Tour Eiffel

I think every blogger has their 'dream outfit post' at the back of their mind when they start blogging their fashion adventures. Mine has always been shooting my look with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Everyone and their mother knows what an unhealthy obsession I have with Paris and the Eiffel Tower in particular. So can you blame me?

Apart from being shot in the quintessential Boffism setting, this look features an item that I have been coveting for weeks now: THE PLAID JUMPER! After endless weeks of rummaging through charity shops and scouting the high street for a worthy plaid candidate, my eyes finally fell on this gem in a tiny Parisian vintage store.

Two new entries included in this look are my doctor-style bag from Forever 21 - yes, there's a Forever 21 in Paris! - as well as my grey socks from H&M. As of late, I've been quite into rolling up my pants to expose my hosiery. That's how I roll.

Check out the full outfit details at the end of the post. Don't forget you can also hype my look on lookbook.nu. Oh, and if you are interested to see what else happened on the day we shot this outfit, you can watch this vlog from my #boffismvlogmas.

Photo Credits: Noel Zahra - www.creativeasfunk.com

OUTFIT | Jumper: Vintage - Jacket: Thrifted - Jeggings: Pull & Bear - Socks: H&M - Shoes: H&M - Bag: Forever 21 - Glasses: Zara

République

A few days ago, I posted about spotting the perfect beige coat at Zara in Brussels. After a few sleepless nights - thinking about this marvelous creation - I decided to go ahead and make it mine. I wore it to my sister's graduation for the first time, but it makes its official premiere here on Boffism thanks to this outfit we shot in Place Rèpublique, Paris.

This was a severely cold day, one of those in which you wonder whether the universe has created anything warm enough in the sartorial department to help you survive it. My Zara coat pretty much did the trick though, especially paired with this plaid scarf my mother made me from this random piece of fabric we found at a market stand.

I have to admit that being in Paris for a couple of days has reminded me of my aesthetic sense's strong French flair. I'm a sucker for all things Parisian, in particular. Hence why this outfit came together in the city of lights.

Don't forget that all the outfit details as well as my lookbook.nu hype button can be found at the end of the post! See you tomorrow!

OUTFIT | Coat: Zara - Shirt: Zara - Scarf: Handmade - Necklace: H&M - Jeggings: Pull and Bear - Shoes: H&M - Hat: Bershka - Bag: Bershka

La Butte

No trip to Paris is complete without a stroll in the character-rich Montmartre area. I decided to shoot a couple of photos in the Place du Tertre zone to show off this faux fur coat I thrifted from a second-hand bazaar I visited a couple of weeks ago.

It's really cold in Paris at the moment, and to be quite frank, this coat is the only thing that keeps me warm as I walk through the streets of the French capital. To complete the look - and hide my horrible hair - I went for a headscarf, a plain maroon t-shirt as well as my trusty jeggings (also featured in yesterday's outfit). 

More about the outfit as well as a lookbook.nu hype button at the end of the entry. Tata!

OUTFIT | Coat: Thrifted - Top: Zara - Jeggings: Pull & Bear - Shoes: H&M - Chain: H&M - Bag: Bershka - Glasses: Zara - Scarf: H&M

Charles de Gaulle

Here I am! Finally in Paris! Day 1 in Paris was unbearably cold but unsurprisingly full of emotions. The highlights of my day included spotting the Eiffel tower when I was on the airport shuttle bus (with a string of 'OMG's necessarily attached to the moment), a stroll along the Champs d'Elysees, as well as hanging out around the Arc de Triomphe.

I had been up since 4am in order to catch the early flight, and since I hadn't slept much the night before, I was quite tired last night. Hence why I chose to stay in planning the extremely busy days ahead. Don't forget to check out my vlogs from Paris as part of #boffismvlogmas,  should be up later today!

This is the outfit I travelled with as well as the look I sported during the entire day before retiring back to my apartment just off the Champs d'Elysees (pretty great location, right?). I wanted to be comfortable yet still fun and fresh, so I went for a jumper - denim jacket - acid wash jeggings combination, all paired with my warm H&M scarf and my staple buckle shoes.

