Haute-Couture Hiver 2008-2009

Que la fête commence !
Nous voici rentrées pour quelques jours dans le royaume de la quintessence modesque. Depuis hier, les défilés de haute-couture Hiver 2008-2009 ont commencé leurs ballets.

Le coup d'envoi a été donné par le créateur Stéphane Rolland, ancien styliste de la maison Jean-Louis Scherrer. Volants et jeu de longueurs sont à l'honneur. Simplicité des couleurs, avec du noir, des nuances de blancs, gris et argents.








La collection est "complètement basée sur l'art contemporain", a expliqué le styliste, précisant s'être inspiré du travail de Pierre Soulages, le peintre du "noir-lumière".

Les jardins du Musé Rodin ont accueilli les créations de John Galliano pour Christian Dior . Une collection totalement Dior, telle que son créateur britannique l'a présenté.


Des silhouettes "New Look" avec ses jupes amples et ses tailles corsetées à l'extrême. De somptueux tailleurs à basques, flirtant avec des robes dignes de princesses. De la soie du tulle, que de jolies étoffes pour cette collection plus sage que d'ordinaire, mais tout aussi exquise.

C'est un véritable hommage vibrant à la couture de Dior que le créateur nous a rendu .

A Trip to Stockholm

Last week, I spent a few days with a friend sightseeing in Stockholm, Sweden. I have to admit I wasn't expecting much because I don't hear a lot of stories about travelling in Northern Europe from my friends. But Stockholm turned out to be seriously gorgeous and so comfortable.

The weather was absolutely perfect -it was cool, breezy and sunny. The weather definitely made the whole experience more comfortable and relaxing. Not to mention it made the sky and sea look especially blue for photos!

We first went to the Nobel Museum. Admittingly the exhibition was very short and there wasn't much to see. But there is a video room that plays short videos of past Nobel prize winners (mainly old interview footages.) You can sit there for hours and just watch -the videos are mostly pretty interesting. Coincidentally, we got the timing just right -we went there after 5pm on Tuesday so it was free entrance!

The next day we went to the Vasa Museum. It's basically a display of the old, sunk ship with many supporting displays of the old sailor days. It was definitely interesting to see such an old, authentic ship up close. After seeing the exhibition, we were very grateful we weren't sailors (despite our love for the nautical trend)! Afterwards we went to the Nordic Museum, which was frankly boring and not worth the visit.

Afterwards, we went to the Moderna Museet (Museum of Modern Art). The art there was actually fun and interesting to look at as it was modern and made up of artwork of a variety of medium, such as photography, sculptures and paintings. It's a nice change from looking at old paintings.

On the third day, we ventured out to see the Millesgarden, which is used to be the house of an architect. It's basically an exhibition of an amazing garden, his house and collected art pieces. I loved his garden! The fountain at the centre was absolutely gorgeous -especially with the amazing view behind it. It was so nice and relaxing to just sit there and feel the breeze!

Afterwards we went shopping, or at least we tried to. It turns out that the clothes in Stockholm were expensive, even more so than in London. We checked out NK, one of Stockholm's big department stores and were not impressed by the range of clothes or by how messy the sale was. So we ended up chilling at a park nearby, where a band was performing.

On the last day, we went to the Royal Palace, which is one of those must-see sightseeing spots. It was not a very grand palace (compared to the French or some other European ones) but it was still fun to walk in and around it.

Overall, I think it was just the weather and whole chilled out atmosphere of Stockholm that made it such a fabulous holiday! Seriously, look at the view!

Image Credit: My camera

Monday à la Moss!

This installment of MALM finds our girl Kate at that Brit hipster-happening, the Glastonbury Music Festival. Pulled-together yet never precious, Kate’s utterly personal look feels perfectly in tune with her laid-back, music fest surroundings. (Not surprising, considering Kate was one of the foremost pioneers of the high/low, luxe groupie look.) But enough with the waxing rhapsodic for the moment, let’s get to the good part where I recreate Kate with stuff from shopbop.

Glastonbury saw Kate pairing her go-to grey skinnies (these are J Brand) with navy Hunter Wellies and a brilliantly unexpected silky top. (It’s not metallic, but methinks Moss would adore this Helmut Lang one just as much.) This functional-yet-fashionable Foley + Corinna bag looks a lot like the one she has over her shoulder, and this military-inspired Mike & Chris jacket is practical and adds just the right amount of edge. And of course, no Kate ensemble would be complete without a pendant and a couple of really cool rings. (Photo courtesy of Jezebel.)

