Wish Bone Necklace

These wishbone necklaces are simple and wimsical at the same time. They are great paired with other necklaces or worn alone. And best of all the sybolize good luck and furtune or at least the with for. Available at Selena Lynn $99.

What a girl wants for Christmas

Hey, Barney's Girl and I are going to take a 2 week break from the blog. Both of us are going to be on family vacation, celebrating new year with friends and head back to college in Jan. But before the break, I'm going to leave you with a list of fabulous Christmas ideas -basically what I would like to recieve, and I'm sure many of you would at least like one thing on the list.

Girly beauty items. Girls always need eyeliners. Afterall, eyeliner is essential to some people's day looks and most people's night looks. And I absolutely love MAC's powerpoint eye pencil.

Brush cleaner is another (but not obvious) must to one's beauty collection. Please do remember to clean your makeup brushes regularly!

Speaking of brushes, my sister was just saying how she would love a set of brushes -another essential to one's beauty collection.

Moving onto other girly things, as inspired by BG's list of essential bags, the LV Speedy 25 is a popular and very practical bag for a girl to own.

Another cool bag is the Chloe Paddington clutch -good for day and night, and effortlessly chic.

I love classic jewelry, and the first that comes into mind is Tiffany & Co's basic silver collection. These Elsa Peretti earrings are so classic and versatile. Hmm... maybe I should get them for myself.

The MacBook is SO small and cute, although I don't quite like it's keyboard and function inside. For more a more impressive laptop, get the MacBook Pro -much sleeker and impressive. I stood in the Apple store playing with these Macs for two hours a few weekends ago when my old laptop died, but ended up opting for a regular laptop instead.

Sony cybershot DSC-N2 -it's got 10.1 mega-pixels and a huge 3.0 LCD touch screen. And very importantly, it's cute!

Get your friend a DVD set of your favourite TV show that your friend hasn't watched before. I totally recommend Veronica Mars -it's one of the coolest and most underated show on TV.

Lastly, with more than 20mil viewers in the States each new episode, you can't go wrong with a Grey's Anatomy calender, (unless you know your friend hates the show.) A new year of staring at the entertaining cast of GA and Mc Hotties!

Merry Christmas and have a stylish (refer to earlier posts) new year people! See you in 2007!

Wear Jeans the FW06 Way

Everyone knows skinny jeans are THE thing to wear this season. But I still regularly talk to people who don't own skinny jeans, or don't completely know the way to wear it (this season). So here are the basics.

I'm loving black or/and grey skinny jeans. It seems that there are still quite a lot of people who only own blue jeans, (a reminensence of the late 90s.) So I've been actively persuading people that they should buy black/grey jeans. They look so much more effortlessly cool.

But of course, if you had the money to own multi-colour jeans, or you simply prefer blue, or just as an alternative, then blue jeans are great too, just as long as they're cut and fit really well. Also, with any skinny jeans, try to wear some heels, (any heels are better than no heels unless you're tall or skinny.)

Since it is fall/winter, tucking skinny jeans into long boots is a popular way of wearing them. Don't think I have to explain this.

Personally, I think the best way to wear skinny jeans is to pair them with long shirts or short shift dresses. Whichever long top you wear, it should end at the widest part of your hips. While Mary Kate doen'st exactly need the clothes to flatter her body, the way she wears long shirts in the two images above is the way to go. See how her shirts end at that perfect point at the hips? I've found it the most flattering and comfortable way to wear skinny jeans.

Since I'm short myself, I realise that skinny jeans aren't quite flattering for those who are not tall or actually have hips. So a way which you can still wear the style is to wear straight leg jeans. They have look cool like skinny jeans, but are less body-conscious. (See Lindsay's jeans.)

This Week HG Is Loving..

Last Saturday, my friend and I watched Chicago (the musical). Yes, it's the one Ashlee Simpson was performing in. And no, we didn't watch it only because Ashlee was in it, although it did make us want to watch it this month instead of later. Anyways, back to what I want to say. I've noticed that some fashionable women in the audience were wearing wrap dresses with leggings. I've also noticed a lot of people wearing this trend on Oxford Street walking about and shopping.

Admittedly, this trend is not exactly new -people have been wearing this trend since summer. The image that really stayed with me is this lady wearing a black, white & purple Pucci wrap-dress with ankle-leggings. It was so 'in' without being fashion faux sort of 'in'. Also, it was girly without being flowery. And this is a seriously versatile outfit -from the theatres to attending parties, to shopping and dining in both cheap and expensive shops and restaurants.

