WARDROBE INSPIRATION | Céline Retrospective

An instant journey to the small history of Phoebe Philo's creation in Céline is much more nostalgic than I think. 

Spring 2014

The editors and buyers, as well as customers, are praising Phoebe Philo over and over again, for what she crafts under the French house, Céline. I, on the other hand, have had difficulties channeling myself to the house's creation, as it exudes--pardon my word--awkward simplicity I cannot bring myself to. So here is my attempt to get acquainted at mere seconds to the world of Céline, the Philo reigning period to be exact, by extracting my favourite looks/pieces from several seasons of the brand and imagining myself having limitless bank account so I can have them in my closet. That way, I assume, would help me appreciate Philo's aesthetics that somewhat empowers women through what they wear. After all, credits for Céline almost always contain the words versatile, accessible, simple and relate-able if not luxurious and modern.

First up is the blues

Fall 2013/ Spring 2010

Black and white are the utmost neutral of the color spectrum: the safest bet and the easiest to pair. True. Nevertheless for me, blue is the most versatile. Not only the colour has numerous shades, it also complements various skin tones and is able to deliver fun, feminine and powerful at the same time. Philo adopts the colour real well, given that the left look from Fall 2013 collection remains as the most inspiring (or copied, depend on how you perceive it) getup of the year. Additionally, the draped dress on the right is a definite go-to for a night out, or even for a work-related event if a blazer is thrown over.

White has shades, too

 Fall 2013/ Resort 2011

...and it is called creme. I know, I know those two colours are noticeably different, both of which are the neutrals and will always be. This time I imagine keeping myself a dress from the Fall 2013--the dress at the first glimpse appears unbelievably genius and at the second infinitely wearable. Meanwhile from the Resort 2011, the non-existent season, a slight stroke of colors on the pure white separates manages to amp up what otherwise is a sporty pairing. Must. Have.

Dark meets bright

Resort 2010/ Spring 2010

Perhaps not a lot of women fancy the pairing of light and dark back then, but now, it is everything modernism has to do. Well, probably not everything. But the cape-like top on from Céline spring collection on the right is EVERYTHING. I seriously consider that it is one of the prototype of the cape-ubiquity today, the ones designed with such airy yet structured feel. At the same token, the suit and top combo relinquishes "too uptight" once the flowing part of the top emerges. It is dark meets bright meets brilliant.

The effortless neutral

Resort 2014/ Resort 2010

If you are the ones shying away from wearing neutrals because the shades can make you appear nude, I am with you. But if you are the ones resisting oversize vest/parka like the one from resort 2010 installment, I am afraid I am not with you. Maybe it is the patchwork talking, or the oversize shape persuading, but this is an archetype of successful dressing: picking a statement outerwear that understates everything. Meanwhile, the Asian inspired top and pants from the recent 2014 collection are mere extensions of what kind of neutrals we all should be aiming for.

Unexpected is always in

Spring 2014/ Fall 2012

Lastly, after a wardrobe/retrospective/whatever full of basic colours and shapes, it is about time to let striking pieces kicking in. It is the artsy season, the spring 2014, and the watercolour dress filled with strokes of Philo's artsy inspirations is reasonable to don. The structured upper part and flowing bottom part summarise precisely the future of dress, and possibly the future of femininity. And what is fall without Céline big coat? Or at least, let's get something in similar styling. With the red pants, of course.

Images are all from style.com

WARDROBE INSPIRATION | Style Utopia?

Simple aesthetics is probably the answer to the cluttered fashion industry. 

Let's admit it. Fashion industry is one commercial sphere that is highly competitive, leaving both the producers and consumers with myriad choices and little time to decide. In a snap, one trend has disappeared and replaced with another one. Sometimes it is too fast, too furiously annoying, that probably on your way to the cashier to pay your purchase of the day (which you think will be good to photograph and upload in your social media channels), the trend is silently but surely heading to obsolesce.

I have quite limited myself these days, trying to separate what stuffs I need really want with what stuffs I want. That way, when I want to buy certain fashion item, I would try projecting myself mixing and matching it in different styles. Then if the item is rather costly, I would try to be the fortune teller - predicting whether I can still wear it at ease in foreseeable future, or in another words, whether the item can transcend season.

