FM MARCH ISSUE 159

FEMME MAGAZINE | MAR ISSUE 159 | FMLIFESTYLE.COM

PRETTY in pastels Street style IN MILAN SPRING FASHION SPECIAL

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WELCOME What a harsh winter we’ve had – torrential rain, gale force winds, and the kind of temperatures that defeated all our layering efforts.

Despite the waterlogged roads and the having to stay in, in the safety and domestic warmth of our homes, there is an upside to this Arctic weather – when spring arrives, it will be all the more sweeter.

And we’re already gearing up for the fine weather. In this issue of FM, we paint our wardrobe in pretty pastels, give you precious style tips on how to get the Audrey Hepburn look, and put on the season’s finest trends.

Since spring is the beautiful season, we explore the notion of beauty and glamour. Sean Patrick Sullivan helps you make use of our human capacity at transformation to add a dose of glamour to your life.

Ron Van Maarschalkerweerd keeps a lookout for the best up and coming designers who will soon rule the catwalk, and our wardrobe.

We also find hot fashion on the cold Milan streets and interview photographer Bernard Polidano and models Nikki ZarbCousin and Faye Zammit. And we have a stylish fashion shoot that will have you yearning for the sun.

Read on and enjoy.

10 Design generations You probably haven’t heard of her, but Professor Louise Wilson is one of the most influential people in fashion and has taught the design stars of today and tomorrow, says Ron Van Maarschalkerweerd.

13 Impossible princess The fashion and beauty industries want to make you believe that you can be a natural beauty. Well, you can’t, says Sean Patrick Sullivan. What you can be is glamorous.

17 Home alone Far from the madding crowd, you can gather your thoughts and emotions and enjoy your own company. Kristina Cassar discusses solitude with friends.

Photographer Tonio Lombardi W: www.toniolombardi.com Stylist Kira Drury

And for those of you whose budget doesn’t stretch that far, our very own Budget Queen Lara Boffa tells you how to engage in some happy thrifting – it’s maximum style at minimum spend.

CONTENTS

COVER CREDITS

Hair Michele Galea T: 2745 4164 Make-up Nicola Powell M: 9986 5369 Model: Orsika at So Managment wearing Orsay orange jacket, €39.95 Peacock tie-neck blouse, €27.50 Orsay tassel earrings, €4.95

33 Style stalker Kira Drury scores the awards season, reveals Naomi Campbell’s secret and falls in love with shoes. Again.

37 Low cost, high return Lara Boffa outlines her economy of thrift.

39 Style star Keep it simple and chic like fashion icon Audrey Hepburn – one look that will never go out of style.

48 Street style The streets of Milan may be cold as ice, yet Romina Farrugia still finds some hot fashion.

Editor Anthony P. Bernard Email: anthony@fmlifestyle.com Consulting Editor Stanley Borg Email: stanley@fmlifestyle.com Design & Art Direction Porridge | www.weareporridge.com Email: hello@weareporridge.com Printing Progress Press All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without written permission. Opinions expressed in FM are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. All reasonable care is taken to ensure truth and accuracy, but the editor and publishers cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions in articles, advertising, photographs or illustrations. Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome but cannot be returned without a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The editor is not responsible for material submitted for consideration.

51 What I know about style Good looks, a perfect smile and plenty of confidence are what you need for a great fashion shoot, says model Faye Zammit.

23 Pastel perfection

53 What I bought this month

This spring go soft and subtle in pale candy-floss colours.

Model Nikki Zarb-Cousin shops till the penny – actually, more than one – drops.

25 Spring special

58 Fashion moments

FM flowers and blooms with this season’s fashion.

For photographer Bernard Polidano, a successful shoot starts before the first click.

For any information regarding editorial, promotion or advertising contact Tel: 00 356 2131 8522 00 44 20 3286 6373 Email: fm@madmediainternational.com FM is published by MADMEDIA International, Mezzanine West, Hadfield House, Library Street, Gibraltar and is distributed free with THE SUNDAY TIMES

Fashion

DESIGN GENERATIONS You probably haven’t heard of her, but Professor Louise Wilson is one of the most influential people in fashion and has taught the design stars of today and tomorrow, says Ron Van Maarschalkerweerd.

T

he fashion industry is all about being new, young and relevant. Which is why the industry is always looking for new talent.

Yet at the same time, many fashion heavyweights are past 70 and still going strong. Giorgio Armani is 77, Karl Lagerfeld is 78 and Ralph Lauren is 72. All three are still at the top of their game with ever growing empires and an increasing appeal to a very wide and also young demographic. This year Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons turns 70 and Jean Paul Gaultier will turn 60.

Fashion’s brightest stars are becoming older and inevitably will one day pass on their role to the next generation.

10 - FM March 2012

Nicholas Gesquire

Haider Ackermann

Mark Fast

Fashion’s brightest stars are becoming older and inevitably will one day pass on their role to the next generation.

Valentino retired at the age of 75 and his company and legacy continued. Designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli are now the creative brains behind the Valentino couture and prêt-a-porter lines. Out with the old and in with the new. Some of the fashion stars who are still considered young, are not exactly newcomers.

