my style map

style is certainly not a solid concept, it grows with you. but I believe it helps to define your style, so that you know what you're doing and don't go astray and become a fashion victim. with this idea in mind, I put together what I call a style map, accompanied by a couple style notes. want to be featured on analytic approach to style with your own style map? scroll down!

• as much as I love shopping and thinking/reading/writing on style and fashion, I hate does-this-go-with-thating and spending long time actually dressing. I must be able to just grab a couple items and wear them without ending up looking ridiculous, so I like easy-to-put-together items that all go with each other, which enables me to mix and match. 
• I'm a shorts and pants girl, except a couple skirts and dresses that I own but literally never wear. I tent to stick with an "audrey" silhouette: high waist, slim (mostly ankle-lenght- I know it's supposed to be unflattering, but I don't think so) pants or shorts; simple, relaxed tops and flats- both because I feel like it works the best with my slender pear shape and it's a timelessly and universally nice look. 
• though quite simplistic, my syle is not at all futuristic and tends to have a vintage feeling to it. I always pair basics with cult items from the past for a fresh eclectic finish.
• my color palette constitutes of navy, cream, nudes, raspberry, red, khaki and green. as much as I adore color, I'm not the one who can mix & match brights. I usually don't use more than one pop item per outfit. powder pinks and pale nudes complement (and don't overpower like darker/brighter colors do) my skintone the best, so I usually form my outfits around basic nude tops, and then add something more exciting, whether it's a bright tomato red lipstick, my raspberry messenger bag, or a pair of colored jeans- I like occasional usage of leopard print too; such as a bag or shoes.  
• striped tops are an essential in my wardrobe; I'm renowned as "the girl in stripes". I have a very slender upper body, along with a more normal-sized bottom; so it balances out my body, that might be a possible explanation on why I developed this obsession in the first place. 
• I have neither the occasion nor the motivation to wear heels; it's almost always simple ballet flats and loafers for me. after I moved to france, I discovered bensimon sneakers, which have been called "french girls' converse", and I'm progressively working on my bensimon collection now.

to be a featured guest blogger on analytic approach to style, put together a style map yourself (I used polyvore for convenience, but feel free to use another website or software. also, you can take a look at whowhatwear for inspiration) and send it along to me with some words, or alternatively, send along a brief description and some other material on your style; like a couple key items (again, polyvore is always a good source), inspirational photos (or your own photos if you want) and personal style icons to analyticapproachtostyle@gmail.com and I will make one for you.

 looking forward to hear back from you. yes, you, stylish creature.

we will always have cannes.

 there's something incredibly magical about the idea of a lovely holiday town full for a week with movie stars, directors and producers, I think that's at least one of the reasons why we are so obsessed with cannes film festival. I've always been interested in the off-time looks in cannes than the red-carpet. easy, breezy, summery but still incredibly glam. so here you go, a few old star photos I selected that reflect the spirit of cannes. oh, sweet nostalgia.

Brigitte Bardot

Jane Birkin

Catherine Deneuve

Grace Kelly

Sofia Loren

                                 

1. a must for endless press conferences and dinners. beige sheath dress, tara jarmon, 190 EUR
 2. loafers are ideal for your off-time in cannes; to take a walk on the shore, or do some boating. tod's "heaven" loafer, $365

3. add some riviera-style bling-bling with coral-inspired accesories. kenneth jay lane 22 karat gold coral-inspired cuff, $215

4. swim like a star with this retro french-inspired one piece. topshop black scallop-stripe one piece swimsuit, $60

5. give a break from your regular lipstick by switching to a dash of sheer, shiny tomato red: not a single bit less glam. rouge coco shine "rebelle" sheer lipstick, $29

6. to protect from the sea breeze in the evening, wrap yourself up a bit. kain alva linen-blend cardigan, $285

7. sun is your enemy, and there will be plenty of it, so don't forget to pack a strong shield. clarins sunscreen for face wrinkle control cream spf 50, $30

8. star treatment to your feet.

