fashion – Page 22 – Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION.

style & substance – wardrobe staples worth the splurge

Falling for FALL

As much as we want to hang on to Summer, Fall is just around the corner and with these 10 investment pieces you can’t go wrong.

In every woman’s wardrobe, there are places one should splurge and places one should save. Unlike fleeting trends, closet classics—things you’ll love for years to come, regardless of ever-changing fashion fads—are the obvious best place to sink your shopping dollars. Here are 10 splurge-worthy staples that, while guaranteed to take a bigger chunk out of your budget, chances are they’ll be sticking around for awhile.

Black or Camel Coat

Outerwear trends come and go every autumn, but there are a few coat classics that never change—and two timeless hues in particular, black and camel. A Burberry duffel coat’s casual enough that you won’t have to save it only for special occasions, while a chic peacoat infuses any look with instant prep appeal. As for Max Mara’s beautiful self-belted topper, it’s the sort of piece you could pass down to your daughter or niece one day.

from left: wool-felt duffle coat, $995, burberry brit, net-a-porter.com; gaila coat in roanoke wool blend, $695, theory.com; manuela coat, $1,456, max mara, matchesfashion.com

Classic Watch

More practical than nearly any other piece of jewelry, a watch adds instant polish and professionalism to any look, and is something you’ll keep for years to come. Why shouldn’t yours be an absolute knockout?

from left: chronograph watch in rose gold/navy, $275, michaelkors.com; medor, $4,050, hermes.com; tank française watch, medium model, $4,700, cartier.us

Patent Pumps

A simple, classic pump works for everything from job interviews to first dates to black-tie weddings to girls’ night out. Find a pair that’s comfy (OK, relatively so) and take the plunge. (Side note: while I love a smooth calfskin heel too, I think there’s something about glossy patent that just adds that extra somethin’ somethin’.)

from left: decollete 868 100 mm, $625, christianlouboutin.com; aimee patent platform pump, $675, jimmy choo, bergdorfgoodman.com; tayler patent leather d’orsay pumps, $735, manolo blahnik, saksfifthavenue.com

Ballet Flats

Though less overtly sexy than the aforementioned stilettos, ballet flats are (or should be, at least) the day-in-day-out workhorses of a modern girl’s footwear wardrobe. Chances are you’ll likely clock more miles in these babies than in your heels,

so take care when shopping for them. Porselli and Repetto make beautiful, ballerina-approved versions, and many editors swear by Lanvin’s flattering hidden-wedge take on this sleek staple.

from left: porselli ballet flats, $190, apc.fr; leather ballet flats, $560, lanvin, net-a-porter.com; the cendrillon textured-leather ballet flats, $285, repetto, net-a-porter.com

Little Black Dress

Audrey wore them. Carine Roitfeld lives in them. Kate Moss accessorizes hers to the hilt. A simple black fit-and-flare dress, body-con number or sleek sheath works for pretty much any scenario imaginable and is guaranteed to make you look your absolute best, so it’s a sound item to spend a little extra on.

from left: sleeveless dress, $2,367.50, lanvin vault, farfetch.com; ripple stretch-crepe dress, $1,150, preen by thornton bregazzi, net-a-porter.com; arabesque metallic embroidered dress, $3,351, azzedine alaïa, matchesfashion.com

Printed Cocktail Dress

That said, when you’re in the mood to make even more of a statement, there’s nothing like a boldly patterned party frock. The trick here is to choose one in a relatively classic print—think florals, polka dots or easy geometric graphics.

from left: ruby printed silk crepe de chine and cotton-blend lace dress, $3,220, erdem, net-a-porter.com; garden-print dress, $895, red valentino, saksfifthavenue.com; embellished lace and silk-faille dress, $6,990, oscar de la renta, net-a-porter.com

Perfectly-Fitting Denim

There’s absolutely nothing—nothing—like finding that amazing pair of derrière-perfecting, leg-lengthening, hip-slimming jeans. Sink a little extra cash into your blues, and they’ll pay for themselves in compliments.

