SS08: The "IT" Shoes

The other day when I was at the hair salon flicking through Vogue, I came across what they claimed to be the new "it" shoe this season- these Etro sandals below.
The term "it" shoes is apt. Cousin IT shoes that is. First Prada had these fringe things all over the place SS07, and now these shoes. Gladiator sandals with fringe piled on, I really don't see the attraction. They kind of look like sandals pretending to be boots or the other way around. Just not quite right.
No matter how they matched it on the Etro runway, there MUST be other better footwear out there to match these cute printed outfits. More simpler sandals perhaps? Heels? Barefoot??? Just when I thought perhaps it was just a one off random thing, I see the exact likeness on the Zara display window. For a moment I worried that this will become a prominent feature in daily fashion (it IS Zara after all). However, HG has convinced me that this is just one of those fashion items that are picked to featured to look cool (I don't know where they get these ideas from) but not really meant for mass consumption- or so I hope. Fingers crossed!

I mean, would YOU wear this????

Image Source: Elle.com

The Cult of the Luxury Brand

I love book shopping. Strolling leisurely along the aisles with rows and rows of books, you never know what treasures you might come across. Some of my best discoveries have been books that had randomly caught my eye. I like to think its fate. This is probably why I love book shopping. But anyway, my latest treasure has been, "The Cult of the Luxury Brand," by Radha Chadha and Paul Husband. I'm sure you can imagine why it might have caught my attention.... This book focuses on the cult of the luxury brand in Asia, which takes up 37% of the $80bn USD global luxury brand market, while Europe and US only take up 35% and 24% respectively. I think in this case, "cult" is definitely the right word. Living in one of the centers of this phenomenon, and admittedly to most degrees being part of it, I've always wonder why we behave the way we do. And as much as I wince at being labeled as part of the luxury glutton society, I must say, Chadha and Husband comes up with some intriguingly insightful points.

Their main thesis is that "luxury brands are a modern set of symbols that Asians are wearing to redefine their identity and social position," which I guess for the most part is true, but that is kind of obvious. Here are a few other points which I thought were interesting:

• The Spread of Luxury model, where they split the luxury evolution in Asia to 5 stages: Subjugation, Start of Money, Show Off, Fit In and Way of life. I think they are all pretty self explanatory and pretty accurate
• The single parasites is the group of young women aged 20-35 in Asia who are still living at home with their parents. Since they do not have to pay for rent etc, they have a larger disposable income to spend on luxury goods- which they do in hoards!
• One of the reasons that luxury consumption is so big in Japan is because while the Western culture celebrates individuality, the Japanese culture (and indeed most Asian cultures ) places great emphasis on conformity and fitting in. So when the majority of people wear luxury brands, the rest of the people need to wear it too. That is probably why 94% of Japanese woman in their 20s own a Louis Vuitton
  
• In Tokyo (and other small cities I suppose), because the apartments are so small and expensive, it is difficult to show off wealth and success. And so people have turned to luxury brands as the best way to display their success- by literally wearing it!
  
• For the Chinese, their love for brands stems from their Confucius roots, which places a lot of importance on "family face." And so, today Chinese see luxury brands as a way to show "face" and signify their success
  
• In Hong Kong, luxe consumption has been adopted as the central ideology. Making money and blowing it on the luxuries of life is the one thing that the people are clear about, while on everything else, from politics, culture to patriotism, ambiguity reigns. Coming from Hong Kong, I must say, I totally agree
• In Korea, there is a clash between their love for luxe (Burberry is apparently the Korean word for trench coat!) and their culture. Luxe consumption is seen as "sinful" since frugality and moderation is very big in their culture. Additionally, nationalism is also very big and so wearing imported goods is also frowned upon. No wonder Koreans typically dress in more subtle designer brands (those I know anyway)!
  

These are just some of the more interesting points that I remember off hand. At this point, I'd usually expend on how awesome this book is and how much I love it. But I find that this time, I cannot quite do that because I am still unsure about my feelings towards this book. On one hand, I thought it made some very clever, valid and insightful points about this phenomena. But on the other, I felt that it made the consumers caught in the heat of this phenomena sound like a bunch of fools continuously chasing after greater materialism trying to fit in and outdo each other at the same time. Maybe they were just writing it as it is and I just took it too personally because I admit that despite being fully aware of this materialistic path I am taking, I am still part of this phenomenon. Maybe the truth is just hard for me to accept, when put down so matter-of-factly. But I still cannot help but feel defensive. Now you can see why I feel so unsure about this book.

Image Source: Cult of the Luxury Brand

How Not To Wear Colour Leggings

First off I must confess I haven't worn colour leggings myself before. I am simply not creative or bothered enough to actually buy them and do the whole mixing and matching thing with the rest of the outfit. Hypothetically, if I were to wear colour leggings, I would probably just do it the boring and simple way: colour leggings with a casual black dress like in the picture above. And yes, I know it's spring now and leggings is more of a F/W thing, but I thought I would share some of my observations here.

As the title suggests, these are my observations of how not to wear colour leggings/tights. A few weeks ago, I saw someone on the streets wearing something like this:

A bright yellow tee (way brighter than the tee in this image,) a green, half-length trenchcoat, a flowery skirt (very popular in UK highstreet stores this season) and bright, solid red leggings. OK, so obviously I am not a colourful dresser, but I'm usually pretty open minded about style. Now I'm not criticising this girl's outfit exactly (-I'm all for personal style), but I do think that she went overboard with the colours. Wearing solid green on the top (the coat) and solid red at the bottom (the leggings) just does not look cool, arguably except for Christmas day. If you wear colour leggings, please refrain from wearing ten million other colours. Really, colour leggings are colourful themselves already.

And just yesterday, I saw a women who looked at least 45 yrs old wearing shorts and bright red leggings. I'm not actually sure of her age, but she certainly didn't look that young from afar. Sure, colour leggings are fun, but isn't it something that is more for younger women? Is it wrong for me to think the maximum age that anyone should wear these colour leggings is 30? And I don't mean to discriminate against age, but I just really believe in dressing suitably for one's age.

There you go: just a bit of how not to on colour leggings. What are your thoughts on my two points?

Image source: www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk, www.topshop.com

Toywatch

Now I'm not one for watches really. In fact, I haven't worn one since I grew out of Swatch and cannot quite afford a Cartier yet. Also I secretly think that I might have been so spoilt by the digital clock on my mobile that I now find it hard to read analogs. But I'm not quite ready to admit that to myself yet. But anyway, despite all that, my interest was peaked the other day when my cousin mentioned that he wanted to get a Toywatch- especially when I found out that it can be found within the stylish walls of Lane Crawford. So I decided to take a look.
For those unfamiliar, Toywatch are known for their lightweight, over sized plastic watches. I was pleasantly surprised by the designs. They are simple and elegant, with just the right amount of fun in the colors and the clear plastic material. I love the colors and designs of the two above. Priced at around $200USD each, they are great a great accessory to match your outfits with. If I was the watch wearing type and had resources to spare (one can always dream), I'd totally get a few!
Besides those fun ones, they also have ones that kind of resemble more classic designs. Like this white plastic one (left) from the Plasteramic collection, which is designed to look like those oh-so-sought-after ceramic watches but is not. And the one on the right looks remarkably like all those watches that I would describe as "elegant, feminine and delicate" from various luxury watch brands.
Naturally, in this day of super luxing everything, even a brand called Toywatch has a super luxe line. They have it in the form of this black ceramic collection (left). Now this is actually ceramic and not plastic pretending to be ceramic. The design is very elegant and sleek looking. Priced at $1500, its not bad for a ceramic watch- if only it didn't so resemble the J12 Chanel watches (right), which are priced at 5 times that price. Now it just looks like a ceramic watch pretending to be a J12. Not that there is anything wrong with that, Zara does it all the time, but this one is not even cheap! Personally, if I was going to fork out $1500 for a ceramic watch, I'd rather save up longer and get the original one.

Image Source: ToyWatch and Chanel

Checking Out H&M Spring 2008

I've been seeing this H&M print ad everywhere I go, mainly on billboards and in magazines, in London and Hong Kong. I feel like I'm being chased after by this pretty yellow image of Raquel and a wall of flowers telling me that: a) it's Spring! b) Wear yellow! c) Go shop at H&M now! After stalking H&M's website for awhile, they've finally updated their website last week with some of their Spring's offering.

The instant I saw this colour-block, T-shirt dress in the campaign image (worn by Raquel -not this image but the same dress,) I thought, wow, I really want this! It's such an easy, summer casual dress. I love the colour blocks of black, pink and orange together. It's just the splash of colour that I've been wanting in my wardrobe, and since I'm not bothered or creative enough to actually buy seperate colourful pieces and match them together, it's so nice to have the crazy colours put together in one dress in a stylish, easy-to-wear way.

So the next day (last Thur,) I rushed to an H&M store to check out the dress and they only had one size left, and of course it wasn't my size. It is so hard for me to actually find something I want from H&M (or from any store) and it was sold out -I was SO disappointed! It was even sadder when I found out that the dress is seriously affordable -it costs only about 199HKD (=26USD.) I am a bit annoyed that the H&M store was displaying this dress at the display windows when they hardly had any sizes or stock left. I always thought H&M was all about the volume business so I just assumed they'd always have sizes available. Obviously I was wrong. Lesson of the day: Check out these stores more frequently!

The other thing I liked on the website was this bright pink, silk-material-looking dress. It looks perfect for a night out, and since it's not expensive, I wouldn't feel bad if someone spilled drinks on it or if the place was smoky. Alas, they were also out of my size.

As for this red and white flowery top, it's not that I particularly like or dislike it. I thought I would post it up here because I swear I keep seeing people on the streets wearing it! And when I was browsing through a few online stores, I saw something very similar by Marc by Marc Jacobs. So expect to see a lot of red and white flowery tops near you this summer!

Have you checked out H&M's Spring's clothes yet? What do you think of the clothes?

Image source: www.hm.com/gb (Note that the prices are in Pounds.)

Yet Another Black Blazer

Two years ago when I bought my fitted Juicy black blazer with velvet lapels, I thought I was done with this staple. One good quality one is all I thought I'd need. But then this other black blazer popped up on the rack and it had gorgeous silk mini ruffles on the neck collar and black subtle pinstripes AND it was 70% off. I couldn't resist. Then this summer, there was this super fitted dark gray (with a hint of sparkle), 3/4 sleeved blazer with this to die for fancy double layered collar thing also on sale- I had to have it. So really, one can reasonably conclude that I've reached my quota for black blazers. For the record, I have had great mileages for all of them- so they were all completely worth it. Unfortunately recently, I find my eyes wandering again in the black blazer arena.......
While I have enough sharply fitted blazers that stops flatteringly at the waist, I don't have any more loosely shaped blazers that stops at the lower waist. And thus I cannot achieve the totally casual chic look shown above by the Stella McCartney blazer (left) and the Paul & Joe blazer (right) with the sleeves scrunched up. Loosely fitted yet tailored they are the perfect compliment to the more loosely fitted styles that is the trend of late. I saw Heidi Klum wear such a blazer over a cute dress on Project Runway this season (or I thought I did, since I looked back and could not find it!), and thought, wow I need one of those! I was just facing such a dilemma the other day when I was wearing a dress and couldn't find an appropriate jacket to wear over it. All my other black blazers are simply too fitted and short that it makes the whole look too proper and put together, which totally defeats the current style of casual chic dresses. This more casually fitted blazer cutting neatly solves the problem. The above styles from Tucker (left) and Theory (right) demonstrates my point perfectly. Also note the yellow and gray color theme going on here with the Tucker blazer and the Paul & Joe blazer look.
This blazer also works for a more casual office chic look as seen above from the Zara catalog. They even have a sleeveless version for the summer! Sigh.... I think I've almost convinced myself that I need yet another black blazer with this post. It seems like such an investment staple! Or do I?

Image Source: Zara, Shopbop, Net a Porter and Elle

Fancy Hair Accessories

I used to wonder why accessories stores would sell these fancy hair accessories as if they were popular hair accessories because I had imagined that they were only suitable for fancy daytime events, like for a wedding in a garden or an old-fashioned Sunday brunch, which I supposed not many people attended these days (esp young people.)

But ever since Gossip Girl, I have started seeing hairbands and other similar hair accessories in a different light. (OK, so the huge red bow with Blair's school uniform is a bit over the top, but the others are usually cute.)
So when I went into Accessorize (the UK version of a much better Claire's) last week, as soon as I saw those fancy hair stuff, I rushed over. The first one I held this red rolled sinemay one against my hair. I LOVED it! It was unexpectedly pretty and just so different from what I usually see on myself. Believe me, I've always thought these things were fussy and old-fashioned but I just loved the way the material formed pretty loops on my head.

So I went back to check the hair accessories on Gossip Girl and apparently my preconception that these hair accessories were for brunches weren't completely off -Blair wore one to the grand brunch hosted by Chuck's dad in Episode 102. The one Blair is wearing is so pretty! It's a simple, classic design without being boring.

