The Writing Gypsy Launching

** BREAKING NEWS **

The gypsy over Pens n' Paper is now writing under a new name!

Same blogger.

Brand new blog.

I like to correct the notion, which might have developed during my (another) months-long of cyber silence, that (1) this blog is already defunct. But no, siree; (2) I intend to add to the 90% of blogs existing in cyber space that suck.

About 8 in every 10 people turn to google for quick and easy, no nonsense tips and information on how to make their online quests enjoyable and less daunting. They click on links of websites which google crawlers deem reliable only to find the impression halfway through their reading that they have landed at the wrong page. Here's hoping this blog is not one of those wrong pages.

As clear proof to my adherence to better blogging, I have decided to trim this blog down to two main topics which I think I have more to share about--no breaks in the action as compared to--throw back 2013 down 2010, Pens n' Paper era--when all you get here are pretty much a hodgepodge of everything. It's high time I end the confusion.

You'll find regular posts on Travel and Style this time. I'll be nursing more on topics relating to these two: places worth adding to your bucketlist, what (and what not) to bring to a travel, the trends from the latest fashion shows that deserve more to make a scene in fashion street, places to go and where else to score good flea market finds--practically insider tips and cost-saving ideas that may (or may not, but I'm betting more on may) help combat your travel and style battles in one.

10 Places to Go... and 10 Ways to Rock... have already been taken care by the rest of blogsphere, you might say. Who cares what I have on my plate?

Every worshiper of travel and style has needs or questions unique to her. I know the times for when you'd like to seek second, even third opinion on something. But not that the first opinion didn't matter. These my dear e-friends are just some of the reasons why cyber can still provide space for me in this industry. The other reasons I'd opt to let you see as you come along with me on this ride. Shall I see you read me here more often, then?

Also, you'll find add-on features here which you've never seen on Pens n' Paper before--a post featuring You for one. The rest is surprise.

P.S. Bear with me as I haven't yet gathered the funds to dotcomize this blog and finally detach from blogspot. Please know that I've been working doubly hard to make things more professional here. I'm more than willing to share my deets to those who'd gladly sponsor.

Make sure you connect with TWG's other social media platforms and, maybe, we can be friends there too. FOLLOW TWG on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram @thewritinggypsy. Will keep you posted as to where else to find me around cyber town. 

THANK  YOU  AND  SEE  YOU  HERE  OFTEN!

Best,
Syril

Hunger Fixes: Vogue x Hermès Kelly

You might think I'm insinuating confusion for attaching the word "hunger" to the title. But no, I'm in fact speaking in terms of my current appetite for high-end staples. Today's fashion plate is serving one of Vogue's previous issues and THE HERMES KELLY. More on the Hermès Kelly. 

But first, insert here my apologies for coming from a cyber-hiatus. When I'm not fixing my blog or running errands, I'm scouring for things I would not hesitate to invest 'in the bones'. On my latest shopping haul is this 30cm calf leather pink Hermès Kelly bag. I know, I know! This five-figure must-have was sold to me at a veeerry good price. Though it wasn't as cheap as you may think. 

It came to me as a pre-owned item. But who cares if it's secondhand, right? An Hermès bag is still an Hermès bag. It was the one and only bag in store which nobody really cared to notice, thankfully. 

Front view

Rear view

It wasn't the bag the shoppers have recognized immediately as compared to, maybe if it was, the Birkin. I blame it to Birkin-wearing celebs and to Sex and the City (for airing a whole episode of trying to get a Birkin in not that I know when). All these 'public' actions have made the Birkin more popular than the Kelly. Although there is nothing quite significant to be said about their difference-- in price, functionality, and utter perfection. So that once I saw the "Hermès, Paris Made in France" blind stamp, my heart skipped a beat. The next thing in my mind was whether it was fake or not. 

Side view

I was reassured, nonchalantly but beyond doubt, with Google as one of the juries. The heavy not-cheap-looking leather, straight and clean stitches, high- quality hardware and carefully embellished blind stamps spelled the hailing word A-U-T-H-E-N-T-I-C in my face. 

I'm aware of the imitation bags which are already made to look like the original, it's hard to determine, nowadays. I'm afraid of committing a rookie mistake of having the best (and real one) left put; my first time with Hermès. For those in the know, with the following photos as my witness, you also be the judge. 

We know that H. bags are sauntered by A- list fashionistas that it becomes the 'symbol of wealth'. It's not that I want to blend in but having to carry it in the future (on special occasions only, mind you) would perhaps afford me an extra special attention, or not. To be asked to try on a Clive Christian is an overstatement. 

