2010... Welcome 2011!

I just can't believe how quickly this year has zoomed by, that I'm sure that after all the hecticness of the next coupla days, I will able to take stock of 2010 and look back on what a wonderful year it has been. Especially getting you know some of you fabulous bloggers better! I am forever grateful for the support and interest in such a little blog, thank you.
My wish for you all is to have a toptastic, successful, stunning and super duper happy new year! May 2011 bring you all that you have ever dreamt & wished for!

x.o.x.o

Hope you all have fun, partying, dancing and sparkling!

Life Manifesto for 2011

Have fun experimenting and trying out new looks with old pieces in your wardrobe

above: January Jones for Versace

What is everyone up to on NYE?
Does anyone have any New Year Resolutions?

Bring on 2011!!!!

images (some edited) via Splendid, Fashion Gone Rogue, Harper's Bazaar

'Tis the season to be Jolly....

Happy Holidays to you!!!


image via Besotted Brand

Wishing Y'all a fun, fashionable and fabulous Christmas!

Thanks so much for stopping by and taking time to read, comment or follow A Brit Greek - you guys always bring a smile to face and so much more! See you soon!
x.o.x.o

Cuckoo for Cozy

So there was a darn good reason after all for moving to sunnier shores, and that is missing out on sub zero temperatures! Although I miss the snow and the thriving festive vibe that London oozes at this time of the year, I am super grateful that I for one am not seriously freezing (my a** off) like my pals are across the pond. Some are not even able to get to work due to being snowed in and a close friend of mine and her man had just moved into their new home and their boiler bust... I can only sympathize...

So how do the celebs brave the cold snap and stay stylish?

I love Elle's cool 'mum at school gate' chic, complete with over-sized leopard print bag, shades and a fur gilet, whilst Mossy looks fabulously glam in her maxi dress (is it knitted?) and fur number, red lips and glossy hair, Blake in GG gear, wrapped in this seasons Cape, Cameron D rocking casual cozy in quilted wedge boots, chunky knit scarf and woolly hat, way to go girl! Finally Sienna, I love her hotchpotch mixed up look, from fedora, hand-warmer to the clever layering. She looks cute.

Anyhoos, here are just a few things I'd like to keep me warm & cozy.

1. Mongolian Fur cape, Topshop, £60
2. High neck Vigore coat, Zara, £80
3. Alice Hannah knit Turban with brooch, Asos, £20
4. Loose knit snood, Asos, £16
5. Stud leather fingerless gloves, Asos, now £9
6. Chunky bobble scarf, Asos, £21
7. MOU Eskimo canvas boots, Outnet, £67.50
8. Mink Pink Cocoon knit shawl, Asos, £27.50
9. Rib knee socks, Topshop, £7
   

Wonderfully Wow Window Escapes

I love how department store windows are transformed for Christmas, they never fail to amaze me with their super wow and diverse statement design concepts. The magic of the festive season is usually kept alive with the odd reindeer, Santa, baubles or angels within the window displays, but it's the details and creativity that go into these displays that make the windows really show-stopping. Here are just some of my faves!

Bergdorf Goodman, NYC put on a super theatrical and breathtaking holiday display

via Lonnymag.com

An amazing & short 'lil video to show you how windows are made by the pro's at Bergdorfs! I was also struck by how awesome the song in the background was by Audrianna Cole - what a voice.

Harvey Nichols, London

I love this giant bauble with exploding mini baubles!

This is one department store, which I always admire for their spectacular & innovative window displays. Even the mannequins are wearing make up and are gemmed up! Harvey Nichols' double mannequin=butterfly effect is visually stunning.

Liberty, London

Harrods, London

I'm really loving the Peter Pan inspiration!

Selfridges, London

Hello Barbie, hello Ken.
images via here

Guys & Dolls: The Tuxedo

Le Smoking Tuxedo photographed by Helmut Newton 1975

Remember one of fashions most incredible creations, the YSL's Le smoking Tuxedo? Well, it seems that celebs of late have been snapped stepping out in this timeless classic style.
Wearing a shirt and tie is definitely a great alternative for fashion bunnies who want to make a statement and not wear the usual party frock. Just make sure you wear with the highest of heels!

images via Wikipedia, Daily Mail, Instyle & Look magazine

Little Black Book by Vahni of Grit & Glamour

This weeks Little Black Book features secret & stylish addresses from Vahni of Grit & Glamour, a Blogger who needs no introduction. But for those of you who are not familiar with G & G, you'll discover killer writing skills, posts that will keep you coming back for more - be it for discussing & questioning, and learning how to build a better blog (calling all new bloggers, this is a must check out, there's a goldmine of info there). You'll also be drooling over her seriously amazing bling/personal style as well as checking out what this hot lady's up to & reading over Sunday morning coffee. Over to you Vahni!

Grit & Glamour's Little Black Book; restaurants, bars, beaches & boutiques.

Thank you Vahni!

