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.