Yes, you heard right! Je-suis-style @ blogspot now has a sister site on tumblr!
I created a tumblr mainly to share bits of fashion and artsy inspiration with you all. My blogspot will continue to be my main site and that's where you'll find the more lengthy posts about all things fashion and style, but head over to my tumblr for some visual fashion delights!
Recently, I have been looking a lot more at Chictopia.com and Lookbook.nu as I love all the interesting outfits and style inspiration on there.
Instead of posting a "look of the day", I wanted to tell you about my favourite chictopian of the moment.. ZANITA WHITTINGTON, a Sydney based model.
(Model polaroids:) (Agency pictures:) Apart from the fact that being an extremely striking 5ft11 model makes clothes naturally look good on her, the way she pieces outfits together shows her flair for making fashion work on and off the job..a total style chameleon!
Definitely one to watch - not only as a model, but also as a fashionista!
je-suis-style xox
Want to find out more about Zanita? Check out her blog: www.zanita.com.au and Chictopia profile: www.chictopia.com/Zanita (Pictures all copyright to Zanita and her agency: www.priscillas.com.au)
I have been meaning to update my blog with a review of Christopher Kane's Autumn/Winter 2010 collection for a while, so my apologies for my blogging absence!
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For London fashion week, the Christopher Kane 'woman' has once again shifted identity. Kane says farewell to his Lolita phase - the sickly sweet pastels, gingham and checked prints were tossed aside for what appeared to be a foray into a darker world of leather-clad "juvenile delinquents" and religious cultism.
Never one to pander to expectations, Kane's designs were visually impactful due to the jarring fusion of matte or patent black leather and PVC, contrasted with bead/gem embellishment and embroidered flowers that resembled parochial Women's Institute craftwork.
Kane cites the robes of the Vatican and Priscilla Presley “before Elvis got his hands on her" as two sources of strong inspiration for the collection. His desire to convey a perversion and irony in this collection has been deftly pulled off, through his unusual and somewhat scandalous splicing of the prim and proper with 'bad girl' rebellion.
However, although I am a huge Christopher Kane fan, I feel like I have developed a 'love-hate' relationship with the actual garments from the show. There are elements of the collection that I love and those that I really dislike:
The good: (The simple feminine cuts, subtler gem detailing and lace panelling work for me.)
The bad: (Check out that fur and leather abomination and the scary leather collar shirts!)
Emma Watson and Carey Mulligan have been snapped sporting pieces from Kane's Fall collection, but do you think they did the designs justice?
I think Emma rocks her Kane dress - I have always liked the way that he plays on the idea of underwear as outerwear, so the weird leather/flower combo is less accosting. I'm not feeling Carey Mulligan's outfit though, as it is a tad catholic school-girl gone wild!
So, what do you think of the collection as a whole? In my humble opinion, the collection is very interesting - it is unpredictably avant-garde and authoritative in its execution, but its commercial wearability remains strongly in question. I love the lace panelling that remains a signature for Kane and the lace-up leather heels are great! I especially like these lace-up gladiator shoes with gem detailing (I would buy those if I had the cash!):
Clip from the show:
All I'm wondering is...what will Kane do next?!
je-suis-style xox
(With thanks to Nytimes.com, fabsugar.co.uk, ssense.com and mylifetime.com for the pictures.)
As we all know, it's Valentine's day tomorrow and as with every year, there's been the usual commercial furor leading up to it. Valentine hearts are in the window of almost every shop, supermarkets are stocking special Valentine chocolate boxes and card shops have cards with just about any romantic message you could possibly imagine! Couples are planning their romantic day, secret admirers are writing their cards and the single people are arranging a big night out...(or are planning to stay in with a huge tub of Ben & Jerry's and some soppy rom-coms for company!)
If you are planning something special, make sure you step out in style! I've created a little picture brain-storm of some outfit ideas, depending on your personal style! I'm sure we've all experienced the indecision that comes with outfit planning just before going out!
It saddens me to learn that today (LEE) ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, one of Britain's most well-known and prolific fashion designers has passed away. It is undoubtedly a shock to anyone familiar with the work of the "enfant terrible" of fashion.
Alexandra Shulman, editor of British Vogue puts it pretty succintly: "His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs. His death is the hugest loss to anyone who knew him and for very many who didn't."
What's for sure is that McQueen will be greatly missed, but his fashion legacy will live on..
So I got home the other day, only to find out that the first issue of my subscription to VOGUE España had arrived! (It states that it's the February issue, so I'm not exactly sure what happened to January's issue, but nevermind!) I was met by the image of Kylie Minogue on the front cover, with the title of "un baño desnudo, SEXY KYLIE: confesiones de una super estrella" emblazoned next to the image (which was surprisingly tasteful, given the dubious insinuations of "un baño desnudo" - bathing nude?!) Kylie looks particularly demure on the cover, so my worries that my subscription had been substituted for FHM were quickly dissipated!
