// A SPORTIER TYPE OF HAUTE COUTURE //
Times, they are a changin'.
When Lagerfeld had his army of top models run down a flight of steps, as they entered the venue of Chanel's spring 2014 haute couture show, jaws undoubtedly dropped. You don't run in couture, darling. Surely you step lightly, move slowly and stay far far away from red wine and spaghetti. Not so anymore. The new breed of couture wearers, according to Uncle Karl, can now embrace sportswear just like the rest of us. Thank god they don't have to dabble in New Balance or Nike though, these girls get their sneakers from the Chanel couture collection. They're crafted by Massaro and aren't made from cotton but instead feature python, pearls and lace. Best to avoid the puddles then, eh?
While the internet was alight with fascination over the brand's decision to mix sportswear with couture, the fine folks at Dior had actually done exactly same thing just the day before. Granted the statement wasn't as loud as it was at Chanel. Every model wasn't wearing trainers but a fair few of them were. Raf Simons took the movement even further than Lagerfeld dared, because why opt for conventional tennis shoes when you can embrace their even ghastlier brother: the water shoe. The fashion industry may have taken warmly to the trend for ugly flat footwear but, to date, these monstrosities have remained firmly in no man's land - until now.
Who would have thought it possible? Now, I'm considering investing in a pair of $18 Speedo Amphibious Zipwalkers so that I can rock a Dior inspired couture look too. Who needs Chanel when you can have do it yourself Dior, baby? All I need is a pack of sequins and some thread and I'm good to go.
Here's to hoping you'll join me in the movement.
Photos via Style.com
// CHANEL //
While we're on the topic of Chanel let's delve into the wonder that was the Spring 2014 show.
Uncle Karl taught us a few key things about next season. First, don't leave the house unless you've got at least two bags on. You can opt for a backpack (attach multiple carabiners and ropes) paired with a mini cross-body for your phone. Or, grab two little quilted numbers firmly by your hand for a multicoloured look. Wrap a barely-there belt around the outside of your jacket. Continue to show off your midriff (start on the crunches now) and layer on lots of chunky plastic bangles. Wear a pair of ribbed socks with your heels. Rock a slew of rainbow colours in one look. Pair your lace with your tweed. And, most importantly, tie your jumper around your waist back-to-front - a literal twist on the iconic '90s look.
A LOOK INSIDE: VOGUE COLLECTIONS...
Holla chicas.
Whenever someone I know is coming back to Zurich from London I bestow upon them the monumental task of bringing me back bucket loads of magazines. English magazines are so overpriced here that I never buy them - so I relish the opportunity to get anyone I know to act as my donkey for them. This time my husband brought me back Vogue Collections. Have you seen it before? It's incredible. It's separated into the five categories: Paris, Milan, New York, London and accessories. Inside are just pages and pages full of looks from each fashion capital's shows. There isn't much text, just a little description of each show and there are also hardly any advertisements. Perfect for drooling over and an excellent alternative to browsing style.com. It comes in at a hefty 25quid but totally worth it if you want to have a tangible reminder of how drool-worthy all of last season's shows were.
OUTSIDE CHANEL...
Surely the Chanel show is the apex of all things fabulous at Paris Fashion Week. Come on, it's Chanel for crying out loud. I was expecting some sort of post-apocalyptic paparazzi frenzy... which was pretty much exactly what it was. Imagine you're in big building and the fire alarm has just gone off. Everyone is stressed and panicked, unsure of where they ought to go or where they ought to look. It's chaos. Suddenly the sprinklers come on and water starts pouring from the spouts positioned on the ceilings above everyone's head. Now, take that image... add traffic, platforms and a string of luxury fabric to the mix. Et voilà. You've got yourself the entrance to the Grand Palais where the Chanel show took place.
Let's put the crazed fashionistas and paparazzi aside for just a second though and recognize that there were some magical little fashion moments taking place. The whole experience made me feel as if I had been transported to a Chanel black-and-white infused fairytale. Everyone was painfully chic and, I swear, enough 2.55 bags floated past me to stock an entire shop. Next time sky, please, just hold off on the rain. Merci.
