I have this 'passion', for want of a better word, for going through my wardrobe. I do this too often than I'd like to admit. I open my wardrobe and sort it out, by type (pants, skirts, shorts, blazers, jackets, cardies, tops and so on) then by colour. As I do this, I think of new ways to wear the pieces in my wardrobe, and sometimes I find myself reminiscing over a dress I wore a few years ago. But apart from the usual, I sometimes take to sorting the pieces out by how 'now' they are. I have told you more than once that I hardly stick to rules and sweeping statements in fashion. I may like one thing today and like the opposite the next. But that's the beauty of fashion - that it's constantly changing. So sorting stuff by their 'nowness' is my own way of being a curator of my own wardrobe...

What really inspired me to write this post was a Carine Roitfeld quote I found on tumblr (I've lately taken to tumblring again).

The new luxury is a small wardrobe. Not necessarily an expensive one nor one filled solely with goods from only the world’s leading fashion houses. These are defintions of luxury fashion past. The new luxury is now to be able to live and thrive with a small, pleasurable wardrobe. Curation is refinement. Refinement is a skill… we must cull from our wardrobe removing from it all that looks average. We must become our own curators.

But a small wardrobe needn’t mean doing without. Anything but. It is in fact the hallmark of the modern fashioniser with their finger on the pulse. You see, to have a small wardrobe and still look stylish requires one to actually have style.

Even a week, in fashion, makes a difference. There is always something new, something more now. Fashion isn't about shopping excessively. Really, it's not. It's about having a constantly changing, small wardrobe.

A reader asked for some help with regards to determining one's personal style. We all like to label ourselves and our style choices. I don't believe anyone's style is straightforwardly punk or classic or boho or urban. We're all beautifully eclectic. Because style is all in the detail. There is no recipe or set of instructions which I can give you. It is a process one has to go through. There are some questions however which will definitely help you in determining your style choices -
1. Pick your favourite pieces in your wardrobe and list down why you like them. Then pick your least favourite pieces in your wardrobe and list why you don't like them or don't like them so much.

2. Whilst getting dressed, if you think of something you think would 'make your outfit pop' or that would really 'take your outfit to another level', list it down. Before going shopping see which item you've written down the most and bam - you know your 'most wanted!'

3. Observe. Your eyes are your best friends. Look out for inspiration, when you see something you don't like know why you don't like it. That will serve as constructive criticism for yourself. Likewise, when you see something - an outfit, a look, a colour combination - you do like know why you like it. Go through fashion magazines, websites and the like to get all the inspiration you can possibly get. As Carine aptly says - keep your finger on the pulse!

4. Use the tools around you - polyvore, for instance is a great tool for creating outfits without spending a penny. That way you'd be developing your own style without comprising your budget. Another great tool would be tumblr, track tags like 'fashion', 'vogue', 'style' and find inspirational blogs to follow. Keep yourself inspired and open minded!

5. Do you have a particular style icon who you feel inspires you? Try to determine their style rule book. One of my favourite style icons for instance is Kate Moss. I blogged about her style choices a while back. It helped me determine what I liked best about her style and channeled it in my looks. Of course, don't copy. Style icons should inspire you but not give you whole outfits to wear. Also, keep an eye on the details, sometimes even the way they wear a bracelet, a necklace or tie their shoe laces makes them unique in their style choices.

6. Know yourself - know what you love, but it's as important to know what suits you best! Does your striped breton top make you look fat? Or do your Mary Jane heels make you look short? Be aware of these little things.

7. This may seem a tad unorthodox but - do not shop with your best friend. Especially if they are highly influential on you. You may end up buying what they like rather than what you like. Sometimes I find shopping alone turns out to be a more successful trip for me - but to each his own, of course!

8. Do not fall into a rut. Always be open-minded and be ready to try new things because otherwise you'll end up buying too much of the same and in the end not have anything 'new' to wear. I for one, have 6 white shirts in my wardrobe. Not that you can ever have enough white shirts - but enough is enough!

9. It's okay to pass on trends. Sometimes the season may just not be the one for you. But being 'trendy' and being 'fashionable' are totally distinct things. Trendy is someone who follows trends, fashionable is someone who is stylish and current (the way you hold your bag, the way you wear your bag - it's all in the styling.)

10. Be confident! It shows if you're not comfortable in what you're wearing. You can tell me crocs are comfortable as much as you like - but they sure don't make me comfortable. You have to be yourself in what you wear! And I certainly do not see myself wearing crocs.

Now that I've shared that with you, there are some other news I'd like to share - I've finally started Project Sewing. The designs are done - I might upload them later on if I think they're presentable enough, the fabrics are bought and all is set. Now what's left to do is the actual sewing. I will show you the end result of course when it's ready.

