Proenza Schouler PS1 bag obsession

When I am procrastinating at work, sometimes I go to proenzaschouler.com and just stare at the PS1 Medium Black Leather bag and dream that one day I will be able to own it, then I go out and play the lottery because it costs over a grand.

Today's procrastinating brought me to the new Fall 2011 pre-order PS1 Medium Blanket Jacquard available for delivery in October of this year. Not as versitile as the black one but just as beautiful and more unique.

Inspirational look

I would like to thank Style Spot for posting this photo from Elle Russia Feb 2011. This look is what I strive for; casual simplicity but cool at the same time. I never quite get there so I am re-posting this to inspire me.

Knitted Necklace

I take up knitting every November and am usually done with it after knitting a couple scarves for Christmas gifts. This year though I am still going strong and have made three snoods, a hat and even a pair of socks!
As winter is coming to a close I don't see the point in knitting yet another snood or scarf, and a sweater is too daunting, maybe next year.

Instead, I found this braided necklace pattern on the Rowan website and had to give it a go.  You can find the pattern here if you are a knitter and need a fun, new project!

Balenciaga Retro Sunnies

I don't know why but I like my sunglasses to look a bit retro. I think it is because they make me feel powerful but also sort of like a space invader.

These Balenciaga lovelies are from  mytheresa.com for £215

High fashion to High street-Sandals

I love London's hight street, you can always find something on trend for a fraction of the designer prices. These sandals are a perfect example, they are all leather and they range from a designer price of £295 to high street at £39.99, bargain!

Wait! Before you look at the prices, which one is your favourite?

Ok, the prices are...

From top:

River Island: £39.99

Carvela: £75.00

Marni: £295

Chloe: £495

Clothes for girls on bicycles!

Phillip Lim told style.com:  "It's about these chic women who ride bikes to work, to brunch, to a cocktail party,"

I love that he thought about us girls on bikes!

I also love the his use of colours in the layering, the khaki green, deep blue and camel combo on the left is my favourite.      

P.S. follow the fingerless bike gloves and check out that manicure! A blue painted half moon with a nude nail!

photos: style.com



Chair Love!

I have only recently started having the same heart stopping feeling over pieces of furniture as I do when I see a beautiful dress. I was speechless when Design*Sponge posted this chair from design student Linda Vännström which they saw at the Stockholm Design Fair. 

This print reminds me of the materials All Saints use on their dresses every season. This year it looks like they have replaced the ramskull print with palm trees and flowers.

photo :Design*Sponge.com, AllSaints.com

Stylist loves Ballet

I love contemporary ballet and I love Stylist's ballet cover today, plus there are three to choose from! Exclusive from London Fashion week starting this friday, the covers showcase three designers of the moment: David Koma, Lanvin, Maison Martin Margiela. My only criticism is that they should have focused on only London designers but I can't fault the covers, they are beautiful!
Stylist is the best free magazine handed out in London by far, even better than some of the magazines on the newstands. If you don't live in London, you can even read their weekly issues online!

Alexander Wang at his best

There are so many fashion journalists and bloggers that cover the fashion shows that I no longer have to rely upon Style.com for my fashion show coverage.

These are some of the photos of the Alexander Wang's really amazing collection from around the web. My heart skips a beat with every photo I see from this collection, it is perfect.
Bryanboy also has a great final run through video on his blog here.

photos: 1. Stylebubble.com, 2-4. Vmagazine.com, Wmagazine.com

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

 

Friday night I went to Heston Blumenthal's new restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental hotel, appropriately named Dinner.
The food was incredible but what was even more incredible was that Heston was there, sitting right behind us taking to Jonathan Ross for a half hour. I was so self conscious I was paralyzed for a minute until I took the first bite out of my meal and they were forgotten.

My favourite dish was my starter, Meat Fruit. A mandarin look alike made out of a mandarin jelly of some sort with chicken liver parfait inside. It was sublime. The chocolate bar with sea salt and a side of ginger ice cream was good too of course.