I was reading on the Fashion Spot that a lot of people were not 100% sure about the Kylie cover image, declaring it was a bit 'boring' compared to the cover image that was on the accompanying VOGUE BELLEZA beauty magazine. (Interestingly enough, both cover stars sport similar poses!) What do you think? Kylie or Isabeli Fontana?
Personally, I think the Isabeli Fontana shot leaps out at you more than the image of Kylie does (perhaps due to the paleness of Isabeli's complexion contrasted with the piercing blue eyes and femme fatale scarlet lips), which makes for a more eye-catching front cover. The whole point is that on a magazine stand, you should be immediately drawn to a front cover and consequently buy it! However, the more I look at the other cover, the more I appreciate and am drawn to the sensual beauty that Kylie exudes. It captivates me rather than accosts me with colour.
On further inspection, the 15 page Kylie spread is most certainly a visual delight - The photographer, Vincent Peters, portrays Kylie as a mixture of 1920s movie starlet in the black and white images, dreamy and romantic painter's muse and seductive vintage pin-up! And goodness gracious, does she look amazing for 41!
Take a peek at some of the images...
And here's the 'behind the scenes' video:
I think Ibiza was a great shoot setting and I adore the sun-set field shots! The soft-glow back lighting is truly stunning! The cover may not have first grabbed you, but the shots in the magazine are really something else!
Moving on to the fashion spreads, there was a spread entitled "show de jeans", which pictures an array of different types of denim and displays their day to night wearability and versatility.
However, I was less interested in the denim, and more interested in the amazing photographs..and above all, the model! I skipped to the end of the article, hoping to find out who she was, but it wasn't included in the credits..Luckily, after a bit of online research, I've found out that her name is Elena Melnik! I think I have a new model crush! (Seriously, look at that bone structure and jawline!)
Another of the fashion spreads which deserves a mention, is the "Happy face" shoot with american model, Chanel Iman (photographed by Michelle Ferrara). For this shoot, the emphasis is on textural volume, evoked by mini-dresses with puffed sleeves and lots of ruffles, pleats and petticoats. I particularly like the orange jewel-tone Jorge Vázquez dress (pictured below) and the shape of the ethnic print Juanjo Oliva dress (bottom right). I was at first a little bit skeptical about the 'happy face' expressions Chanel sports, but coupled with her effortless and fluid high fashion poses, it works and stops the shoot from feeling too contrived!
All in all, a good introductory issue to my VOGUE España subscription. I wonder what's in store for next month...
je-suis-style xox
(With thanks to thefashionspot.com for the additional pictures of Elena & Chanel. All other pictures used are my own scans.)
This is 'je suis style', a blog written by a 21 year old fashion fanatic, shopaholic and style magpie.
A little about me:
-In a nutshell: Most likely to be found wandering around art-galleries, bargaining in London markets or trawling the internet for fashion news and generally stalking Christopher Kane.
My style:
I would describe my style as being quite elegant and romantic, with a touch of edgy glamour..Think a mix of vintage, high street and designer. I have always loved floaty grecian maxi dresses, elegant corsets, sheer-ruffled blouses, vintage chain waist belts, sheer fabrics and clothes embellished with lace, studs, bows or pearl detailing. I adore the look of a glamorous 'going out' dress with a leather jacket thrown over the top to edge it out. Depending on my mood though, my style changes, so one day I may just be feeling a bit rebellious and go for something a little less 'obvious' for me and a little bit more 'avant-garde'.
Favourite designers:
Chanel Hervé Léger Valentino Chloé Christopher Kane Matthew Williamson Betsey Johnson Moschino Colleen Quen Jay Godfrey YSL Oscar de la renta Miu Miu Vera Wang Versace Manoush Twenty8Twelve Balmain Wheels & dollbaby ...to name a few.
It's pretty much my life's goal to own a real one of these (!):
My philosophy:
I think style is knowing what looks good on your figure and dressing for yourself rather than for others. It's something that can't be learnt. In the words of Coco Chanel, "la mode passe, seul le style reste". What is in today, will not be in tomorrow, but investing in items that will endure, will give you a fashion 'grounding'. From that solid base, you can let your fashion creativity run wild. Fashion, in my eyes, is synonymous to art. You can portray yourself however you wish and from day to day you can become whoever or whatever you want to become. A fashion icon is timeless and keeps reinventing themselves. They never fail to keep people guessing and embody someone who challenges our perceptions of the meaning and connotations of the word 'fashion'.
