mini-makeover

ok, i'm NOT a fan of featuring myself (as opposed to my clothes and fashion in general)...but in the absence of proper outfit photos, i will just put up a makeup-related one.

matthew williamson for H&M top**/ accessorize earrings/ estee lauder makeup

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this was taken at the beverly centre bloomingdales i believe, at an estee lauder makeup event they were having. so i received a little makeup makeover (they didnt help with outfit and hair, unforch HAHA) from the nice ladies there, and got to do the whole photoshoot thing there too.

i picked a orangey, summery look with warmer coral colors, and after going through the shots with the photog and the photoeditor, we finally settled on this shot as the best one. quite a fun day out and you can still see my summery coral nails. MATCH!

small stretch of rodeo

i suppose since i'm on the topic of LA i might as well put this up...

the FANCIEST RESTROOM I HAVE EVER HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF USING.

i suppose it HAD to be on rodeo drive.

my friend and i drove to rodeo to get some cupcakes, and then we decided to have lunch. so we picked the most ridiculously decked-out cafe on the stretch-- waiters in full gear, all-white seats, tables, linen, tons of chandeliers, lots of foliage YES FOLIAGE it was thick! not potted plants!, and more plastic-ed overtanned middle aged italian women (well they were speaking italiano...) than you could count.

and these women were HOT. not despite their age but because of it. it was amazing. and we sat and sipped waters and had a nice pretend-pretentious meal while listening in to all their husband-talk. personally, i couldnt concentrate cos their diamond rings kept shooting glints into my eye.

the restroom was cavernous, filled with ornate sculptural fixtures, lots of mirrors and fresh flowers. strange that the biggest mirror faces the toilet of course--do i need to check myself *down there*, or what?

but still. i thoroughly enjoyed my few minutes in there. so much so that, YES, i was insane enough to press myself as far into the wall of either side of that room to snap all of 2 pictures.

i never told my friend i took those photos. i hope he never sees this.

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**YES i am really proud of having scored this matthew williamson top...i have no idea why it took me so long to post about it--goodness knows choo is the next collection (not raving about it AT ALL BTW) to talk about.

eitherways, i love matthew williamson and even though i cant afford his stuff (still 4-figures on heavy discount!!!!!), i will still love him and his amazing colorful vibrant aesthetic. shoutout on the sidebar!

and just to leave you with the cutest ad campaign ever. just google dentyne to see more. the premise of the ads is to re-humanize what technology's taken over in daily interactions.

it don't matter if you're black or white

the most amazing editorial i've seen in a while. how can you go wrong with monochrome!

indeed.

technicolor by way of coffee

hello world!

apologies that it's been so long-- junior year is INSANE and being a law student's kind of a full time job. either ways, there's nothing like some aestheticism to perk up the dull day.

HERMES' silk scarves are legendary (don't ask me for any personal anecdotes...maybe in a few years HAHA!), and the iconic designs are on display. pop by if you can.

and now for today's feature presentation:

a most cheeky, fun TECHNICOLOR dreamscape brought to you by famed, color-loving lensman miles aldridge. his impressive body of work can be viewed HERE.

if you havent already guessed or observed, these shots were done for lavazza coffee. in particular, for their 2010 calendar! i dont envision myself getting my little paws on that anytime soon, but suffice to say these pictures are working up my appetite. for color. and caffeine.

i guess, of course, which was kind of the point.

and even more conceptually cool is the fact that the words on each photo are titles of famous operatic italian songs! not sure how nessun dorma inspired brite neon lights, but who's complaining when everything looks as good as here?

hope this brightened your day!

fishy business

so i got a really cool email the other day about a sustainable type of leather...

READ ON. 

of course, what got me intrigued first was this absolutely gorgeous, quintessentially Fall campaign picture: red lips, rich colors, heavy-looking knits. 

The Icelandic Unnur Fridriksdottir, founded the company UNNURWEAR, in 2006, making high quality handbags, accessories and clothing for fashion forward women all over the world.

