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: 

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!

the fringe factor

Definitely not the best time of the year for it, but most certainly my all-time favourite hairstyle, i'm back with a blunt, thick fringe.  Yes, it's a nightmare to keep at the moment, what with all the high temperatures and high humidity gauge ... but this is how I feel most comfortable, most 'me'. 

fringe icons: jean shrimpton, jane birkin, brigitte bardot

I've always loved the long fringe look.  Even though it may not look like it, I find it such a versatile style: left to its own devices, it takes a hippy-chic Jane Shrimpton approach.  Primly styled, it can look rather retro ... a bit Stepford wifey if you may.  Swept sideways, it looks more modern and youthful. And of course, if it gets too hot or you want to show off your forehead, you can always pin it backwards with an alice-band or some bobby pins. 

In my case ... I just love it.  My mum thinks I look like a naughty child in it.  What do you reckon? 

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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