Style Icon: Jack Skellington

Dear Readers,

Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange? If yes, then I have something for you then. A style icon post on someone I wanted to marry as a child: Jack Skellington from Tim Burton's 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'.

Alas, I'm of the world's biggest Burton nerds. I'm drawn to anything Burton or Burton-inspired. I mean, seriously, the 2010 'Alice in Wonderland' movie wouldn't have been half as enticing if it weren't directed by Tim Burton. There's no use arguing over that!

Anyway, so today, since it's Halloween weekend, I wanted to do something related to the period. What better than a post about one of my favourite movie characters of all time? The King of the Pumpkin Patch, Jack Skellington, may not be Ed Westwick or Darren Criss, but fashion-wise, I think he's very inspiring. Oh, and just in case you haven't ever seen the movie (omg, what are you waiting for?) I highly recommend it. I've seen it about 2333091 times (or was it 2333092?) and I still enjoy watching it every single time. The soundtrack is so fun and the haunting characteristic of it just makes me happy. Strange, I know.

Pinstripe Jack

Jack's Lament

One of my most favourite scene in Burton's 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' is when Jack sings 'Jack's Lament', a haunting song about the way he feels inside. Probably because I could relate to the lyrics of this song so much, I never managed to get this song or the scene in its entirety out of my head. So, in this scene, Jack wears a pinstriped suit and a white shirt underneath. This is what I came up with:

Pinstripe Us

I personally adore pinstriped items such as the blazer here above. I paired it with a ruffled white shirt and a pair of denim skinnies to make the look more wearable. In order to keep the skull action going on, I included a skull scarf, an Alexander McQueen one to be precise, which I think fits in well with everything else. Oh, last but not lease, black leather Litas.

Santa Jack

Santa Jack

I don't want to spoil the movie to anyone who hasn't watched it yet, but at one point Jack ends up dressed like Santa Claus. As a kid, I don't know why this scene impressed me so much. Probably because I was used to plump old men dressing up as Santa, so a skinny skeleton looked strange in that costume. Who knows? Anyway, I fancy the Red + Jack combination, so I made an outfit inspired by this scene:

Red + Jack Rocks

In the outfit above, I started with a Jack Skellington t-shirt (which I really want btw!), then added a red blazer with lovely black lapels and details! Then, I included a pair of dark wash jeans and some black and gold accessories and shoes because gold has 'Christmas' written all over it. Plus those shoes have skulls on them, so cool!

Glistening Jack

Lovely!

My last outfit was inspired by the very last scene in 'The Nightmare Before Christmas', where Jack and Sally finally realise they are made for each other. AWH! This scene has become an iconic one over the years, and probably a good percentage of the global population have this picture as they desktop wallpaper. I love it.

For the outfit, I chose a sparkly silver top inspired by the shiny snowy hillside which I paired with a pair of skull earrings and a skull-embellished clutch bag. Then, since Jack wears his pinstriped do again in the scene, I went for a pair of striped pants. They're not pinstriped, but the idea is there and I like to vary!

Jack glamour!

I hope you are having a great Halloween and don't eat too much candy! :)

-B

Style Icon: Florence Welch

Dear Readers,

Florence Welch needs no introduction. She has indeed become a major source of inspiration for many women and men, not only for her music, but also for her impeccable sense of style. If Karl Lagerfeld looks up to you as  one of his muses, then you must be doing it right. Karl and Florence have collaborated extensively in the past few months, and Karl has even described Florence as a pure 'genius'. If that wasn't enough, Anna Wintour also asked her to perform at the Met Ball in New York. And we all know what Anna's blessing means right? Therefore, for all the reasons mentioned here, and many more really, I felt that Florence deserved a Style Icon Post.

Florence seems to love Nudes and Creams. LIKE!

Welch's appearance is very androgynous in my own opinion. Her body and her facial features aren't very feminine. although I guess that can be argued. Yet, I just love how she juxtaposes her androgynous look with her staple feminine pieces which I'm going to outline very soon. I personally admire Florence's style so much because it is very vintage-inspired. The pieces she wears might not be authentic vintage pieces, but the details channel so many features from other decades  -especially the 1920s and the 1970s - that it recreates the feel of it nonetheless. Speaking of details, here are a couple of the details frequently sported by the Chanteuse Anglaise.

