The FiFi Report 183

Economy Class
Witchery:
Witchery is very inspired by Chloe/Burberry this season. We love Chloe and Burberry. Check out the very Chloe inspired, white silk top with a cute frill on neck and frill on 3/4 sleeves $149; and the casual smock style top that’s gathered at the waist so it will cinch in those curves you have (from too much camembert) $119.95. You want the chic Chloe style smock trench $189. You know a trench is a must have. It doesn’t need to be raining. It’s just about having a great coat. Also invest in the black, light nylon parka ; just what you need for this in-between weather. In between weather does not mean in between style. God forbid. Wear this with heels. Not for bird watching. Throw it over your LBD. You cannot pass the metallic sports jacket (pictured) $149.95 enough said. Check out the Navy and white stripe, knit, weekend dress $89.95. We love the weekends. It means you can wear the casual green and blue striped dress with boat front and frill trim on the sleeve $79. A great buy is the very Marni inspired top with frill front comes in burnt orange $129. It’s something that will look great for the office. Love! Love! Love! Orange! It looks great with red and pink. Please buy, I insist, the camel leather short jacket with wide arms and a belted front $599. You will love it. It’s hour glass! It’s chic! It will give you a figure! Even if you ate all that toast and lashings of butter. It will take you into winter. Or Paris if you are lucky. Executive FiFi Fashion Editor Kirsten says that if you don’t buy anything at Witchery please buy the leather jacket! If your budget doesn’t stretch that far go for the acorn coloured $299.95 trench with leather trim belt at the waist and belt around the arms. If your legs stretch a long way you will want the gorgeous denim shorts $89 with rolled hem or the chic de la tulip skirt in navy linen with double buttons $89. Tres, Tres French. You know Ines de la Fressange would wear that. If you don’t know who she is you need to keep reading The FiFi Report. There are a lot of shorts here for about $119. Dress them up or dress them down. Most people need heels with shorts. I have been telling you to buy shorts for the last couple of seasons. Hopefully you would have obeyed me and have had years of wear out of them. Buy the denim navy skirt with pockets $59. In accessories buy the white wide hat in black grosgrain ribbon $ 59; the grooves to the max stretch metallic belt $59 and the very Marni-esque belt with a brown leather fastening and gold buttons $49. Snazzy. How cute is the Wilma Flinstone-on-a-string gold silver and black necklace? Very at $59.
Sportsgirl:
It’s very weekend wear here: Buy the white cotton dress with embroidery at the bottom. $129. A bit hippy but that’s ok if no paparazzi are around. You want the grey pants $79.95 with a wide leg. You will live in grey pants till the end of next winter. Check out the patterned Marnie-esque red and brown top $79. Bless Marni; Bless Consuelo;who knew she would be so influential. Prada who? There’s a white cotton $119.95 shift dress that’s absolutely gorgeous. Wear it with a silver heels and flats. Buy the black shift dress. It’s also in blue or a canary yellow. You know what I think of yellow. PASS. It’s a shocker. Looks terrible on everyone except Kate Moss. You are not Kate Moss. Sorry. The sexy denim 3/4 jacket with shirring at the top and short sleeves like a bomber is very 70’s cool $59. Love it. Invest in the flash dance style grey hoodie T-shirt dress $59. Talk about weekends. George Clooney will love to see you in that. Not so good for riding a bike. You want the black grey purple or white cotton singlets which are a great long shape (to cover muffin tops) and perfect colours $19. Yes please. And because they cover the lumps and bumps so well you can wear the very revealing indigo short shorts $79. Not into dresses or shorts then buy the simple, cotton skirt with buttons down the front $79. The chambray shorts with a matching belt are cute, cute price also $79 The leather thongs come in silver, bronxe white or black at $59.and they are a steal. Executive FiFi Fashion editor Kirsten says the white, chic, swing dress with a crochet net over the top is a must have buy $89! It sounds a bit hippy but we promise it is very Chanel.
