Fashion Inspiration Via Instagram

October 23, 2012 § Leave a comment

Oh the power of social networking! While the fashion community has been addicted to Twitter for a while thanks to abundance of news and opinions that are uploaded onto it in real time, a new comer that is Instagram is also being adopted for sharing of fashion inspiration. I am all for this photo-sharing app and use it daily – to upload anything from what I wear to where I am and what I eat. It’s fun, it encourages feedback and communication and it is really personal. So if you have not yet joined – do it now. And if you have, follow me @maria_myfashionwishlist and I promise to keep it interesting!

Barbara Rihl

October 22, 2012 § Leave a comment

While in Moscow a few weeks ago I stumbled across a brand of super chic handbags and just had to share them with you. Feminine, functional and fashionable, these leather bags are created by Barbara Rihl under her eponymous label. The more I researched about the brand and the lady behind it the more jealous I grew of her career (not in the bitter way but in the I-am-so-inspired-I-want-to-be-her kind of way). First, Barbara Rihl was a student to Karl Lagerfeld, absorbing a wealth of experience from this multi-talented icon for two years. Then she moved on to spend a year learning from Jil Sanders before being appointed into the famous house of brands LVMH to work on their marketing strategy. And then in 2000, after feeling that it was time for her to stand behind her own wheel, she created a brand of these witty bags, that are now available at over 1000 shops around the world. I bet after reading that I’m not the only one envious of this extremely talented and successful lady! And while you are reconsidering your personal success, here are a few of her designs I picked out for you to see. Take a look at the rest of the collection here.

  1. Mystical, €360 (approximately £293)
  2. Jen’s Favourite, €360 (approximately £293)
  3. Attractive, €360 (approximately £293)
  4. Red Scarlet, €325 (approximately £264)
  5. Matchless Helena, €312 (approximately £254)
  6. Shiny Linda, €350 (approximately £285)

New Heights For Nail Art

October 13, 2012 § Leave a comment

London has been buzzing about nail art for a while and I did not stand aside and watch it happen, regularly visiting my favourite Wah Nails salon at Topshop Oxford Circus. But now a brand established by Holly Silius and Hannah Warner called, surprise surprise, H&H are taking nail art to next level, the metal level. While the rest of the world is excited about metal looking wraps or new OPI’s The Man With The Golden Gun nail varnish that looks like liquid gold, these ladies actually use real metal for their nail art creation. Their idea is creating full sets of metal nails that vary in size to suit your nails and have to be attached on to your natural nail with strong nail glue (but removed easily by soaking your nails in nail varnish remover (check out how many times I used a word nail in this sentence!)). Usage of this innovative material allows to create 3D structures and even apply semi precious stones. Designers recommend choosing single nails for daily wear and full sets for special occasion. My recommendation, stick to special occasions and with Halloween fast approaching, go all out! As expected, prices are much higher than your normal manicure, but these nails could be used again and again. Single nails start from £40 and be expected to pay up to £500 for a full set. Above are my favourites – from animalistic claws to embellished nails inspired by nature. The collection is available at Kabiri and soon on H and H website.

  1. Gold Multihorn Nails
  2. Black Rhodium Pointer Nails
  3. Oxidised Silver Spiderweb Nails
  4. Gold Nature Nails

Yet Another Bracelet On My Fashion Wish List: Bibi Bijoux

October 8, 2012 § Leave a comment

When I was a little girl, friendship bracelets were the coolest thing and I learned how to weave them myself and hence ended up making tens of them for all my friends to wear. Now that the friendship bracelets are back it would have been interesting to try to make one again but due to lack of spare time actually finishing one seems unlikely. The good thing is that in our capitalist society we are no longer required to produce things we want and there is always something similar available to purchase. What is even better in this particular case, is that what is available to purchase is a much better version of what I could have made myself! Say hello to Joyful friendship bracelets by a Dutch brand Bibi Bijoux. Colourful and eye-catching those bracelets combine original friendship style weaving with crystals and metal chain to create statement piece that unlike originals comes with useful clasp. Each one is hand made and may have slight variations of design, so you are likely to get a completely unique piece!

Available to purchase at Swarovski Elements for £176.

Autumn’s Perfect Splash Of Colour

October 3, 2012 § Leave a comment

What inspires your fashion choices? For me it is always about seeing outfits that have been well put together or just cool fashionable items worn by people – whether they are models walking down the catwalk or passersby walking down the street. Even though I only met the girl- Miss Daria Malyarova, whose awesome coat is featured in this post, once, when I stumbled upon these pictures on the Instagram I was inspired. And it wasn’t just about the super cool coat by DSquared that I immediately added to My (mental) Fashion Wish List, it was just as much about the way she wore it – with a brilliant smile, joyful attitude and bags of energy. Hence the inspired wisdom – whatever you are wearing, it is your mood and feelings that really make the look that bit extra special. So next time when you are trying on the outfit of the day, look at yourself in the mirror, smile and see it transform…

Enough of that, now back to the coat. Bright pink and orange colour blocking against classic cool of nude trench, this coat represents a great way to update essential pieces in your wardrobe making them hot and trendy. Sadly no matter how long I looked I was not able to find anywhere it was still in stock (if you do, give me a shout in the comments below). But to fulfill your interest, Farfetch.com, for example, was selling it for £707. To tell you the truth though, there are other options to get yourself a similar piece. If you are any good with your hands, get some colourful fabric and experiment with a classic trench yourself: it will turn out cheaper and give you a feeling of creative fulfillment!

Many thanks to Daria for letting me use these pictures.

Hot Item: Double Skull Bracelets

October 2, 2012 § 1 Comment

The fact that skulls are fashionable symbols is not news. Their recent popularity probably goes back to Alexander McQueen and his widely popular skull printed silk scarfs. And once again for A/W 12 the fashion house kept their notorious symbol of death at the heart of the accessories collection and created what has become a sensational bracelet that has been gracing everyone’s arms for the last few months. Meet double skull bracelet that has already moved from My Fashion Wish List straight to my wrist – the hottest accessory of the moment. And since not everyone can afford McQueen prices, or even find where to purchase original one that hasn’t yet sold out, I found a few others that have been inspired by the double skulls for you to see below. So pick yours, put it on and join the cool kids.

  1. Alexander McQueen, £165
  2. The Jewels Boutique, £10
  3. Hello Parry, $12.99 (approx. £8.25)
  4. MadeByGirl, $21 (appox. £13.35)

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