Happy New Year

As 2010 comes to an end, it is time to reflect upon the year that has passed, and point out the direction for the next year. 

2010 was quite an eventful year for me, of which I am not going to bore you with the details of; engagement, MSc degree and a vast amount of travelling to mention some. And I am pretty sure 2011 will be a hurricane of ups and downs and wonderful, wonderful...fashion?

I am not very big on new years resolutions, as I live in the firm belief that most new years resolutions will eventually fail, most likely before the end of January. How many times have you not promised yourself that "this year I am going to go to the gym every day", "loose a kilo or so", " do something good for humanity" or the worst of them all (as it is bound to fail even quicker than the rest of the lot) "not spend as much money". I promise you, by the time the January sale is over, you have spent more than you did the last six months combined.

Failed new years resolutions can spiral into a year of bad conscience, and who would really wish that upon themselves? In my opinion, girls have enough bad conscience as it is, be it for cakes (that we should not have eaten), friends (we should have prioritised) or work/ school (we should have done).

Last year I dealt with the stress of starting fresh and a new year to provide myself with more achieveable goals; wear more nailpolish and be better at using big earrings. Extremely achieveable, and I can proudly (well-well) say that I did, for once, manage to keep my resolutions.

This year, I am taking a step out of the vain-ness that were 2010, and are aiming a little bit higher. I do not promise to spend less money shopping - after all, some of us needs to keep the economy going. However, I do promise to shop smarter. I take the lead from Italy and are banning all plastic bags from my shopping routine in 2011. As Tesco says "every little helps", and in 2011 I will do my toll for the environment. 

I will encourage, or perhaps challenge, you to do the same.

So have a Happy New Year everyone! Join me and shop smarter in 2011. Do you have any ideas to bring som eco into chic, send me an e-mail and I will follow up the best ideas. You might be the one who comes up with the next big idea, that just might make shopping into a greener and leaner experience for all of us, including the planet.

How to survive the Christmas season in style...

I have countless times been extremely grateful that digital cameras, Facebook and Youtube did not exist when I grew up. The reason? It is a blissful thing to be young and be able to commit your own mistakes without getting it all out on the internet. 

Nowadays, it is seemingly a competition to be the first one to post party pictures after a night out with the girls / the Christmas party etc. and lets be honest, not all of those pictures are well thought through. It might seem as a great idea in the spur of post-party happiness to post the picture of you and your friend in whats can only be described as minimal outfits, kissing various boys or showing off a bit too much underwear. It is a little bit like "let's show the world how fun and cool our gang is!". However, I do not think that most (young?) people today get the fact that once it is on the internet, it is on the internet. It doesnt matter if you have a closed Facebook profile (your 500 friends can still see and copy your pictures). So what if you look great showing off your underwear at 16? Your future boss will still be able to find those pictures when you apply for your dream - and oh so serious - job when you are 32. Conclusion: not so cool anymore.

I do realise that I sound like old aunt Mabel right now, and I am very, very sorry for that. I am certainly pro having fun with your friends in the holiday season. However, I think some ground rules needs to be established. I cannot, and you cannot, deny people to take pictures and bringing their cameras or cell-phones to the festivities. But with a little bit of preperation, you should be able to avoid a Facebook/ Youtube nightmare the 1st of January. Regardless, I suggest a vast amount of untagging of Facebook pictures that already exist....

10 steps to survive the Christmas in style:

1. The obvious one: do not get too drunk. A glass of water now and then has never hurt anyone.

2. When wearing short dresses, skip the g-string and wear a full coverage hotpants /hipsters (be inspired of the girls in "Stricly come dancing/ Skal vi danse").

3. Black tights instead of sheer see through ones are a life-saver. I am actually close to saying that black full tights look better during the Christmas season anyway. + it keeps your legs a bit warmer ( no flu = more party for you).

5. Cleavage might be in, but nipples on Facebook are'nt. There is actually no excuse for showing off your front parts anymore. H&M sells great strapless bra's (same series as the ultimate push-up bra), boob-tape actually works, and you can even use a special tape (H&M, Anne Summers etc.) to tape ypur clothes to your body so they does'nt slip. Easy, invisible and widely used in Hollywood.

