nie a la mode

New flat time!

2011-12-30T09:41:00.002Z

So... after the disappointment of a few months ago, when we were gazumped and failed to exchange on a lovely little flat in South West London, we've managed to find a new place in South East London!!

We exchanged around a month ago, so were just waiting to get a completion date, which we got yesterday! So if everything goes smoothly, we will be able to move into the flat on the first week of the new year! New year, New flat! I'm so excited!!! :)

If there are any lovely people out there looking to buy us any moving in presents, these are always welcome, from my previous post, but I've found a few more things that I'd love in my new home:

My obsession with all things faeceted has not decreased! I'm especially in love with these set of 3 herb plant pots.

As we have quite a large outdoor space, we are thinking of having lots of lanterns to give it a Morrocan vibe.

And I fell in love with this stool the moment I saw it:

As I love my tea so much, this mug/bowl would be great in the morning:

Of course.. anything from Anthropologie is always welcome like this trivet:

Oh and Happy New Year everybody! I hope that 2012 brings everyone plenty of happiness and love. Will be blogging pics of the new flat once we move in...

Arrival of my curiosity box...

2011-12-17T21:42:00.000Z

Firstly, I'd like to say, what a great idea this has been and I've loved being a part of it. I can't wait for the next one. Since the first Christmas boxes have been posted, I've been eagerly rushing home after work to check whether my box had arrived. This morning (Saturday), I was relaxing in bed as it was much too cold to get up and I hear a knock on the door. I didn't think anything of it, so my boyfriend went to answer the door, and lo and behold, it was my curiosity box! The postman asked him if he was a curious person and as he was still semi asleep, he didn't say much, but the postman handed him the box anyway.

As soon as he came through the door, I was very excited to see a cylindrical parcel wrapped in brown paper in his hands and he announced 'your curiosity box is here!' I madly scrambled to get my camera before tearing open the box (with some help of a pair of scissors as it was so well wrapped up!). On the envelope, which was addressed 'Hello Curious Friend' and at the bottom was written 'Can boxes come in various shapes and sizes? Maybe not, but enclosed is my gift for you'

As I will soon be moving to a new flat, my curious friend sent some carefully chosen things to help me:

1. A winter wonderland Bath bomb and bath salts 'to aid relaxation after a long day moving, decorating or... whatever!'

2. Some homemade Christmas bunting to add some festive spirit!

3. A small pocket of inspiration- to aid future crafty projects

4. Sunflower seeds- a great addition to any home be it in the garden or a single pot

5. Balloons for the house warming party

6. Chocolate coins- why not!

7. A beautiful Indian bauble from Bath Christmas market

8. A pretty tin- top hold whatever you wish

Thank you very much my curious friend! I can't wait to move into my new flat so I can plant my sunflower seeds, fill my colourful tin with homemade biscuits, relax with the bath bomb and put up the gorgeous bunting... in the meanwhile, I'll be munching on the yummy chocolate coins!

Here is the link to the box I sent, which was gratefully received by my curious friend...

http://thecuriositybox.blogspot.com/2011/12/curious-christmas-box-13.html

The Curiosity project

2011-11-04T11:45:00.000Z

Saw this website http://thecuriositybox.blogspot.com and had to sign up!

Quote from the webiste: 'The Curiosity Project is the brain child of wedding planner & stylist Tiffany Grant-Riley, who felt that with all the fabulous social media available at our finger tips enabling people across the world to communicate like never before there was still something missing.
The Curiosity Project is, simply put, a mass exchange of personally chosen gifts between anonymous participants. I give, you receive. You give, I receive...'

I love this idea- we all communicate now-a-days via e-mail/facebook/twitter etc and everyone loves receiving post- I even get exicted when my parcel from Amazon or ASOS comes through even though I know what I've ordered! So I think this idea is great! Imagine receiving an unknown box full of goodies from a like minded individual?
Have a look at all the previous boxes sent- they all contain amazing creative things, it's hard to choose my favourite!- but I think my fave has to be the Morroccan box as I love Marrakesh- my boyfriend took me there for my first birthday that we celebrated together.

I've already signed up and have a few thoughts as to what I want to include in the box I'm going to send out, so watch this space for photos of a Curiosity box (in hopefully my new flat!!!- all a bit hush hush at the moment- don't want to jinx it as we all know what happened last time!)

I'd encourage people to sign up and spread the curiosity box loving around the world! There are a few rules:

The Rules

❒ Once you've entered your name will be put into a hat and each participant will be drawn a secret recipient to send their Curiosity Box to.

❒ Once you've entered your address it cannot be changed, so make sure your parcel is being delivered somewhere safe where it will be received.

❒ The name of the recipient will remain secret (unless you are posting abroad) but the address will be emailed to you the day before the project starts (see 'To Enter' below).

❒ You will be told if your recipient is male or female.

❒ The maximum budget is £20 but you don't have to spend the exact amount.

❒ Each participant must use a box to fill. The size of the box doesn't matter, although be aware of postage weight etc.

❒ Make sure you address the box to 'The Curiosity Project' so as the recipient knows what it is when it arrives.

❒ You may include sweets or cosmetics providing you have checked what is allowed entry into your destination country via custom control and they are properly sealed.

❒ Your personal details will be forwarded only once to your secret project partner. Your information is not shared with any third parties.

❒ Please email your photos of your box and your reaction as soon as you receive it-we have hundreds of boxes to blog!

To Enter

❒ Participants may enter from anywhere in the world, just ensure you have a permanent address.

❒ Entry closes at midnight on Nov 7th 2011.

❒ You'll receive your partner's address by Nov 14th 2011.

❒ You must have mailed your box by the 14th of December 2011.

❒ The project will close on Jan 10th 2012.

Decor8 Book launch

2011-07-18T11:06:00.022+01:00

As I am was on the edge of buying my own place, I recently got into looking at design blogs for the home as well as for fashion. When Holly Becker from Decor8 announced that she was coming to London for the launch of her book, I was very excited!

It was held in Liberty on the 3rd floor in a room dedicated to crockery, kitchenwares and decorating books. A perfect site! Holly and Sania Pell decorated a very Summery table using fabrics and bits found in the store, so you could recreate it in your own home.

There was even a video taken and if you look closely- you can see me wearing my khaki skirt and cream beret standing in line to get my book signed.

Holly was great and chatted a little to everyone as she signed copies of her book that she has published along with Joanna Copeland.

Fish nibblings

2011-07-16T10:20:00.001+01:00

When the bf and I went to Dubai earlier this year, we saw 'Fisho' the fish spa at the Wild wadi water park . It looked really weird and although I'd heard about it before, I'd never known or seen anyone who has had the experience.

So, a deal came up on groupon (if you've not heard about this site, you have to get on it!) giving 30 mins of a 'fish spa' for £9 instead of the regular £30. BARGAIN!!! :) So I bought it as a treat earlier last month for when we were to move into our new flat because I thought that we would be on our feet a lot and so this would be nice to relax after all the moving. Little did I know that was not to be... oh well... so we went along last weekend.

The boyf's hairy feet ( I call them hobbit feet)

My prettier feet

Me enjoying the sensation, wearing leopard print shirt from Zara, necklace was bought in a market in Vietnam and trousers are from Berskha

The boyf looking like he's about to burst out laughing! His top is from Uniqlo and trousers are from Urban outfitters.

The initial sensation was quite bizarre- it felt so ticklish, I just kept on giggling! the little Garra Rufa fish (or doctor fish as they are sometimes called) don't actually have teeth (the boyf had images of mini piranha's nibbling at his feet) they suck the dead skin off your feet. The sensation takes a bit of getting used to but it does become pleasant and afterwards we both did feel like our feet were softer, especially in places like the heel.

This is very popular in Asia but at least 14 states in the US have banned it due to safety reasons. So, if you do book a fish spa, please ensure that you go to a respectable establishment! I would definitely go again and maybe have a pedi afterwards :)

Soft little felt balls

2011-07-15T10:19:00.000+01:00

That's what I think of when I think of apricots... slightly fuzzy on the outside with a sweet fresh taste.

Looking around the blogosphere, a lot of foodie blogs I read have been cooking with apricots, as they are in season, so I thought that I would give it a go.

Yummy looking Gluten and dairy free apricot and pistachio clafoutis made by Canelle et Vanille

Apricots & Honey Panna Cotta from the lovely Tartelette

Apricot Lemon Hazelnut Bars by the ever sweet Dessert first girl

I though I'd taken a pic of the tart I made, but checking back on my camera I forgot!! Doh!!!

Oh well.... here is the recipe I used to make my tart, how do you like your apricots?