Here's a glimpse of the fabrics:

I've been rather wordy lately. Possibly because being stuck in bed sick gave me plenty of time to slow down and think. But now that I'm out of bed and enjoying the spring sun, (well not at this minute, I'm typing this aren't I?) it's time for another outfit post. I took these photos last week and this is essentially only part one of this look. Confused? Let me explain. I wanted to emphasise the importance of having a white sheer shirt in your wardrobe and instead of creating a myriad of polyvore outfit sets using the same shirt I went and shot two totally different outfits wearing the one and only shirt (and shorts, really). This way is definitely way more fun. So here's part one of this look. I wanted to create the aura of an early Sunday morning - when you really just want to stay in bed and sleep a bit longer.

But before that - I never got to show you what goes on in preparing my looks. Honestly, sometimes I prepare beforehand but then some ray of light hits me and impromptu outfits come to mind and consequently I ditch whatever else I had in mind. But still, since I am somewhat of a obsessive freak when it comes to preparing the pre-shoot part still happens. Take a peek behind the scenes.


I've prepared a form to fill for each look, including the vibe I want to create, the accessories, the make-up, some style icon/ or editorial I have in mind and sometimes even the underwear.Then I put all the stuff I'm to wear in my built in clothing rail. (As you can see, even the sunnies find their place there.)


Then, that morning I hang everything on the portable clothing rack, especially the shirts for them not to get wrinkled. Whatever can be packed, I put into my Guinot carry-bag.


The jewellery has to be packed too of course. Although I usually plan the jewellery beforehand I like to take a lot more than originally planned, you know - just in case! Anyway, how much space is extra jewellery going to take really?

Now for the look!! I kept it minimal because as I said I wanted to create that straight out of bed look.







I went for messy, full volume for hair, unbuttoned sleeves and no jewellery except for my chain first-knuckle ring (which I forgot to take a photo of, silly me)
As for make-up, I kept it totally natural of course, but darkened my eye brows. I wore embellished khaki shorts - to make it look like I'm making an effort. But really who wants to make an effort on a Sunday morning? Sunday should be all about easy, effortless wear!

A very cropped photo of my first-knuckle ring (mentioned here). It makes my fingers look huge hehe - but I don't want to give away my other look! :p


Check back soon for part two because, the clothes are the same but the look is not ;)

Yesterday I would have considered myself an advocate for fashion for the masses - about fashion being available for everyone, affordable fashion, designer and high-street and vintage and the like. Four or five decades ago, high-fashion was strictly for the elite classes. Designer- high-street collabs are definitely a step in the opposite direction. But I myself, am beginning to think that fashion being available for everyone may not be such a good idea after all. Fashion is meant to be elitist. The kind of class I'm talking about may not be monetary however. Fashion is art, and like any other art it needs to be appreciated. Today, if a girl has ample interest in the way she dresses there is a high chance that she believes herself to be 'fashionable'. But let me break it to the world - that is not necessarily the case. Knowing how to dress, isn't about knowing how to pair blue shoes with a blue dress.

No, dear civilians at the bus stop, I do not have a leopard print purse for it to match with my similar leopard print carry-all. God forbid I buy something for it to match intentionally. But I'll bet you might have marked that as sarcasm and thought me one of those who goes on with life buying everything matchy-matchy because that's what you were brought up to believe - that fashion is all about matching stuff, isn't it? But that wasn't sarcasm. Fashion isn't about matchy-matchy things, it's about buying non-matching things and making what's wrong look right.

Sometimes I swear I find it difficult to get dressed for a day out, especially to uni because of two reasons:
a. because I really can't be bothered to get dressed - oh the shame.
b. as soon as I put an effort into getting dressed I realise that it might be too much for the general mass to comprehend and I'll end up getting stared at wherever I go. Like I'm wearing poop on my head, or a Marc Jacobs hat at that.

I get to the bus-stop, and I have a five - seven minute walk to my closest bus stop so I meet a few people along the way. So the stares start from the moment I step out my door. Only this morning, I wore my cat-eye sunnies and bardot hair - stares. Last time I wore my snake ear cuff, even the bus driver had to comment. Sunny Malta, my Prada...

I realised this morning that I might just be the only one bothering to wear lipstick to school. Why is that so outrageous? I don't see my grandmother a day without lipstick and neither should I see you. Yet it seems everyone is so enshrined in their lipgloss-wearing ways. The more and more we go, the more we've let go of ourselves in some ways.

But rouges-a-levres aside (I just like the way it sounds in French better - but hey what doesn't sound better in French?), back to what I was saying about fashion for the masses. Fashion in my country is taking a step forward. True. I believe Malta to be a goldmine of inspiration but it lacks people with confidence. Also, true. You see - Fashion is not for everyone. It's only for the most confident people. That's what makes dressing fashionably a hard task. It's not just about putting random stuff together and hoping for the best either. It's about having the confidence in dressing fashionably, even if it may seem a tad avantgarde to the random passerby.

About a week ago, another favourite blogger of mine bryanboy posted a photo of him wearing a Jil Sander hat and Prada golf shoes on a public ferry. He captioned it most aptly - 'Never compromise y`our personal style even if you have to take a public boat with other people.' I'm posting it here for all your sake.




