Brand Spotlight : Paula Cademartori at Milan Fashion Week

 By: Unknown    01:00  No comments

In Milan I saw too many beautiful things and as a result got too many cravings (of both the food and fashion variety). One of my favourite things on Day 3 was the Paula Cademartori bag & shoes preview. besides their ultra original, quirky designs, the quality of the product supersedes most other bags I've seen, and I've seen A LOT of expensive bags.

These bags are Made in Italy and exquisitely made from start to finish, with every single detail having been taken care of. When I say detail I mean detail - it's impressive to witness when looking at these bags up close. 

"The precious seal of each model is a metal buckle, personally designed by Paula supported by her background in jewellery and industrial design."

And check out Beyonce below !!!

For the first time this coming Winter Paola will be launching a footwear line - it features the same exciting designs, and same attention to detail as her bags do.

Check out that sexy back

And look who dropped by to meet the designer - it's BryanBoy 



All Photos by Kurt Paris

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London Fashion Week : B'Fast With LULU GUINNESS

 By: Unknown    11:48  No comments

Something really fun that I did at London Fashion Week is visit Lulu Guinness herself at the swanky Cafe Royal to view her new A/W 2015 Bag Collection. She's actually very much the type of person I imagined she would be - a fun personality, fun fashion style and a sense of humour. Her new bags are as delightful as always with some new fresh patterns and interesting twists.

The new pattern for the season is this wonderful artistic graphic pattern below. It's present on a variation of bags including mini bags and totes

Of course, the famous lips play a part in any collection of hers - I was really taken by the quality of the hard clutch in the first picture and this leather number below.

My personal absolute favourite style is this 'face' pattern below and I particularly love this backpack made of techno fabric. Below it are some lovely classical pieces that can carry you perfectly from morning to night.



This collection will hit stores sometime around September but you can check out her current collection on her website or here or here

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London Fashion Week : Street Style - Handbags

 By: Unknown    16:34  No comments

One of the first things I notice in an outfit is the handbag or handbag(s) as the case may be. There's something about a beautiful bag that can simply complete an outfit and make it stand apart. There's quite a variety of different styles of bags at London Fashion Week. I wasn't at New York but from the pics I saw, it was all about quirky-as-hell, original bags. Funnily enough even though London is the city with the most eclectic fashion it seems to transcend more in clothes rather than bags.

Here's a few street style snaps taken by Kurt Paris with bags worth of a photo or two..

All photos by Kurt Paris

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Events : KAREN MILLEN IN MALTA

 By: Unknown    01:16  No comments

If you haven't heard, Karen Millen came to Malta or at least her store did with all its fantastic, brilliant clothes. The store is in Valletta, right next to Tico Tico a bit further down from Marks and Spencer. It has been brought over to Malta by Retail International Group and both they and Karen Millen themselves are super proud of this amazing location.

The clothes and accessories are wonderful, the quality, which is made using Italian materials, Italian skins and a huge attention to detail is pretty impressive. I hadn't seen this collection yet and I wasn't expecting it to be quite so amazing. In Malta, Karen Millen has always had quite a high reputation, especially as regards dresses but it's really a lot more than dresses, there are some truly lovely pieces - coats, shirts, sweaters, beaded tops, lovely bags and lots more. As regards pricing, the prices here are actually the same as in the UK which means we don't need to feel exploited in any way, as sometimes happens. The prices are in general great, for what you're getting, in terms of quality and design, the price points are really very decent.

The fashion bloggers got a chance to meet with Mike Shearwood the CEO of Karen Millen and he mentioned some interesting facts : Karen Millen never buy prints - their printed pieces are hand-drawn or hand-painted, exclusively for them. Most of their items run in very limited quantities and in Malta especially, around one in each size or even less is being brought over of each item. Karen Millen employs its own pattern cutters which is quite unusual and attention is made to ensure that clothes fit perfectly across all the different sizes.

New stock will be arriving each week and we actually have quite a large part of the collection - sometimes due to space limitations, in Malta we tend to have limited stocks of certain brands but this is  quite a large shop.

The occasion wear is impressive, hand beaded garments, intricate designs and apparently lots more will be on its way in the coming months. 