Recipe taken from bbcgoodfood

Ingredients

¾ tub mascarpone (or the whole tub if you have a very big case) , sweetened with 2 tbsp icing sugar

1 ready-made pastry case, baked blind

10 apricots , as ripe as possible, halved and stoned (if your apricots aren't soft, poach them first)

2 tbsp apricot jam , a really good one, mixed with 1-2 tbsp Amaretto (optional)

My changes:

I made my own shortcrust pastry using this delicious recipe.
Instead of apricot jam and amaretto, I used 2 tbsp of honey and 2 tbsp of whiskey

Instructions

1.Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Spread the mascarpone into the pastry case. Push the apricot halves into the case, cut-side down. Brush the apricots with the jam mixture and drizzle over any extra.

2.Bake for 30 minutes or until the apricots are soft. Cool before cutting as the filling will be runny.

Treats in the kitchen

2011-07-06T19:11:00.000+01:00

Pineapple and coconut cupcakes with a rum buttercream frosting (Pina colada cupcakes)

I made this for one of my best friends, I went around to her place for the evening, got crazily drunk on rum (not the same stuff I used in the frosting) and collapsed on her sofa while watching 'The Goonies' (brillian classic 80's film!) Here's the recipe:

Pina Colada cupcakes:

Ingredients

300g plain flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

225g caster sugar

50g fresh grated coconut (able to use dessicated coconut too)

50ml vegetable oil

225ml milk

1 egg (lightly beaten)

150g canned crushed pineapple in juice, drained

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/ 400°F/ Gas Mark 6. Line cupcake/ muffin tins with paper cases or grease tin.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl, stir in the coconut. In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, milk and egg.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix briefly until just combined, then stir in the drained pineapple.

3. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, dividing evenly. Bake in the oven for 15-18 mins or until risen and golden. Cool in the tin and turn out on to a wire rack to cool further before frosting.

Frosting

Ingredients

300g icing sugar

50g unsalted butter

120g cream cheese

2 tblsp White Rum

Method

Beat the icing sugar and butter together with an electric whisk until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Add rum and beat until mixed. Add in cream cheese in one go and beat until completely incorporated. Beat until frosting is light and fluffy. Don't overbeat (like I did) as it can become runny.

Top each cupcake with some frosting and a bit of pineapple. Lovely to have with a 'sex on the beach' cocktail or even a pina colada!

Lost the plot

2011-07-06T10:07:00.000+01:00

This week has not turned out to be a good week for keys... they just seem to have a mind of their own and want to get away from me all the time!

Firstly, I forget my keys on Monday- they wre in my cardi, which I just threw on a chair in my living room on Sunday night and didn't touch on Monday morning because I assumed my keys were in my bag- NOTE- NEVER assume that your keys are anywhere sensible like your jacket pocket or your handbag... so luckily my bro was able to get my keys and hand them to a neighbour so that I could get into the house in the evening.

Today, as I was leaving the tube train- pulling my oyster card out of my jacket pocket (the same pocket I keep my keys in), I was pushed by a guy trying to get on the train- AGH... tourists... let us off the train first!!! So I shoved past him, making it on to the platform. The doors closed and I made my way to the exit, I checked my pocket for my keys and found that they weren't there and that I must have dropped them on the train getting out because they weren't on the platform! Noooooooooooooooooo!!!! All the guys at the station could do was give me a leaflet about lost property and how to reclaim it. Apparently, if someone hands it in today, then it could take up to a week to process and arrive at the lost property office... huh? That doesn't make sense... it take under 1 hour to get from where I dropped the keys to the office in Baker Street, so 1 week... how ridiculous!
I've had to resort to asking my bro to drop off spare keys at the neighbours again- they must think I've got a screw loose or something- forgetting and now losing my keys (although, technically, I haven't lost them, I know where they are, I just can't get to them at the moment!)

I'm going to leave you with pictures of keys that you can buy online... I only wish I could get mine back as easily!

Saying goodbye

2011-06-30T15:44:00.000+01:00

Went out to a great pub last night- the Builders Arms in Chelsea. To wish one of the girls goodbye- she's leaving head office to work in one of our country stores which is an easy walk to work for her instead of the horrendous 4 hour round trip to central London. Good luck Vikki!

When we got to the table, I saw these great beer mats, so I took one of each. They are just great! I want them framed and put up on my wall! Which I think I might try and do....

Premature post

2011-06-28T16:12:00.000+01:00

Typical… I may have tempted fate with my last post as I’ve just heard today- the day we were meant to sign the papers and finalise the dates to exchange keys- the seller has decided to pull out and doesn’t want to sell.

Oh the bad things I want to do to him won’t translate well into words and if I would put it down on the page, it will probably get me banned from blogging!

I think it’s more the fact that our dreams and ideas about the place have just gotten dashed rather than feelings for the physical property itself. Just little things like- ‘lets get a lovely reclaimed wooden table and benches for our dining table’ and ‘lets have a map of the world and pictures of us showing all the places we’ve been to together’.

What’s frustrating, is that we couldn’t have done anything different- it wasn’t our decision or our fault that it didn’t go through because we weren’t in control.

Leaving you with a cheery pic of flowering rhododendrons in Windsor Great park on this wet muggy day….

setting up home....

2011-06-28T07:07:00.000+01:00

As we’re sooooooooooo close to exchanging on our first flat together, I thought that I’d post about things that I’m coveting for it! I wasn’t a bit interested in interior design (even though now I do work for a retailer that predominantly sells furniture and homewares) until I started looking at buying my own property. Then I scoured the web for ideas, blogs and images that I could store and use to decorate my flat to be.
I came across a whole plethora of blogs and images, which has helped me in establishing a few ideas, but has also left me with too many design ideas that just won’t all fit in my plans! Oh well... I’ll just have to stick to one and go with it!
In the meanwhile, until we get the keys, here are a few things I’m coveting:

These candlesticks and the plant pot are etsy finds, the ‘hive vases’ are from an American company called ‘west elm’ and they all remind me of when we went to the science museum and had a peek at the mathematics and geometry exhibit...

I also love the marriage of lace and ceramic pieces on a softer, girlier note!

And cake stands... I’ve been baking like mad recently, every week I’ve found an excuse to make cakes, and I’ll blog about them soon, but they would look amazing on these stands that I’ve found:
Unfortunately, the bf says he’s getting a bit of a ‘podge’ (ie his belly is starting to expand!) so I should stop baking sweet things for the time being... :(

And just pretty things:

On a more practical note, here are a few things we need....
A great curved reading lamp, I’ve seen so many different versions of these around at ridiculous prices, but this one from M&S only costs £85, bargain!

A lovely simple casserole pot, I can imagine making nice hot steaming hearty stews and bringing this to the table straight from the oven:

Finally, a nice big comfy sofa to slump on after a long day's work...

Long time no see...

2011-05-27T22:13:00.007+01:00

I've been on a blogger holiday for a while now. Not had many excuses apart from age old laziness! There always seems to be other things to be

getting on with, places to go, people to see etc. but the bf persuaded me to give it another go and to try and blog more regularly.

So if this is going to be a fresh start, I thought that I'd change the 'raison d'etre' of the b

log, so rather than making and talking just about fashion, I would blog about anything interesting and noteworthy.

My last post was about knitting so I thought that I'd carry that on and tell you about other projects that I've completed recently:

Teal kimono sleeve cropped cardi. Very easy to make and my first attempt at picking up stitches. Buttons are needed and I saw these cute 'Toile Buttons' from the V&A shop that I vowed to buy a while a go, but just needed a nice enough garment to put them on!

My first foray into knitting with two colours- fair isle knitting- I made 6 of these little sample

squares, sewed them together and stuffed them with 'toy stuffing' you can get from any craft store.

I'm thinking of making a load more for Christmas and have my Christmas tree decorated with various different knitted baubles, what do you guys think?

From making those 'practise squares' I attempted my first fair isle garment- a Christmas Jumper for the bf. I think it turned out pretty well...

It was actually adpated from a Rowan pattern for a woman's jumper! (shh... don't tell him!) and I ambitiously adapted it.

Lastly, I've had this project on my mind for a while now and due to having a spare ball of wool left over from my bro's jumper, I thought that I would amalgamate my love of knitting with my love of making jewellery. It's made using a Chinese good luck knot:

Knit Picking

2010-09-27T20:23:00.007+01:00

As the nights are getting longer and colder, knitting has taken over my time. Recently, I had a friend who got married and even though they didn’t have a gift list or ask for any wedding presents, I decided to give them a personal gift- a wedding blanket. Initially I wanted a cream blanket with a border and possibly some cable stitching down the side but I decided to knit something simple as I wanted to make it reversible. This is the image chart I settled upon:

With the pink border being moss stitch, the blue a straight knit only stitch and the heart a reverse stitch of the white area (if that makes sense). This is the result! I embroidered their initials on one side using the extra wool that I had. Please drop me a message if anyone would like to know the pattern to make this as it’s quite complicated to explain (although quite easy to execute!)

The whole blanket was made using: Yarn: ,Knitted on size 10 (UK) needles

Last Christmas I tried my hand at circular knitting- Snoods were everywhere on the high street and I wanted to experiment with some different stitches. I made myself a long purple snood and made a lovely green snood for my bf’s sister. Here are the images, I think that they both turned out quite well and I’m looking forward to perfect my circular knitting.