The interior of the restaurant was simple and inviting. A glass walled kitchen so you can watch all the action and my favourite feature were the lights made out of vintage jelly moulds!
Sorry there are no photos, I already felt silly taking photos of my food there!

Style blogs and their selling power

I have to admit, most of my shopping is fueled from reading other blogs. I will be minding my own business going through my daily blog reads and all of a sudden I find myself in an online checkout because of what I just saw someone wearing or writing about.

The main reason is that I think the way some bloggers (especially Elin Kling from Style by Kling) style themselves is far superior to the way the retailer may style the same piece. (Well Elin is a professional stylist and has and H&M collection out in Sweden right now).

Take a look at the two images above. Which coat would you buy? The coat that Elin is wearing looks cool and casual, whereas I think the coat on the right from Zara.com looks a bit dumpy. You can buy this Zara coat online for £119 here! ;-) 

This is exactly the reason why so many bloggers get stuff for free! Retailers know that a blog can fuel the need for a product when you see someone wearing or talking about it. It is virtual word of mouth and it clearly works on me.

photo: left-StylebyKling.net, right-zara.com



Marimekko and Converse!

Finnish textile and clothing design house Marimekko has teamed up with Converse, coming this spring! Now you can buy the classic hi or low chucks in a classic Marimekko bold print.

photo:hellosinki.wordpress.com

A real Heart-shaped heart for Valentine's Day

The dreaded day is coming up, where boyfriends/husbands grumble at the thought of spending an atrocious amount of money on flowers, dinner and a gift. Where the singletons avoid going because they would be surrounded by the forced dates in every restaurant, coffee house, cinema...only to emphasize the fact they are single.

If you do have a special someone and you don't want to buy them a cheesy box of chocolates or flowers, why not buy them this. This heart shaped ceramic container is called Corezone by an art student from Warsaw.

Definition: corezone is a closed ceramic space, where one can place their thoughts, feelings, emotions. An attempt to fulfill emotional needs by the means of an object, a try to withhold immaterial being in a material space.

The thing is, you have to break the heart to get the message out from inside.

photo:www.corezone.pl

Club Monaco

Do you remember this logo? If you are one of my Canadian readers you will remember everyone wearing this classic logo on a grey sweatshirt in the early 90's. For all my Canadian readers, you will be able to find these sweatshirts again as Club Monaco is re-launching there original logo t-shirts and sweatshirts! Only available in Canada.

For my UK, this originally Canadian company (now owned by Ralph Lauren) is still one of my favourite stops when I'm at home. Once a more sporty retailer, now a trendy work wear brand, the clothing is simple, classic and of great quality in luxurious fabrics. Think cashmere jumpers, cotton striped t-shirts and silk blouses. We will now be able to get our hands on Club Monaco pieces in the UK! Browns will be launching a collection of pieces in an exclusive area in their South Molton location. The collection will launch during London fashion week this month and prices will be between £50 and £225.
Check out the Club Monaco lookbook here

Make up artist Jen Pike lets us in on the secret of applying red lipstick to perfection!

I love makeup, it is all about colour and artistry and the way it can transform people. I had the chance to speak to budding make up artist Jen Pike about the new Spring trends and how to put on red lipstick without looking like a clown! (Which I always do without fail, not so funny).

M: Spring is coming up, what can you tell us about the new Spring trends when it comes to make up?

J: Bold colours.  Colour blocking is back in style, and this year the focus is predominantly on lips.  Red/orange/fuscia are BIG…the brighter the better!  Think Andy Warhol pop classics, with a hint of DISCO sparkle.  I LOVE bright colours, so when they’re in fashion I get excited!

  

M: oooh, I like the sound of Disco sparkle!

Fashion is full of inspirational people, who inspires you in the make up industry?

