Coachella Favourites

Hello readers!

Apologies for my absence, but lately I've been quite busy with school after Easter holidays. With all that aside, today's blog post is about my top favourite outfits worn at the highly anticipated festival Coachella. I just love these kind of events where fashion is not always about the glitz and glam when strutted by celebrities. They bring out their casual side yet still look fashion forward and at the same time inspire the 'nobodies' like us to dress like them. Not to mention, during this kind of event it seems that every celebrity seems to be admiring the bohemian or tribal trend which I LOVE. So here are the faves:

#1: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley-  Love this outfit. I just adore those Christopher Kane denim shorts! The outfit is very simple yet the shorts are what complete the outfit. I think she looked amazing and come on, who would rock a pair of shorts better than her?  

#2: Paris Hilton- Please don't judge me. I know Paris Hilton is not to every one's liking, believe me I'm one of them. However I'm being honest about this and I think she really nailed this outfit. I love the jewelled bandeau and the colourful flowy maxi skirt, the sunglasses however-not so much. But the rest of the outfit was very suitable for the event. The bright accessories went very well with the hippie inspired outfit. The first time I'll be saying this, but Paris nailed this one too! 

#3 Fergie: She looks fergielicious in this outfit! I love all the layering, the fringe detail, and the earth toned colours. I give her a 10 out of 10! 

#4: Vanessa Hudgens- Nobody can rock a boho chic/ hippie outfit as Vanessa. It is like she fits the part and her style signifies her. In my opinion she always looks amazing at Coachella. 

I think you can always find similar pieces at affordable prices if you are inspired by their style. They may not be wearable to everyone, but you can always recreate the outfit in your own way. 

Who were your favourites at Coachella?

Stay Chic 

xxx

White Trousers

I bet most of you have a love/hate relationship with white trousers or jeans. Either due to the fact that they get dirty way too easily, or the material may tend to be see through, or maybe because we tend to deprive ourselves from wearing them because of the famous saying that you cannot wear white jeans after (U.S) Labour Day. Since it is spring, I think we have to make it an exception that white jeans can be worn, since it is the perfect colour to match with either bright, pastels, or nude colours for spring. However I still disagree with that famous term, and I don't understand all the misery of wearing white during colder seasons, nothing should stop you from taking a risk. It depends on what you pair it up with. And most importantly it depends on the colours. But I'll leave it for now since it is actually allowable to wear white jeans today, but I'll keep you posted with the same concept for winter! 

I think the main reason is that  since white is such a light colour it might not look flattering or slimming as black jeans. However the trick is to find the perfect pair of white jeans that should mostly flatter your figure. 

I think 3 of the most basic type of White trousers are:

• Basic white skinny jeans - I think these should be a must for any woman's wardrobe. Since denim is a very thick fabric, I think you should stop worrying about having see through pants. I think you don't need to invest in an expensive pair of white jeans, there are many good quality jeans at affordable prices. You just have to find the perfect pair that flatter your figure either a skinny pair for tall slim figure, cropped skinnies for shorter figures, or boot cut for curvy figures.  
• White chinos- I think these are a classic staple piece. If you like to take a risk and change the normal day to day jeans that you always wear, I think chinos are the best alternative. Wearing head to toe white is very in this season, I think that pairing white sheer blouse, with white chinos, and a white blazer would look very chic! 
• White palazzo pants (wide leg) - They are everywhere! They might not fit to everyone's taste but I think they are very easy to style and perfect for the summer. Pair them with a patterned bustier or a crochet top for a bohemian look. I think this summer I shall definitely invest in a white and patterned pair of palazzo pants.

Check out the sets I created with white chinos and white jeans which might give you an idea of the looks you can create for Spring or Summer with such a versatile colour! 

White Chinos by katia featuring michael kors watches

White Jeans by katia featuring chanel handbags

Stay Chic! 


xoxo 

DIY: Detachable Peter Pan Collars

Hello my lovelies, 


I've been longing to do this DIY post, but since I've been very busy with school work lately, I couldn't find time. Now that I have Easter holidays, I managed to find some time on my hands and decided to create some detachable peter pan collars. They are very easy to make, no sewing required ( it's up to you) and very stylish at the same time. So let's get started! 


You will need: 

• Paper
• Pencil/marker
• Scissors
• Headed Needle 
• Glue Gun/ fabric Glue 
• Felt Fabric (colour of your choice) 
• Decorative Fabric ( I used lace & floral fabric) 
• Decorative Accessories ( studs, pearls, gems , anything that you like!) 
• Ribbon or Chain 
• Thread and Needle 

So first things first, you must start thinking which pattern you would like your Peter Pan collar to look like. I created 3 different patterns, so it would be easy for you to decide. So first grab the paper and fold it in half. Start drawing half of the collar starting from the folded part. I drew the collars free handed, but if you'd like there are many patterns on-line which might help you or you can click on the picture below, print it out and trace your preferable pattern. 

