Havana Affair

This is the last summer outfit of 2012. I know it’s funny to post a summer outfit in November, but I’m a busy person – finding time to write these loooong posts is not that easy for me, OK? LOL

I wore this outfit back in September. I was going to watch The Expendables 2, so I wanted to wear something that could somehow relate to the theme of the movie while still being suitable for the hot Spanish summer.

At that point, I knew my choices were rather limited. I had already worn the most of my hippie skirts and blouses and, of course, I didn’t want to repeat myself, so I started thinking: how can I put up a light summer outfit without using the themes I’ve already used?

I wanted to create a hippie look starting from something I had never used in that context before, and my brand new (at that time it was brand new LOL) khaki shirt was right there, in front of me, so I decided I could try combining it with this patchwork hippie skirt from Natura. Of course, the shirt had to be adapted a bit so it would fit in with the skirt, so I rolled the sleeves up and tied the bottom in a knot, instantly turning my proto-outfit into a tropical look.

I loved the fact that the colours and patterns of both pieces weren’t an obvious match – it made the whole thing feel more D-I-Y, like an outfit that’s been put up in the middle of the jungle with very limited resources… which was exactly what I wanted to get :P

Once the basics were in place, the time came to give the look some new dimension: it was going to be tropical, yes, but it needed a twist to make it more interesting.

I kept thinking about my Commando outfit. I wanted to add a guerrilla touch to this one too, as a reference to the fact that I was going to see a true badass movie (LOL), just like I did when I went to see The Expendables 1 (I wore a Sarah Connor kind of look back then :P), so I grabbed my camo scarf – which I didn’t have back in the time of my Commando look, BTW –. The problem was I didn’t really know how to wear it…

I tried to just tie it around my forehead like a bandana – Rambo style LOL –, but it was way too long and it really looked awful, so I had to come up with something else. After trying to put it on in every possible way, I finally had a strike of inspiration: why not turning it into a turban? I though it was a great idea. The only problem was I had no clue how to do it.

I searched for help in the internet and, after a while, I found a nice tutorial that explained it all quite well (link here). However, the tutorial clearly stated you have to use a SQUARE scarf… and mine couldn’t be further from that LOL I really messed up my hair trying to fit it in, but, after like fifteen minutes I managed to get a decent turban done. I was impressed.

I though about adding some plastic flowers to my turban, in order to give it some extra tropical appeal – I had in mind that headpiece Rihanna wore in the S&M video –… however I dropped the idea rather quickly. I didn’t really have the means to do that, and it would have strayed too much from the original theme of the outfit anyway, so I thought I’d just leave that idea for some other time…

The turban also adds a fancy 1920s touch to the outfit. I didn’t expect that, but it certainly looks great on pictures :P

 

Stepping out in the street wearing a turban was certainly a curious experience. I had never done that before. Technically, it’s not so different from wearing a hat or a cap, but you can’t help that feeling of having your head bandaged (LOL). I was afraid it would start to come undone at any moment, but it actually didn’t, so, eventually, I decided I was just not going to think about it until I got back home. It worked.

And it certainly turned a few heads ;)

Oh, and the movie was totally awesome, BTW. The first one was good as an introduction, but if you’re an action film dinosaur like me, The Expendables 2 is the real thing. Imagine: Chuck Norris telling a Chuck Norris joke; Arnold Schwarzenegger ACTING again (<3); Jean Claude Van Damme playing the bad guy (!); Jason Statham – do I really have to say anything else? LOL –, and there’s Stallone, and Dolph Lundgren, and Bruce Willis, and some other guys I can’t even remember… there’s SO many of them! LOL The audience spontaneously burst into applause at the end, so you can imagine just HOW amazing and hilarious it was.

Shirt: MNG

Skirt: Natura

Sandals: You Too
Scarf: Armand Basi

Necklaces: unknown

Bracelets: Natura

Bag: MNG

Looks I’m Lovin’ #1: We Found Love

I wasn’t too impressed by the song itself, but the video for We Found Love has turned out to be one of the coolest music videos I’ve seen this year.

What I specially love about it are the looks both Rihanna and Dudley O’Shaughnessy are wearing throughout the four and a half minutes of footage. It’s hard to believe that such a bizarre mixture of trashy punk, Rastafari, denim and sportsy casual fashion can work at all… but it really does! And what has surprised me the most is the truly androgynous quality of the result.

