This winter is not over yet, and the FW06 shows is getting started

I just realized that the FW 06 show would start this Friday. It's always awkward time to me, as I will be wearing FW 05 winter clothes for three more months while the new trends for the next winter are shown to the public. So no dramatic changes, please! (Just kidding:-) )

I bet that some fashion forward people will incorporate the new trends in the last days of this winter yet I am curious to see what the designers come up with for the next year. The following link will bring you to the schedule for the New York Fashion Week. I hope that you can watch closely to the online pictures during the Week and let's discuss afterwards.

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/fashion/fashionshows/schedule/3.html

Spring 2006, two trends will cover all

It's been almost four months since the spring 2006 ready-to-wear collections were shown. It's enough time for us to digest and memorize all the beautiful outfits, right? Before we receive the overwhelming trend information and get confused from the generous March magazines, let's look at the most important two trends for spring: the new proportion and the soft grey colors.

The new proportion

The new proportion is the best news to the girls (including me!) who are sick of the bohemian looks. In the coming season, the waistline is high from the true waist to the empire line. Even when you wear a pair of low-rise jeans, remember to pair with an empire waist long camisole to modify the proportion. Belts are heavily used in all the major runway shows, and we will definitely see them around in the coming seasons. The belts are wide and powerful. Think about Lanvin and YSL, a belt can change the entire look.

There are a couple of things I would like to purchase for the new proportion, and you might be interested as well:

* High-waisted pants and skirts
* Silk or silk blend blouses
* Wide and sleek belts, cummerbunds, or ribbons
* Fitted cardigans

I also found the following tips to avoid the bulky material around the belt.

* Wear thin and fitted cardigan
* Wear silk shirt instead of cotton shirt
* Keep the waist of the pants or skirts simple. No belt loops or oversized waist. I found a pair of Martin Margiela pants with the minimum design on the waist, and it looks great with the new proportion.

Soft grey colors

Words like flesh tones, pastel colors, and soft grey colors will be all over the places in fashion magazines this spring, but they all mean the same thing: less saturated yet sophisticated colors. A couple of pictures from the runway will give us a better idea than words.


I am sure there will be more trends in magazines, and the editors will all list "ten most important things" to buy. With the sky rocketing prices in the fashion world, who can afford all the trends? But calm down, and let's think it over. Most of items are related to the two major trends. That means we can buy less but the most efficient pieces to update our wardrobes. Things get easy this time, right?

Tough cookie or addicted shopoholic

I went to the semi-annual Louis Boston sale today, fifteen hours after five of my teeth were pulled out. I know, I know. It's a lot of teeth. I always believe that short pain is not as bad as long pain, so if they need to remove five teeth, I prefer doing them altogether. Unfortunately I had a history of passing out whenever I got a shot or had my blood drawn, so my kind dentist had to use extra Novocain on me and took his time. After more than three hours of struggle with the tough teeth, I couldn't speak but wrote down one question to my dentist: Can I go shopping tomorrow?

The answer was yes. And I had a big grin with my numb mouth. Even if it was a no, I would still go. Look, sale, especially the Louis Boston sale, has been like a ritual to me. Twice every year, I will be lined up with thirty to forty men and women in front of the store entrance waiting for the opening.

I was in equally tough situation last year. I had just had surgery on both of my pinky toes before the sale. I took a cab and went shopping in the middle of a snow storm. People said that I was a tough cookie. The truth is that I would regret so much if I was too late to grab that fabulous item I've been waiting for months. In this case, shopping always takes priority.

It turned out to be a good day. I got a pair of Neil Barrett ankle boots and a Mansharey washed leather jacket despite the dizziness from the pain killers. Don't worry, I brought hubbie just in case I made any insane decisions. Luckily he liked both.

New year gift - my long waited Chanel sweater

I wrote an article back in October about an Elle-Chanel styling event I attended. I ordered a sweater at the event, but I didn't receive it until last Friday.

The sweater actually came in a couple of weeks ago, but I never received a call from my SA. I went to the store to inquire about the Paris-New York collection. Accidentally, I saw the top, in my size, hanging in the sales section.

Here it is, my long waited sweater.

Sweaters with stripes are such classic must-haves. Although we see them everywhere, Karl Lagerfeld brought the classic look to a whole new level. The sweater has extra long sleeves to be bunched up, the flower pins add classic Chanel charm, and the pockets on the front are quilted like a classic Chanel bag. The stripes are not pure black. They are charcoal grey stripes with brown stripes under to create a little shadow effect and make the color contrast less sharp and more sophisticated. A sweater with stripes is such a classic, but the little details make this sweater stand out.