HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Fashion Junkie!

And BIG THANK YOU to JORDAN LINDLEY for taking this fab photo!

See you in 2013, it's going to be great year!

GET THE LOOK: Kim Kardashian

Kim in beautiful Hérve Léger bandage dress, $1,500.

GET THE LOOK...

CLOCKWISE: ‘Power stud’ bodycon dress, $190, by Topshop. Diamante stud earrings, $3.99, by H&M. ‘Jeanette’ gold leather sandals, currently on sale $195 (originally $389), by Diana von Furstenberg available at Boutique 1. ‘Ashvina’ black nail varnish, £3.99 (approx $6.50 USD), by Andrea Fulerton available at Superdrug.

REAL v DEAL: Stella McCartney v Kohl’s

REAL: Bi-colour body-con dress, $1,595, by Stella McCartney available at Matches.
DEAL: Colorblock Sheath dress, currently on sale $85 (originally $100), by Ronni Nicole available at Kohl’s.

DOIR'S THE NEW LOOK

In time for the holiday season Saks Fifth Ave on MI Ave has unveiled a brand new Dior beauty boutique and I was lucky enough to be invited to the press preview to check it out.

This beautiful opulent space features iconic ‘Cannage’ patterns and neoclassical elements synonymous with the French fashion house.

Among the new and exclusive to Saks is the fragrance line, LA COLLECTION PRIVÉE ($295-$350), consisting of thirteen fragrances inspired by Christian Dior’s life.

Also now being offered at the boutique are personalized customer services like one-on-one beauty consultation, facials, manicures and more…

Menu of client service

Saks Fifth Ave, Dior Beauty Boutique, 700 N. Michigan Ave., 312.799.5211

REAL v DEAL: Gap v Target

REAL: ‘Ponte Academy’ blazer, $88, by Gap.
DEAL: Blazer, $34.99, by Merona® available at Target.

NEW WORK: School Art Institute of Chicago Magazine

SAIC SENIOR SHOOT
Photographer: Simon Perry
Stylist: Jessica Moazami
Hair: Marla del Angel
Make Up: Lauren Frenden & Cathleen Healy
Model: Mary Pierce and Marta at FACTOR WOMEN Model Management

Magazine cover

More to come from this shoot...

FASHION CONFESSIONS: BELA GANDHI Life Coach

Bela Gandhi has been connecting people all of her life. As well as having an extensive career in life coaching she is also the founder of Smart Dating Academy, a dating coaching service for busy professionals. Called "The Fairy Godmother of Dating" by the Huffington Post, Bela is also a contributor to Today’s Chicago Woman and has been featured as a dating and relationship expert for Windy City Live, the Chicago Tribune and WGN-TV. Bela resides in Chicago, and has been happily married for 15 years with 2 children.

WHAT’S YOUR FASHION ADDICTION?
As for clothing, I love simple pieces with one "edgy" element. Maybe an unexpected ruffle, an asymmetrical sleeve, something :) I love flipping through InStyle or Vogue as I'm sitting on a plane - my guilty pleasure!

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE CHICAGO'S FASHION STYLE?
Stylish with a sense of sensibility!

WHAT DOES FASHION MEAN TO YOU?
Fashion means dressing so that you feel gorgeous, inside and out.

WHAT’S THE MOST PRIZED POSSESSION IN YOUR CLOSET?
A grey wool Prada outer coat that is so beautiful, I often wear it as a blazer. And, the best, most flattering LBD ever which I picked up at TJ Maxx.

WHICH DESIGNERS DO YOU WORSHIP?
Badgley Mischka –they've never made a gown I didn't like.

BEST BEAUTY TIP YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
The Japanese hair straightener for my bad Indian hair. And, the best liner for brown eyes is blue –adds sizzle with a pop of color.

REAL v DEAL: Roland Mouret v Black Halo

REAL: ‘Galaxy’ dress, $1,450, by Roland Mouret.
DEAL: ‘Jackie’ dress, $345, by Black Halo available at Neiman Marcus.

FASHIONABLE DISCOVERIES: Derek Lam Spring 2013 Collection

Back in Oct I was invited by Neiman Marcus to attend an exclusive fashion presentation of Derek Lam’s Spring 2013 collection. Held at The Arts Club Chicago and hosted by the fabulous the Ken Downing (Neiman Marcus Fashion Director) his special guest was none other than the designer himself!

Ken Downing interviewing Derek Lam. “Clean, just really clean,” said Derek about his spring collection. “I wanted her to feel comfortable and look comfortable.” The collection was modern and cool pairing his clean shapes with interesting fabrics (guipure lace) or patterns (plaid). My personal favs were all the beautiful leather pieces, like the one below.

One of my fav FACTOR WOMEN models.

Snapped by Your Trendy magazine, click through for the full article.

Thanks Neiman Marcus for the invite!

REAL v DEAL: Alexis Bittar v Express

REAL: 'Miss Havisham' medium crystal encrusted earrings, $175, by Alexis Bittar available at Nordstrom.
DEAL: Rhinestone oval hoop earrings, $19.90, by Express.

NEW WORK

Photographer: Bryan Whitely
Styling: Jessica Moazami
Hair and Make Up: Fredy Anaya
Model: Mary Pierce at FACTOR WOMEN Model Management

GET THE LOOK: Anna Wintour

For last 5 years Anna Wintour hasn’t been seen without her Georgian collet necklaces, it’s now become her new trademark. These beautiful antique chokers with semiprecious gemstones start at $2,000 –not affordable to us mere mortals. But no need to despair J.Crew has come to the rescue with these beautiful crystal necklaces with a more affordable price tag.

GET THE LOOK...

Crystal venus flytrap necklace, $85, by J.Crew.

Crystal venus flytrap necklace in fresh celery, $85, by J.Crew.

Crystal cupcake necklace, $118, by J.Crew.

FASHION CONFESSIONS: THEA OWENS Model

Don’t let her age young fool you, this British model has an extensive list of major brands in her book. If you didn't see Thea Owen in the Special K commercials then you might have spotted her in Cosmopolitan or perhaps in a Ted Baker campaign? So I was incredibly excited when I had the opportunity to work with her back in London. Thea was more used to shooting in exotic locations like Hawaii, Argentina and Mexico but was totally up for our ‘guerilla style’ shooting around the city for The Times.

WHAT’S YOUR FASHION ADDICTION?
My fashion addiction is jewelry I'm obsessed with it! It's the first thing I notice on people and I can spend hours looking at websites like Kabiri to see what's new.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?
My personal style is quite simple; jeans and jumpers or little dresses with ankle boots and of course some jewelry to brighten it up!

YOU FEEL MOST BEAUTIFUL WHEN?
I'd love to say I feel most beautiful when I've got natural hair and no makeup but to be honest it's when I'm properly made up by a good makeup artist.

BEST BEAUTY TIP YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
Don’t put put under-eye concealer too high up. Always leave a gap of a couple of millimeters between the concealer and your eye; leaving the natural shadow there will make your eyes look bigger.

ONE THING YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT YOURSELF?
Again, I should be saying I'd be a nicer person but actually I'd love thicker hair!

ONE THING YOU COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT?
I couldn't live without mascara, lots of it!

The Times, Photography by Constantinos Tsiliacos