Runway Review: Versace Spring 2016 Ready-to-Wear

Whenever I think about Versace, I think about a sexy and powerful woman. Donatella Versace has mastered the art of dressing the modern woman in outfits designed to inspire confidence and provoke a visceral reaction. This season she has succeeded, yet again, in capturing the spirit of the woman we all want and aspire to be. Each look she sent down the runway was more alluring than the last, culminating in quintessentially Versace dresses. Who is the ultimate Versace woman you ask? Hmm, just ask Gigi Hadid. She definitely rocked some classically sexy Versace at the end of the show.

I personally fell head over heels in love with this Versace Spring 2016 collection. Read on for my favorite looks, I’m sure you’ll fall as hard as I did.

Donatella’s bevy of miltary-inspired olive green clad beauties definitely started the show with a bang. How can you not love the leggy blazer worn as dresses? Tailored shorts with boxy blazers and mini dresses were accentuated with two accessories, which I predict will be must-haves next year–soft leather satchels in khaki tones and utilitarian waist-cinchers with that eponymous Versace lion. Another noteworthy styling moment? Check out the sheer ankle socks with the sky high olive green strappy platforms. School girl chic with an edge. 

Now we can’t expect Donatella to show us typical camouflage do we? In true Versace fashion, she took the fashion army theme of her runway collection and expanded it into prints that fit perfectly into the glamorous and sexy Versace brand. Using leopard and zebra print in green and bold purple hues, Donatella created her own type of camouflage. Whether it’s the acid green leopard print dress that Behati Prinsloo rocked, or the edgy pastiche of animal prints, or even the sheer spiderweb frock with leopard green spots, I am 100% sure that this print is one that we’ll be seeing a lot of this upcoming season. Oh, and don’t forget that these trippy animal prints have matching structured backpacks too. Dibs on that!

Donatella is known for slinky dresses and dangerously sexy garments, so it was a surprise when she showed pieces that appealed to the more tomboy chic crowd. Tailored shirt dresses with voluminous sleeves, a coordinating olive green suit with relaxed fit sleeves and drapey bottoms, and even some crew-neck sweaters and bomber jackets were done up in Versace style, that is with their signature glamazon aesthetic. Though the silhouettes were decidedly more laid-back, the prints and the styling were in sync with the rest of the collection.

I love this part of the Versace show. The earthy tones with the pop of neon orange is a nod to the current dominance of the 70s. I especially love how Versace owns it super sexy aesthetic with incredibly high slits.

Now, we know that Versace won’t end it’s show without some red carpet stunners. These 3 are my top picks for frocks that I’m sure tons of stylish celebrities will love to rock this upcoming season. The combination of different textures and prints keeps the mini dress silhouette current and edgy. I can totally see these dresses on the likes of Rihanna, Blake Lively, and Beyonce. Consider me smitten with Versace Spring 2016 dresses.

Photos from Vogue.com

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Did you fall as hard as I did? Which looks did you absolutely love? Sound off in the comments section, and let me know!

Runway Review: Oscar De La Renta Spring 2016

Peter Copping is currently at the helm of the fashion house, Oscar de la Renta. Taking over for such an eponymous designer and historic brand is not an easy task, but Copping is more than up to the task. His recent Spring 2016 collection was inspired by the romance and danger of Spanish matadors. Copping took color inspiration from Oscar himself by centering his collection on a beautiful shade of dark carnation red that Oscar favors. One of the most memorable collection for the Spring 2016 Fashion Week, I loved how this season the brand really embraced its signature sensual femininity.

Here are my personal picks for the most memorable runway looks for Oscar de la Renta Spring 2016:

Capes are going strong this season. You can clearly see the matador inspiration here. Consider capes your go-to spring outerwear.

Lace + carnation print + ruffles + the perfect shade of vibrant red = STUNNING.

For women who love black, this is an amazing, modern yet totally romantic way to get more color into your wardrobe. A bold red hue peeking underneath a sheer black dress with beautiful pleating details is simply sophisticated.

A more fashion forward alternative to the trendy slip dress, I love that this dress has the right amount of sheerness. Take note of the floral applique on the pumps too! How elegant!

