Confashions From Kuwait

I have to admit that this is one of my favorite outfits for fall/winter 2013, please excuse my shameless  self admiration. And the reason behind that is because I was able to pull out this look in less than 10 minutes, and that is not usually the case because I tend to stare at my closet for at least 10-15 minutes tying to figure out what to wear. Anyhow, I wore a black leather overalls from TopShop , paired them with a long sleeves cotton black and white striped tee by  Proenza Schouler from AlOthman Boutique , a long knitted oversized cardigan by Lutz from Boutique 4 (barely seen), Zara's checked studio cape, Marni's bi-colour fox-fur stole, and finally a pair of  Gianvito Rossi two-tone suede and leather pumps. Zara's  checked studio cape is so cool because I can actually tie its sleeves around, inspired by Celine , so that it looks more like a cape; or wear it like a normal coat. Plus even though it's wool, it's light and doesn't it make you ove

These beauties were on sale and I didn't get them!! What the hell was I thinking! The Nina Ricci women's pompom ballet flat features a round toe with rose pink fur pompom. I guess I was too tired to carry them around with me, especially that I was at Dubai Mall and got overwhelmed by the crowd, so we had to leave the place fast. Oh well, I guess we weren;t meant to be. 

The window display of  Chanel 's  boutique in the Avenues for Resort 2014 may not be creative, but the simplicity of its designs worn by the mannequins make it worthy enough to window shop. I'm a sucker for navy inspired designs, so the silhouette of high-waisted, wide-leg trousers worn with what looked like oversized navy knitted tops was simply divine. And of course I got weak on the knees when my eyes spotted the stacked layered necklaces. Suddenly I envied those plastic mannequins for a second, but then I remembered my jar of cookies waiting for me at home and felt happy... what can I say.. Little minds.... 

I've been eyeing Mark Cross's grace bags for quite sometime, but I always end up buying a pair (or two) of new shoes instead. This time I got my mind set on it, and Harvey Nichols Kuwait made it even easier for me to get an up-close look of the bag and a chance to try it on. The new season's version of the bag comes with studs, which I wasn't too crazy about. I prefer the plain ones, and in neutral shades. I was surprised to find out that this American brand was first established in 1845 and resurfaced in 2010, quite a history! What I love about it is that its interior is very roomy, making it a great alternative to small clutches that hardly fit my junk. Now it's time to decide on a color... You can shop  Mark Cross  online here .

The best part about shopping is when you get first sights of the new season's arrivals. And during my stay in Dubai a few weeks ago, I spotted some eye candies at  Bloomingdales Dubai . naturally my attention always goes to shoes first, then bags, and finally clothes. The shoes crown goes to  Gianvito Rossi's  timeless pumps. They have just the right formula, Femininity, modernity and elegance. As for bags, I was interested to see what bags designer  Tonya Hawks  came up with next, her designs had the same look and feel of last season's styles, which is good I think to extend the shelf life of her designs.  I think you can find them at AlMubarak Center in Zahra Complex. As for  Sophie Hulme , I absolutely loved her oversized hot pink clutch, which I think also can be worn as a shoulder bag. the brand is also stocked at  AlOthman Boutique .  Speaking of bags, which style and brand are you going for this season?

Targeting the young, fashion-conscious consumer, Shopcade is a social shopping app that keeps users up to speed on the latest high-street fashion styles, trends and deals in one place; facilitating the discovery, shopping and sharing of products online. With over 600,000 active consumers flicking through over 150,000 high street brands daily (such as Topshop, ASOS and Urban Outfitters),  Shopcade  is the place high-street fashion loving shoppers go to get their “daily fashion fix”. I have just downloaded it so I haven't tried it out yet, but I think what's great about it is that it alerts you when the items you are looking to purchase are part of a deal, however, I'm not sure if this app is geared towards people living in our region in the sense of would they be accepting international credit cards? Do they ship internationally? So to me, it would be more of a lookbook and a reference of what might be available for us to purchase from brick-and-mortar high-street s

If my memory serves me right, I first discovered Charlotte Simon's fur scarves   through instagram when either Alexa Chung or Rita Ora posted a selfie wearing striped popiscle fur scarves, which kind of reminded me of Prada's fur version for its S/S 2011 collection. I found them online here but I was too hesitant to buy them because for a fur scarf, the price was too good to be true. fast-forward a few months later, I spotted the same  Charlotte Simon's fur scarves   at Aishti boutique in the Avenues, not the striped one though. I tried them on, they looked really cute and fun for everyday wear, the only drawback was that they weren't as soft as I have imagined them to be. But overall, they looked stylish and added a chic flair to my outfit, they're the type of semi-budget-friendly accessories that can hold a look together. Price tag? Around KD 180.  Rita Ora's photo credit: charlottesimone.com

While I was in Dubai a few weeks ago to attend I spotted these ahhh-maaayy-zing straw chevron shorts by Parisian chic brand Carven at S*uce boutique, and I fell truly madly deeply in love with them. Unlikely for me, they ran out in my size. So I did the next best thing, try them on anyways to see if I could make some sort of alterations to make them fit by force! That didn't work unfortunately for me. And of course I searched for them online only to find that they're only available in black, which kind of defeats the purpose of wearing something made out of straw. I'm still on the look out, so if you come across these beauties, hollaaaa.  I love the fact that  Carven  was able to reinterpret a classic silhouette by using woven straw as the material. Would look amazing paired with oversized sweatshirt or button-down shirt, and a pair of cute flats. 