So once you're done, start by cutting from the folded part of the paper, all the way around the pattern 

And your result should end up looking like this : 

So once you've cut all your patterns, grab the felt fabric and your decorative fabric. The decorative fabric is optional, but I decided that I wanted a lace fabric. So first lay the felt fabric, then the lace and the pattern of your choice on top of each other, and pin them down with the headed needle. Cut the fabrics around the pattern and you will end up with two fabrics looking like your drawn pattern. The next step is to glue the lace on top of the fabric and leave it to dry, it only takes a few seconds. This part is optional but I suggest that you cut around the lace lining from the remainder of the fabric that you have left and glue it on top of the edge of the collar to hide any imperfections. Then grab the needle and thread, and start sewing the ribbon at the top corners on the backside of the collars. Once you think it is secure enough, tie a knot close to the corner of the collar to make sure it is extra secure. 

So your collar is pretty much done, but obviously I wanted to jazz it up with a little accessories. Let me show you the 4 different styles: 

As you can see, I chose white felt fabric, and white lace on top. Notice the lining of the lace on the top edge of the collars hides any imperfections and looks much neater. Then I decided to glue some threaded pearls, on the edge of the collar. You can buy them at any local craft store, they are very easy to find. And there you have it collar no 1 complete! 

This is very similar to the previous one, but instead of using lace I decided to use a floral fabric instead. I think it came out looking better than I expected it and the touch of pearls gave it a very vintage look. 

This is the second pattern shown in the above picture. I decided to use peach felt fabric and just glued the threaded pearls all across it. This was the easiest collar to make, and I suggest using threaded pearls instead of gluing a separate pearl one by one. If so it would take ages to finish, and for me it only took 10 minutes to glue them all in place. I love the way it turned out, it looks like a statement necklace and it screams spring!

The last collar has to be one of my favourites. It may not be called a peter pan collar, since it leans more towards the classic structured collars. So if you do not feel like cutting off a collar from your old shirts, go ahead and draw it  out yourself. Here I used white felt, black lace and gold studs around the pointed edges. I think it came out looking very edgy and would look great for a night out! 

So there you have it! DIY Peter Pan Collars, very easy and affordable way to make your collars at home!

Create different looks for different occasions, one for a casual look, one for a vintage/girly look, one for a party look, and another for a sophisticated look. 

I hoped you liked this post and be sure to try it out and let me know how it turned out! 

Stay Chic 

xxx

The Infamous Ombre

Hello my fellow readers and welcome to my lovely new followers! 

Today's post I shall be discussing about the infamous ombre hair. Everyone, who is anyone tried this hair trend starting from Jessica Biel to, Rachel Bilson, to Drew Barrymoore, SJP you name them! Even the majority of fashion bloggers and beauty gurus were in love with this trend zoella, thepersianbabe, thefashioncitizen, and today I've noticed even DulceCandy  dyed her hair ombre. The best part about it is that the majority pretty much dyed it on their own. 

The point is I'v been debating for several months, scratch that, maybe over a year, whether to ombre or not. First of all I am utterly afraid of dying it at the hairdressers. What if they don't dye it how I want? What if the colour is not what I wanted?  what if? what if? what if?!!! So I ended up doing nothing. Then I searched through the internet and tried to find the best solution to DIY at home. The drawback I found is that ombre is another word for bleaching your hair, and to be honest that is what scared me. I did not want to damage my hair and it looked like it needed higher maintenance just to keep it looking healthy. So I ended up doing nothing- again. And the story repeats itself. Now I'm still stuck with this boring brown hair, I've been with it for most of my life, I only dyed it twice so you can imagine how much I am dying  for a change. 

Plus I was still debating about the type of ombre. There are several types, either a very dramatic bleach blonde tip, either the colour lightens as it reaches to the tips and so on. My way of ombre at least until I first try it, is dying highlights starting from the middle of your face, and getting gradually lighter as they reach the tips. Also I prefer a golden blonde colour I think it looks more natural and not 'in your face'. Don't get me wrong when I look at other people's ombre hair, it's jaw dropping how beautiful it looks especially on dark blonde hair. But since I am still a newbie at hair dying , I try to find the safest way into it. I am sure plenty of girls like me do the same. 

So the question is should I try it myself, or should I leave it on the hands of the professionals? To me both are risky. But right now I'm seriously willing to take a risk! I need a change. What do you think? To ombre or not to ombre? Give me the low down!

