Going Green

Taken literally...

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Shop Nude

After reading my previous post on how to work nude into your spring wardrobe, its time to go ahead and implement the same.Here are few pieces which I feel could breathe some freshness into your wardrobe this season.For those of you who are uncomfortable about a nude dress, just add a hint of the color in the form of accessories, showing the world that when it comes to confirming to trends, you still do it your way!!

Some ways to indulge in nude..

1.Calvin Klein Silk origami dress

2.Miu Miu Satin platform pumps

3.Alberta Ferretti Chiffon dot print dress

4.Sonia Rykiel Emma crystal-embellished tote

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Spring Trends 2009 : Go Nude

Spring usually evokes thoughts of bright colors, of lime green, fuchsia, orange and canary yellow.While all these colors are definitely welcome, given the overload of grays and blacks done during Fall, this spring it is worth tucking in some neutral shades in between the brights, for not only do they break the pattern of your dressing, but also avoid you being labelled as "Miss Flash Light", and remember the more extensive your color palette, the broader are your options of mix and match.

One common concern regarding the color is of doing it without looking pale and washed out.Another most used to perception is, think nude, think formals, most cannot think beyond the nude trousers.The beauty of the color is that it can be worked in many different ways, right from a canvas for embellishments(they make them stand out making you the shimmering queen of the evening), to creating contrasting looks with colors like black, violet to just plain nude with interesting details worked in, the options are truly endless.

The important trick in working nude is to subtly contrast the look with your skin tone.If you choose to do nude in a shade close to your skin color, contrast it with black or go in for shimmer or embellishments as they make the look stand out.In case of doing plain vanilla nude, choose a shade at least two shades lighter than your skin tone, and make sure the dress has some detailing in the form of frills, origami folds, ruffles or layering.Still left wondering how to get your nude look right? Learn from the runways of Spring 2009 Ready-To-Wear, to play with nude in more ways than one!!

On my way back from the crafts class.

Spot me!!

I'm a girl of sharp contrasts.

I gotta go swimming after the party.

I'm the definition of power dressing.

I'm the centre of the universe.

I'm all tied to myself.

Did I just step out of your dream?

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Louis Vuitton Hand Fans, a Vulgar Luxury?

I certainly prefer the beautiful painted hand fans(like the one above) to the monogrammed monstrosities of Louis Vuitton, unless of course I'm paid by the company to carry it around with me as a means of advertisement!! These fans are crass, lack class and seem to shout an "in-your-face" kind of snobbishness.

Please tell me who is brain dead enough to be seen fanning themselves with these?

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Made up vs Casual

They don't call it "make-up" for nothing, do they? Even though this week saw Kate Price go from glam to deglam, she always seems to be stepping out for the next fancy dress competition in town.Conventional Kate, a good oxymoron no?

Kim plays the Recessionista

Leave it to Kim to teach you a thing or two about coping with recession.You have unearthed from your closet those accessories which you never thought would see the light of the day, but now are planning to pass off as vintage, but what about the dress?You have rummaged your entire closet and you cannot find a single decent piece that you deem "recyclable".So what do you do?Buy a cotton kaftan, those don't cost much anyways, cinch it at the waist and lo behold you have transformed your nightgown into a "fashionable" dress.Only with Kim, we could still see through the "kaftan-to-day-dress" part.Hope you guys do a better job in camouflaging the origin of your dress.Get creative to beat the recession and have fun with fabrics albeit the right way!!

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Pulling the Red Carpet !!

Its one thing to walk on the Red Carpet and quite another to pull it along with you.Me prefers the walking!!What do you prefer?

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The Price of Fame

For some, shopping trips involve more than just managing their shopping bags!!

