New Dress

I got two dresses from Santa this year - one new, and one vintage. This is the new one!

It's from H&M and made of powder-pink, slightly shiny lace over an under-dress in the same color. I think it's perfectly fine to wear light or pastel colors even in the winter. It's all about the design of the dress. With the high neckline and long sleeves this one has it's perfect for colder weather!

Another thing that was hiding under the Christmas tree with my name on it is this little vintage purse. Even though it's small, it still has good room inside for necessary things, such as powder, red lipstick, iPhone and a small vibrator. You know, things you can't leave the house without... Haha!

CHROMAT

CHROMAT - Structural Experiments for the Human Body is a lingerie/swimwear/fashion brand started up in 2010 by Becca McCharen. She has a degree in architecture, and took her interest in scaffolding, city maps, wearable exoskeletons and the intricacies of lingerie and brought all this together into fashion. The result is several collections of wearable architecture. I just stumbled upon CHROMAT and think it's fantastic! Here are a few of my favorites. For more, visit CHROMAT's website here!

Chromed Bralette

Ladder Dress

Steel Shoulder Cage

Vaulter Cage Bustier

Coil Skirt

Catwoman Mask

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At Tyresö Palace - Part 1

So far the Swedish summer has been grey, cold and rainy. But luckily for me and photographer Charlotte Hall, the sun came out the day we had planned to do a shoot at beautiful Tyresö Palace. I had never visited this palace before, but the surroundings were gorgeous, with lots of places perfect for shooting at! For the first part of the shoot I wore a dress from Bernie Dexter's collection, and it fit very well into all the greenery.

After this we took a coffee break at the palace, and listened to the thunder that had started rolling over us. I love thunder!!! Then I changed into my new, red, playsuit and jumped out into a stream! But more about that another day!

Don't forget you can also follow me on Facebook for more updates!




Photo: Charlotte Hall

Kendra's Miami Fashion Challenge!

This week we'll take a break from Fabergé Friday. The reason is I just took on my first blog challenge, and this is pretty much the last day to enter. So, here we go! I received a mail from American travel expert Kendra Thornton, telling me she is planning a romantic getaway to Miami with her husband. To get some new ideas about what to wear on this trip, she is now challenging different fashion bloggers to help her pick out some new outfits. This is what Kendra wrote to me about the upcoming trip:

"I love South Florida because of its coastal towns, natural parks, beaches and gorgeous art galleries. You can really get inspired by the art deco buildings, palm trees, gardens and various cultures that have made Miami so different from other parts of America. Part of my excitement for this trip is a fashion challenge that I want to present to the amazing fashion bloggers out there. I need some help picking out a few outfits to go for Miami. Fashion houses and designers flock to Miami, and from the pictures I've seen, everyone could be in a fashion spread on South Beach alone. Here are a few details about our trip to help you select some items I can wear to the beach or even out to a romantic dinner date on the beach.

When I began planning this trip, I wanted to find a hotel that could really let my husband and I relax. The Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel is perfect for this. It's located right on the Atlantic Ocean and just three miles from South Beach. The Lincoln Road shopping district is also nearby, which gives it a great location to explore the areas around Miami without needing a cab!

One night of our trip I want to have a romantic dinner with my husband. There are 11 restaurants and bars at the hotel alone, so we may end up enjoying a night here. I know that we definitely want to go to Lapis, which is the 40,000 square foot spa located at Fontainebleau. They have 30 different treatment rooms and specialize in thermal therapy.

I know that most of my trip will be spent on the beach. I definitely want a casual yet posh swimwear look that can be comfortable at the beach or eating at one of the cafes along the shore. We will likely spend a lot of time at the Fontainebleau beach because they provide private cabanas, drinks and beach service if you get hungry. I can't wait to be pampered like that! I hope that my trip inspires some gorgeous selections. The fashion bloggers out there have so much talent, and I want to show off all your selections around Miami and in pictures! Im so happy and thankful you are helping me find the perfect look!"

