The “Year of the Dragon” watch features a fierce yet revered Chinese dragon flying through misty clouds high above the raging sea, which is a popular scene in Chinese scroll paintings. The blue and white color palettes inspired by Chinese blue and white porcelain perfectly enhance the oriental and exotic style.

Each limited edition Dragon watch comes attractively packaged in a deluxe gift box with a cut-out dragon design.

Get this exceptional limited edition “Year of the Dragon” watch here in Swatch online store for your friends and family and wish them exuberantly joy all year long full of luck, pride and oriental glitz and glamor.

Gongxi Gongxi!

You may also like:

• Be the Chinese New Year Masquerade Party Queen Wearing Jade Chiu X Muffinhead Oriental 3Dragons™, In One Word, Exotic!
• Northampton Rocks! I See Rosy Future for Fashion in Graduate Catwalk Show
• Let’s Talk About Love: Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day DIY Blogger Event Celebrates the Spirit of True Love
• That’s What the Dream Combination is Meant to be
• Analyze Your Traffic Data in a New Way; Look At Your Blogging Identity Through New Eyes – “hey I don’t need to be a glossy fashion star, I just want to be a down-to-earth brilliant blogger”

Valentine’s Day is not just for couples,

it’s about love to share;

so think about the people you love,

and let them know you care.

On this year’s Valentine’s Day, I spent the sweetest moment ever with another 29 bloggers and friends invited to Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day DIY Workshop where we used our creativity and aesthetic sense to DIY with love a winter accessory chosen for our beloved friends and families (or ourselves). Launched in 2007, Tif & Tiffy is a local brand specializing in high quality knits and furs, first starting with the European retail market and now expanding its business back home in Hong Kong and China.

Fall/Winter 2012 collection

Tif & Tiffy is the brainchild of Ms. Kitty Poon who shared the story behind the brand inspired by her close relationship with her two daughters, Stephanie and Tiffany after whom the brand was named.

Derived from the loving mother-daughter relationship, the brand’s core philosophy is to embrace and celebrate the tasteful life which is built on a foundation of love and of healthy human relationships.

Tif & Tiffy X Keenable Crossover Tote Bag: Tif & Tiffy shows love, compassion and support for the disadvantaged people by collaborating with charitable organizations such as Keenable Creation, a non-profit social enterprise with a mission to promote the disabled artists in Hong Kong and sell their artistic creations, and explore opportunities for them to expand their creative talents to the full by which their quality of life can be enhanced through participation in art and design to convey humanist values that everyone, whether they have a disability or not should be equally entitled to the freedom to create and enjoy their own life full of love and happiness.

We were as excited as kids in a candy store when we saw tons and tons of beautiful colored DIY materials – glass beads, crystal rhinestones, fabric buttons, brooches, you name it placed before us for our selection.

Considering that I spend much time per year in Europe with my beloved partner, I chose to DIY this adorable pair of knitted ear muffs to keep our ears warm in the winter months while my friend, Caroline picked these stylish purple striped gloves.

After almost an hour of “hard work,” ta-da! ladies and gentlemen, my debut DIY ear muffs were finished! I glamorized the headband with matching colored crystal beads and rhinestones of different shapes and decorated the right side of the muff with a super cute butterfly brooch. How do you like them? My friend in the US offered to buy them. What a nice surprise!

It was totally out of my expectation that Kitty picked my ear muffs as her favorite among other DIY designs. Another nice surprise for me! Thank you, Kitty.

When I entered Asia’s Top Glam Bloggers Contest, I was asked to describe my favorite fashion moments. This Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day blogger event celebrating the spirit of true love was undoubtedly one of my picks. 30 bloggers including me had all become the most beautiful angels as we shared love with others through fashion, and from which we might even inspire and enlighten the world through creativity. Such core values should exist in each blogger.

Long live love! Everyday is Valentine’s Day.

You may also like:

• A Huge Shout Out to Alessia Caliendo for *LittleBlackDress* Our Sponsor for Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-Shirt Slogan Design Contest
• That’s What the Dream Combination is Meant to be
• Analyze Your Traffic Data in a New Way; Look At Your Blogging Identity Through New Eyes – “hey I don’t need to be a glossy fashion star, I just want to be a down-to-earth brilliant blogger”
• FashionCamp Milano 2011 Part Two: Evelyn La Starza the Vintage Queen for MAYLILY
• FashionCamp Milano 2011 Part One: The Most Blessed Fashion Event

I can’t believe that there are tons of contestants entering the design contest by unitedstyles.com every day and my design was chosen as the winner. Bloggers can also become designers now. The result was also announced on unitedstyles’ facebook page.

I never thought of designing my own clothes but with unitedstyles.com things are becoming possible. Everyone can develop his/her design potential and create one-of-a-kind outfits according to personal taste with the help of the choice of silhouettes and styles suggested by unitedstyles.com. Did it bring back your memories of those days when you loved playing dress up games with your sisters?

This mini cocktail dress exudes sweet sensation and femininity meant to be for girls with a cheerful and adorable personality who fancy bright colors. The design brings your attention to the sexy ruffled off shoulder neckline. I picked the floral prints for their sense of summer and youth conveyed.

If you want to test your creativity and enjoy the fun, come join the contest!

You may also like:

• FashionCamp Milano 2011 Part One: The Most Blessed Fashion Event
• A Huge Shout Out to Alessia Caliendo for *LittleBlackDress* Our Sponsor for Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-Shirt Slogan Design Contest
• Northampton Rocks! I See Rosy Future for Fashion in Graduate Catwalk Show
• Launch of Swatch Limited Edition “Year of the Dragon” Collection: Extending the Joy of the Auspicious Chinese Year of the Dragon All Year Long
• Let’s Talk About Love: Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day DIY Blogger Event Celebrates the Spirit of True Love

Just like Christmas in the west, Chinese New Year is a time for gathering with family and friends. Let’s grasp the last chance to throw a Chinese New Year masquerade party to celebrate this special Year of the Dragon before it’s too late. My Taiwanese born designer friend, Jade Chiu, graduated from Parsons School of Design has got an amazing idea for turning you into a party queen this Chinese New Year. She collaborated with Muffinhead, the New York pop culture artist to launch a versatile exotic accessory collection 3Dragons™ inspired by the Year of the Dragon. The plexi laser-cut pieces can be worn as necklaces or eyepatches at a masquerade party.

Ming collection: I especially like the pendant which is like the Ming princess’ crown. The 3Dragons™ collection comes in several colors: gold, purple and red which represent wealth, royalty and happiness in Chinese culture.

Dragon Kiss collection: How about wearing the geisha white make-up to enhance the oriental look? It’s absolutely my style.

Tai-Pow collection

Start the Dragon year with an exotic glam look and it brings you good luck all year round. Xin Nian Kuai Le! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy Chinese New Year!

You may also like:

• Launch of Swatch Limited Edition “Year of the Dragon” Collection: Extending the Joy of the Auspicious Chinese Year of the Dragon All Year Long
• Let’s Talk About Love: Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day DIY Blogger Event Celebrates the Spirit of True Love
• That’s What the Dream Combination is Meant to be
• My Modeling Debut: A Blend of Casual T-shirt Culture and Italian Elegance
• Mine Favorite Designer 3: Vivienne Tam Fall/Winter 2010 Presentation at the Mercer Street Flagship, New York – the Pride of Hong Kong

We are delighted to announce Stephanie Drayton as the winner of our GV Miao X *LittleBlackDress* – Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-shirt Slogan Design Contest. Congratulation! Stephanie will be awarded with a LittleBlackDress slogan tee with her winning slogan printed on it, and her winning slogan tee will be mass-produced to be sold on LittleBlackDress‘ official website.

On behalf of our GV Miao fashion blog and LittleBlackDress, I thank all the contestants for participating in this gift giveaway campaign or it can’t be completed smoothly. Stay tuned for more upcoming giveaways, see you in 2012!

We will contact the winner directly for the details of gift collection shortly.

You may also like:

• 3 STEPS TO WIN GV Miao X *LittleBlackDress* – Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-shirt Slogan Design Contest
• A Huge Shout Out to Alessia Caliendo for *LittleBlackDress* Our Sponsor for Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-Shirt Slogan Design Contest
• GV Miao Wishes You a Happy New Year, Stay Oriental Glam!
• My Modeling Debut: A Blend of Casual T-shirt Culture and Italian Elegance
• Let’s Talk About Love: Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day DIY Blogger Event Celebrates the Spirit of True Love

The year is coming to a close soon and we’d love to thank all our dear fashionista friends and followers for their friendship and support in 2011. Please click on La Mode by GV Miao Christmas & new year e-card dedicated to you all. I found the background music so cute, I hope you will like it.

More great posts are coming up in 2012, stay with us!