from left: 811 mid-rise skinny leg, $191, jbrandjeans.com; the marrakesh, $168.30, mih-jeans.com; stretch cotton-blend leggings-style jeans, $187, rag & bone jean, net-a-porter.com

Gray Cardigan

Yes, black cardigans are great too, but hear me out: when you’re already dressed in head-to-toe noir, sometimes you need another, slightly lighter neutral to keep the look from veering into Morticia Addams territory. In such cases, gray’s your go-to. Heather-colored cardis look equally great with little white dresses, too—as well as pretty much everything in one’s closet.

from left: cashmere and silk-blend cardigan, $640, miu miu, net-a-porter.com; asymmetric hem cardigan, $595, alexander wang, barneys.com; collection cashmere boyfriend cardigan, $238, jcrew.com

Oversized Cashmere or Wool Wrap

How do we love our enormous cashmere throws? Let us count the ways: they’re the perfect way to stay warm in snowy weather (when you live in a windy city, a coat alone just doesn’t cut it), they double as blankets (and pillows!) on long plane or car trips and they sort of make us feel like Stevie Nicks. Solid.

from left: cashmere travel wrap, $295, whiteandwarren.com; striped wool-blend wrap, $600, missoni, net-a-porter.com; cashmere ruana, $498, brooksbrothers.com

Timeless Handbag

If you’re looking for the absolute most reliable place to sink those wardrobe dollars, a classic carryall’s your best bet. Whether you opt for a classic flap-front 2.55 shoulder bag, a quilted tote or even a tiny crossbody carryall, there’s just no going wrong with anything double-C-adorned. Proenza Schouler’s cult-forming PS1, meanwhile, has made the tricky transition from trend to cool classic with ease. And of course, few can resist the heritage-steeped house of Hermès. While Birkins and Kellys may yield the longest waitlists, we’re currently smitten with the smaller Constance crossbody.

clockwise from left: vintage constance bag, $6,700, hermès, portero.com; ps1 medium leather, $1,695, proenzaschouler.com; classic flap bag, $4,400, chanel.com for locations

In my INbox: From Lucky Magazine by Elana Fishman.

So….how did you score? Are you a perfect 10?

FUN

Style: Rock Star Nails

How far will we go to be head to TOEnails IN fashion?

As in clothing right now we can experiment with fun colors & styles for our nails as almost anything goes.

from: clutchmagonline

You need patience and time to pull off a full-on monet style set of nails whether you’re the one doing it or leaving it

from: thegirlylooks – going for the GOLD

to a professional.

from: exquisitegirl

While I love these looks I tend to be most daring with bold color and a little design for toes while keeping nails to a mostly bare minimum.

Too boring? I think neutral nails look sophisticated.

If you busy your hands all the time because of using a keyboard and cooking, nails tend to chip a lot which looks really noticeable with darker polish unless it’s a gel. Once I tried a gel mani and loved that it didn’t chip for all of two weeks (a milestone) but when I went back to have it taken off, my nails weakened with the strong chemicals needed to remove the leftover polish. ~~Scrap that. Do only for special occasions like a two week vacation or~~ ~~over the holidays~~.

I love some *sparkle to top it all off but let’s talk about how easy is it to take off – NOT! It’s as simple as soaking nails in acetone to get polish completely removed. Not to mention the little sparkles that you find on your clothing or bathroom floor. Also if you cook a lot – not so pretty when you notice faded or removed polish right before serving. *The real gold flecks from OPI’s “man with the golden gun” tend not to do this & look great especially over darker polish.

pretty shades by Lancôme

Tried the Sally Hansen stick on nail stickers (an easy way to do leopard & lace) but they lasted all of one hour because I didn’t put a topcoat on. My sister advised me they need a TOPcoat. Once they start to peel it’s so tacky & all the rest must be removed immediately.

Designers are paying more and more attention to nails for the runway trying to cover all the bases.

The BASEics:

When applying light polish, put a milky basecoat on in between coats – it will give the polish an even surface to adhere to as lighter shades can be streaky. Try Seche ridge filling base coat.

Base coats extend the life of your manicure and keep your polish chip-free longer. They’re supposed to make your nails last at least one week – this never happens for me but I wear it anyway.

