Alice Delall & Chanel Boy Bags

Hello!

Happy friday, I do love a 4 day week…

To take me into the weekend, I’m channelling the latest Chanel ads featuring Alice Delall. (The only person who really still gets away with having her head shaved at the temple) I love the way the shaved part of her head is decorated on the second image along with that large black bow in her ponytail.

In admiring the style of Alice Delall and her taste in music, I think she’s a perfect fit for the paired-down chic of the Chanel Boy Bag collection.

One thing about this ad campaign, snapped by Karl Lagerfeld, is that with possible exception of the loose knit white skirt, (image 4) you could pretty much see Alice Delall wearing all of this stuff. Unlike the cute, Tiara-wearing Lily Allen in the Coco Coccoon ad campaign, the look of these ads; the baroque-style luxurious (hotel?) room, the perfect make-up and pretty hair styling, the heels, are all juxtaposed perfectly with Delall’s bad-ass personal style. 

The Bags…

Yours, 

Whisty Xx

Brown Thomas Exclusives in the Marvel Room

Hello,

Not that I need an excuse to post about beautifully crafted designer pieces, but Brown Thomas opened up their Christmas Marvel Room last week.

It’s basically the perfect Christmas wish-list, which I gather is the whole point. All the exclusive and limited edition Alexander McQueen pieces, and Chanel‘s €5,350 gold and silver python bags were pretty beautiful. Prices weren’t all bonkers though YSL and Mcqueen bracelets are €160 and €120-€150 respectively.

Chanel

Chanel Classic Flap Alligator clutch (Large €25,000; Small €17,800)

Chanel, classic flap sequinned lambskin bags and 1 of only 3 silver python bags, (€5,350).

Chanel, 1 of only 2 gold python skin bags.

Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen, skull print Pashmina (€225)

Alexander McQueen, silk scarf. Exclusive to The Marvel Room at Brown Thomas (294)

Alexander McQueen, silk and cashmere polka-dot skull scarf (€260)

Alexander McQueen, leather bracelets (€130-€150)

Chloé, Gabby grab bag (€2,900)

Lanvin copper metallic cosmetics pouch (€195) & YSL clutch (€595)

There was also a Tiffany & Co. craftsman installed in the room, demonstrating how their beautiful bangles and cuffs (from €490)

Now it’s all about the Christmas windows! Excited to see how they beat last years!

Happy Santa, letter writing!

Yours,

Whisty Xx

Brown Thomas and the Hermès Kellydoscope Bag

Hey all,

I felt like I was in some weird Alice in Wonderland scenario this morning. Though, as much as I would’ve loved to have had a conversation with a giant caterpillar smoking a hukka, my morning was slightly less surreal. Having not actually drank from a bottle marked ‘drink me’, I still managed to walked into Brown Thomas and be dwarfed by a giant handbag. It ‘s actually a 12ft Hermès Kelly bag and is made exactly to spec, i.e. the same fabric and leather etc, as a regular-size one.

It’s pretty impressive, this is what it looks like from close up…

You can go inside it too… and feel a bit daft coming back out of it; yet again the eagle eyes of security were giving me the once over… Seriously this bag is 12ft tall lads. What’ma gonna do with it!?

Anyway, the bag is there to promote the Marvel Room at Brown Thomas;  a showcase of exclusive pieces that have been created through collaborations with some big fashion brands. YSL, Tom Ford, Chanel, Mulberry and Tiffany have all created one-off gifts that will be on sale in the Marvel Room in the run-up to Christmas. (Christmas for the utterly spoilt I presume… Green eyes Whisty? …Yes.)

Not to be outdone, Hermès have created the ‘So Black’ Kelly bags; a 32″ Kelly and a Kelly Mini Pochette. All the ‘exterior hardware’ on the usual Kelly have been ‘blacked-out with a glossed black finish’. I like it, it looks more elegant this way I think.

It’s no illusion, the bags are in a glass case, but you know if you fancy putting either/or on your list for Santa this year, best to warn him that the price-tag is a little on the gulp-worthy side. The Mini Pochette is €3,100 and the 32″ is €5,720. Oh and if you don’t think a bag could possibly be worth that much money, have a wander down to the Hermès concession over the next three days. Brown Thomas has an Hermès craft-person in-store, (in actual fact, an utterly lovely and très jolie Frenchwoman) who you can watch, making a Kelly bag by hand. The finished bag will be in purple leather, (I saw the individual parts – the handle alone is made up of 5 pieces of leather) and will be on sale in the Marvel Room from Sunday.

The giant Kellydoscope bag will be in store until 14th November.

