Tagged: shourouk

December 11, 2012

Packing for Tropical Vacations

There are several skills that one should master before calling oneself an adult; among them is the art of packing for tropical vacations. Keep in mind that when I refer to “tropical climates” I mean places where one can bask in the sun, have sun-downer cocktails, get dressed up and go out to dinner. I am not referring to packing for outdoor expeditions and Ironman exertions–in fact, I highly suggest you go elsewhere for that information as I neither own a backpack nor hiking shoes and would be the first to get swallowed up by an avalanche, tidal wave or other natural disaster. If however, you are seeking guidance on how to look terribly chic in a fabulous tropical destination, then please read on. The basic building blocks of a tropical wardrobe include:

White Pants

You only need 3 pairs of pants for any trip: white jeans to wear in transit, for a casual breakfast, or day of shopping; billowy white linen pants which can be worn if you’re channelling relaxed elegance; and a more formal fitted white dress pant for evening. White pants look cool, crisp and elegant and photograph exceedingly well. Every picture I see with someone wearing jeans in the tropics makes me think of heat rash whereas every photo of a woman in a white pant looks breezy and cool. Needless to say, I firmly believe that a grown woman should never wear shorts unless she is going to play sport or undertake an outdoor activity. What if you want to show off your legs? Wear a bathing suit or a skirt. No shorts.

There is a reason everyone thinks Jackie Onasis is a style icon–she never wore shorts in public!

I like J.Crew’s Toothpick jeans, available here and HelloSkinny Jeans in Whiteout for a slightly higher rise, available here.

Brazilian Bottom Bathing Suit

Every Brazilian girl knows, the less fabric covering your bum the smaller it looks. Sounds counterintuitive right? It’s genius. I dare you all to take a photo of your bum in a classic American bottomed bathing suit and then check out Lenny Swimwear (make sure you select “brazilian bottom” because Lenny has since started making American bottoms to cater to the US market) and tell me which makes your bum look better. I discovered the brand in 2008 in Dubai and have never bought another brand ever since. How did Brazilian bating suits come to be popular in Dubai? Who knows!

Lenny Brazilian Bikini, available here and here.

The Caftan

Caftans are not limited to old ladies and Liz Taylor. Throw one on at the beach to go to lunch or dress one up for evening with some statement jewels–they are eye-catching and elegant regardless of your age. If you’re on the petite side, you can play with more interesting necklines like first photo below; curvy girls do better with a deep-V like the one shown in the second photo below. Legs for days girls can opt for a short version to show off those gams without resorting to shorts gasp! Caftans have been around for decades, they will never look dated so splurge on this item, you’ll have it forever provided you care for it well.

Roberto Cavalli silk caftan, available here.

Colors & Fabrics

Plan your outfit around colors. White should make up the basics (t-shirt, jeans, tanks) and then build color around it. Always choose a color that suits your coloring but choose vibrant shades over city hues. For example: turquoise rather than sky blue; coral or a vivid orange-red rather than burgundy or a true red; fuchsia rather than petal pink; grass-green, not hunter green. Black and navy are permissible as part of your basics but try not to overdo it.

As for fabrics, natural is best. Concentrate on flowing silks, gauzy cottons and breathable linen. A satin dress might look great at a cocktail party in the city but on a beachy getaway it looks misplaced.

Gaudy Jewels

The tropics demand gaudy jewelry. You are competing with the vibrant colors of the scenery so don’t worry, it’s virtually impossible to over do it. Draw inspiration from your surroundings–go big and bright. As for color, same guidelines apply for jewelry as for clothing, choose tropical shades rather than urban hues. I generally bring more gold jewelry to warmer climates, it looks stunning against tanned skin whereas silver jewelry tends to wash out a tanned complexion.

Aurelie Bidermann, enamel coral choker necklace; available here.

Amethyst and turquoise necklace; available here.

Shourouk necklace; available here.

Mania Mania reversible necklace; available here.

Baublebar constellation ear clips; available here.

Turquoise, amethyst and citrine earrings; available here.

Miriam Salat earrings; available here.

Kenneth Jay Lane bangle; available here.

A little tip about which pieces to wear together. . .my jewelry tends scale up for warm climates so I will choose either a statement necklace or statement earrings so as not to look like a crazy gypsy lady. Two pieces of massive jewelry so close to your face tends to make the wrong statement so choose only one to highlight. There is however one exception: if I want to wear both a large colorful necklace and large earrings, I will do so only so long as they are not dangles. In this case, a pair of ear clips can be large in size as long as they do not fall past your jawbone. Women with long necks can get away with doing this but it’s generally ill-advised for women with shorter necks. The first pair below is an example of a large earrings that I would conceivably wear with a statement necklace.

