SabiSays

Fashion Writer and Columnist

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Scent of Summer

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Change things up with these new summer scents that will make you twirl and sparkle.

I have a ritual of opening a new fragrance bottle, every summer. There’s nothing like a new scent to celebrate the season of sun and sand. The air in my hometown of Newport Beach is fragrant with blooming flowers, the sunshine is delicate and the possibilities for new beginnings are endless.

Wearing my moody fragrances of the cooler months is the equivalent of walking around in a heavy winter coat when I should be wearing a pretty dress. Intrinsically I feel it’s time for a change and I embrace this with full gusto as I venture out of my hibernation in search of my new scent.

Finding a new fragrance is often like making new friends; it’s daunting at first but one can never have enough.

SabiSays

Finding a new fragrance is often like making new friends; it’s daunting at first but one can never have enough. Relying on some intuition to navigate the countless options is key. Often my new favorites overshadow my loyal bottles of my past—but it feels exhilarating to experiment with the unfamiliar.

The thought of wearing the same fragrance season after season without any interlude is like using the same shampoo—you’re going to get build up. And in the world of fragrances that usually means you’re likely to become desensitized. I get stifled and find the need to create new memories. Have you ever noticed how many compliments you get when you shake things up?

My new summer scent restores my faith in myself and allows me to see myself not as I was but how I’d like to be. And when I finally return to my signature scent after all my diversions, it’s with a new perspective wondering how I’d ever managed without it—just like our best friends. 

My top three summer scents:

Venetian Delight

Paris-Venise by Chanel inspired by the romantic city of Venice

I can’t tell you how giddy I felt when I stood at the perfume counter and tried on the trio of new fragrances titled Les Eaux De Chanel. Each light scent is inspired by a different destination. The Paris-Venise inspired by the romantic city of Venice perfectly captures the essence of intrigue with the mystery of Byzantine and opulence of the Baroque period with an amber accord that unfolds with notes of vanilla and tonka bean for a soft, enveloping trail. It’s delightfully refreshing yet sensual and creates a mood of high drama that makes me want to pair it with sequins and pearls. Paris-Venise by Chanel 4.2 oz. Eau de Toilette $130. www.chanel.com.

A Melody of Flowers

Floralie by the House of Creed is exactly what its name implies.

At the heart of any great fragrance is a unique blend of flowers and the latest creation aptly named Floralie by the House of Creed is a floral fragrance like no other. As a Creed devotee I’ve been wearing my signature scent of Royal Water for longer than I’d care to share—so my new found fascination with Floralie felt like infidelity but one that I hope my good friend will pardon. The fragrance is feminine without being sickly and sophisticated without being a snob. It has a sparkling quality that makes it perfect as a spring scent with Bulgarian rose, lily of the valley and cedar wood—yet it’s not so light that a little spritz will leave you feeling underwhelmed after a few hours. It will accompany you through the brightness of the day when you’re wearing your flowy dress and waltz with you into the evening. Floralie by the House of Creed, 2.5 oz. $415, Creed Boutique. 

From Sicily With Love

Mandarino di Sicilia by Perris Monte Carlo is the perfect scent for those of you that long for the scent of the orange groves of Sicily

When I was first introduced to Mandarino di Sicilia by Perris Monte Carlo I immediately felt that was there’s a new contender in town. It’s a love letter to Sicily wrapped up and concentrated into a bottle. It feels like you’ve been transported to the orange groves of the Mediterranean but one that’s not too far from a coastal breeze.  But with all its zesty might, it’s not your typical simple citrus fragrance. It’s this complexity that makes it unique. It’s neither masculine or feminine with green mandarin, orange blossom, cedar and jasmine, makes you feel like you’re in the remote region of Sicily but it could easily be the quintessential scent of Orange County with an Italian twist. Mandarino di Sicilia by Perris Monte Carlo, 3.4 oz. $190. Available at Neiman Marcus.

Always in AllSaints

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AllSaints Opens at South Coast Plaza and It Feels Like Home

AllSaints South Coast Plaza Store Opening on September 20, 2018 in Costa Mesa, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for AllSaints )

Jamie Commons performs at AllSaints South Coast Plaza Store Opening (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for AllSaints ).

AllSaints signature moto- leather jacket. (Custom engraving of leather was available and guests were able to have their leather clothing or accessories engraved during the opening party at AllSaints).

AllSaints and I go back a while. I’ve been wearing it before it arrived in OC via Bloomingdales but with the opening of its stand-alone store in the heart of South Coast Plaza last week—this East Ender and I have finally reunited.

A British brand known for its attitude—it’s key pieces are buttery soft leather jackets, premium denim, cozy over-sized sweaters, easy to wear dresses and my favorite style of leggings—it’s everyone’s idea of wardrobe staples. And even-though I’ve been using the hashtag #AlwaysinAllSaints for some time, I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other.

Although we’re both Londoners, we couldn’t be more different. AllSaints hails from East London and I’m a West London girl that wouldn’t venture further than Victoria just in case I got lost. But this clothing label (for men and women) has the bad boy appeal of Jason Statham, David Beckham’s sense of style along with the old-school charm of Michael Caine all rolled into one. No wonder it has such a big place in my heart. It’s also a testament that opposites really do attract.

“AllSaints hails from East London and I’m a West London girl that wouldn’t venture further than Victoria just in case I got lost.”

I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I told you that AllSaints is my uniform of choice. I own more pairs of their Raffi leggings than I care to admit—some of them identical. But it’s not all about laziness or comfort, although the latter plays a big role in my fashion choices. With AllSaints I don’t feel I’m faking it—in fact I never feel more myself that when I’m wearing anything by the label. And whether you’re from London or not, it has an unpretentious ability to grow on you.

