Following the girl in the gorgeous Marc by Marc Jacobs dress the other day, I spotted yet another girl wearing this Vuitton Antigua tote. Although by no means would this Antigua collection be considered new, it just struck me what the perfect bag it is for our SS06 wardrobe.
Vanessa Bruno is a brand that has been around for awhile, but I've only started to really notice it when a bought a cardigan by Vanessa Bruno last season. At first glance, Bruno's clothes may seem a bit plain, but the cutting is not-so-typical.
OK, first take a look at part of Vanessa Bruno's SS06 collection:
See what I mean? You get a really French-chic feel from the clothes. Simple, casual yet still so sophisticated. It's totally got a Chloe/ See by Chloe vibe going on.
This is a top I would really like to try. Unfortunately after visiting at least ten places that carry Bruno clothes, I still have yet to see this top! Where where where do they sell this!?!
Now this Crinkled Silk Camisole I have actually tried on, and loved it! It's sooo gorgeous, and the use of silk and chiffon together is tres sophisticated. And this acid blue color is so unique and eye-catching. Alas, it's a bit out of my budget for a pretty top. Perhaps if it's still available when it goes on sale......
One of my current favourite brands is Velvet. I bought my first piece, a gorgeous purple long sleeved v necked piece with a brooch in the middle, from Velvet during the Thanksgiving Sales at Neiman Marcus. Since then, I've been in love with Velvet items. Simple yet trendy, Velvet pieces are elegantly wearable, of high quality, flattering, fitting and super soft. They feel absolutely divine. Designers Jenny Graham and Toni Spencer are genius!
Unfortunately for us, even though Velvet clothes can be found in almost any department store and places like Anthropologie and Brown Focus, there is precious little of it found online (I've spent HOURS looking for them and one cannot very well type 'velvet fashion' to look it up). But here are a few pieces that I did find from Shopbop.
They are the definition of simple yet stylish. Perfect for the effortlessly chic look.
Seriously, it may not look to interesting on the rack, but it feels and looks fabulous on person. So go out and try it on for yourselves!
OK, so Valentines Day is a controversial festive, but I've never understood why so many singletons feel the need to be depressed on this day. I mean, does it really matter if you're in a relationship on this particular day? I always thought Valentines as a great oppurtunity to ogle over pretty things, (read: jewelry,) although of course if you have someone giving you this pretty thing then even better. Note to male readers: here are some wonderful gifts that the female population wouldn't mind recieving!
1. I theorise that only YOU could buy the perfect perfume for yourself, but one of my best friends' boyfriend got her a Coco Chanel for her birthday last year and she, who is extremely picky, loved it. So maybe my theory isn't true for everyone. Or maybe Coco Chanel is just so classic that no one can resist!
2. Personally I think recieving flowers is sweet but somewhat a waste of money. What I would really love recieving in replacement of flowers are Swarovski crystal flowers. They're so nice and shiny, and most importantly permenant. Another wonderful potential gift by Swarovski is their SCS membership. According to my other friend, whose wonderful boyfriend just got her one, your bf basically pays for the membership for a number of years, and each year you get a special edition crystal.
3. Not every girl would like this Juicy Couture boy shorts set, but I've supringly seen it on a lot of girls' 'want lists.' If you're a Juicy fan, then it's a def must have.
4. Every holiday I look towards the classic Tiffanys for inspiration. OK, so this Heart Pendent With Heart Padlock necklace is a tad bit cheesy, but it's just so perfect for Valentines!
5. Too expensive? Then take a leaf out of last week's OC and pick something from the Victoria's Secret catalogue! VS even has a special Valentines Day catalogue for those who want something extra romantic.
6. And if you have absolutely NO idea what your partner likes, or you really really love him/her, then get her a gift certificate from her fav spa. Just the thought of going to a spa will make any girl do a little happy dance!
And finally, if your bf dares to give you something as hideous as this Hello Kitty Tennis Kitti Necklace, (which costs a shocking US$950), then well......
So we all know what we would love for V Day, but the bigger question is, what would HE like?? After much discussion with my friends, it seems like the key is practicality. So here are a few ideas:
The classic gift: Cologne. They all need to smell good right? The Armani Black Code for men comes highly recommended.
