PrincessImp's Pedestal

Scarlet Fever

2011-03-22T15:43:00.000-07:00

credit: left - pixiemarket.com, right - thefashionspot.com

Red.Leather.Jacket.
How gloriously fabulous and impractical...yet there's something about one that makes me go back to it again and again.
Wishful thinking or a wishlist shoo-in?

Comme des Garcons

2011-01-31T11:06:00.000-08:00

Credit

I just find this picture so inspiring. This lady is dressed in head to toe Comme des Garcons and the whole look is just so right on her, black tutu skirt and all.

She's 55 and probably the most stylist nurse that I have ever seen.

Check out more pictures of her outfit here

A picture is worth a million words

2010-11-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

credit

Simple, unfussy, comfortable.
Pretty much how I am feeling nowadays when it comes to dressing,

Sleepless in Seattle

2010-09-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

Where did summer go? I blinked and it was gone...I spent most of my summer busy on my internship in LA. The 3-hour (at least!) commute everyday was something that I was definitely not used to, other than that I had a great time interning and learning new stuff!

I went to Seattle last Saturday with KL. The two of us haven't had a proper vacation since...hmmm? Ever? :) This post is going to be filled with pictures, so be prepared!

Seattle by night, as seen from the ferry that KL and I took on our way to Bainbridge Island:

Morning on Bainbridge..KL and I were ecstatic to discover that blackberries and apples were growing all over the island!

What's a trip to Seattle without a visit to Pike Place Market?

The very first Starbucks store..it was crowded crowded crowded and the baristas were throwing the customers' cups over to the brewing station once the order was taken. They dropped my cup... -_-;;

Anyone knows why there's a pig in Starbucks?

Speaking of pigs, I made it a point to hunt down the Maximus Minimus food truck after seeing a feature on it on TV. The first thing that I saw as I turned a corner was its snot..how cute!

I love that its license plate says "Some pig"...a reference to Charlotte's Web?

Eating the pulled pork sandwich from Maximus Minimus by the viewing gallery at the Pike Place Market, with ginger lemonade and sweet, tangy slaw:

The pastry counter at Piroshky Piroshky, a Russian bakery at Pike Place Market. It's perpetually crowded whenever we were there, could be because Anthony Bourdain featured it on his show before. KL and I bought a savory chicken, mushroom and rice piroshky to try...it was okay :/

Chowder, seafood bisque and classic clam chowder to be exact, from Pike Place Chowder:

So good in the cold weather that KL and I went back the next day for more!

Double chocolate gelato from the Chocolate Box is super yums!

How cute are the chocolate truffles from Chocolate Box? A milk chocolate bunny and bittersweet dark chocolate lab:

A shoot of Seattle's underground..it was visited by Ghost Hunters from the Syfy channel before..so do you see anything in the photo??

Vampire killer kit...for the evil type I guess, not the sparkly pretty type :)

The biggest puffer-fish that I have ever seen at the Seattle Aquarium. He swam over to check me out as I was taking his picture!

Random shadow play:

Barefooting it all over Seattle in my Vibram Fivefingers.

Space Needle!

Snoqualmie Falls. KL and I completed a hike at Snoqualmie Pass.

Loading up on the caffeine. KL says there are always pictures of me eating and drinking on every vacation we take. Fo'sho!

The facade of the Experience Music Project building. Love the colours.

Waiting for my plane to take off....bye bye Seattle!!

Belinda Ang - Earth Angel Collection

2010-08-13T22:39:00.000-07:00

When I was studying in secondary school back in Singapore (the US equivalent would be high school I think?), I had the opportunity to indulge myself by pursuing a course in Higher Arts. I still remember one of my friends from that time, named Belinda Ang. From my memories, Belinda was a fan of sweet and lady-like hairbands and other accessories - we all wore uniforms then so accessories were the only way that we could express ourselves. I managed to get in touch with Belinda again recently, so imagine my delight when I discovered that she now runs her own independent fashion label!

Belinda Ang the label was launched this year and the first collection features 50s-inspired shapes with nipped-in waists, lace, floral prints interspersed with other interesting details like Peter Pan collars and floral prints. Each piece is made to order and I find that delightful because that means each garment is going to fit just right and there is even room for customizations to make the garment truly yours!

I was browsing through the website and so many pieces caught my eye! Perhaps I'm a little tired of indulging my inner rocker, but I found a lot of Belinda's pieces to be truly exquisite - not too girly, not too tough..pieces that I can see myself wearing :)

How perfect will this gown be for a mid-summer's night out?

And I am absolutely in love with this jumpsuit, the lace bustier is so feminine but the no-nonsense high-waist pants are so forgiving. I can imagine myself wearing this with my Rick Owens jacket, or with a blazer or maybe an over-sized shawl cardigan when it gets cold.

I am so excited about this label not just because it represents a piece of Singapore fashion, but also because Belinda has chosen to forsake the oft-trodden corporate path to pursue her dreams of being a designer. The effort and thought in each piece is evident and I feel that they are truly inspiring.

I cannot wait to see more from Belinda! :)

All images from http://www.belinda-ang.com

Macbook down!

2010-07-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

My Macbook's down! Seems like it's a hard disk failure.. I am feeling so lost right now, there are tons of photos on it which I have yet to blog about, not to mention work and school stuff.

Aaaahh.. I gonna be the only person whose Macbook's hard disk dies after only a year. FML :(

On the other hand, this cheered me up considerably:

My Birthday Surprise!

2010-06-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

I survived the first year of my MBA school and the quarter officially ended with the last paper on Wednesday!

And to top it all off..today's my birthday..FIFA's celebrating it with me by holding the World Cup on this very day...lol :)
I was woken up at midnight by KL who prepared a very nice surprise for me:

Awwww...and not just this, he also baked cookies for me. Soft chewy with a molten chocolate core..so sinful but I love it so much!

KL's planning something for tonight...it's a surprise for now, but I can't wait to see what he does!

Cream Pan

2010-05-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

May is almost over and I am nearing the end of my first year in MBA school. Where has all the time gone?!

Still over the weekend KL and I decided to check out a very famous Japanese bakery in Orange County. Very famous, because if you check out the bakery, Cream Pan, on Yelp, there's nothing but endless raves about their baked goods, especially their strawberry croissants. Needless to say, I had to experience the food for myself - what could be so spectacular about strawberry croissants?

The place is really nondescript, with no indication of the culinary treasures inside :P Coincidentally it's tucked away in the plaza next to Honda-ya. When I was there, I got the legendary strawberry croissants, an azuki (red-bean) cream pan ("pan", パン is Japanese for bread), a peach danish and a pork-katsu sandwich box.

Peach danish:

Pork-katsu sandwich, a little pricey at $6 but chock full of ingredients!

And the baked goods, the strawberry croissants and azuki cream-pan. Because of all the hype over the strawberry croissants, KL and I decided that we could not share and we each had to get one.

Close-ups- first, the heavenly azuki pan!

...and the delicious strawberry croissant:

Verdict? Strawberry croissants - GOOD! The crust's flaky and the cream sweet but not overly so, balanced nicely by the tangy sweetness of the strawberries. But the one that I enjoyed most of all is the azuki cream pan. In fact, KL did too, so much so that we ended up fighting each other to eat it. The sweet red bean paste complimented the fluffy light whipped cream perfectly, all encased in a crispy pastry shell. Definitely try out these two items if you ever stop by Cream Pan.

My outfit for the day, harem pants are perfect for pigging out:

Wearing American Apparel cardigan, complexgeometries top, H&M harem pants, Ann Demeulemeester lace-up sandals, Balenciaga clutch.

I have to say though, if you want to try out the food at Cream Pan, BE THERE EARLY.
These pictures were taken during our second trip there, the first time we went to Cream Pan was in the afternoon and their shelves were swept clean. Seriously, now I understand why!

In the upcoming weeks I will be holed up in a study room somewhere finishing up on group projects and mugging for exams, so expect slooooow updates :/

That ramen place again

2010-04-22T01:02:00.000-07:00

Food, glorious food....

It's an ongoing challenge for me and KL to eat through the entire menu at Honda-ya. It's probably not possible, but that doesn't mean that KL and I aren't going to have fun doing it. Which was just what we did once again on a random cold night in SoCal. And speaking of cold nights...why do I have this feeling that we are just going to skip right past the mild spring weather and head straight into warm summer weather in a couple of weeks?

Me grinning after a good meal...a food coma does that to me :)

Wearing Rick Owens Lilies leather jacket, Complexgeometries dress, F21 tights, H&M leopard scarf, Surface to Air wedges and Balenciaga clutch.

V

2010-04-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

My love for serpentine accessories continues.

This earring comes from the same brand "Alchemy Gothic" as my adder bite ring and is sold singly. That suits me just fine...with my current hairstyle, I prefer to just tuck in my hair on the left anyways.

P.S. It's only the second week of school and it's crazy how fast things have ramped up!

2010-04-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

Hazard: Mummy, mummy!!!
Me: Yessss????

Hazard: Look I'm under the couch!

Me: Arrgghhh!!

Hope everyone's enjoying this wonderful weekend! :D

Happy Easter!

Cafe Blanc

2010-03-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

I love love love sweets.

Cakes are probably the most wonderful type of food because not only are they yummy, but they look so beautiful as well. My favourite dessert place in Orange County has got to be Cafe Blanc at Newport Beach. KL calls the plaza it's located in a double trap because Cafe Blanc is right next to a bridal gown shop and I like to go there sometimes to drool at the gowns whenever we stop by. ;)

I believe the shop's run by a Japanese chef and his rendition of French desserts are so delicate, not too sweet and just perfect! Since Easter was just round the corner, Cafe Blanc offered a cute Easter bunny cake which was almost too cute to eat! It was really yummy though with a crisp white chocolate shell with a creamy lilac berry mousse. I almost felt bad destroying the cute bunny cake..but it was too delicious to be missed! The strawberry shortcake on the other hand was light and refreshing, amazingly its cream layer was light and fluffy...perfect fruity desserts on a sunny day! The raspberry gelato that came with the cake was sweet, but not overly so and even had chunks of raspberries inside..see, I am getting my daily servings of fruit!

My camera wasn't with me when we dropped by that day, but I am sure that KL and I will be back again and I intend to take a picture of Cafe Blanc's cake counter...each and every yummy cake that they make looks so perfect and beautiful!

What I wore:

Rick Owens gray leather jacket, H&M leopard scarf, Heimstone silk tank, American Apparel tank, Drop crotch pants from Etsy, Rick Owens mummy wedges, Balenciaga bouton d'or work.

Slowly but surely, I am easing leopard stripes into my outfit and my Rick Owens mummy wedges are the most comfy pair of wedges that I own. Someday I vow to own the ankle boots version as well!

Black Adder

2010-03-24T18:21:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with this ring the minute I saw it on Ditte when she posted about it on TheFashionSpot. The ring, not surprisingly, is quite substantial (but not heavy) once I have it on and I still can't decide whether it's really cool, really cosplay-ish or just plain crazy. All of this just adds to its allure, plus I really like the feeling of having a pewter snake tangled up amongst my fingers. I have been looking for an awesome snake ring forever, but this one just blows it out of the water!

P.S. Please excuse my un-manicured hands! -_-

ETA: This is for Christine... just google "adder bite ring" and you should be able to find websites selling the ring. The ring seems to follow UK sizing, I took the smallest size I could find, but I could do with a ring adjuster. I bought mine from The Pyramid Collection. Hope this helps!

A night at the izakaya

2010-03-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

Friday night, KL and I decided to head to one of our favorite dinner/supper places, Honda-ya in Tustin for some grub. It's hard to find a places that serves good food and stays open late in Orange County (Honda-ya's open till 1am).

I love the atmosphere - service's great and it's unpretentious. I love the slanted roof and the knick-knacks they litter the place with! Sometimes all you want is great food and beer to go with the conversation and in this aspect, Honda-ya delivers. Their grill selection is spectacular and one of the must try is their grilled bacon scallops - it's heaven on a stick! Unfortunately I wasn't feeling too well so there's no picture of any grilled items this time.

What I got instead was yellowtail jalapeno (this is something that KL and I get every time, love the taste of sashimi with the yuzu sauce), spider roll, tako yaki (my favorite Japanese street food ever!) and chashu ramen. Honda-ya also serves complimentary pickled cucumbers as appetizers which I find to be light and refreshing. At this point, KL and I have pretty much made it our personal challenge to go through every item on the Honda-ya menu ;)

What I wore for my dinner date with KL:

Wearing H&M khaki parka, H&M blouse, H&M leopard scarf, F21 leggings, Ann Demeulemeester lace up boots and Balenciaga clutch

These are a few of my favourite bling

2010-03-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

I think I love shiny things.

Just you and me

2010-03-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

A little something to perk up your Monday. I love this song and it's so cool that the singer (Zee Avi) comes from my part of the woods. (Malaysia, which is so near Singapore)

Who would have thought that Shirley Manson(of Garbage fame) can do whimsical?

Regular programming to continue once finals week is over for me!

Call of the Wild

2010-03-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

Credit

I find myself craving a leopard coat lately and the leopard prints seen on the Dries Van Noten F/W 2010 runway sealed the deal for me. I have worn leopard print before but that was always in the form of accessories. The idea of wearing a lush leopard coat against an all black ensemble of jeans and top is getting more and more compelling. The leopard coat will have to be faux fur of course.

Want.to.assimilate.

P.S. Just realized I goofed up..my oversized sweater in the previous post is leopard print, but it's really more like a grey and black pattern, no?

Out for Dim Sum

2010-03-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend KL and I decided to head out for some dim sum at the much hyped Capital Seafood in Irvine. It was great to sit down and have a nice lunch with KL, something that we haven't been doing since I was crazy busy with school and him with work. The service at Capital was great; unfortunately I can't say the same about the food. I was expecting to get my socks knocked off given all the great reviews online, but the food was just....okay :/

And looking at the food pictures, I think one of the first things I want to get when I start working again is a D-SLR. I love my point-and-click Lumix, but I think SLR pictures seem so much "warmer".

It was a gray and overcast day, unusual weather for this time of the year in California, but it was a great chance for me to break out my oversized Ozetta warmer and relish the last remnants of the chilly winter weather.

Wearing oversized leopard jumper from ShopNastyGal, Ozetta warmer, black Balenciaga clutch, Forever21 leggings and Ann Demeulemeester shoes

The Ultimate School Uniform

2010-03-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Yohji Yamamoto F/W 2010; style.it

This is like a school uniform on crack, but in the best way possible.

Hazard and Raisin

2010-03-05T16:52:00.000-08:00

This post brings good news and bad news.

Good news: I adopted another bunny!
Some of you might remember that I'm already a bunny owner from this post.
So, please meet Hazard, the latest addition to my family!

Hazard's a 4-month old Lionhead that I adopted from a rabbit rescue when I boarded my bunnies with them. The rescue's a no-kill shelter and from what I can see, it's run extremely well by people who know what they are doing and who cares. So, if you think you can make a long-term commitment to a bunny, please check them out!

Bad news: Raisin just passed away today. :`(
She was having a case of runny stools yesterday, but I thought I'll self-medicate and feed her some of Tobey's medication. She seemed slightly better last night and was moving around. However, I was obviously wrong, because she took a turn for the worse this morning and collapsed in her litter pan. She cried just before she passed away and I think it's probably the saddest thing that I had to hear.....

I console myself by saying that at least she didn't have to suffer for long and she had a good 3 years with us. Plus she did get to spend the last few weeks of her life with Hazard, who treated her and Tobey like his Mummy and Daddy.

Happy times - Tobey, Hazard and Raisin

Rest in peace, Ray-ray, I'll miss you <3

Food fun and pictures galore! Vegas Dec 2009

2009-12-25T00:38:00.000-08:00

My finals were over 2 weeks ago and I should be updating this blog obessively. But something happened that I'm not ready to blog about...before I received the news, KL and I managed to go on our annual get-away to Vegas. We always tell ourselves to go somewhere that we have never gone before and were debating between visiting friends in Seattle or Dallas..but somehow in the end we always end up in Vegas at the end of the year! We are definitely creatures of habit, I guess!

Unfortunately the drive to Vegas this time wasn't as magical as last year's. I swear, a layer of snow over anything just makes any place a gazillion times more beautiful..though I could be biased as I haven't seen snow that much in my life :) Before the Big Sur fire, KL and I used to drive up Highway 1 frequently - I love the ocean and the views along Highway 1 is easily one of the most breath-taking, but sometimes the desert just provides a desolate beauty that's all its own...