Stella McCartney, Nicholas Ghesquire and rising star Haider Ackermann have all turned 40. But if they all follow in Kaiser Karl’s footsteps, they will still have many working years ahead of them.

So although many designers have long-spanning careers, we can’t deny the importance of new talent, and there is no better place to look than the collections of this year’s Central Saint Martins graduates.

Professor Louise Wilson of Central Saint Martins has for the past 20 years done an amazing job at producing the future stars of fashion. She is notoriously opinionated and arguably one of the most influential people in British fashion. In her 20 years at Central Saint Martins, she has taught many star designers, including Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Giles Deacon, Gareth Pugh and Christopher Kane to name but a few.

Without Wilson’s graduates there would be no London Fashion week as all the important names on the LFW schedule came from her graduate course. Many other graduates who didn’t start their own label still have important design roles at major international fashion houses – Lanvin, Celine, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, and Louis Vuitton wouldn’t be the same without Central Saint Martins graduates.

Christopher Kane

Mary Katrantzou SS 12

Wilson’s graduate course is also the only one deemed professional enough to put on a show during London Fashion week.

Two of my personal favourite designers who graduated from Central Saint Martins in recent years are Mary Katrantzou and Christopher Kane.

Kane graduated in 2006 and has since gone from strength to strength with sold out collections on Net-a-Porter.com and an ongoing collaboration with Donatella Versace on the house’s Versus label.

Central Saint Martins Collection AW 12/13

Katrantzou graduated in 2008 and launched her own label straight after.

Since then, the Athens-born designer has wowed the fashion world with her intelligent use of illusory digital print. Other noteworthy graduates are Roksanda Ilincic, Mark Fast and Louise Goldin.

If you are looking for the next big fashion thing there was a lot to look at during the Central Saint Martins Graduate shows. Many of the designers on show will undoubtedly make it big – graduating from such a prestigious course definitely gives them a head start. Moreover, this is the show that all industry insiders watch to spot the next big name.

This year, one of my personal favourites was Anne Thorbjornsen, whose collection consisted of draped jersey pieces in a palette of grey with bright pops of orange and blue with mosaic detailing and draping. I also fell in love with Mei Lim-Cooper’s collection of knitwear, and loved Luke Brooks’s dramatic hand painted pieces. What stood out was the fact that many of the collections featured long, layered tunic shapes for both men and women and lots of long floor sweeping asymmetrical shapes evoking monks and knights. If you are after figure hugging and pretty these are not the collections for you but if you want Follow us on Twitter to feel the present mood and future of fashion they are @FemmeMagazine80 not to be missed.

FM March 2012 - 11

Beauty

IMPOSSIBLE PRINCESS The fashion and beauty industries want to make you believe that you can be a natural beauty. Well, you can’t, says Sean Patrick Sullivan.

What you can be is glamorous.

Illustration by Jeff Nguyen.

A

verage-looking women of the world, I’m worried about you and your unhealthy commitment to something called ‘natural beauty’.

I’ve been concerned about this illogical pursuit of yours for over a decade, since I scored my first cosmetics-industry copywriting assignment.

From my very first day on the job, when I was asked to orient myself by reading marketing reports and focus-group transcripts, your purchasing behaviours struck me as, well, odd.

For example, my employer’s bold hair colour products – bright coppers, rich burgundies, and elusive indigos – collected dust on apothecary shelves while their mousy dull-as-dishwater medium browns sold in record numbers.

While their dewy blushes, radiant lip colours, and luminous bronzers were somewhat popular, nothing could quench your thirst for their signature foundation, which promised an exact match to your skin tone, thereby accomplishing... nothing at all.

The only ‘extreme beauty’ product I ever knew to sell in massive quantities were lash-lengthening mascaras – even though, in an epic gesture of defeatism, most purchasers told our focus-group moderators they already knew they couldn’t possibly duplicate the Liza Minnelli-esque extension effects seen in commercials.

Although I spent far less time in fashion, my experiences there were strikingly similar. What I witnessed, time and again, was a rejection of old-fashioned opulence and ornamentation in favour of a tendency toward unattractive garments that seemed to say “I put no work into this look whatsoever.”

What could possibly compel you to spend outrageous amounts of money, and waste inordinate amounts of time, to look like you’ve done nothing at all?

Why on earth would you reject advertising campaigns insisting you’re perfect exactly as you already are, then encouraging you to have some fun with boldly, playfully, insouciantly tinted lips, lids, and nails? Why did you always seem prefer ads that painted you as old, dry, broken, not good enough, in

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FM March 2012 - 13

Beauty need of constant clinical intervention, like a bedridden granny?

After a decade of wondering, I think I have the answer. You’ve been bullied into believing that natural beauty is something you can achieve through the fashion and beauty industries – our dizzying array of cosmetic candy coatings.

Shockingly, you haven’t been bullied by men, neither gay ones nor straight ones. In fact, men of all camps would readily inform you of the inevitable disappointment of such an enterprise.