So beautiful it's haunting

Sequins

From the pictures I've seen of Miss Welch, I counted quite a few which included sequins. This is just one of the very feminine details that she likes to wear very often. There's no denying, sequins have feminine glamour written all over them, and they pretty much dress up anyone wearing them. Florence loves them, and so do I. Let's have a sequin party Florence, pretty please?

Florence and her Sequins

Sheer, Lightweight Fabrics

This is possibly one of my favourite aspect of Florence's style. I adore how she wears these flowy materials and spins around in her videos. It kinda makes me want to do it too, which in fact I do. I just did that before I wrote the previous sentence. ANYWAY. Just look at a couple of music videos or her performance on Gossip Girl, and you'll understand what I'm talking about. 

Florence, jumping around, as usual

Ruffles, Frills and Fringes

The above mentioned details are feminine details par excellence. Many a times, Florence's numbers have included one of these details alongside some of the features I mentioned before, say sheer fabrics, for instance. It all works so well together. I have to post her fringe look at the Chanel SS2012 show at Paris Fashion Week, because she looked so divine, she just stole the show in my opinion.

Florence and Karl, a love story.

Our favourite redhead singer - suck on that Lindsay Lohan - is also a phenomenon in the East, having landed Vogue Japan's October cover. Did you know she is the first non-model girl gracing the coveted front page? This cover, shot by none other than Lagerfeld himself, shows us a more androgynous Welch void of all the feminine details I spoke about before. Being such a fan of androgyny myself, I admit this is one of my favourite looks by Florence to date. I like her androgynous side a great deal. In this photo, Welch is seen wearing a Ralph Lauren blazer with accentuated lapels - which I want so bad! - and a pinstriped trousers. I am now on the hunt for a pair of those myself.

I just hate how this photo has writing all over argh!!!

In one of her recent singles, Florence sings her heart out, telling all about what the water gave her. A couple of years from now - not that far in the future - we'll be singing about what Florence gave to fashion. And that is going to be one long, beautiful song.

-B

Style Icon: Jessie J

Dear Readers,

The first time I spotted Jessie J's 'Do It Like A Dude' video on the internet, I was instantaneously drawn to her quirky sense of style. She also happens to be one of my favourite artists at the moment because the girl's got attitude. She's a badass. Damn, I love badass people, especially if they're talented and if they sport a black bob hairstyle.

Pretty!

Although some people might not agree, I find Jessie J's style to be truly inspiring. Of course, most of us won't ever get the opportunity to rock some of the numbers she's donned for the stage but that doesn't mean we can't get look up to her impeccable fashion sense. Jessie is very brave with her style choices, mixing vintage pieces, 90s inspired items, killer heels and her staple huge gold earrings. She likes to play with masculine details, but she seems to have a thing for lace as well. In a way, she tends to explore the androgynous trend quite frequently. If I had to label Jessie's style, then I'd say she verges on the 'ghetto chic'. 

RAWR!

Okay girls, here comes the low-down. I've seen plenty of pictures of Jessie J before writing this post, and I noticed that she often tends to pick statement tights / leggings. Case in point is the picture above, where Jessie chooses a pair of suspender tights for one of her performances. Obviously I don't suggest wearing these tights with a bodysuit and heading out of the house and feeling good about it. Actually, I don't recommend it at all. However, you can still wear such tights without looking like a hooker. How? With a pretty coat, for instance. Check out these suspender tights from New Look, these spot stocking tights from New Look, and these star patterned tights from Boohoo!

They're so similar to the ones from New Look!

Next thing I want to mention is Jessie J's mesh cutout details. Mesh details are easily identifiable in most of her outfits and they're a great way to 'feminise' a masculine-inspired outfit! Mesh adds a touch of sultriness to any combination, and our dear Jessie seems to have understood the trick! This mesh-detailed dress from ASOS really reminds me of Jessie J. I can totally see her wearing it!

Mesh Details on Bodysuit

The fetish trend (ie. lace, leather, latex and all of those rawr materials) is going strong right now, and it should be around for another season too. Personally speaking, I'm still in the 'learning phase' of this trend, in the sense that I still feel like I have to understand its dynamics before going full on with it. If you have my same problem, then Jessie J is the answer. This girl has mastered the trend like almost no one else has. The way she mixes leather and lace is divine. It's definitely one of her staple looks!