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This is Kendra - blond, gorgeous, and with a lovely bustier! If she decides to wear that one for her and her husband's trip, they might get stuck in the hotel room though... Haha! To make sure they get out a bit, I have made two moodboards, with two different outfits - one for the beach, and one for the evening. Let's start with the beach!

Some people might think black is boring during the summer. But no, it isn't! Black is elegant ant it always work! Plus, you can match it with pretty much anything. So, for her days at the beach I chose a vintage inspired bikini for Kendra. It's called the Ester Williams Bathing Beauty, and you can get it at ModCloth. When you need to leave the sand for a while to go get something to eat, it can be nice to throw something simple on over your bathing suit, and I found the perfect thing at H&M - a dark green, sequin-embroidered chiffon kaftan. I want this one myself!!! Then we have vintage looking, golden shoes from Swedish Hasbeens, and good sized straw beach bag and shading straw hat - both from ModCloth. And Kendra darling, please don't forget sunblock!!! A tanned girl might look healthy, but a white girl is prettier than a red one...

And then we have my pics for evening wear:

First, I went looking for a perfect dress. And this is the one I'd like to see Mrs Thornton in! It's from Zac Posen's Resort 2014 Collection, and it reminds me of the foam that rides with the waves up on the beach. The shoes and the clutch are both from Jimmy Choo, and as they are dark blue they go very well with the ocean-theme that started with the dress. I think this outfit fits very well for any fancy restaurant, but also for that romantic dinner at the beach - just take the shoes off and walk barefoot in the soft sand...

So, that's it! My first blog challenge! I hope I have helped Kendra at least a little bit with her outfit-decisions, and I also hope she and her husband has a great trip with lots of romance! I'm not jealous at all... And if anyone out there feels like buying me the foam-dress, that's completely ok...

Funeral Outfit

And so it was time for funeral number two, for grandma number two, this summer/fall. And this time I chose to go with the traditional black!

The dress I wore is from the 40s, in a pretty heavy, slinky fabric. I bought it from Fanny.

It's a bit difficult to see in the photo, but the back has sort of a little bustle, and at the top there is a small opening that closes with a hook and eye.

On the inside of the sleeves there are zippers, which makes them sit perfectly around my skinny arms. I love this dress! It's one of those pieces that you can pretty much wear at any occasion, and the fact that I wore it to a funeral, won't stop me from wearing it to a party in the future!

Outfit Post

Etsy is a dangerous place! It steals my money over and over again. This is what I got in return for some money-loss this time...

...A rushed, black organza dress from the 50s! The bodice is boned, and the skirt has a stiff linen/horsehair lining and a metal hoop that makes the skirt stand out a bit. I love how the top layer is draped! Found it on Crush Vintage's Etsy page.

And then we have the shoes!!! I had been looking for the perfect red glitter stilettos for some time, so I was pretty darn satisfied when I walked past a shoe store and saw these sparkle through the window! As you can see they they followed me home...

Wiggle Dress

Two lovely vintage dresses just arrived to my door all the way from the United States of America! I know, it's amazing how easy it is to shop in different countries by just clicking the "buy" button. Almost a bit too easy...Well. Here's one of the dresses I bought!

It's a black wiggle dress from the 50s, with two pockets in the front, belted waist...

...a slit in the back, and lovely lace appliqués on the front. Since they totally disappeared in my own photos, I'll show you the ones from MidnightMart - which is the Etsy shop I bought it from.

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It has a label inside that says "Elaine Terry California", but I can't seem to find so much information on the brand.

Outfit Post

I just realized I haven't done an outfit post in ages! But as I love seeing what other people wear (especially when it's vintage), I'm going to show you one of my latest finds!

This dress is from the 30s. I found it at Old Touch and it just needed a little restoration to become wearable again. The outer fabric is transparent, as you can see on the "winged" sleeves, and it has a sewn-in underdress. Both the outer and inner layers closes with snap fasteners and hooks and eyes in the left side. 

