Glamorous!

Yesterday, I had the most easy-paced girls' night out at Columbus st. in the SF city. We just drove up to the city to have a drink and to feel the vibes. Oh, boy, Cathy, you know the gas is $90 alone when I filled it up for my car @@;  {But I know the gathering with gals just to chit chat is priceless!!!}

With tartan cape jacket
{I thought it might be windy and overcast in the city yesterday but surprisingly, it was not!!}



With Limedrop cloud cardigan





1. Top: 
Vince sequins 11'
Limedrop cloud cardigan 


2. Bottom:
Rock and Republic low rise flare jeans 11'


3. Accessory:
Baby blue/silver hoop with beads earrings
Owl ring
Proenza Schouler PS1 yellow clutch
Vintage inspired crazy dog necklace {$38...what a steal for Marni look-alike!}

4. Shoes:

Miu Miu contrast stitch blue calfskin wedge 11'

{Perhaps a necklace could jazz up the glamor look more.}

{There you go}..... I found this necklace at "Bettina" boutique and it perfectly complete my whole evening look. The owner even took the picture of me wearing it. ^^



What a night!! 


Weekend is the time for family or family + friends!! {=^.^=}
xoxo Rachel 

William and Catherine Royal Wedding: The Royal Family Red Carpet!

La Reina y everybody else...and THAT FABULOUS Hat Princess Beatrice wore!!!

Continuing with my "Royal Wedding Red Carpet Report", I couldn't leave out the Royal Family of course...Let's begin with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I expected her to be in a soft pastel but no, kids, she went ALL OUT COLOR, wearing a primrose wool crepe coat and dress from Royal Dresser Angela Kelly. Kelly has been The Queen's personal designer/stylist/wardrobe coordinator for about 17 years and in 2006 was recognized with the honor of becoming a Member of the Royal Victorian Order.

Primrose Queen: Queen Elizabeth II

The color was outstanding in that it made her presence known. And surely, NO ONE could miss her--even the kids watching from the farthest of bleachers! She has stated that she wears bright colors to these events with large audiences, so that everyone can spot her. She accessorized it with the stunning Queen Mary's True Lovers Knot brooch (how appropriate!) and also wore a matching hat, her ever-present pearls and of course, her handbag.

The Fashion Girls Have Arrived: Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice of York

The Younger Royals were well represented in terms of fashion with Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice of York, daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York. Both girls have become quite the Fashionistas and were expected to be "giving" fashion with a Capital "F". Eugenie (the younger of the two, on the left) wore a Vivienne Westwood fitted multi-colored jacket and poufy silk taffeta skirt and Jimmy Choo shoes. Beatrice, on the right, surprised a lot of fashion insiders by not wearing a British brand and in fact, choosing to wear...

Valentino Haute Couture Spring 2011. How a 23 year old university student can afford to buy Couture (that hand-made custom ordered coat-dress probably costs in the vicinity of $25,000. Not kidding) is questioned but then again, she is a Princess so I'm sure she's got a "Princess Checking Account". Incidentally, Beatrice is FIFTH in line of succession for the Royal Throne of SIXTEEN independent states: Hello!

Chapeau Divas: Princess Eugenie and Beatrice of York, in Philip Treacy

I thought Beatrice's Valentino Haute Couture coat-dress was elegant, timeless and appropriate for a Royal Wedding. And--more importantly--made a perfect canvas for THAT over-the-top Philip Treacy hat! I LOVED it! I'm sure there are "haters" who just "didn't get it" but huney, you've got me in your corner darling! Kudos to Philip Treacy and Kudos to her for having the inner-drag Queen Fabulousness, to wear it! Oh yeah, I liked Princess Eugenie's chapeau as well...

Their father, Prince Andrew, Duke of York looked great in uniform...

As well as their Uncle--and Father of the Groom--HRH Charles Prince of Wales and heir apparent.

Who Looked Best? Carole Middleton or HRH, the Duchess of Cornwall

Mother of the Bride, Carole Middleton was quietly elegant (maybe too quiet for my taste) in a pearly blue wool crepe coat and silk shantung day dress by Catherine Walker, a favorite designer of the late Princess Diana. The coat featured matching satin piping and braiding at the waist and sleeve hems. Her hat was created by milliner Jane Corbett. It was the perfect "Mother of The Bride", simple, serene. But part of me wanted just "a little more". Next to her, is HRH Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who looked slightly more fabulous in a champagne-colored silk box-pleated coat and duck egg blue-and-champagne silk dress designed by Anna Valentine. Her hat was by Philip Treacy.

