Why there’s so much to love about Solange

She’s no new-comer. She definitively isn’t unknown. She has been the little sister, the back-up dancer, the next Diana Ross, the hipster fashion icon, and now she’s a hot DJ and the singer behind a single I’m obsessed with. Solange (Knowles) is hot.

The first time I heard about Solange was back in the early noughties. Destiny’s Child were the biggest girl band at the time and Beyonce’s solo career was about to take off. Solange was only 16 and poised to be the next best thing. At the time her entourage described her as something completely different to her superstar sibling, Beyonce. However, it wasn’t until a couple of years ago, and more strongly right now, that her sound and style have finally set her way apart from everyone else.

She is now being dubbed “hipster queen” – a tag she disagrees with – as her new single receives global praise and music critics brand it reminiscent of an early Madonna sound. Her personal style has her appearing time after time in front row shows, fashion events and she stars in the coolest blogs and magazines. She has become the hottest and most stylish DJ everyone wants to book.

What do I like about her? Her hair, the shoes she wears in her latest video, her dance moves, her eyes, her voice and the beats her songs carry.

Her earlier work, with strong Motown strokes, Sol-Angel And the Hadley St Dreams gave her international exposure. Now she returns with a highly anticipated  new album produced with Dev Hynes. Personally I have only heard Losing You – I fell in love with that tune a month ago and I still haven’t got enough of it –  and Sleep In The Park, but I can confidently say she is everything she was meant to be. A talented, brave and fresh new sound that is different to the Jay-Z/Knowles empire. Beyonce’s little sister? Nah, this is Solange.

Picture: The Guide cover, The Guardian

PS: Don’t miss the sartorial brilliance of Le Sapeurs in the video 😉

Dip dye tips by Anthony Llobet

Ombré hair has been at the centre of the fashion radar for at least a couple of years now. Celebrities like Amber Le Bon and Drew Barrymore wore it well in the long version, and Alexa Chung made me go for the shorter take last Christmas. It grew out, and for a refreshing summer look, I went shorter and bolder in true ombré style.

My hair now gone lighter at the ends and has grown a lot. This  style has been a lot of fun, but I am now thinking of finally going red when the colder months are here. In any case, the service I got at Anthony Llobet in El Born was impeccable. They even gave me cake, which is a really easy way to win my heart, but nonetheless a great surprise. The color technician that worked with me that day was called Marilena – hopefully I’m not getting it completely wrong – and did an amazing job, both with the hair cut and colour. I have recommended this salon in El Born to my friends and one of them has already been there and loved the experience. Full disclosure? I get nothing for writing this article, and I went there as a private customer so paid for the entire process.

These pictures are from their Facebook page. Anthony Llobet‘s salons pride themselves in being mainly English speaking and having a welcoming yet relaxing approach. Their retro decoration makes the entire experience even more special.

So there you have it, if in Barcelona, you know where to get a great haircut. I’m definitively going back.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone xx

Pictures: Fashion Limbo, Anthony Llobet

Streetstyle in movement, no posers

Sunday has been good to me. I baked a little – always a great form of relaxation – listened to the radio shows I miss during the week, and watched an inspiring documentary, Bill Cunningham New York. A photographer for the New York Times, Cunningham has spent decades taking pictures of models, style icons, and passers-by he spots in the streets of the Big Apple, Paris fashion shows, and whenever his drive to catch a stunning fashion moment on camera takes him.

The father of street-style photography for many, he has a unique and admirable approach to his work. Firstly, it’s not work, as he continually refers to what he does as “pleasure”, and secondly, his technique consists mostly on catching these pieces of fashion wonder in movement, almost like a safari photographer, chasing wild animals, mesmerised by their colours and shapes.

Moving is how I caught this image last week. As she rushed to get to work, I had to steadily increase my walking speed to make one good shot. I loved the colour of her hair, the intense blue in her dress, the vibrant handbag. The Barcelona morning sun did the rest.

What’s your take on this? Do you check out street-style blogs? Do you prefer pictures where the object is posing, purposely looking at the camera? Are you a fan of Bill Cunningham’s work?

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend xx

Picture: Fashion Limbo

Goodbye Spring, hello Summer 2012

Since I’m “supposed” to be a fashion blogger, and fashion bloggers are “supposed” to be taking pictures of themselves all day, here is my humble compilation of some spring looks I will be leaving behind, since it’s now summer. I live in a hot-hot-hot and humid part of the world. Bidding farewell to layers and cardies, welcome ridiculous nigh time temperatures and lack of any refreshing gusts of air.

That moment when you walk into an H&M store, squeal and do a little jump, grab these booties and head to pay for them with a smile à la Cheshire cat – here paired with a vintage coral skirt scored at Brick Lane Bcn market

Another H&M find, this time from the Conscious Collection – yes, I’m a sucker for any “green” gimmick. In all honesty, more brands need to get behind initiatives like this one, so kudos to H&M for at least giving it a go. The dress is extremely comfortable to wear, fresh and makes for great summer festival wear.

