Nail it!

Nail Polish is the one accessory you can never have enough of; it can complement your outfit or be the 'wow' factor in your look. Best of all, it is cheap enough that you can stock up on all kinds of different shades and colors and change color every day according to your mood.

I got the idea of this blog post while watching the Golden Globes, specially Zooey Deschanel's hands. Miss Deschanel was sporting cute little tuxedos painted on her nails and that really inspired me to do some research and share with you my finds of what will be the biggest nail trends on 2012!!

To Start off, Orange, tangerine and bright corals will be everywhere on Fashion fanatics well-manicured hands this year. The Dior and OPI nail polish in the pictures below have been matched with the same tone of lipstick to create a very retro chic look

Dior

OPI

Glitter is all the rage, be it in clothing or accessories department, it is only fair that nails get a touch of shimmer too! But prepare yourself for variations in 2012 with colorful glitters or 3D effects.

3D DSquared nails

Minx Nails

The biggest and newest trend as far as nails are concerned is something I like to call foundation tones, as the focus of the nail polish is to match your skin tone. The popularity of these tones is rising as it can sometimes give the illusion of skin continuing therefor lengthening your fingers! Below are a few pictures of different nude skin matching nail colors.

Derek Lam

Phillip Lim

2012 will be about the color green with a creamy undertone but at the same time have lots of opacity so that the nail polish really stands out on your nails.
Bright Neons will also be all the rage, with a fresh take on the 80's highlighter type colors mixed with white pigments to create a more modern and grown up take. Below is a picture of the shade i am wearing right now, and it is a mix of both trends...the Greens and the Bright Neons. Color blocking it with bright pink, white or orange clothing will guarantee the desired effect of attracting attention to your beautiful nails.

Not one prone to change? Well, do not despair as all the favorite pastels, which brings a touch of muted sophistication to any look, are coming back in 2012. Whereas Hot pink and Fuchsia will be the girly shade of the season.

Revlon 

Personally, I am still hooked on the Gold shades and cannot wait for Chanel's new nail polish Diwali to hit the stores this year. Whatever your tastes or skin tone, use this little guide to claw your way through 2012 with minimum effort and without spending too much!

Diwali by Chanel

2012

Hi Everyone,

We are finally in 2012 and nearly done with our first month. Most of us have started the year with great resolutions and dumped them a few days after...some of us are still trying to stick to their resolutions while others have completely forgotten about resolutions!

Whatever you situation, there is one thing i am sure about...End of the World or not, 2012 is going to be a fabulous year! In this spirit I felt like sharing some inspiring quotes, and I hope it can help us all shape this year in a way to make it one of the best years so far.

I will be back soon with new posts, and some snaps of what i have been up to in my break during the last month, till then enjoy the quotes!

Girls Girls Girls!

Ladies, I just wanted to share these videos- about little pearls most of us blurt out on a daily basis, they are really funny and unfortunately pretty true!

Fellas, enjoy making fun of us...and yes we are all the same and say these silly things ;-)

Shit Girls Say Episode 1

Shit Girls Say Episode 2

Follow them on Twitter for a daily dose of humour @shitgirlssay

Christmas Spirit

All that glitters is Gold!

With the silly season in full swing, most of us are having panic attacks trying to find clothes for the numerous parties ahead.
well fret no more and embrace one of 2011's biggest trends... Metallics, high shine fabrics or glittery embellishments. No longer tacky, metallic pieces are now the epitome of glamour. The recent American Music Awards' red carpet had young songstresses and celebrities shinning in their high gloss gowns. Selena Gomez looked flawless in a pale gold dress with an old Hollywood glamour style. Her BFF Taylor Swift had a golden floor length gown covered in sequins and Jennifer Hudson wore a short draped silver dress showing off her great figure.

Below are a few pieces and accessories I found and i hope it can inspire most of you...going along these lines you can create Fashion gold and shine the night away!

  

Minx nails

 

Windsor Smith Swanky Gold Glitter Shoes

Asos Midi Dress with Textured Metallic

Aqua Metallic Panelled Mini Dress

Swarovski Blue Crystal Player Bracelet

Balmain Pants

M.A.C Eyeshadow in filament

TFNC Metallic Mini Dress

Michael Kors Rose Gold Over sized Watch

From Chanel with Love: Paris-Bombay

On the 6th of December during the annual Chanel Métiers d’Art collection, French powerhouse Chanel presented a pre-fall 2012 collection entitled Paris-Bombay . The collection, which combines the extravagance of historic India with detailed craftsmanship of tweeds and pearls typical of the fashion house and its associated ateliers; is a must see!

A traditional Tweed Chanel dress combined with pants for a more conservative effect

Held at the Grand Palais in Paris, which was sumptuously decorated as a Maharajah's feast, guests were seated at decadent banquet tables, among which was the runway. Lagerfeld did not fail to impress with this extravagant setting of chandeliers, gold plated cutlery and floral arrangements. But what surprised the privileged few was the clothes. About the idea of doing such a show, Karl Lagerfeld said "We've had Paris-London, we've had Paris-Shanghai, so it felt like time to go off circuit, to somewhere less expected" . Indeed, no one expected to see , let alone buy a Chanel Lehenga anytime soon.

