Inspired by the Baroque movement

Today I was looking at a lot of Baroque – the arts movement that was distinguished by the OTT drama and ostentatiousness in sculpture, painting and architecture.

I was getting inspired by the busy ornate detailing of this era which was wired since I consider myself a minimalist. 

It is beautiful and elegant but the baroque style is an old elegance and I think the luxury of it comes from knowing the craftsmanship was hard work and time consuming.

I still favour the luxury of minimalism. I do like looking though, It’s marvellous.

Baroque ceiling – Palace of Versailles Chateau, France source

Baroque architecture – Fontana di Trevi, Rome Italy source

Baroque shoes by Jody Parchment source

Baroque door – Pechersky Lavra, Kiev source

Baroque glass dome – Palace of Versailles Chateau, France source

Dominican church – Krakow, Poland source

4 WAYS TO STYLE THE LITTLE WHITE JACKET

The little white jacket or ‘white blazer’ is a timeless wardrobe classic. It’s a staple you should shop around for as it’s so versatile and adds an urban city chic to any outfit. I’ve had one for years which I wore all the time in Sydney and London. Now that I live in Singapore it’s much too hot so I am looking for a one with a 1/2 sleeve or 3/4 length sleeve. White is a very elegant and feminine tone but colourless so it goes with everything. Here is some styling inspiration I put together.

Coming soon – I will also put together a post too of the best online shopping picks for the little white jacket.

A polished little white jacket looks great with prints. Especially animal prints. Roll up the cuffs on warmer days.

Look for gold detailing, or buy your own gold buttons and replace the plastic white ones (make sure they don’t look cheap). Also looks elegant accessorised with more gold. Very miss millionairess.

Looks sharp and chic when styled completely monochromatic. Great for the 9 to 5.

Dont add to much colour. Keep it minimal, stay monochromatic and just  add in small pops of colour. This takes it from 9 to 5 office chic to weekend play. Remember a classic bright lip is an accessory too so use it. 

Casual Minimal – Generation Love Clothing, NYC

As some of you may already know, I’m such a huge fan of elegant and minimal style.

Generation Love is a brand out of New York City that I have admired for a few years now. I stumbled across the brand one day when I was online shopping for a plain white tee to add to my wardrobe basics and I instantly fell in love.

I love this brand for the elegant, minimal, effortless cool aesthetic that all their garments have and the collections are always so simple and tastefully styled. With all designers collections, sometimes you just like a few pieces from it and sometimes you love everything! There are so many fresh minimalist ideas to get inspired by in the latest Spring 2013 collection. I just had to share.

You can shop Generation Love here and they ship internationally which is great! And most importantly is to note their price point. Tees are from $80 – $150 USD and everything pretty much is under $200 USD per piece. So not cheap but you pay for quality.

Love this monochromatic look using black and silver – so fresh!

Their signature slinky white tee. The perfect basic white tee.

Lounge wear should be beautiful too. Love the tie-die with the hint of blue.

Love this basic white tee with the addition of leopard sleeves. Creates an edge.

Another beautiful minimal monochromatic look to try. Must buy a gold cuff too!

This turned up collared silver jacket. Love the woven texture detailing.

That sweat shirt looks so soft and comfy. Plus love the retro runner stripe detailing on the shoulders and cuffs.

Nude Shoes + Red Dress Classic Look

I recently read an article saying black shoes and accessories are the way to go with a red dress and I was appalled! I totally disagree with this. STAY AWAY FROM BLACK I SAY! It’s just way to busy and the balance looks wrong.

Nude heels and a sassy red dress is a classic outfit every girl should have in her wardrobe. Nude shoes go wither everything and red suits everyone. You just need to choose a red that complements your skin tone and body shape. 

I love red because it’s the most provocative colour and symbolises sex and power which is what we all want to omit one way or another! See my other post 8 Red Lace Elegant Dress Inspirations. 

Tip 1: Wear the right red for your skin:
Pale skin – Go for the darker reds
Darker skin – Choose the bright orange reds or fuchsia reds for contrast
Petite – Wear bright reds or red patterned dresses as they draw attention to your body
Curvy – Wear darker shades of red like maroon or wine shades giving an illusion of pettiness

Tip 2 – Red dress = Nude Shoes! Stay way from browny nudes. Black is so faux pas. 