It will help prevent dark colors from staining your nail beds. We’ve all experienced the yellow nails that often follow dark nail polish – this phenomenon can be prevented with the right base coat. And with deep fall colors coming into season, it’s more important than ever to use one.

Still, I don’t want to put too much effort into nails. How about you? Are you NAILing it?

FUN

Scene: Fashion & FASCINATORing People

The Deighton Cup is probably the most fashionable and social event of the summer.

Vancouverites don’t normally get the opportunity to wear a fancy hat. The usual fare is baseball and straw oriented versions, but this past weekend proved different.

Horse racing has long been synonymous with the elaborate hat designs that trot near the track.

It’s a millinery tradition honed over the decades into a famous and frequently outrageous art form, illustrated most decoratively from the well-heeled meets of the Kentucky Derby to England’s Royal Ascot. A chance to display the

my sis Lisa

bizarre and the beautiful.

Some of the fashionable. I think I know the cool dude on the left. It’s Beau, my sister’s beaufriend.

From the Deighton Cup at Hastings Racecourse to West Vancouver’s Royal Tea-by-the-Sea, there were plenty of opportunities to wear your hat for the scene and be-seen crowd. I can’t believe I didn’t go because I love hats and horses so much however my sister went.

The “Deighton Cup” is a three day Horse Racing Event to liven up the season at a track that already draws plenty of attention.

Photo credits: The Queen of Hearts headpiece, created by The Saucy Milliner for the Deighton Cup event, is made of handrolled sinamay roses. Photo by Abbye Dahl of afoto.ca for the Vancouver Sun. — The Queen of Hearts headpiece, created by **The Saucy Milliner** for the Deighton Cup event, is made of handrolled sinamay roses. Photo by Abbye **Dahl** of afoto.ca for the Vancouver Sun.

Lauren Hutton for Bazaar Magazine - love the headpiece. — Lauren Hutton for Bazaar Magazine – How cool is the headpiece & this lady?

Photo Credits: Lisa King + Beau Schwab.

I’ll have to settle for a Mad Hatter Tea party!

FUN

style now – how brite a person are you?

It’s official: Color is the new Black

fashiontrendsetter.com

so brighten up your wardrobe and perhaps your life in the process.

Can’t say I’m crazy about a man who is too too bright!

Doesn’t wearing color make you happy? I’ve never worn so much color in my life, always tending to stick with safe neutrals (which I still love) & maybe just a bit of color with an accessory. Now that August has arrived I’m eager to wear an entire rainbow while the sun is still shining. Hell I even bought an orange purse. How much is too much? I don’t know; piling on all my tribal Masai jewelry. Color is lively and it feels like being on a tropical vacation. Like Liberace said “too much of a good thing is Wonderful.”

Not your “mellow” yellow

Designers revisited glamour with ravishing reds, plush purples, bright blues and uplifting oranges and yellows ultimately redefining feel-good fashion as we know it. Strong hues are no longer solely the domain of fashion’s risk takers; they’re for everyone. Get on board and find

the shade you’ll shine in.

while on the subject – this works for some.

hanky pantys seem bright on!

On the bright side – you can always show off your nails. Personally I tend to wear these only on my toes, preferring lighter shades for nails.

This summer is looking brighter than ever!

handmade Masai bracelets from Kenya

FUN

Has underwear really changed over the years?

You bet! My sister just bought me a vintage Playboy magazine. The date – 1972. The cover price – one dollar. Before you go thinking this is all too weird the cover reads “A Revealing History of Lingerie.” As most of you are aware, I sell beautiful lingerie online.

Moving right along…throughout much of human history, female undergarments could not in truth be named – for the very good reason that they simply didn’t exist. If she had to name them at all, she called them her unmentionables. Mother Eve and her sensational little micro-mini fig leaf aside, modesty has, in fact, played virtually no part in the origin of any sort of human clothing – under or outer, male or female.

From bloomers to thongs, pointy brassieres to push–up bras, the history of lingerie reveals a lot about women’s changing role in society – how we perceive ourselves and how we’re viewed by others. It’s fascinating to see how lingerie has changed over the last hundred years, but even more intriguing to note what’s stayed the same.

