Summer 2013: the war of coulours

Yes! There will be a strong competition. Between the colours. This year still.

CRISTINAEFFE dress

Well, seriously... thru all the possibilities given to us this year it will be pretty difficult to choose the right and the most flashy (fashionable) colour. I still hesitate but conceive obviously my own limitations. In yellow or light blue I'd probably look so sick and pale as if I had the norovirus and had to throw up for 3 days in a row. No way, thank you.

So, one one side I go for the light green, fresh lime, green banana :-) Already mentioned it last year, when got a cotton cardigan and a three-coloured skirt (photo on the left). This colour is again a potentially dangerous one. Blondes, gingers and freckled people with a light-pink complexion may not look nice in this colour.

On the other hand I'd try the very flashy pink :-) Feel really tempted. Fuchsia, vivid pink, reddish pink, crimson, cerise, raspberry - all those pinks are welcome this year.


Two years ago I took a risk and bought one of the party dresses of SIMPLE CP - a plain fuchsia cocktail dress, made of cotton, having a tulip form, with short sleeves.

NINA RICCI dress

Halston Heritage dress

Superdry

For a dinner, drink, birthday party, going out to the restaurant it goes perfectly. Unfortunately, I am not able to wear it to work or for official meetings. It is simply too flashy, too vivid, can make people irritated, excited and eventually aggressive. Pity though, I like the dress and I like the colour. It's just that pink is simply not universal. In order to compensate the lack of colours in my wardrobe I got this pink watch of Superdry. I found it excellent, modern and so eye-catching. Uhm, will I ever be able to wear what I want?

Colour block dresses

Warehouse
Colour
Block Dress

Karen Millen,

Colour Block Dress

I thought I discovered something new. How wrong I was, lol... Nevertheless, I try to convince you to this trend - a colour block dress. In addition, let's see what form shall the dress anno domini 2013 have.

What does "colour block" mean when describing a dress?

According to askville.amazon.com:

"it usually refers to various sections that are of a different colour it may be shoulder to shoulder, or different on each side. There are usually three different colours with the skirt portion one solid colour. Colour block may be used on numerous items."

By the very coincidence I saw last week the visionary exhibition of Yves Saint Laurent. Some pieces were shown for the first time. As the curator of this exhibition Florence Müller says: Saint Laurent was at the forefront of a genuine revolution and gave women an exceptionally strong, purposeful, feminine and above all, modern aura. He dressed liberated women who worked, travelled and claimed their place in the changing world.

"Mondrian" dress, by YSL
collection autumn 1965

The last part of this exhibition is called Art in Movement and devoted to the tribute to Piet Mondrian and inspired by pop art. The wearable dresses. The inspiration came from the... street. I am so astonished how modern the shapes, colours and lines remain. I could wear it now, even if the majority of items displayed backdates to 60' and 70'. The preview, a real fore-collection of all block coloured dresses made since then onwards!

Having said all that I decided to invest in a block colour dress. I chose a cream-light grey, model made of easy-care poly-blend fabric. This bodycon, sculpting dress, cut from luxe, super stretch fabrics, is designed to flatter and enhance the female form. My female form :-)

Vesper pencil dress, ASOS

I hope I will be enjoying this garment (matched with the light grey sandals of SIMPLE CP, on the left) throughout all 2013 summer and even

beyond!

SIMPLE, sandals from 2013 collection

Beads, beads and once again beads

The story about the original and unique Trollbeads all started in Denmark in 1976. The first bead, which later gave name to the Trollbeads collection, was a small bead decorated with no less than 6 faces. It was designed by Søren Silversmith and sold from his father Svend's jewellery shop in central Copenhagen.

And now something less known in Europe - prakeuam, a unique style of silver bead made only in the Khwao Sinarin sub-district of Surin province in Thailand. Hundreds of years ago, Khwao Sinarin was settled by migrants from Cambodia, some of whom were gold and silver smiths. Their descendants, the villagers who make these beads, still use the same designs and techniques that have been passed down for generations.

The most famous is undoubtedly the Danish Pandora, producing its jewellery since 1982. PANDORA jewellery is sold in more than 70 countries on six continents through over 10,300 points of sale, including approximately 900 concept stores.

The concept of a unique jewellery designing possibilities has quickly been copied by other brands, also by 'no name' jewellers. In my small collection I collected so far the beads from Apart, Kruk, Swarovski, Agatha, Morellato, Amore&Baci and some other brandless pieces.  I must say it brings lots of fun to 'create' a new bracelet every now and then. The bead on top, called Maternity, is my most favourite one :-) Btw, it's been designed by a Polish artist.

Bracelet, Apart

Bracelet, Morellato

Brecelet, Amore&Baci

and again... H&M, but not only :-)

I often search for some inspirations as to the style, combinations of colours, forms, image.
To find the relevant sources I usually do my own research in the boutiques (recently mentioned Belgian Essentiel, Gigue or the absolute discovery of this month the German brand Comma,), shopping malls, City stores and... e-shops. This is done rather at a random basis, whenever I feel like and the spirit is there  I like to know more about the latest trends but also to see how people are dressed, what I could adapt in my wardrobe or how to nicely (re)use some items from previous collections.