Espadrilles are the quintessential summer shoe, and I love how they styled the runway ensembles around this typically casual shoe. These espadrilles are another indication of the Spanish influence in the collection.

Hunter Green moves into spring with this flirty halter neck eyelet dress. Bring out those cabochon statement earrings for daytime, and style it just like this runway look. So chic!

The tiered ruffles and the painterly appeal of the carnation print make this dress a standout. The lace and ruffled collar neck give it a Victorian feel.

This seafoam green turquoise color hybrid is one of the brighter hues in this collection. It really stands out from the predominantly red and black pieces. I also love how the sweater is belted at the waist and paired with a shimmery skirt. Office style inspiration, for sure.

Mustard yellow lace? Yes, please. This is such a refreshing and dramatic take on the summer lace dress.

A multi-color pom pom sweater worn over a slinky peek-a-boo lace dress? I can totally see the Olsens or Miley in this look. Sexy and feminine yet still so cutting edge.

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And now we come to the forte of the Oscar de la Renta fashion house, EVENING WEAR. Is there anyone better than Oscar de la Renta when it comes to glamour that is equal parts show-stopping and jaw-dropping in its elegance? Nobody does it better than de la Renta. Even Carrie Bradshaw knows that. For some serious evening gown inspiration, or envy, take a look at my picks below. Watch out for these beautiful frocks in the coming months, I am so sure that Hollywood celebrities and style stars will be lining up to wear these.

All photos from Vogue.com

Which de la Renta look did you love? I absolutely fell head over heels for the last look! The off-shoulder detail and the glove-looking sleeve is TO DIE FOR.

The Fall Collections

Fall is here. For fashionistas it means thick and heavy September issues, browsing your Instagram for the latest Fashion Week snaps, and of course, integrating some Fall 2015 trends into your current wardrobe rotation.

I know that it can get overwhelming, there’s just so much runway and designer inspiration out there. Not to worry, I’ve chosen 3 of my favorite trends that I think will be key to looking like you’re a style lover in the know. These 3 trends are sumptuous sweater dressing, modern florals, and luxe fabrications. Check out these stunning runway images and my styling tips below.

Sumptuous Sweater Dressing

Sweaters are a fall/winter staple. This season it’s all about chunky cable knits that’s a little bit on the oversized side.  Just look at these ones above from Banana Republic, Altuzarra, and Brock Collection. Also noteworthy is the turtleneck that all 3 sweaters have, since it’s another hot trend of the season.

What makes this season’s sweaters extra sumptuous? Creamy hues and milky white sweaters extend the shelf life of whites well into the colder seasons. Prominent knit patterns make these sweaters look extra luxe and fashion forward.

This avant garde sweater from the Delpozo runway shows off how far you can take this trend. You can even look for add-ons to your standard knit.

Modern Florals

Straight from the runways of Burberry Prorsum, Antonio Berardi, and Duro Olowu, come modern floral prints combined with stark black geometric lines and dark color backgrounds. This make the florals come alive even more and look more current.

Suno Autumn/Winter 2015-2016 collection shows off floral prints that toe the line between the seasons perfectly. The flowers looked playful and plucked straight from spring, but the dark colors and longer silhouettes place these pieces firmly into fall.

Influenced by the 70s, the Trina Turk Autumn/Winter 2015-2016 feature painterly florals and large, imposing blooms prominently. I love how it looks when worn with psychedelic retro prints.

This is the more feminine and glamorous side of this season’s modern florals. With an overpowering air of dark romance, these florals are high on drama and high on style too. Replicate this runway look by picking floral pieces with lace or ruffle details.

Luxe Fabrications

This season’s luxe fabrications range from old-world to edgy. Brocade and over-the-top appliqué embellishments add a luxurious and rich texture that comes from historical influences and translate into unforgettable jaw-dropping pieces of fashion.

Feathers and colored Mongolian fur are a novel, not to mention, glamorous way to stay snug and cozy during the fall/winter season. Feathered pieces or pieces with feathered cuffs or hems are great options for evenings out during chilly seasons, while colored Mongolian fur will surely stand out from neutral colored fur.

