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!

And we'll never be royals ...

It all started with this two-tone Zara wrap-around knitted jacket. 

It was very much a love-at-first sight affair, with my loving anything loose fitting and oversize, it looking so cozy and enveloping, and of course being from my favourite brand of all ... 

But then, disaster struck. 

While the jacket can of course be worn on its own as a jacket, a few days ago, I wanted to wear a coat on top of it since it was rather chilly outdoors and I was wearing a relatively lightweight garment underneath. With its batwing sleeves and very thick knit, it was practically impossible to wear anything on top of it. 

And then it dawned on me: I had seen this perfect biker-style cape coat over at ASOS quite a few weeks ago. I immediately loved the shape and style and placed it in the 'save for later' cache. I kept thinking about this cape coat but never committed to buying. The reason was very simple: the colour! I am somewhat scared of royal blue as I fear that it may wash me out as a cold colour since my complexion wears warm colours better. 

But I decided to take the plunge nonetheless. Wearing a warm colour or monochrome scarf to separate the blue from being directly next to my complexion should do the trick ... at least I'm keeping my fingers crossed! To save on luggage space to fit all my mister's Christmas presents, this cape coat will be meeting me in Krakow next week ... and as usual, I am virtually packing through Polyvore instead of actually packing the rest of my luggage! Better get myself started! 

Toodles!

And we'll never be royals ... by tikkamars featuring leather handbags

How to wear: Radiant Orchid

Generally speaking, purple is one of my more favorite colours. However, the minute it starts fading into what is widely considered as lilac, my admiration of it starts fading as well. Suffice to say that I have only ever once owned anything in lilac. And that was circa 1992. And it's highly unlikely I'll ever own anything in that shade again. 

So when I saw Pantone's colour of the year for 2014, I was a bit taken aback. Pantone is, for those not in the know, the go-to source for colour inspiration and forecasts, be it for fashion, graphic design, home trends, you name it. Every year, round this time, a colour is touted as the 'it' colour for the following year. 2013 saw emerald and me in jubilation; 2014 sees radiant orchid, and me in complete bafflement. 

I want to like this colour - I love the flower itself and in that colour - but I can't somehow get beyond my lilac phobia. In all fairness, lilac is on the 'cold' side of the spectrum, whereas orchid is 'warmer' since it has more pink in it. This may help me overcome my fear, as I generally wear warm colours better. 

In this baffled state I find myself in, I've come up with this mood board for inspiration. After all, there is no need to wear radiant orchid (or any other colour, for that matter) from head to toe (really, please, don't ever do that, unless it's different shades of the same colour!). Radiant orchid can be the dominant colour in a pattern, a shade in an iridescent accessory, a nail polish or even the tint of your sunglasses' shades. It is a colour that can well be complemented with other muted-yet-bold colours like an acqua or lemon, or paired classically, yet sexily with animal print. I may have actually just given myself a couple of outfit ideas there ... 

Maybe radiant orchid will find a space in my wardrobe after all ... 

How to wear: Radiant Orchid by tikkamars featuring purple home accessories

True Elegance

Olivia Palermo looked stunning in a knee-length black long sleeve dress, teamed with a pair of black high heels and a simple gold bracelet. It may look like an easy outfit to re-create, but can you wear it with the same elegance?

True Elegance by tikkamars featuring olivia palermo style

cool grey

Because grey doesn't have to be boring.  

Layer up different shades of grey (please spare me the '50 shades ...' jokes) for a minimalist, but oh so very chic look which epitomises elegance. 

cool grey by tikkamars featuring leather ankle boots

D&G AW13 style inspiration

D&G AW13 style inspiration by tikkamars featuring cross earrings

when art and fashion collide

following yesterday's post on the roy lichtenstein retrospective, and an afternoon spent watching various documentaries on my favourite artists, this morning i woke up inspired to bring art and fashion together in these polyvore sets.  fashion, after all, is an art form.  and style is the artistic way in which one expresses their personality.  

when art and fashion collide by tikkamars on polyvore.com

travelling light is not my forte

travelling light is not my forte by tikkamars featuring cheap monday jeans

London shopping list

London shopping list by tikkamars featuring ted baker

and if it rains, we'll brighten things up

and if it rains, we'll brighten things up by tikkamars featuring pointy toe shoes

how to wear neon yellow shoes

this morning i went out on a whimsy and bought the infamous neon yellow shoes i had been dreaming about for some time.  i was actually quite pleased with myself because, apart from them proving to be rather comfortable (the actual walking in them test is yet to come), they were only zł89, which is about €23 ... or 10 of the old maltese lira! that's quite a bargain for something which, in all likelihood, i will wear a few times this season and then forget all about them.  

the somewhat difficult part was actually figuring out how to make the most of this bargain.  so i mentally browsed my wardrobe and went onto polyvore to create these three sets.  i pretty much own all the items in them (or am very close to getting my hands on them, or have very similar items either here or back in malta).  i had already styled a rather basic set with a plain white box-fit top and ripped jeans yesterday, but needed to figure out some other options ... 

the black and white combo is perfect for a night out with friends, having a few drinks or even clubbing.  you could fit a jacket in the city-bag if you've a tendency to feel chilly at night like i do.  the outfit could even work for some city strolling or a shopping spree i suppose.  the second outfit uses a denim dress i've spotted at h&m's divided section.  i love the washed denim look which makes it so 80s.  i like to think of myself strolling along the old town's planty park or on the sliema promenade in this outfit during summer ... the last outfit is a tad more conservative with a crisp white shirt and beige skirt.  i like to give my corporate wear an edge so i think that this outfit would definitely fit my purpose and shed all inhibitions of walking around the office in neon shoes.  

with all this said, i'm off to draw up the list of 'missing' items from my wardrobe to complete these looks and plan the next shopping expedition ... cheerio!

how to style neon yellow shoes by tikkamars featuring a cotton shirt

neon dreams

neon dreams by tikkamars featuring a boxy tee

fashion face-off: classic or trend court shoes?

i am meant to be saving up for a good old shopping spree in london in less than a month's time, but i know myself well enough to know that tomorrow morning i will head to the mall for a mini shoe shopping expedition. 

the reason behind this is these two beauts from zara and reserved. one is perfectly classic and can be worn with just about everything, and just about everywhere. the other is perfectly on the neon trend, but still could be worn with just about everything, though maybe not everywhere. i shudder to think of the looks i'd get walking into the office in neon yellow heels. 

i love the pointed toe on both of them as it elongates my miniscule foot, and i simply adore the mid-heel. having foregone heels most of the time for the last couple of years, this would be a good way of re-introducing some height without risk of injury. 

the price is just about right on both (actually the neon ones are on mid-season sale), so i guess, even if i spend a sleepless night dwelling on which one i should buy tomorrow, the decision will be made on: 

1. finding my size and 
2. whether the shoe is actually comfortable or not.

(who am i kidding, like point 2 ever stopped me from buying a pair of shoes that i liked ...)

 

fashion face-off: classic or trend court shoes? by tikkamars featuring pointed shoes

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