Here's a similar one to the one Blair is wearing. It's the black version of the red one I tried on. I didn't think the black one looked that great on me because my hair is black -the red one totally stood out more.

Maybe it's the pokka dots, but this one definitely gives off a more dressed-up vibe. It really looks like the ones one would wear to a garden wedding, (where older ladies would wear those fancy hats! Wait, or is it at funerals?)

I couldn't resist including this pink feathers with beads accessory -it's so girly in a non-cutsy way.

This silver sequin and feather accessory looks young and trendy. Perhaps one can even wear it on a fun night out (complete with a 20's styled outfit)?

So yes, maybe I have been brainwashed by Gossip Girl, but if I had a themed party to go to, I would totally try one of these out! Happy Easter holidays people!

Image Credits: http://www.youknowyouloveme.org/, http://www.accessorize.co.uk/

A Trip to New Zealand

Usually on a holiday, one of the main attractions for me is the shopping. Even if it is the usual department store stuff I can get back home, I still do it. When it comes to the actual tourist attractions, likes views and such, I am the type to just take a picture with/of it and be on my way. But lately, I've been feeling a need for change of scenery, probably because I've been living in the concrete jungle,where whenever I step foot out the door there is shopping- and they're not even on sale yet!- for too long.

My trip to Auckland, New Zealand was just the retreat I needed! It was all so incredibly peaceful and tranquil being there. So refreshing to not be accosted by shop after shop of merchandise tempting me. In fact, the experience was completely different from my usual vacations. Instead of finding the prospect of being outdoors very scary and frankly rather boring, for once I actually stopped and appreciated it all- and it was nice.
Our first stop on my arrival was a drive up Mount Eden, which is an inactive volcano in the middle of Auckland. Now you can only see the the crater of it covered in grass, with cows grazing in the center of it (left). Tourists are not allowed down into the area, because it is really quite steep (not to mention tourists would errode the grass). Mount Eden also happens to be the highest point in Auckland, and as you can see (right), affords us a very nice 360 view of the city.
The next morning, we went for the America's Cup Yacht Sailing experience as part time members of the crew, helping roll the sails up/down and taking a turn at the wheel- its hard work! And even though the weather had been summer-like all week, out on sea, it was surprisingly cold. Not at all what I'd imagined sailing weather to be- good thing I brought a sweater!
Despite the unexpected weather, it was a wonderful 2 hours. The weather was perfect and the view was absolutely breathtaking. Shown here is the view of Auckland downtown and the view of the Rangitoto Island- which my friend tells me looks like this from all around. How cool! I especially love how the white clouds/ blue sky compliments the scenery (I have a thing for blue skies and white clouds).
Seeing as how I was in the land of the sheep, I thought it was only appropriate that I went to see a proper sheep show (even though one can see sheep/cows practically anywhere over there). It was surprisingly interesting. Basically they put on a show very much like the one in Babe (the movie), except using dogs instead of pigs of course (left). It was impressive how well the dog is trained, it was like a robot! Then we were shown how a sheep is sheared (right). It was really quite cool! And afterwards we even got to feed the lambs and they were just darling!
That night, we then went to Parnell for dinner. Its an adorable old quaint street full of cafes etc. Unfortunately by the time we finished dinner, it was already pass 10pm and the Chocolate Boutique Cafe was closed. It is the most darling-est place ever, luckily I got to go back later for a cup of hot cocoa, which was divine.

Then we headed to our next stop (yes it was a LOONG day)- the Minus 5 Bar. Basically it was a small room made of ice, decorated with ice sculptures that is very very cold. Even the cups they served drinks in were made of ice! It was VERY cool. I absolutely loved it. Way better than the little "ice room" we have here at Balalaika in HK. Unfortunately even with borrowed uggs (they have hygiene socks- thank god!), gloves and coat, it was still very cold, so we didn't stay for too long. Kind of reminded me of my days waiting for the bus to come during the Chicago winters. Haha.
The next morning (Sunday), we woke up at 7.30am and participated in the Round the Bays charity walk/run! This is definitely not something I'd usually do in my home town. Definitely unique. I heard that so many people on the streets at once is not a common Kiwi sight. Luckily the weather was really good, cool and cloudy- perfect for a walk. We completed the 8.4km walk in 1 hour and 33 minutes!
After THAT we recovered with a 3 hour nap and a few further hours of laziness at the Piha beach, munching on pizza, reading and waiting for/watching the sunset. Its a truly beautiful beach a hour away from the city. The sand is supposedly volcanic dust or something, so its darker than usual. Not a swimming beach though, cause the waves are too strong. But its fun to walk along the shores. It was soo nice, I actually wanted to stay there forever- and I'm not even a beach person! I do believe I am now a newly converted beach at sunset/out of direct sunlight person!
And on my last day in Auckland, I jumped out of a plane. It seemed the thing to do in Kiwi land. Once I got there of course I started freaking out. The idea of defying years of well trained instincts and jumping out of a plane seemed like an insane idea. What if the parachute doesn't open? What if I die? But then I figured that I've come half way across the world for this and its now or never. If I do it when I get older, I have a higher chance of dying from a heart attack! So I paid and before I knew it, I was strapped and was on an one-way plane that will take me up to the height of 12,000 km. One way because it wasn't designed for landing with passengers (no seatbelts!). 20 minutes later I was up there. And then, before I knew it, the door was opened and I was pushed out into the sky. After the initial shock/scare though, I realized that I was falling down in the sky and the feeling was INCREDIBLE. I'd imagined it to be like one of those things in the theme park where they drop you down from a height x 100, but no, this was nothing like that. Your heart stays inside your body and there's just this RUSH coursing through you as you fall. And too soon, the parachute was opened and I was floating comfortably down to land. It was AWESOME. I am so glad I did it. The experience was totally worth all the nerves and scare going up!

Sigh I wish I was back there! Now I think I know what "retreat" means and why people want to go to the middle of nowhere and just relax and enjoy the scenery and be away from the hustle bustle and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the city from time to time.

Ps. Click on the images for a better look!

Sun Dresses For A Sunny Day Out

OK, so my title is misleading: obviously you can wear sun dresses on non-sunny days too, but it sounded catchy. Plus, in some ways it does make more sense to wear sun dresses on sunny days because the skirt of the dress is so full and volumous that you would probably get yourself (or at least the skirt bit) wet from the rain, since as well all know, umbrellas don't cover us up 100%. Oops, I'm rambling. Moving on...

