Grey matter

I am fond of grey---not because my grey matter is important in helping me in my exams, but i find grey/slate sorts of colours oddly soothing to the eyes. Just this last Wednesday, i wore a grey top to school, only to have a certain somebody wearing a grey top walk past me and my friends. Quickly, i armed myself with a repartee---"grey is such a becoming colour isn't it?" (insert merry grin)---should any teasing ensue. Thankfully it wasn't needed.

A knitted grey dress from the Fendi Spring Summer 2007 collection. What can i say, they don't call him Kaiser Karl for nothing.

From Derek Lam. Would look lovely with shorts or trousers, and would nicely dress up a pair of jeans. No ripped jeans though---the ornate tailoring would look out of sorts.

From French Connection. Good as a jacket but would also work well as a dress.

From River Island. The draping of this is simplly lovely, giving the piece an elegant romantic look without having to resort to the usual romantic palette of pinks, whites and pastels.

From American Eagle Outfitters. Provides a casual elegance. Would look nice with spring's striped tops.

From Jose Ramon Reyes. Isn't this just cute? I'd wear it with a skirt like this (below, from Topshop) for a retro look.

I like the slouchiness of this Paul and Joe Sweater. Perfect for lazy (to dress up) days.

From Adam+Eve, one of my favourite labels for its tailored urban look. Their sleek aesthetic is exemplified in this pair of shorts.

Another piece from American Eagle Outfitters: a grey cami. It combines the a romantic cut with a gentle colour.

A few pointers: there is grey and there is grey. Be sure to get the shade right. Some shades should be saved only for gym clothes, or not worn at all. The cut of the grey piece is also important. As grey can convey a sense of sloppiness, it is best to choose only grey pieces that are well tailored. Also bear in mind that poor quality shows up easily on grey so choose your grey pieces wisely. That and don't wear grey head to toe. No one benefits from looking like a slab of concrete.

Photographs from: www.style.com, www.ae.com, www.topshop.com, www.paulandjoe.com, www.topshop.com, www.riverisland.com, www.elle.com, www.fcukbuymail.com

The year of the dress part 5: Eyelet dresses

Eyelets were a feature of the spring catwalks and not surprisingly, high street quickly caught on. Usually the domain of white dresses, eyelets can now be found in other colours and other pieces like tops and even shorts.

Badgley Mischka's eyelet dress.



Peter Som's eyelet dress. Black is a refreshing take on the usual white eyelet.

Again, there are always high street options available.



Old Navy does a simple empire-cut eyelet dress. Perfect for those summer days matched with a hat and bejewelled sandals or espandrille wedges. These Christian Louboutin espandrille wedges and Miu Miu bejewelled sandals are utterly adorable.


This eyelet dress is from Delias, and the ribbon belt adds to the romantic vibe.

Another eyelet dress in a romantic cut is this piece from French Connection. Pair it with knee length flat soled boots and and you'll look straight out from the movie set of Pollyanna. As I am not fond of Pollyanna, i suggest those interested in this piece to keep with the wedges, espandrilles or sandals combi.



For those who might not like the country-girl connotations of the white eyelet dress with empire bustlines, there are eyelet dresses in more modern shapes. For instance, these two pieces are from River Island and Delias respectively and come in A-line shift and babydoll style of the 60s, short short hemlines included.



Not to be outdone, Arden B also provides a eyelet style in a modern shape.



C and C California also created a series of eyelet dresses for their spring-summer collection. I like the way it is paired with a tank worn underneath.



These are eyelet dresses, also from C and C California, in the tube dress style.



While it can be worn plain like in the picture, i would suggest pairing it with a tee of another colour worn beneath the dress. Yellow and white would be a nice combination. This Topshop one would do the trick. You might also want to add a wide-waist belt to cinch the waist and break up the white.



Eyelets also make for beautiful tops, as this Webster piece adequately displays.