One of Jessie's lace numbers

No Jessie J style post would be complete without mentioning her statement jewellery. The girl likes to bling it, a lot. Funny thing is that I absolutely hated those huge hoop earrings she likes to wear until I saw them on her! She managed to changed my view on them, and mind you, I think I'm particularly stubborn where fashion is concerned. If you want to add some Jessie-like bling to your outfit, go for chunky gold pieces that make a statement. I found these gold earrings at ASOS which I think would be Jessie's cup of tea. And guess what, they're affordable!

Jessie is into chunky gold necklaces as well

Do you like Jessie J, or do you think she's seriously over-rated? As far as I'm concerned, I intend to keep Jessie on my style radar. Bling, bling!

-B

This, Madame, is Versailles.

Dear Readers,

Today's post is inspired by one of my favourite movies ever, 'Marie Antoinette', which happens to be directed by my third most favourite director, namely Sophia Coppola. I watched this movie for the nth time with one of my oldest friends yesterday, as we feasted on pizza and plenty of catching-up. This film, ladies and gentlemen, is nothing less than 'Marie Antoinette', starring Kirsten Dunst in the leading role. 

Many of us are familiar with the legendary character of Marie Antoinette, a symbol of decadence and expensive taste. Marie Antoinette is notoriously credited for having spent France into ruin, something which has earned her the title of 'Madame Deficit'. She was also attributed a number of extra-marital love affairs amongst the many other scandals and rumours that she had to deal with. However, in this film, Coppola managed to show us another side to Marie-Antoinette. She portrays her vulnerability, her loneliness, her tumultuous early marriage and the enormous pressures to provide France with an heir. 

Marie Antoinette and Fashion

This alternative picture of the last Queen of France is only one of the reasons why I'm in love with the movie. Well, my fascination with the court, especially the one of Versailles, is largely behind my affection for this film as well. But, as you might expect, the fashion element of this movie has made me watch it over and over again. Marie-Antoinette's love for fashion is widely acknowledged, so much so she's considered to be 'The Queen of Fashion'. The movie's costume designer, Milena Canonero, has done an extremely good job, pleasing our eyes with sensational gowns that are the epitome of the French court's class and style. Let's not forget that this film won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, just saying!

Might I also remind you that Kirsten Dunst, dressed as Marie Antoinette obviously, graced the cover of Vogue's September issue back in 2006. This was one of Vogue's best covers and editorials ever. I'm posting some of the images here below. Just stunning, right?

Marie Antoinette as a muse?

You know me, I'm always looking for fashion inspiration and style muses. Marie Antoinette and her big dresses can serve as inspiration, surprising as it may sound. I don't intend to convince you to wear one of these exquisite dresses to go to class or out to dinner. However, by analysing the defining traits of Marie Antoinette's style, we might translate her 18th century fashion to 21st century style.

Firstly, I start by observing her colour palette. There's nothing to get confused about here, because her colour choices are very limited and predictable. Marie Antoinette is always clad in pastel colours, ranging from baby pink, to pale yellow to baby blue. In terms of neutral colours, Marie-Antoinette opts for ivory, although we see her in black dresses when she mourns her mother's death and when she attends a lavish masquerade in Paris. So, want to emulate Marie-Antoinette's style? Then reach for pastels and ivory, my dearest. Oh, and never mind popular myths that say pastels are restricted to Spring. That's a lie. One big fat lie.

Moving on from colour to structure. Marie Antoinette's typical dresses at court consist of full-blown, hoop-style skirts skirts. Needless to say, don't try to buy one. Instead, for some true MA vibe, look for skirts that play with volume. You're bound to find plenty of such skirts in stores at the moments. Keep a close eye for ruffle skirts, they pretty much do the trick :)

Oh, speaking about ruffles, that brings me to another aspect we can observe: details. Marie Antoinette's style is all about details like pretty bows, ruffles, feathers, gems and tassels amongst many others. Such details handed down from one decade to another, so it's not impossible - quite easy actually - to find attire sporting these details in our modern day and age. You could also rely on accessories to add-on some more Marie Antoinette style details to your outfit. Trust me, you're spoilt for choice on this one.

Last but not least, a few words on textures and fabrics. Marie Antoinette's dresses are not exempt from frequent use of lace, brocade and silk. Fabrics tend to be very, very feminine, although rumour has it MA liked to male-inspired details as well. I can't say the latter aspect comes out in Coppola's movie though. A further feminine element in her style is the use of floral patterns, which feature quite often in her attire. There's no denying that florals are one of the most feminine motifs, and hey, there's not difficult to find so yay!

