The essential element of a lady

High heels.

They will work wonders for your personal style. Transforms you into sleek chic in nano seconds.

Ditch the flats and stock up on the heels galfriend.

20 Stunning Blazers + Styling by Zara

I hope to own about a hundred blazers someday. In every possible fitted colour, cut, fabric, length. Blazers/Jackets are simply the greatest fashion invention since Karl Lagerfield.

Boyfriend blazers have taken centre stage in the world of style for a while now and they are a brilliant wardrobe staple. Throw one over a slouchy tee and skinny pants, floral dress, shift dress, jumpsuit or playsuit and you get an instant sleek chic update. I especially love the blazer because it’s an essential element of my favourite rock chic ensemble (a la Emmanuelle Alt).

So i embarked upon the search for the perfect blazer and wow! i found a gold mine on the Zara site. Tons and tons of perfectly cut blazers, i was spoilt for choice. The glorious icing on the cake was that they had them styled so you have ideas of the many ways you can wear each one. I whittled down to these gorgeous 20 and i want them all!

 

Basic Twill Blazer

 

 

Boiled Wool Blazer With Contrasting Edging

 

 

Crossed Wool Blazer

 

 

Knitted Blazer

 

 

Short Cross-over Blazer

 

 

Blazer with Leather Collar and Elbow Patches

 

 

Cool Wool Blazer with Turn-up Sleeves

 

 

False Plain Blazer

 

 

Short Cool Wool Blazer

 

 

Twill Blazer with Gold Buttons

 

 

Short Leather Blazer

 

 

Pinstripe Blazer

 

 

Double Breasted Checked Blazer

 

 

Checked Wool Blazer with Elbow Patches

 

 

Bird's Eye Blazer

 

 

Studio Double Breasted Blazer with Wide Lapels

 

 

Ponte de Roma Knit Blazer

 

 

False Plain Blazer

 

 

Cool Wool Blazer with Shoulder Pads

 

 

Blazer with Lapels

 

All these beauties fall between the very affordable range of £35-£90 on www.zara.com

Dsquared’s ‘out-of-the-box’ skeleton heeled shoes

My phrase of the moment is ‘pushing the envelope’ and these guys at Dsquared are living, breathing and intensely personifying it. I mean, I’ve seen them do the strangest, most out of this world things. The most outrageous display in Spring 2011 fashion month came from them with the transmogrification of a white shirt into a massive wedding dress.

Now, these very interesting shoes from their exceedingly creative stable deserves a blog post. From the Fall/Winter 2010 collection and currently retailing on their site, it’s the vertiginous skeletal skyscraper extraordinaire. Now this is one amazing design feat and i have to hand it to these guys, they take fashion beyond design to pure art.

Don’t ask me if i’ll be wearing these shoes. What matters is i am in great admiration of them.

Oprah Winfrey in Victoria Beckham + a VB retrospective

I’m a confirmed lover of Victoria Beckham’s line, she won my heart since the A/W 10 collection. Now it’s no news that the line made headlines again (pardon the pun) a few days ago. Talkshow queen, Oprah Winfrey wore one of the dresses from Fall 2010 to receive an award in California.

Must be exciting times for Mrs Beckham, her dream of dressing curvy ladies is becoming reality, and who better to make this happen than Oprah. She looked amazing in the dress, even better than the model wearing it on the catwalk. These dresses sure flatter the curvy.

So i decided to do a retrospective of the lovely ladies who have worn Victoria Beckham dresses in the recent past. She definitely has got herself a sizeable following, from actresses to models. The structured, flattering fit and polished look of the dresses make them perfect for all super glam seekers. I especially loved Danii Minogue’s recent appearance in VB on the X-factor.

But nobody wears the styles better than the designer herself; she rocks her dresses to absolute perfection. I’ll almost say she doesn’t need to spend millions on Ad campaigns, she’s doing a brilliant job advertising the line and getting tons of free publicity for it.

Pictures via Showbiz and Instyle

Glam structure to the max: Palmer & Sons No 18 Leather Rucksack

Now this is one beautiful work of art.

Made with lush havana brown leather with brass rivets and a handmade cocobolo handle, what says luxury luggage better than this. You could argue how much the bag would hold; it was designed to carry laptops, cameras and books, which is perfectly fine.  But who says it can’t be put to even more glamorous use.

