This is kind of my badass, I-can-take-on-a-rainy-day-in-the-Windy-City ensemble for the dreary doldrums of October. Kind of makes me feel like I can kick ass, kind of makes me strut.

I know part of the point of this blog is to share where I got things, spread the word, but this navy sateen trench is like my secret fashion guilty pleasure. I’ve gotten so many compliments on it that I’m almost ashamed to admit where it came from. So I’m not sure I will just yet… I may have to maintain some sort of standards. For now!

In any case, I love the look of it. The coat also came in gold, but I am a serious fan of navy as a neutral and as an alternative to black. There is at least some kick to it, y’know?  A little punch. Especially in a trench that has some sheen to it. Also don’t forget to belt it at the waist (or simply tie it, as I’ve done – cuz I’m lazy, er, uh… cuz I’m very busy and important and cannot be bothered with such balderdash as belt loops). You wanna cinch that baby tight to create a great shape.

The burgundy leather boots – for a time proud the proud subject of my “most beautiful thing I have ever owned” decree – are by John Fluevog. I wish you could see the detail here. [Again, apologies. Just trying to get an archive up for when I 'officially launch' this blog. Will hopefully have better pictures - and better quality thanks to a new camera - in the coming weeks/months.] The bottom has scalloped black and burgundy stripes on the wedge, and they lace up – with black velvet ties – in the back.

(Oh and by the way, the umbrella is one of the Hayden-Harnett for Target pieces, and it is AMAZING. I may also have a couple of the H-H purses in this same pattern… ahem.)

Under the jacket was this:

Just another cottony dress. This one is knit up top with a bit of a cowl-neck sweater look. I also like the little cap sleeves. Paired with tights and a bold pendant (gold chain, green stone – maybe malachite? – from Macy’s). Once again this could be bordering on too short on me, but fer cryin’ out loud, what’s a taller gal to do when everything is cut so short right now? Not all of us are 5′2″! And some of us would like to SIT DOWN when we wear a dress! Citizens for Lowering Hemlines Unite! Who’s with me?

*crickets*

Yeah yeah, that’s what I thought! However I also still like to abide by that old school-days rule of “If you put your hands to your side, and your skirt or shorts is above the tip of your fingers, it’s TOO SHORT.” So by that rule, I’m still totally ok!

Μια φωτογραφική συλλογή από τη BURBERRY που αναδεικνύει το διαχρονικό στυλ μιας καμπαρντίνας.
Μ’ αρέσει η ιδέα, μ’ αρέσει η αυθόρμητη υλοποίηση του site.
Μπορείς να αναβάσεις και τις δικές σου λήψεις και να κερδίσεις τα δικά σου 15 λεπτά δημοσιότητας.

…and it’s gonna be a banger!!!  JP did a fine job of sorting this one out for his birthday.  Just look at the line-up… if you know then you know!!!

TRENCH 10-11

ANTIMATTER 11-12

GIMPMODE 12-1

QUADRANT 1-2

MAYHEM 2-3

Hosted by PROPPA, KAKAROT, & ARION LEE

Facebook RSVP here.

There is nothing better than having a beautiful trench that exudes your femininity. When you look chic, you feel chic; But when rain catches you by surprise, that special  not so water proof trench will make you feel anything but chic.

What I really love about the trench on the right , along with its waterproof  (or as Net-A-Porter so puts it “showerproof”) quality –and mind you it is hard to find a cute waterproof trench–, is its beautiful two tone navy hue. I absolutely love fabric like this because it gives that extra pop to whatever it is you wear it with. With buckles around the waist, and the arms, you can have this trench fit you tight, snug or loose.

This Burberry technical taffeta trench costs $995 in UK sizes 4, 6 and 8.