My favourite Ombre Hair looks: 

Toning down Animal Prints

We all know that during this time of the year, any type or form of floral, aztec or tribal print has to always appear in our wardrobe. Animal prints were a hit last winter, especially leopard print. I, for one, used to HATE animal print. I used to find them very tacky and I just did not like the way people wore such a very bold print. But as it became on trend, I started to get into it more. I learned how to make leopard print not look tacky, and with that help I ended up loving animal prints. And when I say animal print, I mean cheetah, leopard or snake, I don't mean zebra. I'm not into zebra-yet. As I was saying, I ended up finding animal print pieces, mostly accessories or shoes, to give an outfit some character. For example a very plain outfit in very neutral colours, paired up with leopard shoes or even a leopard scarf. I was very into this trend last winter. However, since spring is considered as the season to bring out very vibrant and girly patterns, we tend to ditch the bold, dark toned animal prints. So what I'm trying to point out is that you can actually still transition your favourite animal print pieces to your spring wardrobe. The only difference being is that you have to just slightly tone down the rest of your outfit and to avoid using warm, bold colours. In fact, high end designers demonstrated animal prints for their spring/summer 2012 collection.

 Roberto Cavalli Spring/Summer 2012 Campaign- Subtle way of adding animal prints and combination of leopard and snake skin print. The sheerness of the printed fabric gives it a delicate and summery feel. 

Michael Kors-Safari themed collection inspired by his latest visit to South Africa. Infusion of tribal, animal prints, and tie-dye patterns. 

As for my way of styling animal print patterns for spring, I created 3 polyvore sets to demonstrate 3 different looks that might attract your taste. 

Snake Print and hint of neon Yellow by katia featuring banana republic jewelry

This is by far my favourite outfit. It is very bohemian/tribal inspired. The main focus of this outfit is obviously the trousers, so it is important to leave the rest of the outfit neutral if you do not want to go over board. The jumper gives the outfit a laid back look but very edgy and stylish at the same time, with the gold accessories and chunky heel. To make the outfit a bit more vibrant and 'spring-y' looking, rather than just neutral from head to toe, I suggest adding just a very bright colour to your handbag, shoes, or accessories. I think with just a touch of that neon yellow, the outfit turned out looking from dull to bright! 

Toning down Leopard print by katia featuring stone jewelry

Since leopard print colours are very dark and bold, it might not fit well with the rest of the spring colours in our wardrobe. So I would opt for a more faded or slightly pale coloured leopard print. This way, it is easier to add any kind of colour to make your outfit pop. The shorts in this set, are a lighter shade than the normal leoprad print we know and the mint blouse goes perfect with it. You can add pretty much any vibrant colour to these shorts, just as long as you keep the rest of the outfit as neutral as possible. You can do this not just by adding shorts, but also a blazer, shoes or even a scarf. 

Snake Skin Print and Neutrals by katia featuring enamel rings

This my second favourite outfit. I think this looks very chic and sophisticated, and the snake skin print is only incorporated in the accessories, but still remains the main focus of the outfit. I styled this outfit by sticking to the colour palette of the shoes. Mixing white, grey and nude and adding the snake skin print is a very crisp and clean look to this outfit. The gold touches bring out the elegance and they make you look like you're worth a million bucks! 

So don't be afraid of mixing animal prints this spring or summer. I for one, already dived into leopard print, now I need to incorporate more snake print in my wardrobe, or at least in my shoe closet. If you know how to style them then you have nothing to worry about. The secret is that you have one item that is printed the  rest keeping it neutral or adding a pop of colour and you are good to go! 

Hope you found this informative , 

Stay chic xxx

OOTD: Sunday Lunch with the Fam

Hello my fellow readers,

So yesterday I went out for lunch with my family to celebrate my mother's birthday. I had such a wonderful time, there is nothing better than spending time with the people you love the most. Well since I was dressed for the 'occasion', I decided to take some pictures to show you my outfit of the day. ( Excuse the very silly facial expressions haha).

White Blazer - Topshop 

Owl Blouse- Next 

Skinny Jeans- New look 

Nude loafers- Peacocks

Nude Bag- New Look 

Bracelets and Necklace- Accessorize 

Hope you like it! 

15 Spring Essentials!

15 Spring Essentials! by katia featuring a zipper dress

So here is a list of 15 essentials that I need for spring regarding beauty products, clothes and accessories. As most of you probably do, during this time of year I get obsessed with current fashion trends, and I try to incorporate them in my very own 'kloset'. So as you can see, I cannot have enough stuff because at some point I always seem to need more. Don't get me wrong, I'm not the kind person that I get what I want when I want. Believe me I work very hard to get whatever I want, and it cost me blood sweat and tears to buy what I want-but it is all worth it. I also  tend to  budget on how much I am able to spend and try to find a good bargain on something since I prefer buying 10 items at a cheaper price than splurging on just one item. So that is a bonus! 
So the items contained in the list are all things which I've been dying to get this season. I'm making it a point to own at least some of them in the near future because a few of them are basic necessities that I currently need. Let's get started:


1. First thing's first- Mint blazer: Not everyone might like this type of colour, but I find it so pretty. Anyway, it doesn't necessarily have to be mint, any type of colour that fits your personality would work. But I advise you that a blazer is a must in any women's wardrobe. It is a transitional piece where you can wear it any time of the year (okay maybe not in Malta-it only counts during autumn or spring). And you can dress it up or dress it down it is up to you. Well for myself, I need a mint blazer because I actually have a collection of blazers in different colours, so I just want to add up more to the bunch. 


