How to win Nina Proudman's white embroidered top

Hello lovelies,

Remember Nina's top in season 6, episode 1?

Well I found it at Zara in Sydney's Pitt St mall yesterday!

Exactly the same top.
I was in the queue for the change room & there it was on a rack. Pounce. It was a SS 2015 issue (southern hemisphere SS 2015/16).

Does it fit me?

Size on label: Medium
True size: Closer to the small side of medium
Pit to pit: 49 cm
Front length from centre top to centre of hem: 43 cm
Upper sleeve width: 14 cm
Measurements are laid flat, unstretched.

What brand is it?

First let's deal with the rumours about the brand of Nina's top.
Fellow blogger from Styling You claims it is an Isabel Marant - gorgeous French boho design. Their information comes from the wardrobe department of Offspring. 

With all due respect, their information is wrong. 
I have gone through almost 10 years of Marant runway and the top didn't do the walk. 

Yes, it's Marant-ish, but it's not an original by any means. It doesnt have the finesse & quality hallmarks of a runway garment (see below). 

I have also poured over the Nina photos & compared them to the top I have in my hand. The two look identical. Zara isn't in the business of creating identical. It waters down design, trim & especially fabric to make the loot cheap & saleable. So if they are identical, they can only be Zara. Both of them. 

Nina has worn Zara over many episodes - this top coming from Zara is nothing new for Nina wardrobe wise.

What label is it?

You know from my previous quality rants that the Zara brand consists of a number of labels which vary between them in quality (& hence price). The best quality is Zara Woman, the middle child is Zara Basic & the worst quality is Trafaluc or TRF. TRF is aimed at a younger market; a market which has less money to spend so its prices are low and the fabrics, trims & stylings are the cheapest of the bunch.

This top is actually TRF.  In particular, the quality hallmarks which give it away as TRF are threefold. First the mesh on the upper part is not as smooth & soft as I would like. Secondly, the fabrication is 100% modal which is code for rayon which is code for viscose. Yes, more environmentally friendly than say cotton or linen but weak when wet & likely to break down quite easily. The fabric feels thin & cheap. Thirdly & most importantly, the embroidery is made up entirely of satin stitching but it was very widely spaced. So it would be faster to make that way. Unfortunately, widely spaced means the threads will pull & snag easily. I'd be surprised if it lasts more than one summer without looking ratty. 

Do you still want it?

If so, keep reading. 

What body shapes does it suit?

All the basic rules apply here. 

1. Light colours make things look larger than they are.
If you are top heavy, not the best idea especially with a dark bottom. 

2. High necklines do not flatter big busts. If you have a large bust you will always look better with a lower neckline (think decolletage not cleavage). The see through mesh look generally doesn't do alot to counteract this. 

3. If you have cool undertones in your skin, cream will rarely suit you. Hopefully you already know whether cream is a good colour for you. Note also that the top is cream and not off white. Also if you wear a scarf in your good colours, it may be too busy with a top which has such detailed embroidery.
You may want to try a contrast colour cami underneath but that is unlikely to counteract the extensive creaminess.

4. If you have a tummy, raising your arms slightly will cause that tummy to be exposed. This goes hand in hand with the fact that the top is from the TRF label - think youth market, think cropped style tops.  

Do you still want it?

OK then, keep reading. 

SIA isn't a big famous blogger so she doesn't have alliances with retailers/manufacturers etc. In fact, alliances may be sexy but they impair your independence. That means that if they give you freebies you are obligated to spruik them & the brand. All of a sudden you reduce your spruiking of labels you genuinely like because they dont give you an income stream.

This means that SIA had to did deep to buy this top. Really deep. It was $A35.95. Reduced from $A49.95. SIA's generosity knows no bounds, eh? 

Did you also know that the top is on ebay at the moment? I think the bidding is at $A250 odd. Crazy people? You decide. 

Despite the fact that SIA couuld make a small fortune selling the top on ebay, she chooses to offer it to her lovely readers instead. 

Do you still want it?

Lordy me, keep reading. 

What do you have to do to WIN it?

If you would like to win the top, then tell SIA how you would style it. Is there something you would team with it or a bunch of things? What? How? Do tell. 

