Leather Jackets

I have never really had the desire for leather jackets before, because I have always related it to punk, rock n roll and motorcycles- none of which describes me. But lately, with the the mix and matching of rock n girly and layering, I have had a change of mind...and now I really want one! They seem to be everywhere!
There is the more classic biker chic kind like this one from Alice + Olivia (left)- I love it! And then there is the more casual looking ones like this one from Mike & Chris with a combo of material giving it a sportier edge (Mike & Chris- think Rachel Bilson last year).
To make them more layer friendly, some designers also made these cropped biker chic leather jackets like these two from Sword (left) and Clandestine for DKNY (right). I especially LOVE the soft dove grey color of the Sword leather jacket. I can totally imagine it over a flowy black dress looking very cool.
Here we play with the fit and the neckline at Madison Marcus (left) and Adam plus Eve (right). Its interesting... but I got to say, not my favourite.
Going a bit more to the extreme, we have these girly-fied leather jackets with added feminine touches from Madison Marcus. I think the brown one with the frills (left) is a bit too much but I love the grey one with the ruffled neckline (right)- its perfect!

Sigh... too bad for me that leather jackets are about one of the most expensive types of jackets out there.....

Image Source: Shopbop, Shop Intuition, Elle

FW08: Leather Jackets

It's finally September! I can't believe the clear blue skies and sunshine is about to come to an end so soon. On the bright side, we can now officially focus on our FW08 wardrobe! And the beauty of fall is that you can experiment with different FW outfits without worrying about the snow and freezing to death- yet. The first thing that caught my eye this season is the leather jacket.
No big surprise since it is one of the heaviest advertised looks by high street stores. Bebe went for the typical dark, cool leather jacket look.
While Express mixed the hardcore leather jacket with feminine flirty dresses and prints, creating a look which I absolutely ADORE! Thus I must now go and look out for the perfect leather jacket and floral dress to recreate this look.
First things first. I got to find that leather jacket. Urban Outfitters has this simple one (left) with ribbed trims and Vanessa Bruno Athe has this classic asymmetrical zippered one (right) which I especially love because it looks cute with this black dress (which I have a very very similar one of!) and it'll look very cool with just jeans. The fact that they're both brown makes them all the more interesting.
More ribbed leather jackets from Ted Baker (left) and Top Shop (right). The ribs make them less rock and more toned down and sporty, which is great if you want a softer look. Although I'm not sure about these two. It's usually hard to tell quality with leather until you feel it, but from the LOOKS of these... they don't look of very good quality. And you definitely don't want to look cheap with leather.
So for styles with higher quality, I think it's safe to say that at the >$600 price range these two from Marc by MJ (left) and Vince (right) is good. One is classic biker chic while the other is more toned down and ladylike.
Of course, not everyone can afford the >$600 price range and even though I believe that jackets are my best friends, even I'm not sure they're worth that much (I'd be REALLY sad if I bought a leather jacket of exquisite soft leather and it got SCRATCHED). Thus I have my eye on this Aqua leather jacket I tried on the other day. The quality is not bad and it fits quite snug and well, with a bit of a crop. For $298, I thought it was priced reasonably, in the mid range of the worst and the best. Leather jackets are expensive things after all. Unfortunately, my bargain hunting instincts wouldn't let me buy it until it is at least on some kind of tiny sale. Fingers cross there will still be one left by then!

Image Source: Bloomingdales, ShopBop, Bebe, UO, Vanessa Bruno, Ted Baker and Express

Barneys Girl's SS06 Must Have Fashion Item

So almost every summer, I buy myself a thin white jacket. The summer is hot, but the air conditioning IS cold. And since I hardly go anywhere without going indoors, I always carry a jacket with me. And what better to match all your summer clothes than this season's cutest white jackets? Here are a few of my top choices:

This delicate crocheted white cardigan by Robert Rodriguez and pretty lacescreen print white 3/4 length sleeved blazer from Juicy Couture, are both perfect for the cute, feminine look. I especially love the Juicy blazer for its subtle details, like the prints (which one can barely see on a picture) and the little beige frill on the sleeves.

One can also go for being super fashionable, with cropped jackets. If there was ever a splurge to be made this season, it would be with this military styled cropped jacket by Nickel, which is just too gorgeous for words. But in the end, if I could get either one of these jackets, I'd go for the more mod styled cropped jacket by DvF. Simply because it is more simple and would probably last for more than one season.

Then there is the safari styled jacket, loose with a tie, like this one from Miu Miu. The 2D photo doesn't do it justice. It looks so much better on the mannequin.

And lastly, there is always the classics to go for. The biker chic look from LaRok and the blazer with a bit of a twist from Top Shop. Ooooh I want them all!!

Paris Spring/Summer 2007 Wrapup IV

Chanel
Mostly I thought this collection was refreshing, very different from the very detailed Chanel of the past seasons, with the splashes of color and crazy biker shorts. This collection was simple, elegant and of course- very Chanel as always. It never ceases to amaze me the number of ways Karl can shape the classic Chanel look into something new.

Simple chic Chanel outfits accessorized with gold chained jewelry, that perfectly compliments the black and white.

Love the suit jackets and the flowing dress shirts. The chiffon bow softens the rest of the structured look. Personally I think the outfit on the far right is a very lovely and ladylike bathing suit. But it could also be a pretty ladylike shirt paired with weird skanky shorts that resembles diapers. . . I guess this is open for interpretation.Then there were these chic evening wear. The silver dress is very reminiscence of Mischa Barton at the Marc Jacobs show, but still, very cool. And the black and gold dress is very regal and chic- I love it!

There were also a few pieces that I am not entirely crazy about. Like this pink covering the head thing. I sincerely hope people won't be wearing that on the streets any time soon. There were also a lot of LBD's, although the frills and bows were a little too much for my taste.

Chloe
Admittedly this collection was not exactly very exciting, but compared to their last collection I would say that it is definitely an improvement. For one thing, no one looked like they were wearing a bag (well, maybe only one did). The collection was very Chloe as we were used to. Boxy structured silhouettes, clever layering and beautiful chiffony flowing creations- enough to satisfy the appetite of any Chloe girl.
Chloe for the streets.

Chloe for work.
Gorgeous chiffon creations. I adore the outfit on the far left- its sooo cute!

The smashing gold embroidered shift styled dress and royal blue silk dress is very reminiscent of outfits we've seen before, but still, very pretty, although the frills on the blue silk look a bit too much, like a bib, too cutesy. And I absolutely LOVE the flowing dress on the far right.

Then there were a few that I just didn't know what they were thinking. The first one is mismatched. The middle one is absurd. And the last one looks like she's wearing a bag made out of origami paper.