Rollover images for descriptions and check Tumblr for more photos and outtakes.
MY SUPER SECRET BEAUTY TRICKS REVEALED...
Photo by Kit Lee
I'm not kidding, from the night I arrived in London (Valentines night) to the day I left (last Friday morning) I slept MAX 4 hours a night. This isn't like me. I like to sleep... I like to sleep so much that my husband has to call me up at 11am and tell me off for not getting out of bed. 'Jennnn... this isn't natural. GET THE FREAK OUT OF BED AND DO THE DISHES WOMAN!!!' Even more disturbing? Wednesday night I didn't sleep at all (not a wink) and Thursday night I had to get a cab to Heathrow at 3am (so again, figured... there's no point in sleeping)... ZOMBIE ALERT. This is not humanly possible. This resulted in me passing out on the flight (I had an entire row to myself), waking up panicked and thinking I was on a 'fashion' plane?! Arriving in Zurich airport, being stopped by immigration and BURSTING into tears when I'm informed that it is illegal to bring samples from outside the country in... that I should have filled out a form beforehand... that I went through the wrong line... that I'm a criminal and should be deported (hah). Poor man must have took pity on me because he gave a giant Swiss-German induced sigh, looked down and said, "ok. pack it back up.' Then brought me round the back of the computer to explain EXACTLY how it works when you bring samples into the country... 'You promise you won't do this again?' he asked. Through the sobs I mustered an, 'I promise.'
So, the question begs to be asked... just exactly how did I make it through fashion week and this disturbing airport experience without a bit of smudged mascara or cracked lipstick? Well, girls (and boys), behold, my three part masterclass in makeup for the disenchanted lazy butt.
1. FAKE EYELASHES: yes, that's riiiight. I have FAKE EYELASHES. So everyday when I would get to Somerset House and someone would say, 'Weren't you at the (INSERT RANDOM PARTY) last night?' 'Ummm... yeah.' Puzzled look. 'but... you look so FRESH.' FAKE EYELASHES, FAKE EYELASHES, FAKE EYELASHES. I said it more than anything else (even more than the Instagram thing). About a year ago I got fake eye lashes for the first time. I got hooked. I got them done three times in a row... when you have them on you don't have to wear mascara (some people do but personally I think that's just silly). The ones I get are so good that when I have them I don't wear ANY eye makeup - not ever. They last for roughly 2-3 months and fall out when your normal lashes fall out. You see, because they are individually applied to every lash - the process takes an hour to an hour and a half. They are the MOST life changing beauty treatment I have ever had. No mascara, no washing your eye makeup off at night, no worrying about crying and having it smudge. Even on zero hours of sleep, I can walk around like the bees-knees because these just make you look AWAKE and ALIVE. It has revolutionized my life. I went about 8 months without them - in order to let my lashes rest up. I'll just say one thing. When they start to fall out it is TRAGIC. You'll find a lash on your pillow in the morning and rock it back and forth in your hands... DON'T LET THEM BE FALLING OUT!! Your lashes get a bit frazzled and look a bit pathetic. At that moment you have two choices: 1. tough it up and let them fall out gradually (whatever you do, DO NOT, attempt to pull them out... that would be really REALLY freaking stupid) or 2. dish out the moolah and admit your hooked. I try not to stay hooked throughout the whole year and instead just get them before big things like fashion week. Also, I've seen A LOT of shoddy eye lash jobs... don't be stupid and go somewhere cheap, you'll look like a hooker. I go to LASH LAB where Kym, the most talented lady, does mine. They are the best lashes I've seen anyone do in London and I couldn't recommend them more. These are her prices... please don't everyone rush to get them done though because she's already super freaking busy and if next time I go to London she doesn't have time to fit me in I swear I will know it's YOUR FAULT.