Princely Chic: Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex with his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex

Sophie, the Countess of Wessex had her ensemble custom made by British Designer Bruce Oldfield, and supposedly paid full price for it (estimated at approximately 6,000 pounds according to some sources), according to the UK tabloids--and good for her! (and Oldfield--no freebies darling!!). LOVED the sleeve embroidered detail and the horizontal seaming in the jacket at the torso-bust.

And last but not least, we have Princess Anne, only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and aunt to the groom, Prince William. Bless her heart--she wore a flower-printed lilac and lime green coat with large cuffs and a purple silk taffeta dress underneath. It was kinda too EIGHTIES/early NINETIES for my taste (those fold-up cuffs! Hello!). The hat and swooped-up hairstyle, dated--as well as aged-- her. On a positive note: Her figure under all that looks GREAT!

William and Catherine Royal Wedding Guests Red Carpet Fashion Report: Part 2!

Westminster Abbey Red Carpet Continues...

Proper Becks: David and Victoria Beckham

Footballer and all-around HUNK, David Beckham--and his wife Victoria--were "special guests" of William and Catherine and EVERYONE was awaiting their arrival. They stood with the rest of the invited guests in the "You Are Not Real Royalty" line--it's like an "Economy Class" Airport Security Line (as opposed to Premium Class). Needless to say, they acted and looked very Posh & Proper.

David, always a dandy when it comes to style looked handsome in his Morning Suit with top hat and silver satin cravat. Although many are docking him style points for apparently wearing his Office of the British Empire Medal on the wrong lapel!! Que Horror!

Besides those SKY HIGH Stilettos (hello, isn't she like 6 months pregnant??), Miss Victoria wore...

A tent-like dress from her own Victoria Beckham Fall/Winter 2011/12 Collection, seen above on the runway in brick red. Hers was a dark (almost black) navy blue. Her hat was from Philip Treacy. I really thought Mrs. Beckham was going to wear a "Va Va Voom" fitted dress that she would have had custom made to fit her growing tummy. But nope, she went the comfy route.

The Other Queen: Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish

Sir Elton John and David Furnish also went the Posh & Proper route, both choosing to wear elegant Morning Suits--as was suggested...strike that!... REQUIRED, in the Wedding Invitation. Many people expected Miss Elton to be all crazy and wear a fuchsia Versace suit but really kids, he hasn't done that in years and he knows that a Royal Wedding is NOT the place and time for that. I liked how Elton was the one giving you hints of color with his lemon yellow waistcoat/vest and violet tie. Proper...but with a "twist".

Cobalt Lady: Tara Palmer-Tomkinson

Socialite, "It Girl", TV presenter and all around "British Paris Hilton" TPT (as she's dubbed in the UK) wore cobalt blue HEAD TO TOE, with her dress matching her hat, gloves, shoes and clutch. When I first saw her on TV lining up in that "Economy Class Westminster Abbey Line", I was like "WHO is Miss FIERCE???". Leave it to Tara to not want to blend in. No pastels or blush colors for her, darling! I think she's FAB! I love women who KNOW they have an "Inner Drag Queen" and aren't afraid to use it! Especially at Royal weddings! How did she get invited again???

Swedish Class: Crown Princess Victoria in Elie Saab Spring/Summer 2011--and her husband, Prince Daniel of Sweden

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden (she's going to be Queen someday!) was one of my favorite royals at the William & Catherine Wedding. She looked every inch a "modern/next generation" princess. No fussy suits, no coat-and dress combination. Nope, just a sexy, side gathered salmon-colored dress from Lebanese designer Elie Saab and a variation on a dress from his Ready-to-Wear Spring/Summer 2011 Collection. A wide brimmed hat and matching shoes finished off her look. Why, though, is there something about Daniel that makes me want to slap him upside the head? Like a student who's trying to get one over on me...that's what he reminds of...Just sayin'

The New Grace Kelly: Prince Albert of Monaco with his fiancée, Charlene Wittstock

And then there's Prince Albert's fiancée, the statuesque Charlene Wittstock, who was born in the former British colony of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Their upcoming nuptials on July 2, 2011 is THE next "Royal Wedding of The Century" in case you wanted to know and Armani is designing her wedding gown. Until then, we can all live in the splendor that is Charlene above as she arrives--Prince in hand. Dove-gray princess seamed coat, stand-up Peter Pan collar, gloves, clutch, nude heels and sleek wide-brimmed hat. Her mother "done taught her right". She knows what it takes to look like a Royal darlings. Seriously.

William and Catherine Royal Wedding Guests Red Carpet Fashion Report: Part ONE!

Reporting From the Royal Red Carpet...

