Thursday, July 31, 2008

Fatal Attraction 2 - The Maxi Dress

There are many reasons why women all over the world love wearing this floor-grazing dress style.

These dresses have a no-fuss appeal and are feminine, graceful and versatile. Also, the looser varieties have the wonderful ability to camouflage problematic areas along your lower half.

Beautiful maxi dresses were an omnipresent fixture on various Spring and Fall 2008 runways including D&G, Roberto Cavalli, Elie Saab and Gucci.


photos courtesy style.com


Maxi dresses are as popular as ever in Hollywood, especially with expectant celeb mothers.

Blake Lively, Eva Longoria, a pregnant Gwen Stefani and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon prove that maxi dresses can flatter different body types and be suitable for both casual and dressy occasions.


photos courtesy justjared.buzznet.com, eva-longoria.net and thefashionspot.com


Some of you may think that maxis only look fabulous on tall model-like figures but with careful selection, it is possible to find a style that flatters other shapes. Knowing your body type is the first step in figuring out what looks best on you.

Petite women should look for more form fitting maxi dresses that will visually elongate their short frames. Women who want to disguise wide hips and large thighs should wear maxi dresses in darker colours with enough fabric to easily drape over these areas. Large-busted women should find V-neck or halter-neck dresses with thick straps to adequately support this area.

Below are a few lovely maxis that caught my eye.




#1: Flounced-Hem Maxi Dress - US$29.99 http://www.chadwicks.com/clothing/Flounced-Hem-Maxi-Dress.aspx?PfId=126157&DeptId=9701&producttypeid=1&pref=ps&PurchaseType=G

#2: Bisou Bisou® Ombre Maxi Dress - US$59.99 http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/Products.aspx?ItemID=14cd0d6&ItemTyp=G&GrpTyp=PRD&ShowMenu=T&ShopBy=0&SearchString=maxi+dress&RefPage=SearchDepartment.aspx&CmCatId=SearchResults&Search1Prod=True

#3: For the Love of Autumn Maxi Halter Dress - US$48.00 http://www.lulus.com/products/For+the+Love+of+Autumn+Maxi+Halter+Dress/9249.html

#4: Tropical Floral Strapless Maxi Dress - US$27.80 http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=FOREVER21&category%5Fname=DRESS&product%5Fid=2052588150&showBACK=OK

#5: Tiered Maxi Dress - US$26.99 http://www.charlotterusse.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3163830&cp=&sr=1&origkw=maxi&kw=maxi&parentPage=search&searchId=

#6: Lux Daydream Dress - US$78.00 http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&navAction=jump&id=14664379&search=true&isProduct=true&parentid=SEARCH+RESULTS&color=10
Posted by M45 R4D3N at 2:12 PM 0 comments
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Monday, July 28, 2008

Stud obsession

There's something so edgy and sexy about studded clothing and accessories that I find very irresistible. The decorative hardware toughens up any outfit and you don't have to be a biker or punk to rock out this look with confidence. This is a bold look so, as is the case with many trends, the trick to effortlessly incorporating it into your style is to do it in moderation.

One celebrity devotee of this look is Rihanna who is often seen wearing numerous stylish articles such as the studded bag, skirt and bracelets in the photos below.


photos courtesy ultimate-rihanna.com and justjared.buzznet.com


A few of my favourite (and currently unattainable) studded items are these Christian Louboutin 'Ariella' boots, Burberry 'Warrior' bag and Carrie's belt from the Sex and the City movie.


photos courtesy elleuk.com, elitechoice.org and patriciafield.com


Below are some fab and very affordable studded items that may interest you.




Gold Stud Triangle Top and Gold Stud Bottom (sold separately)
Price: US$19.50 each
Top: http://www.wetseal.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=12480
Bottom: http://www.wetseal.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=12481






Danbistyle Studded Vest
Price: US$48.00
http://www.yesstyle.com/en/Product.aspx?pid=1011093747




Posted by M45 R4D3N at 8:54 AM 0 comments
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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

As chic as a peacock

Hey everyone,

First I want to apologize for being absent for so long. I haven't been feeling well this past week so I decided to take a break for a little while. I'm feeling better now so I'll try to get back to posting regularly.

The theme for today's post is the peacock which is one of my favourite animals. I remember visiting to the zoo when I was much younger and there were so many peacock feathers scattered all over the grounds because the birds were allowed to roam freely. I obviously gathered as many as I could, took them home and enjoyed playing many games of "Dress-up" with them.

I still love peacock feathers today and although they're not as abundant as before, I do love using them for various projects when I get my hands on them. The last time I got peacock feathers, I used them to make a haircomb for a friend.




Now what would this post be without a little info on the beautiful bird it's based on?

