Falling head of heels with Karen

I've always had this on going crush on Karen Millen. When I first met her, it was love at first sight. Every time I pass by her, my heart flutters, I feel a subtle hint of euphoria and sigh deeply with a sense of longing as my eyes linger lovingly on every detail. And when she’s on me, I feel loved like no other has ever loved me before.

Karen Millen's clothes understand exactly what a woman wants – they create shapes and lines that you never thought was possible. In Karen’s world, you can be both modern and sharp or soft and feminine, which cannot be more essential for any sophisticated and elegant woman.

Today I decided to pay her a visit since we have not touch base for a while and was utterly swept of my feet – literally.

There they were calling to me lovingly while flaunting their fatale allure, three sirens standing at 10cm tall, wrapped in delicate lace and ruffles. They each had a character of their own but all will only give the greatest pleasure one will ever know.

These white satin courts stand at 10cm tall with contrasting, delicate black lace print. The back of heel has a multiple bow with black lace again, simply lovely. And the heel, the black lacquered heel is the only sign that reveals any hint of the fatale allure veiled beneath the lace.


With coral as the “it” colour for this season, one needs to tread carefully to avoid having the “little mermaid” effect. First, being a staunch believer that ALL colours goes well with ALL skin colours (with the exception that ONLY Rihanna can carry off fluorescent pink lips and still look glamourous), I dismiss all excuses that coral is not for everyone – what a bucket of nonsense. However, coral being a bright, attention grabbing colour can be complementary when applied appropriately and catastrophic when not. Unless you have the hip width of an 11 year old boy, avoid wearing coral skirts or pants; or atleast keep it to the minimal. Coral tops, blouse, dresses, socks, accessories and SHOES are marvelous.

These coral laced courts immediately caught my eye and stood out like a beauty among the rest of the blacks and grey. It was beautiful and elegant – yet the candy colour and the ruffled corsage sitting daintily on the heel were just begging to be taken out dancing and partying!

Despite being the last, I wouldn’t quite say these pair of heels are my best of the three as they each had their own allure. These black on red courts with cut out detailing and scallop patterns were however the fiercest and sexiest among the three and I always had a soft spot for anything fierce and sexy.

Oh did I mention that the tiny black satin bow at the back of the heel is so sex kitten cute?


http://www.karenmillen.com/

Recessionista

A few good lines – in case you can’t remember the rest:

Living in denial is never the answer. Just because the world is having recession, your wardrobe doesn’t need to be in depression.

It can’t be said more clearly that you, me and the world are going through one of the worst recessions since – forever (1940s) – so it’s high time we buck up and grit our teeth through it. This also means smartening up our fashion sense and adapting our style to the wind of change - be a wise Recessionista.

The magic word is Sales.

Fashion may be fabulous but that doesn’t make it immune to reality and the retail industry is receiving just as hard a blow as the rest. Many shops are still continuing their “Christmas” sales and there’s no excuse that you shouldn’t take advantage of that. Clamp down your spending by looking out for sales items and warehouse clearance. Trust me, if you open your eyes and ears you will find many as everyone is doing whatever it takes just to create sales number.

Time to be picky.

Be conscious about what you buy and be sure that nothing was killed unnecessarily along the production process including your own future. Since you’re supposed to buy less and more meaningfully now, use the extra time and effort to learn more about your purchases. If you can afford, invest in those that are environmentally friendly and ecological. It sounds like a lot of hassles but there are brands and designers who dedicate their entire collections to the aspiration of making the world greener. It’s like finding your hairstylist – once you find them stick with them.

On the other hand, retail companies and designers should take this opportunity to review and plan their collections to produce more economy-environmental-friendly collections. This is probably the one time that where art clearly should reflect life. We cannot continue blinding ourselves with glittery sequins or hide beneath mountains of heavenly cashmere.

Get an overview.

Not just your life but your wardrobe. Book yourself a day to clean out your wardrobe to get a complete overview of everything you own. Put aside all the items that you’re absolutely sure that you don’t want to be caught wearing and let your creative imagination run wild on the rest. Make mental notes of items which can complement each other or pieces that could add chic contrasts to others – not everything have to match. You’d be surprised how much treasure you might just uncover; new styles and outfits to see you through the year. Don’t forget to include your shoes, accessories, bags, etc. Rearrange your clothes so that you can have a clear view of everything you have, this is especially useful in much needed situation such as when you’re about to make an impulse buy.

So the next time you're in shopping mood - be a wise and think twice.