The good news is, we can still wear this outfit in winter -all we have to do is, duh, subsititute the ankle-leggings with stockings (as seen in the Emilio Pucci runway picture above.) Personally, I can't contemplate wearing an outfit like that to go shopping, but I would definitely wear it for a nice dinner out or even a Christmas event (is it too soon to be thinking of Christmas activities already? Doesn't matter.)

Yoga Wear

Besides hours of intense exercise doing cardio, yoga, aerobics and dance classes, one of my favourite aspects of going to the gym is gym wear. Personally, I am not much of a "sporty" person, but if I am going to do something, I must do it right and get the full gear! Hence I've been looking around for the perfect gym outfit. To be honest, I cannot tell the difference between gym wear and yoga wear (please tell if you know), but since the yoga wears always seem prettier, I am going to focus on that

Yoga wear is just always sooo pretty and matching! Like these two sets here from Running Bare- everything is perfectly coordinated down to the color of the stripe on her pants!And here is a little something from Nike. Light purple on dark purple.

It even comes with a matching mat. Just puuuuurfect! I was going to buy this set actually, but alas, it was on sale and all the sizes have ran out at the shop

For something a little less coordinated but just as matching, there is this charming set from the Adidas Adilibria collection. I just love the soft colors of this set, its so tranquil and feminine.
A little bolder, we have this set I put together from Puma. . . . . . which matches perfectly with this burgundy Puma wrap! I can totally see someone wearing this at the gym cafe to keep warm after they've cooled down, while they catch up with friends.

This definitely makes me want to join a gym!

SS06 Shoe Trend: Wedges Updated

Wedges: Some people love them and some people hate them. Well, at least that's how I feel -love them because no matter how high they are, they are still comfortable. But no matter what outfit you match them with, they just don't look as fabulous as heels. Anyways, wedges are really just a leftover trend brought over from last summer. This season's wedges are more modern and compliment better with this season's plain clothes.

Only Prada can make this kind of wicker basket material look classy!

Canvas Rope Sandals by Miu Miu. So cute and pretty! These will match perfectly with a plain white or white & red dress.

Another pair of super pretty wedges. This one is by this season's IT shoe brand, Christian Louboutin.

For something just as casual but less credit-damaging, this pair of Eyelet Ankle Wrap Wedges from Urban Outfitters is definately worth buying.

OK, so those were the very summer-y wedges. This pair of Embroidered Wedge by Miu Miu is very sophisticated, which is a quality not often seen in wedges. (Wedges usually give off a chunky and funky vibe.)

Another pair from Miu Miu (yes, I do love Miu Miu shoes,) but this pair is more funky and artistic.

By Charlotte Ronson. I like the small buckles at the front and back -they make the shoes more fitting and add style to the shoes! The baby blue colour also makes the shoes cute instead of serious.

And of course, how can we forget patent leather this season? I'm getting a 'royal court' vibe from the Ria sandals by Bebe.

Surprise! This tres chic wedge pump is not by Chloe! This one is actually from Aldo, and most importantly actually affordable. Love this one. Just FYI, the one by Chloe has a leather bow at the ankle instead of a buckle.

Lastly, I just want to remind everyone what NOT to buy when selecting wedges:
(Left) The shoes should not have the same patent leather material at the upper 'shoe' bit and the lower wedge bit, especially if the shoes are of such a shocking colour. It just looks tacky. (Right) Another thing to avoid is cork material wedge -it just look cheap!

Weekend Plans: Late Night Buffets

One of my favourite things to do with my friends on the weekend, is to go to late night buffets in hotels.
They are simply fabulous. They start at around 8pm and end at midnight. Perfect for catching up with friends after a long week of work. You can sit there and chat for a long time in a nice comfortable atmosphere, with a constant supply of food and drinks.
Mostly light affairs like sushi, pasta, congee, scallops and dim sums.

And of course there is the desserts. Cheesecake, caramel egg white thing, tiramisu, chocolate thing and the chocolate balls (don't remember the name of)-yum!

A great way to kick off the weekend. I haven't been to anything similar in the States besides a late night chocolate buffet at the Peninsula Chicago but one can only have so much chocolate (as hard as that is to believe). They should have more of these things in the US that I'm unaware of- any ideas?