2. MAC LIP PRIMER: So, my friend Lucy used to always wear these incredible lipstick colors and they would always stay on for aaaages - like, literally all day. Whenever I'd be putting on lipstick I would be super self-conscious. Is it smudging? Do my lips look chapped? Is it on my teeth? Do I need to reapply? 'How's my lipstick?' I would ask about a gazillion times until finally someone would say, 'Uh. You need to reapply.' This is annoying right? That was my life until I discovered Lucy's secret: Mac Lip Primer. I ordered it just before fashion week and was so excited to get it (along with my favorite lipstick Cyber). So, this is how good it is... I'm not even exaggerating. One evening before going out I put it on with a BRIGHT stinking pink lipstick over top (you just put the primer on like chapstick and then put the lipstick over top) (the lipstick I stole from Shini, oops, it's from Topshop but I can't find it online... hmmm...). I went out the whole evening... stayed out until about 3am... had drinks/food... got home... was too exhausted to wash my face or look in the mirror so I collapsed into bed. 7am and I woke up... stumbled into the bathroom, stuck my face in some water and wiped the water off on a pristine perfectly white towel. When I looked down... there was bright pink lipstick smeared all the way across the towel. (#Oops) But honestly, how is that EVEN POSSIBLE? It literally stayed on the whole time. I'm telling you, it's insane.
3. BRONZER: I'm from California, I LOOOOVE the sun. I could spend all day everyday lying in the sun. So this is obvious, right? A brushing of bronzer if I'm feeling particularly up for it. I've been using this one from Chanel for like 5 years. It's the best. Yeah, it's Chanel so it's kind of expensive... but don't you feel fancy when you pull a Chanel compact out of your bag? I know I do.
So, there it is revealed ladies and gentleman. The super exciting secretes to my beauty regime. You may remember from such previous posts that I suck at makeup. I suck at it. I can't apply eyeliner and I always forget to moisturize. I have a huge bag of makeup sitting under my sink... most of which I NEVER use but have stupidly purchased under the pretense that it would be grrrrreat. Most of it wasn't. So, now, finally after 26 years of life I have finally gotten down a simple procedure for the makeup I like to use. If I could have them all year round it would start with eyelashes (when I have these I'm more than happy to leave the house without anything else on - uhhh... no other makeup on. don't be a sicko)... if I'm feeling a bit drab then I'll put on bronzer (and normally a bit of blush)... if I'm REALLY trying to make an impression then the lipstick comes out. At the moment my skin is pretty good... but I definitely get the occasional pimple and when that happens I FREAK OUT... which ends up leading to more pimples... which means I pathetically try to cover it up and put Charlie on 'pimple patrol.' It's really sad...
p.s. this post was WAY too long. I promise not to do this too often.
p.s.s. I'm going to the Alps tomorrow morning and won't be back until Monday night. I likely won't have internet. Just so you know.
p.s.s. I'm in the process of making some big blog changes in order to sort out the google search debacle... so if you notice anything strange just roll with it, hopefully we'll be all sorted by mid-week. Ok, that's all... have a wonderful Sunday. xx
Leather jackets & Chanel
I absolutely love this outfit for it's no-fuss still-chic quality. If it were up to me this jacket would never ever leave my body. It is buttery soft, perfectly draped and instantly makes any outfit at least 100 x better.
Oh me, oh my... it was the first day of fashion week... what to wear, what to wear?
I opted for some pastel colors (pink jeans and a jumper in a slew of bubblegum shades) but then went and ruined it by throwing a lot of black leather over the top. Oops. This lipstick I'm wearing has a tendency to lend people to jokes about whether I'm freezing or not. Hello, it's called Cyber and it's by Mac... my lips are not turning purple due to the fa-reezing temperature. Anyway, I absolutely love this outfit for it's no-fuss still-chic quality. If it were up to me this jacket would never ever leave my body. It is buttery soft, perfectly draped and instantly makes any outfit at least 100 x better. Hope you won't be sad if I wear 6 variations of this exact same look over the coming days... I have to admit, I'm a little hooked.
Wearing: Theory jacket, Theyskens' Theory knit, 2nd Day jeans, vintage Chanel bag via Wish Want Wear, MOXHAM small pink leather clutch, MYKITA sunglasses, Balenciaga boots and Topshop ring.