9. miss dior chérie is summery and relaxed with tangerine and jasmin undernotes, while wild strawberry and caramel popcorn notes make it a star-worthy, remarkable scent. christian dior miss dior chérie eau de parfum, 30 ml, $71

10. not without your powder; especially when there are so much paparazzi around. dolce & gabbana perfect finish powder foundation in bisque, 39 EUR

11. to recreate that star glow, look no further. nars "orgasm" illuminator, $29

a nail story: no more waity, katie.

 in the haze of this lovely marketing madness the royal wedding has caused, butter london has created the shade "no more waity, katie" (psst, after kate's eight-year-long wait for walking down the aisle), described as "a soft griege littered with lilac glitter". sounds good to me, in every sense. oops: the shade is not available in the UK.

unfortunately, maybe because she lives in the UK so she just couldn't get her hands on a bottle of it, kate didn't opt for this lovely piece of liquid humour on her nails for the big day, but instead kept them prim & proper in a mix of bourjois so laque! nailpolish in rose lounge and essie nailpolish in allure. for a similar look, pros suggest sweet heart by OPI. I suggest any muted pale pink priced under approx. a dollar per bottle.

photos: a la parisienne, the budget babe, 10 dakika gecikiyorum

of tulle, lilly of the walley and DIY makeup: the royal wedding

pardon the unnecessarily cordial tone I will use when talking about the british royal family. being an old, old fan (seriously, let's hope my irish friends won't read this, fingers crossed); I've simply been around for too long not to do so. finally, we got wills married!

This couple was simply too sweet to pass by.

although I find them personally a bit boring at times, I was waiting for the wedding of prince william and kate middleton with an enthusiasm that perhaps matched to theirs in degree, for the big day I probably rose almost as early as they did, and by now I'm sure the house of windsor is more over the whole wedding fever than I am. so, dare I say, here you have my verdict: it was so much like being at a friend's wedding, I loved it- to the extent that at a first glance I felt like the event kind of lacked the necessary dose of va-va-voom for a major royal wedding, but now looking back I appreciate the understated elegance of every single detail and how they managed to make it a bit wills & kate rather than just royal- you know, little things: the convertible aston martin with the "JU5T WED" plate they left buckingham palace with, that kate chose to do her own makeup (although I see a tad too much mascara perhaps?), disco balls in buckingham palace- I'm completely sold.

I didn't feel like it's the best wedding dress I've ever seen, but it still pleased me thoroughly and has been growing on me. going mcqueen for the wedding was possibly the best choice kate could make, both as a tribute to the late designer and his contribution to the british fashion scene (basically defining and re-shaping the brit look, I'd say). the gown definitely has the royal finery to it, but in the most sublime and delicate way, rather than overstating the obvious fact. it tells so much about future the path newlyweds are planning to take and I love it. see how quickly lilly of the valley in bridal boquets and that grace kelly-inspired lace bodice become the next big things. and oh, that dreamy, crystal-like veil! by the way, princess kate, you got yourself a new fan here.

everybody looked so radiant and happy, including the queen. and are those three spencer blondes down there simply too beautiful to be real or is that some kind of cheerleader effect?

girls, calm down. william is going bald. william is not the big deal he was five, six years ago. plus you can still marry prince harry.

bonjour paris, although we hate each other.

I moved to paris a week ago, for about six months.

now this would probably explain my long absence from the blogging world. unlike everybody else on the planet, I didn't purely love paris initially- the transition was a tough one for me. for one thing; paris housing market is exhaustingly competitive. for another; just standing there looking puzzled with a map on your hand  isn't enough to make people don't come up to you and show you the way, (and it has pretty much everywhere else I've been), nor is directly asking them to. and other things. anyways, it got slightly better upon discovering that I pick up tartes aux framboises each day for breakfast from the bakery on my street, and buy an almost-mint condition vintage longchamp bag for 10 €.

now I gotta tell you all about the parisiénnes, those lovely careless creatures strolling around with their chunky scarves wrapped around. everybody's so well dressed I can swear it's a dream (a bad one, because I feel inadequate), it's as if being well dressed obligatory- and I'm happy to oblige. amazing (and actually wearable) vintage deals, I've been abusing the stock lately. great breton shirts are everywhere, I'm saving up for a "real deal" at the moment. well, I'm saving up for a lot of things. improving my french. craving over a pair of repetto flats. walking around. adapting. hating and loving. I'll tell you all about it.

by the way; I live ten minutes away from galeries lafayette. sounded like a perfect idea initially, though now I don't know if that's good or bad: I got out strictly for the post office today and then found myself at lafayette, trying on a cashmere sweater, swatching multiple shades of rouge coco and staring at a particular chloé purse- for two hours. oh french, do they know how to make pretty things.