Find all details and lookbook.nu hype button at the end. Btw, I shot this at the Champs d'Elysees, for all those who aren't familiar with Paris.

OUTFIT: Jacket: Thrifted - Jumper: Thrifted - Jeggings: Pull & Bear - Scarf: H&M - Shoes: H&M - Bag: Bershka

Fifteen

If there's one thing that can quickly teleport me back to my early teenage years, it's definitely a pair of Converse style sneakers. I doubt how many of you knew of my existence since then - not complaining, the hair choices I made at the time are of a cringing nature - but I was indeed a Greenday-obsessed curly head who practically lived in Converse.

At one point in time, in between the release of Avril Lavigne's 'Let Go' album and the time Simple Plan's 'Welcome to my Life' was all the rage, I owned 29 pairs of such sneakers. They were paired to everything from blazers, to tailored pants, to band t-shirts, all the way to my school uniform PE tracksuit. I eventually grew out of them - after endless 'you need to outgrow the Converse phases' sermons by at least 30 people in my life - and remained hesitant to start re-wearing the ever since.

However, I've finally given in and got myself a pair from New Look. I spent Saturday afternoon out in the countryside and quite frankly these are the only shoes that I could wear for 'the occasion'. The entire outfit ended up being an impromptu tribute to my early teen fashion sense - the plaid shirt, white t-shirt, dark boyfriend denims all fit in the fifteen-year old Boffism picture.

In order to keep with the fifteen year old theme, I decided to jump up and down like a frog. I was quite fond of that during the time.

Outfit details and Lookbook button are at the end of the post. 

OUTFIT | Plaid Shirt: Levi's - T-Shirt: Primark - Jeans: Zara - Shoes: New Look - Rings: ASOS - Watch: Casio (also featured here)

Style Icon: Margaret Thatcher

I'm currently sitting in the Eurostar Business Lounge in St. Pancras, facing a newspaper stand literally full of photos of the lady that's currently on everyone's lips. I think it's nearly impossible to ask yourself 'who is Margaret Thatcher?' without getting a prompt, informed reply these days.

Irrespective of her arguable political choices, the former British Priminister is considered to have been of considerable influence in a number of different fields. I'll obviously limit myself on observing her style choices, especially since I know there was a great deal of effort put into the way she looked. If you watch The Iron Lady, a brilliant movie starring Meryl Streep as the first woman Priminister in Britain, you'll understand how her entourage needed to make sure that Mrs. Thatcher 'looked and sounded' like the Priminister she was.

The first outfit which caught my eye was this combination of a blue pleated midi-skirt paired with a matching blazer and a light patterned blouse. I have to admit I've always shied away from putting two same coloured pieces together, yet there's no use denying the final look makes sense. I chose to mirror Mrs. Thatcher's elegant yet comfortable black kitten heels not only to be as faithful to the original as possible, but also due to my eternal love for them. If you want to make the outfit look less granny, you can opt for a shorter pleated skirt.

This photo is in black and white so I couldn't really play with the colour scheme this time. Instead I decided to explore the way a pussybow blouse was layered beneath a basic yet nicely silhouetted peacoat. I noticed that I find myself wondering how I can wear a plain peacoat in a more interesting manner and I think I finally found a good option. The hanging bow detail can be used to align different colours, contrast different patterns as well as putting two textures against each other. The idea is very simple yet the possibilities it gives are numerous.

Finally, I also wanted to include a set with a blazer and pencil skirt 'suit'. I refrained from working on another all blue outfit so I decided to use the silhouette as my main point of inspiration. The key to achieving this look is wearing two garments that are relatively quite long in a matching colour. In my set, I chose to add a plaid blazer that is largely based on blue with a simple, clean-cut blue pencil skirt. Margaret Thatcher wore pearls very often and I think their elegance complemented her style perfectly. So I went ahead and added some here as well.

I'm off to Brussels in a couple of minutes and I decided I'm going to vlog my stay there. You should subscribe to my YouTube channel to make sure you don't miss it when I upload it!

Monochrome Settings

‘Is there anything else this season?’ answered Roland Mouret when asked whether he agreed that monochrome is this Spring’s It-Trend. The man is right. As opposed to the sea of pastel and neon hues, the predominant colour palette in the warmer seasons is the basic – yet tasty – combination between black and white.