*Little Black book - a nifty little address book that does a semi-concierge job of sharing secret & stylish global addresses with you to check out and enjoy fabulously to the fullest! *

Refer to last weeks feature here dolls, alternatively click on the tab under the header.

Image credits & links:

• Becker Minty photo via beckerminty.com.
• Hall’s Chophouse via charlestoncitypaper.com.
• Ahi tuna Salad via 131main.com
• Sydney Opera House via A Brit Greek's personal album.
• Indian Home Diner locations
  
• Stoupa via stoupa-greece.com.
• Darook Park Beach via freewebs.com.

Beautifully wrapped (& a note to readers....) v.1

I love receiving beautifully wrapped gift or gifts that have been wrapped in a super fun creative way. But it also breaks my heart to rip into beautifully wrapped gifts too, so I'm much more careful when getting into a present and where possible, I try to recycle the pretty trimmings.

I also have friends who like to guess what their gifts are by rattling, sniffing (yes, really!) or shaking them, so being creative is key. I'll put jewellery, make up, sweets in Bonne Maman jam jars I've saved and wrap it... or I'll try to provide some element of surprise with different, inventive ways of wrapping gifts. Oh and one more thing I love sparkly & glittery confetti thrown into the wrapping!With Christmas literally around the corner, you may be wishing that Santa's Elves would secretly sneak into your home and help you with gift wrapping, right?
Anyhow, here are a few gift wrapping ideas to help you on your way if you haven't got it sorted already!

Pom pom gift topper madness over at Creature Comfort's blog - This is a great little discovery, if you love anything papery or general inspiration, then you'll love this blog. The DIY info is here.

Yet another great discovery, Timeless Paper has lots of papery chic inspiration. Gorgeous handmade wintery gift wrapping at it's best. I love the use of twine, mixed textures, buttons and the cool neutral tones here.

Bring on recycling! I love the simple use of newspaper (the Financial Times or Foreign newspapers are great too) teamed with bright coloured ribbon and a hand painted/doodled postcard slipped in to the side.

Empty paint cans (from the DIY store) teamed with a bit of sparkle or a gorgeous bauble will make any gift look awesome. Printed paper = instant coolness!

via bhg.com

Don't know about Martha Stewart? Holy banana's this site has more than enough ideas to take you through to next years holiday gift wrapping! I love the use of raw materials and wilderness... photocopied fabric as wrapping paper = genius & fun and also brown paper or maps.

via marthastewart.com

One final thing.

Dear A Brit Greek Readers,

I just want to say a huge thank you for all your comments, which make me smile, fill my heart with warmth & fuzziness and gives my blogging mojo hope, happiness and passion, all of which makes this blogging experience more worthwhile.

Thank you so much for taking time out to leave sweet comments, stop by, share your thoughts or opinions, as I can appreciate that you all have busy lives too. Please know that I would reply to each and every comment if I could right now, except that I have taken on a lot over the festive season. If I haven't replied back with a comment on my blog, I will be sure to, on yours soon!
You guys are such a bunch of lovely people, with cherries on top and I am so glad to have met some great blogging buddies along the way, Anyhoos, your contribution to this ickle blog is just as valuable as mine.
So here are some hugs and kisses for y'all!

Love,
A Brit Greek
x.o.x.o

p.s If you want to catch up on a fantastic read on staying connected in blogging and a bit of food for thought, check out Grit & Glamours Friend Friday post, here.

NB: *The Friend Friday project by Modly Chic is a way for fashion bloggers to share more about themselves and create a friendly connection with other bloggers. *

What They Wore: British Fashion Awards 2010

It's no secret that I spy on celeb style on a rather regular basis, so when the uber prestigious British Fashion Awards event took place last night at The Savoy, I simply had to check out what the Brit pack wore. Naturally there were a few disasters, but here are some faves!

Thandie Newton looks awesome in this asymmetric printed Peter Pilotto number, she's never afraid to experiment or be a bit different. Daisy Lowe rocked the stunning lace Elie Saab dress that I've been so badly lusting after whilst Alexa went for Chanel...her two tone hair is oh-so cute! What's not to love about VB? She oozes elegance in this thigh split black dress from her SS 2011 collection. I am so loving Claudia's Mary K printed dress, it looks like she's wearing the satin printed one shoulder and ruffle detail doesn't it? OK, Daphne Guiness looks a wee bit creepy in this shot, but I do love that she's a bit quirky and eccentric with her styling and dress sense! At least she's not in black!

Who Won What?

Designer of the Year – Phoebe Philo, Celine

Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design – Alexander McQueen

Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator – Nicola Formichetti

Special Recognition – Naomi Campbell

Model Award – Lara Stone

British Style Award – Alexa Chung

Accessory Designer Award – Nicholas Kirkwood

Menswear Designer Award – Patrick Grant, E. Tautz

Emerging Talent in Ready to Wear – Meadham Kirchoff

Emerging Talent in Accessories – Husam el Odeh

Digital Innovation Award – Burberry

Designer Brand Award – Mulberry

Images via Instyle & Glamour Magazine

maybe tomorrow

Shot outside Bayon Temple, Angkor Thom, Cambodia

Hey guys, I hope you're all having a great start to the week!

