Spring pics are here II: Zara

When one is bored and doesn't want to sleep, one blogs...

So since the high street spring pics have started droppping like leaves, it's time to put them online.

Here's what I like from Zara...





Feminine Minimalist...so Celine S/S 2010. I remember that for a very long time, I didn't like clothes from Zara. They were trendy, true, but the fit was always a little off: either a wee too big or too small.

Strangely Zara clothes fit me better now. So either the fit model's change, or I have.



Nautica is always a big trend for spring. And Zara is teeming with everything, white and navy, and striped.

Now the big shoe trend of the season...



Clogs or wooden-soled shoes! Ever since Chanel S/S 2010 sent those down the runway, clogs have acquired IT shoe status. Fashionistas, prepare thy plasters!



So of course, Zara had to send out clogs too, no? And while these are open-toed, they combine three of the big accessory trends of the season---bows, clogs/clog-like soles, and nude colours---and in a very pretty way too.

Photos from: zara.com, style.com

Spring Pics are here: Madewell; also featuring Alexa for Madewell

Supposed to be writing an essay on political risk in Nigeria. Decided instead to upload pictures.

Love the outfits. It looks like what I wore and what my fellow university-mates wore when I studied in London. People in Singapore don't dress like this.

I like these 3 outfits best.



Outfit number 4 (below left) is particularly "American exchange student-y", a phrase I saw somewhere being used to describe crossbody bags, and a linguistic turn that I've adopted ever since.



More pictures...



I read an interview with Alexa Chung about her Alexa for Madewell line, and she remarked that it was gratifying to see all the models dressed up like her. For further proof of the similarities, check out the cardigan.


(love Alexa's pink bow bag btw)

Speaking of Ms Chung, the following pictures come from her debut of her "Alexa for Madewell" collection at the recent New York Fashion Week.











Photos from: madewell.com, fashionologie.com

Pre-Fall 1

I'm really bored and I can't sleep so I'm going to put some fashion pics that I like. These are from the Pre-Fall 2010 collections. New York Fashion Week for the Fall/Winter 2010 collections has just started. So might be time to ruminate a bit on Pre-Fall before it becomes passe (or has it already?)

So in alphabetical order...

These are from Balenciaga




Celine




Proenza Schouler




Rag and Bone



And my favourite (besides Lanvin...that gets a post all to itself), from Stella McCartney




Photos from: style.com

destroyed jeans

I was randomly walking about at Forum Galleria---an upscale shopping mall---when I stumbled on these Current/Elliott skinny destroyed jeans.

They were SO SOFT!! I wanted to get one but the mark-up was toooo high---at about 50% more, it felt like daylight robbery when a quick search on the internet can give you a more favourable pricing. That is what capitalism and globalization is supposed to give---more competitive prices---and not a return to monopolistic price hikes.

So I started a search for destroyed skinny jeans.

This is a pair of Current/Elliott ones.



They're not the first in the skinny jeans business---it was J Brand that arguably put skinny on the radar. Current/Elliott first came to the public consciousness after celebrities were seen wearing their boyfriend jeans. It was them that put boyfriend jeans on the map.

Usually when a new denim trend comes about, I test it out, mainly because I like jeans, and am always looking for a new way to wear them. The first time I tried Current/Elliott was when I was at Liberty's in London. The salesgirl was telling me about how soft those jeans were and how she was saving up for a pair. I tried their boyfriend fit.

The cut wasn't great. I felt the boyfriend cut looked a little too baggy, and it looked sloppy. But their jeans were so so soft. I've had denim from Seven for All Mankind and Citizens of Humanity, and tried on jeans from other premium labels but never have I worn such soft jeans! So now that they've got themselves working the skinny jeans, I'll probably get myself a pair online. They're way too soft to resist.

This Current/Elliott introduction started the hunt for nice destroyed jeans. It wasn't a very persistent hunt such as the way I can get when I am really into something, but I stopped by the Gap during my usual wanderings about after church on Sunday and found that they had some nice ones.



I loved their skinny jeans. I felt the fit was very good, and the wash and the amount of distressing was just perfect. And it wasn't exhorbitant, though definitely not as comfy as Current/Elliott.

These are their boyfriend cut jeans. They're meant to be baggy but I felt they were a bit too baggy.



But I stumbled on a tip for getting boyfriend cut jeans which are not too baggy---size up the skinny destroyed jeans! Their larger size makes for a baggier fit, but because the overall cut is still skinny, it prevents the jeans from being too baggy, resulting in boyfriend fit jeans which are just right.