The view from outside my hotel room, Vegas is really a city made for the night.

Coincidentally, the latest development on the Strip, CityCenter was slated to open on the very first night that we arrived. Yes, there's a lot of noise about how CityCenter will be the savior of the Strip, despite its involvement with Dubai World and lackluster condo sales. But it's something totally new, so my husband and I had to check it out.

Strolling along the overhead bridge that near CityCenter, the cold weather was a good time to bring out my favourite Ann D multi-lace boots again.

Wearing Aoyama Itchome dress, Zara coat, Falke leggings, Ann Demeulemeester boats and Miu Miu Coffer.

An interior view of Crystals, the retail center of CityCenter.

Most of the shops are not fully open yet, but there's a Lanvin store that's slated to open in 2010 - I'm really excited about that, even though I don't see myself spending money there any time soon ;)

Me fooling around with the signage outside the Lanvin store..hey it featured an Alber Elbaz illustration! Hmm..I am such a fashion nerd :p

Wearing Rick Owens leather jacket, F21 grey sweater, Ann D skirt and boots, Miu Miu Coffer.

The next day, KL and I ate at the Vegas outpost of Pink's, which is a hot-dog institution in L.A! It was our brunch so we decided to go for the works! At the bottom is the Mushroom Swiss Cheese dog, the name itself is pretty much indicative of what's inside. At the top was...hmm, the Mojave Desert dog? I'm not too sure about the name, but there comes a point where a hot dog stops being a hot dog and becomes a personal challenge...this hot dog was definitely that! A giant spicy Polish dog with jalapenos, salsa, guacamole, melted Swiss Cheese....hmmm the calories are definitely worth it!

KL and I also tried a new restaurant at Atria, the casino-hotel at CityCenter. There were so many choices but we only had one night, so we ended up going with Sage. Sage is a restaurant owned by Shawn McClain and markets its cuisine as "contemporary American". I'm never one to care about how my food is categorized, as long as it's great I'm happy! In this case I can honestly declare myself one happy customer! KL and I had a great time at Sage, our server was great and the meal started off well with an amuse-bouche from the chef. Unfortunately though it was really pretty, KL and I wolfed it down immediately, so no pictures! But I do remember tasting artichoke and foam :p

We got to choose from two types of bread, a bacon baguette and sour-dough baguette which we could dip into Australian sea-salt and house-whipped butter.

KL and I wanted to try as much of the menu as we reasonably could but there was no tasting menu...so we ordered 2 appetizers and one entree to share.

Appetizer 1...Escargot and Pork Belly Agnolotti.

The green foam that you see is actually parsley, blended with red wine sauce. I tried the escargot and agnolotti but not the pork belly. KL absolutely loved the mouth melting texture of the pork belly, I loved how the agnolotti complemented the escargot and the sauce and everything was tied nicely together with a taste of citrus..I suspect lemon?

Appetizer 2..Pacific Yellowtail Crudo.

This was my absolute favourite of the night! I loved it so much that if I had to choose one dish to eat for the rest of my life, this would be it! The dish contained hamachi slices which were so fine and light that it made for really great sashimi, with pine nuts, mushrooms and truffles that grounded the dish with its earthy flavor. The dish contained a yuzu sauce which worked surprisingly well with the nuts and mushrooms..I think this dish really brought the best of the earth and the sea together.

Entree..Roasted Day Boat Scallops.

I love scallops and I liked this dish. However after tasting the inventiveness of the 2 appetizers, I really wish the dish was wittier. The scallops acquitted themselves competently as a dish, though I felt that the red wine sauce might have been a little strong for the scallops, but it's a good dish nonetheless. However the red wine sauce did work beautifully with the oxtail, which was braised to perfection.

After that it was time for the sweet stuff. Sage offered a selection of pastries and dessert wines, but we decided to try the pastries instead. KL and I ordered 2 desserts to share...though I highly suspect that in the end, I ate most of them ;)

Warm sugared beignets with jasmine tea cider.

I have to say I am not a cinnamon fan, but this was good. The pairing of the jasmine tea cider with the beignet was clever as it balanced out the overt sweetness of the beignets. I loved the bitter sourness of the jasmine tea cider, the delicate scent of jasmine was really comforting.

Malted Valrhona Milk Chocolate Dome.

Dessert is truly not dessert with something chocolate :) The butterscotch foam and nuts went well with the chocolate dome and it provided a sweet ending to my meal, but overall I wished the desserts were able to delight me as much as the entrees. To end the meal, KL and I were given orange chocolate syrup, compliments of the chef. It really felt like we were drinking hot chocolate, with the aroma of orange coming in later as an after-taste. It was a great ending to a fun meal.

And to all, a very Merry Christmas and a

Take Care! :)

Cat Burglar Barbie by Christian Louboutin

2009-12-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

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There was a time when I was really into collecting Barbie dolls.

Meet Cat burglar Barbie...everything that she's wearing is designed for her by shoe maestro Christian Louboutin. Aaaaahhh, I think she has those Rodarte shoes too!

Barbie's a redhead now? When did that happen?

Twitter

2009-12-02T21:47:00.000-08:00

I am snowed in under project deadlines and preparation for finals right now, that's why this blog is sorely neglected once again.
I finally decided to open a twitter account and link my tweets to my blog...at least I can update my blog more frequently via my tweets!
One more week and my finals will be over...!!!

Gray wolf

2009-10-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

I'm still alive! :D

Wearing Rick Owens Drkshdw druid hoodie, MNG Mango wolf tee, Ksubi jeans, vintage boots.

It has been a big change going back to school after so many years of working. The orientation, the new people, the change in environment, all the new knowledge to absorb.. it's been equal parts overwhelming and equal parts fun. I still feel like I am playing catch-up and trying to get into the the sync of things, but at the same time I'm glad that I'm doing this as it's really time for a change! I also chopped several inches off my hair, not that most of you can tell since I don't really show my face :) But it's seriously liberating.. and I'm loving how old outfits in the past have a different appeal with the new crop.
So finally after so long, I'm updating this blog with an outfit post.

I had my eye on this Drkshdw druid hoodie for the longest time and am so happy to assimilate it into my wardrobe. I'm a student now, so I definitely have to watch my spending. The over-sized hood is just so crazy and awesome and I'm having fun playing around with the tendrils at the side of the hoodie. The narrow sleeves are a classic Rick Owens trademark and the gun-metal gray has just a little more zing than black. The boots that I am wearing are vintage...I got them in Hong Kong more than 10 years ago. I had to bring them back from Singapore to show them some love.

The Singapore Report - Food pictures galore and my very first giveaway

2009-07-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I have been absent from my blog for quite sometime but I am so deliriously happy to be back in Singapore. It's damn good to be home! I had forgotten about the heat and how densely packed this little island can be, but nothing beats eating Mum's cooking after being away from home for nearly 2 years as well as being in the company of my family again! The highlight has got to be meeting my baby nephew Tristan for the first time, I am constantly amazed by how cute and smart he is, he has everyone in the family eating out of his hands.

To share some of the joy, I am pleased to announce this blog's very first giveaway together with Chickdowntown.com. Some of you might have read about this website before from other previous blog giveaways and Chickdowntown is known for stocking trendy items such as the coveted scarves from Sir Alistair Rai and BB Dakota Clothing. I will pick one reader's comment on this post as the winner and this person stands to get the BB Dakota Battalion jacket in black:

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I love the gold braided details and marching-band vibe of this jacket! It can be worn over pants or dresses and would be a fun signature piece to have for Fall. I am sorry to announce that this giveaway is only limited to readers in the US however :( Check out Chickdowntown's Twitter page as well as their Facebook page to be kept up to date on their latest finds and promotions!
This contest is open till Saturday, 1st August 2009, midnight PST and all US-based comments up to this deadline will be considered.

Now to offer everyone a peek into a day of my life when I am in Singapore, these are photos from when I was out for lunch together with my sister. We choose to hang out at Orchard Road, which is a well-known shopping belt in Singapore. Lunch was at Sakae Sushi, which is a successful Singaporean conveyor-belt sushi franchise store that has taken off in Asia.

We picked the branch at Wheelock Place which is located at the start of Orchard Road. To me, Wheelock Place unofficially marks the start of Orchard Road and we fueled up for the day as we attempted to tackle the shops and malls ahead of us:

Potato croquette and agedashi tofu - deep fried and so unhealthy but I love it! I tell myself that anything tofu can't be thaaaaaat bad!

Octopus sushi - this was my first time trying it..apparently my sister is a fan. I am very partial to seafood and I enjoyed this one immensely. It really tastes better than it looks! ;)

Salmon sashimi and soft-shell crab handroll - perennial favourites, give me wasabi and I am a happy camper. And why can't all crab shells be soft? One thing I hate about eating crab is having to crack open its shell, so the soft shell crab suits my lazy self just fine!

Chawanmushi - a steamed egg dish flavored with toppings like mushroom and fish cake. It's comfort food, done Japanese style, to me.

After lunch, it was off to do a bit of shopping!

This picture shows the start of Orchard Road itself. The building in the picture on the right is ION Orchard, which just opened last week. I haven't been there to check out the place yet, but I guess it will host the usual mix of designer boutiques and mid-range brands that Orchard Road malls is known for, despite its hype :S

Stopped by Topshop and M)phosis, which is a chain of clothing stores in Singapore.

For those who are visiting Singapore, I urge you to check M)phosis out, it stocks interesting, asymmetrical drapey pieces in a limited colour palette consisting of black, white, pink, grey and yellow. The prices are reasonable and I always pick up a few pieces whenever I visit. Not this time though, as I am on a student's budget ;) Topshop didn't yield anything interesting for me too, I'm not sure if that's due to my mentality of a self-imposed shopping ban or just that there aren't anything interesting in the stores lately.

But we did stumble across a food festival when we were at Ngee Ann City (a shopping mall in Orchard Road).

This mall frequently holds events in its atrium and I guess we were lucky that it was a food festival that day! (Translation: lots of yummy sampling and delightful sights and smells to be had!)

Cute Japanese candy in all their colourful packaging:

The selection was mind-boggling especially since I had to make-do with the limited selection in US!

Hong Kong street food!

Food on a stick is just great for walking around and eating..some of the food sold included pig intestines, cow's stomach, pig's skin and the usual fried chicken, fishballs and cuttlefish balls. The pastry counter on the right had me salivating, I have such a soft spot for Cantonese pastries.. it was a visual feast!

A dorayaki machine in action:

Dorayaki is a type of Japanese pancake with a sweet red bean filling in the middle. I love to eat it with a cup of strong green tea, because the taste of tea balances the sweetness of the red bean paste. But I didn't get any that day because of.....

ICE CREAM!

Straight from Singapore's very own ice-cream factory, Udders. There are a host of weird and wonderful flavours at the stall. Wonderful because they have decadent toe-curling liqueur flavors like orange-choc bitters, amaretto black and lychee martini! Weird (to some) because they also carry local flavors such as durians (Mao Shan Wang and D24) and cempedak which I found to be the highlights of their ice-cream selection. Personally, I loved loved loved the Mao Shan Wang（貓山王）flavour, so much so that my sis and I purchased a tub home after sampling what Udders had to offer:

Mao Shan Wang is considered an extremely high-quality durian cultivar in South East Asia. I realize that durians can be a controversial fruit to some. Some people love it, while some people just hate it with a passion. Me? I belong in the first group! Hey, I grew up in Singapore and I can never understand Singaporeans who do not love durians. That's like a Frenchman who doesn't love cheese!

Check out the creamy, luscious scoops of yellow goodness:

Last spoonful, good to the very last aromatic mouthful:

The taste is hard to pin down in words, but it's wonderfully complex with layers of sweetness, creaminess combined with the milkiness of ice-cream. For any adventurous foodie who happens to be in Singapore, this ice-cream is a must-try. Heck, for those who truly dare, go for the actual fruit itself!

P.S. I will be replying to all my emails and comments shortly! Sorry for the delay, but I guess you can say that I was in a food coma! ;)

Back Home

2009-07-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I am finally in Singapore after enduring an 18 hour flight from LAX to Singapore! Still feeling jet-lagged and a little out of whack but it was great to see my family, plus my baby nephew, Tristan, who was born when I wasn't in Singapore.

I am now heavily sedated on a yummy breakfast of curry puffs ( a crispy deep-fried pastry with a curry filling) and soya bean milk...off to catch up on some much needed snooze, but expect a return to regular programming in a couple of days! :)

Schwing Schwing!

2009-07-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

I was surfing the net, link-jumping from one to another, when I chanced upon this webshop named Schwing Schwing. Remember this Margiela skirt from Jak&Jil?:

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This is Schwing Schwing's take on it:

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Schwing Schwing's version does look good and at a mere fraction of the Margiela, it's a piece that's worth buying if you are looking for the look, but may not want to pay the price. The styling of its website really leans towards the "model-off-duty-A-Wang" look, but I found some pieces which I think are more my cup of tea. For example this black dress, which reminds me of a certain Canadian brand specializing in complex geometrical tees;) :

This black vest is filled with lots of random drape and tie potential:

The most awesome thing (to me anyway) is that this website is from Singapore, so there's a tad, ok tons of, national pride here! The prices are also really good (read: reborn student on a budget here!), think Forever 21-level but with a more interesting selection. They ship internationally I think, but I'll check out Schwing Schwing in further detail when I am back in Singapore..maybe I can save on the shipping costs?

And, totally random, but I suddenly have it in my mind to get a bear tee:

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Also, I'll like to announce that this is my first blog post on my new Macbook Pro:

Yesssss... happy cows at the National Mall on my desk-top :)

Transformers

2009-07-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

Wearing Ann D white wrap top, American Apparel tank, Zara drop-crotch pants and Rick Owens wedges.

Whoever came out with transformable clothing is a genius!

This is the first time that my Ann Demeulemeester wrap top from S/S 09 makes its appearance on my blog. There are so many conceivable ways to wear this top and the three examples that I have shown are only the tip of the iceberg!
I probably change the way I tie the top every time I use the washroom (TMI much :D???)

And the Rick Owens mummy wedges..at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I just can't get over how comfortable they are, vs. their height!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T23:18:00.000-07:00

Fireworks at Laguna Beach!

It finally feels like summer has come to SoCal - how has everyone's Independence Day weekend been so far?

KL and I finally caught Transformers 2 and I must say that I enjoyed the movie tremendously, despite the lackluster reviews going around. The movie is a pure summer pop-corn flick, just don't expect anything too cerebral and enjoy it for what it is! We caught Transformers 1 during the 4th July weekend 2 years ago so this has definitely become a July 4th movie series for us.

We went to Laguna Beach today to catch the fireworks show...it's always interesting to watch the sky fill up with light and colours and to hear the fireworks fizzle across the sky and explode.

I'll be going back to Singapore for a month and a half, just to bum around before school starts. I hope to have time to post some more, before I fly back on July 10th.

Enjoy the rest of your July 4th weekend! :D

Battle Leather Jacket: Rick Owens vs Yaya Aflalo

2009-06-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

First of all, I want to thank the gorgeous Anna from Cocktail of Fashion for her lovely award to me! Thank you so much Anna *virtual hug*! I strongly urge you guys to check out her blog, she has the most beautiful wedding dress that I have ever seen, as well as some of the most inspirational pictures out there!

I finally decided to do a post comparing the classic Rick Owens biker leather jacket vs the Yaya Aflalo vapor leather jacket, as I get quite a number of emails/questions on how they stack up against each other.
(It helps too that I am resting at home today as I have not fully recovered from my cold/cough. If anything in this comparison doesn't make sense, ask me as I am heavily sedated on Theraflu as I am writing this ;))

A picture of the two jackets in question - can you tell which is which???

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Answer: Yaya jacket is on the left, the RO is on the right.

Another picture of the two jackets side by side, unzipped:

As you can see the leather on both types of jackets are different. Note though, that I think I have the blistered leather version of the RO jacket, which is meant to look a lot more distressed anyway. But I really love the RO leather, it gets softer and seems to mold to you the more you wear it, it feels more organic and I have no doubts that it will get better with wear. The Yaya leather on the other hand, appears smoother and more uniform..but it's really soft too!