Currently, I’m knitting a large chunky scarf in a pale purple. I did make a mistake as all the diagonals were meant to have been facing the same direction, but I capitalised and alternated them- making it my own! The image shown is for a very long scarf but as I’m using a wool colour that has been discontinued, I may either stop when the wool runs out or use a different colour- maybe a pale pink or a different shade of purple....

Liberty of London have had weekend courses that cost £50 including a cup of tea and a discount at the shop cafe but when my friend called up, all the places had been fully booked. http://www.liberty.co.uk/fcp/content/NewsArchiveItem5/newsarchive L Never mind! There are actually free knitting classes at your local John Lewis store (if you go to the haberdashery section they should have a leaflet you can take) and my friend and I have both booked a class for this Saturday. With the abundance of Fair Isle knits (see D&G advert) I would like to start learning how to knit with 2 colours or more. I’ve seen some great patterns in the recent Rowan magazine num 48 (Russian doll spreads) and would definitely like to try knitting a dress.

Watch this space for further knitting tales!

Things you find in the deepest receeses...

2010-09-25T11:25:00.002+01:00

One of the benefits of having lived in the same house since birth is that you hoard things, forget about them and when having a clear out- find a new favourite item!

I was cleaning my cupboard under my stairs and came across my ba

by pink suede shoes from Oasis that I bought when I was 15! How cute are they!!! And to top it all- they still fit me :)

My mum's genuine vintage Sonia Rykiel leather bag!

Next week, we're clearing out the garage- no doubt I'll find a lot more gems hidden there!!!

Winter 2010

2010-09-19T23:01:00.006+01:00

Sorry not been blogging as often as before- it's been over a year now, but thought that I'd best carry on with the blog.

These are some items I'm craving for the Winter!

dbags/Exclusive-Peter-Pilotto-medium-across-body-bag_143-87082918-METIUS

http://www.zara.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/uk/en/zara-sales/11024/111013/FLAT%2BSOLE%2BMUSKETEER%2BBOOT

http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/97310

The start of something sparkly.....

2009-06-15T15:54:00.013+01:00

I have been uber creative this month, which is why I haven't blogged for a while. Here are the fruits of my labour. Everything I make is unique and I won't make anything again, so the buyer can be assured that they have something totally personal to them and something no one else will have! I have more ideas and collections will grow.
Let me know what you think and I'll accept any suggestions or ideas that anyone else may have too!

I am planning on selling them, however, I haven't gotten a plan yet as I have also just found a new job, so hopes of selling at somewhere like Spitalfields or Greenwich market during the week have been scuppered, but at least I now have an income, after living on the taxpayers money for a few months!

The sea sparkle collection

Grand Sable

Double Freshwater pearl bracelet

Sterling silver chain and findings with genuine white freshwater pearls

Belle Mare
Mixed freshwater elongated and round pearls bracelet
Sterling silver clasp on a nylon cord and mixed sizes of freswater pearls

Triolet
Shells, freshwater pearls and seed bead necklace
Gold plated clasp and chain with pink seed beads, shell and mixture of differen coloured freshwater pearls on a nylon cord.

Trou D'eau Douce
Freshwater pearl treble drop necklace
Sterling sliver chain and clasp with three chain drops decorated with irregular shaped freshwater pearls

Floral Skirt

2009-05-20T12:21:00.007+01:00

Sorry I've not blogged recently, training for the race for life, job hunting and a lot of DIY'ing has taken up a lot of my time recently.

Last Saturday my friends and I all completed the race for life, so I'm going to relax the training for the time being.

Here is one of my DIY projects, that I must say, has come out quite successfully!

Take:

1 needle, a spool of thread, 5 boxes of silken flower petals and a plain grey skirt....

Teija Vartiainen @ Alternative fashion week

2009-05-02T11:32:00.011+01:00

Teija Vartiainen is from Finland, which gave her inspiration for her 'Polar Bear' collection influenced by snow, ice, arctic, light blue and pure white....

Gemma Woodcraft & Jessica Haley @ Alternative Fashion Week

2009-05-01T09:39:00.002+01:00

Gemma Woodcraft & Jessica Haley specialise in recycled clothing and came up with a bright collection that had strong geometric shapes.

Sunita Nar @ Alternative fashion week 2009

2009-04-30T11:23:00.001+01:00

Sunita Nar explored ways of covering and uncovering the body. She graduated from Birmingham University in 2008.

Pavel Merxuz

2009-04-29T09:12:00.001+01:00

Pavel Merxuz is (in his own words) 'an avant-garde fashion designer, creating what I call Neo-Fashion Design'.

Morrocco vs 17th century England....

2009-04-28T09:55:00.001+01:00

Najlaa Jabri is a London College of Fashion graduate (2007) who has fused together 17th century England and Moroccan Berber culture into her collection. She has some beautiful and intricate textile designs on her site. All the outfits that were shown, had very interesting details, the fabrics were sumptuous and very wearable!

Brilliant Bauhaus

2009-04-27T14:52:00.000+01:00

Lisa Hofmann is a designer from Germany who put together a range inspired by the Bauhaus movement, which turns coincidentally 90 this year. She graduated from De Montfort university in 2008.

I love you Grandad

2009-04-26T14:40:00.003+01:00

From Colchester School of Art and Design, came a collection that had everyone smiling and cheering on these models!

Their designs were recycled and reworked garments for men over the age of 60.

These shoulder pads are very 'in' at the moment!!!

Alternative fashion week

2009-04-25T14:00:00.010+01:00

I only managed to visit the Alternative fashion week runway on Wednesday, but nevertheless, there were lots of designers showing. Please excuse some of the photos as I was standing near the front so heads may have been cut off!!!

Rebecca Bucknor:

Rebecca showed a range of 'menswear juxtaposing the feminine and the overtly masculine.'

Posh dungarees

2009-04-24T16:24:00.000+01:00

Wore this to see Alternative fashion week, held in Old Spitalfields Market. More about the fashion week will come in subsequent posts.

Necklace: Handmade
Turquoise silk, sequinned top: Tendences (in Mauritius)
Jumpsuit: PPQ for Oli
Socks: present from a friend
Peeptoe Sandals: Jeffery Campbell (bought at Urban Outfitters)

Nautical knit

2009-04-20T10:33:00.001+01:00

Knitted by yours truly! My frist ever knitted garment! Originally a sleeveless top in the pattern, I extended it to make a tunic. Paired here with Tabio denim look leggings

Races

2009-04-15T12:53:00.002+01:00

Over Easter, I was taken to a racing fixture in the Shropshire countryside, it was my first time going to see horses race. It wasn't anything like some of the larger meets- Ascot etc... so people weren't dressed up, but I did see a few people who stood out. Thought this girl's leggings were very funky and quite interesting when put together with a quite hippy looking gilet
Typical attire that I saw everywhere- leggings with funky wellies!

Love her dark chocolate cowboy boots.
This guy looked like he was ready to go on a night out, but the cap brought it all back to a day time look.The pattern of this jacket looked very 'Chanel-like' and quite smart.
I liked the textured look and mint colour of this jacket along with the plain coral tunic underneath.

More e-bay auctions....

2009-04-14T11:43:00.004+01:00

Sorry for not blogging over Easter- was away from home and spent a lot of time away from the computer!!!

However, seeing as I've sold all of my first lot of e-bay auctions, I thought I'd put on another lot!!

Long awaited DIY post!

2009-04-11T17:21:00.000+01:00

I made this necklace a while back, just haven't had time to post it! I don't know if you've read as far back as when I went to Florence, but I used these beads from when I perused the flea markets on the south side of Florence.I bought some purple crystals from swarovski and some other bits and bobs came from broken earrings etc.

hippy hippy hop

2009-04-10T14:23:00.002+01:00

Thought this looked very 70's hippy print. Now all I need is a big floppy hat.... peace out!

Cardigan: Otto sample sale
Dress: Otto sample sale
Tights: Accessorize
Boots: Hugo Boss

Time for tea?

2009-04-09T14:23:00.001+01:00

Necklace: My cousin made with ribbon, wire and beads
Dress: Otto sample sale (Oli)
Shoes: Carvela

Ride 'em cowboy!

2009-04-08T17:45:00.000+01:00

My cow gal outfit!!! Wore this to go out around town the other day...

Jacket: Vintage French Connection (was my mum's)
Shirt: Miss Real
Leggings: Tabio
Socks: Christmas present from a friend
Boots: Hugo Boss (with the tassles!!) Thought I'd show you a close up- as it's my fashion love of the moment!

e-bay auctions...

2009-04-07T11:37:00.007+01:00

Sorry for the recent lack of blogging- I have been busy researching for an interview which I had yesterday. I've also managed to start putting up some items on e-bay that don't suit me from the sample sale.