Leather, Lace, and Velvet are the big three of luxurious fabrications. Edgy and romantic at the same time, these 3 materials are so lush and make your ensemble look rich in texture and rich in style. If you’re feeling daring you can wear these at the same time, a leather skirt with a lace top, a velvet dress with lace tights and leather boots. The possibilities are endless.

Fall is the time to reinvent yourself and your style too. Embrace the change, and fall in love with these fall trends just like I have.

Giveaway

Hi guys,

This week I am hosting a giveaway for Serene Sky Boutique!

The lucky winner is going to get a $25 voucher from Serene Sky Boutique.

Want to know what you can get? Check out shopserenesky.com. My favourite piece is this little necklace. It is just so elegant and lovely! It is super easy to match and it always catches everyone’s attention.

How to win:

Step 1: Enter your email in Rafflecopter Giveaway
Step 2: Check your email to see if you are the lucky winner.
Step 3: Good Luck!

The winner is going to be announced next week and will receive the voucher immediately.

Why not try your luck?

How I cut back on carbs

I am about to venture into an entirely different territory here – food. Food bloggers, don’t worry, I won’t be taking up your space at all. I will be talking about food as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Here goes the first of its kind – the Food post.

 

Ever since I first started wondering about which food is good and which is not, the question “what shall I eat” have never really left my mind.

 

 

As a teenager going through that sensitive stage between 13-16 years old the purpose of food was shifting from “just eat whatever to feel full” to “just eat whatever doesn’t make me fat”.

 

It was a really long pursuit with lots of trial and error, but eventually I figured out that sugar makes you fat. And soon after that the real culprit was out – carbs.

 

Overnight carbs became my sworn enemy.

I remember thinking “OK. So that’s easy, just minimise the carbs and life is perfect”.

Not. So. Fast.

The week that came after the day I started reading the labels on all the foods that I were eating became the most horrifying week ever. I won’t take the risk of sounding negative here, so I will just call it the “The Week of Enlightenment”. During this week all the skeletons were coming out the closet. And there was a huge number of them, far more than I realised. By the end I was so “enlightened” that I just wanted to curl up and die. Almost everything I ate was either super high or high in carbs. There was almost nothing left that fitted my new criteria of “low/no carb”.

 

What was I going to eat from now on?! 

Hoping for an easy way out, I decided to just give it all up. I thought if I give up everything all together it will be easier to grieve and survive this loss. I lasted till dinner time. At around 7 my blood sugar level was so low I had to eat something sweet and fast. I could not even think of anything else at all. It was all like FOOD FOOD FOOD SUGARRRRR. On repeat. So this strategy was never going to work.

 

 

My next strategy which proved slightly more successful was to burn off all the carbs that I eat doing exercises. I liked exercises and really didn’t mind doing more, I also liked carbs, so this strategy sounded like a win-win. To my dismay it really didn’t work. The reality was that to burn off all the calories I was consuming I had to exercise for 5-8 hours a day. I tried to google the most generous estimates of how many calories are burned during exercise and even then it still meant I had to exercise 5 hours a day.

I lasted 2 days.

 

 

After trying a wide variety of stupid strategies and feeling complete exhausted I finally took a first step on the road of low carb life – made a reasonable plan. The plan was very simple and looked something like this:

Super duper plan
To replace:	Replace with:
cereal (high sugar)	oat porridge with blueberries
sweet yogurt	natural yogurt with fresh banana chunks
chocolate bar	apple or orange
bowl of pasta	spinach salad with lentils and goat cheese
…	…

Schedule

Replace cereal by 7th of September

Replace sweet yogurt by 14th of September

…

I stuck to my guns on this one. And it worked.

 

Of course, I still eat some carbs. It is a small amount and it always comes “sugarcoated” in lots of fiber. I shall keep the details for a future post 🙂

 

 

In the mean time, if you want to cut out some carbs from your diet you can make a plan and get started.

 

Good luck!

Stress reliever

I know it is just the beginning of the week, but things are already going so crazy!

In this post I wanted to share with you all the best ways to get effective rest fast and what to do (or not to do) to make sure your don’t get stressed easily.

