It might seem a bit strange to devote a whole post to the act of going shopping. After all, all you really have to do is go to a few shops and make sure to bring your credit card, and voilà, before you know it you are shopping! I think you have gathered by now that this is not quite my style of doing things, though. Let’s face it, I’m much too anal for that. I try to avoid bad purchases the best I can, and I try my best to go for quality over quantity. My goal is to have a closet where everything has a use and fits together – shortly put, a closet where everything looks like it belongs to the same person. This usually requires a bit more planning than just leaving my house, credit card in hand.
Category: Wardrobe
Elle Magazine: 10 rules of style, part 2
Okay, time for part 2 of my little “Elle Magazine: 10 Rules of Style” mini series! I was so happy to hear that you liked the first one, because it feels a little bit like a cop-out to post things from magazines. Then again I usually love it when others do this, because there’s so much bland mumbo-jumbo to wade through in the world of magazines and I think it is terrific when bloggers share the truly good stuff. At least I know that doing these posts has made me want to go through my magazine backlog again! Okay, let’s get cracking…
Sophia Kokosalaki: Greek, London-based designer. Check her out on Net-a-porter!
Mary Portas: English retail expertand broadcaster, best known for her retail and business related television shows.
Serena Rees: Co-founder of Agent Provocateur. She currently owns Cocomaya chocolatiers – Yum!
Roksanda Ilincic: Serbian fashion designer based in London, known for her elegant day and evening dresses.
Daphne Guinness: It’s Daphne, bitch! (Yes, I liked that one so much I used it twice. Sue me).
Elle Magazine: 10 rules of style, part 1
I don’t read many fashion magazines, in fact, I only read Elle UK regularly. I started my subscription a few years ago, and bought it every single month for a long time before that. I’m not quite sure why it is the only one I bother reading, but it doesn’t seem to be as full of confidence-destroying “advice” and general junk as a lot of other women’s magazine. I want fashion and beauty, not recipes, sex tips, training regiments and statements about how my brows are too limp and my elbows are too wrinkly and my vagina is, I don’t know, too sad looking. Leave my vagina alone, dammit, I just want to look at handbags! Anyway, they had a regular column a few years ago where they would feature a well-known woman in every issue and present her 10 rules of style. I absolutely loved this column, and a while back I decided to scan them so that they would be easier to find. The fact that I could share them with you guys didn’t even dawn on me until last week, but better late than never, right?
You can click them for a larger view!
Anya Hindmarch: English fashion accessories designer (and the woman behind the global sell out “I’m not a plastic bag” tote back in 2007, I’m sure a lot of you remember that one).
Sonia Rykiel: Needs to introduction. It’s Sonia, bitch!
Savannah Miller: Previously one of the co-designer behind Twenty8Twelve, now designing solo under her own name.
Elle Macpherson: Model, actress, businesswoman.
Roberta Armani: Giogios niece, Armani ambassador and liaison to her uncle.
What do you think, are there any rules here that you can relate to? Do you have any “rules of style” of your own?
Heels
I can’t walk in high heels. No, scratch that – I won’t. Not in the way other women seem to wear them anyway, to work or school or anywhere that requires an average amount of going about your daily life. Like with beer and olives I have a knee-jerk reaction to anything you “just have to get used to”. They’re an acquired taste, heels. You just have to learn to get over the pain and their immobilizing effects, that’s all. Get accustomed to the unbearable, toe-crushing, arch-agonizing, heel-blistering trauma and you’ll be fine! Honestly! The lower back pains will go away once you acclimatize your body to perpetual tip-toeing after all, or at least they will go away once you sit down. You’ll look glamorous and feminine and in-control in all your wincing, stumbling glory!
My style, defined
This post is based on the Lovely Maria of Lost in a Spotless Mind’s Defining Style series, the first post in particular. In this series she writes brilliantly about how to use inspiration photos, mood boards and other clever tools in order to pin down your own personal style. Maria is a fashion consultant by profession, so this online crash course in personal style is not to be missed!
The first task of Maria’s Defining Style post was to write a list over the things that often appear as repeat elements in your outfits. This was a fun task because I know that I often look for the same elements when I shop, but I have never really concretisized it and put it into writing before. My list turned out as follows:
No real surprises there, but nonetheless fun to see in list form. I prefer eye makeup over lip color because I eat and drink more or less all the time, I wear flat shoes because I walk everywhere, and I have a real penchant for black and jewel tones. I own more faux fur than most sane people, and I love a good manicure!
The next step was to create mood boards – one style board, one accessories board, and one for hair/makeup.
As you can see I´m all about legs, neutral colors and a good handbag. I know I can always count on my striped tops, I mostly wear black skinny jeans or a good, flippy mini skirt, and i love a good parka. When it comes to clothes I hate fuss and I have to be comfortable, but I still want to look great.
Onto accessories – if you think you’ve seen these before then it is because you have. These are all items that currently live in my closet! I love classics, and if I can put a little biker/rock chic/whatever the word-du-jour is twist on it then I’m an even happier camper. Also, I’m a sucker for a great scarf.
Last but not least – hair and makeup. When it comes to hair my I don’t spend much time on it – I love buns, dry shampoo, sea salt spray and general under-control-messiness. It also tends to get a bit lanky and flat if left to it’s own devices, which naturally means that I like it big and textured. You always want what you don’t have, right? Because of my previously mentioned snacking habits I prefer good eye makeup over lip color, preferably combined with light and dewy skin.
Phew! That was it for my little style rundown – if you feel like doing one of your own I suggest you scurry over to Maria’s original post and follow her instructions. Oh, and make sure to leave the link to your post in the comments, because I know she’d be absolutely thrilled to see what other bloggers come up with!