Economy Class:
I see that a few stores are getting ready for a sale… How thoughtful! Just when I am thinking about shopping…
Sportsgirl
You’ve got to love it here: very young and BoHo (oh NoNo!) but there are a few key pieces that I have snooped and found that would even suit me of a certain age. Well we all love to find great fashion pieces at a price, non? (You have to wonder where the strict Gothic black and sharp Balmain inspired looks are when that’s the hot look all over the runways for next season). Best buys are:
- The floppy dark blue denim elastic waist harem pants. How does that sound for scary? Not really I promise you. They have an elastic hem and a self belt. Wear with heels and a chic blazer to add a little sophistication. Anyway these are so trendy in the best sense of the word that you should pay $79. Then check out the 80’s chambray bomber jacket too $129 ( but don’t wear together).
- Love the simple grey marle V neck Tee; is there anything easier to wear than this? It’s a must have for summer and you can throw it under everything. $29
- Buy the black silky harem pants with side pockets. Again why pay more for the hot look? As I have so often told you it’s about wearing harem pants with heels or you will be looking like you missed the plane to Turkey. They are surprisingly comfortable which makes up for the killer shoes. $99
- Love the white vanilla leather jacket. Yes, that’s correct it’s a white leather jacket. Only for special people who can carry it off. It has an asymetrical silver zip and then 2 zips on the pockets. This would look chic with creams and browns. Or when you are cleaning the puppy in the mud. $199
- Buy the very lazy and cool check man-style shirt with rolled up sleeves: there is something a little Marc Jacobs about it. Good for the beach. $79
- Check out the faded skinny jeans with elastic hem on the ankle: tres cool, $99. Looks new don’t you think? And that ladies and gentleman is what fashion is all about. (Otherwise we would be wearing bustles and long dresses and corsets).
- There are Chanel quilted inspired bags everywhere: For teenagers: they are the only ones who can carry off such a blatant copy. Bless $69.
- There are so many cute flats and gladiators….
- Love all the jewellery the cuffs, the necklaces, the rings and the cute sequin clutch $49.
Forever New
This store has some great pieces if you have a good snoop! Some of it is a little on the cheap side but they have some cool on-trend pieces. Oh and I do see cobalt blue and I think I am going blue looking at it… My picks are:
- The simple grey marle V neck loose dress with wide kimono sleeves: it’s very Duro Olowu (the Nigerian London based designer who first did these dresses years ago). It has seam cutting under the boobs if you know what I mean. It has silver beads along that seam and it looks like a very flattering shape: a great summer basic dress to dag around in $69.
- You want the chic grey marle cotton blazer with cute turn up sleeves where you can see the must have stripe lining, $79. It’s so cheap but chic. Wear over a white tank, a stripe Tee and with short shorts or just with jeans. Of course you could try it wit your fav peg leg pants. Or even over a dress when it gets a little chilly.
- Love the black sequin tank: it only has sequins on the front which I don’t mind. The back is black rib and I like it that the sequins are matte. Sequin tanks are everywhere but you knew that. They are also turning up on the runways at the shows. Meaning? The trend just keeps on going next year… wear with everything and especially during the day. $69
- For another version of the sequin tank buy the shiny black all over sequin tank. This one is in a looser shape so it will skin over muffin tops and floppy bits sitting on top of jeans. The best news? There is $20 off $89.
- Love the black cotton jersey top with cut out shoulders with 2 straps: it has cap sleeves as well. It’s a loose shape with black beading along the top but it’s tres subtle. Don’t be afraid of beading or sequins, just make sure you don’t glitz them up. Or you could look tacky. It’s called a Chloe top so it’s probably inspired by Chloe wouldn’t you say? $89
- There are also a lot of rainbow print maxi dresses which are Ok too if you want colour.
- In accessories there is a fab black matte glomesh slouch pouch: it’s a croissant shape, just the thing to toss over your shoulder. $59
- Check out the shoes: the bejeweled flat lace up gladiators in black silk are not bad at all for $69. Wear them, love them, thrash them.
- Buy the special black sequin heels with a peep toe and simple pump shape. Not a gladiator tough shape? What’s going on? If you go for black go for some texture shine or glitter to take it to another place. Another fashion place… $109
- Buy the metal cuffs $14 and simple silver bangles $19 and drop earrings $14 and the cute Trilby in silver or bronze with black trim $24.