]]> http://mkemenoftheyear.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/burberry-black-label-preview/ Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:10:36 +0000 mkemenoftheyear http://mkemenoftheyear.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/burberry-black-label-preview/

Preview of the Burberry Black Label new seasonal collection. Featured in the Japanese fashion mag POPEYE

These jackets are SICK!!! Can’t wait for the release, I hope H&M copies these designs real quick.

via Hypebeast

Another doll painting to add to the collection. I am working on dolls for the meantime, so there will probably be quite a few coming.

Forever 21’s plus-sized line Faith21 has debuted a few new outerwear options for their curvaceous customers. One piece that really caught my eyes is a grey tweed belted trench. Definitely a great investment for those with a classic style. Wear it with a beret for an extra-chic vibe.

Click here to purchase.

Burberry has created the Art of the Trench as an homage to the brand’s signature coat, the trenchcoat. The site is a way for fans and fanatics to “interact with the culture of the brand and with the emotional aspects of the trenchcoat,” says designer Christopher Bailey. The site features a timeline which illustrates the history of the trench, but more fun is is impressive amount of pictures featuring people and their trenches and how diverse you can wear it. The pictures are a selection of pictures uploads by fans along with photos commissioned by online style guru the Sartorialist.

Go see for yourselves!

Heavy rain in the night & all this morning. Finer & windless this afternoon. Everything very sodden. Dug another trench. Have now almost finished the amount I intend doing of the new bit. Stuck in 2 more briar roots. Shall plant about 6 of different heights & see how they do. Collected another sack of leaves. This amount (about 10 sacks) fills the frame. Covered over with fine soil & shall not disturb till next year.

7 eggs.

[1] Orwell noted collecting 8¹/₂ sackfuls. Peter Davison

…this fantastic outfit from the Burberry Prorsum Pre-Fall 2010 collection. There are so many things right with this coat I couldn’t possibly list them all, but put it this way, ‘fur’ (faux, of course) and ‘trench’ should tick two priority boxes when searching for winter wardrobe additions.  And although it’s not a new trend, I just love how the trench has been closed with the leather belt. I do this with most of my coats; it can give an old classic a new lease of life and combining a tough leather belt with softer fabrics adds dimension to the look. Oh, I think I’m becoming a bit of a Burberry obsessive. Sigh.

Natalie Portman is one talented actress. She is also, beautiful and style savvy. Her style is often described as classic but, somehow with a twist. Here are two of her latest looks. I love her in that purple/blue short dress, it showed off her elegant collar bones with her svelte legs. She is one person who knows what her assets are and shows off them. It’s interesting to see her mixing different colours in one look, I think it worked because she picked the colours that’s different but, still from a similar colour family. Nothing ’stood’ out on its own, they all complemented one another. Except for the clutch, even then, she chose a colour that’s bold but, complementary still.

On her second outfit, it really showed off her petite frame without weigning her down. It’s not easy to carry off such a top heavy look but, it worked because she kept her jeans tight and colours simple. The scarf is what made it a spectacular outfit, it added that twist much needed to lift up an otherwise ‘boring’ outfit. I think it’s very Jennifer Aniston, too. Althoug, the latter would have added simple jewellery with a pair of boots!

photos:gossipgirl, justjared

Burberry ha desarrollado una interesante y exitosa estrategia en Internet a través de la web The Art of the Trench (www.artofthetrench.com). La marca británica, que ya dispone de 700.000 seguidores en internet, lanzó hace una semana este nuevo sitio en el que la gente puede dejar su foto llevando puesta una gabardina Burberry, una de las prendas más emblemáticas de la compañía. En apenas una semana ya ha recibido más de 100.000 visitas y miles de fotografías. Y desde la compañía indican que las ventas de gabardinas en la página web se han disparado. ¡Si queréis dejar vuestra foto, haced click en la foto de la web!

Vía Alex Guash by Expansión

Star Wars: Trench Run is finally here and this thing is utterly beautiful, packed with authentic audio and video from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and boasting impressive gameplay visuals.