6. If your dress is made of something lycra'ish and is tight it will most probable slip up your body. I suggest to get rid of the dress and give it to the hookers charity, or use it as a tunic instead. Another opportunity is to use a good quality underwear-dress beneath to avoid slipping. Dresses around waists seldom look good on the dancefloor.

7. Shoes, shoes, shoes. Planning to wear those several inch Loboutins on ice? Are you sure? Not only can you crack your head (been there done that), but it is a fair chance that your fall will look extremely silly in the process. Manageable heels makes the evening so much more fun. In addition, you can by anti-slip soles to tape under your shoes at Bianco - highly recommended.

8. Nothing looks as silly as a girl, blue by the cold in a minidress with no jacket. Be sensible girls. No party is worth getting seriously ill for, and there is SO many nice jackets out there. (This point is especially directed to English girls, who seemingly is unable to put on a jacket even when dying of cold).

9. Waterproof mascara might be a good idea when snowing. Just saying.

10. At last, but not the least, please try to remember that less is still more. You do not need to look like a Christmas ornament, even though it is Christmas. A little bit of bling is nice, but there's no need to outshine the Christmas three. This tip might not help you avoid embarrassing situations on Youtube and Facebook, but you will thank me when you in ten  years time tries to find a nice old Chrismas picture, and you luckily does'nt look like Santa, his elfs and Katie Price combined.

So, with these words of warning, please have a happy, happy holiday, safely knowing that you will be able to meet January, with a little bit of dignity still intact. Cheers!

Big mistake. Huge..

I presume everyone remembers Julia Roberts famous quote from "Pretty Woman" : "Big mistake, Huge". She have just returned to the store where the snooty shop assistant earlier in the movie refused to help her, due to a presumed lack of money and style. Julia reenters with designer bags, looking like a million dollars, and make everone who has ever experienced a judgemental shop assistant feel very proud.

I was told once that you do not decide what you want to become when you grow up, you decide who you want to be like. As such, when I was little, I wanted to become a shop assistant. In my eyes they had all the power in the world, they were always nicely dressed, they smelled of the best perfume, and their make-up was always immaculate.

At 18 I became a shopping assistant in a boutique tres chic, and I quickly learned that all I thought I knew about being a shop assistant was wrong. I did not have all the power - the customers did.

The customers had all the money, the customers could come and go as they pleased, and if I treated them with just a tad of arrogance, they would most likely never come back.

Sadly, I do not believe that all girls and women (or boys for that matter) working the shop floors, have gained the same insight as I did.

Let's face it. There is some pretty bad service going on out there.

Let me give you some examples, and hollar if you hear me:

Example 1.  I enter a store, there are no customers in the store, but approximately 3 or 4 employees chattering away by the till. I am browsing around for about 10-15 minutes, noone even looks at me once. I enter the dressing room and realise I need another size. Bummer. Noone askes me if I need any help. I leave the store, noone as much as glances in my direction as I am walking out. Am I invisible?

Example 2. I enter a store. A pretty expensive one. My salary is just in and I am ready to burn some serious money. However, I am coming straight from a class and are wearing jeans, a pretty normal jacket, sneakers and have my computer in my bagpack. Perhaps I get a hi, perhaps not. But noone offers to help me, and the thing is, I like to be offered help when I am shopping for expensive stuff. It just comforts me a bit to just have been asked. I will most likely decline, but I would enjoy the courtesy of being asked. But noone asks me or offers to help. Then, a lady enters the store. She is wearing designer head to toe, and oozes of Chanel no.5. The whole flock of employees gather around her like a little bunch of personal assistants. I find a jacket I want to buy and try to ask if they have got my size. When finally being able top draw some attention to myself, they look me up and down, their heads sizzling "do'nt she know the prize...silly little girl". Turns out they do not have it. And they do not suggest any further options, and I leave. The Chanel no.5 lady leaves too, in her hand, not with  a  full shopping bag, but a free gift and an invitation to a special customers night. 

I have come to realise, that if I want service, I need to dress up, put on my war make-up and strap on my Mulberry bag. Another choice is to bring the man in the house and force him to wave around his AmEx while I am prancing around being the most arrogant I can be.

