The Littlest Things

Quick picture post today. I'm posting some recent purchases, because I've no time writing up a real entry.

I love shopping, I'm such a materialistic person. Even the smallest purchases makes me happy.



What I'd buy right now if I were loaded? A nice camera. You'll just have to live with the low quality of the following pictures; I haven't even had the time to fix them up with a photo editor...



The two above were on sale, and a little too big for me. They're going to serve as my first blank canvases for DIY-ing.



For me? How nice!



Sea of studs! My first DIY project will be the dark grey blazer vest. I've no idea how long that'll take, but combined with other real life events, I'm thinking my posting frequency will be slowed down a bit for the following weeks.



Inspiration: D&G FW09, Balmain SS09 and Roccobarocco FW09.

Now, I don't know if I'm even going to attempt to recreate something like this, but at least I've got the means to try.

(Yeah, that black thing in the plastic bag? Shoulder pads. Shoot me!)

Wedged

I know I've tried brushing London Fashion Week off as something trivial, so I guess this is me eating my own words. I found some brilliant shoes on the London runways, and, to be honest, I fell in love with quite a few collections as well, but that's a different post.





Lets begin with the one collection I generally hate the most every season; House of Holland. Now, I stubbornly refuse to believe that he designed these shoes himself, they're just too wonderful. The clothes were rubbish, as usual, but I can't get over the wedges.





These little wonders are from Twenty8Twelve. How could I not love these? The Miller sisters know what sells, and they must know my taste pretty well too, because they took some already good looking shoes and accented them with studs.





These wonders were seen on the feet of the models walking for Josh Goot. I love the sleek silhouette and the sharp toe. The black-and-white pairs remind me slightly of last seasons Gareth Pugh collection, and that's meant as a compliment. The only problem with these wedges? I can't imagine how fast they must get dirty.





My venture into London footwear ends with shoes from Osman Youzefzada. Are these not simply brilliant? Sure, they resemble certain Balenciagas, but those Balenciagas are some of my favourite shoes ever, and I don't mind a repetition of the silhouette.

I'd never heard of this designer/house before, but I'll have to start paying attention. I'm a bit afraid of finding more pictures, though. What if they don't look as wonderful from different angles?

Hey, is that Milan Fashion Week starting already? Burberry Prorsum and Jil Sander tomorrow? Gucci on Saturday and Prada on Sunday, you say? No rest for the fashion lovers!

Subtle Studding

12 days ago I mentioned I had ordered some studs so I could try a DIY project or two of my own. Because shipping and customs normally takes quite a while, I didn't expect to hear anything about them for some time, but they actually arrived at the mail office on Monday. That's 10 days to pack and ship something from the US to my little corner of Norway, which is impressive!

I'll be picking them up tomorrow, and then I'll do my best to find something to improve/ruin. I've been thinking of starting with an old pair of Converse All Stars, or perhaps that grey jacket I found in the depths of my closet.

For now it's inspiration time. When I think about studded clothes and shoes, I normally picture a rough and wild style. Recently, I stumbled across some excellent examples of how to wear studs while looking extremely effortless and elegant.





This is Jaime. Wearing a Michael Kors top to the left and a gorgeous Zara vest to the right.

Ugh, this girl always looks impeccably chic. Do yourself a favour and read her blog, it's simply wonderful!





Via this blog, I came across the brand Ellery. Love the studded skirt and ankle detail on the pants, but I must admit the shoes are my favourite piece from the brand.





Finally, there's Zara SS09, with model Lara Stone. Both campaign and clothes are lovely, even when blatantly ripping off Balmain.

Editorial; Lonesome Girl

Numero 101, featuring Siri Tollerød shot by Camilla Åkrans.

This shoot is a bit more colourful and conventionally pretty than what I normally love, but it's wonderful all the same. Siri looks strong and confident, and the styling is superb. I must admit I love it when a Norwegian girl gets some attention!





Åkrans has somehow managed to bring out the sexy side of Siri, which I haven't seen that often before. Siri has a very cute, young look, and is mostly seen in sweet, girly editorials. I hope we get to see more of this side of her in the future. This new versatility might even open up some campaign possibilities.

Full editorial can be viewed here.




Pictures scanned by BLACKLAB at the Fashion Spot

Show Time

Normally, I don't care much for gowns. Sure, they are beautiful, but they're just not something I can see myself wearing. I only bother with looking at gowns once a year, and that's during the Oscars. I wanted to show a quick selection of what I loved, what I hated and what I think could've been great, if only...