Style Icon: Vanessa Paradis – French Fancy

Chères Readers,

Two things:

1. Seeing as the weather has returned to cold and has plummeted back down to 3 degrees or something; along with

2. The fact that all flights across the country are grounded and there is no hope of flying off somewhere hot.

I’ve plonked myself next the fire to catch up on some magazine reading. Among other things, French Vogue, L’Officiel etc.. I was reading Teen Vogue. As well as stuff inside (honest), I caught the back cover Ad; the new Chanel Coco Rouge with Vanessa Paradis. I know the ads have been out a while and there really is nothing new to say but it just reminded me of how amazing she is:

Plus it sparked my first ever memory of Chanel. Vanessa Paradis dressed as a bird (of Paradise I presume) on a swing in a birdcage. Pure magic. This ad she did for Coco Chanel perfume is 18 years old! I’m genuinely shocked.  I used to have a copy of this photo on the wall in my bedroom when I was in school.

With cheekbones like that it’s no wonder Chanel are still using her in their ad campaigns. I’ve posted a few more of my fave pics: Chanel:

Pretty Editorial

Positively Fierce Editorial, I absolutely love this photograph.

Xx

Spring & Summer wardrobe Inspiration

“The story can resume. I will return. Find you, love you, marry you…”

I watched The Lovely Bones when it was released earlier in the year, and although I really didn’t enjoy the movie at all, I was gob-smacked at Saoirse Ronan’s performance. It immediately made me think that, because I hadn’t seen anything else she’s done, I was missing out on other great performances. Effectively, it meant that I hadn’t seen Atonement either.

So nearly three years after it’s release I finally watched it on Monday. As I suspected I was utterly captivated by Saoirse’s performance and not only that, but the film itself is gorgeous. The country house setting, the humid summer weather, the incredibly posh accents, (including Saoirse’s) the vintage cars, the romanticism of war and the incredible costumes are all served so beautifully by director Joe Wright.

I had no idea what the storyline is before I watched it and so got to experience the, all-too-uncommon cinematic magic of watching it all its twists and turns unfold naturally. (Though, sometimes, if you’re prone to a bit of a blub, you instinctively know with some films that tears are never far away!).

Jacqueline Durran was nominated for an Oscar in 2008 for Best Achievement in Costume Design for the film. I think it is safe to say that Keira Knightley’s character Cecilia has the best wardrobe I’ve ever seen in a movie. It is what I will mostly be craving / channelling it this spring and summer. The feminine floaty, sheer loveliness of it for summer and the beautifully tailored, structured parts of it for spring. I will, however, sadly only dreaming about channelling the Chanel Joaillerie that Keira’s character wears in the movie.

SUMMER

SPRING

The beautiful (and unobtainable) Chanel Jewellery.

Jewellery images via: The Costumer’s Guide to Movie Costumes. Atonement images via: www.Keiraknightley.net and google.

Clipitty Clog.

As far as new season trends go, I invariably rejoice at the versatility and imagination of the designer collections. Picturing myself in high street versions as soon as Penny’s (Primark) or Topshop can get the looks in store. I will however admit, that much like a newly-released pop-song, there is always one trend that starts as a ‘grower’. This year, it was the clog. Chanel’s country-philic SS10 rtw show was the final catalyst, moving the humble surgeons shoe away from operating theatres (and Dutch windmills – see below) and into the 2010 fashion-conscience.

Personally, I am hoping that I’m not as shallow as to warm to the frankly clunky, clog, only after seeing Alexa Chung in a pair for the latest UK Vogue cover. In fact it’s probably a culmination of seeing the shoe there as well as on numerous pages inside the monthly glossies, that’s made the shoe more appealing. I.e. in the true sense of the ‘grower’ pop-song, the more you hear it the more you like it; the more I seen the clog, the more I like it. I’ve decided, after rekindling my love for the heel in general last weekend, that I shall probably indulge in a pair and probably one of these styles:

I say one of these styles, what I mean is one of the non-designer versions. Both the Miss Selfridge / Topshop ones are great, the Jeffrey Campbell’s look nearly exactly like the Chanel ones and thus I’m craving them. Then there’s the Hobbs ones that look like they would be great for running around the city in. I shall have to wait and see which I can get my fickle fashion fingers on! Clockwise from bottom left: Lottie clog mules £65 Topshop; Charlie clog, €95 Jeffrey Campbell; Slingback clog, £75 Asos.com, NW3 Wydles fringed clog, £119 Hobbs; Purple leather clog, £270 Christian Dior; Tassel mule, Alexander Wang; Slip on Clog £460, Yves Saint Laurent; Bow sandal clog, €70 Miss Selfridge; Centre image, Chanel SS1o runway, via style.com.

I’m sorry to say that clogs always remind me of this adorable children’s song too. (Written by Dicks & Rudge)

Verse:

A mouse lived in a windmill in old Amsterdam
A windmill with a mouse in and he wasn’t grousin’
He sang every morning, “How lucky I am,
Living in a windmill in old Amsterdam!”

