The silk scarf as accessory

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A 1960s classic way to wear the scarf on the head, as Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Queen Elizabeth II, Gina Lollobrigida etc. wore it.

I was introduced to the scarf (actually, a cotton bandanna) in my teens when I received one as a gift. I used it the most fashionable way possible then, like all my other girlfriends and that was to tie it around the ponytail. When meeting up with girlfriends, we’d say, “Turn around! Let me see!” and then it’ll either be “Wah! Pretty!” or “Oh.” meaning, it wasn’t such a rave review for the bandanna. We also wore bandannas around our necks cowboy style, a style I prefer not to don these days.

I’ve had the opportunity to collect many bandannas and scarfs of all types of materials over the years and I find the silk scarf to be one of the most versatile of pieces. The gossamer soft and sleek material allows for varied styles and uses, whether over the head, shoulders, waist or tied to a bag.
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Suede luxe to Fall

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Pedro Garcia Xaide suede boots.

One of my favourite items to autumn is a beautiful pair of suede leather boots. With current trends, suede boots are found in all sorts of variations. A soft brushed leather that comes usually from the underside of lambskin, though these days, other types of skins are used such as goat, pig, calf and deer, the open pores of this leather means that it isn’t much waterproof or stain-proof. Still, the plush feel of suede boots is attractive and its suppleness allows for a relaxed though luxurious feel for the autumn.

Above are my current favourite suede boots from Pedro Garcia. I like the ruching details, platform front and sleek stiletto heels. The lighter colour is also a relief from the darker shades to be encountered in autumn / winter seasons.
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Judith Leiber minaudières and evening bags

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Fluted by Judith Leiber. This gold minaudiere or evening bag is decorated with Austrian crystals. It has a detachable chain strap and push down snap closure.

What inspires me are people who believe in themselves and who work in unending devotion to build and live their dream. Such ambitions as seen in Coco Chanel, Louis Vuitton and modern inspirations such as Tyra Banks and Donald Trump, often also produce unrivaled distinction in their work.

Judith Leiber and her work is one such inspiration of mine. Born in 1921, she began her own business and line of handbags in 1963 (retired in 1998). It isn’t only her exotic designs that are eye-catching as works of art (now found in renowned museums such as the Smithsonian in Washington, the V&A in London and the Met Museum in New York City), but her acute detail to attention and quality.

Evenings bags by Judith Leiber, made in exotic skins in basic wardrobe colours. Mini Twilight, a soft frosted python bag that is both a clutch and a shoulder bag. Red Shimmer, made of crocodile with magnetic flap closure and Austrian crystal trim. Grace, a black coloured bag in crocodile.

These days, Judith Leiber the label, carries more than bags, with eyewear, fine jewellery and crystal miniatures such as pill boxes. The items are sold in exclusive boutiques around the world and in the USA, there are just about five outlets in total, in Atlanta, Las Vegas (2 locations), Orange County, and New York City.

The current exclusive stunner from Leiber is this Precious Rose, handcrafted in the USA:

This minaudiére is crafted in 18k white gold with 42.56 carats of diamonds and approximately the same amount of pink sapphires.

Judith’s husband, Gerson Leiber is also an accomplished artist and a selection of both their works can be found at The Leiber Collection, at the Leiber Museum.

The wooden heel: a summer staple

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Fall in love this summer with a pair of green tooled leather clogs
with a hidden platform, by Gianmarco Lorenzi.

The high heel that helps elongate the female silhouette is not without its price, as ABC News reported in 2006. And while we may know this to be true with some experiencing knee and ankle injuries, the high heel as a fashion accessory is still loved by many, helping bring out the femme fatale in us.

The heel however, wasn’t all too sexy or “femme fatale” in its beginnings as demonstrated by this pair of 17th century Venetian Chopines by the Met Museum. Continue reading “The wooden heel: a summer staple” →

A little bit of Southeast-Asia in Scandinavia

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Having a morning cuppa in a light blue Terengganu, Malaysian made sarong.

The sarong as a garment is part of Singapore’s fashion heritage, where most ethnic groups in Singapore (the Malays, the Peranakans and the Indians) have in their basic wardrobe, a form of the sarong. Although sarongs are made in China, Japan and in Africa, the batik sarong in particular is intricately linked to Southeast-Asia and it has been a part of my wardrobe since I was a little girl.

Sarongs can be worn in a variety of ways, the most common would be to wear it tied around under the arms, as I have done in the picture above, or tied around the waist. The batik sarong is opaque in material, usually cotton but sometimes silk or linen and when tied around the waist, it can be coupled with a regular t-shirt (for home wear purposes) or with a hand-embroidered Nonya kebaya (for festive occasions).
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Revisiting the one piece swimsuit

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The Agua Preciosa, a young, fun, one piece cut out crochet top and multi-coloured bottom by Agua Bendita.

