Voi Là-Bas

One of the most hyped up and talked about shows at Runway Malta was that of William Wilde's very 'British' collection. I do have loads of other runway photos from this event, but the William Wilde ones are my favourite. I was down by the rest of the press for this show so my photos were taken from a much better angle.

After a lot of editing, I can now post some significant pieces in William Wilde's collection. He was one of my two favourites of the night and definitely the show I enjoyed most. Loved the music and the ambience, I found it suited the collection perfectly and definitely gave it that something more with regards to presentation.

Two black and white numbers which I loved. I wouldn't necessarily wear them, but my god they're beautiful. Especially the second. I think the designer balanced everything so well. I love the way he used PVC and paired it with the knee-length dresses. A high hem-line would have probably looked somewhat trashy (for lack of a better suited word). With the type of dresses and cuts he designed, however, William Wilde made PVC look sophisticated and glamorously elegant.

These two pieces above exemplify what I meant by "very British". Doesn't it look so? I think it does. It's a vintage British silhouette executed with modernist touches and detail. The studded bows and belts, quirky sunglasses and bold stripes make the collection ever so playful.

I love this so much it's ridiculous.

More! Fun, fun, fun pieces. You can also watch the whole show, here. I highly recommend you watch it as it was such an enjoyable show.

One last dress. This was definitely my favourite of the lot. It's something I would wear, though preferably it would be made out of a more comfortable material :P. As a concluding thought, though, I really liked how the PVC fabric fell and the silhouettes that were created with it. Probably being a difficult material to wield, you can really appreciate the designer's work and the effect he achieved through his creations.

Also, for backstage photos, do check the Tiziana's post on Rouge Reveries here. Being backstage looks like a different experience altogether and I really enjoyed seeing all the photos and random snaps. :)

Tina x

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This spring I'd really like to get my hands on a pair of leather trousers, or maybe leather shorts or a skirt, even. Leather clothing can sometimes be difficult to style and successfully pull of, especially if you've never tried it before. The fabric is something of an attention grabber, a bomb. But there are many different ways to make the outfit look elegant and glamorous. What I find important to keep in mind is that what works on the runway won't necessarily work in real life.

1. The first way to dress up leather is pairing it with simplistic pieces and giving that final touch in detail with accessories and shoes. Like a pair of Sam Edelman Lorissa pumps, white shirt and a nude-coloured blazer, like the outfit below.

2. In this option, think glamorous and elegant. What we want to do here is transform the inherent 'rock chic' undertone of leather pants to sexy effortlessness. And how exactly shall we do this? With red, of course. Red is a very strong colour, but it is also glamorous. And whilst having two strong elements in an outfit may cause a clash, paying proper attention to how you style it will go from clash to crush.

2. Another way to style leather is working it into an all black outfit. This might actually be my favourite, even though I don't particularly wear a lot of black; the times I've worn an outfit which was predominantly in this colour are very few. I find that outfits entirely in one colour can easily become boring, which is why I steer clear of it by second nature. However, one thing leather definitely isn't, is boring.

Rachel Zoe Fall/Winter 2012

4. The fourth way to style leather is with a minor print going on. Like a floral top, or a faded print. Not something over-dramatic but preferably sheer and light. This will soften the look and make it look more aesthetically balanced.

That's my post for today. :)
Any comments and feedback are obviously very welcome. If you like, you can check out my other blog, Shrine of Whim. It's more of an 'etc' blog, with bits and bobs about practically anything.

Thanks for reading,
Tina x

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So I know there are the Fall/Winter shows going on, but I'm gradually easing into a more 'spring-y' state of mind. Mostly I've been creating a lot of Polyvore outfits with particular themes in mind. These themes are prints, leather looks (yes. I wants leather), and pastels/colour blocking. I'm not much of a fan of colour-blocking really, but I tend to like it with pastels. :)

For the sake of avoiding ridiculously long-wided posts, I will focus on prints and florals today, which is my favourite-est theme. Especially electric floral prints. LOVE. Also, Mary Katrantzou's peices... *AWE*.