You do not have to style it in a Nina way to win this - after all, I dont want you to be a copy of a fictional character. 

Instead, SIA wants to enjoy how your vibe & personality will work with the top. Yes, how your personality is vibing with the top as Jimmy would say.

Place your response as a comment on this blog post or on any Style into Action Facebook post about the top. No private answers please.  

Any questions?

Just ask.

The Pretty Women polka dot dress - still looking?

If you are looking for something then you have to actively look for it. 

Wishing isn't looking. Consistent research and trying on are.   

How many times have you said to yourself that you'd love the Pretty Women polka dot dress? 

I can tell you that similar versions have been around at east once a season for most years since 1990 when the film was released. That's a minimum of 25 years of frocks. 

In this day & age of on-line possibilities, that's infinitely higher than 25 seasons of possibilities.  

So why are you still asking for it?

The above photo is from Zara - it's available now. 

Off you go, go get it. 

  

Offspring's Nina Proudman style: How not to kill your figure with that lace top.

Well, another episode in Ninaland (s5e8) & I am sure you all want the clothes.

So the purpose of this blog post is twofold:

a) to stop you doing harm to your wardrobe; and
b) to stop you doing harm to your figure

The jackets

Nina wore two jackets, a dove grey/blue linen look (day) and a black crepe (evening).

Don't they look like midgets here?

Both these were the same style, a moto style, which is everywhere atm. This style is a double breasted at top which tapers out to a single breasted at the hem. 

When a moto style is left unzipped/open, the "lapels" flap around. They make it look messy, just like any double breasted style which is designer to be worn closed. Both were worn open & frankly, they lacked polish as a result. 
The dove grey one also looked cheap. 

Both were waist length, both had a round neck.

The only real difference was that the black had a zip closure and the grey had buttons. 

I also think the grey wasnt lined but the black was. That would have contributed to its cheaper look. 

It was also interesting to note that both looked very long in the arms. If you look at the photos on my Facebook page, you'll see she had rolled the grey sleeves by hand. 

If you look at the black one, notice how long the arms were even when she had a bent elbow (talking on the phone when with Leo - above). She gets away with it in some scenes by scrunching up the sleeves (eg: when they were heading to the lesbian bar) - but for an elegant evening jacket, scrunched up sleeves don't cut it in the style stakes. 

Who does this style of jacket suit?

Basically, a tall person with an hourglass shape. 

They dont work the best for:

* rectangles - they don't create a waist
* pears - the short style will make a pear look larger than they are on the bottom half
* apples - the double breasted style isnt good for the voluptuousness of an apple
* busty - keep double breasted away from a busty girl as it makes the girls look even bigger
* petites - anything with excess fabric is not a good idea for a petite. So even though the length is great for a petite, the double breasted feature tends not to be. 

If you are not a tall hourglass, if you go for a classic single breasted style, you will be way ahead in the style stakes. For apples you may want to try something softer in shape with an empire waist. 

Whether its a linen look jacket or a black crepe jacket, single breasted styles are everywhere from discount stores (Target) to cheap & cheerful boutiques (temt, Forever New) to high street chains (Sussan, Cue, Veronika Maine, Portmans, Witchery, Country Road, Trenery, Jacqui E, Queenspark etc) to designer labels. The list doesnt end. 

Zara does terrific basic jackets and they are lined for example. 

There are also gazillions of black crepe jackets in single breasted styles.  

With or without lapels. 

Here is a Country Road one I spotted late last year & put it up as TODAY'S PICK because it looked like a winner for most body types and frankly it just looked expensive & classy.

Notice how it creates a waist both with the horizontal seam & the soft peplum? The lines are clean - its not messy - that's code for slimming in anyone's book. 

The plain top (worn with the dove grey jacket)

Plain front, plain back. Nothing fancy. 
easy to replicate in a woven fabric. 

Looks what I saw at Big W today....

A nice simple clean cut top - I loved the neckline binding as well as the curved edges at the hem. 

You can find white tops anywhere, so I'll let you do that search. 

But please note that Nina's length & width is overwhelming on a petite and a rectangle.

It would be blobby on a pear (it's too blocked) and a killer on an apple. 

The high neckline would kill a busty girl's figure. 

