Fashion Week Street Style

London Fashion Week is coming to an end. This season I decided to stay away from the fashion crowds at Somerset House to indulge in a quiet and stress-free overview of the shows from home. Style.com is my favourite website for catwalk pictures and reviews. Though I love watching the shows, I’m mostly inspired by street style pictures. I find them relatable and admire the effort and creativity that goes into composing interesting outfits.

Here are a few of my favourite street style pics this season:

My go-to blogs for street style are:

The Sartorialist 

On The Streets

Tommy Ton / Jak and Jil

Man Repeller (Leandra is funny and I love her style)

Le Fashion 

Fashion Toast

x Natasha

The September Issue – Has Vogue taken it a step too far?

American Vogue September Issue 2012

Every year millions of women wait for Vogue’s September issue to hit the newsstands. Since August I have been pestering newsagents all over London to find out when the magazine was due to arrive. In an industry that releases magazines a month before the actual date written on the front cover (yesterday I bought the October issue of InStyle), I was quite pleased when realizing that American Vogue was releasing its September issue in the end of August, giving me something to look forward to, content that I  couldn’t immediately find online.

Anyways… Finally, on the 31st of August I was thrilled to find the Lady Gaga cover amongst other fashion titles in my local newsstand. Shelves usually stock about 5 copies of each magazine, but in the case of this massive fashion bible there was only one copy that fit. I finally reached for it  and… Wow, okay, I knew it was going to be heavy but this was r-i-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s. I tried to flick through the glossy pages and felt very uncomfortable manipulating over 2 kilograms worth of paper (almost 5 pounds).

I like carrying fashion magazines in my handbag and flicking through them on my way to work or during my coffee break but the thought of doing so with Vogue seemed like an impossible mission. I was very eager to read through Vogue’s edit of this season’s key pieces as well as the interview with Lady Gaga (to possibly change my mind about her), even eager to browse through the ads… but all of a sudden buying a magazine 916 pages long, 658 of them being ads, sounded very very stupid. Can I be bothered to find the content? The search through endless ads to find one article sounds more like a treasure hunt than simply easy reading and unfortunately I find the ‘treasure’ hidden in most fashion magazines less and less appealing.

I know postal workers are also complaining about the weight of this year’s September Issue and subscribers are very annoyed to find a collection slip in their mail boxes instead of the actual magazine (it doesn’t fit in most mail boxes). As someone who loved flicking through fashion magazines from a young age, I wish that publications would deliver a product that was practical to carry around instead of a massive pile of paper that has to be dragged back and forth. Fashion magazines are not coffee table books, they are meant to be carried and shared, even ripped apart for inspiration, not a heavy heavy weight on my shoulders.

x Natasha

Internet Superlatives

In case your Friday is dragging along and you need a little pick-me-up to get you through to the weekend, here’s a little peek at some of my favorite websites and blogs. This is the stuff I look at almost everyday — the stuff that keeps me going when I’m bored and that provides me with new information, creative ideas, tasty recipes, and more than a few laughs. I’m really into baking, home design, crafts, a little bit of fashion, and some clever humor, so that’s the general theme you’ll find here. I’ve selected my top ten favorites in different categories, so take a look and see if any of them become your daily faves too!

Best Home Design Blog: Young House Love – by John and Sherry Petersik

Young House Love follows the Petersiks, John and Sherry (plus their adorable daughter Clara and their cute pooch Burger) through their adventures as they DIY (do-it-yourself) all sorts of crazy home design projects in Richmond, Virginia. What’s awesome is that they give you a whole bunch of information (with tons of pictures) about how you can do similar projects, and everything is on a budget! Seriously, take a look at their home tours (of their old and new houses) — you won’t believe the transformations they’ve accomplished with their own bare hands! If you fall in love with this family like I have, you can also follow their family blog, Young House Life.

A Before-And-After shot from Young House Love – Image via younghouselove.com

Best Celebrity Site: goop – by Gwyneth Paltrow

Through “goop” Gwyneth Paltrow shares incredible tips for travel, cooking, home design, fashion, hair, make-up, wellbeing, parenting, reading, and just about anything else you can think of. I’ve signed up to receive goop e-mail newsletters, and I’m always excited when I discover a new one in my inbox. It’s fun to hear from her perspective, and all of her suggestions are amazing. This is a bit high-brow, though, but I enjoy it even if I can’t afford to buy all of the stuff she recommends.

Best Laughs: Suri’s Burn Book – by Allie Hagan

This clever blog cracks me up every time. Allie Hagan, fictionally writing as Suri Cruise (daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes), judges other celebrities in their children from a hilarious perspective. It’s all completely false, but Hagan’s adaptation of Suri as a lovable/hate-able combination of “mean girl” and “poor little rich girl” keeps me coming back for more everyday. If you loved the movie “Mean Girls” and your favorite section of People or UsWeekly is “Stars: They’re Just Like Us!” then this blog was made for you.

A new book by Allie Hagan based on her popular blog, “Suri’s Burn Book” – Image via surisburnbook.tumblr.com

Best Time-Waster: Sporcle

This quiz-site has more quizzes than you could ever imagine, in a variety of topics and difficulty levels. Poke around and see what you can find! Most of them are timed (for that competitive edge), and you can search by category for what you feel like doing. It’s a great way to learn some new facts! My personal favorite is the Harry Potter 200, where you have 18 minutes to name the top 200 Harry Potter characters who are mentioned by name the most times throughout the entire series. My top score on this is 161 — what’s yours??

