Shirt tales

Much as I'd love to deny it, I'm a marketeer's dream. I can see an item and be ho-hum about it and then a blogger I admire or a friend gets excited about the same item and suddenly I can't think how I lived without it.

Case in point (actually two cases): denim and silk shirts (no, not together silly!)


I'm not a big fan of the whole denim on denim trend, but I have to admit it's still got to me a bit. So much so that I'm seriously considering getting this tunic from Gap (yes, them again... what can I say, I'm going through a phase and they're cheapish). Thoughts? Too many details? Anyway, I might wait til this hits the stores here to try it before I commit.

This was another potential option but the styling is leaving me completely underwhelmed. It's a sad day when the NAP styling looks less appealling than Gap.

Going higher end, I've been reading about silk shirts at The Row more or less since the label launched, but there's no way I could afford something from that line unless I suddenly became seriously minted overnight. Then today I read this post from garance which totally sold me on the idea of a blush silk shirt from Equipment. Funnily enough it's one of those brands that I've hear of but never really paid particular attention to. Who knew that they had the (potentially) perfect shirt all along? So the question now is, do I buy now and get the colour I want or wait for the sale and risk not being able to get my size? In fact, my favourite in Nude is already down to only medium sizes which is a real pain. Trying to figure out if I might be able to get away with that or if it'll just look way too big?

Equipment Signature washed silk shirt in Taupe

Equipment Signature Washed Silk Shirt in Rock

Equipment Signature Washed Silk Shirt in Nude

Equipment Classic Washed Silk Shirt in Blue

On a side note, I'm constantly amazed at shopbop's product turnaround. Even at 30% off, people are snapping up things that at other stores end up going up to 50 or even 70% off! The free shipping (even international) does help a lot though. All things being equal, I'd get something from them rather than somewhere else to get the free shipping!

Jeggings - yea or nay?

It's almost a philosophical divide - those who are pro jeggings and those who would rather die a slow painful death. I've always been in the latter camp, not least because most skinny jeans and leggings look terrible on me. As I result, I decided early on this trend was clearly meant for skinny people who don't have to deal daily with the question of how to find pants that fit at both the waist and the hips. I would just stick with what worked for me and trends be damned.

Problem is, trends have a sneaky habit of creeping into your consciousness and I couldn't keep pairing some of my more voluminous tops with shorts all the time.... and with perfect timing Gap decided to do their take on jeggings and they are exactly what I needed!

Now while I'm sure you're tired of hearing about Gap from me, these jeggings need a little bit of explanation. These are decidedly not leggings printed or sewn to look like jeans. Quite the opposite in fact - they're jeans which are meant to fit like leggings. Basically Gap's introduced a high stretch, soper soft material and then just sewn it in skinny jeans style and I am loving the results. They are sooo comfortable to wear and the fit is amazing! I actually had to size down, which was a bit of a shock, but even then, there was no hint of muffin top. So if you're looking for a pair of well fitting skinny jeans and haven't had any luck elsewhere, this could be your answer.

In a word, amazing.

So much so, that I paid full price for them and didn't even wait for them to go on sale.

You can thank me later. :)

non-shopping tally episode #102

Not sure if this really counts as a non-shopping event, since I did buy some things, but here at least is what I didn't buy:

1. Gap oversized V neck striped sweater US$29.99 / S$42

I tried this on in store and it wasn't bad, but at S$89 I wasn't especially tempted. At approximately half the price though, it gets a lot more attractive. Not to mention, it's very comfortable and looks excellent with their new jeggings range (more about that later). Still, I've opted to be virtuous.

2. Gap slim cropped pants US$ 49.50 / S$69.30 (less 20%)

I've posted about these before, and was thinking of maybe getting a second pair to have as a proper cropped version (seeing as these actually come to my ankles). Impressively, the Gap stores here seem to have completely sold out of these and they're backordered online! The main temptation stems from this 20% off coupon I found online though. With that, even including shipping, it would still cost S$20 less than the $99 the stores here are charging. Weird cos so many other things are similarly priced to online or cheaper! Again, have decided to be virtuous.


So here's the current tally: S$111.30 + 573 = S$684.30

still to come, what I actually bought *hangs head*. Trying to decide if this needs to be deleted off my tally....

the most amazing ballet flats ever?

Let's get the disclaimers out of the way first - I am not a flats person. In fact, the opposite is true - I LOVE platforms and heels. Also virtually all the flats I've tried dig into my heels and end up giving me blisters, even the ones from the brands everyone is raving about (I'm looking at you Repetto). But I happened upon this pair while browsing at Gap yesterday and they are amazing!

The leather is super soft, the elastic doesn't pinch and best of all, they're the foldable kind that come in a little bag that you can just throw into your handbag for those days when you've worn stunning but torturous shoes.

These aren't a new concept by any means - there was a load of press a while back about fashion editors carrying around (and occasionally wearing) flats like these, but frankly even those supposedly "cheap" fold ups costs around US$160+ or much more. These can be yours for the princely sum of S$49.90. And a final nail in the coffin - not only are these practically sold out online, they're more expensive! Gap.com has them going for US$39.50! So run, don't walk, to the Vivocity Gap right now and nab your pair before they're all gone...

p.s. I think they mostly only had size 6s left in most colours (purple / red/ black / silver / baby pink), and these run a little small - you might want to size up if you can. Also, Wisma has these only in gold (which aren't as comfortable in my opinion).

p.p.s. I just wanted to say how pleased I am with the local Gap franchise for keeping pricing close to what the US is charging. So many international stores here have traditionally tried to scalp you on the pricing that it's refreshing to be able to actually find things are cheaper here than online! Having said that, the prices they're charging for the slim cropped pants are like 30% more than the online price (and that's without the 20% off coupon code!). Guess you can't have everything.

mind the gap

This is probably really uncool to say, but I really love Gap. I've literally read so many posts and articles on how underwhelming their clothes are, but I always find things to love there, and not even just from their designer collabs (though those are often great). For example I bought some really fantastic tank tops at the sale recently and absolutely love them... I also have been really impressed with the fit of their new jeans collections. My newest obsession though is a pair of cropped black skinny pants.

A bit of background might be required here - I have been looking for ages for a pair of skinny black pants that (1) aren't skin tight (2) are smart enough for work (3) actually fit me and (4) are reasonably flattering, and it's been remarkably difficult to find a pair that meet all 4 criteria. Enter the Gap slim cropped pants! these fit absolutely perfectly (on me they're not actually crops tho!) and actually filled a gap in my wardrobe (no pun intended), and the latter, if you know me at all, is in itself a minor miracle. Not only that, I picked them up on a last minute trip to the store just before I left NY and for reasons I still don't understand, I got 25% off (I love shopping in the US!).

Unfortunately the stellar price I got is now making me hard to swallow the price that's being charged in Singapore (S$99 vs. US$37). Which is a shame cos I would seriously have considered getting a second pair if they were cheaper. I guess I'll have to wait for the sale...or better still, now that gap.com will ship to Singapore, I can order them online if they go on sale there! I am geekily super excited about them shipping to Singapore... sad I know.

In the meantime, here's what's on my wishlist (besides the cropped pants):

band jacket in navy

lovely basic suede tote... maybe not in yellow, but I'm really loving the persimmon.

now this I am seriously tempted by. Would need to try it on in the store though I think.

cowl neck tee

Or that earlier band jacket but in tweed....