Don't Overlook Your Lingerie

We all think that the only thing that matters when it comes to fashion is what's on the outside, well, truth be told, what we wear inside also makes a huge impact on our outlook and well being.

For some reason, wearing nice underwear rather than the run-off the mill generic plain undies makes me feel a lot better.

One of my pet peeves is actually, underwear that don't match. I.E. Black Bra with a Nude Granny Panty. I have actually sworn off granny panties and have made it my own vendetta to spend on nice underwear- even if only for my own pleasure.

If I had all the money in the world, I would spend on the iconic, La Perla. And here is why...



With delicate satin-twill braiding and an Art Deco-inspired design, Jean Paul Gaultier for La Perla's peacock-blue sheer tulle long-line bra is an exquisite piece of lingerie.

Inspired by the costumes from Madonna's 1990 'Blond Ambition' tour, Jean Paul Gaultier for La Perla's nude satin conical bra with padded shoulders is a sensational underpinning.

Known for his provocative designs, Jean Paul Gaultier for La Perla's black sheer tulle triangle bra with intricate satin-twill braiding is a darkly glamorous lingerie choice.

You will never have a half slip as nice or as luxurious as this... I would actually wear it out!

Pair it with this and you'll be ready to stop the show!

There is just something sexy and mytserious about underwear that immediately gives you an idea about the person. What does your underwear tell about you?

XOXO,
Erika

LIVE. FASHIONABLY.

Thanks to net-a-porter.com for the pics!

Daily Discovery: Free People swim

With all the beach trips coming up, not a day goes by that I don't think of getting my first new pair of swimsuit this season. Not everyone is blessed to have a Victoria's Secret model bod but that doesn't mean that normal beings like us can't stroll the beach in our bikinis. Picking the hottest two piece should not always depend on current trends but more on the right cut for your body. You definitely want to enhance those assets and not attract too much attention on those little 'imperfections'.  

So as I go through my usual online reads, I stumbled upon Free People's Swim 2011 lookbook and fell in love with most of the pieces! My favorite would be the printed Banita top (above) since the print is so hip and right on trend with the animal print!

UPDATE: The higher, the better?

UPDATE: Check out the photos below from the most recent Salvatore Ferragamo Fall collection


I am not talking about heels here ladies. What really got my attention are the above-the-thigh high front slits of the skirts from the Fall 2011 collections. They seem to really work on those tulip skirts! It just feels so sexy yet feminine. Just gives you the right kind of Ooomph I suppose.

My favorite is when Christian Siriano (if you remember him as the winner of Project Runway) showcased this long tulip skirt together with other breathtaking pieces in black.

 

On the other hand, Preen reminded us that we should never be afraid of color. Several pieces will definitely turn those heads to your legs!

Even the long skirts get those high slits too! Jason Wu showed us how.

Other pieces from Diane Von Furstenberg, Altuzarra, and Tommy Hilfiger have cut those slits just right for those with a more conservative liking.

Check out some photos from The Front Row / Salvatore Ferragamo. Photos taken by Garance from the runway and she posted them in black & white.

So, will these be a Hit or a Miss?

XOXO,

Marga

P.S.

Kirsten Dunst and Chloe Sevigny were spotted last month wearing similar cuts from Rodarte Spring 2011!

March Dilemma

What better way is there to welcome the month and the summer season but with news about love! One of our High School classmates will tie the knot this Saturday and practically the entire batch is looking forward to this. It has definitely been a week of excitement, cramming and a bit of dilemma. I am actually slightly stressing on which hairstyle to have, for this weekend's wedding that is. It's a good thing the Oscars and the Golden Globes just seemed like yesterday because those red carpet looks will definitely be inspirations.

Oh, I just want to surprise you with the style of my dress but don't worry it's not like I don't have it yet - the seamstress is just doing minor alterations. Just to give you an idea though, I will be attending a formal affair and ladies are requested to come in dark colored gowns for the masquerade theme.

Here are a few of the looks I believe could go with my gown.

Let's say I decide to keep it down, a very sleek and straight do will rock with the right statement earrings. While some waves and bounce should be worn with very minimal accessories and a simple but bold dress.

          

On the other hand, a classic French twist will definitely look sophisticated but with a strong appeal. An upswept hairdo will surely keep your gown as the focal point. 

             

From previous red carpet events, Paz and Zoe gave us very minimalistic looks too whether their mane were kept down or nicely kept on a bun.  