TATUUM

So, I even dare to revitalise some pieces, lying forgotten for a bit of time at the back of my cellar. Yes, yes, the most significant example are me long-nosed Salamander stilettos, bought in 2003 and worn for the last time in... 2003. I rediscovered them last year when needed to match it with this elegant dress on the right. It is of TATUUM brand, colour: nearly black/anthracite, made of a nice mix of wool and other fabrics, this is one of my favourite items. It fits perfectly and is an excellent choice for a (in)formal cocktail, theatre,  diner and so on. I wear it also to work if important meeting (lol) or drinks after work.

TATUUM

H&M

But coming back to the subject, this coming season asks a lot as to the colours. I remain astonished how many colours are now on the spot. To this extent, even if I like to be fashionable, yet, I keep up with my own choices. With my pale-to-the-ground complexion I will never be able to wear yellow or orange or even light blue. And I hate green in clothes.
For the summer I go in white, like for instance with this cardigan on the right but in white of course. White goes very well with navy, my most favourite colour, after black.

In Wear, NEYLA, blue marine-ecru 

 I am 100% sure that in 2013 everybody may find his colours in fashion. Nearly all summer colours are present and it is up to us to decide. If difficult, there are stylists and 'fashion doctors' that can help us with the right choice. Sometimes we do not realise what would go well with our figure, complexion and... frame of mind.

I strongly encourage people to take at least once in the lifetime such a consultation. This can be very inspiring for the rest of our lives. Ans it seems that is also very much demanded! Yes, yes, I am talking about such phenomenons as Trinny & Susannah for instance. I myself bought one of their fashion advice books. Never had taken any advice consultation though, lol. Do I need it? :-)

And again H&M.

One of the latest afternoons I passed by the H&M store looking for some inspiration for the summer 2013 season. To my greatest surprise I found some very springish items, in fashionable colours of green, purple, raspberry or yellow. Very inspiring collection, many items are made of organic cotton or cosy mixes of cotton, viscose and poliamid. Excellent range of choice.

Some time before I found this look in a catalogue of la Redoute:

http://www.laredoute.be/jupe-droite-en-guipure-pur-coton/prod-324388915-272313.aspx

I got absolutely crazy about this outfit and tried to find something similar on the market (for one reason I was not able to accept the skirt - it has a visible golden zipper at the back). During the sniffing around in H&M I found a skirt (2012 collection) that I tried on. It was perfect! I just need to find a corresponiding cardigan. What a challenge, especially in the store where there is no day light available and matching some colours become difficult, if not impossible sometimes.

To my surprise I also appreciated some vintage items from the latest collection. Like for instance these peep-toe wedge shoes on the right or the regular fit vintage print cotton trousers on the left.

The biggest surprise are though these high heel sandals made of ecological cotton (available in H&M Poland):

Valentine's Day... so what (wrong)?

Long time ago (don't laugh), when Valentine's became popular in my country people got obsessed by organising something special, extraordinary, something devoted to love that we tended to show that day in an extended way. Searching for special presents and being absolutely creative for the celebrations became a national sport. Last weeks of January the décor in many shops changed to read & pink. What a madness!

Tinku celebrations

There must be something in it though... We celebrate many strange things in the world throughout the whole year, e.g. 'Tinku' - Punch your Neighbour, Bolivia - no need for translation I guess, the 'Songkran' festival, Thailand - water fight where people throw water at each other, Ivrea Carnival, Italy where people throw oranges to each other (rival to the Spanish La Tomatina). Why not love then?

Songkran festival

Battle of oranges, Ivrea

I am going to do something 'special'

tomorrow, hoping that it would not fall under the stereotypic celebration. The food & wines are already in. Good, hé? Only cooking and good spirit are required for tomorrow evening. Can't wait, lol...

I wish you all a great St Valentine's day, no matter if you celebrate it or not. After all, each day is worth living, following my most favourite saying: Carpe diem!

LK Bennett vs SIMPLE CP

So, out of curiosity and looking for some 'resemblance in a difference' I decided to compare two dresses of my favourite brands: L.K. Bennett and SIMPLE CP. Those two brands have indeed some features in common: recently established - LKB in 1990, SPC in 1993, both offer 'sophisticated collections', original design but first of all an outstanding quality and top crafting.

The black peplum dress

L.K. Bennett and its Jetta crepe peplum dress

Beautifully tailored, this sleeveless style has a nipped waist and fashion-forward peplum at the hip. Falling to the knee, it has a concealed zip fastening at the back. 

Material: 70% polyester, 26% viscose, 4% elastane

SIMPLE and its peplum dress

Fitted, sleeveless peplum dress, SIMPLE metal logo at neckline. Concealed zip, fastening at back, fully lined.

Material: 56% polyester, 42% virgin wool, 2% elastane

Which one do you like? I can't really choose, therefore don't take any of them. Today, in one of the biggest stores in Brussels, INNO, I found by coincidence and with a very good luck (read: highly discounted) this KALIKO dress: