The weather’s getting cooler, the days are about to get shorter. It’s time to start thinking about your winter wardrobe and what to wear. So you peer into your closet and start to make a check list: Review pretty blue floral Heidi dress. Tick. Review black Rumba jacket. Tick. Review lace Rococo camisole. Tick. You have fabulous shoes and bags. Is there something missing?

Darling, of course there is! Makeup. We must talk makeup. We must talk lips, darling, lips! We must say bonjour and kiss both cheeks with luscious red lips. Who doesn’t love and adore red lips in all their glamorous glory? Who doesn’t adore the instant pick me up from one swipe of red lipstick? Perhaps this is your signature look. Perhaps you have never dared try the look. I insist you examine the recent Fall/Winter runway shows for inspiration.

We saw a dark red, 70’s glossy lip at Gucci which was perfect with teal blue and grown up shaggy fur. There was a gorgeous clean, modern orange lip at Jil Sander so right with all the retro, sporty ski looks. At Rick Owens, the bright, almost Neon orange lips were the only punch of color in his nearly all black medieval show. It was full on dark, rich red lips at Altuzurra: what a contrast with all the silver and grey. There were amazing red powdered matte lips at Miu Miu that only Prada could get away with. If you prefer a prettier more refined look then check out the gorgeous Nina Ricci show and our favorite model, Arizona Muse, with a distinctly coral lip. Shall we call it red? Maybe. But who cares! It’s divine whatever you want to call it.

Rule of thumb (or should we say rule of lips?): When you have a strong definitive lipstick, eye makeup must be simple and understated. Oh, and air kissing? De rigueur.

Yours fashionably,
FiFi

www.FiFi.com.au

*Photos courtesy Style.com

Have you heard of Arizona Muse? With a name like that she’s not easy to forget. Arizona Muse is the new hot model du jour. Every so often a girl comes along and the fashion crowd collectively swoons. The new girl will suddenly look right. She will have allure. She will look beautiful in a different, distinctive way. She will stand out. In 22 year old Arizona Muse’s case, what really stands out is her strong look, short hair and amazing eyes brows. “Everything was those eyebrows,” star makeup artist Stéphane Marais told Vogue.

Of course, it always helps when a new model gets the huge tick of approval from Anna Wintour. If the Queen Bee of fashion decides you are ‘it’ then there is no looking back. Arizona was the star of a gorgeous shoot in the February issue of American Vogue (photographed by Peter Lindbergh), in one page even posing with her cute nineteen-month-old son.  But as a model, you have officially made it when Vogue also includes in the fashion story a single profile page totally devoted to you and why you are now the model everyone is talking about. Anna Wintour even goes so far as to say “When I look at Arizona, I see shadows of Linda Evangelista and Natalia Vodianova, but most of all I see her, a gorgeous, smart, grown-up. And how could anyone resist someone with that name?”

Arizona’s rise has been meteoritic and she has now snagged the very prestigious YSL and Prada campaigns as well as walking in many of the best shows including Balenciaga, Vuitton, Miu Miu and Chanel. She had the cover of the January issue of Vogue Italia (alongside model Freja Beha Erichsen) and is now the star of the latest YSL video which was shot in Marrakech (See it here). She had the entire issue of Dazed & Confused devoted to her and major editorials in American, British and Spanish Vogue, Numero, Visionaire  and W magazine.

Arizona grew up in quiet Santa Fe and until about 6 months ago she was an unknown.  Now she has rocketed to supermodel status and is being called the new face of American fashion. As photographer Peter Lindbergh told American Vogue, “It feels like she’s been around for quite a while. You’re not looking at her and saying, ‘Wow, that’s the new girl.’ You say, ‘Why don’t I know her?’”.

Now you do.

Yours fashionably,

FiFi
www.FiFi.com.au

*Photos courtesy Models.com

Reasons we love wearing Green:

Because it’s not black.
Because you would rather wear it than eat it.
Because mint, lime, and olive have no calories.
Because Chartreuse is the only word you know in French (that’s apart from Champagne and Chic).
Because wearing emeralds will be the closet you’ll get to a green thumb.
Because wearing forest green is the closest you’ll get to bush walking.
Because we all want to be Livia Firth on a Green Carpet challenge (and married to Colin).
Because Earth Hour is next weekend.
Because green is good.
Because Review’s prettiest, soft mint, strapless dress is adorable.
Because green is Burberry’s military aviator jacket.
Because green is a Prada shoulder bag and two Celine cuffs.
Because green is a Chanel suit.
Because green is Gucci’s amazing snakeskin shoes, jacket and dress.
Because green is the colour of envy and I want all of the above. NOW.
Because that’s the reason the dollar is called the Greenback.
Because it’s George Clooney’s favourite colour.
Because that’s why you must have it in your wardrobe immediately.
Because it’s easy being green.
Because it’s the luck of the Irish.
Because it’s St Patrick’s Day!