Most items of clothing are from Lipsy as they have very bright clothes, which draws my eye!! Need to get rid of all this soon as its taking up a bit of space in the new flat (and the bf has been complaining!) Every auction is going to start at 99p! Will post images as soon as I post them on e-bay, so check out here first!

See below for images. Just click on the image to open the e-bay page:

Lady of leisure...

2009-04-04T17:14:00.000+01:00

Not been doing much at home since I've been made redundant... mostly trying on my sample sale items and seeing what I'm keeping and selling!

Headband: Oasis
Dress: Otto Sample sale
Tights: Tabio
Shoes: Kate Kanzier

Ahoy sailor

2009-04-03T09:46:00.000+01:00

Wanted to wear this to go watch the Oxford-Cambridge boat race on Sunday. Thought it was quite nautical with the dark blue playsuit and golden buttons! However, despite the glimmers of sunshine outside, it was quite cold and I wore something else!

Playsuit: Otto Sample sale
Necklace: A small jewellery shop in Neal St. Brand is 'Candy'
Belt: Accessorize
Shoes: Dorothy Perkins

What I actually wore on Sunday!

Top: Chilli Pepper
Leggings: Tabio
Boots: ASOS.com

Work Sample sales

2009-04-02T08:51:00.001+01:00

Working in a retail head office is great! I've worked there for just under 3 years now and one of the great perks of the job are sample sales. I know that different companies manage their sample sales differently- some open out to the public (like Ted Baker last week) and some have exclusive sales just for staff (like where I work- ASOS, Topshop and Laura Ashley too)

Seeing as we were all being made redundant, we had our final last EVER sample sale last week. It was crazy but I'm glad that I worked with people who were courteous and polite- no pushing was going on, it was all 'excuse me' and 'sorry, am I in your way?'. But I got some great stuff, which is probably why in future outfit posts, I'm going to refer to many of the clothes as 'Otto Sample Sale'. Where possible, I'll try and reference any brands.

BTW, if you really want to look for the clothes I've bought from the Otto sample sale, please check out: freemans, gratta n, oli, kaleidoscope or look again. These are the brands I worked with and therefore all the samples have directly come from them. Also, seeing as a lot won't fit me, I'll be posting some things on e-bay, so watch this space!

At the moment, everything is piled up in the corner of my bedroom, just waiting to be sorted out! (as seen above). However, I have a few interesting prints and items:

Sequins

Spots

Floral Patterns

Random Patterns

Finally I have a 'curtain' of black fringing, which is just waiting for me to attach it to something!!

Gossip Gal

2009-03-31T10:17:00.002+01:00

Feeling Gossip girl today... thought I'd channel some 'Blair from gossip girl' into the outfit. If you don't know anything about her, here are some pics of Blair from the show:

I'm wearing:

Ribbon in hair from Net-a-porter
Multi strand necklace: made by me
Dress (inside): American Apparel
Dress (outside) with the ruffles: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Socks: Ralph Lauren
Shoes: Guess

The new barnet

2009-03-30T08:45:00.000+01:00

Thought I'd try out something different with my hairstyle and do and 'Amy' but totally changing the dress sense so that I wouldn't look like I was going to a fancy dress party the whole day!!!

Wore this walking about town. The bf and I actually walked 5 miles from Canary Wharf to Liverpool street station! My boots rock, I thought as they had a moderate heel on the (3 inches) that my feet would ache- not at all!

Necklace: Accessorize (a birthday pressie from my friends)
Bag: a Limited edition Laura Ashley bag (I have a friend who works there and got me this in the sample sale)
Grey top: 55 DSL
Dress: Topshop Unique
Tights: Topshop
Boots: Hugo Boss (without fringing)- one day I'll show you the fringing on it, its so cool!

Monochrome + red

2009-03-29T08:41:00.004+01:00

Another work outfit: feeling a fifties-esque vibe today.

Cardigan: Warehouse
Dress: ASOS.com
Tights: M&S
Shoes: bought in Kingston at a cute shop run by a lovely Korean lady. I think her brand is called 'Woona'

Rainbow Bright

2009-03-29T08:38:00.001+01:00

Wore this to work.

Necklace: Accessorize (present from my last work place)
Jumper: Mango
Dress: Arrogant Cat sample sale (don't actually know if they brought it out in shops)
Tights: Uniqlo
Boots: Office

Weather was grey so I thought I'd brightenn up the office!

You're in the army now...

2009-03-23T11:00:00.004Z

Long black cardigan: Gap
Army dress: designed and made by my cousin (Greta Lee fashions)
Tights: Black opaque tights by M&S
Ankle boots: Hugo Boss (worn without detatchable fringing)

While we're on the subject of dressing up as the forces, I saw these cute shoes online, I have to have!!! I wonder how much shipping costs....

Work outfit

2009-03-22T12:21:00.002Z

Leather Jacket: Oli.co.uk
Cowl neck tank top: Asos.co.uk
Dress/ Tunic: Bought in Singapore
Necklace: Accessorize
Leggings: Tabio
Yellow socks: Vivienne Westwood
Boots: KG

Wore this to work the other day.

First outfit post

2009-03-21T21:22:00.005Z

The bf inspired me to post pics of my outfits as he believes that they are quite innovative and inspiring... now, i'm not sure of that, but seeing as I have lacked in blogging recently, I thought I'd post up images of my day to day outfits, where I wore them, where each item of clothing/ accessory comes from etc.

I'm not saying I have great taste in clothing- these are just what make me happy.
Coat: Oasis (was cream coloured, but dyed it purple using Dylon dye)
Top: Kimono style top from Spitalfields Market
Skirt (only just seen): Topshop denim range
Tights: M&S Black opaque
Boots: ASOS

quick update

2009-03-19T07:04:00.003Z

I'm terrible at updating, I know!! I just can't bring myself to sit in front of the computer screen and type out my thoughts. Ever since I've moved into the new flat, I've had so much to do!
Am going to change the layout of the page a little so hopefully will be able to update more often and have lots more pictures seeing as I'm out of a job in a few days, I'll have all the time in the world!

Eye eye...

2009-01-25T09:53:00.006Z

With the recession now officially being announced, people are more likely to buy smaller items such as accessories and make up to jazz up old outfits.

I've noticed that false eyelashes are very one trend at the moment, with many people blogging about them, so I decided to try them out. Being oriental, I have very short lashes. (I envy the boyfriend, who has long ones!!) I was originally going to go to Shu Uemera as they have very ornate false eyelashes as seen below:
MAC are also on the ball with their slightly more demure (but still quite dramatic) lashes.

My lashes as normal... sans make up!

With my two new lashes:

I bought my lashes from an internet site called Eye Beauty where they have a great selection of lashes for reasonable prices together my lashes cost a mere £15, compared to the $50 Shu Uemera ones!

I haven't yet worn these to go out, but I'm sure I'lll find a reason to! Here are some more pics of crazy false eyelashes from Japanese Brand Takuya Angel. I'm not brave enough to try these, but they are so fun!!!

So much for new years resolutions...

2009-01-13T11:04:00.018Z

Lets see, the last time I blogged was approximately a year ago! So much for my new years resolution last year to blog regularly!!

Last week was my birthday, I'm getting older but not so much wiser any more. Firstly, I'd like to thank all my friends for coming to my dinner last night- I had fun! The company and the food was great! I got a lot of really really nice presents too.

Since my last post, I have:

gained a boyfriend,
lost a boss,
acquired a new boss,
lost an assistant,
acquired a new assistant,
acquired a new wardrobe,
visited 2 countries I've never been to before and just about to go on another trip to a country I've never been to before!

Here are some of the goodies I got for my birthday!

Vera Wang perfum, large bottle, mini bottle, body cream and bath and shower cream. The box was the size of a shoe box and ornately decorated as in the pic on the left. I thought my friends had got me a pair of shoes!!!

Red leather gloves from Oasis and purple sequinned scarf from Reiss

Long butterfly medallion necklace from Oasis and YSL Touche Eclat

Assortment of Chinese purses (apt as Chinese New Year is quickly approaching) and Christian Dior lipstick

New Year's Resolutions....

2008-01-01T14:16:00.000Z

I suppose it has to be done... New Year's resolutions...

This year I want to

Learn something new and actually use it!
Start saving up money seriously
Get my driving license
Visit at least one new country in the world
Stop wasting my weekends and plan to do different activities
Finally, last but not least- blog regularly!

I'm on track with the first, having already booked my place on the LCF course.

With the second- I've actually been very good with spending- not even set one foot in the sales this year! I have had a peek at the online sales and I was very very tempted to buy something that I've been coveting for a while now:

The 'Annie' bag from Mulberry:
Reduced from £595 to £298!

Along with other things I've had my eye on:

Patrizia Pepe One Shoulder Dress

Was £115.00, now £79.99

See By Chloe Jaquard Shift Dress

Was £178.00, now £79.99

Bottega Veneta plaited leather clutch

WAS £1,195.00, now £836.50

Party Season

2007-12-08T10:33:00.000Z

Sorry for the serious lack of blogging... but the lead up the Christmas etc. has made me very busy! I promise next year, there will be more constant updates... in fact, I'll make it one of my new year's resolutions!