For some photos of the launch party and more clothes to be seen check out my facebook page

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What to Wear Post : To Malta Fashion Week and Other Fashion Shows (May/EVENING/Women)

 By: Unknown    10:02  No comments

I still remember attending my first fashion show at the first Malta Fashion Week (2011)...back then, I wasn't really involved in the scene as much, I had only been working as a fashion stylist for about a year and my blog was still in its infancy stages. I agonised over what to wear to the events, wanted each outfit to be perfect but was really confused as to what other people would wear..Malta has always had its own fashion rules so I wasn't too sure that looking at street style pics of foreign fashion weeks would help. In the end, I settled over an outfit and had a marvellous time. I also realised, that there really was no dress code and people wore a variety of different things ..and most of them looked good..so maybe I should have worried a little less. However, I know that telling someone not to worry and wear what they want is a bit useless as women especially, fret over these things so instead ..I'm offering some advice..for what it's worth :)

Today's post is dedicated to women and EVENING fashion shows - what should one wear to such an event ? 

As previously mentioned, the first thing I start with is WHO the fashion show is exhibiting & WHERE - Malta Fashion Week's first evening event is the NEW DESIGNERS on the 24th May. Since this is a designers' show, if you happen to own a piece by any of these designers then I suggest you wear it as this is a really nice tribute to them. Next  thing to consider is the WEATHER, end-of-May-evening is likely to be a little bit chilly so we can easily wear blazers / long sleeves / shawls / capes.

At a fashion show, I find one either wants to blend in or stick out...I prefer the latter option as I see it the right time to experiment with fashion and try out something new, I find a lot of people are scared of getting it wrong which is why they go for the former option. It is worth pointing out that we are not celebrities getting ready to go on the the Academy Awards Red Carpet. There are no fashion police, no journalists snapping away ready to comment on our outfits. Sure there will be some people who will pass judgement and might remark to their friends but chances are you'd never hear these remarks good or bad and anyway people will pass judgement whatever the case. Fashion is an art and whilst there are some basic body-type rules ...all art is subjective at the end of the day.

To cut a long ramble short, DON'T BE SCARED and have fun. Now for some ideas - I keep saying to start with something basic and add interesting things and the same idea can be applied here as well. For example, a white shirt and black trousers / black skirt is the most basic of outfits and since these shows are in Valletta, if you work there, this might be a good way to do a day-to-night outfit change. Adding interest to a white shirt and black trousers/skirt outfit is really easy, a bright coloured blazer & chunky necklace is one option, swapping plain black heels (if that's what you were wearing at the office) for bright heels or ankle boots will also change the vibe from formal to edgy. Swap a plain black bag for a little jewelled clutch and layer on some bracelets.

Dresses will always be popular at evening fashion shows but I suggest trying to go for something more interesting than just a dress and pair of heels, this year an interesting way to wear a dress is with sneakers (major, major trend) but I have a feeling I won't see much of this style :) brogues might be easier to digest and are also brilliant. An interesting pair of patterned, sheer tights is also fun ...sweaters have made a comeback (wear them with a skirt or patterned trousers and possibly even under a blazer). Another element is to think of using headwear - hairbands, headpieces, turbans, all these increase the style factor of an outfit.

Now for some general rules&tips : wrinkled clothes major no...dresses/trousers needing to be hemmed major no....too tight anything major no.....wear makeup, you'll probably have your photo taken at some point and you don't want to looklike a ghost...arrange your hair, even if just to pull it back....no leggings unless under tunics/long tops, i.e no leggings instead of trousers...no chipped nailpolish (hands/feet).

With all this wisdom in our minds ....See you at Malta Fashion Week #mfwa2014

P.S Don't forget to enter my competition to win two tickets to the MALTA FASHION AWARDS

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MFWA : Rosemarie Abela (RMA) - New Designer - Mercedes Benz Malta Fashion Week 2014

 By: Unknown    07:18  No comments

On Saturday the 24th May, the New Designers Fashion Show will take place as part of Malta Fashion Week 2014. This is the show in which emerging local designers have the chance to show the country their designs and basically get noticed, it is also a form of competition as one designer will win the best new designer award at the Malta Fashion Awards one week alter. In anticipation of this event, (one of my favourite in the whole week), I will be shining the spotlight on each of these 'new designers'.

Today we shine the spotlight on Rosemarie Abela (RMA) a brand creating WOMENSWEAR with a difference.

Upon meeting Rosemarie, my impression was that although she is still young, she is very ambitious and determined - she is now 22 years old, she left Malta at the age of 18 and travelled to Florence to begin her studies in fashion. She spent four years studying there and describes it as a fantastic experience, studying with fellow students from all over the world, she graduated last year and returned to Malta.

This is her first collection that she has worked on independent of her time at the university, however whilst at university, she also presented two solo collections. The brand RMA was launched two years ago and her dream and plan is to have her own studio/shop which will open by appointment. Although her primary religion is catholicism, she also upholds the buddhism religion and this is reflected in her use of the enso circle in her logo (first pic).

