Niko Kokkinos is back with Style By Syraluna with an update of Modern Lusso. Modern Lusso is beyond excited to announce the expansion of their Life Style brand with the launch of their website www.shopmodernlusso.com which also includes their accessory brand Modern Lusso: Resort, which elevates the the resort and vacationing experiences of Greece. The collection is comprised of the must haves of Grecian beach life. I am obsessed with the terrycloth towel in Mykonos Grey and the Beach tote in Santorini Black Lava; both are perfect accessories to my favourite coordinate tee, which launched Modern Lusso in 2017.

Collaborations with other Greek designers is now checked off of the vision board. Modern Lusso has partnered with Argalios, Flame & Co and my favourite Stories to wear. Each brand captures the elements of Grecian life all while being traditional yet chic. It was love at first sight with these Hand made Plexi hoops in Aphrodite fuchsia aka my favourite colour… Pink!! Just look at that classic Grecian detail engraved in their earrings. So many of their beautiful pieces uniquely capture Greek Culture.

Niko believes that travel is an essential part of life and has made sure that Modern Lusso reflects the travel lifestyle with emphasis on his favourtie destination spot…Greece. He makes his yearly trip with family and of course for inspiration for the brand. However this years trip was disrupted with the pandemic. Niko was state side all of his product was in a ware house in Greece. He couldn’t enter Greece to take care of business and the US wasn’t accepting any international cargo. Modern Lusso was in limbo for about 6 months. The brand is getting back into the swing of things and preparing for needs of Grecian travel.

Niko is seeing his visions come to fruition with had work, negotiations collaborations and patience…lots of patience. As we discussed the growth of the brand we couldn’t help but discuss the perks and challenges of being the boss of your own brand. You make all of the decisions which means you as the boss determines the pace of business’s success.

Modern Lusso has expanded upon their original concept of coordinate tees of Grecian cities to an e-commerce store to include travel lifestyle necessities and collaborations with Greek designers who each uniquely capture the pure essence of Greece. As the brand grows, we will prepare our trip to the next Grecian beach.

The focus on where to buy fashion trends have greatly shifted from major retailers like J.Crew, Nordstom, Ann Taylor etc. to their online versions along with Amazon and of course Target. Every time I make my weekly (sometimes daily) stop at Target, I simply must visit the clothing section and I’m never disappointed. My latest find at Target is this rich camel colour crew neck sweater which I paired with a chambray button down and faux leather leggings. Camel is a beautiful neutral and at $24.99 (plus tax) it is a must have staple for every wardrobe.

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Transitioning your summer pieces into your fall wardrobe allows to to be creative and maximize the use of your wardrobe. One of my favourite summer pieces this year has been a sienna vest that I purchased from the Ava and Viv collection for Target. During the summer I paired this sweater with white jeans and a blazer or denim jacket. For the fall, I’ve paired the same sweater with a grey trouser with gold and white plaid, chambray shirt and gold ballet flats. I was excited to blog about this outfit because I love fall fashion and I received so many compliments. Move the arrows left to right to see how I transitioned this summer sweater to fall.

The must have hair accessory is the Top Knot Headband. My obsession started last year when the Maryland summers and humidity forced me into wearing my natural curls. I usually straighten my hair during the cooler temperatures but the humidity transforms my hair to various levels of frizz. These headbands have me embracing and loving my natural curls furthermore I am creating the ever-growing collection of top knots headbands

Here are my 10 reasons you should invest in the classic hair accessory:

1. They’re practical: they keep your hair out of your face.

2. Chic and elegant, look at the elegant Tamera Mowry in a white pearl studded top knot headband.

3. Elevate any look.

4. Incorporate some bling to your look, especially if you have to wear a uniform.

5. Accessorize with bright colours and classic prints

6. Zoom Meeting ready: You look ready, even if you don’t feel ready.

7. Top Knots create a different approach to the statement piece

8. Embrace your natural curls

9. Comfort; top knots are usually padded and won’t give you headache behind the ears

10. Lastly, they’re simply fabulous.

Check out a few of my favourites:

The Black  Live Matter movement is protesting more than police brutality; it is shining a spotlight on the racial injustices that exist in everyday life. Though it is beautiful to see so many spectacular people coming together to protest, I can’t help but think about the many times I’ve faced discrimination in my life. People of colour are unfortunately forced to face racism at a very early age due to the ignorance of others. I am no different. At the time of the incident, I was unaware of what racism was but upon reflection, I now realize that’s what it was.

