My Animal Print Monday

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How to spruce up my Monday gloom? Be crazy and be wild.

Talking about wild, this is the second Monday I went for animal print. Yesterday morning I wore the grey leopard print jumper that I got from Zara. The one that I tried in the previous week. Have to grab one myself. Not just it look like Gucci's and Marc Jacobs', but I like how it fits me. Especially when my upper body has started growing back. :)

The previous Monday, I wore the zebra print sleeveless tee tucked under a black cardigan. Black and white is always my favorite. And the dripping-paint lookalike zebra print look so cool.

Who says only the ladies can wear animal prints? Men can too. You need to be as crazy as I am to wear one. :D

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No Name Is Greek?

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I have quite a long history with the Greeks. My housemate - Nikolas - is a Greek. Then it was my classmates, my boss, and now even my friends in the office too. So, I pick some of the Greek language here and there. We're talking just simple things like yiasu, kalispera, kalinihta. efharisto... among others. So, milao ligo ala katalaveno - (translation: I understand quite a bit. I hope my Greek is correct, nggg!). I remember asking my housemate a silly question - 'so, you worship Zeus then?' - showing how stupid and ignorance I am that time. And he was like, 'NO, but I will if I'm living in the past!' Lol!!

Talking about fashion, I don't really know that much about Greek designs. (No, we're not talking about the robe that the Greek gods are wearing, silly). Probably because not many are out here in UK. So, when I stumbled upon a store called No Name at Westfield, I was quite surprised to find the clothes are really amazing. From the shirts and pants, cardis to jacket, and the shoes too. Quite worth a look!

The store in Westfield look awesome too; very sombre yet masculine. I love when they use lots of blacks. And mentioning clothes, I like the jumper on the first pix - the double edge black on grey. When I touched the fabric in their store, the material doesn't seem from a cheapo version. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks cool. And the houndstooth tie on the 5th pix. Love it! Their belts and shoes are damn hot too.

Price? Hmm... quite pricey given it a typical highstreet store. It's even on the upper side, ranks among Reiss and COS. Still, their clothes are quite high quality one. Btw, I like the styling in their lookbook though.

Next time: I'll invade their fitting room for sure!

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Tee with a twist

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We all love a good jersey t-shirt with a design twist. I guess the right length as well as the fact that it's handmade are all precious bonus points for me. Apart from the quirky two faces of this one by Mary Wants A Purple Dress, the freestyle vertical frill that stands in the shape of a suit-jacket lapelle with the help of a tight belt, is such a playful detail. I think I am officially over message tees and plain tees. Hello design twist tees!

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Reminder: THIS giveaway ends tonight, at midnight;)

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Marc by Marc Jacobs Getting Festive ...But...

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Deck the halls with boughs of holly,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Tis the season to be jolly,

Fa la la la la, la la la la...??

Marc by Marc Jacobs store at Mount St, Mayfair is getting festive too. With Xmas tree with snowflakes, mannequins donning hats and grouped as if singing the carols, and with touch of red and green seen at the window displays, the store is indeed being Christmassy.

But... wait a minute. There's a twist here. Why does the polar bear crying? :( Is it beacuse the icecaps are melting in the Arctic? Climate change? Global warming? Hmmm... that's something to talk about. Btw, it's a great fashion paradox. :)

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zaBigFatSnoop: Military at Zara

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After my visit to SHOWStudio, I made my way to... the highstreet! Eeek! I know i can't help but to conclude the tour of the day to my favorite stores in Oxford St and Regent St. This time around is just at Zara.

Man, I can't believe that after 2 months I last saw it in their store in Paris, at last the military jacket that I'm lusting for is finally made it on the British Isles. The leather jacket with buttons galore and all those embroidery-laden on the front. Yes, that one. My verdict?

You know that kinda feeling when you go on a blind date, that you expect something but it turned out not as what you want after all. Well, what can I say... it happens to this jacket though. That same feeling. First - this one is not leather -it's pleather or scientifically people known it as polyurethane. Or our friends at Uniqlo like to call it neo-leather. Well, that's not too bad coz it appeals to even the vegetarian people. :) Overall, I like the design. The embriodery that fill the whole front torso as well as on the cuff. And all the metal buttons galore. That's quite something, huh? But, with something whole lot more going on on the back side, I think it's too tacky. i prefer the backside is plain.