Another Outfit of the Day post in less than 48 hours?!! I'm impressed with myself. I hope I'll be able to keep it up though!  So it was the family lunch gathering and it happened that we also decided to take a family portrait on the same day.  And since it was an outdoorsy/BBQ kind of lunch, I didn't feel like over-dressing. I decided to go for an  almost -casual but chic outfit, which I hope I won't regret years later when I look back at the photos in the family's album. I wore one of my favorite purchases for Fall, this regiment-inspired, fox fur trim hooded coat by Prabal Gurung from AlOthman Boutique , I paired it with a Zara striped knitted top, TopShop cropped waxed pants ( similar here ), Celine gold plated oxfords ( similar here ), and my Vlieger & Vandam gun embossed clutch bag ( you can find it here) , with Fendi's monster charm bag . 

I was excited to see a unique selection of  vintage  Chanel   jewelry and handbags being sold at Harvey Nichols Kuwait . Their selection is by New York-based brand  What Goes Around Comes Around (WGACA) ,  the premier destination and purveyors of fine vintage and luxury. This is the kind of stuff I want and always look for when I shop, as in unique not necessarily vintage.  Special pieces that nobody else has. Besides, I think by now I'm sick of the boy bag. On the subject of vintage, for some reason I was under the impression that vintage clothing is any clothing from a decade ago, or items you buy from a thrift store. Obviously I was misinformed. Vintage clothing is technically any sort of clothing twenty five years old or older.  Would you splurge on a vintage designer piece or prefer the on-trend in-season pieces?

Okay. I’ll admit it right here, right now. I’ve been completely slacking off.  I could give you all sorts of  excuses (true ones) like I’ve been sick, family, work, social obligations.... the list goes on, but the #1 reason for slacking??? I'd have to say the instagram , which made it so easy for me to micro-blog. Like for example this Outfit of the Day post, I was supposed to take detail shots with my camera and then download the photos, edit....etc, but it was 100 times easier to just snap a casual pic using my friend's iphone and post it on insta. Anyhow... Let's see the details of Outfit of the Day, which I wore to Shakshooka. Camouflage printed brushed cotton jacket with a detachable white fur collar by Tzipporah by Natasha Goldenberg from Boutique N, knitted top by Helmut Lang , grey jeans by Topshop , fringed boots by Isabel Marant , and Dior pearl Earrings. 

What's cooler than cool? Incredibly wearable/ice cool/embellished flats! It's about time! Ive been missing seeing all the drama and blinged out details on flats, they've been so boring! (FYI Gina slippers are NOT included in this category, if I could I would burn them all). So it's refreshing for me to see all these options from high-end brands and high-street stores too. They add such a character to plain separates. The above photo shoes some options from Giuseppe Zanotti .   Scroll down for more options. Pointy embroidered flats by  Charlotte Olympia  Remember Newbark ? I used to own a pair 4 years a go.  Something completely different and daring by Tod's . And a budget-friendly version from Ipekyol

Two weeks ago I have finally managed to witness what Shakshooka Market is all about. Launched by a talented Kuwaiti chef Maryam (Mimi) Al Nusif , Shakshooka Market is a pop-up farmers market held each Thursday evening for two hours in various locations around Kuwait, one day it can be outdoors as far as Bnaider, and the next it can be held in unexpected areas like Bayt Lothan and Shuwaikh. You'd have to follow mimi's instagram account to find out where the next Shakshooka will be held. It's worth mentioning that Mimi was trained at Le Cordon Bleu , the world's largest and most prestigious hospitality education institution and earned a job at THE Nobu Berkeley in London.  The Shakshooka Market I've been to was held at AlOthman Boutique's in-door garden and lounge area. I was excited to see fresh/organic food on display by local and expat artisan bakers, cooks, and farmers. There were also a couple of vendors who sold arts and crafts and non-food items like cr

One thing I do love about Summer is looking forward to spring and summer fashion hitting stores. As much as I love Fall and Winter fashion, once those seasons start to wrap up, I get excited about what new styles will be in for the upcoming season and how I can incorporate them into my wardrobe. One thing I always look forward to is finding a new pair of super quirky cool sunnies, and the other day, I found these f un and retro-inspired shades  at Al Mubarak Corner in Zahra Complex and I fell in love, however I didn't buy them because I wasn't in that ready-for-the-summer kind of mood. The first pastel-colored floral decorated frames look as if they're inspired by  Dolce and Gabbana 's , previous post here . The golden pair look just as sassy too. I wonder if these will still be on-trend by next season. 

A couple of seasons ago when the tiger motif on Kenzo's sweatshirts first appeared on the fashion scene I actually liked the trend for a while. But then fashion houses and high-street stores got caught by the tiger bug and it felt like they had to add the tiger motif to one, two, or even three of their designs. THAT killed it for me. Take for example these featured shoes and clutches by Charlotte Olympia  (spotted at Bloomingdales Dubai ) and a button-up shirt by  Ipekyol in the Avnues .  I do cherish that feeling of owning a designer (or even non-designer but very special) piece before it gets turned into a reproduced-in-a-zillion-style kind of piece for the mass-market by high-street stores, and in this case, high-end brands. 

I'm officially addicted to unconventional pearls, evidence here and here , and for this Spring/Summer 2014, I don't want another Chanel boy bag or shoes. All I really really want is this mind-blowing gigantic pearl bracelet, as seen on  Chanel  runway. I'm just hoping and praying it doesn't cost an aram and a leg, just like almost anything else I'm eyeing!! High-end brands are officially gone crazyyyyy! Or As my friend usually says cray-cray! If you happen to know it's cost or where it is being sold currently, please post your comment below. Thank you.