The sleeves on the RO are tighter and mold to the arm more. This is evident in the following picture:

Yaya sleeve on top, RO sleeve below.

As you can see, the RO sleeve is way narrower than the Yaya's. It expands to fit your arm, whereas the Yaya sleeve is wider, though I wonder if this can be mitigated by sizing down one for the Yaya's?

Let's take a look at how the leather jackets drape on a human body, i.e that of yours truly:

I think there's really no clear winner in this "battle", it really depends on what one is looking for, vs the budget that one has. I love my RO because of its drape and the little details that go into it: the silver zippers, the tight ultra-long sleeves and the luxrious lining. But the Yaya jacket is really a good buy for its price..it might lack the details that the RO has, but it does look great nevertheless and does give off that RO vibe!(which to me means skinny sleeves and drapey leather) If anyone is interested, I decided to spring for the RO in the end as I got a chance to purchase it at a really good price, and I feel that it is a worthy investment!

Oh and I didn't caption my last picture in this post. You should be able to tell by now which jacket is which, so quick, which one is the RO in the last picture??

Shoes, shoes, shoes!

2009-06-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling under the weather for the past two days. So, please excuse me if I haven't replied to some comments and emails yet. I woke up on Tuesday with an inflamed tonsil on the right side of my throat and a slight fever. Hopefully this will go away soon..my throat doesn't hurt that much anymore but I can feel a cough developing. Darn, I hate to be ill during summer, especially with a long weekend coming up!

But onto happier things. I was looking through photos taken during my birthday week and those of you who have been looking for a cheaper alternative to the Ann Demeulemeester S/S 09 boots may be interested in the picture below:

The photo was taken in Laguna Beach, but the store was already closed when I took this picture. I couldn't go in to investigate further, but these seem to be under a Jeffery Campbell line called "Limited edition"? These seem really close to the Ann D's and even KL thought that they were the same ones that I had. The best reproduction of the Ann Demeulemeester lace-up boots that I have seen by far! Even the multi-bow sandal next to the Demeulemeester look-a-likes are a decent alternative to the Marc Jacobs bow sandals this season!

A recent acquisition from my Vegas trip:

Givenchy s/s 09 booties

I got these on super-sale from a shoe store at Wynn. Love love love the huge zipper running up the boot, plus the cowboy boot details. It's like a bad-ass, shoe-gone-wild version of a cowboy boot, which suits me just fine, given that I always depend on my accessories to add that extra zing to my outfit. They are really comfortable and run true to size...expect to see them featured in an outfit post soon.

And another shoe-porn picture:

Rick Owens S/S 09 multi-strap booties

I call them my mummy (as in Egyptian) boots! They are in the colour dust and the multiple straps remind me of the fabric strips that are wrapped around mummies. The wedges may look deceivingly high and intimidating, but they are really comfortable! I have no problem walking in them!

Vegas baby!

2009-06-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

I gave official notice to my manager last Friday. Now going back to school has never felt more real! Some of you out there might be aware that I had decided to pursue a full-time MBA program at the start of this year. It was really time to go, from the moment that I received offers from the schools that I had applied to, it has been a struggle trying to motivate myself to put in the hours and the effort that I used to. The reason for the change in my attitude is finally out in the open and I guess I can "slack" easy ;)

For my birthday on June 11th, KL and I decided to re-visit a very familiar city. We went back to Vegas!
We got a room at the Signature hotel at the MGM Grand, which is a really great place to be! I had great difficulty leaving my room every day and I still cry when I think of the jacuzzi tub in the bathroom - I miss it so much!

What I wore for the car ride from Orange County to Vegas. As you can see, comfort is of utmost importance:

F21 tee, Elizabeth and James pants, Dries Van Noten sandals

A shot of the view at night from our room:

One of my favorite stops in Vegas (besides Barneys at the Palazzo ;)), is the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanic Gardens. As the name implies, it's a magnificent display of landscaped gardens, meant to invoke the essence of each season. Besides changing the displays with each seasons, I think Bellagio also comes up with new displays for special occasions like Independence Day and Christmas. When KL and I were there, it was the Summer display.

The flower ferris wheel that dominated the display:

Ladybug! One of the very few insects that I am not squeamish about:

I love how rosebuds were used to recreate the snails' shell. It took me some time before I coaxed the right expression out from the snail ;)

Lovebirds!

They were so cute and couldn't stop grooming each other. Some of them were already asleep when KL and I were there (it was 11pm plus after all!) as the lights were switched off.

And of course what would a blog post be without food? In place of a cake this year, KL told me that I could pick whatever sweets I wanted from Payard!
Macarons from Payard - the chocolate and strawberry ones were heavenly! I can't remember what flavours the other colours were, I think I need to go back there for a second tasting!

More sweets from my sweet:

On the left is a little slice of berry heaven named Joie, complimented with a dark chocolate-hazelnut creation named the Louvre. I have a hard time deciding which one is better, so I'm gonna cop out and say I love them all!

On the day of my birthday itself, KL took me out for dinner at the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill. I have always said that I wanted to try out this restaurant whenever we were in Vegas (yes, even though I know it's so much nearer to drive to the one in L.A.), so my wish was finally got granted ;)

Our appetizers:

Left: sweet corn crab fritters, right: chilled tomato gazpacho

I ordered the sweet corn crab fritters with a zesty aioli while KL got the chilled tomato gazpacho with a dollop of crème fraîche and croutons. Halfway through, I had to give up my fritters to KL...veggies are his Kryptonite and he can only stomach so many mouthfuls of "veggie stew"! My apologies for the photos everyone, it wasn't a candle-lit dinner, but somehow the pictures turned out darker than expected!

For the main course, I ordered grilled tuna with a red onion salad, while KL had beef filet, with herb creamed corn, pesto and balsamic.

Dessert! Apricot melba with toast almonds, vanilla ice and raspberries! No fighting here, we each got a share.

Then it was off to catch the Criss Angel's show, Believe.

It seems that the reviews for this show weren't too good but I have to say it's really bad at all! Just don't expect a usual Cirque du Soleil show, this show is really more of a "Best of Mindfreak" performance with surreal imaginary thrown in to link up each illusion. Personally I felt that the "links" were really the weakest part of the show, some of the performances felt a tad too contrived at time, but in all fairness I did enjoy the dancing bunnies. That's all I should say I guess, without giving too much of the show away.

Lastly, I shall sign off this post with pictures of my birthday outfit, worn with Dries sandals during the day and my trusty Ann Demeulemeester lace-up boots at night!

Lanvin dress, various necklaces from F21 and Made Her think, Dries Van Noten sandals (left), Ann Demeulemeester lace up boots (right)

Pictorama: A random night out at Irvine Spectrum

2009-05-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

First of all, I am extremely honored to show off this lovely award given to me by Hanh:

Hanh is an extremely lovely lady with an impeccable sense of style. Check out her blog here. It's so inspirational and chock full of pictures of her lovely outfits and yummy food, some of which were whipped up by Hanh herself! I love that the blogs that I frequent are featuring food more and more, I confess to be a diehard foodie and I feel that truly great food satisfies not only our palate, but also our eyes!

A pictorama of tonight's event:

I worn: Rick Owens leather jacket, Lanvin t-shirt dress, charcoal gray ribbed socks, Ann Demeulemeester lace-up boots, Chanel baby cabas and Forever21 necklace.

KL and I went to: Irvine Spectrum

I lusted over: the 13.3" Macbook Pro from Apple. (hint, hint, KL - I need a laptop for college!)

We drank: A humongonous serving of Wetzel's Pretzels' lemonade. (which I'm convinced is one of the best lemonade ever! I always have to fight KL for this.)

Outside: The Verizon wireless store

And ate a cheesedog from Wetzel's Pretzels as well.

Sometimes junk food is just immensely cathartic and the hot, greasy dog hit the spot on this cold night! Yum, yum, yum....

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone! :D

Surface To Air buckle wedges

2009-05-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

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Grey suede. Copious number of buckles. Mmmmmmmm. You.will.be.mine.

Edited to add: Since I got some emails on where these wedges are available to purchase, I'll like to reveal that they are available for preorder on azaleasf.com. Use code "grechen10" for 10% off!

Memorial Day weekend: To Big Bear we will go!

2009-05-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

I have been on a blogging sabbatical and it's really been kind of....liberating. The first part of it was really accidental, I had to deal with work visa issues, our car broke down in Yorba Linda, leaving KL and me stranded (it was a horrifying experience, never did I feel so vulnerable before and we didn't have AAA at that time, but now we DO)...but I had to admit that my sabbatical extended as I just wasn't feeling inspired to blog. I think I finally have to come to terms with the fact that I'm not really good at updating my blog regularly, sometimes I have a lot to say, sometimes I just don't. But that doesn't mean I tire of the blogging experience! That's something to be said about composing your thoughts and watching it take form on the computer screen...my blog also serves as my journal on my life and style. But ultimately what really makes blogging so enjoyable is the interaction that I get from everyone, your comments and your emails. So I'm back on my blogging soap box again!

So during the long Memorial Day weekend, KL and I drove up to Big Bear Lake.

I have been to Big Bear several years ago to ski (don't ask, I think I was probably a hazard to everyone on the bunny slope!), but this was my first visit to Big Bear Lake. KL and I took it easy and walked the trail by Big Bear Lake. It was a good opportunity for us to get some sunshine after soaking in the fluorescent rays of our office.

Can you spot what's among the rocks?

My KING OF THE WORLD pose! (this was taken at another trail near the lake, which led into the forest)

I got a new header up as well. I was inspired by my recent trip to Big Bear and decided to put up something bright and sunny up! After all summer is here!

皆さん! (Everyone!)

2009-05-02T22:07:00.001-07:00

I am very excited and honored to present my second blog award from the very witty and humorous Girl Interrupted of A World So Small:

This award means a lot to me as it's a positive affirmation from someone who has taken the time to read and comment on my blog. The fact that it's coming from someone as awesome as Girl Interrupted definitely makes it 10x better! So thank you very very much, girl! Do check out her blog - it's chock full of her musings on life in general, this is one girl who makes one of the most intelligent posts that I have seen.

I was also tagged by the very lovely Chekka. Chekka's a blogger from Indonesia with an incredible sense of style. Ah, the young ones just keep getting better and better... I don't remember being so stylish at that age ;)

So on to the questions:

what is your current obsession?
deciding what to do with my hair. It's really long now and not as healthy as I think it should be...so I don't know whether to just trim it or cut it reaaaaally short.

what is your weirdest obsession?
Nina's hair! Kidding (though she does have great hair!) It would be making sure that all the hangers in my closet face the same direction.

what are you wearing today?
An old "I Love New York" tee and sweats. Today's bumming-around day.

what’s for dinner today?
Microwaveable pasta - from Marie Callender's to be exact:

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why is today special?
Because I don't have to go to the office ;)

what would you like to learn to do?
I would really like to learn how to sew, because I think I can save a lot of money that way. And surf!

what languages can you speak?
I can speak English and Mandarin fluently, as well as Cantonese.

what are you listening to right now?
Just the sound of the crickets on the hillside outside my apartment.

what is your favorite weather?
Sunny but cool (no more than the early seventies), sounds like a lovely Spring day!

what is your most challenging goal right now?
To figure out what my next job will be. I will be going back to school, so I hope to make use of this hiatus from the rat race to figure out what I really want to do.

what do you think about the person who tagged you?
I think she's adventurous, fun-loving and a whole lot more self-assured than I am at that age! :)

if you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
The motherland - Singapore, please

what would you like to have in your hands right now?
One of my bunnies!

what would you like to get rid of?
The unworn shoes and clothes and bags in my closet. I feel that they should definitely go to people who can appreciate them more than I do!

if you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Tokyo!

which language do you want to learn?
Japanese! I learnt it at an elementary level when I was in college but I'll love to be fluent in it.

what do you look for in a friend?
Sincerity and loyalty

who do you want to meet in person?
My mum. I have not seen her for a long time.

what’s your favorite type of music?
Hmm..anything I can sing along to I suppose!

what’s the favorite piece of clothing in your own closet?
I can't decide! Though my Rick Owens leather jacket comes very close to nabbing that spot!

what is your dream job?
One that I am passionate about...though I have yet to figure out what it is.

any favorite models?
Not really...I don't really keep up with what's going on in the modelling world.

if you had £100 now what would you spend it on?
Nothing! I would save it!

favorite designer?
I am too fickle to ever commit to just one ;)

fashion pet peeve?
People who wear clothes that are too small for them!

do you admire anyone’s style?
Of course, a lot of fashion bloggers come to mind! I really admire people who have a definite sense of style and can pull it off. It doesn't necessarily need to be my cup of tea, but it has to be done well.

describe your personal style
A neutral palette, with a touch of the masculine and great accessories!

And in the spirit of this tag, I shall have to pass this on to 8 other people:
1. Diane
2. Sol
3. Hanh
4. Legyviel
5. Kokopuff
6. GirlInterrupted ;)
7. Leyla
8. Deep in Vogue

Ann Demeulemeester S/S 09 lace up boots

2009-04-28T22:50:00.000-07:00

I am back!

So what else could have been keeping me away from all of you guys? Well, unfortunately it's work again! :S I definitely won't be missing the crazy corporate life and back to back full-day meetings once I am back in school.

Thank you every one for your comments, tags and awards. I will be getting to them in my next post and I will be responding to comments as well, especially for those who have asked me questions via comments.

Remember my wishlist from a previous post?

I finally took the plunge and got the Ann Demeulemeester lace up boots for summer. I am amazed at how comfortable they are, despite them being 4-inchers.. I could imagine walking around New York all day in them. (Yes I am just back from New York and already I am scheming about how to get back!)

Here's a picture of me wearing them for the first time:

Wearing Zara blazer, Forever21 sweater, Elizabeth & James pants, Ann Demeulemeester lace up boots and yes finally doing the camera-in-the-dressing-room-thing.

Expect to see a lot of them in upcoming outfit posts... I can already feel an obsession beginning, much like how it was with the F/w 08 triple lace up boots.

All right I am off to catch up on my sleep and will be back soon with more!

New York City part III - Oiishi! A chocolate factory and all that jazz!

2009-04-15T23:40:00.000-07:00

I have been obsessed with ramen ever since I tasted my first bowl of this Japanese-nified cuisine in Japan. (And no, I am not referring to the instant type.) So it was with a critical eye that I approached the ramen at Ramen Setagaya at the East Village. After days of sandwiches, hot soupy noodles sounded really appealing to KL and me.

As everyone knows, the true mark of good ramen lies in the broth. In this case, Ramen Setagaya did not disappoint.

I ordered the shio (salt) ramen. The broth was clear, yet tasty. The ramen was firm and springy, while the thin slices of pork, with their fatty rings, slide down my throat ever so smoothly. The egg was delicious too...firm but not hard and it had a gentle flavour, sometimes eggs have a weird taste to me, but definitely not this one! I still drool when I look at the ramen picture above.

KL and I also shared a side of veggie gyoza....oiishi!

Guess what we found while walking around after dinner - a stall serving Japanese streetside snacks like okonomiyaki (pancake-like dish with cabbage, eggs and other toppings) and my favourite, tako yaki! Tako yaki are octopus balls (pieces of octopus in balls of grilled batter) served with lots of mayonnaise, brown takoyaki sauce and bonito flakes. I could never locate them in Orange County so I definitely had to buy some to share with KL.

Left: the hole in the wall joint selling Japanese street snacks; right: me chowing down on tako yaki

Yummy...the hot tako yaki makes it the perfect snack for a cold NY night!

Just when we though we were done for the night, we came across this restaurant serving lots and lots of chocolate concoctions : Max Brenner - Chocolate by the Bald Man. The chocoholic in me was of course, helpless against the siren call of chocolate.

KL ordered chocolate chai. I think the presentation is pretty cool, just put the container over the drinking mug and tap to drain the hot chocolate out from the chai mixture.

I ordered the chocolate shot:

Yes that's right, shots of chocolate! I ordered dark chocolate, out of a trio of choices including milk chocolate and white chocolate. Just thinking about the chocolate rush makes my toes curl :D

The apparatus for preparing the chocolate shot, made me feel like I was conducting some kooky culinary experiment. I scooped some chocolate chips into the milk which was being warmed by the tealight, stir to melt and sip via the metal straw. Naturally I loaded lots of chocolate in for the ultimate rush!

