Edinburgh is such a magical city. When we arrived, it was the early evening, which means we had time to walk around and explore a bit. I was thrilled when I saw one of my favorite things in Scotland: Harris tweed coats and accessories.
Love this pretty pink tweed
Love these gorgeous coats and accessories
We stayed at the Radisson Blu, a sleek and modern hotel located in Edinburgh’s city centre. We returned to our hotel after grabbing a small fast food dinner. When we got back to the room, I could finally take it all in: the rooms were nothing like the boutique hotels we were in for the majority of the trip. We had elevators, bright lighting, spa facilities: this hotel was like stepping back into the modern day (after enjoying the history and charm of yesteryear). We were exhausted from the busy day we enjoyed, so we slept well and got our rest. That next day, my friend and I were still a bit tired, and opted out of the scheduled activities for the day. We slept in, then walked around Edinburgh. Oh, and one more thing: we were in Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival, so there was plenty of outdoor activity as we walked around near our hotel.
Walking the streets of Edinburgh
We missed breakfast, but walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch. We decided to try David Bann, a vegetarian restaurant. I order a mint tea, a salad, and the wild mushroom bake. I finished with a dessert. Everything was so delicious! I hate how quickly I ate my meal: I barely got any pictures. That being said, I highly recommend that you all stop by if you’re in Edinburgh (if you’d like me to do a review on David Bann specifically, I can make that a separate post).
The menus at David Bann
Fresh mint tea
My salad
Delectable dessert
While walking around on Princes Street, we ended up at Whittard of Chelsea, where I couldn’t resist buying Banoffee Pie and Sticky Toffee Pudding flavored hot chocolate. I spotted some more gorgeous traditional Scottish clothing and also made my way to shops that I enjoy at home (like Zara). We were out for several hours, so we decided to eat dinner before heading to our evening activity.
Display at Whittard of Chelsea
Perfumes at Zara
Kilts and tartans on display
On our schedules for the evening was the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a dazzling display of dance, music, rifle and sword artistry, and precision marching. It was a thrilling show that is fun for the whole family. The spectacular show ended with an incredible combined routine with all of the participating military forces, and an array of fireworks light the sky up.
Waiting for the show to start
Military in formation
More performers at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Light display at the end of the show
More light displays
When we left the performance, I felt like I was buzzing from the excitement! To say that I enjoyed it would be an understatement. That being said, all of the walking, shopping, and taking in the street performers left me sufficiently tired. I fell asleep with no issue. I needed to get enough rest so that I could do all of the activities for the next day, our last full day in Scotland.
That’s all for day 1 in Edinburgh. I’m looking forward to sharing day 2, my final full day in Scotland, shortly. Until then, take care, and thanks for reading!
My trip to London earlier this year featured some quality shopping time at Harrods, one of my favorite department stores. This time, I added a new experience for me: a few drinks at the champagne bar. And what a sparkly time I had!
The Moët & Chandon Champagne Bar is a glittery space where champagne, exquisite snacks and fabulous people watching come together. I wasn’t sure whether the food would complement the drinks, but the snacks I tried were perfect (oh, how I wish I took pictures of the food!) The baguette, cheese and charcuterie, and lobster leaf were exquisite.
My friend and I both tried The Rosé Encounter. This flight featured three different rosé champagnes: the Rosé Impérial, Grand Vintage 2016 Rosé and the Nectar Impérial Rosé. I loved them all, but I enjoyed the Nectar Impérial Rosé the most. We received complimentary truffle chips as an accompaniment, and the earthy flavor played perfectly against the brightness of the champagne.
My flight
When I return, I’ll be sure to try some different champagnes, just to see if Nectar Impérial Rosé is still my favorite. Until then, I’ll have to savor the memories from this last trip to the champagne bar!
Earlier this year, I took one of my longest vacations (ever): I spent 20 days enjoying London and a transatlantic cruise aboard Cunard’s Queen Anne. The London leg of the trip was fantastic, because London is amazing. Trips to Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Zedel are always on the agenda, but this trip was marked by an even more spectacular activity: I got to see the live production of, The Devil Wears Prada.
Let me start this story by giving a little background. This trip was initially scheduled for a different set of weeks, but my friend had to change the dates to accommodate some new obligations. We had already purchased our tickets to the show, and we feared that we wouldn’t be able to exchange them for a different date. Fortunately, the gracious box office at the Dominion Theatre refunded the tickets and we were able to secure our seats for a different night (imagine trying to do that kind of adjustment here in the US: impossible!)