You may also like:

• Congratulation! Winner Announcement for GV Miao X *LittleBlackDress* – Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-shirt Slogan Design Contest
• 3 STEPS TO WIN GV Miao X *LittleBlackDress* – Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-shirt Slogan Design Contest
• A Huge Shout Out to Alessia Caliendo for *LittleBlackDress* Our Sponsor for Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-Shirt Slogan Design Contest
• 1st Hong Kong Young Knitwear Designers’ Contest for Hong Kong Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2011 – China Fantasy by Patrick Ho
• Let’s Talk About Love: Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day DIY Blogger Event Celebrates the Spirit of True Love

On Vicki Victoire for GV Miao fashion blog:

“Not Interested In Being A Fashion Icon” slogan tee sponsored by LittleBlackDress

Floral bubble skirt by iBlues

Pink monogram fedora by Furla

Polka dot scarf by Kookai

Pink suede ankle boots by InNIU

Gold large hoop earrings by Juicy couture

Grey faux crocodile skin handbag with pink ribbon embellishment sponsored by Alison B. Bags (stay tuned for our next gift giveaway campaign to win this adorable handbag)

Styling, modeling & make-up: Vicki Victoire for GV Miao fashion blog

Venue: Stanley, Hong Kong (the Victorian-era Murray House exudes European colonial charm, elegance and style, a perfect venue for my debut fashion shoot)

Alessia picked her favorite shot and featured it on LittleBlackDress‘ official website/online store (pg. 5). If you haven’t joined our GV Miao X *LittleBlackDress* – Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-shirt Slogan Design Contest yet, I hope my photo shoot will help inspire you to think of your life’s slogan which means something to you. Come join the contest!

You may also like:

• Put On Your Denim Armor and Be a Peaceful Warrior – MAGGIE Will Save the World!
• FashionCamp Milano 2011 Part Two: Evelyn La Starza the Vintage Queen for MAYLILY
• A Huge Shout Out to Alessia Caliendo for *LittleBlackDress* Our Sponsor for Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-Shirt Slogan Design Contest
• Congratulation! Winner Announcement for GV Miao X *LittleBlackDress* – Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-shirt Slogan Design Contest
• 3 STEPS TO WIN GV Miao X *LittleBlackDress* – Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-shirt Slogan Design Contest

Want your design be seen and worn by thousands?

GV Miao and Alessia Caliendo for LittleBlackDress will grant you your wish. Here are THREE EASY STEPS TO WIN

TAKE ACTION NOW!

The winner will be awarded with a LittleBlackDress slogan tee with his/her own winning slogan printed on it. The winning slogan tee will be mass produced to be sold on LittleBlackDress‘ official website with the winner acknowledged.

Step 1: think of your slogan in life which means a lot to you (better make it creative and fun).

Step 2: click here X’mas T-shirt Slogan Design Contest – leave your slogan here to leave your slogan.

Step 3: invite your friends to vote for you, the slogan that gets the most “Like” will win.

Contest entry period: from now to December 25, 2011

Terms and conditions:

– Double-voting under false identities will not be counted.

– In case of any disputes regarding the giveaway, our decision will be final.

– The winner will be announced here on our blog and on our facebook fan page Fashion Blog: La Mode by GV Miao – an Oriental Perspective on Boxing Day. We will contact the winner via facebook for prize collection shortly.

You may also like:

• Congratulation! Winner Announcement for GV Miao X *LittleBlackDress* – Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-shirt Slogan Design Contest
• A Huge Shout Out to Alessia Caliendo for *LittleBlackDress* Our Sponsor for Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-Shirt Slogan Design Contest
• My Modeling Debut: A Blend of Casual T-shirt Culture and Italian Elegance
• GV Miao Wishes You a Happy New Year, Stay Oriental Glam!
• Let’s Talk About Love: Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day DIY Blogger Event Celebrates the Spirit of True Love

My young Italian designer friend, Alessia Caliendo and her African print dress, I especially love those ethnic patterns and bright and uninhibited color combinations. Alessia is best known for her cheerful and colorful designs which are a true reflection of her personality. Her lively spirit is beautifully reflected in all of her ingenious creations.

Photo taken at FashionCamp Milano 2011

I have got my “Not Interested in Being a Fashion Icon” slogan tee as a gift from Alessia. Slogan tees are one of LittleBlackDress‘ signature items. Now you get a chance to win your one-of-a-kind slogan tee. Read on.