Sussan
Looking very summery, relaxed holiday dressing here. There are a few more fashion pieces and some great caftans for the beach. My picks are:
- The blue and white tile print caftan. It’s for the beach or the pool. It has a wide square shape with a V neck and very loose, sitting on the knee which we love. There are short dresses everywhere which is very annoying. I don’t want to show anything above my knee. Good on you Sussan. If you want shirt get out the scissors! $89
- Love the pretty white cotton sun dress with shoe string straps and cut origami pleating detail at the front. The top is square straight across and then is a loose skirt from the waist down. This is a good thing. White is a big colour (or no colour) for summer. It always looks fabulous $79
- Buy the navy and white abstract print silky dress/caftan with white jewel beading at the V neck. It’s knee length as well and perfect beach wear. Please don’t wear caftans wandering around shopping. Unless you live in Port Douglas. $79
- Check out the baggy shorts in floppy denim: they are simple with no obvious stitching and have a self belt. Shorts are hot hot hot for summer and we love them with heels and a tailored jacket. You can wear them with black opaque hosiery until it gets too hot. Then it’s about applying the ModelCo Tan $69
- Check out the fabulous navy and white stripe cotton T-shirt dress. I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago and I see it’s still instore so grab one of you can: Love it. It has navy ribbon drawstring halter and cute little front pockets. This is a great summer dress. $59
- You want the black singlet maxi dress: it’s the most basic Tank singlet shape and so chic in its simplicity. Who said you had to wear bright colours and weird shapes? Pas Moi! Think French, think understated chic, think cheap colours looks cheap. Just add some fashion sandals and stack the bangles and cuffs up your arm. $109
- Buy the simple oversized boyfriend cream/concrete linen jacket: it’s very floppy and I think you may need a big more structure to hold the bits in. Or add shoulder pads. When you wear abig jacket like this you need to show of skin to try a mini or shorts or just don’t bother. Stick a sharp shoulder jacket. $119
- Buy the dark almost black shimmer slinky silver tank: it has a scoop neckline but you can hide that under a jacket. Love a little metallic something in the wardrobe. Wear with grey or other silver. $49
- Perhaps you are over size 14? Then try the boyfriend jeans here with a rolled hem. They are cool and fit well so shut up and don’t be a snob about designer jeans. $89
- Everyone needs a white cotton grandpa shirt with front big pockets. Also to the knee. Wonders will never cease. $69
NB! Cheap But Chic of the week : I must share with you! A friend of mine, über fashion photographer (and the chicest person I know ) Juli Balla, is selling some of her amazing collection of designer accessories, bags and clothes at Kirribilli Markets on Sat 26th Sept: First in, best dressed!
Business Class:
Wittner Shoes
There are heaps of monster platforms here but here’s a question: I want to know who is wearing then? I like a platform and a gladiator but I don’t see a lot of people wearing those outrageous heels… Tell me if you are? Best shoes are:
- The ‘Jacinta’ black patent platforms with a skinny heels. It has 2 wide straps that cross over the front giving a peep toe. So no gladiator cankle choking here. This style will make your legs look longer. Yay! It has a sling back and a big platform so they should be comfortable, $169. Thank the lord.
- You want the simple sling back pumps with a pointy blunt toe and a hidden platform; a hidden Harry Potter platform. They look chic but still stomp-a-licious with a thin heel and in simple plain black. Yes please we all need a basic pump. $149
- Love the black lace up multi strap peep toe sandals: it has a thin heels and the lace up is a hit look going into next season. $169
- Buy the fabulous black patent flats with a chic wide criss cross plaited front and not so gladiator-ish. They have a slight tiny little wedge heel that you couldn’t even rate as a heel, $119. Also in snakeskin: love it.
- Love the black patent wedges which I bought last year: So comfortable I thrashed them and wore every day til they fell apart. They are black patent with multi gladiator straps and T bar. The wedge is not too high and it has a tiny platform which makes walking and shopping a dream. Every store I went into last summer they said “I love your shoes”. Bless. Wittner has re-released them and I think I will be tempted again.