My encounter with & Other Stories has actually begun a while ago, when the hype surrounding the brand was just built. It later occurred to me that what they present in the collections, and how they treat the selections that are up on the website, are really thoughtful. There is no must-have, because everything is practically a must-have. The pants are straight cut, the dresses are easy. The jewelries are beyond desirable and the colours are versatile.

It seems to me that & Other Stories has omitted the word "trend" from their vocabulary - which is a good thing. Women are in desperate need of understanding that they do not need marvelous clothes and lavish, extravagant pieces to fill their wardrobe. The designers can then calm themselves down and follow their design intuition to create clothes women can actually wear. The next argument is probably, is such condition a style utopia or a fashion dystopia? You decide.

images are from & Other Stories

WARDROBE INSPIRATION | White Pointy Shoes

Let's face it. We are being stormed by all the sale season and I have mentally started listing all things I want to purchase (at discounted price--smart shopping, of course). Fluted mini skirt and something pointy. Heeled sandals. Black leather jacket. Help me? The astute options, however, do not slay my initial intention to gather basics during the sale season. Especially when the items surpass seasons and trends.

...then I came across this photo in Elin Kling's blog and wondering if pointy flats will suit me. I hover Zara website, only to find that they also have it in silver. A bit too tacky? Or essentially elegant? The win-win is that this pair will save me from blister and trolling hopelessly in heels. Then my mind wanders somewhere else, leopard heels that can feel super comfortable and yield pretty much equally similar bang. Fuck and forget saving?

WARDROBE INSPIRATION | Japanese Overloaded

In the big wave of everything Japanese, I never have thought that I would fall in their fashion sense. Although Japan is perceived as one of the capitals of fashion in Far East, I always think that they take it too far--too much styling, too many colours, way too heavy attitude. Niko and... has changed my mind, seeing how they incorporate each piece into a solid mix has made me grown a liking towards how easy and effortless what seems like everyday basics being put together. Here I have assembled some looks from their 30 Days Coordinate Project, those I utterly crave for.

The ooze of simplicity and comfort draw me in, something that is definitely in line with what I believe fashion is all about. What we wear should portray our "inner side" while we have to feel comfortable and confident in it. The lack of makeup and hairdo in each photo, although all of them are months apart, even highlight the light mood better, delivering such a warm and happy feeling. Women, thus, are in no need to bundle themselves in tight-fitting clothes and painful heels, when they can look even prettier in everyday basics.

I also admire the layering tricks and endless use of scarfs used throughout the lookbook. Remember that each photo is actually styled by different stylists (all are Japanese, I assume), yet there are conformity and a coherent aesthetic approach in every different month. From there on, I conclude that a solid foundation of a wardrobe should consist of a parka jacket (slightly oversized), stripe shirts (sleeveless, short sleeved, or long sleeved), a vast variety of scarfs, basic white, blue, and black shirts, loose dresses (you can dress them up or down), fitted trousers in neutral colours (I would go for white, blue, and black--again), A-line skirt, and a blazer.

Okay, I guess I went a little overboard by posting so many photos here. They can be my go-to reference whenever I open my wardrobe and feel a little lost in there. A major thanks to Miss Moss for posting about this Japanese goodies, otherwise I would never throw a hitch to them. Or Japanese fashion in general. Wouldn't this be a nice reminder of how pretty diversity is?

SOMETHING RAD | Badass Chick Always Wins

On a saccharine note of dressing and wearing your personality out, I have always eyed on "how to look like I don't care in a cool way" whenever I put together an outfit. It is not about the rebellious nature of women, it is about expressing individuality and saying goodbye to body hugging dresses. Flaunting indifference is what counts today, with comfort becomes number one factor. If you are not comfortable in your own skin and clothes, the rest will easily fall apart. Don't you agree?

My selection/inspiration to dress like a badass. Which one could you possibly try on? :D

images: Oracle Fox, All Saints via Studded Hearts, style.com Sydney's Street Style, after drk

WARDROBE INSPIRATION | How to Wear Black

I start thinking to inject my wardrobe with more black, for the sake of the mystery and versatility of the colour. Peeking behind, I always try to avoid wearing anything black, because I used to think it was boring and too plain. But here I am compiling wardrobe inspiration, that, if you see, sort of gear up for a touch of leather, be it is in skirt, pants, or shoes. A combination of texture is always the pivotal point for me to build a look with black, though one could definitely care less about anything when black is the main menu.