Trench Run is based around the Rebel assault on the Death Star at the end of George Lucas’ classic 1977 movie. Piloting an X-Wing fighter, you begin the game high above the Empire’s dreaded Death Star in an aggressive dogfight with TIE fighters. Once you’ve dispatched them, it’s time to descend into that famous trench and make your approach to a small (two meter wide) thermal exhaust port, which, if memory serves, you’ll find right below the main port.

Oh, and, the shaft is ray-shielded so you’ll need to hit it directly with proton torpedoes. The doubting Dodonna’s amongst you might think that impossible — even for an iPhone — but, y’know, womp rats, T-16’s and all that.

The game starts with a fierce dogfight with TIE fighters above the dreaded Death Star…

…and culminates in the famous trench run.

Trench Run uses the iPhone’s accelerometers to great effect. I’m usually wary of extensive tilt-control. That might be because I’m just rubbish, or because developers sometimes use accelerometers unnecessarily. In Trench Run it’s not too bad, and there are options for adjusting pitch and sensitivity.

The on-screen controls are cleverly implemented; there are no virtual buttons cluttering the screen. Instead, the two main controls (Force Power for slow motion and, of course, Fire) are activated by pressing the left or right hand sides of the screen. Easy.

The few controls are activated by hitting large areas of the screen

Video sequences of the X-Wings approaching the Death Star (S-foils in attack position, naturally) and the spectacular explosion of the Death Star itself (the 1997 bang, by the way) really help set the scene. But it’s John Williams’ breathtaking score that puts you slap bang in the middle of the action.

All Wings report in…

One quibble; the difficulty levels are a bit… odd. The easiest level was selected for me at installation so I bumped it up a level (usually labeled “Normal” but Trench Run goes directly from Easy to Medium.) So, with Medium selected, I dove in… and failed. I’m normally good at this type of thing but after 15 minutes of failure I was starting to hate this game. So I tried again on “Easy.”

10 minutes later I had destroyed the Death Star and defeated the evil Empire. I had finished the whole game. See, once the dogfight’s over, the actual trench run is appallingly easy. THQ Wireless say the game has “tons of replay value” but when the difference between “Easy” and “Medium” is actually “Pointless” and “Practically Impossible” I don’t see myself playing this again any time soon. (Now in your best Yoda voice, croak “That is why you fail.”)

THQ also says there are hidden features in the game. You could always stretch out with your fingers and ask Google what they are, but that’s probably the path to the Dark Side.

If you love Star Wars, this is a game you should own. I doubt it’s worth the $4.99 asking price, but hey, there’s profit to be had, and Lucasfilm ain’t finished beating this Tauntaun just yet.

Star Wars Trench Run is out now. Go buy it – and may the Force be with you.

I know I already have a black trench from Junk De Luxe but I really want this grey one too. The coating on my trench smells like chemicals and every time I put it on I can’t stop smelling it like bad milk. I feel like it’s going to give me cancer or something.

Last bit of sun of 2009, Bowls and Beach, badicle!

Paris was once agen hammer time

Some rain last night. Today still, fairly fine. Winter[1] time (deferred 2 months owing to the war) starts today is have to give the hens their evening meal about 3pm. Dug one trench, transplanted the little rose (the one that was overgrown by the lavender) & planted peony (price of root 6d). These don’t generally bloom the following year. Afraid I may have put the 3 peonies too close together.

5 eggs. (Notice nearly always a bad lay after a wet day, as yesterday).

