. I spotted an EmilioPucci pair of wedge wood sandals with scarf print in exactly my size at an outdoor vintage market which takes place once a month in Palm Springs. Only one pair, never worn and with a perfect pricetag.
Hey kids, here’s something new and useful that I noticed in a fashionable boutique
The Mighty Purse is the essential accessory!
It’s a little purse that has a hidden capacity *rechargeable battery. The perfect fusion between fashion and technology. The mighty Purse contains a light weight battery that can fully re-charge any smart device. Then simply recharge via any USB port. It’s that brilliant and that simple! Charge On the Go!
Made of high quality genuine leather. Different colours and finishes. Use as a clutch purse or inside your hand bag.
Because being selfieless is not a good thing.
It can recharge your smartphone up to 2 x per charge. Supercharge me!
Take a sneak peek into Yves Saint Laurent’s studio
Colourful Block Dress: Tribute to Piet Mondrian
as the first YSL exhibition is to be held in the UK this summer. The Bowes Museum and the Foundation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent – which is headed up by Pierre Bergé, the designer’s partner – have collaborated to bring the retrospective, entitled Yves Saint Laurent: Style is Eternalto Britain.
the master
The exhibition will run through July 11th until October 25th and will be held at Bowes Museum which is a stunning castle near Newcastle, England.
Props from his studio and sketches will also be on display.
I may have to make a trip to England this coming summer.
To this day the YSL “le smoking” jacket remains my all-time favourite piece.
Do you have a favourite YSL outfit, bag, shoe, perfume, lipstick……?
There’s something chic about wearing a cape. At this time of year it’s not a constant but for in between the wet and very cold weather for those “off days” you can certainly pull it off (or on).
I think it’s a must in a woman’s wardrobe.
On the Autumn/Winter 2014 catwalk scene capes were coveted in a big way – check the Burberry (think trench and blanket style), Saint Laurent (tartan button-down) and Valentino (embroidered, shin-length) shows for a heads up on how to wear yours.
Shown here are some of my favourite caped crusaders.
And as a serious style maven, it’s no surprise that Sarah Jessica Parker got her hands on one of Burberry’s much sought after monogrammed capes.
You can never go wrong with wearing classics. Things that look as good today as days gone by. Things like…
The LBD – Sophia wears a strapless like no other. But we can give it a try.
The Jean Jacket
For your viewing pleasure here are some of my all-time favorites along with the people wearing them.
The worn-in Leather JacketThe TuxedoThe White Shirt (Victoria Beckham)
Jennifer Hudson & Kate Hudson (no relation).
A single-breasted, belted wrap coat is a classic style that flatters curvy girls in all the right places (the belt defines your waist, the diagonal line of the lapels minimizes your bust and the A-line shape skims over your hips). Kate Hudson is far from voluptuous but shows that a classic long wool coat looks great on everyone. (If you’re petite, opt for a shorter version so it doesn’t overwhelm your frame). Plus, a good camel coat looks equally chic dressed up or worn with your favorite jeans.
The Cashmere ScarfThe Ballet Flat (they don’t necessarily have to be Chanel) but these are Très Chic
Perfect white T & JeansThe Moto JacketThe MilitaryThe LBJ. Of Course…Coco A twist on the Classics can’t be all bad. Love the bag & distressed boots – both Chanel, Texas style.A Classic wearing a Classic.….sexy classisism!
Unfortunately I’m only kidding….but I can imagine wearing this Quilted Versace Helmut (price upon request). versace.com on my little scooter.
AND then there are the Italian Stallions who Scott Schuman for “the Sartorialist” sums up very eloquently:
A lot has been written about “Italian style.” A number of “facts” have been detailed: the Agnelli-isms of unbuttoned shirt collars, unbuckled monkstrap shoes, ties over the sweater – your general *sprezzatura minutiae. But when it comes down to it, these things border on gimmick. To me, that’s not really about what Italian style is about, or what people relate to in my photographs.
Photos: Scott Schuman for The Sartorialist
What I think people are actually aspiring to is something much trickier to attain. It’s the same kind of thing that you’ve seen in all classic menswear icons, most perfectly embodied by Cary Grant and Fred Astaire. It’s grace.
Why people react to Italian style is the grace with which these gentlemen inhabit their clothes.
Now, some people will discredit this and call it “effortless style,” or write it off by saying, “These Italians are just born with it.”
But it’s quite the opposite. There is nothing effortless about their style, or their look. What’s unique is that they put an extreme amount of effort into their look when they buy the clothes, when they have the clothes altered by their tailor, and when they put them on in the morning. But once they put them on, they don’t think about them until they take them off again at night. It’s that graceful thoughtlessness that is so seductive.
Do me a favour. Look at these photos above. Look at the shoulder line. Look at how relaxed these guys are. Their shoulders aren’t uptight and around their ears. These guys are having fun. Then take a look at your typical Savile Row-tailored gent. Refined (read: restrained) to within an inch of his life, shoulders straight as a board and typically looking like they’re having as much fun as an American wearing a suit.
If there is one piece of advice that I could give to someone who wants to embody, in their own way, the very best of Italian style, it would be: take an extra half an hour when buying the clothes, and extra half an hour at the tailor to make sure they perfectly fit you, and an extra half an hour in the morning to make sure you are confident in your choices.
Then think about food, think about women, think about cars – and only think about your tie when you buy the next one.
*Word of the day: sprezzatura: a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it”.
