Bye-bye Kate Moss. Hello Kate Bosworth.

There’s a new fashion icon in town and her name is Kate. Kate Bosworth. Albeit yet another skinny Kate, this Kate has put on more delightful wares than Ms. Moss for the past 12 months.

Kate B. is the lady to watch this year. Either she’s really good, or her stylist is good.

Sorry, but Kate M. has outlived her expiry date. Always retire on a high – or is that too late now?

Ms. Kate i seen here modelling several key pieces from a selected few of Vogue's "Super Seven", which will potentially drive the style notes for 2008.

With Thakoon -- Abstract Prints and Colors

Being blown away by Phillip Lim.

With the magnificient duo - Proenza Schouler.

Defying all odds with Doo-Ri.

Yes to Romantics, No to Tiers

Unsurprisingly, soft flowing fabrics are back with spring. All things romantic and goddess-like are good. Think organza and tulle and anything that goes with the wind.

It’s all about being a girl again, and feeling fresh and light, throwing off the weight and any remnants that winter depression tends to offer.

Roberto Cavalli delivers several beautiful and inspiring pieces.

The flowy take was adopted gracefully by notable actresses at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, such as Angelina Jolie who's expecting her second biological child and fith to the Jolie Pitt brood.

Meanwhile, despite the fact that tiers seem to be trying to squeeze in a come back as well, I would not recommend it for the same reasons why it never did any good before.

Tiers makes you look fat full stop. OK, maybe like a tiered cake too. Either way, it's no good. Do not get fooled by its tendency to look romantic, it is not. The following exhibits illustrates.

Funny enough though, frills work. Fashion and trends are simple, they just appear confusing.

Burberry breakthrough -- literally

Burberry ushers in the new year with a completely new look. Anything but stiff and boring. It’s still quite British though with a snazzy twist of color and punk and loudness.

Burberry wants to tell us that it’s fun, young, and hip. I say, try harder -- and try atleast, to make something new.

The long and short of hair

Since the rage of Victoria Beckham look alikes which sent ladies running off to chop of their locks, the short bob has evolved slightly and ironically, it was Posh’s best friend, Katie Holmes that helmed the new short hair look – snip it with a bang.

Not just any bangs, but soft feminine bangs that bring out the soft features of a woman’s face. So it comes off as young and fresh, but not too edgy and strong. Which is very important, because we don’t any Bai Ling’s look alikes sprawled all over now, do we?

Colors, Abstract Prints, and Prada Collars

Strong colors are going to continue painting the fashion scene this year. It will be yet again a happy colorful year, though this time colors are more experimental and adventurous, compared to the initial one toned strong colors.

Prints are also prevalent in many collections, but no flower prints nor retro prints. It’s all about embracing arts now. Abstract prints are with strong colors are making the statements on dresses, tops, pants, and skirts alike. Clothes are taking an expressive turn.



Prada’s ad campaign made a clear message as well – collars are back. Though yet to be seen on many other collections, it’s safe to say that collars will be picked up soon, and before you know it, a widespread endemic. Hopefully, it will not be overrated and killed off too soon. Collars have been neglected for too long, it’s their turn for the limelight.

Happy 2008!

There has been a drought of fashion inspiration for the past few months. But now I’m back and with a VENGEANCE!

The answer to my inspirations came in the form of VOGUE US February. Sure the cover wasn’t as interesting as some that I’ve seen. But it had Kate Bosworth.

Kate – the new Kate, the new fashion icon.

It was a sign of good things to come, and they came in over 50 pages. I’m happy, and you should be too.

You know you've done something right in regards to fashion, when you're sitting front row with Ms Wintour herself.

I'm not there

A film that I’m looking forward to watch is “I’m not there”. The film is a new type of biopic that illustrates the life of iconic singer-songwriter, Bob Dylan, at several different stages.

Why I’m really looking forward to this film is to see Heath Ledger, Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, and Richard Gere portray Bob.

Also looking forward to see if the film can pull of its interesting take or just falls off as an “attempt” at being different.

Cashmere Mafia

How long will it last?

