the fundamentals of fashion

To Gail on her 25th birthday

2010-12-19T11:56:00.000-08:00

10 years ago, if you'd ask me whether I would be working in Finance, I'd probably laugh it off with a "nah..." I didn't have a good impression of that industry. I had been checking the stock market since 6th grade, but banking and finance was another matter. Now when I look back, I think I read/watched all that stuff to just sound smart.

Back then, at age 14 going on 15, I was this angsty thing. Thoughtful, pensive, anxious, insecure, angry. And how 10 years have just flown by, and I'm no more a school girl afraid that war would hit, and that I would be left stranded without the chance of going into university (a weird fear that plagued me until I got into university).

10 years back, I watched those smartly dressed suited up corporates in shows like Ally McBeal, Spin City (remember pre-Alzemier's Michael J Fox) and marvel at how sleekly gorgeous corporate life seemed. All coffee mugs, designer furniture, pretty clothes, and corporate confidence and suave.

Richard Fish could sulk and whine in his office, but at least he looked good doing it.

Five years back, if you'd ask me again whether I'd be in the finance industry, I would be a bit more insistent that it was not a path for me. I wouldn't be so sure what I'd wanted to do, but I wouldn't have considered banking and finance.

And fast forward five years. As I sit in the office having several past 11pm nights, wondering why since my internship, I've had to work so late. I sometimes wonder...Lord are you preparing me for something? As I left work on Friday night at 4.15am, the cool breeze all around and I remember just how near the central business district was to the sea, marvelling at the stillness of the city in the wee hours of the morning.

A police car stops by the convenience store and two officers get out. I press on ahead towards Temasek Towers in the hope of getting a cab.

The year had just flown by. 2010 was among my most difficult of years and I know the Lord will make up for it.

And so I have finally made the transition: from school girl, to corporate lady with two degrees in between. It's been a ride, and for those who helped me along the journey. Thank you.

What I like...the casual edition

2010-06-08T07:52:00.001-07:00

I have a serious crush on Madewell1937. It might join COS as one of my all-time high street brands.

Like seriously...what's not to like.

So when I saw this on their website

I was seriously happy.

And now the stuff's here already! Most of the stuff in the above pictures are available online. As are these yummies...

Besides Madewell, other summer pieces I'm eying (summer as in fashion season; it's summer almost all year round in Singapore)

Both from 3.1 Philip Lim...

The Olsen twin's The Row

Balenciaga (but of course...), and Lanvin (always good)

APC Madras, and APC (both are brands that I seriously love)

COS

Footwear! From APC, COS, Madewell 1937, and Pierre Hardy for Gap

APC Madras

Slouchy cool...Banana Republic, COS, Earnest Sewn jeans, Banana Republic, COS

DKNY, and some cool girl on the street which ELLEUK took a picture of

COS and Balenciaga

Urban Outfitters (the UK site), and Club Monaco

A Mulberry wallet

And bags...

An assortment from Mulberry, APC, and COS.

What I want...the workwear edition

2010-05-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

Ah the sweet seasons of life...from the long years of being a student to now being a worker.

And being a worker calls for

STYLISH WORKWEAR!

My inspiration board thus far... Note: I have a tendancy towards minimalistic style

Like the new Celine stuff under Phoebe Philo

And from Jcrew

And Club Monaco

And now on to the clothes...

Jil Sander and Oasis (far right)

Philip Lim (left) and Lanvin (right)

Max Mara (left) and Bottega Veneta (right)

These two dresses need a a thin brown belt, either a single belt or a thin double belt. From Yves Saint Laurent.

I have a thing for Celine bags now that they're designed by Phoebe Philo!!

These are perfect for work...laptop, files etc

From Jil Sander

Very under-stated luxe! I like the strap.

From Balenciaga...pretty!

From Celine again...for days that I don't have to bring too much to work.

Banana Republic (left) and Balenciaga (right)

Both from Whistles. The one in the middle needs a thin belt.

From Cos.

Pretty jewelry from Club Monaco...just the right thing to spice up sleek tops such as in this manner (see Philip Lim, below)

Tops...

From Cos

From Comptoir des Contonniers

From Balenciaga...

Banana Republic (I like the abstract print; very whimsical)...

Max Mara (I have a thing for ties!!)

Can be paired with the in vogue tapered pants

From Philip Lim

Lastly, this is a gorgeous suit from Balenciaga.

For those days where you really need to make a mark!

Photographs from: www.matchesfashion.com, www.net-a-porter.com, www.cosstores.com, www.bananarepublic.com, www.clubmonaco.com,www.instyle.co.uk, www.whistles.co.uk, www.celine.com, www.fabsugar.com

No Labour No!

2010-05-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

LABOUR SHOULD NOT GO INTO A COALITION WIITH THE LIB DEMS

Because...

1. it is rewarding a party who, despite doing even worse in this election, gets to call all the shots
2. the coalition will not be able to last and it will be so haphazard that it will make labour look desperate, look bad, and look weak (esp since the coalition relies on so many other political parties before making an absolute majority)
3. a new election is going to be called anyway, so labour should use this time to regroup while teh conservatives undertake unpopular measures to cut the budget deficit immediately (not a good idea btw...labour's proposal on tackling teh deficit was better); and come back stronger in time for the new re-elections
4. the tories can very persuasively argue that the lib-lab alliance is a "party of the losers" and does not express the popular will---> note: this can be argued both ways, with labour saying the constitution allows the incumbent party, in teh event of a hung parliament, to seek to form a coalition first

On the other hand, there are reasons as to why Labour might want to go into a coalition, despite my arguments against it

Because...

1. they sincerely believe that it is in the national interest to stay on cos Tory cuts on the budget deficit might seriously hamper the still fragile british economic recovery
2. it so happens that this protecting of the "national interest" also coincides with a chance for them to stay on in power i.e. not being in the political wilderness for 5 years
3. electoral reform is something that labour has also argued for (though much more halfheartedly than the lib dems); and by choosing to have a referendum, labour can show themselves to be "progressive" on this issue
4. labour has the benefit of appearing to be progressive, yet since it is a referendum, it does not automatically mean the lib dems will win the referendum on electoral reform (hence labour can still benefit from the "first past the post" system); and if the referendum fails to deliver lib dem's preferred outcome, Labour can still maintain it's progressive stance by appearing to be the party of "hey, at least we tried reform"

Xoxo and God bless

Maggie Gyllenhaal

2010-05-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

Love the hair!