Best Food Blog: Smitten Kitchen – by Deb Perelman

Do you like food? Great. Check out this site. In her teeny-tiny NYC kitchen, Deb Perelman creates the most delicious meals and treats you can imagine, complete with mouthwatering images that will have you drooling all afternoon. Some of her recipes that I’ve tried are Jalapeño Cheddar Scones, Red Velvet Cake, Boozy Baked French Toast, Strawberries and Cream Biscuits, and Raspberry-Topped Lemon Muffins — everything turned out totally incredible!

Raspberry-Topped Lemon Muffins from Smitten Kitchen – Image via smittenkitchen.com

Best Sports Reading for Non-Sports People: Grantland – by Bill Simmons

My boyfriend introduced me to this site in the hopes that I might become an avid sports fan and watch football and basketball with him to his heart’s content. That didn’t happen, but I have to admit that I do enjoy some of the articles. Especially the Hollywood Prospectus section, because I’m a sucker for celebrity gossip and because Grantland writers have invented a Reality TV Fantasy League. This involved each of them “drafting” reality TV stars and getting points every week based on their team’s “performance” in that week’s episodes. “What’s that? Teresa from Real Housewives stole somebody’s husband? 250 points to you!” Oh yeah, and there’s some sports stuff here too, I think.

Best Fashion Blog: What I Wore – by Jessica Quirk

Jessica Quirk takes pictures of her outfits everyday and posts them to her personal style blog, What I Wore. It’s sweet and short, and I love her style! You can also find tips on how to put outfits together, how to DIY new trends, and where to purchase the cute stuff she’s wearing. Thanks to The Daisy Chain writer Flávia for introducing me to this site!

Cute outfit on Jessica Quirk – Image via whatiwore.tumblr.com

Best Shopping Site: ShopBop

I have a shopping problem, and when I’m bored, one of my favorite things to do is browse new trends online. ShopBop carries all my favorite designers in one convenient location, plus they have excellent customer service! Hide your credit cards, ladies… You won’t be able to resist!

Pants I’m loving from ShopBop – Image via shopbop.com

Best News Site: Google News

I love Google News because it pulls together articles from several different news sources and organizes them by categories so it is easy to read. You can also tailor it to your interests. For instance, if you have a serious girl-crush on Kate Middleton and are obsessed with her every move, you can set up Google News with a special Kate Middleton section that is consistently updating itself with the latest news on Kate Middleton. Is that weird? I hope not. I don’t know anybody who does that.

Best All-Around: MarthaStewart.com – by Martha Stewart

I love Martha Stewart. I really really do. I don’t even care that she went to prison for tax fraud… Really, I don’t. Her delicious recipes, beautiful home designs, creative craft projects, and brilliant organizational solutions more than make up for it. I subscribe to three (yes, THREE) daily e-mail newsletters from Martha: “Craft of the Day,” “Organizing Tip of the Day,” and, my personal favorite, “Dessert of the Day.” Seriously, Martha Stewart is my go-to for just about anything food or home related, and I could spend / have spent hours perusing her site. Enjoy!

Beautiful party décor idea by Martha Stewart – Image via marthastewart.com

What are some of your favorite sites and blogs??

Cheers,

Nicole

Fashion Wishlist

I am writing this post from my office in London wearing a breezy summer dress, but am already on the look-out for mid season clothes. I love planning ahead, creating mood boards, finding inspiration in incredible fashion brands and then (after several impossible budget calculations) making one amazing expensive purchase and finding the rest of my wishlist in high street brands. Here is a sneak peek to my ideal mid season purchases. Yes a girl can dream….

Street Style from Jak and Jil

J.W. Anderson Cashmere Sweater

Kenzo Vans

Coach Neon Leather Envelopes

MIU MIU Jewel-collared chunky-knit wool sweater

Elizabeth and James sandals

Chloe Elsie Shoulder Bag

What are you guys craving for the season?

The Harry Potter Bra Shop

**Our very first joint post written by The Daisy Chain-ers Flávia and Anne**

While living in New York, the two of us would often explore the city together in hopes of uncovering new shops, restaurants, and sights. (What else is a girl to do?)

Storefront on Orchard Street.

Sunday afternoon seemed like the perfect day to buy bras, especially at this Lower East Side gem, owned by a Hasidic Jewish couple. The inconspicuous façade does not prepare you for what is waiting inside, for this is no ordinary bra shop. As you walk into the store, you immediately feel like you’re in the lingerie equivalent of Ollivander’s Wand Shop, where Harry Potter’s magical wand found its destined owner. The narrow walls of the store are lined with discolored, crumpled boxes stuffed into somewhat dusty wooden cubbies that stack all the way to the ceiling. A ladder leaning on one of the walls is the only thing that indicates they ever use the boxes stacked above our heads. We soon discover that the dingy boxes contain in them an extensive variety of lovely, quality bras that have nothing drab about them.

Ollivander’s Wand Shop, courtesy of Wikia.com

The owner sits at the register while his beautiful wife assists you. She leads you behind some curtains, and with a quick look and some hand measurements, she is off to the ladder. She then pulls out a box containing the bra of your dreams. As you try it on, she says in an assertive tone and a slight unidentifiable accent “Beeeautiful. See? Look how beeeautiful you are.” And indeed, you are overflown with a feeling of confidence and you think to yourself, “Wow, I really am beautiful.” Suddenly acutely aware of how inadequate all your previous bras have been, there is literally a weight lifted off your back and shoulders. As you walk out of the store with a couple of black plastic bags containing your magic bras, you feel like you can take on the world.

Her words resonate in your ears and you even forget you have just purchased some flesh-colored lace-less bras that would not make the Victoria’s Secret angels proud. It doesn’t matter though, because you are “Beeeautiful.”

-Flavia and Anne

Orchard Corset, courtesy of timeoutny.com

Orchard Corset

157 Orchard Street New York, NY 10002 (212) 674-0786