Destination of the week - Ponza...

Raise the sails in Ponza, in the Ponziane Islands!

As my friend was taking a peek in my wardrobe the other day, she was amazed (and discouraged) by the number of stripes there was. I don’t know I just like stripes.

This week I’m taking you to the Mediterranean sea, in beautiful Ponza, which is part of the largest Italian archipelago (the Ponziane islands). Since Ponza is in the middle of the sea, usually the destination of cruises or boat travelers, you can take a ferry from many cities in Italy (I have Formia in mind) to go spend a beautiful sunny day, feel the vibe of the sea as you walk down the twisty roads and put on your tanned Italian sailor look.

Talking about looks, that’s where I’m supposed to tell you how stripes are a reminder of the uniforms worn by sailors, but I guess I’ll show you how they have been influential in the world of fashion in the past years.

Throughout the seasons, Dolce&Gabanna has presented a travel-ish, casual but not too sporty look in its spring/summer fashion shows. I love how large and small stripes are mixed with buttoned vests. Some celebrities have even taken it to the next level on the red carpet.

Katy Perry vs Alexandra Burke... Who do you think wears it better?

For spring/summer 2013, Dolce&Gabanna is still embracing the stripes, but this time with a collection called “candy stripers”. Less sporty, more casual-chic; less white and blue, more colorful.

Back to Italy… As you arrive in the small port of Ponza, you are directly brought into the life of the place. A small market with red tomatoes like you’ve never seen, the shop of a local painter, restaurants where you might want to drink a lemonade, because Ponza is very hot in the summer. I remember so well when I took this picture, the temperature might have been near 40 Celsius degrees.

As you continue walking on the main street, you’ll discover amazing little places. One in particular caught my attention and I decided to enter. I might have mentioned it in my Montreal article, but when you travel, don’t be afraid to discover. Get out of the box, and ditch the whole “traveling-guide” thing (but use it for reviews and for not getting lost!!!). And so, I entered the shop, and I must say, it was like Ali Baba’s cave. Rings, earrings, pendants, clocks, shoes, hats, scarves; everything you cannot imagine in a shop of 5 by 5 meters, if not smaller.

After spending at least an hour in this place, you’ll love to walk through the small roads of Ponza, passing by the appartments of the Italians, and realizing that there once was an ancient city there. Some of the “adventurous type” might want to rent a bike and visit other places of the Ponziane islands.

So, dear readers, If your planning to travel by boat this summer, or visit an island or a destination near water, make the most of your trip by adapting your style to your environment. And you don’t have to try too hard! Match these Mango shorts with a colorful shirt, or this Zara dress with a light scarf with prints.

Mango - Buy here!

Zara - Buy here!

Do you want to visit Ponza? Have you been already?

Lori xo

What is sexy? Adam Levine

Is it because of the tattoos? I couldn’t even say...It’s no secret: Adam Levine is HOT. But behind this sexiness hides real musical talent (I had the chance to see Maroon 5 live on February 20 and I must say, if you have the chance, please jump on the opportunity). And with this talent comes a true passion for clothes. (And he’s sweet, and passionate, and funny, and super talented, and I could go on and on...)

Some of you may have heard about it, 222 is to be launched in America in fall. For Him, the style of the singer reinvented, yet simple. In Adam Levine’s words, it sounds like this: 

"It's whoever you want it to be. I enjoy, from the male perspective, something being effortless or casual. You don't wanna be the guy that's trying too hard in a room. Then you just look like an A-hole." For Her, it will pretty much be the female version of his style.  "There's so much sexy out there. My line will figure out a way to represent my convoluted and confusing opinion on what is sexy."

 “I like denim”

Adam says it perfectly: your jeans get the wear and tear from what you go through. Am I the only one who has The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in mind?  Like every single piece in your wardrobe, your jeans are the definition of who you are and what is your type of sexy. The thing about jeans is that they will always be a classic. No matter where you are on the globe, having your pair of jeans with you is a must. It’s comfortable, fashionable, and it can be adapted to any situations. We all know that when you travel, you don’t always know what to expect at the end of the day, and you can’t always carry your wardrobe with you (unfortunately).

Let’s classify jeans. From bootcut to flare, they come in all the possible ways you can imagine: black, white, pale, dark, long, short, cut off, with holes or not, and, pretty trendy at this moment: torn-up. 

From H&M to The Kooples, you can find the jeans that fit you well, embrace your body and that are willing to discover the world with you.

Do your jeans have a soul? If not, you may say “not yet”!

And remember, be inspirational! Clothes aren’t simply fabrics put together. What do you want to say today? How do you want to say it? This is the approach Adam Levine has when writing a song. But he has this same approach when choosing his clothes in the morning.

So Adam, what is sexy? I guess we’ll know in fall!

-Lori

Coachella Looks

Once Spring rolls around it will be time for what I think is the biggest music festival of the year...yep! you guessed it! Coachella! Every year I desperately sit in my room staring at the photo albums on Facebook of girls at Coachella, and what's the first thing I notice? Their outfits of course! Ever since the 2013 lineup came out a few weeks ago I have been searching everywhere for inspiration since I actually get to go this year! I know I still have a few months to go but hey, I'm excited! And yes, I am aware that it's still Winter but it's never too early to start planning for those cute Spring and Summer looks or a random day of warm weather!

Coachella is definitely the time to try out new styles or wear things you normally wouldn't wear...just think no matter what you're wearing, someone will be dressed 10x crazier! Bright colors, clashing patterns, whatever you're feeling, it's totally the time to try out something new. I've put together 3 looks that I would wear to Coachella or just any spring/summer day.