Isn't this such a cute picture? I'm pretty indifferent to Sienna Miller (as an actress or suppsedly style icon,) but I can't help but think that while Sienna and her dog certainly look cute, her dress really makes the whole image even more pretty and complete. I mean, imagine her in skinny jeans -the picture wouldn't look as pretty right? Since I've seen this picture, I've started noticing sun dresses around. They just seem like a nice S/S08 staple to one's summer daywear selection. Check these out:

Sienna Miller is of course, the Miller sisters' fashion line, Twenty8Twelve's best PR + walking manequin. And since I'm mentioning this, it's only fair to show this pretty front frill dress by Twenty8Twelve.
But since I'm not willing to pay that much for a sun dress, I move onto high street stores. Top Shop's got this simple sun dress for 25 pounds. The bright blue is very 'in' for this season and perfect for those of you think a white sun dress is too basic. (Although note that Top Shop does make a white version.) I like the button details in the front because those little buttons just seem to make the sun dresses less cutsy.
And for those who don't want plain coloured dresses and want some details, the new Kate Moss Top Shop collection (-so new that it was just released today,) has these black or white lurex dresses available. To be honest, from my past experience of seeing the Kate Moss Top Shop stuff in the stores, the clothes tend to look a bit cheap -maybe not cheap looking but probably not worth the premium they added for Kate Moss' name.

Anyways, don't sun dresses just look so cheerful and perfect for a sunny day out? I blame the full and swirly skirt.

Image Credits: www.topshop.com, www.asos.com

Mobile Art Exhibit Hong Kong 2008

After much hype, I finally went to the Mobile Art exhibit early last week. I even picked an earlier time so then there'd be less people! Turns out I worried for nothing, because they limit the number of people in the exhibit and allow people in at 15 minute intervals. So if you are planning to go, go online to HK Ticketing and reserve a space, the reservation fee is 10HKD. Or you can try your luck and walk in, but then the time slot might be full.

Just in case you missed my previous babbling, this Mobile Art exhibit is the latest Chanel/Lagerfeld project, and is basically a traveling contemporary art container featuring the works of 20 international artists inspired by the Chanel 2.55 bag. It will be traveling around the world for two years, bringing the art to the people. Its first stop is Hong Kong. From there, it will be heading to Tokyo, New York, London, Moscow and finally Paris.

Onto the exhibit. Located on the top of a parking lot at the Star Ferry, it faces the dazzling harbor front and is surrounded by the tall bustling buildings of Central that makes up the business center of HK. Against such a backdrop, it truly felt like an UFO had landed.
The UFO, or more accurately the collapsible "art container" designed by Zaha Hadid is a stunning piece of modern architect in itself. It is like nothing I'd seen before in such a grand scale. It is curvy, sleek, white and elegant...I think I just described Chanel! Once I was inside, I further marveled at how the interior too was curvy, sleek, white and elegant- not a single flat wall in sight! I wonder how it stays up! You must go to the Mobile Art website to take a virtual tour. After checking in my purse, I was assisted to put on a Creative MP3 around my neck and headphones. Then I chose a language (they offer English, Cantonese, Chinese, Japanese, French and maybe some other) adjusted the volume, hit play- and the journey began.

They cleverly time it so that we all start our journey at different times, so it truly IS an individual experience- no mingling or pointing things out to one another. We were each in our own world listening and going at the pace of our own soundtrack. And I mean that literally. The little voice in our head sets the mood and guides us through the exhibit piece by piece, giving us time to appreciate in between before telling us to move on, go up the stairs or turn left. For those of you who have directional problems like me- don't worry, there are people around to point you in the right way. Now I've debated for a few days now the degree of detail I should blog about this, because the details of the exhibit have obviously not been publicized for a reason. It really is something that one has to experience for themselves to fully appreciate. So here I thought I will just highlight a few of my most vivid pieces to wet your appetite (I don't remember the exact names, but i will just give the best description I can):

• The reflection piece. Once you walk into the dark room, you are told to sit and in front of you, you will see a strip of water on the floor. And reflected in it, you will see the bustling activities of a row of Parisian houses going about their daily tasks. Through the windows you see people eating breakfast, preparing to leave for the evening, turning on/off the lights, the lighting showing the time of day, from night, dawn and sunset. In the background, you can hear the buzzing sounds coming from these houses. And then the voice says that everything looks more beautiful in reflection, but that he wanted to "be part of what is going to happen" and we moved on.....I thought that was very neat and I loved it
• As we exit the room we are lead to examine various pieces of work in front of us. One collection in particular, I really enjoyed. And it was the 6 carton boxes placed in two rows along the room. We are told to look inside the boxes and in it, you see a short little repeating skit projected from above, of naked women (and men) interacting with the 2.55 bag. Most memorably, I remember a naked woman lying belly down on top of the 2.55 swimming across the box and in another box, two women were fighting over the 2.55!
• Towards the end, you will see a gigantic 2.55 with the flap opened revealing an opened Chanel compact powder box inside. And in the mirror of that compact box is a video of models practicing shooting with 2.55 bags as the target! Something about the powder of the compact box resembling that of gunpowder. I've definitely not thought of it that way.
• And lastly, my favourite, was when we were at the wall where stripes of rice paper are found and was told to write down a wish on it and then hang it up on the tree next to the desk. I'm not sure that was even a piece of art, but I liked the idea of making a wish and leaving a mark at the exhibit. (Though I'm sure they have to stripe that tree everyday to accommodate all the wishes!)

Before you leave the exhibit, you are also handed this free booklet as a souvenir. Inside, is some quite comprehension information about this exhibit, interviews with Hadid, Lagerfeld and the other international artists and photographs of Hong Kong, Tokyo and a Chanel collection featuring Devon Aoki, along with some other things. It almost made up for the ban on photography inside the exhibit! Almost.

And that was only a small part of the exhibit! At the risk of sounding like I work on the marketing team of this project (which I unfortunately do not), you simply MUST go see it for yourselves!

Not that I am saying that it was a wonderful brilliant artistic and life altering experience and so you must go, because if I did, it would only be because its Chanel. As quite frankly, I cannot say that I understood much of the meaning behind most of the exhibits. I wandered through dazed trying to absorb everything. I came out still slightly dazed and confused, but one thing I DO know is that it was definitely a unique experience. Unique experiences do not occur frequently in this jaded world we live in and THAT is why I think everyone should go.

Always the economist, I wonder how this project is being funded. Everything from admission to the booklet was free. And the creation, maintainence and transportation of this project (its takes 51 tanks to transport this structure by boat!) is certainly not cheap!

Image Source: Chanel Mobile Art

My Day of Holding an Oversized Clutch

Oversized clutches are all the rage this season. If you haven't 'tried out' this trend yet, imagine holding onto a bag with your hands the whole time you're walking around and trying to rush to your next destination.