Here’s a brief (pun intended) look at ladies undergarments throughout history:

Late 18^th century – high fashion called for an ensemble of whalebone-stiffened corset and puff sleeved chemise.

19^th century – was devoted largely to achieving fullness in strategic locations. Watch- spring steel was used to make the dome-shaped “cage crinolines” & multiple layers of ruffled petticoats served the purpose for the Cancan girls of the naughty gaslight era.

1930’s – the uplift bra was responsible for the rise of a busty new breed of Hollywood star, of whom Lana Turner was the most prominent as the much photographed “sweater girl.”

1940’s – the spaghetti strap black-satin slip, once considered risqué, was memorably popularized by actress Silvana Mangano in the Italian neo-realist film “Bitter Rice.”

1950’s + 60’s – Swimwear had a mark influence in undergarment styles. The bikini – which was first seen on French beaches in 1946, was transformed into lingerie over a decade later.

The Bullet Bra (featuring exaggerated pointing or cone-shaped cups) and Push-Up Bra (by Frederick’s Of Hollywood) all debuted during this decade. Women now appeared to have breasts that almost reached their necks! Panties became more colorful and decorative.

As the ’50s went on, Elizabeth Taylor in “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” made a fashion statement (and probably scandal) wearing a custom-made-slip through most of that movie.

Slips were also featured in “Psycho” with Janet Leigh in a white bra and slip, than later as a decamping embezzler in a black ensemble.

Frederick’s Of Hollywood and Maidenform became nationally prominent during this decade. Frederick’s was created by Frederick Mellinger (he claimed to have invented the first push-up bra) in 1946. He started out with a racy catalog which quickly became popular, then branched out into a chain of more than 175 stores. You could say that Frederick’s was the Victoria’s Secret of its day.

1970’s – Freedom at last! The modern girl chucks underwear all together. Whether you see the liberation of the female form as a manifestation of women’s lib or the sexual revolution, you’ll agree that it was easy on the wallet. Of course for playboy viewing – easy on the eyes too.

1980’s – Underwear as Outerwear may have started here as Madonna began the trend by wearing her cone bra and girdles over her clothing.

1990’s – Who can forget the famous Calvin Klein underwear ads featuring a young Kate Moss and Marky Mark (Wahlberg) showing off his Calvin Klein boxer briefs. Comfort is more in style – boyshorts for women are BIG.

2013 – As of 2009, the visible wearing of corsets had become fashionable, popularized by stage performers such as Lady Gaga and Rihanna.

And yet what goes around, comes around as they say.

jesus fernandez lingerie from Buenos Aires available online at: http://intrigueimports.com

FUN

Style – Prints Charming

for clothing, swimwear or any wear!

**Sao Paulo fashion week with Movimento label –** Plushswimwear.com

Yes, every woman can be fashionable! This is getting to be the easiest part of my blogging week. The reason being is that simply put, pretty much anything and everything is in Style. You can hardly make a wrong move. There are *updated versions of last years styles but I love the fact that you can incorporate almost any print, hemline, sleeve + pant length, color and fabric into your wardrobe for a varied and interesting mix.

Pity the poor designer that must continuously re-invent a previous look. Have a peek:

Fergie, Katy Perry, Jessica Alba & Victoria Justice.

Dive right in to Water Color Prints

Floral jacket & jeans – check!

*Brazilian beachwear label Movimento kicked off their very first summer fashion show with romantic florals, tropical camouflage and a unique variety of cuts, prints and silhouettes.

Their Inspiration: the counterpoint between the military aesthetic and tropical flowers, birds and landscapes. With a collection infused with feminine prints, just enough masculine elements were introduced (army-like buttons and stars, olive green & grey in the palette) to keep the line fresh with a touch of edginess.

What appeals to you most?

FUN

B well – B fearless

WITH your FASHION choices and life in general. If the shoe fits it will make you feel better. Follow:

Designer Michael Kors’s Fashion Principles

Kors with Project runway panel Heidi Klum, Jennifer Hudson & Nina Garcia. — Kors with **Project Runway** panel Heidi Klum, Jennifer Hudson & Nina Garcia.

