One of my favorite brands: Vanessa Bruno

A lot of my friends, even the ones who are into fashion, do not know of Vanessa Bruno, but this brand is one of my absolute favorites for basic pieces, that are still fun, durable and timeless.

It's also quite popular in Paris and France, and since I am a huge fan of the Parisian style, that makes it even more appealing to me. The brand also has quite an interesting history, founded in 1996 by Vanessa Bruno, who was only 24 years old at the time. However, she was alreadt quite familiar with all aspects of fashion by then, being the daughter of a Danish supermodel as well as the founder of the French fashion brand Emmanuelle Khan.

All her pieces are generally very wearable, but they are also made in very luxurious materials, such as very good wools and silks, that feel really great on. I have always been kind of obsessed with different materials, so the fact that Vanessa Bruno only uses the best of them, is a big plus for me.

Basically, this is a brand I would highly recommend for those who want to get more familiar with the typically French style of fashion. It's not very flashy, monogrammed or expensive looking, but it is well made, timeless and gorgeous on.
I personally am yet to buy a Vanessa Bruno piece that fell apart, so all the Vanessa Bruno pieces I have, have been great investments for me.

Here is a pic of Vanessa Bruno herself, for those of you who are curious:

(all pics are from Style.com, and the pieces are from Vanessa Bruno's Fall 2011 collection)

Today I'm loving...

... this gorgeous Printed silk-satin shirt dress from Gucci for Fall 2011.

I think Gucci's horsebit is a very classic pattern, and I love shirt dresses a lot. I have several, but not such an iconic one, of course. I think this is an absolutely amazing look for fall!

My every day signature look

Signature looks might sound like something only celebrities have, but I actually believe everyone has their own signature look, because most of us tend to dress in similar pieces most of the time. So even if you are not aware of it, you too, might have signature look!

I personally know that I have an every day signature look during the weeks. I mean, sometimes I dress differently during the week too, but around 80 % of the time, I go for the same kind of look during the week, since I am too tired and busy in the mornings to start experimenting.

I normally wear my fun (and un-signature-like) pieces and looks in the evenings and weekends instead.

My every day signature look has not always been the same of course, but at the moment it seems to be:

Skinny pants or jeans (I have several black and denim pairs, but also some grey, green, red and bright blue ones)

Ballet flats (I walk a lot, so heels do not work for me during the day), I have around 20 different pairs to avoid wearing the same flats every day

Loose, flowy tops (I have some more tailored tops as well, but in order to balance out the skinny jeans, I usually go for something loosier up top. I have both romantic, patterned ones, slightly edgier tops with cool details and basic tops in neutrals)

How about you guys? Do you have a signature look for weekdays/workdays?

(pics from The Fashion Blanket and The Pitwalk)

Today I'm loving...

... the fact that Sacha Baron Cohen is making a new movie, I am a huge fan.

But not only that, to make things even better, one of my all time favorite actors - Ben Kingsley! - is in it too!

(pic from People)

A great affordable piece from Just Cavalli

Some think designer clothing always has to be insanely expensive, and while everything is relative, I don't always think that is true. You can find designer clothing for cheap too, if you are just willing to look for bargains a bit, and also consider buying vintage, samples and in outlets. And sometimes you even run into great deals in online stores and regular stores.

This Just Cavalli Lace-print jersey dress is something I consider very reasonably priced and pretty too:

Not to mention jersey dresses are the best, since they are so comfortable! So this dress is really a great buy!

The fall collections are upon us!

I simply love this time of year. You are starting to get a first glimpse (well, besides the glimpses you see on Style.com when the collections are first shown) of all the fall collections, and can start planning your coming purchases for the next seasons.

This time of year used to be even better when you were in school of course, but it is still pretty cool, and I have already found quite a few gems among the things that are out by now. I mentioned some of the things I loved in the H&M fall collection in my last post, and now I thought I would also show you some of my favorites on Net-a-Porter.

This Printed plissé silk dress from Bottega Veneta, the masters of elegance, is one of them:

It's a typical classic dress with a twist, which I love, and the combination of white and black in this pattern is timeless, making this an extremely good investment.
And this Astrid printed silk-voile gown by Erdem is another one. Extremely expensive, of course, so not something I will actually be ordering, but I think it is absolutely stunning, and if my clothing budget for the season was (a lot) bigger, I would definitely get it.

Last but not least, it is probably not that surprising that my favorite brand Alexander McQueen managed to produce something amazing: this lovely brocade dress:

It's fun, flirty and very typical and classic Alexander McQueen!

New goodies at H&M

As you all know, I am a huge H&M fan. So I am always thrilled when they get tons of new stuff in. I am saying this so you can imagine how happy I was when I saw that tons and tons of new things for fall had been added to their website today.
I already want tons of things, and I am not even sure these things are available in stores yet!

I love the color, I love the material, and I really don't have enough skirts (I always go for either dresses or pants instead). So this skirt is really perfect for me!

I've always been kind of obsessed with lace, so whenever I find lace pieces, I tend to get them if they look nice, fit me and are reasonably priced. And H&M has a lot of nice lace pieces for fall! Again... perfect!

