MVINTAGE + NET-A-PORTER latest buys

I did mention in my last post that my mister was over for the week so obviously, I had to take some time out from blogging and spend much desired quality time with him.  I love how today's technology allows us to see each other everyday and almost feel like we're literally talking face-to-face, but it's still no substitute to physically being next to each other.  I'm sure you understand!

For his last day over, we opted for a chilled out afternoon. Since the sun is still quite bright and the temperatures are still soaring here in Malta (where is my autumn?! grrr...), I opted for my monochrome midi dress from H&M and decided to pretty it up with my latest MVintage stone necklace.  I had been lusting over this piece for some time and when I went down to The Point for the Action for Breast Cancer Foundation event, I couldn't resist leaving the mall without it!

Yesterday was also a perfect opportunity to wear my newly bought LeSpecs sunnies from Net-a-Porter.  I kept dreaming about a pair of squarish cats' eye sunglasses and search as I may, in-store and online, this was the only pair which perfectly fitted the brief I had in my head! The jury is still out as to whether they are too big for my face or not ... I did get them because of the oversized style, and because I just love the split cats' eye.

the bearded beautiful

You may remember a few weeks ago I blogged about the magnetic attraction men with beards have on me.  You can read it here.

I am actually teased by friends about this, but I have absolutely no problem with it! So much so, I'm dedicating a second post to it!

Phil from ANTM Cycle 20

The inspiration behind today's post actually came from a conversation I had this afternoon with my boyfriend who's over on a surprise visit and a friend in the local fashion industry, who barely recognised my bearded beau after months not seeing him.  There I was, singing the praises of having a beard in the middle of our friend's shop, much to their, and the shoppers amusement!

I just can't have enough of them.  I'm actually on edge to see if Phil, the quirky bearded model in America's Next Top Model Cycle 20, will actually make it for the call-back ... I just can't wait to find out as I'm rooting for him and for him alone! I know, it sounds puerile and a tad loony ... let's just say it's the beard effect.

street style round up: #LFW & #MFW

As you may recall, a few days ago I blogged about the New York Fashion Week street style which you can read about here.

With all that's been going on in the last days, London Fashion Week as well as Milan Fashion Week caught up with me and I've only now had some time to actually go through all that's been happening. Shame on me!

By far my personal highlight of the three Fashion Weeks so far have been the Mary Katrantzou and Orla Kiely presentations ... but then again, I'm kind of biased as these are two of my favourite designers nonetheless!  I would kill for one of the bejewelled, somewhat 60s inspired Katrantzou dresses for a night with my Mister.  And oh, what I would give to work in an environment open to the beret and knee-high sock combination presented at the Kiely show! Oh well ...

But as I mentioned last time, I tend to look more at what's happening on the streets just outside the runways for real inspiration.  And the streets didn't fail to impress this time round either.  Here's what I pinned for both #LFW and #MFW ... were there any other inspirational styles that took your fancy?!

#ootn : pattern clash

What a week! So, so, so, so very sorry I haven't really blogged during the week except for the odd post on my Facebook page ... but yes, it's been one of those weeks at work!

Yesterday, I had a full day conference which my team and I had long been organising which took every shred of my energy in the last days - continuous running around from one place to another, back-to-back meetings, last minute changes, nights spent working from home after hours ... I'm not complaining: this is the adrenaline rush I enjoy at my workplace, but it does take its toll, for sure.  

Anyway, once the conference was done and dusted, I was pretty intent on heading to The Point for the Fashion Party organised by local fashion guru Marisa Grima and Daniel from Devil wears Pra-duh, in aid of the Action for Breast Cancer Foundation.  Apart from the fact that it was a great opportunity to catch up a bit with both Marisa and Daniel as well as all the others in the Maltese fashion industry, late night shopping, the model walkabouts, photo opportunities and the fact that this was all for a cause which is very much at heart, provided the perfect reason for me to forget my tiredness and head over there to chill and celebrate the day's successful event. 

Unfortunately, the two hours I spent there were too little to party, shop and enjoy the music and shows all at one go, but it certainly goes down as a good night out.  

Having had only 45 minutes at home to get ready, I decided to opt for one of my lesser worn dresses: my Marni for H&M mix print dress which I usually find a bit too bold for most occasions - but not this one!  I wore my oversized black bow waist belt, also from H&M to give the dress a bit more definition. I had to go for flats as my feet were in agony from a day running around in heels.  I also wore my Zara black and burgundy box clutch, which doesn't show in these pictures, which were actually taken just before bedtime!

literally before bedtime! here's me curling my hair for something big happening today ... keep your eyes firmly locked on this place! 

