Fabbers from around the globe gathered to meet Fabbers in London last week, and had a ball. Diane, one of the British locals from Birmingham, very kindly made our breakfast and lunch arrangements of which our elegant fashion lunch was definitely a highlight of the day. 

Greg and I travelled through from New Malden by train that morning, and although we were on time, most of the group was already at the Richoux Picadilly. There was UK Sue and Ruth who travelled from Guilford and Epsom. Diane and Inge who travelled from Birmingham and Antwerp. Isabelle who took the Eurostar from Paris that morning, and Jaime who flew in from Tel Aviv the day before. We were soon joined by Liz who took the ferry from Amsterdam and Mander who came a much shorter distance from within London. WOW. With us coming from Seattle, this was truly an international group. 

After a rush hour train ride and brisk 30 minute stroll to Picadilly, I was immediately struck by how cool, calm and collected the group was when I first greeted them. Not to mention well put together and fashionable. The wonderfully soothing effect of the ladies was most welcome, and it set the tone for a lovely day. 

We spent the day walking the busy streets of London looking at everything from pricey cutting-edge designer wear to affordable chain store stuff. In true YLF gathering fashion, the banter and excitement did not stop. I asked birthday girl Jaime whether there was anything in particular that she wanted to do. Her request was to find a fun shade of lipstick, so off we went to the Laura Mercier counter to get some Stickgloss.

Getting to know each other better was the order of the day and we chatted more than we shopped. That said, I found a wonderful cocoon shaped tomato red shirtdress at COS and Inge bought a funky orange and navy necklace. Diane got some great olive fabric at a cloth store, and UK Sue found a pretty scarf at Whistles. We finished off the day celebrating Jaime’s birthday at a French brasserie in Covent Garden. We could scarcely believe that we spent almost 12 hours together. Time flies when you’re having fun.

Greg joined us for breakfast and then went off on his own to meet up with some childhood friends. Later he also went by the National Portrait Gallery, where he saw this sculpture of Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web. Without the web, a site like YLF wouldn’t exist and this gathering in London would never have happened. Thank you Sir Tim.

After dinner we all went our separate ways. On the way back to Waterloo Station Greg and I crossed the Hungerford Bridge at just the right time to get a wonderful view of the Thames and just a small part of the glorious London skyline.

For the gathering I wore outfit 12 in the series on my travel capsule for a 4 week trip.

The top lipstick shades across the world, an Audrey Hepburn exhibition in London, Alexander Wang bringing back his greatest hits, and other fashion news that caught our attention this week.

• To celebrate the brand’s tenth anniversary, Alexander Wang is bringing back his greatest hits, and you can vote for your favourite.
• The first Yves Saint Laurent exhibition in the UK will be staged at the Bowes Museum in County Durham next month.
• A survey commissioned by Heathrow Airport reveals the top lipstick shade bought in cities across the world. According to the results New Yorkers love bright red, Londoners go for caramel nude, and Parisians often pick dusky rose.
• The National Portrait Gallery in London is organizing an Audrey Hepburn exhibition consisting of 75 images. The majority of the prints on show have never before been exhibited in the UK.
• For its annual suit drive, Men’s Wearhouse has teamed up with 180 local charities. You can help someone ace a job interview by donating professional clothing until July 31.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that Marie-Louise Carven, who passed away at age 105 earlier this month and was noted for her designs for petite women, also had a knack for coming up with clever promotional campaigns. In 1954, for example, in memory of the liberation of Paris, she had hundreds of sample bottles of her signature Ma Griffe perfume dropped over the city on little striped parachutes.

If you like to wear dresses for Summer, I highly recommend the handkerchief hem dress. The jagged effect of the asymmetrical hemline creates an interesting and flattering effect. Combining it with a pair of comfortable sandals is the easiest Summer ensemble of them all. 

I’ve shown five handkerchief hem dresses here, each with a different vibe. Some are casual and others are more dressy. Choose any colour in a pattern or solid.

Here are the components:

Dress: Choose a handkerchief dress in a length that tickles your fancy. I’ve chosen a sleeveless maxi dress, a very fitted flared dress, a baby doll style, a shirt dress, and a striped sack dress. Note that the dresses can define OR surrender the waistline. 

Footwear: The footwear sets the mood of the outfit. Of course, a pair of gladiators or classic wedge sandals will work with any of these dresses, but if you’re after a more trendy look, choose another style of shoe. Think slides, Birkenstocks, chunky soft bed sandals, chunky platform sandals, d’Orsay flats, ankle strap flats, ankle strap pumps, sandal booties, flat oxfords or slip-on sneakers. 

Accessories: Finish off the outfit with a bag that works with the look. Add jewellery, eyewear, watch and headgear as desired. 

A topper like a denim jacket, a vest or a short fitted blazer with rounded front hems is a slam dunk for this style of dress. But worn without a topper, the fabulous dress and your shoes do the talking. I vote this minimal combination best of all.

If you are looking for ideas on what to wear to the weddings you’ve been invited to this Summer, then these links might come in handy.

Jess Carter-Morley at The Guardian suggests pairing an off-the-shoulder top — also known as the “Bardot” — with a patterned maxi skirt and comfortable sandals.

PopSugar has 30 dresses you can wear to anything from a casual backyard wedding to a fancy black-tie event.

Fashionista suggests trying one of these two-piece dresses for a Summer or Fall ceremony.

Fab Links from Our Members

Kirstjen liked this tip on The Huffington Post for how to keep your strapless bra from falling down.

Vicki enjoyed reading about Diana Vreeland’s legacy, and how her cult of personality lives on in a collection of fragrances.

UmmLila directs us to an article about “fashion tech” companies like Stitch Fix who are using algorithms and personal stylists to sell women the priceless commodity of confidence.

Deborah recently discovered The Third Person, an Australian blog with thoughtful and informative posts.

As if high heels weren’t risky enough. Laurinda lets us know that now there is a medical risk associated with skinny jeans: Compartment Syndrome. Forum member Alaskagirl started a thread about it on the forum.

Gardenchick found an interesting article on going grey, a topic that is often discussed on the forum.

Michelle came across an article stating that Zara is facing accusations of racial discrimination, and wonders if you have experienced anything of the sort.