Paris Fashion Week AW 2012...Codie

Australian model Codie Young, after Anne Valérie Hash, Paris, March 2012.

Weekend hair inspiration after Anne Valérie Hash. Love Codie's red hair and her pretty, messy braid/plait/twist/not sure what to call it! 

Paris Fashion Week AW 2012...Daria

Daria Strokous, after Stella McCartney, Paris, March 2012.

And weekend make-up inspiration courtesy of the heavily coated purple lashes (both top and bottom) seen on the runway at Stella McCartney. Anyone tried this at home? I purchased maybe 3 tubes of electric blue mascara over the years - I loved the colour - but they remained in my make-up drawer, unused, until they reached expiry date. Why did I keep buying tubes of coloured mascara even though I didn't use them? I think perhaps it was that I loved the idea of coloured lashes but it just didn't work in real life. But maybe purple would work better than blue.....

Paris Fashion Week AW 2012...Catherine

Catherine Baba, before Stella McCartney, Paris, March 2012.

Paris Fashion Week AW 2012...Ginta and Kasia

Ginta Lapina and Kasia Struss, after Louis Vuitton, Paris, March 2012.

Paris Fashion Week AW 2012....Natalie

Natalie Joos, before Stella McCartney, demonstrating that it is never too early in the morning to wear a pretty party skirt and floral headband!

Recreate Natalie's Look (kind of):

Free People Pop layer pullover sweater, Alexander Wang Dissolving Herringbone sweater, or Vila oversized sweater

Nina Ricci floral print chiffon skirt, Diane von Furstenberg Adella skirt, Red Valentino tulle and lace skirt or ASOS Africa organza skirt

Fiery red pumps: Carvela Align pumps, Christian Louboutin Filo 120 pumps, Carven bow pumps or Gianvito Rossi tassel heel pumps

Piers Atkinson for ASOS roses headband or Cult Gaia floral hairband

ASOS cat eye sunglasses, Sabre Runaway sunglasses or Linda Farrow for The Row leather cat eye sunglasses

Paris Fashion Week AW 2012...Peony

Peony Lim, before Valentino, Paris, March 2012. 

It is wedding season in the Northern Hemisphere and with that comes the mild  full-blown panic over what to wear...and particularly in the UK, what to wear on your head! If etiquette dictates that you must wear something on your head but you aren't keen on a hat, try a simple tulle fascinator like Peony's or a lovely floral garland like Natalie's (in the post above this one).

Recreate Peony's look (kind of):

Haute Hippie peasant blouse, Joie Alpina blouse, Ruffle chiffon shirt from Peony's online store or Moschino ruffled collar tulle top

AG Adriano Goldschmied Stilt cigarette leg jeans, Rag & Bone/JEAN The Skinny Jeans or M Missoni Linda mid-rise jeans

Miu Miu glitter platform pumps or pointed pumps

Paris Fashion Week AW 2012...Elisa

Elisa Nalin,after Carven, Paris, March 2012.

Only Elisa could make these pieces all work together so cohesively. My favourite part? that wee red bow tie. Genius!

New York Fashion Week SS 2012...Martha

Beautiful Martha Hunt, after Lela Rose, NYC, September 2011.

Recreate Martha's summer look (kind of):

Cute summer shorts: Rebecca Minkoff Mika printed shorts, Haute Hippie drawstring shorts, Kolae Shubert shorts, Topshop boucle shorts or By Malene Birger Sambiara tweed shorts

Team with a light sweater: DKNY sweater, Clu sweater or Wallis sweater

Add a motorcycle jacket for cooler days: Club Monaco Christy motorcycle jacket, Theyskens' Theory Jose Nota leather jacket or Pepe Jeans leather jacket

Sam Edelman Louie fringe booties, Ksubi Bo II bootie or Sam Edelman Petty suede booties

New York Fashion Week SS 2012

After Imitation of Christ, NYC, September 2011.

Heart shaped glasses, a fringed statement tee and black high-waisted jeans = the perfect outfit for the festival season.

Recreate her look (kind of):

Statement tee-shirt: Haute Hippie fringed t-shirt, 3.1 Phillip Lim Ka-Pow tee, Markus Lupfer Lara lip tee, River Island New York t-shirt

AJ Morgan heart shaped sunglasses, Dorothy Perkins heart sunglasses or Full Tilt heart sunglasses

River Island black high waisted jeans



THE CAMEROON COLLECTIVE AT AFRICA FASHION WEEK NEW YORK 2012

The 2012 edition of Africa Fashion Week New York (AFWNY) kicked off yesterday in New York. The event is organised by Adiree; an events and PR company that gives a voice to established as well as emerging fashion brands in the African market.

