bla bla bra!

it itches, it snaps, and we can't live without it. 

it is constantly hammered into our brains the fact that without it our curvy lumps would be no better than limp dough. you know, the kind they throw out because it makes only bad bread.

And as if it wasn't bad enough that we need it more than we need sleep, they tell us almost all of us have it all wrong. or twisted.

snap!

i won't bore you with the history of the bra, what with the prevailence of the corset and garters and pantaloons and all other pieces of barely wearable underwear that preceeded the twenty-first century, but i am here to lament it's unfair hold over our lives as females.

did you know that there was a bra for almost every item of clothing?

and that it's not enough to know the right size, you have to try on each bra before you decide to buy it?

and that even when the bra fits, it might not go with your outfit?

and that even if it did go, it might be making you look fat?

*source

Say you try to rectify the problem. you know, dedicate time to go bra shopping. carry along spare tops to try them on with and all that. (and an honest friend - for the fat moments.)

Did you know, that different stores make their bras in different sizes?

And say you tried to rectify that, by going to every store - friend in tow (not to mention wallet), and finally got the perfect bra (or bras). 

did you know, that on your period, you might need a slightly different fit? and dont even get me started on pregnancy - and i'm talking fetus months here, not the on-trend baby bumps all those celebs are sporting.

seamless maternity bra from Glow maternity and Baby 

i'm over bras, i declare. it's just too much brahala!

its very unfortunate they don't have seasons, as with everything fashion. they are what all items of clothing aspire to be: timeless.

and then i see a pretty one and it's the same story all over again...

  

left: made by niki satin bra

right: dita von teese for wonderbra

at the end of the day, i suppose its all worth it to be able to find one that says this:

tasty pastry

i never saw myself as a sneakers chic, until i overdosed on re-runs of run's house and was introduced to Pastry, the Simmons' girls' foray into fashionable footwear.

weird name, interesting take on the sport shoe; even though it feels like someone else must have thought up multi-coloured trainers before they did. Ed hardy, for instance?

anyway i found this commercial ... interesting,

especially where it says '...only one percent phat...', hinting at their uncle Russel's quintessentially urban Phatfarm line.

the edible looking colours and the candy-inspired names of each of the pieces have won me over completely, so i have decided to share a few choice pairs on here.

the candy kisses high-tops:

the neo white-berry fab cookies:

the cherry-cream shell-toe high-tops:

one of my faves, the electric-kisses fab cookie high-tops:

and my absolute best pair - for now -  the mocha raspberry high-top:

i say Angela and Vanessa Simmons churned out a line of sneakers as pretty and practical as they appear to be. 

but, do you Heart? or would you rather not take a bite?

smile, Miley!

the very stunning young mega star, Miley Cyrus, showed up for the premiere of her new movie in London town, wearing this literally-on-fire dress by Herve Leger.

she looks stunning, and in such an effortless way, it is almost inspiring to see:

Check out those pins!!!!!!!!

i would have paired the dress with a more dramatic pair of shoes, but the simple ones she's rocking work perfectly to offset that divine dress without drawing attention away from it. 

and again, those legs!!! (i'm straight, i promise.)

i guess this is what happens when one becomes more famous than Mickey Mouse. *sigh*

Matthew Williamson for all

I never used to be the biggest Matthew Williamson fan, I think he is a good designer but I never went crazy for his designs. However I admire the femininity of his designs, they are very girly, colourful, flowery, ornate and stylistic which keeps people like Sienna miller and Mischa Barton close to him.

The photos above are taken from the launch party for H&M

He has a strong fan base and is a key pioneer in the British fashion scene. It was only a matter of time before one of the high street stores grabbed him to create a line and it was H&M. You would have to have a heart of stone not to have deep feelings of love for H&M. Why? Because their clothes are cheap but amazing and they repeatedly bring high fashion to plebs like myself. They were pretty much the first or at least the main pioneer of the new designer for all movement. Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Madonna, Roberto Cavalli, Commes Des Garcon(which was crap but that is another story for another day) what more could a girl want? Don't answer it is a rhetorical question. In November it was announced that Matthew would be collaborating with H&M and on April 23rd. Voila! The launch party had London fashion's glitterati but who cares, the collection rules (in my humble yet amazing opinion). I am dying, I really think he has put together an amazing collection.

