Shamballa bracelets are the latest fashion jewellery trend across America and Western Europe. Many celebrities from fashion and music scene have been spotted wearing these beautiful Buddhist-inspired bracelets. Shamballa bracelet have become even more popular after A-list celebrities such as Jay-Z, P Diddy, Beyonce , Kim Kardashian and JLS appeared wearing them and trend was firmly set for the devoted fans. It was then picked up by the rest of fashion hungry public and now if you walk out on the streets there surely will be many people wearing them.

Shamballa bracelets were traditionally made from hematite beads and metal, but over time the materials used were taken from the fashion trends at the time of making. Many modern fashion jewellery designs utilise Swarovski crystals, cubic zirconia, plastic, resin, metal or hematite beads, while the more expensive fine jewellery designs would usually have precious gemstones or diamonds. Many Shamballa bracelets are made from waxed linen or nylon string featuring a traditional macramé manual toggle locking mechanism. The popular design element of Shamballa bracelets is a "disco ball" bead which looks like a tiny silver ball with lots of small shiny crystals evenly spread around them to create the characteristic "disco" play of light.

In Tibetan Buddhist tradition Shamballa (also spelled Shambhala or Shambala, Shambhala or Shangri-la) is a mythical kingdom hidden somewhere in Inner Asia. Over the years Shambhala became an epitome of Pure Land in Buddhism. It is a fabulous kingdom which took more spiritual meaning rather than just physical or geographic. The Shambhala myth reached Western cultures as the place of pure spiritual being.

Shamballa bracelets generally express deeply personal connections to epic notions like karma, inner peace, tranquillity and happiness. Many western people began to wear them during yoga sessions, meditation and martial arts practice, although usually the bracelet is bought as a latest fashion trend accessory to be worn every day.

There are may ideas as to what Shamballa bracelet represents and it's meaning is usually a personal choice, but the general idea that is commonly associated with it is to promote one's health and well-being. It is also one of the hottest accessories right now and is a "must-have" for any fashion conscious individual!

"Mirror, mirror on the wall who in the land is fairest of all? - You, my queen, are fairest of all." – That's what I thought looking at myself in the mirror at the shoe boutique yesterday .

Mango peep toe platform high heeled court shoes ... Ah, the epitome of glamour and style. A pair of head-turners and jaw-droppers making men's hearts beat faster. Killer shoes! One word that is missing from this list – comfort. Taking the last glance in the mirror I proved it again that beauty is pain. Nah. I loved the shoes but they would kill my legs by the end of a 9-hour work day.

Let's be honest, like most other girls I grew up with the weight on my shoulders of Vogue, Elle and other guides to style and life in general that taught and opened up many things to me but also somehow made me deceive myself that fashion demands a sacrifice. For me it was always a choice between comfort and style, and the scales often tipped in favour to the latter. It did repay though with admiring gazes and compliments and that was probably worth all the corns .

Now that I'm approaching the 30 year mark (sigh), the scales start turning to comfort. What's more important – I realized I don't have to choose. Who said comfortable things can't be stylish? (uggs are forever!). I tend to choose comfy outfits and let jewellery do the work. Yep, jewellery is my helping hand in creating an elegant look. I prefer to invest more time and money into accessories (the pay day is coming – yeeehaaa!). The same dress would look different with a different set of necklace and earrings. That definitely goes lighter on my budget.

As I was about to finish writing, this "what if" type of thought kept bugging me. Can't help it but I need these shoes . Like a strategic weapon preserved for a special occasion – a woman should have something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour. Okay, you got me, I confess. I'm a beauty and fashion slave. We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious . Going to get those shoes tomorrow!

Thomas Crown: Do you play?
Vickie Anderson: Try me.

I can't think of a sexier couple than Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). I love the dress Faye is wearing in the chess scene. An airy, delicate, ivory-cream halter mini-dress. An instant classic. No accessories, just a modest brooch holding together cascades of silk and chiffon streaming down Faye's silhouette. Check it out on YouTube, the one with Galt MacDermot's tune Coffee Cold. It's poetry.

That would be my ideal look for a date in summer. Playful and chic with a droplet of Nina Ricci on my wrist. I would go a bit lighter on makeup. Can't blame Faye though. Hey, those were the sixties and false lashes were a must. But in any case, those were the sexy sixties.

The sixties fashion has been one of the most diverse and stylish. Elegant Jacqueline Kennedy followed by women all over the world trying to get the Jackie look, iconic and graceful Audrey Hepburn (in Breakfast at Tiffany's, 1961), Brigitte Bardot, a seductive femme fatale in a bikini. This is one of the decades that I'm really thankful for. Thankful for suede mini-skirts, medallion necklaces, French manicure, go-go boots, moccasins, gypsy-style skirts, peace signs and the four greatest men with long sideburns – the Beatles.