No, the mythology – and tyranny – of the elusive quality known as natural beauty was formulated and engineered by naturally, classically beautiful women to ensure their stronghold on sexual aesthetics and your lifetime imprisonment inside a closed loop of active non-adornment that guarantees your invisibility.

In other words, natural beauty as a cosmetic benefit is western society’s answer to the burqa. Its intention is to erase your femininity and avoid your creativity.

Let’s face it. As repeatedly proven by anthropologists and cognitive scientists, there are certain human qualities – symmetry, proportion, other markers of reproductive vitality – that always have and always will signify attractiveness.

But these markers are fleeting and distributed unevenly – one might say unfairly – across the population.

Fortunately, unlike other animals, human beings are artistic, expressive, transformational creatures, capable of decorating ourselves and our environments with colours, shapes, and textures that excite our senses, enhance our visibility, and underscore our individuality. For example, a smoky cat’s eye, created by smudging kohl at the lash line, iconographic of mystery and allure since Cleopatra’s purple reign. Or an impossibly glossy blood-red lip, juicier than a candied apple, as seen by Helmut Newton and on the faces of high-class call girls all over the world. And again, insanely ornamental hairstyles and ball gowns, transforming any female silhouette, no matter how lumpy or frumpy, into a striking figure of hourglass allure, from Marie Antoinette through Christian Dior to Alexander McQueen.

And then there’s jewellery, embodying our deliriously overlapping motifs of love, war, and courtship. Wonder Woman disguised her superpowered secret weapons as jewellery: a tiara designating her royal station that also cuts through diamond; star-shaped earrings hung from

dainty ears, easily accessible for use as ninja throwing weapons; a hand-woven golden lasso symbolising every woman’s ability to pierce the veil of lies men tell to protect themselves.

Average-looking women of the world, you have secret weapons as well, secret weapons men, for better or worse, are forbidden to brandish. Want to shift your shape? Glow in the dark? Reveal luscious plumage? Captivate a suitor and have him (or her) do your bidding? Thanks to the worlds of fashion and cosmetics, you can.

Therefore, I ask – no, beg – you to reject natural beauty as the ultimate in feminine glamour. See it for what it is, a royalist affectation, into which you must be born, blessed with a certain set of genetics, that you can never fake or falsify.

Instead, be glamorous. After all, glamour – the art and science of applied beauty – is creative, expressive, and most of all, democratic. Indeed, one would be hard-pressed to locate a woman so ugly, so homely, so devastatingly unattractive, that she couldn’t learn to command a room in a Dior gown, Treacy hat, and a painted, polished, beautymarked face.

Right now, you may be asking yourself: isn’t glamour a tool of male domination? Well, it certainly can be, if you believe yourself to be ugly, if you recreate and re-invent yourself in the image of what you think men want.

On the other hand, if you view yourself as perfect, your various adornments and decorations as a means by which to declare your newfound independence, individuality, and (most of all) insouciance, then glamour means becoming something else. Armour? Artistry?

Artifice? Accentuation? The choice, as always, is yours. I highly recommend that you choose all of the above.

Red carpet fashion

Lexus Prive is well-known for dressing Spain’s red carpet events and is frequently featured in magazines such as Hello and Ola, a reference partner weekly magazine for Spanish fashionistas. Lexus Prive is now represented by Kenjo and Kyoto Boutique studios of Valletta. GTI Group has also launched three collections this year from Malta through its sister company GT2 Media, shooting and marketing Sonia K, Thierry Saville and Roma Couture.

14 - FM March 2012

What could possibly compel you to spend outrageous amounts of money, and waste inordinate amounts of time, to look like you’ve done nothing at all?

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Life

A H L OO M N E E Far from the madding crowd, you can gather your thoughts and emotions and enjoy your own company. Kristina Cassar discusses solitude with friends.

S

olitude is the most egotistical of emotions – it craves company and relishes the self-pity of songs and poems.

Being alone, however, is far from negative – it is a precious and quiet time during which we can gather our thoughts, reflect upon our lives and collect our emotions. Far from the sob experience that countless pop songs make it out to be, we all need to be alone at times.

Yet being alone doesn’t come natural to all of us.

For some, being without company is frustrating and brings us out in a rash of frustration and anxiety. I confess to belonging to this category – I cannot be alone for long stretches and need to distract myself by calling someone or, as a last resort,

playing some music to scare away the idea of being alone.

Seeing that I am currently reading for an English degree, this inability to stay alone does not benefit my reading and research tasks.

For others though, being alone allows them a short break from the outside world and achieve a sense of utter bliss that blocks out all the responsibilities and errands that await them outside their personal bubble.

Having mentioned this topic to family members and friends, many of their comments included the list of things they would do in their alone time, like enjoying a nice glass of wine while relaxing in a hot bubble bath or blasting the surround system on a Sunday morning to old records left idle for way too long.

For some, being without company is frustrating and brings us out in a rash of frustration and anxiety.

FM March 2012 - 17

Life

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I ask three of my closest friends what they like to do in their time alone, whether they enjoy spending time on their own, sparking up a new hobby or turning back to their old pastimes, lost in the jam-packed lives they are living.