The dress has a really bold and feminine colour. The belt reminds me of something a dominatrix will wear and the shoes are reminiscent of Jimmy Choo gladiator heels. The outfit really works, I am thinking you could wear this to a first (or second) date, or drinks or anywhere in fact. I really love tthe belt it is such a statement piece.





I do not really think the dress needs the leather jacket but it still looks nice. The colours in this dress remind me of the intense use of colour in surrealist painting, it also has a jungle safari vibe. The dress is partially backless which makes it even sexier. Williamson manages to sneak in black sequins to define the waist. It predominantly screams 'summer is here and I look hot bitches' ;-) This is the signature piece of the collection and if you get your hands on this......then go for it, It is my favourite so buy two and send one to me.





This reminds me of the 80's and Miami Vice. The colour of the blazer is so electric, the blazer trend is pretty major and I find most designers and fashionistas keep it subtle when it comes to blazers, I like Williamson's bold choice of electric blue. I doubt I would be brave enough to wear it with the matching trousers but that doesn't mean I don't think it looks fierce. Just a bit loud.




This follows Williamson's style in the use of contrasting and clashing colour. The length also lends itself to showing some sexy leg - please if you make this purchase I plead that you do not wear it with jeans or tights. It is summer...live a little





Jumpsuits are a little scary to wear but this looks really comfortable and relaxed. Something that can be dressed up or down with accessories. It is not very clear but the stitching detail in the chest area is pretty, I love the way the model is wearing the top buttons undone........ ;-)





This is a rather unusual but charming dress. Most designers use peacocks as an inspiration, particularly in regards to colours but Williamson is a little more literal. It has sequins.........like I am going to say anything bad about it.





What is not to love about this? It can be used on the beach, with leggings or denim. The combination of colours is really inspiring and not overwhelming yet bold.





I am not a bikini fan, I know what stone age are you from Halston? But if I was, I would wear this, it is so summery and pretty.





The swirls on the print is reminiscent of Emilio Pucci. The shapes almost look like butterflies which are a major inspiration for Matthew Williamson. Just to be cheeky - this kaftan also has a ghetto fabulous quality, I can imagine Kimora Lee Simmons in this.




Although this is meant to be beachwear it also has a little house on a prairie feel to it with the sleeves and the floral print.

I am more than impressed with this, I hope he does more collections with H&M.

Thoughts?

Photo Op part deux

So like 2 weeks after I discovered the rolling stone photos HARK there are more by the same photographer for the New York Times Magazine. It is obvious that it is the same photographer – look at the style, white background, use of space………… Terry Richardson is a genius. The title is ‘girl as a kaleidoscope’ I think she would have looked better in monochrome, she still looks good enough for Halston.

By the way I prefer Blair to Serena, Leighton is infinitely hotter.

sweet or sour?

Zebra Living presented it's Urban Nectar collection in a fashion show that featured, as usual, Lagos' young who's whos, their designer totes and Bambuddha's cocktails. How better to present a new collection?  

The choice of venue lent exclusivity to the show, as only so many people could fit in it's runway-narrow cocktail seating area. So few people infact, as to lend it an almost comical tint: one half of Society's young mingled at the entrance area, while the other effikko half who were clearly, strangers to the concept of being fashionably late, squeezed into the very upright seats of Bambuddha. 

The lack of invitation cards also implied that it was strictly an 'in-the-know' event: you were either in with it, or out with all the rest of them. 

I was privy to the exclusive information thanx to Halston's connections, and as she was unable to make it I dragged a less willing partner to enjoy the display.

The first thing that struck me was the unbelievable inexperience of the models, as they clumsily waddled accross the sunlit runway, clearly able to see every single eye that bore down on them in the narrow enclosure. It couldn't have helped their composure to have the attractively bushy-haired host announce (in a well articulated voice that struggled to be heard over the urban beats that pounded through the floors and our feet) that the audience was to critic their every stride. Added to this, every time a model made to walk off the runway, brown-skinned hottie  stopped them dead in their tracks, and asked them to walk again. And again. And again, until the crowd giggled in appreciation of the torture the poor models were going through.