First Fashion: Our Favorites from What's New

One of my favorite things about fashion is wading through the wide range of design inspiration.
	Sunner’s brand of preppy cool has found the perfect medium in this ruffled corduroy dress. Now that I’m not in school anymore, something has to take the place of buying new #2 pencils!
	Art deco always has that timeless, edgy quality, which is why I love the angular, exaggerated pleating on Kooba’s Tracy Bag.
	The utilitarian-style key detail on these post earrings from Juicy are small enough to warrant a double-take, and quirky enough to make that double-take worth it. Maybe if I wear these they’ll keep me from locking my keys in the car. While it’s running. Again.
Find your diverse favorites in What’s New.

Window Shopping at US Urban Outfitters Online

Last month I online window shopped the UK Urban Outfitters (-no, I didn't end up getting any of those items,) so I decided to do the same for the US site. Boy I tell you, the US UO has a way better selection of clothes at very decent prices. I'll try not to rant too much about the much cheaper prices in the States compared to the UKs.

I love this dress, especially the pink and teal-coloured ones. It's not exactly unique and it really reminds me of the early Rory Becca and Lauren Conrad designs but that's why I love it. It's simple, colourful and looks very versatile. I imagine it would be fantastic for many occasions in the summer. Plus, it's made of chiffon and looks like it's worth the 48usd price tag.

Even I think this dress is boring, but if I still had to go to school everyday, then this would be a great throwing-it-on-in-a-hurry piece. And judging from the photos, the dress provides a good canvas for the accessories to liven up the outfit if you feel like it.

I really liked this dress when I first saw the photo although now that I stare at it more, I'm liking it less. Maybe it's because the design's actually more interesting than the plain dress above. But anyhow, it looks like a fun dress to wear during daytime. And it somehow reminds me of Lauren Conrad too. Oh gosh, why does everything remind me of her?

Even though this dress is really not my style, it just looked too pretty for me not to post it. I can imagine Peyton wearing it in One Tree Hill.

Barneys Girl recently emailed me about this shirt and I love it! It's got small flowers all over the pattern but it's nice in that it doesn't look fussy. The design is clean cut and looks easy to wear. I find it so hard to find pretty blouses like this because most of the high street designs are there are either too boring or has too much detail on them. But this one is just right. I want a red one!

I've always related Urban Outfitters to graphic tees -that was one of the sources for its original success right? Anyhow, I'm a fan of most white tees that have simple or black and white designs on them and these fit the bill. I especially like the scribbled tee -it's all about the designed messiness!

I've been looking for a mid-waisted, structured mini dress for ages. There are loads of black minis out in shops now but they're usually not structured or skintight. The slight A-line silhouette this skirt has is so much more flattering.

I've been looking for simple, long necklaces in the UK Urban Outfitters and found nothing. This necklace (from US UO) is exactly what I'm looking for, and it's so affordable at 18usd (although I would probably wait for it to go on sale.)

All this imaginery shopping is making me want to go to the States just for UO!

Image Credit: www.urbanoutfitter.com

Man Fashion Show: Gucci SS 09 Review

Typical summer shades seemed far from the minds of numerous designers at the beginning of fashion week.

That was, of course, until Frida Giannini injected some unbridled life into the proceedings.


At Gucci, bold stripes and elaborate florals were found on ultra-slim pants and variegated styles of that true Gucci-jacket which now seems ubiquitous.



Giannini aimed to convey 'youth and luxury' – which also meant soundtracking the show with indie-favorite 'Time to Pretend' by MGMT.

Not only is Giannini reminding us of the archetypal Gucci aesthetic, she is also making clear her distinct lack of vision for the development of this line.

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Tags: Man Fashion, Fashion Show, Milan Fashion, Designer Fashion, Latest Fashion Trends, Gucci

In the Glossies: shopbop in Star magazine

Star magazine recently featured some fabulous beach accessories, and shopbop pieces are smack in the middle of the profile. Rebel Yell’s Boat Neck minidress is the perfect beach cover-up and is versatile enough to be worn both on and off the boardwalk. And Vix’s Palmilla Kukui tote is a fetching combination of practicality and island cool. Star has shown off some great ideas for accessories, and you can find more inspiration – plus the perfect swimsuit – at shopbop.

