Pile on the chains

A few nights ago while watching the CW show Privileged (a must-watch for those who love cute, feel good shows), I noticed plenty of sparkly jewelry beautifully draped around the necks of two main characters, Sage and Laurel.

It was interesting to see how these ladies, despite being two generations apart, managed to wear the same trend but in ways that were more suited to their individual styles.

Sage, the young socialite, accessorized her trendy outfit with a stylish silver multi-chain necklace while her grandmother, Laurel wore gold chain necklaces to achieve a look that's more classic and elegant.

photos courtesy privilegedfan.com

For me, the ultimate inspiration for multi chain necklaces has to be the Givenchy F/W 08 collection (below). Layers upon layers of gold chains with dangling crosses, coins and other charms were worn over dark, tailored pieces. The result was nothing short of fierce.

photo courtesy designscene.net

It would take me quite a while to accumulate the masses of assorted chains and pendants necessary to recreate that kind of awesomeness, but these options below would make great (and more wearable) substitutes.

Silver and Hematite 7-Chain Necklace
Price: US$14.00

Layered Pearl Necklace
Price:US$7.99

Knot Chain Necklace
Price: US$28.00

Fierce Necklace
Price: US$26.50

Gold Multi Strand Necklace with Pearls
Price: US$10.90

Cream Bow and Pearl Multi Chain Long Necklace
Price: UK £20 (US$31.24)

Black Crystal Multi Chain Necklace
Price: US$36.00

Multistrand Necklace
Price: US$6.80

ASOS Mid Length Beaded and Multi Chain Necklace with Filigree and Drop Pendant

UK £16.00 (US$25.60)

Speaking of chains, I finally found a quilted purse with chain strap, which has been on my wish list for quite some time now. I bought this vintage one from a garage sale on Saturday and it only cost me $7.50.

(the colour is actually closer to the shade below)

It's not authentic Chanel of course, but that doesn't matter to me - I just love the colour and style of this bag. Some day I hope to own a real one though...

I also found a few other great bags that I plan to sell in the store. I'm so excited!

Shouldering the weight

Whether they're on a NFL linebacker, King Kong or even on Alexis Carrington from Dynasty, big shoulders usually conjure up ideas of power and intimidation.

photos courtesy a.bebo.com, black-magic.co.nz and flickr.com

When I was younger, I completely despised my mother's 80s career jackets which had incredibly huge shoulder pads (or so they seemed at the time - everything looks ginormous when you're five years old). I vowed that when I grew up, I would never wear anything that would accentuate my shoulders like that.

Now that I'm older and a bit wiser, I realize the problem was not the shoulders themselves, but the fact that, a lot of the time, they were featured on big, shapeless jackets in stiff fabrics that had no sex appeal whatsoever. Sexiness was not something career women in the 80s wanted to convey as they desired to have a commanding presence and be taken seriously in the male-dominated workplace.

These days, we ladies don't need little gimmicks like this to prove how powerful and fierce we are...but we sometimes like to do it anyway.

There has been a resurgence of bold shoulders recently (as is the case with most, if not all, 80s styles these past few seasons) and designers such as Balmain, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs and Jean Paul Gaultier showed looks featuring structured shoulders in their Fall 2008 collections.

photos courtesy style.com

This season, big shoulders are combined with more tailored silhouettes for a look that's no longer outdated and intimidating but rather modern and fabulous.

Celebrities who have jumped on the 'bold shoulder' bandwagon include Natalie Portman, Ashley Olsen and Anne Hathaway (who has been seen in this look on many occasions).

photos courtesy justjared.com and forums.superiorpics.com

If you think this is a great look for you, check out these toned down but still lovely options below.

BCBGMAXAZARIA Short Sleeve Woven Top
Price: US$59.97

Gingham Check Dress
Price: UK£28.00 (US$43.87)



Floral Print Jacket
Price: US$30.00



Taffeta Puff Sleeve Blouse
Price: US$48



ASOS Puff Sleeve Dress
Price: UK £18.00 (US$28.80)



Stripe Sweater Dress w Puff Sleeves
Price: US$24.00



Purple Leopard Tie Neck Top
Price: US$34.90



Balloon Shirred Sleeve Blouse
Price: US$52.20

_____________________________________________________________________________

Thanks so much for all your lovely and supportive comments on the post below. Glad you all liked the illustrations - more to come! I'm still working hard on my final projects (hence the longer-than-usual absence) but as I said, I'm not gone forever. Keep checking up on the blog because I'll try to post at least once every one or two weeks.

Also, this is long overdue, but the wonderful blogger Letitia of Becoming Jane interviewed me for her blog! Sorry I took so long girl! You all can check it out here (no direct link to article, scroll down to post #10).

