I’m not really the kind of person that wears accessories on my wrists. Mainly because I never felt comfortable wearing a watch or any kind of wristband. I prefer to keep my wrists free! But when it comes to style, a watch  tells a lot about who you are. Ideally I’d combine a watch with your outfit, your shoes, bags – or simply your mood of the day. Who can really afford having a drawer full of watches for those special occasions?

Today, I was reading one of my favorite blog of weekly design inspiration called Nordic Design blog. This blog is a great source of inspiration coming from the Scandinavian region. So i came accross this flick pool (thanks to corrafig) where I found this very masculine, modern and sleek watch from Axcent. (No this is not an advertisment ;p). On their website you can discover their catalog of watches not only for every occasion but also for every taste and emotion, no matter your age or gender. The prices also look good, they keep them as as low as possible so you can continuously renew your Scandinavian wardrobe.

I really appreciated looking at the ad of the Spring 09 Gucci collection. The clothes, the ‘classic’ poses of the models and the natural composition are absolutely stunning. It’s been a while an ad haven’t refreshed my mind with such turmoil. I was about to book a ticket to the Caribbean, seriously! I think the jungle in the background and the fact it’s a sunny exposure really played with my mind I admit! But I had a strange impression. I remember seeing in the past a couple of ads which with the sun as a major element of the composition. With a little investigation I finally found these Chloe and Burberry Spring 09 ads.

It seems the trend is leaning toward a gentle, relaxed, romantic and quiet sense of luxury. In the world of fashion, we usually see the opposite. The natural setting and combination with the clothes is gorgeous, the creative directors and photographers did a pretty good job. This year, I guess Natural is back.

I never knew I could have so much fun decorating my walls. What a great wallpaper designed by Lisa Bengtsson. Thanks to Decor8 I found this link and it did not take too long to enlighten my mind. For so long I did not know how to beautify my wall in front of my bed. With this wallpaper, I can stick pictures of my family, friends and inspirational posters too! And if you are on a budget, it saves you from the expensive frames. Did you order yours?

While everyone is celebrating the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the USA, I’m stunned by the buzz from the journalists and blogs praising Michelle’s Obama outfits. It’s true since the presidential campaign many times we could see an elegant Michelle Obama who have proved being a fashionable and sophisticated woman and future First Lady. She knew how to get the help from famous designers and professional stylists. Word on the street says Ikram Goldman, of Ikram Boutique in Chicago, is the woman behind Michelle’s style. At first my thoughts were the outfit overpowered her husband’s inauguration. I would have suggested more lean, simple lines and down colors.

But, I guess we needed change and I’m very happy that for the first time we see a First Lady with great style since Jackie Kennedy. She demonstrated elegance, sophisticate and allure. The way she looks over the past months showed a more confident and powerful woman. And this is what I love in fashion, great style creates power. But there is no stylist without designers and this inauguration was for me like Michelle Obama’s dream come true to open the gates of fashion world.

Credit AP

By Isabel Toledo

Credit AP



By Jason Wu – Spring 2009 RTW

I posted recently about how I got hooked up with the pink and grey color combination. A color combination that would work for any men and women, at work or at the gym. The trends have been definitely confirmed on the runways and the new catalogs are being filled with gorgeous outfits. It’s chic, elegant and simple (look at the picture below – the female version of my previous post on Uniqlo). However, I’m having some sort of headache to figure out what type of accessories would work without ruining this pink & grey combination.

With the current economic downturn we could already anticipate its impact on fashion. Designers would have to be very creative in order to optimize the clients’ budget. For Spring 2009, the streets will definitely be submerged by cheaper fabrics, simple shapes and cost-effective colors. But the most pessimistic fashionista will be happy this season. The runways have revealed Spring 2009 will be sleek and elegant. Basic and plain colors such as black and white with a pinch of color. Designer opted for geometric shapes: elegant stripes or checks. I like Van Noten’s racy collection, Chanel’s combination of pink and grey, and Oscar De La Renta’s futuristic & ethnic look .

By Dries Van Noten – Spring 2009 RTW




By Chanel – Spring 2009 RTW



By Oscar de La Renta – Spring 2009 RTW

CB2’s catalogs are always fun to browse. I always liked their simple and modern shapes. This season their designers really focused on delivering functional & simple products. I’m quite a bit surprise to see such a Scandinavian influence in the design, becareful to not play in Ikea’s playground. All of these furniture would work well in wood style home or a white tone loft.

I like:
Eco-friendly sofas using sustainable elements
Draper sofa with stripes: love love love
The colors with the addition of the yellow in their color palette.

I don’t like:
I regret to say the sections of this catalog need to be better organized.

IdealHome magazine has been defining the trends of this year 2009 with the Top designers and decorators. More or less, I’m pretty excited about it and what I had in mind except a few big exceptions (I can’t stand the boudoir-style).

2009 is definitely the year of posiviteness and boldness. We all wish to put backward this 2008 mess and move forward for the better. And it’s a good intuition to say that “global, ethnic and natural” style will be here for long. It describes well what people are looking at: morale & mother nature. The neo-retro and geometric style is quite interesting and I hope it hits the market widely. It will allow power and bold colors, and give your home a great positive character.

Lamp from Habitat.

Yesterday, I came across an article of a serious news site reading that Pantone has selected the color of year. Actually, I did not know that every year Pantone, with the help of a panel of professionals in the industry, selects the Color of the Year.

What’s their impact on the design industry? I have no clue, but I can tell you that last year’s color was quite a good pick. It seems to me that I have seen this blue iris adapted in all type of objects from clothing to decoration.

from anymotion.

But this year, with the entire economic mess, we all hope for a better future and this is probably why they picked mimosa as Color of the Year 2009.

from tearoom.
Per their spokesperson: “The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance”, “Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation.”

So I’ll be the first to scrutinize every corner of the streets to verify that!

Since I moved in NY 2 years ago, I have been quite a fan of Uniqlo. I liked everything from Uniqlo, the store, simplicity of its design, the bright colors and colors colors colors (Sorry ) !!

But since Fall ‘08, what happened in their mind with their obnoxious fleece gilets and the ugly hooded down parka. If it happens you wear this parka, you would look like the Michelin guy…

However, yes there is a however, I checked their website yesterday and I absolutely fell in love with this color combination and the rolled up sweater with the shirt inside. Nice nice, I will definitely stop by Uniqlo this weekend try to find this pink sweater, if they still have it.