I highly recommend this movie to everyone! The soundtrack is also very good. Here's a little secret: it's been on repeat since last night! Call me obsessed.

With this little confession, I leave you readers to the final hours of September 11th. Before leaving I would spare a few words to honour all the victims of 9/11. May all the victims rest in peace.

-B

Style Icon: Adele

'Adele is a lioness. She has poise, humour and soul'.

Barbara Tfank

Dear Readers,

If you don't like Adele, then you might as well leave immediately. I'm about to idolise her extensively throughout this post and I don't want to make you feel uneasy.

If you're still reading, then you're a true Adele fan and we should meet up for coffee and rave about how wonderful her voice is. But I warn you, I might digress during our conversation and end up mentioning how Adele has recently become one of the most inspirational style icons out there. As if all her musical achievements weren't enough to prove her awesomeness, Adele bagged two September covers AND *suspense* British Vogue's October cover! Oh, and just in case you're still not convinced, all I need to add to rest my case is that even Anna Wintour recognized Adele's style potential. You can't argue with Anna. 

What I love about Adele is that everything she does seems to be done effortlessly, whether it's music or whether it's fashion. I can't imagine her fretting about her nailpolish or her dresses, and I believe she's declared that she's more concerned with her music than with her appearance. Bless her for that! As Barbara Tfank, immaculate designer who has also designed for Michelle Obama, said, Adele has got that poise, that class and very, very good taste.

As I looked up some Adele images online, I noted that she nearly always opts for black. Instead of experimenting with colour, Adele and her stylists play with different textures, illuminations and structures. Take a look at the pictures below. Adele is always wearing black, but there's always something different in every single outfit.

As much as I'd love to leave the weight issue unmentioned, I can't omit it from the discussion. Adele is not the skinniest girl on the planet, she's fine with that, and that's great. But, can you possibly say that Adele's clothing doesn't match her body shape? NO! We all know that black is the slimming colour, and there's nothing wrong with exploiting that fact. As I've shown you already, opting for the same colour doesn't necessary imply boredom and/or lack of originality. I admire Adele for accepting her appearance and embracing who she is, without making herself look ridiculous. I hate saying this, but sometimes we tend to think that 'accepting your extra pounds' means that we can wear anything we want. That's not the way it works. Stripes, for instance, aren't flattering for someone who's overweight, so why insist on wearing that striped t-shirt? Acceptance of self in closely linked to acceptance of your own body's limitations, remember that.

Thank you God for giving us Adele. I mean it. 

-B

Style Icon: Spencer Hastings

Dear Readers,

It's a sad day. It's such a sad, sad day indeed. Today, I watched the Mid-Season Finale of 'Pretty Little Liars' and my life is now as empty as my purse. I'm not kidding, especially about my purse being empty.

In order to fill the void that will permeate my existence each and every Wednesday - I watch PLL online each Wednesday since I don't have ABC grrr.. - I decided to dedicate a style icon post to each of the Pretty Little Liars over the coming weeks. I might also do a post on the HUNKS in this series. They do have some seriously handsome men on that show, my God!

I'm starting with my favourite character, hands down: Spencer Hastings. Not only is she the most interesting character on the show, she's definitely the most stylish as well. Personally, I find that Spencer's style says a lot about her upbringing and background. Spencer is an overachiever, the daughter of a very prestigious and demanding family. Therefore, Spencer grew up to be an impeccable perfectionist, and this character trait is definitely reflected in her sense of style.

Double Denim!

Spencer Hastings is Pretty Little Liars' equivalent of Blair Waldorf in 'Gossip Girl'. Like Queen B, Spencer's style is extremely preppy and put together. Spencer is not the girl next door, she's refined, polished and very, oh so very, neat. However, her style differs from Blair's quite significantly. Unlike B, Spencer wears plenty of trousers. Both Spencer and Blair like structured, tailored pieces, but Spencer incorporates male-inspired pieces in her style too. On the one hand, Blair's style is highly feminine, on the other hand, Spencer plays with feminine and masculine pieces. I personally love how she always waters down male-inspired pieces, such as boyfriend blazers, with feminine details like pretty blouses or belts. Whilst Spencer's style might initially seem very conservative - let's face it, she's always dressed as if she was going to the Country Club - she does include some 'trendier' or 'bolder' elements in her looks. Let's not forget that Spencer was the little liar who was brave enough to wear double denim and a shoulder-less shirt! To boil it down, Spencer's style is all about preppy looks, structured pieces and plenty of layering.