If he's not already on a skincare regime, show him you care and introduce him to one. He'll thank you when his skin is perfect.
Another classic, a watch. This one is from Tiffany's, nice huh? I didn't know they made such nice watches for men too.
Another safe buy, a Lacoste Polo. Smart and clean cut.
Something a little more personal, silk boxers with red hearts.
Something he'll REALLY LOVE, the Wii or Play Station 3 if you can't get your hands on Wii. Lol, I'd love a Wii too!
Personal but still practical, a personalised calendar from shutterfly. You can even mark down special dates!
Sweet and cute- customised M&M's or customized anything. You can even make your own customized cupcakes/cookies. Besides, they don't say that the way to a guy's heart is through their stomach for nothing ;)
And that is about all I can come up with so far. Anymore thoughts to share?
Ever since I've noticed the rack of Vanessa Bruno clothes at Lane Crawford (which is like the Barneys of Hong Kong,) I've loved Vanessa Bruno the brand. VB clothes are Parisian chic, cool and classily casual. Plus VB stuff is relatively affordable. It's now a norm for me to get at least one VB item each season. So imagine how excited when Lane Crawford held a little VB FW07 presentation (tonight) and Vanessa Bruno herself was actually going to be there!
The presentation is pretty much like it is on the VB website. Even the music is the same!
The first outfit that came out was a lovely trapeze coat that I've liked from the Paris runway back in Feb and have been looking out for. It swayed so nicely along with the model's walk! 
This was definitely my favourite dress from the presentation. SO gorgeous! It's so perfect for mild winters (with temperature around 14 degrees Celcius, as in Hong Kong.) The dress is youthful but looks so graceful and pretty. Sigh...
Remember Elyse Sewell from America's Next Top Model many seasons ago? She's been in Hong Kong since then.
And there's Vanessa Bruno in the middle! Spot the light blonde lady in a black skirt and plum-coloured top. She fits in with the models so well. 
This collage really shows the style VB's clothes... feminine, light, carefree and pretty. Everyone was invited (err, encouraged) to shop the FW collection afterwards, but I was too tired today to appreciate the clothes I was trying on and decided that I can try on the clothes another day. Also, I'm just not in the mood to shop for FW clothes yet. My sister on the other hand, got a really pretty casual dress. Hmm, I'll definitely have to go back in September for my FW shopping spree! All summer long, HG and I have been wondering- where does one go to buy nice cheap but chic dresses to go with all the dress trends that have been so popular recently. I mean, dresses aren't quite the cheapest thing on the menu.
So the other day when I was shopping at Nordstrom on my way to pick up a baby gift, I passed by the Juniors section and saw a number of cute dresses. Intrigued I took a closer look- and found some more really cute looking dresses at a REALLY cheap price ($50's)! Now I know the quality and cutting might not be the same, but since I have a slight frame anyway, I picked up a bunch and gave them a try- and was impressed to find that the fit was quite good- better than Forever 21! After much debating and taking photos of myself in the changing room (the lighting is so bad though), I finally settled on this silver shift dress. I thought it was simple and chic, perfect for dinner and a night out! I spent the longest time trying to decide between silver and gold too. I finally decided on silver because I thought it contrasted with my pale skin tone better and would match my grey boot, but now that I'm home I'm not too sure.....thoughts?
Anyway, that dress was by this brand called Velvet Torch. With a little googling, I found the rest of the collection on the Nordstrom website and thought- wow, not bad at all! These two are my favourite for fall. The black one with the bell sleeves is super cute. And the grey check one is prim and ladylike, with the neckline adding some fun to it.
Cute eyelet dresses. Though these were probably better for summer.
I love the simple cutting of the plain black dress (left). Its great for....all day. And the grey/black dress (right) is just the thing to wear going out during the day.
And then there are these adorable printed dresses.
Sigh, these are so cute! I can't wait to go back when it goes on sale and buy some more. Who knew shopping in the Juniors section could be so fruitful?
I am constantly amazed at my mom's ability to be so up to date with the latest going ons in fashion. Her latest discovery are the trendy dresses at Vivienne Tam. Surprising isn't it? I've always related her style as western with oriental influence and wouldn't exactly call it trendy. So when my mom told me she'd bought me a dress from there, I was like, what?