Translated from Icelandic to mean "waves of the ocean", Unnur’s specialty is using sea-leather in her handbags...yes FISH! The fish being used in the current collections is farm grown Icelandic Salmon and farm grown African Perch. In using sea-leather, UNNURWEAR is contributing to sustainable fashion, and not endangering any species. There is nothing fishy about that!

and i have no idea where i got this picture but it is too gorgeous NOT to post. i can stare at it for hours on end, and she really makes the hourglass look like the most amazing thing to have...complete with exaggerated shoulders, which i'm glad is showing an interesting slowdown in fashion!

the shoulder-pad purveyor extraordinaire christophe decarnin showed lots of restraint in his showing at PFW, choosing to embellish rather than go for volume outright, like what he previously did. FINALLY, i am won over by his aesthetic--rock chick/glam warrior is totally something i can get behind. i'm not sure how i'm going to approach the next season, but for now i'm happy to watch and learn from the runways. 

glan/pri/tash/maya/me

revisiting old photos took me to this one, taken YEARS ago-- 4 years to be exact. i'd just flown back from melbourne, and how things have changed. of the 5 of us, i'm the only still back home while they've all left to pursue various other things in life. (side note: i guess all our fashion senses have developed too... THANKFULLY!)

while i am infinitely happy to see firneds go for what they want in life, it does make me question my own path. i've literally been to the airport at least twice a week in teh past month or so, just seeing friends off, which of course means i never got on a plane during any of those instances. 

i wouldnt call things fishy...but these murky waters of life are definitely a challenge to navigate in pensive times like these. 

cupcakes and chanel

so here's a really awesome story:

girl has friend, friend goes to newyork, friend goes to bakery, buys cupcakes, friend hand-carries cupcakes back home via frankfurt, friend gives girl cupcakes and takes photo of girl WITH said cupcake box. girl is very happy.

 

the famed and fabled magnolia bakery is home to the cupcake, made famous of COURSE by dearest carrie bradshaw, who i rememebr had one with miranda along bleeker to calm her nerves. i could have these whether or not i had nerves to calm. :) 

 

**side note: YES that is the newest addition to the family: 

the chanel 2.55 reissue (medium) in lambskin and gold hardware.

I HAVE TO DISCLAIM THAT THE 2.55 ONLY REFERS TO THE QUILTED BAG WITH THE METAL CHAIN & THE MADAM LOCK, AS DESIGNED BY COCO HERSELF. (lambskin only)

  

the perhaps more-famous and certainly more coveted bag with the leather-and-chain straps combined with the (horrendous??) double-c lock is designed NOT by coco but by karl lagerfeld, whose aesthetic i am inclined not to appreciate. only representing my personal opinion here, people, so please dont shoot me. that bag is NOT the 2.55 despite the misconceptions, and it is merely termed the CLASSIC FLAP BAG. 

 

to my knowledge, the 2.55 is far rarer (i waited a number of months for mine, which came in a shipment of only 3, which resultingly sold out via preorders including mine...they're hardly on the shelves!), and as a result does cost more than the classic flap bag. it also does NOT come in the cheaper caviar leather the classic flap bag can be incarnated as. 

 

i dont mean to appear ranty, but i am rather quite sick of people mixing up the 2 bags-- i appreciate the history behind this bag as well as its discreet luxury.

no logos for me, thats for sure. 

red velvet, chocolate on chocolate, vanilla on chocolate, chocolate on vanilla. 

magnolia only does 2 standard types of cupcakes: chocolate and vanilla. you can mix and match those with either chocolate or vanilla buttercream icing. 

 

the beauty of these babies is how light and airy they are...i'm used to denser cupcakes and these were the instructional epitome of how being whipped could actually be a good thing!

these are, for comparison's sake, from sprinkles in LA, another franchise that has captured the imagination of many. just like how magnolia's NYC sensibilities keep its options simple, the west coast psyche always dictates that the more there is, the merrier. 