First, the losers:



Yes, Beyoncé actually wore a House of Dereon dress to the Oscars. I think she looks like a mix between a vase and an overstuffed sausage, and I know I'm not alone in thinking so. My intense dislike of mermaid style dresses isn't helping any either.

Heidi Klum chose a dress made out of some unfortunate half shiny and wrinkled fabric. I want to call it cheap, but I know it's not.

And while I like Prada a lot, I just don't like what Jessica Biel chose to wear. The dress looks like it fits badly, and the make-up and hair isn't doing her any good.


The could've-beens:



I was never a fan of Sarah Jessica Parker and her style, but I absolutely adore this dress. The only problem I have with it is the fact that it's way too tight around her chest, and squeezes her boobs up. Unfortunate.

Evan Rachel Wood also chose a good look, but I think it would've been ten times better if the dress was sligthly deeper in colour. When pale and blonde, a pink hue like this can make you look a bit washed out.

Reese Witherspoon is very close to perfect looking here, I just think the gorgeous Rodarte gown makes her look a wee bit short and thick, which she isn't. I can't help but wondering how perfect Tilda Swinton would have looked in this.


The winners:



Marisa Tomei in Atelier Versace, Freida Pinto in John Galliano and Marion Cotillard in Christian Dior Haute Couture. I'll just let these last pictures and dresses speak for themselves. Gorgeous!

Agree or disagree with me?

Weekend Links; NYFW Edition

One fashion week is done, and the next one begins. Normally, London doesn't interest me too much, which means this week I won't feel so overwhelmed every time I go online to try and play catch up with new collections and runway pictures. I've still got some shows I'd like to talk about (like Rad Hourani; so gorgeous!), but that can wait. For now, let's have a look at what other fashion bloggers have to say about NYFW.



I love Sans Artifice, a far more eloquent blog than mine. Here, Sans talks about Preen;

"The cutouts and sheer overlays do add provocative element of danger to the mix - the Preen girl may party but she’s no pushover, every peak-a-boo packs a punch."



Balmain Bazaar admires the delicate sleeves and shoulders at Monique Lhuilier. If you think you might like shredded material against the skin, but want to see it done more elegantly than what's been circulating in fashion blogs lately? Have a look!



Sheer fabrics and cut-outs will likely become a big trend in the months to come. While Proenza Schouler didn't wow me as much as it normally does, there were a few pieces in the collection I absolutely adored. Susie Bubble was at the show, and had a closer look.



I've been stumbling across a magnitude of great blogs the last week. Keep Feeling Fascination is new to me, and I love Joanna and her style of writing. The girl seems to have a thing for shoes, which becomes evident in this post, where she talks about lace-up boots, and here, commenting on the shoes at Proenza Schouler.




Backstage pictures are always a good way to find alternative views of runway looks. I've been searching for better pictures of the shoes at Thakoon, and found a nice shot at Sonnyphotos. Aren't these shoes killer? They remind me of disco balls, in the best way possible.



While I've mostly been talking about younger and edgier collections, Kimair at J'adore Couture takes a look at some of the more classical designers New York has to offer; Tommy Hilfiger, Isaac Mizrahi and Calvin Klein.




Let's polish this off with some shoes fit for a Queen. While I don't know for certain that these are all Louboutins, they do look the part.

Top left; 3.1 Philip Lim / Top right; J Mendel
Bottom row; Jonathan Saunders

Editorial: Full Disclosure

As seen previously, photographer Willy Vanderperre knows how to make the Jil Sander SS09 dresses look good. In this latest fashion supplement to NY Times, it's Lara Stone who is looking great in black and white.

The editorial also features a back view of Balmain, and some stunning use of light and shadow as Lara is draped over a table.





Short post today; I've been experiencing some power outages this weekend, so I haven't been online much. The weekly weekend links post will hopefully be up tomorrow.




Full editorial can be viewed here.

Pictures scanned by MMA at The Fashion Spot

These Boots are Made for Stomping

I keep a picture folder on my computer where I save all memorable shoes I see each season. So far, I've saved pictures of 97 different shoes. Looks like the footwear this season is right up my alley!

Almost every designer is sending girls out on the runway in sky-high platform stilettoes, which is good news for a short girl like myself.

Top left - Alexander Wang / Top right - BCBG Max Azria
Bottom left - Marc Jacobs / Bottom right - Doo.Ri

Most of the high heels I've seen so far come in familiar shapes. The ones above are the exception. I particularily enjoy the heels of the Wang shoes and the furry wedge from BCBG. The Marc Jacobs puts a smile on my face, and I can easily imagine them on the feet on some fashionista on the Jak & Jil blog.


