The Limited Edition 2.55

The luxury retail market is always coming up with gimmicks and limited edition goods to lure customers into buying more and more.
Chanel's latest Limited Edition product, is this 2.55 in honor of the Chanel Mobile Art Exhibit. Now this may look like any old 2.55, but for once in fashion, the beauty lies on the inside.
Inside the flap to be specific. Inside the flap, is this signature by the legend of fashion himself, KARL LAGERFELD, commemorating the Mobile Art Exhibit in Hong Kong. Logic tells me that Chanel is trying to rip people off, because the scribbling of a few words inside the flap is certainly NOT worth the premium they are charging for it over the standard 2.55's. A mere signature does NOT bring one closer at any level to the author of the signature. The red/orangey color isn't even that complimentary!

But the fashionista side of me is in AWE that I have been able to get so close to and even trace Karl Lagerfeld's signature. I admit, I might have even let out a tiny squeal of delight. A little like what Victory Ford felt when she found Coco Chanel's dress form in Lipstick Jungle (though of course, this is not QUITE as cool nor meaningful, since I know nothing about designing and making clothes). I know this reaction is probably completely illogical and against my better judgment since it is obviously a marketing ploy to make more money for Chanel, but oh, I just can't help it! :)

And I can't wait to go see the exhibit! Its fully booked this weekend, but I'm definitely going next week! Report back!

Man Fashion Review:Sunglasses

Finding just the right pair of sunglasses is not easy. There are thousands of brands, styles and colors to choose from online or in your local sunglasses retail store. Moreover, the price ranging from as low as $20 to as high as $300. So how much and what brands are you looking for is very much depend on your affordability and of course your preference. So here are some reviews that in my opinion is value for money. (Click on pictures to find out more)

Heat Hand made, imported, Italian Acetate Material with high quality, scratch resistant American Polarized Lenses for maximum UV and sun glare protection. This sunglass frame can be converted into a pair of prescription sunglasses and includes a durable, designer hard case and microfiber cleaning cloth.



Heat Sunglasses H24 - Black/Gray Lens





Size is 54-15-125 and will fit both adults and teens. Available Colors: Black/Gray Lens, Mocha/Smoke Lens. Heat Sunglasses H23 - Black/Gray Lens



Size is 55-14-125 and will fit both adults and teens. Available Colors: Black/Gray Lens, Tortoise/Smoke Lens.





Coyote With 5 layers that protect from glare, impact, scratches, and water, the Sidecar's polycarbonate polarized lens are the emblem of quality and durability. Features a 58 mm lens. Their double hard coating makes them highly impact resistant and unbreakable. Not only is the Sidecar's frame fashionable and uniquely shaped, it is made from Grilamid nylon for durability, light weight, and flexibility. Perfect for any and all outdoor activities, these sunglasses are the epitome of quality sport lenses! Coyote Eyewear Sidecar - Black/Rose Flash





 

Available Colors: Tortoise/Gray Flash, Black/Rose Flash.



Coyote Eyewear PZS 52 X-Large - Brown/Copper  







Available Colors: Gunmetal/Gray, Brown/Copper. 



Rockstar Eyewear Ziplan (Men's) - Brown





 





Basic square wrap frame with a comfortable fit. Metal frame. Available Colors: Gunmetal, Black, Brown, Silver. 



Rockstar Eyewear Ice - White





 





Square aviator style sunglasses with leather temple. Classic look with a modern touch. Metal frame. Available Colors: Pink, Brown, White, Gun.

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Technorati tags: Fashion Tips, Man Fashion, Product Review, Sunglasses

Paris Fashion Week F/W08 Wrapup I

This is why Paris Fashion Week is THE fashion week I look foward to the most. I mean, if I'm not going to be able to afford anything on the runway, I might as well ogle at the most creative and gorgeous collections, starting with Balenciaga.

Genius. Seriously genius. Once again, Nicholas Ghesquiere used Balenciaga's history and created a very modern collection. The clothes all look very structured yet still so sensual.

The show started off with minimal, well-cut and structured evening dresses. Take note of the shoes: pointy shoes are back! Is the trend with round-toed shoes soon to be over?