Layering rocks.

Okay, let's break down Spencer's style slowly. First of all, what are Spencer's wardrobe staples? Her basic items are typical preppy staples. Spencer is as mad about blazers as I am. She has hundreds of structured, clean-lined blazers that she wears to perfection. As I already highlighted, Spencer likes masculine-inspired pieces, so her boyfriend blazers are an essential item in her closet. I remember she once wore an amazing denim blazer - that is something Blair would never wear, ever! - which proves that she likes to vary her blazers too. Since Spencer is all about layering and mixing textures, she wears a lot of cardigans, tights, little belts and blouses. She also likes button-down shirts with vintage accents. Like every preppy lady, Spencer usually buttons up all her shirt. She's doesn't really do cleavage. Another staple item in Spencer's wardrobe are tight, skinny pants and jeans. I noticed that she has a thing for ankle-length trousers, and I adore her for that! Spencer does wear skirts, and when she does, they're usually fitted, bodycon skirts.

With regard to shoes, Spencer makes extremely stylish choices as well. Loafers, brogues and Oxfords are her bread and butter. We all know - or should know - that all three shoe-types are the basic preppy / geek chic shoes. In a couple of episodes, Spencer opted for equestrian, knee-high boots. She did, in fact, pair her double denim combo with such boots. Just in case  you're wondering, yes, Spencer wears flat shoes most of the time.

Before moving on to some Spencer-inspired sets I styled for you, I want to mention Spencer's choice of colours. Neutral colours are Spencer's favourites, and she frequently wears earth tones as well. Other colours like navy blue, deep red and mustard were also worn by our favourite Hastings girl.

So, as promised, these are a couple of sets inspired by Spencer Hastings style that you can use as reference. I obviously used the guidelines I described in this post to come up with the outfits. Enjoy!

-B

Style Icon: Emma Watson

Dear Readers,

I’m back, finally. I really missed you all and I hope you missed me just a little bit. I’m glad to be back in warm (or rather, SCORCHING) Malta.

Waffling aside, let’s get down to business. At the airport yesterday, shortly after checking in my luggage, I went to spend my last few euros on Vogue magazines. As I grabbed my edition of Vogue US, I said, ‘Oh, Emma Watson looks hot on this cover’. Then I noticed, to my amazement, that Emma Watson was on the cover of a handful of other magazines too . Oh my good Lord, it’s the Emma Watson fever. And, wait for it, I think I caught the bug too!

I am assuming that you all know who Emma Watson is. She’s the young lady who portrays the nerdy and supposedly bushy-haired Hermione in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Up to a few years ago, Emma Watson was only ‘the girl who played Hermione’ to me. Then she became ‘the girl who could steal Daniel Radcliffe from me’. Now she’s ‘one gorgeous woman who has suddenly become a style icon’.


I admit, I am just a little bit in love with Watson’s style. I also have to confess that I absolutely hated her fashion sense during the early days of her career. My hate could also have been slightly fuelled by her closeness to Radcliffe, and that’s rather sad. Anyway, I changed my opinion on her when I saw her wearing this AMAZING red jacket on TRL. BAM! She started gracing the pages of my good books.

Ever since, I tried to keep a close eye on Miss Watson. I have to say that this scrutiny of mine never lacked a certain sense of admiration, as Watson became a muse for Burberry, Lancôme, and most importantly, Chanel. She has worn gowns and dresses to perfection, and she has pulled off many looks I would have hated on other people. She takes risks, but she manages to look classy and somewhat classic at the same time. Some of my favourite looks are pictured below.

This has got to be my absolute favourite: Emma in Bottega Veneta for the NY Premiere of the last Potter movie, held only a few days ago. The bustier is so flattering it makes me want to jump around like a happy unicorn, and oh my God, that gold colour is simply stunning. She looks almost haunting. I guess that it’s that gold-and-black smoky eye working its magic. Watson is anything but a Muggle (pun intended).

So, as I conclude this Ode to Watson, all I can say is, ‘Good job Watson! Don’t you dare grow your hair back. Don’t hide that perfect face structure behind frocks. Oh, and I’m sorry for not liking you when you wore that horrible outfit for your first premier!’

-B