- Buy the fabulous “bullet” plain black pumps with punched holes and brogue spectator details on the square toe: they also have small lace detail on the toe. Very next winter now on sale $99.
- The Balenciaga style black and nylon and leather heels which cross over all the way up the ankle. It’s as if they have cuts out everywhere with a thin heel. Called Electric. You will be. They have a zip up the back. This means no struggling with laces and buckles when you run out the door in the morning. Or when you are trying to take them off and George Clooney is calling… then again you can always leave on… outrageous! $169
Cue
I like the fashion direction here: seems to be less boring office pieces and more edge and fashion. No BoHo NoNo here thank god. My picks are:
- The cool navy blue sequin tan: it has a drape front and has black grosgrain straps, $179. Of course it’s also in black and silver sequins which I prefer. This is pretty glitzy and not your regular matte sequin tank that you would normally layer over a white Tank. Definitely one for wearing at night with jeans and your sharp shoulder jacket.
- Love the over the top black jacquard single breasted fitted blazer with serious shoulder pads, $379. It is very sharp and has big shoulders but you can do it. All you need is the fierce shoes. Oh and some pants (or you can do a Lady GaGa and go without if you so desire.)
- There is a very sexy and tight black satin sheath dress with great shoulder pad details. It has a wide neckline and a snazzy silver exposed zip down the front $239. I think it’s slithery. Add heels. Breathe in. Don’t eat.
- Buy the very simple black grosgrain cotton sleeveless dress: It’s fitted to waist and has wide bra safe straps. Love that it flares out over the hips and the bits very nicely and it has its own belt. A little 50’s style. It’s about structure and giving shape this will suck everything in. $278
- Love the black simple Tee with an interesting origami silk trim along the neckline: it’s a fabulous Tee that is not scoop! Heaven. Sits very nicely at the neckline. There are a few versions and it’s $49.
- Yes, it seems sporty luxe is still lurking after all these years! You want the silver nylon short zip bomber here with a grey marle lining. The idea is that you would wear that with peg leg pants and heels. It’s the reverse of wearing grey marle track pants with a serious tailored blazer. You wear sporty jackets with chic pants or pencil skirts and heels. Not for jogging. Go to Target for that. $209
- Also checkout the fabulous black chiffon crepe sporty zip jacket. It has a black zip and a drawstring bottom and a cute hood. Perfect for weekends to throw on when you feel too dressy with a blazer. $159
- There is an outrageous gold leather corset and other over the top jacket. Oh la la very Louis Vuitton!
- Love the red dresses, the white dresses and the tres cool accessories: You want the very Balenciaga jeweled over the top jewel bracelets, and the faux snakeskin black fold over zip clutch. My favourite? The feather shoulder pads!
Mimco
On sale! Always great here for jewellery. My pick are:
- The amazing limited edition necklaces: Love the “45cm solid jet acetate torque, with a 10cm extender chain, and combines pearls, cotton pearls, silver ceramic beads and chains 1 of 75 on Earth.” $449. Wear with jeans, wear with a clean chic white shirt, wear with a grey marle tank. Dress down the glitz. Keep it understated and never wear earrings or bracelets when you have a big glamourous statement necklace. You want the focus on one area or you will get confused. (And the Gin and Tonic will do that.)
- The chic de la chic Limited Edition Stalactite Necklace is another cool number: they say it’s reminiscent of underwater caves and the treasures of the deep. I say just wear it during the day with a tee shirt $399. I hate underwater caves! Can’t get our hair wet.
- Love the silver “polished and delicate Nouveau Drape Necklace” They say it’s “pewter and Swarovski crystal jewels, chandelier cut crystals, and silver plated brass chains” Chic. See instructions above. $329
- In the shoes you want the black suede stud heels called Addicted to love. You will be. They have a cone heel and T bar front with a gladiator style ankle buckles, $399. Apparently you can remove the ankle strap which is good news if you have cankles or just don’t want to do the outrageous monster shoe look. Clever thank you Mimco. Two for the price of one.
- In flat sandals try on the tan brown T bar sandals with red beading and brass studs on the T bar, $179. Also in a black or silver. They have an ankle strap too. These are instant wardrobe updaters.