Pictures in lifts – there must be a cool blogger term for this. In any case, wearing a very comfy albeit slightly warm COS skirt. Paired with some Sfera sandals.

My “Amy” ballerinas, reminiscent of the ones the sultry Winehouse made infamous – minus the bow, I spotted them, again at H&M – I’m noticing a scary trend here – and paired them here with my “Audrey” jeans. Yes, I give my clothes glamorous names, don’t all bloggers do that?

Vintage jewelery… yeah, I have nothing witty to say about this… – yes, I’m in shock too

Pull & Bear chinos and a Blanco cardie I stole – from my sister, not from the store you dirty minds. It originally belonged to my sister-in-law, but it’s now mine haha! The top is from H&M’s Conscious line – I told you I was a sucker.

The thing is that when temperatures begin to get really high I rarely fancy wearing anything apart from a bikini. Since it’s no suitable workwear, I shall be scouring the sales from lighter trousers, some sandals, and a couple of light dresses to take me all the way to autumn.

Is it hot where you are?

Pictures: Fashion Limbo

Two Barcelona artists you need to know about

Oh deary me, yes, it’s been a long time, but moving into a new city, a new flat, finding work etc… it’s actually a lot of work!! In any case, I’m writing a little this morning – ok, it’s midday already, there some uncomfirmed rumours I may have got home at 5 am last night, but alas, just some silly rumours – to tell you about a guy I met during my first weeks in Barna: the adorable Luca Lazzerini and his incredible talent. This guy is one fantastic artist, brought up and trained in sunny Florence, and now blessing Barcelona with his gorgeous craft.

Luca Lazzerini’s work can be seen at lucalazzerini.tumblr.com. These pictures were taken at a recent event promoting local creative talents at Gracia, one of Barcelona’s hippest neighbourhoods.

And through Luca, I’ve met some really lovely and interesting people, including Ibai Echeverria, another artist who works with canvases, fashion and even snowboard “thingys” … errr what’s the word? boards? Forgive my ignorence with winter sports, I really need to expand my horizons with regards to sports, I know. In any case, here are  just a few humble iPhone pictures to illustrate Ibai’s work. To see more of Ibai’s work click here.

Yesterday night I had an interesing conversation with Ibai on the subject of art selling. We both agreed that buying a piece of art is still seen as something only “the rich” would do. There needs to be a shift in the business side of art and perhaps a change in us as consumers. May be we should free our walls from mass-produced IKEA canvases and consider spending €100 or €200 on a fantastic piece of original art. Would you do so? Which got me thinking, can we really find decent art at those prices? And how much should art cost, specially during these economically troubled times?

Do let me know what you think and have a wonderful weekend.

Pictures: Fashion Limbo

David Koma A/W 2012 at London Fashion Week

It was a mild winter morning in London today. Anticipation in the air, a few “I’m on the list” here, some “do you have an invitation” there, Alexa Chung walking by,  and David Koma in the courtyard space at Somerset House. What more can I ask from my new life in the fashion capital?

The show’s notes mentioned “the slender elegance of the 1920’s and the minimal fashion detailing of the 1960’s”. The collection we saw today was about superb feminine shapes, celebrating tight waists and a love of peplum.

The start of the show had a lot of black and white, and a certain Victorian flavour. Masculine collars, tight and embellished with metallic details.

The colour injection was done through the use of
plums, dark blues and subtle dashes of green and gold.

I’m a fan of David Koma, but today’s presentation wasn’t my favourite. I loved how his vision moved him to recreate some
classic and sober lines that other designers seem to be neglecting. Sadly, from where I was, I didn’t get to see the footwear by Alain Quilici which, I heard, was quite something 😉

A special thank you to Modus PR for making this post possible.

Pictures: Fashion Limbo

Does Lana Del Rey deserve a Vogue cover?

I simply couldn’t help it. I saw the cover, I knew I had to buy British Vogue’s March issue. So, one could say that signing the hottest songstress of the moment was the right move. Personally, I’ve been obsessed with her melancholic voice, the David Lynch reminiscent tunes and the somewhat over dramatic, angsty lyrics since Video Games went viral late last year. However, does someone who many would class as the flavour of the month, deserve a Vogue cover?

Wearing Louis Vuitton, she does give good face

Maybe it’s a reflection of today’s concept of fame. Succesful artists need a fast number one, topping iTunes from the word “go”. Number 2 is reason enough to be dropped by a music label. Either you are extremely hot and the media is hungry for you, or you are the next best thing to be forgotten.

