Trend: LA DOLCE VITA

Girly girls rejoice – Spring has arrived, and this time she’s riding a fairy-floss chariot and scattering a trail of sugar dust in her wake. From diaphanous pale violets at Richard Nicoll, to structured lemon souffle at Giambattista Valli, to a rainbow of pastel princesses at Elie Saab, saccharine-sweet is one of the key themes of the Spring 2012 runways. Off the runway, this trend translates perfectly to prim and preppy, such as this dress from Preen Line, or Christopher Kane’s metallic jacquard tees. If you’re more inclined towards biker than barbie however, keep this trend to accents only, with the divine Dieppa Restrepo patent leather seafoam Dina oxfords available here, or Ellery et Graz Quixote Catseye sunglasses in tongue-tingling shades of Batter, Fairyfloss, and Listerine. And for more inspiration on transforming edible to wearable, check out the amazing WARDROBE v PANTRY blog. Délicieux!

- Z xx

From top: Christopher Kane metallic jacquard top, available at Net-a-Porter; Versus shoe, via HarpersBazaar.com.au; Richard Nicoll Spring ’12 via Vogue.com; Preen Line Cameron cotton-drill dress, available at Net-a-Porter; Dieppa Restrepo seafoam patent Dina Oxfords, available at MyChameleon; MiH jeans, available at mih-jeans.com; Giambattista Valli Spring ’12 via Vogue.com; Arnsdorf Mint denim shorts, available at MyChameleon; Gary Bigeni Xack Cross Jacket, available at MyChameleon; Elie Saab Spring ’12 via Vogue.com; Ellery Et Graz Quixote Catseye glasses, available at Elleryland.

Trend: THE URBAN TURBAN

Turbans are having a major moment for me right now. Or – more truthfully – they have been ever since I was six years old and first learned to do that flicked-back-wet-hair-turban-trick in the swimming pool. From there it was a bit of a slippery slope – from icecream containers, to sarongs, to my mothers scarves; anything capable of being appropriated as headwear was promptly upturned, wrapped, or knotted and cast upon my head.

Now that I’m a grown up (sigh) – and said turban fetish shows no sign of quitting, I have been facing the quandary of how exactly one gets away with wearing les chapeaux exotiques if one is sans caravanserai and not Erykah Badu/Akuol de Mabior. The answer? Hermes.

Not only are Hermes scarves the perfect size for wrapping around one’s noggin, they also come with a set of instruction cards to guide you. Admittedly, when I attempted to recreate Hermes rosette-side-tie  (aka the watered-down version of a turban), I failed dismally. I suspect that this was due to the instructions illustrations leaping inexplicably from 1. “fold scarf and wrap around head” to 2. “et voila!” without the vital “create infinitely complex and masterful side knot, whip hands around ninja-style to create perfect rosette” step in between – although it could possibly have been something to do with one too many glasses of champers on my behalf as well.

Luckily, I had a stylist on hand to help me (see the second picture for my voila! moment). As for my next trick – the turban proper, seen on Peony Lim below – I think imma need origami lessons and some sellotape.

- Z x

image from Marie Claire South Africa, November 2011

image via Jak & Jil Blog

image via Park & Cube

image via Park & Cube

More tips on Turban-Tying here:

How To Tie A Turband 3 Ways from LEAFtv on Vimeo.

P.S. Apologies for the lack of recent posts – who would have known that blogging from darkest Cambodia ain’t easy. I’ll be back for real soon with LOTS of exciting Christmas loot and travel treasures to post about. x

How to Wear: A TOUCH OF GOLD

I’ve blogged before about how I’m not a massive fan of little things, and usually that statement extends to jewellery also. I prefer knuckledusters, bibs, and cuffs to thin rings, chains, and tennis bracelets – the latter usually calling to mind images of  nasty things like Stepford Wives and ladies that like to match their bags to their shoes. HOWEVER (this is the bit where I contradict myself), there is something to be said for the allure of the fine gold necklace, as seen recently at Me & Ro, Van Rycke, and Aurelie Bidermann. With this in mind, during my recent stalks of street-style blogs, I have been keeping an eye out for the fine gold chain worn well. It seems the formula is relatively simple: plain tee + dishevelled hair + fine gold chain = pared-back perfection.