Banana Republic also had some nice distressed jeans. I'm not sure if I tried on the boyfriend cut one, but the skinny cut one suited me just fine and it was also in a lovely dark wash.



Photographs from: gap.com, bananarepublic.com, and revolveclothing.com

Bag Lust

I never really liked Louis,
And Chanel suffers from ubiquity...

These are what I really like. Let me introduce them by name.

This is a Hermes Baby Kelly. I saw a girl wearing this ala messanger bag style, and I was very inspired. I recently blogged about the easy-peasy drape-y style that I am now very much into. This is just the bag to go with it.

I am also on the lookout for 1960s style bags. Like this baby from Hermes.



It's pretty! Quite with a cute little "H" that strikes that just whispers (not shouts) out the design name. Understated luxe at it's best.

I'm not sure what this type of bags are called, so I refer to them as "air stewardess bags" because I see them most often on stewardesses. No matter. The House of Celine (now under Phoebe Philo of Chloe fame) seems to agree with me that these bags are now fashionable and they have launched a series of bags in this style.

Smaller...



and larger...



So yours truly, who has always thought of Celine in the most unflattering terms, will now---for reasons entirely due to its change in creative director---will be heading to one of their stores to have a look-see (-and maybe, buy).

Ok, finally, here's a brand that I adore. I've got quite a few stuff from this brand---handbags and a wallet---and am always on the lookout for their new arrivals. I like this brand because I think they add the best mix of intelligence and light-heartedness to their bags. I started noticing when they had wallets and bags in bright punchy patents, and that started my love affair.

I'm refering to Mulberry. And this is their Alexa bag which I have been waiting for since last year.



So basically, the Alexa (named after previously blogged about It girl Alexa Chung) comes in two sizes: the medium and the oversized. I think this is a style of bag that will age very well---it has "classic" written all over it---and so I want one in the oak colour because I think the rich brown colour will look even better with the passage of time. But the medium sized one isn't big enough and the Oak Oversized Alexa wasn't brought into Singapore and it seems to be all sold out online :(

For the medium sized bags, this is cuter because it uses a more "feminie" tweed to go with the semi-masculine design of the bag. So it's a nice juxtaposition.



The last bag that I am looking forward to from Mulberry is this Daria tote. It comes in blue and black but I like the white best because I mainly wear dark coloured clothes, and because the white best encapsulates the effortless luxe look that I'm going for.



Photographs from: mulberry.com, celine.com and fashionphile.com

Madewell 1937

Madewell 1937---the sister line of Jcrew---is one of the lines that I keep on my "to watch" list, meaning that I regularly check their websites for any updates. So far the only place online (besides ebay) where you can get their stuff is shopbop.com, which hawks a small selection, and is nothing compared to the huge inventory at sister website jcrew.com.

So it was a nice surprise to see this recently sent to my emailbox:



But this wasn't the first piece of interesting news I recently had from them. Madewell is known for their effortless, casual grungy style, so it was a lovely surprise to read that they enlisted Miss Grungy-cool herself, British It Girl Alexa Chung for



Alexa is one of the few celebrities (this list includes Kirsten Dunst, Sofia Coppella and Kate Bosworth) whose style I mostly enjoy. If I am not mistaken, she achieved fame first as a model in the UK before crossing over the pond and acheiving greater star wattage as an MTV host on the talk show "It's on with Alexa". Well, the show has been cancelled, but Alexa's celeb power has not dimmed as Vogue named her the most stylish woman in the world.

Alexa mixes tomboyish and feminine, sticking mainly to very french-inspired pieces like breton stripes, skinny jeans, toggle coats, and the occasional floral print dress to produce a look that to produce a look . Her style can be divided into her more casual collegiate style e.g.





and tomboyish glam



Note: a similar style can be found at H&M (see below)



This is her in the georgous Jason Wu dress. The 2000s have been a great decade for Chinese surnames in fashion. Think Derek Lam, Philip Lim, Jason Wu, and of course, Alexa Chung.


(with the designer at the 2009 CDFA-Vogue Fashion Fund ball)



According to an interview with vogue.com, one can "expect high-waisted pants and jeans, velvet dresses with Peter Pan collars, and a coat based on a vintage children’s one she found that originally came from Harrods. There will be nothing that nods to the eighties or nineties, because she’s not into either decade. “I want to bring back forties tea dresses, sixties mod dresses. . . . I want to bring cute back.” "

No more 80s trend---YAY! Go away studs and spikes.

This is one celebrity designed collection that I am looking forward to seeing.