Trend Forecast 2010

The index of U.S. leading economic indicators rose in September for a sixth straight month, showing the economy is likely to expand into early 2010. The Conference Board’s gauge of the economic outlook for the next three to six months climbed a greater-than-forecast 1 percent, contributing to the biggest six-month gain in 26 years, the New York-based private research group said today. And that was the economy forecast from Bloomberg.

And here's our fashion forecast for 2010!!!

Gird your loins, as Style.com dishes the top ten upcoming trends for spring 2010! Let’s take a look shall we…

Standing at number one of the list is, whoa – digital prints! Never heard that one before, didn’t see it coming, never knew what hit me! OK seriously, just hold onto to those bright, colorful graphic prints you bought two seasons ago. Update them with some accessories, nudes, whatever. If you must invest and spend, look for prints that are “more” creative and original. Cue: something you haven’t already seen.

Next come something sporty. Now before you start running to grab those stinky tennis shoes that have been buried beneath your closet, something sporty in the fashion context translates to sophisticated, clean, relaxed lines. Think white and resort. Yeah…

No surprises that the omnipresent military style is here to stay. Ever since making its appearance in Balmain AW09, the powerful buttons and shoulders have proven their staying power and style impact. This is one good buy that will see you through seasons, literally. Let’s just hope all those buttons stays on.

Leather comes in nicely on the list too. After all the craze that is going around for biker chicks and BDSM worthy studs and spikes, leather continues its appeal into the lighter season in – lighter tones. Think nudes, light brown, butterscotch and soft as a baby texture. This is one style I’m in for100%, because leather is a luxury fabric that will make every penny worth its investment. Or maybe I’ve just reached the age when leather makes me look good and not old.

I’ve always loved lace and boudoir, which by the way, has such a lovely, throaty note to it that when exclaimed, resonates on all the sensual strings in our body. Come this spring, air out those racy lingerie of yours – by wearing them openly! At least according to Style.com. I recommend peek-a-boos or just lingerie inspired detailing, like lace, nets, sheer, chiffon, silk, satin…

Spring has and always will be a season for soft pastels and dreamy palettes. At the first sign of sun and spring, drop all things black and go pink. Pastels are generally a fail-safe option, except for the rare exception of looking “washed out”. So pucker up to bold red lips when going pasty…sorry, I meant pastel.

Um, wild prints are still in since they appeared in the 80s.

So are unforgiving body con dresses. Designers want us to wear super tight dresses right after we come out of winter hibernation with all our naturally stored up fats. Yes, the fashion industry is a hypocrite (just like life at most); they say “no-more” to skinny models but “more-more” to skinny dresses.

Denims stand at number nine on the list. If your distressed, acid washed, faded, tortured jeans are still in existence, they will serve you well again in the coming spring. Otherwise, denim shirts, denim jacket, denim skirts, denim watches will do just as well.

And the finale on the list are –horrors of horror – CLOGS! Gladiators and platforms were brilliant, but evolving them into clogs is simply – what’s the opposite of evolving? Sure, Karl Lagerfeld used it in his theatrical Chanel SS10 show, but it was for theatrics and it was a show! Clogs are officially the new crocs. We hate them as much as we wonder how in the world did they ever became popular?

Images: Style.com

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/

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.

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.

Driving Miss Elegance

Last winter I was sitting in a cozy café with a good friend, happily sipping our lattes when an old lady walked through the door. Our reactions were immediate though I believe I was more unsubtle – we stared. As rude as it may sound, I couldn’t pull my eyes away from the lady and willingly allowed my eyes to devour in every piece of clothing she had one and every move she made.

The lady exuded such a strong sense of elegance and style that was so captivating it was almost bewitching. Right there and then she inspired me to grow old and aspire to look like her when I do.

The lady wore a simple yet elegantly cut long black coat and a cloche hat. But it was her gloves that made the strongest impression.

They were turquoise driving gloves.

We’ve heard many times how shoes complete one’s look – in this case, a pair of gloves didn’t just complete the look but added the cherry on top. While most people at that age has given up on style and hide as much of themselves underneath shapeless earth tone layers, this wonderful lady was not a bit held back by the age that lined the back of her hands. The gloves just accentuated the slenderness of her hands and fingers; and how exquisitely she uses her fingers to flip through the menu and hold her coffee to her lips.

This lady appears to have lived through the roaring style of the 20s and managed to carry it with her through the decades and transforming it so wonderfully into a style statement for the present day.

In homage to those turquoise driving gloves and the lady that embodies elegance, I dedicate my autumn/winter gloves style to colored bare backs.

Hats off to chocolate anything!

For those of you who are heading into colder seasons – you should still read this! And for those of you who are bastardly lucky enough to have summer all year round – this is for you!

Hats are finally taking the center stage when Diane Kruger, who by the way replaced Kate Bosworth as the new celebrity candy to the fashion world, spotted a boater hat sitting primly next to Ms. Wintour, front row at Cavalli’s resort 2009 show. Of course, you do not make fashion mistakes when sitting next to the queen of fashion and thus the ‘hat’ set itself to become a more widely acceptable statement.

Hats are great in many ways. Besides its aesthetic offerings, it was originally created with the intention to protect against harsh climates, most commonly from the sun (now known as UV rays). And it is with these intentions in mind that we should celebrate the return of hats again!

