A STYLISHLY UNCONVENTIONAL UNION

Photograph courtesy of Dave Richards.

I celebrate my gratitude for a very fashionable friendship this month.

I greatly admire Michael Stanton. Our shared love and passion for fashion brought us together, which I hope you take from this featured photo. To find others who value what I value in terms of style and dressing is a godsend. Do we share identical tastes? No. If you have ever listened to our Instagram Live sessions, you would have discovered that we part to our own fashion houses on some roads. We’re different individuals, as are our tastes in some respects. He prefers Vans. I am a Chuck Taylor devotee.

For a recent celebration together, I authored him a poem which I read aloud while we sipped out of his vintage crystal glasses in his luxe lounge, pictured above. I also gave his wife a bottle of Veuve; Michael gifted me nothing. Doesn’t matter. He loves a drink, so my gift was well received, and his friendship plus fashion foresight is gift enough. That’s the value. Our shared atelier interest is the joining force that brings us together today. What clothes can do for the individual we both find fully fascinating.

In a few weeks, we will all be putting on the glad rags to celebrate love and happiness. We devote one day to looking special and making our partner feel that way, too. To look good is to feel good, so why not put this much effort into our self-love on the daily? Like love, personal style is a journey best curated through commitment.

For this month’s Couture, I have stayed true to the season of love with pieces that will help you colourfully celebrate Valentine’s and its classic colours. These are perfect pinkish hues, deep reds, and fresh BEATS that could double as a gift or just have you looking cool for Cupid.

I have also included my current read by famed Vogue Fashion Editor Andre Leon Talley, The Chiffon Trenches. His insider stories prove that perseverance through pain does pay off; how to be resilient in times of uncertainty can produce both pretty pieces and practices.

Kia’s Couture picks for February are here.