Smarten Up: August 2011

For me, right now, it's all about burgundy. I'm loving the 70s inspired pallette of the current season - teal, tan, camel, turquoise and last but not least... beautiful burgundy!

There's tons of it on the high street at the moment, so I thought I'd post a few pieces that have caught my eye...

River Island Mid Length A Line Belted Skirt - £30.00

Thusfar I've invested in this heavenly midi skirt from River Island, which has attracted many a compliment already. It's a dream to wear, the fabric has a lovely drape and flow. A real 70s shape too. Ideal to wear for some Jerry Hall inspired 70s chic, perhaps with a textural blouse, or even dressed down with ankle boots and a vintage band shirt tucked in for a more irreverent 90s daytime style.

And I'm also loving this bargainous boyfriend cable cardigan from New Look. Great for grungy down days with a pair of cut offs. Has a slouchy lived-in look, like it's been passed down from a generous boyfriend with excellent taste in knitwear!

New Look Cable Knit Boyfriend Cardigan - £27.99

Another burgundy pick I've had my eye on comes from Warehouse, with this stunning 40s style swallow-print dress. With its matte-silk fabric, angel sleeves and wrapover detailing, it's so Miu Miu (think the beautiful Hailee Steinfeld/Bruce Weber shots), and nods at not only the 40s trend, but also the 70s and oriental styles that are so prevalent this season. Definite showstopper piece for any A/W parties.

Warehouse Silk Bird Print Dress - £65


Warehouse dress - note the sweet keyhole detailing. Do want!

Finally, even accessories are looking beautiful in burgundy. I love this bag from Nica's first leather range (about time too...REALLY not a fan of pleather!) - the adorably named 'Bunty' Satchel is a bit of a Mulberry contender in terms of preppy/heritage styling, and priced around the £100 mark, it's a very affordable investment piece.


Nica Bunty Satchel

That's all for now, and in the words of Mr. Burgundy himself...
"You stay classy..."
x

YSL Ombres 5 Lumieres - 'Midnight Garden'

When I laid eyes on YSL's AW11 eye-colour pallette in 'Midnight Garden', I was smitten.
Not only is this mix of lush, moody blues one of my favourite niches on the colour wheel, there's something quite magical and exotic about this little box of tricks. It definitely highlights the seasonal habit of ushering out the au naturel 'barely there' look and welcoming in the extravagant. It put me in mind of a quote I read from the great man himself, Yves Saint Laurent: "The most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy." ...Too true, Yves!

Sure, a simple, barely-there beauty regime is the ideal, but there is a distinct magic in make-up. I've mentioned in the past my love of clothing in its ability to conjour up new identies and channel our feelings and personal style. But there's an artistry in cosmetics that is quite extraordinary.

You'll have to indulge me in yet another digression, but the Yves quote reminded me of an essay from Charles Baudelaire I read whilst doing a wonderful course entitled 'Aesthestes and Decadents' as part of my English degree. Baudelaire's 'In Praise of Make-Up' crystallised in me (in the most inspiringly dramatic manner, natch) the idea that rather than just the natural, we should embrace the supernatural beauty. He was kicking against the 18th century Romantic ideal that true beauty is natural, untamed and unaffected by the hand of man. Baudelaire saw the savagery and lack of sophistication in nature, that it could be 'coarse, earthy and disgusting' (poss. a little hyperbolous, but lets go with it....) and instead favoured the sophisticated beauty crafted by man by way of fashion and cosmetic adornment. Thus, he saw fashion being 'a sublime distortion of nature... a permanent and constantly renewed effort to reform nature', and ultimately 'the means of rising above nature'.

But wait - before you go out and empty the contents of a cosmetics counter onto your face in inspired aesthetic glee, take note... We all know a certain someone who trowels their make-up on so thick there appears to be an unpleasant orange tidemark around their face - I am in no way endorsing that. Have some panache ladies! Just like painting on canvas, make-up really is an art and with a gift and skill can be transformative. It's not a miracle worker though. As Baudelaire himself said, 'artifice does not embellish ugliness, and can only serve beauty.'

"Woman is well within her rights, we may even say she carries out a kind of duty, in devoting herself to the task of fostering a magic and supernatural aura about her appearance..."

On the subject of the fantastical, I've been adding a little touch of the supernatural to my workday get-up with Barry M's wonder product 'Nail Effects' shatter paint. Current favourite colour combination is black shatter paint over Barry M's antique gold (289).
Just one coat over your regular polish transforms like magic within seconds to give a cracked, almost animal-print effect. The colour combinations are as far reaching as your nail polish collection will allow. I'm hoping that more products of this sort will make their way onto our shelves allowing us to easily create dramatic looks at home.