I like organising things, but whenever I do organise an event, something is bound to go wrong and I am the one to blame. For example, the office Secret Santa didn't go as well as planned, with some people being ill on the day and some people not knowing who they were meant to buy for! This meant that some people got their presents late and some just got a 'unisex' present such as a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine! But oh well... I think everyone got something eventually....

So now it comes down to my birthday which is in Mid January. I want a themed birthday... just beacuse I enjoy dressing up and making a special effort! A lot of people I know however don't like dressing up, so I thought of a compromise and thought of a 'James Bond' theme. Its not very original but I like the glamourous aspect to it and I may finally get a chance to wear my amazing Bodyamr dress that I got in their sample sale a while back.

Talking about sample sales.... there have been a lot on this month, especially before Christmas! I went to the Vivienne Westwood sale which was held in Battersea. It was probably the worst sale I've been to, very poorly organised and they seriously underestimated the amount of people that would turn up! Firstly we had to queue for around 1 1/2 hours before we could go inside in the freezing cold, secondly, as we got inside, there was barely any clothing left and a few shoes, but the only really nice ones were sooo tiny size 2(35 EU) or size 3 (36 EU)!! Near the back of the room, there was a huge crowd of people, from the other end of the room, I could see rolls of fabric, so I thought that they were selling rolls of fabric or fabric samples, but it was jewellery! People were queuing up to choose and buy jewellery at the desk. Everything was bundled into small clear plastic bags so you had to ask the assistants to take it out for you so that you can have a look. Which I thought was very badly organised, it meant that you took ages looking through a lot of items cos you didn't want to leave without spotting a bargain! My star buy was these earrings- I grabbed the last pair. I saw them in the assistant's hands and asked her if I coudl have them. The girl next to me also wanted a pair, but I managed to grab them before her!!

London College of Fashion

2007-11-21T07:05:00.000Z

I love doodling.. especially different ideas that pop into my head. I usually carry a small pad and pencil with me to jot down anything that comes into my head. I have pages and pages of dresses that I've noted down... the images aren't spectaular as they are after all just quick sketches and notes! But now due to being really frustrated that I can't make my ideas come to life, I've signed up for a course at the London College of fashion.

Please excuse the poor quality... they are only sketches after all!

Don't get me wrong, I know the basics of sewing but that's just following a bought pattern that I don't have much idea of how to develop into my own designs. So I've signed up 'Customised Pattern cutting and fitting 1' by the London College of Fashion. The course is a 9 week course starting in January and I can't wait!!

Will try and keep you updated about everything more often!

E-bay Auctions

2007-10-18T12:18:00.000+01:00

After Prada put up samples on their site to be auctioned, Club 21 has decided to do the same, only this time, they are going through e-bay and giving away proceeds to Charity to celebrate their 35th Birthday.

For all those who don't recognize the name, Club 21 is a group that include luxury brands such as 'Mulberry', 'Luella', 'Armani', 'DKNY' and Marc Jacobs to name but a few!

Get in there quick to nab limited designs!

It's been a long time....

2007-10-01T15:46:00.000+01:00

I'm sorry for the lack of recent blogging- unfortunately it was not due to the fashion weeks, as much as I would have liked it to have been.... I have just been away to New York and also quite busy as my boss is off this week and I've been preparing for Paris!

Although I made a list of very interesting shops that I would have liked to have visited in NY, I only managed a handful of these, probably due to the fact that I stuck all the addresses in my map that was in my guide book and one of my friends forgot my guide book in a yellow cab. To be honest, I didn't buy as much as I was expecting to as I went out with 2 suitcases- one empty and the other 1/2 full with all of my clothes, toiletries etc. I came back with 2 half full suitcases!! I was expecting to come back with 2 full to bursting cases but never mind.... at least I saved some money!

Pics and a more detailed list of things that we did will come soon!

Sample Sales

2007-09-07T09:11:00.000+01:00

Just my luck... Its New York fashion week now, when I'm in London and London fashion week when I'll be in New York!! Obviously I didn't plan all this very well, but never mind....

Just to let you guys know of a few sample sales that are coming up soon!

Ghost Summer Sample Sale

Up to 90% off! 8-10th September
8th Sept 11am-7pm
9th Sept 11am- 7pm
10th Sept 11am-7pm

20th Century Theatre
Westbourne Grove
London
W11 2QA

Designer Sale UK

13th September 12pm - 10pm - Preview Day
14th September 11am - 9pm - Open to public
15th September 11am - 8pm
16th September 11am - 5pm

The Bridge, Atlantis 1st Floor, 146 Brick Lane, London E1

H. Naoto

2007-09-05T09:08:00.000+01:00

Black is always in fashion in winter time, but this year, texture is key! I decided to show H.Naoto as 'gothic' and s&m influences have come through as some key trends this season!

The brand h.Naoto was launched in 1999 as a punk and rock brand. As of 2001, there has been increasing collaboration between h.Naoto and musicians. In 2002, the brand was subdivided into punk, gothic-lolita and other themes. The same year a h.Naoto men’s shop, named ‘h’, was opened in Ura-Harajuku and ‘h.X’ magazine was started.

In 2003 h.Naoto opens a womenswear shop, named ‘H’, in Ura-Harajuku. The following year h.Naoto expands to Osaka by opening a store in Shinsaibashi (H&h.) The same year h.Naoto’s sexy category shop ‘8club’ opens up in Harajuku.

2005 saw the start of hEAVEN in Ura-Harajuku as h.Naoto develops toward music-inspired fashion with influences of anime and subcultures.

selected lines
h.NAOTO
hEAVEN (ladies)
H (ladies)
h.ANARCHY (punk)
h.NAOTO Blood (goth-loli)
S CLUB (ladies)
SiXh (mens)
RHB (mens)
h. (mens)
Hn+nois (accessories)
h.NAOTO ROOMS (interior)
HANGRY & ANGRY (accessories)
8club

Originally an extreme punk, rock and gothic brand, it has been expanding by adopting new cultural inspirations. Hirooka’s creations are extremely popular with musicians and artists the world over. Amy Lee of Evanescence wore an h.NAOTO dress at the 2004 Grammy Awards, and Japanese visual kei band Ayabie costumes are designed by Hirooka

Above is actually a skirt although it looks like a waistcoat!!!

Headgear

2007-08-28T11:42:00.000+01:00

I had the pleasure of being invited to a traditional Nigerian tribal union one Sunday. We had to wear the traditional dress of our country. Being British, I don't know what traditional dress is, so if I go back a generation to my parents- they are both Mauritian, so the traditional dress of Mauritius is this:

'Sega' dancers wearing Mauritian traditional dress

Somehow I don't think that they are appropriate for a wedding ceremony- especially as as I don't own a costume and my belly is not as flat as I would have liked! So, if I go back another generation (aka my grandparents), I come to the traditional Chinese dress... the qi pao or cheong sam depending on which dialect you use!
Unfortunately I don't own such a lovely dress. Mine actually looks like a Chinese waitress' uniform- long and red with a side split, which is one of the reasons why I don't wear it at all! So, I looked through my wardrobe and luckily enough I have two other traditional outfits that I could wear- my Yukata (which is Japanese traditional dress) and my 'Ao Dai' (which is Vietnamese traditional dress)

I decided to go with the 'Ao Dai' as I thought that it looked a more more formal and appropriate for a wedding! Although, I do own the hat (as seen below) I didn't wear it!!When we were there, I was actually amazed by the intricacies of the hat/ turbans that constituted the Nigerian women's traditional dress. Here are some images:

Some were very elaborate with lots of pleats and bows and fabric sticking out at all kinds of angles, whereas some were just simple turban types- just covering the head! It reminded me of Prada's take on the turban:
However, I'm more in awe of the ones that I saw- almost made of paper and very colourful, they were much more interesting!

Dress Camp

2007-08-25T20:02:00.000+01:00

Another Japanese brand that has caught my eye is Dress Camp. Although it doesn't sell through its website, there are a couple of Japanese sites that do.

Founded in 2002 by Toshikazu Iwaya, is a flamboyant and glamorous label specializing in OTT apparel for both men and women. They have been the darlings of Japan Fashion Week for the last few years and have built a strong reputation for flair and sexiness.

Here are a few items that I love!

I just adore the sleeves of the tops above! The jersey and geometric pattern contrasting against the obvious frilliness and girlyness of the sleeves make both these tops a must buy if there was a shop in London!

And finally...

Despite these earrings looking like two furry red noses (see Red nose charity for all those not in the UK) I didn't realise how large they were until I saw the model wearing them and they just look like fun! Especially in the picture on the right- the model wearing a simple yet smart outfit but wearing the earrings gives it a fun vibe and almost looks like she is wearing a scarf!