So basically that leaves hourglass shapes rocking it - as long as they are not petite.

The lace blouse

This is going to be the bane of my life for this episode. 

Every brand has done lace tops for the last 2 years. Everyone. I have no idea of the brand of this top, although a reader said they think its Zara. If that's true, you are not going to find it now as they turn over their stock like nobody's business. 

The missing tag in the episode was consistent with a Zara Woman tag. Which means its the expensive end of the scale for Zara (sat $110) but overall a cheap piece. 

What I dislike about this top is that the flowers are embroidered with very long satin stitching - that's a mark of a cheap garment & because the stitching isnt tight, it tends to pull quite easily. 

There was also minimal embroidery at the back - another sign of a cheap garment. 

The way it was clinging to Nina's back also made me think it's rayon (the cheapest of cheap fabrics), not silk. I hope I am wrong, but I doubt it. 

So, where to buy?

Stop asking me hard questions - I haven't a clue.

But I can tell you something more important than where to buy:

For the same reasons as the plain top, above, this will only suit an hourglass shape and preferably one that isnt petite. 

What proportion of us, who are on the wrong side of 30, are an hourglass? Not alot. 

So please look for another lace top.

Apples - empire waist & a neckline which exposes decolletage.

Pears - empire or something with a peplum, to hide the big pear bum.

Rectangle - you need extra waist enhancement - nothing blocky, so you really need to consider the rest of the outfit.  

Busty - lower the neckline & give it a bit of shape to show off your waist.

Petite - keep it close to the body & no longer than the top of hip.

Now, let's look at some pictures.

The traditional Nina brands all do lace tops.

Johnny Was

Johnny Was

Johnny Was

Johnny Was

Johnny Was

  
But please be careful - if you are thinking Johnny Was is a bargain and its rayon/viscose, that explains why the price is so "good". Cotton is the good stuff and Johnny Was prices it accordingly. 

4 Love & Liberty

Johnny Was has a cheaper diffusion label called 4 Love & Liberty. They do even more delicate lace tops than Johnny Was. 

4 Love & Liberty

4 Love & Liberty

Let's go designer....Lover do fabulous lace pieces.....

Lover calls this the White Magic capsule.
SIA calls it the Picnic at Hanging Rock collection. 

classic Lover dress

Lover (which is killing her waist)

Lover 

Back to Zara....

Zara in the large satin stitch like Nina's top (that's code for cheap)

Zara - this guipure type lace is like Billie's black lace from episode 7. 

Zara - there's that long satin stitch again.....

Zara

Collette by Collette Dinnigan

The other brand that consistently does lace tops is Collette by Collette Dinnigan.

Collette by Collette Dinnigan

Collette by Collette Dinnigan

Collette by Collette Dinnigan

Collette by Collette Dinnigan

Collette by Collette Dinnigan often does alot of daisy laces - small sections of heavier embroidery than the Nina top. However she has also done quite a bit of those long satin stitch embroideries on gauzy fabric (code for cheap in cost but not necessarily cheap in price).

Te one thing I did see online was a broderie lace vest - which I think is perfect for petites....by Johnny Was....sure, Nina's style was different, but this vest will sing on a petite and that's what we want. Flattery for YOUR shape, not Nina's. 

A few randoms....

Random #1 in the same long satin stitch as Nina's top

Random #2

Random #3 in the same long satin stitch as the Nina top

If you google "white lace top", thousands will come up, both as inspiration and to buy. 

Alot of the available for purchase versions will be cheap. Please remember you get what you pay for. 

So even though this next photo looked nice, when you go to the listing & look at the details, for $16, I can promise you that you will get a ratty garment.  They look nice because these online cheap & cheerful sellers put time & effort into making the goods look spesh. 

Even brands like asos and boohoo - be careful.

A quick visit to Target....

I think this Limited Editions top can give that romantic soft Nina look. 

These would work well for a medium size bust so the girls puff it out at the top & you don't look bottom heavy with the softness at the bottom. Not great for a pear or a rectangle. 

Target Limited Editions

By some strange co-incidence, today I popped into Big W and I saw the following:

A lovely vest in the Big W equivalent of Target's Piping Hot brand, Wave Zone. 

