COCO POWELL

Okay, I know, you've caught on to the fact that I think you should rework what you already have in your wardrobe rather than buy new stuff (see the last few posts). And to be quite honest this is a relatively new philosophy even to me. Only yesterday I walked into my favourite store and picked up a few bright spring staples that I wanted to wear to the office. This included a tweed pencil skirt, lime green sweater with a gold zipper down the back and purple and black polka dot trousers. I walked up to the cashier and then asked if she could put them away because I had decided not to purchase them at the last minute. In the act of picking them out, trying them on and waiting in queue I had satisfied my shopping urge.

Now it is completely absurd to imagine not shopping anymore and that is not at all what I am suggesting, I'm only trying to impose a smarter shopping experience. A few days ago when I finally managed to approach my spring closet cleaning plans head-on I also decided to keep a notepad handy. As I started putting things away I jotted down the pieces that I thought were missing in my wardrobe. Some of the items included a sharp pair of cropped black trousers, pointed-toe pumps in a bright hue and a tweed jacket - none of the things I had picked up impulsively on my last shopping trip. In one of my more OCD moments, I  typed out this list, found images of the perfect items and included links to where I could find them in the future. This list is now tacked to the inside door of my closet. This way, I won’t just be purchasing items that look nice on a rack, but I will be more logically buying pieces that I know are a missing component to a well-rounded wardrobe. In addition to this list, I’ve also setup an automatic savings account that will put away an allocated sum I’ve defined as affordable to my budget, and this is the only account I will shop from. If I want to splurge on the perfect tweed Chanel jacket then I will have to sacrifice a few months of shopping until I can afford the jacket.  I know that for me it has become significant to save for more substantial purchases, such as a new car or home or a life-altering trip, and if I continue with my previous spending habits, none of my other dreams will come to fruition. So, my little fashion heads, I think it’s time for a new responsible but equally-stylish Coco. 

Thank you! To be honest I've been quite disorganized with my wardrobe in the past. It seems the easiest thing to do when attending a special event, starting a new job or transitioning into a new season is to buy new clothes -  which actually aggravates the whole small closet situation. Think about it, you've selected the items in your wardrobe because you like them but now you are replacing them with new things that you also like but may not need.

It's not often that you truly utilize all of the great pieces in your wardrobe. Old jackets are often stuffed in the back of your closet from seasons ago, sweaters are jammed in a drawer somewhere and you are left wearing the same boring basics over and over again. Sometimes it just takes a bit of spring cleaning (and purging and reorganizing) to rediscover some of the brilliant separates you bought and forgot about. 

Some say wedding season is approaching, as though weddings are dictated by the advancing monsoon or are somehow still reliant on the blessing of a bishop, who has to travel miles by horse buggy from your neighboring town, and so you might as well all get married on the same day. I imagine, in fact, the majority of weddings happen in the summer so that grains of rice flicker in the sun and everything seems holy - because how many times have you thought ‘holy’ when the sun’s going down and the sky turns 50 shades of pink? 

Now maybe you are being invited to a lot of Stepford weddings with perfect ivory flower arrangements and chalk board cocktail menus, but I, on the other hand, am not, and haven’t been for the last fifteen years. My best friend got married in her apartment so she could move to Doha with her boyfriend and their children - he got a job at Al Jazerra, I congratulated them over the phone. My other friends, well, they aren’t getting married at all. One lives in Montreal and has had serious relationship after serious relationship but no one has stuck, another lives and teaches in Egypt and is having an affair with the millionaire proprietor of Egypt’s best resorts and yet another is a relationship expert who appears on television in the mornings, giving everyone advice on how to get and keep their boyfriends, she’s been single for a year. 

Maybe we aren’t getting married because most of us almost-30-year-old women are being more particular about what we want, or maybe we just have no clue at all, maybe we are all afraid of commitment or more focused on our own ambitions, who knows? Perhaps we’ve even passed our expiry date because men our age didn’t want to grow up until now and now that they have, younger women seem to be the partners of choice. We’ve been abused as a generational anomaly and used as a particularly interesting news topic. We’ve been the producers and supporters of countless dating apps, some notifying you when there is a potential mate at your local cafe, others hooking you up with like-minded polyamorous lovers. 

Not to say that we will never get married. The day will most likely come when all of your friends do decide to get hitched but it probably won’t be for another couple of years. The majority of us do end up walking down some makeshift aisle but not until our mid thirties and it won’t be the kind of wedding you were expecting to attend. As the framework of weddings begins to change and the importance of family acceptance wanes, our generation will be transforming the ceremony all together. Whether it is amalgamating the traditions of two different cultures or bringing together clashing religious beliefs in a civil ceremony that represents a small-scale peace talk, you should probably ignore any speculations of white dresses and ringing church bells. 

Layering has always baffled me. In theory, or as seen on blog style-luminaries, it looks perfectly nonchalant. All it takes is a flannel shirt, a sweater, a leather jacket and some badass bling and suddenly you're ready for the pack of street style photographers conjured up in your dreams. And yet, in reality you look more like a grocery clerk than anything else. So, this fall I've decided to try a different kind of layering, one that doesn't include anything borrowed the boys, and has a more sophisticated appearance.  

