Fashion Fun Sello! Chloé ou See by Chloé? That’s a Very French Question

Sello Shopping Centre, Espoo

On the last Sunday of April, the snow melts overnight, the wind turns, and the sun finally shines on in Helsinki! There is no need of long wool coat, still, layers of 100% cotton shirts/jackets will ensure both warmth and chic while taking a neighbourhood walk after the afternoon tea time.

Founded by Gaby Aghion in Paris, the style of Chloé’ has been conveying the elegance and feminine of female since 1952, yet with strong sustainability for wearing. Chloé denim items embody a more of pastel tone on a rather anti-deformed pattern, make denim an easy must-have to mix and match with iron noir, baby pink, milky white, or even navy blue to express the spring style. Made in Tunisia, 100% cotton, French size 34 has the 62 cm in length, my new purchase in April, Chloé denim shirt can actually be a mini jacket, which the puffy sleeves are designed for a slightly loose fit. Since this denim jacket is in washed blue, it’s better to dodge the coherent colour of jeans in order to avoid the Texas cowboy look, therefore, Gina Tricot light grey jeans is the choice for the balance of the blue tone.

As the tops in order to mix with Chloé denim, the nude pink silk crepe de Chine camisole from Chelsea Flower matches the poppy-rose and sky-blue of Tsumori Chisato 100% cotton shirt. Founded in Tokyo, 1990, Tsumori Chisato’s signature style was soon celebrated with her innovative and luxurious textiles, intricate beading, embroidery, appliqués and prints of her own drawings. This cotton white shirt embroidery with clouds, mermaids and vessels has its fun and chic elements, which purchased in 2006, out of my immediate adoration. Yet it’s difficult to mix with my other dark noir pieces to create the dreamy look. Finally this year Chloé denim item pops up and the inspiration comes without any hesitation.

For the accessories, Chloé round-framed ivory white acetate sunglasses, with the layering brown lenses suit the feminine look well, Chanel pearl logo earrings are good with any other my golden rings and completed with Vivienne Westwood golden orb faux pearl bracelet (also purchased in 2006). I am very mind of non-authentic materials of jewelry, by all means; yet neither Chanel nor Vivienne Westwood conveys any sense of the cheap appearance and very on contrary, each keeps the trend never fade. As about my sac of the day, See by Chloé Doublure sac was a surprise found in Taipei apartment during Chinese New Year holidays. Its softness of veau leather, the impressionist dotted pattern on the flap and the golden hardware candy-simulation front lock make See by Chloé collection as strong as her master line, Chloé. The question to mix Chloé with See by Chloé for look of the day, it’s a very intriguing question, but the answers are equally exciting and captivating.

TOP TIP 1: Dodge the coherent colour of jeans in order to avoid the Texas cowboy look

TOP TIP 2: Double layer of 100% cotton shirt/jacket is the new way to wear warm and chic

Special Thanks: JH

TSUMORI CHISATO

SEE BY CHLOÉ

CHLOÉ

Tea Time! Deluxe Macarons, Belgian Waffle & Super Berries English Tea

Spring 2017 in Helsinki is constantly unstable. It combines with drizzling, raining, windy and hailing plus slightly snowing within an afternoon! Having been residing here nearly 4 years, I totally realize the ice breaking tip in either UK or Europe: If there is nothing else to chat with, it makes no mistake to start up the topic about weather.

Shall the sun shines, I would like to take a city walk to discover the spring; during the grey grumpy days, I love to stay indoors, have a cup of English tea, together with spring berries, some baked Belgium waffle, a fashion readings in hand and enjoy some delicious Deluxe macaroons. Based in London, English Tea Shop (UK) Ltd has been providing organic tea from Sri Lanka since 2010. ETS UK owns certifications from the Soil Association, Fair Trade International and Control Union Certifications, their tealeaves and ingredients come from small farmers in limited quantities, grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. As for tea bags, varied from Clipper Tea adapting brown ones, ETS presents silken pyramid tea bag, which develops the aroma of tea much more in an efficient way.

