Especially For You

The permed, giant hair under a floppy sun hat... the obscenely tight, gold lame hot pants... the metallic ‘elf like’ cape... These are just some of the many outfits we’ve seen Kylie Minogue in throughout her career. Needless to say, she’s a style icon of her time, and it’ll be fantastic to see the exhibition that the Powerhouse Museum are now setting up. Show casing 30 of some of her most spectacular outfits, it’ll also feature unique photographs, costume designs (plus info about the designers) and audio-visuals.
What: Kylie: An Exhibition
Where: The Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street, Ultimo, Sydney
When: 26 December 2005-7 May 2006
Who: All Kylie fans or gals that love creative costumes

Kate This, Kate That

We've said it before, and we'll say it again. Since THE cocs-snorting tornado incident not long ago, she seems to be busier than ever doing contract-signing, campaign-starring, and all sorts of other dollar rich activities. Take a look at the 'Scandaleuse Beaute' in this Roberto Cavalli campaign for instance, or the Longchamp images where she's looking better than ever.

BTW fashionistas; get your skates on and enter the prize draw on Virgin Mobile to win a Motorola V3i Phone! Not only is it free, but it's signed by Kate.

Definitely An Unrattling Story

Throughout this year, we've seen an overdose of chunky beaded necklaces, gold medallion pendants and ethnic Arabic princess bracelets. As such, it's a great relief to look at the forecast for accessories in 2006. Finally we're moving on! Yes, we can't wait to see cleaner, more simple lines, bold colours and the odd future-realistic piece of necklace. Pay attention, darlings; if you have to make a statement, make it BIG and romantic, and clean. But do not, by any means, get confused by the passed boho deluxe/hobo/so... (what the hell was it called anyway??) Take a cue from Chloe like this or Chanel's splendid way of turning a tweed dress into something quite magnificent. Whatever direction you choose, remember less is more. Oh by the way, if we see one more 'Gypsy Rose Lee impression' on the streets today, we're gonna be sick, we're telling you...

Hey Gemma, Where Did You Go?

Reading Ozzie model Gemma Ward’s "Backstage Diary" has all been very interesting, but what's happened since her last update in October...? Come on Gemma - we want a glimpse of your current life!

She’s The Greatest Dancer

There's something fascinating about this woman. At the sophisticated age of 47, Madonna is a real treat for both men and women, looking better than ever, showing no signs of slowing down. Fit as can be, her "Confessions On A Dance Floor"-album has become a real success, knocking down the usual dance-floor fillers. Some of the key elements to her ongoing success are her attitude, her willingness to deliver incomparable performance, and naturally her state-of-the-art dress. More importantly we'd love to know: Where does she get her energy? How can she look so utterly gorgeous all the time? How can a woman be a successful mother, wife, and maintain such stardom all at the same time?

After Shopping At The Q Bar

Some say it’s dirty, crowded and totally stressful, others would say it’s the most amazing place they’ve ever been to. It’s likely that there are more opinions about this city, than there are places to stay. What we know for sure is that we absolutely love Bangkok and it’s rich food, culture and – of course – shopping. Forget your usual marathon shopping spree of 8 hours solid shopping, and a celebratory drink in one of the nearest glam places around... You’ll be totally exhausted after a full day’s shopping, and will need a rest and a shower, before hitting those mean streets of Bangkok again. Go to the Q Bar when you’ve had your rest, and you’re guaranteed a fun night out. This is the place where all the local Bangkok people come for their post work drinks, so it can get pretty busy weekdays. Great for people watching, good for a few drinks, until you realize you’ve got you’re last fitting at the local tailor’s the next day.
What: The Q Bar
When: 8pm +
Where: 34 Sukhumvit Road Soi 11, Bangkok 101110
Dresscode: Stylish, classy, not too daring. Bangkok is already famous for it’s daring dress code, so go for safe numbers. Remember also, this is a big city - not a surfing destination, so dress appropriately accordingly.