She's one of my favourite style-setters.

Photographs from: www.style.com

Things I like (Spring 2010)

2010-04-11T07:42:00.000-07:00

What I like now

Kate Straw hat...

Some stuff from COS

A Gap tee...

The arty pattern is cool

An Erdem gown...

Loving the vintage-y look

A pretty River Island belt

Some more pretty things...this one is from Jcrew

Then back to my usual minimalist look...

So here are a couple of Reiss stuff

This should be available in every colour...especially grey, white, yellow, black and navy blue.

More minimalist chic from ADAM

How can one not love the draping of this skirt

A good basic pair of shorts from Topshop

RM by Roland Mouret dress

And of course, a couple of bags to finish off.

From Proenza Schouler

And Reiss

Photographs from: net-a-porter.com, cosstores.com, reiss.co.uk, instyle.co.uk, elleuk.com, gap.com, topshop.com, jcrew.com, shopadam.com

What I like...Artful draping

2010-04-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

COS

Oasis and Richard Nicoll

Topshop

More COS

To be accessorized with...

Loeffler Randall

Miss Selfridge

Topshop

Miss Selfridge

This would look nice attached to a hairband (from Coast).

Photographs from: www.cosstores.com, www.instyle.co.uk, www.net-a-porter.com, www.topshop.com

Spring pics are here II: Zara

2010-02-26T15:18:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-24T09:35:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-08T04:15:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-06T09:05:00.001-08:00

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

2010-02-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-02-01T11:25:00.001-08:00

I'm a bit on a roll today so I am going to do two posts, even though it's now 3.25am Singapore time.

I have certain brands that I put in my to-go list when scouring the pages of style.com for fashion updates. Lanvin, Balenciaga, 3.1 Philip Lim, Proenza Schouler and Hermes (must be the advancement in age...never thought I'd say this) are staples on my Luxe lust list. Thakoon? Not quite. It sits up there with Derek Lam and Alexander Wang---fashionable, yes, but if I only had 5 minutes of surfing time, I would give it a miss.

So my fascination with these dresses from Thakoon Addition---a new (non-diffusion! insists the designer) line---caught me by surprise. I first saw them on coutorture.com and it was the love. They're pretty, with enough drapes and bunching (I'm fond of these additions, especially when placed at an aesthetically pleasing spot) to keep it interesting. lagarconne.com (one of my favourite e-boutiques) carries a selection. These are the ones I like.

This is my favourite piece.

The prints, teh shape of the dress, the bunching and bits of draping...there's nothing I really dislike about it. Well, maybe the elastic smocking at the neck, but that's a small quibble. I don't think he added pockets though, but if he did, it would have been perfect!

Other pieces

The unique cut of this dress prevents the gym-issue grey from being dull. Instead, it would look very pretty with a cross-body bag. Something like this

Banana Republic and Hermes respectively.

Two quietly elegant (a key motif for me) tops

and a simple but beautiful white dress. In this case, just add a Hermes Birkin and grecian sandals for the luxe-boho look.

It looks better on the model

As you can see, it has a very 1920s vintage glamour. Reminds me somewhat of what Mira Sorvino wore in The Great Gatsby in the scene whereby her cousin Nick is first introduced to her.

Photographs from: lagarconne.com, instyle.co.uk and fashionphile.com

b'COS i love you...

2010-02-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

One thing I miss most about London is the availability of this particular brand---COS. For the uninitiated, COS stands for Collection of Style, and it is owned by the Hennes and Mauritz group, the same group that runs H&M and is the 3rd largest fashion conglomerate in the world, just behind GAP Inc and Inditex---the name behind Zara and Massimo Dutti.

Unlike H&M, COS is the anti-trend high street brand, prefering to stick to quality classics with a twist. Think Jil Stander, Helmut Lang, ck Calvin Klein and Balenciaga.

I didn't know of this brand until I started studying in London and saw it mentioned many times in Instyle UK. I thought the clothes rather stylish---the quietly elegant look that I love---and decided to seek out this elusive brand.

It was love at first sight.

Now that I'm back in Singapore, I still scout the brand's website every single day (yes, withdrawal symptoms are that bad) hoping to get a glimpse of their spring/summer 2010 collection. Unlike COS' menswear, where the key SS 2010 looks have been posted out, the same doesn't hold for womenswear.

Alas!

Still, there are some crumbs to keep me satisfied till they do their balldrop. So here goes my tribute to this fantastic FANTASTIC (anti)-high street brand that changed my style from more French Gamine to a more artsy, edgy mix.

These are some pictures of their shop in Covent Garden which I used to visit whenever I had time to spare. It was snuggled right next to Massimo Dutti---another of my favourite shops---so it was a match made in Heaven for me, especially since

1.my school was near Covent Garden.
2. my dorm was near enough Covent Garden---it was a short bus ride there, though I could walk if i chose to
3. Covent Garden was one of my favourite shopping haunts in London, especially for it's quaint cobbled stoned streets and it's slower pace, especially compared to Oxford Street (hate that area).

Won't you agree that the interior design is just gorgeous? I have rarely seen a shop (either high street or designer) so beautiful. The sales staff were very friendly too, particularly one Indonesian girl and this other British salesgirl. I don't know their names but I remember their faces and enjoyed their fantastic warm service. The British girl introduced me to this pair of cropped black pants---she said she had introduced it to many a shopper and they loved it---she can add me to the list of happy customers.

Two SS 2010 looks from them that I love love. Artsy and elegant.

These are from last year's winter collection. I especially like the look on the right---the bunching, the play on proportions (though I wouldn't have worn a black bra!). It's quite difficult to make a pair of such unusually shaped pants not look clownish, but this look just nails it. Quietly quirky.

This is also from last year's autumn/winter collection. I have a similar top---bought from them in 2008. The top is wool but the skirt is chiffon, so a nice mix of textures.