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Head to Toe in Louis Vuitton Spring 2009 Ready-To-Wear

Spotted Lara Bingle in Sydney at the recently held MTV Australian Awards show in what could be named as Louis Vuitton Spring fest.The star had donned a top, skirt, bag and shoes all from Louis Vuitton's Spring 2009 Ready-To-Wear collection.Agreed that the collection was the toast of Spring 2009, but a bit of mix and match can go a long way in showing that you have some original style, instead of making it seem like you had this event to attend and you discover at the last moment that you don't have anything to wear, rush into a nearby Louis Vuitton store and grab everything you need from there, certainly not the way to go for a red carpet event unless of course you are Louis Vuitton's brand ambassador, that too specifically for Spring 2009!!

On an aside, Lara's outfit looks a cheap imitation of the one seen on the runway(on the runway the colors are rich and vibrant as opposed to near dead colors on Lara's outfit).Is it that the runway photos are doctored to look great or that a photographer with an allergy to bright colors had covered the Australian MTV awards and decided to drain the colors off the outfit? I only hope its the latter for Marc's sake and as for Lara, Bingle girl you failed to jingle!!

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Fall 2009 Trends : Play Peek-a-Boo

During Depression women stopped wearing under wear, those were the extremes they went to cut corners.With the economy in no great shape and a lot of designers toying around with transparent dresses, is the "no under wear" era making a comeback?Fret not for there could be other reasons why they are immensely popular with designers.Why would designers place so much importance on transparent sheath like dresses which they know would never be worn, the way its showcased on the runway?The primary reason is that these dresses are a subtle way of reminding people that in all the hullabaloo surrounding the tons of glorious dresses displayed during the fashion week, the body which these dresses are meant to adore shouldn't be forgotten and is there a better way to pay tribute to the beautiful bodies behind these dresses?The other reason for which I find them alluring is the ethereal fantastical element they add to the runway and subsequently to fashion, afterall what is fashion without fantasy?And the third most important reason that I would cotton on to, is that these dresses give the most flexibility to express your individuality, its almost like the designer just handed over a canvas to you and asked you to express yourself as it suits you, right from contrasting corsets to matching ones to layering, the options of carrying off these transparent beauties just seem endless.So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, and wear them the way you want, creating an unique look that would make even the designers rethink whether its their design that's so tastefully worn!!

Can you help me find the missing piece?

I'm the recessionista, who wears only the bare necessities.

Darn the crow that took off with my corset!!

Did I leave something at home?

I'm the Spartan bride.

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Beyonce, the new Super Heroine!!

I have always found Beyonce's style a bit quirky, especially on stage.While the costumes designed by Thierry Mugler for her upcoming tour projects a mix of conventionalism laced with conservatism, not that that takes away the kitsch factor from them, I'm not sure whether the silhouette projected on the design boards mirrors that of Beyonce's.One only hopes that the super women doesn't turn out into a blinding mess of bling!!!

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Two for one

Hail the new Muppet street hawker in town!!This reminds me of how they sell soft toys in India.On any busy road where cars are parked in serpentine lines, one would invariably find a car overflowing with soft toys and a vendor patiently waiting for some passer by whose eyes have been smitten by that sight to walk up and buy a cuddly for themselves. Jean-Charles de Castelbajac has taken it one step further by making the selling of soft toys more eco friendly by taking advantage of the very nature of soft toys, they are indeed a pleasure to carry around.Cool marketing ideas from the runway.Anyone up for the job?

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Laura Chiatti almost won...

'The Best Dressed of the Day' until she stood up when some ghastly black appendage to her dress made me strip her of the award!!


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They went the casual way...

Both Jennifer Aniston and Drew Barrymore went the casual way, though Jen's face is still made up.Whose way would you go? I guess I would sway the Jen way, there is still some refinement in the casual look, something neat unlike the rugged look of Drew's.

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Where are the Fashion Critics ?

I have stayed quite a long time in Patience Land, searching for an objective review of a fashion show, something on the lines of how a movie, an album or an art work is critiqued.All that I have spotted so far are adulatory remarks most often bordering on sycophancy.Why do so called "fashion critics" turn a blind eye to a designer's deficiencies and dwell only on his/her high points or create high points if none exist? The relationship between a fashion show reviewer and a designer is symbiotic, mutually beneficial to both parties involved.Firstly fashion shows are invite only events which only few get to attend, so if you "bad mouth" about a designer's work, you might not get the invite next time around.Secondly most of the reviewers are given gift bags from the fashion houses whose collection they review, write good things, get good things in return.