Luckily for me, the dresses over at Vivienne Tam seems to have gone through a revival and are much trendier than I'd imagined. The dress my mom got me was this one, except mine is black and made of a woolish material. Now to be honest, when I first saw the dress (and identified it as this one in the catalog), I didn't like it very much. It was past my knees and it has the most awkwardly positioned tie thing in the middle. That is not exactly the most flattering cut. But after playing around with it, I've tied it at the waist, such that a little puffy effect is created and is shorter, which is kind of cute with ankle boots!
This of course got me looking into the rest of the catalog and now I am lusting for more Vivienne Tam dresses! They have more simple casual (kind of shift) dresses. I especially love the grey one in the middle. The color is also so nice and wintery without being too black.
And check out those silver Mary Janes! I WANT a pair. They look so perfect in the winter with all these cute short dresses!
For something more sophisticated, there are these more polished creations. The dress on the right is my favourite! The bottom frills gives it just the right touch of girliness to the otherwise sophisticated and simple design.
Something a little more fun, there are these printed dresses. The rich silver brocade dress is so adorable! And as a side note, I really like that look on the far right (sorry about the bad scanning). Its so simple to achieve too. All I need is to go out and get myself a cute printed mini!
Who would've thought that these creations were Vivienne Tam?
When I shop, I usually like to shop with a partner, (and preferably exactly one partner, who has some sense of style and could give helpful opinions.) This is because with clothes, there is sometimes a very thin line between good style and bad style, and it's nice to have an extra input. And sure, an outfit looks really cool when it's worn by a model in an editorial, but most of the time, those artistic background, makeup and lighting just don't echo real life. Take these two as examples:
When I first saw this Kate Moss Top Shop dress I thought, 'Oooh, I really, really like it.' I liked how only the top had sequins (instead of the whole dress,) and that the dress had a bit of an A-line shape to it instead of a huge T-shirt shape (which a lot of sequined dresses seemed have.) It was a glamorous with an edge, but without being too sparkly. I like the chiffon skirt bit because it meant it will swirl around with you when you walk and dance. And so I thought the dress had a good balance of style and trend. But the more I stare at the design, the more I thought of one thing: showgirls. For some reason, the dress really reminded me of dresses that showgirls in cheesy movies would wear in bars, dancing around poles and entertaining sleezy guys. 
This is another dress that I was thinking of awhile back (from Top Shop). It's a 50's style dress and it has a slit-like hole at the back. I've never tried or owned such vintage-looking dress before, and was thinking that I lacked stylish, unique dresses. The dress fit well, and the length was just right. But one thing I was debating about was whether the dress was unique in an old-fashioned way, or in a fashion-foward way.
You will notice that the shoulders of the Top Shop dress is really wide and the waist part fits well. Doesn't it just remind you of the Balenciaga SS08 shape? I mean, obviously it's not as structured as Balenciaga's, but it looks like a more casual design of Balenciaga's, doesn't it? But I was also concerned with the print. It's not the most modern print around and could easily be seen as a print that's too 'old' and 'grandmother-y'. On the other hand, if you can carry it off and accessorise well, then you can pull a really fashion-foward outfit together. Thus, the line between fashion-backward and fashion-foward is really really thin.
At the end of the day, I always think the most important thing is what you think of the item yourself. But in my typical shopping mindset, I just can't help thinking of the pros and cons. So anyways, what do you think of the two Top Shop dresses?
So the other day, it came to my attention that Victoria Beckham had launched a pair of jeans for Rock and Republic called, "Victoria Beckham South Beach cropped jeans". The "south beach" here refers to the wash and not to Victoria herself (not the south beach diet-so you don't have to be as skinny as her to wear it). Anyways, being me, I immediately went online to eluxury to check out what it looked it.
And I was thoroughly disappointed. The only thing differentiating it from any old pair of cropped denim is the red crown on the back pockets, which is supposedly a copy of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation crown. And they cost a whooping $235. No wonder the Queen wants to sue her for this, she probably just wants to add part of the proceeds to the royal coffers. You don't see her suing Claires for their "crown" jewelry. Don't get me wrong, I think it looks pretty and really befits Posh Spice to use a royal crown as her logo. I'm just in awe of the exorbitant price the name Victoria Beckham can bring.
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