You always need tops, and nice colors and fun dots are the perfect... ehm, a brilliant... way to make them more fun. Love, love, love!

And last but not least: I'm gonna get myself several pairs of H&M flats. I love them and buy at least one pair every season and wear them tons, until they are completely worn out.

What do you guys think about the H&M fall line?

Today I'm loving...

Jennifer Garner's pretty blue and white dress.

It reminds me of Chinese china and the colors are just perfect for summer, I think!

(pic from People)

Midnight shopping

I finally ordered something from one of the online sales. (I simply haven't had the time to go through all the sales items on most of them yet)
This is what I got, from ASOS. (Not all of the items I got are on sale, but a lot of them are)

Some cute socks... (I always prefer to buy basic stuff like that on sale, since you always need socks, but I don't want to spend a fortune on them)

Some leggings, in basic black, because I always need those...

Some red skinny jeans, because I have been wanting to get a pair of those for a long time now.

Some beauty products from Anatomicals...

A skin protectant (8 hour cream) from Elizabeth Arden...

And last but not least, cute black sandals with hearts on them, from Melissa (you know that brand that makes shoes that smell so nice).

Now I just need to look through the other sales as well...

Today I'm loving...

... these gorgeous pics of Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis from the August 2011 issue of Elle US.

The pics are from Fashion Gone Rogue.

Today I'm loving...

Kate Middleton (currently visiting North America with her new hubby) again. It seems I am becoming quite a fan!
Just look at this adorable ensemble:

I love the cardigan especially, and it goes so well with the cute little skirt! The royal style has definitely improved while I wasn't watching.

(the pics are from People, 1 and 2)

Purchases of the day

I didn't end up shopping as much as I thought I would today, but I did get two things at least:

A linen spray (my first, I've actually never had a linen spray before!) made by the San Francisco Soap Company and a new Moschino perfume. I am a huge fan of Moschino scents, they are my favorite brand for scents even, so I am excited to try a new one, and as for the linen spray... I wasn't really planning on buying it, but when I smelled it... I couldn't put it back!

This is how the San Francisco Soap Company describes the product themselves:
"Sunlight dances through the trees in Tuscany. A gentle breeze kisses the fragrant figs that border a vineyard, carrying its sweet exotic scent throughout the valley. Fresh clean clothes breathe in the beauty of this romantic Italian affair and retain its incomparable beauty. Our wonderful Italian Linen Linen Spray is infused with the inviting scent reminiscent of Italy"
and here is a better picture of it as well:

It's called Italian Linen, and if I do end up getting those Marimekko bedsheets I blogged about the other day, my bed will soon be almost perfect!

As for the perfume, I will be reviewing it in my beauty blog, so keep an eye on that if you want to know what I thought of it.

One of my favorite brands: Missoni

I have several favorite brands, and I thought I would write a bit about the ones I like most in the coming weeks. Most of the brands I adore, are pretty well known, but you never know, maybe I can help someone find a new brand to try at least? And if nothing else, at least it will give me the chance to tell you all about why I love these brands so much.

The first brand I would like to mention is Missoni, the Italian fashion house, based in the Italian town of Varese. Missoni started out as a knitwear company, when Ottavio and Rosita Missoni founded it in 1953, but today Missoni makes everything from knits to clothes

to shoes with companies like Converse and Havaianas

and bedding and other items for the house from Missoni Home

as well as perfume, sunglasses and much more.
And this fall, Missoni is even cooperating with Target! I think that will be the best designer cooperation for Target yet.

Why do I like Missoni so much?
I like patterns a lot, but a lot of them can look rather overwhelming and cheap, if not done right. But Missoni does it wonderfully, they seem to always get it right, both when it comes to which colors work well together and when it comes to making the shapes of the patterns themselves. So they basically give me the chance to wear patterns, that are also both timeless and classy, which is really hard to find otherwise (even though Pucci does it really well too). And no matter what kind of colors you like, Missoni will always find a cool way to combine those colors with other fun colors in the perfect way!

I actually have several Missoni pieces myself, and I plan to get more in the future too. I am also the proud owner of some Missoni towels, but I also want to add some Missoni bedwear to my collection. And maybe some Missoni shoes!

Now I am off to the local farmer's market (I love buying organic veggies and fruits there!) as well as to a designer shoe sale and the pharmacy to take a look at their perfume deals.
Have a great Saturday everyone!

(pics from The Essentialist, Fashion Amel, my own blog, Ramona and Andre Bakos)

Today I'm loving...

... the work of Israeli fashion designer Erez Ovadia.

I went to his studio today with a friend who is getting married soon, and is looking for a wedding dress. Most of his dresses are actually wedding dresses, but he also has some really nice evening dresses. I personally fell in love with this one:

It felt amazing on, and was extremely flattering. But I didn't buy it, I don't go to that many events where I need long, formal dresses, and in case I should get invited to such events, I actually already have two long evening dresses that have never been worn to choose from already. But I still can't stop thinking about it, so maybe I will have to go back...