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

confession #000057

... or, "i have nothing to wear"

so i finally got myself one of the celine logo t-shirts that have been making the blogger rounds all through spring.  i know, i know summer is just round the corner - at least according to the calendar - but who could blame me thinking it is still early spring when i keep finding rain, strong wind, and why not, the occasional thunderstorm wherever i go?

i bought my celine t-shirt from here and it arrived in the post while i was away.  i was obviously super-thrilled to find it in the post and add it to the london-budapest-malta haul brought back in my overweight luggage! and today, i finally get to wear it.  if i figure out what i'm going to wear it with, that is.  i have this tendency of waking up with an obsession to wear a particular item and then spend hours in front of my wardrobe trying to figure out how i'm going to style that item.  today is one of those days.

to help me in the process, i'm scouring lookbook.nu to see how other fashionistas are styling their own celine tee and playing around on polyvore.  which one of the sets in the slideshow would you go for? le me know in the comments section below!

5 ways of wearing a celine t-shirt by tikkamars on polyvore.com

confession #000056

today i just want to pay tribute to the women who inspire me in terms of personal style and fashion.  most of them are what would qualify as petite, i.e. below the 1.67m mark.  and as a petite woman myself (standing at a mere 1.48m - yes, not even 1.5m!), it is quite logical that i should look at how these beauties are gracing the latest trends, and working them to make the most of their more diminutive shape.

so, without any further ado, here goes my list of personal style muses:

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confession #000054

... or, david bowie is in my head

if you've been following closely enough, you'll know that last week i went for a quick break to london. initially, the aim was to go catch up with some close friends and visit the roy lichtenstein retrospective at the tate modern.  as an afterthought, i figured i should try my luck with visiting the david bowie is exhibition at the victoria and albert museum as well.  tickets online have long been sold out for this so i didn't know whether i would actually manage to go in.  i'm delighted to report that the stars aligned in my favour.

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confession #000043

... or, stating the obvious

i think i'm suffering from seasonal affective disorder.  today week, we had some absolutely glorious weather in krakow, but this week was certainly a throwback to winter.  fair enough, it hasn't snowed for about a month, but the grey skies and the rain certainly don't make you think of spring, let alone summer.  

i've even had to bring out my geek-certified anorak and dark clothes again.  the neon yellow heels i bagged last week still have the price tag on. *sob*  

so, aside from snuggling up, endlessly browsing fashion pages, watching youtube clips of cute cats doing all sort of adorably funny stuff, and watching film after film, what's left to do on this grey saturday afternoon apart from taking a few silly pictures of one's tout pout? 

wish you all a lovely weekend, whatever you do, whatever the weather! xx

confession #000041

...or, size matters

or, to avoid any misunderstandings, let's call it 'matters of size'.  

you may remember my post from a few weeks ago about making the most of fashion when you're 5' tall or thereabouts.   i've often also complained about my rather rotund figure, which, being short, makes me feel even more corpulent.  somehow the willpower and stamina to stick to my diet or an exercise regime are nowhere to be found.  my commitment levels are somewhat taken up by what i feel are more important things such as my relationship with my loved ones, my work and having as good a life as possible.  

so it came as a very nice surprise when this morning, forgetting that it is actually a public holiday both back home in malta and here in poland, i came across this article on the dailymail (there's only so-much intense reading you can do before your first coffee) about h&m's latest swimwear campaign.  i'm not referring to h&m's campaign featuring a smouldering beyonce knowles, who herself is beautifully curvaceous.  

the ad campaign i'm referring to is actually for h&m+'s range, which caters for, well, the more endowed.  i love how beautifully healthy model jennie runk looks, as well as h&m's tact by actually playing down the fact the range is for 'the bigger girls'.

my favourite quote of the whole article is where jennie runk states:

'So much of advertising and fashion portrays only one kind of body, and that's super tall and super skinny. I think not only should there be more plus-sized models in fashion, there should also be more petite, pregnant, ethnic, etc. 'I think ever woman should be represented equally -- we're all beautiful in our own ways!'

and heck, yes, so it should be! when you're stuck in a 4'11'' body, with a pot belly that won't shift and way too much junk in the trunk for your height, you yearn for a stylish inspirational figure.  i'll admit to finding solace in images of kourtney kardashian, who's a few months older than me and actually just a couple of centimetres taller than me ... and who, after two pregnancies, is looking better than ever.  but then again, her gym routine is probably part of her public life unlike mine! 

there, i had my morning rant.  now off i go to make the most of this public holiday! toodles xx

confession #000035

... or, my first love

back in the day when i was a wee kid, i fell in love for the first time.  it was a strange kind of love, because it was with a music video.  and till this very day, i can't fall out of love with it.  

my first (and long lasting) music video love is *bows head in pure embarrassment* is a-ha's take on me.  hitting the uk charts in 1985 when i had just turned six, the video was impressively avant-garde for the time, cleverly blending animations with reality, bopping to a heady mixture of glorious 80s synthpop.

that most captivating of scenes...

every so often i close my eyes and picture the romance between the gorgeous (yes, i suppose i still fancy the voice behind a-ha) morten harket and a cute-looking bunty bailey, revolving in between hand-drawn sketches and a somewhat misty diner.  that's when i don't have prompt access to youtube.  otherwise, i can catch myself clicking on the repeat icon.  i know, it's somewhat sad.  

certainly, pitbull and christina aguilera's recent revisiting of that most iconic of cheesy synthesizer tunes has not done much to lessen my undying love for this song, or video.  hearing it every other hour on my radio work companion, it comes as a surprise to me as well that i don't just break into a song and dance.  

in honour of this musical throwback thursday, here's my polyvore take on bunty and morten's looks for a modern-day casual date.  

take on me by tikkamars featuring lace socks