Happy Labor Day Weekend!

One of my favourite things to do towards the end of a season, is to scope out Shopbop for bargains during their final sales period. Sadly as much time as I spend stalking Shopbop, I have no actually bought anything from there besides a pair of Marc by MJ shoes which I'd been pining for months and have tried on in real life first. But alas, I keep trying. Here is what I've scout out this season- and for those of you interested, don't forget to act fast on the Labor Day weekend sale! It IS the day to reap the rewards of your labor after all (or so my friend tells me).
A elegant silk red top (Rebecca Taylor) that is sexy yet feminine and girly at the same time, with the cute rosettes lining the bodice. And no, these YSL heels are not from Shopbop, but I thought I'd include them anyway since these two items clearly belong with each other (they are also on sale!).
Items that I probably wouldn't mind wearing next year- and maybe in the next month or so depending on the weather. Only the blue color of this BopBasic top (left) is on sale, but this was the color that caught my eye anyway. You should go check out the back- it is a pretty fabulous design! And this dress is like the navy version of the little black dress updated with cute ruffles.
Lately I am loving the wide legged pants and these blue jeans from J Brand (right) will carry you into fall. Not so much the khaki one from Robert Rodriguez (left), but then it looks really airy and comfortable- it's one of those things that you will wear again next year- even if it is just down the street to run errands!Speaking of things I will wear next year, I will definitely wear this floppy white hat by Eugenia Kim with this simple white dress by Milly. This is just a summer classic outfit. I just love the hat, the construction of it is perfect. It droops and flops at just the right places! This dark floral top from Rebecca Taylor (left) is a hot item that will mix well super well into your FW08 wardrobe i.e. under blazers, with layers etc etc. Ok, so maybe this Anna Sui top (right) is not exactly very versatile, but I wanted to include it in anyway, just because I love the mixing of prints and the over all quirkiness of this top- it will definitely make a statement.

Happy Labor Day Weekend everyone!

Image Source: ShopBop and Saks

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Still in Romania!

This post was made in advance as a little filler. I'm actually still in Romania probably wearing something similar to the picture below since it is most likely very warm. Tonight I'm going to the Electrofish concert in Bucharest to see Audio Bullys. The venue looks amazing. Modern music and fancy high-tech lights enclosed inside a beautiful Roman-style building. It'll be big! I'm excited!

I'll be back inVancouver on the third, after which I may need a couple of days to get my university tasks sorted out. But I will have many photos to post afterwards!

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Little Black Skirt

Last week while going through the leftover sale merchandises of a store, I found this black skirt and to my surprise, they actually had it in my size. I've been on the look for a black skirt for awhile and since I don't think the skin tight black skirts which are pretty popular these days are particularly flattering, this seemed to be close enough to what I was looking for.

The grey block made me hesistate at first, but my sister persuaded me to buy it (-she thought I was being too picky.) The skirt looks sort of flat and crinkly in the photo (my bad) but when you put it on, it actually sort of puffs up like a ball. Yes I realise this sort of bubble skirts aren't all too trendy anymore but it's cute and on sale.

OK, so how to wear it? I wanted to make sure I didn't wear it with a white dress shirt or anything that would look like officewear. The key is to keep everything casual. But since I've never actually owned black skrits (or anything mid-wa before, I looked for inspiration online.

I love this Luella top! (Please imagine the black shorts on the model as a skirt.) It's casual and cute; it's trendy without being messy.

Plaid/ checked shirts are oh-so-trendy(-and-hipsterish) this summer. You can hardly go into a highstreet store without spotting one of these shirts and they seem to be a popular complement of the black skirt these days (-see images above, from H&M and Urban Ooutfitters.) While plaid tops always look cool in fashion candid and paparazzi pictures, they just don't seem to look great in real life. I don't know if I've just seen the cheap-looking ones or what, but I really can't imagine myself actually looking cool in one of these plaid shirts.

I adore this combination of a tank top with the volume skirt. It's simple and allows one to look effortlessly trendy. Plus, like in the shopbop image, it will leave you free to accessorise. A printed t-shirt looks like a pretty good match too! (See image on the right.)

