Style Icons, Iconic Style

Hello Hello,

As promised it’s Lily here to share some of my style icons. When Rose informed she wanted us to post about our icons, I have to admit I had a little brain freeze, nobody instantly popped into mind! Now this isn't because I don’t follow the fashion pages, as I have an unhealthy tendency to go straight to the ‘fashion’ tab on any website. No, my brain freeze was due to the fact that I take inspiration from many places. I dress according to my mood. Some days I might want to look very prim accompanied by the go to pearl studs, and other days I am all about printed trousers and chunky necklaces. That being said, here goes my list of icons... 

I couldn't write a post about icons and not start with Audrey Hepburn . So chic, so timeless, so classic,  she is the quintessential lady of style.

Evidence of my love for the classic, tailored look - I had the same dress made in 3 different colours

Above is Giovanna Battaglia, fashion editor at L'Uomo Vogue and W. I adore everything this woman puts on, and she may be my ultimate icon as she changes her look from day to day, sometimes fun, sometimes chic, sometimes bold. The black and blue skirt to the right is a copy of Giovanna's skirt which I had tailored in Vietnam. I am yet to wear it, as I want to find a top which will make the outfit as fabulous as her's (unfortunately I am not a 6 foot tall former model, so the bar has been set pretty high.)

When I mentioned I liked Emma Stone's style to Rose, she was a little dubious. I hope these outfits can convince her. I love the statement shoe on the left, and the print and sleeves of her dress on the right. Emma's outfits are actually a perfect example of when I say my inspiration comes from many places. While I wouldn't say Emma is an icon of mine, both these numbers struck a cord with me, so they were neatly put away in my style file. We can put Emma down as a watch this space.

                                     

Jason Wu Spring RTW 2013 - I am a big fan of his designs 

Carolina Herrera Winter 2012 collection - I always like her clothes, they have that classic timeless quality 

I hope that gives you an insight into my style and icons, as Rose said she is the boho to my tailored. That being said, the attack of the Sisteritis never fails to rear its heard, as both Gwen Stefani and Chloe Sevigny came to mind when I was thinking of icons, but Rose had already nabbed them!

Until next time,

Xx Lily

Me friend's want your style

Hello world!

As suspected, my previous post on style icons has resulted in a frenzy of feedback from my fans. And by fans, I mean three friends who I forced to read my post.

Even though I know these lovely ladies quite well, it was still fascinating to hear their stylistic inspirations. More interestingly, I can see how their choices reflect their everyday wardrobe. Needless to say, these women are among the most stylish people I know.

So here's to you Miss A, Miss K and Miss L for 1)  providing me with your feedback, and 2) for giving me an excuse to continue this post!

Miss A's Icons:

Uber chic former editor of  French Vogue/Tom Ford muse, Carine Roitfeld

 Current Editor of French Vogue, Emanuelle Alt (am assuming a key criterion for editing French Vogue is having legs which begin from the ear lobes)

 

Miss K and Miss L (both quintessential lovers of 60's fashion):

British fashion doyenne and fellow lover of bold make up, Mary Quant  

Vintage advert featuring Mary Quant make up. Me love.

I suspect Lily will be posting on her very own style icons in the upcoming days, so stay posted!

Until next time...Rose. xx

Me want your style ( update)

Hello world!

Given the tag line of this blog, lovers of couture and all that, Lily and I are often caught waxing lyrical re the sartorial choices of the people around us, and our style icons.

Like most things in life, we have very similar taste and pretty much see eye to eye on most things fashion-ey.

Having said that, I definitely lean towards the more quirky, boho, vintage look, while Lil'z is much more streamlined, often teaming classic tailoring with lux accessories, which sometimes can be a far better choice, as my affinity towards the quirky has sometimes seen me fall victim to some pretty horrendous trends - hello 80's revival ala ra ra skirts and neon off the shoulder tops, shame on you Rose, shame, shame, shame.

Anyhoo, before I embarrass myself further, here are my fave style icons:

Zooey Deschanel
Oh how I love thy whimsical style with your oh so perfect bangs

Love the fabric.

 .

My favourite city in Europe for style is defo London. Having visited Europe for the first time earlier this year, I was in awe of the place. The people of France and Italy were all so beautiful, and reeked of such glamour, that it figuratively hurt my eyes.

But, there's something about London. I think it was seeing the experimentation with colours and textures which really grabbed me. Plus as a lover of face art, I loved that the ladies were so bold with their make up.

Brit girl Lily Allen. Fellow wearer of winged eyeliner and lover of vintage.



Speaking of Brits, I have to give a shout out to one of my favourite designers of all time and fashion royalty, Vivienne Westwood.

Could a dress get any cooler?! 

Again, as someone who leans towards the Avant Garde (and melodrama) I really don't think they make em any better than Ms Westwood. I recently saw some of Ms Westwood's pieces at The National Gallery of Australia and my was I in love. Plus, I was insane enough to purchase a Westwood bag when I went to Hong Kong in 2008 (pre mortgage). I don't take it out very often but I'll treasure it forever.


The rest of my style icons in no particular order:

Gwen Stefani
Love her funky vintage/punk style and ever present red lip.

