CURRENTLY OBSESSED WITH PINK GLITTER...
I'm normally not that into pink glittery things but at the moment I can't get enough of girly pink nails. I figure since I'm on holiday all things should be frivolous and child-like - that's my excuse for living on a diet of candy at the moment (Sweden has the best candy). I'm also seriously into this bag from Emm Kuo. It's the perfect sized satchel but you can also take the strap off and carry it as a clutch. I like that.
Hope you're having a wonderful weekend. xx
WE ARE HANDSOME
As I wiggled my way into this dress I felt myself being transported to another place altogether... to that world where life is bathed in golden sunshine. You can't help but feel a little wonderful with all that elasticated sex-appeal sucking you in from every angle.
I was considering whether I ought to start this post with a melodramatic story about beaches, mojitos and bronzed skin. It was to be set in a land where everyone is flawless and dripped in unending sunshine. People named Sven and Tiffany lounge by glistening pools and live off bubblegum, they have nothing to do and nowhere to go. In my mind, this is the world that the We Are Handsome customer belongs to.
I was wondering if the brand, that's become synonymous with edgy videos and growling animals, could be transported into real life. It's all skin-tight stretchy fabric... surely this isn't meant for city streets or real people? Rihanna might be able to pull it off but that doesn't mean anyone else can. Each piece seems to encapsulate the allure of summer, making the mind-blowing body conscious pieces just too good to resist.
WAHOutfit
As I wiggled my way into this dress I felt myself being transported to another place altogether... to that world where life is bathed in golden sunshine. You can't help but feel a little wonderful with all that elasticated sex-appeal sucking you in from every angle. Yeah, I might have just been walking down the grey streets of London but I felt like, if I could just skip through the right alley, I'd wind up being transported somewhere exotic.
I wore this floral print dress with a slouchy black cardigan and Converse for a bit of balance. In my world tight and short always require a bit of de-sexifying and nothing does that quite as well as a bunch of fresh flowers pushed into a brown leather bag. Yumm. I wish I had flowers on standby to carry with me everyday... they make the perfect accessory (potentially even better than a puppy).
I also tried a swimsuit with a mega low dipped back. It was gorgeous and I loved it under a pair of jeans. If your swimsuit is this crazy beautiful then it deserves to be worn during the day. I'm now a little obsessed with the dreamy prints and skin-tight fits that We Are Handsome does so well. These are definitely the sort of pieces that could easily migrate into my daily life, they don't just have to be worn on yachts or music videos.
Wearing: We Are Handsome dress and swimsuit (via Pfeffer PR), Stylein jumper, Swedish Hasbeens bag, Lucy Folk bracelets, and Mykita sunglasses.
Photos by Kit
Bare that belly
I decided to rock this Patouf cropped top with a little white t-shirt underneath because I'm just not ready to embrace the midriff full on. I love this top, by the way. It's a little sci-fi crazy with its silver sheen and structured shape. I like that. It means I can pretend to be on the Starship Enterprise.
Looking out over Zurich...
Weeee! Spring is here.
Spring in Zurich is the best thing ever. It's sunny and warm. The trees and flowers are blooming. It's calm. You can't help but get a tan. After weeks and weeks of it being -15 degrees the shift in temperature is heavenly. Let's not talk about the weather though, let's talk midriffs. What do we think people? Are they best saved for the catwalk? Can they work on real streets with real people? Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. The thing is, regardless of how razor-sharp your abs might be (and trust me, I know we all have abs that could cut glass) it takes a lot of confidence to rock a belly baring top. Depending on how cropped you go they can start to resemble a bra top and I'm just not sure how that will go down in the city. Maybe it's a look best saved for weekend breaks away... hmmm. What do you reckon?
I decided to rock this Patouf cropped top with a little white t-shirt underneath because I'm just not ready to embrace the midriff full on. I love this top, by the way. It's a little sci-fi crazy with its silver sheen and structured shape. I like that. It means I can pretend to be on the Starship Enterprise while I walk around town (much to my husband's distaste). I want to wear it with something seriously fierce (read: a patent black shiny high-waisted pencil skirt and some kick-butt heels) but jeans and Converse fit a bit more with my everyday needs... for now at least.
Wearing: Patouf Jade Top, Mih Paris Jeans, Mykita Joanie Sunglasses, Bottletop Luciana Clutch and Converse.
HAPPY DAY: SUMMER IS COMING...
