The Train Arrives on November 8, 2007

All aboard!!! The H & M train is speeding through a city near you, and with the world's most renowned designers (much like Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney) you wouldn't believe whose up next to help design some men's and women's clothing for my favorite frugal retailer! Yes Mauve, its true, Roberto Cavalli has jumped on the train and this Italian designer will create a one-off collection for women and men exclusively for H&M! The line will carry the vital touch and the intense sensuality typical of Roberto Cavalli, one of the world's most exciting and creative fashion designers. "Roberto Cavalli has created a world of his own, iconic and full of fantasy, when it comes to colours, prints, and style. There is no place for shyness and no possibility of ending up with a mainstream wardrobe of everyday basics. The Roberto Cavalli collections represents an exuberant, successful lifestyle", says Margareta van den Bosch. "As the first Italian designer in the history of H&M, I enthusiastically welcomed this invitation, proud to bring the lively and positive spirit of my work to a new audience, who will be able to see and interpret my style in an individual way. I love freedom and challenges: breaking down barriers, experimenting in different directions. H&M is all this for me. I will add a dash of festivity and dreams", explains Roberto Cavalli. The "Roberto Cavalli at H&M" collection will be available in approximately 200 selected H&M stores worldwide for a limited period of time starting from November 8th 2007. The line will consist of iconic menswear, 20 pieces, and womenswear, 25 pieces, including lingerie plus matching accessories. Okay Mauve...is anyone else besides me excited about this? I have my Cavalli's strapped up tight and I'm making my way to H&M to grab as much as I can! I am looking forward to what they are going to offer. Can we expect loads of animal print? Take a look at this video of Roberto and Margareta talking about the new collection.

So...I Was In A Nordstrom Restroom

This past weekend I had to go to Nordstrom with my close friend to help her pick out an outfit for an event (it has actually come to my attention that more and more each day I have become a personal stylist/shopper for some of my friends, which I honestly don't mind doing because as you all know...fashion is my passion! So if anyone is in desperate need of assistance don't be afraid to contact me for help)! This particular trip to Nordstrom was very different for me, very touching, and heart warming and it allowed me to think about myself, my character, and how I present myself on the outside and on the inside. As my friend was trying on shoes, I kindly dismissed myself and told her that I had to use the restroom. When I got to the restroom, the line stretched as far into the women's lounge area! So I stood in line behind this young girl, maybe the age of twelve or thirteen. As we moved our way up through the line there was this huge mirror opposite of us. I turned to it and began to look at this very large, full-length mirror that showed a reflection of everyone waiting in the line. As I was staring at myself, I began to think about all my imperfections. My weight, my hair, everything was being questioned in my mind, and although I am a confident women, I have my moments where I sometimes question the beauty on the outside. As I was staring at the mirror, wondering if there's a special potion I could drink to get rid of my back fat, the young girl turned to me and said, "Hey, you are very pretty!" I was so shocked and I looked to her and said "well young lady, you are very beautiful!" She had the biggest smile filled with shiny braces one could ever dream of having. This young girl had beauty inside and out, and her comment made me forget about all of my imperfections and made me think to embrace them. This young girl may not have been the glamorous, beauty queen, typical thirteen year old; but she was beautiful indeed...for recognizing the beauty in others takes having confidence in oneself. I have worked in the fashion and beauty industries for quite some time, and I have encountered many people with different issues that spend thousands of dollars to buy the things to correct them. But the lessoned learned inside the Nordstrom bathroom was, aside from having all the beauty on the outside...the real beauty always shows brighter from within.

