In our Quirky Corner this week we spotlight two very different style stars who continue to fascinate audiences worldwide.

There are many leading ladies in fashion, not all of them actual women, I dare say. The iconic Birkin bag is named after English actress and singer Jane Birkin whose trademark tomboy style has a large following. Luxury brand Hermès supposedly created the bag in 1984 especially for Jane after she’d told their CEO that the perfect weekend bag was impossible to find. The exclusive handmade purse with the hefty price tag then quickly achieved legendary status. A star was born! In Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World’s Most Coveted Handbag, Michael Tonello tells all about his roller-coaster quest for the holy grail of handbags, and spills the beans on how he became an extremely successful eBay entrepreneur.

French designer and self-made woman Coco Chanel was the only fashion icon to be named one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century. With good reason. Mademoiselle Chanel revolutionized women’s fashion by designing clothes suitable for an active lifestyle and introducing silhouettes and fabrics that were far less restrictive than those of the previous decades. In The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World’s Most Elegant Woman, Karen Karbo distills Coco’s life experience and personal philosophy into a how-to guide for modern day survival and success.

Duo Giveaway

Globe Pequot Press and skirt! Books have kindly offered to give away five Karen Karbo bundles that each contain a copy of The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World’s Most Elegant Woman, and How Georgia Became O’Keeffe: Lessons on the Art of Living. This final instalment in the author’s “kick-ass women” trilogy features influential artist Georgia O’Keeffe, famous for her large floral paintings and New Mexico inspired works.

Visit our Competitions section for a chance to win one of the five book bundles. In the meantime let us know in the comments if there is a grande dame that has particularly inspired you over the years.

I mentioned that soft dressing would be making a comeback after seeing the Spring 2012 shows at Fashion Week. We also saw printed pants fringe trending last year. I even made printed pants a fun must have item for this years warm weather shopping list. 

Well ladies, printed pants have hit stores in all sorts of silhouettes. In particular, there’s the soft wide leg printed trouser as seen in the photos here. Flowing, silky, bold and voluminous. They are being matched with untucked soft woven tops or drapey knitwear (often quite voluminous too), and platform sandals. The look reminds me of the early ’90s when pallazzo pants in ditsy florals and polka dots were huge. Back then, they were often matched with soft boxy mandarin collared blouses or stiff linen gilets (sleeveless jackets). 

This look has a relaxed and feminine appeal that is NOT form fitting. For that reason alone it’s a breath of fresh air because so much stuff these days is form fitting both on the top and bottom. It’s also an ideal breezy combination for scorching hot weather. You could add a belt to create waist definition if that’s more to your taste. 

As much as I appreciate this trend, it is not for me. I’m just not a wide leg pants gal. I never wore pallazzo pants and doubt I ever will. I am all for the soft dressing and printed pants part of the look. I also really like the baggy effect on the hip and thigh area. But the hems of the trousers have to taper at the ankle in order for me to wear them. That way there is less volume on the bottom and I won’t feel like I’m drowning in my pants. There won’t be fabric flapping around at my ankles either. So I am a yay vote for others, and a nay vote for myself. 

What’s your verdict? Would you wear soft wide leg printed pants? Do these pants look too much like pajamas? How do you feel about wearing soft volume on the top and bottom? Like a sack of potatoes, or can it work?

Mochi thinks that Kate Middleton’s style as the Duchess of Cambridge is nothing short of stunning. Flick through her style evolution and also check out when Kate wasn’t quite as perfectly poised and polished. Mochi also wonders how much of what Kate wears is actually dictated to her now that she is royalty. 

MaryK enjoyed Simon Doonan’s article “What I Learned About the Icon by Folding Her Capri Pants”. Doonan shares what he uncovers about Marilyn Monroe when he spent months unpacking and cataloging the icon’s possessions. For one, Marilyn was nowhere near a US size 12. She was more the size of Kate Moss with a full bust. 

Rae was swooning over the deadly pretty jewelry line from Harem Royal, but was disappointed to find that real insect parts and fur are used in the collection. Still, the all-metal pieces and the ones made with feathers, quills and hair are pretty cool.

Mrseccentric would like to introduce you to lingerie and underwear expert Tomima Edmark who has a great blog called (un)covering what’s under everything.

Laurinda informs us that Swedish H&M is planning to do a goth-punk-grunge collection that was inspired by the Swedish movie “Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”. 

Annagybe loved these pre-Fall 2012 looks from Alexander Wang via the Manrepeller. 

AJ read in the New York Times that fashion bloggers are hiring agents to represent them and rising to celebrity status. Very interesting. 

Inge loved this interview with the fabulous 91 year old, Iris Apfel, who amongst other projects just launched a makeup collection for MAC cosmetics. Iris is unstoppable. 

Aida wished that her hairdryer had a “cool” setting much like this one. 

Attention all Shoe Geeks! Refugee highly recommends this series of podcasts from the Bata Shoe Museum that will cover the inside scoop on one fantastic shoe, or a shoe related topic, each month. 

MNSara loves to arrange real flowers, and could hardly wait to try out the wonderful DIY Bouquet on Cupcakes and Cashmere. 

Carole is enjoying omiru‘s Winter outfit builders, which have been created by mixing and matching a 16-piece Wardrobe Capsule.

We talked about describing our current style, and the styles we aspire to achieve earlier this week. We also described what our styles are NOT. Some found the exercises fun and easy, while others found them a little hard and tedious. You are all in good company because my clients, who do these exercises when we work together, span the same spectrum of feelings. 

Here is another easy and extremely useful introspective exercise to do at the start of a style renewal or style refresher. Identify and analyze your favourite outfits. Whether there are two outfits or 30 outfits doesn’t matter. These are the outfits that you wear quite often, and that make you feel fabulous. Even as you are reading this, I know that many of you have these outfits flashing in front of you. You know what they are!

Think about why you like these outfits. Why do they make you feel fabulous? Then think about what they share, if anything. Are there common vibes, silhouettes, fabrics, textures, design details and colours? Jot down what comes to mind and use single word adjectives where applicable. 

When I run through this exercise with my clients I’m always struck by how their style preferences jump out at us with the visual aid of the outfits. We are able to isolate aspects of the styles and combinations that really work, and build onto the emerging themes.The outfits also become an effective benchmark and starting point for the next leg of their style journey.

This exercise is most effective if you get these outfits from your wardrobe and lay them in front of you as you think about what makes them your favourites. You might even like to photograph the outfits for easy reference and a collective visual effect. But even if you only do a quick mental analysis, it’s a worthwhile process because it is grounded in your real feelings about your clothes, rather than an intellectual point of view. 

If you like, give it a quick bash right now. What were the first outfits to come to mind when you read this post?