Many young jewelry designers of Alessia’s age are keen on creating collections of fancy, bling bling jewelry intensely embellished with colored crystals or faux expensive diamonds. Alessia’s jewelry pieces, nevertheless, are unique in the way that they are made of gold with a simple and clean design. How can’t you not fall in love with these cute purse pendant bracelets? I reckon they are the best gift idea.

The designer Alessia herself is the best image girl for her own brand.

LittleBlackDress‘ brief brand profile: first launched in 2007, the brand represents simplicity, versatility and cosmopolitan elegance. It offers all the must-have items for every modern girl’s wardrobe, from slogan tees and sartorial etiquette dresses to accessories of the Italian innovative design tradition, all are designed by the fabulous and talented designer, Alessia Caliendo. After the successful exhibition at FashionCamp Milano 2011, Alessia expands her business into the flourishing market in Dubai while sustaining an outstanding sales performance in Europe.

This Christmas, we are honored to have LittleBlackDress to be our sponsor for the t-shirt slogan design contest. Alessia will award you, the winner the most heart-warming festive gift – a LittleBlackDress slogan tee with your winning slogan printed on it and acknowledge and sell your design on LittleBlackDress‘ official website. For full contest details, please click to read 3 STEPS TO WIN GV Miao X *LittleBlackDress* – Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-shirt Slogan Design Contest. We cordially invite you to a creative Christmas experience with us. Take action now!

Photos by LittleBlackDress

You may also like:

• Let’s Talk About Love: Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day DIY Blogger Event Celebrates the Spirit of True Love
• 3 STEPS TO WIN GV Miao X *LittleBlackDress* – Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-shirt Slogan Design Contest
• FashionCamp Milano 2011 Part One: The Most Blessed Fashion Event
• My Design Debut with unitedstyles.com Won Design of the Day!
• Congratulation! Winner Announcement for GV Miao X *LittleBlackDress* – Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-shirt Slogan Design Contest

Just like any other bloggers, I used to be traffic-conscious and had been through a lot of frustrations when my blog’s hit rate did not turn out as fantastic as I thought it would, but now I realize that a high-traffic blog does not automatically mean a high-quality blog in terms of content. After all, blogging is all about nurturing original thinking and extending creativity. In order to be a successful blogger, you need to be able to identify the factors leading to the endurable success of a blog: blog only what you believe; express your true values and convey your unique style in your writings rather than pleasing the readers with cliché hot topics which would cause a spike on your traffic statistics, but without followers’ loyalty. Let your personality and passion shine through your posts and your readers will find you and get to know you through your blog, and that’s how you build a relationship with your readers. If you are able to give them reasons to further explore the kind of fashion experience that only exists in your blog and keep revisiting it for more, they will surely follow you eventually.

Do not take Rumi Neely, Bryan Boy or Anna Dello Russo as your role model though bloggers always tend to do otherwise. Rumi, BB and Anna are fashion celebrities, not necessarily bloggers (Rumi and BB might start as a blogger but we’d better admit that their roles as bloggers have changed). Simply because these people are celebrities, and people will care no matter what they wrote on their blogs, whether it is about an exclusive interview with a top designer, or getting the front row seats at the “Big Four” fashion weeks, or even as trivial as what they had for breakfast. The lives of celebrities are so different from our reality. Before you continue your blogging career, the first thing to do is to sort out your blogging identity, ask yourself whether you want to pursue a glamorous yet impossible dream of becoming a fashion star or stay down-to-earth and be a faithful blogger working hard towards long lasting success. For me, I don’t need to be a glossy fashion star; I just want to be a down-to-earth brilliant blogger. Fashion blogging, after all, is about having fun.  Why get frustrated?

Rumi Neely and Bryan Boy

Anna Dello Russo

You may also like:

• Let’s Talk About Love: Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day DIY Blogger Event Celebrates the Spirit of True Love
• That’s What the Dream Combination is Meant to be
• Launch of Swatch Limited Edition “Year of the Dragon” Collection: Extending the Joy of the Auspicious Chinese Year of the Dragon All Year Long
• A Huge Shout Out to Alessia Caliendo for *LittleBlackDress* Our Sponsor for Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-Shirt Slogan Design Contest
• FashionCamp Milano 2011 Part One: The Most Blessed Fashion Event

Maggie Fall/Winter 2011 runway show, featuring an urban chic, Maggie combined the modern cosmopolitan style with romantic feminine elements, giving birth to Maggie‘s signature image which has character and strong personalization, yet stylized with a sense of feminine grace. Women choose to wear Maggie to show off their attitude and create a statement that seems to say “hey look at us! Yes, we are women, and we are conscious of the power of femininity and not afraid of showing it and of displaying our sexiness. Let’s dress ourselves up with Maggie and we are ready to conquer the world!” Isn’t it cool? Are you one of them?