Portmans:
Best buys her are the accessories. If I go over to the clothes I get scared when I see all that bright pink. Yes, I know, Lanvin did hot pink last season.. There is hot pink on the runways this week at Burberry. That is Lanvin. Portmans is not Lanvin. Bless. Especially not at these prices. So head over to the bangles section and buy up lots of the white, clear perspex or silver bangles from $12. Then buy the cute Wooden bangles for an outrageous $19. Layer them up. It’s about making a statement. One bangle does not make a statement. Just ask Nancy Cunard. One bangle looks sad and alone and needs help. But in the clothes as reported last week you want the very cute little black textured cotton skirt with adorable little pockets at the front a la Chloe. Wear now with a knit, wear in summer with a Tee , wear with heels or cute T bar sandals. For $79 it’s a bargain.
Mollini:
I see a lot of great shoes here: A lot of shoe boots and a lot of platforms. Buy the silver sling backs platforms $128; and the fabulous blush pink patent Mary-Janes $138. They are very Lanvin and have a chic round toe and 3 straps across the top of the foot. You have to have them. Also buy the cream patent very Miu Miu inspired jewelled encrusted patent peep toes $148. The heel is quite wearable so there will not be too much wobbling around on outrageous stilts. The thing about dressing this season is; it’s all about getting life on the foot. Make a statement. The shoes are heavy but the colour should not be. Go for cream or blush pink, silver, or white patent or even red. You will thank me. It will transform your entire wardrobe with one purchase..
Cue:
There are a lot of great pieces for work wear this week. But best buys are the cute sporty zip jackets. As reported last week my pick is still the cream short sleeve trapeze trench with a zip. It’s long so will cover big fat bottoms. But also look flattering over little skinny ones. So they tell me. It has an inverted pleat at the back and a high sit up short collar. Wear it over everything. Over black, over grey, over orange and red and brown. That’s everything. You are not allowed to wear any other colours. I think it’s also in Khaki which is chic de la chic. $235. I have shown it in the glitter tee television ad on whatswhat.com.au. I actually belted it in with a silver belt and it looked fab. You can do that too if you have waist. And you will if you stop eating. Love the short, grey, cotton zip front jacket . Same feel with an exposed zip about $199 and the divine navy satin straight sleeveless dress with a black sheer insert across the top. It has a dark burgundy strip or band along the hem and it comes with its own little silver belt. I like it with out the belt as it fall straight and chic. This is not an evening dress. Dress it up to dress it down. $279. it’s also a good length not too short. Wear in the day with T-bar flats in silver. Think outside the square and wear different fabrics in the day. Also buy the wide silver belt $109; the snazzy always handy must have black patent belt $119 and the cute bags.
Business
Sunglass Hut:
There are some fab sunglasses here: Buy the black with gold ‘Charles’ aviators by the Maestro Tom Ford $465.00; or the groovy Tom Ford black aviators $535. There are also a great selection fab Prada, Miu Miu and over the top Dolce & Gabbana black sunglasses $419. You want the aviators, the Bug eyes a la Nicole Richie are still cool & the Rayban Wayfarers (pictured)item du jour months ago. Please pay attention.
Country Road:
Looks like a serious sale. How nice. Best buys wether they are on sale or not include the seamless tanks. As reported last week these are not to wear on their own. Too scary. Too many lumps. Too many muffin tops. Wear these tanks as a foundation under everything. Its a good way to add a jolt of colour and a narrow silhouette under trapeze jackets. No fatty Arbuckle for FiFi Readers. You want to look stream lined and chic. Please cinch in all smock tops from now on. Unless, of course,you have had a big 3 course dinner and you are in the car on the way home with only George Clooney to look at you . So the instructions are thus:: Buy the cobalt blue seamless tank and wear it with black and cream. $29 Buy the Black silk smock dress with a lace trim across the bodice $249. Wear it with a belt if you can. Other wise big chunly shoes to balnce out the silhouette. Always chunky shoes. Pointy toe stilettos will look like pin pricks and will be overwhelmed by all the fabric in the dress. So what else do ou want? Love the red zip front sporty luxe parka $199. it will look so fresh over white and grey. Buy the zip front bomber jackets in black or cobalt blue with ¾ puff sleeves on sale for $99. Buy the tulip skirts; the pretty cami tops with a square neckline and pintucks at the front. Buy the khaki green cotton cami with bra safe straps and an exposed zip and baltic trim. It is not so smock top-ish and is a flattering cut. You want the excellent white elastic belt $29 and the White patent thongs $69. Check out the new high waist trousers with the flat front and a wider leg; they are fabulous. I know they will be a flattering look. And then there are the silver tote bags and the silver flats….
