“The key to change... is to let go of fear.” - Rosanne Cash

It was perhaps fitting that I was singing along to Doves's There Goes The Fear when I confronted my own sartorial hesitations and ditched my very dated 2007-2009 look of feminine elegance ala BCBG Max Azria and Paul & Joe. Instead, I have embraced my inner Karen O, channelling rock chick glamour.

And what better accoutrements to start than a vivid purple blue fluid liner from MAC, the cosmetic go-to label of drag queens  and a pair of ankle boots with silver studs?

These paved the way for a full on fashion assault at Top Shop where after the tender ministrations of a lovely Style Advisor and a few hits and misses, I emerged from the fitting room a rock star goddess.

P/S : Every girl should have a personal shopper, I highly recommend it. Even if you're a self assured fashionista attuned to all the latest trends, it's always good for a style makeover to mix things up a little bit.

Indigo gem tunic 

Bandage strapping vest

Balmain inspired bleached skinny jeans (mine in dark grey)

Complete with my earlier purchases, I had never felt more ready to rock and roll, Joan Jett-style. ;)

“Genius is nothing but continued attention.” - Claude Adrien Helvetius


I had always previously thought Roberto Cavalli's designs outrageously safari and way too tropical LA for my discreet east coastal American fashion partialities. But I totally changed my mind when the new store at the Forum stopped me in my tracks with its adorable flirty skirts and sexy preppy blouses.

So I did some research online and found his new 2010 RST collection which I am unbelievably wild about. With its fun eclectic colorful mix of butterfly motifs and zebra prints alongside clean tailored solids, it is typical of a Resort collection for the nouveau riche and would not be out of place on St Tropez.

I like that it retains a structured element within its comfortably laidback aesthetic and doesn't disintegrate into a sloppy bohemian mess like the occasional RST collections are wont to do.

“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.” - C.S. Lewis

Montblanc and Signature International, in commissioning a series of collection of photographic portraits inspired by literature, have brought chick lit to an entirely new level.

In Christian Lacroix as Esmerelda

Milla Jovovich looks spectacular in Christian Lacroix but one can hardly relate her to Esmerelda, the 16-year-old gypsy girl with a trained goat act, who is hanged as a witch in Victor Hugo's “Notre Dame de Paris”.

The photographs are by Roger Moenks and the artworks, each signed by the actress who modeled for it, are currently on exhibition at Sotheby’s in New York.

"I consider lace to be one of the prettiest imitations ever made of the fantasy of nature; lace always evokes for me those incomparable designs which the branches and leaves of trees embroider across the sky, and I do not think that any invention of the human spirit could have a more graceful or precise origin." - Coco Chanel

Chanel Lace Shades

Looking at lace in a whole new way.

“The couture is what a certain kind of clientele wears. But it's amusing to do because you do it piece by piece. It's another concept. It's much more work.” - Karl Lagerfeld

I look forward to the new collections brought forward every year, twice a year, Spring and Fall. They show me what the creative geniuses behind the various houses and labels have been laboring at and what they think we should be wearing in the year ahead (rightly or wrongly). I love the colors and vibrancy of the Spring collections and the sharp tailoring and muted tones of the Fall collections, marveling at the reflection a change in seasons has on fashion and moods.

But most of all, I look forward to the haute couture collections.

Not many designers do a haute collection because it is deemed nonviable for business reasons. Its sheer flamboyance and often dramatic voice comes with a hefty price tag, which only a very select niche of customers can afford. And even so, they only wear it once for the impact, and it is then relinquished to the back of a very expensive wardrobe or bequeathed to a couture museum for posterity.

Christian Lacroix is one such designer.

Below are some of his more wearable pieces :

Christian Lacroix 2009 CT

Christian Lacroix 2009 CT

The former is an interesting spin on a nautical theme, classic yet trendy at the same time. The latter is a complete kaleidoscope of colors that seem to come together beautifully like a tropical bird, something that wouldn't look out of place in the Caribbean.

His RTW collections contain interesting elements and one can see very clearly where he got his inspirations and how they are modernised and adapted for the woman on the street :

Christian Lacroix Spring 2009 RTW

Christian Lacroix Spring 2009 RTW

The former reminds one of Aboriginal Australian art while the latter brings to mind a Spanish matador, both very different yet somehow fit together under Monsieur Lacroix's deft direction.

The Fall collection too is an interesting one, simple yet elegantly chic :

Christian Lacroix Fall 2009 RTW

Christian Lacroix Fall 2009 RTW

Lace seemed to have played an important role in his Fall collection and instead of succumbing to greys, blacks and browns he has chosen to use mustard and champagne, enhanced by the texture of the fabrics used, amongst them silk and velvet.

Creative and functional, c'est Monsieur Lacroix.

“O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?” - Percy Bysshe Shelley

I have never seen snow.

OK I have but only on the ground and not heavy flurries of it blanketing everything in a cold white mass, thick enough to make snow angels and snow men, solid enough to ski and snowboard on.

Growing up in the tropics, I was never a big fan of the cold, although I do enjoy the Fall collections of many designers and look forward to wearing scarves, gloves and boots when I go on vacation, de rigeur accessories for people who are fortunate enough to live in a place with four seasons.

However, while I would like to go snowboarding some day, I wasn't too keen on the puffy ski jackets in lurid colors and unflattering designs, until I saw these:

Aphrodite

Calliope

Euterpe

Moncler has completely revolutionised winter sportswear with its move towards the fashion orbit and the Gamme Rouge collection above, a collaboration with celebrated designers like Balenciaga, Junya Watanabe, Alessandra Facchinetti could not be more inviting than a hand delivered air ticket to St Moritz.

“I love luxury. And luxury lies not in richness and ornateness but in the absence of vulgarity. Vulgarity is the ugliest word in our language. I stay in the game to fight it.” - Coco Chanel

I will never forget the scene in Sex and the City where Aleksandr Petrovsky gifts Carrie Bradshaw with an Oscar de la Renta cocktail dress in hot pink. I suspect the gesture and the objet d' affection drew a collective gasp and turned fashionistas an unflattering shade of green the world over.

Carrie Bradshaw in Oscar de la Renta

I also recall the scene where Carrie and Aleksandr take turns reading to each other :

Carrie : How about I read you a little bit of my favorite poetry?
Aleksandr : Please.
Carrie [Reads from Vogue] : "Cocktails at Tiffany's calls for classic charm. Oscar de la Renta sleeveless silk full skirted dress with black patent leather bow belt." Now that is pure poetry.

In the world of couture, few express understated luxury in all its multi jewel hued glory like Oscar de la Renta, and his Fall 2009 RTW collection is a rich fine example :






And the piece de resistance :

A lamé leopard dress

Stunning.

Absolutely stunning.