Sunglasses are simply just not sufficient to protect your face from the powerful sun rays. It’s a known fact that UV rays hastened the deterioration of your skin cells leaving you dry and wrinkled like a prune. Many smart ladies, Nicole Kidman for one, swear by the hat to keep their looks forever young.

So how to carry this trend?

Many people become hesitant when faced with the hat option. Most of us make the mistake of not even making it an option due to silly reasons like hat hair. Hat hairs are things of the past; you can easily brush out one with a big paddle brush with some light hairspray.

The favorite hat on the street at the moment is the Panama hat. Many celebrities and models alike are taking on the trend with much gusto.

Samanthat Ronson thinks it's still a secret.

Rachel Bilson working it.

But like all fashion trends, always remember to inject your own sense of style and personality by trying out other variations inspired by the Panama. Play around with the colors, the length of the brim, and hatbands. Try boaters, modernized cloches, or for a dramatic effect (with full sun protection), a big rimmed sun hat!

Blake Lively attempts the Cloche... or is that a bucket hat?

Boaters - Flat-brimmed and flat-topped straw hats for a casual European coolness. Goes well with casual dressing. Adds a playful note to your outfit.

Cloches - Popular bell-shaped ladies hat of the 1920s brings back some old elegance or decadence to our modern day dressing.

Carrie showing us how it can be done - with bags and heels!

Sun hats - large brims big enough to shade your face and shoulders, but also to shout drama queen! Or just wear it with shorts and be the Holly Golightly of the 21st century.

OK, this isn't the greatest picture. Will try and search for a better one and replace this.

No fedoras please.

Crunch it with a Blazer

Sorry for the blog-drought, many ideas were dried up and unharvestable but a few were saved. Here's one of them.

If you want to know the secret to a great looking day - looking chic and relaxed that is - Crunch it with a Blazer.

Yup, it's not really a secret anymore so you better hear it now and hear it well. And the best part is, this look works just as great with guys as well!

It's actually really simple. First you pick a nice looking blazer that fits you well. Blazers doesn't mean they have to make you look like you're from the 80's. Once you have blazer on, push the sleeves up until they're just below your elbow. And that's it. That's all there is too it.

One of the Olsens doing their usual trick of looking fashion forwardly chic.

Anne Hathaway shows us how one can be elegant and chic with a casual crunched blazer.

For some fun and excitement, try it with bright colored blazers. You know how blazers tend to be in boring dark shades - go for a change and some shock value. It'll be fun and you'll enjoy your day with the bright colors beaming off dark thoughts.

Singing the Blues

After a binge on minimalism and modernistic-cool, the fashion world decided to take a break by swinging to the other end of the pendulum and celebrate what the real world has to offer us – colors!

Strong, electrical colors made a bold splash across runways this season painting several collections in colorful prints and in strong singular colors the borderlines screaming neon. Colors as we all know have very interesting effect on people – both the wearer and the admirers. Therefore, it can be rather tricky to pull off a “heavy” and sometimes “depressing” color like, say blue.

But when Blue gets electrical it’s an entirely different world – think Super heroes, think Mischa at the Cannes festival, think retro-cool-tight-fit-electrical-blue-dress!

What you get here is nothing close to the blues but exciting, funky notes of electric blues!

This simple blue dress is chic, sexy, and complementary even for curvy ladies. The cut and the lines in the front makes a slim streamline while the long sleeves can be pushed up the arm slightly to create a casual crunch.

Since it’s almost like a bare, albeit colored, canvas, one can top it with chunky accessories or an iconic clutch. Don’t forget about shoes – it cannot be said enough that shoes complete the look! Play around with your options – go chunky for retro funk, stilettos to ooze sex and sophistication, or just flats for elegant chic.

Though adventurous, a dose of prudence can do one good when it comes to strong colors. Alas one should end up with the 'parrot-syndrome'.

Max it

Summer dresses do not always have to be short and skimpy to allow the most exposure especially if you’re starting out in a shade close to “pasty”. Though far from pasty, Angelina Jolie recently stepped out in a series of romantic, flowing long dresses leading a trail of inspirations and the opportunity for a maxi dress comeback.

Since the sixties, long dresses have had an uphill battle to lose its hippie stigma. Anyone seen with a long dress is either immediately stamped with a hippie mark or pushed into the bohemian- wannabe category. Nothing stylish or glamorous there.

But this summer, long dresses will make a comeback thanks to the star factor that Angie has bestowed upon them. Long dresses are popping up everywhere in major giant retails like ZARA, H&M, and more. Here’s one of the many examples from H&M’s tribute to Marimekko and a darling picture of Irina Lazareanu taken by the Sartorialist himself.

So bring out those long dresses that you’ve been hiding, throw on some sunnies, let loose your hair – and you’re ready to go with this summer’s look!

Razzle-dazzle, Fading-frazzle

Last Christmas we saw a sudden profileration of girls with a deck of glittery necklines appearing on their dresses and tops alike. Apparently, all that glitter went well with the party season.

And it should stay that way.

Like anything glittery; it distracted and swayed the buying power of many women. So much so that it became overrated.

No buy, or don’t wear because:

like any overrated pop culture, it’s not worth it

there’re probably another 2 girls who has a similar dress/top as you in the bar

too many stones comes off cheap plastics after looking at it for 5mins


Don’t get me wrong. It’s a beautiful item, but enough is enough.