Tip 3 – Minimal accessories, the red dress is the accessory. Embrace your inner minimalist.

Tip 4 – Natural makeup for the reason above

Can Miranda Kerr do no wrong? Nude pumps don’t distract and allow the red dress to stand out

Cameron Diaz got it right! Nude is the optimum colour for a red dress. Black is so faux pas.

Kim Kardashian is pretty short and curvy. Nude shoes give the illusion of long legs

When I was living in London my favourite shoe brand was L.K Bennett. Most of their shoes are minimal and elegant and styles you can wear season after season. Expensive but investment quality. I love this classic L.K. Bennett Shilo Round Toe Pump. SHOP IT HERE on ShopBop as they do free international delivery.

Lookbook Cookbook: Chocolate, Photography & Veganism

I love seeing creative people finding their passion and doing creative things with their time. And there fore I really love this cute blog by photographer and blogger Jessica Milan. She combines her love for photography, confectionery, fashion and a vegan lifestyle to produce her charming blog Lookbook Cookbook. All the recipes are 100% vegan, gluten/soy free and instead of shooting the baked goods on a pretty kitchen bench she enlists the help of pretty models to pose in the act of mastication.

So many yummy recipes to try! I’m a chocoholic so here are my top 4 vegan chocolate picks from the blog.

1. Vegan chocolate mousse recipe by LBCB here.
I’m such a sucker for mousse!

2. Vegan no bake chocolate cookies recipe by LBCB here.
Love the no baking aspect.

3. Vegan double chocolate pancake recipe by LCBC here. 
Just realised I have never had chocolate pancakes. How tragic! I have not lived.

4. Vegan fudge brownie cup cake recipe by LCBC here. 
A life without chocolate cupcakes, *sighs*, incomprehensible!

12 things we can learn from Audrey Hepburn

Why is it that Audrey Hepburn looks so elegantly timeless? Most of her ‘off screen’ photos when you google search her look they could have been taken today. I was intrigued so I read up about her and loved reading many of her famous quotes. Here are my modern interpretations of 12 things we can learn form Audrey Hepburn today.

“Believe in Pink” – Audrey Hepburn

1. Trust in this colour, it will give you instant femininity.

“Know how to laugh. Laughing in the most important thing in a person” – Audrey Hepburn

2. Be happy. People who are happy are popular.

“I’ve been to Paris a million times!” vs “Yes, I try to go there often because
its one of my favourite vacation spots” – Audrey Hepburn 

3. Don’t brag! Exaggeration is not pretty.

“Pick an area of interest and develop on it. Take classes, read, write about it.
Become an elite” – Audrey Hepburn

4. Find your passion.

“Always display impeccable posture. Never slouch” – Audrey Hepburn

5. Remember what your mother taught you girl!

“Quality is essential to elegance. Aim for quality over quantity. Good quality is not an extravagance, it’s the basic. Develop a shopping habit to only buying things of the highest quality that you can afford.” – Audrey Hepburn

6. Less is more. Be a minimalist.

“For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry” – Audrey Hepburn

7. Don’t be bitchy. Be kind and generous.

“Think positive things so that you’ll wear a warm expression on your face”
– Audrey Hepburn

8. Wear a smile and people will warm to you. No one likes a sour face.

“Refrain from speaking vulgarities. Be gracious when you encounter someone rude.
When insulted, hold your head up in self respect and walk away.”
– Audrey Hepburn

9. Refrain from being a dirty slapper at all times

“Greet, say hello, please and thank you.”
– Audrey Hepburn

10. Don’t forget your manners

“Be positive. Nothing is impossible. The word even says I’m possible.”
– Audrey Hepburn

11. Be ambitious

“Stay active and be happy. Happy girls are the most prettiest!”
– Audrey Hepburn

12. Skinny equals happy. Don’t let yourself go!

3 Tips To A Chic Minimalist look by Miranda Kerr

Miranda Kerr is a prime example of well executed minimalist style. This look is so simple as we all own these pieces in black. If you don’t you should as it goes with everything. Here are my Miranda Kerr-ing subliminal top 3 minimalist style tips:

1. Wear all black attire with minimal detailing
2. Use a bright red lippy as your only highlight accessory
3. Smile, you’ve nailed it! As Audrey Hepburn once said “girls who smile are the prettiest”