The melting heart chocolate cake, served with berries and ice-cream.

And of course, what would a trip to NYC be without a visit to Broadway? We spent an hour or so waiting in the cold gusty winds to queue up for discounted tickets at the TKTS booth at Times Square. In the end, we settled on Chicago. I rather enjoyed the movie version starring Richard Gere, Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and the musical version was not too bad.

Finally the last outfit shot of me in NYC for this trip.

Wearing Rick Owens leather jacket, Zara top, Ksubi black jeans, Ann Demeulemeester boots, Phillip Lim scarf and Miu Miu black coffer.

So long (for now) New York!

New York City Part II - More food porn, the Met and Madame X.

2009-04-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

Food! Food! Food!

If there's one thing that you'll definitely be spoilt for choice for in New York City, it's definitely food! From Zagat rankings to celebrity endorsements, most eating places in New York are plastered with such endorsements all over. For a foodie like me and KL, New York City is definitely an eating heaven.. a far cry from the heavily populated franchise restaurant scene in Orange County.

One of my favourite finds during this New York trip is A Salt & Battery.

It's essentially a fish and chips place, but the fish and chips is absolutely one of the best I have ever tasted! The owners were even involved in a throw-down with celebrity chef Bobby Flay and they won! And after eating at this place it's easy to see why:

KL and I got the seafood combo, which consists of fried fish and shrimp. (Sides or chips are a separate order.) The fried seafood is crispy, yet not oily at all, in fact the batter is so light but oh so-very-crunchy! And you taste the natural sweetness and freshness of the seafood through the batter.. I don't know how these guys do it but I didn't walk away with the oily, bloated feeling that I usually get from eating fried food. Seating is limited at A Salt & Battery though, so it's best to get there before the lunch/dinner crowds come in.

And literally by accident, KL and I found this hot dog store named Papaya King:

KL and I remembered seeing a feature on it on Food Network before, so we had to try the papaya drink that the signs plastered all over the store were hawking:

And you know what, the drink lived up to its hype! It's sweet and creamy, yet not overly so. We could taste the papaya in the drink and it was very refreshing. The hot dogs were good too, better than most I had tasted, but I personally preferred it without the onions which were hmmm, a little overpowering to me. One thing to note though, KL and I first tasted this at the Greenwich Village store and we ordered the same papaya drink again when we came across Papaya King a few streets away from the Met. It seems like the quality varies from store to store as the papaya drink at the Met location was really watered down and not at all like the manna that we had tasted the night before.

Did I mention the Met (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)?

I wanted so badly to see the exhibitions at the Costume Institute when I was there but it was closed. Nevertheless the Met was a great visit, even for the second time, as there was plenty of stuff to occupy my and KL's time!

Ancient jewellery:

I'll gladly wear these cuffs!
Some serious bling:

I don't know what is it about me and ancient sculpture, but I am always tempted to do some cheeky (no pun intended) poses of the butt-pinching variety among them. Maybe it was just a desire in me to offset all the seriousness of the crowd brought on by the history of the pieces. Or the nudity was getting to my brain ;) I'm not too sure how my well my antics would have gone down with the stern security personnel nor the crowd, but nevertheless I managed to sneak a couple in:

Say meow!

One of my favourite permanent exhibits at the Met is the Arms & Amor collection:

The intricate details on all the armor and weapons are amazing, not to mention the skils it must have taken to produce them. What I find intrigung though is how small most of the suits of armor are...even to me. I guess people were really smaller back then!
A close-up of a burgonet in the shape of a lion's head. I believe it's Italian in origin...note the attempts at mimicking the texture of fur and hair using metal:

And for first-time visitors, the Temple of Dendur is a most see. It's a Nubian temple that was phyiscally relocated (yes, building, gates and all!) to the US and subsequently the Met in the 60s'.

This was a perfect opportunity to break out my "Walk like an Egyptian" pose, but the security personnel there was so tense and stern that he quickly dampened any enthusiaism that I had. He was always anxiously scanning anyone who approached the structure..hmm, first day on the job perhaps?

The painting collection of the Met is definitely impressive and I didn't have time to take it all in at my leisure. Yes, even on my second visit. I knew that there was one painting that I had to see again:

Madame X. The original It girl maybe? Once again another painting which I had studied in school that fascinated me then and still, today.

And here's a random outfit shot of what I wore that day.

Zara military jacket, helmut lang top, ksubi jeans, ann demeulemeester boots, miu miu coffer.

Next: Last night in New York City and all that jazz!

New York City part I - Of good eats, the Rockefeller center, AMNH and the New York City Ninja

2009-04-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

As you call all tell from my photo, it was absolutely freezing when we arrived in New York City at night.

In Ninja mode - Ozetta large warmer from etsy, Zara military jacket, black vintage tiered ruffled dress, Falke tights, Ann Demeulemeester boots

When it comes to eating, New York City is one of the best cities to be in. Great eating places are open till late at night, or early in the morning, depending on how you look at it. So, be prepared for lots and lots of food porn because I do have plenty of pictures to share!

One of the shops that KL and I had to visit was "Eileen Special Cheesecake". We discovered this hole in the wall joint by accident on our first trip to NYC and fell in love with the cheesecake there. Unlike certain cheesecake factories on the west coast, the cheesecake at Eileen's is light and fluffy, with just the right amount of sweetness. The cheesecake in the shop is sold in small portions so that you don't feel guilty indulging. I had to stop myself from ordering all the flavors that they had available!

KL and I finally decided on the Oreo cheesecake and the strawberry cheesecake:

Washed down with a canoli ;)

Yummy!

At night, KL and I walked over to the Rockefeller center which was near our hotel. The skating rink is still there, even though it's already spring!

A shot of the building through the fairy lights on the trees. Ah, memories.

The very next day, we went to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). I believe that this is the very same museum in the movie, "A Night at the Museum"?

I was really looking forward to seeing all the dioramas again, as well as view the exhibits that KL and I missed out on the last time we were there. But, first.. DINOSAURS!!!

When I was a kid, I loved to spend Saturday mornings in my bed reading and re-reading my encyclopedias on dinosaurs and pre-historic mammals like the mammoths and the sabretooth tiger. So I definitely had to hunt down their skeletons:

From left: Mammoth skeleton, sabretooth tiger skeleton.

It's kind of a pity that we'll never get to see these animals alive again. But that's evolution and seriously, I highly suspect that they will not inspire half the fascination that they do now if their species were still around today.

And the dioramas....it's weird as the animals seem so life-like, but of course they are just the creations of really gifted taxidermists. It's hard to believe that the dioramas were constructed in the 30s' - look at the skill of the taxidermy involved!

I strongly urge anyone who hasn't been to the AMNH before to go in the morning and be prepared to spend the whole day there. It was the second visit for me and KL this time, and we went right after lunch, but still it wasn't enough. Besides the dioramas, there are also exhibits on different cultures, a gemstone gallery, IMAX movies to catch...you get the idea.

And in the spirit of Easter:

Don't tell Tobey and Raisin!

Next: It's getting hot and heavy as the food porn continues.... and Madame X! :P

Philadelphia part II - Hello! Fashion: Kansai Yamamoto and R.Mutt

2009-04-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to catch the Kansai Yamamoto exhibition while I was in Philadelphia.

Kansai Yamamoto's designs are usually exuberant, theatrical and over the top, compared to the austere designs produced by other Japanese designers like Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo and Issey Miyake. Comparatively, Kansai Yamamoto's liberal use of Kabuki prints can seem distracting. Still there's something about all this flamboyance that makes this exhibition such an interesting visit.

Playsuit with arm guards, leg guards and hood:

Cape with bodysuit and clogs (how spectacular is the cape?):

Dresses with appliques (strangely I can see myself wearing either dress today!):

Long coat (I love its kimono inspiration and this was first modeled in the year of the Tiger, hence the tiger image on it. The coat also has the kanji characters for tiger and Kansai on it.):

And the most spectacular Kansai Yamamoto piece - the circular cape, pants and clogs:

There ares also other Kansai Yamamoto creations and another collection of pieces by Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo and Issey Miyake in the exhibition which I have not shown. I strongly urge everyone who can, to drop by the Philly museum to view this exhibition for yourself. The last day is on April 31st, I think.

For more information on Kansai Yamamoto's work and his collection, check out his website here.

And look what I found in the museum as well!

I believe this is one of the Fountain replicas which is authorized by Dada-ist Marcel Duchamp. It was certainly a thrill for me to see something which I had studied during high school, in real life.

Next post: New York City!!

Philadelphia part I - Of UPenn, cheesesteak and the Liberty Bell

2009-04-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

I'm back from my trip to the East Coast!

It was originally supposed to be a week long trip to New York City, but my group and I decided to make a pit stop in Philadelphia as well. KL and I travelled to the east coast this time with another couple, but it was great fun as they are fellow Singaporeans as well as kindred foodies!

The four of us probably did the craziest time ever by rushing to Philly on our very first day on the east coast. Our plane touched down at JFK at approximately 6am and we had to immediately lug our luggage to get to NYC's Chinatown to catch a bus to Philly. The east coast is 3 hours ahead of the west coast, so we were jetlagged and cold, not to mention starving when we arrived in Philly.

We took it easy on the first day and made it to UPenn to soak in the college town atmosphere. I contemplated buying a Wharton sweatshirt to wear it to one of my future UCI Merage mixers, but gave up as I decided that it would be too pesky ;)

Here's me catching my breath outside the UPenn bookstore.

Wearing Vanessa Bruno sweaterdress+scarf, Helmut Lang cashmere sweater, Rick Owens leather jacket, Ksubi black jeans, Ann Demeulemeester boots, Miu Miu black coffer and a "I heart NY" sticker ;)

A note about the weather then - I had underestimated how cold the east coast would be, so I really piled on the layering all the time! Expect to see the Rick Owens jacket a lot as well as my blue military jacket in all my pictures for this trip. (And yes, I finally took the plunge and got myself an RO, but I would save that story for another post, as well as how the Yaya Aflalo vapor jacket compares to it.)

On the second day, we decided that we must try out the Philly's cheesesteak before we went to visit the Liberty Bell and the Independence Hall. So we checked out Pat's and Geno's, both proclaimed to be Philly's best when it comes to cheesesteak. Unfortunately, both KL and I only had the stomach for one, so the 4 of us ate at Geno's...no special reason for choosing it over Pat's. We ate there because we reached there first ;)

A picture of Pat's (left):

KL and I posing with Geno's cheesesteak:

A close-up of the cheesesteak:

The verdict? I'm sorry Philadelphians, but personally I find that Geno's cheesesteak is not all that it's cut out to be. Maybe I should have ordered it wet or asked for more onions, but I wanted to taste the beef and it wasn't really all that well-seasoned to me. Still, it was a great experience and the cheese fries were not too bad.
That doesn't mean though that I think Pat's is better. I have no opinion on Pat's as I have not eaten there.

After the meal, we headed back to Independence Hall for the tour. Here's a picture of a very special room that I'm compelled to show:

This is the exact room that the US' Declaration of Indepedence was signed in. According to our guide, the moldings in the room itself have been made over several times, but the chairs and the light fixtures are original. So yup, that chair on the dais is probably the very one that George Washington sat in.

It started to drizzle heavily when we reached the Philadelphia Museum of Art, so it was a good thing that we would be spending most of our times indoors.

KL and me being corny and doing the Rocky run on the steps leading to the museum:

That's all for my first post on Philadelphia! Check back next for a detailed post on my favourite exhibition in the museum:

"Hello! Fashion: Kansai Yamamoto"

I promise fashion porn pictures ;)

New York City!

2009-03-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

Finally the day is here!
I will be boarding a flight this evening to New York City. I don't expect to have internet access during the week that I am there, so please check back next week for new posts about the trip! ;)

Baaaaaaaaaaaaa...d Ass

2009-03-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

I guess there does come a time when work overloads your brain and your mind goes into a spasm.
At least, that is what's happening to me now.

I present to you, extreme sheep LED art, you have to see it to believe it!

I can see you...

2009-03-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

I am alive! I promise I have not forgotten about this blog but work has been crazy. Let's just say it never rains, but floods!!

Did anyone catch this perspex briefcase during Chanel's F/W RTW 09 show?

From trendsnow.net

I really love the humor and wit behind this, practicality issues notwithstanding. The perspex briefcase reminds me of the blister pack packaging that the action figures I used to purchase came in. Yes, there was a time in my past when I collected action figures...did I mention I'm a comic fan-girl too? (And no, I haven't watched Watchmen yet -_-) Back to the topic, I think Kaiser Karl has taken the idea of the iconic 2.55 as an investment item in these unstable economic times and literally issued it in a "collectible" packaging. The idea that the 2.55 comes with its own accessories (Chanel cosmetics, the iPod, geek glasses..), like any action figure, is simply wicked. I'll love to see someone rock it in real life....even if it can't really hold much, there shouldn't be any issues with airport security when one is using this briefcase!

I'll be heading to Vegas this weekend with KL to meet up with a friend, before I take off to New York on the 24th. I promise vacation posts in April...seriously this break couldn't come fast enough!

Mini Road Trip

2009-03-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

KL and I had something to attend to in downtown L.A last Friday. We hardly ever drive up to L.A nowadays because of the terrible traffic, but there are indeed wonderful places to visit up North, so we decided to make a day trip out of it.

First stop - can anyone name the area? Those of you who have attended college in LA should be able to recognize it.

After we settled our stuff in L.A, we decided on an impulse to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway, instead of having lunch at Santa Monica. This has possibly got to be our favorite highway ever....we used to drive up North a lot along this highway to San Francisco in the good old days ;)

Lunch was at one of our usual pit-stop at a cafe in Summerland. KL and I much prefer to break at Summerland wherever we drive along the Pacific Coast, instead of Santa Barbara, because of its little-town quaintness and that the beach is literally minutes away by foot. The food here is simple home-made fare, nothing fancy, but it's fresh, hearty and delicious!

Pictures of the cafe:

Food! KL had steak and eggs with a side of toast, even though this was a late lunch..but he loves breakfast food, especially eggs. I had the crab cake salad...lemon juice over fresh greens is a genius move!

Their restroom doors - roosters for guys, hens for gals.

A better shot of my outfit in the cafe's restroom..yes I'm narcissistic and voyeuristic this way ;)

Ya Ya Aflalo vapor leather jacket, Zara blouse, AA leggings, Ann Demeulemeester boots

After the meal, KL and I headed to the beach nearby to walk off the lunch. It felt quite extravagant to be enjoying a leisurely lunch and beautiful stroll by the beach on a workday, but it's really the simple things like these that reminded us what we love about California and what made us decide to move here in the first place.
This day trip provided a much needed reprieve from the craziness of the office for us... next stop, New York City! (in 2 weeks anyway ;))

Ice vs. Metal

2009-03-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

style.com, catwalking.com

rick owens. gareth pugh. 2 reasons why the world waits for Paris Fashion Week.

Holodeck

2009-03-04T22:48:00.001-08:00

World Builder from Bruce Branit on Vimeo.

Please please please watch this beautiful video. It's a little looong (10 minutes), but I promise it will be worth your while!

Grey Areas

2009-03-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

It was time for a new header since Spring is coming..what do you guys think?

H&M grey leopard scarf, AA long cardigan, Collier de Chien bracelet, Elizabeth & James t-shirt dress, AA black eel leggings, Bakersshoes heels

I was a little under-dressed today, it was much colder than I expected. Nevertheless I felt an urge to wear this grey leopard print scarf which I've had since last summer. These Baker Shoes heels are my cheapo answer to the Ann Demeulemeester lace up sandal booties for this summer, till I can find it in me to spare the cash.

I might be a couple of days late, but I absolutely love these shoes that were used for the Prada F/W 09 runway:

The shoes are a little steampunk - the extensions from the shoes remind me of a pair of mechanical wings. I'm absolutely taken with the idea of winged feet and I imagine that this will be something a female Hermes will wear. These shoes are such a contradiction, the "wings" seem frivolous, but yet appear to be like feet armor that will empower its wearer. If I could buy one pair of shoes for Fall, one of the above pairs will definitely be my top choice!

The Inside-Out Jacket

2009-03-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you thank you to the very lovely blogger Legyviel for her very sweet award to my blog. It's my very first blog award so this is definitely something extremely special!

