I've Come Out Of Hiding...

For a bit that is. Check out my special holiday post on Stevie's Discotheque Confusion blog - I hope you like it. Consider it an early Christmas gift

So, This Is It

"Tears are sometimes an inappropriate response to death. When a life has been lived completely honestly, completely successfully, or just completely, the correct response to death's perfect punctuation mark is a smile."

OK, so the ending of this blog isn't a "death". But after careful consideration (and lots of shopping) I've decided that it's time to say goodbye. I'm off to college and I've realized that with that workload I can't give this blog the attention needed. It was a great year and I loved meeting new bloggers, posting and going from the bottom of the ladder to ,well I hope, somewhere near the top. Maybe I'll post randomly, maybe I won't. Don't worry you wont die without me: just buy a new dress and go out dancing and you'll forget all about it.

La Fin

Ciao, Bloggers

No, I'm not leaving you. Well, at least not permanently. But sadly to say, this summer, for four to five weeks, you'll have to do without Cool Like Chloe, and its witty yet oh so fashionable posts. I know, I know: how will you survive? Just know that every time your mulling over the fact that I'm gone I'll probably be thinking about you too ... well not really. I'll probably be too busy shopping. In Europe! Ha! Prada, Chanel, Valentino... Here I come!

So enough of that ranting, off to the post. And by the way though I so kindly appreciate people "tagging" me or whatever it's called i have already said enough about myself in this post. Now you wouldn't want to know all of my secrets...

On my last post I received a bunch of great and opinionated comments (glad to hear that I inspired Bojana's post ♥ ) and one request. A poor reader by the clever name of anonymous asked for a favour. And her favour inspired a new blog post:

I love your blog! This is great for summer but what if your going away somewhere? I'm leaving for a trip in two weeks and I have no idea what to pack or bring on the plane. I'm visiting Paris - yay! Have any tips?

First of all, I want to say that you're one lucky bitch for going to Paris. Maybe I'll see you there; just look for a really well dressed gorgeous girl. Now on to packing - this is my least favourite part of going away but at least if you don't have something you get to go shopping! To start off every person needs a few basics for the summer. A flirty dress, classic shorts, flowy tops and unique accessories. Have a few basic pieces that you love and then spice things up with really colourful shoes, purses or bracelets.

1. Dresses: Whether its solid or patterned this summer all you really need is a sundress (well, that and everything in the last post) . It can be easily dressed up from the beach (canvas bag, flats) to going to a fancy restaurant (sparkly clutch and high heels). (Oh and no matter how funny you think it is DO NOT order escargot. Trust me...) Make sure that you have a dress in a bright and colourful print if your going to the beach or somewhere hot.

2. Tops: Think of Nicole Richie a la Summer 2005. Shirts and blouses in chiffon, silk and cotton are perfect for day or night. 3.Bags: They big bag trend still hasn't died down (thank god) so opt for a stylish leather bag in neutral creams. Or if you have a white sundress on then bring along a colourful bag or clutch.

4. Shoes: The only things you'll need on your feet this summer are flats, gladiators and high heels (preferably ones with red bottoms)

5. Bottoms: This summer I'm living in my jeans. No matter how hot it gets. But if you manage to start dying of heat stroke then denim cutoffs and tailored shorts are the way to go. And no, nobody wears denim minis in Paris.

6. Accessories: The only thing that you really need to make your outfit is jewellery. If you're going to ignore all my fabulous suggestions and end up wearing, god forbid, a denim skirt with a tank top (I can't even think of it) then at least brighten it up with a head scarf and mountain loads of bangles. Rachel Zoe didn't make Lindsay and Nicole into fashion icons when she put them in tank tops and denim minis, did she?

I must say I'm getting quite emotional. This whole summer spent in Europe....what will I buy? But seriously, I'll miss you guys and your sometimes nice sometimes nasty comments. Bye, Au revoir, Arrivederci, Ciao and Dovidenja! (use a dictionary)

Surviving the Summer

School's out (god, I always get that song stuck in my head) and a summer of shopping, parties and the beach lies ahead. The only problem is, the front of every good store is covered with tourists. Much love to you guys, but it's pretty hard to walk into Bergdorfs with a hundred people staring and taking pictures.

So, being the nice person that I always am ;) I decided to compile a list of all the things you need to survive the long hot days of summer, whether you're vacationing in the overplayed Hampton's or staying in the city.

1. A Boyfriend - This applies to both settings. IF you don't have one, get one (preferably one by the name of Channing Tatum). They're especially useful when you don't feel like carrying your latest purchases (those SAK's bags get quite heavy!)

2. A Swimsuit - You don't actually swim in them - duh. They're more for show and tell.

If you're staying in the city then you're a far way from the beach. All the more reason to buy yourself a sexy classic swimsuit. Grab the latest copy of Vogue, sunscreen and lounge by your rooftop pool. If you don't have one, find a friend who does and claim you need to "bond".

Steer clear of black and metallics at the beach. This is the only time of year when you can wear more than 500 colours so buy a nice new Pucci swimsuit.

3. Long Flowing Locks - Put away the hair straightener and stop torturing your poor hair. Straight hair can't stand the humidity. Plus you save extra time by just rolling out of bed with waves a la Gisele Bundchen.

4. Head Scarves - If the wavy hair thing doesn't work out then tie up that hair in a multicoloured silk scarf. If there's no chance of you shelling out $1000 for Hermes then vintage is the way to go.

