Shoe Lust: Nicholas Kirkwood

Lurking inside most girls, and some guys, lies a deep, unexplainable and often irrational shoe obsession. Nicholas Kirkwood and his fabulous creations are certainly not a cure for this! Lust away over some of the beautiful creations from his S/S 09 and A/W 08 collection....

Nailing It

Black may be edgy and cool, red has a certain sex appeal and there always seems to be a shade of the moment, but nothing can beat a classic nude shine...on nails of course. Suitable for all nail shapes and sizes (provided they are in good condition) and will always go with your outfit. Also, if you often find yourself being too busy to fix up skanky, chipped nails, then a nude shade is a lot more forgiving. Recently I tried out Chanel nailpolish, and unsurprisingly, I love it. It goes on easily, dries quickly, lasts a long time and helps to make my nails feel strong and healthy. Worth $39? I think so. If you don't want to spend that much on nailpolish try Napoleon Perdis chandelier shine, $15, for a great finish.

Winter Warmers

Many people think I am odd when I tell them that winter is my favourite season, and it’s true I don’t really like getting stuck in the rain and wind but there are definitely many pluses to winter. I’m a bit of a homebody, and there is nothing like being in bed and listening to the rain outside while you’re all tucked up and warm. Winter means log fires, cosy blankets, cute beanies and hot chocolate. Understand my love for winter now? Settle into a warm and comfortable winter tucked away at home with these buys....

1. Witchery pontielle beanie $39.95
2. Sportsgirl leggings (also available charcoal) $19.95
3. Mimco snowflake jaquard gloves $39.95
4. Sportsgirlcheck & lace scarfe $24.95
5. Barkins cashmillion belted roll neck (also available in black, grey marle and purple) $29.95
6. small KeepCup (available in a range of colours) $9.80
7. White Rabbit by Wendy June from Moose $42
8. BluMoose womens ballet slipper (also available in pink & purple moose and pink vintage floral patterns) $29.95

Resort Love

Style Inspiration: Whitney Port

Of all the girls on The Hills I think Whitney is the only one I truely like, as always seems to be friendly and classy (it may all be an act, but I doubt that). She is blessed to be a gorgeous, natural beauty and has such an amazing, effortless style. With her own spin-off show, The City, and clothing line, Whitney Eve, she seems to be one busy, and extremely lucky, girl. And just in case there were a few girls who weren't jealous, she is now rumoured to be dating Lipstick Jungle hottie (and previous Modern Fabulous man of the day) Robert Buckley! I've searched for some budget friendly Whitney inspired pieces, and here are the best....

1. Sportsgirl belinda tuxedo jacket $169.95

2. Dotti dreamtime floral flip skirt $49.95

3. Sportsgirl krissy heel $149.95

4. Agent Ninety Nine scoop neck singlet $19.95

5. Dotti four ring slouch bag $49.95

6. Tony Bianco Palais heel $159.95

7. Sportsgirl sink tote $69.95

8. Minkpink black forest dress $40.90

9. Minkpink alchemy sequin skirt $55.90

10. AM Eyewear bonbon sunglasses $249.95

11. I Love Billy bossi flats $69.95

As for makeup, Whitney always seems to have a flawless, simple and glowing look. Start with a luminous foundation base (after cleansing, toning and moisturising of course!) with SPF, using a powder if you find it too shiny. Next, lightly dust a bronzer on, highlighting the cheeks. Use a liquid eyeliner along the top lash line and lightly flick out at the end. Curl lashes and coat with mascara, then finish with a simple slick of lipgloss.

Resort 2010: 3.1 Phillip Lim and Alexander Wang

images with the grey background are Alexander Wang,

others are Phillip Lim, from Style.com

Resort 2010: Yigal Azrouël

I hadn’t heard of designer Yigal Azrouël before, and was definitely glad I decided to check out his resort collection. His designs are fresh and exciting, and I was surprised to learn that he has never been formally taught in fashion design. He is relatively new to the fashion world, having only launched his first collection in 1998, and flagship store in 2003. His talents quickly gained recognition, being inducted into the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 2004. He was in the news earlier this year, after firing publicist Kelly Cutrone, of Peoples Revolution (viewers of the Hills should know who she is!) for allowing an ex-hooker to sit front row.

Resort 2010

If it's not already, the blazer is getting ready to become THE jacket of the moment, especially when teamed with cropped pants. Since the oversized blazer from Stella McCartney Spring/Summer I have had a crush on this garment. I’m unsure on how I feel about the pants, but blazers definitely get a big Modern Fabulous tick of approval. I was unsure on what a resort collection involved, and it has been interesting to see different designer’s takes. My mother asked me “is it just holiday clothes?” This is perhaps a perception that I held, although the 2010 collections prove to be much more than that. After only seeing Karl Lagerfeld’s gorgeous creations for Chanel initially, I was also quite surprised at the lack of a nautical theme elsewhere.

Bottega Venetta more than embraced holiday brights, moving away from the classical, old hollywood style glamour of their Fall collection, featuring a shocking orange pinstripe suit. I was a bit confused about the outfit featuring a leather jacket paired with harem pants. While it looked great on the lovely Chanel Iman, they are both such super hot trends at the moment to the point of very cheap (Supre!) imitations everywhere. As I continued through the other collections, the odd harem pant popped up here and there, although at least styled in a different way. I think my hated for them comes from seeing all the manky bogan girls wandering around the city in them as a track pants replacement- urghhhhh!

The full length gowns from Badgley Mischka seemed to be the opposite of what I thought would be included in resort wear, but are exquisite regardless. The dresses are elegant, yet striking, designs, featuring the currently popular ruffles, jewel tones and one shouldered styles.

Diane von Furstenberg showcased clothes that were bright, in the right way, fun and very attractive. The bows on the heads were a cute touch, thought I kept thinking that I was still looking at the Louis Vuitton collections from fall.

My absolute favourite standout collections, the picks of which I will feature soon, are 3.1 Phillip Lim, from which there is a gold jacket I am absolutely lusting after, Alexander Wang, Burberry Prorsum, Donna Karan, Elise Overland, Isaac Mizrahi, Oscar de la Renta, Stella McCartney, Yigal Azrouel.

Other wonderful collections include Doo.Ri, Derek Lam, Helmut Lang, Jonathan Saunders, Michael Kors, Narciso Rodriguez, Nicole Miller, Preen, Rachel Roy, Temperley London, Yves Saint Laurent.

Wrap me up: Draped Cardigans

While leather jackets are the dominant form of winter warmth this year, I believe the long draped cardigan has been highly under hyped. Comfortable, warm, classy and a staple wardrobe piece, these stylish cardigans are just as suitable out an about as they are being a snugly and attractive piece of loungewear. Compared to most other jackets, especially leather ones, they are very affordable! Here are some great finds.

1. Witchery Contrast Edge cardigan, was $249.95, now $129.95

2. Witchery Drape Pocket cardigan, $149.95
3. Minkpink Fluffy draped cardi (also available in charcoal and white) $75.90
4. Bardot Waterfall cardigan (also available in khaki and melon) $59.95

5. Camilla & Marc Taylor knit $498
6. Maxshop Tuxedo drape cardigan was $99, now $79