Hervé Léger this season featured both beautiful clothes and beutiful shoes. They remind me slightly of what Kirkwood did for Rodarte last season, and there's nothing wrong with that.





And finally, my personal favourite so far; Donna Karan. I'm thinking I like it so much because it's a familiar silhouette combined with all my favourite details of the moment; different textures, exotic leather, straps, studs, delicious colours.




Pictures from style and nymag

Beautiful Bondage

And then there's Rodarte.



After seeing the first few images from this collection, everything felt perfect. It looked like Rodarte, yet felt fresh enough to excite me.

Then, after looking at the full collection, I felt a bit like I'd seen the same thing over and over again in three different colour schemes.



But it's the details that really make Rodarte stand out this season. Lots of plays on texture, as always. The usual knits are in place, both soft and sheer and tough and heavy. The leather straps and metal used gives many of the pieces a nice edge. Rodarte is evolving, and it feels much stronger this season.

I love the shiny pieces of bright fabric, and I can see how that reminds people of recent Balenciaga collections. The marbling gives the feel of a desert landscape, and the grey beige tones is meant to remind us of concrete.



I'm reminded of fire, lava and rocks when I look at the darker ensembles. I think I read somewhere that the designers wanted a rather primitive look, and I think it worked perfectly.

This is Rodarte, and Rodarte to me is clothes as art.



And the shoes? Extremely hard to wear, as they were basically slouchy leather boots that were pinned to the leg by several leather straps. I wish I could find better pictures of them, but the bacstage photos above and detail shots below will have to do for now.

Do I love them? Of course.



Runway shots from nymag, detail shots from style, backstage shots from dazeddigital.

Shades of Black; New York Fashion Week Part One

Is New York Fashion Week more interesting this season, or am I just paying more attention to it?

Let's jump straight to the pictures. Lots of black and grey, and lots of tiny little dresses this time around. The runway looks I've chosen to post are personal favourites, and not really the best representation of the whole collections.



First up; Alexander Wang.

I'll be brief, as this collection has been talked about everywhere already. I enjoyed it much more than I'd expected to, and I actually didn't mind those biker shorts too much. Is Wang growing up?



Yigal Azrouel was a positive surprise.

Slightly more relaxed than the other collections in this post, though there were plenty of nipped waists and tight leggings/pants. I love the emphasis on the shoulders, something I've been seeing all over the New York runways.



One of two favourites so far is Ohne Titel.

The colours, the plays on texture, everything is the way I like it. Add some delicious shoes to the mix, and I'm sold!



And finally, there's Hervé Léger by Max Azria. Sure, you might call it repetitive, but I think he's found a great way of staying true to the trademark bandage dresses while renewing the look just enough every season. Mmm, the shoulders!

Ugh, so much catching up to do. Right now I'm patiently awaiting good pictures from Rodarte, which looks promising so far.

Got any New York favourites yet?

Jump, Raquel, Jump!

An extremely short post from me today. Have been on the run all weekend, and today is no less busy. Will return tomorrow with some thoughts about what's been shown on the New York runways so far.

Here's a shot from the March issue of US Vogue. This time, there are no less than three models doing jumps in front of the camera in different beige outfits from SS09 collections. The shots are average, the styling looks like it's straight from the runway, but the shoes are magnificent, and I love this whole Rodarte outfit.

Studs, Shreds, Leggings and Shoes; It's Weekend Links

Park & Cube is one of my favourite fashion blogs/bloggers. This girl has great style, takes very good pictures, loves studs and is always successful with her DIY projects. Did I mention my late fascination with DIY? Several times? Ok, then. Here are some of my favourites from the Park & Cube blog:


This week: P&C studs the underside of a bag, to mimic the style of an Alexander Wang bag Mary-Kate Olsen was seen wearing. The result? Stunning! (Mary-Kate's bag is supposedly from the A Wang FW09 collection, which means it hasn't been shown on a runway yet. Or, rather, that it is being carried down the runway as I'm typing this post. Whoa, excited now!)


Then, these shredded and chained shorts were also inspired by an A Wang collection.


And then we have the Park & Cube version of the brilliant SS09 Rodarte leggings! Gorgeous!


Although I've just read about it, it seems like Rodarte leggings have been done by several bloggers lately. Here is another version, this one from January, and it's just as brilliant as the P&C version.


This weeks shoes done wrong and right:


Camille, what are you doing? Those poor Marnis... Alter your shoes all you want, but please, not with sharpie! It's a bit weird to feel queasy about what another blogger does to a pair of shoes, but that was how I felt when I saw this post.