Fashions inside the theatre
We went to the show and it was INCREDIBLE! The music, the fashion, the overall story, and the diamond in the crown of this production: Ms. Vanessa Williams as Miranda Priestly. She is ethereal, and her voice is perfect. The whole cast was absolutely divine, but I particularly enjoyed the actress playing Emily, Amy di Bartolomeo. Every note, every scene, every accessory was chosen with care. I particularly enjoyed a scene where the ensemble cast came out and were wearing the colors of the French flag (bleu, blanc et rouge), and they were careful to walk in a way that kept the blue first in the lineup (lest it be confused with the red-white-blue flag of the US). Those kind of details are plentiful in this production, and it would be fun to see the show several times, just to see how many of these details I can spot.
Seen as we exited the show
The music was fantastic, the venue was convenient, and the performers were all perfectly cast. My only regret is that I didn’t buy tickets to see the show one more time before I left London! If you’re able to see it, I highly encourage you to do so. Because believe me, the Devil wearing Prada has never been more beautiful!
More style chat! I’m still doing a deep dive into the Four Essence System as developed by Rita (of Style Thoughts by Rita).
The video I’m referencing for this post describes four tools within the system. These tools are used to clarify where individuals fall within the system, by interpreting who they are, how they look and their style process. The third tool of the system (tool 1 and tool 2 have their own posts) is style logic, which examines the style process itself. The logic portion of the video starts around 5:10.
Rita mentions style logic, specifically, how you think about style. So I decided to personalize this, and ask myself how I think about style.
This touches on my, “process for shopping, putting outfits together, and getting dressed”. This is all about how the effort involved with shopping and styling myself show up in the real world. If I enjoy complicated, almost ritualistic approaches to shopping and styling myself, then laid-back clothing is a fundamental mismatch. Likewise, if I prefer quick, uncomplicated, casual shopping and styling, then formal, effort-ful ensembles won’t match my energy.
According to Rita, Right Essence has “Inspiration from outside; a conceptual approach”. Meanwhile, the Up Essence highlights “Emphasis on external impact, and deliberate, lookbook approach”. The result of combining Right and Up is “Situation-focused, Conceptual, Deliberate”. As someone who has a Right-Up Essence, my style logic needs to have a good bit of effort, some ritual, and an intentional effect when completed. I’m fortunate: my style logic matches my clothing and styling approach (for the most part). Even my casual clothing tends to look like I’ve put a good deal of effort into it (because I have!) I select my clothing, makeup and hairstyle with care, and it shows, even when I’m dressed down a bit.
Alternatively, understanding my style logic can help me determine when I’m choosing clothing and styling options that do not match my essence. I’ve actually found myself hurriedly getting dressed, and realizing that my ensemble falls flat because it needs a little extra effort. So I’ll reach for an accessory or two, a more elegant pair of shoes, or even a striking coat, to give my outfit the polish it needs to look like I put more effort into it. If it looks like it took me only a few minutes to get ready, then that’s my cue that I need to do MORE, if I want to look like my Right Up self. When I do less, I noticed that no one comments on how good my casual-chic outfit looks (even if I took 45 minutes to tousle my hair or to look less formal and more chill), but when I look like put in just a bit more effort (even if it only took me 15 minutes, it should LOOK like it took me an hour or two), everyone I see will mention how great I look (go figure!)
Understanding your style logic goes a long way in determining whether you’re in harmony with your essence. I’m thankful for this great explanation of style logic – and the other tools – as used within the Four Essence System!
We’re discussing Style Thoughts by Rita’s Four Essence System again, because I’m fascinated by how this system explains the energy and soul behind personal style. There are four tools within the Four Essence System (I’ve already discussed tool # 1 here). Today, I’m on to Tool # 2 – Archetypes. The section of the video that broadly talks bout archetypes is found at minute 3:33.
Anyway, I’m exploring archetypes that fit my Right-Up essence. This quadrant contains women that tend to have a regal energy, that can run the gamut from intimidating to adorable. The keywords for Right-Up women that resonated most with me were Luminous, Refined, The Sun, Effort, Persona and (in my mind) Glamorous. Building upon those keywords, I took a look at the archetypes to see where I fit in. Fortunately for me, Rita has already posted a video explaining the five archetypes within the Right-Up quadrant.
