FOLLOW UP FM-Style's CYCLE 15 - task 1

GUESS WHAT'S BACK? Yes, the most anticipated cycle ever from a mind of siblings that keeps mesmerize SD's crazy and bored mob : THE 15TH SESSION OF FM-Style's contests. Since I suck at judging (although let's be honest I do that more than breathing) and I am not that good as working in a team (hello Cycle 14... even JK Rowling says my patronus is a "lonely wolf" argh doomed), I definitely applied as a contestant AND I GOT IN. So yep, expect some follow up on the blog for those crazy 15 weeks of competition. Brace yourself, cos I plan on being around for a moment. GAME ON!

Cycle 15 is celebrating the 5th anniversary of the club. I just cannot believe it has been already such a huge amount of years... and the siblings decided to put something up properly. This new competition session will be about getting back to the most praised and successful tasks of the club (crossing my fingers and secretly wishing cycle's 8 tasks will be around). Let me tell you, that's not going to be the easiest. As always, and when I am in a particularly good mood, I've done some research, so you do not feel lost during this journey. But first, let's take a look at the task #1...

Sigh... Unfortunately, my archives do not go that far. It's barely impossible to find out what the original contestants who were the first to do this task made to win. Alright, with my trusty Pinterest and my almighty Tumblr as allies, let's see how we shall get inspired. The research was quite dull and disappointing at first. Tacky party stuff, and the worst of the 2000's without paying attention to roller skating girls on drugs during the 70's. Glitter and sequins are definitely 1. not the best part of fashion 2. perhaps that is not my cup of tea so I keep on being reluctant to do the exercise properly 😭. 

Let's shuffle the cards again before my eyes will get sick of that shiny and tacky and very annoying material (come on, once you open one pack it's just forever everywhere, spreading like a freaking disco virus). Sure, I do not want to look like Barbarella, and I do not want just to put one shiny stuff and pretend this is minimalist (yep, let's get involve like the try hard freak that I am), or end up with a nightmare all-over of sequins that looks like just proper disco inferno. At this point, I understood that the main deal with glitter-sequins, is the balance between "too much" and the "casual tacky party accessory". Damn, let's dig deeper...

A L E X A CH UNG. My dear secret (lol not so much now) weapon. The one and only... you get it, primary source of inspo. This is a little compendium of Alexa's style regarding shiny stuff. So I kinda understood that balance between too much and tacky is important, but I do not want my outfit to be boring. What Alexa seems to be doing when she is involved with such a material looks like actually playing with it, embracing the material like no big deal it is fun. Interesting. I just have to be careful so it doesn't turn out as a costume. Let's dig even deeper...

The one and only fashion house I can think of with sequins and glitter is part of the quirkiest side of the Vogue website. Still, I recall of an article on the recent rebirth of Paco Rabanne. This dude, Julien Dossena, embrace the house's particularities and pimped them up to being flowing with the trends. I made a little compendium of Ready-to-Wear Fall18 so you can see for yourself... and I think I learnt the key tip of success regarding the use of glitter and sequins. No matter how you are going to style it, glitter and sequins are not proper fabric. They are stiff and unbending materials. The goal is there to add texture to it, and stick to a low profile vibe so the sequins and glitter still pop out and remain the focus of the outfit. Thanks Paco, thanks Julien! Let's get to work now!

Moderation, fun and texture were the ideas I wanted my submission outfit to emphasize. I always proceed by batches of three, until I feel completely satisfied. The first one I've made is definitely driven by my sudden interest for Gucci - quirky and kinda slightly depressed (but still looking fab because this mood do not interest anyone). The second was more a way of working by touches of glitter and shine, with a shyness and a softness type of vibe. The last one was more inspired by real life experiences - definitely the lights of asian skyscrapers at night.

Although I ended satisfied with both three at the end, my choice went for #1. Not as low profile as #2 but still as fun as #3. Perhaps the black tailored coat is also part of the choice (you know I have a thing for those). Pink sequins for the fun, a quirky sweater to give him some decent company and a play on black texture to smooth everything out. Done.

Oh, and here is a little shoot out to my fellow contestants and my beloved judges because eh why not!

left to right : SunnySidesSue, janetteLow, bornthiswaay

Lucy made the sequins too casual to be real, Janette went all-over with a sprinkle of darkness and Rawan gave them structure and a street-style vibe with those tailored white pieces.

So, what do you think about this task ?

How would you have done ?

Good luck and stay tuned for the upcoming tasks 😘

xxMx