Alexa Chung. Style Sensation.

Recently, I was asked by a woman who works at Cosmopolitan who my style icon was. Panic set in as is the routine when I'm asked this ridiculously laborious question. For me, it's in the same vain as 'who is your favourite musician?' 'What is your favourite film?' 'What is your favourite food?' It's absurd, really. Thousands of divinely stylish women (and men), thousands of great style attributes; asking me to choose just one is cruel. I used to force myself into creating an imaginary style goddess, borrowing the strengths of the women in my collection of style icons: The supreme glamour of Sarah Jessica Parker; the unfailing wow-factor of the cast of Gossip Girl; the easy cool of Kate Moss; the experimental panache of Agnes Deyn...Until one day when it dawned on me, 'the...the...well, everything of Alexa Chung.'

She embodies everything I love about fashion; reinvention, glamour, visible, tangible charm, the ability of a single item or entire outfit to make you feel fantastic (I've never actually heard her say this, but with the way she dresses, how could she not?). The most important thing about style is that it always looks effortless. Alexa Chung does this flawlessly. She is always impeccably dressed, and is never tainted by the tastelessness of trying-too-hard.  I am constantly floored and inspired by her ability to transform a vintage look from 'good' 'oh my god' with a modern twist. I am a firm believer and practicer in the addition of items to an outfit that will give it an edge, that will hoist it out of the ordinary. Thus, Miss Chung's tendency to give a masculine edge to her more feminine ensembles means that I worship the ground her Topshop pumps walk on. It's not surprising then, that she was described as 'gamine' in the November 2010 UK Elle, on which she graced the cover in perfect shades of grey, black and dark blue (have I mentioned that that is the colour palette of my entire closet?). She has a penchant for combining the softness of female style and the structure of male mode. 

"I'm quite proud that geeky, asexual dressing has become cool. It's good to promote a different look."

The fact is, she is inspiration to more than just us mere mortals. The creative director of Mulberry, Emma Hill, gushed about Alexa, "We saw how she put her Mulberry Elkington [a man's briefcase] with a cute dress, long cardigan and boots and just loved it. That photo was how the Alexa was born!" Yes. She has a Mulberry bag named after her. A gorgeous, leather masterpiece, naturally. Could she be more fabulous?

Iman
xxx

The H&M Fashion Studio

The H&M Fashion Studio

I realise my last two posts was also about H&M, and there is the very real possibility that I am becoming a stalker, but this is too cool not to share. H&M is such a fantastic store and their awesome website earned them some serious brownie points in my book. Yes, the design is great, indeed, it's easy to use, but it's the Fashion Studio that will get you hooked.

The Fashion Studio is the feature that allows you to mix and match items from their range to 'create your own look'. You can use everything from dresses to underwear, shoes to bags, socks to accessories. I find myself channeling the young Iman that styled her Barbies and made them strut along the runway that was my bedroom floor. The looks are modelled on, well, models, so it's pretty much exactly like Barbie for the young adult. Only with more beautiful clothes. Oh, and the 'I-could-own-this' factor is always nice, too.

WARNING: Be prepared to spend hours seeing how that dress, or those shorts looks with every pair of shoes, every blazer and every necklace.

Iman
xxx

Lanvin for H&M - The Show (Promo 2010)

Lanvin for H&M – Couture for the commoner

Lanvin is a power house when it comes to couture. It is the kind of label at which the average fashion slave like myself marvels with a dreamy-eyed expression, certain that their garments are sewn together with pure silver thread by fairy godmothers like in the best Disney films. Lanvin is testament to the belief that fashion is art, which leaves so many of its admirers in the ‘look, but do not touch’ category.

But the magical dust has been generously sprinkled on us mere mortals by their artistic director Alber Elbaz who designed a stunning collection for H&M that strutted its way into stores on the 20^th of November 2010 – and I, for one, could not be more grateful.

’I have said in the past that I would never do a mass-market collection, but what intrigued me was the idea of H&M going luxury, rather than Lanvin going public.’ The luxury that characterises Lanvin is translated to the H&M collection through rich colours, bold design and classic elegance, and the effect is sensational. The Cinderella experience that won't break the bank.

Iman

xxx

The Gucci IMAN

A friend of mine found this a few weeks ago, and since she posted it on my wall, I've barely been able to think of anything else. A Gucci platform called the IMAN! Fate! It. Must. Be. Mine.
Someday.

Addicted To Coco(a) 1000S

To be honest, I’m not quite sure how to introduce myself to the blog-world. The ‘Hi, I’m Iman and I like long walks on the beach and candle-lit dinners’ approach has never really appealed to me. Thus I face the predicament of trying to sum myself up in a witty, charismatic sort of way, the stress of which makes it increasingly difficult to be remotely charming. Let’s start with the facts, shall we? I am Iman :) I’m 18 and studying English, Media and French at the University of Cape Town - an inspiring place to be young. The title of my blog is pretty much the most perfect description of myself that i have ever come across ( is it sad that the extent of my being can be summed up in 3 words? Hmm…possibly ) : Addicted To Coco(a). I wouldn’t say that I am a slave to fashion, per se, no that would be absurd. It’s more of a religion, really. An obsession that is boarderline unhealthy - I mean this quite literally, I find myself regularly sacrificing food because my life can’t actually go on without that dress/skirt/belt(insert life-changing garment here).

The other addiction I am quite happily tormented by is confectionery. I’ve been losing a battle to the combined efforts of chocolate and pastry since birth. The way to my heart is through my sweet tooth (and my closet).

This blog is not a space for ranting about the troubles of life, although I can’t promise that they won’t occasionally crawl their way onto the screen. This blog is about being young and in love with fashion. It’s about the awesome things you can do with it and the crazy, indescribable way it makes you feel. It’s about music and how it often feels like oxygen, and about how sometimes, the perfect accessory is a cupcake.

Iman

xxx