So last summer, I had plans to have lunch with a friend of my mum's at a fancy restaurant. It was a rare occassion for me since I usually don't spend more than a sandwich's worth of money on lunch, or actually get up early enough to have lunch out (-hey, it was the summer holidays!) The thought of a fancy lunch put me in a weird, cheerful mood, which prompted me to only carry a large clutch. I was probably imagining myself to be a Hollywood girl about to be photographed by the paparazzis. Like I said, my brain was clearly not awake yet. So I painfully transferred most things from my normal, larger hangbag into a smaller, oversized clutch. My clutch is basically a larger version of this Marni clutch. It's very simple and made of patent leather.

Here's how my day went: I felt very glamorous at first, clutching onto my shiny clutch and rushing to lunch. But as the day went on, I had to go to a few places to run errands and let me tell you, it is very inconvenient to have to hold onto a clutch while carrying other paperbags, listening to your iPod and trying to dig out your wallet for the underground ticket/card. The novelty quickly wore off. The said clutch is now more of a dinner-out-only clutch. As for daytime, I will stick to bags that have handles or straps attached.

Have you tried carrying an oversized clutch for daytime yet?

Image Credit: www.net-a-porter.com

Happy St Patrick's Day

Happy (early!)St Patrick's Day everyone! It took me a while, but I think I finally figured out what this day is all about: getting drunk on beer and looking green. Since I'm not a fan of beer nor of getting drunk, I think I'll focus on the latter: looking green- stylishly of course. Getting into the spirit of spring, I'm loving these cheerful looking dresses from Tibi (left) and See by Chloe (right).

Since it is not quite warm yet, I think this green coat from FCUK (left) is awesome, the model looks so cool and this season. On the other side of the temperature scale, this paisley dress from J Crew (right) is just the thing for a beach holiday.
And for the night, we have this green Raphael dress, which is my absolute favourite! I love how the gold prints line the dress in absolutely the most flattering way. And for something simpler, we have this plainer, but still very stylishly cut with cute bubble sleeves, dress from 3.1 Phillip Lim (right).
Green eye shadows are also quite the thing this season and are everywhere. This Ponder Four Piece (left) from Bare Escentuals is to-die-for! And for something with a bit more variety, DuWop also has this lovely green eye palette (right), though I'm not so sure exactly how green it really is from this picture.
For more subtle hints of green (or if you're just looking for something to match your green outfits), these green Mawi teardrop earrings are PERFECT. I love them. Its so elegant and sophisticated. For something more casual for the day time, there is this Monica Vinader Luna cluster necklace. Doesn't quite compare to the teardrops, but they'll do for the day.

The great thing about everything on this list is of course that they are all perfectly wearable outside of St. Patrick's day!

Image Source: Sephora, Shopbop, Net a Porter, FCUK and J Crew

S/S08 Trend: Jumpsuits Continued

Last June, I blogged about how I didn't particularly like jumpsuits. And after looking through the S/S08 collections on style.com, I thought jumpsuits have become a thing of 2007. But it seems like my brain was so desperate for this trend to be over that it just missed the jumpsuits in the S/S collections. Vogue.co.uk identifies them:

Stella McCartney designed a few printed, light-weight, long-sleeved jumpsuits. They look like they're for people who are bumming around the countryside, and the one in the middle looks like PJs.
Bottega Veneta and Moschino both had tailored, summery-looking jumpsuits.

Many highstreet retailers have jumped on board and are now selling them:
Urban Outfitters (US) has a few styles. These are very casual and relaxed looking. These are way too casual and PJ-looking for me, but believe me, the models in these jumpsuits look very cool in UO's Spring catalogue images!
Even Lacoste (left) came out with a preppy version of jumpsuit. And the blue jumpsuit on the left (from UO) looks very LA-style.
Jumpsuits like this red, camisole version by Top Shop is one big reason why I don't like this trend. Seriously, does anyone actually just wear this and walk around the streets? Talk about cheap-looking and skimpy!
Although to be fair, Top Shop is also selling these two cute versions. (To my horror,) I actually really like the flower-printed jumpsuit on the left. It probably wouldn't suit me and I certainly won't dish out 45 pounds for something I won't wear often, but I can image it would look cool on certain people (like the people in Nylon magazine and Top Shop ads.)

2 months back, Vogue UK had a page or two featuring around 4 people photographed in different style of jumpsuits. They all looked fantastic of course and there were quotes from them proclaiming their love for jumpsuits. In the following few weeks, a couple of UK newspapers' websites also sang their praises for jumpsuits. But at the end of day, I just don't 'get' jumpsuits. I really don't think jumpsuits are versatile at all. I mean, wouldn't having the pants/shorts and tees/tops seperate be much more versatile to mix-and-match? Oh well, I suspect I'm just very biased towards disliking the fashion from the time period when jumpsuits were popular (-the 80's right?) Let's hope we'll stop seeing jumpsuits around next S/S!

Image Credits: http://www.vogue.co.uk/, http://www.topshop.com/, http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

An Invitation to meet Nina Garcia

Just when the finale of Project runway was airing last week, I received the following:And such a pretty invite too! How could I resist?!?
So today I went to Costa, the restaurant where this cocktail event was held, at IFC, a mall/office building next to the harbor (this is in Hong Kong fyi). The venue itself was quite small and could barely accommodate the crowd waiting to meet Nina. Luckily, they had a lovely balcony outside, facing the harbor where guests could mingle and breathe in some fresh air. Personally we spent quite a lot of time there drinking fresh orange/champagne and eating hors d'oeuvre (we were especially fond of the parma ham wrapped around the bread stick) and enjoying the view- I do have a penchant for staring into the sea.
But anyways, inside the venue, it was gorgeously decorated with little display sections each representing one of the chapters of Nina's book, The Little Black Book of Style, which is the reason for her presence and the purpose of the event- to promote it. I love the displays, they were so stylishly designed. This one (above), featuring those gorgeous nude Louboutins was my favourite. I especially love the quote from Louboutin himself (right). Haha.
When Nina arrived (around half an hour after the event started), there was immediately a crowd surrounding her, greeting her, getting her to sign their books and, in typical Asian fashion, taking lots of photos of her. I happily whipped out my camera and joined in. Soon, the event became an impromptu book signing and picture taking event and we all lined up for our turn. I daresay, the event was genius. Almost everyone there bought a book or two so they won't miss out on the fun. Naturally I fell in with the crowd, despite the niggling part of my mind telling me that this is all a marketing ploy and I that do I really need this book (especially since a week ago I had no intention of buying it!)??

