In Print: Winter Florals, Graphic and Diffused ombré effects

No Sleeves: Gilets and vests carried over from several collections as a fur piece or brushed mohair

Cut It Out: Bold cut-outs in dresses and tops

In Short: Winter shorts – mid-thigh and above the knee

Simple Coating: Minimal modern coats with simple tailoring and square necklines were prevalent

Laced: Lot of lace in skirts, inserts, sheaths and tops

In The Details: Gothic embellishment, Modified fairytale princess flair, Bows, Fringing on cuffs and bottoms

Coloring: Lipstick Red, Dark Berry, Pine, Blacks, Camel, Nudes, Blush, Metallics, Greys

To Be Continued: Leather, Onesies, Cropped jackets, Asymmetry in sleeves, and Capes

I picture myself walking around with a basket that carries a bouqet of flowers, baguette, wine, some fruit and small perfect piece of fish. And today I did just that. I dressed accordingly and went down to Pike Place Market. I didn’t want to take my car because I wanted to be free and carry a basket (not throw it in the trunk). I decided on a bus (it’s only a 5 min ride–and I sold my Vespa after falling down on a slippery road in pair of nude Dior heels that never saw daylight again). I shopped, stopped for a café au lait and sort of floated around. Reality hit me when I was taking the bus back and the only people on the bus were hicks and drunks – the bus reeked of stale B.O. and bad booze. I tripped slightly on my mules, but didn’t fall.

At the end of the day, French get-up or not, I’m still just an Icelandic version of Bridget Jones, not a chic French woman. That said, it’s perfectly OK to have that as a goal. And today I’ll start my training, which I’ll call – Becoming Parisienne. I sincerely invite you to follow suit. The first five steps to take:

1.Wear only laced lingerie at all times (it brings an extra something feminine to the consciousness).

2.Walk everywhere during the day, take cabs at night (to be free of looking for a parking spot and to burn extra calories)

3.Brush up on your French and pretend not to understand English (this is major and really pushes the belief in being French).

4.Read only French fashion magazines (they are more magical and provocative).

5.Have a glass of wine with lunch (it gives more flow to daily life)

À Bientôt!

This morning I received an email from a friend in Italy who told me that she wanted to lose 8 lbs. and is doing so via the Mediterranean diet. She asked if I had written about any diets on Fabwick and if I was interested in featuring the Mediterranean diet. I thought to myself – I loathe diets and diets mock me. In my twenties and early thirties, I dieted until I realized that diets make me fat – I eat more when I’m on them because I’m constantly thinking about food. Today I don’t even own a scale. The true test to how I feel about my body is my high-shine, high-waist sample-size Marc Jacobs trouser. Can I wear them without any fear of a zipper or a seam popping as I sit down? If there’s a slight fear – this girl needs to put down the fork and take action. I don’t run, I can’t stand gyms (due to an overdose in the Aerobic 90’s). My savior is hot yoga. When I need something extra, I walk. This morning I tried on the sample-size trouser and found an unfortunate high risk of a pop-effect. I have certainly popped zippers and seams before. It isn’t fun. So this morning I walked for an hour and plan to melt some butter in a hot yoga class this afternoon. Now my question is – should I also diet? The Mediterranean diet doesn’t sound too brutal, in fact it sounds very Mediterranean, and I bet they allow bread, olives and wine. If that’s the case Tonya, please share with us (life is too short to forgo the goods).

That said, we are entering an era of celebrating a fuller figure with Christina Hendricks (from Mad Men) being a role model. And Miuccia Prada sending us the message that the voluptuous female figure is back and the pin-thin-adolescent-girl-meets-boy-figure might be a look from the past. If this is in fact a true look into our present and future, will we stop criticizing our breasts, hips and thighs and start to celebrate our curvy bodies? And if so, why do we need Miuccia or Mad Men to do so? Are we really not strong enough to do this without ‘trends’ from fashion or pop-culture? Either way, as long as the pant fits, I’m a walking celebration and feeling homicidally hot. But when it doesn’t – how long do I have to wait for the tipping point of power-bodies to tip in our favor? Or can we just take charge without approval from the fashion-physique police?

Click here to view the runway collection on style.com.

Ciao to Milan and bonjour to Paris fashion week…

Thakoon: No-mad and Lux-In-Fur

Lux-in-Fur: Fur coats and shrugs. Fox, mink and raccoon. Shearling panels in eclectic texture match. Patchwork and arm warmers. Studio 2010: Disco touch in colored metallics. Sparkle, shine, shimmer, rhinestones, and paillettes. Sharply Tailored: Tailored pantsuits – a sexy blend of femininity and masculinity in a three-piece tailored suit. Adding 70’s factor with a slim-hip flairing trouser. Tailoring cut in half; a shirt finishes a jacket (mixed pieces and sown together). In Short: Shorts in fall/winter – the silhouette is tailored (cuffed or not) or relaxed in more of a bloomer cut. The Skirt: A-line with a looser fit – cut just below knee or down to mid-calf. For the younger girl – her skirt is very short; full

Ports 1961: Studio 2010

or pleated. Paper or Plastic?: The paper-bag waist is strong in loosely tapered cropped pant. (Urban) Art: The prints are graphic graffiti-esque or winter floral. No-mad: Eclectic layering: different texture and fabric layered on top of each other. Mismatched proportions (long over short and short over long). Coloring: Camel, greys and lots of blacks. Some deep fall flavors, as in dark berry and plums. Military greens and mustard yellow. Fabrication Affair: Lace, Velvet, Brocade, Fur, Tweed, Felt and Brushed Wool. In The Details: Laced cut-outs. Asymmetry in straps and hemlines. Fleshless and see-thru panels. Fringe.  Continuitives: Leather: dresses, jackets, legging. Cape: wool and knitted. Cropped jackets. One-sleeves and one-shoulders in dresses and shirts. That’s my New York perspective of Fall ‘10. Let’s see what the rest of the world brings us… Images courtesy of Style.com

Marc Jacobs: A-line skirt and greys

Rodarte: No-mad, (Urban) Art, and lace

Motorcycle vests
Gold mirror embroidery
Feathered skirt and dress

Long jersey dresses
Ostrich and Marabo touch
Embellished fur trimmed

Modern first lady
American sportswear touch
Love sex – rock and roll

Images courtesy of Style.com

Grey Flamante dress
Feathered embroidered touches
Jersey silk wool plush

Barcelona slims
A black Manteleta dress
Puntilla cardi

Silk Jacquard and knit
Senorita goes to work
She’s such a Dali

Fabulous colors
Hot Swarovski applique
Shimmery copper

Paisley and foxtails
Playful layer of garments
Jeweled tones fuchsia

She knows how to live
It’s trè trè chic – trè trè cool
Freedom on display

Garments are layered
Jackets and shirts cut in half
Cocktail of textures

Calmness in the greys
Psychology of color
Yellow fuchsia black

Some Ying Yang effect
Powerful secret as art
Uncertain beauty