Fancy Casual Tops

I know, this title seems like an oxymoron. But you know what I mean. I mean those shirts that are fancy but casual at the same time. Plain but with a bit of a twist here and there to make it special and worth its (usually exorbitant) price. We all need a few like these in our wardrobe amongst the basics to give our outfits a bit more definition and style. So here are some I like this season:

Since the last post, I found some more cool graphic tees from Top Shop that I totally don't mind having. So I thought I'd just put it in here.

Make a bold statement with these polka dot and geometric printed shirts (left: Marc by MJ, right: Spring and Clifton). These are definitely something you would wear with some very plain basics, like jeans or solid colored bottoms.
Something a little bit more subtle but still has a lot of style, there are these two very pretty and feminine shirts from Top Shop. I actually REALLY like the corset/tee shirt on the right. Its from the Kate Moss collection and I like it because its different but still very simple so would match a LOAD of things from casual jeans to a pretty evening skirt. Some more cute camis. The united coloring makes these two camis easy to wear and the textured pattern gives it a more delicate and feminine touch. (Left: Catherine Maladrino, Right: Juicy Couture).

Back to solid colored shirts, we have more versatile but feminine and cute tees. I am loving these designs from McQ (left) and See by Chloe (right). These are definitely something I'd like to pair my printed summer dresses with, without looking too casual in a simple white tee and such.
I simple ADORE the neckline design of these two from Marc by Marc Jacobs. In fact, I REALLY want that tank on the left. It would look good and pretty by itself or underneath a blazer without being overpowering.

A continuation of the simple oversized shirt thing going on this seasn, I thought I just throw in these two from Alice + Olivia (left) and Top Shop (right).

Now these are the definition of simple with a twist! I definitely see myself in the sleeveles by Marc by Marc Jacobs, both for day AND night. And the Vanessa Bruno ATHE top for the day as a more feminine version of the oversize top thing.

A simpler (and cheaper) version of the grey Marc by MJ top above. This one is from Top Shop. And for those in the UK, I think this red top from the Kate Moss collection at Top Shop is a GREAT investment. These folds you see here are at the back, from the front it looks like a plain scoop necked tank. And unlike some back-folding detail shirts I've seen this season, I think this one actually looks flattering. How cool is that? Definitely go check it out!

The Classics

Its prom season again! Oh those good ol' days seem so long ago. As much as I've gone on before about how I love cocktail dresses for dances, looking back, I think every girl should have a typical prom experience complete with the long flaring skirts, sparkles and shiny material. I mean, a girl doesn't get too many chances in her life to wear such dresses. So here are a few of the classics to choose from.
The long black dress. There'd be no wincing when you look back at your prom photos with this one. You will probably even be able to wear it more than once! And just to keep it from being boring, subtle details like the assymetric cutting and stripes on the left (ABS by Allen Schwartz) and the black satin striped layer over beige on the right (BCBG) are an excellent touch. I would also like to add that I've personally tried on the shorter version of this BCBG dress and the cutting is simply divine. It is SO flattering to the figure, I LOVE it. I WANT it.Prom is your chance to let your inner princess out. So bring on the tiara and slip on a gorgeous pink dress (left: David's Bridal, right: ABS by Allen Schwartz). I remember HG had on a pretty pink dress similar to that one on the left one year as well and she looked soo pretty!
Then there are the elegant designs that simply never go out of style. I am loving this godess-like flowing midnight blue dress (left: ABS by Allen Schwartz). And this black and white dress here (right: David's Bridal) is simply so elegant and timeless. The black and white contrast, the subtle sparkles and the and the assymetrical design is just SO flattering. My friend had a similar one during my prom (see how timeless it is?) and she looked fabulous!

And just because I said classic don't be afraid to try something fun (but tastefully so please!). You're only young once after all. Here are two by Jessica McClintock. I especially like the champagne color one because a) the scrunched up skirt gives it some amp but the whole dress still has all the qualities of a prom dress and b) I've been wanting a champagne colored dress recently!

So while you girls are out looking for your prom dresses, don't forget to check out the classics!

SS07 Trend: Bell Sleeves

Ever since seeing them done oh-so-prettily at the Burberry Prorsum show I've been in love with the bell sleeves.

They just so perfectly compliment the rounded collars, adding the perfect feminine, girly touch to their staple trench.

I love it so much that this spring break, I had to get my own (more affordable) version of the bell-sleeved trench, from a small boutique in HK. Loosely fitted apparel are not usually my thing, but I am definitely coming around to loving it. The trick is to pair loosely fitted clothing with fitted ones to create a balance. For example, with this jacket, I usually wear a fitted long sleeved tee (since the jkt sleeves here are three-quarter so it peeks out) with my skinny jeans and it looks very cute! Something similar to this would be the empire-waist jacket I showed by J Crew in the Empire Waist Cardigan post.