First Fashion: Our Favorites from What’s New

Naughty or nice? Today I want styles with a little bit o’ both.
	Just the retro-sexy, ladylike pair I’m in the mood for right now. These feel very Liz Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Hanky Panky, Signature Lace Ruched Boy Short
	Like a sophisticated, uptown version of something Debbie Harry would’ve worn, circa 1979. Refined enough for work, the studs give these suede pumps a cool rocker attitude. Jean-Michel Cazabat Luxury Rebel, La Palma Tapered Toe Stud Pump
	Hot in that insouciant, not-trying-too-hard way I’m obsessed with, this top has a great DIY feel without the time-consuming DIY part. Elizabeth and James, Scarf Tee
Naughty? Nice? Find both and everything in between, right here in What’s New.

Juicy Couture: Something Looks Familiar

Whenever I go shopping, I can't help but say things like, 'This Zara top looks very Prada,' or 'Hmm, this shop is filled with Marni-esque stuff.' (Although I have been trying to voice it out loud less.) This year, while browsing through Juicy Couture accessories online, I can't help but see the similarities between the Juicy bags and bags by other designers. Now I'm not saying Juicy copied other designers. There are just elements of the bags that remind me of other bags.
The first thing I thought was, this looks like a Goyard bag. But after staring at the bag closely for awhile, it occured to me the print is of little puppies. And after staring at it for even longer, it starts to remind me of LAMB bags, which I didn't think was totally original either. What a web! (Or maybe just a triangle.)
The Gucci one is too cutesy for me and the Juicy one is too preppy and seems to be made of terry cloth (-says it all.) While the two technically have very different designs, they superficially look similar to me.
Reminds me of a Gucci F/W07 bag. I think it may even have been featured in an ad. Does anyone remember it and think so, or did I just imagine it?

It doesn't look exactly like a Gucci bag but that gold, circle metal piece in the middle is like the metal piece on a lot of the Gucci 08 bags.

Again, it's the metal plate on this Juicy bag that reminds me of another designer's bags. Can anyone guess?
I love this type of gold hardware that looks like a lock on handbags. The designer bag that has a lot of gold fake locks is by... it starts with the same letter as the one above.
This one is sort of obvious. One is by Dior and one is by Juicy. One is super expensive and one is relatively affordable. To be fair, both are equally cute, though not exactly my style.

Note that I am not saying Juicy copied the other designers. Nowadays with so many choices and designers out there, designers just seem to be inspired by other designers' designs or elements of the designs a lot. It reminds me of Derek Lam saying "There's no such thing as original design...... In a way, that's what fashion's about." Afterall, it's why certain designers are held higher than others, and why some designer collections are considered 'directional' in terms of trend. Anyway, it was fun just to look at the bunch of Juicy accessories together like this, wasn't it?

Image Credit: http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/, http://www.shopbop.com/, http://www.eluxury.com/

Colette fait parler d'elle...

La célèbre enseigne Colette à Paris, profite de l'été pour relooker sa boutique . C'est à l'architecte japonais Masamichi Katayama du studio tokyoïte Wonderwall, qu'elle a confié la réalisation de ses travaux de rénovation.

Mais rassurez-vous, vous pourrez toujours continuer à dénicher les must-have et les exclusivités de la boutique . Pour se faire plusieurs options vous seront offertes :
La plus simple, surfer sur leur site : www.colette.fr avec sa rubrique e-shop vous trouverez sûrement l'incontournable du moment.

Leur site va d'ailleurs lui aussi changer de visage, la rubrique e-commerce se verra accorder une plus grande place.
Autre option, vous rendre au 213 rue Saint Honoré, juste devant la boutique, un espace sera réservé pour la vente des produits phares du concept-store.

Enfin, et pour les plus chanceux qui se rendront à New-York, du 6 Septembre au 5 Octobre prochain, The Big Apple accueille à Manhattan, une boutique éphémère en partenariat avec Gap. De nombreuses exclusivités seront au rendez-vous pour le plus grand plaisir des fashion-addict.

Cette collaboration enchante les deux acteurs, à en croire leurs propos :
Pour Marka Hansen, présidente de Gap Amérique du Nord :
« L’intelligence de Colette, ses alliances inattendues et leurs présentations toujours excitante en magasin font de la visite de la boutique un moment essentiel de tout séjour à Paris. Notre objectif à Colette et Gap est de célébrer le meilleur de la mode et de la culture, tout en surprenant et en mobilisant nos clients ; du coup, l’alliance est parfaite. »
Pour Sarah, acheteuse et directrice artistique de Colette : « c’est une merveilleuse expérience que de collaborer avec Gap dans le cadre d’un point de vente éphémère dans le centre de New York, un environnement incontournable pour le commerce de détail. Nous ferons de notre mieux pour ravir les visiteurs. C’est un défi pour nous qui se tient en même temps que la refonte de notre adresse unique à Paris ».

Que du bonheur ...