During my years in the service industry I learned that no matter what people are wearing, no matter how their hair looks like, and regardless of age, they are your customer. And customers are king. Without customers you would be pretty bored at the best and out of business at the worst. I learned that the most unlikely people, entering the store in dirty trainers smelling like they just came out from the barn, might end up shopping for more than I usually sell during a whole day or week.

There are just too many people in the service business that has forgotten why they are there in the first place - to give a service. And I am sorry to tell you this, but in today's environment, with all the choices customers are given - you will not get very far if you do not provide an excellent service (if you have'nt got it by now, this post are referring to rather luxurious or high end stores).

You have to compete on either service or price, and if you can't compete on neither - you are out of business in no time.

But hey, there are exeptions. I was visiting Bergen last weekend and I had a really good shopping experience at a store at Galleriet. I cannot remember the name of the store, but i know I am definitely going back. All it took was a hello, a smile, and a "are you looking for something special today?".

See how easy it is. Now, go out and practice.

Green & Black

Kate Moss - rocking green & black.

Colours can be tricky, and this season, we are all choosing nudes. However, I have had a soft spot for green ever since I saw my first flower, and black is,as we all learned from Coco, a girls secoond best friend. I love this look on Kate Moss, and have duly noted that a green tie/scarf might not be such as stupid thing after all. And hats are as always ultra chic. I am going shopping. Are you?

Celine Engelstad

"Origin" from Celine Engelstad.

Oh, don't you worry. I know these necklaces have been seen on everything from Paris Hilton (did you know she have Norwegian ancestors?) to Norwegian football players (they like to splurge like Beckham). And yes, I know that over exposure is one of the most desvastating things for a brand that are trying to appear as niche and exclusive.

However, I truly love the Origin necklace from Celine Engelstad, and my biggest frustration is that I cannot decide whether I want it in silver or gold. But I do think the gold one would work wonderfully with this years camel and tobacco. A tad nationalistic wearing a map of Norway around my neck? Well, perhaps. We Norwegians are after all awfully proud of our country (you know...we have fish and stuff). And you have to admit, it works very well as a necklace, slender and elegant as the country is.

It may just be that I am a bit homesick, but either way, I think miss Engelstad is on to something.

Want to see more? Check out: http://www.celineengelstad.no/en

Blake Lively

Are you as excited as I am about the new season of Gossip Girl? And do we still love the stylist? Of course you are, and of course we do. If not for the entertainment part of it, the fashion makes Gossip Girl a must-see show. I get that it might not be too hard to look gorgeous with your own stylist on speed dial. However, I still think Blake Lively deserves some recognition for her fabolousness. Here Miss Lively is rocking two trends in one, sheepskin and  the cape. Yup, a cape in sheepskin equals ultra hot. It is just not fair, good genes and a wonderful sense of fashion? I am just hoping that she sometimes has bad hair days (but of course, she probably have a hairdresser on speed dial as well)...

By the way, have you remembered to follow me on Twitter? Follow the link: https://twitter.com/stylebyelisabet

My autumn 2010 buys.

I have invested in the Coco Rouge lipstick, colour "Mademoiselle", with a matching lipliner. As worn on the picture above.

As the seasons changes, so does the trends, and subsequently our needs and wants. The fall is often the season that are cruelest on  the wallets, as the choice of desireable woollen garments and gorgeous leather boots are seemingly unlimited. In addition,when your wardrobe changes with the seasons, why should'nt your make-up as well? Research has shown that your skin has different needs throughout the year, and noone could argue on the fact that shades that may look good on sunkissed skin not necessarily go just as well with a winter pale complexion.

So what does people buy when the memory of the summer sun fades away, and months of rain and wind commence? Well, I cannot speak for all of you, but here is my a/w 2010 buys. I have invested in Chanel make-up in sober shades, high quality garments from Malene Birger, Tiger of Sweden and Bruuns Bazaar, and of course some minor treats here and there. Consider this as a sneek peek into how I interprete the a/w 2010 style in a more affordable way. Who said a blouse from Malene Birger could not be just as good as one from Chloé?

The Ombres Contraste duo from Chanel...

...which I bought in the shade of taupe délicat.

Chanel nailpolish in Khaki Brun.

The Lagassi blouse from By Malene Birger caught mye eye at Høyer in Oslo. Notice the semi padded, yet subtle, shoulder details.