image via streetfsn

image via Jak & Jil blog

rose gold heart necklace by Van Rycke from My Chameleon

I think this look works particularly well if you are inclined to wear a statement piece (e.g. the culottes in the first picture), but are bored of the statement everything + arm-parties-galore + bib necklace + YSL-arty- ring-or-five thing, as currently seen on fash bloggers everywhere (apart from Hanneli. Hanneli is someone who I’m sure wears simple gold chains all the time).

How to Wear: NEON INDIAN

The only thing better than the current trends of Navajo print (seen at Isabel Marant, Proenza Schouler, and Theodora & Callum) and acid-bright hue-from-heaven chartreuse (seen at Acne, Balmain, Jason Wu and Marc Jacobs) is when someone marries them together in an outfit as gorgeous as this:

image via streetfsn.com

Isn’t she lovely? I’m head over heels for Isabel Marant’s use of Navajo-esque prints this season (as seen on the Renell jeans here), but pairing it with such an insanely beautiful colour takes it to a whole new level. Sort of frothing at the mouth over the bag a little bit, too.

Also spotted on Geraldine Saglio (assistant to Emanuelle Alt), with a simple grey tee (bit boring, but I do love a good front-tuck):

Geraldine Saglio in Isabel Marant 'Renell' Jeans via Streetfsn

Unsurprisingly, I also love this look worn with 30-trillion layers of everything, a la the nordic-iceprincess-hippie-mermaid vibe channelled by Natasha Poly and Sasha Pivarova in Vogue Paris (style by Ms. Alt, shot by Mario Sorrenti):

Sasha Pivarova, Vogue Paris, November 2011

Natasha Poly, Vogue Paris, November 2011

Unforch, while I do have an ocean and plenty of messed-up-hair to hand, I am neither an Ice-Princess, nor inclined to wearing sheepskin in high summer, as it currently is here in Australia. Thus, I will be punching out my tribal prints with plenty of acid-brights and front-tucks, and probably some flat sandals.

NB. Navajo print is all over the high-street as well, but as yet I’m not convinced. I think the key to shopping this look on a budget is (as always) Etsy, or by splurging on the prints, and saving on the rest. You could also just go on over and suck the life out of the Net-a-Porter sale, like any sensible girl would do. Here’s my picks for this trend (Christmas wishlist, anyone?):

Clockwise, from top left: pleat yoke dress by Proenza Schouler from Boutique 1; kuchi seed bead necklace from Afghan Tribal Arts on Etsy; lodolite quartz earrings from Flytiers Jewelbox on Etsy; silk georgette tank by Adam from Net-a-Porter; dress by Isabel Marant from Net-a-Porter; Navajo-inspired brass breastplate by Pamela Love from Net-a-Porter

 

How to Wear: LEOPARD DENIM

Leopard denim has been stalking the streets for a while now, and it is one trend that invariably brings to mind a nursery rhyme my mother used to sing to me as a child: “when she was good, she was very very good; but when she was bad she was horrid!”

Yes, much like my infant personality, leopard is a print that tends to swing freely between opposite ends of the likeability spectrum. On the one hand, leopard worn well can be subtle, chic, and alluring. On the other, it can be…well, Jersey Shore.

Leopard + denim then, can often teeter on the edge of dressing disaster (I’ll save my musings on When Bad Denim Happens to Good People for later). Carine Roitfeld shows us how to stay on the chic side of the sartorial divide, keeping her Current/Elliott leopard jeans pared back with flats and a simple tee.

current/elliott leopard denim (via atriumfashion.wordpress.com) + carine roitfeld (via iwanttobearoitfeld.com)

Get the look at Shopbop:

Alida tee by Velvet; Leopard Stiletto jean by Current/Elliott; Delta Sandal by K. Jacques. All images via shopbop.com.