Tanks with a Twist

Time to turn on the a/c! I am finally feeling the heat. Time to wear all those pretty skirts and shorts! One of my staples in spring/summer are tanks. They are simple and versatile, they look good (thats ALL the girls on ANTM always wear) and you can wear it without having to switch to a strapless bra! Although they do tend to be thin, so make sure you wear a nude color bra so it doesn't show through-THAT is not sexy. But as nice as they are, the plain tanks do get old. So here are a few cute tanks with a twist.

Attracted by the "sale" sign outside Express, I went in hoping to find some great bargains. But alas, there were no bargains. There were however, some very cute tanks very innovatively trimmed with lace and chains. The first one here sports a lace strap and back, while the one on the right has lace on the side.

The grey one has lace down the center and the black one has chains dangling from it. Not huge elaborate changes, but enough to give simple tanks a bit of a twist. I definitely have my eyes on this collection.

I also like this lacy blue one from Abercrombie. It just adds girliness to the otherwise boyish tank. Beads on the neckline, like this white one from Forever 21, is also a nice addition.

Even more subtle is this grey one from Esprit, you cannot even see the beads on the neckline unless you zoom in on it. And I absolutely ADORE this diamond clasp strap from AX! Makes it instantly dressy and feminine.

Graphic tanks are also a good idea for a casual day out. There is this very romantic cherry blossom from Urban Outfitters or this very cool one with the guns (I love this one) from Sparkles. And the best thing about all these tanks is that they are all $34 or less!

The Wolford Fatal Dress

I've always related Wolford to super expensive hoisery for older women. The other day however, I found out that I was only half right. Yes they are super expensive, but they are not neccessarily just hoisery for older women.

They also make this genius creation called the Fatal Dress. It is basically a seamless tube that is long and stretchy, but it is so chic and versatile it is a wonder its not all over the place by now. This stretchy tube can be worn as a long tube dress with stregically placed creases to enhance and hide your best body features and to just provide texture and style to the dress. Although despite all the strategic creases, this dress is still VERY body hugging. So you really have to love your body to wear it.

It can be stretched all out and long like in the picture or it can be scrunched up into a sexy body hugging mini dress. They also showed up how to fold the top down a bit to create a twist around the bodice. This dress is also marvellous for travelling, as you can just fold the dress down into two layers and create a pencil skirt. Thats already 4 different ways to wear this dress, just imagine the potential!

But here's the catch: this amazingly versatile and femme fatale dress costs $150. But it all depends on the way you look at it. If you like the whole body hugging and pencil skirt silohuette thing, it can be a bargain as it saves luggage space and can potentially create many different looks. And if you don't like the pencil skirt thing, I did spy an A line skirt version of this. OR it can be a rip off because in the end it IS just a piece of long stretch tube. Your choice!

Vanessa Bruno SS06

Vanessa Bruno is a brand that has been around for awhile, but I've only started to really notice it when a bought a cardigan by Vanessa Bruno last season. At first glance, Bruno's clothes may seem a bit plain, but the cutting is not-so-typical.

OK, first take a look at part of Vanessa Bruno's SS06 collection:
See what I mean? You get a really French-chic feel from the clothes. Simple, casual yet still so sophisticated. It's totally got a Chloe/ See by Chloe vibe going on.

This is a top I would really like to try. Unfortunately after visiting at least ten places that carry Bruno clothes, I still have yet to see this top! Where where where do they sell this!?!

Now this Crinkled Silk Camisole I have actually tried on, and loved it! It's sooo gorgeous, and the use of silk and chiffon together is tres sophisticated. And this acid blue color is so unique and eye-catching. Alas, it's a bit out of my budget for a pretty top. Perhaps if it's still available when it goes on sale......

I like how this top is so plain yet well-cut. It's great for days when you're really not bothered to mix and match clothes, and just throw on. This top is so popular on net-a-porter that it's already sold out!

Another casual sexy, sophisticated top. Obviously when worn in real life, you should wear a simple cami underneath.

Originally from Paris, the clothes are available mainly in Paris and Tokyo, but most of the major tend-to-high-end department stores also stock Bruno clothes (such as Selfridges, Urban Outfitters London, Harvey Nicols, Lane Crawford etc). Unfortunately Vanessa Bruno currently only has a Japanese website, but like me, you can probably just click around and find the pictures. To see even more clothes, go check out net-a-porter.com.

SS06 Dress Trends: Empire Waist

So now that we've established the proper definition of baby doll and empire waist dresses, here are a few prime picks of the season.

On the catwalk there was Matthew Williamson and Marc by MJ. Love the skirt of the MW dress, its just so flowy and flirty!

Other deep v necked empire waist dress alternative are these black See by Chloe dress and floral print Milly dress. These dresses are so low cut, they'd be perfect for this season's t shirt in dress trend!

Of course, there is also this season's favourite color-brown! Sophisticated and chic, wear the Ingwa Melero by day and Diane von Furstenburg by night.

If you've been reading this blog, you must be able to tell that I'm a huge fan of this season's Marc by MJ dresses. They are just sooo vibrant and gorgeous! These two have a higher and flatter neckline, which makes it very form fitting and flattering worn by itself.