1: Vanessa Jackman, 2: Low Classic, 3: The Sartorialist, 4: We The People, 5: Elle Victoire, 6: Lookbook.nu, 7: Copenhagen Fashion Week, 8: via Because I'm Addicted

STORY | I'm Still Alive

After a rough month that circled around starting a time-and-mind consuming job (yes, in a fashion magazine it is), sudden change of someone's heart I thought will never change, consistent daydreaming and not-yet-realized hopes with abundant ideas I cannot wait to spill out, May is...well, May. I have this sudden urge to drop by and tell you all, readers who come accidentally to my blog that I'm alive. And in whatever state I am in, I am aware that blissful adventure is persistently waiting for me as I am in the right path--the right time on the right place.

The above song keeps my night restless (and I can't believe how I weakly used thesaurus to find synonym of alive DUH) and my day soothing. Anyway I have a little surprise I am currently preparing for VOCIFEROUS, so please please please stick around by the end of this bloody yet quirky month, May.

On a fashion-related note, it is somehow refreshing to let myself go to explore my own taste after work, since my energy is somehow absorbed by the "real" world of fashion that is not as nice and tasteful and inspiring as it is portrayed. I have been contemplating how to wear my ripped jeans to work for the past hours so I sneaked into my old Polyvore account and came up with these mixes. Yes yes yes?

WARDROBE INSPIRATION | Basics vs Prints

Guess you have read plenty of my opinion on basic dressing and how fluid the staple pieces are, so this time I play it a little bit with comparison game. White plain blazers, shirts, and jackets are enchantingly pretty, nonetheless to spice things up with printed stuffs that have been on radar for a while can be alluring too. So, on which side are you?

//BASICS

//PRINTS

//HYBRID (wearing basic pieces with printed item = all goodness I want in an outfit!)

sources: andy heart, SnowBlack, Oyster, all the pretty birds, Fashion Gone Rogue, afterDRK

SATURDAY REMIX | Void

I have skipped some weeks since these times I am almost always occupied during weekend(s), but here it is another Saturday Remix. There is nothing in particular, I just compile some of the things I feel like wearing/having right now: denim shirt, cozy gray sweaters, and floral suits. I found two of the images among other random images I save in my laptop so I am not sure where I obtained those two.

1: Kneon, 2: Turned Out 

And two of my most played songs this week...

Hope you all have a blissful weekend! In the mean time, juice your thoughts with articles from VOCIFEROUS ;)

WARDROBE INSPIRATION: Spring Calling

Let's start off with white and pastels. Spring/summer is always a good excuse to peruse bright colours and throw gigantic plastic earrings that will make your day. These two from Marni are bringing the sexy mod back (notice the sheer organza and imagine some bright coloured bicycle pants peeking)-- yet they keep the classic up with the polished hair and pointy shoes going on. The top notch would nevertheless be the colourful collar and white pairings. I, however, do not approve the use of socks. Debatable.

I do get excited when I once more browsed Altuzarra's ready-to-wear, especially with that white shirt as a throw on and perfectly constructed white dress. Strong eyebrows, strappy shoes and sandals are another highlight from the collection, exactly what I would add to my imaginary wardrobe :p The super sleek hair is another lovely addition to the though-looking dresses, an alternative to beach waves that appear too often. One last thing, black still apparently prevails the change of the season. Looking forward to more of it.

images are from style.com

Wardrobe Inspiration: Sharp

A quick outfit inspiration I found today, and this is exactly how I want to look these days. Simply combining blazer, jeans, killer stiletto, and a simple bag, a polished sharp look is what you come up with; added it with nice braid and soft makeup, it ain't gonna be ordinary.

Stockholm Street Style

Wardrobe Inspiration: Kahlo

Stumbled upon the sleek collection of Kahlo, an Australian based label, in Harper and Harley's post. The clothes really describe my current coveted style, something simple but with a twist, elegant yet laid back. The loose shirts and button-up shirts are staple pieces everyone must have in their wardrobe, while the leather skirts and shorts can toughen up a look in an instant. Their clothes will surely be pictured nicely in my head when I go shopping later on :)

Kahlo via Harper and Harley

I browsed into their website and got more loveable looks..