Bangles, bracelets and rings are fair game, feel free to pile away. A good cocktail ring is key, see my post about how to choose a cocktail rings here. If you have small wrists and find it difficult to wear bangles, here are my tips for pulling off bracelets on small wrists. Finally, I always keep a scarf in my bag in case I need to tie a turban over my wind-swept hair–here is a turban tutorial.

Big Kiss and Bigger Diamonds,

JZP

December 10, 2012

Accessorizing Shades of Grey

Grey is a sneaky little sucker. In an article of clothing or accessory it can bore you to tears or it can embody the height of sophistication. In a strict corporate environment like the first law firm I worked for, navy and grey suits are de rigueur whereas black suits are reserved solely for evening attire, funerals and the wait staff. The managing partner would routinely send memos to the entire office articulating the nuances of appropriate attire. We were old school and I loved it. It is thus not surprising that one is confronted by an army of grey suits in the corporate world. But how can we distinguish ourselves and add personality to the myriad shades of grey without fading into the backdrop? By accessorizing well obviously.

Many assume grey should be paired with black leather accessories and silver or white gold jewelry for fear of “clashing”. Oh how you limit yourselves! First, let me state that the notion of “clashing” should be struck from your vocabulary and from your brain–it’s drivel. Replace that awful nonsense with another C word that will prove much more useful–contrast. You see, pairing grey with silver or black is easy, safe and anyone can do it. Same color family–no risk; but also no visual interest whatsoever because all the shades blend into one another and your outfit becomes rather dreary. Conversely, warm up cool shades of grey with accents of gold or brass, warm colors and earthy textures like brown leather or chocolate fur and you shall find yourself with a much more lush and interesting outfit.

Helmut Lang, asymmetric ruched jersey dress, available here. Worn with:

Hervé Van Der Straeten necklace; available here.

Tom Binns, safety-pin cuff; available here.

Islo Isabella Lorusso, platform pumps; available here.

Point of clarification, your jewelry doesn’t have to be all gold like the pieces shown above; they can have rhinestones, colors, gems, and other embellishments as long as the metal is gold rather than silver, the piece will pop against the grey.

Charm necklace; available here.

Sepia burst drops; available here.

Another alternative is to choose glaring neon colors, then it doesn’t so much matter what color the metal is because the colors will do the warming and the popping.

Shourouk, phoenix alabaster necklace; available here.

Quick tangent about men in grey suits since I know that there are quite a few male DMD darlings. There are two categories of men in suits “other side of the bridge/tunnel” or “other side of the Atlantic”. American men have the misguided belief that a grey suit must always be matched with a black belt and black shoes; whereas Euros will very often wear a grey suit with a buttery caramel-brown belt and shoes. American men will match their grey suits with blue or white shirts (and if they are bridge and tunnel they will further horrify me with a grey or black shirt) whereas Euros will reach for pink or lavender and perhaps even pair it with a navy tie. Let it be said that if you really want to impress a woman, pair your grey suit with brown accessories. Let’s also drive this point home: one’s shirt should never be darker than one’s suit. Grey dress shirts, if you own any, should all be thrown out; black dress shirts, if you absolutely must wear them, should never be worn with a suit.

Isaia suit, available here; Canali shirt, available here, similar tie available here. All this swishiness should be paired with:

A nice pair of Oxfords; available here.

Big Kiss and Bigger Diamonds,

JZP

November 16, 2012

Party Prep Essentials

My liver is already aching in anticipation of all the holiday cocktails and parties to come. My season started with pre-Thanksgiving cocktail party last night to be followed this weekend by a little do I’m hosting for my girlfriends while Immigrant Hubby is out-of-town and we can run rampant in our stilettos and sparkles without incurring any sideways glances or eye rolling. The next couple months will wreak havoc on many a diet and skin regime so I thought it time to share my arsenal of secrets for powering through a bacchanalian season until we can resolve to be the most angelic version of ourselves again next year.