Mono-fashion tends to be a perennial favourite, yet this year it’s bigger than ever! Highly versatile, easily wearable and exquisitely flattering, this trend can be interpreted in at least seven thousand different ways as well as combined with other seasonal trends for some serious fashion statement. Moreover, the black and white combination was and shall always be a classic, meaning that the pieces you invest in this season will happily inhabit your wardrobe for years to come. Unlike that camouflage jacket…

The attractive interplay between the two shades was seen all over the catwalk and is, unexpectedly, also all over our favourite street style sources. Let’s see who we are to blame.

Louis Vuitton, guilty as charged. In a show that has been hailed as a ‘hymn to the swinging sixties’, creative director Marc Jacobs sent his models in pairs down a set of four escalators for his Spring / Summer 2013 collection. Finished with beehives, Alice bands and satin bows at the sides, his creations consisted mostly of sixties-reminiscing silhouettes in black and white. The particular collection can be seen as sweet and cheerful, with a very youthful and playful overall mood. I personally loved how he complemented his monochrome checked patterns with heavily squared silhouettes. Is it just me or do the lines look a million times sharper when these two elements are combined? One can’t help but spot the influence of none other than Mary Quant, especially with the reliance on that eye-catching checked pattern.

Up next is Mister Michael Kors, who keeps delivering one huge success after another. His work in recent seasons has been one memorable contribution after another. His Spring / Summer 2013 collection was mostly unembellished but also highly mod-inspired. Yet, chez Kors, the mod influences took a more nautical turn. As the designer himself mentioned, there was an obvious, palpable Palm Springs and Los Angeles feel to it. Monochrome style from Kors mostly came in stripes. The heavier the stripes, the better. Michael Kors toyed with stripes in different proportions, alignments and widths in what ended up being a black and white stripe party.

One of the finest examples of monochrome mania came from Marc Jacobs at New York Fashion Week. Model Ruby Jean opened Marc Jacobs’s lesson in black and white with a stunning oversized white tee complete with a barcode-like detail of black vertical stripes. The opening number set the tone for a collection that was one big sixties party. Let’s face it, Ruby did look very similar to Edie Sedgwick. Jacobs focussed on that delicate transition between early sixties fashion and the later years when free-spirited youngsters pretty much dictated what was and wasn’t to be worn.

Hard to be missed was the vertically striped coat in monochrome, which I bet looks lovely on a bold-coloured dress. Orange or yellow maybe? Same can be said about the monochrome suit. Whether at work – especially if the job is vaguely fashion-related – or after-work, a black and white striped suit can be easily layered over a coloured blouse. Marc Jacobs is such a genius, he even explored the monochrome theme using separates and subtler details. A clear example is his white suit with black piping and the black dress with white frill at the cuffs. I’ll have a plate of that anytime, thank you.

My personal favourite garment from the entire collection reflects Jacobs’s skill at interpreting a trend using different lengths. After sending his models in classic sixties mini cuts, the collection moved to floor-sweeping black and white dresses. I am head over heels with the vertically striped one – I bet no one is surprised there! – but I also like the ones with the frayed skirts. The latter introduce an added element of interest and even, arguably, a great deal of dimension.

Set against a gorgeous, almost Napoleonic, backdrop of windfarms and solar panels, Karl Lagerfeld presented a collection that was strongly monochromatic and highly dependent on the A-line silhouette. The latest Chanel collection, put together by a Lagerfeld praised as the ‘monochrome master’ was a party of black and white. A very classy party, might I add.

As opposed to the usual reliance on braids, buttons and chains, this collection saw Karl experimenting with monochrome and the quintessential Chanel-style accessory: the pearl. I honestly loved it. My instinct would have told me to choose metallic accessories with black and white outfits, but I can’t deny it’s a futile exercise to deny that Karl’s option was obviously meant to be.