Marks & Spencer: The Autumn'13 Collection

I remember shopping at Marks & Spencer ever since I was a young child and I was always fascinated by the quintessential 'Britishness' of their clothes and styling.  As a child, I used to dream that one day, I'd be the lady of a manor, on some estate in one of the green English 'shires and I'd be walking my dogs (whippets, specifically) dressed in head to toe M&S ...

I think that M&S is quite naturally, usually associated with classic cuts which tend to be more popular with a more mature generation.  This morning's event in a way sought to change that notion.

M&S Sliema organised impromptu fashion shows under the talented styling of local fashion guru extraordinaire Marisa Grima and Stylist of the Year winner Caroline from Caroline's Fashion Styling.  I would be lying if I said that what we saw this morning was hipster / street style fashion, because that is not M&S.  Yet, the collection presented, and the way it was presented, was fresh and appealing to various age groups.

see the whole album from this morning's event on my facebook page here

Of particular note for me were a print placement mini shift dress and a winter white bias cut dress with black lace embellishment.  I loved the white dress so much (I think the Peter Pan collar was the seller for me!) that I even tried it on.  Unfortunately, the bias cut on the lower half of my body doesn't do anything to me and so I had to leave it in the shop (and that's why you're only seeing the top half of me here!)

I did try on a couple of other items and I actually bought this green blouse which has a couple of patch pockets on the front (they don't show on the photo) and tiny pleats in the middle.  What I loved most about it is the colour which is somewhere in between pea green, khaki and chartreuse.  I tried it on with a high waisted dark jeans and a crimson coloured cardi which beautifully complemented the green. Both the blouse and the jeans were from the Autograph collection,  and the cardi was from the Classic collection.  I tend to consider both these collections as too 'grown up' for me ... but with the versatility and wearability of this blouse (and the other items I tried with it), there's really no age!  I can't wait for the colder temperatures to kick in to pair this blouse with a skinny jean and my jacquard coat.

I do suggest you pop down to M&S if you haven't been in a while ... the collection in store at the moment is well worth doing the rain dance for!

with lara from boffism

#NYFW round up - street style

The fashion month is now in full swing with the London Fashion Week kicking off on Friday 13th, hot on the heels of the New York Fashion Week.

It comes as no surprise that any spare moment that I have right now is spent poring over catwalk shows on YouTube, summary reviews on the various online editions of my favourite magazines, and looking up photos hashtagged #[enter location initials here]FW ... 

Much as I enjoy catwalk shows, and seeing what trends the established as well as the up-coming designers are proposing for the next season (... that's spring/summer, not autumn/winter, for the uninitiated in the fashion climatic structure), I tend to gravitate more towards the street style snaps showing individuals with a unique and/or exquisite sense of style presumably heading towards the various shows.  

Sometimes, I do feel that some may consciously wear what they wear in order to be spotted and photographed.  But then again, who doesn't like to be seen and given some form of recognition? Kudos to them for actively seeking this out, at least by the way they dress if nothing else! 

To give you a sense of the style I respond to, I've created this board on Pinterest with my favourite street style looks from the New York Fashion Week.  

To be quite honest, I tend to prefer the London street look, so I'm pretty much on edge right now waiting for the first photos to be posted online to create an #LFW equivalent board! Watch this space!

who am i?

A few weeks ago, I took the plunge and went to have my portrait taken by Nicky Scicluna.

I say that I took the plunge because I don't quite like my picture being taken, as opposed to what I presume is popular belief (yes, I'm that much of an ego-maniac).  Funnily enough, I'm kind of OK with selfies, though I do take about a zillion ones before I deem one 'fit for public consumption.'

Anyway, Nicky was running the 'Who Are You?' portrait project during the month of August and I thought, well, why not?! You can see all the portraits on his Facebook page here.

I decided to have my fringe cut and wear my brand new The Kooples shirt and New Look jacquard skirt for the occasion.  I was going straight after work so I needed an outfit which could take me from the office to this straight away.  I must admit that it was a huge mistake - I should have just taken a different outfit for the photo and changed there.  I got to Nicky's studio all flustered and 'glistening' from the August heat ... but luckily, Nicky's broad smile and fun character quickly made me relax and get into posing mode!