Fashion by James Laver

I read this quotation by James Laver awhile ago and regretted not jotting it down before. I find that it truly captures the essence of the fashion cycle and thus how I always emphasize on finding our own style to anchor your - well, style. After months of search my efforts were kindly rewarded. Here it is I share with you:

The same costume will be
Indecent 10 years before its time,
Shameless 5 years before its time,
Outré (daring) 1 year before its time,
Smart,
Dowdy 1 year after its time,
Hideous 10 years after its time,
Ridiculous 20 years after its time,
Amusing 30 years after its time,
Quaint 50 years after its time,
Charming 70 years after its time,
Romantic 100 years after its time,
Beautiful 150 years after its time.

James Laver (1899-1975), British art critic, author. Taste and Fashion, ch. 18 (1937).

Laver also went on to write

The erogenous zone is always shifting, and it is the business of fashion to pursue it, without ever catching it up.

Hope you enjoyed them as much as I do.

Power of Facebook

As inspired by some of the "better" updates on Facebook, I've added a "Like" and "Dislike" button below each of my entries. This is mainly to get a very black and white feedback from my readers (you), on what kind of topics or subject you prefer to read. This will hopefully help me sharpen my contents for your reading pleasure.

Inspiration in recession

My seven line haiku to sum up my drought:

Black is still fail-safe.

Colour is back for spring and summer – woo hoo.

Coral is making a splash. Again.

Go chunky and over accessorized.

Jackets do what they do best – cover everything.

Contrast. Mix ‘n’ match. Right.

Use your own style to pull it altogether.

Vacation Shopping

Yes, it has been a long holiday break here. Speaking of which, my latest entry is somewhat inspired by my recent vacation in India.

India, first of all, is probably one of the most colorful, fabulous and flashy fashion cultures that I’ve come across yet. Though one of the leading fashion capital in Asia, the locals especially women, still favor their traditional wear over contemporary fashion. A local paper featured the launch of an international fashion house that has just opened their first men’s wear flagship store in India. Apparently, it was too competitive and not as lucrative to cater to women customers – who favor their saris and salwar kameez more than anything else.

A beautiful bride laden with precious stones and a heavily embellished sari.

Anyhow, back to my point. While I was thoroughly enthralled and fascinated by the blaze of colors and blings (read: infinite sparkling embellishments on saris and heavy layering of blinding jewellery), it occurred to me that this fashion style works wonderfully on Indian soil – but not outside.

And this is where many of us make a hideous mistake – shopping for clothes and accessories while vacationing. (Most) women have a weakness for shopping and buying things that catches their eyes and things that normally catch the eyes are usually colorful, dazzling and uncommon e.g. things that you see while vacationing in some exotic place. India for example is a good illustration.

Splendid color combination on a stylish gentleman no less.

It is absolutely fine to shop for exotic interior deco and furniture while on vacation – as long as you can get them home. However, shopping for your wardrobe is extremely risky. First of all, unless you’re shopping from an international brand, you’re most likely buying locally influenced styles, traditionally exotic clothing and accessories. Chunky bracelet, dangling earrings and the omnipresent sarongs are among the few common crimes. We are carried away by how gorgeous the locals look and get so inspired that we forget that their beautiful open toe sandals will probably not work well with the winter fashion back home. Layering yourself with tons of diamonds and precious stones may be a show of wealth in India, but doing the same thing in some other countries places you in gangsta categories or worst – gaudy.

It is fine to purchase a few pieces of item that you have thought through thoroughly that it definitely goes with several of your clothes back home and most importantly, go well with your personal style. Heck, you need to be able to carry off the look for quite a while.

The only exception is if you’re vacationing in a place where their local fashion flavors are currently delectable to the palates of fashion designers worldwide.

Walking Tall

After featuring endless pairs of sky-reaching pumps, it’s only fair (and considerate) of me to also address the art of wearing them.

You can always pick out women who are wearing pumps from a crowded street simply because they stand out (literally) – they walk taller and look more stylish and elegant. Heels are such wonderful creations* that it is awfully sad to see so many women forgo them just because they’re either not confident or capable of walking in them.

*Naturally, like all things in this world there are pros and cons to wearing heels. But that’s your responsibility to find out ;-)

Of course it takes effort to look good; otherwise everything will look good – and bland. It will require some work to look like you were born to wear those heavenly heels and walk gracefully in them. What you need is (1) to find the right muscles (2) to strengthen your body (3) in order to carry your own weight correctly.

Let’s take it from the top shall we?

Abs
Your abs is your center of strength, a philosophy used widely in Pilates and in all forms of dance. Your abs holds together and coordinates the movements of your lower body and upper body. Even when you’re walking you’re using your abs – or you should be. Basic crunches will do fine as long as you do them regularly – 15 crunches / 3 sets / 3 times a week. Feel free to push yourself further.

