these boots were made for walking

The whole celeb thing doesn't normally move me... ok that's a lie, certain celebs always make me wish I could afford their entire outfit (and their personal trainer, and their life...). But I digress... what I meant to say was that I saw the pics of these boots and just fell in love. They've got that lovely pirate-y feel to them but without the Vivienne Westwood / Golden Goose prices. Not to mention with the heels maxing out at 2 inches (most at 1 inch) you'd actually be able to walk further than five steps in them. In fact it seems I'm not the only person who thinks so... the boots are mostly down to one size per pair on the site already! Better grab one quick if it catches your fancy!

Fiorentini & Baker Eli Boot in Black
Fiorentini & Baker Mellow Boot in Black

Fiorentini & Baker Eternity Boot in Black

somethings are just not meant to be.

the lovely "iggy" hobo by velvetine

Things like this always push me into a downward shopping spiral - I was eyeing this bag sometime ago but thought it was too expensive at full price (around US595) and talked myself out of it. Then it went on sale, but I'd stopped looking at that point and missed out on some truly amazing deals (can you say 60% off??!!!). I finally put it out of my mind. But recently in pondering the olivia harris bag, I remembered it again and guess what, shopbop actually has it! Here's the kicker though - it's now US$200 MORE than that price I'd previously thought was too much.

arrgh. sometimes there are just no words. Though it does start to make the Olivia Harris look pretty reasonably priced!

stylespiration - cool girls (and one guy)

All these girls makes me sigh and wish I looked so effortlessly cool.... yes even Olivia Palmero (well in this pic at least)

I don't think I've ever seen a picture of Leigh Lezark that I didn't like, but I think this pic could be the first one. Almost made me pick up that Christopher Kane dress... almost.

I love the film noir look of this pic... complete with the perfect smokey eyes and the little dog. I don't say this often, but I think the dog makes the picture.

makes me wish we had winter... LOVE this outfit. Wondering if I can come up with some variation of it for my London trip?

Those Ann D. sandals again! I must have them!

not many people can do the Kate Lanphear look well, but this girl carries it off I think. Now if only I could do white blond without looking like an albino....

and finally the one guy... what can I say, this photo is adorable :)

p.s. in case you were wondering, all the photos are linked back to the original posts in garance's blog.

the return of the yeti

Karl Donoghue mongolian shearling jacket

Thinking about my London trip in a few weeks, I can't help but gaze longingly at all the lovely coat selections on offer. Of course I can't really (read: at all) justify a new coat of any kind living where I do, but I do wish I could get my paws on one of the lovely new shearling coats that everyone seems to be trotting out.


I'm actually reminded of this Joseph coat I saw year and years ago (um... probably about 8 years ago now that I think about it) in Heathrow. I was broke (nothing new there) but if I'd had the money I'd have snapped up that lovely black shearling beauty in no time. And of course, if I had, I wouldn't be pining for one now (at seriously inflated prices). Must keep repeating to myself: you can't buy everything. You can't buy everything. You can't buy everything....


*wail*


anyway, in case you are not similiarly constrained, perhaps you might want to consider one of these lovelies... just don't tell me about it. *sniff*

rick owens biker jacket


rick owens asymetric jacket

vince draped shearling jacket (sadly sold out)

stylespiration noir

How amazing is this picture? I absolutely love it. It's almost like she's in front of a flat backdrop or out of something from a fantasy film.

Anyway, this is the second garance installment. I decided to try to get the pics into a theme this time... not sure I'll manage it for future posts but it does make things a bit simpler.

again, I love how she stands out against the black backdrop. Wish I had skin like hers... more attainably thought, I love how she's dressed up the shirt and shorts combo with pearls! Must try that sometime...

The etheral Dree Hemmingway.

this pic makes me want to go buy that Pamela Love rosary right now. This very minute.

pc: garance dore

ten things

Instead of carrying on about what I haven't got, I thought I'd reflect on what I do have (for a change) and can't live without (for now)... not sure I can keep it to ten things tho, but here goes!
(in no particular order)


1. Jeans - granted I only get to wear them on weekends now, but I love jeans. It's a constant struggle not to buy more... and not a struggle I always win. In fact, this item is a bit of a cheat because at last count I think I had in excess of 10 pairs so technically I've already gone past my ten items. But, I guess if you put a gun to my head, it'd currently be a toss up between my Gap jeggings and my Defacto wide legged jeans. Ok, don't shoot! the Defactos!

2. American Apparel tri-blend racer back tanks - these stretch out so much (if you ever want to get some for yourself, size down. In fact, size down twice. Trust me.), I kinda hate the interlock finishing, and they look trashed pretty much from the second wash, but they're so comfortable and soooo flattering. A lot of tanks make me look kinda wide cos their straps are too far apart... these are just perfect, not to mention the drape is great (even when trashed), and hey... I kinda like the whole slightly grungy look sometimes. Not to mention, it still works for work under a blazer.