These are the more work-suit looks. I hope those tulip skirts become part of the mainstream trends, (and hopefully high street retailers will be 'inspired' to make affordable versions!)

Metallic, shiny dresses are nothing new. But the shapes of these dresses are amazing.

The velvet top with skinny pants/ skirt combo seemed to be a huge favourite. I love how pretty the colourful tops are. And the black & white velvet top look is just amazing with the black eye makeup! Seriously loves it!

The show closed with printed coats and dresses. While I can appreciate how these artistic pieces form part of the collection, I have to say I'm not a huge fan of the coats. For example, the coat on the left makes the model look like she's got a muscular costume on.

Can't wait for more Paris fashion! Did you love the Balenciaga show too?

Image credit: www.style.com

Men fashion accessories: Essential Guide for Backpack

Do you have your favorite backpack where you bring along whenever you travel? Finding the right backpack is not easy, the price can range from US$30 to US$500 and above for a quality and branded one. So if you don't have one but intend to get one or you are consider to get renew your backpack, you may need to consider several factors before deciding on a particular backpack. Worthiness of a backpack depends on its performance during the particular use you intend it for. Selecting the wrong backpack can cause lot of inconvenience including a sore back and feet.

Before deciding to buy a backpack, you should be able to clearly specify its use. Daypacks, assault packs, and full packs are the major categories in backpacks.

Daypacks are intended for small trips, where the weight will be minimal. Assault packs are used mostly during weekend trips and for activities like mountain climbing. The weight-holding capacity of this type of backpack is greater. Full packs are used for longer trips, and their weight-holding capacities are greater than the other types.

The use of a frame in the backpack distributes weight efficiently. The frame can either be external or internal. The most popular of the frames is the internal frame, as it allows the weight to be carried closer to the body, thus ensuring balance. External frames are ideal for carrying heavy weights. When you buy a backpack with a frame, make sure that it matches with the length of your torso. The torso length ranges between fourteen and twenty-one inches. Most full packs have frames but they may not be found in daypacks and assault packs. The selection of the backpack should also be based on your frame.

If you are intending to buy a daypack or assault pack that is frameless, then it is better to go for one with wide shoulder straps. The straps that are wide at the shoulder and become narrower help to distribute the weight equally. This type of strap is popularly known as a "cobra cut." A waist belt keeps the bag intact and prevents it from beating on your back. Sternum straps found in some daypacks help to keep the shoulder straps intact. This strap is ideal for men, but women may find it uncomfortable.

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Technorati tags:
Assault pack, Backpack, Daypack, Fashion Tips, Full packs, Man Fashion, Man Sport Fashion, Men Fashion Tips

PARIS Fashion Week

Dernière semaine des défilés...après New-York, Londres et Milan, c'est à Paris qu'il appartient de nous faire découvrir les tendances et must-have de l'hiver prochain. Encore une fois, les créateurs nous livrent leurs talents stylistiques, pour notre plus grand plaisir.
La question éternelle se pose, à quoi allons nous ressembler pour arpenter l'asphalte dans le frimas 2009 ?
Les premiers défilés parisiens, nous offrent un mélange de styles (sage et rock and roll à la fois) un mélange de couleurs, même si les couleurs sombres(noir, bleu marine) dominent, un mélange de matières (vinyle flirte avec mousseline) , un mélange de formes (du très court, du très long, du moulant du trés large). C'est donc un véritable cocktail de genres, que l'on nous présente aux travers de ces défilés, mais ce cocktail est savamment maîtrisé pour nous offrir une silhouette harmonieuse et inédite. Impossible donc l'hiver prochain, de ne pas trouver tenue à son goût, car justement, il y en aura pour tous les goûts.

Mes coups de coeur, piochés dans la première partie de ces défilés, résumant la silhouette de la femme "made in French".