It was 1988, I think I was in the second grade and I was at a new school, again. My dad was military, so we moved around a lot. Our “get to know you” assignment was to draw a picture of your family. I was excited, I loved to colour and I had just gotten a new box of Crayola Crayons so I was prepared. I began to draw my mom and choose sepia for her skin colour. Mom had to look chic and dressed in her favourite colour, violet. Then I drew dad, I had to make sure there is enough room on the paper he is very tall, he’s 6’8″. I chose peach, it is the closet to his skin colour, because according to Crayola, he isn’t white;  he is peach with brown hair. I finish the family photo with my sister, Michelle, myself and Tilly, our Black Labrador Retriever. I colour Michelle and I burnt sienna and our dog, black. I was proud of my family picture but the teacher was concerned.

The next day my parents were called for a parent-teacher conference because the teacher didn’t believe that what I drew was my family. I must be lying and needed to see a child psychologist. My mother usually handled all things school related because my dad usually worked or was deployed but he made it to this meeting. Mom was angry and rightfully so, 7-year-old me didn’t understand at the time but I do now.  Mom and Dad show up prepared for this “conference.” The teacher is sitting across from us seeing my family drawing in the flesh and is at a loss for words.

That experience had an impact on me. The teacher questioned my work, she thought I lied about my family. It had me questioning what a family is “supposed to look like” and questioning my identity and uniqueness. I wish this was the only time I experienced something like this but unfortunately, it is not.

“I don’t see colour” is a well-intended phrase of inclusivity. However, it invalidates who we are, our culture, history, the daily struggles; it dismisses why we kneel and why we continue to protest. “I don’t see colour” fails to acknowledge there is racial injustice and diminishes the very real racially charged struggles we face. In lieu of that, colour is what makes the world so amazingly beautiful and unique: from the flowers, the sky, and the birds of the air, the beauty of colour doesn’t stop there. Human beings are an amazing spectrum of colour, beautiful shades of ebony, almonds, brown, tan, ivory, and peach.  What do you see when you open a new box of Crayola Crayons…you see a beautiful array of colours to help to draw and create the beauty that does exist. When Crayola announced “the colors of the world” crayon collection, I was excited to see a more accurate representation of people of the world.  Colour exists and we can acknowledge that but we need to make judgments based on the actions and the character of a person, not their colour.

Fashion is always influenced by different elements and this pandemic isn’t any different. Within weeks of COVID-19 spreading, masks became the necessary and fashionable accessory. Masks are required at grocery stores, doctor’s appointments and restaurants (yes, even if you’re picking up food). Post pandemic, fashion and the shopping experience will look very different.

Face Masks are already the must have accessary and are becoming more fashion forward. There are many sewers who started making masks due to the shortage of them for individuals and healthcare workers. Many talket have turned entrepreneurs selling a variety of masks on sites like Zazzle. Being the girl who loves her glitz and glamour, I purchased a sequin mask with a silk lining from Kate Stoltz. Brands like Old Navy, sell adult 5 packs of masks for $12.50. J.crew, 3 pack for $18 with some cute and classic  prints. Along with a host of retailers who are selling maks in the fight of COVID-19. Within the immediate feature, we will continue to see masks as a “must have”(literary)  accessary and I think we’ll see “free mask with purchase” deals, monthly mask subscription plans and  dare I say it…twin sets masks and garment.  If companies haven’t started yet, well see private and public companies creating masks with company logos.

Fitting rooms: Trying on clothes is second nature when shopping but this will dramatically change. Retailers will have to approach fitting room with delicately. Personally, I think the space will be limited to 2-3 people at a time due to the already limited space. We’ve learned that the virus lives on various surfaces for different amounts of time from hours to days. Respiratory droplets can live on fabrics as well but tend to dry faster and inactive the virus; jut think about the number of time you’ve spilled water and it dried within minutes. However, with this fabric knowledge, I believe that the clothing that could be tried on will be limited. Tried on Items may be steamed after every “try on” and taken out of rotation for 24-48 hours. And fitting rooms themselves would have be sanitized after each use (again, my opinion). There is also the possibility the fitting room may be off limits altogether.

Online Shopping: Due to retail stores being closed for 3 months, retail therapy could only be completed online. E-Commerce will continue to be the primary revenue for retailers as companies assess their losses and profits. However, online shopping will have additional benefits for a while during the pandemic. You will see deep discounts on products to make way for (already ordered) new collections, the “free shipping” threshold may be lowered and we as consumers will be more willing to write products reviews because we will be more dependent on them because product and sizes will be very limited in brick and mortar stores.