This her first time presenting at Malta Fashion Week and she describes her collection as inspired mainly by asia but also by three different themes Twiggy, China and Samurai and here is her sneak peek:

P.S Don't forget to enter my competition to win two tickets to the MALTA FASHION AWARDS

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MFWA : PARASCANDALO MARCO - New Designer - Mercedes Benz Malta Fashion Week 2014

 By: Unknown    07:26  No comments

On Saturday the 24th May, the New Designers Fashion Show will take place as part of Malta Fashion Week 2014. This is the show in which emerging local designers have the chance to show the country their designs and basically get noticed, it is also a form of competition as one designer will win the best new designer award at the Malta Fashion Awards one week alter. In anticipation of this event, (one of my favourite in the whole week), I will be shining the spotlight on each of these 'new designers'.

Today we shine the spotlight on PARASCANDALO MARCO - a brand creating MENSWEAR fashion for all those men who like to stand out from the crowd.

First off let’s start by saying that also his surname might not make this clear, Marco is Maltese and hails from the quaint and beautiful Birgu.  He studied in Malta, at the Malta College of Art Science and Technology (Mcast) in Art and Design and furthered his studies in Tailoring and Fashion Design. This is the first time he is exhibiting in Malta Fashion Week, from 2010 till 2104 he was actually living in London were he worked on various projects within the fashion industry. 




In 2012 Marco then started up his business - selling his designed fashion pieces, he sold these pieces at new designer and vintage markets around London, such as Brick Lane and Notting Hill but they are also available for sale online on Asos Marketplace and Ebay. 

Having spent the last two years in London, it should come as no surprise that his main inspiration for this collection is actually EAST LONDON, however he describes the collection as having a MALTESE twist. A ready to wear collection for all the boys who want to be noticed and different from the crowd. Marco's sneak peek is a bit different ..he's showing us his new logo (first pic) and this blurred photo below and he leaves it up to our imagination :)

P.S Don't forget to enter my competition to win two tickets to the MALTA FASHION AWARDS

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What to Wear Post : To Malta Fashion Week and Other Fashion Shows (May/Daylight/MEN)

 By: Unknown    05:02  1 comment

As mentioned in my previous post I have started a new series of posts on what to wear to fashion shows, these posts will be delving into different months of year and different times of day and BOTH MALE AND FEMALE outfits.Today's post is dedicated to MEN and daylight time - what should one wear to such an event ? 

To recap what was said in the female version of this post, the first thing I like to consider, is designers and location, Malta Fashion Week kicks off with a morning show exhibiting two local designers CF7 and Ritienne Zammit. The day is likely to be very hot and sunny and as I always say..sweat is very unattractive so no warm jackets / blazers / anything too warm and although I hate laying down rules since this is probably going to be a daytime event on a sunny day, please do not even think about wearing a black suit.

My wisdom and advice to you on this occasion is to try and come up with an outfit that has something a bit unique, an outfit that signifies a sense of personal style. If you're new to this, the trick is to start with a basic outfit that you feel comfortable in ..e.g. denim jeans (well-fitting ones please) and possibly a patterned shirt / bright polo-shirt or simply a logo/graphical-print t-shirt and then start adding and altering. Different layers add interest to an outfit so you can for e.g. add a denim waistcoat / add a summer scarf / roll up the sleeves of the shirt / add a cool material belt / layer a shirt over the t-shirt / a cool pair of shoes....and much much more. For those intending to brave the heat and wear a blazer, choose one made of a lightweight material such as cotton or linen and remember blazers and shorts look awesome together.

Re footwear, this is the time of year to ensure you have shoes that fit the occasion, sneakers are all the rage at the moment..so a funky pair of Nikes or Vans-slip-ons will look cool and stylish as will a pair of interesting espadrilles but this might also be the time of year to invest in a lovely pair of coloured, leather brogues esp if you've perhaps left your younger years behind you. 

I've roamed the internet for some examples of well dressed men and here's a few

And since I've just attended the Sarto Garden Party..one of my fave dressed men was Peter Carbonaro.....I thought I'd show you his outfit.

If you need ideas as to where to shop from I'd suggest the following local shops : Bortex (Gagliardi) / Armani Jeans / Tommy Hilfiger / Aldo Shoes / Zara Man / Topman / Mexx / Massimo Dutti

and some online ideas ...click on the product to go to the retailer

Check out the female targeted version of this post right here

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