It gathers nicely underneath the bust...

...and the colors goes very well with my green Miss L Fire shoes!

There was no belt with the dress when I bought it. But I don't even think one was ever made for it. I decided to make one though, to make it fit well in my waist. Since I'm short (5'4, 162 cm), and my waist curves in pretty much, I just look even shorter if the dress just hangs straight down without following my shape. The belt makes me look at least 5'5!

Muse

In sticking with yesterday's theme - Dita von Teese - I have some news about her dress collection called "Muse". This limited edition of dresses - designed by miss von Teese herself - will be released in Australia on October 29th. Further launches in the US, UK and Europe will then follow.

Photo by Sheryl Nields

The collection features five different pieces, including a tulle-layered trench coat. Each dress has couture detailing and grosgrain ribbon that cinches the waist. The collection also showcases traditional features such as in-built corsetry, silk crêpe the Chine lining and silhouettes that are carefully constructed to suit the female form. The colors include "backstage black", "ruby lips", and an original rose print, and the collection will be available in sizes 8 to 20. 

"Offering a collection that caters to women of all sizes is very important to me", says Dita von Teese. "Muse is designed to compliment a multitude of body shapes, so every woman can celebrate her natural beauty and feel sexy in a gorgeous dress.".

I can't wait to see the whole collection! I'm not so sure I want to see the price tags though...Hopefully the prices will be reasonable, so we all can get our hands on at least one of the dresses - with a little saving of course. But that waits to be seen...

Dita's Dresses

Out of my four girl crushes, I have to say Dita von Teese is the biggest - the other three being Ulyana Sergeenko, Angelina Jolie, and my lovely friend Fanny. There are many reasons why I love this amazing lady. She is completely self made. No one picked her out from a crowd of wannabes, gave her a contract, money, and a group of people to mold her into what they wanted her to become. Dita started in strip clubs, creating her own routines, and obviously being so good at it that it - with lots of hard work - made her into the burlesque star she is today!

As a vintage dresser myself she's also very inspiring to look at. My favorite eras are the 40s and 50s, and the women who's pictures I admire today are either very old, or dead now. But miss von Teese is alive and wearing all these fabulous vintage (or new) clothes today, together with that old fashioned styling and makeup I adore in the old movie stars. And the photos you see of her are in color too! Wow! For a lot of her red carpet appearances she even does her own hair and makeup! You can't say that about so many other stars of today! This is also a nice inspiration - if she can do it, so can I, and everyone else who wants to! Practice makes perfect!

So here I'm now gonna show you some of my favorite pics amongst Dita's dresses and outfits. Sit back and enjoy! You might want to put a towel over your computer keyboards before you roll down this page though. In case of drooling...

Love the transparency of this dress, and how you can see the garters and stockings through it!

A dream in pastel and lace...

More tulle for the people...

...and feathers!

Regal!

This is one of my absolute favorite! Just look at the golden peacock spreading out it's plumes on the skirt!

Old Hollywood glamour!

Simple, yet oh so pretty! The thing with making these wiggle dresses look good is to make it fit your own body like a glove. And don't forget to wear the right underpinnings!

This is also one of my favorites. Flowy, pastel colored fabric, and just the right amount of transparency! This one I really want to hang in my own closet!

Another well fitting wiggle dress. Look at the brooch!

The red dress Zac Posen made for Dita, for the Red Dress runway show. A campaign drawing attention to women and heart disease.

Sometimes all you need to look good is some read lipstick and a nice coat. You don't even have to wear anything underneath if you don't want too...

Gimme those leather gloves!!!...And the dress...And the shoes...And the bag...Please?!

Fabulous color!

I love necklines like this! Beautiful! Black leather can sometimes look...well...not so good...Then, at other times, it can look like this! *Sigh*...

But with all the amazing outfits we see this this lovely woman wearing, we should not forget that she looks just as amazing without them too!