Family Corner : Maternity Wear at KIABI

 By: Unknown    00:20  No comments

From what I've heard, being heavily pregnant in summer isn't all that great what with the summer heat, summer weddings, parties, BBQs and events - apparently, generally, many pregnant women end up hot and bothered. Whilst clothes can't solve the heat problem, new clothes can hopefully generate a few smiles at the very least especially easy-to-wear summer dresses.

Here are some of the new stock options from KIABI that caught my eye - there are some bright colours, a bit of white and a few greys. My take is to wear bright clothes to uplift a bad mood, grey when you're feeling passive and white when you're happy.

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Shopping : Summer at F&F

 By: Unknown    00:00  No comments

Today's shopping post revisits F&F at Daniel's - if you're still unsure what shop this is - it's the line from Tesco that opened late 2014. Summer stock is now fully stocked at F&F and there's quite a selection of bright, colourful clothing and interesting swimwear styles. 

Since it's impossible for me to update you on what's in stock in each and every shop in Malta, what I'm attempting, is a mix of budget and high-end shops, as well as those that are a bit 'newsworthy' ie. either not really well known or recently opened. F&F falls into both the budget and recently opened categories, so I decided it should make my list again this season.

AWithin minutes of walking into the store, a couple of things had already caught my eyes. First of all, there's a whole lot of yellow and by now you should all know how I feel about yellow - basically, it's not just for Tweety. There's also quite a large selection of swimwear and a couple of interesting accessories including bags and hats.

Let's go back to the 'yellow' - they've inserted the colour into the collection paired up with blue and the combo works quite nicely. Yellow is a major trend this summer and at F&F they've got blazers, a-line skirts, trousers, tops - basically, any clothing-item-type you might want to wear. Honestly, they're really leaving no excuse to not buy into the whole 'I will be wearing yellow this summer'. 

If you still think yellow is not for humans, we should sit down and have a chat together, at which I will, of course, wear the brightest shade of yellow known to fabric and attempt to dazzle you into agreeing with me.

 

Of course there's also denim in the store - we haven't left this denim-obsessed century

Now for the swimwear - the selection really is very large, there are cleavage-enhancing bikinis, one-piece suits with magic support, tankinis and lots more. Flick through the slideshow below to get an idea



Menswear is quite well stocked too at F&F, so I thought I'd snap some pics this time round as I'm generally accused by the hubby of neglecting 'his kind' completely.



Last but not least, there are also some really great female accessories.




Happy Shopping !!!

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Malta Fashion Week : Ritienne Zammit : 2015

 By: Unknown    06:05  No comments

Ritienne Zammit's A/W 15 collection surprised me. I entered backstage expecting to see highly creative pieces that wouldn't be entirely wearable, that would be more of an artistic expression than anything else. I was pleasantly surprised - the creativity is still there but this collection is much more wearable,  a lot cleaner than her previous work, a touch more refined and a touch more mature.

The collection is inspired by Maltese patriotism and poets, especially by Dun Mikiel Xerri a Maltese patriot who was involved in an unsuccessful revolt to overthrow French rule under Napoleon Bonaparte. He was captured and later executed. Other names made an appearance within the collection, namely Manwel Dimech and the national poet Dun Karm who wrote our National Anthem.

If I had to pick my favourite thing about any of Ritienne's collection is how strong her story always is, the theme and the colour flow have absolutely no holes in them, at no point will you ever stop and think 'Wait, where did that pop out from?'  This collection is no exception and I loved her colour palette of grey, white, pinks and teal.

There's also lots of symbolism to be found within the different pieces - newspaper-style prints and slogans, Maltese words, beating hearts, and of course the odd t-shirt with Dun Mikiel's face plastered all over it.

The models wore finger-wave vintage hairstyles and fake moustaches, harking back to the days gone by and the finale piece had one model representing Dun Mikiel Xerri himself, walking down in an ghonella-style jumpsuit made entirely of Maltese writing print. Something else to mention is the dark humour to be found in some of the prints - the heart and face prints feel wistfully comical in an ironic tone.

The pieces themselves cater for a variety of different shapes and preferences and there's a lot of contrast to be found. The range varies from culottes - combining wool and silver metallic fabrics and pink fur patches, a pink fur coat with different shades of pink and fur styles, tailored jackets and loose fitting shift dresses and palazzo pants. 

