Fashion Hookup

The Modern Leo Large Tote

Has Donna Karan shown her creative flair, taking a chance in what could very well be a naff concept, turning it into something on every gal’s “I Gotta Have it!” list? or is it an attempt to salvage her handbag reputation by this “astrological” marketing cliche?

The Zodiac collection, which features, yes, bags inspired by the signs of the Zodiac were unveiled by the designer as part of her pre fall collection, which came out in June.

As Karan said in a WWD report:

“It makes sense — I live by astrology….I am a Libra. I can’t make up my mind. We never find a balance. We like it all.”

Picking up a Virgo handbag, she said, “I need a Virgo around me. Libras always need Virgos. My husband [the late Stephan Weiss] was a Virgo.”

“The challenge was, would I wear this bag? These I would,” she said and, pointing to a large shopper, added, “You know I will be carrying this for the rest of my life.”

The bags, which are now available online for around £1,300 or $ 2,500 at places like Net a Porter certainly don’t come at a cheap price, and now, several months on after its debut, it can be said that, in spite of their somewhat novel concept,  the bags have not arrived at the ” so last season” list just yet.

For Virgos like me, there are two models to choose from, the Modern Virgo North/South or East/West totes in waxed vachetta, which gives it a chic, weathered look.  Personally though, I prefer the Leo tote in shrunken lamb pictured above.

If you visit the Donna Karan website, you’ll find only some of the zodiac signs represented - Leo, Aries, Scorpio, Libra, Pisces, Virgo and the evening star (lovely roll clutches). Some of which, like Leo, have more than one design. You’d think they’d make one for the Taureans at least, as they’re known to have a weak spot for indulging in luxe items like these.

And lastly, I have to say that these new-fangled “exotic” names just don’t get me excited.

Shiny goat? French bull? Shrunken lamb? hmmmm….. Besides from sounding very un-Peta friendly, they remind me more of the menu of a restaurant trying too hard make ordinary dishes sound posh.

Now for the pressing question every gal’s gotta know. 

“What is your fashion style?“

Here are some of our favourite places online you can find it out.

Ladies Home Journal: 10 fun questions, asking you things like: “If you were to open a business, what would it be?”

I Village UK: This one from the UK promises to discover your “inner style”, questions like ” Your favourite Decade Is…” (the 1940’s-50’s was my definitely my favourite- everyone was so coiffed!).

Retro Runway: This one is for the younger gals. Are you stuck in a time warp? Find out at:

Celebrity Beauty Buzz: I admit, I’m a bit of a celebrity fan. How can you not look at what they’re wearing when they have access to the best designers, stylists and fitness trainers?  So are you a Gwyneth or a Gwen?

Celebrity Holiday Style: One more celebrity quiz - as its October tomorrow, the holidays are definitely creeping up.  Find out if you’re a Cate Blanchette or a Kate Hudson when you get into the season this year. Warning: this one is a manual one, so you have to add up the points yourself.  Hey, its good to exercise those grey cells too, ladies!

And a tribute to my all time favourite fahionistas, every girl should know which Sex In the City girl she is! In case you were wondering, I’m Charlotte :-).  But I wish I were Carrie!

On one of my research browses, I stumbled upon “Colette“.  The mouseover read “styledesignartfood”.  All things up my alley, so with trepidation I clicked.  I arrived at a white page, (after the annoying few seconds of “loading”), with a pulsating blue circle and very funky music which got my hips swaying even at 8 a.m. Look at the photo above and you’ll notice a little bit on the lower right hand side which is a mini music player, which has some very funky tunes indeed, making me feel like I needed some kind of cocktail in my hand was sitting in a very plush cushion, schmoozing with some extremely cool people (no doubt in Colette gear).

Colette is a concept boutique in Paris, which also has a flagship store in New York city. Named after the famous novelist (who wrote Gigi), the Paris store is strictly for the seriously chic Fashionista, who wouldnt be caught dead shopping at Printemps. Up and coming designers as well a smattering of uber-cool home furnishings and accessories, have found their way to Colette (as well as a very swish tea salon), and their website is a good place to source some of this coolness from the comfort of home.  Some items on the Fashion Hookup list:

Oakley X Colette Frogskins (only 100 pcs. in the world)

Little black dress with gold bow de Valentino by Alessandra Facchinetti

Tote Bag Stephano Pilati “I Love My Planet”

In Paris, Colette is at 213 rue Saint-Honoré 75001.  In NYC, 54th and 5th Avenue.