The event is made up of runway shows as well as brand exhibitions and networking gatherings attended by over 2000 members of the public as well as press and buyers and industry influencers.

This year, there is a Cameroon representation known as the Cameroon Collective. The collective is made up of 4 brands from Cameroon namely; Kibonen | New York, Mesanga Fashion House, Nakuin and Haby Diallo.

Kibonen | New York is the brainchild of Kibonen Nfi, formerly of KiRette Couture. Her womenswear and accessories range is a representation of her North Western roots based on the Toghu.

Mesanga Fashion House is described as "sophisticated cosmopolitan" geared towards young trendy girls and professionals. The collection to be unveiled at AFWNY is called "Liwato la Mezrono" and consists of colourful, turquoise ready to wear pieces. The brand is founded by Mesanga Ikome.

Nakuin by Augustine Kouidou aims to woo the African, European and American market with bold, floral intricacies of her work.

Finally the eponymous brand Haby Diallo will consist of a unique fusion of rich, handmade mud cloth with linen, satin and muslin promoting a sexy twist on a traditional Malian couture.

Catch the Cameroon Collective on Thursday 12 July at Broad Street Ballroom, 41 Broad Street,  New York, NY 10004.

For more information, please visit www.afwny.com

Until the next post!
Stay sweet
Dulce
xxx

SIZZLING PROMO IMAGES OF VALENTINE

UK based RnB crooner Valentine recently released some images to be used for the promo of his upcoming debut album "Unbreakable" scheduled for release before the end of this year.

The images show a sexy and sleeker side of this budding star!

Check them out below...

What do you think?
Check out his last single "Usual" here.

Until next time,
Stay sweet
Dulce
xxx

Paris Fashion Week AW 2012...Iekeliene

Model and photographer Iekeliene Stange, Paris, March 2012. 

Take time to check out Iekeliene's photography work - it is beautiful, whimsical, endearing, inspiring.

Recreate her look (kind of):

Floral jeans or pants: Paige Denim floral jeans, Girl by Band of Outsiders printed denim jeans, Alice + Olivia corduroy skinny pants or Thakoon Addition floral printed pants

ASOS Marksy leather brogue, Esquivel Captoe oxford shoes or Balenciaga Arena derby shoe

Paris Fashion Week AW 2012...Katryn

South African model Katryn Kruger, after Cacharel, Paris, March 2012.

With Katryn's pale flawless skin, red lips, dark hair and the wintery background, the story of Snow White isn't far from my mind :)

Recreate her look (kind of):

Joie Fanny lace top, Rory Beca Alegre lace top, Erdem Cecilia lace shirt , Ellery Celtic lace tee with leather sleeves, McQ Alexander McQueen lace shirt

Rag & Bone/JEAN high rise skinny jeans, Vince Denim Calgary skinny jeans or ASOS super soft black jeans

Rag & Bone Durham booties or Harrow boots

Weekend Life....Hotel Iturregi, Basque Country, Spain

Hotel Iturregi, Getaria, Basque Country, Spain, May 2012.

The Basque region, which straddles the border of Spain and France, has long been on my travel wish list. While pilgrims from all over the world have been making their way for centuries through Basque country following the Camino de Santiago de Compostela trail, this part of Northern Spain has more recently become a site of pilgrimage for food lovers. So when the opportunity came up at the end of May this year to do a little road trip through Basque country, I naturally jumped at it.

Travelling from the airport in Bordeaux, our first destination was the beautiful Hotel Iturregi situated in the hills above the pretty fishing village of Getaria, 25 minutes drive from San Sebastian. Boarded by vineyards, woods, lush rolling hills, green fields dotted with sheep, and with stunning views towards the Bay of Biscay, this small hotel (only 8 rooms) was the perfect peaceful oasis we were looking for to begin our Basque adventure. Pulling in through the gated driveway which is bordered by olive trees and garden beds filled with masses of white roses, we were greeted warmly by one of the lovely staff members, Susana, who spoke perfect English…which was helpful as our Basque language skills were embarrassingly poor pretty much non-existent. The hotel, which was opened in 2007 and is built on the site of an old Basque farmhouse, feels rather more like staying in a wealthy relative’s private manor house than an impersonal hotel. Our room, Jaizkibel, was located on the first floor of the property and was beautifully decorated in soothing tones of crisp white, olive green and botanical print. The bathroom is entirely open plan with the bedroom (so perhaps not the best choice for a holiday with a new lover unless you are entirely comfortable with, ahem, all bodily functions!) with an enormous walk-in shower and, beneath the bathroom window, a spacious deep bath where you can soak and enjoy the stunning views of the coastline. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors in front of the comfortable bed open to reveal a balcony with a table and chairs and expansive views of the neighboring woods, vineyards and sea. The weather was perfect during our stay so we naturally gravitated to the balcony to breakfast, read, check emails, drink Txakoli* in the afternoon, gaze at the twinkling lights of Getaria in the evening and, one morning, even managed to drag ourselves out of bed early enough to watch a glorious sunrise over the ocean.