2. Peter pan collar dresses: I find these so vintage looking. I don't own any peter pan collar dress unfortunately, I did not find the perfect one that fits my taste to be honest. I'm still on the hunt for it. BUT you can always opt for another alternative. You can find just a simple skater dress and add a detachable peter pan collar to give the dress more character. 


3. Sheer blouses- I can't get enough of them. I just love them. I need one in every colour preferably in pastels or bright colours. They make an outfit look so delicate and sophisticated. You can wear it tucked into a pair of shorts and a matching blazer. I also like to wear them buttoned all the way up, and add a gold statement necklace or choker. To cut the story short they are a must have for spring. 


4. Crop tops- these were very much on trend last year and have become another transitional piece to have for this spring or summer. I like pairing them up with high-waisted shorts or jeans because I don't like showing off too much skin and I also find them much more attractive looking rather than pairing them up with hipster jeans. They are just a simple piece to wear especially for everyday. 


5. Lace shorts- Remember, this is my taste. So not many of you might like it. BUT I LOVE THEM! You can literally pair them up with anything. They are very versatile and if you are a person who loves vintage like I do then go ahead and add these babies up to your list! 


6. Nude heels- Can you believe I don't own a pair of nude heels? How ashamed am I. The ones that attract me the most are the platform heels which are very similar to the Christian Loubitin's. Also I like the chunky heel which are inspired by Jeffery Campbell. The main reason might be that when I look at 5 inch heels I deprive myself from buying them and also due to the fact that my boyfriend HATES it when I wear heels and look two inches taller. But whatever I still need to find the perfect pair of nude heels. 


7. Detachable Collars- I just love these collars. Throw on a colourful studded collar and they instantly jazz up a plain outfit. Unfortunately, they are very hard to find, and the only ones found were in Zara but they were all sequiny and fussy, and pretty much they were not what I pictured. But as an alternative you can always do them yourself, and that is what I am actually plan on doing. I recently watched a youtube video from one of my favourite gurus and stylist Chriselle Lim and she recreated her very own detachable collars. So check them out here and try your very own collars! 


8. Envelope Clutches- I want them in every colour! Am I asking for too much? They are just a basic accessory just to pull off an outfit and mix and match according to what you are wearing. 


9.Clubmaster Sunglasses- Ray-Ban's are the only designer brand that creates the best sunglasses that fit my taste. For some reason I don't like the style of sunglasses from other brands. Ray-Bans are just so classic and they suit almost everyone. I already have the aviators and the wayfarers, all I need now are the Clubmasters. 


10.Boyfriend watch- Many celebrities and fashion stylists, experts, and gurus probably own a very expensive Rolex or Michael Kors boyfriend watch. I'd love to have a designer gold boyfriend watch, I find it another classic staple accessory to have. For me it doesn't matter if it is Michael Kors or Asos, as long as it is chunky and gold it's fine by me! 


11. We're approaching toward the end folks! This time I'm going to mention beauty related products. Hair crimper or barrel wavers- During the spring or summer I prefer having messy beachy waves and natural looking hair. But the problem for me is since I have very thin straight hair, it is hard for me to have a wavy look naturally. So the option is to invest in a very good crimper to leave the beachy effect to your waves.


12. Sea mist- This is the perfect hair spray to add to your beachy look. It is a sea salt  hairspray, which leaves the effect of the natural waves your hair has after you hit the beach. I prepare on buying this product because I heard tons of reviews about sea sprays and it is worth a try! 


13. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation- OMG I'd love to own this one day! Everyone keeps on raving about this foundation especially those who have oily and acne prone skin like I do. I've heard it gives great coverage and it is like adding another layer of skin. The drawback is the price. It is way over my price range, so if any of you recommend an alternative please don't hesitate to do so!


14.Bright/pastel nail polishes- I need to add up more to my collection. Enough said.


15. Best for last. Revlon lip butters- Why didn't they launch them in Malta yet? Have any of you heard if they are launching them by any chance? Because I've been dying to try them out and I read a lot of positive reviews about them. Please do take a look at reviews because they just look divine and I think they would make a hit if they are launched here! I hope they will.


So that is it folks! Hope you liked my 15 essentials, I hope I didn't  bore you out reading, I don't like to leave out certain things worth mentioning so that is why this post is a teeny weeny tad bit longer. What are your essentials you might add on to my list?