As for the book itself, I skimmed through it tonight and it seems as good as any how-to-guide can be. It has practical advice, interesting anecdotes, inspiring quotes and gorgeous illustrations. I REALLY must stop buying staples and buy more drama pieces- like a colorful bold winter coat!
Dressed in this studded top and black skinny pants from Givenchy and Balenciaga, Nina looked great if a bit disheveled (either from the hoards of people crowding her or its part of the "imperfection" she mentions in her book). We only exchanged a few words, but she seemed nice (especially considering that she's been smiling and patiently signing books and posing for pictures all night) and was surprised when we asked her why they thought that Rami deserved second place instead of Jillian. Apparently the HK channels were not up to the finale yet.... whoops! And as for the answer to our question, she cleverly returned that it was a question best answered with all the judges present.

Image Source: Amazon

F/W07: Fur Coats

I've been meaning to write about this, oops I mean last season's (F/W07) white fur coat but I kept forgetting. This is probably a bit outdated now, but it's so cold (by that I mean windy and rainy) in London that it might as well still be F/W07. Anyways, I'm guessing the recent trend of white fur coat started with Kate Moss wearing it to an event, (which unfortunately I couldn't find a picture of, although there will be other pictures of her wearing the same fur coat more casually below.)

To be honest, I've always thought fur coat as something middle-aged and old people like. Maybe it's partly because real fur coats are so expensive and so older people are more likedly to wear them. My mum also claims that they are really warm, although my high school physics teacher once said that fur coats would probably be more effective in keeping us warm if the fur was inside instead of outside. Since I'm not an old rich lady, and nor do I frequent formal parties, I frankly never got the appeal of fur coats. Actually, I find the fur coats that look like they were literally ripped off an animal a bit vulgar.

I only started to understand the appeal of fur coats when last winter, Mary Kate wore a white fur coat with a black mini-skirt. This is probably not the best photo, but it started to make me think that even young people can make fur coats look chic and stylish without looking stuffy. The mini-dress makes the whole outfit look young and most importantly, modern and wearable, not too formal and easy to put together.

So I ended up buying the same white, faux fur coat by Top Shop. The best thing is, it took me so long to decide whether to buy it or not that it went on sale online (back in December)! Hong Kong is not a cold place to I really didn't have much use for it. In the end, I wore it on top of my purple dress for New Years Eve celebration. When I walked towards the bar, I felt like a gorilla lost in the city! My dad confirmed this before I left the house by laughing and said I looked like a gorilla from old movies. (Thankfully, I dress too much for myself to care what other people think.) But during the night, I loved the coat. It kept me warm and when I held in my arms, I felt like a Hollywood celeb holding her little dog! Definitely made the night more fun!

If you're not a going-out-in-a-dress type of girl, then wearing it with jeans is also glamorous.

Apparently the fur coat can look cool for daywear too: MK (left) and Kate Moss (right)

Here is an example of how not to wear fur: colour fur! Heidi reminds me of that blue character from Sesame Street!

Lastly, I just want to say that I am not supporting or objecting the use of real fur for fashion. I personally haven't thought this issue through and have no opinion. Anyways, like I said, this post is very late but since fur seemed to be abundant in the F/W08 shows, this 'trend' will probably continue into next F/W.

What do you think of the white fur coat and fur coats in general?

Image Credits: http://www.topshop.com/, http://www.thefasionspot.com/

Project Runway Cycle 4

Spoiler Alert: For those Project Runway fans who have still not watched the finale yet, STOP scrolling, because today I am going to ramble on and on about it. So don't say I didn't warn you!
I felt that the talent this season was definitely unprecedented. Most of the designers from the beginning have been good at what they do and stayed pretty consistent throughout. I bet the judges had a hard time each challenge trying to decide the winner- I know I did! The one little glitch for me was that the entertainment value this season was a bit low, a few times, I admit, I even dosed off while watching it on my bed. I think it is because the challenges are starting to get a bit dull and more importantly as Tim pointed out in an interview, the designers this season were all very focused with their work and had a healthy dose of respect for each other and therefore there was not a lot of drama. Oh well, put that way, I guess it cannot be helped.

And the winner this season is... Christian! No surprise there really. He's always been my favourite designer (and the audiences as well!). He consistently produced fierce outfits that were innovative, refreshing, stylish and very flattering to the body. Plus, he was the most vibrant, energetic and confident character in the show. His overconfidence and bitchy blunt comments actually endeared him to me more! Besides, underneath that facade, we can all see his fierce passion for fashion, which he obviously has a talent for. And isn't that what counts?

So, lets start the show!

Christian
Christian's collection was inspired by the romantic gothic. I thought the collection was chic, powerful, innovative and dramatic. Just what one would expect from Christian! Every piece was a very strong look. The dramatic overflowing top cinched at the wrists and waist, paired with skinny pants created a strong silhouette. The only thing was that I thought he repeated this silhouette a bit too much and it got slightly repetitive, especially with the monotonous black color scheme going on.

That is why it was good to see some beige here. It went really well with the look. And the beige overflowing neck piece Tim was worrying about before turned out great (right)!
I thought this outfit (left) looked exactly what I imagined the three musketeers would wear (down to the hat!). But I can appreciate the workmanship here. And the contrast created here (right) by pairing this soft flowing chiffon skirt with this structured (is it leather?) shirt is striking.

I love this two toned dress here (left). But I'm not so sure about this second piece..... she looks like a very elegantly shaped vulture......I guess feathers is an acquired taste.

All in all I thought Christian put on a great show. It had flare and drama, which I appreciated. Wearability-wise though, this collection is definitely not something that makes me want to reach into my screen and grab these outfits off the models for myself. As Victoria Beckham said, these clothes were very her. And I'm afraid that my taste of clothing does not run paraellel to her's.

Jillian
My taste definitely runs alongside Jillian's taste though. Besides a few pieces which I thought were a bit disjointed, I really liked her collection inspired by the Master of Argonauts. It was very detailed oriented, feminine and very wearable.
I wear these straight off the runway!

She just does trench coats SO well! And I love how she always puts a colorful lining inside.
And these dresses are just GORGEOUS. I want them! The blue velvet is elegant, slinky and sexy. And the black one is innovative, fun and flirty.

These two were the anomalies that I didn't like. Maybe if she took those gauzy sleeves from the gold dress.....But yes, if it was against last season's Jeffrey and Jillian, I think she'd definitely had won.

Personality wise, I thought Jillian was nice. Just that she seems to be in a cloud most of the time and it always came to the last minute. (Another point in favor of Christian- he was always quick AND good at his work).

Rami

Rami's collection was inspired by Joan of Arc and I thought it was very sophisticated and feminine. I was great to see him step out of his draping mode. I was getting bored of seeing Greek goddese after another.