Is Cashmere Mafia the new "answer" to Sex and the City, but with more style and updated fashion trends? Will it last the strong competition with the other TV series that are sprouting out everywhere, every season?

Cashmere Mafia is an upcoming American television series created by Kevin Wade. Wade has written other materials including Maid in Manhattan. How predictable. No points for guessing how CM is going to end...

The Art of Posing

Recently corresponding to the explosion of Facebook and vainpots wannabe, I started noticing how ladies and girls alike, pose in front of the camera.

OK, that's not entirely true - I have always noticed how people pose/stand/freeze in front of the lens. And unfortunately, only very few have mastered the art of posing amateur-ly.

Anyhow, this realization prompted my latest inspiration for an entry here. How to Pose Delightfully – only for amateur. If you’re a pro – you should spank yourself if you still find news here.

For this lesson/entry, I have selected a few delightful ladies from Vogue’s best dress runner up list. According to current trend and style, there is only one way a lady should pose when she’s clad in a beautiful flowy, tight, long, short, colorful, black, monotonous, exciting, chic – skirt.

See the exhibits below for illustration:

Lovely Maria Sharapova

Ever the fashion challenger, Chlöe Sevigny

Nice attempt from Sienna Miller. But she needs more work on being elegant.

By standing with your legs crossed, you create a slimmer and lengthier illusion of your legs. Your hips are slender and the cross of the legs streamlines and enhances the hourglass shape. Knobbly knees and stumpy ankles are hidden and instead the audiences are drawn by the exuding demureness of the person. Smile gracefully, with a knowing twinkle in the eye, saying – there’s more than meets the eye ;-)

And click – everyone is suddenly photogenic.

There is, however, an alternative for those who cannot master the crossed-legs pose. If your ankles are clicking vehemently when you try standing with your legs crossed, you might want to either start strenghtening your ankles or consider the option below.

You can, and should, just stand straight, with your feet slight apart (not too much!) and smile cheerfully. If your feet are too close, they more often than not will end up looking bowed or that you have a serious case of rickets.

Straight forward like Lauren Davis.

Beware; however, there is a big NO-NO in posing. Never do this:

If you need to pee, go pee before taking the picture.

Few more nudes

Just a few more evidences of the Nude Heels invasion.

Top it with Satin!

The last time one of my fashion advice really hit it off, was when I featured some Top Shop wares.
So I decided, why not try it again?

After 30mins of scanning, I decided to advance slightly from my previous Top Shop entries by pairing up pieces (basic pairing – what can you expect in 30mins?).

First of all, I absolutely skipped everything designed by Kate Moss. I agree with everyone that Ms. Moss is a fashion icon, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she can design. It’s cool that fashion houses like Top Shop and H&M are roping in celebrities to launch their lines (I see it as charity work), but seriously, if they can design, they would’ve been designers. M by Madonna and H&M loves Kylie were total flops. Madonna’s line nearly went straight to Sales and Discounts while Kylie’s swimwear collection was by far below ordinary. Ms. Moss is not doing any better either and I would highly advice anyone from blindly purchasing something just because it’s celebrity stamped.

Sorry for the detour, but now, let’s get down to business shall we?

For this entry, I have selected three tops and a dress. Most of which are made from silky or satin-ish fabrics. Silk and satin when designed tastefully provides a stylish sheen that radiates woman and elegance. It falls gently onto the wearer’s body, giving a soft yet mature attitude as it takes care and attention to keep your satin garbs from crumpling or getting dirtied (think sweat patches…eww).
The first two pieces are an electric blue satin blouse with pleats in front and cuffed sleeves and a white satin top with Victorian inspired frill details.

The electric blue gives a modernistic take on a rather soft material balancing the contradiction nicely. Slapping on a waist cincher such as a belt will add on some shape to the otherwise loose blouse. Belt could be leather for maturity or sequined for fun. Or, adding on a chunky colored necklace can also replace the accessory factor (but may overwhelm the pleat details).