The end result is what I'm calling my 'I take no sh*t'.  Don't you think I look rather 'pro' ... almost worthy of a nomination for the 'Jack Daniel's Woman of the Year' award?! haha!

I did manage to charm my way into getting a few 'extra' shots from my portrait session which I definitely have to thank Nicky for! Let me know which one is your favourite x

Once my session was over and both myself and Nicky were sure we had got a shot, we got chatting about the portrait project, his Humans of Malta project with fellow photographer Ryan Galea, and his many tattoos.  I do urge you to have a look at Nicky's website here and check out his awesome fashion and portrait shoots ... he's one to watch, I promise you!

high on life

There's nothing more true than the idiom 'it never rains, it pours.'

These last couple of weeks, ever since my return to Malta, have been one headlong rush of fashion / blog related invitations, activities, and all sorts of things to keep me very much on my toes.  I'm not complaining, mind you ... far from it actually!

Last week, as you well know, saw the one year celebration of my blog ... so already that was one major milestone to get me all excited.  I'm sure you've seen my coverage of C - a photography exhibition ... and I urge you to look out for my take on Human which opens this weekend. 

Today saw the publication of my first ever contribution to BeautyandFitnessMalta.com.  I was so excited when the people behind this website contacted me, I couldn't believe it at first! My first article is about local designer Saz Mifsud who will be launching her Scarf collection tomorrow at Cafe Riche in Birgu.  You can read the article here.  It was such fun hanging out with Saz on a windy afternoon at the beach while getting her interview done.  The wind really helped us showcase her scarves in their full glory! I hope to see many of you tomorrow at her launch. 

the adorable Saz Mifsud in one of her creations

Speaking of which, there's a new addition to my blog...

If you look at the tabs on the top of the page you will notice a new 'where to be seen' tab.  When you click on this, you will find a carefully curated calendar with all the #formersize6 approved activities happening on the island ... and possibly beyond.  I hope you find this helpful! I realised that I needed to organise myself a bit better so I'm hoping that by keeping this calendar updated for my dear followers, I manage to get my time management skills up to scratch more than they already are!

events at a glance

get the low-down on each event by clicking on it!

There have been other occasions I haven't blogged about as yet, and a personal highlight coming up next week which I'm afraid, I can't reveal much about for the time being.  However, I do hope that you hang around long enough to find out! 

astrid + miyu september secret box

I was more or less having the typical Monday - bad mood, feeling somewhat sickie and lousy - when the unexpected happened: upon returning home I found the Astrid & Miyu September Secret Box waiting for me on my bed.

It was the perfect pick-me-up for today!

I referred to this as 'unexpected' because, while I consciously subscribed to the September Secret Box last week, I (a) didn't think it'd arrive so quickly and (b) I almost forgot about it I'm so hassled and crazy with work right now! So finding it today on my bed was the right kind of 'extra element of surprise'.

I had found out about Astrid & Miyu through the gorgeous Stefy Puglisevich's blog when she reviewed the June Secret Box.  I kept thinking about whether or not to subscribe to the Secret Box, until last week I received a reminder email from Astrid & Miyu that they were taking the last orders.  Much on a whim, I decided to go for it ... and I'm very much glad I did.

how does it work? 

all the details can be found here but if you're not in the mood to click the link let me summarise it here:

• you subscribe by clicking here and compiling a short survey sent via email so that the contents of your box are picked to your likings
• every 3 months, you pay £39 + FREE UK & EU delivery
• every 3 months, you receive Astrid & Miyu jewellery and treats worth double the value!

what did I get? 

Pretty much everything I found in my September Secret Box got my heart thumping! There were even a couple of items which I recall specifically listing among the 5 most favourite items in stock! Here's what I found: 

• 'Conflicting Choices' necklace in gold (retails at £29)

I love how this necklace sits on the collar bone! I don't wear much silver so definitely I was pretty chuffed to find the gold version of this stunner in my box.  The studs are not too ostentatious, but there're very definitely there ... making it quite perfect even for the office under an open shirt especially when you're in a 'don't mess with me' kind of mood. 

• 'Conflicting Choices' bracelet in gold (retails at £24)

I must admit that I'm not one who's generally fond of matching jewellery.  I could be wearing pearls on my ears and a turquoise skull bracelet on my wrist.  So when I found the matching bracelet in my box, I was at first taken aback.  But then I checked myself and realised that the bracelet is as wearable as the necklace on so many occasions, that I really don't have to wear them together!

• 'Rosy Delight' ring [press pick] (retails at £29)

This is one of my absolutely favourite pieces.  It may come as a surprise to those who are used to seeing me in rings which are bigger than my hand ... but I absolutely love the daintiness of the ring, and most especially, the colour.  Rose gold is the new black, in terms of jewellery.  

• 'Delicate Dagger' bracelet (retails at £15)

This is another absolute favourite which, like the ring, I remember listing on my subscription survey.  I love its delicate but 'dangerous' look ... almost reminds me of the iconic 'fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee' quip made famous by Cassius Clay ... a motto which comes in pretty handy in some situations! I very much think I'll be wearing this on a daily basis to remind me of it!

• 'Love Love' earrings [press pick] (retails at £29)

Now this pair of earrings may not have necessarily been something I'd have gone for, I must admit, but I do seriously see me wearing them ... especially when I'm having those quirky, 'I wish I could be Zooey Deschanel' days.  

That's an awesome total of £126 worth of jewellery! Not bad, huh?! 

Inside the September Secret Box, I also found how to make a home-made Avocado mask as well as a mini-tutorial on how to apply some sultry, smokey eye make-up.  I adore these little 'extras' ... they make everything a little more special than it already would be. 

At this point, I almost can't wait for tomorrow to wear something from the box (probably the 'Delicate Dagger' bracelet for reasons mentioned before!) ... and definitely can't wait for the December Secret Box!!

We have a winner!

As you will know, during the last week, I ran a giveaway on my Facebook page to celebrate the first year of this blog.

I know I am still a long way to go from having this blog as one of the established and more followed ones on the island, but I'm very happy with my lot as it is. I love the quality of the feedback I get and when I met people who tell me they read my blog ... and actually refer to something I'd have written even weeks before! I have no words to thank you all for this! 

So back to the giveaway ... 

The giveaway was kindly sponsored by one of my favourite local names, MVintage Jewels, and ran until Saturday 7th at noon (CET). 

Having planned a quick trip to the shops in the morning, which took a tad longer than expected (quelle surprise), I got to announce the winner a little later than hoped! Anyway, thanks to Rafflecopter (which I strongly recommend to any blogger wanting to organise a giveaway), all it took was the click of a button and hey presto! 

The giveaway winner is Elle from Beautyshewrote! I was very pleased to find a fellow blogger won the necklace as it shows how strong the sense of community among bloggers is, following each other, supporting each other through the various posts, including giveaways! 

Huge thanks to all who have followed my blog over the past year and please keep following and tell your friends about it! I promise to keep up the efforts and hard work and to bring you more interesting reads as the days, weeks and months roll by. If there are any topics you'd like me to write about or have any suggestions or questions, please give me a shout in the comments section below or my Facebook page xx 

we went to C

Ok, I know, I'm pushing it with the 'see / C' pun here. But you have to allow me this.  I haven't been out in a while and still nursing a mini-hangover from the one glass of wine I sipped late last night.  I'm so rock n'roll my gawd ...

Last night saw the opening of the photographic exhibition C which I told you about here.  The opening was a blast.  I hadn't been around the Maltese social scene for over eight months and it was great catching up with friends I hadn't seen in ages, friends I made through the blogosphere like Gayle - the stylist behind the exhibition - and the Devil wears Pra-duh himself, Daniel, among others.  The night was a perfect setting for meeting friends and making new ones who likewise share the same interest in fashion and photography.

Rather than boring you more with a minute-by-minute account of the evening, here's a little video I've put together about last night, including some insights into the project from Gayle Zerafa, Eliza von Brockdorff and designer Ritianne Zammit.  Enjoy!

come and C

Tonight sees the launch of the photography exhibition C: 

"a photography exhibition originally conceived by photographer Elisa von Brockdorff and fashion stylist Gayle Zerafa. They eventually teamed up with make up artist Gabrielle Zammit Grungo and hair stylist Chris Galea to collaborate on a series of shoots.Despite previous collaborations as a team, this is the first time their joint efforts are being exhibited. During 2013, they developed and produced 8 different shoots of varying themes, which took place in different locations.Meanwhile, they also worked closely with 5 guest designers: Elisha Camilleri, UglyLovely, Nadine Noko, Que and Ritienne Zammit many of whom designed work specifically for the shoots."

The exhibition opens tonight and is on at St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, until 12 October 2013. So you have no excuse not to go. Just go.

For more information, check the C Facebook page here and watch out for my take on the exhibition over the coming days. Hope to see you there tonight!