The Maggie booth at FashionCamp Milano 2011

Denim cell phone covers as promotional event giveaways, I’ve got one for myself.

This Cubic Lorena jacket with a shiny effect from the luxurious Extremely Maggie line is the perfect companion for any evening occasions.

This pair of leather coated denim jeans also belonged to Extremely Maggie line once worn by Lady Gaga in her concert tour.

My most favorite military trench coat “Renata” made of heavy 21 oz denim from Maggie Superior line allows women’s persevering spirit to shine in their everyday lives.

Maggie held a contest in July to select a blogger who is being sponsored to travel around Europe for one year to explore and report stories about women saving the world. Maggie has been looking for its new Maggie all over the world, and Maggie(s) are just right there. Three remarkable women’s effort and perseverance striving for the safety of women and for women’s rights by non-violent means in their countries where women’s social status is rather low have paid off. Africa’s first female elected head of state, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian peace activist, and Tawakul Karman, a leading figure in Yemen’s pro-democracy movement jointly won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. It is absolutely the best example of women displaying courage and faith to change the status-quo. I cordially suggest Maggie to sponsor our three heroines to celebrate their fearless spirit and everlasting faith for women’s rights to live in dignity and equality. What a marketing strategy! It can’t ever get better than this. Think about it.

The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Winners, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakul Karman of Yemen. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty, Frederick M Brown/Getty, Khaled Abdullah/Reuters

You may also like:

• My Modeling Debut: A Blend of Casual T-shirt Culture and Italian Elegance
• A Huge Shout Out to Alessia Caliendo for *LittleBlackDress* Our Sponsor for Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-Shirt Slogan Design Contest
• FashionCamp Milano 2011 Part Two: Evelyn La Starza the Vintage Queen for MAYLILY
• Brighton Fashion Week: A Primitive Couture Night Created by “Roadkill Couture”
• Northampton Rocks! I See Rosy Future for Fashion in Graduate Catwalk Show

Being an architect-turned-designer, Giulia has designed jewelry collections which fully reflect proportional beauty, strive for aesthetic and structural harmony, and play around with the use of materials. Her latest collection of exclusive leather jewelery showcased at the camp is called “Leaves.” Producing this signature flower leather necklace required a lot of hand quilting and collage techniques, which took a long time to complete according to the designer and therefore no two pieces are exactly the same. Customers do not only pay for the design which is uniquely theirs, but also for the designer’s passion for perfection and handcraftsmanship. Accessorizing Chiara’s one-piece dress with Giula’s flower leather necklace was the best way to manifest the gracefulness and tastefulness of European women.

I have got my necklace like this one as a gift from Giulia. It goes perfectly well with my white beaded tunic top. Thanks Giulia!

Le Chou Chou adorable miniature jewelry by Annapaola Rapacciuolo can absolutely capture every girl’s heart. Inspired by Marcel Proust’s Swann’s Way, the designer named each item from the “La Petite” collection after the characters and places in the novel. The vintage teacup and cookies bracelet, the most darling whimsical little teacup ring and pendant, the classy teapot bracelet, and the heart shaped chocolate cake ring (yummmm!!!) all reminded of the good old days. How can you not feel the sweetness of wearing any of them?

Chiara’s collection is classic, elegant and timeless featuring deluxe fabrics and refined details, and this style is most evident in the design of this printed silk lined jacket made of upholstery fabric. The multicolored printed silk lining and earth-toned furniture fabric used as the face fabric created the most distinct contrast possible in texture and color, which best represents the designer’s thoughtfulness and sensitivity which bring creativity stimulation in the fashion world.

Having the chance of meeting face-to-face with the local Italian designers during this memorable fashion trip to Milan made me realize that what really won my applause and eternal respect for these three talented designers was the way they show their devotion and commitment to fashion. They are not in a hurry to quickly design and produce that they sacrifice quality for quantity as a result, nor do they ever go for the second best. Their creativity and originality overflow with abundance; they would only give their customers the best of their designs which are unique and extraordinarily special with typical Italian design flair. Trust me, you will surely get addicted to the Italian designs like I do after reading this post.