Viva España: Queen Sofia, Crown Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain

First up on my "William and Catherine Royal Wedding Red Carpet Fashion Report" is the Royal House of Spain. Queen Sofia of Spain wore a mauve-colored silk taffeta suit with jeweled button accents and stand-up shawl collar. I think she looked great; loved the color! And as always, she has her pashmina shawl which she never leaves her Palace without! Her son, Crown Prince Felipe, dashing in uniform and Princess Letizia...

Wore a pleated mousseline blush-colored dress by designer Felipe Varela and matching shoes by Magrit. The dress was simple, understated and "Wedding Guest Appropriate". I would have loved to have seen a more dramatic hat however.

L'Afrique C'est Chic: Prince Seeison and Princess Mabereng of Lesotho

A good friend of Prince William and Prince Harry, Prince Seeison Bereng Seeiso of Lesotho was accompanied by his wife Princess Mabereng Seeiso, who wore a colorfully printed floor-length fitted "Mermaid"-style gown.

Takchita Couture: Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco

Princess Lalla Salma is the princess consort of King Mohammed VI of Morocco and she showed up sans her husband (but with some SERIOUS body guards!) to the Royal Wedding, in a traditional Moroccan caftan gown or takchita in silk organza, gold center front covered buttons and gold embroidered applique.

Dutch Royal Treats: Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima of The Netherlands

Prince of Orange Willem-Alexander and his wife, Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands. Maxima wore a blush pink Chantilly lace dress featuring a "belted" waist tie and scalloped edges. Her "hat" was more of a turban/pillbox combination and very 1950's Retro.

Millinery Divas: Zara Philips and Crown Princess Mathilde of Belgium

Two Royal Guests stand out for their fabulous Philip Treacy (of course!) creations. On the left, Zara Philips--only daughter of Princess Anne (Prince William's aunt)-chose a gunmetal colored hat of buckram with twisted side detail. On the right is Crown Princess Mathilde of Belgium...

Seen above with her husband, Prince Philippe of Belgium, heir to that country's throne. She looks rather chic in an Armani Prive custom-made teal-blue satin "trumpet"-style dress and matching jacket that featured interesting waist-drape tie. The black asymmetrical ankle-strapped pumps are rather stupendous. Her hat: Philip Treacy. Her necklace: AMAZING!

Blue Boring: Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark was a disappointment for me. Usually HRH is the Go-to gal for KRAZEE florals and dresses and suits that an old Costume Designer who has retired to Boca would wear--and that's why I LOVE HER! But for William and Catherine's Wedding, she came rather conservatively dressed, in a lilac blue coat-and-dress ensemble. No prints, no KRAZEE. Boring. Even the hat did not excite me. At least, she had a winning smile which actually was the best thing she "wore"!

Wrinkled Duchess: Maria Teresa of Luxembourg

Another snooze-fest in terms of "Royal Wedding Red Carpet Fashion" was Maria Teresa, the Cuban born (yep!!) Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, one of the smallest countries in the world. Wrinkled, ill-fitting and almost cheap-looking. The style of the dress and suit ensemble is better suited for--dare I say it--a commoner, as opposed to the Duchess of a country!

Miss Diva of Greece: Marie Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece & Princess of Denmark

On the other spectrum, leave it to Marie Chantal of Greece, wife to Prince Pavlos, to bring it when it comes to some fashion. Marie Chantal wore Chanel Spring 2011 Haute Couture darlings. A gray-lilac tweed dress with "spiderweb" hand beaded embroidery. Notice that her style has longer "glove length" sleeves. It is a Couture-ordering client's prerogative to change things a bit--especially when you are paying about $30,000 for a custom day dress darlings! Her flower-adorned hat: Philip Treacy.

For now, we'll end our "William and Catherine Wedding Day Red Carpet Report" with Prince Pavlos of Greece's father and mother--former King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie (she's from the Danish Royal Family, in case you didn't know). Both look quite handsome, elegant and Royal Wedding Appropriate, just the way exiled royals who have no country to rule should look like.

Nick Verreos on CNN International World Report TODAY Discussing Royal Wedding Fashion!!

ROYAL ALERT!!

Attention all ye Royal Watchers!! I am back on CNN International TONIGHT. If you haven't had enough of all things Royal, tune in to World Report to watch me Recap and DISH on all the Fashion at the Wedding of the Decade!!

Nick Verreos on CNN International's "World Report" discussing "William & Kate Wedding" Fashion

If you are in Europe, Asia, Africa or the Middle East and might still be celebrating the Royal Wedding, tune in to watch me at 1:45AM BST (4:45PM PST) on CNN International's "World Report" Program with Anchor Ralitsa Vassileva. I will discuss Kate's AMAZING Sara Burton Alexander McQueen Gown, HRH The Queen, David and Victoria Beckham, Elton John, all the Philip Treacy hats...and much more!!