Winter Sale Under $100

Forgive me for being overly excited, but after spending 3 months in Paris and having yet to see a decent sale, I am very excited to be back in the US where everything is fabulously on sale. Given that it IS towards the end of the sales there are still some basics that one can pick up- at below $100 too!
So my first purchase since coming back to the States (that is not household related) is the Lacoste Polo (right: www.nordstrom.com) in a deep shade of purple (since I already have a RL polo in light purple). And I am VERY happy, because I've been waiting for them to go on sale (it is now $52 something as opposed to $72) since forever. And just as a note, the Ralph Lauren Skinny polos (left: www.polo.com) are also currently on sale now at $44.99. They are also fabulous.Sales are also the time to grab classic quality basics, like these simple C&C tees (www.shopbop.com). I have not personally tried them, but I have it on good authority that they are superior to regular tees and if you are a fan (or you just want to try one) this is a good time to with prices as low as $32.
If you just LOVE the feel of cashmere (who doesn't?), this is also a good time to stock up on the cashmere. These classic cuts from Abercrombie (www.abercrombie.com) are $99.90.
A girl cannot have enough black dresses right? Here is one for the day and one for night. These two are from my favourite brands: Velvet (left: www.shopbop.com) and BCBG (www.nordstrom.com)!
And then there are the denims. What would we DO without them? These two are from Notify (left: www.shopbop.com) for $69.30 and Sevens (right: www.nordstrom.com) for $78.90 (can you believe it??).
Also from Abercrombie (www.abercrombie.com) there are these classic black cuduroys for $29.90 and these wide legged trouser denims for $59.90, which I think are adorable.
And everyone needs a pair a decent denim mini's right? I still haven't quite found my perfect one yet. The color, the cut and the length are so important! Potential candidates are these two from American Eagle (www.ae.com) for $11.95 and $14.95. I like the look of both. One is neat and dark. And the other one has just the right run down look to it. Now if only I can FIND an AE store in the area to try them on!
Not exactly classic, but I just LOVE neat tailored winter shorts like these. They are so fun with black tights and ankle boots. These two are from Vince (left) and Alice + Olivia (right) for $58.50 and $59.40 respectively(www.shopbop.com).

So these are my finds under $100 (unfortunately not all are in my size- not that I can afford all of them if they were, but still, its fun to look!). Care to share your bargain finds this sales season?

Winter Sales Above $100

To continue the momentum from the other day, here are a few items from two of my favourite brands to shop at (because of their brilliant style and relatively affordable prices as opposed to say. . . the real Chloe) that are still on the sales rack.
See by Chloe tux vest ($136)and jackets($246) absolutely LOVE these tux styled jackets, because I think it instantly adds class and style to any outfit. For adventurous souls out there try the vest. But for those who go more for the classics, like me, definitely get a tux jacket. I have a similar one and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
Next on my list are silk shirts. As you can see, my obsession with silk has carried over from this summer. They just look so feminine pretty and shiny! They are great for work or to just look pretty with jeans. They are just great. These two are from See by Chloe ($261, $174 respectively).re silk shirts, these two are from Marc by Marc Jacobs. The one on the left is similar to those above($136.80), except I think the black tie makes it look fun. And even though the one on the right ($173.60) looks somewhat plain, I think it'll be a neat match for all those dressy winter skirts that you don't know what to wear with.
Another silk dress here from Marc by Marc Jacobs (right: $243.60). I think the two materials used here is just genius and perfect for a night out. And for something more casual, there is this more casual printed dress (left: $196)also from Marc by Marc Jacobs, just the thing for night and day!
I am coming to LOVE cardigans recently, and these two from Marc by Marc Jacobs are just the thing to spice up the usual. Ok, so this brown one here on the left ($248)is not on sale (except for the khaki version of this, but I think brown is SO much better) so it really shouldn't be in this post- but I just couldn't resist because it looks sooo cute! And for something with a bit of a twist, there is this balloon sleeved cardigan for $148.
Another adorable cardigan from Paul and Joe Sister for $62 (I've been eyeing this one since Paris!). And something cute to match from See by Chloe ($96). I love the length and the tailored boxy style of these winter shorts.And to keep you warm and cozy, there is this hat/scarf set and funky hat ($103.60) from Marc by Marc Jacobs. The flower on the gret hat ($68.60)is to-die-for!