Ilona Deguara, 19, is studying for her A-levels and busy juggling a social life and her academic commitments. She recently got her driving licence, a freedom which allows her to take a break from her studies by going on long drives and meeting her friends.

Even though most of her free time is currently scheduled for painting for her Art A-level portfolio, Ilona still finds time to delve into her passions, which include reading and psychology. Since her closest friends are currently studying abroad, she spends a lot of her time writing actual letters to them – she enjoys engagin in such an old-fashioned pastime.

Ilona says that she does not enjoy being alone constantly and that being around her friends so often makes her alone time much more significant, allowing her to gather her thoughts and relax.

“I do need my space but I love being around my friends,” she says.

Ilona says that she has lost a lot of her precious me-time to the bustling life of a student – she especially misses yoga, meditation and painting on her own.

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Brenda Cutajar’s love of travel and sports is evident in her pastimes and character. Brenda loves to hang out with her best friends, watching movies and playing video games. She spends ample amounts of time watching sports on the telly, especially tennis and football. She makes it a point to watch live rugby games every Saturday afternoon and supports the Falcons, a local team. Sunday afternoons are spent playing basketball, followed by a quick pint and a couple of laughs with friends. Brenda also commits herself to keeping healthy and works out at the gym rather frequently.

Brenda loves spending time with people.

“I spend three quarters of my life at work or at my friends’ house but sometimes it gets too much and I need time on my own. But not for too long, as then I usually get bored,” she says.

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Life

Gaby Gauci’s outspoken and cheery attitude brings any conversation to life.

Gaby is studying catering and loves to try out new recipes and experiment with different flavour combinations. She is an avid reader and is currently reading The Flavour Thesaurus. She writes poetry as well as songs for her band, in which she plays bass. She plays softball with the Devils and loves to watch women’s sports on television. She’s also a member of We Are, a University group that supports gay awareness among the tertiary students in Malta as well as on a local level to which she acts as the events co-ordinator.

Despite her busy life, Gaby claims to enjoy being alone.

Spring Summer 2012 Collection

“I really do. I may come across as a people person but I like being alone – I just get bored quickly though.” Gaby says that she would love to go back to competitive sports and basketball in particular, attempt any type of extreme sports at least once, go back to Stagecoach and learn new culinary skills for her future career.

Take your hair to the max The science behind the new Head and Shoulders Anti Hair Fall shampoo is that dandruff can contribute to hair loss – in addition to embarrassing skin flakes, vigorous scratching can lead to hair damage. If the protective cuticle layer is diminished through repeated scratching, hair becomes weak and breakable, which can contribute to hair loss.

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Fashion

PASTEL PERFECTION This spring go soft and subtle in pale candy-floss colours.

Photography-Tonio Lombardi, Stylist-Kira Drury

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FM March 2012 - 23

Trends

SPRING SPECIAL FM flowers and blooms with this season’s fashion.

Preen

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This winter

was one of the coldest ever, with the kind of temperatures that you only see on some news bulletin from a forgotten eastern European village – well, not really, but you get the point.

The hope is that now, spring will follow suit and be one of the warmest we’ve ever had. And that it matches this season’s colourful, flowery, hot fashion trends.

This season’s fashion is all about simple, uncomplicated fun, a direction which is translated into bold colours, pastel shades and ice cream hues.

If this season’s colours are too tame and you need to make a statement, then go for prints that are powerful, with a healthy dose of floral and geometric designs. Patterns are loud yet still maintain very clean lines.

This season also travels back in time with a nod to art deco and 1920s elegance.

Mid-century silhouettes are also inspiring and very feminine – think cinched waists from the 1950s and A-lines typical of the 1960s. Materials are also a bit retro, with cotton, soft silk and flowing organza being the fabrics of choice.

Go on, be beautiful this season.

A garden in bloom It’s spring, so to wear florals is only natural. This season, florals are bright and bold – Rodarte proposed a Van Gogh-inspired catwalk of sunflowers in bloom while Peter Som went for a pretty rose bouquet.

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Hitting the print button Accessorize ¤34.90

From bold and graphic to floral and subtle, patterns and prints are all the rage this season. There are zigzags for the adventurous, paisley for the nostalgic and mashed-up prints for the hardcore lovers of patterns.

Missoni

Armani Jeans opens in Malta The Armani Group is pleased to announce the opening of the first Armani Jeans store in Malta, a 150m store located at The Point Shopping Mall, Tigne’ Sliema. Armani Jeans expresses Giorgio Armani’s vision of a young, casual, modern and on-trend style through a collection that goes beyond denim to offer all types of fashion for men and women, from basic pieces – shirts, jeans, chinos – to more fashion items such as jackets, dresses, skirts. Many of the items are produced in fabrics or special washes that safeguard the environment. The shop decor is based on simple lines and furnishings. The blue colour used to distinguish the spaces showcases the products that, displayed on transparent shelves and minimal, brushed stainless-steel racks, look like they are suspended in mid-air.