Looking at the clothes, one can see that Lagerfeld not only inspired himself of India as a country but more of it's famous inhabitants namely the decadence in which Maharajahs and Maharani's lived adorning themselves in jewelry pieces and rich fabrics.

Light gray embroidered lace dress with head shawl

What impressed me the most was the attention to detail in the show, clothes and accessories. Karl Lagerfeld is notorious for being a perfectionist on all different levels, but never before have I seen a fashion show where every little detail was in accordance with the other and it all fell into place with a strict respect to the 'Paris-Bombay' theme. The first example of the attention to details was the models, their make up was done with a lot of attention around the eye area creating a black smokey eye effect very reminiscent of the Kohl Indian women use around their eyes. The hair was braided into dreadlocks just like how Yogis wear their hair, but also reminding us of the multicultural side of India with Goa being a central hub for the hippies of today.

Model getting her hair fixed

Now about the clothes, we can see the classical tailored excellence Chanel is known for the ever present and Coco's favorite; Tweed and the strands of pearls with the Chanel Logo. But they were often mixed with other clothing items or accessories in a way that it would create a modern take on Indian Fashion and traditional garments. Sheer satin dresses were worn over gold tights or pants, dresses were drapped as Saris and
the famous Nehru collar adorned a coat.

The clothes were not always giving a modern take on classic Indian fashion, as there were also classic Western/Parisian pieces namely dresses, brocade pants, jackets and coats. But they all had an ethnic appeal to them that reminded of the Bombay inspiration. The color palette for the show was mainly surrounding white, cream, grey, rust and black with the odd bright pink and blue appearing once in a while. The materials used consisted of - but not only Tweed, Satin, lace wool, velvet and were often richly embroidered.

The drapping and belting of the dress created an ethnic  look

Satin dress with heavy metallic detailing 

In terms of accessories and jewelry, the detailing is exquisite and thoroughly worked. The atelier of embroidery Lesage and button-maker Desrues are greatly responsible for most of the detailing for the 'Paris-Bombay' Métiers d’Art collection. The embroidery and jewelry have been made with such minutiae that the smallest details end up attracting lots of attention. The classic quilted Chanel bag suspended by a Lesage- embroidered guitar strap is sure to be a hit among the Fashion fanatics around the world. Just as the heavily embroidered handbags.

       

Guitar straps to hold the bag

heavily embroidered bag

The bags and shoes have mostly a very western appeal to them, but the headpieces, heavy neacklaces, hand jewelry and strands of jewelry adorning the hips of the models are very similar to classical Indian jewelry. The marriage of the Chanel pearls with jeweled flowers to create this modern effect on the Indian classics is fascinating.

Karl Lagerfeld has once again surprised the crowds by mixing traditional Chanel with traditional India to create  his own take on things and adding a modern touch to make sure it is not a 'costume show'. What is surprising though is how he managed to pull it off without having ever been to India instead states that he has a poetic vision of how things are there. I am glad he took us on such a voyage, assisting, on how he used past Indian fashion to maybe create its future...

Click on the Video above for an Insight about how the embroideries at Maison Lesage were made.

Video above is the Trailer to the Paris-Bombay show. Enjoy!

Dior Couture- Patrick Demarchelier

The cover of Dior Couture

Dior is one of the power houses in fashion, and one of the most revered icons of the fashion world. It is therefor likely a string of books,movies and documentaries will try to document the rich history behind such a powerful institution. The latest homage to the fashion house comes in the form of a book compiled by Patrick Demarchelier titled 'Dior Couture'

The opening shot- members of the Dior ateliers assembled infront of the fashion house

The book is in a portfolio-style presentation of over 100 gowns and compiles a whole era of the Dior fashion house's most iconic couture looks. The book will take the readers on a voyage throughout time, reviewing designs and gowns by Christian Dior himself and his famous successors Yves Saint-Laurent, Marc Bohan and John Galliano. The timeless aesthetics of the gowns have been captured by Demarchelier in a hope of inspiring a dream to which he adds "With Dior Haute Couture, the dream is already there." 

Dior Couture (Rizzoli) is a book skillfully written by Ingrid Sischy and shot by Patrick Demarchelier, a well known photographer in the fashion industry. His work comprises advertising campaigns for the biggest couture houses and is often featured in the fashion bibles of the world, namely Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire. For the purpose of this book, Demarchelier has enlisted the help of some of the most beautiful women in the world namely Charlize Theron, Gisele Bundche and Karlie Kloss among others. The women wear the clothes with unrivaled poise and the end result is a masterpiece.

The book has been available here is Australia since yesterday 6 December 2011. It would make a great coffee table book to wow your girlfriends or with Christmas coming it would make as an inspirational gift to a savvy fashionista.

Click on the video below for a backstage look at the making of the book.