My choice of teatime today is super berries, besides organic herbal tea leaves with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, the other ingredients contain 63% organic hibiscus, 19% organic rooibos, and 4% organic super mints. Naturally caffeine free, it can be also made for hot or cold. For chilly spring time here in Helsinki, I would like to have hot tea with other healthy desserts, please. 

For Belgian waffle, it is an economy pack purchased from LIDL supermarket. About the steps to make it at home, first, bake three pieces from the toaster, then slice one banana into slim foliage, place banana slices and a piece of Belgian chocolate on the stack of waffle, and we’ve done a dish. Deluxe macaroons is from LIDL as well; out of four flavours, I select raspberry-cassis, mango-passion and caramel with salted butter as side dish. Thought made in France, in comparison with Ladureé Paris, Deluxe macaroons are not as rich and crispy, still the flavours are enjoyable, and the softness of the ganache reaching the satisfaction to my taste buds.

Last but not the least, the berry season is approaching, a mini bowl of blueberries provides the energy and Vitamin C; also the berries balance the sweetness of the desserts on the afternoon tea table. For the visual pleasure teatime, I adapt Arabia vintage pinkish bowl for blueberries, which founded at Helsinki Secondhand in Eira; Arabia Koko pink plate to situate a stack of waffle, Iittala mini saucer to place Deluxe macaronns, and vintage Russian USSR Lomonosov rose-pattern tea cup (also found at Helsinki Secondhand) holds super berries English tea. The colour tones for the teatime are pastel pink, milky white, berry blue and slight touch of light brown, and the dry roses decorate the table for a more of feminine touch.

Special Thanks: Perhe Heikkinen

ENGLISH TEA SHOP

ARABIA

IITTALA

Magazine Madness: Moss the Boss, from Cover Girl to Fashion Editor at UK VOGUE

VOGUE UK April 2017

Once the most favourite cover girl of Vogue British, now the famously private contributing fashion editor, in April 2017, Kate Moss invites writer Fiona Golfar, photographer duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, into her universe, and reveals the reason the time is ripe for her new business venture.

After 28 years of being represented by Storm Models, 43-year-old Moss split from the contract last April, and launches the Kate Moss Agency, of which is searching for characters to shine on stage. Though the decision announces that the chances of fashion campaigns of Kate Moss in decrease, still, it as well predicts that the influence of this fashion icon only penetrates deeper and longer in the industry ever since.

Indeed Kate Moss is not only able to mix and match the high street into high-end on her daily outfits, also on the communication and collaboration at fashion world, she totally nails it. Having her holiday with her daughter, Lila, and together with supermodel Naomi Campbell in Brazil, and this spring she signed her goddaughter Louis Baines and her model friend Rosemary Ferguson’s child, Elfie Reigate, under her own model agency; later this year, she points her boyfriend Nikolai von Bismarck, the photographer, to take fashion campaign for Vogue April 2017 issue. Even Father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud’s grandson, who a profound artist, Lucian Freud, also painted Kate’s portrait when she was in pregnancy. Perhaps it is extraordinary cool to be an insider of Moss’s gang, still, while being as an interviewer, Miss Fiona Golfar is too overexcited to be a calm observer. Due to that the cover title is ‘The Business of Being Kate Moss’, perhaps the readers will be more interested in the details of Moss’s preparations behind the scenes of creating a series of fashion photography rather only glancing those household names linked together with Kate for the whole several pages.

Truly, we do not personally care if Kate Moss’s 10-year-assistant making her a cup of milky coffee with honey, or Lila’s nanny is a doppelgänger of Vivienne Westwood. We know Kate, we wish that Kate expresses photography inspirations from the movies such as Out of the Blues, is from her own lips, not only from some boyfriends; we love Kate, we surely want to know more her “pretty lonely first modeling years”, but not from the memoir of her booker; we want more, her tone and her opinions are mysterious to us, since we realize that Kate has been almost mute in front of camera, presenting for other brands almost over three decades. While it’s almost a mission impossible to be a member of this ‘cool gang’, it is interview’s great responsibilities, to dare requesting more from this beautiful and independent female’s inner voices, in order to turn our reading pleasure great, even the business woman herself claims that “I don't’ give interviews because I’m so shit at keeping my mouth shut when I do” (170). A professional interviewer’s point is not on ‘having a irrefutable cigarette with Kate in order to hang out longer’ (238), but of the abilities to discover more of her own words from her conversation, even they may lead to certain level of parental explicit contents.