I know it’s cliché but what is more festive than sparkles? You will see throngs of women decked in gold and silver glitter this holiday season but you know I like to throw proverbial curveballs; so rather than go for the predictable, I stock up on champagne-colored embellishments and champagne colored party frocks. Its festive minus the fashion victim and champagne is a universally flattering shade on any skin tone. Here are a few accessorized looks:

The Ingenue

Allsaints, Diaghilevi Dress, available here. The name alone conjures up opulent images of the Ballet Russes. I would wear it with the Asos Bee Door-Knocker Earrings and CC Skye Roma Cuff below:

Asos, Bee Door-Knocker Earrings, available here.

CC Skye, rose gold-plated Roma Cuff; available here.

The Downtown Girl

Allsaints, Embellished Ombre Tank; available here.

Helmut Lang, leather leggings; available here.

Ben Amun, Crystal Angel Wing Clip-on Earring; available here.

Shourouk, Phoenix Cuff; available here.

The Legs for Days Girl

Acne, Silk Crepe Blazer; available here.

Allsaints, Embellished Dreamcatcher Skirt; available here.

Fallon, Microspike Earrings; available here.

Joomi Lim, Rose Gold Necklace; available here.

Asos Spike Gem Cocktail Ring; available here.

The Sohpisticate

For those of you who don’t ‘do’ light colors, Allsaints Opulence Dress packs some understated pizzazz; available here.

Asos, Mirrored Jewel Drop Earrings; available here.

Angel Court, Trace Cuff; available here.

The Siren

Finally, for a little champagne-hued va-va-voom, Allsaints Contour Dress; available here.

Dannijo, Cecile Earrings, available here.

Erickson Beamon, Crystal Triple Strand Square Rondelle Bracelet; available here.

Non-Negotiables

Choosing an outfit and accessorizing it is important but no magic outfit will save you if your basics are sub par. By basics I mean stockings, nail polish, make-up and post-party routine. Here is what I SWEAR by:

1) Essie Nail Polish in Jazz; 2) Nars blush in Albatross, I use it as a highlighting powder; 3) Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick in Black Tie, a super lush deep berry color (I’m obsessed with berry lipsticks this season); 4) YSL Touche Eclat covers up any bags and dark circles and leaves you looking sprightly; 5) YSL Vernis a Levres in Rouge Laque is the only red lip you will need (although once you try it you won’t be able to resist collecting all the colors–it’s the best lip product I’ve discovered in years); 6) Wolford Twenties Tights in Honey, a nude fishnet that airbrushes your legs something miraculous; 7) Sunday Riley’s ‘Juno’ Transformative Lipid Serum is a dry oil that I slather on before bed after a rough night out (I’m telling you, you will be nothing short of radiant the next morning–this stuff is magic!); and last but not least, 8) a tablespoon of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar in hot water after a bout of hedonistic munching and boozing to keep the bloating at bay (it is also excellent for digestion and keeps blood sugar in check).

Big Kiss and Bigger Diamonds,

JZP

July 5, 2012

Statement Necklaces by Body Type

Not long ago, a gorgeous girlfriend of mine asked me whether or not she could pull off any number of necklaces that I selected and blogged about. Her concern was that she doesn’t like to draw attention to her ~~boobies~~ chest and wanted to minimize. I’ve played the game with her before trying to convince her that her endowment is an asset and should be embraced (by her and by others) but in the end, her preferences are her prerogative so I let it go. So for you other swooners out there who want to do your own minimizing or maximizing here are some tips:

To minimize “the girls”:

Stick to shorter necklaces (20 inches in length or less) with not too many long dangly bits. Dangly bits (i.e. fringes, charms, ruffles) all add volume and bulk–the opposite of what you’re going for. As far as shape of necklace goes, you can do round or V, I personally think V is more flattering because angles tend to make you look more angular so if you’re trying to corner out some curves, this is the way to go. A great number of necklaces can be V, a small chain with one pendant (the pendant weighs the chain down thus creating a V) or a larger chunkier necklace that is V-shaped. No need to shy away from chunky necklaces in general though, you can get away with OTT (over-the-top) as long as you keep it short so it draws attention to your face.

Statement Necklaces by Body Type — Shourouk, Phenix Dorado crystal-embellished necklace. Perfect example of a short-V statement necklace that packs a punch. Photo courtesy of Net-a-porter.

To play up your assets:

If you’re smaller busted and want to accentuate a bit then this is where you go longer and fringier. Anything with ruffles, fringes, feathers add volumes so go nuts and experiment. I love the look of a plunging neckline on a waif-y girl and a huge “modesty bib” (what I call a big statement necklace to cover up some cleavage) but I wouldn’t try this if you’re on the more voluptuous side as it starts looking really trashy really fast.