Anyone who can tell me if this K 2 A code in my bag means anything?

This bag is crazy like that, it took me days before sharing it publicly. I thought I'd eschew being asked where I'd get it. I've never written anything brag-a-bag post before besides plain style- infused articles and instagram photos. I just thought I'd be Hermès-less all my life, hence the euphoria. 

Inside my Kelly

I may be overly sentimental but owning one feels like experiencing 'Paris when it sizzles'. I owe so much of my appreciation for great style and great fashion icons, like Grace Kelly (to whom the Kelly bag was named after), to one equally great fashion history. 

Shop Hermès here.

Currently On Trend: Fashion Bloggers in Birkenstocks & Slip- ons

When slip-ons first boomed the catwalk for 2013 spring collection, it was considered a universally walloping fashion mistake. The ugly shoes as most put it. Those thick buckled straps and cork footbed, like the birkenstocks, widely remind us of a walk in the wet market, if at all, or of the days we're at home and would simply hoof it. 

Aside from having that mannish oomph look, there are only two obvious reasons to love these slip-ons-- that is for simplicity and comfort. With its rather normal, 'nothing fancy' impression, I see that the biggest challenge now is how to pull it off without needing for elaborate dresses of some sorts. We say that a true blood fashionista knows how to rock the basics. Tweet about that!

Lately, fashion bloggers' been keeping the trend in right proportions. A faithful revival of old fashion pieces were paired with it. The secret was to actually keep it minimal as opposed to counterpointing it with slinky accessories and detailed outfits-- so it becomes a fashion statement.

But if critics were to be had, as all around they are, another good key is to have a fresh pedicure-- a metallic or neutral color at that.

Camille Charrière of Camille Over The Rainbow | Bryanboy of bryanboy.com | Rowan Reiding of Red Reiding Hood | from Too Fashion 4 U | Kaitlyn Modern of Mordern Legacy |

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Pinterest for the latest lifestyle and fashion exchange here on Pens n' Paper.  We're scouring up-to-date fashion finds you probably don't want to miss.

Giorgio Armani Chooses Stella Jean x Bold Ethnic Trend 2013/ 2014

I'm not sure if I am the only one who thinks, or changed her view, on designers' collections modeled on the runway as the type people can't really wear in real life. These collections of mostly a dollar-a-thread fabrics are worn by seemingly walking barbie dolls of half a real human size. But that's not the case in point. I am thinking that if these collections actually didn't work, or if designers only buckled down to brandish how they're good at rag trade, they must have long been broke. But no. That's as likely as not the word style comes into the picture to determine how these collections can also be sported in the streets by every trendsetter. Or maybe that's when the people who have the confidence to be avant-garde play a vital role. 

So now when I watch fashion shows of collections by top international designers, I attempt to look on the brighter side of things and fancy about how they're applicable to street style. But not that it also happens every time. I prefer those that will surely work for most people, because I think it's what is wearable; thus, worth buying. Right now I'm wowing on the collections of a budding Italian fashion designer, Stella Jean. 

While I have succumbed to the forces that the fashion industry is not entirely glitz and glam, and believed on the rather dark side of the story, Giorgio Armani proves me otherwise. Latest reports say that Armani shows extensive support to the new and aspiring Italian fashion designers. He welcome-ly opens Armani Theatre in Via Bergognone to make room for fashion shows by these designers. 

Lately he chose Stella Jean, a Roman born designer with a Haitian heritage to show her spring and summer 2013/ 2014 collection in the Armani Theatre. Her collection is predominantly bold ethnic prints. And the most acceptable of all is that it is made up of not only flare and volumes but fashion pieces which we can all try on for everyday style. Some of them: geometric prints, graphic tees, A-line skirts, animal prints, rompers, not to mention beautifully styled tophat and derby hats and African- inspired turbans. 

Bellow are my favorite pieces from Stella Jean's SS 2013/2014 collections.

Click to view photos

Jean said in a statement, "Giorgio Armani is offering concrete support and a strong signal of confidence in emerging creativity. I can guarantee that the energy and enthusiasm that results, in emotional and creative terms, is really extraordinary. I am truly honored and deeply grateful for the opportunity offered to me". Congratulations to Jean and accolades to Armani. 

I hope you have gotten so much fashion inspiration from Stella Jean's collection as much as I did.

