SPOTLIGHT : FM-style, cycle 11 - task 3

Results of task 3 were released today, so : 

time for a little recap of what I did this week.

Task three :

don't you worry child

I know it's not this one, but I'm picturing slow-mo dogs running right now.

Sweden. ABBA, Acne, Alexander Skårsgård : a country full of A-list things. Healthy, logical and sharp perfectionism ; I'm everything but comfortable with this - even a little scared I must admit. I want to do this right so I have to build a favorable environment. I started with my doll's face :

This was the best I can do - and I'm so happy about that ! I got rid of her eyes' mask and re-worked the shadows on her face - it had to have more definition and the makeup had to be extremely nude. I finished off with that LE wig that have a very good shading combined with that nordic blonde hair color.

For the clothes, since I did OK for task 2, I thought I should get back to a complete preparation of this new task ; I separated a selection of clothing in a room and started composing a bunch of outfits. 

I wasn't happy with the first batch and tossed it right away : I focused on pop culture a lot and what I'm obsessed now about Sweden (there is no point arguing here, that wasn't at all what was expected by the judges in the task's description). Because I'm a little showoff, I'm going to share it with you.

It's very inspired by my idea of Swedish pop-culture, and especially music. I don't watch a lot of movie-shows from there (apart from Millennium's trilogy ; but I'm addicted to their authors tho - I can give you a list of books if you want), but I love to discover any new sound made by this country. 

1. "I got money, I'll pay for it" : 

sportswear-grunge should be Elliphant's definition of style. Although very snugly, playful and minimalistic, I needed more discipline in that composition. This is definitely Swedish, but not enough "cliché" as every teenager in this world can be dressed like so.

2. "Mamma Mia, here I go again" :

yep, ABBA. I am a fan. A huuuuuge fan ! So obviously, I couldn't resist. Glitter, sparkle, satin bodysuit : and I just loved how it turned out :) but it was a little off-beat - more like a cosplay.

3. "My style is the bomb didi bom di deng gi deng..." :

Pop and graphic, a little cartoon-esque over the edges. This is my favorite Robyn's era : it's entertaining, positive and fresh - even a little eager. But still, I do believe that a Swedish outfit has to show a little "distant" vibe.

The second batch was more satisfying : grey and pastel tones, basic shaped outfits... That should do better than the previous one ! I remember when I went to Stockholm for this one. I stayed there for less than a week, but I think I had the time to figure out a little bit about Swedish fashion. 

First : boots, period. The low, leathery and simple ones. They also seem to be into clogs - I bought a pair of stuffed ones, best slippers ever - but I was too shy to style them here.

Second : a beanie. A black one, and nothing else. It was summer when I went there, but since the weather was cold, almost everyone had a beanie on their heads and I loved the contrast it can give to an almost-formal outfit.

These were the two items I wanted to work with ; so I used them for the three next outfits...

Those three outfits are classics. I mean, I can make a description for each of them, but I feel like they show the same idea I've talked about at the beginning of this article : minimalist, logic, practical. But I felt that #2 and #3 were not as representative as #1 ; so I chose that first one to enter this task.

Here's what the judges said :

➡ Marta-43: Love the fact that you comment your entries, really helps me to understand your outfits and inspirations! I like your outfit for the main reason that I usually associate "minimalist" with "elegant" and "impeccable clothes", and you've demonstrated that you can perfectly wear a casual, comfortable and minimalistic look at the same time.

➡ mirdith: Let me say first that I love how you changed your hair for that one. Looks totally Swedish! Minimal outfit, not too much accessories (coming from you it's totally different from what we are used to see!)... However I'm not too sure about the bag and the color combo of that tee with the coat. Not bad but I expect better ;)

➡ judith_25: Mmm... I think you can do better. I'm not very sure about this outfit. The colour combination as Mireia said it's not my favourite and the shoes don't convince me either. I like the beanie though.

➡ missiwantitall: I can see what you tried to do, but something isn’t right sorry. The hat is disturbing me a lot :p If it doesn’t fit, I wouldn’t have chosen it sorry. Maybe a pair of jeans/black pants would have been better instead of skirt and tights? And the placement of the bag looks weird sorry. You get a plus point for writing a personal text about your inspiration and look! 

The results were mixed. I do agree about that beanie ; I could have made the same as on my first batch - the Elliphant outfit - but the black color was too intense and I was desperate to use a beanie. I loved the grey scale of tones, but my jeans/pants collection wasn't satisfying enough to build an outfit with. And the bag - well, that's a classic fail of trying to emulate a cross-body bag with a handbag and an over-shoulders coat.

Still in the middle of the list - I really need to move my bottom out of there and start an actual climb !

My feeling : well, to quote Judith, "Mmm... I think you can do better" !

Just a special mention :

bornthiswaay did what I couldn't do. Rawan's outfit was my favorite of the week !

So, how would you have judged it ? 

I want to hear about your feelings :)

Stay tuned !

M.