Ann Demeulemeester


Balmain


Isabel Marant


Junya Watanabe


Maison Martin Margiela


Michel Klein



Rick Owens



Viktor & Rolf

Swarovski Necklaces

I've always had the impression that Swarovski jewelry were either not very interesting looking or so loud that it bordered on gaudy. However, recently I've had a change of mind. Suddenly these delicate, simple, elegant looking necklaces that I used to find "not very interesting looking," looks very attractive indeed. This has mostly been due to this recent TV show I watched, where this character in it pairs all her very chic work outfits with these very elegant and sleek looking necklaces, which I later found was sponsored by Swarovski. Intrigued, I looked up more of these necklaces and realized that while they are not super loud and ultra trendy, they are the perfect accessory for a smart work outfit. They are subtle and elegant, but are still very pretty and feminine- perfect for work.
Trendy elements are also subtly added to their designs, such as above.
This chained necklace is one of my favourites (left). The design is simple and elegant but still makes a statement. And this gorgeous purple crystal necklace (right) is just the thing to brighten up the usual dreary colors of work clothes in a quiet way. I can just imagine it looking fabulous, with a plain black suit and white shirt paired with simple diamond (or crystal!) earrings and subtle purple eye shadow!

Image Source: Swarovski

Oscar's Fashion 2008

To everyone-who-actually-enjoys-looking-at-glamorous-stars-in-gowns' relief, Oscar's wasn't cancelled. Stars went all out (in terms of the sizes of the gowns) this year as the Golden Globes ceremony was cancelled. This year, the main trend in the gowns were huge, black or red gowns, and empire dresses for the pregnant. The dresses were all pretty 'safe'. I'm going taking note of the dresses I liked here:

My favourite dress of the night was probably Cameron Diaz's Dior dress. Yes, it's not a particularly exciting dress, but I'm a fan of the fabric folds. It's simple, well-designed and pretty. And while it's arguable whether her makeup is too simple for Oscar's, I really like how she sticks to her natural-beauty style.

A trend seemed to be the long, simple dress + big necklace combo. Both Nicole Kidman (in Balenciaga) and Keri Russell (in Nina Ricci) looked very elegant. I thought Keri Russell's dress' colour looks really etheral on her, and the necklace is just a perfect match.

Black was one of the two popular colour choices, and huge gowns were equally popular. I thought the best was Hilary Swank's Atelier Versace gown, with Penelope Cruz's Chanel Couture coming in second.

The other popular colour choice was red. Katherine Heigl looked gorgeous as usual. However, I am getting a bit bored of her old Hollywood look, and her makeup seems a bit overloaded (-the blush).

Heidi Klum's vampy dress was comparatively interesting and she was equally gorgeous (in a slightly different way.)

The Marchesa girls: Anne Hathaway looked really pretty. I like how the dress is one-shouldered in an interesting way, especially the way the fabric looks like it falls and wraps around her arms so perfectly. As for Jessica Alba, she looked pretty (hard to imagine her not looking pretty), but she could probably have done better.

The two people who actually chose interesting dresses were Cate Blanchett, who wore Dries Van Noten and Marion Cotillard, who wore Jean Paul Gaultier. I love how the JPG isn't only shaped like a mermaid, but it also has silver 'scales' on it, and the dress didn't look like a costume. Not surprisingly, Marion Cotillard's dress was many critics' favourite.

If you've read my thoughts above, then you'll probably notice that I wasn't overly enthusastic about the dresses. They're weren't bad, but just not stunning or surprising. Whose dress was YOUR favourite?

Image credits: http://justjared.buzznet.com/, http://fadedyouthblog.com/

Celebrity Fashion: Matthew Fox

I believe most of us know Matthew Fox, if he is new to you, I am sorry, you are probably be out of touch a while. Nevertheless, I have put up some short introduction to you here. Matthew Fox is an American actor and former model. His first major role was playing the older brother and patriarch Salinger on Party of Five in the 1990s, co-starring with both Scott Wolf and Neve Campbell. He gained much greater fame for his current starring role as Jack Shephard on the hit ABC drama series Lost.

So here are some of the Matthew Fox's fashion for you to consider.

Matthew's beach wear with Capri pant and with white casual dress shirt

Matthew's casual dress with blue jeans

Matthew's smart business casual and leisure casual with unshaven style (and tattoo)

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Technorati tags:
Capri Pant, Casual Dress Shirt, Fashion Tips, Man Fashion, Matthew Fox, Men Celebrity Fashion, Men Fashion Tips, Unshaven Style