BP | The Wanderluste

London Fashion Week has long been considered the “kooky aunt” of fashion weeks, as The New York Times deftly stated in its recap. After a 7-day iteration of fashion-forward catwalk shows and street style panoplies at Manhattan’s Lincoln Center, the style-setters quickly jetted over to the Swinging City for the British fashion extravaganza.

Unlike the brazen, digitally-consumed summation of its predecessor (think Rebecca Minkoff’s high-tech glasses and Ralph Lauren’s Godzilla-like holograms of models on his runway), London Fashion Week’s normcore styles were, well quite frankly, normal. Modest and understated, to say the least (with the lack of a 10-feet tall inflatable pink elephant).

A Burberry blanket coat perhaps (hefty on the market at $1300) or a copious dose of feminine pleats. My favorite style? Haute-androgyny. Menswear designs. Think bomber jacket dress from Christopher Raeburn, rucksack from Preen, and denim jacket from Burberry.

I loved how models worked the dandy look, from Cara Delevingne’s satin 2-piece navy suit (no bra intended) to Kate Moss’s fitted suede trench coat that worked seamlessly into her all-black ensemble. This feminine spin on a typically male trend is no stranger to the fashion world. Flash back to the early ’20s, Chanel introduced sailor pants as a trend-setting alternative to trousers worn by women in traditionally male jobs. Soon a slew of designers emulated her fashion-forward concoctions with collarless boxy wool jackets and jersey pants. Want to work this trend into your office wardrobe?

Try these 3 trends: 1.) Sleek cropped pants with a nifty button-down shirt 2.) Patterned oversize blazer like houndstooth or tweed over satin shorts, or 3,) Chambray shirt, leather skinnies and chelsea boots.

As to my take on androgynous haute couture, I worked in a boxy beaded sweatshirt over a crisp white button down shirt. I really like the round neckline, stand-up collar, and colorful embroidery as this played up my usual run of the mill shirt.

Staging in a pop of color with the blood orange clutch was tricky but the color well illuminated the beaded embroidery when framed together in a shot so I thought why not? The brighter the outfit, the happier this OL (office lady). To finish this look, I kept my pants and accessories to a minimum with these Paige denim jeans and black ankle boots.

Of course if you’re opting for that seventies swagger of Mick Jagger, turn to Miu Miu’s clashing striped collar and Valentino’s shiny slip-ons. After all, every good tomboy has a throwback rock ‘n roll feminine side 🙂

Xo~ Lena

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Sweater: H&M// Shirt: Banana Republic// Jeans: Paige Denim// Boots: BP Shoes// Clutch: Tory Burch// Shades: Prada

Photos: Jason J

“You ask me why I spend my life writing? Is it worthwhile? Do I find entertainment? If not, then, is there a reason? I write only because there is a voice within me. Flaming. Roaring. That will not be still.” – Sylvia Plath

The click of an alphabet. A small drop of ink. The string of words along a horizontal line, making hundreds of people think. For me, the mere bliss of writing about fashion, lifestyle, travel and beauty is knowing that the string of lines, dots, and concave characters engraved on a white digital canvas make meritable impact on readers — to think extensively, to imagine endlessly, to live bountifully, and to create indefinitely.

Thus is the experience priceless when a reader tells me one of my avant-garde outfits inspired her to put a colorful spin on her work attires, or a skin care regimen paved way for more radiant complexion. I am thrilled to know that the frills and frolics of my daily musings created a platform for the exchange of ideas, the relay of multiple perceptions, and the means for additional knowledge from readers (like say adding a wide-brimmed hat to a beach getup?) So when I found out my previous post on “Model-Off-Duty Looks To Rock Out” (HERE) reached over 700 people in 3 days, and the relative comments from readers on what fashionable trends to transpire from runway to walkway, I was ecstatic to know that not only did my words create insights and knowledge in certain arenas, but also a valuable platform for readers around the globe to share and exchange ideas. So thank you all for your likes, comments, shares, and support; they have been a tremendous contribution to Feline Creatures’ blogging adventure! 🙂

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Along the topic of writing as a form of art to inspire and invigorate, I’d like to bring you with me to an annual art festival in the heart of Chicago — the Gold Coast Art Fair! From paintings with pigments bound by drying oil, to metal prints of jaw-dropping landscape photography, the fair was lavished with some of the most creative individuals and their admirable works. My favorite was the myriad of human figurines in climbing motion on a cotton wall; I found alluring the fact that the colorful metal creatures were stagnant in their movement yet robust in their attempt. Also charming (for Star Wars aficionados) was the picture of inflated Lego storm troopers being photographed by clay mini dolls. Not to mention the beautiful snapshots and mural paintings of European sceneries — from Venice gondolas to the seaside outings at Nice to the Cloud Gate in Chicago. To stay in tandem with the aesthetically pleasant setting I picked out an “artsy” outfit — a dual-toned top and some distressed denim shorts. The turquoise cut-out leaf pattern added a splash of of color to the purple undertone, which then was complimented by an orange clutch to add a non-conventional twist. Of course I didn’t want to go overboard with excessive colors (what fun would a clown be at an art festival?) so I finished the look with a pair of black leather boots.

Walking past the wooden boards filled with scenic shots of places far far away, I walked into the vast openness of Grant Park. Brimming with lavish greens and jagged pebbles, the park was engulfed by a vast array of concrete skyscrapers adding their glistening shine to the backdrop. The view was divine, calming, and surreal. Compared to the dormant murals and photographs displayed a few feet away, the city itself was vibrant, alive and engaged. What was my biggest takeaway from the fair? An appreciation for the city I live in — one that so effortlessly blend in nature’s refined features with the remote pillars of a metropolis. That image, the purest form of art, was priceless 🙂

Xoxo~ Lena