And now that AllSaints has officially arrived at South Coast Plaza, with its signature vintage sewing machine filled store front and his cockney accent nudging you to come in and take a look; I’m warning you—you’ll be hooked. And if you don’t believe me “Just You Wait, Henry Higgins Just You Wait…”

(AllSaints, Level 1 Bloomindales wing, between Guess and Hugo Boss opposite Weekend Max Mara, 714-955.4448, www.AllSaints.com)

 

I’m with Kara Jensen PR director at the opening of AllSaints South Coast Plaza. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for AllSaints).

 

Watch It!

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Yours truly with James Malcolmson, Robb Report’s horology editor at the MOMENTS suite, South Coast Plaza.

 

The stars were aligned when Pierre Colesse of Van Cleef & Arpels introduced me to the Lady Arpels Planétarium, chosen as the women’s timepiece of the year in Robb Report’s best of the best.

 

This celestial watch is a mini planetarium right on your wrist and features a pink gold sun in the middle of the dial, with the three closest planets (and moon) rotating around it, in actual planet time. Van Cleef & Arpels, diamond band, $330,000.

 

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra-Thin holds the world’s record for the thinnest automatic watch. It has the wafer-thin look of the old-school watches but its feather light (titanium bracelet) and sandblasted surface makes it incredibly modern. They’re only 50 of these rough and ready beauties going to be made, so if you want one, pick a number. Really; you can. Chosen as the best of the best men’s timepiece of the year by Robb Report. Bulgari, $130,000.

Best of the Best Watch Trends

I got a chance to chat with the ultimate watch guy, James Malcolmson, Robb Report’s horology editor who was at the MOMENTS Timepiece Suite at South Coast Plaza where limited edition timepieces and one-of-a-kind watches were being celebrated.

Every year Robb Report releases the best of the best issue, and they’re celebrating their 30th Anniversary of showcasing the crème de la crème of cars, planes, travel, real estate and luxury timepieces.

We got to talk about the latest watch trends, smartwatches, what millennials are currently crazy about and my love of  leather strap watches. But first things first;

SA: Tell me about the watch you’re wearing:

JM: It’s a Zenith Pilot, it’s no longer made, but the designer is a guy named Marcus Ellinger who runs a design firm just outside of Zurich.

SA: Do you prefer to wear a watch that no-one else is wearing?

JM:I wouldn’t say that. It’s happens to be a watch that I have, that I like to travel with. It’s understated. It’s a nice chronograph with a great movement and has a great history.

SA: Is a proper watch still a leather strap watch?

JM: Absolutely. Most watches have a tradition of being on leather straps. Wrist watches came into popularity during WW1, during the war people didn’t want to fumble for their pocket watch. They soldered it on the lugs, which is why military watches today have the lugs coming right out of the case, called the “officer style”.

SA: What’s the story with chunky watches?

JM: Chunky watches came into prominence about 10 to 12 years ago. I think it was part of the pendulum of fashion. They had been small for a long time. Since the 1980s watches are really a luxury. And it’s a way for men to show their style and if you think about it, a larger size enables you to do that more easily so it caught and stayed on. However, we are seeing a return in the other direction. A lot of people want a thinner watch. Millennials are choosing smaller diameters. Vintage watches are incredibility hot right now and smaller diameters mimic the look of vintage watches. They also want something that’s different from the older guys, that have the big watches.

SA: Are we going to be see a trend of smaller watches?

JM: Yes, they’re shrinking and within the next few years we will be seeing a spectrum, we will be seeing some smaller watches and some large diameter watches that are thinner which have a contemporary shape. With Piaget for example, that’s really their look, they’ve retained their ultra-thin look which comes from their history. French watches particularly watches made by Abraham Louis Breguet had that look, a thin watch with a wide diameter.

SA: Do you think men use watches as a way to show their personalities, just like clothing?

JM: Watches are a lot different than clothes. There are men who are clotheshorses, dandies that love their clothes, but I think it’s an entirely different personality that likes a watch. In our digital world watches are very understandable, they are analog, you can imagine and understand how the mechanism works. That’s not the case with a lot of our devices, like the phone you’re holding. Another thing is there’s a traditional with a lot of guys that their father’s showed them how the watch works, so there’s an emotional connection.

SA: What’s your first watch memory?

JM: It was of course my father’s watch. It was a Hamilton leather strap watch, he’d purchased in 1936, for the princely sum of $100, which was a lot of money back then. I still have it and it still works.

SA: Are smartwatches catching on?

JM: Yes, I think they are. The dream has always been the Dick Tracy watch. It’s the watch with the video phone. I looked at the Apple watch in its first couple of generations and because it was tethered to the phone, it wasn’t there at all. I happen to have the third generation Apple watch which you can call independently and that’s a game changer for me, because you can go out with shorts on the weekend with just your wallet and your keys and you don’t have to worry about your heavy phone and that’s liberating. My son has a Doki watch, it’s the first watch I have seen that has the video capability. It’s made for a little kid!

SA: Do you think the future of watches is going to be smart?

JM: No, I think mechanical watches connect you to history, it’s something that’s high fashion, with a level of craftsmanship that you’ll never find in a piece of technology. As much as I love that Apple watch, in a year or two it’s gone but for now it’s great. Any of the mechanical watches I have, I can keep for a lifetime.

SA: Do you think many of the traditional watch companies are going to keep their mechanical watch and introduce a smart watch too?

JM: There are some fine watch companies that are experimenting with that, and the trouble is that they’re going to get technology that’s a little older. I think they will stick to their competency. They are holders of tradition and anybody who is in love with technological devices eventually (a certain percentage) are going to gravitate toward fine watches. Once you get to a certain age, to be able to appreciate these things, you want show your wealth a little, it’s a natural thing. You just need a little grey hair.

Thank you James!