Chorus:
I saw a mouse!
Where?
There on the stair!
Where on the stair?
Right there!
A little mouse with clogs on
Well I declare!
Going clip-clippety-clop on the stair
Oh yeah

Fashion Ads and Photo ops from Last Week

Couture Fashion took centre stage last week (images from Valentino, Chanel and Jean Paul Gaultier below), creating a host of photo ops in Paris, but I’m starting with the first look at Alexander McQueens SS10 Ad campaign. His LFW show was one of the most important this season and has seen fashion forward ladies like Lady Gaga and Daphne Guinness getting those shoes. This snake ad is definitely the most dramatic I’ve seen in a long time, let alone this season. Amazing.

Alexander McQueen SS10 Ad Campaign, first look.

Claudia Schiffer snaps Kanye West and Amber Rose at the Chanel Couture FRow, Couture SS10 Fashion Week, Paris. (Image via WWD.com)

Pier Paolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri for Valentino created a feminine, vibrant wearable collection. Mixing neon and nude tones, both the long and short dresses were the epitome of subtle, summertime glamour. The trouser-suits were equally summery but with a less glamorous, more edgy feel. Hair was as simple as make-up was striking, the neon theme was striped across eyes in thick bands of colour. A beautiful collection.

Jean Paul Gaultier’s Couture collection was an extraordinarily eclectic mix, he infused Mexican with armoured shoulders and tropical floral prints and appliques. creating a collection that stood out as exciting but completely wearable. I loved the leaf fronds that protruded from headdresses, gowns and bags and the armoured knees and shoulders created a fabulous balance to the heavily floral pieces.

The internet has been a-buzzin’ with talk of the “Minnie Mouse“ hair as seen at the Chanel couture show (see below) last week. I’m sorry Karl, but I’ve seen that somewhere before… I always knew Gary Oldman was a style icon and here he is as Bram Stoker’s Dracula sporting a pretty similar look, non?

All catwalk images via. Style.com. Last image via Fabsugar.co.uk

Tat-too much?

So Ray-Ban are getting a fair bit of cyber promo since some dude decided to get a pair of their specs ‘tattooed’ onto his mush. YouTube it, I’m not adding to this viral nonsense, you wanna advertise on my blog Mr. Ban, you can pay me! … Oh yeah, that showed them, when I’ve mentioned it twice already…

Any hoo, speaking of tattoos, Chanel’s temporary ones, ‘Les Trompe L’Oeil de Chanel‘ are due for release on Chanel.com next month and I’m seriously considering paying the £49 (€?) for 55 transfer chains, pearls, birds and interlocking C’s. Based on designs by Peter Philips, they were one of the elements in the Paris SS10 show that stood out from the ultra-feminine collection. I think that’s actually the key to wearing them in a way that won’t look a bit rough and scary; if you’re going to go for it, make sure you’re wearing something amazingly girly.

The way the model has been ‘tattooed’ in this first picture’s really lovely; the make-up looks really delicate, and maybe it’s because the tattoo is of a little Swallow, but it just looks so pretty. I like the idea of wearing the tattoos on the neck and maybe around the wrists too, like tattoo jewellery I suppose.

Chanel SS10 images (above) via Trend Hunter

Last image Vogue.co.uk

‘Les Trompe L’Oeil de Chanel’

How to wear… Thigh-High Boots.

AW09 Ready To Wear Catwalk images, clockwise from top right: Yigal Azrouel, Gucci, Rodart, Marc Jacobs, Halston, Alexander McQueen.

How to wear…

The dilemma with this season’s thigh-high boot trend is that if you go with the high-heeled version, your risking looking like you may charge by the hour; a flat version, you’re risking looking like the stand-in for Dick Whittington at the Gaiety Christmas Panto. Needless to say, neither of these are good looks. When I saw the pictures of Kelly Rowland in Dublin last week, the last thing I thought was that the boots looked wrong, in fact they looked incredible, but they were Gucci and she is stunning. It convinced me however that thigh high boots with high heels can create looks that are chic and if I am going to go thigh highs the heels would have to be high too.

Lily Allen – Statement Accessories

Lily Allen was out in London last night attending both the Hapers Bazaar Women of the Year Awards and the launch of  Matches Boutique. She wore a simple comprising a grey sweater and jeans, which were then accessorised to the max with a statement necklace and elbow-length gloves. Hair swept back and dark glasses on, Lily looked like a modern day Holly Golightly (again).

She must see the Audrey Hepburn character as her muse and I can’t think of a better look for her to channel, she looks great right now and maybe it was this vibe that helped her land the Chanel Coco Cocoon bags ad campaign?

Get the Look for Less: