The 15 minute rainbow post

Right.  I have just about 15 minutes to write this post before I head off to get ready for the Patti Smith concert we're so lucky to have in Malta tonight.

Heading back home I came across a woman dressed - immaculately - from head to toe in blue.  I know, that this is not necessarily the most daring of colours, but the way the shades of blue were put together, with a patterned scarf to create an accent, inspired me to write a quick post about head to toe block colour.  It's more of a question / challenge to you, my dear readers:  have you ever sported / would you dare sporting a head to toe solid colour?  Please don't speak to me about all black / grey / blue outfits! I've had my own love affair with all over grey in autumn (read here).  I'm talking rainbow colours here: the whole ROYGBIV range! Let me know - and if you have any outfit posts of the sort, link them in the comments section below :)

Check out these pins and the rest of the board here for some inspiration!

A post of Pins

A quick post for this evening after I have spent most of it browsing Pinterest, creating a 'mood board' for Spring 2014.  I'm feeling a lot of loose and oversized shapes, maxi and flowing midi skirts, classic pieces which never go out of style, bed-hair giving the whole ensemble that quintessential rock-chic flavour... There's something Parisian about the whole thing ... a bit 'grown-up bohemian' if you may. What's on your spring style mood board?


Follow Mariel Sacco's board #fs6 spring style inspiration on Pinterest.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Malta 2014

The countdown has started people ... the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Malta 2014 is almost here. Well, it's less than 2 months away anyways.  And this year I'm going to make it a point to be there from start to finish! Keep following for more info over the coming weeks! I'm getting excited ... are you?!

#ootd: Regatta Monday

This year I decided to continue where I left off last year, that is, by making it a year with a number of 'firsts'.  So today, being Freedom Day and a national holiday here in Malta, we headed off to watch my first ever Regatta.  From the little that I know about this boat race, it is hugely contested by the cities surrounding the Grand Harbour and it takes place both on Freedom Day and on Victory Day (8 September).  Moreover, the beautiful weather that graced the island today called for spending the afternoon out in the sun.

To celebrate the weather, I chose to wear my new Zara yellow blazer which I bought a few weeks ago and hadn't worn as yet.  I don't know why - I'm usually the most colourful thing walking around in Valletta - but I was feeling it was a tad too summery for the last weeks.  I decided to also give my new leopard print espadrilles from H&M a road test - the weather was warm enough to warrant not wearing any socks or stockings.  I kept the rest of the outfit simple with grey, denim and beige neutrals and matched the print on my espadrilles to a scarf I had bought ages ago from Accessorize which has a vintage map print and leopard print trimming.

I was so chuffed with the outfit and with the gorgeous weather that I even got into a bit of a (clumsy) jump half way through the afternoon!

What I wore: 
Blazer - Zara
T-shirt - Zara
Jeggings - Suite Blanco
Espadrilles - H&M
Handbag - Mango
Scarf - Accessorize
Sunglasses - Blumarine
Necklaces - Astrid & Miyu
Ring - Parfois

Wednesday Wishlist

I realise that once again I've been a bit MIA in blogging - the usual excuses reasons come to mind (work commitments, errands, appointments) and added to that much needed quality time with my bf who's finally back on the island.  You don't really blame me now, do you?! To make up for this lack of blogging, I'm making the most of this mid-week public holiday and bringing you a Wednesday Wishlist ... instead of packing for my work-trip / city break starting tomorrow that is! Priorities, priorities ...

Well, these are the items I'm currently craving, pretty badly ... even though practically each one of them comes with a little proviso.  Read on, and help me choose which item(s) I should actually invest in, and which one(s) I should ditch.

A trench coat (it's a Mango vs Zara kind of thing ...)

This has been on my wishlist for a number of months now, but I've always opted for less classic pieces. Blame it on my new work life, or the final realisation that I'm hitting my mid-30s pretty soon, I'm starting to look at more classic items to place in my wardrobe.  I love the texture of the Mango version but I'm a bit miffed it's not fully lined.  On the other hand, the Zara version is fully lined and the perfect length for my height but I'm not so thrilled with the material.  Decisions, decisions ... unless, of course, I decide to spend my whole paycheck on a real Burberry ... mmmm....

Superga classic white sneakers

A throwback to my Physical Edu lessons back in primary and secondary school, plain white sneakers are one of my current 'must-haves' in my wardrobe.  Perfectly adorkable when ditching the daily heels at the weekend, they can look equally cute and on trend with cuffed jeans, ditsy dresses and why not, even with a dressed down trouser suit.  My dilemma on this piece is whether to go for canvas or seek more durable (and easily cared-for) leather.

Kenzo x New Era flower block cap

I fell in love with this topper the minute I laid eyes on it - the coral and aqua colour combination is just perfect for summer, and the pattern and oversized embroidered logo is just such fun.  The problem is, I can't really see me wearing it, nor can I see where / when I would wear it! I'm no longer much of a beach bum, so that's out of the equation already ... Saturday morning markets? Glammed up with heels for the weekend? I'm so confused!

Moschino Jeremy Scott FW14-15 iPhone 5 case

This thing just grew on me.  When the pictures of the Jeremy Scott capsule collection for Moschino's FW14-15 started emerging, I'll be honest with you:  I was scratching my head no end.  I just couldn't come to terms with the whole McDonalds inspiration.  But without realising, my heart started settling on the fries shaped iPhone case.  After my Marc Jacobs 'Shorty' pug shaped case proved to be quite a conversation starter last year, I can't wait to own this one now ...

So there goes.  These four items are actually not letting me sleep soundly.  I'm serious.  Please do help me out in this oh-so-first-wordly decision process ...

Style Icon: Brigitte Bardot

I honestly do not know why this post has taken me so long to write:  I started researching Brigitte Bardot about a week ago, planning this post, pinning my favourite images on Pinterest, thinking 'oh, this should be easy, Bardot being one of my all time style icons.' So many things got in the way of it, but finally here it is.

Why is Bardot one of my 'all time style icons'? Well, first off, she had a way of celebrating her curves without being trashy.  Of course, being French, an effortless approach to style was probably ingrained in her genes.  Her cinched outfits baring a hit of shoulder are synonymous with the 'sex kitten' look, which however remains sensually elegant without being overtly raunchy.  Paired with a classic cat-eye flick of black eye-liner and bed-head hairstyle, the bombshell look is complete.

In 1970, sculptor Alain Gourdon used French actress Brigitte Bardot as the model for a bust of Marianne — the symbol of France — and four years later Andy Warhol captured her in an iconic pop art portrait. But Bardot — a curvaceous blonde with a kittenish grin — wasn't merely a muse: she was also a trendsetter. She helped popularize the bikini by wearing two-pieces in films like Manina, the Girl in the Bikini (1952). She's also credited with sparking the trend of knitwear with a wide neck that exposes both shoulders — the so-called "Bardot neckline." A former ballet dancer, she once asked designer Rose Repetto to make shoes as light as her dance slippers. Voilà: the everyday ballerina flat was born.
(Time)

Get the look:

Bardot and off-the-shoulder necklines are popular again and easy to come by right now.  Stick to fitted silhouettes on top paired with midi skirts in either full or pencil shapes.  Cigarette pants which graze the ankle combined with a breton-stripe top and ballerina pumps are contemporary yet evocative of the 60s Riviera, especially with topped with a broad headband.  Anything in fur or animal hide must be faux, in-keeping with Bardot's animal rights activism.

Shop the look: 

My Fashion / Beauty Pet Peeves

Ok, let's just bear in mind that it is Monday, and a rant is always therapeutic on this first, most trying day of the week. Today I bring you my fashion and beauty pet peeves - the things that I just can't bear in any way, shape or form, and that every time I lay my eyes on, I cringe and pray for there to really be a Fashion / Beauty Police to charge the wrong-does.

So let me go all Joan Rivers on these:

• The jacket: bomber

This is the least forgiving of all shapes.  You have to be rake thin to carry it off and it has to sit right on the waist-line.  Cropped versions just make one look like an American football player while longer versions just drown the figure and not in the appealing way boyfriend blazers / coats do.

• The pants: mum jeans

High-waisted, loose around the hips/bum shaped jeans and shorts are a hipster girl's heaven.  But not mine. Possibly because I remember these jeans way too well from the first time they were round.  Dear millennials, you're not doing yourselves any favour with these jeans.  If you really need to go high-waisted, the slim-hipped bell-bottom ones from the 70s are way cooler.  I promise.

Bomber jacket + mum jeans - pinned from vogue.es in this arguably adorkable look, but just doesn't work for me ... sorry!

• The skirts: micro-mini

Anything which is shorter than 2 inches above the knee is a no-go zone for me.  Not because I'm a prude.  It's because of the message lengths impart.  Such short skirts can hardly ever infer an air of elegance and sophistication, unless worn with opaque tights.  And even that is pushing it.

The best - and modesty saving - way of wearing very short skirts is by pairing them with opaque tights and oversized tops.

• The tops: ruffled shirts

Anything with ruffles really.  Despite being a very girly-girl, I'm averse to most things ruffled. Especially when the said ruffles are strategically placed around the placket front.  Busty girls like yours truly end up with a fin de siecle look reminiscent of Downton Abbey's Dowager Lady Grantham ...

• The dresses: body-con

I don't know how many times I've said this, but I just hate body-con dresses.  This is most definitely because, as a curvy girl I can't quite pull them off as well as a skinny (UK) size 4 or 6 girl.  But when I look at curvy celebrities squeezed into such dresses, I just feel they are trying to hard.  And I don't want to be like them.

Body-con might be short for 'body confidence' and Kim K sure isn't lacking of any of that.  But with such a skin tight dress, she leaves little to the imagination (we've seen it all before anyway, whether we wanted or not!)

• The shoes: platform stilettos

I've had a few of these.  And I've managed to fall or trip in each and every one of them.  This may be the basis of my aversion, but for quite obvious reasons, they kind of remind me of the shoes the less savoury characters used to take off just pre-fist-fight on The Jerry Springer Show back in the day.

Not for the faint hearted, and not for me.

• The bag: cheap looking bags

There are some really nice bags around which are of fantastic quality, even in non-leather varieties, which still don't cost a fortune.  Why oh why would one therefore choose to buy a bag made of tatty material that is quite obviously the cheapest of plastics, adorned with some ridiculous glittered chiffon rosette in a matching shade of bubble-gum pink? Why?

• The make-up: matching eye-shadow and nail lacquer

I have to qualify this: I'm an adventurer when it comes to nail lacquer but extremely conservative when it comes to eye make-up.  I like my make-up to complement the outfit by picking up notes from the pattern or contrasting with the main colour.  But having, say, blue eye-shadow and blue nails? Not for me! Especially if the rest of the outfit is of the same colour.

Perfect on an editorial, much harder to pull off in real life.

• The hair: perfectly formed top-knot

Overly-coiffed hair is my nightmare.  And the donut-shaped top-knot, when it's perfectly done, with no stray hairs or straggling ringlets jutting out of it takes the biscuit in my opinion.  What started off as (another) hipster trend has been mainstreamed into ubiquitousness.  And it is not nice.

Top-knots are by nature, relaxed hairdos so the operative word here is to actually keep them relaxed!

Now, now, as a rant, this post is not intended to be offensive to anyone.  I just needed to get these things off my chest - it's only my opinion and I'm sure it counts mostly for just me! I'm also sure that there are other things that make my skin crawl: for instance, the skort and the wedged trainers, but I'm guilty of owning both so I can't hate them as much as I'd like.