Anyway, for the new pieces out this week, there are...

very nice anorak. I can think of so many ways to pair this! Cropped pants with black platform pumps. With skinny navy blue or grey jeans and gold sandals. With crisp cream or white shorts and pretty K Jacques or Musa sandals.

Or these Balenciaga ones!

Then there are the nautical stripes...

I bought a dress that looks similar to the one on top last year. But somehow I think mine looks nicer. In my case, the placing of the stripes at the bodice is not linked to the stripes on the shoulders, thus breaking up the stripes---a look a prefer---as compared to the linking of the stripes in this dress.

The red and white stripes are very stereotypical French chic. Just add a beret and you're good to go.

Photographs from: cosstores.com, brownsfashion.com

Inspiration board!

2010-01-27T22:46:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged for ages. But recently, I've had a lot of time on my hands and have been looking forward to the new spring collections. Shopping was hardly any fun last season and I wandered the streets, bored by all the 80's references---a fashion decade I am not too keen on. So when I first saw the Spring/Summer 2010 collections on style.com last year, I was very pleased. Soft draping, neutrals, romanticism!

Bring it on! say I. Makes a nice (and long awaited) change from punk, acid wash and studs.

Currently I am feeling 1920s British seaside resort. Perhaps it is the warm yet breezy weather here in Singapore (before the humidity sets in later in the year), the quietness of the day and having lots of time on my hands to read and think that inspired this move.

Either that or it's the doses of Jeeves and Wooster and Hercule Poirot that I've been having. All that Art Deco furniture, sunny weather and gorgeous clothes!

E.g.

(from the Jeeves and Wooster series)

So this is what I imagine myself wearing:

I saw this on jcrew.com and immediately, I felt: this is it! Completely captures my mood, right up to the white fedora which, I am having a strange hankering for at the moment.

Other pieces which I currently favour are

Butterfly print dress from Ted Baker and ditzy floral jumpsuit from Topshop. I'm often wary about the quality of material from Topshop, but for trendiness, they're still hard to beat. These would look great with the aforementioned white fedora, and with beautiful gold low or high heeled sandals.

Or to further the 1920s vibe, one can add this

Black and white T-bars! (from Topshop)

Or if one wanted a more grungy look to juxtapose with all that resort-ish vibe, one could wear these instead:

I've always had a thing for suede boots, and these ankle ones---judging from the web photo---are just gorgeous (also from Topshop).

Other nice print dresses include these from French Connection

They're not bad, but I still prefer the first two picks.

Continuing with the easy-breezy vibe, I saw some shots of the Banana Republic Spring 2010 Collection that epitomised what I have been hankering for:

Some other pieces that capture this seaside resort/romantic vibe are these last season's Tulle tees from Jcrew.

I just love the rosette detailing. So very delicate.

I'm also partial to this blouse from Jcrew

Overall, I would pair all three tops with crisp white or cream shorts, and I would pair the rosette tee and the ruffled blouse with these skirts

(from Ted Baker)

(from New Look)

(from Banana Republic) I think it looks nicer on the model

Other things that I'm loving that fits with this theme:

Two other print dresses from Ted Baker. They're on a roll this season. Generally I only find one piece of interest per season, yet this time, I like four articles of clothing. Perhaps they have made changes to their design team?

(from Topshop)

In case it gets chilly...

(also from Topshop. Saw this in person and it was indeed lovely and prettier in fact than in the photo. The shiny yet muted gold and pink threads weren't captured so well in this picture.)

Two more looks:

Both from Banana Republic (another brand that I don't usually favour but whose Spring collection I am loving). I like the water coloured motifs---they look so serene.

And now for accessories to complete the ensemble:

Small satchels (Banana Republic, Ted Baker and Ted Baker respectively)

I've once seen these things described as part of the American foreign exchange student's uniform. That was quite an unflattering description. I suppose because I like these things and yet, I haven't met any very nice American foreign exchange student thus far, so I didn't like the association.

Then for those who have lots to carry around there are the larger satchels

(from Banana Republic)

and THIS!

the Oversized Alexa from Mulberry

I went to the Mulberry store hoping to get one but alas! here in Singapore they only had the leopard print version and not the classic oak version. What was worse was that even Net-a-Porter had run out of the Oversized Alexa in this colour. I shall just have to wait for NaP to restock.

A side word about Mulberry. 'tis my favourite handbag brand. I don't like Louis Vuitton and I think Chanel is now a tad too ubiquitous. I missed out on the Croc Print Suede Bayswater in Grey last season so I was hoping to get this one instead but alas the Singapore store didn't bring it in. I shall just have to wait till it is available online.

The only other bag I am loving is the Hermes Kelly Bag (the small sized one). I saw this young lady sling it ala messanger bag and I liked that look very much---expensive bag carried with an air of insouciance. I'll blog about bag lust in another post.

Finally, two little accessories to complete the look.

First up, cute little flower ring from Topshop

And Art Deco inspired bangle from French Connection

So that's about all for now. Till then!

Photographs from: elleuk.com, topshop.com, jcrew.com, bananarepublic.com, mulberry.com. Screen caps from youtube.

what he wears

2008-01-26T04:46:00.000-08:00

So right, I am supposed to be working on my research work now---about 5000 words to hand up to a certain person this friday---but instead, while checking my emails, I came across a picture of a male model in a cool black tee, and suddenly, I have decided to dress up (mentally of course) that certain person.

What can I say.

The image that started it all... For some reason, this picture emailed to me from Revolve Clothing (http://www.revolveclothing.com/) sparked off a thought in my head: what if that certain person wore something like this. You see, he likes wearing tees off duty (at least on both counts when I met him outside work), and both times his tees were white, and, erm, a bit boring. To be fair, he can compose his clothes rather nicely---no awful colour clashes, everything's pretty neat etc---but I just wondered how he would look if he decided just to spice things up a bit fashionwise. Afterall, he's maintained himself rather well---no beer bellys, saggy or dry skin. And cos he's really fair, I figured that he would look nice in black, or at least darker colours, which he seems to eschew in favour of whites and khakis. Again nothing wrong, but why not something different right?

So he could wear this Project E tee (http://www.revolveclothing.com/)! I love the "reuse" wording cos in his particular line of work, erm, reusing certain things without permission is extremely forbidden.

