Childhood Dreams

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Every time I come home, I always forget to take pictures of my room. It is the epitome of "stuff". Layers and stacks of trinkets, magazine scraps, dresses, ribbons, bright pink walls. My life the past six or seven years. my parents are about to redo it, but I made them promise that they would not touch the wall I am collaging. It's my baby. Even though I hardly live there anymore, I couldn't bear to see it gone.

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The Much Sought After Leather Jacket

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I was finally able to locate the perfect faux leather coat that I have been pining over. The one I got on ebay several months ago just wasn't doing it for me, I felt kind of like madonna circa 1985, but this one is adorable. Especially with the little hood. And for only $40! I made the plaid dress that day, I've gotten quite good at these little tunic dresses. Not hard to make at all. I think I will be adding pockets, though...








Plaid dress- handmade
leather jacket- f21
tights- macys
peep-toe booties- nine west
wool hat- f21


PS happy day after turkey day, or black friday if you please. Did anyone brave the shops? I sure didn't, I slept nicely til noon, and then mama surprised me with breakfast and coffee in bed :)

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Cheap and Cheerful

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I'm home in good old New Hampshire for the rest of the week. It has gone by too fast already, though. Nashville is lovely but I have gotten so much done while I've been home. I've sewed many pretty dresses and made a handful of precious headbands. A photo shoot soon, I hope! On Monday we drove down to Natick, MA to go to the mall, which was lovely except for the general lack of funds. Oh well, I found not one but 2 coats!! Pictures of both in the next post I think.




Oh I had just straightened my hair and those pesky little hairs sticking up are quite noticeable in this photo. oh well....My mama made the adorable wool covered headband :)



Cheetah Print dress- Kenzie
tank- target
leggings- f21
Boots- delias

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A tie...no, a noose.

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Something that I have been seeing a lot of lately, and that is irking me entirely, is the appearance of loose ties on girls' necks. On Gossip Girl, on the streets, on nylonmag.com, ick. I am all for the prep school look with the blazers and the plaid and the knee socks, albeit in moderation, however, there is something just so Avril Lavigne about it. Don't you think? Especially wearing it loosely, it just looks very immature. I much prefer the menswear inspired looks with even a cheeky bow tie or something.

So....

not this:



Try this:


(Undercover's Spring 2007 ready to wear)
Even though it is from last year, I think this is still a very doable look for right now. Especially if you are just testing the waters for the menswear look. Pairing a bowtie with a shirt-dress inspired piece is adorable, or you could do something like this metallic mini-dress, from Fendi's ready-to-wear (also spring 07). A pretty party dress with a little tie. cute.



(photos from style.com)

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Yellow Mellow

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Talking about grey is the new black, what best color to compliment it other than yellow? Yellow is always been associated with the color of youth (alongside orange, of course), exuberant and joyful. It's also the color of friendship. So, when u wanna gave ur friend flowers without come across of being you know what, just gave any yellow flowers!

Can men wear yellow? Of course, but a subtle one. Not eye popping neon colors. The tone should be 'milder', slightly dusky, darker shade of yellow. Think yellow ochre, with a slight greyish shade. How to work with yellow? Pair it with grey for urban and chic look. While with black it look very standout, a contrast if you may. Couple it with blue (like blue jeans) one may appear slightly kidult. A big no no is to pair it with green or red unless you are a Brazil or Selangor footie fan.

My choice? Stick it to only a small part of clothing like accesories such as ties or scarves. It's better to have only a pinch of yellow rather than a big splash of it on your body!

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Grey Is the New Black!

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Grey has become the color of choice in this season's men accessories. From the infamous Louis Vuitton Damier Graphite collections to Lacoste felt bags, to Burberry Brit checks, the color is becoming a fad to the urbanistas. It look sophisticated, chic, and as cliche as it may sound, very urban.

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Today I'm thinking of....SONY VAIO Z SERIES

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The fun side of doing PhD in engineering (Chemical Engineering to be exact) is that you got to play with so many programs. But my current laptop is lacking on the spec-side, some programs can't be accessed very well. The downside? It made me stay longer in the office to run those programs!