I have been a fan of the By Malene Birger tank tops for some years, and have it in several colours. The one in nude went perfectly with the Lagassi blouse.

Recognise the Yla jumper from Tiger of Sweden from list of wants? Well, it did end up in my closet after all.

 

The Phoebe trouser from Tiger of Sweden in blue/grey is my tapered grown up trouser. It is supposed to be ankle length, but since I am quite petite, they are (regretably) full length on me. 

In addition I have aquired a deep, deep purple/black nail polish,"Night Flight", from Rimmel Pro, and a minty, light blue nailpolish from Mint (look at the nails of the ladies in the recent DKNY commercial and you know which colour it is). So if nothing else, my nails are going to look splendid this fall.

What are your a/w 2010 buys?

Its a want, not a need..

Chanel's Khaki collection - Brun, Vert & Rose.

Christmas is just around the corner, at least according to the shops here in the UK, where Christmas decorations have been spotted in the windows since the 1st of October. Perhaps a bit premature in my opinion, but I am in no place to doubt the judgement of the John Lewis partnership. If Knight & Lee and Waitrose says its Christmas time, it certainly is. So its only fair to start creating this years list of wants to ease the pain for your loved ones. I am proactive as always, and have duly updated my list of wants. Check it out if  interested.

Are you in doubt about what to wish for this Christmas? Except for world peace and eternal love, I will recommend Chanel's Khaki collection of nail polishes. I have already invested in the Khaki Brun one, but I would not be too disappointed if I found the Rose and Vert under the Christmas tree as well. Delicious colours, high quality and perfect with this years camel. Need I say more?

By Malene Birger

Blouse from By Malene Birger at Nelly.com.

I have always had a weakness for shirts and blouses, and a huge favourite of mine in that regard has for a long time been By Malene Birger (yes, I know I have mentioned her before). Feminine soft fabrics, lucious details, a mix of cute and rough. I love the edgy, yet romantic look created by this Danish designer. In my opinion, By Malene Birger has never looked better than it does this fall. Sober and elegant, in all the right colour shades.

In the UK you can find By Malene Birger at Selfridges, and the brand has resently opened a new flagship store near Marylebone. By Marlene Birger can also be purchased at Nelly.com, to what I might add, is pretty good prices (Scandinavia, Germany and the Netherlands). Follow the banner below, and click your way through the fall collection. Enjoy!

Harrods - sheer indulgence...

You enjoy some luxury don't you? Of course you do. 

Every girl likes to indulge herself in some luxury once in a while. After all, Loreal has taught us that we deserve it - Pasque je le vaux bien. I must admit that I have a soft spot for those indulgent things, such as chocolate, freshly brewed Italian coffee, an exquisite red wine, French macaroons in pastel colours, shoes (or Choo's if you like), leather hand bags and fashion, fashion, fashion. I do not even think I can blame the Loreal commercials, my hang for nice things started way before Penelope Cruz and Claudia Schiffer started swishing their hair on TV. 

No wonder I loved Harrods. Harrods was one of the places highest on my "have to visit while living in the UK" list. However, the months has gone by, and months turned into a year, and suddenly I have less than two months left on this wet&windy island...And still, no Harrods for me. So the tension and excitement was through the roof when I finally visited the promised land last weekend. I entered the Egyptian hall and I was mesmerized. It was like landing in the middle of a big, big, bottomless candy jar, the candy being made by Celiné, Chloé and Mulberry. I spent 15 minutes alone staring at the Alexa (needless to say, the man of the house which were my escort for the day, was not that pleased - he wanted to move on to the food hall). 

Mr. al Fayed surely knows how to bring luxury and style to the people. However, I do think that the life like Madame Tussaud wax doll of him near by the LV for men counter, was a bit creepy (and a bit..eh...to much?).  But surely, the words "too much" does not exist at Harrods. And I was a happy little lobster prancing around there for a couple of hours. Wishing that I magically would be able to afford a teensy weensy bit of the items I encountered. 

So what kind of people do you find at Harrods? Oh, people like me, just window shopping, Asian rich girls dressed like the Ralph Lauren ski bunnies (so cool though), loads of Russians (they are the kings and queens of opulent luxury) and Italian primadonna's (and here I refer to both men and women). I think I have never seen as much chest hair in my whole life as I did in the D&G for men corner. Ok, you've got money and are fashionable, but does that mean that you are no longer obliged to button up your shirt in public? 