I can't wait to try out the skirt! Have you guys been wearing a little black skirt this summer too?

Image Credit: www.shopbop.com, www.hm.com, www.urbanoutfitters.com, www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk

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Strength, Fragility, Beauty

The photos on the Cécile Guyenne website will take your breath away. They include depictions of the work of brilliant designers such as Marc le Bihan. Go take a gander, you'll be happy you did.







Photos from cecileguyenne.com

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The Original Penguin

The other weekend, my friends and I had a sudden craving for some good quality burgers and shakes, so we thought- Johnny Rockets! But when we got there having anticipated it for hours, we couldn't find it! Where did Johnny Rockets go? After much wandering around, we finally realized that it has been replaced with a Penguin store.
Personally I didn't realize they had enough merchandise to warrant a whole store. I'd always associated Penguin with men's polo and preppy menswear in general. I didn't know they had womens wear!
So it appears that they do. And the style very much reminds me of the likes of Ted Baker, which is ironic since this brand stems from Minneapolis.
Looking at the window display (instead of indulging in burgers and shakes), I rather liked the shirt dress (above left) they showed. Admittedly it isn't a dress that immediately takes the breath away, but I like to think that there is a subtle charm to it- it also played right into my sudden recent obsession with shirt dresses. I also like this blue shirt dress (right), because while the cutting and design is really simple, the mixture of small polka dot prints with the thin floral print (or I think it's floral) belt is just adorable. My friend just gave me a 20% off coupon for Penguin.. maybe I'll go check this dress out. I hope they fit better than Ted Baker (Ted has the prettiest clothes, but with the worst fit!).
They also have these pretty standard looking dresses. I reckon the plain red dress would be an awesome dress to wear if you loved to accessorize- think headband, think crazy necklace!
These are not bad either. I think I even have something very similar. But you see what I mean about being very Ted Baker? Browsing through their website, I cannot help but feel like I've seen and have been excited about everything before already.... I'd like Johnny Rockets back please!

Image Source: The Original Penguin

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T-Shirt Dresses

I saved the image of this yellow t-shirt dress by See by Chloe (from the Cruise collection) when it was still online a few months ago. It's bright, casual and looked like such a fun, easy-to-wear dress for the summer. I never managed to see it in real life but it got me looking out for tee shirt dresses.

I love the design of this Mr. Abbott dress. I don't quite love the pinkness of this dress, but it's such a cute design!

The design of this Marc by Marc Jacobs dress looks cute from the front but the hole at the back makes it not very practical for casual, everyday wear.

Urban Outfitters has these simple, short-sleeved dresses. They're even nice enough for a nice dinner or night out.

The other shirt dress I found on uo.com is this plaid shirt dress. The bubble shape at the bottom makes the dress feels less indie and more girly, which makes the dress easier to pull of because let's face it, not everyone can pull of plaid!

The black dress on Lily Donaldson looks like another versatile, day-to-night dress. I'll be looking out for this one on my next trip to H&M.

Another dress I'll be looking out for is this See by Chloe jersey dress. I really like the print on the top and I'm hoping to find it in this dress version, (although I'll be looking out for the t-shirt version too.)

During my search for t-shirt dresses I've noticed that it's much harder this summer than last summer to find them. It probably means that t-shirt dresses aren't 'in' anymore but they're just so cute and easy to wear! Plus, putting on shirt dresses is arguably even more brainless than a denim and t-shirt combo!

Image Credit: www.shopbop.com, www.urbanoutfitters.com, www.activeendeavors.com, www.chloe.com, www.hm.com

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Burfitt

I don't know very much about Burfitt, since it's site doesn't offer any information, but I do know that I like what I'm seeing. A lot. This collection is very dark. Almost eerie. It seems like a combination between a show girl, magician, mime and a John Galliano collection. The silhouettes are breathtaking. Someone really should bring back tall top hats.







