Trends 2012 part 2- Bold prints

New York fashion week might have taken place a few months ago but it has since started an obsession in me; to be more precise, a fashion obsession! The object of my affections is no one else than talented young designer Mary Katrantzou.


Some of you might ask Mary who? While others, familiar with the name will nod in approval, understanding my fascination. With a hard to pronounce surname, Mary Katrantzou fits perfectly well in the fashion world and quickly nabbed herself the title of  Queen of prints. A title she earned through the unique way she creates and mixes surreal prints and bold colours.  Katrantzou revealed to The New York Times that her way with print is not without purpose: "With print, it is about educating the customer to try it on and see what it does with the silhouette . . . trying to do with print what a black dress would do onto their body. And it works!" While most of us cannot afford an original Katrantzou, there is still home as she recently collaborated with Topshop for a more affordable range but just as close as possible to the aesthetics of her main line. Below is a slide show of my favourite looks from the 10 piece Topshop collaboration.

Boohoo leggings

How to wear bold prints? Easy! First start off with patterned pants or a top to get used to having bold designs and colours on your outfit. You will slowly get accustomed to it and if you are bold enough why not try head to toe prints. Wanting to try prints, I bought myself the pair of black and white leggings pictured on the right and I am thinking of slowly going for bolder prints. The tribal prints of the leggings catch the eye, specially if matched with a colourful top and clashing shoes or boots, this kind of look is perfect for the cold weather and a casual diner out.






This trend is definitely not for everyone, but if you are a risk taker, you eagerly embrace bright colors, big florals and bold graphics, this trend guarantees to get you the attention you deserve! A couple of things to keep in mind while wearing loud prints is that  a relaxed cut is more flattering to most silhouettes and also to keep one's make up to a minimum and to favour nude tones for the eyes and lips.

The bold prints trend should not only be limited to clothes; accessories like scarves, shoes or bags are also getting a dose of patterns and colours. If you are not feeling bold enough to try it on your clothes why not wear a plain outfit and add a splash of colour by wearing an extravagant accessory?

A friend of mine, Keisha recently posted a picture of a printed skirt on Instagram. The skirt is from Black Milk Clothing and is called a 'cathedral skirt' and I am in love with it! They are currently sold out, but once they get more I believe this will be the next printed clothing item to join my wardrobe....I added a picture below just to give you an idea of how cute this skirt is!

Cathedral skirt- Black Milk Clothing

New Lady in town- Charlotte

Autumn Bouquet

Ladies, Meet Charlotte; a groundbreaking new Australian fashion label which just released their new collection of silk scarves.The brand is a product of the expertise of Tom Keel, a specialist in lace and embroidery. Twenty years working with textiles has made Tom appreciative of delicate fabrics and prompted his decision to start a chic fashion label. “Charlotte selects pure, naturally created yarns to produce handmade scarfwear of the finest quality, with intricate attention to detail and design.”

Penelope

 Charlotte if not just the brand’s name, it is also the name of Tom’s daughter; who assists in the design process and selects the best scarves to put forward in the collection. Descending from a Swiss tradition of embroidery, Charlotte herself is a natural with colours; the fourth generation textile fan and colourist has a keen eye for dye, always knowing how to place a particular palette.

Made from all-natural fibre, Charlotte scarves provide an elegant way to add an effortless touch of style to any outfit. The transeasonal accessory can be worn throughout the year as it offers warmth in the cooler months but also allows skin to breathe in the warmer months. “Our gorgeous natural product results from thousands of hard working silkworms creating a desirable fibre of totally unique quality,” Tom explains of the luxurious quality of the brand.

Parisian

The year round styles are representative of the changing seasons through its palette of colours. The artisan method used to create and dye every item gives each silk scarf a stunning designer effect to compliment both day and evening wear. The latest collection showcases a diverse range of colours and styles, including the ‘Parisian’ design that mimics the shimmering midnight blue of the ocean; the lemon ‘Golden Fields’ scarf that brings a welcome touch of sunshine for the upcoming winter months; the playful earthy tones of the stunning ‘Cote Dázure’ which reflects the unique beauty of the French Riviera; and the stunning blood-red ‘Musey-Maree’ that will transport you to a land of whimsy and wonder.

Cote Dázure

Golden Fields

Musey-Maree

This luxurious fashion accessory is of such high quality that each scarf is also a keepsake, much like any woman’s favourite piece of jewellery. Every Charlotte scarf is sold in its own classically styled gift and storage box in order to preserve the beautiful creations. I definitely know what I will soon be treating myself to- a brand new Charlotte scarf!

Charlotte Gift Box

Charlotte scarves are available online at www.scarfbycharlotte.com.au and in-store at

Design A Space locations around Melbourne: www.designaspace.com.au.

Brigit

Gwyneth Paltrow Harper's BAZAAR

Yesterday at my local Coles Supermarket, I had just finished my Grocery Shopping and was patiently waiting in the check out queue when my eyes inadvertently fell on the rack of magazines on the side. In the middle of Gossip magazines, Cooking and Gardening Magazines was an issue of Harper's BAZAAR Australia with a statuesque female figure gracing the cover. I quickly approached the magazine to check out the beauty dressed in black and realised it was Gwyneth Paltrow! "Whooooaaaaaaa" was my first reaction, because Mrs Chris martin looked splendid to say the least!

Dressed in a black figure hugging Anthony Vaccarello dress from his 2012 Spring Summer collection, I think Gwyn looked fantastic. There is actually no difference in her body and that of the model who showcased the dress in Vaccarello's Fashion show.

