The recipe: Glamour + psychedelia (of attire, not substances, my darling).

The essential components of the look include fur coats (preferably faux), fabulously ridiculous leg-wear (sparkly blue socks, tie-dyed stockings, cashmere tights), a multitude of completely over-the-top head-wear (sequinned ears, headbands adorned with bows & flowers, sparkly beanies), shoes which define excess (super-high heels; hidden platforms; covered in crystals), a-line skirts & magnificent 50’s dresses, pink lipstick (I like Givenchy Rouge Interdit Shine in Raspberry Shine & MAC Saint Germain), fingers loaded up with rings, wrists full of jangly, glitter-covered Indian bangles & super-long false eyelashes hidden by statement sunglasses…

Worn with individualised perfume combinations (honeysuckle + Bulgarian rose, birthday cake + champagne brut), multiple layers of mascara, strong eyebrows. Who is this girl? She carries a pack of tarot cards in her purse. She wears crystal points on necklaces. She loads up her pockets with sequins & individually-wrapped chocolates. Her nails are always holographic or covered in crystals. She takes long lunches. She wears vintage slips & overdyed cardigans with stilettos, doesn’t care if there’s a run in her stockings & sends love letters to her friends.

She embraces her contradictions. She won’t be told what to do & she isn’t interested in petty trivia. She has a collection of easter egg-coloured tulle petticoats & grows peppermint-striped orchids. She is almost always overdressed but blissfully oblivious. She has an obsession with buying colourful & slightly ridiculous lingerie. She is superstitious. She carries a treasured pen (could be Mont Blanc, could be from a special hotel, could be stolen from a past lover). She makes a perfect gin & tonic.

Mega cloven hoof footwear, jewelled butterflies, bunny ears, sparkly metal-flake helmets, neon suspender belts, drawn on beauty marks, chromatic eye-shadow, tiny bells tied onto motorcycle boots, bright purple fingerless leather gloves, lipstick marks on Moroccan tea glasses…

Stacked crystal bracelets, totem animal jewellery, fairy lights everywhere, overdue library books, circlets & tiny braids, bright bouquets in old glass milk bottles, striped sweaters tucked into exaggerated a-line skirts, hot pink & turquoise cashmere blankets layered on an enormous bed…

She loves to laugh with her best friends over their blessings & mistakes. She doesn’t clean her apartment as often as she perhaps should. She holds hands with her friends & throws impromptu parties. She smiles at strangers & tips well. Her favourite cities are Reykjavik & Kolkata, & never stays in one place too long.

Disco Pocahontas. Feathers & crystals worn with sequins. Season of the witch. Super-feminine with a hint of hysteria. Neon pink love beams & sparkly sticky air-kisses.

…So that’s who & what I’m channeling this year, aesthetics-wise. As much as I love to wear black, I love sequins, sparkles & hypercolour far more! (Plus, most of the time, the inside of my head looks like this crossed with Yo Gabba Gabba!)

Who are your style icons? What is inspiring your style in two-thousand-&-amen (or two-thousand-&-zen, if you prefer)?