The Royal Wedding, Dupe List, Exercise & Summer Sandals

Apparently around 750 million people around the world tuned into watch the royal wedding this morning and I too sat in anticipation to see what Kate would be wearing.  I was surprised at first to see her choice as I thought she might buck the trend and go with something a bit more modern.  However, keeping in mind that royal brides have to keep their arms covered in Westminster Abbey and the fact that Kate will some day become the future Queen of England, I guess it's no surprise that she kept it elegant and classical. 

Her dress was very reminiscent of the one Grace Kelly wore to her own wedding.  It seemed fitting as Grace Kelly was also considered to be a 'commoner' marrying a prince!  Kate's dress was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen and was ivory and white satin gazar with French Chantilly lace.  I liked the fact that she did her own makeup too saying that she wanted William to see her as she normally looked in every day life.  I enjoyed watching all the pomp and ceremony and I think you'll agree that she looked stunning.  I also LOVED the ivory Alexander McQueen bridesmaid's dress her sister wore...so simple and gorgeous!

Apart from the happy couple, the guests who stood out to me were Earl Spencer's three daughters; Kitty (20), and twins Eliza and Katya (18) shown in the picture above.  All three of them are stunning and represent an altogether more modern side to the royal family.  They are of course the nieces of the late Princess Diana.  Earl Spencer (Diana's brother) married model, Catherine Victoria Lockwood and this may explain where the three girls got their stunning looks!  They all now live in Cape Town, South Africa following their parent's divorce and I reckon they all looked amazing at the wedding this morning.

Kitty Spencer donned the cover of society bible, Tatler Magazine in April 2009 following her mother's cover appearance 19 years previously.  It really is a sign of the times to see members of royalty posing in magazines and maybe it's a sign that some of them are ready to be more open about their lives and who they are.  I guess it's the age of celebrity but I just hope they remember to keep some things under wraps as there are many pitfalls to becoming a 'celeb'! Kitty is studying politics and psychology at the University of Cape Town and is carrying on the trend of getting with 'commoners' by dating a former lifeguard/former model/surfer, no less!

I only came across this in the last few days and you guys may have known about this for ages BUT just in case you hadn't...

Temptalia have a brilliant section on their website called the Make Up Dupe List where you can type in a particular product and find something similar or almost identical! It evens colour-rates and describes the products by how close they resemble what you're looking for.  Genius! So handy if a product you love has been discountued, is a little too expensive for your budget or you just can't seem to get hold of it anywhere.  They add to the list all the time so keep checking for your favourites.

I had been looking into ways of mixing up my exercise routine and came across these videos on You Tube by Karena and Katrina who are certified personal trainers.  Apparently they are the most viewed fitness gurus online so a lot of you have probably heard of them already.  The girls have opened a fitness studio in Hermosa Beach and launched their own “Tone It Up with Karena & Katrina” workout DVD series. They have also donned the covers and editorials of magazines such as Shape, Triathlete, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Marie Claire, In Style, Vogue and Fitness. 

Their website is also fantastic and offers healthy recipes, printable exercise routines and loads more.  I simply watch one of their videos before I go to the gym and then just copy it when I get there.  It's a great way of trying some new work-outs and making sure your body isn't getting too used to anything.  After all, the key to progress in fitness is variety and not just performing the same exercises/routines every day!  I love their videos because they come across as friendly, knowledgeable and even a little goofy sometimes...which I like!

They always play great music over their workouts which really gets you in the mood to get moving.  My aim is not to get super ripped like they are as that wouldn't suit my body type.  Also, to be quite honest, I like having womanly curves and would miss them should they disappear!  So my plan is to use their workouts to tone myself up for summer.  I just wish I could work out on the beach like they do!  I could go work out on Aberdeen beach but I would have to wear a wooly jumper to do so!

And lastly, I spotted these summer sandals on the Dune website recently and I'm in lurrrrve! I want them! I want them!  They are £65 which I do think is a bit hefty, however my Dune sandals I bought two years ago are still going strong so maybe they could be described as a sound investment?...no?

Would they jangle when I walked and annoy the hell outta me and everyone else? Yes.  Do I still want them? Yes. 

The Royal Wedding

What a wonderful day! I have cried more than a tear or two, drunk more than my fair share of champagne, the bf and I posed as the newlyweds and...

We even saw them drive past! Very Exciting!!!

How did you celebrate today? xxx