The white satin top can be left alone as it is with its own white sash. Otherwise, you’re also more than welcome to experiment by replacing the white sash with other alternatives to give any desired effect. From big fat belts for a hipper look or just another colored satin sash for variety.

Both satin tops can be worn with jeans, either cropped or skinnies. Why jeans. Unless you’re going to a formal function, then you can wear them with pants; otherwise it’s an overkill of lux. Denim turns down the volume on glam and adds a chic touch to the satins. As for pairing with skirt, you will have to tuck in the tops to avoid looking like a multi layered umbrella. Look, the tops are already girly; you don’t need a skirt to further emphasize your gender.

Next we have a brown satin dress with print details. A dress such as this is awesome with nearly any kind of shoes. But to carry off the current trend of vintage, you could try pairing it up with some Mary Jane’s or courts. Wedges are cool for retro and you can spice it up with some unexpected color like blue for some eye-catcher factor (wedges are normally already brown, so that will coordinate with the dress and undermines blue or any other color from being as eye sore). Avoid flats if possible, I mean, why be pretty when you can be beautiful?

Finally, I have the waistcoat. Absolutely fun and classic! Will go with nearly anything, since it’s independently such a cool item, so why not go all the way and pair it with the controversial high waist wide legged pants? Wear them to work and no one can complain because it’s not casual and at the same time, increase the style standards at your workplace.

Nude Heels

Some people ask me where I find my fashion answers and I give them all sort of silly answers. Because honestly, I don’t really know. I think it could’ve been from my childhood when I used to play with my mom’s dresses and shoes (destroying most of them in the progress); staring endlessly at fashion spread from stolen magazines (mom forbids fashion magazines; thinks it’s viceful) and inspecting every single lines and shadows and colors that has been meticulously captured by some legendary photographer (and further perfected by graphic designers – pffft!); but quite importantly too, is watching other (stylish) people and learn how trends can and should be played out in reality.

A few months ago, under some very special circumstances, I had the opportunity to meet a rather ordinarily interesting woman who simply exudes – elegance and style. She has since inspired me to write two entries specifically dedicated to her hair and her shoes (her pencil skirt already hit my other previous entry). Her hair was short yet feminine (see “Necking it”) and her shoes…ahh, they were Nude Heels.

It has been a while since I’ve seen any decent ladies wearing a nice pair of Nude Heels (so much so that I hardly could find any pictures with them!). I nearly forgot how magical they can be.

Heels in general are great for any woman who can carry them off. If someone describes you as gliding, floating, or even walking in heels –you’re fine. But if you think you’re more like teetering, then it’s best you wear something lower and healthier.

Otherwise, here’s a reminder of why you should slip on a pair of heel anytime:

1. They create the illusion of longer legs


2. They push your feet into a sensual arch


3. They lift your derriere into a cute perk and


4. They make you sway seductively when you walk
   

But a pair Nude Heels – they add value. By very fact that the color of the shoes is nearly the same as most skin colors, Nude Heels further enhance the illusion of elongated legs and having a continuous arch of the feet. It’s like having a natural sway and a naturally arched feet and long legs. It’s like wearing clothes but not really. It’s like Nude but with elegance and style.


So the next time you run out of idea what shoes to buy next – Nude Heels.

PS. July is the month of high heels racing.

Necking it

The season of short hair was literally kick started when the ever eccentric Selma Blair decided to challenged the beauty industry with her punk cut.

Despite it's controversial start (many raved about how modernistic and a step forward it is, while others just squabbled about how it was too bold, whatever), Selma managed to inspire many other ladies to chop it off as well.

Sienna Miller and Rihanna shows of the short hair evolution

Hair cuts are contagious. You need one person to start and the rest will get the itch. As we can see how Selma's hairdo has evolved over the next several months into something more soft and acceptable.

As most well spotted and well styled by Victoria Beckham.

Looking her elegant self.

Going casual.

Or just going abouth her daily routine - shopping.

Also spotted on BFF and latest addition of chic-moms, Katie Holmes (most likely adviced by Vic herself).

And most recently, the campaign look for clothing giant H&M.

Ladies, it's time to get some fresh air down that neck!