You may also like:

• FashionCamp Milano 2011 Part Two: Evelyn La Starza the Vintage Queen for MAYLILY
• Let’s Talk About Love: Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day DIY Blogger Event Celebrates the Spirit of True Love
• A Huge Shout Out to Alessia Caliendo for *LittleBlackDress* Our Sponsor for Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-Shirt Slogan Design Contest
• Analyze Your Traffic Data in a New Way; Look At Your Blogging Identity Through New Eyes – “hey I don’t need to be a glossy fashion star, I just want to be a down-to-earth brilliant blogger”
• Northampton Rocks! I See Rosy Future for Fashion in Graduate Catwalk Show

We all know that the sun is the most abundant renewable resource we have on the planet, if you are a typical hi-tech fashion geek like me never going out without your notebook, ipad and iphone, you shouldn’t miss out on this convenient eco-friendly solar gear which looks cool and stylistic because it surely helps you catch up with the fast-paced world of fashion. The collection will soon be available for purchase online (info@ninjamarketing.it).

The huge fans of Japanese street style should know Ninja well. The team named themselves “Ninja” conveying the spirit of fighting for success.

How do I look?

You may also like:

• Let’s Talk About Love: Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day DIY Blogger Event Celebrates the Spirit of True Love
• My Design Debut with unitedstyles.com Won Design of the Day!
• Be the Chinese New Year Masquerade Party Queen Wearing Jade Chiu X Muffinhead Oriental 3Dragons™, In One Word, Exotic!
• GV Miao Wishes You a Happy New Year, Stay Oriental Glam!
• A Huge Shout Out to Alessia Caliendo for *LittleBlackDress* Our Sponsor for Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-Shirt Slogan Design Contest

Alice’s Land – The Rich Garden Series: Isabella Zocchi Collezioni launched two lines, “Alice’s Land” for the girls who are romantic, sweet and sexy and “Eva in the Desert” for the tasteful and stylish working women. Girls like pink. In the designer’s own words: “I aim to wow my young customers with the attractive candy colors making them as excited as a little girl in a candy store.” On top of that, glossy patent leather is the main trend this season. I reckon this pair of pink grapefruit patent leather decollete shoes is a summer must-have.

Alice’s Land – The Rich Garden Series: Acid green patent leather slingback high heels go perfect with a slinky and elegant skirt or casual capris.

Alice’s Land – The Rich Garden Series: This pair of mandarin patent leather Mary Jane shoes is amazingly adorable and timeless.

Eva in the Desert – Maculato Series: Black patent leather Eva wedge pumps and stingray giraffe print inserts which are a luxury design feature suit for women of taste and style.

Isabella Zocchi the talented Italian couture fashion accessory designer

If you can’t get enough of Isabella’s designs, click to see the whole collection here http://collezioni.isabellazocchi.com/index.html. Handbags are also available in Isabella Zocchi Collezioni. Watch out! You will get obsessed like me.

Styling: Mari Land
Jewelery by Evelyn La Starza’s MAYLILY

You may also like:

• That’s What the Dream Combination is Meant to be
• FashionCamp Milano 2011 Part Two: Evelyn La Starza the Vintage Queen for MAYLILY
• My Modeling Debut: A Blend of Casual T-shirt Culture and Italian Elegance
• Let’s Talk About Love: Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day DIY Blogger Event Celebrates the Spirit of True Love
• Analyze Your Traffic Data in a New Way; Look At Your Blogging Identity Through New Eyes – “hey I don’t need to be a glossy fashion star, I just want to be a down-to-earth brilliant blogger”

Large Vintage Lucite Filigree: The signature round flower cutout earrings and fan shaped retro cut earrings with tiny Swarovski crystals made of Lucite the lightweight transparent plastic are available in an extensive colour palette—lime, olive, tangerine, lavender, saffron—you name it. The 1960s glamorous vintage style combined with a contemporary sensibility created unique pieces which can only be found at MAYLILY and nowhere else.

I’ve got my own pair of purple violet vintage filigree earrings from Evelyn which went perfectly well with my scarf in the same colour tone. Thanks Evelyn!

The “Vintage Lover” collection is full of highly interesting pieces. You can possibly trace the history of a certain item through vintage materials such as from the 1970s from which it was made. I especially like the antique brass cuff and the cream coloured “Sophie” bib necklace handmade with delicate vintage lace, fabrics and pearls. I truly felt privileged wearing them as each piece is individually handcrafted with vintage components, so that no two pieces are exactly the same. I felt like an elegant European lady of the last century while trying on these favourite exceptional pieces.