“Now that everyone looks like she’s 30, it’s not easy to define rules for how women should dress at different ages,” says Kors. Kors breaks down the elements of style:

Hemlines: “Supershort skirts should be left to the young or the tennis court. As you age, it’s more important to consider balance: If you’re showing your legs, show less on top.”

Cleavage: “It’s great to show off your best points, but still – leave a bit to the imagination.”

Prints: “I don’t think you can tell a woman who feels like a million dollars when she puts on a bold, graphic print that she should stop wearing it just because she’s hit a certain age. Wear what makes you feel beautiful.”

Color: “The colors that suited you when you were 30 will still suit you when you’re 70. Your skin tone and hair and eye color are the real question, not your age.”

Fit: “Your clothes should look as if they were made just for you. Forget the size tags and get to a tailor. If you wear skinny jeans and you’re fit, stay true to your style. And no matter your age, skip the pieces that make you fidget, whether it’s a shoe you can’t walk in or a hemline you have to keep pulling down.”

Jewelry: “This is the best way to shake up your look at any age. If you feel less comfortable showing skin, bold jewelry and strong accessories are great ways to play the fashion game. Be fearless!”

Trends: “Avoid anything that doesn’t feel relevant to your style, but always evolve, or you’ll look stuck in the past.”

As told to Danielle Pergament for Allure Magazine.

FUN

Wet ‘n Wild – Surfer STYLE

I wish I was a California Surfer Girl

Ever so appealing, exciting and adventurous – to be able to catch a WAVE. It conjures up free spirited with that hint of danger which some make look so easy.

Annette Funicello vintage photo – images. Do you think she was actually surfing? Love the SUIT!

From May issue of Harper’s Bazaar Magazine – if it was me I’d definitely go for the Chanel surfboard even to lie on at the beach.

styleofsport.com

What about surfer style? I don’t see why we can’t do “avant de” or après surf? For those less willing types not wanting to take a chance that a humongous wave will suck us up or at least our bathing suit:

I’m much better suited to surfing the internet – but that can be dangerous too.

Go Hilfiger! I found this Tommy Hilfiger shirt dress while surfing.

Love these vans-surf casual shoe.

That’s me on the cover. You didn’t really think so did you?

My style INspiration board on Pinterest at:

surfer - north shore, Hawaii — Surfer – North Shore, Hawaii. Looks like he’s not even wearing shoes

http://pinterest.com/intrigueimports/style-inspiration/

FUN

Trendspotting – from head to toe

with monochromatic dressing: One Shade Fits All:

carolina herrera

I’ve always liked the look of wearing all one shade in either a neutral or color. It tends to elongate you and if you break it up a bit with a belt or jewellery it works very well & doesn’t seem over the top.

Hit all the right hues this summer. From head-to-heel sleek cobalt at Gucci to Stella McCartney’s green thumb and Carolina Herrera’s orange crush, these color-wonderful shades pack a major punch. Or go completely Black or White – but not together.

From Spring 2013 – great look for petites

These tone on tone ensembles may seem intimidating to pull off, but by keeping a few tips in mind, achieving this look is a piece of cake.

If you’re a little nervous about trying this bold statement, wear a lighter shade of the hue either on top or bottom – to create more of a muted palette.
Stella McCartney

Keep accessories simple and in neutral colors – gold, black, silver, white, nude.

Miss Blumarine

FUN

On the RUNway – check this out!

The Stars are STILL Going Crazy for LOUIS VUITTON’s Spring Summer 2013 checkered pattern.

Fashion is continually re inventing itself. While I do admire Marc Jacobs always ingenious and escalating style for Louis Vuitton, this collection is not my personal choice. Having the models come down escalators was a fresh & brilliant touch.

The large checkered print would do nothing for me and I would only get lost in it. Okay, maybe I can see myself carrying a large LV damier handbag but that’s about it.

While I do really like to wear a plaid shirt with jeans or shorts I’m more partial to stripes & polka dots. Lately I’ve taken to wearing bird, squirrel & bunny prints – so who am I to talk?