The Armani Group is one of the leading fashion and luxury goods groups in the world. It designs, manufactures, distributes and retails fashion and lifestyle products including apparel, accessories, eyewear, watches, jewellery, fragrances and cosmetics, and home furnishings.

FM March 2012 - 25

Chloé

Emilio Pucci

Trends

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Phillip Lim

Pleats, pleats me They’re slightly vintage, a bit preppy, daytime practical, night-time elegant and very pretty. And they’re here. Check out the accordion pleats by Chloé and Lanvin.

Colours you want to eat This season, colours are inspired by a 1950s palette – from baby pink and lemon yellow to mint green and sky blue, it’s all about an uncomplicated, charming colouring-in. And the pastel hues, sorbet shades, and candy colours are so gorgeous that you just want to eat them.

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Back in time This season travels back in time, not just to one decade but to the entire 20th century – deco detailing from the jazz age, clean suit shapes from the 1940s, the elegance of the 1950s skirt suits and roundshouldered jackets from the 1960s.

It’s the best way to age gracefully, without actually growing old.

Fun fashion Arkadia Marketing Limited has just introduced French fashion retailer Pimkie to Malta. Pimkie offers an abundance of style through a constantly updated collection of women’s clothing and accessories for any occasion.

Brand Manager Natasha Puglisevich said, “Pimkie is synonymous with affordable, feminine, modern and natural fashion, one that is constantly evolving and offers excellent value for your money. I am pleased that Arkadia are representing a fun and cheerful brand and I am proud to be part of something that is enjoying success in 27 countries worldwide.”

Stylist Carina Camilleri, present for the Pimkie launch, wrote in her blog how, “Setting foot inside the shop, I discovered some trend-immune items that one could keep bringing out of the wardrobe season after season: lurex sweatshirts to be worn over long or A-line skirts, coloured skinny jeans, funky t-shirts, coloured court shoes and faux leather biker jackets.”

Arkadia Commercial Centre in Gozo is planning more exciting developments. The next step is the opening of Parfois’ second shop in Malta, this time in Gozo at Arkadia.

Arkadia also plans to introduce Tommy Hilfiger menswear by the end of March.

26 - FM March 2012

The Barometer

Dolce & Gabbana

Trends

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Wear Roberto Cavalli’s metallic frocks – spring glamour.

Nicholas Kirkwood’s spring collection – we’re walking everywhere.

Suits you Apart from a love affair with 1950s skirt suits, this season also combines shorts with dressed-up blazers as well as smart trouser suits in the noblest of colours.

Elie Saab

Biker jackets for spring – pastel for petrol-heads.

Pierre Hardy turns spring two shades brighter.

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Tear

As the hot season approaches, we all like to show off a bit of skin and some flirty cleavage. This season is in love with bra tops and cropped tops which, when paired with a pencil or flared skirt, make you look as good as a fairy tale.

Tummy anxiety – trying to get thin in time for summer.

Maltese driving – getting worse by the minute.

Vintage doesn’t mean old and scruffy.

Dagger nails – keep a safe distance.

Blog watch

Cream of the crop

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White hot This season, white is the new black, thanks to Valentino’s white-on-white jackets, Barbara Bui’s use of white in various textures, and Stella McCartney’s little white dress. Combine with simple hair, contrast colour sandals and a nice tan and you’re the picture of innocence.

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The who, what, why, wear of the net www.sugarbarons.com A sweet take on fashion.

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fifi-lapin.blogspot.com What will you wear today?

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28 - FM March 2012

Donna Karan

Fashionable birds of a feather flock together.

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Style

S T Y L E S TA L K E R Kira Drury scores the awards season, reveals Naomi Campbell’s secret and falls in love with shoes. Again.

DIY style Get yourself sorted for the up-and-coming summer months with an oh-so-stylish hat. Buy a basic hat and pimp it up with ribbon, flowers, buttons and beads, which you can get from any good haberdashery.

Protect your face and hair from the harmful rays and look fabulous while doing it – what’s not to love?

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Naomi Campbell storms Milan Fashion Week The ultimate supermodel strutted her stuff on the Roberto Cavalli catwalk, wearing a floor-sweeping sequin dress.

At 41, Naomi Campbell proves she still has what it takes and can give her 18-year-old counterparts a run for their money. The superbod has never looked better – her secret is a detox of maple syrup, cayenne pepper and lemon juice mixed with water, which she does about three times a year to cleanse the body, and a mix of yoga and Pilates. “If there was an Oscar for the world’s greatest model, then I would give it to Naomi Campbell, no question,” the Telegraph quoted Cavalli.

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FM March 2012 - 33

Style

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Award season has come and gone, leaving a bevy of beautiful dresses in its wake. I’ve been glued to E! Entertainment for the last month, keeping a close eye on all the red carpet happenings – who wore what, hits and misses. I’ve whittled it down to my top five from across the awards. And let me tell you, it was certainly a challenge, but after a lot of thought, drool and frock envy these are the dresses that made my pick.

Top five dresses at the awards 1 / Taylor Swift at the Grammys in Murad Zuhair.

