Milan Fashion Week A/W 13

As we saw in NY FW Marc Jacobs put hot pants down the runway. Dolce & Gabbana also showcased this style in Milan FW.
Orange kept popping up a lot in NY FW and was spotted on the catwalks of Milan as well. The shade of orange was matched perfectly in all shows using it; obviously a trending color for next season.
Prada's a/w collection had a disheveled peasant feel, maybe channeling a bit of recently released film Les Mis.
Fausto Puglisi's put his signature embellishments on a leather jacket, reminding me of a vintage chain bomber jacket from Chanel in the 80's.
Emporio Armani also seemed to have gotten inspiration from the films. His collection for a/w 13 carried a lot of designs with a 20's feel; the era when soon to be released film The Great Gatsby takes place. 

The details during Milan fashion week were fabulous. I am seriously in love with the Jil Sander ankle boots and Prada platform ankle boots (i.e. ankle boots in general <3).  I'm also glad to see the oxford hasn't lost any popularity for next winter. Larger envelope bags were seen on the catwalk along with clutches. Thick plastic rimmed sunglasses were also worn in many shows.

The makeup in all the shows were very similar. Most shows focused on one feature such as the lips, eyes or eyebrows. For the shows that focused on the eye, a smokey rim of black, dark purple, and pinkish red hue were spotted. As for the lips, shades of red, burgundy, and dark plum were used often. The thick eyebrow was attention grabbing at many shows as well. 

Lots of lovely velvet was seen on the catwalks in Milan as well as lavish fur collars.

Dolce & Gabbana's A/W 13 collection was religiously lavish. Lots of rich golds & reds, lace in mainly red, white and black, and holy early Byzantine Christian inspired designs among many other fabulous details. The red featured in Bottega Veneta and Dolce & Gabbana's collections was a dazzling cherry red. 

There were many magnificent designs on the catwalks in Milan, but here are some of my favorites. Roberto Cavalli went all out with the fur for next season. He created very dramatic fun furs. Dolce & Gabbana's coats were exquisite and will be your best Sunday coat at most. As we saw in NY FW A/W 13 lots of bright plumb purple designs were strutted on the runway, we saw some of this in Milan as well. I loved Just Cavalli's show. It was definitely oriental inspired, with many dragon designs, and other delicate Chinese representations. Roberto Cavalli also had velvet on his runway, but it was elaborate with paisley designs - just my style!

Loving the looks Milan is bringing to next a/w... Now off to Paris FW!

-M

London Fashion Week A/W 13

{All photos via style.com and telegraph.co.uk}

During what may have been the most hyped London fashion week to date, designers showcased some of the most exceptional and wearable autumn/winter 2013 collections. From veterans to new talent, almost every designer brought their A game to fashion week. Although London may have lost some of their loveable wackiness for more posh, luxe collections, it still feels very British. Now more than ever, high street style has influenced high-end style and vice versa. The symbiotic relationship between the two continues to grow, resulting in very wearable and innovative pieces. 

Some of my favorite trends seen this past week are gold plating, pale pinks, bright blues, orange, burgundy, big faux fur coats, turtlenecks, and full, flared skirts. 

The week had some great, noteworthy fashion. I cannot wait to see what Milan and Paris has to offer! 

-E

New York Fashion Week A/W 13

Fur collars, leather and oversize coats were seen countless times on the runway. For next fall//winter season pants are a must. Maxi skirts and many mini's with thigh high stockings were also spotted. 

There were lots of lovely designs out on the catwalk this past New York Fashion Week. The fashion shows covered Autumn//Winter '13//14.
Lots of intricate patterns hit the runway, but stripes and circular shaped prints were seen often. Above I showed some of my favorite prints for the future season. Red Valentino focused on a Russian theme, while Marc Jacobs used tie patterns throughout both his Marc by Marc Jacobs & Marc Jacobs collections, and Anna Sui went with her signature beautiful bohemian patterns.
Philip Lim and Rag & Bone made a bold, circular collar for their autumn orange tops.
Structured military designs were crawling everywhere on the catwalk. Nanette Lepore created more feminine  military designs, while Rag & Bone stuck to their structured boy-inspired roots.