But yes, I can see what the judges mean by color scheme.
Though I LOVED these two looks. Very power woman.

His evening dresses were just divine. Love the criss cross weaving detail. And you should see that dress (right), jacket off!

Genius!

Character-wise, I thought Rami was a really nice, wise and mature guy. He was very focused with his work and really listened to suggestions.

Overall looking at the final runway shows alone, I felt that the winner is still a tough call. All three shows blew me away, but in very different ways. And at the end of the day, I think it just depended on what taste one was looking for. If they wanted fierce, innovative designs: Christian is the obvious winner. But if they wanted details, femininity and something all girls would just love to wear right up: then Jillian is the winner. And if they wanted sophisticated and flattering on women: then Rami is the guy. --- I guess they were looking for someone fierce!

Random Thoughts I was surprised to see Victoria Beckham as the guest judge for the finale. For one thing, I wouldn't describe her as a Style & Pop icon. Pop icon yes, but style... I think it depends. She has a very unique taste that walks a thin line between a hit or miss. Also, I thought that for the finale, it was more appropriate to simply have the regular judges since they knew the contestants best (a la ANTM). Lucky for Christian though, the two of them definitely clicked!
Chris's final pieces was very dramatic and very Chris. I thought it was very clever of him to use human hair and made it not even LOOK like human hair. But at the end of the day.... that is just too creepy *shiver*!

I could not BELIEVE that Ricky and especially Sweet Pea lasted that long. With a few rare exceptions by Sweet Pea, they were both just consistently weak! There were so many more talented designers in the bunch that should've been there instead of them.

Like Victorya for example. She was brilliant and I totally thought that she'd make it to the final 3! I loved her sense of aesthetics. I'd have even bought that outfit she designed for Steve and Barry's (right) if it was not sold out so quickly! Just ONE small mistake with a denim trench coat......

Incidentally, according to an interview with Tim Gunn (which is very interesting and you should check it out), she was very sour and temperamental throughout the show. Once she even demanded that he count the money in each envelop he was giving out when they were buying fabric in Mood! Its interesting for someone to so publicly lash out at someone like that. Victorya even posted a reply to this where she said that she didn't feel that Tim was qualified to give all the suggestions that he did. *gasp* And we thought this was a drama-less season.....

Image Source: Bravo TV

A Work or Cocktail Dress?

When I look at images of dresses such as the one above (left) from the YSL S/S08 show, my usual reaction is probably', 'oooh, that looks nice and structured.' But since it's not like I can actually afford YSL, my thoughts just stop there. It was until I saw similar highstreet designs that I started wondering where do people actually wear dresses like this to? The YSL dress looks thick (material-wise,) grey and structured like YSL's suitskirts, so I just assumed it was a work dress. But now that I think of it, who would actually wear a strapless, low-cut dress to work? No one right? So is it a cocktail dress? Actually, Victoria Beckham is the only person I can think of who would walk around in something like that during daytime.

The highstreet dress that I mentioned was this grey dress from Miss Selfridge, (which is a UK chain store for those of you who aren't familiar with UK highstreet stores.) My first thought was that it looked cute, thanks to the bubbly-tulip skirt bit. It's a great way (and a very affordable way -28 pounds,) to add a structured item into my wardrobe. But then it occured to me that it has the same problem as the YSL dress -it looks very 9-to5-workclothes-y, especially with that black patent belt. And I certainly don't want to wear a business-like dress casually because it'll just make me uncomfortable -kind of like when I see certain celebrities wearing this kind of dresses around casually, or just for something not work-related. (I think Lauren Conrad did so before.)

But wait, can one actaully wear this dress back to the office? It's pretty low-cut and I'm not sure it actually goes past the knees. Hmm, I suppose it's ok wearing to work if you work somewhere that's semi-business-formal, and you can just wear layers to make it suitable, like wearing a turtleneck-top underneath or just a plain, long-sleeve white tee underneath. Where would you wear this sort of dresses to?

Image credits: http://www.style.com/, http://www.missselfridge.com/

SS08 Prada: Nappa Stripes Multicolor

Since I have been dressed in dull safe colors for a few months now (with the exception of Chinese New Year, but that's another story), it was completely refreshing when I stepped into the Prada store the other day and was immediately struck by a vibrant bold rainbow of colors coming at me!
I immediately rushed (very dignified-ly of course) to get a better look at them. My first reaction? LOVE. They are the perfect vibrant eye candies to brighten up my wardrobe this SS!
My second reaction was: Which COLOR?? They're all soo darling! I just want to gobble them up like candy!

Then I qualified: Most of them anyway, with the exception of this lime green and maroon color combo here (left). Or maybe its just too murky compared to the rest. Style-wise, I think the regular size hobos in this multicolor print is just a bit too much, too loud. You'd have to match it with a REALLY plain monotonous outfit for it to look decent. The smaller bags, like the small/mini hobos (right) on the other hand strike the perfect balance, bring in a just the right amount of WHAM without being too loud. Plus, since the clash will be less, you'll have a wider wardrobe choice.But the thing about the small/mini hobos is that they're a bit too small. First the strap is so short that one cannot carry it comfortably on the shoulder. Even with the longer extra strap, it takes away from the hobo look. But then, if you carry it, its just so small that it looks like you are carrying a little girl's bag (especially with the bright colors). And so I personally think that the clutch (left) is the best way to carry this multicolor pattern. Its small enough not to be too loud but still have the WHAM effect, and the style is just right to carry. Its just perfect!
And after THAT in depth analysis I of course started seeing these gorgeous ads everywhere. I love how they just pop out at you!
And I really like the gold/black combination as well. They are sharp and bold, but unlike the other ones which are very pretty and girly, these ones are edgy and cool! This combo works as a regular size hobo too.
But alas, my mom sensibly pointed out that these bags will be very dated in a few months and is totally not worth it. So another stylish option would be this plain purple version of the Nappa Stripes bag, which still has the vibrant color effect, albeit in a more sophisticated way. This one, you can even very comfortably carry on your shoulders- I tried! Its stunning! If only it wasn't so pricey! Another very cute bag at Prada I'd like to point to is this Botegga Venetta-esque weave tote. Its cute!

Image Source: Saks Fifth

Paris Fashion Week SS08 Wrapup III

This is the last S/S08 Fashion Week wrapup! Fashion Week at Paris is over. Thankfully, the collections shown in Paris proved to be much more loveable than the ones in New York.

Yves Saint Laurent

I love this collection. The clothes are structured and looks have very definite shapes. Even the shiny, cap-like dark wigs add structure to the whole look. Everything just looked seriously chic.