I have few more days to contemplate on these although most of my friends (including Erika) are leaning towards having my hair on a nice updo.

I hope I make the right or better choice for that matter. I'll keep you posted on what I decide on!

XOXO,
Marga

LIVE.FASHIONABLY.

Goodbye Galliano! The Provocateur behind Dior gets the boot for Racism

It may have come as a surprise to everyone but if a man with such talent for design but no heart for humanity can spew out such horrible words, then he might as well throw his talent down the curb.

What's the point of dressing mankind if you cannot be kind to man?

White, Black, Yellow, Red.... people are people and at the end of the day, they should still mean more than clothes.

PARIS – This time, John Galliano, long a top fashion-world provocateur on and off the runway, went too far.

The storied French label Christian Dior said Tuesday it was firing the zany British bad boy after a video showed him spouting "I love Hitler" in a drunken rant went viral online — sending shock waves through the start of Paris Fashion Week.


The ouster followed a barrage of accusations and revelations about Galliano's outbursts that spelled major career trouble for the talented and moneymaking couturier.


The allegations of bigotry had put Dior, which battles crosstown rival Chanel for the title of world's top fashion house, in the hot seat: Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman, the new advertising face of the Miss Dior Cherie perfume line, who is Jewish, expressed fury over the remarks.


Galliano's sacking marked the latest bout of scandal to shake the rarified fashion world, including last year's suicide of Alexander McQueen, another celebrated British designer, and supermodel Kate Moss' brief stint in the industry wilderness after photos of her snorting cocaine went public in 2005.


"Knowing John's proclivity for provocation on the runway and in life, to hear such accusations wasn't surprising," said Dana Thomas, a fashion guru and author of "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster," an expose of the luxury industry.


"But the videos that went viral yesterday were too damning to deny," she said. "I'm sure (Dior CEO Sidney) Toledano was deeply hurt because he's Jewish."


"It's an insolence that's unforgivable," she added.


Fashionistas almost uniformly said Dior would pull through the controversy, and some even suggested the episode gave it a chance to clean its slate after Galliano's 15-year rein as its mastermind of creation.


The 50-year-old designer's tailspin began after a couple accused him of hurling anti-Semitic insults at them Thursday at La Perle, a trendy eatery in Paris' Marais district — a hip neighborhood known for its sizable gay and Jewish populations.


As word got out that police were investigating, another woman came forward Saturday accusing Galliano of similar anti-Semitic insults in October at the same brasserie.


An apparent smoking gun emerged Monday when the British daily The Sun posted a video on its website showing Galliano, his speech slurred, appearing to taunt two women diners.


At one point, a woman's voice asks Galliano, "Are you blond, with blue eyes?"


Galliano replied: "No, but I love Hitler, and people like you would be dead today. Your mothers, your forefathers, would be ... gassed and ... dead."


Making anti-Semitic remarks can bring up to six months in prison in France, and Galliano appeared in a Paris police station Monday to face the accusations against him.


In what some hailed as an appropriate and quick response, Christian Dior SA said Tuesday it had launched termination proceedings for Galliano and decried "the particularly odious nature of the behavior and words" in the video.


Galliano's lawyer did not immediately return calls seeking comment.


News of Galliano's firing hit Tuesday's start of Paris' nine-day-long ready-to-wear marathon like a tidal wave, with journalists, editors and stylists reading out Dior's statement on a shuttle bus between shows.
 
Some murmured that Dior had long been looking to part with Galliano, and this was a way out. Others feared that it might bring his brilliant career to a tragic finish — and possibly overshadow his legacy.
 
Dior said it still planned to go ahead with its Galliano-designed fall-winter 2011-12 collection on Friday as part of Paris fashion week.
 
Trying to limit the fallout, press officers at the designer's signature label, John Galliano, spent much of the day checking with journalists, critics, stylists and editors to make sure they would be attending its women's wear show, scheduled for Sunday.
 
Questions were bound to arise about whether Galliano's fame and fawning fans had gone to his head, or whether he had succumbed to the pressures of the high-octane, big-payoff industry.
 
"The situation is extremely sad. Creative people like John — great artists, great writers — often wrestle with the devil in the form of the bottle or drugs," Joanna Coles, editor-in-chief of American Marie Claire, said. After seeing the video, she said, "You were left thinking, 'What on earth was he thinking?'"
 
"The pressure is probably less when you start somewhere than when you've been there for some time and have to continue to produce at such a high level," she said. "We're very curious to see who replaces John."
 
