My First Online-Buy

Hmm, how to start? OK, to begin with, I am extremely cautious shopper. I analyse over every little detail of item -like the colour, the cut, the weight, the practicality, how often will I wear it, when will I get sick of it etc., until even my parents get fed up with me and tell me to just buy whatever it is. Also, even though I spend an abnormally large amount of my line window-shopping online all the time, I have never been brave enough to actually buy anything online -that was until a few weeks ago.

So a few weeks ago at the end of my Christmas break, I was looking through the net-a-porter sale. I looked at clutches first, since I figured if I was ever to buy anything online, it would be a bag, and clutches are usually cheaper than other types of bags. Plus I haven't bought an evening bag in almost two years and I'm terribly picky. So imagine my surprise when the first 'sale' page that I looked, there was a Miu Miu clutch that I actually liked and most importantly, it was affordable! So after imagining myself using it for a few days, encouragement from my sister and mum, and knowing that net-a-porter is extremely trust-worthy, I clicked the buy button.
The package arrived one day later than estimated, but it was all good. The clutch turned out a tiny bit smaller than I thought -it could just fit my already-tiny Samsung mobile phone. But I have come to accept that it is one of those little lipstick clutches. I love the velvet, which makes it look so classy. It's small, chic and girl-looking without being too cutsey. All in all, it was a fantastic experience. Now I really feel like I'm living in the twenty-first century!

Tell me about your online-shopping (or online-window shopping) experiences! Are you as obsessed as I am?

At Etro....Knit Jacket w/ Fur Collar

I love this knit jacket with the fur collar. Notice that the fur is different in the front and back.

At Armani

He wears this look all the time and he just owns it.
He looks so natural in it to me that eventually when I see him in something different it will surprise me a little.

On the Street....... Saint-Honore, Paris

Chloe Bags SS07

Since the Paddington, Chloe bags have been on everyone's radar. Well, it has been on mine anyway (although I've always liked the style of their clothes as well). I especially liked the Betty bag. But now, its time to look forward to their newest offerings in SS07. Here are the two I like best.
The Bay Bag. Isn't it a little reminiscent of the Balenciaga Motorcycle bag? But I quite like this version of it. It still fits everything and its more rounded, cute, feminine and just different. I find the two huge zips on the pocket really adorable too! This is a really fun and classic bag.
Then there is the Ava. Although similarly rounded, this bag is less structured and I think more elegant, ladylike and feminie. Definitely more sophisticated.

I can't quite decide which one I like better, they are so similar and at the same time so different! I adore them both. Et toi?

On the Street.......The Blonde, Paris

At The Fashion School in Antwerp

One Of My All-Time Favorite Shots

This is one of my all-time favorite shots simply because I almost didn't get it.

When I am walking on the street I am constantly,constantly, constantly adjusting and readjusting the setting on my camera so I don't have to be messing with them when I stop someone to take their photo. On this morning I knew I walking into the sun for a little while so I did a few adjustments to my setting.

It was pretty quiet that morning so I was a little relaxed and not expecting to see much then all of a sudden I see this young lady on her bike.
I had no time to do anything but raise the camera and shoot. Eight out of ten times I would miss this shot because the focus would be off, or the shot is too blurry or the exposure is overly bright or dark, or I just didn't see the outfit well enough before it was too late.

This time it all worked perfectly and I didn't even see the white leather boots she was wearing (to ride her bike!) until I looked at the shot in camera.

I love her posture, the bike itself, her hat pulled low, the studious glasses, she just seems so elegant and yet completely sporty. I hate over-preciousness and she seems like the kind of girl that would ride in a convertible with the top and not worry about her hair because she knows she has a great cut.

I know I am completely projecting here about what who she is or what she may be like but that is what inspiration is all about. I don't need to know the facts- this unknown woman will live forever in my memory just like this. Perfect

Nick Sullivan of Esquire

Click on image to enlarge image.
I'm still working on this color splicing thing so the enlarged version is the correct color. I will resolve it when I return to NYC.