While a lady is introduced her significant silhouette on a remarkable cover, the interviewers’ gazes and profiling are always passive, yet the interviewee’s unpolished speeches are first hand. Considering the reader’s reception theory, the mass spread of information and the fading business of publication, those who call themselves as journalists, shall be highly aware of that contributing a genuine interview is more appreciated than only being an ‘insider of cool gang’. 

For the magazine madness photography, as usual I adapt one Chanel camellias to hide the price tag, let the other two flowers be the mere decorations. Kate Moss was once Chanel makeup spokeswoman, so Rouge Allure ultrarose #257 lipstick and Le Volume Noir Khôl #90 mascara escort side-by-side, and the black-and-white dices, on number 5, is carved with Chanel double C logo, all symbolize the chance and risk on the journey of business universe.  

Accessories Accede: What’s in My Louis Vuitton Mini Lucie Sac?

Q&A on Long Friday, April 14 2017

Happy April and the welcoming of Louis Vuitton Mini Lucie Sac!
Hooray! This Louis Vuitton Mini Lucie Sac is made from cerise vernis patent calfskin with golden brass hardware. The details include a flat shoulder strap (non-adjustable, length approximately 100cm), snap closure, and fully 100% cotton lined interior with four credit card slots and one open hidden pocket. Lucie mini sac has already together with me for several lunch and dinner events. I love Louis Vuitton mini monogram vernis items with prominent pop colours, such as cerise, pomme d’amour and amarant!

How do you organize your daily essentials into a 15 x 10 x 5cm (Length /height/width) mini sac?

Apparently that any wallet is not available to input within, but the cardholder is compact and functional to insert all the indispensable cards and not occupying the whole mini sac. As for the bank notes or coins, the open hidden pocket of Lucie is spacious enough for the need. 

✔Chao & Eero Bubble ring adapts Japanese pearls and Finnish 18k gold to complete the elegant yet avant garde touch.

✔Viktor & Rolf Bomblicious body cream 15ml is regarded as hand cream and instant fragrance as well. It’s easy to carry, squeeze and enjoy!

✔Louis Vuitton’s golden agenda pencil is designed specially adapted to small agendas. Its slim size made with a refined golden brass is just perfect to sneak inside of Lucie sac.

✔Chanel Rouge Allure Ink matte liquid lip colour Choquant 152 is easy to carry around during the city walk or overseas journey. This new release, 6ml, from the House of Chanel in 2016 combines the richness of lipstick and the shining element of lip gloss, which the jojoba extracts prevent the dehydrated lips service from the unstable weather conditions of April.

✔With golden brass double C logo at front, Chanel caviar leather cardholder has delicate embossed Camellias flowers, and its 4 slots can actually hold approximately 8 cards in total. Indeed, Chanel cardholder is one of the best essential on the road.

✔Chloé hardcover notebook is the freebie from the purchase of any Chloé fragrance at Helsinki Sokos department store. Roses de Chloé includes fresh notes of bergamot at the top, develops into essence of damask rose accompanied by magnolia that gives a modern touch. The notebook was originally released as the trio set to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of House of Chloé; the convenient size allows me to jot down any inspirational thoughts on the move.

✔Louis Vuitton Trunk Studs earrings interpret iconic trunk corner in a small format. With golden brass finish and the LV carved alphabets on the studs, the details amazingly show even on the design of the locks: the House’s famous monogram flowers.

✔Chanel Coco Mademoiselle 2ml tube fragrance is always the best giveaway freebie, the best daily need and the best visual pleasure of day.

✔The mini Gashapon toy is the miniature of Fuji Film Instax mini 8. It can be treated as a creative key chain, a collector’s version or, a deco of any Instax camera. For the art’s sake, this mini Instax toy symbolizes the works of photo taking on my blog.

LOUIS VUITTON

CHANEL