Bridal Jewellery should not be scrimped on. It is the most important day of your life and you should look a million dollars, even if that’s what it costs you.

OK I’m lying; I can’t see any reason why you should spend a fortune on bridal jewellery. You’ve already got an engagement ring and you will be adding to the collection with a wedding ring, so why the need for even more new jewellery?

Competition is the only reason. If your friend or sister or colleague had a tonne of jewellery, then you have to go one better, right? Everything has to be new, right? Nope, beg or borrow wedding jewellery from your mother, grandmother, mother-in-law to be! It’s not cheap; it’s just adding a way to make them feel involved in the wedding that also benefits you. Everyone’s a winner! Plus, it leaves you with that little bit (or big bit) extra cash to splash out on some designer shoes!

I spent absolutely nothing on wedding jeweller. As a pre-wedding gift my fiancé bought me a radiant pair of diamond stud earrings and a matching diamond pendant. Having gotten my engagement ring I didn’t have to buy anything at all. It was an absolutely fabulous gift and although he had hinted that he was buying my wedding jewellery, it was a complete surprise on the day.

He had it given to me in a polished wooden case and he has wonderful taste in jewellery, so I knew that I would like them before I even opened the box. I felt a million dollars walking down the aisle and everybody admired them at our reception. I didn’t feel the need to wear anything else like a tiara or anything like that, although I do admit to getting one that I didn’t actually use after receiving the gifts from hubbie.

The whole wedding concept these days is so enormously expensive that it is easy to see why many couples decide to remain single. Couples are saving for years to pay £20000 or more for a fashionable, stylish wedding. It’s easy to see why when the designer bridal gown, shoes and accessories can total £2000 or more. Then there are cars, photos, videos, groom, best man, and not forgetting bridesmaids. Not least, the Banqueting Hall for grand reception.

Yet, the most symbolic memory of the wedding is of course, the wedding ring. Gold is the ultimate choice; it is beautiful, everlasting and has the power to evoke deep emotions. Platinum is also a popular choice, pure white and eternal. Designer wedding bands can cost over £2000, but a perfect choice as this is one element of a couple’s love that is worn every day and can’t be skimped on. The groom also may choose a wedding band and £500 or more can easily be spent on this item. Bridal earrings are also expensive but can be ‘borrowed’; otherwise diamonds can cost £100 or more. Many brides choose diamante headbands and as these are only worn once, costume jewellery can be chosen, which is much less expensive. About £50 can be spent on this item.

The bridegroom may choose to give the bridesmaids a token to wear on the ‘Big day’, like little heart-shaped gold pendants costing upwards of £100 each which look sweet and delicate on young children.

Ultimately, bridal jewellery, particularly wedding bands, is symbolic of a couple’s love and it is worthwhile spending whatever can be afforded.

How much would I spend on bridal jewellery? That’s easy for me to answer as before my wife and I got married, I bought her a stunning diamond pendant. It was a sort of satire cluster of diamonds encrusted into pretty gold back and on a slender gold chain.

It cost me a small fortune, but I believe that good jewellery should last you a lifetime. I remember buying it and it was just about as expensive as the engagement ring that I had purchased for her some time earlier. I’m not quite talking a month’s salary is traditional, but it wasn’t far short of the mark.

I presented it to her on the day of the wedding. Well, actually, I had it presented to her as I didn’t see her until we got to the church. She replaced her original necklace with the diamond pendant and it was sparking furiously in the halogen lighting of the reception hall. Everybody commented on how beautiful it was that day and she wears it at every given opportunity since we got married. Now that’s a good investment!

The decision between buying an original and a fake implies that one actually has the power or financial clout to buy a designer handbag if they wish. There are some times during the year when this is true. In the January sales quite a few designer bags are reduced to the price of ordinary top-end, high-quality non-designer handbags and so are affordable. There is also birthday time when payouts from various relatives mean a big cash injection that one can blow on a designer bag. In these circumstances (because they occur so infrequently) one can be forgiven for having that ‘must get’ attitude.

Splashing out on a signature designer handbag is a good feeling. Especially as it’s been a year since you bought your last one. This bag will help define your fashion year and has the power of making you look like your worth a few bob. Carrying round a £1000 Gucci bag gives one an air of respect and perhaps an illusion of financial security to others at the office, on the train or even at the dentist’s. In short, for a women, it is the secret to happiness…..

