Salvaged Beginnings | Parascandalo's latest collection

Even though winter has started to show its gloomy, cold, rainy self, the fashion industry is already in a more joyous state with Spring/Summer 2020 collections gradually being launched. The local fashion scene is no exception and last Friday I had the pleasure of attending Parascandalo’s fashion show entitled Salvaged Beginnings.

Hosted at the MCAST Paola campus, of which the designer himself is an alumnus, the collection draws inspiration from Marco Parascandalo’s hometown of Birgu and aims at reinventing the classics in his own, signature way.

The collection features a monochromatic colour palette with adventurous and strong accents of neon green and purple for the more casual pairings such as hoodies, mini skirts and sportswear. I was surprised to see more elegant pieces from Parascandalo and of course, they were my favourites. I especially loved the two-piece ensemble with the long skirt which I think of it as a modern re-interpretation of the evening gown. I love the way the fabric flows and the metallic accents which add allure to the whole look.

Other favourite pieces were the checkerboard skirts which I can see myself styling very easily and I was happy to see the iconic and much loved ‘faqa' OĦT’ logo make a comeback. Well done Parascandalo for putting together this collection!

Shoes for this show were from ALDO Shoes and sunglasses from Sunglass+Sunglass.

Hair was done by Lee Grixti from Lee's Hairstylist and his assistants and makeup by Elaine Galea and Jean Zammit. 

Catwalk photography by Mark Soler 

Cassandra Spiteri presenting the show, wearing Parascandalo - photo by Justin Ciappara

My outfit for the show, wearing Parascandalo

photo by Justin Ciappara

'Between the Folds' : Giving Plastic A New Life | Wearable Art by James Dimech

Last night, I was invited to the opening of local sustainable fashion designer James Dimech's annual wearable art exhibition at the lavish AX Rosselli in Valletta. The works of James Dimech are not new to this blog as I have witnessed his exceptional work in the past.

Model's portrait, ICAM STUDIOS

Between the Folds: Giving Plastic A New Life concludes 2019 for James Dimech where his expertise in architecture and origami really shines through, reflecting an exploration of form and structure. The collection of 7 garments was created in response to 'The European Week for Waste Reduction'. In fact, the fabrics used for this collection are made out of plastic bottles. Yes, that's right! From plastic bottles to flakes to polyester yarn, to ultimately, fabric, this is in James's own words, the material of the future. There are different textures and thicknesses of materials some of which even simulate fabrics such as silk.

The collection features some of these materials in what in my opinion is a love letter to sustainable fabric, a gigantic step in the right direction of we are to really start helping the dire climate situation our planet is in. The clothing industry is known to be one of the worst polluters of our planet with the trash produced, not to mention the exploitation of thousands if not millions of child labourers and adult workers in third world countries. I have to agree with Mr Dimech when he says that this is the way forward to reduce the use of plastic and recycle the plastic we use. Having experienced the fabric first hand myself, I could feel it is sturdy and durable, thus providing sustainable fabrics that will last.

The exhibition will be open to the public at the AX Rosselli until the 24th of November 2019 and I really encourage you to visit as artists like James Dimech and concepts such as sustainable fabrics made out of recycled plastic deserve all our support.

The Body Shop Christmas Collections 2019

It's officially socially acceptable to talk about Christmas, and what better way to start the festivities than with The Body Shop's Christmas releases and seasonal gifts?!

I was invited to visit The Body Shop's newly revamped store at The Plaza Shopping Complex in Sliema where I was given a thorough explanation of what to expect this year as well as experiencing some of the new releases.

This year's theme is 'To Dream Big' where the company has drawn inspiration from women from all around the world who have contributed to making the world a better place in different aspects.

I'm going to start with what you have all been waiting for, the advent calendars. They come in three sizes - small, medium and large and in fitting with the theme, each box in the calendar has an achievement by women printed on it.

Then there are the seasonal scents, and this year we have Juicy Pear, Rich Plum and Warm Vanilla. Vanilla always remains a favourite with me but if I had to pick another favourite, the accolade will go to the Juicy Pear range! I love how it smells fresh yet it has all the Christmas feels packed into it! Each scent has a range of products such as body mist, shower gel, bath bombs, etc and you can also find them in gift packs to suit any budget.

This year the packaging is very traditional looking yet it's still typical of The Body Shop with fun prints and colours all around. I think their seasonal offerings will make great gifts and stocking fillers anyone will be happy to find under their tree! As usual, all The Body Shop products are cruelty free and most of them are manufactured with FairTrade ingredients. There have also been some new makeup releases including a highlighter, red liquid lipstick and glow drops which you put under your foundation for a dewy finish.

Lastly, I wanted to talk to you about the Love Your Body Loyalty Program and it's benefits. 

♡ Basically, €10 are paid upon application and you get your loyalty card which entitles you to 10% off your purchases for a whole year. Each purchase of €20 of more, will also earn you a stamp (limited to 2 stamps per visit). 

♡ Upon collecting the 4th stamp, you are entitled to a gift worth €10 and upon collecting the 8th stamp, you will be entitled to a gift worth €13

♡ If you visit The Body Shop during your birthday month, you are also entitled to a gift worth €10.

Other perks of joining the Love Your Body Club include being the first to know about offers and new products from your favourite shop!

What are you most tempted to get this year?

Introducing Love, Beauty and Planet

New brands pop up every other day but the ones which take the ever-growing concern about the environment seriously are few and far between. Love, Beauty and Planet are addressing the issue, one bottle at a time.

Love, Beauty and Planet is a new brand for Malta and they have kindly sent me three products from their range - the Argan Oil & Lavender Shower Gel, the Argan Oil & Lavender Body Lotion and the Tea Tree Oil & Vetiver Face Cleansing Gel.

I really can't pick a favourite out of these products so I'm going to start with the Face Cleansing Gel as it has a different scent to the other products. I comes with a pump dispenser which is great as just one pump is more than enough to cleanse my face with. I don't use this as a makeup remover, only as a cleanser after removing my makeup with a dedicated remover as it lathers up well and I feel my skin is thoroughly cleansed. It has a fresh scent which translates to a fresh feeling on my face which lasts for quite a few minutes. The only thing that bothers me with this cleanser is that sometimes, the around my eyes itches after I use it.

Moving on to the Argan Oil & Lavender range, I have the shower gel and body lotion and they are what I'm currently using everyday. First off, I love the scent! It's exactly what I crave for after a long day! I love how calming it is, especially the body lotion which is perfect to use at night as lavender helps induce sleep.

The shower gel lathers us nicely, which is something I definitely look for in a shower gel and the body lotion rapidly absorbs into the skin so there are no issues with it leaving a sticky residue on the skin. I feel the products have a herbal scent to them which somehow makes me feel like I am actually using that is beneficial for my skin. 

Lastly, all Love, Beauty and Planet products are vegan and their bottles can be recycled. Also, I love how they remind us to go easy on the tap in order to save water. Did you know that just by keeping the water running while brushing your teeth, you're wasting copious amounts of this precious resource? Every little helps, let's do our bit to preserve the world we live in! Let's Love our Planet!💓🌍