Veronica Maine:
The great thing about Veronika Maine is that you can always get a classic black Jacket for about $249 and classic black pants $169. I am having a trouser suit moment. They are all over the runway for next winter. I am having of course a Balenciaga blazer moment too, check the Balenciagia out on www.style.com. Tailoring is back which is great because I am nearly all smocked out. Love the fabulous navy cotton tulip Skirt $159. It should sit high on the waist. It will look fabulous with black. Navy and black. How many times do I have to tell you? Good. Keep repeating it and then start wearing it. The tulip skirt is hanging in there till next summer so it’s an investment. Love love love the grey crinkle cotton zig zag print top with wide straps and a drawstring hem. The zig zag is in grey and black so it’s an instant wardrobe updater. It will work with everything you own. $175.00; The print is also in a dress which is harder to wear. Instead buy the divine paisley blues/browns/orange print dress a la Chloe. It has a few scatterings of metal or brass rings dotted along the neckline and it’s in a slight A line shift shape. Fabulous. It’s one of the nicest print dresses I have seen. In fact its the best I have seen in this price range $199 apart from the fabulous one in MNG. It has the same paisley print but on a white back ground with caramel swirls. Also buy the fab Khaki chiffon ruffled blouse in a loose shape with a few brass studs amongst the ruffles $155 it’s another instant wardrobe updater.
Bettina Liano:
Bettina has been inspired from the 80’s since the 80’s. Bless. Executive FiFi Fashion Editor Kirsten reports from the behind the racks: Buy the Short sleeved black wet look jacket $395; wear with the high waist denim shorts also very 80’s.$175. Of course if you wore it the first time around in 1985 I am scared you might this time. Wear a singlet with the snazzy and very sexy black ribbed wet look pants $240 to channel Kate Moss (or even Pete Doherty. Actually No, maybe not Pete.). Best buys are the black top with a ribbed pocket with a ribbed cuff $240. Rush and buy the parachute silk high waisted shorts $175 (pictured) to show off your gorgeous sexy legs. They come in a variety of different lolly colours and will last the whole summer; (the shorts not your legs.) Of course if you don’t have the legs, wipe away the tears, blow your nose and look into having serious suck it all out liposuction or a leg lengthening operation. Love the open zip front metallic dress $189 and it comes with leggings which are on sale from $59 to$29 …bargain! There is also a Chloe inspired Navy dress V front and heavy cotton fabric. Totally chic for you special price of $425. Also you can buy the jacket to match and you look like you just stepped out of Chanel $395 (if you squint your eyes).