It's a two-tone floral thing:

What I'm eager to try out is to mix two items in a different floral print. I think it can play out really well. Who needs colour blocking when you can mis-match prints? Hah. Kidding. (Or am I? O.o)

That Lampshade dress:

That lampshade dress. Cliche, you say? Well, maybe. But it's still pretty awesome. This dress was actually done by Mary Katrantzou in collaboration with Topshop. I believe it's already sold out, by the way.

Topshop lookbook, Alexa Dixon, Poppy Delevigne.

The Floral-Leopard Combination:

I feel I have to point out a few things about this last outfit. First off, it's in a tie with the first as my favourite outfit. Secondly, I know I said 'Spring' looks, but I said I was easing into it not jumping head first, hence the coat (also, I'm in love with that coat.) Thirdly, the floral-leopard combination was inspired by an outfit Olivia Palermo donned on Day 3 (if I'm not mistaken) of the London Fashion Week. Observe:

Photo taken from meek-n-mild. Awesome blog. (do visit! :)

See the leopard- floral combination? It's daring, and some might not light the effect, but I loves it. The trick here is that the trousers barely graze the ankle, so there's that bit of skin separating the floral from the leopard. Removing that gap would probably be a mistake.

Anway, now I'm off to prepare for tomorrow. We have Design fundamentals in the morning and in the afternoon, then I'm out for a (possibly) crazy night. Today it has been the most radnom day. I had piano lesson, came home, tried on a few outfits, finally opted for my black ZARA coat, tan oversized cardigan, lace top, leopard scarf and studded boots (I loved that outfit)... Then I went to visit my gran and spent some time with her. Seriously, she's the best. :)

Tina out. x

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I first spotted this collection on Olivia Palermo's new blog, oliviapalermo.com. It was love at first sight, hence me blogging about this designer's RTW collection.

There are various elements which I enjoyed in the runway show. First there's the styling. As mentioned in Olvia's blog, Rachel Zoe was a stylist for a number of years. I think that this is greatly reflected in her style and they way she seems to create singles of unique pieces and assemble them together in such a seamless way.

Another thing I enjoyed is how there are various pieces, different looks and a great deal of variations of style. I find that sometimes I tend to favour RTW shows over Couture ones. A lot of the Couture collections are focused around something specific, so I enjoy seeing something like this. Case in point, Rachel Zoe's collection is varied, interesting and simply gorgeous all throughout. In this blog post I will focus around two details that persist in her a major part of the collection and the way she works them into the looks in their entirety.

First off, I adored the touches and trimmings of Velvet. I'm not normally such a fan of this fabric as it can easily come across as tacky. But, the way this designer does makes it come across as a delicacy - and that's at the risk of sounding cheesy haha. Anyway, I have assembled some of the looks involving velvet:

All catwalk photos from here

The first thing I feel I have to point out is that my picks of velvet were all in black. Velvet is such an attention grabber of a fabric as it is. It is for this reason that I tend to prefer it in black since the colour downplays the involvement of velvet in the outfit. The first three picks in the examples above are outfits that I really like and would probably wear. The velvet items are integrated so beautifully. The last look is practically all velvet, which is why I included it. It is to show how the pattern of the top and accessories do the trick. These details really pull off the all-velvet look.

One last (velvety) thing, is this hat:

Photo from here

Needless to say, a beauty.

The hat, I mean. :P

Another thing, was the fur.

What I'm favouring most here is nude with white fur. The second look is my favourite(est) one ever. What she's wearing, the blouse, the white tights, the blazer and that fur over everything makes it something I'd wear on an ideal snowy day. What I liked most is that the designer did not make the fur centre of attention, but played around with other elements too, making everything balance out.

I hope you enjoyed my post and views, but that's all for today guys as I feel that more content would make this post too long-winded and heavy. Not to mention that after this long and unusual day, I'm thoroughly exhausted.