Other bell-sleeved jackets in the stores to be considered with a more fitted shape. There is this short one from Development (left) and this long one that is more simple and subtle from Nanette Lepore (right).

Flicking through Marie Claire UK (April 07), plenty of bell-sleeved dresses also showed up. I am loving how the sleeves here gives this Gucci dress here a more playful and flirty touch.

This one by Tara Jarmon, with the light fluttering bell sleeves is fun yet sophisticated at the same time.
In the stores we have this dark eyelet one from Diane von Furstenburg (left) and this simple electric purple one (right) from French Connection, which I think is also perfect for the mod look this season.

Photo Credits: www.shopbop.com, www.nordstrom.com, www.elle.com

and the floodgates have been opened

>> The Kate Moss for Topshop lookbook is up. And I must say, the collection pieces look very much like the clothes we all watch Kate run around in. I've tired of all these collaborations lately, it seems like a new one is announced every day. But some of the dresses in this collection... well, y0u'll see when you have a looksee yourself.

P.S. Barney's will be stocking the collection online around May 8th, and the Topshop website will be stocking online around May 1.

Long Skirt Sightings

With this season's craze of the mini skirts and dresses, it's weird and refreshing to see bottom pieces that are not skinny jeans nor leggings, but long skirts.

Kate Moss was seen last week with her daughter in a beachy place in a boring grey shirt and a long, black skirt. The skirt is the type that is tight around the legs and flares out a bit at the bottom, (thus the 'flying' bottom bit when the wind blew in the picture.)

Another picture of Kate, but this time in a grey long skirt. It looks a bit like a sarong in a cool, grunge way, thanks to the black sneakers (or boots?) and belt. Even though both of Kate's skirts look super casual, (which they are,) they are actually hard to wear if you think about it because they are quite body-hugging.

I love this outfit by Ashley Olsen. It's got that grunge, rock chick thing going. The leather jacket, boots and let's not forget, that gigantic cup of coffee makes her outfit much more citygirl-cool. As a tip for all you short/ petite people (including myself), an A-line or flared out skirt like Ashley's is the way to go, if you decide to try this style out.

Karl Lagerfeld's SS07 Minimalistic Ads

You know, Karl Lagerfeld is seriously amazing. I mean, he is almost /past 70 years old (no one knows precisely what his year of birth is,) yet he seems more active and busy than any of us. How does he find the time to design all those collections for Chanel, Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld, and be a photographer at the same time? I know he's got design teams and all, but still. Anyways, so I really liked his ads this season -the images are so sharp and stunning.

First there's Chanel . The ads were quite minimalistic, (but not the most extreme type of minimalism). Some people even felt the ads were boring but I liked them more than Daria's previous ads. The casting director and Karl definitely picked the right model: Freja Beha Erichsen. She is so perfect for this ad -she's got the perfect legs to complement the super short clothes. And even though I'm not a fan of Chanel's bikini bottom-looking shorts, everything looks so perfectly put together and sophisticated. Loves it!

Then there's Fendi. Another quite but not extremely minimalistic ad (at least the model is standing on a mirrored surface and the background is the sea and sky). Some of the shots very much resemble the Chanel ones, but I think Raquel Zimmermann sends out a 'strong woman' sort of vibe. She really makes the clothes give a powerful feeling out. I didn't like her much but this ad has changed by mind.

And lastly, there's Karl's own line, Karl Lagerfeld. Oddly, it's the only campaign which isn't minimalistic, but I love him for shooting Gemma Ward. However, biased as I am as a Gemma fan, this campaign is my least favourite one out of the three. Not that these ads aren't good -because they are, especially this image (above), but there's just something I don't completely like about the ads. Maybe because I can't see the whole outfit? I don't know.

Anyhow, the Chanel ones are my favourite. What did you think of Karl's SS07 ads?

Keds

Ok, maybe I'm a bit of a poser, but after seeing Keds all over the magazines for so long I suddenly have this urge to go out and get a pair of Keds too (their marketing money is obviously well spent). I think it'll be a great replacement for my poor run down sneakers. They are comfortable, casual, affordable and cute. I can totally picture myself walking around campus in them.
Looking through their latest collections, I am thinking of these two. Black and white is obviously the most versatile color. And they look simple, pretty and cool. I especially like the Nanette Lepore designed script skimmers on the left.

Of course, being Keds, I am also tempted to try something different and fun, like these Panda (left) and Duck (right) print skimmers from the Eleanor Grosch collection. I quite like the green ones on its own actually, but I'm not sure how it'll look for the overall picture.
Then of course there are more wild prints from the Nanette Lepore Collection to consider. Note here that I'm only talking about the print, I am not so far gone under the Keds spell that I think the slip on style (right) is cool yet.

