Jewellery by Karmissa

For some people, knowing how to wear their jewellery and accessories can be a challenging task. Having the right piece of jewellery always helps, but having tips and advice from a style expert, is even better. 

Athena Bruton of the brilliant online jewellery boutique Karmissa, is here to teach you how to wear her favourite pieces:

"This is quite a glamorous piece, I love it with a black faux fur jacket, some black skinny jeans and a pair of round toe knee high boots, winter chic!"

"I love these statement earrings, and I'm delighted that pastels are sticking around for winter/spring. These would be perfect with an updo - like the one below - a Marchesa twisted chignon - perfect for the party season, teamed with a bold lip"

"This is Kim - a fashion blogger - wearing the vintage inspired crystal necklace. I love how she toughens up the look with a leather jacket. I love girly and edgy pieces mixed together"

An how does Athena wear Karmissa's pieces herself? Check out the picture below:

Check out the best pieces from Karmissa in the post below, or head to their website: www.karmissa.com/

Life of Style.

Ever wondered what its like to be a stylist? We see Rachel Zoe looking fabulous as she hurries around trying to dress the best of the best and meeting some of the geniuses within the fashion industry, but what does it mean to be a stylist and more importantly what does it take to be a stylist. Meet Caroline Paris, a thirty year old fashion stylist from Malta. 

Her work includes, the Il-Klikka (tv series, STYLE on Sunday Magazine, Venere (TVM) and the Toni and Guy 'Be The Look Competition'. She was awarded 'Best Fashion Stylist' award at the 2013 Malta Fashion Awards. She is the brand ambassador for Coccinelle (Malta), Max&Co (Malta) and Solaris (Malta).

How long have you been styling? 

About four years.

How and when did you decide to become a stylist? 

It was almost a natural progression, my husband Kurt Paris who was then still my boyfriend started out as a photographer with a focus on fashion back in 2008 and my love for fashion meant I started to get involved with selecting the clothes, helping out with makeup, scene setting etc, eventually this evolved into styling and the job took on a life of its own. In 2010 I also started my fashion blog which has grown larger than I ever expected and is a whole other job onto itself.

How long have you been interested in fashion? 

All my life, ever since i can remember, I’ve always been obsessed in clothes and shoes and in particular handbags. I always loved peeking into other people’s wardrobes and playing dress up and spending too much  in shops. As I grew older I started paying more attention to fashion magazine and looking at editorials for inspiration.

Who/what are your influences?

Lots of things influence me, society, designers’ work, art, buildings. I draw on life for inspiration and especially the general person on the streets - I love to people watch and I always pay particular attention to what a person is wearing.

How hands on are you with your work? 

I don’t use assistants, I select every piece myself and put together all the looks for every shoot myself. I also write every article myself on my blog and do my own research.

How has your style evolved over the years?

I always say I don’t really have a style and this still holds. I dress according to my mood of the day - so many different styles and looks interest and excite me that I would never be able to tie myself down to a particular style. You might be able to call my style somewhat eclectic but then again I still have my classical days and my ‘normcore’ days so we’re back to square one.

What are your three rules when it comes to dressing and styling? 

Dress according to your body shape, don’t try to force something that doesn’t look good on you. Dress for yourself first and foremost, whilst it is important to respect dress codes and look at trends, never refrain from wearing a look you love simply because you think others might comment

What's the best part about styling? 

You get to spend your time doing something you love, you get to be creative, you get to produce art and if you’re lucky enough to be working on a shoot with no strict templates, you get to abandon all the rules and explore, explore, explore. 

What's the hardest part about styling? 

Well the hardest part is actually dealing with personal clients. It’s always hard to tell someone they don’t look good in a style they want to wear. I always try to explain why and suggest workarounds. I try to soften the blow but women in particular tend to just take the news  as meaning they’re too fat.

What's your current favorite brand?

I don’t have a favourite - in all brands and labels there are things I love and other things I’m not so crazy about. I do have a current fond spot for Miu Miu, Alexander Wang and Marc Cain though.

What's the next step for you and your company? 

I don’t have a next step as such, but I do have lots of plans and projects being worked on. My plans also involve working with foreign fashion markets as well as local ones. In February I will be travelling to Rome, Milan and London for the Autumn/ Winter 2016 fashion weeks.

What are your hoped for the future, career wise? 

I’d like to continue to get more and more involved in helping grow the Maltese fashion industry, both locally and internationally.

What trends do you think will be popular next year? 

Well the oversized trend is set to stay for a while and we will be seeing more and more structured materials being used. Bias and asymmetrical cuts are also set to be a strong presence as is the colour blue.

Anything else I should know about you? 

I’m a determined person who doesn’t easily accept no for an answer. I’m also naturally curious and inquisitive about all things and I like to explore all aspects of a problem before tackling it.

Check out Caroline's style in the below images:

To learn more about Caroline Paris, visit her website:

http://www.carolinefashionstyling.com

All That Glitters...

It's no secret between my nearest and dearest, that jewellery is a great love of my life. I love everything about the sparkle, the bold, the silver, the gold, the bronze and the texture that comes with fabulous pieces of jewellery. I admit, my collection of jewellery would cause concern within a 'Shopaholics Anonymous' but I can't help it -  it's my greatest splurge in life, and let's face it, it can perform miracles; transforming a day outfit into a night one. Here are my favourite online jewellery stores, the ones with the greatest collections and the purse friendly prices. Beware! The images below may cause blinding and make drastically affect your bank balance...