'night. :)

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I know, I know. I haven't posted in ages. I have a fully legitimate excuse, even though I do think I could have avoided this whole lot of drama. Last week I had my review... that had to include panoramas.... which I forgot about until only a week before the review was due. Hence the panic and break-free days which included finding places to shoot and stitching for hours on end on Photoshop. However, several breakdowns and sleepless nights later I got that over with as well, and it all went quite well actually, so all's well that ends well.

Anyway, on with Fashion. Something I've had time to do earlier on was watch a significant amount of runway shows. I'm stunned by the sheer beauty of these shows. If it is the people there, backstage shots, the setting and the clothes, obviously.

For this post I have planned to show you what I liked from the Spring/Summer Collections and after that, what posts I have coming up (I feel I owe it to my readers after that horrible prolonged silence *shame*).

The Mismatched prints at D&G

I'm in love. One of my favourite things to do when picking my outfits is inject various elements into it. I tend to feel that minimalism and colour-blocking are not something I can easily pull off.

I really liked the mismatching at D&G because it is elegantly done. Things don't need to be perfectly matched to look good and assembled. That statement creates a sort of paradox but yes, I do believe it's true.

Pictures all from here

Spring Blazers

The blazer is my new favourite item for various reasons. First off, it gives stricture to my shoulders, and that's something I really like. Secondly, an outfit looks more put together with a blazer. I do not like the 'casual' look much. Hoodies, plain sweater-and-jeans outfits and slouchy clothes just don't go well with my figure- or my tastes (haha), one of them anyway.

So naturally, a number of my favourite picks from the Spring Summer collections included blazers, and believe me when I say that it was with much effort that I picked only four. I should probably also mention that I have a new item on my Designer wishlist- a Helmut Lang Blazer. Having already said that I do not do minimalism, I feel I have to point out that Helmut Lang gives a completely new dimension to minimalism. The cuts and details are something I really like in this designer's work.

Helmut Lang, Chloe, Diane Von Furstenberg, Altzurra

Very Feminine Detailing

Quite predictably, the peplum skirt is one of them. The injection of feminine in the Spring/Summer shows was something I really liked. There is quite a hype with androgyny lately, but I do feel that distinctly feminine silhouettes and details are something ever-present in what I decide to wear.

Tposhop Unique, Louis Vuitton, Ellie Saab, Jason Wu

Victorian Fashion

Something I noted about some of the runway shows was a certain Victorian era vibe, if it is the McQueen design like below, the billowy Valentino dresses which remind me of night-gowns of the time, or the Yves Saint Laurent heels.

One of the things I like to do in my spare time is draw and design clothes myself, and some of my designs are inspired a great deal from the Victorian era fashion. I like a wide area of things, and while you wouldn't expect this from someone who so adores blazers, Victorian fashion is something which I will probably always like.

McQueen, Valentino, YSL, Valentino

And now, I will list the posts that will come sooon!

An outfit post. (Yes! Promise.)
A post in which I'll show you some of my sketches and designs. I love art and drawing, and I feel that I could put that to use here.
A preview of my favourite make-up products as of late.
Another post about an element I love in Fashion weeks and runway shows.

I also have a sneak peak of a haul, only I'm actually wearing what I bought haha.

I apologize for the crappy quality of this photo.
It gets through what I needed to show, though. Haha.
The bit of red by the side, by the way,
is the best friend. :P

That's all for now. Thanks for reading. :)
Tina x

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This morning I was browsing Tumblr and what Fashion posts I have hearted in the past few days and I came across this:

Below, where before I hadn't noticed it, I saw the word 'Abbey'. Abbey as in Abbey Lee Kershaw. As I googled her, I found out that I had innocuously been posting pictures of her outfits, both on the runway and street styles.

In short, I'm in love with her style. So much so she's officially my first 21st Century Style Icon. What I love about her is that she has an ability to pull off things in any way she wants. She is versatile both as a model and with her own looks and styling. Even with the same bloody outfit. Let me show you.

