image: Chanel
Chanel Nº5 films are usually highly anticipated not only because they tend to count with a stellar cast, superb direction and photography and tell stories we wouldn’t mind being part of, but they hold that fascination over people by transporting us to this perfect, elegant, magical world of Chanel, that frankly, most of us cannot live in.
From the gap between posts, you can clearly see I haven’t been as effective as I could on my outfit posts… no, I haven’t been walking around naked (phew), sometimes it is just to do with time to take the pictures, or days I am not that happy with the outfit.
That means, you get my absolute favourites, every time. And you can clearly see I am morphing into cold weather mode. I include one of my fave pieces for autumn, the blanket wrap.
Sequin dress from a shop in the USA – it was a $35 BARGAIN, black courts from Christian Louboutin (Pigalle 100), rings from Sobral and H&M, Naturalash lashes from SalonSystem and MAC’s Lady Danger lipstick.
On top of fur coats, something else I am loving “just a bit” for the new season are capes and wraps. They are perfect for the autumn, drape around you quite nicely and feel super snug.
In a way, writing about coat saddens and excites me in equal measure, as the winter is absolutely not my favourite time of the year – but the prospect of a new coat is, well, rather exciting.
As an imminent necessity that is going to be with you for a very long time *sigh*, you might as well just love the one you have, and wear it with gusto.
You probably noticed that there has Magnum has been causing a buzz this year – it is their 25th anniversary and they’ve been having a ball celebrating it.
It is no secret I feel more in my element over spring/summer. Although I like the elegance the winter brings, nothing beats a happy, floaty summer outfit.
At the beautiful Choccywoccydoodah secret garden, Chase PR has shown us some of their clients new collections for the next season.
The garden is indeed quite secret – I had no idea it was sitting at the top of their building. And yes, it is a garden, with a bright green fake grass floor, benches, plenty of flowers and my favourite spot: a romantic rope swings with roses at the top.
Fuelled by plenty of sugar and delicious coffees, hot chocolates and juices, we waltzed through the goodies.
Their clients include Elie Tahari, Julian Hakes, French Connection, Red or Dead and LaidBack London, Sebago bringing in the shoes, Transitions lenses, which were in the quirkiest frames, Chesca and Red or Dead clothes and Storm watches and jewellery.
My picks are the rose gold watches from Storm, as well as some of their rings, the French Connection black and white slingback, Elie Tahari’s metallic pink high heel sandals and a zipper stiletto and the amazing Bocca glasses frames from Face a Face with Transitions lenses (which I am absolutely in love). I couldn’t leave Hakes’ Mojito engineered shoes out – although I prefer the black to all the amazing patterns they had on show.
Thank you so much Chase PR for having me that morning, especially to the lovely Charlotte who showed me around!
And judging by the looks of the collections, it seems warmer weathers is not the only thing to be looking forward to for the next season!
It’s been more than two years now – I finally stopped going on about it – but I could not be happier with my shoe fund – it gave me beautiful decolleté in 2011 and I wanted to share (better late than ever, I suppose) the fruits of the 2012 fund. I shall never look back.
Nude was on my mind. And throughout the whole year I was set on a classic pair of nude shoes. However , at the last minute I saw red. Literally, I just had this urge to buy red shoes.
Given the colour choice, I thought I’d go for another designer, and not cave into my usual Louboutin obsession, as red on red seemed a bit odd. Blahnik and Choo were head to head – or toe to toe, if you prefer a foot based comparison for this post’s illustration purposes.
But then I fell in love (and as you know, I go totally blind when I fall in love) and the shoe fund 2012 materialised in the shape of the lovely patent, pointy-toed and needle heeled Christian Louboutin Decolleté. Red on red never looked so good to me. I cannot even believe that for a moment I thought it wouldn’t work.
What a beauty – they have already been worn. Now, nude probably got bumped to next year. May be. Shoe fund 2013 is already growing….
A delicious, fashionable and very French collaboration: Lanvin’s creative director Alber Elvaz designs stylish boxes for Ladurée.
The uber cute box, which has sketches of fashionistas faces and a pretty red bow, can take eight scrumptious macarons, including the four flavours created especially for the occasion, all bubble gum flavour based, described by Elbaz as “the bubble of childhood”.
Although limited edition flavours are available to go with the box, you can make your own selection to include traditional flavours – I love macarons, so I succumbed to eight different varieties, and of course, wasn’t disappointed with any of them!
According to the traditional and prestigious French sweets Maison, Elbaz “not only make women beautiful but also proves that sweets and beauty can go hand in hand.”
Gorgeous. And yummy!!!
A gown by Julien Macdonald
London is where my heart is, and it was so exciting to see the British S/S 12 lines, set in the beautiful Somerset House and other amazing venues around the capital.
I really like what I saw in London, and under the absolutely stunning category I am going to put Julien Macdonald‘s collection. The short dresses were so fierce and wearable – I would happily don most of the designs presented. The long, flowing gowns were dreamy: the embroidery married with transparency was delicate and sexy at the same time. The metallics are muted, elegant and in details, which gives all the pieces a very noble, glamorous feel.
Vivienne Westwood‘s Red Label collection dresses at the end of the show really appealed to me, but what really caught my attention was the metallic hair, exquisite MAC make up with amazing eyes and multicoloured nails in shades of greens and blues. Love it.
I very much like Henry Holland, and when looking at his collection, fresh was the word that sprung to mind, with the pastels and playful pieces. And then, all of a sudden, it got fierce, with leathers, animal print and netting.
Meadham Kirchhoff
The textures on Holly Fulton‘s collection was superb – the embroidery mixed with zebra(!!!) print, patterns with feathers and jewelled collars , the sea theme – I like it all, quite a few pieces I would wear.
Jaeger comes very ladylike – the hats were fabulous (even though I don’t really wear hats, I don’t think they suit me!) and I really enjoyed seeing Sass & Bide‘s vibrant colours and sheen details at the Royal Opera House, the venue I consider to be the most stunning.
A feast for the eyes was Meadham Kirchhoff‘s collection. Dazzling the senses with an explosion of colours, the designs and the styling were pure fun – think circus meets pantomime in a fantasy world. Mary Kantrazou also showcased a colourful and exquisite collection, a delightful prints galore.
I also like the fringed, flapper-ish and the feathered dresses from Issa, the vinyl and structured, almost futuristic pieces from Richard Nicoll (some of them reminded me of The Jetsons), the colours and textures in Matthew Williamson‘s collection and the metallics and feathers on Giles‘ “Black Swan inspired” line.
I can bet on metallics for next summer, as well as prints and patterns (I love ALL animal prints – last season’s leopard was king, now giving way to snake for A/W11-12, maybe it is zebra time for s/s12?) and pastel colours.
Overall, in my opinion, New York faded in comparison to the flamboyance of London. Even though I fell in love with quite a few stunning collections showcased in NY, everything seemed more edgy, daring and innovative in the British version, and perhaps easier and more fun to translate from the catwalk to the streets.
So Many Lovely Things 