Diamond Studs

“Best when large, real and received as a gift. But large, fake and self-purchased do the job, too.”

Amen to that.

However, I’d probably be too terrified to wear the real deal all the time, especially after my hairdresser pointed to a crack in the floorboards by my feet and said that there were at least a couple of carats down there. I prefer wearing good-quality CZ and silver crystal versions, set in silver or gold. Good, but not insurance-worthy.

Diamond studs go anywhere, with anything, and having an assortment of different shapes and sizes to choose from is also pretty handy. These definitely make my One Hundred, absolutely no argument.

Denim Jacket

Just as a pair of jeans can make a tuxedo jacket turn hip and edgy, a denim jacket can make a pair of basic sharp black trousers relax. I have a lovely, fitted, classic design worn dark blue jacket from Marcs that I’ve had for years. It just gets better and softer with age, too.

Nina thinks that the denim should be either very dark or very worn. What you’re supposed to do in the time between very dark and very worn is anyone’s guess. She also thinks that it should be very fitted or a size too small, and that’s fine if you don’t have to use your arms. I think the only tricks to buying a denim jacket are the following:

1. Style – classic or deconstructed or minimalist, just make sure it’s consistent with the rest of your stuff.
2. Size – if you’re only going to wear it with t-shirts you can go for your “true” size, but if you think you’re going to want to wear knits under it, you’ll probably want to go up a size.

And, while rules are made to be broken, I reckon denim-on-denim – of any colour - is still a no-no. It just looks wrong. I’m sure Chloe Sevigny has done it, and it probably still looked wrong on her, too, and that woman could wear a hessian sack and make it look cool. Just say no.

Cuffs

Nina, Nina, Nina! Please! We don’t always agree, but when we do, you send me broke!!!

Since Nina introduced me to the exquisite wonders of Coco Chanel’s Verdura Maltese Cross jewel-encrusted cuffs, I’ve been on a bit of a cuff binge. Here are some I’ve acquired over the past few months.

Purchases, I might add, which are all Nina’s fault.

Cuffs can be delicate and glittery or chunky and architectural, classic or contemporary, subtle or outlandish. I’m trying to grab a bit of everything!

Cuffs DO work for me, adding drama and a bit of style to otherwise ordinary outfits.

The place where cuffs don’t work so well is in offices when I have to spend a lot of time at keyboards. They can be pretty noisy clattering against desks. If I insist on wearing them, I take them off at the computer, and put them on again at lunch or after work. It’s a bit of mucking about, but still worth it!

And I’m STILL lusting after Kenneth Jay Lane’s tributes to Mme. Chanel’s cuffs.

Oh, and this one:

Dammit.

Cowboy Boots

Nina might as well have listed “ugg boots”. I love a Cuban heel as much as the next girl, but cowboy boots have never, and will never, be a wardrobe staple for me. They hold no appeal to me whatsoever. To me, they look a bit silly stomping around the suburbs. They always look too big for their wearer if worn with a skirt. If you are a cowboy or spend time on farms, by all means wear them, or your pull-on Blundies or RM Williams’. If you’re not, then it’s a bit like the biker jacket – be careful that you’re not playing fashion-victim dress-ups, rather than dressing in a way that is authentically you.

I can’t think of what I’d substitute for cowboy boots in my One Hundred. I already have ankle boots, and they do me fine. Maybe my Camper Spiral boots?

Cosmetics Bag

Is this really a fashion must-have? I suppose, given that I just about always have one with me. Nina does admit that it’s “insignificant”, however, and that it’s what’s on the inside that matters, rather than the bag itself. Nina shares her bag’s contents with us, and reading it is just like rifling through someone’s bag, each item triggers a little comment in my head. La Roche Posay sunscreen (oh, absolutely, wouldn’t be without it), Kiehl’s lip balm (I use Natio’s SPF30 stuff)… Tweezerman tweezers (there’s a good idea) … Oh, crikey, Maybelline Great Lash mascara, for real? That stuff isn’t good …

Anyway, what I find odd is that there is no lipstick in her bag, even though red lipstick features in her One Hundred. There is ALWAYS lipstick in my cos purse. Not that it’s anyone’s business, but the contents of mine currently are:

• La Roche Posay Fluide Extreme SPF50 sunscreen
• Natio SPF30 lip balm
• Travalo atomiser filled with Marc Jacobs perfume (if you don’t have at least one of these things, you really, really should check them out)
• Becca Sheer Tint Lip Colour (lipstick) in Vendela
• Kai roll-on perfume
• Aspirin
• Mini bottle of Dettol hand sanitizer
• Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil eyeliner in ME Brown
• Ear plugs
• Single-dose eyedrops
• A bandaid
• Becca Beach Tint in Watermelon
• Oil-blotting paper
• Becca concealer

That does seems like a lot, but everything is small and fits into the little zip-up bag I got years ago from Aesop easily. Do you have any cos bag essentials?

Converse

The plimsoll or sandshoe style of shoe with a canvas upper and rubber sole is a basic and a classic. To me, it doesn’t matter if they’re Converse or Vans (and Nina lists both in her One Hundred) or Keds or Bodens or Dunlop Volleys. These sorts of sneakers will see you just about everywhere you don’t need heels.

Personally, I like Dunlop Volleys. They are a basic, basic shoe, are cheap enough to destroy without crying about it (and, after all, I AM the Despair of Shoes), they can be washed by throwing them in the washing machine, the white ones can be “customised” by colouring them in with whatever design you like, they’re bringing out printed and patent versions, and they’re just about everywhere. Their tread is also pretty impressive – finely zigzagged, it has a grip like a gorilla. If you are so inclined, you can walk across zincalume roofs with no fear of slipping. For that same reason, they’re also pretty handy on boats.

One tip for buying Volleys: in the classic Volley (not the Gelato line), the women’s sizes typically come in bright pink trim. If you don’t want pink (and I haven’t worn bright pink since I was 3 years old), I really haven’t found any difference in the last (or fit) of the shoe between men’s, women’s or youths’. The “youth” Volleys come in blue trim, and are about half the price of the women’s. You just need to figure out your size. Win-win!

EDIT: Volleys have hit NYC!

And just for fun:

Cocktail Ring

One ring to rule them all… Yes, if you have a big, flash cocktail ring, you don’t have to wear much other jewellery. Hulking chunks of bling on your hand make your fingers and hands look smaller and more delicate (a lesson from male transvestites!), and their colour and light and raise a basic cocktail dress to another level.

Nina also points out that “faking it is fine”, and it sure is, but just make sure it’s a good quality fake. It doesn’t need to look real, but it shouldn't look like plastic, either. There are a lot of costume cocktail rings out there which look like they came out of Christmas crackers.

Mimco do some lovely things, but I wish they’d introduce a little more colour.

It’s better to go for a semi-precious gemstone like quartz or onyx, or do a little cubic zirconia, than to think that an acrylic copy is going to cut the mustard. Decent stones are not hard to find. You’re sure to find silver and gemstone rings at local markets. Swarovski always do some spectacular silver crystal designs, colourful, sparkly and BIG! I’m currently lusting after their Nirvana rings, in just about any colour.

WANT.