SHOP Stella Jean on the following online stores:

Far Fetch

Moda Operandi

The Corner

Matches Fashion

Top Fashionable Movies I Choose Watch

Fashion is oftentimes an assimilation of style and culture. Since the time of Audrey Hepburn to Grace Kelly in the old movie classics, the outfit of the actors has always added character to every scene. I do not know for certain how film critiques gauge a movie as fashionable. All I know is that even the movies whose actors are draped with what's currently on trend, sometimes don't go half the word of fashionable based on reviews. Perhaps a perfect blend of style, and how outfits are carried from beginning to end-- to how they are related to the movie-- is the moniker justified.

Not since Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby of the 20's high luxury fashion, to Carrie Bradshaw's collection of Manolos carried onto the big screen, to Hepburn's Funny Face of French couture and glossy magazines has a movie integrated the exquisite contribution of fashion to film. 

I look up to these two crafts combined. Among my top picks, revisited, here:

Click on the photos to watch the movies. Give yourself a style guide!

American Gigolo (1980)

Facts: A 117 minute American crime drama film by Paul Schrader. 

Story: Julian, an escort to wealthy Los Angeles women making a lucrative living. He suddenly suspects he's being framed for the death of one of his clients. Meanwhile he begins a relationship with a local politician's wife.

Inspiration: 80's stand up collar style and the luxe tailoring collection of Giorgio Armani. 

Annie Hall (1977)

Facts: An 93 minute American romantic- comedy film by Woody Allen. 

Story: Neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with the ditsy Annie Hall. [imdb.com]

Inspiration: Layering. White oxford topped with a man's silk tie, and a Civil War vest with the top button buttoned, inspired by Diane Keaton's real- life style.

Belle De Jour (or Beauty of the Day, 1967)

Facts: A 101 minute French drama film by Luis Buñuel.

Story: A frigid young housewife decides to spend her midweek afternoons as a prostitute. [imdb.com]

Inspiration: Tight buns and French roll hairstyle, double- breasted A- line coats and nifty little Yves Saint Laurent day dresses. 

Blow-Up (1966)

Facts: A 111 minute British- Italian crime film by Michelangelo Antonioni

Story: A mod London photographer seems to find something very suspicious in the shots he has taken of a mysterious beauty in a desolate park. [imdb.com] 

Inspiration: Sixties London fashion and mod makeup (perfect for the spring/ summer 2013 trend), and Jane Birkin of Hermes "Birkin Bag" fame. Disregard the casual making out in the film.

Bonnie & Clyde (1967)

Facts: A 122 minute crime- drama film by Arthur Penn.
Story: A somewhat romanticized account of the career of the notoriously violent bank robbing couple and their gang. [imdb.com]
Inspiration: Midi skirts and dresses. Silk, scarves, berets. 

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Facts: A 115 minute American romantic- comedy film by Blake Edwards.

Story: A young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building. [imdb.com]

Inspiration: Audrey Hepburn's signature elegant black satin sheath, inspired by 40's and 50's greatest models, and Hubert Givenchy's designs for Hepburn. 

Coco Avant Chanel ( Coco Before Chanel, 2009)

Facts: A 110 minute French film by Anne Fontaine.

Story: The story of Coco Chanel's rise from obscure beginnings to the heights of the fashion world.

Inspiration: Chanel's "tomboy chic" style of the World War I period, working outfits into a sophisticated look.  

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (2009)

Facts: A 118 minute French film by Jan Kounen. 

Story: Paris 1913. Coco Chanel is infatuated with the rich and handsome Boy Capel, but she is also compelled by her work. Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring is about to be performed. The revolutionary dissonances of Igor's work parallel the radical ideals of Coco Chanel.

Inspiration: Coco Chanel's style of striking black, navy blue, and white.

Coco Chanel (2008)

Facts: A 139 minute TV film by Christian Duguay

Story: The life story of legend fashion designer Coco Chanel. [imdb.com]

Inspiration: Coco Chanel's famous box leather jackets.

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)

Facts: A 104 minute American romantic- comedy film by P.J. Hogan.

Story: A college grad lands a job as a financial journalist in New York City to support where she nurtures her shopping addiction and falls for a wealthy entrepreneur. [imdb.com]

Inspiration: Color block. Quirky and glamorous urban street style.

Funny Face (1957)

Facts: A 103 minute American musical film by Stanley Donen.

Story: An impromptu fashion shoot at a bookstore brings about a new fashion model discovery in the shop clerk. [imdb.com]

Inspiration: Photography- worth fashion, featuring the designs of Givenchy. An appreciation for art than the cafe' society.