At YSL

At Lanvin

Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow Palettes

On the first day I arrived back in London last week, I went on a oh-so-important beauty shopping trip with two friends. My friend, uh hum, not me, desperately wanted new makeup. (Oh wait, I think I ended up buying a skincare product too. Anyways...) A little tip to you: If you know you're going to buy a certain makeup product, you might as well get the makeup/ saleslady to put it on you so you learn how to use the product professionally. So, we went to the Dior counter at Selfridges and my friend got a little makeover.

The makeup lady applied concealer over her eyelids and undereye area first. Then she spent a long time layering the different shades of shimmery pink and purple onto her eyelids. To complete the look, the makeup lady put on eyeliner and mascara. Tada. The effect is super super pretty, like the looks you see in magazines.

As we know, the smoky eyes look were very 'in' for FW06, and smoky eyes are just so useful for nighttime looks. But the key to this season's smoky eyes is to use many shades of the same colour. (According to a magazine I read, using only one dark colour to create smoky eyes is like, so last decade.) For example, if you use this Dior palette, you would use the dark purple and brownish colour on the outer corners and the light pink on the inner corners of your eyes.

A Dior palette costs US$49.50 in the US and 32 pounds in the UK. Of course, there are other cheaper or more expensive eye shadow palettes, but I do think these Dior palettes have great colour selections.

On the Street.......That Scarf p.2, Paris

On the Street.......That Hat, Paris

On the Street....... Ms. Sozzani, Paris

On the Street....... Outside Colette, Paris

Love the belted cardigan on this gentleman.

On the Street....... Saint Germain, Paris

The Queen

In the light of all these nominee's for The Queen, I felt like I should comment on it as well. I watched this movie back in Paris, because they weren't showing Marie Antoinette in the cinema. So I didn't have much expectations for it and honestly, I had no idea what it was about.

So I was pleasantly surprised when the movie turned out to be so good. I've never thought of Diana's death from such an angle. I just remember feeling sad that she died and we all watched the tele when they showed her funeral procession and Elton John sang Candle in the Wind. It was interesting to see how the Queen struggled to cope with the situation.
And Helen Mirren played Queen Elizabeth so well too! All the inner struggle, the pride and the dignity was so powerfully conveyed- and she didn't even do it with words! Plus, she LOOKS like Queen Elizabeth! The make-up and hair and everything is just amazing.
Even her co-star Michael Sheen looked like Tony Blair. And I really liked his character too, he was funny yet compassionate and supportive of the Queen's plight while everyone else just didn't understand. Plus, I thought the bond between the Queen and Tony established at the end by Diana's death was really touching. I also liked that the theme of the movie was different from all the usual genre of movie, romance, comedy, save the world etc.

Who would've thought that such a touching movie could be made of a few short days?

Haute Couture SS07 III

The final wrapup of the SS07 Haute Couture shows; the last dazzle.

Armani Prive

The most obvious thing about this show was that everything was silver, or at least some part of the couture was silver. The second most obvious thing is the Indian theme -Indian influenced cuts and turbans.

Other than that, it really is just a dazzling show of gorgeous, elegant dresses and suits.

That's such a pretty, cute cocktail dress (on the left), which sort of reminded me of Marchesa, although this dress is obviously fancier. And the dress on the right is the Armani-chic take on the Indian dress.

Ahhh... the simple, beautiful flowing wedding dress.

Jean Paul Gaultier
While the Armani Prive collection was certainly lovely to look at, I personally found the Gaultier collection somewhat more fun to look at. Maybe because I'm not of the age to wear businesswear yet, and am more into the haute-casual-couture, if that makes sense. Anyways, I'm just going to state the obvious: this collection is very religion-inspired. Not a particularly inspiring topic to me, but Gaultier pulled together quite a lot of fascinating pieces.