I've been thinking of upgrading my current laptop. Not that I don't like it anymore. I do. Coz my Fujitsu P7120, black, skinny laptop look smashing. It's pretty small (very small actually - 10" screen) that it fits my man bag gorgeously! But with the current non-upgradable 512MB memory, there's no way I can run those mentioned programs smoothly (some of them requires at least 2GB memory!)

I've been eyeing some good laptop out there. Not just a laptop - but the one with 4GB memory. With Intel Pentium Core 2 Duo processor. Plus it has to be very light. And very skinny (like moi). And very solid-look. And the price must be right! Is it too much to ask? Yes, indeed!!

But I've found one. Latest from Sony - Vaio Z Series to be precise. At first I was taken aback with the screen size. Damn 13". Who wanna that big?? But after having the hands on experience at Sony Center @ Westfield, it's not that bad after all. I can't seem to forget it. It has the widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. Not just looks good, it's so light, the size is acceptably small and the spec.. voila! Tick all the boxes. With the 'Vaio by You', I can even pick and mix all the spec as I wanted. It even has the choice for WWAN (to surf net using mobile phone service) via the SIM card slot. The downside? Price of course. It's too damn pricey.

P/S: Gotta wait for RM to get stronger!

(Photos from Sony website and news.softpedia.com)

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SHORTLIST STYLE: Weekend Holdall

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Gloomy autumn with blustery showers doesn't stop us from taking our weekend away break. Whether it's outside the country or to the English countryside, our clothes should be packed in style.

In the last week issue of Shortlist, the team has lined up some trendy autumn's travel bags. As gloomy as the British weather, the color palette seems to stick to the earthen tones as well, with the choice of flennel or felt, to the luxe of leather.

My own shortlisted weekender? Definitely the one from Louis Vuitton - the Damier Graphite Keepall bag (if money could buy). The monochrome check design is a neo-classic and timeless, yet the patented canvas seems to repel water. The other designer holdall that catch my eye is the Zagliani weekend tote - the dark silvery leather screams futuristic! (But the price is waaaay too much for a weekender). On the mid range comes the Bill Amberg's Boston holdall. Made from bridle leather, the bag is really tough yet soft to the touch. Its simple design could be a cult classic. For the budget one, Edeis shoulder bag could be a perfect choice. With the cheap price tag, the canvas with faux leather trim could not go wrong.

Other choice is the one from Reiss (as in the Shortlist's line up) and McQueens'. The design is quite similar, the only different is the price tag. So, whether it's the designer or a cheapo one.... the choice is yours!

Reiss Hurricane Weekender


Holdall from Alexander McQueen

1. Louis Vuitton Damier Graphite Keepall Bandouliere - £650 @ Louis Vuitton
2. Zagliani Silver Leather Holdall - Є1650.00 @ Luisaviaroma
3. Edeis Shoulder bag - £29.00 @ La Redoute
4. Bill Amberg Boston Holdall - £375 for medium @ ASOS.

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TRENDSPOTTING: Monochrome Check Shirt

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Check shirt is still making a cut this season. The current trend saw monochrome (black, white and grey) check shirts flocking the high street stores. However, with the choices out there, some really catch my eye, not just about the color (monochrome is my fav), but the check design and cutting.

Yesterday, I went to try on the Uniqlo flennel check shirt at Westfield, not content with the first time that I tried it on last month. After spending quite sometime at the store, I can't make my choice coz the size ain't right. The S size has a good arm length, but the XS one is better fit on the body. Finally, I just left empty handed (better anyway!)

So, check out some of the great monochrome check shirt at the highstreet.

1. Flennel check shirt - £14.99 @ Uniqlo
2. Check shirt - £29.99 @ River Island
3. Slim fit shiny check shirt - £28.00 @ Esprit
4. Black collar check shirt - £28.00 @ Topman

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Inspiration: Marie Antoinette

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I am still trying to get well so I stayed in again. I decided to watch Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette while I sewed a skirt. Every time I watch this movie I get so inspired by the costumes, the music, everything about the film. And I love how as she grows more and more saddened by her plight her hair gets bigger and her spending habits worsen. Some things haven't changed, have they?