2 / Michelle Williams at the Oscars in Valentino.

3 / Emma Stone at the SAG Awards in Alexander McQueen.

4 / Giuliana Rancic at the Oscars wearing Tony Ward.

5 / Sofia Vergara at the Golden Globes in Vera Wang.

Beauty buzz Multi coloured nails by Vivienne Westwood 34 - FM March 2012

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Budget Queen

LOW COST, HIGH RETURN Lara Boffa outlines her economy of thrift.

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f I had a euro cent for every time someone asks me where I get my vintage clothing, I would have already bought myself a Chanel flap bag. And if I had another euro cent for each shocked expression I receive whenever I answer, “Mostly charity shops,” I would have bought a couple of other designer goodies as well.

It is okay to buy clothes and accessories from a second hand outlet, a charity shop or a thrift store. Actually, it’s quite in at the moment. Rumour has it that all the cool people are doing it.

empty handed the next. I also find that it’s easier to shop for winter clothing at thrift stores when compared to spring and summer pieces. So be realistic – that is just the way it works.

Visit charity shops often.

These stores update their stocks very frequently.

Probably not daily, but definitely weekly. I go to my favourite thrift shops once a week, just to make sure I don’t miss out on any new pieces. The more often you go, the likelier you are to find something you like.

The average thrift-shopper is like an archaeologist – you must look beneath piles of irrelevant material to find a hidden treasure. Even though some thrift stores are better kept than others, most of them can be quite confusing and you do have to dig in to find something worthwhile. Both the crocodile skin bag and the jumper in these photos were unearthed from beneath layers of uninspiring pieces. They are surely two of my most treasured thrifted pieces and I wear them often. So roll up your sleeves and get looking.

Last but not least, being the daughter of a clean freak, I can’t fail to mention how important it is to clean any thrifted pieces thoroughly. Wash them in antibacterial detergent, maybe even twice, and leave them out in the sun to dry. Squeaky-clean items look a million times better than before.

Two final tips which tend to be overlooked are the following. Ensure you have cash on you when thrifting. These shops hardly ever accept credit card or cheques, and you don’t want to leave your pieces behind just because you couldn’t pay for them, right? Dressing comfortably is as important as having cash. I have never visited a charity shop with a changing room, so make sure that whatever you are wearing allows to try things on in the shop itself.

Happy thrifting.

I think charity shops are a blessing. They are where I find most of my unique vintage pieces that help me stand out from the crowd. Some of my current favourite items are thrifted. And you know what?

They are great places to shop on a low budget.

Since I am a seasoned thriftshopper, I figured that passing on some tips might be useful, especially since thrifting is quite an overwhelming thing for beginners. I know it was for me.

First, make sure you don’t enter a charity shop with too many high expectations – these stores rely on other people’s donations, so they host horrors and beauties alike. You might exit the store with bags full of items one day, and walk out

Keep an open mind. Is it really worth it to leave that rock bottom priced blouse behind just because it is slightly wide at the sides? Can’t you use a belt to tighten it or maybe use your sewing skills to cinch it in? When something just doesn’t look right, imagine what it would look like if you altered it. Yet make sure that your alteration costs don’t exceed the actual price of the thrifted item.

The Budget Queen Lara Boffa is allergic to oranges. She’s also an interpreter, has always wanted a pet dog, can play the piano and is lost in six languages. She runs her own fashion blog at http://boffism.blogspot.com FM March 2012 - 37

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Fashion

STYLE STAR

Keep it simple and chic like fashion icon Audrey Hepburn – one look that will never go out of style. Photography-Tonio Lombardi, Stylist-Kira Drury

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1. Tally Weijl tiara, €2.99 / 2. Mango little black dress, €49.99 / 3. Esprit shirt, €49.95 4. Parfois pearl necklace, €12.90 / 5. Stradivarius shades, €12.95 / 6. Tommy Hilfiger stripe jumper, €129.00 7. Piazza Italia belt, €8.99 / 8. Peacocks capri trousers, €27.50 / 9. Monsoon mac, €115.00 10. Peacocks ballerina pumps, €12.00 / 11. Accessorize clutch, €26.90

FM March 2012 - 39

– Lace Layering Pull & Bear sheer/lace top, €25.99 Mango suede jacket, €109.99 Stradivarius crochet shorts, €29.95 Tally Weijl leopard boots, €29.95 Spec - stylist’s own

– Neon Nights Bershka yellow digital print jacket, €29.99 Bershka yellow digital print dress, €29.99 Over the knee socks – stylist’s own

TREND REPORT

S/S 2012

Time to update your wardrobe for a new season in style.

FM introduces spring/summer 2012 - we’ve got all the biggest trends covered.

