November | 2013 | Romantique and Rebel

Posted on November 28, 2013

Tartan Romantic Chic

Tartan, squares, plaids and checks are Rebel’s favourite trend of AW2013 from Celine to Moschino! I have also fallen for the graphic look. Rather than styling it grungy and edgy, I like my tartans to look playful and whimsical. Think preppy style, paired with a white blouses, Peter Pan collar and playful details like bows and empire-line shaped dresses.

My favourite shade of tartan is green as it’s classic but not as noticeable as red.

Above: I am wearing: Green tartan skirt sitting high on the waist with toggle closure from Moschino cheap and Chic. Glasses from

My style icon Lea Seydoux in a red tartan Prada AW2011 skirt. The black leather jacket and ankle boots ensure the look doesn’t look to Scottish Highland-y.

Zooey Deschannel in Saint Laurent’s tartan dress AW2013

Zooey Deschannel is one lucky girl because she gets to wear Saint Laurent’s red tartan dress with white peter pan collar, black bow and empire waist. I’ve been dreaming of buying this dress but my purse reminds me I can’t !

If you are dreaming of the above Saint Laurent dress like me, consider this cute red tartan dress courtesy of Karl Lagerfeld! Get a Peter Pan mock collar and a velevet black bow and you’re good to go!

Pointy kitten heels from Logan. Tshirt, skirt and blazer from Moschino Cheap and Chic.

Pointy kitten heels from Logan. Tshirt, skirt, blazer from Moschino Cheap and Chic, sunglasses from Chloe.

Posted on November 26, 2013

Hats: My trademark for winter

Accessoires/ Rebel Alexa

When it comes to hats, I always have to think of Brigitte Bardot. In my view, nobody on this planet looks better wearing hats than BB. Hence it was time for me to make a chance in my style and add a hat into my wardrobe too. A black hat in a combination with my favorite clothes will bring my outfits to a whole new level.

Choose a hat and make it your trademark for winter. A hat can change your look very quickly looking very pretty and stylish. When wearing a hat, think of Brigitte Bardot. Add bold eye make-up and you can’t go wrong!

Posted on November 25, 2013

Fashion Sisters: One Look, two Styles: The Pencil Skirt

Rebel Alexa/ Romantique/ Skirts

The Pencil skirt, one of the most timeless and feminine wardrobe essentials, is the subject for this week’s sisters challenge.

We show two different ways to wear and style the most flattering of skirts: Nipped at the waist and knee length, this versatile all rounder is an endless source of inspiration for us!

Rebel: My pencil skirt is from TK Maxx and made of boucle / tweed material. I find boucle materials not made by Chanel difficult to wear as it can look old-fashioned – think German wife of a Bavarian bank branch manager! To avoid this provincial look, I consciously chose a simple, navy blue turtleneck jumper with opaque black tights and cream sandals to go with the tweed pencil skirt.

Rebel is wearing: Pencil skirt by TK Maxx, jumper by Rochas, sandals by BCBG, Trenchcoat by Burberry, Sunglasses by Hogan.

Romantique: For my pencil skirt look, I was inspired by Loewe’s feminine Autumn 2013 runway look of layering leather and sheepskin. Thigh high split leather pencil skirts and shearling coats prove that warm doesn’t mean compromising on style.

Inspired by Loewe’s runway look, Romantique is wearing: Chocolate brown leather pencil skirt from Ralph Lauren, raspberry turtleneck jumper by Uniqlo, sheepskin parka coat by Stefanel, flat ankle boots by Kurt Geiger and canvas cherub bag from Fiorucci.

Loewe leather and lambskin rtw fall 2013

Who would have thought that shearling can be glamorous? Loewe shows us how with a leather pencil skirt and sheepskin jacket.