If I was a rich girl...I'd buy your wardrobe.

Sonam Kapoor

Indian Bollywood actress, Sonam Kapoor, is considered one of the most stylish women of India. Here's why.

Are y'all sensing I might like a red lip? 

Chloe Sevigny
The ultimate fashionista, blending quirk with couture.

Can I have your pins?

Michelle Williams
While it's hard to look away from her beautiful face, I love how she keeps it simple, focusing on beautiful tailoring and sweet delicate details.

This Vera Wang dress is one of my ultimates.

UPDATE!

I forgot to mention Miroslava Duma, the former Russian fashion editor, now storming the fashion pages with her bold, eclectic and oh so expensive wardrobe. While I wouldn't dream of attempting her look I am defo intrigued.

 

Until next time...Rose. xx

Self fulfilling crockery

Hello world!

I'm writing to you on this most lovely of evenings. As I sit on the deck, with the Husband cooking dinner on the bbq, and Little Rose scooting around on her bike, I can't help but feel pretty darn thankful.

Said deck, all tarted up.

With Christmas approaching and life in general winding down, I'm starting to go the way of Deepak Chopra, reflecting on the year that's been and making tentative plans for the one ahead.

Although many of my 2012 goals haven't really materialised (hello knitting scarf and starting post grad uni) I'm still determined to finish these projects.

You see that's the thing about self fulfilling prophesies. If I were my usual self, I'd probably be stewing in a pool of disappointment, bemoaning my inability to finish anything. But I’ve come to realise, it's this very act of self pity that stops me from progressing whatever it is I've started in the first place.

Come 2013 and 2014 and 2015 and 2016...( I'm guessing you know where I'm going with this) I'm determined to keep pursuing whatever goals I've set for myself, but instead of focusing on a finite and arbitrary time limit, I'm just going to go with the flow and enjoy the process of doing something as much as ending up at the finishing line.

So there it is friends, Rose aka Deepak Chopra’s lesson for 2012, self fulfilling prophesies are just that, something which you (the self) have control over. So let’s raise a cyber glass to that old proverb 'it's always better to have tried and bombed then to have succeeded and acted like an ass' or something.

Speaking of glasses, I recently procured the cutest tea/coffee cups. As an ardent lover of polka dots, these Maxwell and Williams cups have been on my wish list for quite a while. So what better excuse to buy them than ‘we’re having people over for an afternoon bbq and what’s an afternoon bbq without polka dotted cups?’.



 

Well that’s about it from me today, folks. Until next time...Rose. xx



    
 

Cat out of the bag

Hello world!

Exciting news. Our beloved Gibi has been featured in interior design blog Desire to Inspire's regular
'Pet's on Furniture' feature.

So proud of our kitty!

http://www.desiretoinspire.net/

Featured photo below.

Proper post soon!

xx Rose

A room of one's own

Hello blogosphere!

It's Lily here, with a title borrowed from the great Virginia Woolf. I hope I am forgiven for using her title in the literal sense, as you are about to see...

Approaching the end of my degree, I've decided that it's time for  me to venture out into the big, bad world and get a place of my own. Now I know this means I will no longer have instant access to my Mum's delicious cooking, and that I can't use my Dad having bought chocolate home as my excuse for eating large quantities of it....but moving out also means a chance to decorate my own place, hooray!

In true Lily fashion I  have already begun picking up pieces despite the fact that the moving out part is still months away, so here are my favourite finds.

I had always been dying for a dressmaker's mannequin (not because I am so talented as to actually use it for dressmaking) but because I love mannequins as a piece of furniture. This houndstooth patterned mannequin was actually Rose's find, who stumbled across it and called me in a frisson of excitement asking me whether I wanted her to buy it. As it is now lovingly adorned in my necklaces, you can see I said yes. The mannequin is going to serve as decoration inspiration for a 'boudoir of sorts' in my own place, see below!

Above are a selection of prints I have been collecting. The water landscape was picked up in a market in Kuala Lumpur, the Paris landscapes were a present from Rose from her trip to France (thanks Sis!) and the black and white photographs I got from the Salamanca Market in Hobart (which by the way are fantastic). I can't wait to put these up, and don't worry I will show you the end result :)

Given I used the title of feminist essays for this blog I thought it wouldn't be right if I didn't include something about an ass-kicking female. I recently finished reading Jane Eyre, and absolutely loved it. There is just something about a young woman in the 1800s who challenges men in a patriarchal society and asserts her independence which gets you. If you haven't already read the novel, I would definitely recommend it!

Until next time,
Xx Lily

All hands on deck

Hello world!

A quick one today. As noted in The Final Countdown, 'the dirt track masquerading as a backyard, now looking like a semi backyard' has been enhanced by the addition of the great Aussie deck.

And given a deck without chairs is like duck without water, we've recently procured a few outdoor pieces to soak up the upcoming Aussie summer.

 

The chairs with the orange cushions are my favourite piece. I love them even more because we picked them up for next to nothing at Little Rose's school fete.

 

If the weather permits, I'm thinking Chrstmas lunch outside...and on that note, gaaah two more months till Christmas. Happy holiday season!

 

Until next time...Rose. xx