It's Giveaway Time!

Sweet Fancy Treat and chicdowntown.com have teamed up to give away an "Elizabeth and James" Deconstructed Tee to one of my readers. To you, yes, to you!

This tee (retailing for $90) could be hanging in your closet. And yes, it is part of the "Elizabeth and James" clothing line created by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Hello fabulousness!

I'm very pleased to announce that this is an international giveaway. All you have to do for a chance to win is to tell us why you like the tee, in a comment on this post. The winner will be chosen randomly two weeks from today, on the 16th of July.

If you like what you're seeing on chicdowntown.com do stop for a bit on these two pages too: Mystique and the vintage inspired label Minkpink. The itmes in the last one are inspired from high-fashion designers, street style, new trends and vintage pieces. And while you're at it, go check out the chickdowntown.com on Facebook Fan page. Or follow chickdowntown.com on Twitter.

So, want the "Elizabeth and James" Tee by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen? Leave a comment and tell us why you like it! Go on, hop to it! Good luck!

-Important: If you're not commenting with a blogger account, please leave your first name and last initial to avoid any name confusion. Thanks!-

EDIT: The giveaway is closed and we have the winner! Thank you all for entering!

Sweet treats,

Daiane

Now It's The Only Time I Can

photo via lolita

This photo makes for a great morning, doesn't it? Flowers, braids, the smell of coffee. Aah. I almost feel like hula-hooping. Ok, that may come from seeing these:

photo credits: yes we can architecture

Last summer London architects Yes We Can Architecture put up this instalation in the courtyard of the 18th century Hotel d’Aurès music school, Montpellier, France. It was called Qui est “in”, Qui est “out” after a song by Serge Gainsbourg.

300 hula hoops !!! all in highlight green. yaaay. more info here.

Sweet treats,
Daiane

On a day like this, all I can think about is lay on my back atop a huge pile of ice cubes

I read somewhere (long time ago, super fan) on iCiNG that if you want people to remember you, you should wear a hat. So true! Everyone will focus on your face, notice it carefully even if unconsciously. Not to mention that it makes for a remarkable element in any outfit. So, in a crowd nobody will see you as, say, "the one with purple skirt" but "the one with the hat". And chances are you happen to be the only one wearing a hat on most occassions. Hats do make for a distinctive feature while at the same time increase visibility.

See here, back in October was the last time I wore a hat. Shame on me. I envisage a huge, floopy hat would be the perfect summer accessory (if you ignore the water bottle, of course).

Any other hat persons out there? I'd love to hear if so!

Sweet treats,

Daiane

If you can't Decide what to Wear in the Morning you are Not the Only One

I ran into this a short film by photographer Gemma Booth made for her exhibition "The Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes". According to her blog, it was "lovingly shot on Super 8 film and was projected on the back wall in The Old Shoreditch Station."

Styling: Polly Banks

Set design: Sarah May

Hair and make-up: Liz Daxauer

Model: Cecile at Union models

Hope you enjoy the film. I see in it more than a treasure box. It's what everybody should do once in a while, looking for a character to impersonate throughout the day. Wearing quirky items just for the sake of it. Or for the fun of getting weird stares in the street. Or for a much more positive state of mind. Wouldn't it be nice?

Sweet treats,

Daiane

Graduate's Gala: Fashion Shows (Part II)

The last batch of photos from The Graduate's Gala. Read the description of the event in this post. And some mixed B&W shots taken at the same event can be seen here.

What followed next was a collection for kids. Created by Andrea Kurti, it was entitled "Play On". The redhead girl was smashing, such an expressive child:

One of the collections I enjoyed most was "Myself" by Amalia Bot. Black, white and grey exclusively:

Natalia Galca presented this collection which had fabulous shapes. Wow, really, I wish all of us would have the skills to layer like this:

Ionela Pop, "Little Punky". It was a joyful collection and the kids had so much fun on stage. Really, nothing can complete the look of the clothes more than big smiles and more jumping around!

Puskas Sarolta's collection entitled "Steel and Ice" was exactly what the title suggested. Gorgeous pastel hues tamed by subtle white splashes:

Mihaela Chiorean, "Zumizu". The kids were terrific. No way could they be convinced to turn around and face the public. So towards the end of the show they were encouraged to dance around, very cute:

Istvan Campan, "Blurred ID". The collection was exactly what I would have expected from him. Urban style, casual but smartly done. Bravo indeed!

Cristina Curcan, "Haute Tricot". I have a soft spot for short bubbly dresses worn with tall heels. Not to mention cats. Aaand little kids dressed in smart, colorful clothes. So obviously I loved this one:

At this point the baterry of my camera was long gone and any attempts to recover a bit of power were in vain. So I don't have any further evidence of what happened next. But I do remember, I see it in my mind...

Sweet treats,
Daiane