My origami/ flower dress...

2007-08-25T09:06:00.000+01:00

And here it is! From just a plain white halterneck dress from Zara:
To an origami flower unique dress!

Origami

2007-08-19T09:19:00.000+01:00

What I love about this miserable weather that we have is the fact that I don't feel like going outside, therefore I am less tempted to walk around London- browsing the shops- and seeing things that I was to buy!

It also allows me to exercise some more creativity and yesterday I had an idea going around my head and it took me almost the whole day before I could finally make it a reality and it wasn't until this morning that I started making them! I was always into origami as a child and I remember one summer when I made water bombs, flowers, boxes, cranes etc. I spent the whole of the day yesterday looking for designs on the internet that I could transform from paper to fabric without having to add starch to make the fabric hard. Now origami has been all over clothes!

From designer:

Camille Howie's winning collection

Roland Mouret Helix Jacket with origami fold collar

Hoss Intropia Origami pleat top

John Galliano gown with intricate origami detail

Fendi's black dress with inverted pleat details and origami-inspired folds at empire waist.

To the high street:Purse from Etsy

Banana Republic Silk sleeveless top

Top from Click (a Korean Brand)

Annie Walwyn-Jones Origami skirt

So I found a great website- Origami Club that shows you how to fold simple designs- having an animated version as well as a diagram to show you. I was looking for a flower design similar to these details:Rodarte dress detail

Philip Lim Rose detail dress

I have made some origami flowers and am currently in the process of sewing them on a dress... come back to see what effect I've achieved!

As Know As

2007-08-17T22:07:00.000+01:00

Seeing as I love Japan and Japanese fashion, I thought I'd post about a few Japanese brands. Started in 1989 with just 2 people, 'As Know As' now runs stores all over Japan as well as in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Taiwan. 'As Know As' is further divided into sub brands:

De Base

Pinky:

Nanashi

Olaca:
Personally- I do like different items from each sub-brand but not knowing how to read Japanese, I can't quite see how they differ from each other as they are all quite quirky and have details about them that I love!

DIY necklace

2007-08-12T10:48:00.000+01:00

After my blog about the Tuxedo trend I decided to make my own bow tie necklace. I have a piece of left over leather that I bought from Spitalfields for £1 to add as part of my Trends Project I had to complete for the London College of Fashion. Also, by making the necklace out of leather, it crosses over 2 different AW07 trends. Leather and smart dressing....

Black with a patent snakeskin design...

Here's the finished result:

I actually have enough to make 2... so I did! I used an 'old gold' chain for the second which I was thinking of selling on e-bay.

1 month to go...

2007-08-11T18:36:00.000+01:00

Until I get to New York!

I've been doing some research and here are a few places that sound interesting... anyone else have any ideas or opinions on the following places?

Intermix

I love this Roberto Rodirguez skirt, DVF top and Crispin Basilio dress...

Scoop

Having just given away my really old white shirt to charity (it's so old, its turned a bit grey now!) I'm on the lookout for another one- you can never have too many white shirts! This one below from Philip Lim looks perfect!

Big Drop

I love this cute jacket from Mike and Chris! Also, this silk top from Ingwa Melero that looks like she's wearing her bra on the outside!
I've been looking for a large ring and this one from Omnatura fits the bill perfectly! This dress from Philip Lim is just so cute!

Here are a few other shops:

Kirna Zabete

Club Monaco
Loehmann's
Filene's Basement
Costume National
Century 21

Henri Bendel is where the world's most stylish shoppers go to find the new and the next in fashion, accessories, cosmetics and gifts. Bendel's sought-after signature brown & white striped shopping bags swing from the arms of trend-setting women around the world. Visitors happily lose themselves in an intimate shopping experience as they explore this luxe bazaar showcased inside three turn-of-the-century landmark townhouses that look out onto one of Fifth Avenue's most exclusive blocks through priceless Lalique art glass windows

Emerge NYC houses and promote concepts by more than 60 emerging designers, each with his or her own bay, the trade term for display cases or mini boutiques.

E-bay sales...

2007-08-11T09:07:00.000+01:00

After getting a message from a lady who really wanted a dress for a wedding she is going to attend, I ended one of the auctions early with a 'buy it now' price. However, I have put up more items for sale as I am having a bit of a clear out and also raising some money to spend in New York!

Its almost 1 month until I go and I am so excited! I have been doing some research, but if anyone out there know of any interesting places to visit, eat or shop, then I will welcome any suggestions!

I have also vowed to myself that I'm not going shopping until New York... where I'll get my winter wardrobe... so, all the more reason to start making space for it and sell a few things on e-bay!

Here are the latest items that I've posted:

A cute 3 button, black waistcoat. I actually have 2 of these to sell...

This skirt is so pretty but much too short for me! Its a silk bubble skirt that has a bow at the front and a lace ribbon trim.

Again, another skirt that's too short for me. It actually reminds me of lemons and limes... very 'citrusy' type colours!

BUY NOW!

Summer is here!!!

2007-08-04T09:16:00.000+01:00

I've just posted a few NEW items on eBay that are BRAND NEW!

Black and White Print rose prom dress from Warehouse which looks amazing! The photo doesn't really do it any justice! Size UK16 (too large for me!) Gotten from a mad rush sample sale and I misread the label (I thought it was a size 10, but it was a 16!) Serves me right!
98% cotton, 2% elastane.

Another Black and white print dress. Again gotten from a sample sale but never worn.
Decided to have a bit of a clear out of my cupboard over the weekend... I thought I had sold most of the things that I wanted to give away at the Topshop Charity Sale

BUY NOW!

Topshop Charity Sale Blog

2007-08-03T14:30:00.000+01:00

My friend and I were featured on the Topshop Blog with our stall the other day!!!
Topshop Charity Blog shows us at our stall...

Also, Topshop just called me today to say that my friend and I were the top sellers overall the events that they held and that we had won one of the prizes of an all inclusive holiday to Paris!!!! It includes 1st Class flights, 2 nights accommodation and £500 spending money!!!!

I'm so excited about it... I have to plan everything: the best places to eat, visit and more importantly SHOP!!!

Cooler than the red dress...

2007-08-02T10:00:00.000+01:00

Loads of images in this post... fashionable red eye candy!!!
As far back as the Middle Ages red signified power and prestige. For autumn/winter 2007/08 it featured as the statement colour of choice for perfect party pieces. Linked with fire as a natural element and blood as a life force, red forms a primordial triad with white of light and black of darkness....

It was seen all over the catwalks for the coming season from the Valentino 45th Anniversary event...

To Menswear (Burberry)

I love the colour red. It screams 'look at me' no wonder there are so many songs written about red dresses... never mind the LBD, to me a simple red dress says sexy, sophisticated, confident!
The red dress through history....

The red dress on the catwalk

The Red Dress on the high street/ online:

Looking like a pengiun....

2007-07-31T12:44:00.000+01:00

Tuxedo alert!

Images of tuxedo dressing for ladies is looking to be a trend next season. Classic tuxedo tailoring is reworked into cropped and cutaway jackets, sexy satin-lapel vests and deconstructed tux-style shirt dresses. Fitted-to-the-body tuxedo jackets and bow ties are paired with denim for an updated “Le smoking” look.

The tuxedo coat dress is a sophisticated update to party dressing. However, for those who think its a bit too much then take subtle items from the look to update yours! The bow tie is a key item. I have seen bow-ties at Hurwundeki and I predict that we will all be wearing bow necklaces.... here are a couple I've found online:

Alternatively mix cummerbunds with high-waist jeans for an elevated casual style, as seen at Acne Jeans for spring/summer 2008. With the trend for waisted belts and high waisted trousers seemingly carrying on through the season, the cummerbund is perfect, as seen below:

Fendi high waisted crepe pants:

Get Behind your country, get behind your camera

2007-07-30T12:59:00.000+01:00

Canon has launched a Photograph competition where each week you can win a new camera! Each country in Europe has the chance to upload their photos and the most voted image each week wins!

The most creative and iconic images of UK & Ireland will inspire a unique national fashion collection created by Matthew Williamson, which will be displayed at London Fashion Week in September.

I can't wait to see what photos people post and what the winning collection will be like!

Canon Europe

Finsk @ Topshop

2007-07-30T10:36:00.000+01:00

A new shoe brand called Finsk has arrived at the large Topshop in Oxford Circus. Unfortunately, you can't buy the designs on their site or on the Finsk website.
The designer Julia Lundsten hails from Finland, all her pieces have unique, quirky, sculpted shapes that I just love! As well as gorgeous pieces like those shown above, the website has videos for the past 2 seasons (SS07 and AW06/07).

Images above are taken from funky website the shop floor project which showcases up and coming new and established designers. I am loving this hat by milliner karen henriksen
And also these leather 'swag' bags by Natalie Thakur

Update...

2007-07-26T10:36:00.000+01:00

Been quite busy this week, so no time to update the blog... and this update is only a bit of rant rather than a proper entry.