Do you have any fashion / beauty pet hates? Come on, I know you do ... let me know xxx

Lemon topping

If there is one thing I'm really dying to wear right now is my new yellow blazer. Yes, yellow. The bright, sunny colour that evokes all things spring and summery. It's not that I am a summery person per se, but I just love the colour so much and I don't think I had really come across any before this week when I headed over to Zara. 

lemon topping by tikkamars featuring fitted dresses

I love how, despite being a primary colour, yellow lends itself as well as a neutral, pairing up with monochrome for a classic look, with pastels and metallics for a sophisticated yet on trend combination, or even with bold pattern clashes ready to be snapped for a street-style blog.

My ex-colleagues know my obsession with this brand way too well and got me a very nice voucher as a farewell gift and one of my little purchases was the yellow blazer on the top right of this Polyvore set.  If I could I'd have got all the three Zara jackets featured here, and the shoes et al!

#ootd: I tried to look royal ...

As I mentioned in my last post, today marked the start of a new life.  Well, part of.  The other part - moving to my new flat - should hopefully come pretty soon.

Starting a new job is always a daunting experience, and first impressions are unfortunately the one to last.  And that first impression, mostly comes from what one is wearing.  So I looked to an always impeccably dressed, if unorthodox / unlikely fashion icon for inspiration: Queen Elizabeth II.  Yes, you read it right, the British Monarch herself!

You must admit that the Queen is always so well put together, and I do find her dress + dress-coat combination to be a quintessential effortless chic look, even if it is pretty much always the same, save for the colour (which is usually one from a spectrum of pastels ... she is the top lady in lavender after all!)

So I took a page out of her lookbook and wore my new H&M salmon single-button coat (shown here in black) which I got for Valentine's among other things and paired it with a navy Zara dress which I've had for quite some time and is more or less the same length of the coat.  Navy and salmon might not be an obvious combination, but I accessorised with my Sef Farrugia Delores scarf which has both colours in its pattern, as well as a touch of blood red which matched my new TopShop Kathleen patent pointed shoes.  The finishing touch came through my brand new navy Zara mini city bag which I feel has such a Jackie-O meets Queen E-II look.

The photos here, I must admit, are not of a quality fit for a Queen ... but what do you think of the look?

candy crush valentine

Here I am, blogging away, instead of packing for my all-important trip next week to spend Valentine's Day with my very own Valentine ... but it's all in good faith.  I'm virtually planning my wardrobe for my trip ... or rather, what I want to buy on my trip! 

This time round, I'm doing this through Grabble, a new online platform which allows you to find all your favourite stores in one place.  What's more, you can add garments you like directly from the online store of choice on to Grabble and you'll get notifications when there are offers on your items of choice! Another feature which I'm really loving on Grabble is the fact that you can add items to lists according to styles ... so you'll always have your hipster or girly chic mood-board at hand.  Smiles all around!

My current obsession at the moment is pastel colours, even though I'm not so sure I'd wear them well ... but with Valentine's round the corner, there's nothing better than these candy-coloured get-ups to get you in the mood for lurve.  Don't you agree?  Check out these girly and gorgeous items, all available from ASOS and click here for the full list.

Fashion Tag!

Right, so this is my first ever tag post ... and it had to be one about fashion so I'm more than happy to follow through with it! I got 'tagged' by Bonjour Chica ... you know, the girl who featured me in her Petite Fashionistas a la Mode series (you can read it here) ... so I couldn't just leave this tag unanswered, could I?!

So here goes ...

1. What is your favourite style to wear?

I would say it's preppy with a vintage, Parisian twist:  I like basics that can be mixed and matched into endless combinations, but I like them to have that hint of quirkiness or vintage appeal to make them unique.

2. Who is your fashion role model?

Without hesitation, I would definitely say Alexa Chung ... but given my height (or lack of it!) I look at Mira Duma and Kourtney Kardashian's style for inspiration most of the time.

3. What do you always have on?

A watch - time keeping is a pet obsession of mine.