And the price at £99 for non-leather? Are you kidding me? But if you're talking about buying it for the sake of the art alone, I couldn't agree more. One thing for sure, it does look like what Jimi Hendrix used to wear, right?

Another version that's new is this slightly subdued version of it. Still with loads of button, but less ornate as before. Both jacket fit nicely. I dunno whether I should bag it, but it does look good should I wanna wear it during my fashion show next year. :)

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An Afternoon At SHOWStudio: Fashion Revolution Exhibit

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Last weekend I tried to play tourist again after so long I haven't been doing it. Coz at the same time, I'm trying (read: really trying okay...) to avoid my trip to the highstreet. Otherwise I'll end up bringing home something, as what I usually do. Since London is a large city, there're still lots more to explore. Plus with so many museums and galleries around, even one week is not enough.

So, I made some time to see one of the major exhibit at Somerset House. The SHOWStudio: Fashion Revolution - a one of it's kind exhibition led by the award-winning image maker, Nick Knight. If you love fashion and anything gotta do with it, then this one is a must-visit.

What's hot? The journey started when you pay the ticket, of course. Thankfully it's not that pricey - just £4 for students (+ another £2 if you wanna buy the guidebook). The entering via the Mirror Room, then I'm stunned to see a gargantuan sculpture of Naomi Campbell. The statue is made of through a 3D technology - capturing images of Naomi and translate it into a sculpture. It was actually white - but visitors can help paint it using a pad underneath it as what they like. As you can see in the pix, someone even draw an arrow pointing to who-know-what. Unfornately, I get the chance to paint Naomi's rear with some stripes ala Zebra!

Making my way to the upper floor is where the other exhibits are. Starting with Alexander McQueen video footage of his work ''The Bridegroom Stripped Bare' in which he transform a bridegroom into a bride of fury (?). If you wanna really see the real weird wide world of designers, then this is a must-see.

Then there was works by Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons showcasing her Witch suit, and Galliano in the Past, Present and Couture... and some others. And what is fashion without the model, right? There was these phone 'booth' with Lily Donaldson. Irina Lazareanu, Lily Cole (and I forgot the other one..ehehehe). Once lifted the phone, I can hear the messages telling the diary of the models' daily life, of what they're doing at the moment. Pretty cool. I like Lily D's phone messages - while Lily C, I don't know why the heck is a man's voice speaking out there?

And there was this tele-interview to some designers, artist and models like Tracey Emin, Kate Moss and Vivienne Westwood. I love watching Kate Moss interview - very sweet. She kinda remind me of Winona Ryder a bit. Hmm.. is that why Johnny Depp keep getting the similar look kinda ladies?

VW's interview really fascinates me coz she gave a very long answer. No wonder why she was awarded a Honorary Doctorate by King's College, huh? A question by Naomi is what I like - 'Why do you gave the the shoes even though I stumbled because of it' (it sounds like that more or less). And the Dame gave this long and elaborate answer as you can see below. But one phrase that struck me is when she said Naomi is 'the Aphrodite of the modern world'.

Bla, bla, bla.. other exhibits: These glass tiles smacked with the models' lips. From Erin O'Connor, Kate Moss, Agyness Deyn, Helena Christensen, Stella Tennant and even Janice Dickinson (yikes!).

The Design Download - where upcoming fashion designers can download the pattern form their favorite noted designers like Galliano, McQueen and Margiela - and create their own interpretations. Like these lots...

Design inspired but cut pattern by Galliano

and Martin Margiela....

... and McQueen, as well as Antony Price

Some other exhibit: casting for models which is done everyday.. so get your style on check! Then it was Live Studio, where you can watch the process behind the scenes how a photoshoot is done. I watched Lily D photoshoot that afternoon. Very interesting... And if you're lucky, you can also see the live potrait of some model sitting on a chair, doing nothing but pose. ;)

And there was Fashion Film, and Political Fashion near the exit. Before making your way out, there's a souvenir shop to get your dosh spent on - like the Louis Vuitton coffee table book, some postcards of SHOWStudio and T-Shirts as well.

Did I say I didn't wanna spend my money? Yeah, right. I ended bringing home one black tee made of 100% sustainable bamboo fibers. Nice fabric. It quite cheap, so what's not to like? :)

The exhibition runs till 20th December 09. Nearest tube: Temple (or Embankment, but a tad farther). More info click here.

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All I want for Christmas

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You know Christmas is approaching fast the minute you come across Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas" whilst switching stations on your radio. I am informing you that this has just happened.