All this talk about autumn/winter dressing has almost made me forget that summer is just around the corner. SUMMER. Yeyyy. I LOVE summer. Stick me on a beach with nothing to do and no one to see and I will literally love you forever. Now, I know that this wave of summer weather hasn't hit all of you. England, your weather sucks, I'm sorry about that. But just roll with me for a minute. The weather in Zurich has been so beautiful this past week - like English high-summer weather. To celebrate, I've been transforming my balcony into a mini-office every afternoon. My 'office' equipment consists of one beach towel, my MacBook Air, a big glass of water and... oh yeah, a pair of sunglasses. My balcony is so equipped for tanning purposes that you can lie out totally naked without fear of anyone seeing - I'm not saying I do that, I'm just saying it's possible.
Anyway, let's talk about summer beauty. This is how I break it down: skin, nails, hair, eyes.
1. Skin: don't let it get dry or burnt. Simples. Carry a miniature sized bottle of sunscreen with you, it will make you really popular - especially if you hang out around really pale people that burn at the mere mention of clear skies. Mine is Boots brand. It's nothing fancy but it works. I also freaking love Banana Boat. I'm addicted to the Aloe After Sun lotion and the Aloe After Sun gel. They are the best.
2. Nails: take care of them. Remove your polish properly and use colors that will make you happy. Essie nail polish is the best I have come across. This is simply because the colors are awesome, it goes on easily, dries fast, and doesn't chip very quickly. That's all I'm looking for in my nail polish.
3. Hair: I don't know much about hair but I do know that I got this little sample bottle of UNITE 7 Seconds Leave in Conditioner last season at LFW and I've used it almost everyday since September. It's still not empty. How is that even possible? It detangles like a charm and I spray it in my hair when it's dry to give it a bit of added texture. This sounds strange but I swear it's actually the only hair product I use.
4. Eyes: cover those bad boys up. Don't buy crappy £2 glasses from Primark. You might think they look so cool for, like, 5 minutes but they don't protect your eyes, k? These white cat-eye ones are my Mykita... they're pretty snazzy, eh?
So commences our Beauty 101 class 'Summer Edition'. Feel free to weigh in on my regime and please tell me about any incredible products that I'm missing out on. I hate buying new beauty-related-things (as they are often crap) so would much appreciate your insightful tips...
p.s. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend! xx
JUMPING BACK IN THE DEEP END...
Photos by Shini Park
I'm obsessed with knitwear at the moment.
Ever since seeing this Carven jumper on Leanne last season I've been dreaming about a piece of knitwear with some sort of neck detail. As you can imagine I was over the moon when Anna sent me Patouf's AW12 look book a few weeks ago and, right there in the mix, was a little dusky pink knit with black contrasting pattern at the neck and shoulders. Swoon. She kindly sent it over just in time for fashion week and I was so glad because I felt very in the know wearing it. Hello, have you seen the roll neck sheer chest jumper from Marios Schwab's collection - there are parallels.
Wearing: Flyaway jumper - Patouf AW12, pink 2nd Day jeans (Varg), Theory jacket (My Wardobe), Muriee cashmere scarf (Task), Mykita sunglasses, YSL arty ring, Maison Scotch clutch (Sane) and my always trusty Balenciaga boots.
p.s. headed to Paris today! Eeek. If you're there then give me a shout. Any tips/tricks for surviving the city?
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.
SNOW ANGEL...
Brrrr... I'm starting to wonder whether the temperature will ever get above zero degrees. In my delirious dreams for Spring I seem to be grasping at anything that isn't black or grey. The fact that I've spent the last two weeks resembling a multi-layered arctic explorer is getting old - as much as I do love wandering around the house with a duvet glued to my back the thought of being in London tomorrow, where the weather is supposed to get up to 11, is making me feel positively balmy. For now though, here's a little introduction to my new neighborhood. This weekend we moved into a new flat that's situated just opposite a cemetery and old crematorium - pretty beautiful to explore when it's all covered in snow.
Wearing: Mykita Aritana sunglasses, Dagmar jacket, Cabbages & Roses top, Jigsaw t-shirt, H&M shoes, Topshop ring and J. Lindberg jeans
BLOGLOVIN - TWITTER - FACEBOOK - TUMBLR
A homage to the mountains...
I'm a sucker for a good pair of sunglasses and ever since I first discovered Mykita I've been dreaming about their frames. The only problem is I haven't a clue which pair I'd choose if given the chance and now it's only gotten more difficult...
Recently the Berlin based brand partnered with Moncler to create the ultimate pair of slope-worthy sunglasses. They're made from a product called mylon that's been developed by Mykita through a process called selective laser sintering. It's a kind of space-agey type of manufacturing, a form of 3D printing that's currently only really being used to make prototypes. My favourite pair are the blue ones with the flat top. They might just be the perfect little motivational tool to get me out skiing this winter.