What also struck me is the fact that people weren't giving half a glance at what he was wearing or doing. But not here in Sunny Malta...someone would not have only stared but also said something really witty and illuminating - I'm sure.


Fashion cannot be for everyone. Because it were it wouldn't be so special. Much like art isn't.


Fashion is not just about getting dressed and feeling adequate. That one ferry has sailed long ago. Fashion is the most honest of art forms. It's the way you not only want to dress, it's the way you want others to see you. If you're all about fitting in, than that's a different story. But being different, being fashionable, pardon my language, that takes some balls.

I had a thing for that song (refer: title)...actually, I might still have - whenever I would doodle I'd write that line - Hello world, this is meee life should beee, oooh yeah, fun for everyone. Life is easy if you wear a smileee. Oookies. That was one random happy moment I thought I'd share with you, but it is me, really, I'm back. You might have noticed my absence these last few days here and on the blog's facebook page, which as you well know, I try to update several times a day and really on any other form of social media which I've dared invade, most recently Instagram. But since I wasn't feeling my best I couldn't quite blog and so, my bed (and my pillow) saw the better of me. So buh-bye world and virtual world. Lucky bed. HAHA.

Luckily, there were a few things which helped kill the time. Like watching Gossip Girl Season I re-runs whenever I had the energy to, and getting Issue 2 of Style.com/print in the mail. Which is AWESOME, FYI. What did I do when I got it? I SMELT it. I know, I may be sounding like I'm totally high on meds or just a super-excited fangirl - but one of my guilty pleasures is the smell of freshly printed material (amongst other things...). So there, now that's out, back to to what what was actually printed.

Some general info about the mag before anyone asks.

On the cover:
(PS: Why is everyone always so curious about who/what's on the cover? That doesn't really make a mag. What makes a mag is what it contains - the articles, the photos, the people IN it.)
Nadja Bender backstage at Lanvin, photo by Nick Waplington.


A glimpse into the contents already draws excitement.




Some Tommy Ton street-style snaps are eye candy.





Moving on, to something else I've been meaning to tell you all for a while now! I've been looking to find a way to sell a few of my stuff, because space has become a problem in my room and my wardrobe. It's something a lot of bloggers do and I find the best way to do it is to set up a separate blog altogether, to which you can subscribe and receive updates whenever I add items to it. Each item I add is a blog entry on its own and I took the liberty of sorting them according to size, condition, colour, material, season, and price range. So you'll be able to go through the items according to the category you pick. I will also be updating you with Shop Rouge updates on the RR Facebook page, as I've been doing. :) I'll be adding jewellery soon too, at very cheap prices so check back soon.

The Rouge Reveries shop's URL is

In reference to the melodramatic title, it's the sun I'm talking to. Being at home with the flu does this to me. Act/blab stupidly, I mean. Well, that and being all melodramatic about everything. Like the world's collapsing. Back on topic, I hate forgetting my sunglasses at home. And it's that time of the year again when sunnies aren't just a fashion statement. The sun is absolutely unbearable. (Am I being too dramatic? I really don't know when I've crossed the line when I'm sick.) So, of course, I've resorted to looking out for some shady goodness.

I put a few outfits together with the intention of shooting them this morning. But, of course, I woke up sick. Yet,  I am not one to cancel plans so easily, and I had my mind set on doing this. So this is basically one of the 2 and a half outfits we photographed this morning. I am extremely happy with it. Not the mention, this top is one of my favourite wardrobe pieces at the moment. When I spotted it at Zara, my reaction was ooohh a huge sweater. (It's not that huge in reality, but anyhow my mind was already set on making it my own.) And it's the kind of pastel blue I approve of. Yay me.

There's always something in my wardrobe which I can't wait to wear. And I concoct any sort of excuse imaginable to wear it. I can't even think of another outfit until I actually wear whatever my mind's set on. So zooming on the subject of today's LOTD (Look of the Day for those less acquainted with the blogosphere) - I'm talking about my new, well as new as vintage goes - Levi cut-offs. And today's the day I finally wore them on a impromptu trip to our capital with my boyfriend.

Now, as to how I happened to stumble upon these shorts - I really don't know. I searched far and wide last year for a pair of cut-offs in W25. This time round I was randomly looking through ebay and found the perfect pair. I found three pairs, really, and chose the best out of them. I've been on a lucky ebay-bargain roll lately! So coupling that with the fact that I'm in a festival-wear mood as of late (as I duly mentioned in the post prior to the one you're reading), the cut-offs are exactly the kind of apparel I'm looking forward to wearing (without having to wear tights).

A quick word on the belt. Does it remind you of Balmain SS12? I've had it for a while now, but as I was about to wear it, it struck me.

OK, enough sweet-talk. Here are the actual photos!

The nail tip rings I've lately become obsessed with. Also - I've been sporting a lot of mixed metals.

Random picture - thank you boyfriend (who refuses to be mentioned by his name - HAH I FOUND A WAY AROUND IT)

Our beautiful capital and my boyfriend (he doesn't know I took this photo)