[1] Orwell originally wrote ‘summer.’ Peter Davison

Cairo Muse: Noor

Noor, one of the first to hear about FashionThreads and spread the word amongst her friends, has always impressed me with her versatile style.  The editorial associate at Enigma is pursuing her career in the fashion industry attending the Dubai Fashion Week, store openings and more, she even got acclaimed by Grazia UAE as best dressed at the Dubai Fashion Week; but seriously, lets move on to her, yet again, amazing outfit.  The all black look Noor is sporting can be defined as elegant, timeless, stylish, and sexy; all without trying too hard!  Noor is sporting a LBD, every girl’s wardrobe staple; click here for my LBD article.  The fashionista topped it off with a perfect trench, which she kept looking young and modern when she pushed the sleeves up.  Then come the accessories, the suede boots are the perfect shape but the statement jewelry add a spark to  the all black outfit; the gold chain necklace and statement large ethnic rings worn on her hands painted with deep purple nail polish.  Take a cue from Noor, an outfit doesn’t need a lot of everything to look chic!

Noor's Statement Jewelry

A trench coat is timeless, flattering and a must have staple item in any wardrobe.

Burberry are the trench masters, from Thomas Burberry’s humble beginnings in Basingstoke in 1901, to the Spring 2010 London Fashion week shows  – they remain the epitome of longevity in fashion.

And here are some more realistic coats on the high street:

Peacocks have created a traditional double-breasted trench and at only £40 it is perfect for the chilly winter season.

A burst of colour for dark winter days, Miss Selfridge’s trench is £55 and you should go and buy one right now.

Smart, sophisticated and stylish – Oasis’s classic trench is £80 and a key wardrobe item.

Definitely a wish list item, this Hobbs number oozes pure trench coat heaven for £199.

For a Heritage trench at a reasonable price, look no further than New Look for £60.

A classic trench for any time of year, for £120 at Warehouse this trench ticks all the boxes.

Another Peacocks coat, this funky bubble hemmed trench will brighten up your life for only £40.

The ultimate in wish list trenches – this beautiful Reiss trench is £245.

A colourful, light jacket, Monsoon Connie has made a practical and affordable mac for £65.

Smart, stylish and only £39.50 from always reliable Marks & Sparks.

Math-x
Science-
Science-
Science-
Science-

Why is there so much Science?!?!

Careers-x
Careers-
History-x

Sigh. 5 more hours left.

Fact of the Day: When oil spills are cleaned, the workers use chemical reactions to break down the oil into smaller and less toxic atoms, rendering it easier to clean.

Currently: Outlining my Coat of Arms for Careers

Reading: My science textbook

Listening to: Perfect by Marianas Trench

After moving or living in a big city for awhile, you start to realize something: there’s significance in a trench coat, and every big city dweller kinda sports one, some way or another. Whether it’s waterproof for the real rains or not, they make an urban denizen statement.

The trench coat comes with some heavy-duty history, thus playing into its timelessness quality. Specifically speaking, the trench coat is meant to be a rain coat made of waterproof cotton drill or poplin, wool gabardine, and even in some cases leather. It also generally comes with a removable insulated lining and is usually knee-length or longer.

The trench coat was developed as an alternative to the heavy serge greatcoats worn by British and French soldiers in the First World War. Invention of the trench coat is claimed by both Burberry and Aquascutum, with Aquascutum’s claim dating back to the 1850s. Thomas Burberry, the inventor of gabardine fabric, submitted a design for an army officer’s raincoat to the United Kingdom War Office in 1901.

The trench coat became an optional item of dress in the British Army, and was obtained by private purchase by officers and Warrant Officers Class I who were under no obligation to own them. No other ranks were permitted to wear them. And history can go on and on what with movie characters taking them up (think Dick Tracy and Humphrey Bogart’s in Casablanca. . .), but the bottom line is it’s classic. To still promote the international appeal and timelessness Burberry asked famed Schott Schuman, The Sartorialist to embark on a photographic journey/assignment around the world: Art of the Trench.

Scott, while on assignment for GQ and his blog and over several months, made sure to find many o’ wearers of this timeless piece of outerwear (with the catch being that it had to be Burberry) and chose only 100 for the website. The website is a fun, highly interactive site, where you could find yourself 30 mins. later wondering where time went in the timelessness/art of the trench coat. . .

Photography by The Sartorialist