In fact, besides the classic skimmer style which I think is girly and pretty, I don't particularly like their other styles, like these peep toes and ankle strap. Peep toes more because I'm not sure HOW peep they are, if done with moderation, peep toes can be nice. And the ankle strap, because its just too much.
And these. . . well they're simply hideous. ugh.

But anyways, back to the point. I am considering getting Keds skimmers, but I haven't found any on the Mag Mile yet (they say Nordstrom carries them, but on first glance I did not see them. . . . ). Any comments on the fit and comfort level?

A Loud Necklace With a Quiet Top

Barneys Girl and I are usually pretty traditional with our jewellery. We usually stick with classic silver pieces. Recently we decided we were only young once and wanted to branch out and try out those large, chunky necklaces that we see on online shops all the time. But knowing ourselves, we knew that if we were to buy such necklaces, we would probably fall out of love with them after a year so we weren't willing to pay too much. Thankfully, BG learned of a funky Japanese and Korean import jewellery store that was on 70% off from a friend. (We got very excited after hearing about the huge discount!)

There were so many styles that we spent an hour there trying things on and experimenting. Finally, I ended up with this very chunky and cute necklace, which I paid around USD10 for it. I'm not sure if you can see in the picture: the balls are wrapped in lace, and black white grey velvet. The white and black banana-shaped things are shells. And yes, I have a thing for black jewellery.

BG ended up with two necklaces. One was the one above -The beads, both the black and gold ones are actually quite shiny. And we discovered it was much girlier to wear the butterfly on the side rather than in the middle. The second one was a gold chain with long purple beads, (but she had to take it back to repair so there is no photo to show you guys.)

OK, so another big reason for our sudden interest in big, non-bohemian style, chunky necklaces is because of all the plain, simple tops around. Here are some cool examples from shopbop:

These two necklaces are by Erickson Beamon for Shopbop. I love these two. The one on the left is so simple and versatile, but still so eye-catching. The one on the right is so pretty and detailed.

These two necklaces are by Twinkle. Personally I think these necklaces would look nicer if the model just wore plain tops (like in the Erickson Beamon photos), but just check out the necklaces -quite funky huh? I can totally imagine wearing a plain dress with the necklace that has the red bird and purple beads.

Another one by Twinkle from standardstyle.com. It's so cute! Ya, I definitely have a thing for black. (For those who are interested, it's from last season so it's on sale now!)

Since we're on the topic of chunky necklaces, we should really check out Marni. Afterall, Marni was really one of the forces that started off the chunky necklace trend.

A very signature (at least for the past few years) Marni necklace. There's a touch of that bohemina vibe in it, but it still feels very modern, especially if you compare it to the styles a few years back.

I'm ending this post with another black and white necklace (by Marni). Since I sadly can't afford this, I'll stick to my cheap but cute one.

Obviously, this chunky necklace thing isn't for everyone. I mean, even though I think it's fun, I would wear it everyday. Oh, and here's a sensible advice: don't wear it when you're going clothes shopping!

Mischa's Recent Hits, OKs and Misses

You always see Mischa Barton in the 'who's wearing the trend' or 'best outfits' sections of fashion magazines. But she is also known to wear a few not-very-flattering outfits out and about. She's a spectrum dresser -one who has hits, oks and misses. Here are a bunch of candids from this year:
Miss -White footless tights with that black shift dress look awkward together, and that pair of green sandals is definitely a no.
OK -Maybe it's because the black dress is so casual and that cardigan isn't, but this outfit is only so-and so.
Miss -The public display of bras is not cool. This dress could have been very classy if she had worn a solid top underneath.
Hit -I really like this outfit which is weird because it's all red and lacy, but it's other details like the ruffles in front and the fit are just so right. And the nude, patent shoes is a good modern choice to go with the otherwise all red outfit.
Hit- Mischa walking around in Paris. Love this outfit. It's casual in a sophisticated way.
Hit -Yes I like boring and simple outfits, although the hat and the necklace really adds something to the outfit. And yes, those are actually jeans, not pants, (I zoomed into the pic.)
Hit -Love the boho vibe from the outfit. It's boho in a pretty, not-messy way.
OK -The coat is so lovely and everything looks casual but put-together. The problem is her shoes.
OK -Mischa's wearing a nice casual little white dress for daytime, (but I don't like this particular white dress that much.) LWDs are must-haves this season!

Controversial -Loads of people made fun of Mischa wearing that dress on the left, but I think it's actually nice because it's like a sophisticated ballerina outfit. And that all-black outfit on the right, I'm not sure what but something seems off about it. Maybe it's the shorts or the leather jacket?

Hits -OK, so these aren't candids, but she (and the outfits) looked so pretty I couldn't resist. The black sequined dress with the coat are just perfect (left). And that gold dress (right) is pretty and right-on-trend without being too metallic and shiny.

Isn't it so unfair those gold Keds actually look cool with that sort-of-formal outfit (black sequined dress; above left)?