Also nice is this (from Gap, http://www.gap.com/)

The dark colour, as mentioned above, would look great on his nice fair skin. Plus since he's slim, the tee would drape nicely without any offending beer belly's spoiling the silhouette. And cos he's pretty conservative and I'm guessing, doesn't like to attract attention to what he wears, the subtle graphics on this tee would fit him to...a T.

This striped tee (from CNC Costume National, http://www.revolveclothing.com/) is nice too especially cos I think the nautica look would look nice on him. Especially when paired with his beloved khaki though I would suggest khaki bermudas rather than khaki pants.

But if he MUST stick to white (some men, not saying him, can be very stubborn---girls, if you're using this post for ideas on how to dress up your guy, especially if he's a slob, take this piece of advice: change things slowly. For instance, he only wears boring white tees, but you want him to wear a graphic black tee, and he absolutely refuses, start with a graphic white tee, then compliment him (very important!), then after he has gotten used to the graphic white tee, then push on from there to graphic cream tee--> graphic blue tee---> and finally graphic black tee, showering lots and lots of compliments at the same time. That should work. If not, call your relationship therapist.)

So yar, er, back to white tees.

This is nice (from Energie, http://www.revolveclothing.com/). Very melancholic yet poignant graphics. Would suit his taste in artistic finery.

And then there's this (from Banana Republic, http://www.bananarepublic.com/)

Nice and erm white, and aptly describes his job in a rather cool way. Would work for those casual saturdays where he has to go to his office.

And of course, since casual (I almost typed causal...freudian slip heh) tees look best with bermudas, I thoughtfully added some here.

These two Abercrombie (http://www.abercrombie.com/) shorts go nicely with the aforementioned tees.

For guys who don't like the button fly and ribbon combination, there are these more conservative zipper and bottom berms from Topman (http://www.topman.com/) and Jcrew (http://www.jcrew.com/) respectively.

Ok, I didn't add any cargo bermudas cos I don't particularly like them. I find them a bit sloppy, especially when the pockets haven't been properly starched or have been filled with huge wallets that just cause the pockets to bulge out at the sides, which just spoils the crisp and streamlined, but still casual look. So yeah, in my book, cargo bermudas are usually a no. Especially when they are of army fatigue prints.

For a slightly more formal take on the casual look (yes, fashion oxymoron, but you know what I mean), there is of course, the ubiquitous polo shirt, which I personally believe have been manufactured and marketed to save satorically lazy men from themselves. I mean like, how wrong can you go with a polo tee (actually you'd be surprised, some people can still falter at this very basic stage), but generally, it's a fail-safe option.

Anyway, back to that certain person. So I've picked these polo tees for him:

from Jcrew, http://www.jcrew.com/)

(also from Jcrew, http://www.jcrew.com/)

(from Massimo Dutti, http://www.massimodutti.com/)

Horizontal striped tees are usually a good bet. They broaden the chest and shoulders (according to Time Magazine, women are usually attracted to men with broader shoulders...something to do with evolutionary psychology. Go figure, or read the article for yourself), and the nautica look, in my opinion, is always classicaly chic.

Thicker rugby stripes, such as this tee from Polo Ralph Lauren (http://www.polo.com/)

are also a good alternative, and give a very, what else, sporty vibe.

And then we have the plain polos tees...

(both from Abercrombie, http://www.abercrombie.com/)

Because he's fair skinned and slim, he would look nice in almost every colour, but I especially like these baby blue and pastel pink shades as they give a very soft look, which I feel would suit his gentle demeanor quite nicely.

But of course, darker shades would do just as well, and while the black polo will always be an easy option, I think this dusky blue colour is a far more interesting choice (from Gap, http://www.gap.com/), particularly when paried with a darker shade of khaki or even brown bermudas.

Erm, since he usually wears short sleeved shirts to work everyday, I tried not to include too many of such options here cos the point of this post is to about him moving away from his usual pieces right? But anyway, here's one (from Banana Republic, http://www.bananarepublic.com/).

The grey colour is a fresher option than black, and would look nice with cream coloured berms. I tried to find pictures of such short sleeved shirts in pastels---but I couldn't and was too lazy to search summore---cos I think they would also complement this skin tone and to some extent, his personality. Oxford blue, baby blue and light pink would look nice I think.

There is also the long-sleeved option (from Gap, http://www.gap.com/)

which can be dressed down with berms, though given his slim physique, I think he should roll up the sleeves to prevent him from looking skinnier. White tee worn inside is optional. This oxford blue shade is beautiful and espouses quiet elegance, the latter being always chic in my book.

Finally if he gets cold (like my friend said..."you think of everything"), there are these jackets/sweaters.

This jacket (from Massimo Dutti, http://www.massimodutti.com/) is nice and sporty, while remaining quite classy (usually the two don't go together) and the hood is useful for those rainy days.

On the other hand, if he just wants something nice to snuggle into (don't we all sometimes?), there is this cosy looking option from Gap.

(http://www.gap.com/)

And finally, shoes and accessories.

Besides its utilitarian fuctions, shoes are very crucial in making or breaking a person's, whether male or female, outside. I can't count the number of times I have shuddered at seeing a guy pairing his jeans or khakis with track shoes. Now I'm not talking about those cool sneakers you see at Hogan, Louis Vuitton or Onisuka Tigers, but rather, those trainers that should only be worn for exercise and on no other occassion. But of course, unless it's my boyfriend or brother commiting such a fashion faux pas, I'm usually too polite to point it out.

If trainers are banned, and dress shoes are out, what does a guy wear off duty? I usually recommend moccasins or sandals. And no, not those camping or trekking sandals (actually you shouldn't wear sandals for trekking...might get bitten by a horrible ... (insert your chosen insect) ), but the nice leather ones.

But I digress.

For moccasins, I think these two brown pairs from Jcrew (http://www.jcrew.com/) fit the casual but not sloppy bill.

Usually I would not recommend suede (for those not in the know, suede is the velvety type of leather e.g. Jcrew pair no. 2) because it has a tendency to get dirty and soggy easily, but this pair is too pretty to exclude.