Leopard print tights at D&G, and purple latex and plastic dresses at Versace aside, I loved Harrods. And yes, I will go there again. And hopefully buy something.

Chloé - trés chic..

There is nothing wrong with simplicity, and I simply love the Chloé a/w 2010 ad campaign. It channels such a sober elegance and timeless beauty. Next to the Chloé girl, even the most chic mademoiselle fades away. The Chloé girl is someone you really would love to grow up to be. Ethereal, classy and spotless. Camel and nude is, as stated over and over again, trés important in the world of fashion this fall, so chitchat aside - My blog goes camel this October. When letting Chloé inspire, its nothing less than a blog feng shui.

"A girl is just as hot as the shoes she choose..."

"I need some new stiletto's, can't walk down the street in those. You are what you wear, it's true. A girl is only as hot as the shoes she choose.." Fashion - Lady Gaga.

Classic Christian Louboutin's.

Quoting Lady Gaga is not a thing I usually would do, however, the girl have got a point. Shoes are indeed important to us girls.

To give you an example: I have a friend who were close to tears last week because she hated her shoes so much (new, perfectly nice ones from Topshop), I met her some days later, and she was happy as a bird again because she had been shopping some nice boots to replace the old (relatively new) ones. I suspect that the pattern will repeat itself next month. And I also suspect that the shoes was not the real problem either. Girls put some pretty interesting virtues into their shoes and clothes,e.g you have sweaters who can cure heartache, killer heels that rise your self esteem ten notches, and jeans who make all the suffering in the world go away.

Shopping has always been sort of an therapy for women, and shoes has perhaps been the most therapeutical shopping treatment of them all. You can not go wrong with shoes. As pointed out in the Cameron Diaz movie "In her shoes" ; shoes fits no matter what. It does not matter if you had a big dinner, or if you unfortunately gained some weight during Christmas.

I know girls who are the happy owners of over 300 pairs of shoes. And you know what? They still do not have enough of them.

That said, here is some of my favourites this autumn. And yes, I know the shoes I have chosen is of the crazily expensive kind, but just regard it as insipiration. If Lady Gaga is right, these shoes would indeed make the owner very hot...

The Over Knee's

See by Chloe - Over knee boots.

Camilla Skovgaard - Suede over knee boots.

The Boots

See by Chloe - Laced up wedges.

MiuMiu - Motorcycle boots (brown).

Camilla Skovgaard - Grey elephant style ankle boots.

Christian Louboutin.

The Party shoes

Jimmy Choo - Faxon mixed material ankle boot.

Camilla Skovgaard - Brown strappy ankle boots.

The Everyday Sneakers

Jimmy Choo - Patent/ leather sneakers.

New York, London, Milan , Paris s/s 2011

Marc Jacobs ss 2011 Resort Collection.

Just as we start to figure out the a/w 2010 must haves, the fast moving world of fashion is allready miles ahead of us. The autumn has not yet begun, but the fall fashion is soon becoming yesterday news, as the s/s 2011 is stealing all the glamour. The everchanging world of fashion sometimes can make you feel like you have hit the shuffle button a bit too many times. Living in the present is by far not the correct thing to do, as everything is about whats going to happen in the future (that is repeating the past in fashion curricula, e.g we are doing the 50's right now).

LFW is coming to an end, and the fashion royalty has fled to Milan to check out the Italian fashion week. New York opened the circus, and Paris is going to finnish it.

Are you one of the happy few who are going to the London Fashion Weekend? LFWeekend is an event open to us commoners, which allows us, by a fee of course, to shop designer items at reduced prices, zip champagne, and enjoy a 30 minute runway show. After the fashion royalty has gorged in fashion for days, it is finally your turn to enjoy the glamour, and it really makes you feel like you are a part of the fashionista gang. I am sad to say though that I am not going this year, as my agenda is a bit too packed. However, I promise to shop double quota next year.

So what trends are we looking at for s/s 2011? From what I have seen it is a mixture of patterns and colours, and I suspect that after this seasons classy and pure look it will lean towards two directions. Some will choose to continue with that purity, other will try to "fun" it up and give the coming summer a real attitude.