Peace

Madam Shai

"HI THERE"

The notable fashion designer, Karen Walker, with a new collection inspired by horseracing, has accounted for many great things. Walker has received rave reviews at New York Fashion Week, a baby due in three months, and a new diffusion range of her ready-to-wear clothing line. Critics declare Walker's more affordable line to be the most eagerly anticipated diffusion offering since Stella McCartney's range for Target in February last year. The new line has been named Hi There, simply because it feels like “a monthly hello rather than two large drops a year” she says. With dresses priced from $250 and equally affordable separates such as jackets and trousers, Hi There is likely to provoke scenes of near-riots, similar to those for the McCartney for Target launch, when it goes on sale in February of next year. (Sidebar: My birthday is in February…can you guess what I want as a gift?!?) Unfortunately this new line will only be available in Myers Department Store in Australia…so for the international K.W. fans, we will have to sit on our hands until she takes it international! Walker says that they may make the Hi There collection available in Karen Walker stores and stockists beyond Australia! But if you are a true fashion guru like me…you will find a way to get your hands on the collection. Walker is planning 12 mini-collections a year, with each month's offerings appropriate to the season. “October may be a small collection of race dresses, July may be all winter knitwear, July may be party dresses, December may be everything you need for the beach,” she says.

(Photos are from Karen Walker's RTW Spring '08 Collection...not to be mistaken with "Hi There")

The Lust List

HERE IS WHAT TO LUST FOR THIS FALL:

So... Saturday I Went To New York City

My alarm went off around 5:30 am and I rolled over and hit the snooze button. Then twenty minutes later my phone rang, causing me to jump out of my dream. It was my cousin telling me to wake up and start getting ready, she would be leaving in the next 30 to 45 minutes to pick me up for our Saturday trip to New York City. Initially I was excited about our trip, but when I got up I felt so tired and weak that all the enthusiasm left my body. Now, in the front of my mind I know that NYC is the fashion capital; but in the back of my mind I really felt like dressing as comfortable as possible. When I left the house I decided on wearing my D&G skinny jeans, paired with a black and white stripped hooded shirt. I also wore my black, patent leather, t-strap, low-heel wedges; but never fret Mauve…I threw a pair of black flip flops inside my Bulga bag for added comfort! So as we made are way up 295N, my cousin and I were engaged in humorous talks about popular culture from music to fashion, we covered the whole realm of things. We discussed the disastorous “Curt-Curt” (50 Cents) and how he went from wearing bullet proof vests to trying to wear tailored suit jackets and skinny jeans. Horrific! After arriving in New York we spent a couple of hours handling the business that we went up there for and after that was completed, I came across the Alice & Olivia boutique. When we walked in, it was as if we stepped into a scene from Alice in Wonderland. Overly exaggerated furniture, large ceramic mushrooms sprung up from green grass carpets, and opened closets were set around the bright lit store. I began to look through the collection and was very impressed with the pieces they had to offer. Alice & Olivia is the brainchild of Stacy Bendet and was launched in 2002. She started by creating low rise pants which caught the eyes of many celebrities. She now has full contemporary collection line and operates three boutiques. In the store some pieces had much glitz and shine, the look resembled the Hamptons’ princesses and Hollywood starlet staples—bright floaty dresses, flirty tops, short shorts, and low-rise pants galore! After we visited the boutique it was time to pack it up and head home. Now, I’m a person that pays close attention to every detail in my surroundings; so I always notice the smallest things. As we were about to enter the Lincoln tunnel, I noticed one of the hottest billboard campaigns I’ve seen in a while! There was a guy dressed in a sharp tailored suit; but it was the essence of the way the suit was worn that initially caught my attention. Any man can wear a suit…I mean look at “Curt-Curt”, but it is the essence of the man wearing the suit that gives life to it. The billboard was a campaign for Hugo Boss Men and the suits worn were classic but spun a bit of edge. The bold colors of the shirt and tie matched flawlessly with the suit jacket and pant; which brought effervescence to the campaign. Hugo Boss has been a winning leader in providing elegant menswear and women’s wear. The Fall 2007 collection for all the Hugo Boss lines (Boss Orange, Boss Green, Boss Black, Hugo, and Boss Selection) reflects the mission of the brand: “creating a brand world of extraordinary fashion diversity at a constantly high level of quality.” Please check out these designer websites: Alice & Olivia- http://www.aliceandolivia.com/ (The site is under construction…shop online at http://www.bleuclothing.com/ Hugo Boss- http://www.hugoboss.com/ (View complete collections for all Hugo Boss Brands)