Photography: Tonio Lombardi - Stylist: Kira Drury - Hair: Michele Galea T: 2745 4164 Make up: Nicola Powell M: 9986 5369 - Model: Orsika at So Managment

– The Pretty Peplum Bershka bustier top, €25.99 Orsay peplum skirt, €29.95 Parfois silver chain necklace, €17.90

– The Marvellous Maxi Monsoon floral maxi dress, €250.00 Accessorize necklace, €15.90

– New Nautical Stradivarius rope print shirt, €29.95 Stradivarius rope print scarf, €15.95 Orsay white trousers, €24.95 Orsay shades, €10.95 Carpisa bag, €29.90

– Shimmer Queen French Connection beaded dress, €213 Parfois platform heels, €34.90

– Floral Brights Orsay orange jacket, €39.95 Peacocks tie-neck blouse, €27.50 Stradivarius floral skirt, €22.95 Bershka blue heels, €39.99 Orsay tassel earrings, €4.95

- Tribal Eccentric Mango snake print dress, €39.99 Pull & Bear snake print belt, €12.99 Stradivarius tassel boots, €79.95 Stradivarius tooth necklace, €7.99 Parfois leather and metal necklace, €12.90 Parfois gold scarf, €12.90 Accessorize bangles, starting from €6.90

Fashion

STREET

style

The streets of Milan may be cold as ice, yet Romina Farrugia still finds some hot fashion.

Name: Noemi lian Nationality: Ita r this winter? lou Favourite co . just like this coat Red and black, at co ur yo y Where did you bu n but I live in from? I am Italia t this coat from Edinburgh. I go urgh. inb Ed in k Primar vourite Do you have a fa really wear designer? I don’t . es th clo r ne desig ing do you th clo of le What sty create my to er prefer? I pref style. I like own, personal tive clothing na er original, alt vintage. o and I’m also int

Name: Angelo Nationality: Italian Favourite colour this winter?

Dark blue.

Where did you get your hat from? My friend gave it to me as a gift to save me from these below zero temperatures. Actually, it’s the first winter that I wear a hat.

What would you never wear?

I wouldn’t be seen dead in a yellow t-shirt. Gives me the shivers just thinking about it.

What is your favourite fashion item this winter? The jacket I’m wearing. It’s in my favourite colour and is by Armani, who I love for his classic, elegant style.

48 - FM March 2012

Name: Giulia Nationality: Italian Favourite colour this winter?

Dark grey.

Did you buy any fashion accessories lately? This black bag with the chain attached to the edges.

Did the cold of the past weeks change your way of dressing? Definitely. Where I live there is a lot of snow and ice at the moment so I had to temporarily ditch my heels for something more comfortable and less slippery.

Who is your favourite designer? Marc Jacobs

Name: Wilma Nationality: Finnish Favourite colour this winter?

Brown and black.

Did you buy any fashion items lately? A big grey sweater which is comfortable yet stylish. I like to wear a belt on it.

What would you never wear?

I would never wear leggings on their own. I think you should pair them with a long top, a dress, a short skirt or wear them under shorts but never on their own.

Who is your favourite designer? Michael Kors.

Name: Lian Nationality: Chinese winter?

Favourite colour this rd. I got sta mu d an e blu l tro Pe se the in es ori many access cause they colours this winter be they also were in fashion and rdrobe. wa my brightened up n hio fas Did you buy any small is Th ? ely lat es ori access ra.

Za satchel from r wardrobe Did the cold ruin you ere are many Th . did it s Ye ns? pla at the jackets I cannot wear y are not moment because the warm enough. ugh? Yes, Is this jacket warm eno e been hav I t very much – in fac s week. thi y da ry eve it ng weari

Name: Arianna Nationality: Italian Favourite colour this winter?

Charcoal grey and black.

Where did you buy your coat from? I bought my coat last winter from the Mercato di San Lorenzo in Florence, where I live.

Did you buy any fashion accessories lately? This hat is from H&M and I also bought a pair of purple gloves in cashmere.

Did the cold ruin your wardrobe plans? Not really, I just added a few more layers and still managed to keep my style despite the low temperatures.

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Name: Sofia Nationality: Spanish Favourite colour this winter? Black.

Did you buy any fashion items lately?

I got myself a colourful scarf similar to the one I’m wearing but in mustard and brown and this jacket.

Did the cold ruin your wardrobe plans? Yes it did.

When I arrived in Milan for my holiday last week it was so cold that I had to buy this jacket – but that’s fine as every excuse is good enough to do some shopping in Milan.

Who is your favourite designer? Prada.

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Did you buy any fashion accessories lately? This American flag scarf by Alcott. I totally love it.

Did the cold ruin your wardrobe plans? Not really. I mainly wear jeans so I throw this jacket on practically everything and then I’m just fine.

Who is your favourite designer? D Squared.

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FM March 2012 - 49

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Style Wise

WHAT I KNOW ABOUT

STYLE Good looks, a perfect smile and plenty of confidence are what you need for a great fashion shoot, says model Faye Zammit.

When I was two years old, I decided that I wouldn’t let my mum dress me any more and I started choosing my own clothes.

Photos by Jan Zammit, styled by Dean Gera

I started modelling when I was 18 – before that, I had also taken part in a couple of films shot in Malta.

During my first fashion shoot I was so nervous that I had no clue what to do – I just stared at the camera with no expression whatsoever. I was so stiff that the photographer literally had to position me for each shot. Then after a few shots I let loose and started enjoying myself.