Oh yeah, I also wanted to let you guys know that I'm planning to start a little store that would be an extension of the Fatal Attraction 2 Fashion blog. It will offer mostly secondhand clothing and accessories - all stylish and affordable, of course! I should hopefully have everything sorted before the end of the year so I'll let you know when the items are available for purchase.

Not gone, just busy....

Ugh...I really hate to let the blog lag like this but I have a very good reason.

I'm currently in my final year of the Bachelor's of Fine Arts - Graphic Design programme at college so the majority of my time is now being spent preparing for my Portfolio show in May next year.

I will still continue to update the blog, just not as frequently as before. I really wish I could devote more time to it but my final show is the priority at the moment.

To all those who tagged me, thanks so much for the honour but I'm just unable to do any at this time. I hope you understand.

I also wanted to share some of what I've been up to recently. I've started doing illustrations of fashion models I find interesting for one reason or another. Now, I'm not an expert at capturing people's likeness so I put the name of the model underneath the picture just in case you don't get it.

Lara Stone

Natasha Poly

I'd like to know what you think of them! Thanks :)

Grey's Desirability

As far as wardrobe staples go, I've covered both black and white. Now it's time to shine the fashion spotlight on the gorgeous shades of grey in between.

This moody neutral colour is far from dull this season as it's showing up in many shades on tons of trendy clothing styles.

Even though my love for grey may not be as extreme as this, I'm still craving a few grey items right now - specifically boots and bags - to add to my wardrobe.

Grey is powerful enough to stand on its own but I think it looks even better when it's paired with brighter colours like pink, purple or yellow.

Below are some chic grey clothing and accessories for your consideration.

Back Linen Dress
Price: US$34.00

Gray Drawstring Chain Tote
Price: US$36.99
(use code FFATTRACTION at checkout for 10% discount)

HAMAK Side Zip Jacket
Price: US$42.99

Breckelle Grace-26 Ankle Boot Gray
Price: US$19.99

Grey Lurex Tier Cami
Price: UK £20.00 (US$34.66)

Cropped Capelet
Price: US$38.00

Grey/White Tulle Pleat Skirt
Price: US$22.00

Pointelle Scarf
Price: US$10.80

ASOS Grey Stud Detail Skinny Jeans
Price: UK £28.00 (US$48.60)

Celebrity Style for less - Kate Beckinsale

Does anyone else think Kate Beckinsale's outfit (below) looks as though she may have had Alexander Wang's FW08 collection in mind when she put it together?

photo courtesy sekkushi.com

This is the second time I've done a Celebrity Style for less feature on Kate, and for good reason. The actress looks as fantastic while out shopping in L.A on October 2, 2008.

Her relaxed loose top, ripped skinny jeans and beanie combo is dressed up with the help of a pair of white hot pumps and large, glamorous sunglasses.

Below are some stylish and affordable pieces that will help you recreate Kate's fabulously cool look.

Kimchi Blue Alsace Tank
Price: US$42.00

Women: Women's Long Rib-Knit Tanks - Black
Price: US$8.50

Gattomatto Frayed Detail Jeans
Price: US$55.00

Monroe Sexy Pointed-Toe Pump
Price: US$39.50

Veloured Polar Fleece Beanie - Black
Price: US$9.99

Spitfire Vintage Oversized Sunglasses
Price: UK £9.00 (US$16.23)

Total: US$171.22

Like it or not? - JAIRO Zip-Up Corset Halter Dress

Exposed zippers are one of the biggest fashion trends of the season and for good reason. They're hot!

Zippers are no longer just a functional piece of hardware, they also serve as a stylish embellishment for clothing. Exposed zippers were first seen on the 2007 runways of Lanvin, Derek Lam and Chloé and they are still as, or even more, popular a year later.

I came across this black halter dress with exposed zipper front and while I think the dress looks cool from far, closer inspection reveals a texture that reminds me a lot of a papier mache craft project and that turns me off. Aside from this negative, however, I think the dress is quite cute and sexy!

JAIRO Zip-Up Corset Halter Dress
Price: US$27.99

What do you think? Hot dress or cheap craft project?

Blog Contest - And the winner is....

It is now time to reveal the lucky winner of the $25 gift certificate from ShopRuche.com!




Congratulations comment #35 - beccajanie!!

N.B Five entries were deemed invalid and therefore excluded from the competition.

I would like to thank the sponsor, Shopruche.com, and all the participants for making this contest possible and I look forward to many more in the future.

To all those who were not lucky in this contest, remember you can still get 10% off on all Ruche items until December 31, 2008. Just punch in the code FFATTRACTION at checkout to get yourself some gorgeous Ruche items at a discounted price!