So the instructions for this award are:
-Put the logo on your blog or post. -Nominate at least 10 blogs which you think are fabulous. -Be sure to link to your nominees within your post. -Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog. -Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

So, in no particular order, here's my fabulous 10:
1. Inaya
2. Chauss
3. Lucrecia
4. Nina
5. Dominica
6. Dottie & Stephie
7. Nini

8. The Divinitus
9. Vanna
10. The Search for Chic

Each of these bloggers have their own sense of style and take on fashion and are so inspiring. Do check them out and they are on my blog roll as well!

Maison Martin Margiela white jacket, F21 grey sweater, Zucca black wool leggings, Bakersshoes heels.

I debuted my Martin Margiela white suit jacket today. It was an impulse buy from eluxury.com, and I wondered if I was attracted to the jacket itself or the price? After receiving the jacket, I have to happily say that it's the jacket, but the price made the purchase even sweeter!

I'm literally in awe of the construction and the details. The strong shoulder is a definite Margiela trademark, but the quirky touches like the reverse jacket lapel and buttons that button inward are the icing on the cake.
It's finally near enough to Spring to start wearing white, though to be honest, it will be hard for me because I love black so much! This jacket definitely makes easing into a lighter palette effortless and I expect to see a lot of action with it in my outfit posts!

Things that make me happy

2009-02-27T21:31:00.000-08:00

1. TGIF

2. These Zara Balmain knock-offs:

I finally got them after stalking the Zara store in South Coast Plaza for the past 3 weeks! And while the magpie in me admires the original ones on the runway, I feel that my money would be better spent on a certain pair of lace-up boots by a certain female Belgian designer ;)
So this inspired version will do nicely..and honestly this pair of shoes is really well-made and I can't stop fingering the studs and sparkles. Can't wait to wear this out with something white, grey or nude...or maybe all of the above ;)

Edited to add: I've received quite a few queries about these Zara heels, so this is what I know.
They retail for USD$169, not inclusive of sales tax. The article number for this design is 1369201040, so it's worth a shot calling your nearest Zara and quote this number to see if they have this pair and your size, in stock. Lastly, for anyone in the Orange County area, there were still 2 pairs left in a size 39, at the Zara in South Coast Plaza as of Friday, February 27th. Good luck!

3. Cooking carrot cake
No, not the sweet carrot cake that most of the world knows as a dessert.

I'm referring to the Singaporean version, which is a savory dish known as fried carrot cake or colloquially referred to as "Chai tow kway"(菜头粿). Its main ingredient is flour and radish, which is combined together and steamed to create the cake. The steamed carrot cake is served in dim sum in huge slabs, but in Singapore, we stir fry it together with eggs, sweet dark sauce, chilli sauce and pickled radish to make fried carrot cake!

KL and I discovered that the secret to getting the authentic Singaporean taste really laid in getting the right sweet dark sauce and chilli sauce. For the dark sauce, we used kecap manis, which we finally located in an Asian supermarket. As for the chilli sauce, we combined 2 types of sambal (spicy shrimp paste) sauce, one for the heat, one for the garlicky flavour.

This is my favourite breakfast dish (KL's too in fact!) and we are just darn proud of ourselves for being able to recreate it in the US! ;)

Wish wish wish wish

2009-02-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.
Things I'll gladly pay retail for.......

Images from: luisaviaroma.com, net-a-porter.com, joanshepp.com, kirnazabete.com

Interesting how my S/S wishlist looks like a F/W version....

Go Shorty

2009-02-25T20:55:00.000-08:00

Zara bolero, M)phosis tee, Zara wrap pants, Chloe boots

Hmm, so this was my attempt at shopping in my closet. I had this bolero since last year, but I haven't been wearing it much. I think this outfit is decent, but maybe I should have worn a different tee? Once again, I'm wearing the same Zara wrap pants and my Chloe boots (they are really more of a sandal-bootie hybrid though...shooties???), which is another great buy that I should really be getting more use out of!

It's all about CPW (cost-per-wear) in these times, boys and girls! ;)

P.S. I'll be going to New York end of March with a couple of friends and KL! Any readers out there who can suggest great eating and shopping places in NYC please? Your pointers will be much appreciated! :)

It's a case of the Mondays

2009-02-23T19:24:00.000-08:00

Anyone still remember the movie, "Office Space?" ;)
When I first watched the movie, I didn't really get some of the jokes, but then I was a student at that time. Now sadly, I get everything.

Yaya Aflalo vapor leather jacket, Rogan for Target t-shirt, Zucca wool leggings, Marc Jacobs evening sequins bag, H&M heels

I wanted to be really comfortable today so I threw on a lot of my broken-in favorites. My Yaya Aflalo leather jacket which I got because of its Rick Owens vibe. It'll do for now till I can spare the money (post studies!) to get the real deal. My Zucca wool leggings which is incredibly soft and my overwashed Rogan for Target tee which just gets better and better with wear. When I first got it, it was supposed to be a t-shirt dress, but it shrank so much during wash that it became quite indecent to wear it on its own, even though I used cold water and I air-dried it. Still, I love it so much that I wish I had stock up on multiples of it! And I just love how whimsical the MJ bag is..there's a little frog on the clasp and he has pink eyes..how cute is that?

PS. Anyone caught the Oscars last night? Hugh Jackman's such a great singer/dancer...especially love that impromptu duet between him and Anne Hathway.

If I had to choose

2009-02-22T21:32:00.000-08:00

...one dream "look" from the recently concluded New York Fashion Week, it would be this dress from the Donna Karan F/W 09 collection.

Donna Karan F/W 09, style.com

I know it's probably austere and subdued..plain even when compared to some of the more standout collections. Cough *Rodarte* cough... but everything about this outfit feels so right to me. In fact this dress is so classic and timeless that it isn't even a F/W outfit at all.. with the right accessories and the sleeves scrunched up, it can be transitioned into the S/S season as well. In fact, it's probably this timelessness and austerity that attracts me to this outfit in particular...if I'm going to splurge nowadays it's probably going to be something that I'll sure will serve me well. Yup, I'm afraid I might have bought into some of the gloom and doom of the recession!

Black. Check.
Draping. Check.
Fit. Check.

Perfect....till Paris Fashion Week anyway ;)

One of the Boys.

2009-02-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

Yay, the rainy spell finally broke in SoCal today, and I think the bunnies and I were happy to see the sun!

Zara jacket, Junya Watanabe top, Zara wrap pants, Maud buckle boots

I woke up late this morning and this was the outfit I threw on. Surprisingly I like the effect of my Zara jacket with my Junya top as the draping and excess fabric made me worry that this would be a difficult top to pick out a jacket for. Yet it was also the draping that made me fall in love with this top. Half of the top is covered in a floral print as you can see in one of the photos. When worn with the jacket, the floral portion creates a tie/cravat like appearance which made me feel like a dandy. I wore flat boots so that it would be easier to run from my manager when I see her ;)

No love so sweet....

2009-02-18T16:10:00.000-08:00

like getting a stash of chocolates at 75% off!

KL and I didn't celebrate Valentine's Day this year, it's a day that's increasingly become more hyped and commercialized to us. We did however head out for a great sushi dinner the day after, as well as stock up on these chocolates last night. I'm trying to make this stash here last for a year, but who am I kidding?

Hopefully this stash will last till summer.

All bundled up

2009-02-17T21:14:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth & James puffer jacket, KL's cashmere sweater, AA leggings, Ann Demeulemeester boots

So I figured that today might be a good time to wear my E&J puffer blazer before the rains in SoCal cease. This puffer jacket is so much fun to wear...there's a slight tuxedo shape to the front before it puffs out gloriously behind into a cocoon like shape. In the recent cold temperatures, it has the comfort factor of wearing a mattress topper and I cannot say how much I love its unconventional shape, though I have been called Kenny a few times while wearing it.
Maybe it's a good thing it's not orange ;)

Hayao Miyazaki

2009-02-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack in updates, and I realize that's probably the most trite statement anyone will ever read on a blog, but work just got really overwhelming. On the personal side, I have officially accepted the offer from UCI's full-time MBA program, so I will be leaving the corporate life behind starting this Fall!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! As for me, I took the opportunity during this long weekend to just bum around and re-watch my Hayao Miyazaki (宮崎駿) collection. Rainy days, hot green tea and great anime are a top-notch combination. The very first Miyazaki's movie that I watched was "My Neighbor Totoro". Needless to say I have become a fan and have tried to watch as many works of his that I can ever since. For some background information on Hayao Miyazaki, one of (in my opinion) Japan's greatest anime masters, do check out this Wikipedia entry.

Clockwise from top left: My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle.

Other Miyazaki favourites of mine include "Spirited Away", "Howl's Moving Castle" (KL's first Miyazaki movie, now he's hooked too!) and "Kiki's Delivery Service". These are all great titles to check out for those who are curious about Miyazaki's work or for those who simply love a great movie. What I love about Miyazaki is his uncanny ability to capture the innocence of childhood in his movies, without dumbing it down for the adult audience. The protagonists in his movies are all very young, but yet they all rose to the occasion in the movies with grace and learnt something along the way. This all sounds very Disney-ified I guess, but Miyazaki's work is a lot more remarkable....I love the way he handles characterizations and I suspect that adults are a greater fan of his work than children simply because he is able to show adults a window into the way that they once were and spin a fantastic yarn out of it.

A scene from Ponyo On A Cliff By The Sea.

Miyazaki's latest film, released in 2008, is "Ponyo On A Cliff By The Sea". I recall reading it somewhere that it was a cross between "A Little Mermaid" and "My Neighbor Totoro"? "Ponyo" centers on a love story between a mermaid, Ponyo and a human boy. I haven't watched it yet, but you can be sure that I am trying my best to get a copy of it right now!

Balenciaga Harness Booties

2009-01-26T20:44:00.000-08:00

Sigh.

Remember these booties?

From Elle US edition, Novemeber 2006.

These stompers are truly iconic and signaled the start of the era of dramatic shoes to me.
No other platform bootie has ever come close to its awesome-ness since then.

A touch of colour

2009-01-25T02:07:00.000-08:00

Things have been a little crazy for the past two weeks! There's work, and KL and I have been busy spring cleaning in preparation for the Chinese New Year, and the first day falls on the 26th of January this year. So that means visits to Ikea to stock up on storage solutions. We have been such slobs for the past 2 Chinese New Years' that surprisingly we were inspired to get off our lazy butts this year! It's still a work in process though, I still need to get more shelves for my shoes, recycle old magazines, arrange my accessories, tackle a big pile of ironing, sort stuff out to eBay/donate, etc. That and in the midst of this craziness, a dear friend from Texas came to visit. So I am a little tied up now and haven't really been responding to comments as much as I'll like to, but I will be working on that soon!

Here's my most recent outfit post. I'm trying to work some colour in, it's always been a tradition for me to wear red on the first day of Chinese New Year, so this orange is just a "warm-up" for the actual event on Monday. Monday's outfit should be interesting, because I haven't purchased anything red for a while and I am used to wearing an entire new outfit on the first day, according to yes, another tradition!

Topshop jacket, F21 sweater, Zucca leggings, Tripp boots

I love those boots because they are just so wacky and ugly in a glorious way. That, and one colleague called me a KISS (the rock band!) escapee when he saw me wearing these boots. The wool leggings are surprisingly warm and I am intrigued by the bandaged details on the legs, which I hope the photos show clearly.

KL and I will be meeting up with some Singaporean friends who have also relocated to CA, for reunion dinner today. The atmosphere is just not the same compared to Singapore, but it's still nice to meet up with friends to commiserate ;)

To all those who do celebrate this occasson, have a very happy and prosperous Year of the Ox!

Chanel S/S 09: The Paper-bag bag

2009-01-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

Several things about the Chanel S/S 09 runway show stood out to me: the Rue Cambon backdrop, the jewelery, the shoes, the evening wear especially the flamenco-style skirts, the guitar(!) and the male models.

But what really lingered in my mind long after surfing away from style.com was the Chanel carrier bag that Kaiser Karl has choose to do up in leather, and release as part of the S/S 09 collection.

Essential bag, from style.com

Meant to be released in March 2009, as part of S/S Act II, the name for this leather carrier bag is the Essential.

I still cannot decide if the bag is kitschy or whimsical, but it's definitely a conversation-starter, to say the least. I wonder if Kaiser Karl was being ironic, by reinterpreting the utilitarian carrier bag as a handbag? Or was he indulging his inner Dada-ist and doing a Duchamp by remaking a carrier bag in leather? After all the iconic 2.55 was literally turned on its head in the same runway show and its chain strap attached to what was usually the side of the bag.

Upside down bag, from style.com

For those who are interested in the above bag, it's named "Upside Down" and is also part of S/S Act II.

Anti-fashion or not, there is no denying that Chanel's cachet will move these bags. Personally, I wouldn't mind owning the essential bag in the largest east-west size in black. For those of you who grew up in Singapore during the late 80s and 90s, I wonder if you still remember the craze over the so-called branded carrier bags? This might not make much sense to those of you born in the US, but it was considered hip among Singaporean teenagers then to be seen toting a carrier bag(literally the paper kind!, the ones they put your purchases in!) from foreign brands like Guess, Esprit, Levis, etc! These brands were considered fashionable among Singaporean teens then, so even if you weren't really wearing its clothing, carrying its carrier still made you cool by association. So to me, the Chanel essential bag is the ultimate carrier - how awesome would I be to my teenage self and peers back then! The essential bag would be such delicious irony, though to be realistic, I just know that the essential bag is something that I admire conceptually, but would not fork out the money for given Chanel's delusional and cut-throat prices.

P.S. I hope I didn't just date myself with this post! ;)

Lanvin Pre-Fall 2009

2009-01-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

Can I just cheat a little...and bypass spring and summer entirely?

I have no words..everything is stunning.
Perhaps it's time to put on a dress again?

Tag, I'm it!

2009-01-17T21:22:00.000-08:00

tagged, tagging gun - get it? (courtesy of www.nickmar.com)

I got tagged by the very gorgeous and sweet fellow left-coaster Nina.

So here goes:

Ten Things I Love:
(in no particular order)
1. My family - I may be cheating here but technically it is ONE group of people!
2. My customized pink sapphire and diamond wedding band - the plan was just to get a design that was available at the shops, but KL relented for this special occasion ;)
3. My bunnies
4. Snuggling in bed after a nice refreshing shower with my ipod and a fashion magazine
5. My orange coupe because it gets me to the places that I want to go to.
6. My Chanel reissue from 2005 because it's a gift from KL.
7. The sea
8. Road trips
9. Dark chocolate
10. Japanese food

Ten Things I Loathe:
(in no particular order either)
1. Airport security especially LAX's!
2. Incompetent colleagues
3. People who think they are right because they talk loudly
4. Waiting. What am I supposed to do when I wait?
5. All 3 X-men movies - I read X-men comics voraciously at one point in my life and in my opinion the casting for all 3 movies were mostly laughable, the comic to movie adaption was badly done and it was really a case of trying to pack too much into a 2 hour movie.
6. People who cut my queue
7. Bad Chinese food - nothing pisses me off faster than wasting my calories on bad Chinese food!
8. Airplane toilets after the plane has been in the air for more than 6 hours. (I think this is pretty self-explanatory.)
9. Paperwork
10. Please don't call me Becky. Just don't. Reb's okay though.

5 random facts about me:
1. I am a certified scuba-diver, but the last time that I was in an open-water dive was when I was in college. I am still trying to find a driving buddy for myself in California.
2. My name's Rebecca but I was almost named Elizabeth. My elder sister's Beatrix, so my dad just wanted to run with the Queens theme and name me after the Queen of England, which would be weird to me now because I cannot imagine myself responding to Elizabeth, or Beth or Lisa.
3. I baby-talk to all animals. Cats, dogs, bunnies, fish... it's a reflex and I'm just aware of it recently.
4. I secretly think I am more of a shoe girl than a bag girl. And I feel guilty to my bags for thinking so.
5. I love to play computer games and when I really get into a game, I am so obsessed that I will forgo sleep just to finish it. So I am really looking forward to the release of Diablo III, because Diablo I was my very first PC game.

And so I tag Dominica, Lucrecia and Belowen!

Comfort in the heat

2009-01-13T21:41:00.000-08:00

Mary Meyer pants, AA Tri-blend tank, Elizabeth & James blazer, Jeffrey Campbell heels, Chanel baby cabas, Tom Binns cuff.

Drop-crotch pants are so comfortable in this heat.

