Ruched leggings, beware for beyond bootilicious!

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Impromptu shots of me on the phone. I’m wearing a Karen Millen Indian inspired tunic over a pair of grey ruched leggings. The shoes are by Marc Jacobs and the Gobelin backpack in the second picture is from the Epi line, Louis Vuitton.
Photo for CMC by: Jan-Erik Nilsson © 2009.

I have had more than a few fashion faux pas now and then, but I have never had someone literally keel over in laughter because of something I’m wearing – until I had put on these grey ruched leggings.

If there’s any person whose opinion matters to me on what I’m wearing, it would be my husband’s. I’d come home from a bout of shopping in the city, put these on, walked over to him and asked, “So, what do you think?”

My beloved husband’s face was briefly a surprised *blank* and I hardly made a full turnaround when that dude absolutely fell over in laughter! After composing himself some, he explained that there was something in the design of the leggings that visually took off inches from my legs, so that I – lacking better words – ended up looking like a wrinkly sausage!
Continue reading “Ruched leggings, beware for beyond bootilicious!” →

A mix and match of office wear: Patrizia Pepe, Karen Millen, Mango (MNG) and Wolford

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Short grey wool coat from Patrizia Pepe. Red cardigan by Karen Millen.
Photo for CMC by: Jan-Erik Nilsson © 2009.

Outdoors today is as much grey as what I am wearing in this post, though my mood is distinctly chirpier than the frightful weather outside.

In this office mix ensemble, I am wearing a short grey wool coat from Patrizia Pepe over an intensively red, short cardigan by Karen Millen.

Patrizia Pepe is one of my favourite designers, especially for outerwear such as coats and jackets. The clean lines in the design and the crisp, clever cutting of material allows for Patrizia Pepe’s outerwear pieces to sit well on the shoulders – details in design and make that I much appreciate when it comes to outerwear.

The cardigan can be worn in a variety of styles, unhooked and open in the front or hooked closed and the tassels tied twice around the underbust to produce a kimono effect.

In this ensemble, I’ve tied the tassles short on their own on each side and hooked up the front. I’m into all things draped at the moment, not being too much a fan of squared-off, stiff and padded shoulders, so the soft slopes and ruched shoulders of this short cardigan suits my look mood perfect.

The red short cardigan is on top of a grey bodysuit by Wolford and the pants belong to part of a pantsuit by Mango, MNG, purchased in Singapore. This pantsuit is something I’ve owned for several years now since I began executive work. A quick browse through my wardrobe also indicates that I’ve so far favoured pantsuits over skirt suits.

Meeting early spring in shades of white

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, early spring 2009 in shades of white

In shades of white in early spring, against a clear blue sky.
Pictures taken for Bengt Enrique at I LVOE LV

It’s when you meet clear blue skies in the still biting cold of winter that you know spring’s along its way now. The temperatures will continue to pendulate between plus and minus degrees but the sunlight is showing itself more these days, with the days getting longer. A change in season is what I’m looking forward to and one that I welcome. Continue reading “Meeting early spring in shades of white” →

Diane von Furstenberg, fashion to boost our spirits!

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Diane von Furstenberg’s theme for autumn / winter 2009 was Nomad. Photo: Marcio Madeira.

I think attitude plays an important role in one’s life and a myriad of reactions from different individuals can arise from a single event or happening. In these bleak and troubled times in the fashion industry as reported by The New York Times, many collections out there will reflect the sub-conscious thoughts of the designers and people in the industry. Whether one is optimistic or pessimistic, hopeful or not for the times, it’s all depicted and seen in the AW RTW 2009 collections. Continue reading “Diane von Furstenberg, fashion to boost our spirits!” →

Recession fashion, relaxed drapes in lean lines

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Donna Karan, Autumn / Winter RTW 2009. Picture: Style.com/p>

In On the Street | Fashion Barometer, Bill Cunningham wondered about the impact of the financial crisis on world fashion – what kind of silhouettes and hemlines would we witness in the upcoming season/s that would reflect the times?