The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman (Penguin) is out now. £19.99. amazon.co.uk
These versatile silk scarves are beautifully printed on both sides and so easy to wear. It’s longer in length much like a tie and stitched
Chic Headband
on both sides.
They have a playful side. A ladies necktie? A silk bracelet? A chic headband or ponytail holder? Many tie them to their handbags…even if they’re not Birkins.
Tied to a Birkin
It is one of my favourites from the famous french house of style. Now they have a longer version – called the maxi twilly but I prefer the tinier original. And who can resist the little orange box?
“Fashions fade, style is eternal.” – Yves Saint Laurent. YSL was a wise man.
Trends come and go and come back again, many times to haunt us. Luckily, now more than ever, we have so many choices at our fingertips. The fashion gods can dictate and we can agree to either follow them, ignore them, or rebel against them entirely. Today there are no set rules! Except of course you should strive to not look like a complete & utter slob. We can be guided into a current “hot” style moment but if you love something then wear it regardless if it’s a trend fresh off the runway or not.
Digital prints at Mary Katrantzou, Manish Arora and Antonio Marras.
Trends will always be there, always influence and always evolve – that’s the great thing about fashion. Real style is about how you adapt current trends into your existing wardrobe. It’s fun to play. Let’s get started!
A look at what to expect for Fall/Winter 2014: Abstract Digital Pattern – Textured Prints – Ombré Effects – Mottled Pattern Plays – Beautiful Illustrative Designs – Re-Engineered Houndstooth Prints – Sixties Edge – Over Scaled Prints – Painterly Form – Scribbled and Sketched Intense Pattern Mixes – OverLaid Paint Strokes – Pottery Design -Nature & Bird Print References – Dark Muted Tones – High Contrast Prints – Colourful Florals – Animal Patterns – and more.
Bottega Veneta – Pre Fall 2014
The captivating digital prints and patterns adorning nearly every type of silhouette are here to stay. As they progress towards Fall/Winter 2014 they are bound to grow bolder and louder, but in doing so they will still manage to hold on to some gentleness.
Preen By Thornton Bregazzi – Pre Fall 2014
Where Dolce & Gabbana got their INSPIRATION for Runway Fall Winter 2014-15:
Majolica pottery is the most iconic way of decorating pottery in the Mediterranean. Originally a glaze which was imported by the Moors in the early Middle Ages, since then it has become an art of Southern Italy, in particular Sicily.
Majolica is one of the first exports of luxury items made in Italy, with these intricately glazed ceramics taking pride of place at courts of all of Europe in the Renaissance. It is said Queen Elizabeth I was a huge fan of the glazing and ordered many samples to be made for her in Italy during her reign.
Majolica has continued to attract art lovers, and today fashion lovers since its inception, and remains a thriving art in Sicily. The coloured tiles, pots and vases decorate homes, and even roads in the picturesque town of Sicily.
Two young designers pay homage to the surrealist with a new collaboration at “Opening Ceremony”. Opening Ceremony is one of the fashion world’s holy grails – a cult destination shop on a par with 10 Corso Como in Milan, Colette in Paris and Dover Street Market in London, with branches in LA and Tokyo.
Humberto Leon and Carol Lim had their heads in the clouds for their new collaboration with the Magritte Foundation. The duo’s favorite paintings by the surrealist adorn clothing of their own design, as well as shoes by Vans, Birkenstock, and Manolo Blanik.
“Opening Ceremony is featuring all things Belgium this year, so it was the perfect moment to celebrate the world of René Magritte,” say the designers. “We’re lifelong fans.”
prices below
Opening Ceremony was founded in 2002 by two friends from UC Berkeley, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, as a place to share their passions for travel, art, and fashion. Inspired by a trip to Hong Kong, the two decided to leave their jobs in corporate fashion to realize their unique dream. What began as a single store on a quiet street in downtown New York is now a global community with outposts in New York, London, and Los Angeles, a department store in Tokyo, a wholesale showroom, an in-house clothing line, a blog, an e-commerce site, a TV channel, and an annual magazine.
Nothing quite finishes a look like a great pair of sunglasses.
Not to mention that they help to protect your eyes from the SUN
These are some of the chicest pairs to grace a face:
Michael KorsRalph Lauren – if you can wear White. I WISH I could but look ridiculous.I LOVE these MEN Sunglasses!Looove Kate Spade, fun floral – it’s summer after all!Marc by Marc Jacobs
Opening Ceremony
Prism by Anna LaubJeremy Scott. Not my personal choice but just HAD TO SHOW YOU….that, plus the DRESS!Dolce & Gabbana
Do you have a favourite?
I can’t seem to get away from tortoiseshell– it’s still my all time favourite.
I spotted an Emilio Pucci pair of wedge wood sandals with scarf print in exactly my size at an outdoor vintage market which takes place once a month in Palm Springs. Only one pair, never worn and with a perfect pricetag.
Hermès Twilly – a timeless classic.
And who can resist the little orange box?
Majolica pottery is the most iconic way of decorating pottery in the Mediterranean. Originally a glaze which was imported by the Moors in the early Middle Ages, since then it has become an art of Southern Italy, in particular Sicily.
Humberto Leon and Carol Lim had their heads in the clouds for their new collaboration with the Magritte Foundation. The duo’s favorite paintings by the surrealist adorn clothing of their own design, as well as shoes by Vans, Birkenstock, and Manolo Blanik.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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