 

so spinkles has tons of choices, and unlike the whipped buttercream used by magnolia, they have a thicker, creamier, denser and sweeter type of icing. 

 

the truth is, while i love the airiness of magnolia's and i have to say their vanilla-on-chocolate combo is SUBLIME, that spinkles still does the better version of the only cupcake we all know really matters: RED VELVET. 

ps: these are completely personal opinions i know people are very protective of their cupcake bakeries! i have yet to try crumbs, but i'm told they're only middling in comparison. 

 

 thoughts?

 

welcome to fall

before you scroll down to look for images, who wants some free marc by MJ goodies!?!??!

well, here's your chance:

SO!

darling site SHOP IT TO ME has ingeniously come up with a head-to-head pairing of brands, which will "duel it out" as readers LIKE US vote and determine the winning brands!

if you're not familiar with the site (its been on my sidebar for months now...), you can read a quick summary of its main highlights HERE. 

now just LOOKING at these head-to-heads, im excited to vote! only the winning brand in each match up will proceed, and it will carry on for 5 whole weeks before a final winner is declared! what's fun about this concept is that WE get to decide which brands we favor--quite a democratization of fashion, no?

 

its in this spirit of fun that SHOP IT TO ME constantly exists, and here's the best bit i mentioned earlier: as if you needed any extra incentive to take part in this fun fun fun exercise, they're giving away marc by MJ accessories (wristlets, umbrellas, key fobs) too!!!!

right now, its probable that you're thinking WHAT"S THE CATCH?

and the truth is, there's NONE. all you need to do is:

1.  click on any of the SHOP IT TO ME links contained in this post, which will get you to the site. 
   
2. sign up as a member, if you havent already. membership perks? read about them HERE.
3. ONCE YOU'RE A MEMBER, click HERE to start voting for your favorite labels, and watch their competition crash out! haha evil...
4. cross your fingers and hope you win some goodies. if not, keep playing! 5 weeks, dude.

either way, its a free, easy and FUN activity that combines fashion with good old competition-- i mean, doesnt everyone love a winner? ;)

 

 ---

shot by daniel schroeder in south africa for MAXI magazine, these images remind me completely of the season we're about to enter into. the saturated colors, sunset hues and glow from the light cast on the model's face all synthesize to a lovely warm pinkness set in nature. 

it really was love at first sight for me...

and while i have no doubt the photos were enhanced, i would still love to see a park full of colored leaves.

now i dont get a particularly fall-esque vibe from her clothes, which in fact are rather summery, but reds, blues, and girlish ruffles with the quintessential girl shoe, the Mary Jane, make this model quite the ingénue!

i especially like that this is juxtaposed with her edgy hair...reminds me of karla from karla's closet. i don't think i can pull such a hairstyle, but i can certainly try adopting this primary color palette!

 

HAPPY FALL EVERYONE.

to a good season and good things ahead. 

Brinksmanship

it's always been a dilemma each birthday-- i wonder if i should have a big shindig, or if i should just lay low and keep my expectations non-existent for fear of disappointment. this year, however, i decided to throw a nice dinner party! given the dearth of posts recently, i figured maybe something more personal might fill that void. 

for some reason the dress was really popular with people, and it was actually highstreet and not even designer! i was desperate and only found this the day before the party because i swamped with this intensive law module. more on that another time. 

dress: warehouse, shoes: louboutin (the camel pumps!), bag: fendi, friends: priceless.

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i've also been feeling quite... out of sorts to say the least. which, i suppose, is why i havent much to say. interestingly my parents are in SF right now, and ihope theyre having a great holiday! especialyl since they footed the bill for aforementioned party... HAHA.

the whole bunch of people studying in teh states have flown off too, and we've having a bunch of sendoffs for the people going to the UK. in teh spirit of new beginnings for everyone, i guess i'm just going to post this poem. i wish it applied to me as wholly as it does to some others, but either way i wont let anything get me down. 

peace and love. xx

Brinkmanship (or ‘On Beginnings’)

 

A wind-up monkey clashes its cymbals

(sounds like symbols—for what, repetition?

