Christmas gift guide: every shade of BLUE

I absolutely adore blue and wear it despite any trends or season changes, so no wonder it made it to my Christmas gift guide 2013 as one of the perfect colours.

According to Pantone, it is the classic, deep and meditative shade called Myconos Blue that we should concentrate our attention on this season mixing it with black, white or both for extra intensity and depth and later, as the spring 2014 comes, turn to cobalt-like Dazzling Blue that beautifully fades into a softer dreamy hue of morning sky (the official name for the latter is placid blue, in case you were curious).

It took me quite a bit of time and editing  to put this list together and then - a good dose of willpower to stop myself from buying everything on it. I hope you love the result as much as I do. If something has your name written all over it – use one of the discount codes and sale offers I’ve included below and treat yourself.

Where to buy: 1. Cashmere blend cable knit sweater, Uniqlo (£29.90*), 2. Royal blue fedora hat, Mademoiselle Slassi (£235), 3. Ocean blue coral cuff bracelet, Ashiana (£40 + matching ring, £22**), 4. Gold-plated stone and crystal brooch, Kenneth Jay Lane (£52), 5. Sweetie ring, Jigsaw (£45), 6. Softly pleated dress, Jil Sander (£572), 7. La Pluie EDP, Miller Harris (£65), 8. Blu Mediterraneo Fico Di Amalfi, Aqua di Parma (£52), 9. Blue pure wool tartan check throw, Dreamwool blanket Co. (£49.95***), 10. Cobalt/black bar top clutch, Dorothy Perkins (£5.95****), 11. Snowflake gold-tone key fob, Anya Hindmarch (£65), 12. Turquoise candle, Thomas Fuchs Creative (£39), 13. Crystal Butterfly, Baccarat (£68*****), 14. Grown-up glamour, Caroline Cox, Amazon (£10), 15. Riviera dream earrings, Accessorize (£12), 16. Blue velvet Amelie boots, Bionda Castana (£495), 17. Sequin shoulder bag, Mango (£29.99)

* sign-up for a newsletter and receive £5 off your first order
** enter FRIENDS25 at checkout to receive 25% off full priced items
*** if shopping until Friday midnight use DEC13 at checkout to receive 10% off
**** check DP 30% off Pop-Up shop and get extra 10% off with DPEXTRA10
***** Free international shipping on orders over $200/£120 with code FESTIVE and free standard duty-free shipping with code CHEER – click to shop

Hematite-plated Swarovski crystal bracelet by Elizabeth Cole – doesn’t it look like a bunch of snow flakes?!

P.S. If you are in a mood for shopping, have a look at these temping and fabulous weekend offers…

… style steals at up to 70% off at Matches plus free delivery with FREEDEL code
… AMAZING (and truly unmissable) sales at Net-A-Porter
… for 24 hours only - 25% off full priced items at Avenue32 with code 252432
… up to 75% off at Revolveclothing

… up to 60% off at Saks Fifth Avenue

… more fashion bargains at TheOutnet plus and just as a weekend treat extra 30% off at checkout on everything from this gorgeous selection

… 15% off at Tessabit with code BLKDAY15 (until midnight Friday)

… 20% off at Folli Follie (with code GRAZIA20) and Karen Millen (use WEEKEND20 at checkout)

… up to 50% off at Miss Selfridge, Mango and Forever21

… 25% off at Kurt Geiger with code F&FKG25 and 20% off everything at Dune

… fantastic sales at Whistles and Reiss

… access a VIP 20% sale at Forzieri

… and don’t forget to meet Sebastian

Photo source: Nadja Bender wearing Elie Saab Couture in Numero France September 2013 (photography: Karl Lagerfeld, styling: Vanessa Metz)

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The world according to Karl

Karl Lagerfeld is a bit like an iceberg – we only get to see the very top that, whilst incredibly impressive, is still just, well, an incredibly impressive preview.

With his new book, Lagerfeld opens a door into his world just a crack wider giving us a chance to explore, learn, smile, frown and adore for every witty and refreshingly frank hand-picked quote on fashion, Chanel, style, life, luxury, books and the man himself is like a delicious nugget of wisdom to absorb, digest and nourish the mind.

Visually, the hardback black and white edition is beautiful to look at and enjoyable to browse, so whether you admire the designer, a nonsense-free conversation or need a solid reference for numerous quotes (there’s nothing worse than relying on Pinterest for those!) that somewhat reflect your own perception of life, the The World According to Karl will definitely make a welcoming addition to your fashion library.

To start you off, here are some of my favourite…

“Fashion is of the moment. The best thing that can happen to a dress is that it gets worn. Fashion isn’t about museum exhibits.”

“Trendy is the last stage before tacky.”

“Young designers are so nice, but often they have no technical knowledge. Valentino and I sweated for years, he at Desses, me at Balmain. We knew we weren’t there to play art critics, we were there to learn.”

“To think appearances don’t count these days is a lie: it lets you live in harmony with yourself.”

“Chanel left us with something better than fashion: style. And style, as she preached it, doesn't’ grow old.”

“My work is not to make he Chanel suit survive, but to make sure it lives.”

“I hate ostrich skin. It makes me think of a mummy that had regular acne.”

“The essential thing in life is to reinvent oneself.”