Images from Burfitt.com

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Odd Shape Shades

As you all know, I simply adore large shades. Over the years, I think you've all heard me go on about big black shades, big brown shades and big aviator shades- all the classics. So where does one move onto next when they've been through all the classics? Well, according to Prada, it is big odd shaped shades! I love them. They have all the essential elements of big black shades that make them classic (the big squarish over sized shape and the black plastic rims), while the slight irregularity gives it that oomph it needs to be refreshing and 'new.'
Speaking of new shapes, I also adore these circular shades from Chanel. I'm not sure if you can see, but there is a thin white lining that highlights the black rims (this highlight also comes in pink too, which is absolutely darling!). At first I wasn't sure about the shape of these shades. It slightly looked like those glasses that incredibly nerdy kids wear in cartoons. Or those toy shades that kids play with i.e. heart shaped shades anyone? But then I tried it on and they actually look fabulous! It has the whole over sized shades thing going on for it. The white/pink rimmed highlighting and the diamond pattern on the side makes it feminine and sophisticated. And the circular shape is just more modern and fun.

The only trade off is that these irregularly shaped shades were just not made to sit on the head as headbands really well. Oh well.

Image Sources: Chanel and Prada

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Prada F/W08 Ad Campaign

The theme of this season's ads for a few major brands seems to be to feature supermodels -the real kind of supermodel from the 90's. Well, Prada got Linda Evangelista. OK, so I have to admit that I don't really know how to appreciate most supermodels' sort of beauty. I mean, yes, of course they are all gorgeous. But when they were at the top of their careers, I was too young to notice these things so I'm not exactly a fan of the whole supermodel movement. However, from the old photos I've seen of Linda Evangelista, I remember thinking she was the most gorgeous one out of the group, yet she doesn't look her usual gorgeous self in this ad campaign.

And ok, Sasha Pivovarova is admittedly one of my favourite models but I am not one of those fans who think she should get every Prada campaign until the end of time. Plus, the whole lace thing is so hard to pull off and frankly, sort of aiming for an older audience so a more traditional, mature model is probably more suitable. But seriously, Linda Evangelista does not exactly look tradiational to me here -her face looks weird. Maybe it's just whatever anti-aging treatment she's done and the mono shape of her lips.

But I suppose it's not a completely horrible campaign -the colour of the background and the shadows in the images are very cool.

How do you rate the F/W08 Prada ad campaign?

Image Credit: www.prada.com

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We Like Them Big

Large pieces of jewelery are surprisingly versatile. I like them styled over crazy prints (shown left) or simple grey knits (shown right). If you were wondering how to spruce up your many simple American Apparel tops, this would be a good way to do it. I've been on the lookout for a grand necklace at thrift stores but I've only found a few interesting broaches myself.


Images from left to right: UK Vogue August scanned by Manuva from tfs.com, Harpers Bazaar August 2008 scanned by Faith Akiyama from tfs.com

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BOLSOS QUE NUNCA MUEREN

Hay bolsos, y bolsos y entre ellos estan algunos que se han hecho un hueco en el mundo de la moda, bolsos ya míticos que nunca pasaran de moda. Entre ellos estan estos dos: el 2.55 de Chanel y el Birkin de Hermès.

2.55, un nombre emblemático que hace referencia al momento en el que Coco Chanel, la fundadora de una de las grandes casas de la moda, idea este bolso; en Febrero de 1955. Se trata de un pequeño bolso con tapa en cuero acolchado con una cadena de eslabones por asa. Se dice que la propia Coco se inspiró en las sillas de montar que veia en el hipódromo de Suresnes en París para crearlo. 

Supongo que todo el mundo ya lo conoce aunque solo sea de ver a muchisimas celebrities luciendo uno. Lo hay en infinidad de colores y con el tiempo su tamaño ha aumentado y en algunos modelos su forma ha variado también. El precio del modelo básico ronda los 2000 €, pero si algo está claro es que siempre estará de moda.

Otro clásico, el Birkin de Hermès. La historia de este bolso comienza en 1984 cuando la actriz y cantante Jane Birkin volaba a Paris junto a un desconocido con el que entabló conversación sobre bolsos. La actriz se encontraba un poco incomoda con su bolso y juntos crearon un boceto sobre el bolso perfecto de Jane. El desconocido resultó ser Jean-Louis Dumas presidente de la compañía Hermès. El desea de Jane Birkin se hizo realidad, y así nació el Birkin Bag, un bolso conun tamaño perfecto, doble asa y tapa abierta.