On the other hand, I literally gasped with awe when I saw this post at SeaofShoes. Is this the perfect pair of shoes? I'm thinking yes. Exclusive, tall, elegant, extreme, dangerous. My envy of Jane's shoe collection just grew.


Pictures from Park & Cube and SeaofShoes

What's Next?

The March issues of various magazines are out already, but I'd like to post a few snaps from the February edition of Harper's Bazaar US. Both US and UK versions of the magazine have had some nice issues with great editorials lately. This one is shot by Karl Lagerfeld. Click here for more and bigger images.

The editorial is called What's Next, and that's sort of what I'm wondering myself. Warning: Personal rambling ahead; please stop reading if you're only here for the eye candy.



I've been unemployed all January, have been working three days a week in February, and the second week of March I'll be moving to a different place to work a full time job.

This will probably affect my ability to blog as often as I am right now. The whole blog started as a way of filling my day with something creative, and working a full time job will cut down the time I've got to mindlessly browse the internet fashion world for news. I might even find myself completely cut off from the internet for a few weeks, which would be extremely hard for a girl like me.

So far I've been aiming for six entries a week. Enough to push myself to write a little almost every day, but not too much, so I don't get bored with blogging. I'm writing in English instead of Norwegian because it feels more natural, and because I need to practice writing in another language.

I guess I'll just have to see how things turn out. So far I've noticed that writing has become easier than when I first started, and that's a good sign.



Now, more work means more money, which is very much needed if I want new shoes and clothes (and other little details, like food). Today I got paid for a little work I did back in December, and that money went straight to an order on studsandspikes.com. I'm very good at talking about all the DIY projects I want to try, but now I'll have the means to actually try studding clothes. I can't wait!

Bandage Me

I'm curious how my mind really works. It's still the same old winter weather outside, and the first pictures from fall/winter 09 have started circulating the net, but what have I been thinking of all day?

Swimwear.



And not just any kind of swimwear; I've been lusting over one-piece swimsuits.

It's been years since I last wore a one-piece, and they weren't stylish at all. Last year, new kinds of one-pieces started popping up in stores, looking better than I'd imagined, and I started considering getting one.

This summer, they're looking even more promising. The first picture in this post is a sample of this seasons swimsuits from Norma Kamali, found via the BleachBlack blog. Gorgeous, non?



The pieces above and below are from Hervé Léger by Max Azria, Spring/Summer 09.

While I enjoy looking at the vibrant red and gorgeous silver above, I think I'd much prefer a black piece. A cut-out or bondage bathing suit is guaranteed to be impractical if one starts to think about tan lines, so I prefer to ignore that whole approach. Ugh, want!



Think about it this way; add a slouchy pair of shorts or harem pants, a Balmain inspired jacket and some Gucci heels, and you've got the best beach party look possible. Agreed?

Pictures from elle.com and Norma Kamali

Britains Best

Short post today. I need to get my hands on the March issue of iD. Everything seems to be shot of genius photographer Sølve Sundsbø, and from the previews I've seen so far, it's all great.



The issue is called The Best of British, so there's obviously some Kate Moss in it. And she gets to wear that jacket, while looking gorgeous and flashing her nipples. Love it!

Fashion Weeks and Pre-Fall

At the moment 90% of the Norwegian fashion blog world is busy in Oslo, having fun at the runway shows and parties. I'm not there, mostly because of work, but also because I've never managed to get that excited about Norwegian fashion.

On the other hand, New York fashion week is on in just two short days, and that's where the fun begins. New York is nice, London is not all that much to me, but the two weeks of Milan and Paris is pure fashion porn. I apologize in advance for all the runway posts I'll be making.



Two more days, so I thought I'd make a quick post about some of my favourite pre-fall collections of the season. The above is Alexander McQueen. Not that wearable for a girl like myself, but very impressive.



Next up is Emanuel Ungaro. I can easily see myself dressing like this once summer is over and I need to cover up a bit. The silhouette is nice, the shoulders on that middle jacket are wonderful, and I love the silver skirt paired with an otherwise black ensemble.



Calvin Klein always is rather middle-of-the-tree to me, but this collection I love. Once you get past the awful styling of the models, there's a great collection of pieces in contrasting fabrics. I would kill for the jacket to the left.

I don't know why, but I get a slight Balenciaga wibe from this. That's obviously a good thing.



The last one out is Yves Saint Laurent. The shoes, people, look at those shoes!

And when I managed to look past the shoes for a moment, I realized that this is how I'd love to dress if I had the budget for it. Luxurious fabrics in shades I already have a closet full of.

Balenciaga and Proenza Shouler were other pre-fall favourites, but I know those have gotten plenty of coverage elsewhere, so I've skipped them.