blogger spotlight : nikki chowdhury

Meet Nikki Chowdhury, personal style blogger hailing from the warm sunny land of Australia. Together with her photographer and stylist Gemma Scheetz, she blogs at City of Skirts, a creative outlet for her passionate love for fashion. Documenting everything from everyday personal style to her latest shopping lists, her blog is full of sun-drenched images taken along the city streets of Down Under complete with pieces that can take you from day to night. An avid fan of ASOS and Witchery, she loves pairing luxury accessories with high street pieces, sourcing her wardrobe from a wide array of boutiques all around the world. A self-confessed city girl, Nikki is inspired by everything from city lights and department stores to New York City to Blair Waldorf of Gossip Girl and Olivia Palermo. Amidst making time to blog and study, she also watches cat videos and organizes her wardrobe by colour to pass the time. Read on to find out her favourite lipstick shade, her worst fashion faux pas and more about this month's blogger…

1. What made you decide to start blogging? 

I was doing a course in Industrial Design at university, when all I really wanted to do was study fashion. I was already in my 2nd year so I figured I would stay on with the course, but try to satisfy my creative needs through a hobby instead. Fashion blogging seemed simple enough - I already shopped like a mad woman and had a pretty substantial wardrobe, so I started taking photos of my outfits and here I am today!

2. What inspired you to name your blog City of Skirts? 

When I started my blog, I had just finished watching Gossip Girl. I fell in love with Blair Waldorf's style, particularly how she always wore feminine blouses with beautiful skirts. I've also always considered myself a city slicker - I'm not that crazy about nature and wildlife, and definitely prefer walking down a city street surrounded by lights and department stores rather than walking through the bush in wellies. So, I just put the two together and called it "city of skirts". It pretty much tells you everything you need to know about me - i'm a girly girl and don't take me bush walking!  

3. What is your favourite part in being a personal style blogger?

I really just like documenting my outfits - whenever I'm stumped for something to wear I can look back on them to make them appropriate for the day ahead. It's also great to meet other bloggers who just get you - meeting other people who agree that spending copious amounts of time on Asos is not weird!

eight things i heart about chanel resort 2015.

“It’s much better to imagine an idea, a possibility. It’s a collection made for this part of the world, but I think, and hope, it’s for women all over the world.” - Karl Lagerfeld

Resort in Chanel-sphere, is the season where jet-setting to exotic locations and the epitome of luxury clothes meet. And since setting the bar for Resort as such, Chanel Cruise collections has always been inspired by international cities and the wanderlust of travel. The latest Resort collection was filled with the mystical aura of faraway oriental lands and the magic of Arabian culture, and where better to draw inspiration from and to set the show in than Dubai, the heart of Arabia. {What's more : it has the largest shopping mall on the planet, très futuristic architecture and is the one of the world's top fashion capitals.} Set on the glistening golden sands of Dubai, Cruise 2015 showcased among voluminous and free silhouettes, a kaleidoscope of floral prints, gold tinted looks and half-moon tiaras, turning the models into modern and regal Chanel Scheherazades sashayed effortlessly down the beige runway carpets.

1. THE SET

Like the dreamy city of Dubai, nothing says resort like Chanel's oasis of a modern Bedouin tent, set on the bare warm sand of a private island. adorned with faux palm trees and cacti, the floor piled with beige cushions and rugs, and wooden Persian latticework bearing the iconic interlocking Cs : the perfect place to hold princesses, celebrities and guests from around the world, as well as a grandiose backdrop to offset the glittering black, red and gold hues of the collection.

2. THE BEAUTY

For the hair department of Chanel, bigger has always been better. While Spring 2013 showcased flaring wigs and Fall 2014 blown-up ponytails, Cruise 2015 took it to a whole new level : introducing both a hair bump a la Brigitte Bardot and Diana Ross-esque bouffant curls topped with perfectly pinned crescent moon diadems and diamond set double-C brooches. Completing the seventies-inspired 'dos was an intense smoky-eyed look plated with gold leaves at the end, making the models look every inch the 21st century Arabian princess.

palm trees and sparkling seas.

"The sea is calm, clear, elongated on the sand bodies are studded with shining droplets. A fantasy? No. It's summer."

We love a fierce summer fashion spread, and Vogue Paris, being Vogue Paris, never disappoints. For the coveted June/July issue, supermodel Natasha Poly graces the cover as a sizzling bombshell, taking an afternoon dip in a sparkling azure pool surrounded by the lush palm trees of a picturesque luxury hotel, no doubt in a tropical paradise like Monaco or St.Tropez. In the feature editorial "L'Extase", editor-in-chief Emmanuelle Alt pairs Natasha with up-and-coming face Anna Ewers, smoldering in the sun whilst clad in the finest summer swimwear in the boldest shades of red black and white. Captured by the duo of fashion photography Inez & Vinoodh, this editorial whisks us away to a luxurious summer vacation that only dreams {and Vogue fashion spreads} are made of : seasprayed bodies basking in the glistening warm sun donning only the chic-est poolwear from the likes of Versace, Emilio Pucci, Céline, Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta, posing against clear blue skies and an endless summer horizon, perfectly contrasting against the deep crimsons and crisp whites. From scarlet bikinis to glittery killer pumps, helmets to tailored suits, take notes from this editorial for your holiday must-haves. And since it's a sun-drenched fantasy, swimming in heels are just some of the dream-come-true things that make this editorial truly fascinating.