4. What are your favourite jeans?

I'm not a fan of pants as I've said a number of times already, but if I really have to choose jeans, they have to be jeggings so as not to give me extra thickness on my belly area - I just hate the added inches zipper flies tend to give! 

5. Who influenced you to write about fashion?

I don't think there was one specific influence.  Fashion has always been in my system and writing about it just came as a second nature once I decided to sit down and start a blog. Originally, this blog was meant to journal my progress or otherwise in terms of dieting and look where I am now!

6. What is your favourite store?

Like you don't know!?! Zara of course, with ASOS as a very close second.  I'm on first name basis with most of the Zara store staff in Sliema ... and I'm probably infamous over at the ASOS HQ as well!

7. Who is your favourite fashion person on YouTube?

I'm not so huge on YouTube but again, if I really have to choose it'd have to be Michelle Phan.  I love her make-up and beauty tips and her personal story on how she grew into a YouTube star is inspirational.

8. What is your favourite fabric?

Anything stiff that once sewn and worn stays as intended and doesn't cling or sag in unwanted places.

9. Who is your favourite model?

Right now, I'm really liking Suki Waterhouse - her innocent Mod girl look really strikes me ... and when it comes to men, it's pretty obviously, the inked and bearded god himself, Ricki Hall.  We all love a bad boy at the end of the day.

10. If you had $5,000 (c. €3,700) to spend on any one item, what would it be?

It'd definitely be the Chanel 2.55 quilted flap bag.  Any spare change would go into the Chanel nesting doll bag / key charm.  

11. Heels or flats?

Despite being so short, I say flats all the way! There's nothing more unflattering than seeing a woman tottering about, trying to keep her balance or walking in baby steps on 6" heels.

12. What purse do you currently use?

I change my purse / bag practically every day, depending on my mood / outfit.  Right now it's mostly between a tan tote from Zara, a black satchel with maroon and forest green accents, also from Zara and a burgundy oversized clutch from ASOS.

13. What is your favourite fragrance?

Prada Candy, D&G No. 6 L'Imperatrice and Guerlain's La Petite Robe Noir are all favourites, especially for daytime.  Nigh time then sees me wearing something like Chanel No. 5 ... just like Marilyn.

14. From a fashion perspective, what’s your favourite film?

It'd be easy to say The Great Gatsby after last year's tumultuous success, but it's not.  I much prefer the inspiration I get from Frida, despite it being already about 10 years old as a film.  Wes Anderson films also tend to give me much fashion inspiration as well.  

15. Is fashion in your blood or your jeans?

I like to think of it as being in my blood.  My mu was a seamstress and my dad's an artist.  Fashion is a coming together of an artist's imagination and a seamstress or tailor's technical ability.  So yes, I like to believe that I have inherited these skills and turned them into a devotion for all things fashion!

Now it's your turn to answer these questions! I'm not going to tag anyone specifically so as not to leave anyone else out ... but if you're reading this, you're tagged! Send me your post once you write it - I'd love to find out more xx

Trend post: Clutch Bags

There are way too many times when my bag doubles up as Mary Poppins' holdall. Whatever you ask me for, the likelihood is that you find it in my bag. But both for reasons of health (I can't possibly keep carrying such weight on my shoulder / elbow on a daily basis) and to satisfy my voracious appetite to be on trend, I want to convert to clutch bags.

I don't think I'll go as far as opting for the micro clutches where I wouldn't even be able to fit my keys and mobiles (I hate the fact I have 2 but that's life at the moment!). Luckily there are some gorgeous oversized clutch bags which I believe can satisfy my fashion obsession and carry all my daily 'necessities' around, whether I'm heading to the office, market or to my favourite watering hole.

Clutch bags seem to have, for a time until recently, existed only in the realm of occasion-wear, to be taken out only for a wedding or a smart occasion when, really and truly, one wouldn't need to carry much stuff around with them in any case.  But nowadays, wearing a clutch with a pair of converse trainers for the morning errands is very much the thing to do, and I for one, am pretty keen on giving such look a go. Actually, and as is probably evident from these pins and my Pinterest board here, I quite love how such formerly more formal bags are paired with more laid back outfits.