The archetypes for this quadrant are the Role Model, the Icon, the Priestess, the Power, and the Playful Dame/Princess. I knew, immediately, that the Playful Dame/Princess did not suit me: I don’t have the girlish energy needed to pull off this archetype. The next archetype I struck off of my list is the Power: while I do feel energetically powerful, I don’t think this is an energy that I project well out into the world. My friendly Southern nature makes it hard to have the intimidation needed to embody this archetype well.
The process of elimination left me between two archetypes: the Icon and the Priestess. I most resonate with Icon, because there is a level of mystery and ceremony with the Priestess that doesn’t suit my personality and energy. When describing the Icon, Rita says, “Her style is an extension of her mission in the world”, and, “the main thing […] is this willingness to be seen and have this comfort with your power”. As someone who has studied personal style and is constantly implementing strategies to refine and perfect the image I want to communicate to others, I can confirm that I use my style as a calling card for my mission, and I also use it as a support when communicating who I am to others.
In short, the Icon is ME! I love this archetype and I enjoyed how Rita emphasizes that the celebrity examples she uses in her videos aren’t there to show anyone “what to wear” for their archetype, but to determine the role that personal style plays in their lives. It’s this desire to understand how style supports us that drives the need to uncover our archetypes, and I’m thankful that Rita has created such great content that explains these things in depth.
That’s all for today. Take care, and I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!
Hello friends! I’ve been spending a lot of time at home, and as I prepare for the cooler months (when staying inside more is inevitable for me), I’ve been thinking of ways to improve my environment. While doing some of my normal cleaning, I noticed that I had far more things that needed to be maintained, and not enough “blank space” around me.
I realized I’d become fully immersed in my identity as a curator (never a hoarder: I hate having stuff “engulf” me, nor do I purchase or collect items for any reason other than appreciation of art in various forms). However, I’d been slacking on my culling. To cull is to go a step beyond curating: it involves eliminating things that may be suitable but aren’t the best. It’s part of the selective behavior that creates s well-cultivated sense of personal taste that has a healthy dose of discrimination and exclusivity. I prefer to look at this as culling (focusing on what I choose to keep) as opposed to purging (focusing on the things that I’m removing).
For instance, I have books – lots of books. While I may enjoy all of my books, I need to go through these books and figure out which ones I love and which ones I like, and promptly rid myself of any books that don’t meet the “love” category. The same thing goes for clothes, accessories, and even cookware: I’m culling all of it, and only leaving behind the items that make my heart sing.
Culling allows the things you love the space they need to shine.
Curating without culling creates chaos, both within the mind as well as within the physical environment. So I’ve started taking the steps to eliminate this chaos externally so that I can cultivate more internal peace and order. With the most difficult seasons for me (late fall stretching into early winter) ahead, I want to ensure that I have as little disorder and as few energetic “leaks” as possible.
What kind of culling activities have you found beneficial? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
The first tool Rita mentions is keywords. Keywords allow us to laser focus on the elements of the essence, without getting lost in minutia. These also function as a compass of sorts, constantly guiding users to the heart of the effect they are trying to create through style. The keywords for my essence are as follows:
For Right women: Dreamy, Radiant, Inspiring, Luminous, Refined, The Sun, The Ice Queen
For Up women: Intimidating, Effort, Extravagant, Persona, Glamorous, Mysterious
The words that resonate with me were Luminous, Refined, The Sun, Effort, Persona and (in my mind) Glamorous. I started comparing these words against some of the things that I own, and whatever doesn’t make the cut, was placed into a giveaway (charity) bag. It was a simple metric for seeing which items suited me, and which ones are not harmonious with my style vision.
There are a lot of great keywords mentioned in the video that can help calibrate your style approach, so you can make choices that resonate with your core style ID. I loved experimenting with the many ways that keywords show up in my style. It also exposed ways that I’m falling short of my style vision, too.
That’s all my friends! What keywords from the video suit your style?
Happy Monday, friends! Tomorrow, I’ll start discussing the highlights of my trip, beginning with my first stop (Lisbon, Portugal, and the surrounding towns). But today, we talk travel fashion.
When I prepared for my trip, I began by adopting a capsule wardrobe approach. I knew I wanted to function with one piece of luggage, and one wardrobe that had everything I needed to mix and match my ensembles. By the time I packed for my trip, I had the following wardrobe list:
If you want to see the ensembles in motion, here’s the video I posted, showing some of the outfit combinations and accessories:
Now, I’m overall pleased with the items I selected. But, looking back a bit, I realized there were a few things that could have created a better capsule wardrobe:
Instead of my taupe flats, I really needed flat shoes with better grips on the soles. I had to walk very carefully when we toured, because my flats were slick on the bottom and I could have used the extra grip for touring on those well-worn stone surfaces.
