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Like many curious Fashionistas I too like to travel, but not just travel – I like to travel to places that trigger ideas and inspiration in my creative line of work.
My clients are typically quite worldly and so they look to build collections that are adaptable and can be worn/used in several different places and not just where they reside. Being abreast of style in a global context is therefore very important to me.
In December I set off to explore southern California, focusing on Santa Monica, San Diego/La Jolla, and Palm Springs. It was no great surprise that women in Santa Monica, which is only a short distance from Beverley Hills, are all beautiful and exceptionally stylish. Because of the season I saw lots of women wearing boots with leggings and sweaters, leather jackets, and body warmers yet in/around Santa Monica and Malibu the style was a lot more relaxed with a strong bias toward the outdoors and oceanfront living with designers such as James Perse appearing quite popular.
As you drive south along the coast to San Diego the ‘relaxed’ theme continues. The amazing seafood and mouthwatering Mexican-influenced cuisine with freshly prepared guacamole and salsa suggest the lifestyle is designed around a “work-to-live” mentality as opposed to a “live-to-work” philosophy that is more commonplace elsewhere in the US and especially in major cities on the East Coast, such as New York. In California this is also reflected in business attire, which is less-formal, as well as a generally more laid-back feel and relaxed sense of fashion. This is not to say Californian’s don’t do formal – they certainly do and they do it well as recently seen in the Golden Globe Awards!
From San Diego and La Jolla I traveled North East to Palm Springs, a true desert oasis. It was probably the most beautiful out of the three locations, but also the most challenging to dress stylishly in. The Palm Springs Desert and the Joshua Tree National Park with its yellow and beige color tones were simply stunning and it was hard not to stop for a quick photo shoot. The photos were not pre-planned, and sometimes it’s better that way.
Here is my choice of comfortable yet stylish outfits. I hope they will inspire you, and give an idea of how to pare things together in a different way.

Playing in the sand with my kids:

Sweater by Dolce Gabbana, pants by Berenice, Sneakers Nike

Strolling in the desert: Skirt and sweater and boots by Zadig&Voltaire. Hat Maison de Michele

ThingsWeLove is a wonderful popup store that brings brands from Australia. This time it was held in a beautifully decorated  French restaurant Au Petite Salut.  I eagerly accepted my role as a stylist to conduct a short workshop with their new collection of designers such as: Collette Dinnigan, Lilaya and Istana. Some of the well known names I was already familiar with but some other ones were a delightful surprise. All clothes was weather and country appropriate. They ranged from outfits that you can do school run in to cocktail dresses and resort wear. I was happy to provide advice on how to wear certain pieces and which accessories to add for a complete look.
It was not a big surprise to find out that most accessories were sold out on their second day. Even I did not get my hands on a necklace I liked. Perhaps better luck next time.
If you are in Singapore in October, be on the lookout for their next event.