The other day, the fire alarms went off in our office building so we all had to evacuate into the pouring rain- luckily I grabbed my jacket and umbrella on the way out, so I wasn't one of those poor people standing outside getting cold and wet.

We all thought that it was set off as a mistake by the security as we couldn't see or smell anything burning, so we were quite anxious to get back into the building- lots of Spring/ Summer 2008 planning to be doing for deadlines this week although the break was a welcome one- it didn't come at the best of times! The firemen came in their engine, unfortunately girls- they were quite old and not fit looking, so we didn't even have any nice men to ogle at while waiting!!!

Once they declared that there wasn't a fire, we were all allowed to go back into the building and get back to work. An e-mail was sent around later on that afternoon say that the fire alarm was triggered at the back of the building due to DUST!!! Needless to say, no one was impressed by that...

How dusty does the place have to be so that it triggers the fire alarm?? I'd say, extremely!!! Grrrrr... stupid cleaners....

Anyways, just had to get rant out in the open!

Harry Potter Launch Party in London!

2007-07-21T09:20:00.000+01:00

I know this has NOTHING to do with fashion at all... but hey, its my blog and I can write what I want! hehehe... sometimes I do run out of things to blog about as I get boring and stay indoors a lot- especially with the weather we've had recently... but I digress...

Myself and 2 friends (or should I say colleagues) decided to go to the Harry Potter Launch Party at Waterstones in Picadilly last night. Me as always loving the whole dressing up etc went as a 'school girl' complete with my brother's old school tie! While I was walking along the queue with my friends, this lady exclaimed 'Oh look! Its Cho Chang!' (for those of you who haven't read the books, 'Cho Chang' is the character played by 'Katie Leung' in the movies and who manages to steal a kiss with Harry! Here is a pic of her:
And here is a pic of me:

(wearing shirt- (work sample sale), tie (brother's old school tie), waistcoat and black skirt(made by and given to me by my cousin), boots (Office), bag (vintage) and coat (Kookai)

Any resemblance? Apart from the fact that we are both oriental, I don't think so, although it was nice to think that I look like a 19 year old rather than the 24 years that I am!

There were crowds and crowds of people there as well as the press- camera men, reporters, photographers etc. Excuse the photos as my camera is not great at taking pictures in the dark! My brother told me he has bought me a new 'Pentax' from Hong Kong, so I'm looking forward for him to come home- just because I want my new toy! On the other hand, I've kind of turned his room into my own 'walk-in' dressing room and I've hijacked his computer so those are things that I'm going to have to change when he gets back in September!

Sample sale DIY

2007-07-17T10:46:00.000+01:00

I dunno if anyone has ever had this problem when getting items from sample sales, but sometimes the clothes are damaged is some way. Like this dress that I got- it had a piece of fabric cut out of the back, but due to the nature of the fabric and the pattern, I cut it to make a zig-zag pattern:

I must have cut around 7 inches (18cm) of fabric off the bottom, which turned the dress into a tunic but I made some funky mittens out of the rest of the fabric:

And a matching headband... although I think wearing it altogether is a bit of a turquoise and brown harlequin overload!

Victoria and Albert Museum

2007-07-16T09:55:00.000+01:00

On Saturday, I went to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum on Saturday with my friend. I love the museum and it was nice to go there rather than frantically shopping in the sales like I did last weekend!

The New York fashion NOW exhibition was still up and I know its been up for a while, but like i said, I haven't gotten around to going to see it until last weekend!

I did manage to take a few pictures but because of the glass, I couldn't use the flash and so some images came out very yellow! I took images of items and details that I found interesting...

This coloured macaroni dress is very unique made by Christian Joy. The pics above are what I took and below is taken from the website- what its meant to look like in reality!

With the colours and the way the dress is put together, it reminds me of an African tribal dress.

Again by Christian Joy, I thought this 'money' dress was really cute!

This 'body' dress (again, Christian Joy) looks like a biology project gone a bit awry!

Now to more wearable- everyday fashion! Behnaz Sarafpour has a more lady like quality and I love this 'prim and proper' outfit! I love the detail of the pleating on the skirt.

I love the back of this gorgeous Zac Posen dress:

And also the back of this Jean Yu dress

I forgot who the designer of this top is. I just love it!

Hat party!

2007-07-12T15:48:00.000+01:00

My friend is having a hat party next weekend and despite all the hats that I have already, I'm looking for something different!

I think I have my outfit planned... I was thinking as I have been buying a lot of black recently and I have been watching a lot of death note I could dress in a gothic/ bondage style! Sounds very kinky hehehe.... but here are some images of my outfit without the hat... which I still have to buy.

This is my 'I have never' outfit:
I have never worn a top to toe all black outfit
I have never worn any of these items out before.
I have never worn a belt as a necklace before

Top: Mango (bought a few years ago, but never had the chance to wear it!)
Necklace/ belt: Alexander McQueen Sample sale
Skirt: Future Classics bondage skirt (my buy from Browns!)
Boots: Work sample sale that was on this week and cost me NOTHING! (they are a size too big for me, as sample sizes usually come in a 4 and a 7 and I'm a size 6!!! grrrr...but still can wear them with thick socks)

Ideally I'm looking for a hat like these to complete my outfit:

Browns....

2007-07-10T10:13:00.000+01:00

I finally got my package from Browns yesterday and I am really chuffed with the contents although not as gorgeously packaged as Net a Porter I was very pleased with what was inside!

I did manage to go shopping on Saturday, although I didn't set out as early as I would have liked so that I could miss the crowds. I managed to get a few pretty things....

Also, I was happy to hear that there will be a sample sale on at work this week... its one of the perks of working in retail!

I have to take pictures of what I've bought and outfits, so watch this space! I actually think I've been influenced by my collage in my previous post and gone a bit gothic loli! Buying lots of black with patent, lace and ribbon!

Anime Lovies...

2007-07-08T12:30:00.000+01:00

After showing you my fashion lovies, I've decided seeing as I love Anime and Manga just as much as I love fashion to showcase my anime/ manga lovies! Most of these, are predictably Shojo Manga as I am a very girly girl and I am very partial to a good love story and plot twists! The only exception I think being 'Death note'.

My favourite anime at the moment is Death note and after watching the last of the anime online and buying an actual 'Death note' at the London Expo, I can't wait for the release of the manga in the UK!!

I also recently watched Peach girl which made me cry so much! I'm such a soppy girl!!! hehehe.... I loved the story line although initially because the scene is set in a Japanese High School I thought that it would be childish and predictable but it pulled at my heart strings!

I've actually got Chobits and its something I can watch again and again! Ah... the love of a man and his kawaii girlie doll....

I think the last anime has to be Fruits Basket, which is just touching and very cute! My favourite character has to be Momiji-kun!!

One of my favourite mangas is Princess Ai not for the plot as it was predictable but for the artwork and just for the character of Ai. I think a 3 book series is much too short and I would have liked to have seen Princess Ai a bit more. I envy her wardrobe! I have mentioned the series in a previous post.

Love Hina is a classic 'boy living with large group of girls' manga. Its funny and totally unrealistic, but I love both the anime and the manga!
Finally, a few more anime/ manga that I love:
Rurouni Kenshin
Howl's Moving Castle
Spirited Away
Ayashi No Ceres
Spirited Away

I found this great site which allows you to make a collage using pictures obtained from different sites on the internet. So I made a tribute to two great gothic anime girls:

Amane Misa from Death Note and Ai from Princess Ai!

The rain..

2007-07-06T20:50:00.001+01:00

Summer... what summer?? As everyone in the UK knows, the weather has been terrible... together with the foiled terrorist attacks, I'm not surprised if tourists have been put off visiting the country!

But of course, with the unexpected rain, comes the disappointment that you can't wear that lovely dress or sandals you bought earlier in the year when the sunshine was a regular occurrence. So wardrobes have to adapt...

But the sunshine has finally made an appearance and its the weekend! Happy happy happy!!!! In keeping with the couture week that happened in Paris this week, here are some dresses that were made for me...

I don't think I've worn this dress since my cousin made it! It did have shoulder pads (reminiscent of the '80's) but I asked my cousin to take them out, cos they made my shoulders look way too big! Its a very vintage looking dress but I love its simplicity!
This floral halterneck dress has a simple but very flattering shape! Again, this was designed and made by my cousin- Greta Lee. If anyone does go to Mauritius, her boutique is in Inkerman Street, Rose Hill. Be quick, she may not be there much longer as she is thinking of emigrating... not to the UK, unfortunately!

My coral silk dress was made in Vietnam for me. Its a plain shift dress but the pattern on it isn't a regular spot pattern which is why I chose the fabric.

I chose the fabric in Thailand and I think its a very traditional silk gold and cream weave. The fabric had a fringe at the end, which I did want to keep and asked the Vietnamese tailors to keep it as the embellishment at the bottom of the dress, which they have!