Lagerfeld’s take on all things mono was by far the most elegant. As a sucker for polka dots, I was quite gobsmacked by the first two outfits in the collection. Black and white polka dots are such a classic, iconic look yet they also add that playful touch, making everything a lot more youthful. Leave it to Karl to add a classic Chanel jacket over a pencil dress, layered even further with a rebellious set of statement pearls!

Worth the spotlight was a black, strapless midi dress that is the loveliest and most stunning re-working of the basic black dress I’ve seen in such a long while. The predominantly dark palette gradually made way to a series of crisp all-white combination. All-white, yes, save for the shoes. In order to stay faithful to the monochrome motif, the shoes were black. Very, very chic.

Boleros aren’t quite my cup of tea – unless they are worn over pencil skirts – but the handful of examples showcased in the Chanel collection had an excellent composition! They were flawlessly included as yet another way of going monochrome! Equally appropriate were the details and some of the accessories, which, to no surprise, relied on the sharp contrast between coal-black and snow-white. Check out the platform shoes in black and white stripes as well as the infamous Chanel circular bag! This last one has been the source of controversy ever since its first spotting. The exuberant carry-all comes in a quilted white main section and huge hula-hoop style handles in jet black.

How do I plan on wearing this trend? Well, any way I can. Lots of stripes and polka dots, naturally, probably even simultaneously. There may be some checked and harlequin diamonds too, why not? I’ll definitely use separates too. Life is better in black and white. 

How I Style: A Denim Shirt

Ever since I posted my wishlist of basic items, I've received a few requests to write about how I style wardrobe staples. In a little discussion I had on my Facebook Page, the denim shirt was mentioned as a possible subject and since it was rather popular with you readers, I decided to start off with it.

Denim is in this season. The more, the merrier. With designers choosing to include chambray - which is, essentially, a form of lightweight denim - in their designs, denim is making a huge comeback this Spring and Summer. There's never been a better excuse to purchase a denim shirt.

I confess that one of my biggest packing mistakes when I moved to London was to leave my denim shirt behind. I've pretty much lived in it for around three years. How on earth did I forget it? Anyway.

Complaints aside. The point of this entry is to show you some combinations featuring a basic denim shirt. I always recommend getting one in a slightly oversized fit - maybe from the men's section? - so that you can make the most of it. I like to use denim shirts as a layering piece, as a lightweight denim jacket or on their own with some fancy lower body garments. I tend to pair denim shirts with red, black, white or yellow.

DENIM AND PRINTED SHORTS

Or any printed form of lower garment really! I would recommend creating a bit of contrast between your denim shirt and your choice of pants. I came across this pair of floral printed shorts and I thought it would be fitting to pair them with this light-coloured denim shirt. As you can tell, this set is very Summery - sandals and all - so it's ideal for those days where we're transitioning into warmer weather without it being too scorching for a denim shirt. Some of the denim shirts out in the stores right now are particularly lightweight, so you'll be able to bear them in the early days of Summer. If not, you can always roll up your sleeves or cut them off. That's how we roll ladies.

DENIM SHIRT AND PENCIL SKIRT

Just in case you were wondering whether I always try my best to fit in a pencil skirt whenever I do a styling post, the answer is a big fat 'yes'. I can't help myself! Pencil skirts have proved to be very versatile: they can be dressed up for a chic look or else dressed down for something more fresh and urban. In this case, adding a denim shirt to a red pencil skirt doesn't only result in a nice contrast, it also gives the outfit a slight pin-up feel. If you want to channel your inner fifties diva, you can always tie a knot at the bottom of your denim number instead of buttoning all your shirt. Add a pair of cat-eye sunglasses and you're good to go.

DENIM SHIRT AS DENIM JACKET

This is how I'm most likely to be seen sporting a denim shirt: as an alternative to a denim jacket. Firstly, because, alas, I'm still hunting down the perfect denim jacket and secondly because sometimes it's just too warm to wear a jacket. I particularly fancy layering a denim shirt over a light-coloured top - or a striped one that includes some white - and then choosing black for the rest. So, black skinny jeans, black tote, black pumps and maybe even a pair of black shades. I wouldn't mind some bright red lips with this combination either.

As you can see, denim shirts are more wearable than many might initially think. I might do a similar post about denim shirts for the boys, let me know if you're interested!