Breathe

Sound stupid, but it is actually the number one technique for stress release. Any psychotherapist will agree – a few deep breaths can go a long way.

Is it some kinda new way of breathing? You could say that, it is called 3D breathing. Here is how to do that:

Sit down with your back straight, take a very deep breath through the nose, inhale the maximum amount of air that can possibly fit in your lungs, let your ribs open up to the sides while maintaining the lower abdomen as flat as possible.

And then breathe all that air out through your mouth…..

And repeat. Repeat as many times as needed to completely calm down. But do not force yourself to breathe as this can cause lightheadedness. Go with the flow.

Feels good right?

Take a nap

If you are very lucky and can afford to take a nap in the middle of the day, well first of all – congratulations, you make lots of people jealous. Secondly, DO take that nap. Studies have shown that even a 15 minute nap (or power nap) can boost your energy levels for the rest of the day and improve your mood.

So make the most of this luxury and snooze when you can.

Hold it!

This one is really controversial, but nonetheless backed by real science: go easy on that coffee. Although caffeine is know for its energising qualities, it actually looks quite ugly from the point of view of your nervous systems. It makes you more active and alert, but that in turn can irritate the hell out of your nerves and get you more stressed.

Skipping those caffeinated drinks, your second cup of coffee or tea can decrease your stress levels dramatically.

Sleep tight

Have an important meeting the next morning? Closing the deal next day? Those sound like good reasons to be stressed. There is a way out however – get a good night’s sleep. It will help replenish those energy levels and get some happy hormones (serotonin) into your brain. You will be able to think fast, solve issues quicker and will definitely look your best.

The earlier – the better

Here is a surprise for you – alcohol actually makes you more stressed. Initially it gives you more confidence, elevates the mood and makes everything better, but it irritates your nervous system and prevents you from getting a good nights sleep. Have you noticed that every time you have drink late in the evening you wake up early? Yep, that is what I mean.

By no means do you have to stop drinking altogether. Please, I am not a monster – just try to do it in the day. So that your body get plenty of time to “digest” the alcohol and get it out of your system before you go to bed.

That way you get the best of both world – you favourite drink AND solid sleep.

You can thank me later!

Try meditation

Everyone has heard of this mystery word. Meditation this, meditation that. It is everywhere – lots of resources online, thousands of meditation apps and printed materials.

In actual fact it is just a very simple relaxation technique that incorporates breathing and body awareness to quickly calm you down.

Just try it – all you might loose is a few minutes of your time!

Have a cuppa

Don’t you find warm liquids soothing? Just the image alone should make you happier already – imagine yourself holding a lovely cup of hot cocoa or tea or anything else that is liquid-y or soup-y, warm and soothing and then you take that little sip… ahhh… bliss

Go and get yourself you favourite hot drink and let that stress drift away.

Have a blissful stress-free week!

Weekend shopping

In the mood for some weekend shopping?

Check out this special sale and get 20% off New Season pieces with the code included.

I am loving the graphic wallets and pouches by Emilio Pucci and gorgeous studded Valentino accessories.

Have a wonderful weekend!

How to get a raise

Think appearance 

It is easy to feel uncertain in this huge competitive world. Expectations are always high and so are the asks. So how do you keep up with the competition, feel confident and keep climbing up the corporate ladder?

Apart from the obvious things like learning relevant new things, having a good relationship with your colleagues and showing leadership qualities, there is also your appearance. 

Often overlooked and always underestimated, appearance is key to a successful career.  

Looking good is just as important for career progress as having valuable experience or the right qualifications. Even if you don’t work with clients, you are still surrounded by people, some of them will be the ones giving your that raise, some of them will become your team.

So lets start from the beginning.

The basic principles:

• Clean. This one is pretty self explanatory and definitely number one on the list.
• Tidy and ironed. If you look a mess, people are going to think you are disorganised and that is not a quality we need for a successful career. So tidy up your hair, avoid crazy patterns and always make sure your clothes are ironed to perfection.
• Appropriate/decent. It is very important to respect your company’s dress code and avoid the don’ts of office wear. Here is a standard list of dress code no-no’s:
• Strapless/spagetti strap tops
• Open midriffs
• Mini skirts
• Low cleavage
• See-through tops
• Patterned tights/push ups
• Peep-toe shoes

Hair

Has to be tidy, out of your face and look good. Most hair styles will work, the main goal is to look professional and groomed.