The guessing-game got going in earnest from the moment it became clear Galliano was out.
 
While some fashion insiders put their money on Alber Elbaz, who has transformed Lanvin from a musty old label into one of Paris' hottest, others said Givenchy's Riccardo Tischi was their man.
 
Since his appointment in 1996, Galliano, who was born in Gibraltar and grew up in London, made an indelible mark on the storied House of Dior. Season after season, he reinterpreted the iconic New Look pieces pioneered by founder Christian Dior, managing to make the designs first fielded after World War II fresh and youthful.
 
Galliano's glorious past collections channeled inspiration like ancient Egypt — with models in Nefertiti eye makeup and King Tut beards — as well as Masai tribespeople accessorized with rows of beaded necklaces and crop-brandishing equestrians of the 19th century.
 
Always theatrical and sometimes outrageous, Galliano's star-studded runway shows are big-budget blockbusters and among the most-anticipated displays on the Paris calendar.
 
For years, Galliano has made a spectacle of himself at the end of his shows, prancing out in a rooster-style strut, arms akimbo, his chin up and head cocked back. Backstage he holds court for reporters' questions and fan emulation while seated on a high-backed chair resembling a throne.
 
Galliano's days holding court at Dior are over.
 
The last straw appeared to be a statement by Portman, who won an Oscar on Sunday for "Black Swan," expressing shock and disgust at the video. "As an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way," she said.
 
Marcellous Jones, editor-in-chief of thefashioninsider.com magazine, said he was "really surprised that Dior actually had the conviction to fire John Galliano because he makes them a lot of money."
 
"I think we were all expecting them to send him to rehab and so they are actually firing him. It's a bold move," he said. "It marks a dramatic end to one of the greatest eras in the history of the house of Dior in terms of its international reputation."
 
Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, praised Dior's move in a statement saying Galliano's words had caused pain around the world — notably among Holocaust survivors and their relatives.
 
"The fact that someone is brilliant in a certain field does not immunize him from facing the consequences of words that are hateful, bigoted or prejudiced," Foxman said. "Galliano is a public figure with a high profile, but he is apparently also a serial bigot."
Outside Dior's flagship store on ritzy Avenue Montaigne in Paris, fashion aficionados expressed surprise and anger.
 
"I'm shocked because the name of Dior has always been related to John Galliano — he's creative, he's a big designer, and everybody is waiting for his fashion show every season," said Shams, a Kuwaiti singer. "I can't believe it."
 

Good Riddance!

___
AP Fashion Writer Samantha Critchell in New York contributed to this report.

By JENNY BARCHFIELD and JAMEY KEATEN, Associated Press Jenny Barchfield And Jamey Keaten, Associated Press – Tue Mar 1, 6:09 pm ET

Do you think he was justly fired?

Why can't we all just get along?

XOXO,

Erika

LIVE.LOVE.FASHIONABLY.

OSCAR FEVER

The seriously hyped Oscar night gave a lukewarm turnout. Thank God the outfits seemed to make up for the lack of hosting lustre by Anne and James. Judging by these ensembles it seems that sparkle, shine and soft material has won night, adding more glitz and glamor to an otherwise, un-eventful event.

And the winner goes to...

In Ellie Saab of course! Sheer Genius!

By Marchesa- Halle is lovely at 40!

Penelope has the style of the night spot on with soft textiles and sparkle in this L'Wren Scott number.

By L'Wren Scott- Bravo to her Emerald jewelry for contrast!

By Monique  Lhuillier- She can do no wrong!

Scarlet in mauve/ scarlet number which seems to be the hue of the night

By Vivienne Westwood- Very Elegant and Classy for her age.

By Givenchy- Ever the avant-garde, Cate.

Erika's Choice: Mila Kunis in Ellie Saab and Halle Berry in Marchesa

What's yours?

XOXO,

Erika

LIVE.FASHIONABLY.

Erika's March Wish List

The only thing I absolutely want this March, because not only do I want it, but also definitely NEED it.

1) PANASONIC LUMIX LX5- In White

As a blogger I guess you can't do without one. I wonder how Marga and I have survived with simple point and shoots. This one will allow me to have the DSLR quality without having to lug around a heavy gadget. It's chic and a classic. It doesn't hurt either that the white one is pretty rare!



Maybe I should get this as a birthday gift to myself? Then again, isn't everything I buy a gift to myself already? Oh no...

What Birthday Gift do you want to give yourself?

XOXO,

Erika

LIVE. FASHIONABLY.