I fell in love with Furla products last year when I brought back a turquoise Piper dome satchel from Hong Kong and a citron wallet from London. The workmanship of their items is absolutely beautiful, and their sleek and simple silhouettes are a cut above the rest. Gorgeous matte gold hardware and handbag lining too. Structured, yet smart casual. Classic, yet modern. Strict, yet playful. Versatile, ladylike and with a high longevity factor. The bags are also lightweight and surprisingly robust. I travelled with my Furla tote for an entire month last year — it was part of my travel capsule — and it still looks new. And the best part about Furla bags is that there are plenty of fun colours and gorgeous neutrals across the variety of styles. 

There’s a fabulous Furla bag assortment on deep discount at Neiman Marcus Last Call right now. I’ve collected some below, but haven’t exhausted the colour and style options. I’ve seen some of them in person and they did not disappoint! 

It was Chinese New Year when I bought my turquoise Piper dome satchel in Hong Kong last year. Because Hong Kong is close to my heart, and because I LOVE handbags, I thought I’d add another Furla bag this year to celebrate Chinese New Year. Here’s a shortlist of three that I have at home. They are ALL versatile for my style and wardrobe and I adore them all equally.  It’s going to be a trick whittling it down to one. Greg has whittled it down to two favourites so far. I’d love to have your input too: Which of the three do you like best for my style?  

A new Vogue documentary, Amazon’s private label fashion brands, an Iris Apfel exhibition in Paris, and more fashion news that made headlines in February.

• Adidas is introducing Avenue A, a quarterly subscription box for “the fitness fanatic who loves to be surprised.”
• Earlier this month, Polyvore rolled out a new category: menswear.
• J Brand and French contemporary brand Comptoir des Cotonniers are teaming up for a capsule collection.
• Pantone’s top 10 colours for Fall 2016 include several muted tones.
• Paris department store Le Bon Marché is staging an Iris Apfel exhibition.
• London-based label Teatum Jones is the winner of the 2015/16 International Woolmark Prize for womenswear.
• Here’s a first look at the Uniqlo x Liberty London capsule collection.
• Have you seen the trailer for the new Vogue documentary, The First Monday in May?
• In a study by Market Force, Nordstrom was chosen as shoppers’ favourite fashion retailer for the fourth consecutive year.
• ModCloth now has its own in-house swimwear line, which includes 13 styles with Liberty of London prints.
• On March, 4 Ted Baker is opening a store in Seattle‘s shopping plaza Bellevue Square.
• Amazon is building out a team to make private label goods, and is already selling seven private label fashion brands on its website.
• Livia Firth has turned designer, and is bringing out an eco-conscious capsule collection in collaboration with Marks & Spencer.
• Alexander McQueen is launching a fragrance house and comes out with a new scent: McQueen Parfum.
• The “Missoni, Art, Color” exhibition is coming to the London Fashion and Textile Museum.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that Jack Nicholson, a fan of British designer Margaret Howell, insisted on wearing a Margaret Howell corduroy jacket from his personal wardrobe for his role in the 1980’s movie The Shining. Because the jacket would be worn for the majority of the film, director Stanley Kubrick promptly ordered eleven duplicates. In 2011 the jacket was updated and reissued.

This ensemble was inspired by a look I saw on a mannequin in BCBG, and by some of our forum members who wear drapey, arty outfits in dark neutrals. It incorporates knitted and woven pieces, although it can be achieved entirely with knitted pieces. Any body type can wear it, as long as you create just enough structure in the outfit to keep proportions just flattering enough. 

The mannequin is dressed in black with a smattering of taupe and stone. By all means put the look together using only dark neutrals, mid-tone neutrals or light neutrals, thereby creating a tonal outfit. Or mix up all sorts of neutrals to create more contrast between the items. 

Here are the components: 

Bottoms: Choose woven or knitted bottoms like harem pants, cross-over trousers, cropped straight legs, culottes, leather leggings or skinnies. 

Top: Choose a drapey T-shirt, cross-over blouse, T-shirt blouse, asymmetrical pullover or regular pullover. Wear the top untucked or semi-tucked for a little structure. 

Drape Front Topper: The drape front topper is the star of the show. The diagonal draped lapels of the topper are the statement design detail, which coupled with the diagonal integrity of an asymmetrical top or harem pants, can create all sorts of interesting lines in an outfit. 

Footwear: Choose a trendy pair of shoes like booties, cut-out booties, lace-up pumps, sneakers, loafers, flatforms (or creepers), ankle strap styles, or oxfords. Create a tonal look with the shoes thereby keeping it in the colours of the outfit, or go high contrast with a neutral in a different intensity. 

Accessories: A drapey scarf worn muffler style adds a little more outfit texture, or feel free to go without a scarf. A bag in the colour of the dominant neutral of the outfit is a good idea, or keep it tonal with the palette. Add jewellery, headgear, watch and eyewear as desired.

I’ve created the look with solids in my versions here, but a little pattern in the scarf or a false plain in the topper could work too. You can also wear dark blue jeans as bottoms for a less intense version of the look.

Most of the Ready-to-Wear collections coming down the runways for Spring 2016 had their version of an off-the-shoulder top. Very alluring, very ‘70s, very pretty, and super fresh. The examples here provide a good representation of the style. 

Most of the fabrications in this silhouette are soft and delicate, although it can work as well in a stiff and crisp shirting fabric. Most versions are wovens, but knitted versions are available too. Patterned, solid, ruffled, sleek, dressy or casual, the billowing off-the-shoulder top exudes a sensual and romantic vibe. Wear the top with jeans, skirts, shorts, trousers or culottes. Leave it out, wear it tucked or semi tucked. 

Clearly this is not a career wear top, or “everyday” top even in its most casual form. It exposes too much skin for many office settings, and it’s a little impractical to wear day to day because the neckline shifts when you move around too much, or lift your arms. It’s more of a going out, beach wear, resort wear, or patio party top. And yes, you’d have to wear a strapless bra. 

I like the style of the off-the-shoulder top because it exposes the less predictable gorgeous parts of the body like the neck, shoulder, collarbone and top of the back. Off-the-shoulder tops have the added advantage of arm coverage for a little extra insulation, so they don’t seem as exposed as you think, and they’re more covered than a strapless top. 

I don’t know when I’d wear an off-the-shoulder top because I think I’d be too cold in an air-conditioned setting, or out at night in Seattle. And I don’t want to cover its beautiful lines with a topper. We also don’t have a hot tropical holiday planned on the calendar. But you never know. Perhaps I’ll find a way to wear one on a balmy Summer day or night. Over to you. What do you think of off-the-shoulder tops, and would you wear one?