Here is a great example by Kerastase with instructions:

• On dry hair, separate a section at the top middle of your head. 
• Temporarily secure the section by creating a bun using a hair band. 
• Apply FORME FATALE along the teeth of a fine-tooth comb. 
• Comb the right side of your hair creating a slick, pulled back look. 
• Secure with a pin and repeat on the other side. 
• Release bun and flat iron it smooth. Pull the hair back. 
• Finish – Create volume at the top and secure the hair at the back with a pin. Set the style with LAQUE COUTURE.

Make up

Click on the photo to check out a set from Charlotte Tilbury that will keep you covered with your office make up.

Another great set for a beautiful face. This one is by Laura Geller.

Natural makeup is perfect for the office, just keep to your nude makeup palette and you will always look great. The goal is to look fresh, rested and ready to work hard.

Fake lashes, bright lips and bronzer can wait for the evening.

Outfit

Do your best to follow the latest trends. Most of them will work for your office wear as well as the everyday casual looks. Try to inject colors that are in trend and try new shapes that the fashion industry offers. This will indicate to people that you keep yourself up-to-date and in the know. 

Shoes

The outfit logic works here too. If in doubt go for the classic black pump in suede or leather. It will never let you down.

And finally, dress for success. Every single day.  

After all, would you be more inclined to offer a promotion to someone who dresses like a boss or someone who wears the same shirt two days in a row? Yeah, exactly. So don’t rely solely on your skills and experience, be extra clever and create a successful image through smart appearance.

Worst shampoo I have ever bought

Nobody is immune to the handy work of the corporate marketing gurus.

After all, they are the pros. Having repeatedly sworn to myself that I will not fall for their sweet words again, I still find myself buying stuff I don’t need, stuff that just sucks or stuff that’s on offer. Grrrrr!!!

One of those things was my Volume shampoo and conditioner for Fine hair by Phyto Paris.

Here is how the story goes.

Before I begin, I have to warn you that this post contains an image of a very angry-looking cat.

WARNING: If you are sensitive to angry cat images look away now!

Having left the hairdresser with an uplifted mood I decided to treat my hair with a little something it will like. After all it has done for me, it deserved some spoiling. 

So I went to a beauty store nearby and after hearing some recommendations from the consultant I purchased a Phyto shampoo and conditioner set.

Next morning was when that mood became rather shitty. (And not because the shampoo was brown in color, that would just be silly, and it did become sorta see-through as I spread it). It was because of this: after putting a tonne of shampoo on my hair I still had almost NO FOAM at all!

The shampoo didnt foam!! Whaaat! What were they thinking? Who tested this product?! 

Was it a test group of cats? Like oh great, there is no foam, no mess. And actually we don’t really water either. It’s a done deal. We will go with that. 

To prove this theory I went and tested it on my three cats. They have never been great fans of showers and never really shown any signs of overwhelming joy caused by the foam, so it was a high chance they would approve this shampoo. 

The results were what they call inconclusive, meaning one of the cats didn’t like it, whilst the other two behaved as usual.

Clearly not a fan…

But let’s go back to the effect of Phyto on human hair. After I finished helplessly trying to foam up my hair and rinsed this shampoo out, my hair felt like the rough side of a kitchen sponge: rough, dirty and stuck together with superglue.

Not exactly the effect I was hoping for.

Still clinging on to the shreds of optimism I got on with it. I don’t usually follow instructions and prefer to put more conditioner than recommended since my hair is quite dry. But since this was the first time using this brand, I squeezed a recommended coin size amount of Phyto conditioner and gently spread it all over avoiding the scalp. That seemed to make things much better.

After blow drying my hair looked very sleek, flat and feeling slightly oily. In three words: second day hair. 

If I were to do a promise vs result comparison table it would look like this:

What the label promised	The Actual Result
Volume	Flat as a surface of a frozen lake (and not in a romantic way, in a cold mean slippery kind of way)
Perfect for fine hair	Made it heavy and slightly oily.
$80 worth of value	$0 value (and I am being generous here)
Luxury brand made in Paris	Overpriced brand that invested everything into marketing and nothing into the product.

