Keep It Simple!

Keep it black and white!

I know it is autumn and I should speak about brownies,  new discovered tea flavor, rain and pumpkins. Well, I won’t! I decided to start a list about the things I like! So, here we go: I like white, I like black, polka dots and stripes (especially the first ones), I love extravagance (however, you won’t see me getting the garbage out of the house in such a glamorous style as in the first images), I like interesting stockings to match my interesting shoes, I love summer most of all and I am pretty sure that I love bicycles! (source: here, here, here and here)

Mademoiselle

When I saw this image of Jane from Sea of Shoes, I was sure that this is the autumn sublime mood for me! Not only that lace vintage dress of hers and that romantic flower coronet, but the fur vest is one of my favorite cold season piece!

So, in the second image is my attempt to somehow “re-make” her mademoiselle splendid look!

Here is the list of the pieces I choose: cotton lace dress by Chloe, Hunter boots, Lanvin clutch, Yves Saint Laurent gold plated ring; fur vest by Hockley, Isabel Marant long gloves, Monsoon wool hat.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Start Wearing Purple

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did I tell you that my new bathroom is light pink with purple? I don’t think I did. Well, me and purple we have a long history together. And I could not resist, the combination was just too perfect and now, I am so pleased with the design and everything. Well, I think the light pink is such an exquisite color, elegant and feminine and the contrast with dark purple is amazing.

I can’t stop looking at that Chanel dress in the second image, words can not describe what Karl Lagerfeld achieved by designing such a simple, yet elegant and amazing piece.

But enough with the Chanel’s reverie and let’s talk a little bit of Burberry  SS2012 collection! I think that this collection describes best the outfits that I like and are so close to my style: visually appealing being one of the characteristics of the clothes I want to purchase.

I was keen on the plain dresses or skirts (sometimes pleated, sometimes pencil, hemline below the knee) in rich colors; huge belts – the central accessory to underline the waist; colored gorgeous high wedges; huge vivid printed totes.

What about those original stripy hats?

Just beautiful!

Sunny

I was telling Rachel yesterday when I saw her blog post about the sunny days (yeey, in Australia summer is about to arrive) that my brain does not want to remember the summer anymore, he just understood that the winter is coming (did you read the trilogy A Song of Ice and Fire? if you had, you know what I mean, if not, just do it, it is one of the most amazing fictions!). But somehow, after some rainy and cloudy days, today the sun was generous with us. So, my office was warmer and full of light than ever!

And I said: hey, the sun did not agree with your yesterday comment! Come on! Cheer up with some solar outfits! Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but today my clothes are all about brown and beige and grey! Enjoy!

I told you I’ll come back with some Oscar de la Renta pieces I liked (photo 3,4 and 5)! And this “Gossip Chic” hat of Anya Caliendo is a splendor (photo 6)! The illustration (photo 2) is made by David Downton (but we will speak about him later on) and the bold outfit in the first picture is worn by an Australian girl (here).

Lillian Bassman

Among the most important fashion photographers of the 20th century, Lillian Bassman transformed her photographs published with Junior Bazar and later with Harper’s Bazar (1940-1960) into works of art that have a unique effect: mystery and glamour in black and white images.

Blowing A Kiss, Barbara Mullen, 1950

When I first saw her works, I thought the images were sketches because before becoming a photographer  and working with Alexey Brodovitch at the Harper’s Bazaar, Lillian Bassman was a fashion illustrator, but no! I found out that  she has some darkroom techniques in which she blurs and bleaches the images, investing them with such a poetic and mesmerizing effect!

Mary Jane Russell, 1950

I am almost sure that she has a thing for hats! Aren’t we all? Starting with Garance Dore and her story about the borrowed YSL hat! (read here, it is so hilarious, so Garance). And when one wants to transmit mystery, the hat is a mandatory piece!

And my favorite below! A lovely polka dots dress and a pair of elegant gloves. I think I can see Ada’s train in this image, wink.

Barbara Vaughn, 1956

Barbara Mullen, 1950

After bleaching, blurring and/or burning the photography in the dark room, the artist is usually adding some details by hand (as in the photo above, hand-painting all the polka dots back in! isn’t that amazing?). One of the most notable qualities about her photographic work are the high contrasts between light and dark. Do you see that in the picture  below?

Model in Gloves and Pearl Earrings, 1950

This last image is a recent photography of Lillian Bassman presenting a Dior gown, can you believe it? Even if she is in her 90s, the artist continues to work, using digital technology and photoshop to manipulate and make something new out of her old photographs.

Night Bloom, Annaliese Seubert, 1996

“Lillian transcend the moment, capturing the individuality and universality of women the world over.”  (this is how  Donna Karan greeted the exhibition of Lillian Bassman’s works in its stores).

I would love to have such a photography in my new house! And you? (source here and here).

Dramatic…

I came across this beautiful gown sketched of Oscar de la Renta (source here) and could not pass without sharing it with you. Well, I know the collection is one month old, wink, but I am sure most of us are still admiring it. Oscar de la Renta is one of my favorite designers, of course discovered by watching Sex and the City and Carrie Bradshaw’s mesmerizing outfits. The elegance, perfection and dramatism are the words that describe, at least for me, the  work of Oscar de la Renta.

The opening of the show was all about princess ballroom gowns in a multitude of colours: mustard, red (source here) and green (source here) taffeta together with an amazing lace bodice. I did like the other pieces, but today I am in a romantic princess mood…

So, who does not remember the pink dress (souce here) of Carrie when finally the Russian has time for her in Paris and takes her to the opera (well, almost :D) ?

New bag in town

I like the elegance, style and materials of the handbags presented by Miu Miu during the SS 2012 Collection. This burgundy velvet above and the same pattern navy handbag below were my favorites! (source here)

Ellie Saab did also decide to go for the same pattern, “back to school” handbags or, as I like to name them, Paddington bear bags :D.

Colorblocking handbag by Marc Jacobs – Resort 2012 collection. This is a nice bag, isn’t it!? (source here)

I like about Chloe not only that the images of the 2012 Resort Collection were taken on the street or that they chose the collection to be put on show by Jacquelyn Jablonski, one of my favorite model, but the handbags, though not revolutionary, are just simple and fabulous (source here). And a little bit of snakeskin on pink with orange and on green!

This last two handbags that I wanted to share are also Chloe’s 2012 Resort Collection (source here and here).