Lana Del Rey has so much mysticism surrounding her that we can only more or less guess how she got to be on the coveted British cover. She released her own viral clips last summer, her enigmatic Video Games and Blue Jeans videos going all over the planet before we even knew where she came from. While the world was becoming aware of the vampish looking girl behind the songs, her yet to be released debut record had already been dubbed “the album of the year”.

Having listened to her first album, Born To Die, I was happily surprised to discover she has more than just a few good songs. The cut giving title to the album is epic, so is the video. Other LP highlights are Off To The Races and National Anthem.

There is more to Lana Del Rey than her music. She has an appealing physique, which immediately prompted the press to speculate whether she has collagen enhanced lips. Her retro inspired style has produced countless online picture galleries, magazine features and fashion commentaries.

The thing is, shouldn’t a Vogue cover be reserved for top models? Shouldn’t a photo shoot by none other than Mario Testino be something only established celebrities get to do? With only a few weeks after the release of Born To Die, isn’t the world going slightly too fast that we are consecrating and dumping stars in the blink of an eye?

What do you think? Does Lana Del Rey deserve any glamorous magazine cover that will have her? Or is this cover just a reflection of how fickle this society we live in is?

Pictures: Vogue UK via Fashion Limbo

Madonna’s New Video – not her best, but a sure hit

It was only posted 44 minutes ago and it has already had over 5,500 shares in Facebook. It’s been plugged all over Belgian train stations, there were digital countdowns to the release at London’s bus stops. She has made the news in Spain, the US and everywhere else. It had to be no one else but Madonna.

Just a few days ago the image above was released as the cover for her Give Me All Your Luvin’ single, wearing a Markus Lupfer intarsia star jumper. On Sunday she will perform at the Super Bowl half time break. Today, she released the video for her new single, featuring M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj

My opinion on the song? I don’t love it, but I can see how Madonna mania will take over my existence – which is pretty sad I know – We are going to be singing this tune non-stop. With an insanely catchy chorus it’s not Madonna’s best. As a long time fan I was expecting more. However, truly and honestly, after watching the video once, I immediately wanted to watch it again. It’s very entertaining, and I must admit that the Minaj and M.I.A. bridges are pretty good.

For this new album, named MDNA, she is collaborating with William Orbit who produced the stunning Ray of Light, so we can at least expect a return to the guitar action – and some dance-floor-anthem beats via this album preview megamix – . The rest of the LP has, amongst other highlights, Martin Solveig, more M.I.A. and song titles like I’m A Sinner, Falling Free and the Golden Globe winner Masterpiece.

Now back to you? What do you think? Has Madonna lost the plot completely or is she doing what she does best: conquer the charts? Will you be dancing to this?

Picture: Madonna

UPDATE 1: her Facebook share count has gone past the 7,000 8,600 mark

UPDATE 2: I have now watched the video 4 times – somebody take the computer away from me-

UPDATE 3: I may have or may have not  professed my unconditional luvin’ to her 😉

What I Bought – vintage satchel

Ain’t nothing wrong with being a bag lady…that’s the message I got from ASOS Marketplace when I bagged this beauty.
Happy days. Buying vintage is not only fun, it’s kind to the planet and a great way of owning something truly unique.

I needed an everyday bag. Something pretty yet practical enough to carry my iPhone, my Alice in Wonderland notebook, my wallet, lip balm…need I go on? We all know how much we end up dragging around. I saw this chocolate brown satchel and it simply had to be mine. With plenty of pockets, zipped compartments and a comfy shoulder strap, this bag is going to be used a lot.

Obviously, I love it. The question is, how about you? Do you have a satchel? What type of bag do you favour?

Picture: Fashion Limbo

How to wear trainers the smart way

I’ve said it before and I shall say it again: I love men’s shoes. And for that reason, I like to feature them in my site now and again. Sometimes I model them for you, but on other occasions, such as the present, I grab one of the stylish men I know, and coerce him into doing an outfit post for me.

So here we are, one of said stylish friends rocking a pair of Redskins trainers.

I think the jacket is from Zara,
the shirt could be from Adolfo Dominguez as I’ve heard he has a penchant for that brand
Shoes: Redskins courtesy of Spartoo

My friend tells me they are extremely comfortable and easy to wear with almost everything in his wardrobe, as he favours a certain casual chic style. I particularly like how they have been paired with some straight cut jeans, although he really needs to tell me where he got them  – seriously, these stylish men are very photogenic, but how sketchy are they on the details?! – These trainers can be also worn with some grey trousers, maybe even tweed, of the casual kind.

I simply love brown trainers. However, I only like them when they’ve been made for guys. Yes, I’m a tad strange. Rumour has it I once walked into the men’s section of a Pull & Bear, saw a pair I liked, asked for my size – fortunately I have big feet so I can fit into their smaller models – and bought them straight away. But that, my friends, is just a rumour.

How about you? Any strange shopping tendencies?

Picture: Fashion Limbo (by N & J)