The show starts off with inspiring work-clothes. The jackets on the left and right models look like fantastic new work jackets (as opposed to the normal blazers.)

Pilati showed both pencil skirts and A-line skirts, which is great for women with different body shapes. I love the sleekness and colour blocks of the whole-grey outfit on the left. And the blue in the underside of the skirt and jacket provides great contrast to the dark grey look.

And finally, the party dresses. I love the contrasting colours on the yellow and black dress. And the two dresses on the left make such fabulous cocktail dresses. Sigh, just imagine wearing them to a uber-glam party...

Miu Miu

All I can say is, I need some time to digest this collection. It must be so far into the future that I can't completely comprehend these looks. Although I can say for sure now that I am not a fan of those swimming-cap-looking hairwraps.

Lanvin

A pretty, sensual tough chic collection. The outfits look surprisingly wearable (if you have the budget and event for the dresses of course.) Bulky jewelry, especially necklaces, seems to be a theme, as well as extremely smoky eyes.

The show started off with a gorgeous range of LBDs. Note the one-shouldered tops/dresses.

Elbaz uses silk tops with pleats to add sensuality to the otherwise structured looks. Apart from the jewelry, shiny threads and crystals were used in the dresses to make them look dark in a brilliant way.

And even more dresses. Perhaps Lanvin's customers need more dresses than other types of clothing?

Image credits: www.vogue.co.uk

Paris Fashion Week F/W08 Wrapup II

Chanel
The Chanel collection was as usual, very standard. Besides a few exceptions, none of the looks made me think, "Wow, I really really want that!" It was more like, "Hmm... they're ok, I guess I'd wear them if someone gave it to me..... maybe"
I thought the whole collection had a little bit of something for every age. The few outfits at the beginning, above, were clearly for more sophisticated ladies than I. Maybe the Cashmere Mafia gang age or older.
I feel like I've seen this look on the left before- minus the glasses, which are interesting. And this outfit here on the right is one of the few looks that reminds me of why I love Chanel. Its just so perfectly prim, elegant and chic!
These are the perfect example of the "Hmm... they're ok, I guess I'd wear them if someone gave it to me.... maybe."
The whole overly laced and designed lingerie look is simply not my thing... maybe without the train..... Now to the other pieces I liked. Loved this soft grey feminine dress (left). And this satin grey dress (right) just blasted me away. The almost fishnet stockings, which I'd usually find trampy, totally works here.
The use of the classic Chanel contrast, beige and black is genius here. The focus on the beige gives our eyes something else to feast on besides the standard black, but at the same time it maintains the timeless quality of black. These dresses are just to-die-for!
The runway was apparently circular and the models ended up on a merry go around thing in the center so the audience can have a better look at the outfits. Very innovative. And as for the accessories:

a) I KNEW I should've kept those contrasting chunky Marc by MJ mary janes I bought on sale this season. Now they're coming back to haunt me!
b) The fishnet-like stockings and beige/black contrasting stockings are AWESOME. The contrasting beige/black has the added benefit of elongating the legs and making it appear slimmer!
c) I wonder how those head wear would look on me. The embroidered brooch on the hat is especially darling.
d) What is with Karl and UFOs lately? First he has a mobile exhibit in the shape of a UFO, and now he has mini UFOs floating down the runway.

Chloe
I don't think Melim Andersson is understanding Chloe very well, because I do NOT feel Chloe here. What happened to the effortlessly cool Chloe girl who we all aspired to be?
In fact, this girl is the antithesis of Chloe. She is clearly trying too hard. And what is with the short sleeves winter coat (left)? Creative? Yes. But practical? I think not. Though I'm sure some enterprising member of the team will come up with a long sleeved version for in store purchase. It IS a business after all, and besides the sleeves, the design in the middle is cute!Maybe Melim Andersson is trying to expand into the single season climate markets, like Singapore. Because that is the only reason I can come up with to explain crazy mix of FW and SS elements all over the runway. The result is.......... not optimal.
Many find hidden jewels digging through their grandma's wardrobe, but these were clearly meant to STAY inside her wardrobe. No matter how I look at it the dress on the left cannot in anyway be considered flattering. The outfit on the right.... has hopes, if the two prints would just go their separate ways.
One of the things I DID liked though was his play softness and structure, making the look both feminine and strong.
This dress was also OK. The only problem with it is that this is supposed to be the FINAL look of the collection. Its cute, but final look of a collection it does not make.
I loved the loose braid hairstyle on this runway- now that is casual chic! As for the rest of the accessories, I thought they were really young, innovative, vibrant and rockin'- especially the footwear. The patterned stockings were also genius, they give just the right amount of edge to the boring ol' black tights we've been seeing everywhere. Now the million dollar question is, while the footwear worked on the runway, will it translate to sales? Personally, while I think they're awesome, I wouldn't spent a small fortune on footwear that looks more like art work.

Image Source: Elle

New SS08 Layout

Hey people, it's that time of the year again for a new layout! BG and I were totally panicking about making a new banner. On one hand, as those of you who have read our blog long enough would know, we always try to update the S/S banner on March 1st. On the other hand, we have been more uninspired than usual about this S/S season, (perhaps because the F/W08 fashion shows are currently showing) and it's the end of the school term ( i.e. lots and lots of work!) The nerdy side of my brain has convinced me that this layout is our optimal layout: the MC of personal time spent photoshopping= MB of this blog. For those who don't do econ, we mean that this is the best we could have done given our circumstances.

Let's admit it, this season is confusing -too many trends; too many 'in' colours; together with a lot of loud accessories. With prints, there are the sort-of-tacky-looking stars and the spring-friendly flowers. As you can see, we favoured the flower prints. But the trend of black, white and grey is still very 'in', (think black skinny jeans + tee + blazer combo.) OK, so this isn't really the reason why we have half the flower picture in black & white and half in colour. We just think it's cool. Plus, we love how the Balenciaga model seems to pop out on the b&w side and the Prada model looks like an edgy fairy stomping around in a garden. But it all works out in the end! Neat huh?

This oh-so-artistically taken flower photo was shot by me at the LA Getty Center Central Garden last summer. If you haven't been there, then you must next time you're in LA. It's such a gorgeously designed garden. There are so many types of flowers there and they're designed in a really organised, pretty way. I'm not the type to enjoy nature, but this is as one of the few gardens that I actually loved. (Yes, I know, I'm such a city bumpkin that I even consider an immaculately-designed garden to be nature.)

Credit to style.com for the runway model photos. As usual, if something is technically wrong with this layout on your browser, please let us know. We hope you like the layout and get some S/S vibes from it!