It seems that 1951 thereabouts was the last years in which the one piece swimsuit was seen as ‘tasteful’ for young women to don, after which a bikini clad Brigitte Bardot in Et Dieu… créa la femme (1956) and Brian Hyland’s song, Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yello Polka Dot Bikini (1960) created a locomotion for the two piece so strong that even the Vatican’s denouncement of the garment in 1964 did nothing much to slow down its popularity. Today, a search for “one piece swim suit” will currently render 1,472 hits on the US ebay site alone in the women’s swimwear section, whilst that of “bikini” renders 17,320 hits on the same site. From the two piece’s popularity, it seems the two piece (and its micro version) are most vogue these days on beaches around the world.
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Florals on black and the 2.55

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Floral dress, Cubus. Black weave belt, Cubus. Sunglasses, Christian Dior. Chanel 2.55 bag in straw. Seashell ear hoops.

It isn’t always that one gets a chance to don chiffon dresses in Sweden, even in summer. But this year’s warm summer allows for some light, romantic dresses in sheer fabrics. The florals on black dress on is from Cubus and is possibly inspired by the florals of Dolce & Gabbana s/s 2008. H&M also carries some D&G inspired mini ruffled, tiered skirts with florals on black (or cream) this spring / summer season in light chiffon material. The black weave belt is also from Cubus. Continue reading “Florals on black and the 2.55” →

All things Pucci in summer

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Emilio Pucci ad campaign s/s 2008. Malgosia Bela by Juergen Teller.

A pick-me-up designer label for me is Emilio Pucci. The ad campaign above is what closest describes my view of all things Pucci and that is, a burst of colours when all things are bland, a burst of energy when you need it most. A nobleman by birth with a fascinating biography, Emilio Pucci (1914-1992) would spend most of his life at the Pucci Palace in Florence, Italy. Most of us would recognize his signature geometric prints in a kaleidoscope of colours.

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Galliano for Dior, Fall couture 2008

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John Galliano for Christian Dior, Fall Couture 2008. Photo by Alessandro Lucione

Collections for Fall Couture 2008 are already out on the runways in Paris and my favourite thus far is John Galliano for Christian Dior. An artist who uses the human form in expressing himself, I have thus far, never tired of Galliano’s creations. Even after the season has come and gone, I find myself constantly drawn back to his creations, to peer over them, to study their expressions and sometimes, wonder if they were user-friendly.

Fifties silhouette with wasp waists, full skirt and lace details. Photo by Antonello Trio.

The soft female form seems to be Galliano’s focus this Fall for couture, drawing inspiration from the fifties with nipped waists, full peplum skirts, and sheer organzas that accentuate the luscious curves of shoulders, thighs and thin ankles. But even with an accent on curves and the use of sheer materials, the overall impression is one that is still proper and demure with knee-length or t-length skirts. Continue reading “Galliano for Dior, Fall couture 2008” →

The Chanel 2.55 Classic

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The Chanel 2.55 Classics and Reissues, my favourite colour being the one in ivory with gold chains.

What you put in your bag is very important to you…Traditionally, for a woman, a bag holds the things you need for the day, but it’s also your little beauty factory, which is very important to the identity of the woman. …the modern bag …by 1920, …became a symbol of women’s independence. It said she could go where she wanted to go, and didn’t need a man because he held all the possessions.

~ Farid Chenoune, author of Carried Away: All About Bags (2005)

Chanel bags have previously not appealed to me because I found the quilting too much mademoiselle. But I love bags with a story to tell and the Chanel 2.55 Classic quilted flap is one such bag. Launched in February 1955, hence its name 2.55, the quilted flap bag draws its inspiration into being, from many threads of Coco Chanel’s life, most of which came from the orphanage and convent, Aubazine in the south of France.

Coco Chanel wanted a bag that was hands-free, thus the double function of the chained handles to the bag, where one could wear the bag across the body or on the shoulder. The burgundy coloured lining in the original design for the black quilt flap 2.55s, came from the colour of Chanel’s school uniform at the Aubazine convent and the inspiration for the quilting came from several sources, including the stained-glass windows of the abbey at Aubazine, jockeys’ riding coats as well as her own light-brown suede cushions in her rue Cambon apartment in Paris. The open back pocket of the bag was where she stashed extra money and the zippered pocket was where she had her love letters. The original bags came with a Mademoiselle Lock because Chanel never married and the honorific mademoiselle was the custom. The bags with the interlocking Cs are today known as The Classic Flaps, whilst versions of the bag relaunched by Karl Lagerfeld in 2005/6 are known as Reissues. The Reissues have a twist lock without the Chanel logo on the outside. Continue reading “The Chanel 2.55 Classic” →