Can we please have some sensible reviewing and stop peppering the review with mindless adjectives endlessly describing how perfect and flawless each creation is, especially phrases like "its very creative(come on its a designer's job to create), avant-garde, pop culture inspired or more often drawing references to obscure points in history or art without really bothering to explain the rhyme or reason behind the same.During a more recently held fashion show, a fashion critic from a reputed magazine had commented that the show was inspired by Dr.Zhivago's.While Dr.Zhivago is a splendid piece of work (both as a book and as a movie) explaining the travails of World War from the Russian aristocrats' point of view, it begs to be explained how exactly Dr.Zhivago fits into the scheme of things, when all one could comprehend was the usual fare of Fall clothes doing the parade.

So unless people stop riding the sycophancy wagon waiting for a fashion invite to drop in to their mailbox and start viewing fashion as an art form and not as a means of obtaining fanciful purses and clothes, that's the day that would see the birth of a true Fashion Critic as well as the emergence of Fashion As Art.Till then, patience my friend!!

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Best Dressed of the Day

Blow the trumpets and beat the drum for the best dressed lady in town i.e Martina Klein.She so beautifully worked the purple color and the sequined dress.The other ladies of interest who attended the Conde Nast Traveler 2009 Awards (below, clockwise from left) included Aitana Sanchez Gijon, Beatriz de Orleans, Paula Vazquez and Clara Lago.

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Sarah Jessica Parker goes casual

For those of you accustomed to seeing Sarah Jessica Parker in the realm of Sex and the City, this might be difficult to take in, no glamorous hairdo, pointed stilettos and short dresses but SJP sure seems to be enjoying her stint in NY, shooting for the movie "Did you hear about the Morgans?". Given that Hugh Grant is the male lead of the movie, we can expect some lovey- dovey mushy affair during Christmas, when the movie is finally slated for release. On an aside, couldn't help wondering whether SJP's shoe rack got burgled or something, from Manolos and Jimmy Choos to this, she sure is a girl of extremes or is it that she is playing the wife of an i-banker who just got fired?

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How about "Counting the number of circles" game ?

Step back into the 80s when fashion was about pushing boundaries and doing the undoable, when neon tights, polka dots, micro minis and gaudy clothes were the norm.Though most of us may not have the stomach for the 80s' atrocious punk flamboyance, this spring lets you takes a refined, classier and stylised approach to the 80s.Hop on the 80s band wagon of fashion madness with polka dotted clothes and accessories.Like the trend, own it then ...

1.Miu Miu East West shoulder bag

2.Paul & Joe Quartet silk top

3.Miu Miu Whipsnake pumps

4.Michael Kors Polka dot silk skirt

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Spring Trends 2009 : Be a Jeanius

If you had always thought that there were only so many different ways of sporting denim, then think again!!This spring cling on to denim while doing jumpsuits, harem pants, prints, mini dresses, well the list just seems endless.So trade those typical "skinny jeans" look for some variety and you will be convinced that you could live on denim alone this season, without appearing a bore!! Also enjoy your summer in the relaxed fit of boyfriend jeans(in vogue this season) and though, what with recession doing the rounds and the misleading name, while it might be tempting to stealthily flick one from your man's wardrobe, resist the temptation, for unfortunately boyfriend jeans too is cut keeping in mind a female's silhouette(fits snugly around the hips and is relaxed down the legs).And a final piece of advice for all you folks out there, "unisex jeans" cannot exist without the emergence of unisex human.So please don't try to convince yourself and others that its cool to walk around in a man's jeans.Its so NOT!!

Look, there's a new painter in town!!

I have the freedom of movement!!

A stitch in time saves nine!!

There's space for two!!

I love my second skin!!

Straight from the fields!!

Playing the little girl!!

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