I think women these days, more than previous years, would be more conscious about what they’re choosing to buy. Michael Kors, commenting in the New York Times Multimedia said that, “…right now, even the most extravagant woman is putting on her smart cap…my customer is more pragmatic than she has been” He noticed black being sold in his Florida stores where normally, he wouldn’t sell black in Florida because “she thinks she can wear it more than once, she’s afraid of buying something that is a quick toss”. He also noted that women these days would prefer purchasing pieces that can be put together and re-ensembled easily with what they already have in their wardrobes because if it’s expensive, the customer these days thinks about it, tries it on and is smarter about her purchases. Continue reading “Recession fashion, relaxed drapes in lean lines” →

In a tartan dress by Karen Millen

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Freezing cold! Things you do for fashion!

Dark tartans give me the impression of a mellow festive feeling, a feeling of comfort. I’m quite a fan of Karen Millen because the cutting of the clothes seem to fit nicely on my frame. Well perhaps not all items would sit well on my frame, but most do and that’s enough to keep me going back to the shop. Continue reading “In a tartan dress by Karen Millen” →

Chloé’s horn cone heel

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My current muse – these Chloé horn cone heel booties.

I wasn’t particularly attracted to these horn cone heeled designs on Chloé shoes when they first came out for the autumn / winter collection. I thought them clumsy looking from the side profile and utterly unflattering to the silhouette. But as with everything else, what items that appear in the designer houses filter out and become naturalized / normalized after awhile; new shapes and designs become more attractive. Today, I find that the shape of the horn cone heel from Chloé has grown on me.

Turn the shoe around and the heel looks elegantly sleek from behind! The design blew me over and won my heart hands down. It’s details like these, with a combination of old and new in design that attract my attention. The shape of the heels from the side are frontier pushing yet the back of the heel keeps a traditional point of view on what’s sleek, elegant and complementary to the female silhouette.
Continue reading “Chloé’s horn cone heel” →

Red scarf on Valentine’s Day

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I witnessed the post Christmas and New Year’s fire sales around the city come and go without finding anything worthwhile to purchase. I was actually looking for a gift to a friend when I came across, quite unexpectedly, this red scarf on the last days of the H&M post Christmas and New Year’s fire sale.

And what luck! This red scarf was a bargain at one H&M outlet and about 600 m away at another H&M outlet, the same scarf was not for sale and thus, twice the price. As my girl friend once said, it pays to look around when shopping. It was the scarf’s two toned reds set adjacent to each other and the fringed detail that attracted me to this piece of accessory. Continue reading “Red scarf on Valentine’s Day” →

February snow in Sweden 2009

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Me, in a vintage fur hat, found in a second hand store in Sweden.

It snowed some through the night in what I belive was the heaviest snowfall of this winter in the Swedish west-coast archipelago. Temperatures are around -1 deg C to +1 deg C so the snow melts away pretty fast.

I love it when the snow covers the ground, turning all grey asphalt to pristine white! Unfortunately, the current temperature doesn’t allow the snow to pile up too thick and soft. No skiing, no snowman building, no snowball fights! Continue reading “February snow in Sweden 2009” →

A diamond and sapphire feather brooch / pendant

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A diamond and natural sapphire brooch and pendant.
Text and Photo © JE Nilsson and CM Cordeiro 2009

A diamond and sapphire brooch and pendant, set in 18k white gold in the form of two touching feathers for that scarf in place or against a single toned sheath dress. The natural blue 4.05 cts sapphire is individually selected for optimum color, clarity and cut for its size and to be worn indoors where even in minimal light. The brooch/pendant is created with a total of 1.4 cts pavé set brilliant cut diamonds.

Width (at widest point): ca. 2.5 cm

All pictures are taken in natural daylight against a linen backdrop.