Flowers Fascinator: The beautiful one of a kind flowers fascinators made from satin roses, fabric flowers, Swarovski crystals and beads from the “La Vie En Rose” collection surely win the heart of any classy women who are fascinated by exquisite craftsmanship and luxurious quality.

The talented and beautiful designer Evelyn looked fabulous modeling her red flowers fascinator for the photo shoot with friends, Erica (right) and Sonia (left).

I had a model shot for the lilac “Colette” necklace made from antiqued brass chain, vintage lace, grosgrain ribbon and Swarovski crystals, and I absolutely love it.

Did these baby pink and white feathers fascinators remind you of the sensual style of 1920s cabaret costumes?

If you want to dress down at weekends, these printed fabrics bangles are a must-have for creating the casual chic street style.

When I first saw this “Madeleine” necklace at MAYLILY on the first day of FashionCamp Milano, I couldn’t help but getting it. It’s unique, classic and beautiful. What impressed me the most about it were the 1970s vintage lace and velvet and the vintage resin cameo which attracted people’s eyes when I wore it to match my crochet knit dress.

MAYLILY is holding a contest on facebook till the 28th August. €200 cash voucher will be given to the model in his/her best shot receiving the most “likes.” Now show your support by clicking MAYLILY Contest@FashionCamp 2011 and start to vote! Oh, did I mention I’m a contestant?

You may also like:

• That’s What the Dream Combination is Meant to be
• Brighton Fashion Week: A Primitive Couture Night Created by “Roadkill Couture”
• Let’s Talk About Love: Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day DIY Blogger Event Celebrates the Spirit of True Love
• My Modeling Debut: A Blend of Casual T-shirt Culture and Italian Elegance
• Mine Favorite Designer 1: Anna Sui at New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2010 – Aestheticism in Typical Sui Fashion

“My summer is being thankful to God” － this was the statement I made for Quiksilver‘s “My summer is….” campaign at FashionCamp Milano 2011. Indeed, without God’s blessings, I wouldn’t have been able to make it to Milan in spite of having planned for the trip for nearly a year. It was definitely the most blessed and inspiring fashion trip I have ever had. The Italian fashionistas I met at the camp are some fabulous people who have opened up my eyes to the intriguing and magnificent world of fashion.

The two-day annual fashion BarCamp took place from the 10th to 11th June at Zona Tortona, Milan’s infamous creative hub with a lot of designers and photographers. Historically this neighbourhood was an industrial area filled with factories and warehouses until the early 80s, when it was transformed into a space for creativity. Today, Zona Tortona is well known to the world as an art and design district and is universally recognized for events and exhibits held at Milan Design Week and during Milan’s annual furniture fair. I was extremely thrilled to have this chance to catch the artistic spirit of Tortona.

FashionCamp Milano 2011 was taking place at Spazio A Ex-Ansaldo in Via Tortona.

There were so many things going on at the camp － seminars, workshops, artistic installations and exhibitions featuring the latest creations with points of difference in design or special expertise in detailing by the participating designers. Designers, photographers, trade visitors, editors, bloggers, stylehunters and many more all got together to share and learn in an open “non-conference.” Discussions and interaction among attendees and exhibitors were happening throughout the event. I reckon true democracy was there and no where else.

SEMINAR

Each speaker was asked to put a post-it note on the board to choose a time-slot for their presentation which content was solely decided by the speaker himself/herself. On behalf of GV Miao fashion blog, I gave a short speech entitled “A Brief Scrutiny of the Macro and Micro Environments of the Fashion Industry.” I was probably the only speaker who conducted the presentation in English, though not in Italian. I didn’t scare the audiences away. You may want to check out my presentation script here. 

This speaker gave an eye-opening and insightful presentation on the connection between fashion and Feng Shui at the seminar, incredible!

WORKSHOP

The high-end casual wear brand Quiksilver set up a tee design workshop for the visitors to create a t-shirt with their own unique signature style that matched their personality perfectly. Everyone could have fun to express their fashion statement through drawing and with art. Drawing at Quiksilver has become one of my many favourite memories from the camp.

This five year old girl came on the second day of the camp. The workshop also served an important purpose in exploring children’s creative potential and cultivating their imagination and innovation through art projects of this kind.

“I draw, therefore I am.” The Jesus Loves You Forever t-shirt was drawn by me. What do you think?