Denim shorts would have been a fantastic addition to this wardrobe, especially if they were tapered and knee-length.
Another button-down top would have given me a little extra polish: it would have been even better if it was a sleeveless button-down so I could stay cool while I tooled around.
Because Lisbon was unseasonably cool, I needed more long-sleeved tops. Having few long-sleeved options was a problem for me.
Also, a jacket or cardigan would have been great and given me some additional wardrobe options.
I really wish I’d thrown one other color into the mix, aside from yellow, white and royal/navy blue.
As a Kibbe Soft Classic (SC), I would have benefited from a few pieces that had a bit more structure and symmetry. Less structured items = more comfort, easier maintenance, but opting for structured pieces would have ensured that I felt more like myself as I toured, and more put together.
I am glad that I had a capsule wardrobe that worked for my travels but, like anything else, there was room for improvement. I’ll do it even better next time!
Here’s the post that went up prematurely a few weeks ago: it’s all fleshed out and full of pics. Enjoy!
A couple of months ago, I discussed Grace Kelly’s impeccably elegant style, and I found it extremely helpful for my own style journey to apply an analytical lens to her style choices. It’s been a while since I did a Kibbe style chat, and this particular star’s style has been a favorite of mine for years. I figure that there is no time like the present to discuss another Soft Classic (SC) beauty, Marion Cotillard.
(Image courtesy of Archive.org)
The effect: Old Hollywood Revisited
Marion is an established actress, winning numerous awards for her portrayals. I find her fascinating, as she is often on what I consider the “outskirts” of pop culture. She is undoubtedly talented and popular, but she doesn’t appear on the gossip sites or other media outlets focusing on the shenanigans involving some A-listers. She’s “in the world [of Hollywood] but not of it”, for lack of better expressions. Marion has all of the perks of the A list but none of the embarrassing trappings. Clearly, she prefers remaining as discreet as her level of fame will allow. I admire her for this!
Marion’s philosophy of discretion over being outrageous for the public’s consumption is seen in her sartorial selections. She often keeps a simple silhouette with her hair, makeup, and clothing, though she occasionally takes chances with her appearances. Starting with her hair, it’s clear to see that Marion enjoys wearing her natural dark hair color. Her brunette locks perfectly complement her coloring, so she looks tremendously harmonious when wearing dark hair. Her hair is always quite glossy (which makes the color appear even more luscious) and is usually in a medium- to slightly-long length bob with a bit of curve. Her hair usually doesn’t have stiff curls, just a lovely curvature of the ends.
Marion with a slightly shorter crop but still very clean and classic lines (screenshot from video on Archive.org)
Sometimes she’ll do much longer lengths, which can give her an even more glamorous appearance. Her best looks are always very tidy, or, if slightly tousled, it’s a very calculated effortless look that doesn’t appear messy at all. What’s really fascinating is how “older” (more vintage inspired) hairstyles look tremendously modern on Marion. As a SC, she has a very balanced face that looks quite timeless, and the same hairstyles that looked marvelous on the SCs of yesteryear (like Grace Kelly, Merle Oberon and Donna Reed) look just as fresh and beautiful on Marion. In my humble opinion, the prettiest looks worn by Marion are the hairstyles that look like they are right off of the pages of a 1940s styling guide.
Marion as photographed by Studio Harcourt Paris, 1999 (edited by MaterialScientist)
Marion’s makeup tends to be quite soft and simple. She will occasionally experiment with more intense looks, but she looks effortlessly and polished when she works within the makeup recommendations as outlined by Kibbe. Marion’s most incredible looks use gently defined features, with eyes and lips matching in intensity. The “watercolor” makeup approach (as advised by Kibbe) looks marvelous on her, giving her features some distinction but doesn’t overwhelm her balanced overall effect.
Marion in her signature cosmetic colors (photo by Georges Biard)
Finally, let’s discuss clothing. Marion looks heavenly in symmetrical ensembles with soft touches here adn there (the best look for SC). What’s really cool is that she will experiment with looks that are better suited for other style IDs, presumably because SC clothing is often “boring” to the SCs that wear them. (Sidebar: as a SC, I understand how “boring” it can be to stay within the style recs for this ID. The trick is to add one element of different IDs while keeping the rest true to our ID.)