First there are the halos. I love Stam's whole look (most right) -it's so beautiful and haunting.

Then there are the slightly darker looks. It's so cool how the halo on the left and the dress on the right look like the windows seen in churches.

Then there are the couture that are so artistic that I don't quite understand. Oh well, this is haute couture.

And finally, though not my style, it is a really pretty dress, with the cape and sheer material. And of course, that crazy hair and halo!

Alas, we'll have to wait another six months to see the next round of Haute Couture collections. Or perhaps we'll see a few of these dresses at the award shows? We'll see.
Photo credit: Marcio Madiera @ style.com.

At Bottega Veneta

New The Sartorialist Video @ Style.com

My new video just went up on Style.com last night!
I found some really great women (like Venetia Scott, above) in Soho that day so I think you will enjoy it.
Here is the link The Sartorialist Video @ Style.com

At Bottega Veneta -Plaid Jacket

At Etro....Accents of Strong Color

At Armani....Oswald Boateng

Haute Couture SS07 II

Sigh, another season of the world's most beautiful dresses. . . .

Givenchy
Personally I really liked Tisci's collection. I thought it was brilliantly elegant and modern with just the right amount of detail to be haute couture.

A very different yet elegant design in navy blue. And I just love the simplicity of the black dress. Even though its simple, one can still see the excellent tailoring that went into the skirt that hangs around in the most flattering way.

See what I mean about just the right amount of details? Its there but its not too over powering like some shows I know. . and isn't the yellow dress so refreshing? The bright color contrasts perfectly with the model's dark hair and pale complexion!

And I just liked how different yet elegant the dress on the left is. The tailoring of the skirt is just genius. The dress on the right though is overpowering and looks like the model has wrapped snakes around her upper body.

Christian Lacroix
Christian Lacroix was *yawn* same old same old. A melange of flower prints from all over, it really is not quite my thing and I can't quite bring myself to be too excited about them as I did before when he rolled those delicious candylike dresses. There are a few more simpler feminine and pretty ones that I liked:

But mostly, it just looked like a mismatched mixture of floral prints to me.
Lily Cole looks unusually happy here considering that she's in that ridiculous head gear and over powering dress. Thats professionalism.

Chanel
As most of you would know by now, I am usually an ardent fan of Chanel and I always have nothing but good things to say about their collections. But this time, I must admit, I am somewhat disappointed by the collection.

I can feel Karl's attempt to incorporate the latest trends with the classic Chanel. And I like it, the black stockings with the short dresses and belts are adorable. But in some instances, like the pink jacket above with the huge bow (right), I just don't quite know what to make of it.
There are some gorgeously trendy pieces. I absolutely LOVE the neckline in both these outfits, its different but still ladylike and cute. I mean, that black coat with the feather trimmings (right) is just darling!

More lovely outfits. Again, the neckline on the left is amazing, and I think the very structured (and beautifully made) tux with a flowing chiffon dress (right) strikes just the right balance.

I even understand his glamor theme here. This is glamor and thats fine, this is stunning.

But those were just the better ones I selected from the show. The rest of the collection was drowning in feathers and just way over the top. I think Mr Lagerfeld has been watching too much Project Runway, because these designs remind me of Laura Bennett and her obsession with feathers and sequins.

And then, he started spending too much time hanging out with Gwen Stefani, because doesn't this dress (right), remind you of something Gwen wore a while ago when she was pregnant?
These layers of chiffon (left) is most unflattering and is reminescent of the last YSL collection. And this dress looks like the haute couture version of Cruella de Ville's costume.
Don't get me wrong, I am sure the detail and craftsmanship of these outfits are nothing short of exquisite. I am just more used to seeing something as classic, elegant and divine as the dresses above than the other over the top creations. I know this is couture, but its still supposed to be flattering to the figure!

All credits of the photography goes to Don Ashby and Marcio Madeira.