Christophe Lemaire

Christophe Lemaire is a master of sophistication. I love his take on French minimalism. His Spring/Summer 2014 collection is quiet yet impactful. The designs are mainly light and airy and are made of cotton. I love how he plays with balance and proportion with such a simple fabric. They are clean, functional, effortless yet luxurious. Christophe says: "I want… fashion that accompanies the personality ... Allowing freedom of movement and gesture, [the] clothes [should] allow a woman to be herself." His designs prove exactly that. Here are some of my favorites.

#SFStyle

I am so honored to be featured on SF Chronicle Style section along with other San Francisco bloggers @aimeerancer and @alexaeyes. SF Chronicle hosts a local fashion contest where bloggers can hashtag their outfit #sfstyle and win to be selected and featured on the paper. The winner gets a $500 shopping and styling spree with Maghan McDowell of SF Chronicle Style. Check out the SF Chronicle article for more details. Have fun with this #SFStyle contest!

Going Going Gone...

Spring break travel season is here. April is also my birthday month. We are planning a birthday getaway. How about you? Got any trip coming up soon? In the meantime, here are some travel outfits for your inspiration. Travel + pack in comfort, style and wrinkle free. Here's to a happy sunny getaway!

DressPants

I am loving this idea of pairing a dress with skinny pants. I absolutely love it because I can now wear dresses without being caught cold in bare legs. Plus, no more worries with sticky clingy leggings. What do you think of this styling? Here are some pictures from Fall 2014 runways ... and a few more.

 

SXSW Style

SXSW is happening now. I love the vibrancy of the event. It's where music, film and technology collide. It's also where stylish people show off their creative flair by way of their outfits. As a result, you see a myriad of styles including the grunge, the romantic, the whimsical and the quirky. Here is a roundup of my favorite SXSW styles, some from past SXSW and some from just a few days ago. Tell me, do you prefer the simple chic style or more of the colorful bohemian styles?

Photos collected from StreetPeeper, Elle.com, Vanity Fair

Quietude

Fall 2014 Fashion Week concluded last week. I am inspired by the quiet sophistication from some of the collections. Clean and tailored lines -- simple but yet impactful. Particularly, I love three-piece outfit i.e. top+bottom+coat combo which is perfect for layering in San Francisco's fickle weather. They are also Monday-appropriate. Here's to a great start of the week. Some of my favorites below:

Photos: Style.com

My Top 5 Oscars Red Carpet Looks

Like most of you, I spent my Sunday night tuning to the Oscars. There are so many great movies I want to watch now. In the meantime, there were also so many great star-studded red carpet styles. I picked my top 5 favorites from last night. 

Cate Blanchett won Best Actress for her performance in Blue Jasmine. She walked down the red carpet and took the Oscar in her stunning Armani Prive dress and Chopard earrings. There were two speeches that I was really inspired by at the Oscars. Hers is one of them. She made a strong statement about women in films: "Films with women as the main characters are not niche, and in fact, they make money!" Not only was she a talented actress, she has a great style and is just a classy inspiring woman.

Jennifer Lawrence looks radiant in her orangy-red Dior couture dress and Neil Lane diamond necklace. Not a surprise given that her contract with Dior was extended. What I am surprised about is, like last year, she tripped again in her floor length dress(!). I love Jennifer Lawrence. She is so real and down to earth. She seems like someone that you can just talk to. With that, I feel for her. It's not easy to walk in sky high heels and tight floor length dress. Perhaps Dior should try a different design for Jennifer Lawrence next year?

Lupita Nyong'O donned a Grecian goddess look in this sky blue drapey Prada gown to her first Oscars. Her Fred Leighton diamond and gold headband added just the right hint of sparkle. She won best supporting actress and delivers a beautiful and emotional speech. She ended by saying "No matter where you come from, your dream is valid." I am looking forward to seeing her next movies.

Anne Hathaway is glistening in her Gucci dress. This silhouette is very similar to the 'controversial' Prada dress that she wore to last year's Oscar. However, this year, the dress is party in the front instead of party at the back like last year. And I have to say this Gucci dress fits her much better than then Prada dress. This dress shimmers in the dark. It was brought to life when she came to present at the stage especially when all lights were on her. It was so surreal to look at.

Charlize Theron won me with her Dior dress and $15mm flawless Harry Winston diamond necklace. I absolutely love the low plunging neckline and the sheer details, both at the straps and the bottom of the dress. Her smokey eyes added the right amount of drama to her all-black look. To me, this is a classic chic red carpet look with a modern twist.

What about you? Which ones are your favorite red carpet looks?

A Bvlgari Day

Jacket: Zara // Blouse, Skirt, Scarf, Sunglasses: H&M // Boots: Dolce Vita // Bag: Old Navy // Jewelries: Banana Republic, Mango

This past weekend, I went to see Bvlgari at the De Young Museum. I am glad I finally made it on the last day of the exhibit. I wore my graphic print jacket as I thought I'd dress appropriately artsy for my museum visit. And of course, my boots for loads of walking and browsing.

Bvlgari to me is more than just glamour. It's about heritage and also modernity. Although I love their traditional collections (for example their gold, emerald and diamond necklace), I find utmost delight in their use of multi colored precious stones. To me, it's innovative, bold and daring. At the exhibit, I came to learn that they were the first ones who introduced the new way of combining multiple colors of precious stones such as ruby, sapphires, emerald, cabochon, amethyst and lapis. The traditional way of the time was to mix single color precious stone with diamond. Today, multi colored jewels are still being sought out and remain as stylish as ever.