For those who can't get enough of this trend, there are also eyelet shorts. However, I hope eyelet trousers or jeans never come to fruition.




Photographs from: www.shopbop.com, www.activeendeavors.com, www.delias.com, www.ardenb.com, www.topshop.com, www.saks.com, www.style.com, www.elle.com, www.fcukbuymail.com, www.riverisland.com, www.oldnavy.com, Elle Uk magazine April 2007 issue.

The Year of the Dress part 4: The chiffon dress

Chiffon dresses were one of my favourite in the Spring 2007 catwalk roundups. I particularly like the 3.1 Philip Lim ones---one more reason why this is my favourite label :) I love the way that chiffon dresses teas: they tend to come in conservative shapes, and while they "cover up", they're also see through. Here's to chiffon.

These 2 are from 3.1 Philip Lim.

I didn't take down where I got these pictures from. I don't think these are from the Spring 2007 season. Maybe last year's Autumn Winter. Were they Oscar de la Renta? These are the counterparts of 3.1 Philip Lim's white chiffon pieces.

This is from Chloe and i like it very much. It has this retro bookish-sexy vibe. Pair with stacked T-bars or Mary Janes worn with socks, and go and pose at a bookshelf in the library.

From Aerosoles and Two Lips respectively. Super nerdy but that's the whole point. For those who think the brown shoes are taking the nerd-chic thingy a little too far, there are these black options:

From Franco Sarto and Nina.

For a t-bar option there this pair from Frye, a label well known for producing good sturdy shoes, particularly boots.

And if you're still in a spending mood after the Chloe dress, you could pair the dress with the creme de la creme of shoes:

Christian Louboutin.

And of course, there are the high street options.

This is from French Connection. I tried it on, very flattering. The colour is darker in real-life than in the picture.

This is similar to the French Connection piece and it's from Topshop. While it isn't in chiffon, i couldn't resist adding it to this post. I just love the shape.

This is from Mango.

From Mango. A nice way to pair chiffon, with something thicker, and the wide belt anchors down an otherwise floaty piece.

From Adam+Eve . One of my favourite labels as well for its cool preppy look. Can also be paired with ballet flats and worn with a cute jacket like this Moschino Cheap and Chic (not cheap but very chic).

Kate and Kass. I like the mod shape.

Photographs from: www.shopintuition.com, www.shopbop.com, www.zappos.com, www.net-a-porter.com, www.fcukbuymail.com, www.topshop.com, www.mango.com, www.style.com, www.elle.com, www.neimanmarcus.com

The new neutrals

For Spring 2007, lots of fashion trends have been thrown up, from 80s neon to futuristic to the new Romantics. But my favourite of all has to be the neutral palates favoured by designers such as Philip Lim of 3.1 Philip Lim and Thomas Maier of Bottega Veneta. For the uninitiated, neutrals refer mainly to colours such as white, light grey, cream/beige, khaki, camel... (you get the idea).

3.1 Philip Lim and Bottega Veneta respectively.

Other collections that featured lots of neutrals include the Badgley Mischka, Thakoon, Derek Lam, Marc Jacobs, Burberry Prorsum and Stella McCartney 2007 collections.



From Badgley Mischka



Burberry



Derek Lam



Marc Jacobs



Thakoon



Stella McCartney

And you don't need a big budget to indulge in these pieces. High street stores such as Massimo Dutti, Zara and French Connection allow you to partake in the neutrals trend without busting the bank account.



Thakoon and Zara respectively.

The Zara dress (featured above) upfront.



3.1 Philip Lim vs French Connection.

And beautiful versions of Burberry's sought-after trench can be found at Zara and Massimo Dutti.



The Buberry Trench, updated for Spring 2007.



Zara and Massimo Dutti respectively.

Photographs from the Massimo Dutti Spring/Summer 2007 catalogue, www.zara.com, www.style.com, www.frenchconnection.com, www.fcukbuymail.com