Hoy en día es uno de los bolsos más deseados y la lista de espera para conseguirlo es de 2 años, ¡todo el mundo quiere uno! (pero pocos pueden permitirselo). Los bolsos Hermès Birkin están hechos completamente a mano, y su fabricación es muy costosa. Como muchos otros, el Birkin puede ser encargado a gusto, puedes escoger el metal de los cierres o el tipo de piel por ejemplo.

Su precio está entre los 6000 € y los 40000 € aunque como muchas ya sabremos podemos encontrar unas réplicas por supuesto de muchisima menos calidad pero suficiente para el uso que al menos yo doy a los bolsos de día a día por apenas 25 € en Blanco.

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OVER MY HEAD

Se llevan los pañuelos, ya sea al cuello (nunca pasaran de moda!), de brazalete, de cinturon, pero sobre todo este verano se llevan en la cabeza.

Haz como las celebrities y ponte un pañuelo o cinta en la cabeza. Puedes optar por cintas finas como hace Mary Kate y Sienna Miller; pañuelos ya sea lisos como estampados, de diadema, atados sobre la frente, arriba o atras, dejalos colgando sobre los hombros o recogiendo el pelo tipo bandana.

Como puedes ver Nicole Richie siempre completa sus looks con un pañuelo a la cabeza. Puedes buscar pañuelos con estampados de flores, tipo hippie, geométricos o con todo tipo de estampados. En H&M puedes encontrar gran variedad y muy baratitos.

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The Classic Denim Mini

Recently I've been in a major fashion slump, meaning that I've been recycling two outfits over and over again for the past few weeks. In fact, my fashion slump has been so serious that I've resorted to wearing my sister's denim mini skirt.
Yes that's right -a classic denim skirt. It's not even one of those trendy A-line minis, which are oh-so-trendy this season. And I'm so lazy that I just wear it with my current love, an American Apparel V-neck shirt. While the white tee and denim mini combination feels very juvenile to me (-it's very high school isn't it?), it's also strangely very comforting. With fashion trends coming and going faster than ever, it's just getting tiring and frankly, not very exciting to keep up with it all. I mean, I adore Zara and H&M for its fast fashion and prices but since I am stuck in a fashion slump, nothing seems more charming than a plain, casual outfit that is the tee and denim mini.

Right now I'm trying to find a denim mini to buy. A problem with the denim mini is that I'm finding it really difficult to find a denim mini which is of a decent length. It's not like I'm asking much -I just want one that ends around or slightly below mid-thighs. But in the shops tha't I've been to (-ok, basically only Top Shop,) all I've seen are mini minis. How do people even move around in those? BG tells me that America Eagle Outfitters makes pretty good denim minis (see image.) But since I don't live in the States, I'm hoping the next time I go to H&M or some other casual shop, they'll be selling some decent denim minis!

Image Credit: www.ae.com

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Alice + Olivia For Payless

I had no idea that Alice + Olivia was collaborating with Payless Shoes. Payless is known for low priced and low quality footwear. My relationship with them has been hit or miss. I have a couple of pairs that kill my toes because the straps are made of plastic, not patent leather, and I don't get very much wear out of them. On the other hand, two of my favourite pairs of flat leather sandals came from Payless, and they are extremely comfy. These pink satin shoes are so much fun! I hope the bottom of the straps are leather. Usually Payless doesn't do heels above three inches, so the four inch heel is a good surprise. If I run into these I'll definitely be trying them on. I hope they're comfy.

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A CUADROS

Otro hit de la temporada, los cuadros; grandes, pequeños, rojos, azules, en faldas, pantalones, camisas...

Vuelven los cuadros de estilo escocés ('tartan' se hacen llamar). Yo como no, ya me he echo con una de estas camisas en tonos rojo, azul y blanco. La llevo abierta, con una camiseta debajo con algún pequeño dibujo pero sin pasarse, estilo 'promo'.

Apuesta como hace Ashley Olsen por camisas tipo leñador en tallas grandes con shorts, acertaras seguro.

La nueva colección de Dolce & Gabbana se basa fundamentalmente en este tipo de estampado.

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