Naturally there is the white dress (what is this season without white?). Combined with the baby doll style, its positively angelic! Above from Rebecca Taylor and Forever 21.

Purple with a cute bow on the waist line. These two are just so amazingly different yet so similar. The subtly striped halter dress is by Nina Ricci and the crocheted one is by Forever 21.

For more daily casual empire waist dresses, there are these two from Free People and Top Shop. The other ones could've passed off for day/night, but these two are most definitely daytime casual.

Too bad aii dresses are so expensive. I definitely need to get myself at least one of these this season!- but which one??

SS06 Makeup Trends: Pink

In case you haven't got the memo, mascaras and fake lashes aren't that important anymore. This season is all about the natural look. According to a NYT article a few months back, this season's makeup is all about looking like Gemma Ward. Makeup artists are all loving Gemma's natural look (esp those flushed cheeks!) And although obviously none of us can possibly achieve Gemma's healthy alien look, we can have fun attempting that no-makeup madeup look. Miuccia Prada and her shows' makeup director, Pat McGrath are huge on the pink lips this season. This could mean seriously shocking pink (Prada) and extremely pale pink (Miu Miu.) And in between these two extremes, there are a lot of other shades of pink seen on the SS06 runways:

Pale pink at Miu Miu -although if worn in real life, one might end up looking like a zombie.
Nude-pink at Chloe
Girly pink at J.Mendel -So pretty!
Slightly redish pink at Carolina Herrera and Max Mara
Shocking pink at Prada -V eye-catching and forms a big contrast with pale face.

You will notice that apart from the no-mkaeup madeup look, there is also the no-makeup-except-pink-lipstick look. To be honest, I have no idea how pro makeup artists manage to make models' lips soo pale pink. It can't be just lip stick, because some of the natural red from the lips should still show. Maybe they put on foundation on lips too?

Anyways, MAC has a new collection of lipstick (which I know is a fav to a lot of people), all in pink.

Bobbi Brown Pink Face Palette -Lip colors, blush and eye shadows all in pink. A total no-brainer if you want the natural /pink look.

And lastly, the oh-so-famous Nars blush in Orgasm. I have yet to read a Best Beauty list that didn't have Orgasm in it. It's best used for the subtle flushed look. But it's not very pink so if you're looking for a stronger cheek color, go for solid blush colors. Personally I am using MAC blush in Pinch O' Peach for the natural look.

So make sure you have your healthy-and-flushed face on in the coming summer days!

Babydoll or Empire waist?

So the dress trend where basically the dress is cut up to the bodice has been absolutely everywhere this season. We all know what it is, but what is it called? Some description calls it an empire waist dress and some calls it a baby doll dress. Are they one and the same? Is there a difference? Having gotten very confused over this issue, I finally did what I do best and googled it up and found the following definitions:

Empire Waist Dress according to about.com:
A type of dress or top where the waist line is raised above the natural waistline, sometimes as high as right below the bust. Best on slender-on-top or petite figures, the empire dress creates the illusion of length and camouflages a bottom-heavy figure or thick waist (above from Lux UO).

Baby Doll Dress according to apparel search:
A babydoll is a short nightgown or negligee intended as nighwear for a female. The garment is often trimmed with lace, ruffles, bows and ribbons, optionally with spaghetti straps. Short daywear dresses of a similar style are sometimes called babydoll dresses. Some styles are similar to what is worn by dolls in the form of infants, and by some infants; the gown is short enough that diapers are easily changed (above from Anthropologie).

To be honest, I'm not too sure about apparel search's definition of the babydoll dress. It makes it sound like some kind of erotic dress when its just really cute. But here you go. Basically, Baby doll dress is a shorter type of empire waist dress.

Hair Extensions

After a flock of celebs chopped their hair short, some of the trend-setting girls have just very recently gotten hair extensions!

Nicole Richie
Short hair:
With hair extensions:
Hmm, I think I prefer Nicole without the hair extensions. I always thought that short bob of hers looked really chic. I mean, her bob is always so perfectly fixed and thus never fails to look stylish on her. With the hair extensions, she looks more girl-next-door than cool fashionista.

Sienna Miller
Short hair:
With hair extensions:
I hate Sienna Miller with short hair. There has been very few photos where she actually looked good in short hair. Acting as Edie Sedgewick on screen is all and well, but she really needs to get over trying to imitate Edie in real life. OK, so she looks terrible in hair extensions too -it just looks funny on her. Think it's too blonde, or wait, it looks more like a wig than hair extensions. I wish she would get her old hairstyle /color back, or at least get a better hair color!

Mary Kate Olsen
Long hair:
With hair extensions:
I love MK and all, but recently she's been wearing hair extensions to a few public events. It's just she's short, and even though she's skinny, that very long hair really weighs her down. (And the fact that her skin color is so similar to her hair color doesn't help either.) Besides her hair usually has such a fantastic length (long but not too long.) Thank goodness her hair extensions aren't to stay!

What I would really like to know is how she keeps her hair so shiny when she dyes it so often!