Anthropomorphism?) in anticipation.

Keys jangling in a pocket, silk-lined and

Shallow, waiting to escape their cloth lockup.

 

Hands held close, waiting for the millisecond of

Silence—

A pregnant

Pause—after which rapturous applause can emanate freely, endlessly.

 

I take your photo like there’s no tomorrow, because

(excuse the cliché…)

There really might not be. Inbetween the clicks and snaps

I realize you are Most Beautiful when you almost-laugh;

 

When your lips lift themselves, cloud-like,

Into slight crescents, upon which

Celestial chimeras can prance

And never tumble off their soft pink confines.

 

I await, along with the primate-toy, the metal

Keys, the impatient hands, your Cupid’s bow—I

Await, along with them,

The next new thing that comes.

 

too much of a good thing

so, chanel's come up with something that really goes over the top. the classical felt and boiled wool flap bag adorned with jewel symbols of russian history. YES, that is its full, OFFICIAL name. part of the so-titled paris-moscou collection (not sure why its spelt that way...), which features plenty of ornate, bejewelled opulence--much like the collections of marie antoinette and russian czars so referenced by The Kaiser. 

the 2.55 is such a classic, but i guess abit of updating never hurt anyone. i just think this is all a bit too much. 

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thank you all for your lovely, encouraging and candid comments from the last post--that in large part is why i knew i couldn't just abandon this project i started so long ago. in fact, i have to be better at it. along with all the lovely people i've met through this blog. 

thank you. 

forgive my indulgence

the post is so titled because i have nothing sartorially-related to say today. it's been a fortnight at the law firm, and i enjoy what i do but the hours are long (fact, not complaint!), and the mind gets tired. but i'm glad i've realised that this is for me, as opposed to running in the other direction.

 

i feel an acute disconnect with certain parts of my life. you know how a gear system only works smoothly when every cog's in place? not every cog's in place in my life, and the halting shakiness i experience that should otherwise be seamless transition--it just means i have a ways to go. be it because my interests are eclectic, my interface to the world is strange, that i am somehow socially intimidating, or that maybe i'm just too damn average. all of those reasons are equally baffling and pathetic simultaneously-- i don't like getting shortchanged, so i will continue to resist the suffocating encroaches of the distinct helplessness that i'm not getting my money's worth out of life. 

 

of course, its tough not to get into specifics, but it is for that very reason that i won't. this platform is NOT to be abused with mindless selfcentred rants, published in the hope that someone out there will have a comforting anecdote or two. i want to continue to use the public arena as wisely as i can...and besides, i'm not on my 5th journal for nothing.

So, it's been a really long while since i had anything of worth to say on this platform... and for good reason. i've been thinking for a long time about how these blogs serve more than the readers and their voyeurism/genuine interest/boredom (delete where applicable); they feed on our own need for approval and exhibitionism. i am glad each time someone says "nice outfit!", or "great shoes!", but if my blog is about me and what i wear, then surely that's too shallow a reason for its existence. 

AGAIN, let me disclaim that this is completely a personal opinion, and i reserve all rights to respond to this matter on that note. 

lastly, do forgive my indulgence--if it does so happen that you've actually persevered with reading till this point. once in a blue moon, i do need to air some views. 

have a good week all!

cali #2: norcal

so the 2nd half of the trip was spent in norcal...more sights coming up :)

 

the cathedral/church at stanford university...very majestic, full of stained glass and painstaking mosaic, but i really liked the central dome for its illumination of the church.

 

the entrance to the church from teh courtyard. it was commencement week so the campus was absolutely crawling with tourists/family/etc etc. there was ALOT of photo-taking going on.