What also happened though is Psarokokalo's excellent Christmas Tree, made from fabric scraps! I give it a week before I O.D. on Mariah's vocals, but this tree, I just can't get enough. Unique, arty and a member of the fashion family - well, a shredded cousin!

And whilst browsing at Psarokokalo's Etsy shop, I realised that All I Want For Christmas is this wool detail tee. Is this special, or what: 100% handmade, hand knitted, one of a kind. Come on Santa, this is an easy one.

Tic-toc...26 days to Xmas;)

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A Croc Bite: This Boots Is Not Made for Walking

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Finally one of my croc has deceived me. This faux croc leather boots that I got as a birthday treat earlier this month. When I first saw it on the web, I was like - wohoo.. gotta have that. So I went to the store and snap it fast! With croc making a huge trend this season and the store offers additional discounts, what's not to buy?

Then a week later I put it to the test. Damn! My feet really being squeed tight because of its slim fitting. Norrower compared to my other boots. I don't really realized it when I put it on before. But on the street; when I really WALK in this boots... my God, I can't even make my steps properly though it's quite lightweight. And to make things even worse, my toes are effing blistering - the toes on left foot are bleeding to hell! My socks are soaking with blood! Arrrgghh!
(Hmm.. Leona's Bleeding Love suddenly sang in my head - keep bleeding, keep..keep bleeding love. Lol!)

Man, this boots is really not made for walking. It is just made for posing! :(

Later that day, I went home and change for my Gucci. Problem sorted.

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A Bike With A Midas Touch

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So. You've made billion of dollars. You own all sort of supercars from Bentley to the Royce to Bugatti Veyron. While those made you speed like no other, what else could you buy? Go slow (in speed of course) and buy this bike instead! Oh ho ho.. it's not your typical BMX or mountain bike that you bought at Argos. This one with a touch of class. A Midas touch, perhaps. Splattered with gold - some all over it, some just a stint of gold on the frame. And some with more bling bling than you can ever imagine.

This bike is from Aurumania. (Aurum or Au is a scientific name for gold, that is). These limited edition two-wheels come in three choices - yet one thing in common: they are coated with 24 carat gold!

This bike is the uber one - Gold Bike Crystal Edition, with all visible parts are fully covered with gold, and also decorated with 600 Swarovski crystals. Only 10 is specially made and cost a whopping 80,000 Euros each! Yikes!! Buy this one, those people in white gloves will deliver it for you (not the lab gloves, silly..)

For those who like to go less blingy, this one only covered in gold on the frame and forks while other parts in polished aluminum. Still quite pricey @ 21,000 Euros each!

Or if you wanna go a bit sombre, take this one instead - codenamed the Night bike - an intense black color with its wheel spikes coated with 24 carat gold. A headturner? Deffo. Price? Quite within reach @ 2000 Euros! (Suddenly Sam Sparro's Black & Gold sprung to my head when I see this bike, lol)

Well, I dunno whether you can really save the environment with these bikes unless you DO ride it frequently. But one thing for sure, people will keep it in the vault instead of leaving it in the garage! :)

[pix from Aurumania]

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SHORTLIST Style: Style Stars of 2010

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Damn. Time flies soooo fast! I can't believe that we're almost at the end of the year. Soon it's gonna be 2010! Arrggghhh!!

Anyway, no time to freak out. Embrace it with open arms instead; coz year by year, fashion and trend seems to keep on improving as well. More and more edgy stuff seen not only in the runway shows, but on the rails and shelves in highstreet stores too. And talking about 2010, we're all been awashed by the 2010 Spring/summer trend in the previous months, which some of us definitely gonna wear it in the next half a year's time. Without a doubt, alongside old designers, some new talent or stores gonna be the new trendsetters too.

Mentioning trendsetters of 2010, people at SHORTLIST came up with a list of style stars that shouldn't be overlooked. Like Satyenkumar and Carolyn Massey who showcased their designs during previous London Fashion Week. Other labels that's predicted gonna rock in the new noughties are Reiss 1971 - the edgier version of Reiss, I guess; and B Store - who's long been serving the trendloving Londoners at their cul-de-sac of Saville Row.

One thing I think that connect them all - they're all focused more on tailoring stuff. And another thing, those prices are definitely on the slightly hefty side. Yikes!

[pix from Shortlist 106]

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