It was snakeskin, silver and studs at Burberry Prorsum, all black/white and monochrome at John Rocha and florals, butterflies and Art Nouveau inspired at Erdem.

My personal favourite so far was the Marc Jacobs New York show.

He had made a wonderful collection oozing of 70's glam and disco, where colours such as fuchsia, pink and purple played a leading role. Think oversized sunglasses, big hats and the sort of style and glamour that sends your thoughts dreamily away to the French Riviera. The garments consisted of silk and organza, and spanned from the shiny heavy dresses to supersoft floating veils. I loved it.

Marc Jacobs ss2011 Resort Collection.

I am considering ways to incorporate the look into my now so outdated summer wardrobe (bye,bye nautical stripes) and the tickets for Cannes in July are allready booked. I do wonder though, is pink the new black next season?

But you know what? It is so much nicer to live in the present, so pink aside, lets enjoy the autumn fashion for a little bit longer. We will have enough time to drowl over the spring look in February, while the fashion royalty is moving on to a/w 2011.

Inside Stacey's Closet...

My very fashionable friend Stacey agreed to open up her closet for me, and I got a sneak peak into how she is planning to rock the a/w 2010 look. Stacey opts for a trench in a darker shade, and rolled up grown up trousers. Stacey describes her style as casual, fuss-free, and a bit girlie. Her style icon is Jennifer Aniston, so "anything Jennifer Aniston would wear, I would wear" Stacey laughs. Stacey goes on telling me that "This autumn I will wear darker colours, like dark green and earthy shades, in addition to the occasional whites. I like high street brands. Because as a student I don't like splurging money I don't have. My favourite brands on the high street are H&M and Topshop, and Uniqlo does great trousers. When I can afford it, I am definitely hitting the Miu Miu and Mulberry stores. And I am definitely getting a bag from Bottega Veneta. My favourite brand for men is Ermenegildo Zegna. When I was seventeen, a boy bought a Ermenegildo Zegna coat for himself for my prom, so I could look at it, just because he knew I liked it. I really hoped he would take it off though, but that didn't happen..".

Dress-Dorothy Perkins, wedges-H&M.

Trench-Gap, top & wedges-H&M, trousers-Uniqlo, necklace-Dorothy Perkins.

Dress- Miss Selfridges, watch - from Milan.

Thank you Stacey, I hope You will get that Bottega Veneta bag very soon (or else I will..).

Check out that Tweet..

The world is as always evolving, and suddenly I am on Twitter. Noone is more surpised than I am, I can promise you that. Anywho... Follow me on https://twitter.com/stylebyelisabet

Fancy is'nt it?

Style Icons

Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

I have a thing for nail polish, and I love to try new, radiant colours. But those times I would like to try an entirley different look, or try a colour I feel that might could be a bit courageus for me, I always buy Chanel. Because noone can criticise Chanel, hence, noone can criticise my nails.

I was 18, at work in the shop, trying on a pair of Versace jeans for the first time, when the lady that owned the shop asked me if I liked the jeans. Inexperienced as I was, thinking that my opinion mattered, I replied that I did not like the length and that noone could possibly be that tall.

The fashion guru then frowned her brows and told me " who are you to say anything about Versace?".

That was the time I learned that you do not criticise fashion geniuses, you just nod, and try to replicate them.Intriguing is'nt it?

Coco Chanel

Everyone has a style icon. Someone that they think have the most faboulous style, and that they get inspired by looking at. You have the classical style icons, like Audrey Hepburn,Grace Kelly and Coco herself, and you have the more recent ones, like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Sienna Miller, Alexa Chung and Chole Sevigny. Whatever suits you taste. Girls find pride in having their own style. But the question that could be asked is; does anyone have a style of their own anymore? My answer is no, you do not. When you wear those Mango shoes and that H&M dress, you do not do a new and groundbreaking thing. You just replicate. To judge who is best dressed and who has a gorgeus style, the question is rather who is the best at replicating what they have seen in the fashion magazines. There is nothing wrong with that. I think it is great that girls are interested in fashion, and that they try new combinations and shop the things they think is beautiful. As long as they do not think they are doing something completely new. You get your inspiration from somewhere, perhaps even the windows at the nearest Zara. We normal, mortal girls do not make the trends, we just wear them.