Being a fan of everything beautiful, I compiled a few snaps from the Harper's BAZAAR spread. 

I am not naive enough to think that the pictures; skillfull photographed by Terry Richardson have not been photoshoped. But digging around in Gwyneth's red carpet pictures I came across the the famous Emilio Pucci dress she wore in Dec 2010

And a picture of her on the red carpet in a Tom Ford dress at a Vanity Fair party for the Academy awards.The shots speak for themselves as Gwyneth always looks flawless and has a figure to put to shame girls half her age. It might be her strict gluten free diet/detox or demanding gym regimen, what ever it is, it does wonders for her.

I also found this behind the scenes video for the Harper's BAZAAR shoot. Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/36413958

My weekly inspiration from style icons

Audrey Hepburn

Victoria Beckham

Queen Rania of Jordan

Grace Kelly

Natalie Portman

Marilyn Monroe

Coco Chanel

Anna Wintour

Jacky Kennedy

Lady Gaga

Muddy Muddy Muddy- Oi Oi Oi

WARNING: The article below contains extremely good looking blokes( Their own words, not mine)

Starting Line

I had a very eventful and muddy weekend, having followed my boyfriend and his mates to the Tough Mudder Competition held at Philip Island- Melbourne on Saturday. Tough Mudder, a concept i was completely unaware of a few months ago, until the boys decided to take part in it. I can still remember how shocked i was when he showed me a video of Tough Mudder in the USA, announcing he was taking part in it. Not one to discourage him, I just said "Wow, it looks great!" , while others said "You will never be able to do that" it was a blunt thought part of me shared.

The Boys

What is Tough Mudder, would you say? Well their website qualifies it as 'The premier obstacle course series in the world" it is a 20km obstacle course, which was designed by the British Special Forces. It is meant to test the participants' all around strength, stamina, mental force and most importantly camaraderie.It is not a race that one takes part in, but more of a challenge and what a challenge it was! The boys trained a few times a week, running, taking part in boot camps, changing their diet and also missing out on evenings out on the town due to training sessions early in the morning. They were preparing physically but also mentally, avoiding alcohol and fatty foods whenever our group of friends would hang out on week-ends. Easy task would you say, well not that easy when one has to do it for a few months on end, when you are in your 20's and peer pressure/temptation is constant during these gatherings.

Team Maji

So after months of training, Saturday morning the 5 of us embarked to Philip Island a 2.5hour drive from Melbourne.The event was being held at the Philip Island Grand Prix Circuit, upon reaching it one could only get carried away in the joyous mood in the air. Teams were getting ready to start the course, some of the teams complete with matching outfits or disguises ranging from the Super Mario Brothers, to Superheroes; even Borat's mankini was a recurring disguise. After a few stretches, the boys grabbed Maji- a stuffed Horse on a stick and lined up among a throng of other mudders for their 11.15am start time, during which they were motivated by an MC and asked to recite the Tough Mudder Pledge:

As a Tough Mudder I pledge that…

• I understand that Tough Mudder is not a race but a challenge.
• I put teamwork and camaraderie before my course time.
• I do not whine – kids whine.
• I will help my fellow Mudders complete the course.
• I will overcome all fears.

After screaming a few other war cries, featuring the national "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi". We watched them start off to 'Eye of the Tiger' for what would be 3.5long and gruelling hours of battling all kinds of obstacles but also overcoming their physical and mental capabilities.

Neeroo and I taking in the view and following the course

The two of us girls had our partners participating so we tried our best to follow them around to snap pictures but also to see how they were doing. We luckily saw them ramping under a giant heavy net, and jumping head first in a slimy, ice water filled tank to then resume their running. But that was not the end of it- the boys battled fire, swam in a deep lake, climbed wooden 'Berlin' walls, did monkey bars over icy cold water, climbed mud hills and got electroshocks along the way. When we finally saw them again, it was 2 obstacles before the end and they were covered in mud and had to wait in a 45mins queue to get up the 'Everest' . After the long wait, they finally managed to try out at the mud covered wooden ramp to climb on top, it was a hard obstacle taking into account the Mudders were tired, cold and the mud made things very slippery. But having pledged to help their fellow Mudders; the men and women who managed to climb on top of the 'Everest' lied down extending their arms to help others to climb- it was a beautiful gesture to watch, and one I couldn't tire myself of watching. The camaraderie, the effort everyone was putting in so as not leave a fellow Mudder behind and to make sure everyone finishes the course was exemplary and an attitude only sports can bring.

Everest

After finishing up the 'Everest' the boys proceeded to their last obstacle,got electric shocks along the way and grabbed their tough Mudder headband, T-shirt and an ice cold VB- which according to them has never tasted so good! They told us about the obstacle course, which even though seemed tough was not as hard as expected. Funnily the hardest part of it all was the waiting times before the last few obstacles, which was very painful when one was wet, cold and tired. It should be noted that they carried Maji-the stuffed horse throughout the course, alternating among each other to carry it so that Maji also made it to the finish line, very dirty and muddy but still alive. There were even tales of how they had to perform CPR on the dear toy halfway through the course.

We are very proud of the boys for taking part and completing the course, the feeling of accomplishment they felt post Tough Mudder was very beautiful to watch. I would recommend everyone interested to try it at least once, according to the boys it is an addictive feeling. Therefore we are heading to Sydney in September, for them to take part in the Sydney event, a few more months of hearing about Tough Mudder for us girls!!

Winning Team- Yuvy, Ash, Dom and Nash

For more information about Tough Mudder: http://toughmudder.com/about/