The above picture illustrates one of my favourite ever. Why? Because it's very much like what I would wear. Loose lace dress, the large blazer, its colour. However, this is not the only time she wore that outfit. Ladies and, possibly, gentleman, look and admire:

Picture from here

Can you believe it? She looks so stunningly different that she doesn't even seem like the same person.

You might be thinking that it's obvious, you might think it is indeed nothing special. But it certainly is something I deem highly crucial in Fashion. Having the ability to make yourself look a certain way is a way of expressing yourself, and this is maybe one of the top, main reasons why I love Fashion so much.

What makes her look so different is how she complemented the outfit. Make-up, hair and possibly more than we can currently observe. Clearly, she knows her assets and works them to her benefit. The ability to pull off different looks is knowing yourself and how to style according to what you are like. Fashion and style isn't only about the clothes. It's about how you wear them, how you define what you want through them, and not the brand or anything else.

Now, Abbey is a model, so on the runway she does actually have to sell the brand. I chose her to illustrate my point because as a model, she easily shows what I mean as her style is very distinct even when she's not working. Though, to be fair, if Abbey had any particular style it would be called 'versatile'.

Street Styles both from here

Street Style and backstage at David Jones S/S 2011 from here and here

Quick(ish) post today! I'm soon off to my old sixth form, De La Salle. They have Lasallian Nights show tonight and I'm going to see them get ready, meet up with people and take some pictures.

Tata :)
Tina x

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I've been reading a lot about Fashion lately and, to my dismay, some treat the subject in a highly close-minded regard. Some of these sources are even magazines and local television. Sure, one has preferences and a particular 'style', if you wish. However, declaring in an outright (and sometimes verging on the aggressive) manner that 'this thing is ugly' or 'could never be beautiful' is not really my idea of entertaining a thought about anything to do with Fashion. Besides, who am I to judge what is beauty?

I think that Fashion should be treated a lot like art. I know what I like and what makes it something which adheres to my likes. I give critique to everything, from things I might like and things which I might personally despise. It's the same with art. You cannot simply point at an Egon Schiele painting and declare that it is ugly. Or, even worse, that you shouldn't be caught dead with it in your home. Who is anyone to judge what any other person might want to wear?

Now, to make my post about something more concrete, I will move on to discuss with you a rising trend in the past few collections:

Flatforms.

Personally, the first notion that precedes me as I inspect these shoes would be a cringe. At first glance, they look strange and unnatural. I believe that this is due to only one thing: previous aesthetic experiences with shoes. Platform-ed shoes should (for lack of a better word), as per usual, elongate the leg, with the heel being higher than the ball of the foot. It is entirely due to our unconscious preconception of shoes and how they should look according to this, that Flatforms might seems slightly weird and visually unbalanced. It is the same with anything. (If you're into Visual Perception I greatly suggest the book Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye)

Prada and Michael Kors

Jeffrey Campell and Derek Lam

An article from Glamour last year, announced that "this love child hybrid between a flat platform is a win-win: You get the added inches (and confidence!) that high heels give you, but without the agony of balancing on glorified toothpicks for hours on end." Now, I do see their point. It's a refreshingly new look from the usual ankle-breakers. Honestly, though, I do not think they could replace actual heels. As I mentioned before, a particular and distinguishing characteristic is that the heel is higher than the ball of the foot, and it is this that particularly elongates the leg. The Flatforms do not do that, they simply give you an added height.

Whilst personally I wouldn't invest in them, as I like versatile shoes which do carry on through a few seasons, I do think that in some quirky way they can be pulled off. Mind you, these flatforms are not actually new this year. In the S/S 2011 they were already on the runway. As I was saying, there are a few of these which are pretty nice. Jefferey Campell's Beebee, for example, did catch my eye, and I might've worn them really- if I had a pair ;).

Beebee Flatforms by tintintinaa featuring mini handbags

I think that they would go really well with high-wasted shorts, Knicker Shorts or skirts, as I used in my Polyvore outfit.

That's all for today. I will soon post my first ever official outfit post, probably next week. ;)

-Tina :)

References: Pictures of flatforms from here, here and here.

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