As for sandals, I like these

(from Gap, http://www.gap.com/)

(also from Gap, http://www.gap.com/)

(from Jeffrey Fitzhugh, http://www.revolveclothing.com/)

(from Jcrew, http://www.jcrew.com/)

Personally, I prefer the tong sandal, sometimes known as the slipper, to other forms of sandals as they tend to elongate the leg, thus giving a sleeker look. Flip flops are totally out in this case, as he is of a certain age and shouldn't be seen running around in them, though a well-chosen pair of Havaianas would be excusable.

As for accessories, I have here the belt, sunglasses, watch and bracelet.

For the belt, given that it is for casual wear, he should stay away from boring work-ish black ones and go for one in nice brown leather. A man of his age should stay far far away from canvas belts in of all permutations.

These two are from Jcrew (http://www.jcrew.com/) and I chose them because I like their rich brown colours---classy as opposed to dirty looking.

As for sunglasses, they add a nice touch of pizzazz to an casual outfit. Aviators are best because they are perenially chic, elegant and fit a variety of face shapes. I like these ones best:

(from Banana Republic, http://www.bananarepublic.com/)

(from Jcrew, http://www.jcrew.com/)

(from Massimo Dutti, http://www.massimodutti.com/)

Then there is the watch.

Since last year, I have noticed that he has a very nice watch. It's a leather camel-coloured one and I've been secretly wanting one ever since, even more so now that my current brown leather one is a bit spoilt and I haven't gone and fixed it yet. Perhaps I should ask him where he got his.

Anyhow, if he wants a change of wrist wear, this Massimo Dutti piece (http://www.massimodutti.com/) would be a good option. Come to think of it, I should get it for myself if it's available. Or just go fix my current one.

And last but not least, this is a long short, but if he ever finds wearing a watch too boring, there is always the bracelet.

This is from Massimo Dutti (http://www.massimodutti.com/) and I like the double strands, and the brown, rope and metal combination.

A final note: While this post was created with him in mind, I think it can be easily adopted by many other guys out there, especially those in search of a casual look that doesn't look a) slobby b) overly funky c) boring.

And now back to women's wear. I mean, my research. Phew.

Photographs from: http://www.bananarepublic.com/, http://www.gap.com/, http://www.jcrew.com/, http://www.massimodutti.com/, http://www.polo.com/, http://www.revolveclothing.com/, http://www.topman.com/

Topshop 2

2008-01-24T10:18:00.001-08:00

Spring clothes are gradually hitting the stores. My favourite fashion boutique, Massimo Dutti, finally had their Spring stuff arriving in the droves (at last!). Sadly, Massimo's website has not yet been upgraded to showcase these new changes. And Banana Republic, French Connection, and Gap---the stores, together with Massimo, I frequent the most in Singapore---have only showed little or none of their new wares online. The only store that I often patronise that has kept things fresh is Topshop. And fortunately, this season's wares are much improved from last year's.

Furthermore, a friend who reads my blog has mentioned how my previous post on Topshop has got her all excited about Topshop again (yes, the previous season was that bad) and since she has started being more creative fashionwise, this blog post on Topshop's new (and nicer) wares is dedicated to her. Unless stated otherwise, all the clothes featured here are from http://www.topshop.com/. Here's to you Jen!

So let's start with dresses. While last year was definitely the year of the dress, and this year supposedly the year of the skirt, I'd hate to see the dress regulated to a lesser role, especially with such pretty ones around like these...

Such gorgeous tea dresses! They might not be 100% cotton or silk (which are usually my prefer choices of material) but, ahem, unless one has a grumpy "boss" that makes you work day in day out and would blast you if your work falls short of expecations, how can one resist trooping down to a Topshop boutique to try on these lovely things.

If these are too feminine, there are these two options.

I particularly love the swing dress on the right. I have a similar one at home from Massimo Dutti which has embellishments around the collar, but this plainer option is sweet too. Particularly when paired with a cool jacket like this one (by Free People at http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/).

The white and blue combination is nice, classic but still very gamine and would look great either with heels or ballet flats. This jacket would also fit nicely with the aforementioned tea dresses to create a nice 1940s inspired look---polished but not staid, just the way I like it.

As for the grey dress on the left of the blue swing dress, I can imagine wearing it to school paired with pointy toe kitten heels or ballet flats. It's especially good for those days where there's lots of errands to be done, but one does not want to sacrifice style in the process. Heh.

As for tops, I am partial to these:

Feminine without being overly girly or diabetically sweet, these can be easily paired with jeans (bootcut, flared, skinny, straight), shorts or crops, or slim fitting trousers. I especially like the details such as the pleats and tiers---makes things more interesting. Do note that due to the rather flow-y shape, i think they'll look better with something more fitting at the bottom as compared to wide-legged trousers.

I think these two grey pants would go great with the first two tops, while the white jeans would look great with the second and third.

As for these crops, I think they would pair nicely with all three tops.

This pair of shorts would also fit well, especially when paired with sandals for something casual but still classy.

Then there are these two sleeved tops...

The one on the left is nice and vintage-y, while the one on the right has that cool sporty vibe. This time, I'd rather pair them with crops or shorts, as opposed to full length jeans or pants to keep the look young and fresh.

And since it's supposed to be the year of the skirt, I thought I'd throw this in for good measure.

Very Luella---the floral prints, ruffles and tiers. For something as girly as this, to prevent oestrogen overload, I suggest pairing it with a plain white or black tee or tank for a nice juxtaposition. Come to think of it, a rocker/band tee would provide a great contrast to the sweetness below. Girly punk. Hurhur.

And finally I couldn't help but add this...

Gorgeous capped-toe ballet flat. Love the patent detail and the bow. Somehow I find ballet flats without some form of embellishment on the top, be it bow, jewel etc a bit too plain. I love ballet flats, especially black patent ones---got two of these at home---but am now thinking of diversifying my collection and I've got three new pairs in mind. This would make the fourth.

Hope you like this Jen. God bless.

Photographs from: www.topshop.com, www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk

Change?