It is not just the wearability factor that has improved this year but also the quality of the finishing of the product as well as her choice of fabrics. Well done Ritienne - I look forward to the next one.

Photos by Bernard Polidano

All Photos by Bernard Polidano

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Shopping : Lulu` Boutique

 By: Unknown    00:28  No comments

There's something about good, quaint, interior styling that immediately grabs my attention. I especially enjoy it when I encounter it in clothing and accessory boutiques. Don't get me wrong, I love shopping at minimalist-designed, clean, white shopping spaces but I also do love me a bit of cute and quaint.

Some time ago, I wrote about a quaint shop located off the normal shopping route - Lulu` Boutique in Ta' Xbiex, Malta. This shop uplifts my mood right from the front door - a little blackboard announces the opening hours and a sea of bright colours calls for my attention.

I popped by the store yesterday, the new stock has just arrived and there is A LOT of stock. There's a huge variety of different items. There are bikinis, a large range of costume jewelry, some snazzy fedora hats, I also spotted some coloured, smart blazers, long flowing maxi dresses, crochet blazers..you get the gist. To give an example of the variety of items, whilst in there, I saw both an older woman buying an interesting, patterned knee-length dress and a teenager buying a tulle polka dot skirt.

Some of the main trends for this season are 70's influence (think patterns, bright colours and all round hippy effect), yellow yellow yellow, white white white, lace and delicate fabrics, polka dot patterns, jumpsuits and ofc denim. 

There are a lot of 70's style patterns in the store and check out those fedoras

What interested me most however, was the large selection of summer dresses. Summer dresses are the main thing my clients and readers ask me to source. Our hot climate makes dresses the most ideal item of clothing you can wear - first of all, they're easy - let's face it, there isn't really much outfit planning involved. Obviously, less clothing leads to less items that can get creased, or make you feel hot and uncomfortable. The only downside to a dress is, that well, there's only one way to wear it, you can change around accessories but with a bright, patterned dress, there's a limit to what you can add on. One  way to solve this issue is of course to have many that can be rotated far apart from each other :)  

The slideshow below has just my favourite dresses that I spotted in the shop, there are actually many more


Any favourites ?

To add more dresses to your wardrobe, Lulu` Boutique is open from Monday to Saturday from 9.30a.m to 19.30p.m.  Happy Shopping !!

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Outfit Post : 2 Outfits - 1 Necklace & Aviators

 By: Unknown    23:45  No comments

I very rarely wear the same exact outfit twice, I'm rarely in the mood for the same of anything twice but when it comes to accessories, I tend to get weeks at a time where I'm attached to a particular item. In this case, it's my Ray Ban Aviator Shades and this gold tribal-influenced necklace.

Sunglasses : Ray Ban Optika

Necklace : New Look

Outfit 1

Boyfriend Jeans : Miss Sixty

White Sneakers: US Polo @ Stivaletti

TShirt / Waistcoat : Both have been at me for Yonks

Outfit 2

Skirt : Promod

TShirt : Zara

Long Cardigan : River Island

Kimono : ASOS

Shoes : Tosca Blu @ Stivaletti

Photos by KURT PARIS

Some Shopping Picks in Theme

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What To Wear To Work in SUMMER

 By: Unknown    11:52  No comments

This post was requested by a friend of mine who the other day elaborated on her frustration at dressing up to work every day and thinking she looks great but then having to travel to work in the heat and needless to say feeling like a hot mess by the time she arrives at the office.

With that in mind, I've picked out a couple of things that can help keep you cool whilst still looking stylish. Before we delve into the items, here are a couple of tips for travelling to work during the hotter months.

• Pay attention to the fabric of the item 
• Polyester for example, has the benefit of rarely creasing so it travels well in Winter but it's also completely not breathable and actually naturally water-repellent; which means sweat will build up and cause that sticky, uncomfortable feeling. 
• Natural materials such as cotton and linen are much better at allowing the body to breath and also absorbing moisture from the skin, allowing it to evaporate. Viscose and rayon are other great fabrics, they are semi-synthetic but made from natural raw materials and highly absorbent.
• Use layers
• It might be colder in an air-conditioned office than in the car or train, so carry a shawl or jacket or cardigan with you to wear indoors.
• Use waterproof makeup
• Nothing looks worse than running foundation so get a waterproof one or use a good fixer.