“Buying books is a real disease for me, but I don’t want to be cured.”

***

The book is available on amazon, Net-a-Porter, Shopbop and Barney’s.

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Stylish quote

“The purpose of dress design is to make people feel good, not to express the pain and the suffering of the world in taffeta.”

Karl Lagerfeld

 

Photo source: Vogue Italia May 1997 (photography: Perry Ogden; styling: Cathy Kasterine)

 

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Stylish quote

“A designer dresses not only for the eyes, but for the other senses as well.”

Karl Lagerfeld

 

Photo source: Glamour US April 2002 (photography: Walter Chin)

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Stylish quote

“Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.”

Coco Chanel

 

Photo source: Chanel Spring/Summer 2009 campaign

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Stylish quote

“Fashion is a language that creates itself in clothes

to interpret reality.”

Karl Lagerfeld

 

Photo source: Grazia Russia December 2009

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Stylish quote

“Reinvent new combinations of what you already own. Improvise. Become more creative. Not because you have to, but because you want to. Evolution is the secret for the next step.”

Karl Lagerfeld

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Chanel show at Linlithgow Palace

Back in the 1920s Gabrielle Chanel fell in love with Scotland, its heritage, the countryside and, of course, the tweed that she used to make Chanel signature bouclé suits. Needless to say, the tweeds and cashmeres were made in Scotland, so it wasn’t surprising to hear that in October the brand decided to buy a Scottish cashmere manufacturer Barrie Knitwear that has been producing Chanel cashmere for over 25 years after the company went into administration in August.

Then it was announced that Karl Lagerfeld was travelling to Scotland to show his Metiers d’Art collection on 4 December to celebrate to pay his tribute to Mademoiselle Chanel, rich history and craftsmanship.

And what a show it was! Hosted at Linlithgow Palace, the 16th century castle in West Lothian, the “Paris-Edinburgh” was simply spectacular.

Being true to himself (and a pure genius) Karl beautifully mixed the past and the present producing 70 looks from casual (if Chanel can ever really be casual) Highland-inspired ensembles featuring ghillie hats, knickerbockers, tartan jumpers, oversized scarves and brown version of 2.55 to beautiful white gowns made from wool, chiffon, feathers and lace that even Mary Queen of Scots who was born at Linlithgow, would love.

If Mary inspired the gowns, Elizabeth I was certainly though of when it came to the hair that was corn-rowed and decorated with pheasant feathers by Sam McKnight.

It was fantastic, fabulous, unexpected, theatrical and unforgettable. A special moment in fashion history that’s worth talking about and adding to the memory bank.

Photo source: vogue.ru, chanel.com

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Stylish quote

“Don’t wear what you question, wear what you think is right for you.”

Karl Lagerfeld

 

Photo source: BCBG campaign Spring/Summer 2006

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Stylish quote

“Elegance is a physical quality. If a woman doesn’t have it naked, she’ll never have it clothed.”

Karl Lagerfeld

 

Photo source: Muse #19 2009

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Chanel: The Little Black Jacket exhibition in London

“There are clothes which keep rejuvenating themselves instead of getting worn out.”

Roberto Juarroz

Happy to report – being there, got a poster.

On a serious note, I have been really looking forward to the Little black jacket exhibition and as soon as it was opened jumped on a train to London.

It was truly special to see moody dim silent rooms filled with gorgeous images of fashion and music royalty dressed in Chanel, styled by Carine Roitfeld and photographed by Karl Lagerfeld who made one the early 20s century classic piece look modern and incredibly versatile. I snapped some of my favourites with an iphone – I wasn’t at all prepared to be allowed to photograph, so the proper camera was left behind, a mistake that I will never ever make again.

Luckily, the style of the photography somewhat compensated the quality of the iphone images, so here are a few to share.

If you are in London, do visit Saatchi gallery. The entry is free and you also get a poster to keep as a memory. The exhibition is open until 28th October.

Photo source: personal

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Stylish quote

“A respectable appearance is sufficient to make people more interested in your soul.”

Karl Lagerfeld

 

Photo source: L’Officiel Singapore March 2012

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Linda Evangelista in Chloe campaign

Today I am continuing with another beautiful Linda moment, but instead of an editorial, I chose these two shots from Chloe Autumn/Winter 1995 campaign shot by Karl Lagerfeld. I think these photos, especially the first one are some of the best portraits of Linda Evangelista I’ve ever seen.

Photo source: Chloe Autumn/Winter 1995 campaign

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Stylish quote

“Youthfulness is about how you live,

not when you were born.”

Karl Lagerfeld

Photo source: Cosmopolitan UK May 2012

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Natalia Vodianova in Chanel little black jacket

I woke up this morning feeling on a sleepy side. The rain wasn’t helping… And so I ended up sitting in my kitchen, staring at the window as I sipped my delicious vegetable juice, trying to decide if I could allow myself a day of doing nothing, a frivolous activity that was indeed out of the question. I wanted to write something beautiful, but the inspiration was stuck somewhere between the Universe and Gatwick terminal and definitely chose to leave me on my own. Mostly wordless.

It’s Natalia Vodianova in Chanel’s little black jacket photographed by Lagerfeld. My most favourite image of them all.

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