Shorts - Etsy; Billabong bralette - Dogfunk; Matthew Williamson sunglasses - Shopbop; ASOS belt; Nars nail polish - ASOS; B.F.T. wedges - Barefoot Tess

High waisted shorts and neon were so 2012, I know, but I still think it's soooo cute! If you find a good pair of high-waisted shorts, they can go with almost any shirt and as a bonus they're really easy to dress up and down. Try to find a pair that doesn't ride up, is an appropriate length, and doesn't have too many rips or holes--you want to look cute not trashy. For an occasion where you can be a little bit more risque with your choices, like Coachella, pair it with a bright tank, bra top, or a crocheted halter. Find a perfect matching pair of sunglasses and you're good to go! It's a really effortless look, even if you spent hours trying to find the shirt that looks just right tucked into the shorts.

Skirt - Forever New; Headband - Etsy; Sandals - Colette

The next look is a high-low, fishtail type skirt and a bandeau. A fishtail skirt is a must have! It flows so nicely when you walk and there are so many different designs, patterns, cuts, etc. so it's super easy to find whatever you're looking for whether it's for a formal party, or just a fun get together and the beach. In my personal style I like to be super matchy-matchy so I stuck with pretty much the same color palette here. The bandeau in this look is all by its self but for an outfit that would show less skin there's a simple solution...just put it under a tank top with low-cut sides or a low front. The pop of color will look really cool and it will be so much more comfortable than a regular bra.

Flower crown - ebay; Denim waistcoat - Wetseal; Wedges - Steve Madden @ Macy's

This last look is super girly but you can easily adjust it to fit your own personal style! I chose a pink floral dress and a matching flower crown. In my opinion, a signature Coachella outfit must have. When else are you going to be able to rock a crown of flowers? If you're not into the whole floral sundress thing, an edgier dress will work for the same look. I paired it with a denim vest, since denim isn't a pattern and more of a type of fabric it can't really clash with anything! Even though the denim is light, it still adds some roughness to the pink floral look. If you pair the dress with some wedges your legs will look a lot longer and give the dress a nicer shape and flow on your body. If you change up the colors in the look to fit your style this could be a totally awesome look to play with hard vs soft.


So there you go! If you need to start planning early for some summer or spring looks or are going to Coachella like me, I hope this helped provide some fashion inspiration! If you need some more examples Vanessa Hudgens has some of my favorite Coachella looks ever! Remember, don't be afraid of wearing something that's 'out of style'. If you like it, go for it! Confidence is the most important ingredient to any look!

Are you heading to any festivals this summer? What do you plan to wear?

-xx Isi

If it's not Baroque, I don't want it!

Watching the latest A/W 2013 shows, my art history heart has been all a flutter. Almost every collection I’ve seen has been capitalizing on a trend that was brought to our attention in A/W ’12, but is full-out saturated now: Baroque-ism.

Both Carravagio

Almost every collection has been rich in color, detailing, and fabric choices.

Marchesa went all out with this trend -see above. They even went as far as directly sampling fabricpatterns from the late 16^th century!

Gucci and Prada both approached it on a more subdued, grey toned scale, but the fabric choices, detailing and silhouettes all scream BAROQUE!

This is definitely the most excited I’ve been about a trend since the revival of the 1920s flapper girl a few years ago.

And now Georgina Chapman is working on a line with JCPenney’s? Eek! 

Amanda

xox

The Vampire Diaries - Candice Accola's hairstyle

This week we’re focusing on a little bit of Celeb beauty inspired by actress Candice Accola who plays Caroline Forbes on The Vampire Diaries! (Delena al the way people)

Her hair is always in those beautiful signature waves, so I was inspired to do a video tutorial on how to emulate this simply chic look. As Caroline is Miss Mystic Falls, I wouldn’t want her to catch me with a hair out of line… literally. So I’ve outlined the simple steps for you below.

Watch and enjoy! Be sure to comment on what character style you’d like me to do next from any show!

1. Start with your hair straight.
2. Use some protecting cream, I'm using Living Proof Style Extender for a soft hold.
3. Take small sections, wrap around the curling iron, hold for a few seconds (you don't want to wind up like THIS. Do this for your entire head.
4. Frame your bangs. Wrap them backwards around the curling iron.
5. Blend  your bangs and wave in with the rest of your hair

There you go!

-Lindsay

Checks & Balances

I know I tweeted that I was going to make my next blog post about Miley Cyrus but I decided to switch it up a bit and go with the Gomez. As of late, her every day style has been very slouchy. Cute, but slouchy. 

She’s mastered the art of attempted disguise, all thanks to her trusty scarf collection.

The scarf look has definitely been her staple day-time piece as of late, along with the heart sunglasses.  I wouldn’t necessarily say she’s putting comfort over fashion, but there’s a definite style choice going on that is favoring comfort.

The key here is balance:

She’s all about showing off her legs, whether they’re covered, or uncovered, showing leg is the key. Leggings and skinnies work on colder days, but the shirt/dress trend is in for those with the figure for it. That upper middle thigh used to be scandalous territory. Now, like the Side Boob, it’s becoming bearable.

So, as we move into spring and that awkward time of year when it’s too hot for pants, but too chilly for shorts, keep the oversized scarf/skinny combo in mind and we’ll all make it to Summer.

Lindsay

Twitter: Midnightsun7119

Instagram: A picture is worth around 140 characters

Midnight Sun71192

Sunday Wishlist

Welcome to the weekly Sunday wishlist! This feature is a round up of the most popular items on See it, Want it! each week, with one item chosen by me, Bemsy, that I think you'll all love!

1. Lovely Sally leggings

2. Chicnova skull top

3. Markus Lupfer top

4. Xenia skirt

5. Vivienne Westwood armour ring in silver and pink

6. Tripp NYC jeans @ ASOS
7. ASOS FIERCE sandals - chosen by Bemsy

Which item is top of your list?

Bemsy x