TIP: Surfie brands have a boho feel about them & can be good sources of Nina pieces.

I would love to see this vest on a petite girl. 

Big W "Wave Zone" lace vest

Big W Vest close up

A gorgeous feminine pindot lace which coud work as an empire blouse, great for pears. 

A daisy lace fitted style (needs a cami underneath). Lovely. 

Here is a gorgeous delicate skirt in the Nina style satin stitching. Would have loved to have found a top in this lace - to to wear as matched - but as separates. 

Finally, this lace tee which is a great example of what not to buy. It was awful. It was viscose & clingy without any shape - avoid at all costs. 

I also saw a few other Nina pieces at Big W - separate post shortly. Plus I dont need to remind you that the prices at Big W are reasonable, so it may be worth having a look.

What shade of white? 

Please also be aware that different complexions suit stark white versus off white versus cream versus pearl very differently. 

COOL complexions (with pink undertones in their skin) usually cant cope with anything creamier than an off white. 

On the other hand, stark white & off white are hospital colours for WARM complexions (with yellow undertones in their skin). 

Before you invest in a white lace top, please make sure the version of white you are buying is your best, irrespective of the shade Nina wore.

If you are wearing a visible cami, you need to judge this with the cami on.

And the point is? 

So did I answer the question "Where to Buy?"
Absolutely not. I have no idea where to buy. 

But Nina's clothes in episode 8 really only suit non petite hourglass shapes. Don't know about you, but that certainly isnt me. 

Instead, you need to assess your colouring & your body shape & height - only then can you be clear on which of the millions of white lace tops (or whatever) out there, may be worth shortlisting.

Shopping: The sweet bliss of UNSCATHED

SIA has always loved the buzz of shopping. Forget the beach or the snow or the bush. She's an indoors gal and the mall was always her favourite place to go & not because of the movies or other entertainment which it includes. Mind you when she was a nipper, malls didn’t have all that entertainment they do these days – they only had shops. Hard core shops. And that’s what she liked.

The thrill of the shop (using the word as a verb here) is always a buzz. When the SA wraps the item in tissue, puts it in the bag & gives it to you. It’s a rush, a high and as any addict will tell you, its just wonderful.

But ever since I started to "get" the fashion flattery stuff – colour, cut, fabric & proportion, I have gotten a really perverse sense of PEACE every time I walk out of a shop UNSCATHED.

Unscathed means resisting buying something which I touched, tried on or twirled in. Yes, I twirl, but when I do it outside the fitting room, it means the item follows me home. In the fitting room? Generally it stays on the rack.

And its never been about the money. Not that I have bucket loads, but I do subscribe to the theory that if you REALLY want it, you'll find a way to make it happen by re-prioritising other stuff, like food, rent, electricity, petrol, holidays and other small bits & pieces which are after all, just incidental to life.

Unscathed means I figure out WHY something is WRONG so that the LOGICAL side of me takes over from the HEART side, sufficiently that the item stays on the rack. The colour makes me look ill – why would I want to look ill? It has too many horizontal lines which make me look fat. And short. Why do I want to look fat & short? Its too directional. Why do I want a one season wonder when my whole ethos is about investment dressing? It doesn’t fit me well even though it’s of great quality & a bargain – why do I want to buy something that needs such a massive overhaul in alterations? If I buy it, I would need to buy bag/shoes/bling to wear with it because its not in my normal colour palette – so when I factor the extras, its double the price. No, no, no, no & no.

Unscathed gives you a terrific sense of closure - as long as you already have some basics in the wardrobe and arent walking around naked. In day time. Its about no longer losing sleep over something. Its about wishing that the item goes to a good home that will love it and knowing that wont be you.

Unscathed is about holding off looking OK (now) because you value look amazing (soon in the future).

99% of the time I am world class Olympic gold medal at unscathed.

I did fail once last week (still have to tell you about that…).

Today I got 2 more medals in unscathed.

UNSCATHED MEDAL #1: This Trenery shirt

I already have the Trenery shirt – looks like a school shirt but is sooo me in a crisp cotton poplin. Now that its on sale ($90 to $60), I was contemplating a back up. 

