Monthly Archives: February 2011

Style talk on a monday

55
28.02.11


I am 100% certain this ensemble will be my go-to uniform in roughly two months – unfortunately, winter lasts from November to April in Norway. With beautiful new garments waiting to be worn, my morning dressing routine has started to become rather miserable. Although I love sticking to my uniform, I have sincerely been wearing the same clothes every single day since November; a pair of black jeans, the Isabel Marant bator coat, a black crew-neck sweater (I have two sweaters in frequent rotation) and a pair of Doc Martens boots (I loathe those boots as they belong to my ‘the Horrors’/'Dior Homme’/experimental era. But the roads are dangerously steep where I live and, on top of that, the cumulative snow makes the roads even more fatal, hence I have to wear those acutely unchic boots). No wonder I’m completely fed up with that attire.

However, the uniform in the photos above consists of a pair of cropped linen trousers from Isabel Marant, striped shirt from A.P.C, linen jacket from Isabel Marant and suede bottines from Zara. As for the linen trousers, these are initially skinny trousers but I’m in the process of stretching them out till they look like Jeanne’s perfect linen trousers.

On using the term ‘minimalist’

45
27.02.11

(via onesleeplessnight)

Thanks to Phoebe Philo, Jil Sander and the rest of the band of minimalist designers, the sudden torrent of minimalism in the world of fashion has indeed taken the style enthusiasts by storm to such an extent that the expression “minimalist” has become quite misleading.

What strikes me most about this craze is the women who are in possession of 20 Chanel jackets and nonetheless call themselves a minimalist when throwing on a stark Jil Sander suit or a futuristic dress. Isn’t that insulting to people such as Leo Babauta of mnmlist.com, who is genuinely a minimalist and practices the philosophy of minimalism in every aspect of life and not only in half a dozen outfits? To put it in a different context: If Webern were to proclaim himself a minimalist only because some of his pointillistic works may be arrayed in a minimalist attire, it would be very insulting to Philip Glass, don’t you think?

I can acknowledge with 100% sincereness that I find it rather hard to call someone with exaggerated shopping habits and a wardrobe jam-packed with a nearly four-digit number of clothes a minimalist. I also find it difficult to comprehend what’s minimalistic in said instance apart from maybe an understated Stella McCartney-esque attire. Often, I see that fashion magazines and certain blogs misuse this term profoundly, and to be frank; I am fed up with this fallacy. Sure, there are probably people who might assert that having this much can be tantamount to being a minimalist by their standards as long as their outfit is a Céline or Jil Sander lookalike. And sure, there’s an interminable discussion of whether minimalism is about both aesthetics and philosophy/method, or merely the latter. But after all, minimalism is fundamentally all about paring down something to its bare essentials, not only regarding how one assembles an outfit, but also in terms of wardrobe. Well, I suppose it’s an incongruity to talk of fashion and minimalism together. As quoted in this post, this is, in my estimation, the most fitting and precise definition of minimalism:

“Minimalism is not a style, it is an attitude, a way of being. It’s a fundamental reaction against noise, visual noise, disorder, vulgarity. Minimalism is the pursuit of the essence of things, not the appearance.”

By all means, people are entitled to label themselves and their style whatever they desire, but I just wish that people could at least google and look up the term “minimalism” so as to get a better grasp on its meaning before rashly becoming a quasi minimalist. However, how can someone who owns 15 trousers from Jil Sander and 25 Chanel bags be a minimalist?

(The accompanying photo is just a faint example of having perhaps too much clothes, not someone who is labeling herself a minimalist.)
(PS: I’m not claiming that I’m anywhere near a minimalist (yet).. it’s a process that requires baby steps.)

Spring purchases

42
26.02.11




Here are my sartorial purchases in visual form. I apologize for not being wordy these days and for the sudden stream of photos of this nature. A spring wardrobe planning post is coming up, I promise. Each of my new wardrobe additions deserves a brief summary in an other post, as there is a little story behind every purchase.

–
Isabel Marant jacket, Isabel Marant Etoile linen longsleeve, Isabel Marant linen trousers and A.P.C. breton shirt.

Elali jacket

48
24.02.11


A blog post about my purchases is coming up. However, please don’t expect anything huge as I, for one, regard shopping as a chore rather than a funny weekend activity with friends. In the meantime, take a gander at this incredible gem of a confection. I swear, some pieces will never cease to stun me, and this jacket accurately embodies my statement. I am over the moon about this find. Moreover I know for sure that this particular jacket is one of the cornerstones of my wardrobe; an item that I always look forward to wearing as it gives me such joy to wear.

Anyhow, this jacket is, surprisingly enough, from Isabel Marant’s mainline collection. You Isabel Marant die hards have most likely seen the black or white version of it on the runway.