2008-01-11T08:40:00.000-08:00

To say change is ubiqutious is a little of an oxymoron, but that's how things are like in this early part of 2008, especially with ahem, a few good (wo)men of a certain country, appearing daily on the news, tirelessly rush around calling for changes to be made in their country, and presumably, given their country's superpower stature, to the rest of the world as well. A little closer home, I have heard from the grapevine that some of my friends are now sporting rather different looks---tanner, shorter hair etc. As for myself, my fashion choices have also undergone a...(let's all say it) change.

Or has it.

Recently I was out with my sister walking along, where else, the shopping boulevards of Orchard Road, when I told her that my new favourite fashion labels are now "Banana Republic, alldressedup, and as usual Massimo Dutti. I think I have outgrown Topshop". She agreed and said "yes, we have not been frequenting that place for quite some time". To me, Topshop designs were getting tacky, and the choice of material poor, creasing easily and generally looking shoddily made. Their former ability to churn out trendy fast fashions that were of relatively (it is still the high street we're talking about) good quality and design had seemingly vanished. Or changed... for the worse.

Still, I may have spoken too soon. A shopping detour last Thursday with mum took us to Isetan Scotts where, having nothing much to do, I trooped up to Topshop on the 3rd floor to while away my time till she was ready to leave. And then all that I used to love about Topshop came calling to me from the clothes racks.

Take these two tops for instance. I just love them. Currently I'm into billowy tops that I can wear with skinny trousers or jeans, or shorts. And this is just perfect. I'm thinking of picking up them today when I wake up.

Then there's this tie-dye piece. Again, the billowy silhouette. I saw this on the Topshop website and have yet to try it, but it looks nice. And it's 100% cotton too, which means it will feel much softer on the skin than those cotton-vicose, or 100% vicose pieces. To be paired with crisp shorts and gorgeous sandals, like these Steve Madden (http://www.stevemadden.com/) ones.

Also nice was this tie-dye top.

The fit is really great. Slouchy enough without being unflatteringly baggy (there is a fine line between slouchy and billowy cool, and looking just sloppy and baggy: a fine line but it's there alright). I tried this piece and found it to be quite translucent, so a cami underneath might be necessary. Would go perfect w skinny fits on the bottom, but would also look great w trouser-cuts, though for the latter, unless you're very tall, heels are a must to keep the look long and lean.

Here are some other tops that I liked. Found them online and am eager to see them in the stores.

As you can tell, the slouchy-cool look is my current favourite. I have a knack for guessing trends---usually (not always but most of the time) what I yearn for now, I will see magazines declaring it the "latest trend" about a month later, so yeah, that's my secret to stay ahead of the fashion curve, girls.

This silk blouse is also very pretty. Simple but still quietly espouses nautical chic. I like!

Then there are these 2 lovely tees from Olly & Suzi for Topshop.

As I cannot stand slogan tees, and don't like tees with sexual innuendos on them, these two tees are perfect for their whimsical, yet edgy, depiction of animals. I particularly like the dark green one. It would go great with skinny dark grey jeans and a blazer like this one (also from topshop.com)

The clean cut of the blazer keeps it from distracting and overwhelming the gorgeous prints on the tee, forming a nice juxtaposition of edgy but sleek.

Finally, there are these trouser options.

As the nautical and the flared looks are still going strong, you can still get plently of use for these elegant pieces, especially since their pared down form easily gives them evergreen status.

Changes in the air for 2008? Perhaps, but sometimes, oldies are still goodies. Especially when it comes to fashion.

Photographs from: www.topshop.com, www.stevemadden.com

Autumn tops

2007-09-14T03:45:00.000-07:00

Pants are a huge trend this autumn. Skinny ones, wide legs, jodphurs... you name it autumn has it. But as everyone knows, pants can't be worn alone. Hence this post: pretty slinky tops to go with pants.

First up...pussy bow blouses. They've come back in a big way since lady-like is way to go this fall. Hitchock-chic, secretary chic... these are just some of the names given to this certain trend that highlights pussy-bow blouses.

These two are from Fendi and Mulberry respectively (both net-a-porter.com) and while you can wear them tucked into a pencil skirt, I rather pair them tucked out with slim cut black tuxedo trousers (add a clutch) for date night, or tucked into wide-leg pants with a thin brown leather belt for school or work.

E.g. Something like this pair from Banana Republic (bananarepublic.com)

A word about these two brands. I am not exactly a fan of either, usually labelling them as being too old-ish for me, especially for Fendi. To me it was the less hip version of Chanel and targets an older set. And even regarding Fendi's handbags which are seen on the arms of many a starlet, I haven't been particularly fond of most of them, save perhaps, for the Fendi B bag. However, I have been pleasantly surprised by Karl Lagerfeld's designs for Fendi this season. Some of them are very wear-able for my age set (i.e 21).

Another nice long-sleeved top, albeit not in the same lady-like style as shown above is this one by Elijah (revolveclothing.com)

I love the collar detail. Interesting but still subtle.

Here's a closer view:

As this top is rather voluminous, it has to be paired with a more fitted bottom. So here, think skinny crops, especially those ankle-length ones or skinny pants. These are from Gap (gap.com).

Or even jeans. Just keep the choice of pants fitted so as to keep the silhouette slim.

Next up: sleeveless tops.

I really like this one from Stella McCartney (net-a-porter.com). It's just so cute and very French gamine. I can see myself pairing this with black cuffed-shorts, ballet flats and a chain strapped handbag. This top would also look really good with ankle-length skinny pants like the Gap pair above. Actually, it can pretty much match anything---wide legs or skinnies, crops or shorts and anything in between. This top is just so pretty!

I also fancy this one from Chloe (net-a-porter.com).

Jewel tones are very "in" this autumn and this ruby red is very elegant. The detailed collar also serves to make it unique, but doesn't distract from the overall look of the piece.

Then there's this top from Development (net-a-porter.com).

It's paired with jeans here, which is nice, but I'd prefer to pair this with black slim cut pants ala the Banana Republic one shown above. For working ladies, this is a perfect day-to-night top, just pair with black slim cut pants and a blazer for day, and take off the blazer and add a clutch for night for an outfit that while elegant, isn't boring. But this top is versatile and would fit very well as part of a weekend wardrobe. Just swap the black pants for shorts or crops, or yes, even jeans.

From long-sleeved to no sleeves, we now turn proceed to short sleeves (I'm starting to sound like a museum guide).