 The common areas of the hotel are just as gorgeous as the rooms and never feel crowded due to the restricted number of guests. A lounge area with huge windows framing the view hosts an honesty bar plus a (complimentary) Nespresso machine for morning/afternoon caffeine fixes, a fireplace for the winter months and a stack of glossy Spanish magazines to peruse. A large covered outdoor terrace with enormous comfy sofas feels like an extension of the lounge area and is perfect for a pre-supper drink or curling up with a book (I loved listening to the chirruping of the frogs in the nearby pond in the late afternoon). Leading off the terrace and up some stone steps is the hotel’s stunning pool which is set in the ruins of the old farmhouse and framed by pretty, manicured gardens. Sun lounges border the pool edge and with the only sounds being the gentle lapping of the water, the occasional clang of a cow bell in the distance or bleating lamb, it was tempting to forget all about sightseeing and spend the entire day napping by the pool!

Eat:

San Sebastian: In an article for Qantas magazine, Australian chef Neil Perry says “If San Sebastián isn’t the world’s best food town, it’s close”. And with three 3-star Michelin restaurants, an abundance of fresh produce (both from the sea and the land) and bars lining the narrow streets serving achingly good pintxos (the Basque version of tapas) I can see why. We started our pintxos stroll in San Sebastian at around 7pm and managed to try 5 different places before our tummies (and feet) began protesting. My favorites?

Bar La Cepa (Calle 31 de Agosto, 7) Try the grilled wild mushrooms with egg, thin slices of buttery, glistening Iberian ham and slivers of smoked salmon and anchovy atop a round of baguette with a dab of crème fraiche. The friendly barman had us mesmerized by his ability to precisely pour Txakoli from a great height into tumblers without looking and without spilling a drop!

Bar Borda Berri (Fermin Calbeton 12) On the recommendation of a Spanish-Australian girl who happened to be standing right next to us while we were trying to decipher the chalkboard menu, we tried the mushroom risotto and the beef cheeks slow cooked in red wine. Both were outstanding.

Bar Martinez (Calle 31 de Agosto, 13) Try the warm salt cod and Iberian ham croquettes.

La Vina (Calle 31 de Agosto, 3) We shared a piece of the baked cheesecake which La Vina is famous for. Creamy, light, not too sweet – it was a delicious way to end our progressive meal.

Axtondo: Asador Etxebarri. About an hour’s drive from Getaria, Asador Etxebarri is on many food lover’s “must visit” places (just google it!). Located in one of the prettiest (and tiniest) villages I have ever been and surrounded by mountains (much of Basque country reminds me of parts of Switzerland) it is worth going for the location alone. A grilling institution, the highlight of the meal was the cooked-on-the bone beef chop. In the top 5 steaks I have eaten in my lifetime, it was full of flavor, both from the meat itself and the grilling process.

Tolosa: Casa Julian By far my favorite restaurant from this trip, Casa Julian was recommended by a Swedish friend who knows his food and wine. Entering through what appeared to be the restaurant’s storeroom, we weren’t quite sure whether we were in the right place (the Basque version of a Speakeasy perhaps?) until we caught a whiff of delicious, grilling meat. Shown through into a small room with white cloth topped tables filled with locals, the focal point of the room was the open grill at one end manned by Señor Julian. We were served impossibly thick, fat spears of asparagus in a sweet vinegary sauce, glistening roasted peppers, crusty bread with creamy, peppery olive oil and the highlight, a thick grilled steak prepared expertly by Señor Julian. Not even the 30 minute search for a car park nor the slight incident with a tree (eek!) could dampen our enthusiasm for Casa Julian – it is one of those very special, authentic restaurants that you hope to discover on every holiday to a foreign destination but so rarely do.

Getaria: Grilled fish restaurants. If you are staying near Getaria like we were, the asador restaurants, where super fresh fish is grilled over charcoal, are great for a casual meal overlooking the harbour. We tried The Mayflower and the grilled fish was lovely.

Do: Apart from eating, swimming in the sea and exploring the lovely towns which dot the coastline, this part of Basque country offers wonderful walking opportunities and we saw many walkers making the Camino de Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage (identifiable by the scallop shell seen dangling from their backpacks).

Getaria is also the home of the Cristóbal Balenciaga museum (Cristóbal was born in Getaria) and while we didn’t have time to visit, it looks excellent.

 *The slightly salty, spritzy young local white wine

 Part 2 of our Basque road trip next week.