Trends and Style:  The fashion world itself  will look very different.  Fashion shows are at an indefinite halt. Trends are at a stand-still and personal style will incorporate more basic and transitional pieces.  Pencil skirts, suits and ties might take a back seat at the office and Zoom meeting for a while. Athleisure will become more common place as business start to reopen their doors. With the high spread of of the virus, consumers will opt for washer friendly fabrics, like cotton, merino wool and washable silk.  Consigning our recently cleaned out our closets will become more popular; I’ve consigned my unused pieces for many years for a little extra cash. Online consignment stores like Thredup are about to be the popular kid in the realm of fashion.

As crazy and uncertain things may be, I want to leave you with

 

 

J.Crew has always been one of my favourite stores; I worked for the company for 10 years; first as a sale associate then later as a personal stylist…and I loved it. It is where I learned about style, fabrics, textile mills and mixing prints. I styled so many incredible clients for job interviews, engagement photos and events. J.Crew played an import part in college, my first teaching job and of course the launch of my blog. My time with company also introduced me to amazing people along the way who are still in my life. So when J.crew announced their bankruptcy, it hurt but it didn’t come as a surprise. In retrospect, the following are the missteps that led to their recent decision:

“It” Brand:J. Crew was a luxury brand spear headed by the darling duo of Mickey Drexler and Jenna Lyons when I joined the company in 2007. They were headed toward the big time, Michelle Obama was the unofficial brand ambassador. J.Crew was known for their rich wools, bold prints and colours in very classic silhouettes. The School Boy blazer, No.2 pencil skirt and of course the Jackie Cardigan were must have staples. The prints and colours were so distinctive to the brand that you instantly knew a J.crew piece when you spotted it. Blazers were considered essential and investment pieces and yes, I have a nice collection of blazers.. The Lady Day Coat,, was on the wish list for many and of course there was a “must have” item in every collection. The brand made history when Michelle Obama wore J.crew on the Tonight Show, after her appearance on the show, those sweaters sold quickly and a new fan base was born. I felt at that time J.crew became more than a brand it was becoming a lifestyle.

Public to Private. In 2010, J.Crew takes the company private. I was graduating college at the time but I do remember mixed emotions among our staff. But in retrospect, the company going private may have been the very beginning of the decline. I’m not a business guru but I’ve learned when there are many people to answer to in a public company, decisions are made differently, that is my opinion. The brand was Featured in New York Fashion Week and continued to release amazing collection each season and we were there to mark our look books for our next purchase that would be added to our already fabulous J.Crew wardrobe.

J.Crew Online: This was a big deal! Being able to bring J.crew to a bigger market was incredible but it also meant that we did away with our classic “red” phone that we used for orders. The launch of Crew online was great but there were some disadvantages: Sizes 12 and 14 were sold only online, some pieces were “online exclusives” and there was so much confusion on who got credit for the sale. Jcrew brick and morter or Jcrew e-commerce. And personally, I didn’t like having to order my size on line or wait until a customer returned my size. Eventually, J.crew worked out their issues with online but i always felt they were a little late to the game.

The Changing Face of J.Crew: Jenna Lyons became the face and voice of J.crew. She took fashion to a whole other level with dressing in the “highs and lows” of fashion; sequins and a stripe tee became the signature look. Her philosophy on fashion was fun, innovative and perfect for the office and a night on the town of NYC but it didn’t translate well to the core customer of J.Crew. I noticed a 20 percent price point increase while the quality was declining. The classic must haves were very limited and replaced with high cookie cutter fast fashion J.Crew was becoming unrecognizable. I still loved the brand but it was going through an identity crisis and it was reflected in sales. Declining sales resulted in elimination and redistribution of positions, the closures of stores and a fractured relationship between the brand and the consumer.

Under various CEOs leadership and collection designers, I see J.crew trying very hard to rebrand themselves by being more inclusive with sizes, dropping their price point, recreating the classics along with collaborations with brands like Universal Standard, Cesta Collective and New Balance. I’ve watched J.Crew go from the booming “it” brand of retail to filing bankruptcy and even though we are in the thick of a pandemic, I still have hope of a comeback for this brand. However, this will take time to restructure, understanding what made J.crew an “it”brand and restoring that relationship with the J.crew aficiandos. I was fan and continue to be, J.Crew, I’m cheering for you!