3. DvF wrap dress - can't live without this. Yes, you can get cheaper wraps but nothing compares to the fit on her wraps. Not to mention the great prints! They are formal enough for th office, but can be worn to dinner too. The ultimate day to night outfit. And they manage to make the most of your figure too! Beware fakes though... I'm not one to preach about the evils of buying fakes, but in relation to this on item, you gotta get the real deal. The fabric on the fakes are too stretchy so you lose the sculpting effect, which really just defeats the purpose.

4. Marni shoes - I'm not sure I can choose between my Marnis very easily, cos all the ones I have are just so lovely. More importantly though, I can walk in them (I only get their platforms), and that's not normally something that goes together with statement shoes. I guess if I had to pick one, it would have to be the colourblock wedges from a few seasons ago. Those never fail to make an outfit.

5. Jo Malone perfume - you're probably starting to see a theme here... massive cheating by just naming categories! But in the case of Jo Malone, her perfumes really don't stand alone (brilliant marketing plan btw... just brilliant). The whole point is to mix and match them... my current favourite though is their lovely new scent English Pear and Freesia. Just a beautiful fresh scent without being to floral or overblown.

6. Super wide legged Max.Tan pants - Had to give a shout out here to local designer Max.Tan. These are the pants I'd been dreaming about... and then one day I walked into their shop and there it was on the hanger. Just amazing. You have to wear them with super high heels, but when you do, the effect is stunning. An absolute showstopper... and the best part? One that is also office ready.

7. American vintage tissue weight long sleeved tee - the only way to wear long sleeved tees in this country. Believe me, I've tried the alternatives.

8. Watch - how could I forget! This actually is something I wear every day. I usually wear the steel Rolex my parents gave me as a wedding present, but with the cost of servicing being what it is, I might switch to something cheaper if it ever gives out. I mean I'm all for good watches and everything, but S$700 for servicing seems a little excessive.

9. Bag - now this is a really tough one. It's like being asked to tell someone which of your children you love best... hmm... maybe not a good comparison. I suspect most parents actually could answer that, although they might not want to admit it to themselves! :p ok, ok, probably either my red Valextra Boston bag or my Balenciaga Work. But hey, if I get the SC, maybe that'll take both their places! :)

10. wow... last one already! Guess it has to be an accessory.... I'd like to say that black jade cuff bangle from my mum, or even the creepy-cool "roots" necklace from Shing, but to be honest, it'd have to be my rings from A. Those I really couldn't do without.

What can't you live without?

If you're interested, here are a few ideas from garance, and emmanuelle alt. And no, I'm not really turning into a creepy stalker... I'll get back to normal posts soon!

Stylespiration du jour Part 1

While looking for the garance pics for my SC bag post, I was reminded just how much I like the pictures she takes. Some of them are so arresting (like the one above, which might just be my absolute favourite), and unlike a lot of other style blogs, it's not always about the clothes with her. Not that there's anything wrong with being all about clothes, but I love that she also takes pictures of people just because their face is interesting or something about them catches her eye.

Anyway, I wanted to have my favourites all in one place so I wouldn't have to keep searching through her archives, hope you'll like them too.

I wasn't able to get everything into one post, so will just do another post when I've got another bunch together.... :)

note to self

Must. Try. To. Hold. Out. For. SC Bag!

I've been really bad with miscellaneous shopping recently and totally fallen off the wagon when it comes to saving up for an SC bag. So of course, LV then launches a bunch of new colours and a smaller size! le sigh. Still... I'm not that keen on the new colours and not totally convinced I want a smaller size, so guess the quest is still on. In the meantime, I've dregged up every photo I could find that had inspired me in the first place to get this bag. Now just need to decide - Cobalt or Jasper? Or leave it to fate (and stock levels) to decide?

note: um... you might notice that these pics are pretty garance heavy notwithstanding the dozens of celebs pictured with the bag. What can I say? I love her... and somehow the pics with her carrying it just seem more like real life y'know? :)

pc: sartorialist; garance dore; marie clair; mr newton; jak & jil

style swoon

I just saw this image on garance dore recently and have been mulling over the celine shopper since... (esp since I'd just been looking at a brown version of the bag last weekend). So it seemed like fate when E. messaged to say that she's actually bought the brown bag I'd seen! Congrats E.! It's a beautiful bag and a totally savvy purchase... you'll use it forever. :)

Only question is, what am I going to do now?

decisions decisions

Olivia Harris by Joy Gryson

Notwithstanding finally deciding to pass on the Bal military bag, I've still been a bit obsessed with finding a cool weekend bag, but at a lower price point. Just saw these two on shopbop and wondering if one of them might fit the bill. Thoughts?

IRO Andy Bag

I'm leaning slightly in favour of the Joy Gryson bag, but the IRO one does have a kinda Alexander Wang vibe which I quite like too. They're both about the same price which is making the decision just that little bit harder! sigh.