Spring To-Do List

Have you ever tried to type into Google the phrase "Spring To-Do List"?
All you end up getting is advice about how to spring clean your closets.
Well, instead of re-organizing your wardrobe, here's some advice for re-inventing it: pick the suggestions that fit your personality and transform your style!

- Wear a cloche hat, a beret or a fedora.

- Buy a canary yellow dress (but instead of calling the shade 'yellow', call it 'tournesol'), and wear it on a grey, rainy day.

- Wear fashion like it's yours, Comme les Garcons style: own your look, and don't look uncomfortable - you look great.

- Pair an arrogant grass-green t-shirt with a chunky white necklace.

- Wear a scarf that makes you feel like poetry in motion.

- Cover your arm in bracelets, and when you think you're done, add 3 more and go out the door.

- Buy the outrageously expensive new rouge Dior in a petal shade.

- The next time you see that pair of rain boots in that outrageous hue and crazy awesome pattern, go ahead and buy it: don't worry, it'll look good with absolutely everything!

- Replace all of your plastic hangers with some in wood. Better for your health.

- Get a beautifully intricate henna tattoo. If you change your mind at any time, you can easily wash it off.

- Ditch the chamomile tea. It's been a long winter. Have some espresso shots: time to wake up!

Spring is all about rebirth and reinvention, so don't go back to the same old habit of diving back into your closet and not finding the burst of 'awesome' you were looking for in the first place.

Instead of spring cleaning, throw a 'Welcome back, Spring!' party!
Then throw on a scarf that complements your much adored rain boots,
and embrace the joie-de-vivre of spring!

the Rose

Dreaming of Summer

With all of the snow pouring down, it’s hard to remember summer, and the lazy afternoons spent in hammocks or exploring sunlit meadows seem ages ago. Fear not! Here are a few ways to remind yourself that warmer days really are coming and block winter out of your mind for a few days:

1.       Make yourself a summer box! Select a box with a size that is appropriate for your use. It could be big enough to serve as a display on your coffeetable, or small enough to sit on your desk and remind you of balmier days while you work. Then, cover the base of the box in sand from some beaches you’ve explored (if the beach is not your thing, adapt to suit your personal vacation taste). Fill with whatever shells or mementos you’ve collected from pleasant summer days. Imagine the tang of the ocean and the smell of sunscreen in the air. Enjoy.

2.       On a snowed-in day, take out all of those souvenirs from summer escapades. Whether pressed wildflowers from the peak of a mountain to preserved lavender sprigs from lavender fields, pictures of the wonderful places you’ve explored or maps to faraway lands, tickets from the vaporetto in Venice or ticket stubs from buses in New York, take them all out. Then sort through them; decide which ones are meant for being scrapbooked and which could decorate a wall of your home. Bask in memories and make plans for the future.

 

 

3.       Organize your spring wardrobe. Prepare the light trenchcoats, the floating, light-as-air scarves, and all of your glorious sunny clothes! Look out for the smell of a fresh spring breeze.

the Rose

Pretty in Pastel

With a whisper of spring in the air, our thoughts have started turning back towards lighter things: banishing deeper colours and countless layers to the confines of our closets, Spring 2013 is all about delicious pastel shades!

From macaron mint and seafoam blue-green to strawberry ice cream pink and periwinkle blue, there is a multitude of colours to choose from.

We have already seen hints of this Laduree lusciousness in previous fashion shows, like in the 2012-2013 Chanel cruisewear collection in Versailles’ gardens. Pastel flounces and shimmering adornments in the shade of the gilt-laden fountains: Marie Antoinette would approve!

To rock this look, you can take a leaf from that stylish monarch’s book and add a touch of opulence to any outfit by adding small-but-glamorous details, like pearl, gold or crystal finishes, or a hint of lace or tulle to a skirt. Remember that less can definitely be more: don’t let your accessories overpower your style.

Another way of approaching this trend is by using the freshness of spring as your template: clean lines and an uncluttered look really allow statement pieces (from a gorgeous necklace to a beautiful dress) to shine!