Coco Chanel, stylish as ever.

However, there are individuals that do break barriers and change fashion forever. And it was not until recently that I knew how much Coco Chanel actually did. I watched the gorgeus movie "Coco before Chanel" (highly recommended) and I felt a teardrop in my eye at the end of the movie when we could see her first collection. Knowing that at Coco's time, the women was wearing long, magnificent, extragavant dresses, big hats which made it almost impossible for them to turn their heads in a normal manner (or even think in Coco's eyes), jewellery, bows and rosettes and all this other extra "topping", they all looked like giant wedding cakes - it makes it more fantastic to think about Coco's style. It was so simple, but oh so elegant, and oh so groundbreaking and extraordinary. Her little signature suit, her love for black, and the way she made fashion easy to wear. Before Coco, women actually could spend up to two hours getting dressed, and they even needed help to do that. We owe Coco Chanel so much fashionwise, but most of us do not really know it. We just go on browsing the fashion magasines, not knowing that it was Coco that had the nautical stripes for the first time, and that most of her stuff would look perfectly sane and elegant on the street today. That is what I call timeless elegance.

Grace Kelly.

Another woman that has sculpted our view of fashion is the always beautiful Audrey Hepburn, and I have yet to meet a girl who has seen "Breakfast at Tiffany's" without feeling inspired. We still love her big sunglasses, her elegant lines, and her fantastic headband from the window scene. Grace Kelly unfortunately died way too young, but she managed to marry Rainier of Monaco, and also create a new standard for Hollowood glamour.

It is important to know who influences you, and who you get inspiration from. Those days you do not know what to wear, think "what would she wear", and perhaps you will have the best fashion moment ever that day.

As for myself, I get inspiration from everywhere. Women on the street, advertisements, movies, to mention some. However, I am aware of that I do not have the most exciting style. I love a good pair of jeans, some layers of t-shirts and cardigans, a big scarf and I am good to go. I love the notion of that you can look ok without putting too much effort into it. Just look at Jennifer Aniston. Her simple dresses on the red carpet, her jeans and effortless, but always right on the spot, style when private. She never wears too much make-up, she always has casually perfect hair.She reminds me of the commercial made for Jaguar some time ago which said:

"Gorgeus make effort look effortless".

I love fashion, and I know that some of it is thanks to all those fantastic women and men that have created the historic fashion moments we all remember. And as I have learned and grown older, I feel secure enough to actually mean something about the creations and looks I see presented on Catwalks or in stores.

But I will never criticise Coco Chanel.

Who are your style icon?

(And yes, as some of you might have noticed, this is a "recycled" post, which I have posted before. Reason for me doing this? My camera is broken, and I am in the middle of a dissertation. But I promise it will never happen again. Ever.)

Walk-in closet..

I have a dream...and this is how that dream looks like. Enough said.

British Fashion - is that a belt or a dress?

I am tempted to quote an old Shania Twain classic: "That don't impress me much". Now, do not get me wrong. This post is not about British designers, they actually do impress me, over and over again. I love Stella, McQueen (may he rest in peace) and the whole lot. I really do. No, this post is about how British people really dress, and in particular, the British girls - the young English roses.

As a Norwegian who for most of my youth was living in a pretty small city, situated between forests and farms, the fashion options was somewhat scarce. Later, living in Oslo, I experienced the "big city" aura, and found a broader shopping arena. Most girls in Norway dresses pretty nice (but believe me, there are exeptions). However, if you dress badly in Norway, or boring even, you actually have an excuse - the options are indeed limited, and the Jante law (you are not supposed to believe you are better, or anything different than anybody else) has a pretty firm grip on society, whether we acknowledge it or not.

But the British girls on the other hand, they have no excuse. They are surrounded with high street stores like Topshop and New Look, which all do a pretty good job copying the catwalk looks (often before the looks has even reached the designer stores). In addition, fashion comes cheaply (something I don't necessarily endorse), and I hate myself for saying this - even Primark sometimes can make something look rather decent ( again, I will never, ever shop there - it is a matter of sticking to my beliefs). So I hope I have made my case clear : The British girls has no excuse if they dress badly, they are surrounded with fashion, and it is indeed affordable. So how come so many of them look like they do not have a mirror(or abest friend to say "no-no") at home?