Breathe on the lenses of these bad boys and they even reveal the Mykita & Moncler logo... what's not to love?
A box of secrets.
The sun decided to tuck behind some heavy clouds this morning as I made the short walk over to MYKITA. As soon as I scooted through the front door I was greeted by 'ooohs', 'ahhs' and lots of giddy excitement. It seems a small tour bus of Italians had landed smack in the middle of the coolest sunglass shop in Zurich and they were going slightly mental over the quirky frames. I sat for a few minutes at the counter, sipping a yummy coffee while taking in the madness. The manager was chatting away to everyone while they each grabbed frame after frame from the customized shelving that wraps the entire back wall of the shop. Then, in a flash, everybody was out and it was perfectly calm and still.
MYKITA might sound familiar... possibly because I wrote about them once before or because their receiving an increasingly impressive number of celebrity followers (Lady Gaga and Will.I.Am rate among their fans). They're only eight years old and already, besides having a solidly impressive main collection, have also done a number of top notch collaborations. If you've ever found yourself drooling over a pair of specs at a runway show chances are they were by Berlin based MYKITA.
There's nothing ordinary about this brand. All aspects of the company are based in the heart of Berlin where each pair of glasses is handmade. They all seem to have a unique story behind their design and creation. From yellow aviator styles that come with nail polish in an identical shade to limited edition hand painted pairs with various skylines that were first presented in an exhibition at the Guggenheim. Spending time in MYKITA feels like you are constantly uncovering new secrets. If I was lucky enough to own a pair of these sunglasses even a rainy weekend would struggle to keep them off my face.
Mykita
Today, by absolute random chance, I stumbled into an eyewear shop on Langstrasse in Zurich. I was 'ohhhing' and 'awwwing' at all the glasses, pointing and saying to my husband, 'you don't understand, these glasses are amaaazing' when a man approached me and asked if I wanted to try on anything. 'Oh no no, I'm just looking' I replied. 'Well, if you change your mind feel free to try on anything you like - there's a mirror just there' (he pointed to the far side of the wall). Before he could walk away I just had to ask, 'What brands are these sunglasses?' His response included a few different names, some that I recognized* most others I didn't (one was Mykita). I tried on a pair and loved them but hadn't gone in with any intention of buying a pair of sunglasses*...
Then I spotted a very different selection sitting behind the counter and walked over to have a little look. So bewildered by these glasses, and a bit gobsmacked by how I had never come across these before, I asked him, 'Who are those made by?' His reply was 'Mykita.' As he took a pair down and held them in his hand he said, 'these are made from metal* look what they can do' and pulled the arms back making the glasses entirely flat. He passed them to me, and I walked to the mirror on the other side of the shop and was totally blown away. They looked so cool. When I handed them back to him I rambled something about how amazing I thought they were, asked again who they were made by, and said I had never heard of that brand.
Just as I was about to leave I asked if he had a card for the shop. 'Of course', he replied and passed me a small white business card. As I thanked him and headed for the door I looked down to see that the name of the shop was 'Mykita'. Realizing immediately that my incessant questions about who designed the glasses must have sounded quite silly. I was in a Mykita shop asking who the glasses were made by, clearly the answer was pretty self evident. As I drifted away down the street I looked back and saw that in strong capital letters the word 'MYKITA' was emblazoned above the entrance to the shop.
I couldn't help thinking about these sunglasses for the rest of the day and when I got home I immediately pulled out the card and found the company online. Completely overwhelmed by the absolute magnitude of the brand, I got wrapped up in the many facets of the website: hand made glasses from Berlin, collaborations with incredible photographers and designers, a 'laboratory' where all the magic happens, and a careful selection of the most beautiful sunglasses. I'm so excited by this brand. They've only got a handful of shops, some being in Paris, Tokyo and Berlin, so there's a good chance most of you wont be able to pop down to see the glasses in real life (sorry London).
This shop is, without a doubt, my favourite discovery since being in Zurich and hopefully (if I'm lucky*) you'll spot a pair of these frames on my face in the near future.
*Paul & Joe, for example. The pair I tried on by them was amazing and I've been trying to find them online but can't. However, in my online hunt I did come across this. Totally chuffed because I love Paul & Joe and this was such a treat to find while insomniac posting at 4am on Sunday morning (the story of my current wave of insomnia - which I have never experienced before - is a whole other story, which I will leave out).
*I only recently got these ones after all, which are still seriously glued hard to my face.
*okay, so he didn't say 'metal' but some sort of specific metal... but I can't remember what it was.
*my birthday is in April, after all, so here's to keeping fingers crossed
Photos from the MYKITA website.