"isn't it divine?"

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Bow-Bows

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With all of this chilly rainy weather, I have finally caught a cold. So now I am sipping echinacea tea and watching Amelie until I fall asleep.

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SHORTLIST Downsizing!

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The weekly fav men's lifestyle mag, SHORTLIST has eventually hit by the credit crunch. The size of the mag has reduced in today's issue. The slight reduction in it's dimension certainly save thousands of pounds for the company (good for them, since they distribute them for free!) The good side? It's much more handy, and fit nicely into the man bag!

P/S: Can they make it in the size like the travelsize Men's Health issue?

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Absent!

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I have been so behind on my blogging, and I feel bad. But I have never been so stressed/busy in my life. School is kicking my butt and I'm even getting behind on things I need to do for the store. Thank goodness for employees that will run across the street and buy me coffee, lovely girls that buy all my headbands within one week, friends that make me pancakes (or, mackenzies that make me pancakes:), inspiration from people like Whitney Dunn and Casey Stribling of Perfect Pair, and the famous couturier Manuel (full posts coming on these later, promise!). But until I am done my last major accounting project this week, studying for exams, among the other million things i have to do, I will be taking a bit of a break, but not too long of one, don't worry :)

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Here It COMME!

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• Today is the day. The launch of the much anticipated collaboration between H&M and Comme des Garcons. (pronounced as kom di garsio). Previous collaboration between the Swedish fashion chain and famous designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Victor & Rolf and Roberto Cavalli has been received by storm by H&M lovers. Those who is more econofashionista (my term for fashionista under budget, that is), these kind of partnership will definitely be the one to look for and kinder to the wallet.

• So what's hot with the current Comme des Garcons for H&M collection? As early as 9.00 am (when the collection is launched), I make my way to the H&M Regent Street where massive crowds has already gathered. CDG, an immaculate Japanese brand, is famous for decon clothes (deconstructed, that is). As in the H&M website mentioned, Comme des Garçons’ designer, Rei Kawakubo is known throughout the world for her artistic inspiration and her philosophy of pursuing the ultimate form of creation. The collection really reflect that - such as the diagonal stitched and slightly decon shirts, yet it 'hang' well on the body. The wool jumper could be a classic, luxury feel with no hem at the edge. A true CDG signature - the polka dot, also make way into the variety (eventhough it's more of a circus than chic).

• My choice? The sensible plain black shirt and the uber-cool cardigan. Why sensible? Coz I think it's timeless. The other clothes are quite seasonal and contemporary. Price wise? Also sensible. As I mentioned, kinder to the wallet; compared to the similar original CDG piece that may cost thousands of dollars! With special H&M CDG shopping bag and free latest GQ with the purchase, also the chance to keep the H&M CDG hanger, what not to shop!

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BOOT IT River Style

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This is what River Island has to say on the footwear of the season - Boots.

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UNIQLO HEATTECH: When Science Meets Fashion

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The joy of subscribing to the retailers' e-newletters is that they'll sent you not only the current offers and style, also the info regarding their so-called fashion technology. Uniqlo today sent me the science behind their popular warm-weather tees based on their patented technology called HeatTech.

UNIQLO HeatTech innerwear is woven out of a specially designed hollow fibre thread that captures little pillows of toasty warm air, insulating your body in the same way a heavier wool would and creating a secret weapon against the winter chill.

Sheer yet snug and providing added winter warmth when layered comfortably underneath a shirt and sweater or cardigan, the uniquely developed HeatTech fabric includes a rayon mix that actually absorbs the moisture generated by the body and converts it into heat. Milk protein, containing natural amino acids, has been mixed with the fibres to ensure the fabric is smooth and soft to the touch; making it not only a heat retaining item, but also the perfect layering garment.

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