In my opinion it is a courtesy towards the people around you to try to look nice.

So does the British girls lack respect towards others? If you have never been to the UK, you probably do not know what I am talking about. And if you do live in the UK (and you are British), you are probably a bit offended by now. However, it is not my intention to offend (many of you look very nice), but I do intend to explain how some of the British girls have created a bad fashion reputation, making innocent stylish British girls suffer (or follow due to bad taste - as stated in an earlier post - bad taste is rather sticky and contagious).

For me what young girls in the UK wears and their fashion sense, can be placed in three main categories:

1. Amy Winehouse look-alikes (I never thought she could be a role model until I moved to the UK, but surprisingly she is). These girls wear way too much eye make up, their clothes are dark and often a bit shredded. They tend to be either a bit too fat or too skinny, but they never dress to their shape. Above all, they love high hair and false eyelashes. Their killer heels are sky high, and that often lead to very bad bruises after a night out. Bambi on ice.

2. Jordan wannabes( also known as Katie Price followers). Their dresses look more like big belts than actual dresses, they just LOVE to show off their panties. Every weekend they run off to the beauty saloon and get a refill of Fake-Bake and extensions, and then they run off happily to the club with their orange skin, showing off everything nature has given them, and drink themselves silly drunk while singing girl power classics.

3. Kate Moss/Agyness Deyn overachievers. They are too cool to be cool. These girls probably have the best taste, but they just don't know when to stop. They have chosen classy role models, but they pursue their look in a very unclassy way. They stack up on everything that is fashionable at the moment, they mix and match things that should never be mixed and matched- just because they can't choose which style to pursue. They want it all, and they end up looking like cheap wannabe's, and indeed, they love the belt/dress as well. All those mentioned above do actually. (Worth noticing: the real Kate and Agyness rocks though - FFL-Fashionista For Life).

Let me explain the belt/dress. It is those dresses that make you think "Is it a belt or a dress?Belt?Dress?Belt?Dress?I reeeaaaally can't decide...". They are often seen on supermodels, and lately the style has caught on like a bad flu (some few lucky chicks pull it off with style, and their dignity intact). But I have never been anywhere where the phenomenon has been as widespread as in the UK. The girls wear them in stormy weather, in snow, and in sunshine. They wear them regardless of weight, skintone and blemishes. Needless to say, sometimes it looks rather awful and trashy ( two words : stuffed turkey).

I have a very fabolous French friend who describe the style of the British as:

"They do not understand the art of suggestion".

What do my French friend mean? Well, while French girls is known for being (mostly) classy, the British girls really like to flaunt it. They don't let their clothes suggest whats underneath, they let the lack of clothes show what's underneath instead. Not always a good choice, and if you ask the British boys (nice young chaps), they will answer that showing it all off, makes you rather uninteresting and boring.

I could probably say a lot more about the clothing worn by a lot of British girls, and perhaps someday I will as well. However,my goal is not to trash a nations style. My goal is rather to guide you away from pitfalls that are pretty easy to avoid if you know about them.

So, here is my list of the top 10 things to avoid, if you do not want to fall into one of my three categories of british girls:

#1 If you are not sure if you are wearing a dress or a belt, it is always a belt. Always.

#2 If your heels are too high to walk in sober, you will not become any better at walking in them after a bottle of wine.

# 3 There is such a thing as too much animal print. Enough said.

# 4 If you wear a short dress, wear hotpants and forget about the g-string ( it is out of fashion anyway).

# 5 If you can't button up the top button in your trousers, they are probably too small, or you should stop eating chips all the time. (Chips is not a vegetable, and will never, ever be healthy, even though the british seems to think it is).

#6 If your lashes are too heavy to open your eyes, you have probably exaggerated on the lash extensions.

# 7 If your hair make you look like Barbie, that's how you are going to get treated as well.

# 8 Fake bake(the english term for spray tan) usually make you look like a citrus fruit. Never do it the same night as you are going out, and some should never do it at all.

# 9 If your boobs is almost falling out of the dress when you are home, they will definitely be falling out when you are hopping around in the club. Wear something else and give the dress to charity.

# 10 And for Christ sake, loose those UGG's during summer. No way it is comfortable in + 30 degrees celsius, and stylewise , it is so 2000&late...