Posted on November 23, 2013

Fashion 50 plus: Top 10 Styling Dos and Don’ts

Blazer / Jackets/ Coats/ Romantique/ Wardrobe

Our mom is 62 years old and has always been an aesthete with a passion for beautiful tailored and crafted fashion. Hitting her twilight years doesn’t mean she has to wear dowdy clothes and hide herself. Throughout the years, her body inevitably changed. She now has a figure that many middle aged and older women share:

· Fat stored around the waist

· Skinny legs as the body loses muscles as we age

· Heavy chested

Being old doesn’t mean to stop caring about the way you look. You can still feel fabulous, you just have to tweak your wardrobe to emphasize your positive body parts. It’s also important to not lose sight over your personal preference.

Mummy romantique and Rebel put together her top 10 Do’s and Don’ts of fashion for women over 50! Share your thoughts with us and let us know if you have a fashion secret you’d like to share with us!

DON’T: Avoid pattern on shirts and jumpers. They only emphasize a big chest. No florals, dots, animal print. Go with moncoloured tops.
DO: Flaunt what you got and emphasize your slim legs in skinny jeans and printed trousers in rich fabrics like brocade. Cocktails pants are bang on trend right now and a great way to look chic and stylish.
DON’T: Short Blazer’s and boxy jackets only show off a muffin tops and a tummy.
DO: Wear longer, men-cut blazer with a walking slit. Try oversized overcoats in boyfriend style, egg shape or dropped shoulders with kimono sleeves. Longer cardigans will flatter a fuller figure.
DON’T: You don’t need to draw attention to your bigger midriff with tight waist belts. It’s best to avoid them like the plague.
DO: Wear scarves to cover your neck, one of the weaknesses in older age. There are some great statement scarves, made from luscious materials you can snuggle in for winter.
DON’T: Unless your name is Iris Apfel, stay away from oversized statement jewellrey and too much bling bling. You’re not a Christmas Tree.
DO: Invest in classic, pop coloured bags and shoes. Bold colours can look to over the top when you’re older. Try Oxfords lace-ups in ruby red and royal blue handbags to spice up your wardrobe without making it look too carnivalistic.

Floral trousers from Riani. Sunglasses from Dior. White sandals from Prada.

Grey oversized coat with dropped shoulders and kimono sleeves from Max & Co. Powder Pink Oxford Lace-ups from Jil Sander.

Stick to classic, eternally flattering shapes like shift dresses and pencil skirts. Navy dress from Gant. Shoes from Pretty Ballerina.

Posted on November 22, 2013

JFK 50th Anniversary: Jackie Kennedy 2.0

Rebel Alexa/ Romantique

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, shot while riding in a motorcade through the streets of Dallas. German TV programmes honour the anniversary with a lot of specials, movies and other retrospectives on JFK. In recent days I have seen a lot of documentaries on TV about Jack and Jackie Kennedy. While watching I wondered: Jackie Kennedy looks like someone you know, who? And then the penny dropped, my sister Romantique looks like Jackie Kennedy, the similarity of her semi-profile to Jackie Kennedy is perplexing. So, I would say we do have a Doppelganger of Jackie Kennedy in our family, Jackie 2.0 has begun!

Posted on November 22, 2013

All About Tartans

Rebel Alexa/ Shirts

Squares, checks and tartans are autumn’s definitive prints, are you also infected? Tartan is back in a big way and I could buy a new check shirt every day. From Ava Gardner’s bikini to the sofa of Audrey Hepburn, to Anna Karina’s Coat, to Lauren Hutton’s plaid to Romy Schneider Tartans are girl’s best friend.

On me: H&M Shirt, J Brand, Boots & Sunglasses by Hogan, Scarf by Burberry

Posted on November 18, 2013

What to wear on Christmas Day: Jackie Kennedy’s White House Christmas Day Outfit to look fabulous

Rebel Alexa/ Wardrobe

Christmas is just around the corner. I am sure, you would have already started shopping to look gorgeous this festive season. If you still have not decided what to wear on Christmas, how about Jackie Kennedy’s White House Christmas Day Outfit from 1962? I’m so inspired and so in love of Jackie’s retro look, it’s so effortless, classy and elegant. The key to getting her look? Simple silhouettes, classic colors, perfect tailoring. So, I know exactly what I want to wear on Christmas Day 2013.