The two of them look like they could just be wearing each other’s clothes (I think they actually do that in some of the scenes) and it would make no difference. Even when she’s wearing the most feminine elements –like lingerie, stockings or short skirts–, Rihanna doesn’t look like the girl in the story. She just looks like herself, and that’s what this is all about, right?

Plus, I specially like the fact that she picked up such an elegantly slim boy for the part (nothing like the ultra-muscular Viking gods we’ve seen in some of the latest Lady Gaga or Jennifer Lopez vids). Guys can wear fancy clothes too, and I love to see them doing so! ;)

And now that I’m done with the introduction, let’s take a closer look at my favourite outfits in this video!

(It was quite hard to take screencaps of the entire looks, so I’d recommend you to watch it again afterwards in order to appreciate them better)

Punk Lolita

This is probably my favourite look in the entire video. It’s not hard to imagine something like this in the streets of Harajuku (I have a couple of outfits in this style myself! LOL). The blouse is just gorgeous, and the short skirt is balanced out by the worn-out stockings and the brutal platform shoes. I also love the oversize blazer she’s wearing on top. The whole look has a strict uniform feel to it, but it’s extremely punk at the same time.

However, what I like most about this look is how great it’s matched with Dudley’s ultra-punk outfit. The tartan pants, the red boots, the denim jacket… All I can say is: WOW.

Jamaican Jam

It takes a true Caribbean to wear a Rastafari hat and make it look like the most natural thing in the world. Unfortunately, there aren’t many shots of this outfit, so I haven’t been able to observe it in detail. I love the mix of the Jamaican hat with the jeans and the tracksuit jacket. There is something SO irresistibly boyish about this look…!

Of course, Dudley’s Kingston Pyjama Party outfit is just exquisite. It’s a pity there aren’t almost any shots of it, because it’s one of the craziest looks in the entire video. For what I can see, he’s wearing some U.S. flag themed pyjama-like denim suit under an oversize black blazer and a more discrete black Rastafari hat on top. INSANE!

Once again, both outfits are so perfectly combined the overall effect is more than impressive. Chapeau! ;)

Trashy Punk

This is probably the trashiest outfit in this video. The combination of elements (stockings, thick platform shoes, short skirt, belly-revealing blouse) is quite similar to the first outfit, but the combination of denim and white gives it a completely different feel. However, my favourite part of this look is that killer bomber jacket. It’s so wonderfully brutal it really balances the whole thing out.

Dudley’s full-denim look rules too. His Misfits jacket couldn’t be more iconic. If I’m not wrong, he’s wearing the same hat he was wearing at the store, and those straps… Whoa! That’s what I call a Rude Boy! :D

Denim & Crochet

Some more cool denim outfits. I really like the texture of those worn-out jeans, and the crochet top has a fancy grunge edge. Plus, is she wearing boxers? Me like! (LOL)

I can’t see much of Dudley’s outfit here, but I love the hoodie he’s wearing under the denim jacket (I have to say I’m a huge fan of hoodies! LOL). As strange as it may sound, I think it softens his look a bit and prevents him from looking too masculine.

Both outfits are perfectly matched, as usual, and the result is extremely lovely ^^

Rockabilly Craze

Some cool 50s-inspired rockabilly denim fashion. This outfit is quite minimal, but Rihanna is Rihanna and she can do whatever she wants (LOL). My favourite part of this look is her fancy retro-but-not-retro hairstyle with the bandana tied on her head. Plus, that killer look really KILLS!

Unfortunately, we can’t see what Dudley is wearing this time, so we won’t know how great their outfits are surely matched.

Miscellanea!

Commando Rastafari! – Is it me, or I’m seeing military fashion everywhere lately? LOL

“Yeeeeeah – it’s a party in the U.S.A.” ;)

I call this look… The Wrestler (LOL). I think that’s the Misfits jacket again, by the way. Like I said, they both look great in each other’s clothes :)

This is not the first time Rihanna experiments with androgynous and hard-edged looks, but I think she's never gone this far before. It feels like she's exploring new ground here, and I just hope she keeps on doing it, because there aren't many people out there who dare to be truly BRAVE with fashion, and that's right what this world needs :D

For those about to love RiRi (and Dudley O’Shaughnessy)… we salute you!