Yours fashionably green with envy,

FiFi
www.FiFi.com.au

*Images courtesy Style.com

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks for all fanatical fashionistas. From New York to London, Milan and Paris, the major designers have been showing their Autumn Winter 2011 collections. So many gorgeous clothes! So many gorgeous bags and shoes! Of course, after all the fashion shows there is always one trend that stands out. This season it was faux fur. It was everywhere. On the street you saw fashion editors, models, buyers and bloggers rocking all sorts of faux fur. On the runway there was faux fur in nearly every single show. The standouts? The full on, 70’s faux fur green jackets at Gucci, the minimalist brown fur vests at Celine and the fabulous fluffy white explosion of frou frou at YSL.

A faux fur jacket is glamorous and an instant wardrobe updater, but personally I love the idea of just a touch of fur. It’s a more subtle way of wearing the trend. It adds a luxurious, eclectic edge without being over the top and too dramatic. I loved the retro spot faux fur collars at Marc Jacobs. I adored the kooky faux fur jackets at Prada. I am going bananas (thanks to Rachel Zoe) over the divine furry stole nonchalantly topping a trench at Burberry Prorsum. Oh and did I mention the hairy faux fur shoulders at Balmain? Fabulous!

Now I know after seeing all these fabulous faux furs, you are desperate, desperate to get into this trend right now in time for the Australian winter. And dear Review readers, you can! Hop, skip and run like a maniac in your Manolos straight into Review for the divine black belted ‘Veronica’ coat with a cute faux fur collar or wrap yourself in the lovely faux fur cardigan. Pretty. Chic. Right on trend. It’s all you need for winter.

Yours fashionably furry,

FiFi
www.FiFi.com.au

*Images courtesy Style.com.

The glitz, the glamour and the fabulous frocks! There is no night quite like the Oscars. This year there were so many gorgeous looks on the red carpet even Celine Dion looked great. Was it a coincidence that all the best dressed were in the cream, white or pale pastels but no one looked like the mother of the bride? Was it a conspiracy that those who got it wrong seemed to be wearing shades of red or purple? Must be collective consensus of red carpet consciousness!
Who got it right and who has some explaining to do?

Best Dressed…

Halle Berry
What a dame! She is beautiful from top to toe in a frothy Marchesa strapless gown. A divine figure, minimal makeup, and simple understated hair meant that this incredible dress took centre stage. Just the right mix of froth and sparkle makes this a perfect Oscar dress…  Hello Halle, you are a movie star.

Gwyneth Paltrow
She can do nothing wrong in my eyes. From performing at the Country Music Awards in a sexy mini, to dropping the kids at school, to the red carpet, this girl gets it right every single time. This amazing Calvin Klein Collection silvery/gold sheath dress is dead simple in its shape but va va voom in sparkle. She has enough star wattage to even keep Joan Rivers quiet for years.

Michelle Williams
It’s modern minimalism with edge. A simple colour in a pared down shape makes this beaded Chanel Haute Couture dress the true definition of luxury. Love the pixie hair cut which adds a young funky edge to the grownup dress. Why go crazy with accessories or anything frou frou when you can look as stunning as this? Love it.

Cate Blanchett
Who else could carry off this daring Givenchy Haute Couture dress with such grace and elegance? It takes courage to choose something so dramatic. This is a woman who knows who she is and what she wants to wear. The incredible colour and amazing design is an absolute standout. Wow.
Original + Unexpected+ Givenchy = Fabulous!

Hilary Swank
Sometimes she gets it so wrong but tonight she got it so right. This Gucci Premiere dress with a feather train spells Oscar red carpet. Rachel Zoe (if she is her stylist) would have been hyperventilating trying to get this dress for the Academy Awards. It’s perfect. Hillary’s hair and makeup are sleek so this dress can take all applause.  A standing ovation. I die.

Please explain…

Nicole Kidman
Nicole, you are usually faultless on the red carpet but this concoction looks like Marie Antoinette in Comme des Garçons as one reporter quipped. It’s a bit of mish mash. The pony tail looks sporty while the bright red Pierre Hardy pumps look like an after thought. How ironic that Nicole chose to wear Dior Haute Couture designed by Galliano just as the man has become embroiled in a scandal. Ooops.

Scarlet Johanssen
She got a divorce so she got a (bad) hair cut.  Then she chose a boring Dolce & Gabbana dress to clash with the red carpet. All that frumpy lace looks too old fashioned and does nothing for her amazing figure. Then she got stuck in a wind tunnel.  It’s a Nana dress. Lost in translation.

Kathryn Bigelow
It’s a sign of the times when you can be seen as badly dressed on the red carpet when you are wearing YSL. But Kathryn Bigelow just looked overwhelmed in this ill fitting simple dress. Too plain. Too red. Too loose. Too bad.

Marisa Tomei
What was her stylist thinking? Maybe she doesn’t have one and her great Aunt found this for her. This vintage Charles James from Lily et Cie couture looks exactly that: Vintage. This is not fashion, not flattering, not chic. Oh dear.

Amy Adams
We love and adore the designer L’Wren Scott and her blue cap-sleeved gown is quite gorgeous. But please explain why Amy plonked $1,350,000 of Cartier diamond jewelry on top? Apparently there are 30 carats of emeralds loaded up there. The jewellery on its own is amazing, ditto the dress. But all together? I smell bribery and corruption. Is she the new face of Cartier?

Yours fashionably,

FiFi,
www.FiFi.com.au

*Images courtesy Style.com