After having lost all my useful opened tabs in my Internet browser and having to get them back, I found these two amazing blouses from Opening Ceremony on the Black Box Boutique online store and my heart had a tiny little stammer. I thought intensely and prayed to the gods of fashion "don't be expensive, don't be expensive". The price for one of these gorgeous little blouses featuring floral detail? $963. Even if that is in New Zealand dollars, for an Australian the price might come down to $900 if you're lucky. Nearly one grand for a single item of clothing that isn't too extravagant and special in it's design blew me away, that's in the bad way. I knew from the label the price would be in triple digits but to be over $500 for a single blouse is enough to make any body's heart ache and start tears in their eyes.
Being made of 97% silk and 3% lycra for a little give I can understand the cost of materials being included but I have bought silk blouses before for a hundred something dollars and while Opening Ceremony are a great brand and I love nearly all of their clothes featured on their website, production is not going to cost one hundred dollars and the mark up is extreme.
Still, the design and clean cut lines of the blouse combined with the applique flowers reminiscent of Japanese kimonos with a Western twist are a rare touch and not something I've seen used in garment design. The three-dimensional flowers feature slightly ruches petals and a lovely texture about them as well as beaded detailing at the centre of each flower in the same colour as the petals. The cream coloured blouse is more suited towards the day, whereas the black one could easily be worn at night with the addition of some heels and a plain black skirt.
The flower arrangement for each of the blouses is exactly identical, using the same sized flowers in the same places. You've got to admire their quality control I must say, these would be blouses made far away from smokey streets in a sweat camp but instead by aspiring fashion students who know the importance of minor details as well as the careful beading process at the centre of each flower.
I had originally stated that it would be worn with a black skirt, but you know what? That's just a little too boring, even if it does suit I like the patterned leggings they've chosen to showcase the blouse but a wild print would suit the black blouse and the cream blouse would look dreamy with a skirt in an Oriental Ming vase print. Alas, I can't afford any of these blouses and my wishful thinking will be firmly grounded until I find some suitable work and/or win the lottery.
It seems almost pointless to covet a collection two years after it's release and when all skerricks of pieces online have long since gone, but Miu Miu and Prada have been releasing some of the best collections within the last few seasons and my favourite needs to be recognised. Fabulous fashion blogger, American teenager Tavi Gevinson has sported a few of their pieces, especially the Miu Miu silk shoes with sweet girly intuitive style such as the above photograph. Above is one of the sweeter combinations of vintage printed skirts and American Apparel lace socks worn with the iconic shoes. I myself had a lovely pair of cat silk shoes in a similar fashion, but alas they were too small and instead I sent them back to the online market to be re homed and find someone to wear them more than I did.
I adore seeing the candid photographs of fashion-hangers-on and models walking glamorous streets in amazing clothing such as these daisy Miu Miu silk pumps in tandem. While my legs may not be as glamorous and stick thin as a models, I would still love to see what they look like while wearing a good pair of Miu Miu shoes. It's sort of rare to see a pair of shoes that looks as good on their own as this collection did, but I think the little wall chart above of all the shoe designs proves my point rather nicely. I never imagined that something with such distinct structural shape and chunky heel would appeal to me in such a manner but the combination of 1960s flowers and Mary Jane shoes just seems so right.
Two years ago there was a wonderful array of knock-offs and copies abound in stores across all the common shopping centres. While I turned my nose up at them then and there was also a shortage of shoes in my size I wish I had been a little more persistent in my pursuits. The usual pallet of colours included variations among black, gold and baby pink but it's the wonderful and simplistic patterns that really impressed upon me the importance of design and simplistic collars and satin pumps.
I've managed to track down some leftover copy-cat Miu Miu shoes, including the high zipper boots pictured on the left in a glorious dark blue satin material and white daisy pattern. I'd prefer a size 40 to choose from and some of the reviews state the the sizes run small so I am a little skeptical, but at just $30 a pair plus postage I wonder if the gamble would be worth it. I had a precarious pair in size 36, a far stretch for my long feet but alas, they've run out of the favourable feline pumps. To further channel a hippie, moon-child vibe I can imagine them being brought to their full fashionable potential with a flowing, but sheer maxi skirt and a casual singlet top with a nonchalant and offensive slogan. That's one of my favourite combinations of clothes at the moment, it's a little hard to feel like you're working it going in to university everyday, the days splatter together and it all feels like a blur.
I have reserved opinions at best about wearing gold and yellow- it needs a certain skin colour to be able to pull it off as well as confidence but with this golden pair of swallow covered pumps I dare say a pale complexion would give them a heavenly glow. As well as the use of floral headbands and garlands amongst ghostly looking girls, I've seen a stunning semi-precious stone crown slung around the forehead from Opening Ceremony. Pair that with a translucent sheer white dress and some definitive pale pink undergarments and you have the making of a god walking amongst mere-mortals and forever trapped in a photograph.
There hasn't been as many mass-produced copies of detachable shirt collars in the stlye of Miu Miu butan armada of crafty and resourceful fashion bloggers at the height of the trend were determined to join the action and contribute their own styles and interpretation. I think my favourite of the collars is the naked lady, and yes, the original collar did have celebrated and pointed nipples on supple curves and marble-like complexion. With Winter fast encroaching on the Southern hemisphere realms of the world, I think detachable collars are a great piece to wear with a casual jumper for extra class and something provocative can give people something to talk about wherever you are.