My Tom Binns cuff. I love shiny stuff!

A list of random things

2009-01-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

Phillip Lim cardigan, AA white tank, Zara drop-crotch pants, Marni shoes

Outfit post of the day: It was time to bring out the sandals again, it's been averaging 85 degrees or more in SoCal lately - what the? I'm not ready for summer yet, I still want to spend more time with my boots!
But it might be time for a pedi.
Sexy Beijing - I found this website courtesy of the girls from Fashion Nation. For those of you who have ever wondered how life is like in today's Beijing, this website is definitely worth a visit. My favourite part of the website is a section named Sexy Beijing, which contains short video clips hosted by American Anna Sophie Lowenberg as she chronicles her thoughts on love and relationships in Beijing, a la Carrie Bradshaw. The clips even begin with a melody and opening reminiscent of Sex In The City, and Anna Sophie even does a "Carrie Bradshaw" every now and then with scenes where her thoughts are voiced over as she purses her lips in front of her laptop. The episode "Lost In Translation" is a scream as she interviews Chinese people on the streets what their English names are, only to be meant with puzzling answers like Frog, Samanfar and Smacker.
Net-a-porter is offering a further 20% off their sale items with the code "WINTERUSA", good till January 18th. On the same note, The Outnet is suppose to be the outlet outpost for NAP, where past-season offerings will be stashed. Might be a good time to sign up for the email list now to be sure you are not missing out on anything.
Chinese New Year is approaching (26th January), but the lack of festivities here is putting a damper on my mood.
I love shiny things like a magpie.
I love writing like this without any need for continuity.

Junyay!

2009-01-09T21:54:00.000-08:00

Junya Watanabe cape, AA tee, Ksubi jeans, Ann Demeulemester boots

I promise I won't gush.

Ok, I will! Especially when it involves a piece by Junya Watanabe ;)
I am awed by the thought and engineering that goes into the cape/top that I am wearing.
The cape drapes the torso in a certain manner, and there's a built-in half vest inside the cape which fulfills this purpose. The vest literally pulls the front of the cape back to skim the torso and is attached to the back of the cape via a black cloth strip, which frees the rest of the cape to flow out in the shape of a bubble behind.
So this construction allows the garment to fit like a blazer in front and a cape behind - sounds bizarre but the execution is just pure genius!

A couple more pictures of how the cape fits from various angles:

With a pair of my trusty boots on, I'm ready to start being a weekend warrior!

A full work week

2009-01-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

Gap cowl-neck sweater, JCrew jacket, Ksubi skinny jeans, F21 shoes

Gosh I am tired.
It's been a full work week after the holiday season but I am still battling a persistent cough and stuffy nose that wouldn't go away.
I have almost finished my bottle of NyQuil as well.

There are a few Junya pieces that I'll like to debut, but right now it's all I can do to throw on the nearest things that I can find and scramble out of the door.

Friday's tomorrow. Can't wait!

P.S. I really like this J.Crew jacket a lot, too bad I missed out on the chance to get it in bright berry. I'm now on the hunt for something red to wear for Chinese New Year!

Les Chiffoniers Zipper PVC Leggings

2009-01-08T16:24:00.000-08:00

courtesy of leschiffoniers.com, a/w08 lookbook.

Zippers and patent. Such a potent combination to me.
50% off at ronherman.com right now....should I or shouldn't I?

Just a little bit of geek news

2009-01-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

Follow my blog with bloglovin´

It's Macworld week, so check this video out. Seriously ;)

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Banal Chic Bizarre

2009-01-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

Sometimes nothing's better than an accidental discovery.

I came across this Japanese label while surfing the web and instantly fell in love with their F/W 08 collection.
I'll pretty much wear every piece of separates in this collection. I'm especially loving the tailoring of their jackets and the slouchiness of some of their pants.
And how sweet is it that some of the pieces appear to be androgynous? Just look at the shoes featured in the looks below and the white jacket the male model on the extreme right in the third row is wearing. I'll love to get my hands on the leather jacket pictured in the second row, but it appears to be sold out from a cursory search via Google.
I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves from here.

Images courtesy of http://banalchicbizarre.com

Another reason to polish up my Japanese. Another reason to revisit Japan!

P.S. Their S/S 09 lookbook is online as well with lots of fantastical marching band jackets, nylon vests and pants. But I'm still in the mood for autumnal wear ;)

California dreamin'

2009-01-04T18:49:00.000-08:00

Today was my last day of rest before I officially head back to work.
I had been holed up at home since last Wednesday because I caught a really nasty cold and KL (my husband) thought some fresh air and sunshine would be good for me, instead of letting me mope around for one more day.

We headed out to the beach near by and this is really one of the things that I love so much about SoCal. The proximity of the beaches, their cleanliness, the people-watching, plus the great boost that the salty sea air gives to my hair!
Plus the huge peanut buttercup ice cream cone that I had cheered me up considerably. I just love eating ice cream during cold days, even thought it may seem counter-intuitive.

Here's what I wore, I basically threw on what I could find with the main aim of keeping warm:

H&M jacket, Alexander Wang henley dress, Falke leggings, Ann Demeulemeester boots, Chanel baby cabas.

New Year... new me?

2009-01-02T14:21:00.000-08:00

courtesy of thefashionspot.com

Nothing's better than the start of a new year to make some resolutions!
Usually, I'm not a believer of resolutions as I hardly attempt to stick to them, but with the US in the throes of a recession and me going back to school, it is more important than ever to manage my money wisely.

This definitely means spending less on clothes that I do not need and buying less into trends. I think I have done a good job of sticking to this, but my wardrobe could probably do with a few more resolution tune-ups, namely:

Declutter - this means clearing out stuff that I do not wear or just doesn't suit me anymore!
Shop More... in the closet! Pastels, shorts, chunky jewellery, ruffles...these are some of the trends for S/S 09 that stood out to me and which I'm pretty sure I can find in my closet!
Stick to the list - namely my "must-have" list. A good watch has been on my list since forever and I realized that if I haven't given into temptation and bought a cheaper item because it is easily accessible, I would have purchased some of my "most-haves" by now. I probably will have to set my money aside for school since the new term starts in Fall, but I do hope that I will never lose sight of my must-have list and cross off each item in the near future.

What are some of your resolutions for this new year?

Balenciaga F/W 08 wedge boots

2009-01-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of jakandjil.com

These hoof boots........

My take:

Junya Watanabe shrug, AA dress, AA leggings, Balenciaga wedge boots, Chanel baby cabas.

P.S. It's true they do make you stomp around like a horse!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-30T19:16:00.000-08:00

As we look back and reflect on what we have been through in 2008, don't forget that we have a brand new year to look forward to.
Another year, a fresh start, a new slate to pursue our dreams and make them come true.

2008 has been crazy for me - I got new assignments at work, became an aunt and finally finally got accepted into an MBA program at UC Irvine! Yes, I'm going back to school!!
And all this time, I did it buying more shoes/clothes than my husband can bear ;)

Here's looking to 2009, and wishing exciting times ahead to everyone!

Best,
Rebecca

A winter-white California.. and Las Vegas

2008-12-30T15:42:00.000-08:00

I can’t believe I have been such a S.L.O.B for the past few days!
It’s the year-end break for me now (save for 2 days at work this week), and I have pretty much spent it lazing around at home, playing computer games and watching endless re-runs on TV.

Anyway, about my trip to Las Vegas on the 19th, which I still look back on so fondly :)

The magic really begun on the drive to Vegas from California. Honestly, I find the drive to be dreary most of the time, but this time, the snow blanketing the landscape made everything 10 times more beautiful.

My husband and I stopped at MacDonald’s for lunch:

And then pretty much spent the next half an hour playing in a snow field that we found. Who would have thought that a snow field could exist in Southern California?
I had my first snowfight and made my first snow-man there and got dragged down by my husband into the snow:

Stuck in a rut, literally!

(Okay, I lost!)
I have to say, my Ann Demeulemeester boots held up really well in the snow, my socks didn’t even get wet!

Then it was onwards to Vegas! It wasn't our first trip there, nowadays we just like to drive up to Vegas to escape from work and catch a performance if possible. This time round, it was one of the Cirque du Soleil's shows, Ka. No cameras were allowed inside the theater so I have no pictures. I have to say I was fascinated more by the spectacular revolving stage and costumes, rather than the acrobatics that I saw. And is it so wrong that I was ogling the shoes of one of the villains, because they reminded me so much of the awesome wedges that Stella McCartney showed for her F/W 08 collection?

This:

From cirquedusoleil.com, note the awesome wedge heel on the left.

Versus:

From style.com

Other than that, there were new attractions (at least to me) to be enjoyed. Mirage revamped their volcano and the Palazzo had this new show where people dressed up as statues to dance at a fountain. There were even swaying trees! :D The shopping at Palazzo was just awesome, there's a Barneys there and the shoe sale was unbelievable! I saw lots of pieces from Balenciaga, Givenchy, Pierre Hardy, Miu Miu, Louboutin and even the aforementioned McCartney wedges at 70% off! But I am proud to say that I did not buy a single pair, and my husband wasn't even around to give me grief! I simply decided that while I liked most of the shoes I saw, they weren't on my "must-have"list in the first place and I should really be saving my money for items on my list, among other things.

As for gambling, I'm afraid to say that Lady Luck wasn't smiling on us. Not only did we not win anything, we actually lost all our gambling principle! Which was a princely sum of $2.. on video poker! ;)

My husband got me a pair of gloves as a Christmas present for our Vegas trip. That was really thoughtful of him because I hate to get my hands cold (maybe that's why I lost the snowball fight?) and this pair is just simply perfect!

Those Colin Stuart studded booties

2008-12-23T14:01:00.000-08:00

Colin Stuart studded booties, from victoriassecrets.com

I know, these booties have spreading around the blogosphere like a wildfire for sometime now.

But at $49.99 per pair (on clearance at Victoria's Secret's website), the little biker-chick wannabe in me couldn't resist.
Click, click, click and they are now on their way to me!

I'm still tidying up my Vegas photos and will be back with a proper post soon!

My bags are packed and I am ready to go...

2008-12-18T22:32:00.000-08:00

..to Las Vegas!

Credits: www.weblo.com

I wonder if I'll still be able to see snow on the Strip?
I'll be back with updates on Monday!

Military goth

2008-12-15T22:55:00.000-08:00

Man, it's cold.

Temperatures have been around 50-ish for the past two days, with brisk winds and incessant rain today. (Now I sound like the weather girl from KTLA prime news ;))
That, coupled with the extreme change in temperatures when I enter the office (i.e. cranked-up central heating) is not helping with the bout of flu that I am attempting to fight off.

Main aim today is to stay WARM. And another chance to wear my Ann Demeulemeester lace-up boots again!

Zara military blazer, Gap sweater, AA black tee, Ksubi jeans, Ann Demeulemeester boots, YSL besace bag

Ann, please meet Junya

2008-12-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

Ann Demeulemeester boots, Mary Meyer drop-crotch pants, American Apparel long-sleeve tee, Junya Watanabe shrug.

This outfit pretty much sums up how I dress, fashion-wise, nowadays.

A lot of black, and layers to keep me warm.
Oh and pants definitely, especially drop-crotch for that little extra swagger ;)

My favourite pair of boots from Ann Demeulemeester, the triple rows of laces, the slight faded black leather, it’s all a little goth-meets-mad Maxine! (kudos to luckyme@TFS for coining the last phrase ) These are so iconic and seem to make everything I wear it with, so much better to me. I would have never imagined that it would be possible to be in awe of a pair of boots, but with this pair, I most definitely am!

And my Junya shrug, it’s so incredibly soft and warm with a faux fur collar, which I am so happy with because I just cannot wear real fur. Mostly because of my bunnies and mostly because I am not comfortable with the idea of wearing real fur. It’s really a stylish blanket of sorts and I say this because the fluctuating weather in California has given me a bout of flu and it’s just so comforting to have something cosy to cuddle up to in the car, at the office, at Starbucks..you get the idea. In fact the shrug is laying on my lap right now and I am sporadically squeezing it and sniffing it as I type :P

Pants, pants, pants!

2008-12-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

I love pants.
I cannot imagine what my wardrobe would be like without pants.

High-waisted, boot-legged, flared, cigarette, skinny…you name it, I have probably tried it all.

I work in an engineering company and being the only female in meetings most of the time, has led me to seek out pants as part of my corporate armor. It’s even gotten to the point where I usually do not wear skirts on their own to work. Meaning if I have on a dress or skirt, it will be layered with pants of some sort, ie leggings.

So, meet my latest obsession – the baggy pants. (aka drop-crotch pants, Hammer pants, carrot pants, harem pants, Humpty-Dumpty pants, god-awful pants, etc)
They are probably overtly trendy and extremely figure-picky, but what can I say, I like them very much. Baggy pants are a refreshing option after seasons of skinny pants/jeans and leggings and I do relish the challenge in styling them. Plus the comfort factor is pretty much unbeatable. (Try working early into the mornings with a bunch of engineers in a freezing lab for a couple of weeks straight and you’ll appreciate the comfort factor so much more!)

They did take some getting used to (for me, it took about 5 minutes!) and I couldn’t get visions of MC Hammer out of my mind when I started wearing them initially. The response from my colleagues didn't really help too. (Case in point - my manager: "Those are some funky pants!") But damn it, I just love the feeling they impart and the swagger that they bring to my walk!

My interest was first sparked by this picture of Kate Lanphear wearing them:

And then, everything came together and crystallized in my head, with sartorial angels singing, when I saw this:

Black, the loose easy fit, the random pocket on the pants, the fold-down waist plus drop-crotch.. I'm especially in love with the lace-up details going on between the pant legs and shoes.

That outfit is pretty much the pinnacle of sartorial perfection to me and compelled me to take the plunge with baggy pants.

So, here are some of my recent efforts:

Shoes vs Bags

2008-12-09T16:00:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of jakandjil.com

I have always been very much a bag girl.
In fact, it was while googling for bags one night, that led me to The Fashion Spot, that led me to become infatuated with fashion.
So you can pretty much say that bags were my primer into fashion-proper.

Yet lately, (I think this pretty much started mid last year?) I have become obsessed with shoes.
I don’t know if this is because of the proliferation of websites like Yoox and eBay, where designer shoes can be found at discounted prices (though this may not be so true for Yoox now with the greenback’s ups and downs and eBay is pretty much a caveat emptor case.), or is it because shoe designs have become a little more outrageous, a little more architectural, a little more interesting with every passing season, which me likey!

I suspect that it’s more likely the latter and shoe “porn” sites like Jak&Jil, are not helping me curb this fascination. ;)

I tend to pay more for bags, instead of shoes as I used to feel that bags are a sound investment versus shoes which get “devalued” the moment they are worn. But perhaps this is not the proper way to look at things, as now I feel that the trippy feeling that the “right” pair of shoes can impart is pretty much incomparable and so is the confidence that it gives me. This is not a reason however for me to go on an indiscriminate buying spree, but I do see this current mentality as natural evolution of my style.

As for my bags, I still love them very much (Geez, I talk about them like they are my kids!) but the time for growing my bag collection has passed. I’m extremely happy and contented with the bags I have now and don’t foresee purchasing another new one in the near future, unless of course the Birkin of my dreams comes my way! ;)

My Preciousssssssssssssssss....

2008-12-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

Givenchy feather collar booties

I have had my eye on these booties since the start of this season, when I first chanced upon them on Zappos.

There was something about the feathers that seem so frivolous and fun, plus the open-toe makes it so different from the other booties that I have. Yet I wonder if it was too trendy and I wasn't quite ready to take the plunge at its retail price.

I missed the chance to get it when it first went on sale at Zappos. I didn't know when it happened and was moping for quite sometime.

Yet when I was randomly browsing Zappos last week, I saw a pair up in my size and available at the sale price! Just like that and a few clicks later, I have ordered this pair of feather booties! (I chalk this up to good shoe karma! ;))

I received my pair today and it is high.

I am used to 4, 5 inches in high heels, yet somehow this pair of booties seem higher than 5 inches..maybe closer to 6 inches? I shall have to measure it next to my other pairs of shoes to be sure.

It's surprisingly comfortable though and I chalk this up to the platform that's built into the shoe.

Did I mention that the shoes are gorgeous in real life? ;)

This pair's definitely a keeper!