So here is my final rating of Phyto Volume shampoo and conditioner for fine hair.

Shampoo – 0 out of 10: doesnt wash, doesnt foam. I could give it a star for the smell but come on.

Conditioner – 3 out of 10: made my hair soft at the expense of making it heavy and oily. 

And finally, with my readers as my witnesses I swear to never buy products that are constantly on offer, or products that I can’t explain why I need. Amen.

P.S. I will probably still buy too much, but hell I am good at explaining why I “need” it)))

Beauty products you can easily save on

Have you ever tried to calculate how much money you have spent on your beauty stash?

Well, even if you are not a beauty junkie, I am sure it is a considerable sum.

We are talking $500 or even more.

So clearly it is important to consider the effectiveness of our beauty products and think about what kind of products we can save on.

Toothpaste and toothbrushes

There are a lot of myths out there about the magic properties of toothpaste. I gotta say, toothpaste in itself doesn’t really make any difference. Unless you have severe tooth sensitivity it is probably not worth it to splurge on it. After all, toothpaste is a necessity and necessities should be very affordable.

Toothbrushes may seem like a super important tool, we all want the perfect smile, right? Well here is what my dentist said about expensive toothbrushes:

“…a complete waste of you money, moreover electric toothbrushes can damage your enamel”.  

Yep, all those high tech ultrasonic electric NASA developed fit for a Queen toothbrushes are just that – a waste of money. The toothbrush he recommended was a simple old school brush costing only a couple bucks. The only special thing about it is that it has 0.01mm bristles.

Shampoos and conditioners

Having tried a super wide range of shampoos and conditioners costing anywhere between $2 and $60 on my hair for years I can confirm that none of them stand out when it comes to results. Some are more foamy, some smell much better, but overall they are all the same. It would take me a year to remember all the brands that I used, but here are the most famous ones: Sunsilk, Herbal Essenses, Dove, Gliss kur, Tresseme, Ojon, Kerastase, Phyto, Fructice, Pantene, Head&Shoulders, Palmolive, Wella, Redken, Shauma, Aesop. All the same. Can you save lotsa money on that? Most definitely. 

Shower gel

Much like shampoos and conditioners, shower gels are all alike.

Unless you want to pay $$ extra for a special smell you like, don’t fall for the marketing. 

Makeup brushes

Well I know this one is a popular question so here is my belief about makeup brushes. Get good quality brushes that last, but don’t fall for the brandname. If you want to save money on your brushes – you can. I got my 30 piece CICI & SISI set (that includes 5 large brushes) on Amazon couple of years ago for around $90. I have been washing and drying them several times a week and they still look and feel as good as new. Before that I had another set of 15 brushes which I got on Ebay for $20. They were perfectly fine, but got lost because of me constantly moving house. The choice is yours –

you can buy a MAC brush for $90 or spend the same amount on a huge set of brushes for all your needs.

Mascara

This one is much more controversial. There are a lot of people that will never give up their expensive mascara not for anything in the world. And thats fine. What we are talking about here is saving money if you want to save it. I have to admit I use the High Impact mascara by Clinique and don’t want to change any time soon, but a Loreal mascara does a great job. The only reason i stick with Clinique is because i feel it is much easier to color my lashes with a brush that the Clinique mascara has, it is much more solid, has more bristles and doesn’t bend. I need twice as much time to achieve the same effect with Loreal’s mascaras. 

Facial Cleansers

As a big fan of Fabulous Face Cleanser by Aesop, it is hard for me to say that spending $65 on a facial cleanser is definitely splurging. Well I have to admit, it is splurging. I really can’t help it, that smell wakes me up in the morning and I would rather give up my morning coffee than the cleanser.

Another thing I will admit is that I really don’t see any changes on my skin and I fully realise that I am paying for the gorgeous Bergamot smell that I love so much.

To sum up, the golden rule for saving money on beauty products is:

Save on everything that you wash off and invest in everything that you leave on your face or body.