Laisse tomber les filles

31
19.02.11

I guess my absence has indicated that I’m currently in Paris. I’ve just spent a lovely week with my friends here. My parents and sister arrived in Paris last night, so now I’m heading to my uncle’s house to spend the rest of my trip with my family and relatives.

I haven’t been a ‘good shopper’. Apparently I’ve become exaggeratedly picky, especially this season. I’ve only bought a breton shirt from A.P.C. and lingerie. And some books and Kiehl’s products.. that’s all. For those of you who follow my tumblr; the Sofia Coppola x Louis Vuitton clutch I had planned to purchase turned out to look acutely cheap and trop moche in real life. That clutch epitomizes that some things just look better in pictures.

However, see you in a week or so!

The guardian of all style

37
10.02.11


(via misslittlelime)

I’m not an avid advocate of posting many photos in a row on my blog.. in fact, I should lessen my writings as they always turn out to be a lot lengthier than anticipated. Nonetheless, these scans of Garance Doré, who appeared in the Closet Confidential segment of the most recent issue of Elle UK, comprise content that ought to be enough words to suffice my urge to squeeze more juice from every potential sentence.

That said, I am an earnest disciple of magazine spreads such as Une Fille Un Style in Vogue Paris, Closet Confidential in Elle UK, and the sudden flurry of blogs that render an instant behind-the-scenes peek into the closets, workplaces, bathroom cabinets, apartments or lives of the fashion pack such as Closet Visit, The Coveteur, Into The Gloss and The Selby.

“Sometimes it takes me 10 years to own something. It’s like love. You want to let things grow on you.”

Playlist: February’11

11
08.02.11

Here’s the playlist of the month for the readers who have access to Spotify. This playlist contains some of my most played songs of 2008 that I just recently rediscovered (Metronomy, Midnight Juggernauts, Santogold, The Virgins, Born Ruffians). Oh, how I miss 2008! Music wise, it was such a good year – MGMT, Vampire Weekend, Cut Copy, Late of the Pier, Sébastien Tellier, and so on. Enjoy!

Playlist: Dead Fleurette February’11

01. Sabali – Amadou & Mariam
02. The Next Time Around – Little Joy
03. Let Me Go ! – Erik Truffaz 4tet ft. Sophie Hunger
04. Twenty Two – Wakey!Wakey!
05. You’re No Good – Betty Everett
06. Moon Theory – Miami Horror
07. Big Jet Plane - Angus & Julia Stone
08. Where My Heart’s At - Wax Tailor ft. The Others
09. Heartbreaker – Metronomy
10. Right On – The Roots ft. STS, Joanna Newsom
11. Voices – Blundetto
12. Woo Hoo – The 5. 6. 7. 8′s
13. Sour Milk/Salt Water – Port O’Brien
14. Jake Ryan – Summer Camp
15. Ghosts – Rigas ft. Anna Maria Espinosa
16. Round and Round - Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
17. Lets Go Surfing – The Drums
18. Lights Out - Santogold
19. Lady Daydream - Twin Sister		 20. Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus – Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin
21. Floor – Tumi & The Volume
22. Shadows – Midnight Juggernauts
23. I Get Around – The Beach Boys
24. Lions In Cages - Wolf Gang
25. Flames - Karl X Johan
26. Spy – Beat Assailant, Ben L’Oncle Soul
27. Foxes Mate For Life – Born Ruffians
28. Les Amis De La Musique – Brigitte Bardot
29. Rich Girls - The Virgins
30. Unfinished Sympathy – Massive Attack
31. Monokini – Nous Non Plus
32. Chinatown – Wild Nothing
33. Hawaii - Blackbird Blackbird
34. Sail – AWOLNATION
35. The Lighthouse – Applause
36. Love – Air
37. The Only One – The Black Keys
38. Lose It (In The End) – Mark Ronson & The Business Intl

I might want to take a closer look

19
06.02.11

(via lagarconne.com)

.. at this chic cotton-linen blazer from Vanessa Bruno Athé. Yes, I can divulge with earnestness that I have a thingfor jackets, and I assume my inclination derives from those French Voguettes and their partiality towards statement jackets. Regardless, I can’t help but adore garments, particularly jackets, that are made from a cotton/linen blend; it’s really the best thing to wear, especially during the warmer months. I love the casual look of linen clothes, and this confection would instantly impart a perennial casualness to sleek and polished outfits. It is also a great option for those chillier summer nights. And of course; the sleeves need to be offhandedly rolled up in order to achieve the effortless look.

I imagine myself wearing it over whichever linen t-shirt, with a pair of black cropped, perhaps a bit slouchy, jeans and a pair of Salvatore Ferragamo flats. I will surely look for this jacket in Paris.

And oh! I just realized that this post instances my wardrobe planning process. Anyhow, my blog serves as a place in which I can ramblingly document my wardrobe planning process, so you should expect many posts comme ça in the future. Rather boring, I know (but it’s my blog, hehe!).