Meet the family

2008-12-08T16:43:00.000-08:00

My kids ;)

Raisin

Age: Unknown. (I do know how old she is of course, but it’ll be rude to reveal a lady’s age without her consent)

Loves:

Fashion magazines (This I know from the voracious manner in which she literally goes through them, ie chew. She seems to show a penchant for Harper’s Bazaar over Elle though, mainly because of the magazine’s content? No comments on American Vogue.)
Jeans, jeans, jeans (Just look at the hem of my JBrands!)
Flip-flops

Tobey

Age: 2 years old in January ’09!

Loves:

Scientific American and Wall Street Journal (The tearing sound just drives him wild. He loves to get his paws on the Victoria Secret’s catalog too, whenever I happen to leave one within his reach.)
Cargo pants (He goes for the pockets ;))
Sneakers (Oy, my husband has a lot to say about this, especially since Tobey seems to prefer chewing his up!)

Hello it’s me

2008-12-08T16:02:00.000-08:00

I know I have pretty much AWOL since starting this blog 3 years ago. (Man, has it been this long?)

A lot of things have happened to me since then. I got a job promotion that resulted in a really heavy workload that resulted in me neglecting my blog. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to update this blog as much as I would have liked to, but I would definitely like to start again, now that things have settled down and I am getting better at time management.
My style has also changed since ’05, I think I was really into everything girly and pretty at that time. I still like a little prettiness every now and then, but now I prefer things just a little darker (black, black, delicious black!) and more interesting. Maybe all those hours on The Fashion Spot have finally gotten to me, or maybe it’s just part of getting older ;)

I will be tidying up the blog as the days go by and hopefully start to update it regularly. Anyone and everyone is welcome! ^-^

My Dream Shoes.....

2008-08-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

Christian Louboutin for Rodarte, F/W 2008.

And they cost a staggering USD$2795. *sob*

Duty-free shopping

2006-08-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

For those who are fans of the online luxury website, Net-A-Porter, rejoice!
The website now ships directly from USA, which translates into no duties for those living in the States!
Woo hoo!!!!
Click here to go to their US website.

(P.S. The US website has restocked some Vanessa Bruno and Stella McCartney items which I have been eyeing..hee hee ;))

Blog On!!!

2006-08-17T17:39:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I am finally settling down into a new life in California.

Home is a lovely apartment on top of a hill and every day we will get birds in our patio.
Raccoons will raid our neighbour's cat food at night - my American colleagues find them quite alarming, but coming from Singapore, these critters come across are more cute than pesky to me.

I hope you'll like the new skin that was created for this blog as much as I do! The skin was modified from an original style sheet hosted at Adagio Teas .

Check out the great closet clean-out link at the side-bar. I'm in the midst of editing my closet now and have put out several brand-new/almost brand-new stuff for sale!

Now, back to blogging!

New life, new beginnings.

2006-05-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

What a difference a few months make!

In these past months, I have gotten married, left Singapore and relocated to Orange County, California. On the fashion front, much to the horror of my other half (now my Dear Husband), I have purchased a few more bags and tons more clothes. Which makes him worried to no end about our set-up costs and how we are going to afford a car plus rent and utilities here. I probably have no good answer to that, as I still have a bag or two on my wishlist that I intend to procure ;)

Right now, I am blogging from my office cube in Orange County, California.
This past week has been hectic as I have busy apartment-hunting with Dear Husband.

More updates, once I feel that I can safely blog without having to peep over my shoulder.

Spring Wishlist

2006-01-15T23:00:00.000-08:00

My first post for 2006!

(And I know I have been lazy for the past few months - sorry everyone! ;))

Finally the F/W season is coming to an end and spring-summer collections have already debuted on the catwalks several weeks back. I have always been a little confused over the F/W collections, given that every nice ensemble seems to require a nicely-cut jacket and boots and how possible is it to pull that off in sweltering, humid Singapore?

Things are so much easier when it comes to S/S collections. These clothes are made for a hot climate and this translates into wardrobe longevity for a Singaporean like me. The season ahead will be exciting as spring heralds a return back to a more feminine (not girly), polished and elegant look.

Minimalism is slowly making its presence felt on the street, while at the other end of the spectrum, the conflicting trend of lace and romanticism is still going strong. Wedges and platforms seems to be the dominanat footwear of choice in all the collections presented to anchor the soft and diaphanous chiffon creations.

Here a few key pieces that I am lusting for this Spring:

1. Al Fresco Espadrilles by Lulu Guinness

Pic from anthropologie.com

In one word, these shoes are really, really cute!
The striped insole, together with the bright red bows invokes a nautical feel and is a perfect remedy to the heavier hues of black and grey from F/W.

2. Fendi B-belt

Pic from style.com

To be honest, I probably have the perfect belt sitting inside my closet waiting for me to use it. I do have a collection of belts that can be worn on the waist or on the hips, so what's the rationale behind wanting another belt yet again?

Nothing, except that I don't have a white belt and that this concoction by Herr Karl is too gorgeous to pass up.

Oh and did I mention that belts are still going strong as an accessory for Spring?

3. Miu Miu shift dress

Pic from style.com

There have been rumours flying around that Miss Miuccia Prada will be the third designer to be brought on board to design a "massclusive" collection for H&M after Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney. If that is true, I can hardly wait, even if it means another mass stampede and jacked-up Ebay prices.

Miu Miu is probably one of the few diffusion lines where I feel equal, if not more, thought has been given to its collections than its main line, in this case, Prada.
This sweet, empired-waist white shift dress is a nod to sixties mod-style. I love the structured volume of this dress, which I feel is a kinder and more forgiving style on most figures than the bubble skirts of F/W. This dress will go perfectly with wedges.

4. Rebecca Taylor swiss-dot chiffon dress

Pic from bergdorfgoodman.com

This is a lovely vintage piece to throw on. 'Nuff said.

5. Apple MacBook Pro

Pic from apple.com

All right, so this is not fashion and it is not a seasonal item, but it's a wishlist, right?

This laptop signifies a computing breakthrough. Intel dual-core chips are used inside an Apple computer. Simply put, think of it as a Windows XP version of the Apple Powerbook, though the question of whether it is possible to run Microsoft's Windows OS on the MacBook Pro is still unanswered. I'll leave that to The Fiancé to find out.

This is such a cool machine to blog on! (And no, that's not being shallow;))

6. Celine Clandestine Bag

Pic from style.com

Ok, I promised The Fiancé no more bags for a gazillion years, but this bag was simply too cute to pass up. (Sorry, baby;))

I never thought that I would like a bag from Celine, but this quirky old-lady creation was too whimisical to pass up, plus the bag just looks so gorgeous on Jessica Stam. Better than an LV or Gucci that's so common on the streets nowadays.

7. Omega Speedmaster

Pic from omegawatches.com

My watch is probably the only thing that has remained unchanged for more than five years. I guess this could be due to a weird mentality that I subscribe to that watches should be given as gifts and not purchased for oneself. My dad or my sister has bought every watch that I own and the one which I wear constantly is a Seiko Kinetic which my dad gave me when I was in junior college.

Now that there is another man, ie The Fiancé, in my life, I guess he should know what to get me from my birthday this year right?

Yikes, I can now hear him rolling on the floor clutching his chest in pain.

Stellamania!

2005-11-23T15:49:00.000-08:00

A great article commenting on the Stella McCartney's H&M collection.
Reproduced from slate.com for you readers!

Selling Out
Why you can't buy H&M's Stella McCartney collection.
By Julia Turner
Posted Monday, Nov. 21, 2005, at 8:49 PM ET

When elite designers first linked arms with mass-market retail chains, the driving impulse was populist. The architect Michael Graves helped kick off the trend in 1999 when he signed up to create housewares for Target; his idea was to make well-designed products available to people of modest means. Subsequent collaborations—between Target and Philippe Starck, Cynthia Rowley, and Isaac Mizrahi; between JCPenney and Nicole Miller; between H&M and Karl Lagerfeld—have also been framed in rhetoric that conveys a sense of aesthetic noblesse oblige.

H&M's most recent collaboration, with Stella McCartney, seemed to be no exception. In a presale press release, McCartney said she wanted to offer "a wider female audience" a line that is "attractively priced yet offers high quality together with a superb fit and details." But when McCartney's collection debuted earlier this month, it sold out within hours. So, in truth, the defining characteristic of McCartney's clothes for H&M is not that they're cheap, or even that they're well-designed. It's that you can't have them. Those skinny jeans that retailed for $69.90? They're about as hard to acquire as an Hermès Birkin bag.

H&M intended the line to sell out quickly. While Graves' first collection for Target featured more than 150 styles, McCartney's collection for H&M included about 40. And while Mizrahi has produced several lines for Target, the McCartney collection was a one-off: H&M made no plans to restock its stores after the initial run sold out. The strategy had already proven successful: Last year, bargain-hunting style hounds devoured a limited edition collection from Karl Lagerfeld the morning it hit the floor, and the fashion press had a ball covering the fracas. H&M was clearly looking to re-create that frenzy.

The plan worked. When McCartney's clothes debuted earlier this month at stores in the United States and Europe, bemused accounts appeared in papers across the globe. The Daily Mail's piece was headlined "Stellamania!" (in a nod to her famous dad); the New York Post ran with "H&M Hordes 'Rack' Havoc With War Cry: 'Back Off My Dress, Bitch!' " Most pieces noted that shoppers arrived impressively early, stood in impressively long lines and indulged in nasty behavior inside, reportedly crying, elbowing, grabbing, pouncing, pushing, screaming, shoving, and yelling to get the clothes. In Sweden, women forcibly stripped the mannequins. In New York, one shopper was spotted assaulting an out-of-reach sweater display with an "empty metal rod."

I braved the early-morning line at an H&M in SoHo, hoping to score a few items and examine the clothes firsthand. The women I waited with were not quite the feral hellcats described in the papers, but they were high-performance shoppers—like professional athletes with credit cards—and they regarded each other with a cordial, appraising cool. Several had trained for the event by scrutinizing photos of the collection available on H&M's Web site. They cased the store's layout through its plate glass windows, no doubt visualizing successful retail maneuvers. In line, they traded tidbits: "I heard the whole collection isn't being sold in the U.S.—some items are only being shipped to stores in Europe." (A McCartney rep later confirmed this.) There were also adrenaline-boosting declarations of intent: "I'm damned if I'm leaving here without a pair of those jeans." The doors opened at 10 a.m.; by 10:13, the racks were empty, apart from a few forlorn bikinis that lay scattered like chaff on the floor.

Marketers have a term for the shopping experience H&M created: massclusivity. The idea is to offer a limited run of a premium item. The upside: Shoppers who are savvy enough to snag what you're selling feel like part of a members-only club. (I saw women at H&M buying clothes without trying them on—they just wanted to own a piece of the Stella McCartney collection.) And for the retailer, there's virtually no downside: Shoppers who show up after the exclusive goods are gone might stick around and buy something else. H&M marketing director Jorgen Andersson told Fortune that the company's collaboration with McCartney was "the ultimate in massclusivity," adding, "if we had these designs in the stores for a month, people would get bored."

In other words, what makes these clothes desirable is not their inherent quality, but the demand manufactured by the company. Indeed, upon close examination, McCartney's collection doesn't warrant all the fuss. The clothes are nicer than many of H&M's wares: The fabrics are better—the blue wrap dress pictured here, for example, is made of a rich, sueded silk—and a number of pieces feature fine detail work, like the tiny pleats along the neckline here. But the clothes often seem poorly thought out. Consider, for example, the metal balls dangling from the cuffs of the dress, which retailed for $69.90. The baubles must have seemed a nice ornamental touch in the initial sketches, but in reality, they have the heft of shooter marbles. On the dancefloor, your arm could easily become as fearsome a weapon as the double-ball flail.

The collection is full of similar missteps. A pretty rhinestone-studded camisole ($59.90) has an unusual flared silhouette, but the stones are unevenly spaced, and the ribbon at its neckline looks likely to fray. An oversized sweater with a striking deep V-neck ($59.90) uses a soft blend of wool and silk, but the fabric is already beginning to pill. And while McCartney is known for tailored pieces, it's particularly tough to make an inexpensive, good-looking blazer: A jacket with sharp tuxedo styling ($99.90) is made of thin wool that has a chintzy sheen.

In the end, though, quality may be immaterial. What H&M is selling, even more than designer clothes, is a designer experience. Typically, limited-edition goods are designer goods, and because of the time and expense it takes to acquire them, they're available only to the rich and well-connected. But with the McCartney and Lagerfeld collections, H&M has made such items available to anyone willing to rearrange her schedule. Get up early, throw a few elbows, and you, too, can own a rare designer piece. If Target and Michael Graves were advocating the democratization of good design, H&M seems to be promoting something stranger and more elusive—the democratization of designer shopping itself.

Even so, it's the shoppers who get short shrift. Last year, they found an unlikely champion in Karl Lagerfeld, who told a German magazine he was surprised his line sold out so fast: "They did not make the clothes in sufficient quantities," he said. "I find it embarrassing that H&M let down so many people ... . It is snobbery created by anti-snobbery." About that, he's absolutely right.

This Never Happened Before

2005-11-21T22:43:00.000-08:00

Well, at least not in SoCal anyway, where the folks are the friendliest you'll ever find.

I am referring to the frenzy that occured during the opening of two H&M (Hennes and Mauritz)stores in San Francisco's Bay area on the 19th Novemember. Besides the fact that this was THE Swedish high-street conglomerate with its design-for-all credo, what got most female shoppers hyperventilating was a golden opportunity for them to pick up some Stella McCartney pieces at a fraction of how much they usually retail for in her boutique.

This is the second time that the fashion juggernaut has collaborated with a high-profile fashion design, its first collaboration being with Chanel doyen, Karl Lagerfeld for its holiday collection last year.

The female progeny of Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has rehashed some of the iconic pieces/silhouette from her past designer collections, such as an over-sized trench, ankle-zip skinny jeans, gem-coloured dresses and a silk knitted blouson. The latter is probably the most popular item state-side in her H&M collaboration as it was released exclusively to two stores in New York.

Some pieces from her H&M collection; (clockwise from top left: ankle-zip skinny jeans with silk cami and jacket; silk teal dress; blue silk jumper; black over-sized trench; blue wrap dress over skinny jeans; the piece de resistance - silk knitted blouson with boots; all pictures from hm.com)

Barely two days ago on the 17th of Novemember, the debut of Stella's H&M collection in London caused a stampede as female shoppers formed lines to get into the stores. Once in, pandemonium enthused as shoppers fought with each other to get a chance to purchase a piece of her collection at high-street prices. Within hours of the collection debut, the items had also made their way onto Ebay as several people auctioned off the items at several times the H&M retail price.

Shoppers fighting to get into the London H&M stores; the "Sold-out" sign appearing hours with the collection's debut; pictures from thisislondon.co.uk

The same chaotic scene replayed itself across the pond on the opening of the two H&M stores in downtown Frisco. Lines formed round the block and the popular pieces were sold out within minutes. Expect also, to see them surface on EBay.

Hype aside, I really love what Stella has done in this one-off collaboration with H&M. Designer clothes at cheap prices - now who can refuse that? The rarity and the look of these clothes makes them really appealing. I will be driving up to San Francisco during the Thanksgiving holidays, and I am really hoping to purchase a few items for myself at H&M. Sadly, I'm thinking that all the popular pieces may be sold out by then, but I am keeping my fingers crossed. I really want to get myself a pair of her skinny jeans, the jumpsuit, the wrap-dress..well it seems like whatever I can get my hands on!

Fashion Chaos and Creation in the Backyard indeed!

Blog drought

2005-10-05T01:08:00.000-07:00

It's been three weeks since I am back in Singapore and I haven't posted a single article yet!

I can't believe it!

Must be the country.

It's finally here!!!!

2005-09-05T01:45:00.000-07:00

My black Chanel 2.55 re-issue!

Another picture of the re-issues in from top to middle: the white re-issue in the 224 size, the black re-issue in 226/227, and the grey re-issue in the jumbo 228 size. picture from thefashionspot.com

After the agony of waiting nearly two months on the waitlist for it, I finally laid my hands on the iconic Chanel bag for this F/w season.

The date was September 1st and I harassed, begged and threatened The Boyfriend till he agreed to drive me down to South Coast Plaza that day to pick up my re-issue.