Some of my favorite things on the runway were the silky pajama day-wear outfits Marc Jacobs put out. He also made a dreamy fur coat I would die for! (along with the hot pants I paired it with above!) 

The fur is ESSENTIAL to your wardrobe for next a//w. Faux fur is always a nice alternative (for co$t & the animals sake!) 

Royal Blue, Turquoise, and Royal Blue with Military were the main blue hues of next a//w's palette.

Leading the color scheme for another a//w silky shades of red and velvety shades of burgundy were adorned on the catwalk. 

Plumb purple made a big appearance, showing up in most shows. 

Forest green, and olive green tones were strutted along the runway as dominating colors of the season.

New York's Autumn//Winter 13//14 Fashion Week had countless designs that enslaved my heart. It was a long week with fabulous fashion statements. Can't wait to see what European designers have coming up during the next few fashion weeks.

xx

-M

made in chelsea

Made in Chelsea, a British reality show, features London's trendiest socialites at their most stylish and dramatic. We have picked up style inspiration from some of the girls from the SW3, particularly Caggie, Millie, Louise, and Rosie. They have impeccable taste, mixing high street and designer fashions. We had fun piecing together our own outfits created with each girl's personal style in mind.

CAGGIE DUNLOP

{Kenna-T leopard coat, Truly Madly Deeply skull shirt, Madewell chambray button up, vintage jewelry}

{Photo via Tumblr}

MILLIE MACKINTOSH

{Nasty Gal blouse, LF vest, Hue leggings, J. Crew boots and necklace}

{Photo via Millie Mackintosh}

LOUISE THOMPSON 

 {Zara pearl collar sweater, Topshop hat, vintage jewelry}

{Photo via Tumblr}

ROSIE FORTESCUE

{River Island blouse, J. Crew blazer and pants, Topshop hat}

{Photo via AtFashionForte}


Keep Calm and Pardy On

-E & M

baked chicken and butternut squash side

It's nice to have a different side dish instead of the same thing repeatedly. I switched things up recently and made a butternut squash side to my chicken dinner.
I bought a whole butternut squash, so to make it easier to cut, I left it to steam in a pot with a little water underneath the strainer for about 30 minutes.
Cut up into bite size squares. Put in a small pan lined with tinfoil. Add salted butter and brown sugar to taste.
Put in oven with tinfoil tenting the pan at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes.

For a quick main dish I resorted to chicken, as a nice source of protein. Simply place 1-3 chicken breasts in a tin lined pan. Next pour olive oil over chicken, add salt and pepper to taste. With tongs flip the chicken around to ensure both sides are well seasoned. Mince some garlic and leave in a few whole ones and (2) lemon juice atop the chicken as well. Bake in oven for 23-25 minuted at 325 degrees. 

For a finishing touch of taste, spread some chevere goat cheese then pesto on the now baked chicken.

Easy enough to make, healthy and delicious.


-M

my so-called life

{photo via Love212}

{On Mireille: Urban Outfitters Nirvana crew neck sweater and flannel, Cheap Monday jeans, Doc Martins, vintage jewelry; On Erin: Urban Outfitters sweater and dress, ASOS beanie, Nordstrom tights, Converse,  J. Crew necklace}

Inspired by the 90s teen drama series, My So-Called Life, Mireille and I have been wearing a lot of flannel, floral prints, and vintage denim, paired with Doc Martins. We love the angst and grunge of the show, and bring its influence into our day-to-day styles. Now, in 2013, the styling on the show isn't current to dress in head to toe but certain pieces can definitely add some funk and freshness to your wardrobe.

-E

loose waves

Recently I did Erin's hair. The look we show how to create is loose waves with a flat iron. The ghd is ideal for this look because of the iron's curved edges. The look is very simple to do and very cute for all occasions.


-M