Structure is definitely beautiful.

You can see more or grab one of these beauties on the No 18 Leather Rucksack on the Palmer & Sons site.

 

Via Fashionising

Rocker chic a la November issue of Spanish Vogue

Rock chic is a style I find incredibly attractive. From the simple, basic ways of wearing the look to the more complex, full regalia of studded jackets, spiked boots, leather pants, the very best of Balmain. Personal style wise, I’ll fall somewhere in the middle. I like the edgy yet feminine allure of the look.

Vogue Spain did a brilliant, quite artistic interpretation of this look in the November issue. The styling featured rock chic looks across the spectrum from intense to simple but it captured the essence of the style pretty well.

The models, Iselin Steiro and Toni Garrn rocked heavily sequinned jackets and pants, leather and blazers against a posh ‘musical’ background. Loved the role of electric guitars in the shoot. The brilliant photography was by David Vasiljevic and styling was done by Barbara Baumel.

Photo credits to Fashiongonerogue

Leighton Meester in Elie Saab: Absolutely Gorgeous

This Gossip Girl nailed it with the delicately glamorous Elie Saab dress, coupled with matching box clutch.

 

Image via Instyle

Wedding dress daydreams: Vera Wang Spring 2011

Tulle is beautiful and Vera Wang does wonders with it. The dresses from the Spring 2011 collection are classic Vera Wang, simple, delicate, whimsical and elegant. Layers and layers of tulle cascading softly and the beautiful satin bands. She uses lace here and there but nothing heavy, just in the right romantic proportion.

A bride should come across as delicate on her wedding day, shouldn’t she? Well Vera Wang has mastered the art of bridal delicateness. And there’s something I really fancy about the almost poetic description of each dress, it increases the appeal.

I would love to get married in one of these.

Strapless soft ballgown with fusions of shadow and chantilly lace, swirling multi-tiered confection skirt with bias horsehair trim, bullion and crystal bouquet embroidery

 

V-neck mermaid gown with illusion corset top, cut blossom skirt with tulle overlay and bias horsehair trim

 

 

Strapless sweetheart mermaid gown with asymmetrically pleated bodice and cut organza blossom hem with blizzard beading

 

 

Strapless mermaid gown with asymmetrically draped bodice and pleated back train with shadow lace hand-painted detail

 

 

Strapless sweetheart full a-line gown with asymmetrically draped drop–waist bodice and chrysanthemum organza blossom skirt

 

 

Strapless a-line gown with veiled hand-painted crystal embroidered bodice and softly tucked skirt with bias horsehair trim

 

 

Modified mermaid strapless sweetheart gown with asymmetrically draped peplum bodice and multi-tiered back over–skirt with horsehair bias trim

 

 

Strapless mermaid gown with fusions of shadow and chantilly lace and multi-tiered tulle skirt with cascading bias horsehair trim

 

Bag Lurv: Miu Miu Natté and Patent Leather Handbag

I love how Prada has these metallic florals on most of the pieces in the fall collection. This bag is simply gorgeous.

Miu Miu Natté and Patent Leather Handbag

 

Image via InStyle

Style Statement: Tailored Wide Leg Pants

The wide leg pants made a come back on the runways with Fall 2010. It was actually the season of tailored evening pants, with peg legs, straight pants; all quickly giving the dear dowdy harem pants a boot.

Chloe Fall 2010

Phillip Lim Fall 2010

Gucci Fall 2010

These tailored pants are beautiful because they give you a polished, sleek chic look. I particularly love the high waisted, wide legs, not only do they minimise the bum but they give a super leg lengthening effect, particularly when paired with skyscraper heels.

And they won’t be going anywhere soon, they were all over the runways for Spring 2011, inspired by the seventies. I found an interesting piece on NY Times Fashion & Style talking about how to wear this look. Got me thinking about how i’d wear it.

Look 1 would be wool and silk blend top tucked into high waist wide leg pants,  high heels and bag; finished off with gold plated cuffs

Look 2 is more formal, wide leg pants worn with white shirt and plaid jacket, with my favourite bag du jour and high heels of course

Emmanuelle Alt: Parisian Chic Supremo and Global Style Icon

This week, I will be celebrating my favourite Parisian style queens. I’ll kick off with this lovely lady.