- You should check out the ballet flats in red or black patent called Seak easy loafer. Speak easy probably because you can relax when you are not wearing painful Monster heels. Ouch. Speak easy because you have had a few too many Gin and Tonics. Anyway these easy to wear shoes have a pointy toe which is cute and a beetle buckle on the toe. Love the elastic side and they have a padded sole too. Fabulous. Padding? What will they of next? $249
- My favourite in the bags is the black “Une” bag. It’s very Pierre Hardy inspired with an outside pocket, 2 handles and a black patent trim $499. A basic black bag is always worth buying. Add red shoes.
- And for a casual messenger bag buy the Viking satchel: it’s a square shape with black rope trim, eyelet details and a long strap, $499. Perfect for tossing across the body and being handsfree! Makes eating easier.
First Class
It’s London Fashion Week! The best collections were Burberry and Christopher Kane.
Burberry
“Leave it to returning label Burberry to close London Fashion Week’s 25th anniversary celebrations with a bang. Christopher Bailey presented a Prorsum collection to thousands of his followers, and then hosted the LFW party to end all parties — and did we mention the clothes were possibly the most beautiful Burberry collection ever?” said Vogue UK
Style.com reports, “A shining, silver paillette-encrusted trenchcoat sparkling on the runway as metallic confetti rained down: This is the memory London fashion week will have of its 25th anniversary-and the Burberry show that ended it. There was more young glamour per foot here than the city’s ever witnessed in a front row. Emma Watson was present, and so were Gwyneth Paltrow, Mary-Kate Olsen, Victoria Beckham, and Daisy Lowe; Freida Pinto and Dev Patel were holding hands. And every piece Christopher Bailey showed could have been worn by any one of them: The message was Burberry gone short, draped, deluxe, and glamorous, and aimed at the very young.
Returning from Milan to London could have meant a wallow in heritage nostalgia. Not a bit of it. Instead, Bailey brought all the high-gloss international production values he knows back to his home city, and made sure the label’s history-namely, the iconic trench-looked alive and relevant to the 18- to 25-year-olds in the audience. From the fashion point of view, the reinvention of the beige, military-inflected coat is perfectly timed. Not only are tones in the range of camel and nude spot-on for the season, but military references are cropping up in many places as well.
Bailey’s way of developing it had nothing to do with anything as dull as the English weather. All the emphasis was on building up a glamour shoulder, with a tied reefer’s knot on the upper outside edge of each arm. All kinds of sexy tulle draping, meanwhile, were worked into what went on below. Having neatly scooped up those trends (along with a passing pastel moment), Bailey took pleasure in teasing out yet more possibilities. He showed some of the incredible techniques and fabrics Burberry has access to, like silvered gabardine and sliced suede made into hot leggings. In the end, though, this show may be most significant for the way in which it closed the gap between a public and private fashion event. In the front row, Paltrow, Pinto, and Patel were wearing pieces from the outfits that were walking the runway. And at Burberry’s flagship in the center of London, the show was being Livestreamed to the public.”
Christopher Kane
“Pretty yet perverted, innocent yet disturbing-with its gingham chiffon, fan pleating, puff sleeves, and thigh-split dresses, Christopher Kane’s Spring collection walked the fine line between good and bad taste that has made his clothes such a phenomenon. The repetition of the central idea — complex, pieced dresses with inserts of pleats; pastel pink, baby blue, and navy or brown checks; bra cups; and panels of white rose-beaded embroidery — became relentless, mesmeric.
At 27, Kane has already developed his own way of building emotion in a room. This time, it was to the compelling, melancholy sound of gospel and spirituals — such an odd choice that it had members of the audience pushing backstage to find out what was going on in his head. “I saw a documentary about the Jonestown mass suicides in Guyana in 1978, so I started thinking about religious cultism,” he said. “But that only happened at the end. I was also looking at a photo of Nancy Reagan on the White House lawn, and the movie Lolita. I loved Jeremy Irons’ tailored vest in the remake. So that’s where the suiting came from.”
Putting aside whether Kane’s view of America will stir up a furor, the product, in all its detail, is quite brilliantly produced. That goes as much for the slash-shoulder cashmere sweaters and checked crop tops as it does for the dresses, which are made in London. That precision, and the whiff of something disturbing running under the charming surface of this collection, means Christopher Kane has scored yet again.” Reported Style.com
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