I am normally not one to exalt designers just because they are from where I am from. Sure, local support is an important means for upcoming designers to become validated and feel their work is appreciated enough to continue on, even when profit margins are slim. But I will never think that praise is important enough to warrant half-praise, the kind of praise that I'm only giving you because I know you're starting out and there's a learning curve. I will be happier and more proud and perhaps even a little more lavish, but I will never hand it out unless I actually believe that what you're doing rises above the rest of your counterparts work. 

We haven't done a style post on Coco Powell in a while and it is mostly because we felt there were too many people telling their readers how to dress. Too may magazines, blogs and personalities inflicting a sense of defeatism in their audience, by making them feel inadequate if they hadn't purchased the season's latest colours, silhouettes or ostentatious shoes. Coco Powell is meant to represent a fashion theory that is focused on experimentation, acknowledgement of personal style and the celebration of great fashion minds. We have tried to differentiate ourselves by celebrating street style stars who take fashion risks and upcoming designers, photographers and stylists who add remarkable new voices to the conversation of fashion.

But we have also come to understand the importance of some fashion revelation every once in awhile. Sometimes the first thing we do when getting ready for work, a meeting, or a night out, is check our favourite fashion blogs for some new ideas -  a little closet spark, if you will. So, here is our latest style post for fall and it is not based on any new seasonal trend but more focused on outfits that we think look fantastic. One of our favourite compulsions this season has been to pair opposing colours together in one look - throwing all colour rules to the curb. We love the combination of neutrals with a range of pink shades, as we've shown in the first look, and deeper jewel tones with dark navy accessories. Our top colour pairing is a tonal blue look - replacing our go-to black basics with shades of navy this season. 

Look I: 1. Cashmere sweater, Acne, $530 2. Asymmetric skirt, Reed Krakoff, $960 3. Tweed jacket, Girl. By Band of Outsiders, $565 4. Metal ankle-cuff heels, Esteban Cortazar, $755 5. Tweed and leather shoulder bag, Diane Von Furstenberg, $295 

Look II: 1. Mohair turtleneck, Carven, $625 2. Cafe capri, J. Crew, $128 3. Shearling-trimmed plaid blazer, A.L.C., $895 4. Leather ankle boots, Pierre Hardy, $660 5. Animal print shoulder bag, Alexander Wang, $745

Alessandra Rich isn't a household name just yet but look no further than super-chic actor Sienna Miller, who chose this designer for her first red-carpet appearance since giving birth, and you'll see why she's recently come under the spotlight. Her eveningwear first caught the attention of Net-a-Porter's Natalie Massenet and has since been the go-to for every 'it' girl's special occasion. This season, she's drawn most of her inspiration from Russian gymnasts in the 80s and "a little piece of Cher", she admits. Alessandra Rich joins us today for One Minute. 

Coco Powell: Is fashion art?

Alessandra Rich: Fashion is entertainment, more fun than art. 

CP: What do you day dream about most often?    

AR: I'm not a dreamer, I'm a pragmatic person but I usually dream about sleep, it's something strange, I know. 

CP: What is your favourite possession? 

AR: I'm not possessive but I really need my blackberry!

CP: The one restaurant you frequent more than any other?

AR: I like to go to Scott's in London.

CP: Who is the most beautiful person you've ever seen? 

AR: I often meet beautiful people, most recently my seamstresses in Italy. 

CP: Where would the Alessandra Rich girl be tonight?

AR: Probably at The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. 

CP: Your favourite cafe in Paris?

AR: Jardin d'Hiver at the Crillon Hotel, it's perfect to have a tea. 

CP: Please list the four things that have inspired this collection most: 

AR: Actually the principle inspiration were the Russian gymnasts from the Summer Olympics of 1980, and a little piece of Cher!

CP: How do you get past designer's block?

AR: Eating a proper diet. 

CP: What perfume are you wearing today?

Eleonora Carisi is arguably the most photographed woman in the fashion industry and best known for her unconventional style. She combines retro-feminine pieces and bold interjections of colour, with bizarre prints and stalwart tattoos to produce a defiant and inimitable style. But, she's not just another fashion darling, Eleonara also runs JouJouVilleroy - one of Italy's most read fashion blogs, she's the proprietor of YouStore boutique in Turin and can photograph street stylers like the best of them. Today Eleonora talks to Coco Powell in our latest installment of One Minute. 

Coco Powell: Your favourite place to shop in New York, Paris and Milan:

Eleonora Carisi:

New York: Opening Ceremony 

Paris: Kiliwatch

Milan: Frip Store 

CP: The best places to eat in New York, Paris and Milan:

EC:

New York: Zoe

Paris: Chez Janette

Milan: Giacomo 

CP: Do you believe that everyone has one person in the world they should be with?

EC: Yes I believe.

CP: Is fashion art?

EC: Yes, it depends what kind of fashion we are talking about, but imagine McQueen, Givenchy Couture, that's art!

CP: What's the most romantic Italian sentence?

EC: Sei bellissima.

CP: What excites you about life?

EC: The imagination. 

CP: Your favourite collection from the spring shows so far?

EC: Valentino Couture 

CP: What is the most beautiful thing you own?

EC: My home.

CP: What is luxury to you?

EC: Something that is not accessible.

CP: What is love to you?