But instead of being my best white (stark), it is slightly off white – but so slightly, that I didn’t realize when I bought it. Now, I am not slipping – well, sort of. Its just that none of the white shirts in the store at the time were whiter – so I assumed it was stark white. Plus I was in a hurry. That doesn’t help. Oops.

I wore it today with a vibrant Hermes scarf which was 110% in my colours, so all was good with the world. 

But a back up? I realized that it isn’t appropriate if the colour isn’t spot on perfect. A back up has to be 100% perfect for you. Otherwise you end up with a so-so wardrobe times two because not only is the main not prefect, so too is the back up.

Maybe if it was $30. Hahaha. Just kidding. Not.

UNSCATHED MEDAL #2: This Zara top

I had saved this Zara picture from the US site many months ago. Because I loved it. 90s grunge in a 2013 mix. How could one not love it? 

Today I saw it at Zara in Bondi Junction. So I grabbed both available sizes for a try on. So excited. My dream top. 

As soon as one went over my head, I looked in the mirror & felt like dialing for an ambulance. Hospital colour.

Specifically, the maroon is a hospital colour for me as it is a burgundy with yellow mixed in. Burgundy likes me. Yellow does not. Hence maroon does not.

Being unscathed can be very liberating & not just on the purse.

Understanding what doesn’t work (& why) simply helps you make better decisions going forward.

Have you had any unscathed shopping incidents lately?

WIW: Colour & layers - its all happening today

I surprised myself with this outfit. Partly because there is so much colour (& neon God forbid!), partly because I didnt plan it and partly because its layer city (when I rarely layer). I just started off with the jacket, then the neon & the rest fell into place.


The jacket

This is a navy cashmere biker jacket from Giorgio Armani. 
I bought it a few years go as part of a pre-sell at the Sydney boutique and then went to the US the following week. Jacket in tow.

It was on the floor as new stock over there too & wearing a new (not bought on sale or on ebay) item of theirs always gets you the best service - on both coasts. It shouldnt be what triggers good service, but unfortunately it can be. But I am not complaining. 

Some of you are wondering why I travel and go to the same boutiques overseas. Crazy I know, but I adore certain brands & I would always visit the stores overseas for those brands. 

She has a two sided zip & the Giorgio logo on the zip thingeys. Not a stitch out of place. Too perfect. 

The top

I dont do neon. I did it in the 80s and I dont do it in 2013. 
However the drape & cut of this Zara tank said: buy me, buy me. For $70, I did.  

neon lime makes me look like death. Luckily the neckline of this tank was low, so there wasnt alot of interaction with my complexion. 

The front is double lined & the hem is curved. Its 100% poly but has lovely lines and I especially loved the way the neckline folds over toward the front.

I also liked how the hem of the tank peeks out from under the sweater. I rejected another red sweater because it was too short & didnt help with the peek out of the tank as well as this TSE sweater did.

The cami

The cami is from Target. They have them in every colour. I think it was $9. 

My main reason for wearing this wasnt modesty. It was so the fine fabric of the neon top wasnt rubbing against the jeans - I didnt want to risk any of those small holes forming on the tank, around the belly. 

The sweater

This is a TSE from the Woodbury Common outlet store in New York. Its 100% Italian made cashmere. I paid around $150 for it. A serious bargain.

Until I got home & realised it was 3/4 sleeves. I HATE 3/4 sleeves. Especially in winter. 

The jeans

Cobalt Not Your Daughters Jeans which look amazing with the lime neon. 

The jewellery

You've seen this bangle previously.
The necklace (photo above) us a men's base metal from RG Collections in St Ives. It was on sale for $25 & I was drawn to the chunkiness of it.

The shoes

Bought in 2002, these are a navy nappa leather ballet flat from Italian brand Loriblu which I paid a mint for, from Tino Lanzi in Sydney's CBD.

These babies are winners not just because the leather is butter soft, but because the vamp is low and they look elegant & not clumpy. 

Back to layering....

In case you're wondering why I dont later....I am sure you have heard that layering is terrific because you can peel layers off as you heat up and add them as you cool down. This is correct. But I like as few layers as possible - its just me. I like short sleeves & a jacket & anything in between tends to annoy me. 

See you tomorrow.