Sometimes you don't have to invent anything but re-discover. I think I'll have a quiet retro sixties evening tonight and play a game of chess .

It didn't take long for my stepmom and me to become a really good company for each other. One of the touch points that bonded us close together was ... tennis. I've never been a sporty person so even big events never attracted my attention but it changed when I first watched tennis matches with Juan Carlos Ferrero and Justine Henin whooshing to their champion titles through the clay courts of French Open in 2003.

With every Grand Slam, tennis has revealed itself to me as a game of not only physical challenge and endurance but strategic planning and brainwork put into every set, along with beauty, style and fashion.

The boldest outfits and jewellery on court - who would you think of first? The Sisters, of course. With a little bit of the pit-bull attitude toward to the game and controversial choices in tennis apparel and accessories, these beauties are always a pleasure to watch. This year at the French Open cameras zoomed in at piquant angles of Venus Williams wearing what I first thought was a negligee or as some sources called it "a cancan dress to audition to Moulin Rouge". It definitely got all the media and Internet buzzing. No offense, Venus and Serena are one of the most talented and powerful players but sometimes their chunky jewellery is too chunky, their risqué outfits are too risqué. But again, that's my problem, I guess, if I don't like it .

Maria Sharapova, a long-time Tiffany's friend, is more appealing to me in her jewellery preferences and style in general. Maria teamed up with Tiffany to present Elsa Peretti's collection of mesh earrings this season through all four Grand Slams. I think it's a hit because all pieces are beautiful, light to wear and just a fab find for any occasion. Can't wait for the US Open to see what they will choose for New York.

I hope Justine Henin is going to make to the US Open as well at the end of August (though she has had an injury at Wimbledon in June). As for her style, it's simple. She used to wear a wedding ring. Now it's just a watch. Honestly, Justine can wear anything she likes, I will still adore her. That's probably because she's my fave .

Talking about tennis and jewellery, there's a special name for the thin bracelets: tennis bracelets. These usually have crystals (or diamonds) arranged in one or two elegant rows, some of these bracelets are also stretchy. The idea is that you can wear them while playing tennis and still being comfortable.

Apparently the name "tennis bracelet" stuck when in 1987 Chris Evert, the World number 1 woman tennis player at the time, was playing in the US Open. She was wearing an elegant diamond bracelet which accidentally broke and the match had to be interrupted to allow Chris to pick up her precious diamonds. The "tennis bracelet" incident obviously drawn a lot of press attention and the name has stuck since, as a general reference for all thin bracelets that looked like the original one from the incident.

Leaving all things aside, the most important thing that matters at the end of the day is the game. If you ask me if we had any fashion faux pas on court, let's say, during the season of 2004 I would need to google to recall if there were any. The season of 2004 carved in my memory with two names - Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clement. These two modern-day gladiators clashed into the battle of the century. 6 hours and 33 minutes of nerves and "no guts, no glory" attitude. This record of the longest match in history was beaten this year at Wimbledon by John Isner and Nicolas Mahut. Are you ready? 11 hours and 5 minutes. O.M.G. That's what I want from the game. I don't want it to go all nice and smooth. I need drama. I need no happy endings. Cruel maniac? No, just a selfish spectator.

Thanks to my stepmom I didn't miss these epic games. She has unveiled one more thing to me. Yoga every Saturday. Ommmm .

Or it's better to say Monday mourning. Yes, Honey, rise and shine. It's time you harvest what you've sown during the weekend. But you had a great time, right?.. Wait, where did we stop? Morning. The smell of burning toasts, a sip of hot coffee (ouch!), and you're out swirling into the honking sounds of the awakening city.

Oh, boy...

I love Fridays, Saturdays and even Thursdays. And I just abhor Sundays (because they come before Mondays) and the Monday itself obviously. But no matter what day is breaking over the horizon, the most important question I ask myself – what shall I wear today, hmm?

Dressing for another workday in the office can become a nightmare if your goal is "dress to impress" or "dress for success". Well, it depends on the nature of your job, of course. Personally I don't have any strict dress code rules. I don't like the word rules anyway. Just a few guidelines – the right word – that I keep in mind choosing what dress or suit to wear.

The main guideline is to avoid toos. After you think you are ready to go, take a final, critical look in the mirror. You don't want to look too informal or too sloppy, too strict or too sexy ( hey, don't distract people from doing their work properly ). Choose simple and elegant things. But you don't want to look too plain either. That's when jewellery can help brighten up a little.

An elegant bracelet or a simple necklace with matching earrings will help create the right message you would like to send out to your colleagues about your personality and attitude to work. But don't get too upset if someone at work doesn't get your message correctly . Remember like every cloud has a silver lining, every week has a Friday coming soon.