Emmanuelle Alt, world famous style icon, Parisian Chic personified, ultra polished and extremely chic. She works as Fashion Director of Vogue Paris alongside the legendary fashion icon Carine Roitfeld, she’s also stylist to designers like Isabel Marant.

Emmanuelle literally owns the rock chic, edgy, balmain-esque  look. She obviously refreshes the style with various stunning pieces in the ensemble, but she looks super stylish and effortlessly chic ALL the time. She’s one of those people who possess innate ‘non-contrived’ style.

I literally have never seen her in a dress, in bright colours or obviously feminine outfits; with Emmanuelle, it’s noir and edgy. Her make up is au natural, almost looks like she rolled out of bed looking fabulous. There’s a certain je na sais quoi about her that enhances the stylish aura.

And it is so beautiful that she’s also a doting mother, with a lovely daughter who is obviously a mini fashionista already. What with a mom like that.

Viva Emmanuelle! She’s in my style icon hall of fame, right beside Carine,  Giovanna Battaglia and a host of others.

 

Emmanuelle with Carine Roitfeld

 

I shall close with this beautiful quote from her:

‘Forget trendy designer labels. Jeans, a sweater or a t-shirt worn under a jacket that seems welded to you. When it’s just right, when you don’t see the effort, it’s irresistible’

Totally agree with you Emmanuelle.

Anne Hathaway in Vogue US

I had seen the mini buzz about how much Anne Hathaway looked like Eve Mendes on the cover of Vogue, but nothing quite prepared me for the high fashion retro glam I found in the editorial.

 

 

This was Grace Kelly meets Princess Diana at the ball, with an extra dose of glamour. She was dripping in gorgeous jewels, wearing satin gloves and elegant dresses reminiscent of royalty. The lovely dresses were by the likes of Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Isaac Mizrahi.

Vogue US Fashion Director Tonne Goodman did the picture perfectly glam styling and photography was by the legendary Mario Testino. Theme of the editorial was ‘Happily ever after’ starring Anne Hathaway and the dashing French actor Raphael Personnaz.

She came across as gorgeous and absolutely elegant, but then seeing her acting history, this is one role she has no problems playing. Photo Credits to Fashiongonerogue

The weekend shoe report a la Asos

With Asos now available in the US, beautiful and affordable fashion via our favourite online fashion store has begun its global reign!

Well, i was taking a look around today and check out what i found from the shoe collection!  And some of them are on sale!

Asos Akiera Leather Peep Toe Shoe Boots

Asos Hodge Colour Block Sandal

Elizabeth and James More Heeled Shoe

Asos Alpha Suede Patchwork Boot

Paul by Paul Smith Lea Lace Front Heeled Ankle Boots

Report Annona Cuffed Heeled Ankle Boot

Report Signature Caleb Strap Heeled Ankle Boots

Asos Black Boston Leather Laced Shoeboots

Elizabeth and James Gasp Leather Heeled Shoe

 

All shoes available on asos.com

Who’s loving this season’s satchel bag?

I think it’s my love for structured bags in general that has me drooling over this season’s satchel bag. It’s a fresh, grown up bag and has different interpretations from designer to highstreet. The typical long strap feature makes it flexible so you can carry across the body; or ditch the strap and clutch the handle, ideal for corporate chic.

 

Proenza Schouler Medium Leather Satchel

 

 

Rebecca-Minkoff Purple Satchel

 

Warehouse buckle satchel bag

 

 

Mulberry Alexa Plum Loopy Leopard Quilted Satchel

 

Cambridge Satchel Company 15 Satchel

 

 

ASOS Suede Studded Punchout Pocket Satchel

Hottest Silhouette of the Season: Ladylike Chic Dresses

 

Prada printed satin-dress

 

Asos Tailored Check Pleat Fold Dress

 

Karen Millen Velvet panel shift dress

 

 

Oasis Pyramid Dress

 

Ted Baker Bow Front V-Neck Dress

 

 

Asos Exaggerated One Shoulder Dress

Pictures via asos.com