The term peafowl can refer to the two species of bird in the genus Pavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. These two species are the Indian Peafowl (shown below) and the Green Peafowl.

photo courtesy ladyhalfbreed.files.wordpress.com


A male Peafowl is known as a peacock and the female is called a peahen. The Indian Peacock has iridescent blue-green or green coloured plumage and the Green Peacock has green and gold plumage and the wings are black with a sheen of blue. Both species have a crest atop the head.


photo courtesy subjunctive.net


The extravagant "tail" or "train" of the male peacock is the feature for which these birds are best known and it is proudly displayed when courting females (as seen in the photo above). This is often mistaken for tail quill feathers when it is, in fact, highly elongated upper tail coverts. The train feathers have a series of "eyes" that are best seen when the tail is fanned.

photo courtesy blanc-wall.com


Feathers from the train have long been considered a sign of beauty and knowledge because they are attractive and because they are in the form of an eye.

Peacock feathers or inspired motifs have a unique appearance that when used on clothing and accessories often leads to gorgeous results.

Here are a few lovely items with a peacock theme:




Posted by M45 R4D3N at 6:57 AM 0 comments
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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Fashion Inspiration - Romy Schneider

Today's 'Fashion Inspiration' post is a bit different because the inspiration is not based on a theme this time, but rather on a person. This person being legendary Austrian-German actress Romy Schneider.


photo courtesy moviemarket.co.uk


I had never heard of Romy Schneider until I came across a photo of her after browsing various websites for style inspirations. I was struck by her regal beauty and her classic, feminine sense of style.

I was so intrigued that I did some reading about her and found that she had an interesting life that unfortunately ended in tragedy.

Romy Schneider was born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach-Retty in Austria in 1938. She made her film debut in Wenn der weiße Flieder wieder blüht (When the White Lilacs Bloom Again) in 1953.

Her breakthrough role was that of Princess Elisabeth of Bavaria, the later Empress Consort of Austria, in the romantic biopic Sissi (1955) and its two sequels, Sissi - Die junge Kaiserin (1956) and Sissi - Schicksalsjahre einer Kaiserin (1957).

Romy soon starred in Christine (1958), a remake of Max Ophüls's 1933 film Liebelei (itself based upon a play by Arthur Schnitzler). During the filming of Christine, Romy met and fell in love with French actor Alain Delon, who co-starred in the movie. She left Germany to join Alain in Paris and then became engaged to him in 1959.

Romy appeared in a few Hollywood films which included Good Neighbor Sam, a 1964 comedy with Jack Lemmon, and 1965 What's New, Pussycat? costarring Peter O'Toole.

Romy and Alain decided to split in 1963 but still continued a lifelong friendship. She married Harry Meyen, a German director and actor in 1966 but they later divorced in 1975. The couple had a son, David Christopher Meyen (1966–1981). In 1975, Romy married Daniel Biasini, her private secretary but they separated in 1981. Their daughter Sarah Magdalena Biasini was born July 14, 1977 and she also became an actress.

Romy created one of the most memorable moments on German television on October 30, 1974. She was the second guest on Dietmar Schönherr's talk show Je später der Abend (The later the evening) and after a brief interview, she said passionately to the last guest, bank robber and author Burkhard Driest: "Sie gefallen mir. Sie gefallen mir sehr." which translates to "I like you. I like you a lot."

On July 5, 1981, when her son David was 14, he attempted to climb the spiked fence at his stepfather's parents home when he was killed by puncturing his femoral artery. After this tragic incident, Romy began consuming excessive amounts of alcohol and was found dead in her apartment in Paris on May 29, 1982. It was assumed that she had committed suicide by taking a lethal mix of alcohol and sleeping pills, however no post-mortem examination was carried out. Later it was declared that she died from cardiac arrest.

Romy's last film was La Passante du Sans-Souci (The Passerby), 1982.

German actress Yvonne Catterfeld is to portray Romy Schneider in a biopic about her life titled Eine Frau wie Romy (A Woman Like Romy) which is slated to be released in 2009.

(Source)










photos courtesy gettyimages.com, rominette.blog.onet.pl and
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81357342@N00.


I found some great Romy-inspired items based on the photos featured above.






1930s Style 2-Tone Platform Spectator Pumps
Price: US$39.00
http://www.shopplasticland.com/fashion/p/P80610901.html


1985 Floral Pleated Hem Chiffon Dress
Price: US$25.95
http://www.trendyoutfitter.com/flplhemchdr.html
Posted by M45 R4D3N at 9:18 AM 0 comments
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Monday, July 14, 2008

Like it or not? - Urban Outfitters Laser Cutout Tees

One disturbing trend that seems to be springing up in Barbados is cheap, brightly-coloured shirts with random, horizontal rips worn usually with just a bra (in a different colour from the shirt) underneath. Most girls just look like awfully trashy in them, especially those with fuller figures who insist on wearing clothes that don't suit their bodies.

Anyway, I immediately thought of those horrible shirts when I saw these two from Urban Outfitters but surprisingly I don't despise these as much. Probably because the shirts look of a better quality, they're in more subdued colours and the cutouts actually form a shape . I prefer the top one because the shirt seems to look better fitted and the spider web design looks cool. However, if you have a little extra somethin' on your back and sides, chances are this type of shirt won't do a good job of flattering those areas so I suggest you steer clear.





I'm still on the fence about them though. What do you think? Cool cutouts or tacky tees?
Posted by M45 R4D3N at 9:14 AM 0 comments
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