a wee bit skint. (a fashion blog)

sharp.

bruno pieters, the new man at the desk for hugo boss. he'll probably have to tone down the sharply-cut angles for boss, but there is something strangely attention-grabbing about his cut and vision. not sure where i stand on that vision, but it is something to note:

(oh, and we're on paris time now...)

surprise.

something is afoot at dolce e gabbana. where are the leopard prints? where are the open-to-the-navel dresses, the overtly suggestive corsets? where is the over-the-top sexiness that has become their signature mark? something is afoot, but it is something sublime...

the s/s 2008 show was both modern and throw-back - all awesome prints and organza prettiness. how fresh! how odd that i could become so excited by dolce e gabbana? but i very much am.

onboard.

gucci has always been a line i admired for the women who could carry it off - with their shoulders back and their chests out.

tom ford made the line so overtly sexual, that a girl like me could never identify with it. always beautiful, always well made, but never something i thought i could pull off. after the slight slump the house felt after mr. ford left, it seems that although the line is still very sexy, it is a bit closer to something i could get on board with. the s/s 2008 show was surprisingly (to me only, i'm sure) quite modern, feminine, a bit edgy and had just the right amount of sex appeal.

rome.

a very roman affair at the alberta ferretti s/s 2008 show. quite a pretty affair too...

naturally.

if i were to pledge allegiance to any fashion mindset, my head and heart would pledge most fervently true to that of marni.

consuela castiglioni captures the aesthetic that i find most amusing, most intelligent and most whimsical, but always remaining thoroughly forward-thinking. it is a style of dress that is most certainly not for everyone, and i understand that marni is a line that is sometimes difficult to swallow as something beautiful, as something functional. but, for me, i am unabashedly a marni girl.

when in italy a few weeks ago, the marni stores were one of my highlights. i am not entirely superficial, but i will admit to that. the husband is very accepting of me and my sartorial obsessions.

and so, the s/s 2008 marni show lived up to every one of my expectations, when really my expectations remain the same. to expect something i was not initially expecting... but found in the end, that even though i didn't know i could be attracted to something i do not find find familiar or recognizable, that it is something that i gravitate to naturally.

etro.

fashion is cyclical. and so, the stop this time around seems most glaringly to be the 70s. not usually my cup of tea at all. however, something about the s/s 2008 etro show really got me excited. it may seem to be a little too much, all at the same time, but looking at the singular pieces, it is quite lush, colourful and gorgeous. yum.

now.

and how now? what says you about this new prada? the ever-changing miuccia never ceases to surprise and amaze. yes, i said amaze. the late 60s, early 70s vibe may not be what you had in mind, or perhaps you were a bit nostalgic for your mother's wardrobe... but, fairies, art-nouveau scribbling all met in the middle with knit one-pieces, floaty tunics and skirts and chunky platforms.

so how now? what says you about the new prada?

thus.

cathryn horyn, from the new york times, on milan... thus far.

close.

i will not go as far as to say that i enjoyed the s/s 2008 jil sander show. there wasn't one piece in the collection that a girl of my bearing could wear. as i am shaped more like a spoon as opposed to an up and down stick, jil sander does not design for a girl like me in mind. and i bear no ill will toward raf simons for that. to each his or her own.

but, i can't stop looking at these straight and narrow lines, how very close to the body and angular this all is. how there is no room for a cushiony thigh. so, if you can swing it, i say rock on with your bad self... i suppose this is why jil sander is still considered the appropriate choice for the strong, unflinching female...

perhaps.

possibly not the most imaginative of showings, if you listen to the likes of sarah mower, but the alessandro dell'acqua show did have its moments of angular beauty.

the show, which consisted only of dresses, (minus the grandma pants and plasticized brassiere at the opening) took on a bit of an asian bent, but with a decidedly modern kink. it may have been boring to some, but in essence, i found that it had quite a lot of pretty contained within it.

iron.

it's not all plaid and trench coats this season in milan. it seems that listening to iron maiden and deep purple has given christopher bailey a bit of a roughed up edge, and it has rubbed off on his burberry prorsum line. who knew that burberry could veer so closely to punk rock, and do it fairly well?

see? not so staid this time around. and the trenches are there, they're just looking a bit different this season.

few.

a few things to consider as the weather gets just a touch cooler - these may seem like completely satisfactory options for footwear, but do trust me on this one thing. they are not.

please don't do the following:

thank you.

valdese.

if we were playing the money-is-no-object game, i'd have no objection to procuring this 'valdese' beaded dress by matthew williamson. a little flirty, but decidedly modern with an art-deco bent with the intricate beading around the neckline and contract pleated hem. pretty, pretty...

comptoir.

back in the summer of 2004, i traveled to europe on the cheap. it wasn't for the experience of it, it wasn't for want of it, it was due to a very bad fiscal year for little old me, but it was one of the best trips i have ever taken for a multitude of reasons.

there was, however, one instance where i really felt the sting of not being able to procure any little trinket or piece of clothing, and that was during our last stop, in paris, where we were attending the wedding of two friends. as i walked to the monoprix to pick up some groceries for said friends, i happened upon a little store named 'comptoir des cotonniers' and it was love at first sight.

the aesthetic to my eye is something akin to marni, but more to the point a 'marni-light'. not as obvious in its quirk, but chic in every way, especially in the way that only parisian women can be.

on this past trip however, where my financial situation wasn't nearly as bleak as before, i made sure to make my way over to the nearest comptoir des cotonniers i could find, which just happened to be in milan. and so for now, my obsession has been sated - but i'm not sure for how long and the little matter of the site not offering online shopping makes me just a little bit more than sad.

note.

if you happened to have sent me a message at misshoax@aweebitskint.com in the last two weeks, that say, wasn't letting me know about cheap drugs and sexual enhancements, if you wouldn't mind sending me that message again, it would be very much appreciated. the epic amount of spam that i've received in the last little while was so over-the-top i couldn't manage to see the wood for the trees, and had to tweak my account.

thanks much!

me.predictable.

jet-lag has had me up for hours, and i'm not even going to try and go through every new york show - i'm sure you seen and heard well enough by now without having me add my two cents worth. however, i had to go and take a quick peek and mr. lim, and as usual, i adored the looks he sent down the runway. a bit of the golden touch he has, methinks.

(photos and anecdotes from our little la dolce vita away in italy... and france and monaco, coming soon!)

now.

we've made our way to florence now... after monte carlo, milan and cinque terre. it has been quite the whirlwind and i must say that i could get quite used to this sort of living. walking the streets during the day, sitting in sidewalk cafes enjoying the view and of course, always paying close attention to the sartorial side of life. i am that superficial sometimes. milan was what i had heard it would be - somewhat industrial and not as exciting as one would think. but, getting to the marni outlet in the outskirts of town was an experience in itself. quite the covert operation...

florence is the place to be, of course. well, that is until we hit rome in a couple of days. it is quite glorious here. and the purple gloves i just procured from modava are made of the most supple of leathers i have ever felt. can't wait until autumn arrives in earnest.

i'll update soon... with pictures when i get home. be well!

nice.

a very quick pop in and out to say hullo; so, "hullo" from the south of france. nice is beautiful and extravagant and the beaches beautiful. we may just stay a while.

i've just consumed my weight in nutella/coconut crepe, and must have a lie down, but i just wanted to say a quick how do you do and i'll be home soon. be well!