But, the clothes.

The theme seemed to be a that of minimal fuss and maximum chic. take for instance this wrap dress aptly tagged 'urban minimalist':

and this maxi dress tagged 'ethnic glam':

the side view of this dress revealed a glimpse of peeking bust, giving its simplicity a sexier edge. try it if you dare!

I quite liked this dress, its simplicity overshadowed by the large feathery hairpiece and necklace. In the end, i've chosen to self-tag this one 'bridesmaid':

These designer tagged 'party' dresses threw me a little with the beading down the center front. I would do without them on the flowery piece; however on the lbd it gives it a bit of an edge:

wedding party -in the flowery ChiefBridesmaid dress to the left; or after-party in the glam lbd accessorized with the very on-trend bib necklace? take your pick.

Tagged 'office smart', i can only wish!

i'm thinking more business-cocktail...

the 'colour burst' dress:

two cool points if you guess the colour that's bursting through!

hint: its not quite mustard, not quite yellow and not quite gold... *wink.

this one didn't fit quite right on the model, but that only makes it the more fabulous for still being able to shine through regardless.

i have no comment on the tag ('decadence'), but i do like the burst of colour on this dress. the assymetric design -as is what we are calling monostrap these days (among other designs i know, but humour me)- adds a nice touch, and green&gold is always a winning combination in my book.

i think she was the one who was asked to do her 'freakum walk' in her freakum dress, but i can't be sure:

Tagged 'Fusion', i can only say she did her unrehearsed best to work it, beyonce style.

cute little cocktail dress, though.

these two i liked best:

  

the cute little playsuit (left) with the beads and the edgy hair fit just right on the model, who had just the right pins to pull them off. she had the best walk also, in my opinion.

the flowery blue one (right) i liked more because of the styling than anything. i apologise that my poor photography skills did not do it justice, but at least you can make out her edgy shoes and boho hairstyle, right?

last and definitely not least, the designer Zebra Living dressed -of course- in one of her own designs:

So what do you think of the Urban Nectar collection? Sweet, or Sour?

Photo Op

I just wanted to share some photos from the gossip girl feature in this month's rolling stone magazine. I really like the photography here, provocative, sexy and fun. Very rock and roll. The subjects are not taking themselves too seriously and clearly neither is the photographer.

Who do you prefer Serena or Blair? Blake or Leighton?.

Screw you MCQ

If you look for genius in the Oxford Dictionary you will probably find Alexander McQueen, you will also find him under talented, creative, imaginative and avant-garde. Normally, I would have found him under consistent but as of last month I couldn't find him. Do you want to know why? Because on the 3rd March 2009 he created a collection for Target and his name was banished from the definition of consistency. You may think the powers that be are a little harsh but they are not. The fashion world had been waiting for this moment, in fact screw the fashion world, I had been waiting for this moment! He had rejected offers from H&M and topshop to team up with target which sent shivers running up and down my delicate spine.

I think it is important to lay out all the facts, the line was not Alexander McQueen for target but his diffusion line MCQ for target, which is a very watered down version of his haute couture. Please do not mistake watered down version for lesser quality, yes, it is considerably cheaper than the Alexander Mcqueen but it is by no means a lesser brand. It is what miu miu is to Prada but ever so slightly cheaper but not cheap. MCQ as a brand is alot more accessible, I think Alexander McQueen designs are almost extra terrestrial, while MCQ is not as eccentric, edgy but not as artistic.

Back to the point - MCQ for target was disappointing for one reason. The range is tiny, there is not much to choose from compared to previous target design collections like Thakoon, Temperly and Erin Fetherstone. The designs are good there are a few things I can see myself wearing but it was not a IwanttobuyeverythingeventhoughIwillnothaveenoughmoneytofeedmyselfforamonth feeling I sometimes get over some clothes. His inspiration was a band called 'The Duke Spirit' I certainly see the rock influences but it also has a back to basics aspect as well with simple designs.

Enough typing. What do you think?