The Corner Shop:
Executive FiFi Fashion Editor Kirsten was ordered to The Corner Shop. We nearly lost her. She disappeared. The search party was sent out. She finally surfaced begging for Botox to paralyse her smiles and her credit card. This store is not for the faint hearted. Or for dags. Every piece in here has its own personality.As always the Biba platforms steal the show: In fact you want to steal the shoes not the show. That’s illegal by the way. The platforms in white and black patent with a lace up front (like a sneaker) on their rounded toe are sensational $695. So is the Christian William grey silk batwing top. Divine at $595. There’s a (perfect cut) navy Mui Mui knit tee for $165. Yes please. That’s a steal. If you want the athletic look (too sexy to sweat) buy the Mui Miu black sweat shirt with puff sleeves $165. This is not a typo. The Alice McCall black velvet, low V front dress with keyhole cut out and a back filled with see thru lace is for one sexy mama. $560.Think Dita Von Tesse. The Alice McCall green metallic sleeveless dress gathered at all the right places (bust and hem) $295 Rockstars need only apply and buy. Sorry. For the more demure try the fabulous 3.1 by Phillip Lim silver dress with white collar and a black panel on the bust $690 or his chic silk pocket front tee shirt top cut off at the waist in metallic bronze $465.; Wear with tight singlet and jeans. Buy the 3.1 by Philip Lim tee shirt dress with Louis Vuitton style gold stud detail on the right shoulder. $675. Not Louis Vuitton prices. La Fond is a great label from Japan. Their gorgeous silk made dress are made out of vintage Kimono’s and are available in different cuts and colourways $545. Cheap Monday (pictured) jeans are here from $90 and yes they ARE cheap and ARE a great cut. Finish your shopping with the Miu Miu gold belt with massive diamantes rocks stapled all over it. You will be rock star one day.
First Class
Prada:
Read two very different reviews of the latest Prada collection just shown on the runway in Milan:” What is fashion but a tale of enchantment? It’s about being charmed, taken in, lured by the promise of magical transformation. The old aspirational marketing ploy tied up with a bow. Or in Miuccia Prada’s case, drawn ever so deftly as an exquisite fairyland. The mesmerizing collection Prada showed on Tuesday evening illustrated her brilliance with stunning clarity. It was all there: the social statement, the wonder, the artistry, the mega installation and, oh, yes, the merch, as well as the cleverness to meld those various elements in a manner that disguised the ingenious, wonton commercial-ness of it all. As for the social statement, after the show Prada said she was commenting on the state of the world today, and that the only way to cope is to retreat into one’s own fantasy world. She also mused vaguely about technology, travel and the image of women around the world. Which of course brings us quite naturally to the Rem Koolhaas set, done up with huge murals illustrated to recall Art Nouveau fantasy renderings, at least until the lights went down and the place went techno neon. Then out came a girl in silken pajamas printed with romantic otherworldly creatures. But immediately Prada offered a more grounded reality — a computer-print shirt and pants in blue, green and purple.. Faeries cavorted, flowers bloomed and clouds shaded the gentlest of dresses often cut with eccentric off-kilter keyhole necklines and worn atop sculptural shoes that sprouted tulips and upside-down roses for heels. These alternated with fabulous skinny knits and dresses and separates — including daring pants kept tight through the thigh and flared big-time at the knee — in assorted graphic prints with a quietly subversive attitude. But just the kind of seductive subversion that communicates the most powerful of messages” (Reports WWD).The New York Times reports that “ Miuccia Prada beguiles as she confuses. Backstage Tuesday night, she was coy when a knot of journalists asked if her latest collection was based on Art Nouveau jugs. And there, a few feet away, was the voluptuous model Lara Stone in a sweater and a bell-shaped organdy skirt, kissing a bottle of perfume for the photographers.course the collection followed the curves of the Art Nouveau, the lines tracing around necklines. Of course it was deeply erotic, right to the tulip-shaped heels of the lavender shoes. Ms. Prada didn’t disagree. She just didn’t say. People will interpret this collection as they like, and some will probably declare it not their Prada cup of tea. The colors too drab, the knit jackets and matched tank tops with tube skirts or belled pants too sexually ambiguous. For boyish girls? For lesbians? For nymphs? You just couldn’t say. Ms. Prada is always at her best when the lines are blurred, and we are struck less by her references than by her complex view of women and women’s lives. In a way, this collection is the flesh-and-blood counterpoint to Raf Simons’s show for Jil Sander, which also pushed boundaries, divided opinion and dealt in a cooler, more detached way with our notions about sex and contemporary dressing.”