Here are some of my favorites:

1970s were a quite the time of innovation for them. This was when they broke away from the traditional precious stones and diamonds. They incorporated oriental influences into sautoirs which perfectly complimented long tunics and maxi dresses of the 70s. Sautoirs were also their way of venturing out from formal evening jewelry to more casual jewelry. As a tribute to their Italian heritage, they also designed the Monete collection where they incorporate ancient Roman coins into their jewelries.

Noone can talk about Bvlgari without its glamorous past. The late Elizabeth Taylor was a famous loyal customer to Bvlgari. As a part of an effort to win her heart, Richard Burton gave her several Bvlgari pieces. And, of course, the great Italian stars: Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida and Monica Vitti.

Today, I am quite sure you're well aware that Bvlgari remains iconic.  Here are some of my favorites of Bvlgari in today's time. Clockwise: Jessica Biel, Carla Bruni (who is currently the face of Bvlgari), Jessica Biel, Kiera Knightley, Julianne Moore and  Jessica Chastain.

If you haven't yet gone to a Bvlgari exhibit, I'd highly recommend it. The jewels are breathtaking. It's one thing for me to talk about it here, or to look at the pictures. But, nothing replaces the experience of seeing them in person, or let alone learning about Bvlgari's history and all the wonderful stories from women - either famous or infamous - who own or collect Bvlgari. Like what the Italians say "La Dolce Vita". Or shall we say "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend"?

Dreaming Clutches

1. Kate Spade // 2. Karen Walker // 3. Kate Spade // 4. Phillip Lim // 5. Olympia Le Tan (worn by Men Repeller's Lauren Medina as a street style) // 6. Chanel (Cruise 2014 Collection) // 7. Karen Walker

New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter2014 shows have come to a close. While we're gearing up for London, the clutches from the runway are what caught my attention. Novelty and 'messaging' seem to be the 'it' thing now.  Messaging started with your outfit (we've all seen some kinds of 'text' on t-shirts or sweaters...) and now they've moved on to clutches! True what they say -- 'say it with a clutch!' Did this novelty trend start with Chanel perfume bag which we saw first back last May for the Cruise'13/'14 collection? Even Leandra Medine was sporting her Paris Olympia Le Tan clutch outside the nyfw show -- the same one she wore last February. Maybe, it's not that new after all? But, I think I'll like to write something on my bags now!

Dreaming Haute Couture

We are only 2 days away from New York Fashion Week. While I can't wait for Spring, I am already excited to see what the Fall 2014 collection will bring. Meanwhile, I am still dreaming haute couture here. I wanted to share with you what I think are the best of haute couture. Sure there are fabulous fabulous fabulous minimalist haute couture pieces out there. However, I picked the ones that I think give off that w-o-w factor, which is absolutely necessary especially if I get to drop humungous amount of $ for haute couture. I group them by major trends that I see in the runway. I am curious if any of these trends will eventually show up in my and your Spring 2014 (or 2015?) closet :)

--------------- DRAPE IT LIKE IT'S HAUTE ---------------

I am absolutely enamored by the haute couture draping. Yes, we know that the 'leg' dress which was made popular by Angelina Jolie a while ago is here to stay. As shown below, the drape is now also to be found in other spots where they've also got quite a powerful effect. I love how flattering drapes are. It's amazing what they can do to a dress.

 Valentino

Zuhair Murad

 

Alexandre Vauthier

 Vionnet

Giambatistta Valli

Schiaparelli

 

 Vionnet

Atelier Versace

 Dior

--------------- SHINE YOUR LIGHT ON ME ---------------

I see quite a bit of bright reflective, shiny metalic fabric in the runway... and they come in different hues ... and I must say I really really love 'em.  They have that 'glow in the dark' effect. They have such 'dreamy' and 'ethereal' feel. To me, they make the dress come to life. Who's not 'enlightened' by this?

 Bouchra Jahrar

 Vionnet

 Dior

 Atelier Versace

Vionnet

 Elie Saab

 

Chanel

 Schiaparelli

------ SHEER ME UP ------

Sheer is here to stay! I get how the transparent look is perfect for Spring especially when the temperature is just warming up. Not sure how I feel about this. I feel like it's been here quite a while... isn't it time to make way for another groundbreaking trend. However, I am all about showing some skin but not too much skin. Sheer totally creates that sexy mysterious aura. Point is -- should look like a lady without looking like a tramp...

 

Dior

 Armani Prive

 Valentino

 Chanel

 Zuhair Murad

 Valentino

--------------- BEAD LOVER ---------------

Yes, after all, what's haute couture without handmade intricate beadings. I am a big fan of beaded dresses of the Art Deco era. I swooned over these dresses because they revive that glamorous era. I assume we are still recovering from the Great Gatsby effect... which is fine for me... bring on the party baby!

 Armani Prive

Valentino

 Atelier Versace

 Armani Prive

Chanel

 Zuhair Murad

------ HI-LO EFFECT ------

Another trend that I find has a little overstayed the runway...although I admit I had to take another close look before I made up my mind. It seems the hi-lo effect is getting a makeover this Spring. It has transformed into asymmetrical hemlines in a variety of shapes and forms which makes it more interesting. It immediately makes me think of that 'skort' -- which seems to be the 'it' trend now. At any rate, I am all about playing with proportion. Excited to incorporate this new-ish trend in my closet :)

 Dior

Ulyana Sergeenko

 Giambattista Valli

 Atelier Versace

 Viktor & Rolf

Dior 

Images are sourced from Style.com

This is it! I know I know this post is longer than the ones I normally do. I was going to write a short spill about the haute couture but I realized there are so many beautiful pieces. It also takes several visual pictures to illustrate a trend...I hope you find some helpful nuggets of information here. If you'd like to see more of my picks of haute couture, check out my Pinterest board  :)