Posting is going to be a little sporadic in the upcoming weeks, so apologies in advance kittens... there's a lot going on right now!

x.o.x.o

Inside my closet, well kind of...

A while back I featured the lovely ladieswear designer, Christine Macaulay in the 'I want this Job' series, now this talented lady has been snapped up by CPI Studio... she's onto big things this one.

Anyhow, they've featured me in their "Inside my Closet" feature on their blog today, cool beans, check it out here kittens.

Launching... Little Black Book!

Have you ever read about somewhere, someplace cool and then completely forgotten where the heck you read it? Hmmm, yes, no, ok, maybe?

Well I’m one of those types, who literally have a gazillion bookmarked pages/website of cool places I’ve read about and only dreamed about exploring, visiting, tasting, touching, seeing and smelling the air… But for the life of me can’t remember where I’ve read about it.

Before I continue to ramble on, which by the way I ought to get nominated for an Oscar, I’d like to introduce you lovelies to the Little Black Book. Simply an address book of what I call honest, yet great places to check out, eat, sleep, drink, do, see, beautify, shop & experience.

Call this your nifty little address book that does a semi-concierge job of sharing places with you to check out & enjoy fabulously to the fullest. Anyhow, what’s the point in knowing these (secret?) amazing (people &) places if you can’t share them? I will also be sharing some insider’s bespoke fashion services with you that you may or may not have heard about too.

Oh and if you like travelling just as much as I do and get totally excited by it, but hate being disappointed by the places you’ve read about in guide books and been to, hopefully this will be of some value to you.

Ok, enough rambling. Welcome to the Little Black Book, I really hope you enjoy!

There are so many incredible hot-spots and people that one post isn't going to quite cover it all, so this is going to be a permanent features, also open to guest bloggers too... I love knowing more and sharing other people's knowledge about places who live in different corners of the world!

nb: everything mentioned here in LBB is of course completely subjective! You might not concur and think it's pants! x

Happy Sparkly December everyone!

Smouldering Scarlett

Christmas is only a hop, skip and a jump away, so it's not surprising to have the high street brands catch our attention with stunning ad campaigns. Currently feeling Scarlett in the Mango Christmas Campaign! But...

Whilst I love Scarlett and her red-carpet looks, I think she's quite an interesting choice to represent a fashion brand, as I don't particularly see her as an inspiring 'style/fashion icon'. She does look gorgeous as ever in all the campaigns along with Olivia Palermo (who has impeccable style), they have clearly injected an ounce of coolness to the brand.
Anyhoos, I'm feeling a bit divided about this shoot- if it's it a bit bland and not exciting enough for a festive collection (I haven't seen the whole campaign yet, mind), at least Johansson has brought a little something to the shots I suppose.

Have any of you had enough of seeing celebs front campaigns etc and would prefer to see real models and more original ad concepts? OR Are you really not bothered and only want to look at gorgeous pictures and gorgeous starlets?

Ok, I'm rambling about stuff again, but now pondering what this ad campaign would have looked like if you threw Katie Grand into the mix! She would have done a heck of a job styling for sure!

(via)

Have a great week lovelies!

This weekend...

I'll be catching up on some of my favourite reads (yay!) and working (boo!)

...trying to work out what the devil's going on with my macbook, I think it's dying on me, poor thing and Firefox keeps 'not responding' every 30 minutes. I wish there was an Avada Kedavra button which will resolve these computer issues at the press of a button. Simple, no?

...resting, dreaming and cozying up, it's kinda chilly today & I know those of you in Blighty have to deal with snow!!! Wrap up kittens!
(Photography by Marcus Ohlsson)

... Having fun & letting go of things, it is the weekend after all
(Photography by Hugh Stewart)

... dealing with weekend house chores, like laundry, only dressed up in killer outfits with yer ladies pals
(Photography by Kareem Black)

... lusting after this 'Pride & Prejudice' book (the entire thing) printed onto a 1 page poster by Spineless Classics - Me wants badly.

via here, here & here

Have a great weekend darlings!

Party on Princess! Part deux

Hello lovelies, I have more fantastic frock fashion fixes for you! Enjoy!
(nb: nearly everything sourced has international delivery)

I have a really wide & open taste when it comes to dresses, be it for a party or special events, I always want to feel comfortable first and foremost in what I'm wearing, look spectacular and show just the right amount of 'look at me'.

Depending on my mood and my rather schizophrenic style/personal taste, I tend to pick out colour rather than going with an understated little black dress. But most of the time these days I struggle with a large number of options for getting dressed up! I can never decide or make snap decisions! It drives Mr. Perseus nuts!
Anyhow, I hope some of these picks inspire and help you 'steal the show' during the festive season.

I'm not done yet darlings! There's more to come, I promise!
all images via corresponding fashion outlets as mentioned above