Back
Besides your abs, your back is almost just as important. Experience will tell you that it’s essential to have a strong back to have good posture. Do the Sphinx position for resilience and agility. For strength, lie on your stomach with your arms stretched out like Supergirl and then lift up both your legs and arms at the same time, similar to the Mermaid Back Extension. Easy-peasy. And again, do them regularly (15 times / 3 sets / 3 times a week) and you will have a supple back in no time.

Calves, Ankles, and Metatarsals
Some of the most sensual things about wearing heels are that they accentuate your calves and push your metatarsals into that irresistibly desirable arch. Images of tone legs and sexy arches have inspired many (in)famous desires from the pinup girls and Hollywood ladies of the 50s, to the Chinese women with bounded feet, to the sexy Wolford ads. Strengthen and tone your lower legs with simple rises – place your hands lightly on a wall and slowly lift your body up until you’re standing with just your toes – not entirely en point like ballet dancers. Feel your calves tightening and your arch taking shape instantly. Repeat them regularly.

Once you’re ready, choose a well-fitting pair of pumps that are not too tight in the front and if possible, with some cushioning inside the front of the shoes where the ball of your feet will be. Be careful if you’re going to wear them with hosieries or socks, you don’t want to reenact the Prada SS09 show where models tumbled for having socks in their heels. And here's a little haiku to get things moving:

Breathe deeply and exhale, think confident.
Relax those shoulders and chin, keep the neck long.
Remember to look ahead, watch where you’re going.

If you’ve done everything correctly, you will experience a new sense of confidence and see things at a new level – literally. And who said you can’t run in heels? It’s so easy to run in heels – you sprint exactly as sprinters do – with just the ball of your feet.

All I want for Christmas is...

It’s almost a month away to the season of exchanging gifts! Besides putting together the best outfits for all the parties and festivities that are to come, it's also time to put together a (fantasy) list of what would be nice to get during this holiday season.

All I want for Christmas is peace and happiness.

And if possible, I wouldn’t mind getting any (or all) of the following:

THE green Gucci dress that is sinfully elegant with its ruffle sleeves and luscious emerald color. But most of all, the front slit that oozes sexiness and reminds us of the time when Gucci was Tom Ford. Truly a timeless piece - something to make your granddaughters jealous because you're not passing it on to them!

It's time to hike up the fashion ante at work. Set the benchmark with jewel tone silk dresses and pumps and save wardrobe changes for that after work party. Fashion is also about being practical.

Lela Rose pleated dress.

One must have a one shoulder dress simply because they are too chic not to have. Their asymmetrical cut gives a refreshing and modern take on simple dresses. But the true magic lies in those that are cut just under the arms, covering that extra flesh that some of us have between the breast and armpit.

Jill Sander one shoulder white dress.

After a year of ogling over those overrated body hugging bandage dresses from Hervé Léger, it's time to get one yourself. These dresses fits snugly over the body and complements all womanly curves. Like true fashionistas, stay clear of the original McCoy and instead find inspirations elsewhere.

Aquascutum divine bodice dress.

Cardigan with front drapes are all the rage at the moment because they create the illusion of wearing a shawl, adding that extra edge to an otherwise boring cardi. Its versatility to go well with shorts and short skirts, making it a lasting item through all seasons.

Cardigan from H&M.

Heels, heels, heels! for reaching greater heights; it’s all about going higher and making those legs longer.

Alexander McQueen leather pumps.

Fendi suede pumps.

Simple ruched boots as an alternative to all the other black, tight, circulation-stopping boots on the streets.

Stella McCartney boots.

Some Mulberry wouldn’t hurt either.

All in all, always be happy with what we have and have a merry and fruitful holiday season!

Get the party started!

With the holiday season just around the corner, it’s all about getting invites to parties or throwing some yourself! It’s always good to plan early especially on what you are going to wear.

Just because the economy is having a crisis doesn’t mean that your wardrobe choices have to reflect similar sentiments. Let’s keep depressing to a minimum – damage control as they call it.

The wisest choice is still the undefeatable LBD. But the wiser ones will seek out alternative representations of the LBD. Here are two examples.

Update your classic LBD with odd shapes and asymmetrical lines giving the dress an edgy contemporary feel. Alexander McQueen shows us how it’s done with elegance and at the same time creating a dash of excitement using contrasting colors.

Try another color – like white. Go to the other extreme end of the color spectrum and stand out in a white ensemble among a sea of black dresses. Up the luxe ante with bold glittery embellishments. Azzaro’s Enee diamante cocktail dress is set to dazzle away all worries of any financial woes – and bring hope.

Don’t forget to pair your dresses with lovely shoes. Get inspired by the jewel tone trends and bring attention to your soles with these Christian Louboutin satin platforms.

You can also do it like Carrie and inject some edginess with fierce gladiator sandals such as these by ASOS.

Or go back to classics with these black patent platforms from KG by Kurt Geiger.