Now for the clothes
- from left to right

ASOS Flowered Shirt - €16.44 - On Sale and made from 100% viscose - wear with loose black / white trousers - the fun pattern will make you smile each time you look in the mirror.

MODCLOTH Blue Dress - $54.99 - 95% rayon and 5% spandex - this should have a great fit and is great for those board meetings or when you need to look a bit 'extra put together'

ASOS Monochrome Shirt - €47.94 On Sale and 100% cotton - this one is a really stylish one - click on the link and check out the great back detail.

ASOS Blue Blouse €47.94 On Sale - 68% Viscose, 32% Polyester. This one has a bit of polyester so maybe don't wear on the most humid of days but it's only a slight percentage.

HOUSEOFFRASER Black Skirt £99.00 On Sale -99% Cotton 1% Polyamide - This is such a versatile piece, you can wear and re-wear a couple of hundred times - it will look totally different with shirts won on the inside than with blouses on the outside and different shoes.

THEOUTNET Bag $392 - A neutral bag that looks good with just about everything.

BENEFIT PRIMPING WITH THE STARS KIT - €37.10 - To carry around in your bag for when your face needs some perking up.

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Spotlight on NICHOLAS K at Milan Fashion Week

 By: Unknown    01:48  No comments

The NICHOLAS K label is made up of designer duo Nicholas and Christopher Kunz - two designers that together have created something very visually exiting. They showcased in New York this Fashion Week as well but I got the chance to catch the Milan Show.

Th collection immediately brings to mind the exploration theme with both the accessories and colour palate evoking ideas of both desserts and urban life. They  cite the explorer Isabelle Eberhart a brave woman who left Geneva as a young girl and traveled to North Africa dressed as a man to fight against the injustices of colonial rule and help the poor. The pieces are powerful, designed for a strong, powerful woman. There are some truly interesting pieces and I particularly liked the jackets - both the shawl-style ones and the shorter more biker-influenced-style. 

All Photos by KURT PARIS

And for those in a Shopping Mood - some excellent pieces for sale from Nicholas K

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NEWS : It's the People's Place at TOMMY

 By: Unknown    03:07  No comments

Tommy Hilfiger opened the very first store called People’s Place in New York back in the 1969 when he was still a teen. Like any teen of his generation, his main interests centered around music - rock and roll, friends and fashion. The shop was a hangout for him and his friends where they burned incense, dressed like rock stars, listened to music and painted all the walls black. The brand has grown and evolved in many ways since then and many different styles have been developed over the years.

They've also selected different fashion bloggers in each country to cover this launch and guess who's Malta's ? I've snapped some pictures of the items that you can scroll down and view but I suggest you pop by the store and get a feel for it. The quality is really lovely and I really enjoyed the vibe of the display itself.

"The collection celebrates a sense of individuality and reflects some of the iconic imagery that’s at the heart of rock music.”

So for the when and where details -

• Starts 25th March and runs until 3rd April at The Point and Valletta - Saturday 28th there will also be a DJ in store. 
• Last but not least - they're also giving a free canvas bag (below...it comes in red as well) from the collection with every pair of denim purchased.

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NEWS : MFCC WAREHOUSE SALE '15

 By: Unknown    23:55  No comments

It's time to talk about the yearly warehouse event happening at MFCC. It started last Thursday and ends tomorrow but stock gets replenished daily. There's a bunch of bargains to be had and some good stores are participating. There are different stands, ranging from homeware to food to of course clothes. Since this is a fashion blog :P - here's some info on the clothes.

The shops that interested me most were mainly -  River Island, New Look, Timberland (for the boys), Kiabi, Benetton and Sisley, Miss Sixty / Desigual / Killah, Teatro Boutique and Rinascimento - all shops I actually like to shop from at full price. Finding the good stuff does involve some hunting, so if that kind of shopping gives you the jeepers, this might not be the best place for you. If on the other hand, the thought of a good scavenger hunt realising in an awesome prize, makes your heart rate rise a notch..then I suggest you hightail it there today...you might find me there on round 2...

And for some product shots ..click through this awesome - work-of-art installation slideshow below 

Opens today from 10 a.m - 10 p.m and tomorrow from 10 a.m - 9 p.m

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