Trend Spotting

Seen everywhere on the streets of Sydney are bolero jackets/vests like this Camilla and Marc version below. Read our review from the fashion show in May, or check out some of the snaps from the show.

coolchiq – Yahoo!

Featured by Yahoo! in the top ten Aussie blogs today is the one and only coolchiq.com. Way to go Yahoo! My Godness, we won't be able to fit our heads in our hot Helen Kaminski hats fairly soon!

Mimco Online

As the stores are getting busier with people doing their Crimbo shopping, the last thing we want to do, is to join in with this mad bunch. Mad? It's a RIOT here in Sydney... So we're particularly pleased to know that we can rely upon cyber space. Mimco is now introducing an online store, featuring their gorgeous bags, purses, hats, and jewellery. FYI Cyber Santa; we've been good girls this year...

Attention NYC Fashionistas!

We know you can all shop 'til you drop, there's nothing new about that... but if you, NYC coolchiqs, are sick of running round the shopping mall for a change, we suggest you head down to the National Design Museum, and check out the different fashion exhibitions lined up this season. One of them is the "Fashion In Colors" exhibition. As the name suggests, the theme is focused on colours and the different aspects a particular colour can signal.

"....The Cooper-Hewitt's current show examines hue as a design element through 300 years of Western fashion. Each of the exhibition's five rooms is lit in a specific shade, illuminating not only the matching clothes, but also the psychological or cultural aspects of that particular tone..."

Other exhibitions are "A Perfect Fit: The Garment Industry and American Jewry" and Staley Wise Gallery, an amazing phography gallery (one of the images shown below).

Second Item On The List

Well it's that time of the year again. Wish lists, Christmas parties, New Year's Eve frocks, etc... But this year, it'll be somewhat different for us. Instead of looking for thick winter boots and warm sheep-skin coats, we'll be spending most of our days in gorgeous strappy sandals, peep toed heels, and God-knows-what to survive in the heat.

We've mentioned Gary Castles before. Located at 31 Norfolk St. Paddington, this is the nirvana shoe shop where you'll find the most fantastic shoes in Sydney. And in true Christmas spirit, Gary Castles have decided to start their sale way before Christmas (don't we just adore this place...). Starting on Friday 9th December 'til Sunday 11th, you just have to make your way down there and pick up those stunning heels you've been eyeing for ages.

After Shopping At the Reid’s Hotel

Take the most glamorous place you can think of. Multiply it by ten and you may not even be close to the richness of Reid’s Hotel in Funchal, Madeira. We should also stress that Funchal is an excellent combined sea and shopping holiday destination, a brilliant place to visit. So what’s so special about Reid’s Hotel then? For a start, take the location. Set on the cliffs on the coast of Funchal, this place has been around for more than 100 years. The hotel includes 5 restaurants, which makes it impossible not to find the ultimate environment. We have a particular love for tea and scones, so we’d head straight for the Tea Lounge to indulge ourselves, whilst analysing the day’s shopping success. This was the place where Winston Churchill used to spend a lot of time, and in more recent years, also Jack “Here’s Johnnie!”, King Carl-Gustav XVI, and other cool dudes. No doubt you’ll have the time of your life in this place, though at the cost of an arm and a leg. But it’s worth it, trust us.
What: The Tea Lounge at Reid’s Hotel
When: Tea is served between 3-5.30pm
Where: Estrada Monumental 139, Funchal, Madeira
Dress code: Their website suggests smart-causal in a humble way, though this expression is somewhat misleading. Think red carpet gowns, and you will not feel out of place.

??

Sometimes you gotta ask yourself a question; What on earth is going on? Take Dior's example of turning a pair of plain-looking pants into a totally bizarre piece of clothing. The see through paper-finish added to the end of the trousers makes this garment look like a big mistake. Add insult to injury, there's a matching trench too... (No, we're not on the waiting list for this).