 

then, SAN FRANCISCO.

hated the tourist thing but i just HAD TO take a shot with the bridge. i mean, who sees it and doesnt do that!??!?!

the sky was a gorgeous blue that day, and the bridge just looks stunning here. to me, san francisco isnt really about the sights, its about the city and its energy and its quirky vibe.

 

wearing: heritage 1981 knit top. probably with my trusty jeans. (i really needed to up my game, huh...now that i look back on the photos...haha)

 

haha, alcatraz.

 

and who can resist lots of high quality choccies from the bay area's most famous confectionary? all individually wrapped squares...excellent for snacking on, whenever.

 

lori's diner...another one of those institutions. but i think its a sell-out. dont franchise it!!!! and the food was completely middling i must say. disappointed. 

 

i did, however, manage to make a trip to dottie's true blue cafe, the tiny little shop in the tenderloin district (OF ALL places...). after 2 hours, we got our pancakes, italian sausage, fruit, omelettes, french toast, ham and potatoes. 

you want to go to the institutions that only the locals know about, not the chain stores or fast food or anything that's "famous". dottie's is a SF legend, and 2 hours? it was worth the wait. 

 

the bay bridge, unfortunate poorer cousin to the golden gate, which most recently starred in fantastic 4: rise of the silver surfer. and plenty more to come, i'm sure. 

 

SF giants! 

 

ok SERIOUSLY, saks fifth avenue is famous (infamous!!?) for its dedicated shoe departments. i first heard about the zip code thing while watching oprah, and she filmed at the LA location i believe. so, i was extremely heartened to see that in SF, they similarly dedicated a zip code to their cavernous basement of a shoe salon.

 

and there's where i met the latest love of my life...

yea, i caved again!!! the minipass 90 in camel, patent calf leather. -_-

i put them on and john, the guy helping me out, and i, just had a moment of silence to admire the shoes, it was completely surreal, almost like the world righted itself ever so imperceptibly; things went from soft-focus to crystal clear and my smile was genuine again.

 

don't judge me here--i didn't shop much the entire trip (BEING LITERAL HERE), with only one big purchase: these shoes. and a wallet, which was for my MUM. so the love did get shared. and people back home got lots of personalised gifts too, and lovely chocolates all round. 

 

city hall: in in the day, and at night. the uplighting is absolutely spectacular. and in the day, the gilded edges take centrestage. a glamorous city hall that befits such a magnificent city.

 

back where it all first started, wicked!!! ridiculously overpriced merch, but thoroughly enjoyable evening at the historic orpheum. now all i have to conquer is west end.

wearing: michael kors dress. well you HAVE to dress up for the theatre, right?!

  

the highlight of the trip... okay one of them. spent all my time in NYC in the museums, but it wasnt as pronounced this time. had a lovely day to myself jsut having peet's (san franciscans know its the best in teh bay!) and chatting with people about politics and art...then having the day enjoying robert frank, henri matisse and all the other lovely people. sadly there's no hockney amongst their already-extensive contemporary collection, but jasper johns made up for that deficit. lovely!

 

the famous castro district...all rainbow flags and little bars and music. i only drove past, though.

 

and the view of the city from twin peaks. 

that bridge you see? its the bay bridge, which i guess looks alot better at night. it was a long winding drive up, but the view of the whole city made it pretty worth it. and the brightly lit street is market street, one of the main thoroughfares of the city. 

 

i'm just posting the highlights of the trip rather than talking about what i did--which was mainly really boring everyday stuff like crash the couches of people i just met, walk around the city alot, go grocery shopping, and meet new people. i actually enjoyed that part alot more than any "famous" locales or photo ops. 

 

SF really surprised me with how liveable it really is. for the longest time i was a detractor of the west coast--i still find socal WAAAY too laid back for me, and for that matter even the other parts of norcal i stayed in were too. but SF is a great mix of hi-low, fast-slow, culture and cosmopolitan life. but my biggest takeaway from the month was the generosity and genuine niceness of the people of california. i had a pretty awesome time there thanks to them. :)

 

anyone have stories of their favorite cities to share?