I called this art for art’s sake corner. The fashion students were encouraged to use paper to tailor clothes. Though the paper outfits can’t be worn in everyday life, it is the belief of art for art’s sake aestheticism and the spirit of creativity that count.

The paper clothes were custom made according to an individual’s unique body shape.

This looked so much like a runway showpiece.

Paper installation

ARTISTIC INSTALLATION

Blue denim is this season’s key trend. This denim installation entitled “Denim Arbor” surely stylized the camp venue. I especially like the denim tree which exuded a sense of poeticness and tranquility.

That’s all for now. Feel like knowing more? My experience at the fashion camp was far more wonderful than you can possibly imagine. Keep an eye on more upcoming posts on FashionCamp Milano 2011 which will bring you some extraordinary Italian designers I met. So stay tuned.

You may also like:

• A Huge Shout Out to Alessia Caliendo for *LittleBlackDress* Our Sponsor for Christmas Gift Giveaway Campaign 2011: T-Shirt Slogan Design Contest
• My Design Debut with unitedstyles.com Won Design of the Day!
• Northampton Rocks! I See Rosy Future for Fashion in Graduate Catwalk Show
• Let’s Talk About Love: Tif & Tiffy Valentine’s Day DIY Blogger Event Celebrates the Spirit of True Love
• Not a Research Paper: A Brief Scrutiny of the Macro and Micro Environments of the Fashion Industry (based on the situation in Asia)

The designer used the colour black to convey mystery, sexiness, sophistication and elegance. This signature big bird wing hat served as the main focus of the outfit.

They said Princess Beatrice would love this iridescent fascinator made from four magpie wings. I cannot agree more. I would also suggest Anna Dello Russo wear it to the “Big Four.”

The glamorous bold feather headpiece and the chunky necklace made from mussel shells went extremely well with the hot pants created using a traditional brown check fabric. They certainly helped brighten up the total look.

Finale, what won applause in “Roadkill Couture”s show was not necessarily the professional models walking the catwalk in some breathtaking clothes, it was the inspirational message infused into the show which stimulated every single audience to think about how we treat our animals, and reminded us to take up a respectful and more compassionate attitude towards them.

In addition to Jess Eaton’s “Roadkill Couture,” Brighton Fashion Week featured a stunning array of couture collections by the most renowned and celebrated designers. Edward Finney is well known for his superb tailoring, intriguing experiments with fabrics and the structural beauty of his clothes.

I have a preference for this gold brocade dress with a curtain-like veil which reminded so much of the yellow dragon robes worn by the empress of ancient China.

I saw an ideal alternative to Vera Wang’s bridal collections.

The designer combined complex design with delicate lightweight organza, a very nice try. The bloody red was epic.

You may also like:

• FashionCamp Milano 2011 Part Two: Evelyn La Starza the Vintage Queen for MAYLILY
• Northampton Rocks! I See Rosy Future for Fashion in Graduate Catwalk Show
• Put On Your Denim Armor and Be a Peaceful Warrior – MAGGIE Will Save the World!
• That’s What the Dream Combination is Meant to be
• Highlight of Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza for Hong Kong Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2011 – Barney Cheng’s Extravagant Journey

A humorous interpretation of the trendiest jumpsuits, tight pant sets and mini dresses in a kaleidoscope of colors and prints exuded the 70s glamour and sexiness. The most playful part was that Dalmatians wearing the same style of clothing as the models were brought up to the stage to walk the runway.

Northampton’s fashion graduates’ works abounded with creativity techniques and echoed the designers’ personality. Using the fabrics such as leather in a novel way and experimenting with textures, drapes and pleats got the graduate collections one step closer to the mature professional level.

White never fails with some edginess shown in its structure, this catwalk piece was reminiscent of the structural beauty inspired by Antwerp six.

Apparently, the Barbie doll silhouette, the basket weave texture and the hot pink and orange color palettes have reflected the designer’s sanguine temperament with girlish wit.

You may also like:

• FashionCamp Milano 2011 Part One: The Most Blessed Fashion Event
• Brighton Fashion Week: A Primitive Couture Night Created by “Roadkill Couture”
• Launch of Swatch Limited Edition “Year of the Dragon” Collection: Extending the Joy of the Auspicious Chinese Year of the Dragon All Year Long
• That’s What the Dream Combination is Meant to be
• Put On Your Denim Armor and Be a Peaceful Warrior – MAGGIE Will Save the World!