I have plenty of clothes in my wardrobe that still have the tag on. I also like to buy unique items but usually end up wearing them just once.

I usually create my own look.

However, I also draw inspiration from fashion glossies, as they are a good reference for knowing beforehand what fashion will be like the following season. Still, just because something is in fashion, it doesn’t mean that I have to buy it – it needs to suit me first.

Photo by Edward Mallia

For a fashion shoot, it’s important to look good and have a perfect smile – however, you also need to be confident. Having a great physique also helps, even though in today’s industry there are several categories such as plus size and parts models.

I prefer new fashion as I don’t think vintage does it for me.

FAYE’S RULES OF STYLE Style is personal.

Confidence is the best accessory.

Your own style is your own identity.

Style helps you feel comfortable in your own skin.

If I had to choose between clothes and shoes, I would go for a new outfit. A pair of new shoes never lasts any longer than a night out, especially if I’m out clubbing.

Fashion looks good for one season but style is forever.

This spring/summer will be all about bright and bold colours and prints inspired by geometric shapes and aquatic themes. It’s a dare-to-wear style which I will definitely be trying out for myself. For me, summer is also about plenty of bikinis in all colours and patterns.

urt Paris Photo by K

FM March 2012 - 51

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Shopping

What I bought this month Model Nikki Zarb-Cousin shops till the penny – actually, more than one – drops.

Photos by David Calleja-Urry.

NIKKI’S MARCH WARDROBE “This season, I’ll be wearing a lot of warm colours, woolly scarves and tops, and the ever faithful pair of jeans.”

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Her wardrobe is testimony to this.

ikki Zarb-Cousin, 16, may come across all business-like – in fact, she’s currently studying business and commerce.

But at heart, she’s in love with fashion.

“My wardrobe looks like a bomb just hit it,” she says. “It’s full of various styles, colours, and cuts – there’s everything, especially shoes, which I cannot have enough of.”

Nikki started modelling when she was 14 – her first experience was modelling for Shout magazine.

Nikki’s most memorable shopping trip to date was when she went to Milan. But strangely enough, she didn’t buy anything.

“I’ve always been into fashion and, even when I was much younger, I used to spend a lot of time watching my favourite celebrities on TV to see what they were wearing.”

“Milan is shopping paradise – designer shops as far as my eyes could see. But I couldn’t buy anything, as everything was so expensive.”

But Nikki doesn’t just watch.

“I’m a guerilla shopper,” she says. “If I have money, I will buy. And I never draw up a budget – I shop till I have no money left in my purse.”

Back home, she made up for it and indulged in some serious shopping.

“I bought a pair of black high wedges from Miss Selfridge – they were a bargain.

Then I remembered I had a €250 voucher from Tally Weijl and I made good use of it.”

FM March 2012 - 53

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Happenings

STYLE SNAPS FM hits the local party scene to snap the hottest looks. It’s time to get dressed up.

Words - Kira Drury. Photos - Nicky Scicluna

Looking lovely in leather, this lady knows that it’s all in the detail. Love the music note necklace and knotted belt.

Fashion forward in metallic high-top trainers.

Nerdy chic in thick-rimmed specs – bang on trend.

Retro cool in a bright, bold shirt and super-cool braces.

Rocking the Peter Pan collar and lace – love this look.

FM March 2012 - 55

Happenings

A cool cardigan will dress up a plain tee in a fashion flash. Sandrina’s leopard print vest does the talking, as she keeps her accessories to the minimum.

Those over the knee boots and leopard print bag are accessory heaven.

Loving that polka-dot blazer.

This lady is one step ahead – one-shoulder or asymmetric cuts are going to be huge for spring and she finishes off the look with a pair of statement earrings.

56 - FM March 2012

Fighting off the cold in tweed and faux fur.

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Last word

Fashion moments

For photographer Bernard Polidano, a successful shoot starts before the first click.

The man behind the lens Name: Bernard Polidano Age: 39

My passion for photography started as a joke some 20 years ago. At the time I was studying medical lab technology and decided to photo-shoot all the girls in my course. The camera wasn’t even mine. From that moment, I was hooked.

I bought my first camera when I was 18.

I’ve been carrying one, wherever I go, ever since.

Two photographers who greatly inspire me are Mario Testino and Mariano Vivanco.

I mostly shoot fashion photography and am currently preparing some interesting material for this year’s Malta Fashion Week.

One model I would love to shoot is Kate Moss. Who wouldn’t?

I prefer to shoot on location, especially since I live on an island as beautiful as ours. But I still do studio shots.

What brought me to the limelight was the fashion shoot I did for the TV show Venere at the Addolorata Cemetery. For the record, I had all the permits to do that shoot.

I believe that what distinguishes a good photographer from a bad one is interpersonal and communication skills, which are very important when working with models, actors or any human subject. For me, a photo shoot starts when I hold my first meeting with my model, and not when I fire my first click.

My future plans are to keep working in the fashion industry both locally and abroad. www.bernardpolidano.webs.com

58 - FM March 2012