J: Pat McGrath.  Alex Box.  Both are constantly pushing the boundaries.  They really are ARTISTS, and I’m continuously amazed by their use of line and colour.  They just go for it!  No fear…just art.  I had the pleasure of watching Alex demonstrate her amazing talents at the IMATS last weekend.  I was blown away. 

M: You must have seen such amazing things at the IMATS (International Make-up Artist Trade Show). What was the weirdest or newest thing you saw?

J: It is hard to comment on what’s ‘weird’ when you’re surrounded by special effects creatures walking around in prosthetics, but the newest trend appears to be the use of strong pigments; and the varying ways to utilize them on the everyday face in an attractive way.  Kind of like the quality vs quantity.  The idea of building from pigments to create your own interesting colours and textures, as opposed to mixing the readily available shades which have been ‘watered down’ with oils, fillers and talc.  Old school art.  I dig it!

  

  

M: Alright, to the question I have always wanted to ask a makeup artist...I am so envious of some of the girls I work with who can apply a perfect red lip without it bleeding or cracking or fading away. How on earth do you apply the perfect red lip?

J: Easiest DIY method: 

1. Line your lip
2. Fill them in
3. Set with powder
4. Add gloss if desired. 

Easy enough, but for perfection follow these detailed application tricks:

1. Put Vaseline or lip balm on the lips while applying foundation etc so they’re nice an soft/moist when you’re ready to apply lip colour.  It’s difficult to get a smooth line if lips are dry or cracked.  You don’t want too much balm, just enough to keep the lips moist. 

2. Break the lips into 4 sections for the liner.  Start by lining the cupid’s bow (ensuring both sides are even) and extend the lines part way down (towards the corners of the mouth).  Open the mouth slightly and draw a line from the corner up towards the cupid’s bow until the two lines meet.  Repeat on the other side.   Do the same for the bottom lip; start by lining the middle, moving outwards towards the corners on each side.  Open mouth slightly, and draw lines from the corners of the mouth towards the centre, until the lines meet.  Fill the lips with pencil and/or lipstick. 

3. To set, hold a piece of tissue over the lips and, using a big powder brush, dust powder onto the tissue over the lip area.  The powder will set the colour so it lasts longer.  The tissue acts as a sieve so you don’t apply too much.  You’re essentially pressing the colour into the lips and setting it at the same time.  Be sure to use gentle circular strokes with the powder brush so as not to disturb the lip lines. 

4. Follow with gloss if desired.  Always best to apply the gloss with your finger so you don’t apply too much or ruin the lip lines.  Dab on gently with finger.  This is a pretty bleed-proof method, but for the more mature ladies who have a lot of wrinkles around the mouth, invest in a lip primer (such as MAC Prep & Prime or Screenface Lip Lock) which essentially add an extra layer/edge to the lip for longevity and to help prevent bleeding.  Another trick is to draw lines slightly above the cupids bow and around the corners of the mouth with a skin coloured matt pencil.  The line acts as a barrier so the lip colour has nowhere to bleed!

M: I love to see what is in everybody's make up bags, especially the professionals. What can't you live without?

J: Concealor.  I can pinch my cheeks and lips to give them colour, wet my lashes to refresh my eyes, but the only thing to fix the under eye circles, blotchiness etc is concealor.  And, add in a bit of moisturizer and you’ve got yourself foundation.  It’s one of those things…if I have concealor with me, I feel like I’m sorted.  My second most important necessity is Embryolisse Crème Lait moisturizer.  It’s amazeballs.

M: Why do you think makeup is so important? 

J: Confidence.  Simply put, if you look good, you feel good.  If you feel good, you exude confidence.  Makeup is a way of enhancing your features, hiding flaws and insecurities, and expressing yourself.  Watching a client look into the mirror and smile is incredibly rewarding.  Making people look great and feel great is why I do what I do.

All the photos above are of Jen's work, you can check out more of her work on her website and contact her here!

Thanks for the interview Jen!

photo: jenpike.com