I was invited recently by Charisse from Stratworks to join a contest related to fashion for Promod.
Promod is today one of France's biggest fashion store chains and the brand enjoys international success with 796 outlets in 46 countries. Promod collections are aimed at an exclusively female clientele, namely: Modern, active women between 20 and 30 years old, who desire fashionable, reasonably priced, quality articles that are neither too classy nor too "trendy", and that offer the possibility of mixing and matching according to individual tastes , thanks to their variety and frequent renewal.
What I like about Promod is their collection offers a wide range of items and I find it easy to mix and match their clothing and accessories. Anyone wearing Promod can easily look like they just came out from a French magazine minus the outrageous runway look.
Me, a beauty blogger can invite a stylist friend to mix and match Promod's clothes and accessories and create "je ne sais quoi" that will spell out our own fashion style, our own interpretation of French High-Street Fashion. Styling will revolve around picking key items from Promod store and create 5 different looks to be worn by a mannequin.
I've invited a dear friend
Shanna of
Shannaholic to be my partner stylist. She's always been fashionable and comfortable at the same time which I think works well for Promod's Contest theme. I have taken a look online for the definition of
"je ne sais quoi" and it was defined as
"a certain something". Perfect description!
For both Shanna and myself, French High-Street fashion definitely has a certain something, a certain X-factor that you can't seem to pinpoint. It's a type of fashion wherein each pieces are unique and yet, when put together, it complements each other, in a very unique and elegant way.
Introducing, the Five "Je Ne Sais Quoi" Look
Casual Day Straight From the Runway Look
This look was created with a fashionable and modern girl in mind. A girl who's carefree and does not spend too much time in front of the mirror. She's born to be a natural head turner, a natural gorgeous gal!
How we created this look:
A faded khaki color block ruffled dress tucked in a cropped trousers matching the look with a snake effect gladiator sandals. To create a nice "layering" effect without the bulkiness, a printed gray sleeveless cardigan was added to create a more casual and "relaxed" look.
To accessorize, a soft scarf with metal-like fringes was tied around the neck together with a star necklace.
Going Out on a Date Look
Dressing up on a date is one of the most exciting yet stressful experience in a girl's life. Deciding what to wear on a date is mind boggling!
"Am I too casual?"
"Am I overdressed?"
With this in mind, we've created a look that's not too high maintenance, a look comfortable enough for a girl to check out her date rather than worrying about each piece of her clothing. A look that screams "confidence" is what we're aiming for!
How we created this look:
A cream colored face printed top paired with a frilly ruffled skirt that spells "romance". To create a nice frill look both top to bottom, an unbuttoned white cami with ruffled sleeves and hemline was used as a vest. A turquoise suede ankle-tie flat sandals gave a nice color to the entire look.
To accessorize, Three necklaces were put together. An emerald flower with beads necklace, a double row beaded necklace and a bow pendant necklace were all layered together to create a stunning and unique piece of accessory. A stud embossed belt was also included to create a contrast between the top and skirt. A bag with a color similar to the sandals was included for a more casual finish.
Chic Look for Office and After Office Affair
Office look shouldn't be boring in a French High-Street Fashion. The stylist and myself foresee an office look to be good venue for an after-office party, a nice transition from office to late nights. An invitation from colleagues for an after work fun shouldn't be declined just because you don't look at your best. To save time, wear a black blazer over if you're working in a more conservative office setting.
How we created this look:
A black tube top with floral embellish paired with black harem pants. Drawstrings on hem were left untied to create a more formal look. A suedine strappy slim heels works perfectly for both office and after office night out.
To accessorize, a 2 strand necklace with contrasting black beads finishes off the party ensemble. To hide the bareness of the neck area, a printed square scarf was used "Breakfast at Tiffany's" style. Let down your hair and use the sequined flower hair piece
(similar to the pattern of the tube top) as a bracelet!
I may have to add, the entire look may seem typical or plain to some but when you remove that blazer and turn your back, 2 belts were used in this look. A thick stretchable plain black belt was paired with a leather embellished belt to create a striking detail both front and back. Here's a photo to show the back area.
Going out with Girlfriends Look
This look is more laid back, definitely unique in its own way because you wouldn't want to blend in the crowd when you hang out with your friends. There's always a possibility of meeting someone new!
How we created this look:
We originally planned a nautical inspired look, so we chose a stripey print dress. But we wanted to go beyond nautical and be creative, so we paired this dress with a denim mini skirt and a studded leather belt A red linen shrug was left hanging on the shoulders for a more laid back look. A jersey and canvas trainers with floral prints perfected the mini skirt.
To accessorize, we inserted a blue crochet trim scarf to add volume to the cowl neckline. To match the jersey and canvas trainers, a similar floral printed bag and a nice pair of shades completed this "girly" look
Anything Goes Look
For the last look, we are going beyond trend and fashion. It's a look for someone who likes to be creative with prints and patterns and wouldn't care how people would think. It's going against the rules (if there's any). Who says stripes and polka dots can't be worn together? Who says a cardigan and jacket will clash? This is a look of "no rules" and limitless possibilities!
How we created this look:
An orange tank top with Native American styled bead necklace was worn on top of a black and white stripes shirt. A brownish gray cardigan and an embellished cropped jacket and a black suede high heels were all put together for a nice contrast.
To create an irony between military and feminine, a polka dot scarf was tied on the neck with additional double row colorful beads. A leather look over-body bag gave a nice finishing touch on this adventurous look!
Here's a photo of the blogger and the stylist enjoying the day of mixing and matching. It was a fun day of fashion. I enjoyed this experience!
Thanks again to
Charisse Vilchez and
Stratworks for including us bloggers for contests like these.
Ms. Janette Teves, Store Manager of Promod Megamall for permitting us to run around the store like a group of headless (yet fashionable) chicken *laughs*!
Ms. Pam Sison, Marketing Services Manager of Promod for the cheer and boost of energy! Of course, to the rest of the
Promod staffs for helping us dismantle the very sexy yet heavy mannequins!
To the rest of the beauty bloggers and stylists who were there, *waves* to
Lauren, Lace, Shen, Tara. And of course, to my dear stylist friend
Shanna and dearie
Keith (again) for the photos.
Cheers to the butt! *laughs*
We chose one look to be worn by a mannequin and will be displayed on
April 29, 2010 at the Mega Atrium at SM Megamall. Do drop by and take a look on our work and the works from other talented bloggers and stylists!
Take a wild guess on which look will be featured from your resident AMW and Shannaholic!
No peeking at the mall! :P
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!