Finally... I know this is not technically a dress, more like an ensemble but again, it was made for me in Vietnam. Its their traditional dress called the 'ao dai' which consists of a Chinese style 'Qi pao' that is ankle length but has side splits up to just above your waist. Underneath you wear large baggy trousers. And the hat is not necessary but I bought it in Vietnam and I like the effect of the whole outfit!

Roland Mouret back!!

2007-07-06T09:15:00.000+01:00

The designer of the much sought after and copied 'galaxy dress' is back and his first show was in Paris yesterday and those who logged on the Net A Porter site at 5:30pm (GMT) were treated to a first look of the collection and an opportunity to pre-order items! In keeping with the 'universe and myths' theme, the collection was called the 'Satellite Collection' and aptly, each piece was also given a related name.

Personally, after having a look at all the other designer couture photos- RM's collection looked very wearable! So... what could top the famed 'galaxy dress'??

Personally, I'm LOVING these pieces:

The Naiad Dress

The detailing at the front makes this very unique, with the tuxedo style collar and draped front design. The open back just completes the look... I have a thing for dresses that show off the back and this is perfect!

The Moon Dress

This could be a contender for the galaxy's crown! Sexy without revealing too much I think its simple understated glamour! Very forties style with again, fine detailing to make it stand out.

The Rhea Dress

This almost reminds me of a sailor type dress with the collar detail contrasting against the white. I agree the origami type folds on the hips may look a little odd as it is on the model, but if you do manage to view the catwalk video on Net A Porter then you can see that these move well with the dress and gives it a fluidity....

Suffice to say, that IF I had the money to buy one of these lovely dresses, I would get the 'naiad' dress.... but hey ho... I can but dream.....

Shopping the Sales....

2007-07-04T23:10:00.000+01:00

The sales have started everywhere!! After the scare on Friday, I am reluctant to go into central London, so I had a browse online! However, to let the terrorists deter you from doing what you normally do shows that we have given in to them and that they have won, so I am going to central London for a browse this weekend!

I did buy a couple of items from designer internet boutique Net a Porter. I'd never bought anything from them before due to the lack of money! However, with the number of diffusion ranges now on the site, I was tempted to buy! When the box came- I was curious as to why it was so heavy, as all I'd ordered was a jersey dress and a belt... then I opened it up!
The jet black box was done up with a lovely ribbon....

And the items inside looked like they were lovingly wrapped up in tissue paper and the belt was inside a small pouch....

I must commend them on their presentation as I've ordered various items online from different retailers but theirs has got to be one of the best parcels I've ever received! I did see some items from Browns which I have ordered and hopefully will receive soon and in an equally pretty package!

You'll have to wait for a later post to see what was in the box!!!

On Saturday, I may go up to Selfridges and Oxford Street really early to browse the sales... but seeing as I have a trip to New York booked in the autumn I think I should start saving and researching the best places to shop, eat, drink and see! I've never been to the States before so I'm very excited!

Spats

2007-07-03T17:26:00.000+01:00

I love anything that can update a wardrobe and this mostly means accessories- jewellery, scarves, belts etc! But rarely do you find something that can update your footwear... but introducing spats to your shoes and they have an instant update!

The image comes from a US website Satine Boutique. Where you can buy them online. The image below comes from the brand website Posso the Spat
I've dabbled in different kinds of socks- from thigh high socks to socks that tie up! But I think spats are just that little more interesting... I want, I want, I want!!

Earrings by yours truly...

2007-07-01T18:45:00.000+01:00

At first, I started updating and modifying my current earrings as a hobby. I collected interesting beads just because they looked pretty and I didn't give much thought as to what I could do with them... possibly make a necklace or add them to clothing.

My first handmade pair of earrings!

After having had worked in jewellery retail for around 6 years, I picked up a few things about jewellery repairs and how earrings are constructed. I didn't think of selling the earrings I'd made until I received a few comments from friends about how pretty and unique my earrings were. So I started on e-bay... but as you can see if you've ever clicked on the link at the bottom of the page, I've pretty much given up on that! E-bay is too vast and I am ultimately competing with jewellery manufacturers who can afford to sell earrings for a much reduced price. However I did manage to sell a few!!!

Here are a few that I've made today and a few that I've already sold...

The MONOCHROME SET

REDS AND PINKS...

GREENS AND BLUES

Oli oli oli.... oi oi oi!!!

2007-06-29T21:59:00.000+01:00

Personally, I don't really shop from catalogues- I find the internet easier and quicker to view the clothes but this new catalogue that was just launched is quite interesting. Its called Oli. Their site is already up and I'm loving the designer collaborations. Such as that of Ann Sofie Back; with her tight body con dresses and tops: I can see myself wearing both the dress and the top! The dress is very wearable and I can see a lot of layering potential!
And Maria Grachvogel. I am loving this ruffle top... not sure about the dress, it could be a bit OTT for me!!

And this Jasmine Guiness dress reminds me of the Sonia by Sonia Rykiel range but at a much more affordable price!

The items below are from Thomas Vicary. A graduate from Central St Martins. I love the 'cut and sew' effect and the black against the red is reminiscent of his graduate fashion show in 2006.

I am loving these items as well:

Clothes Lovies

2007-06-28T09:38:00.000+01:00

Lets go back to my lovies!!! I have put up my accessories, shoes and bags lovies but here are the pieces of clothing that I absolutely LOVE!!

My vintage 80s coat/dress which my cousin made when she was studying fashion in Paris in the late 80s/ early 90s and she said I could have! She studied at Esmod, which is one of the top international fashion schools in Paris.

My Cotton Yukata which I bought from Japan. Even though I don't get to wear this as often as I would have liked, I love it! It came in this package with the obi and the bow as in the picture but also with a pair of plain black geta shoes.

Next, I would like to own a proper kimono... pure silk with a gorgeous oriental print.

My sheer Mango lace shirt which is slightly longer than the average shirt and has frills down the front and around the cuffs. So girly and yet also, so Victorianesque!

This again was donated to me by a cousin. This time another cousin who also studied pattern making at Esmod. Its a vintage crochet Kookai dress which is just so now!

This doesn't photograph very well but they are just great- it's a micro shrug type thing in denim, which I got from a designer sample sale another of my cousin's took me to while she was studying in Paris (she studied fashion lingerie and is currently working for posh lingerie company 'Huit'

My Future Classics dress is just adorable. Its a simple cut in a kind of a forties style. But it has all this intricate embroidery and handiwork which really endears me to this dress.

This is what the dress looks like on one of their models as seen on the site!

This top will sit well with my dress above! I got it for £5 from a stall in Spitalfields Market. The brooch is an old Accessorize one that I bought for my mum ages ago!

My bargain Alexander McQueen jacket bought from the sample sale a few weeks ago. I haven't worn it yet as I'm waiting for a special occasion...

This top is so bright and funky, which is why I love it. I bought it in a boutique when I was living in Lille, France. I like the spottiness and the bright yellow lace trim!

I bought this for possibly less than£1 in Vietnam when I went with my friend. Its a Grecian style top and I love the print and the colours!

Hehe... I had to fuse my love of anime/ manga with fashion and this Bershka top crosses it perfectly! Its backless and fits very snugly which makes it so cute!

Phone Stalker....

2007-06-25T09:06:00.000+01:00

Everyone must have had someone calling them by mistake on their mobile... you just pass it off as them dialing the wrong number but I had some weirdo call me up 4 times yesterday- still not understanding that he's got the wrong number!!!!

I was pretty knackered from selling on Saturday so I went home and crashed out- my friend Radha, who helped me from start to finish actually went home, donned her party clothes and went clubbing in Pasha!!! I congratulate her on her endurance!!

So, there I was in a deep sleep when at around 5am, I get a phone call- I picked up without really looking at the number thinking it was a friend who was in trouble or something important for them to be ringing me at that time in the morning. Instead I got this guy who said that he's in Kensington in a taxi and he can come and pick me up from wherever I am. I said, "go away- you have the wrong number" hung up and turned over to go back to sleep.

9am, he calls me again! I tell him to go away and that he's got the wrong number! At 11am, I was doing the ironing whilst listening to the radio when he calls me AGAIN! This time, I didn't tell him he had the wrong number but I just put my phone next to the speaker for the radio and let him waste his money. In the evening, I went to my friend's place to celebrate his birthday and the guy calls me for the forth time that day! I gave the phone to my friend so that the guy would be scared off my a man answering the phone- but my friend decided that this guy was going to be his new friend and decided to talk to him for 5 minutes! My friend was telling the guy to stop calling me and that I wasn't interested. The guy said, 'nah, shes just shy isn't she?' and my friend was saying- 'no, she isn't, she just doesn't want to talk to you!'

Hopefully he'll stop calling me. If he doesn't, I have his phone number as he made the mistake of not with holding his number the first time he called me so I can go to the police, I can block his number and also I can sign him up to receive premium text messages, images etc.

No one messes with me!!!!