Garmento (2002)

You'll see a trailer video in this link. I'll search over the net to find the full movie video for you.

Facts: A 90 minute American film by Michele Maher.

Story: "The Steamy Side of Fashion". Fashion is considered a glamorous industry full of beautiful people. "Garmento" tells the other side of the story, with a dark and satirical look at New York's wholesale garment industry, where shady deals are made for a buck and ruthlessness is a prerequisite for career success. [imdb.com]

Inspiration: Street style. Jeans. 

Grace of Monaco (2013)

Watch for the trailer video soon. Full movie release date Dec. 27, 2013

Facts: An American- French biography film by Olivier Dahan.

Story: The story of former Hollywood icon star Grace Kelly's crisis of marriage and identity, during a political's dispute between Monaco's Prince Rainier III and France's Charles De Gaulle, and a looming French invasion of Monaco in the early 1960's.

Inspiration: Mix of Hollywood fashion and royal allure. Swingy style, body- flattering skirts, mixing of texture, feminine ruffles, sweater and pearls, retro.

Legally Blonde 1 & 2 (2001, 2003)

         

Legally Blonde 1

Legally Blonde 2

Facts: A 96 and 95 minute American film by Robert Luketic and Charles Hermanwurmfeld respectively.

Story: When a blonde sorority queen is dumped by her boyfriend, she decides to follow him to law school to get him back and, once there, she has more legal savvy than she ever imagined. In the sequel, she heads to Washington D.C. to pass a bill that will ban animal testing. [imdb.com]

Inspiration: Lush and pastel pink style. Chunky knit cardigans, dress, and leathers.

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Facts: A 127 minute historical comedy- drama film by Sofia Coppola.

Story: The re- telling of France's iconic but ill- fated queen, Marie Antoinette. [imdb.com]
Inspiration: French Haute Couture Fashion featuring designs from John Galliano, Alxander McQueen, and Christian Lacroix; and sequined stiletto shoes. Also portrayed by Kate Moss in the April 2012 issue of Vogue US.

Point & Shoot (2004)

It's a movie trailer here, too. Sorry :( I'll look for the full video and link it here!

Facts: A 96 minute romantic drama movie by film makers Shawn Regruto and more.
Story: Blurring the light between fiction and reality, aspiring fashion photographer Shawn Regruto-- obsessed with documenting every part of his life-- assembles his personal and professional home- video footage into a feature film. [imdb.com]
Inspiration: Urban street style. Magazine- worthy fashion.

Pret- a- Porter (1994)

Facts: A 133 minute Americal satirical comedy film by Robert Altman.
Story: A fashion show in Paris draws a usual bunch of people: designers, reporters, models, magazine editors. [imdb.com]
Inspiration: Collections of most famous designers like Christian Dior.

Sex and the City (2008)

Facts: A 145 minute American blue romantic comedy film adaptation by Michael Patrick King.
Story: A New York writer on sex and love is finally getting married to her Mr. Big. But her three best girlfriends must console her after one of them inadvertently leads Mr. Big to jilt her. [imdb.com]
Inspiration: New York street style- coats, vests, scarves, dress, chic bags and accessories. (except again the make out scenes).

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Facts: A 109 minute comedy- drama film by David Frankel, an adaptation from the novel written in the same title by Lauren Weisberger.
Story: A naive young woman comes to New York and scores a job as the assistant to one of the city's biggest magazine editors, the ruthless and cynical Miranda Priestly. [imdb.com]
Inspiration: Texture, color, prints, and pattern combinations. Designer clothes-- Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Vivienne Westwood, and Prada.

The Great Gatsby (1974, 2013)

Facts: A 143 minute American 3D romantic- drama film by Baz Luhrmann, an adaptation from a classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Story: A Midwestern war veteran finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor. [imdb.com]
Inspiration: 1920's high luxury fashion. Vintage flapper dress.  Pearl necklaces and accessories. Feather vintage pieces. Summer whites. Crisp oxfords. Suits.

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Facts: A 109 minute comedy- drama film by Wes Anderson.
Story: An estranged family of former child prodigies reunites when one of their members announces he has a terminal illness. [imdb.com]
Inspiration: Leathers and loafers. Suits. Unique fashion ensembles.

Hmmm, have you found a little inspiration on how to make your outfits work together in these movies? Succumb to the fashion forces!







References:
wikipedia (dot) org
imdb (dot) com

Photo Credits:
google (dot) com (slash) images
freemovie (dot) net
manilaurbanite (dot) blogspot (dot) com
businessofffashion (dot) com