The one on the top is from Vanessa Bruno (net-a-porter.com). A high-street alternative can be found at Topshop Boutique (bottom, topshop.com) . I simply love the grey colour and those angel sleeves. Very flattering those type of sleeves I tell you. Makes your arms look really thin. Again, because of the voluminous proportions, keep the bottom slim and you should be fine. Perhaps pair with tuxedo pants, a nice pendant necklace and one of those leather bombers in camel brown that are so in vogue now? Or dress down by pairing it with shorts (preferably white and tailored), and I'm thinking either Hogan-esque sneakers or bejewelled sandals.

I am esepcially liking these two Hogan pairs (top, hoganonline.co.uk; bottom, raffaellow-network.com) .

Then there are these kimono-esque tops. They are from Little Joe by Gail Elliott (net-a-porter), and Topshop (topshop.com) respectively.

The Little Joe by Gail Elliott top is much more fancy but it can still be worn for day time, just pair with slim jeans, crops or tailored shorts. And to amp up the glam factor, pair with slim cut black pants for night.

These two are also by Little Joe by Gail Elliott (net-a-porter.com) and Topshop (topshop.com) respectively, although this time, it's by Topshop Unique in particular. They are much more structured than the other short sleeved tops featured, so they can be paired with wide-legs without being overly voluminous. This pair from Gap (gap.com) is would do nicely.

Finally, there are these last two tops from Topshop and Chloe respectively.

While smock tops may be a bit too summer-ish, for people who want to wear skinnies or slim cut pants but are afraid of it being unflattering, having a billowing top can do wonders in alleviating the unflattering factor. So maybe give this Topshop piece a try. I added the Chloe piece because I loved the cowl style collar. This is again one of those fabulous day to night, weekend to weekday tops which can be dressed up or down based on, in this case, the changing of pants. Black slim cut pants for a work (and maybe post-work cocktails), while short or crops would do great for the weekend.

Photographs from: www.net-a-porter.com, www.revolveclothing.com, www.gap.com, www.bananarepublic.com, www.topshop.com, www.hoganonline.co.uk, www.raffaello-network.com

Autumn 07 Fashion

2007-08-27T04:16:00.000-07:00

Finally! The autumn clothes have come in and boy! am i excited. So much so that even while doing my readings, I sometimes think about what I want to get. Reason being that while summer is mainly about casual dressing, autumn has always been more about understated elegance, which probably best describes, at least for most of the time, my kind of asthetic. In other words, to me, autumn's shopping options tend to be much more appealing, hence the reason for my excitement. Teeheehee.

First up: Tops (we must be systematic no?)

There are plenty of nice pants and jeans out in the market now---skinny, wide-leg, high-waisted etc and these call for pretty tops to match with. Among my favourites are these two monochrome tops by Tibi and Derek Lam respectively (both from http://www.net-a-porter.com/).

They are just the perfect mix of classy yet girly and oh so chic. I can totally see myself wearing these with skinny black pants (preferably long, rather than cropped, for a more streamlined look), or with dark wash jeans. I am rather fond of the recent crop of Asian designers---3.1 Philip Lim, Derek Lam, Peter Som and Thakoon---as I like their asthetic: elegant but not stuffy, highly wear-able and quietly cool. Derek Lam is currently the creative director of Tods, one of my favourite brands, and I hope to see his, as well as the other aforementioned designers, stature rise in a fashion scene mainly dominated by Westerners. Not that I am biased against Westerners of course. I love my Miu Miu and Chanel very much. But it'll be nice to see the big fashion houses, and by that I mean Gucci, Louis and Chanel etc having Asian creative directors some time in the future.

Next is this lovely jewel toned Miu Miu piece (from http://www.net-a-porter.com/). Did I not mention I love my Miu Miu? Heh.

The rich colour and the and beautiful pleats makes this a lovely not-so-basic take on a simple top. Again, I would pair this with skinny pants, or skinny or bootcut jeans for a nice movie/dinner date out. Or if I'm just doing errands around town, perhaps with a pair of white shorts and one of those beautiful patent ballet flats that I featured in a previous post. Either that or embellished sandals---it is hot here in Singapore, though the weather is starting to get cooler. For a more affordable take on the jewel-toned top, check out Banana Republic (http://www.bananarepublic.com/). There is a good selection of silk tops in rich colours that are versatile enough for work or for cocktails.

This pair of J brand jeans (from http://www.revolveclothing.com/) would go very nicely with the tops featured above. The inky wash and the streamline fit match well with the paired down elegance theme of the tops.

Another top that caught my fancy was this long-sleeved collared sweater by Robert Rodriguez (http://www.revolveclothing.com/).

While it is probably meant to be worn over a top, I think this would look great just by itself, especially for school where the classrooms are often really chilly. And because the collar is attached to the sweater, it removes unnecessary bulk which might occur when this look is achieved by pairing a long sleeved collared shirt underneath a sweater.

Then there is this tee from 2k by Gingham (http://www.revolveclothing.com/) that I found quite cute.

It seems quite out of place given the relative dressy-ness of the other tops featured, but I haven't bought a tee for quite some time and this looks pretty nice. It doesn't have like angsty motifs or sexually-themed slogans, and it isn't cloyingly cute either. Which suits me just fine.

Moving right along, we have the dresses.

This is from Richard Ruiz (http://www.activeendeavors.com/) and it looks very easy to wear. The voluminous shape is good for those bloated days (girls you know what I mean) where everything else doesn't seem to fit right. Just throw it on, pair with pointy-toed kitten heels and you're good to go. I also like the fact that it has pockets, which somehow, always make dresses a wee bit cooler.

Another nice black dress is this one by Ella Moss (http://www.revolveclothing.com/).

The first picture isn't very clear so I added the close-up shot. Like the Richard Ruiz piece, it's again one of those slouchy, easy to wear dresses. I like the kimono-esque vibe of this piece: the deep-v neck and the oversized sleeves are sure to flatter, while the short hemline gives this a casual feel.

Also sold at http://www.revolveclothing.com/is this H Fredriksson piece.

