MFWF11 ♥ VIVIANA IN CAMO, DENIM, KHAKI, MUSTARD AND LEOPARD

Great styling here and I love her Fendi bag!

Alexandra Golovanoff // Blood Orange, Brown and Leopard

I ♥ Alexandra's casual-chic mix of classic trench, leopard-print ballerinas, blood orange pleated dress and Louis Vuitton handbag of the same color.

hi-lite

A pop of color, by way of this fun yellow turban, emphasizes an already chic look.

Spotted

Happy Labor Day!

It all started a year ago, when my famously stylish mother-in-law began wearing linen double- breast jackets and wide-leg pantsuits. She is always so ahead of the fashion curve, have you seen the glamorous white, seventies-style suits shown for resort? And it's about time we've gotten rid of the "no white after Labor Day" rule. I'm Jamaican, we wear white all year round. The rule never really sat well with me anyway. You?

From the moment that I saw my mother-in-law in this example of impossible chicness, I decided that I had to follow suit and promptly solicited her for designer details. She informed me that she had them custom made by a friend's husband's tailor. So when my husband started shopping around for a new tailor this Spring, I inserted myself into his sartorial search, called my mother-in-law's sarto (tailor in Italian) and ordered this beauty as a "try-out" piece. It's my first custom-made suit and I am totally in love.

In Italy, some tailors, like our tailor Il Signore Arcieri, still make house visits. The experience is really sweet, they arrive with their clothing swatches and hand write your measurements and suiting specs- it's a wonderful glimpse of the old days.

Signore Arcieri's knowledge of the quality and performance of different fabrics and attention to details (e.g., horn buttons, silk stitching and real pockets vs faux pockets) is quite impressive and reassuring. All I had to do was provide a basic idea of what I was looking for and he took care of the rest. I love my suit so much that I've ordered another one in navy cashmere with white pinstripes. I'll show it to you when it arrives in the fall. For now, Happy Labor Day and be sure to put on some white tomorrow!!!!

black leather, leopard silk

Another stellar example of leather. Barbara Martello outside the Valentino Fall 2010 Haute Couture show.

the spotted band leader with the cute loafers

and cute hair cut. Anouk is a darling. Her entire look is darling. Laid back in enviably cute pieces, she wears a Claudie Pierlot band/military jacket, a Kate Sylvester dress and Opening Ceremony loafers.

All you need

All you need is a few basic looks in your closet that you can dress up or down depending on the occasion. Milanese stylist Alessia Fagioli Galeone's look is exemplary of this fashion principle. Here she takes a favorite basic look of mine, the denim button down and olive trousers, and adapts the look based on the requirements of the day.

When I met her at the Albino Deuxiem show, she had just stepped in from the rain in a super -envious windbreaker and eye catching earrings. One, you might remember that I love to observe how the fashionable brave the rain- it's because their weather friendly approaches always bring a smile to my face and brighten my day. With that said, you can totally understand my appreciation for that windbreaker. And two, how ridiculously cool are those earrings?? They are by an emerging talent whose name I will provide really soon.

Later that day, when showers had calmed, I spotted her again in the same basic look but dressed up with this lovely sequins jacket, and which because of its embellishment, she accessorized with a more sober pair of earrings.

Thanks Alessia for showing us how a basic look can take you a long way.

Flair

The Milan's menswear Spring 2011 collections kicked off yesterday and the gentlemen have arrived in style. How much do I love the elements of this gentleman's look? Did you know that I live for a beautiful double breast, navy-inspired jacket? And leopard with studds! I'm laying under my desk now from excitement. But do you see the french collar on his button down? And last but not least, the pouch, every fashionable person must have a touch of metallic to make an outfit pop. ooooh! I heart a gentleman with flair!

Jaguars, Leopards and Cheetahs

This past winter I was reading the credits for an editorial and saw the term jaguar print used to describe a particular spotted item. I thought to myself: Oh god, how am I going to tell the difference now. Why do designers have to be so fancy? Can't we just stick with leopard print? Well, even after a little Wikipedia research, I still can't keep it straight. So I'm sticking with leopard print!

Polka dot leopard bubblegum

Eva Fontanelli outside the Giorgio Armani show.

NYFW Favorites • Cerise Zelenetz

Here's another of my favorite images from my Harper's Bazaar Fashion Month street style coverage. From the bows decorating the back of her Rodarte for Target dress, her herringbone tights, to the gold architectural heel of her wedges, the details of Cerise's look are perfection.

Perfection in Leopard

Mary Sessa Portacarrero

This is what I aspire to be when I am of a certain age. Floating on grace, grounded in elegance.