5. Summer Reads - After a year of physics textbooks I can finally read something with a bit of substance ;)

6. A New Pair of Christian Louboutin's - For all those fabulous parties your invited to

7. Ipod - Download Mika, old-school Britney and Young Love. Trust me.

Just follow these rules, and insert parties and shopping sprees in between. This way you'll never ever have a sitting-on-the-couch-eating-Hagen-Daaz-Laguna-Beach re-run day.

Karl's Club

With the recent showing of Karl Lagerfelds Chanel line in star studded LA the front row changed from french singers Charlotte Gainsbourg and Princess Caroline, to former pop group princess Victoria "Posh" Beckham and drug addled Lindsay Lohan. Everyone loves the Kaiser but just how much do his LA fans love him? A bit too much as many celebs and it girls were noticed commiting a fashion crime: the copycat.

Everyone from Lindsay Lohan to Ashley Olsen were caught in full on Karl gear - the leather gloves, black and white clothes and tinted glasses.

Lindsay went for the slutty-drug addicted Karl, Ashley tryed out a more androgynous Karl with the short black skirt and mens jacket, whereas Mary-Kate went for full on Halloween Karl in feathers and metal corset. Who do you think wore it best?

So you wanna be Karl Lagerfeld? Skip the ten year stays at Fendi and Chloe and fifty pound weight loss - just dress like him. All you need is:

1. An entire wardrobe of black, white and leather

2. Platinum blonde hair

3. Shades so dark that you can't see anything (although pretend that you can)

4. Karl Lagerfelds CD (You didn't know he had one!?)

5.Leather Gloves

5. Pursed Wrinkly Lips (The wrinkly part is optional)

The Two That Model Together Stick Together

Kate Moss and Pete Doherty's will separately star in Roberto Cavalli's men's and women's fall ad campaigns reports WWD. Both were shot separately by Mert Alum and Marcus Piggott in Ibiza."Kate Moss and Pete Doherty perfectly embody everything that's contemporary and they're poetic, creative and wild," said Cavalli. "They go against mainstream and have an innate and fantastic sense of style." "For his extreme lifestyle, at first Pete seems like a very bad role model, but his debauchery does not interest me at all," added Cavalli. "Behind his damned appearances, Pete is an exceptionally talented man: a true rocker, pure and not keen on compromises."

In other words, this fall when you flip through your latest issue of Vogue (Paris!) and W you'll not only see the average stick thin Eastern European it-model but also fashion and rock and roll's perfect couple. Dare I say sexiest? ... no that goes to Iman and David Bowie.

Where's the Sex?

First off I would like to say a few things. The reason that my posting cycle is crap is because of exams and summatives. But I promise that when they're over I will come back with tons of posts. Secondly, thanks for all of the opinionated and great comments I recieved on my last post. It was great to read what you all thought. Thanks also for all of the people who come to read this blog and comment on my work. There, I'm done with my rant. On to the post!

Lately the fashion radar has switched from strong and sexy to innocent and girly. With the exit of Tom Ford from fashion house Gucci, Phoebe Philo and Marc Jacobs helped usher in a new woman. One that didn't need bronzing cream wherever she went and who's favourite pastime was picking flowers in a field, not going out dancing every night.

But has our good girl image gone so extreme that showing a little skin is considered unfashionable. Today's style masters are decidedly "unsexy".

Sure, they do manage to wear dresses and short shorts once in a while but their signature style is floaty, girly and simple. Sienna Miller ushered in a new phase of thinking back in 2004 with her bohemian chic style that changed the way designers and every other girl looked at themselves. Then there are Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen who went from bubble-gum sweet matching dresses and introduced themselves, and many others to leggings, flannel and layers.

The model has evolved as well. It went from the supers (Naomi, Linda) to the ultimate waif(Kate) then to the Brazilian bombshells (Gisele) and right now if your Eastern European and have about one percent body fat you are the model of the moment. Either way I love the way fashion is evolving. I'd much rather wear a Chloe shift dress with flats then tight acid wash jeans and gold hoops. Although Gucci is pretty good for a night out....

Do you think that designers should Sex it up or Keep It As It Is?
(note: Paris Hilton wasn't put into context for this post)

War Of The Vogues

Lately I've been brushing up on my French. And no it's not because I'm moving to France and abandoning New York (although that would be a fun idea), it's because one of my all time favourite magazines lately... well, to put it nicely sucks. Because of this, I've traded in my Vogue for Vogue Paris.

American Vogue is the most influential magazine in the entire world yet lately, all Anna Wintour does is smack some over-exposed celebrity on the cover. Hello? Vogue is a fashion magazine meaning it should showcase the best designers and models. Whatever happened to Daria and Gisele? Vogue Paris, on the other hand screams originality. Carine Roitfeld, the sexy editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, manages to create fresh issues with stunning editorials (see post below) and gorgeous muses (Lara Stone anyone?). For those of you who are fashion-illiterate Anna's the one with the bob and Carine has the eyebrows.
The one thing that bugs me the most though is that every month the same old celebrity is recycled for the cover. Nicole Kidman has been on a gazillion covers along with Reese and Renee. Seriously, who cares anymore?

For instance, compare these two editorials. There's the Vogue model editorial (which I was extremely dissapointed with) where the top models were set against grey backgrounds in mediocre clothes. Creative huh? Then you have Vogue Paris with the amazing styling of Emmanuell Alt and Carine Roitfeld with gorgeous lighting and colours.

So what about you, dear readers?

Will you stick with your old Vogues or switch to Vogue Paris?