Shop the trend with Shopcade: 

I feel I'm already on the right track on this: the last two purchases in this department, both courtesy of gift vouchers from people close to my heart, were in fact clutch bags.  It's a matter of actually using them now.  Maybe I'll give the smaller one from Parfois (similar to this, but plain) a test run this beautiful Sunday morning ... and try the other, larger one from Asos (which is this) for the office one of these days.  Have you ever worn a clutch bag to work? Let me know how practical or otherwise that was in the comments section below xx

Zooey Deschanel + Tommy Hilfiger collaboration

It is, to me, a match made in sartorial heaven: the all-American, timeless preppy style that is so typical of Hilfiger designs and the quirkiness and unique aesthetic of one of my favourite actresses and undisputed style icon, Zooey Deschanel.  'To Tommy, From Zooey' is perfect - and so much up my stream that it is 'To Mariel' as well.

The minute I read about the collaboration between these two favourites of mine on Women's Wear Daily I almost had to catch my breath.  And looking at the first images from the capsule collection comprising of 16 short dresses, I felt warm on the inside and an immediate connection with every single piece.  The reason for this is that they all reminded me of outfits my mother wore in the late 60s and I always wished she'd kept.  The dresses have a mod London feel which nonetheless carries a certain Americana inspiration in the choice of red, white and blue for colour palette.  The dresses appear easy to wear for a day-to-night lifestyle and are, as Deschanel herself has oft been described, adorkable.  I know that I want more than one of these dresses ... and I'm going to be counting the days until they hit the stores in April, and definitely praying to all the saints that they would be stocked here in Malta.  If not, I might actually have to fork out a flight to anywhere on the mainland too ...

Designer dreams

For men, it's a bespoke suit. For women, it's a designer handbag.

At least, this is based on the impressions I get from people I know or have come across during these almost 35 years on planet earth.  Of course, for some of the women I know, some even much younger than me in fact, owning a designer handbag is already a fait accompli, if not something which is done on a regular basis during their weekly/monthly/seasonal shopping spree. I suppose they are lucky in that way. 

Chanel 'Classic Flap Bag'

But at the same time, I am glad to be striving to make this dream come true.  As the saying goes, the chase is better than the catch.  And there is a greater sense of achievement when you know you've worked hard - and saved hard - to make that dream come true. 

Hermes 'Birkin'

I have in the past been more obsessed with owning a designer bag, going as far as getting knock-offs which I stupidly paraded proudly.  I actually felt as though I was part of an elite clan - maybe subconsciously I wanted to, and the more monogrammed and big the brand logo was, the better I felt.  I will blame that stupidity on immaturity. 

Louis Vuitton 'Neverfull'

As I grew older, and learnt how to distinguish between an original and a knock-off, I realised more and more that the clan I wanted to pertain to was not the monogrammed, ostentatious one, but the more discerning and subtle one.  I now find myself at a juncture where a number of changes are taking place in my life and I am months away from reaching that ominous age of 35. It might not be an old age, especially now that the 30s are the new 20s and the 40s are the new 30s.  But it is still a milestone which I feel must be marked in some way or another. 

Burberry canvas cross-body

In my bucket list, I always listed owning an original designer bag - bought directly from the actual boutique, not off some dubious eBay store, complete with dust bag, guarantees and sturdy paper bag - and running a marathon as the things to do by my 35th birthday. Being the lazy chubby ass that I am, I am nowhere close to achieving the latter, so I might give myself a few more years for that.  

Gucci Boston

But buying a designer bag is closer to reality.  And I want this to be a real investment.  I want to wait another 35 years before I actually buy another one, unless of course I win the euro millions lottery, which I don't play in any case!

Mulberry 'Bayswater'

So let me start calculating how much I should be saving in these 10 months  ... already looks like a lot but it will definitely be worth every penny!