Fake handbags do not quite carry that same air. If they are obvious fakes, they make the owner look like someone who does not care for accuracy or proper fashion accessories. This is in varying degrees depending on the age of the owner. For a teenager, one can be proud that they are aware of the importance of good-looking handbags at such an early age, despite having a small budget.

For grown women, fake handbags are simply unattractive. Carrying round a Pucci handbag or worse Dukki handbag (as I saw yesterday on the bus) does not look good. Save up and spend or stretch the budget to a better looking fake. Better still, buy a non-branded handbag.

Why is fashionable gymwear so hard to look for? Urgh! Its bad enough that we are dripping in sweat while working out with our straightened hair almost frazzled out, let alone wearing unflattering and unfashionable clothing. When working out, I feel good about myself…I get a good sense of relief when I realise I may have just lost the calories I put one while indulging myself into a large pizza and fat, yes may I add FAT slice of cheesecake I had for lunch. As well as feeling that sense of achievement, I want to feel good about my appearance too…as vein as it may sound!

Clearly gym wear needs to be comfortable and that is by far the most important function gym wear should have. However, rather than having designer gym wear (like most women do) I would prefer to have stylish clothing.

I found some gym wear, here and there, that I think are good fashionable and functional pieces and thought I’d share these with you guys:

I found an ordinary black vest top that has a grey strip around the waist, topped of with a small center bow that gives the illusion of a waist belt as well as looking slimmer, even when working out (Clever? I think so!).

Another top, that I recently bought (and I must say, a good find!!), is gathered at the bottom and the two ends tie up to create a bow! Perfect

I’ve got a similar pair of gym shorts that have gathered look at the top as well and they go so perfectly with a yellow crop top that is also gathered at the bottom! (Ingenious :-)!)

I just need one more thing to complete my fashionable gym wear- the right gym bag! As a girl I love my handbags..God knows how many I have lying around under my bed! But guess what? I HATE GYM BAGS! Often I only find big Duffer bags or big Rucksacks that don’t look half decent! I wish there were just simple small (but big enough) and stylish gym bags out there.

If you know where I can find any half decent stylish gym bags please leave me a message!

1990s:

Or the grunge decade (think Nirvana). Then there were the styles during the 90s were inspired by the 70s retro trend. Cargo pants were very popular and the color olive green in general.

Does anybody watch Two and a Half Men by any chance? Well, Charlie on the show is obsessed with bowling shirts, a trend that was in its peak during the 90s. Now, I think Charlie is the only one who wears them in the new millennium. I guess he never got the memo. The punk and gothic look made a big scene and to me, it was just scary. On the plus side, the 80s and 90s were the decades of the supermodel. Claudia, Naomi, Cindy and many others reinvented the fashion industry. It was the first time that models became celebrities.

Personally when I think of the 90s I think of young Kate Moss in her Calvin Klein ads with Mark Wahlberg…yummy

I personally feel that buying quality denim is far better than buying designer jeans . Often the price will reflect the quality with supermarket value products often of a much lower quality denim and of a poorer cut. However this is not always the case. Although designer and more expensive brands tend to be better cut, at least for a teenage or young person’s body shape, the denim is sometimes lower quality, a real case of paying for the name.I personally feel that this is the case with brands such as diesel, which my boyfriend is a particular fan of. However every pair of these jeans I have seen him in have become ripped very quickly compared with other brands.

Personally although I steer clear of value supermarket jeans, which seem to be designed for older women and are cut larger in the bottom and hips area, I don’t buy designer either. I feel that an equally good cut and equally good if not better quality denim is available from less well known brands such as the European store ‘pull and bear’. Although this does mean I have to purchase my years denim from a store on holiday.

1980s:

This is the decade I grew up in and the decade that at the same time scares me the most. Flat shoes, leg warmers, shoulder pads (I can’t believe they came back), leggings, leather jackets, fingerless gloves which I still don’t understand, lots and lots of neon colors and heavy makeup. All are just wrong except for the leggings. I used to love wearing leggings and I am glad they are in style now because they are very comfortable!

How Madonna got away with the lacy tops, leather jackets and fish net stockings is beyond me, but at the time it shocked the public and became one of the most recognizable looks to date. The music industry flourished with the beginning of the MTV generation. When I think of the 1980s I think Footloose and Flashdance, I mean, how can you not! Jeans became acid washed and men started wearing eyeliner and lipstick. Enough said…this decade was a disaster. I don’t know anyone who would look back at their pictures from this decade and say ‘Hey! I looked hot!’