It has been a long wait. Prior to that day, I was on the wait-list for the large size (the 227) in white. I got a call from my Chanel SA in mid-August to go down to the store to view the bags in real life. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to pick up my re-issue that day as the official launch date for these babies was the 1st September in the US. After viewing the bags in various sizes in white, grey and black, I fall in love with the black re-issue in the same size - something about the combination of the black distressed leather, tarnished gold hardware and the delicate gold filigree shoulder chain convinced me that this was the one to get. Regrettably, I had to give up my white re-issue (if money was not a problem, I'll get all three!!), but my wonderful SA worked her magic and guaranteed me a black re-issue for collection when I returned on the 1st September. Take that, waitlist!! :p

So finally, the day came. As I walked into the store, MY bag was there for me, all wrapped up in a be-ribboned black box. As my SA gingerly unwrapped the box and took my precious bag out of it, it was all I could do not to snatch it from her. I probably piroutted and posed several times in front of the full length mirrors in the Chanel store, it was perfect, perfect, perfect! The size, the hardware, the leather, the colour, I had a feeling that I was going to be using this bag very often!

Initially I was really worried that the 227 would be too large for me, however after trying it on again, I was convinced that I had made the correct decision. I already had another 2.55 for my lady-like ensembles, this was the time to go for something with that little extra, that X-factor and a hard-edged vibe. The black re-issue in the 227 meet my requirements perfectly, it was vintage and distressed, yet not too large to be disproportional. Thus far, I have worn it with a lot of things in my clost and I am excited to see what else I can pair it with!

These are the photos that I took of myself with my re-issue on that very day:

Pictures of me with my black re-issue.

And for an idea of proportion, here's a picture of my re-issue with my red Chanel 2.55:

I'm (Not) Worth It

2005-09-05T01:02:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry that I haven't been updating my blog as often as I would like to - work has been busy!
I have a couple of topics which I would like to share, hopefully I can translate them fast enough into posts before my work catches up with me again.

In the meantime, I just came across this interesting article in the NY Times, which I'll just like to share with everyone; especially for the shoppers out there who felt they have spent too much on a particular item!

By LYNN YAEGER
Reproduced from the NYTimes, August 28th edition

Right at this moment, somewhere in the deep recesses of the fifth floor of Barneys New York, a flimsy black Dries Van Noten dress waits for me. It's hidden away because I whined and begged until a saleswoman -- who is not, after all these years, unfamiliar with me and my ways -- agreed to put it on hold, partly to get me to shut up and partly in the slim hope that I might break down and buy the thing at full price.

And, sad to say, I might, even though it is borderline unwearable (transparent top) and the tag says $1,440, a gross reflection of the inflation that's afflicted fashion since the dollar sank against the euro.

Still, if the saleswoman is suffering, I am suffering more. I have an exquisite S-and-M relationship with shopping: I'm in agony most of the time, but I wouldn't have it any other way. After all, when pants cost as much as a weekend in Paris and a coat as much as a couch, is it any wonder one is so neurotic? You might not expect a $300 jacket to solve the world's problems, but for $3,000, it ought to do more than just keep you warm.

I may be an extreme case (in a whirlwind of zeal and regret, I tried the nerves of the usually beatific staff at Bergdorf Goodman when I bought and returned a hideously expensive Comme des Garcons skirt not once but twice last winter). But I'm hardly alone. When I ask Laird Borrelli, an editor at Style.com, if she is plagued with shopping guilt, she confesses that she is frequently troubled by shoes: ''Say there's a pair I want. If I don't buy them, they become my constant companions, haunting my waking and sleeping dreams. I become simply obsessed, until, usually, I buy them. It's not so much about the shoes as much as the wanting, I suspect. When I hand over the credit card, I feel like I've closed my eyes and dived into the deep waters, things are now out of my control, like at the hairdresser's, and fate has taken over.''

Lots of shoppers employ creative accounting to justify stratospheric purchases, but Borrelli's was a new one on me: she actually splits the cost of a pair of shoes in two because, after all, you are getting two things. (And, you know, she does have a point. An idiotic point, perhaps, as George Sanders said to Marilyn Monroe in ''All About Eve.'' But a point.)

More typical tricks include dividing the cost of the item by the number of times you plan to wear it. This would work if you were Nostradamus -- otherwise, how can you know if you'll even wear it once? Another ruse is to buy something that's really overpriced, return it and then figure you have suddenly freed up that amount to spend on other things.

Some shopping rationalizations have a built-in element of self-flagellation. Kym Canter, the creative director of J. Mendel, is forcing herself to take the subway instead of taxis until she has made up the cost of a diamond brooch that she was sure she'd wear every single day. As of this writing, she has worn it only a couple of times -- it isn't quite as magical pinned to the hip of her jeans as she had hoped -- and it'll be months before she can stop riding the rails.

Relatively more successful was the $2,500 coat Canter bought two years ago. It was a sweltering July 4 weekend, and the town was empty, save for Canter, who wandered into a tomblike Prada, only to be ushered into a V.I.P. fitting room by a bored sales staff delighted to have someone to play with. Not only was she among the first to see the new fall line, but also, miracle of miracles in the teeny world that is Prada, something actually fit, a plaid manteau with bracelet sleeves. No way was she buying, until it dawned on her that she had saved $2,500 by not going away for the weekend. O.K., so she's only worn it a few times. But at her prep-school reunion at the Modern, ''everyone loved it.''

For Bernice Kwok-Gabel, who does public relations for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, work offers a perfect rationalization for overspending. ''I manipulate my own vocabulary,''

she admits. ''Instead of viewing something as what it is -- just another acquisition -- I convince myself it's part of a collection I'm building.'' Kwok-Gabel fantasizes that someday her purchases will be a generous bequest. Which might be true, when you're talking about a red Dior couture suit, complete with bustier and top hat (''I wore it once, to dinner at the Ritz''), but doesn't add up when you ask her about the clothes she wears every day. ''Will any of them retain value?'' she asks plaintively.

I know better. This stuff has almost zilch resale value, and you can't even give it away, unless you want to haul trash bags to Goodwill yourself. Still, it's not as if everything ends up ignominiously stuffed in a garbage bag. Sometimes, after all the math tricks, the double-think, the soul-searching, there's one little item, one silly little Moschino skirt bought with a sick stomach and a deep sense of shame, that exceeds all expectations. When you wear it, your heart sings, and you understand the expression ''to feel like a million bucks.'' Even if you've just spent it.

Go, set, SHOP!!!

2005-08-23T05:05:00.000-07:00

Ron Herman is finally online!!

Time for some serious shopping ladies!!!

The mermaid's treasure trove

2005-08-19T00:26:00.000-07:00

I am in love with these whimisical creations found on Space Mermaid.

Space Mermaid is a jewellery website set up by LA designer Stephanie Carbone.
Each necklace is inidividually hand-made once an order is placed - customers also have the option of customising their pieces.

Throughout the website, every piece of jewellery is just so cute!

Her bird rings are dramatic pieces, though I think they are best reserved for the night or a special occassion:

I love, love, love her necklace and earrings creations, seems like her designs are inspired by the ocean, by nature and all things magick!

Some of my favourite pieces on her website:

There are many many more beautiful pieces on her website!!

She also does international shipping as well, but luckily I am in California right now so I have ordered some of her stuff and it will be delivered to me soon!

I just can't wait!!

P.S. For all my wonderful blog readers, use the coupon code "tree" for her fall preview pieces and you will save 15% upon checkout! If you love wood accessories, this is definitely something to check out!

Pic credits : All images are taken from Space Mermaid.com

Happy Birthday Singapore

2005-08-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

August 9th will mark the 40th year of independence for my home country Singapore.

Besides being a landmark anniversary of sorts, this National Day will also see me away from home in California, where I have been staying for the last month on duty travel. This is not my first time away from home on National Day, but it is especially whimsicial because I am on a cross-roads of sorts in my life. My job requires me to be stationed physically in California and it is highly likely that I may move over as early as January next year.

I am equal parts excited and extra parts torn over my situation. There are so many things to be excited about - a promotion, a new enviroment, not the mention that US is definitely a great place for shopping, both offline and online!! It will definitely be good exposure and I feel that I have grown so much since graduation from college. Travelling to the US constantly has made me more indepedent, mature and I have honed my fashion sense a lot more by all the constant trips to LA! On a more personal level, my boyfriend will also need to move to California for work, so this is really a beneficial, not to mention timely, situation for the both of us.

However this state of affairs also presents a dilemma for me as I will be leaving my family behind, not to mention a way of life that I have been used to for twenty-plus years. However, some things will always be bittersweet and who said change was ever easy? But I also believe that it is also through change that we will better ourselves and I am really to take on the challenges of starting another phase of life in a new place.

When Singapore celebrated its 35th anniversary 5 years ago, I was still a naive undergraduate. Who would have thought that 5 years later, I will be making plans to move overseas? This is definitely an exciting plan for me and one in which I am curious as to how this journey will turn out.

Happy 40th birthday, Singapore. Leaving my home does not mean I will forget, it means that I will cherish you more.

A view of the Singapore business district by night

These shorts are made for wearing

2005-08-07T05:20:00.000-07:00

I am absolutely in love with my Johnson shorts.

For those of you not in the know, these shorts are designed by LA designer, Kristen Johnson. They come in three different cuts - the bermuda shorts, the trouser shorts and the most popular (which is also the one that I have) the short-shorts.

From left: Flat-front trouser shorts; bermuda shorts and the short-shorts (pic from Johnson's website)

These shorts have become very popular since their debut this Spring in LA's boutiques. Part of this could be due to them being on heavy rotation among LA's most-watched starlets like Nicole Richie, Mischa Barton, Lindsay Lohan and shopping queen Mrs Lachey - Jessica Simpson.

From left: Mischa Barton (pic from celebweb.org); Nicole Richie (pic from celebweb.org); Lindsay Lohan (pic from clasos.com); in their short-shorts.

From Johnson's website, these shorts are available in versatile tweeds, glammed-up satin or funked-up print fabrics.

I got myself a pair in houndstooth wool with vintage-looking buttons.

My pair of Johnson shorts!! Pic credit : extralaces.com

I wear a size 27 in jeans most of the time and size 4 fits me perfectly fine. It might be tempting to size up to compensate for what seems like a skimpy piece of clothing, but these shorts really run true to size. The shorts skim your hips rather than cling and does not accentuate any trouble spots of the body (and we all know that most of the time, a woman's trouble spots are her hips and thighs ;)) I really love the fantastic slimming and square cut of my shorts plus it makes my legs look long and toned! Magic!!

These shorts really stand on their own merit, but I guess the free publicity given by being seen on these rail-thin starlets does not hurt this line a single bit. Read this Daily Candy article for more information. There's also another great review in Stylediary on these awesome shorts.

I can see myself wearing these shorts all summer long with flats, sandals and flip-flops. They are even versatile even to be worn into fall with a pair of black leggings and heels, much like Lindsay:

Pic from celebweb.org

So far, these shorts are available online at shopintution.com. However I strongly urge interested readers to buy from other sites - there have been several complaints about shopintuition's service in the past! Satine also carries these online, thought the spring/summer collection is sold out on their site. I got my pair from the auction site extralaces.com. You can also email the designer via the johnson website for more information on stockists.

For those who love living in shorts, this is definitely one brand to keep your eyes on! Watch out for the fall collection as the designer introduces more designs in velvet!

Lost in translation - working your summer pieces into Fall

2005-08-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

Tis' a glorious time to start shopping again.

Fall or at least pre-fall collections are starting to debut in shops all over and it's hard not to get into a tizzy with the promise of new clothes, new styles and new trends to drool over.

Dear reader, if you have accumulated a sizeable stash over summer (like me!), fret not. As I have mentioned in my earlier posts and which I shall reiterate, fashion cycles are getting shorter. Stash the trendy items that you really love in your wardrobe for now and pray that they will be trendy again.

Remember the military trend of 2003? Well it's back again this time for F/W 2005. Granted, the army green may have been traded in for navy wool and shiny brass buttons, a la The Admiral, but the epaulettes and military embellishments still abound.

First seen in its Riviera chic incarnation in resort collections this year, it was later given a seaworthy spin by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga's S/S 05 collection.

Balenciaga S/S 2005 - from Balenciaga.com

These pieces have since then been given a high Parisian polish for F/W, with more intricate details being worked in, as well as the emergence of a stronger silhouette, a drastic departure from the relaxed form for spring.

Balenciaga F/W 2005 - from Balenciaga.com

The most iconic piece of this trend is probably epitomized in this Jean Paul Gaultier jacket for his F/W 05 collection:

Jean Paul Gaultier nautical jacket, F/W 2005 - style.com

This is an extremely workable trend for night - nothing adds panache to an ensemble like a well-cut jacket. Unfortunately, this may be a hard style to carry off during the day. For a more casual touch, I can see navy pants and stripy tops from the summer being worn past fall. Remember however that this is sailor chic, so while navy wool and brass buttons will work, camouflage stripes will just look dated. It is even possible to pair the voluminous skirts seen in summer with a structured nautical jacket for Fall.

As for the floaty chiffon dresses seen all to often in summer, these can be easily translated into a stunning fall ensemble. The sheerness of the fabric can in fact balance out the heavier textures and fabric used for fall. Dresses like these are the most versatile; it can layered with scarves, worn with a trench/blazer or with boots or heels.

Chloe S/S 2005 - style.com

I am especially fond of this look which was seen on the Chloe' runway for S/S2005. It is a prime example of how with a little flair and creativity, we are still about to wear our summer pieces well into fall.

White dresses were very popular this season due to the boho trend and nothing provides a better canvas for the jeweled tones of Fall than white. If you are a great fan of vintage, especially of pieces from the Victorian/Edwardian era, rejoice for this is one trend that is rapidly heating up for Fall. With the appropriate accessories, I believe that certain dresses can even be transformed into Victoriana ensembles, which is another popular Fall style to watch.

Some of my favourite pieces on the runway are :

Chloe F/W 05 ;pictures from style.com

The silhouette of the above pieces look decidly Edwardian

Heavier Victorian influences here:

Chloe F/W 05 ;pictures from style.com

While I personally hate to see this being done to death for Fall much like the bohemian trend, there is no denying the strong presence of the romantic novel blouse/dress seen on several runway collections for Fall. As with all trends, never wear this head-to-toe, Victoriana looks best when there is one iconic piece in the entire outfit. The best example that I can think of is to wear the romantic blouse with cigarette pants or skinny jeans. This image has been seared into my mind ever since I came across this picture below in an editorial of Vogue July 05.

Gucci F/W 05 - reproduced from Vogue USA July 2005.

High street stores like Zara have already debuted an interesting Victoriana collection for Fall and I have already picked up several pieces (to add on to my vintage collection) with interesting trimmings like lace, beads and pompoms.

A popular colour for Fall, which might have come about due to the strong nautical vibe this coming F/W, is a deep rich royal blue. This hue is seen in several pieces from the fashion houses – it is one of colours seen in the palette of offerings from Balenciages for their famed classique bags, produced in several colours of the rainbow. Gucci has brought back their horsebit hobo in a gorgeous blue for their new Guccissima leather collection, while the paddington from Chloe’ has been reinvented in a jewel blue tone as well. Lanvin has debuted its new line up of flats for Fall and there is a particular loafer style done in rich blue velvet that is so pretty – I have become the proud owner of a pair!

Pretty in blue, those bags get a new coat of paint - from left: Chloe' Paddington (chloe.com); Gucci Guccissima horsebit hobo (nm.com)

It is easier to wear a piece from summer to fall, rather than vice-versa, simply because it gets too hot. I realize that for fall, I tend to concentrate more on accessories like bags and shoes and spend less on clothes. The sumptuousness of Fall fabrics makes it a little harder to wear them past winter, while layering can really stretch the versatility of summer pieces. Similarly, I believe that the line between summer clothing and fall clothing is rapidly blurring. I think it is great fun and a test of style to transition pieces from one season to another. Some things are obvious – no ruffled minis in Fall (I never understood why these were still around anyway, particularly on tweens in LA – wasn’t this suppose to die out last year?), but other pieces can be extremely versatile and worn season after season, like jeans or cropped jackets.

As always, be aware of yourself, build up your own style and recognise what works for you and what doesn't. With better self-assurance, you will be able to sieve through the new Fall trends and re-interpret them equally well with existing pieces in your wardrobe!