While regularly wearing SC clothing can feel “boring”, it is really the best canvas for seeing the naturally balanced features within the face and body. When Marion sticks to her ID, she looks heavenly. She looks incredible when she wears clothing that looks like they are directly from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Symmetrical silhouettes that fall anywhere from the knee to the ankles are smashing on her, though she occasionally plays with a mini-skirt ensemble (these look cute on her when the mini-skirt is a bubble style). Sheaths, shirtwaist dresses, and A-line ensembles are perfect on her, so long as there are soft touches that honor the yin in her frame. High quality fabrics that are neither too heavy or too flimsy suit her well, and wearing colors that are consistent (no fading) and an appropriate level of saturation (she can handle a bit of color intensity) are best.
Marion looks gorgeous in a simple dress that honors soft classic lines (screenshot from Archive.org)
For Marion, she would do well to ask WWGW: What Would Grace Wear? The most flattering looks I’ve seen on Marion look like they were plucked from the Princess of Monaco’s wardrobe. However, she should avoid using the same color palette of Princess Grace: Marion’s coloring looks divine with Soft/Cool Winter colors, while Grace is a Summer, which, funny enough, is the lighter side of Winter colors. Marion could literally replicate most of Grace’s ensembles, make sure the clothing is in the Winter coloring range, and it would look fresh and modern, while still giving a nod to classic roots.
Wearing muted colors that straddle the line of summer and winter palettes, but still looking beautiful. (Georges Biard)
The difficulty of modern celebrity wardrobes is that there are many stylists that don’t “curate” signature looks like the old Hollywood machine used to do for its stars. For that reason, I think Marion does a great job of creating a style profile that has way more “hits” than “misses”. I also appreciate that she enjoys having fun with her appearance and doesn’t stick strictly to the silhouettes that are recommended to SCs. Even if her style risks are occasional “misses” to the public eye, so long as she’s having fun, it really doesn’t matter if others disagree with her choices.
That’s all for my style analysis of Marion Cotillard. Do you like her ensembles? Let me know what you think!
Last year, I posted about my Kibbe style ID and some of the revelations that I had related to that. After I published that post, I realized that some of my readers may find the Kibbe system confusing and even a bit overwhelming. I had some subsequent posts about the Kibbe system (like this one and this one) but these may not be clear enough for someone that is hearing about the system for the first time. Admittedly, I had no problem interpreting my original results from doing the self-typing test, but I can imagine how someone with no experience with analyzing their bone structure and flesh may not be able to come up with a conclusive answer.
I checked out a few videos that attempted to clarify how to get a good set of Kibbe results, but I found that there are a few other things that you can try to give you more clarity on what your true style ID is. Here are three things that you can try, to get a better “guess” of your Kibbe type.
Reface yourself with a celebrity that shares your Kibbe style ID. I stumbled across this method when I was curious about trying a new hairstyle. While playing around on the app, I refaced myself as Marion Cotillard, Teyonah Parris (an unconfirmed Kibbe SC), Grace Kelly, Veronica Lake and Dita Von Teese (another unconfirmed Kibbe SC). At the end, I noticed that I looked more seamless when I refaced as a SC. But, when I refaced myself as Dorothy Dandridge (Kibbe Theatrical Romantic), Halle Berry (Kibbe Soft Gamine) and Diahann Carroll (Kibbe Soft Dramatic). While the final videos were cute, none of them looked as “true to me” as the SC Refaced clips.
Get a friend to do the test for you. Sometimes, we cannot see ourselves accurately. In fact, one blogger than I came across recently couldn’t see her own type, though quite a few of her readers advised her of what they suspected her Kibbe ID was. After many months of experimenting, she finally determined that yes, her readers were correct and had typed her accurately. What you may want to do is get a friend (or two) to complete the Kibbe ID test for you. Though David Kibbe no longer recommends the test as a way to get an accurate interpretation of your body’s lines, the test is not completely inaccurate, and having your friends complete the test based on what they observe about your body can be tremendously helpful in getting a more objective understanding of your personal lines.
Try the “squint” method. Instead of looking at your physique head on, try squinting to give a less defined but more wholistic view of your body. Sometimes, zooming out and blurring the fine details can help you take in the overall silhouette. It may not be the surest method for determining your style ID, but it can help with getting a better sense of your shape.
Those are my three tips for finding your Kibbe style ID when you’re struggling with identifying your body type. I hope these tips can help! Take care, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
Bronze Butterfly 