I bought online for the White House retro Christmas Day look: Sweater and pants by J Crew, Flats by Jacques Saint Tropez, Pearls by Chanel

Posted on November 17, 2013

Fashion Sisters: One Look,Two Styles: Monochrome

Blazer / Jackets/ Denim/ Rebel Alexa/ Romantique/ Trousers

A monochrome look, styled in two ways. Are you Romantique or Rebel?

Trends come and go, black and white will always stay. It’s the most classic and uncomplicated combination of colours. Style it romantic like Romantique or cool and minimalistic like Rebel.

Romantique: Black and white can look severe and quite grown up. I wanted to give the monochrome look a playful note by adding a bow jumper and vichy checked trousers, paired with easy to wear moccasins.

Romantique is wearing: Bow Cashmere jumper from Antoni & Alison. Gingham woolen trousers from Max & Co AW2013. Moccasins from AGL Attilio Giusti Leombruni. Woven patent bag from Falorni. Wayfarer sunglasses from Ray Ban.

Rebel: My Black and White Outfit looks clean and minimalistic. To break up the strictness of the look, I added stripey socks and open sandals to give it a fun notion while still keeping the style simple.

Rebel is wearing: Jeans by J Brand. Turtleneck sweater by Stefanel, white blazer by H&M (from the men’s department), stripey grey socks by Falke, sunglasses by Anna Sui.

Black jacket by Closed.

Romantique: White ballerina bracelet by Les Nereides.

Rebel: Striped Falke socks and TK Maxx sandals

Posted on November 15, 2013

Autumn Basics: Short Pea Coat & Knits

Accessoires/ Blazer / Jackets/ Romantique/ Wardrobe

It’s getting cooler in London town, a good excuse to wrap up in snuggly knits and cute accessoires. My grey pleated knit skirt from Stefanel is my all-time trusted basic that I love pairing with nougat coloured ankle boots, topped off with a missoni-esque wool beret.

To avoid looking like a public schoool girl, I combined the skirt with a short military style wool jacket from Closed. For those of you who don’t know this brand: Closed is a German fashion brand from Hamburg. They do modern and well made jeans and other apparel. Closed invented the stone wash procedure in the 80s and as a result dominated the denim market for a long time.

I am wearing:

Short wool pea coat: Closed

Pleated knitted skirt: Stefanel

Ankle Boots: Goertz

Midnight Blue tights: Falke

Wool beret: Dent at TK Maxx

Woven Handbag: Falorni made in Italy at TK Maxx

Pink Ballerina Earrings: Les Nereides

London Street Style: In South Kensington having picked up my favourite cake (raspberry cheesecake brownie) from the Hummingbirds Bakery!

I’m a summer girl but become weak when shopping for winter accessoires: Grey gloves with little hearts from Moschino, wool beret from Dent, pink bow with gold studs from Alice Temperley. All from TK Maxx

Posted on November 13, 2013

The ‘it’ bag isn’t important any more

Accessoires/ Rebel Alexa

“The ‘it’ bag isn’t important any more,” says Stephanie Solomon, women’s fashion director at Bloomingdale’s. “It’s all about looking different from your neighbor.” And she said it by the way. «I hate handbags, my colleagues love them.» Carine Roitfeld, former chief editor of the French “Vogue. Think on legendary photos of Roitfeld, as she sits in the front row, legs crossed, sunglasses and cell phone in hand, just as she had parked the car.

The refusal to signal fashion status with a It-bags could prevail as the most important street style of the nonconformists. Women need mobile companions, how should it work without handbag to work in the subway? Here is my solution, let’s wear a strawbag all year round. It-bags have become unimportant, at least in the heads!

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November 2013