BIJOUX BAZAAR

A fabulous website, any fashionistas dream, you are truly spoilt for choice! Trying to choose and edit images for this post was a challenge, everything Bijoux Bazaar sell are of the utmost quality and always on trend. What not to buy, is the only thing you'll have to ask yourself. 

http://bijouxbazaar.co.uk/

SIMPLY BEAUX JEWELS

Want gorgeous jewellery, but not the hefty price tag? Simply Beaux Jewels is the place for you. All the jewellery you crave, with a price that leaves you smiling.

http://simplybeauxjewels.co.uk/

HOUSE OF BOUNTY

If you're looking for original jewellery, that will stand out and guarantee you that no one will be wearing anything like it? House of Bounty is for you. Incredible unique pieces to add a signature to your outfit.

http://www.houseofbounty1989.com/

KARMISSA

Statement necklaces are everyone's favourite accessorie right now, but sometimes it's great to go smaller - it's not always necessary to "go big or go home". Karmissa offers jewellery for everyone, from statement to subtle, the pieces are precious and effortless.

http://www.karmissa.com/

November: High street style, day & night

When autumn first arrived, the weather was unusually warm and we could get away with a thin jacket and a thin jumper. But now the cold weather has began to creep in and sometimes we struggle to look our best because of all the layering. I have picked my favourite high street items that will keep you looking stylish, day and night.

Topshop;

Gilets are the perfect layering device, they're texture and thickness adds warmth, but their style adds a statement to your OOTD. White can be a difficult colour, but teamed with a black leathet jacket will give it an edge.

I'm a big fan of blouses, they give sophistication to a day time outfit. This blouse works in two ways; the colour and the cut makes it formal, possible to wear to work with a camisole beneath it. Secondly, it's sheer, see through giving sex appeal to a night time outfit. Paired with the right black bra, this blouse would go from trashy to smoking hot.

I love the soft pink colour of this skirt? It gives it a 50's look. This skirt would look great with a black turtle neck and some floral courts. It's simple, but effective. Effortless style.

Snake print is expected to be a huge trend over the next two seasons. Get a head of the crowd with this sexy, body con, evening number.

The next two months are the best monte for wearing sparkle. There's something about the dark nights that makes you want to dazzle with your outfit. This rose gold skirt will do just that, pair it a simple black or white camisole and minimal gold jewellery.

If you're wanting to remain sexy and flash some skin during a night out, this dress is perfect. The colour is completely autumnal and will go great with some black ankle boots an a black leather biker jacket.

Zara;

Camel is a great winter coat colour. With a pair of dark blue jeans and some brown ankle boots you will look classically English. This coat gives off a 60's vibe and with a pair of denim flared and some chunky gold jewellery, you will turn back the decades to a time of great style.

Black is the most wearable colour, and the sexiest. This dress would be great for a night on the town, a cropped biker jacket, sparkling jewels.

Through autumn, there are days when a coat and lots of layering just isn't necessary. This grey knit cardigan is perfect for an unseasonably warm day.

This monochrome shift dress is the perfect way to feminise the autumn days. Pair it with thick black rights, thigh high black boots and a leather jacket and you're good to go.

Mustard is a great colour and the perfect pop of colour for autumn. Day or night this dress is versitile, looking great with day boots and night boots, black and silver statement jewellery aplenty.

Autumn mini skirts can be tricky, but this flary a-line skirt, with its grey, black and white colour scheme, would be great formally with a black blazer and tights, or at night with knee high boots and a long sleeved shirt.

New Look;

Monochrome is always stylish, and this houndstooth knit mini skirt oozes 60's style. The cut is sexy and could easily be worn at night, but if you're wanting to wear it formally, black tights and a mustard jumper would do the trick.

Not every autumn night will be a cold one, this dark purple floral devore wide sleeved shirt adds a night time glam affect. Worn with black skinny jeans and black leather pumps, portrays effortless chic.

I love this Aztec print, it's an ideal layering shirt that will fool people into believing you're wearing Missoni, when in actual fact, you're wearing a much more purse friendly New Look.

How can you not be swept off your feet by this dreamy deep red, faux fur collar coat. Day or night this coat will serve you well, it's riddled with glamour and dying to be worn with knee high boots and opulent jewels.

Another great mini skirt! The colours represent our autumn skies and would look great with a pair of tights and thigh high boots, or, for an evening look, no tights, and chunky ankle boots.

Midi skirts are obvious glamour, this red lace adds a late dose of sex to this midi, meaning you could tone down the rest of your outfit and let the skirt do the talking.

This gold sequin mini skirt bad the right amount of disruptive pattern to make it stand out from the crowd. It's not your average mini skirt, the pattern alone would hold the outfit, meaning less effort with the rest of your outfit.

This is one of the best kimonos I've seen this year. The burgundy floral velvet print against the dark backdrop give it a boudoir feel. A perfect kimono for an informal night out.

Peacocks;

Sometimes I can feel overbearing when the shops start stocking Christmas themed jumpers, but there's something sweet about this deer and snow print, plus there's no harm in buying early and saving until Christmas.

I love a shearling jacket, they are perfect for autumn, the colours are soft but the layers are warm, giving you a style two in one. 

A sexy black velvet body con dress for a night out gives you sexy glamour. The long sleeves and skirt length keep up with the autumnal nights, without the feeling of being too wrapped up.

This jacket is a great twist on a traditional biker jacket, replacing the leather with faux fur and a soft pink colour. 

Feathered jumpers are already becoming a fast growing trend this season. They're being made in some great colours, colours to suit every outfit, day or night.

This lace waterfall jacket is the ideal piece for a formal night out. It's classy, elegant, but the cut vamps up the sex appeal and gives you one hell of a jacket that will be great season after season.