The black and brown combintaion give the floral prints a cool noir-ish vibe. I can imagine myself pairing this with ballet flats and wearing it to school. It's just so fuss-free without compromising on the chic factor.

But for the times I want to dress up, maybe because there is some event or something, there is this oh-so-pretty Jill Stuart dress (http://www.net-a-porter.com/).

Most formal dresses tend to come across as being for a much older set, but this one is refreshingly young and sweet---not over the top sweet, but of a more tasteful variety. I guess it's cos while the short hemline and the bow give the dress the nice girly touch, the pale colour and the overall simplicity ensures that the sweetness is nicely balanced out. To be paired with peep-toe or patent (or maybe both) pumps.

And when I want to look demure (bats eyelids) , there is this tea-dress with floral prints from Urban Outfitters.

The silhouette is very 1930s. Just add a bonnet or cloche hat and a jacket like this:

From Milly (http://www.shopbop.com/).

The jacket is more 1950s-ish though. Still, paired together, the dress and the jacket, with the addition of a nice pair of pumps, would be a beautiful projection of glamour.

But back to the jacket.

I LOVE these kind of structured jackets. They are just up the elegance factor of whatever you are wearing, even if it just a tee and jeans (please pair with appropriate footwear though), and also because they harken back to an era of glamour. Such as this:

(from Instyle Magazine August 2007 Issue) Isn't it just wonderful?

I also like this cardigan from 3.1 Philip Lim. It'll look great when paired with an LBD for a dinner party at some chichi restaurant.

As the dress cardi is already very embellished, keep the rest of the outfit simple. Don't want to overdo the bling.

Photographs from: www.revolveclothing.com, www.activeendeavors.com, www.shopbop.com, www.net-a-porter.com, www.urbanoutfitters.com, Instyle Magazine.

Luv and Joy

2007-08-06T23:27:00.001-07:00

My godma's gone off to Canada and now I feel lonely. I think somewhere along the way, I've picked up this habit of hanging around with older people. Like I talk to my peers online, but I hang out with those mainly of the 40 something age set. Something about their presence that I find comforting. Like they know what they're doing. At least most of the time. So this post is dedicated to my darling godma and her 2 dogs Luv and Joy.

This is Luv (pronounced Love). He came with a pedigree cert saying that he is a chihuahua, but I think he looks like a mix between a chihuahua and a pomernarian. Luv is very smart. The vet said he has a big brain, and Luv understands English. If you mention the words "by" or "I've got to go" in his presence, he starts to bark. He doesn't like it when people leave.

Then there is Joy:

Joy is a year younger than Luv and is a chihuahua. Somehow, he reminds me of a little fox---I think it's his fawn colour and his pointy ears. He is extremely active (ie cannot really sit still) but very affectionate. Rather kiasu but he is nonetheless a very happy dog and is often seen smiling.

Back to school cool

2007-08-05T23:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so school starts in a week! That means back to school clothes---Teen Vogue leads the pack with the editorials (i'm biased. Heh. It's the only teen magazine that i can say i really like). However, with many stores still displaying the summer sale stock, a sizeable part of the Autumn/Winter '07 collections have yet to be made available for sale.

But who cares when the web has so many lovely offers right? Here are some of my favourites.

Dresses! These from Rachel Pally are sold at shopbop.com. 2007 has been the year of the dress, not only in the fashion books, but for me personally. Excluding my school uniform years, I can safely say that I've never worn dresses so often in my life before, and these aforementioned dresses are just great. Simple yet stylish, they make for fuss free fashion in school, with a skimming but not too tight silhouette. I also love the way they are paired with classy-chic ballet flats.

I'm also loving these 2, from C&C California (shopbop.com) and Lux (urbanoutfitters.com) respectively. The C&C piece is demure without being overly girly---more gamine than prissy---yet still age appropriate (you so don't want to look like a young adult dressed in kids clothes). Would look great paired with a swing jacket/cardigan, nice ballet flats or pointy toe kitten heels, a hairband and a fresh face.

The Lux piece is the right mix of pared down (black colour, pan collar details) and snazzy (i'm loving the zipper). For this piece, I think it stands out nicely on its own so no need for fussy accessorising. And please, no biker boots---that's just too predictable.

Then there are these French Connection dresses (fcukbuymail.com). I don't really like the purple one though. Much prefer the black. While they're not exactly very imaginative, I like them for their simplicity and for those days that I'm just too lazy to choose something appropriate. Or when I'm in a rush. Just put this one, pair with pointy toe-d kitten heels (my school staple) and I'm good to go.

Finally there's this Vena Cava piece (revolveclothing.com) that reminds me of those 1920s flapper dresses that I like. This is good for days where I have to rush to a function or dinner straight from school and have no time to change into something dressier. It's pared down enough for school because its black and has a sleek shift shape, but has got enough detailing to make it interesting enough for an event. So yup, this works.

Moving on, there is the other school staple---jeans. Notice how all back-to-school issues (well at least those in American magazines) always feature jeans? Well cos most students live in them, and not without reason too. It is practical, comfy, and with so many cuts and varities out there, you're sure to find the right one for you. I'm currently loving these:

All 3 are from French Connection and I like both the cutting (a flattering bootcut) and the inky washes (very Autumn season). The one on the far right is in a lighter wash, and it's for those rocker tee, jeans and sneaker days.

I'm currently liking ankle jeans/pants too. They make your legs look really slim and have this Audrey Hepburn-esque vibe about them. This pair is from River Island (riverisland.com). Again I'll probably pair this with my pointy toe-d kitten heel mules. I have like 3 pairs for school---2 from Andre Valentino and 1 from Anne Klein---and I always wear them cos they're just so versatile. The small heel and the covered toes make them somewhat formal, while the mule design makes for comfortable wear. Back to the jeans: to be paired with a billowy top, or a polo and vest. Or maybe with just the polo alone. Heh.

For shorts, I'm liking these 2.

These are from Abercrombie (abercrombie.com) and French Connection (fcukbuymail.com) respectively. I'm not really on the lookout for shorts---I've got quite a collection---but these 2 caught my eye. I like the preppy plaids of the Abercrombie one. Would go easily with a plain white short sleeved turtleneck or just with a white tank. As for the French Connection piece, it's nice and slouchy, without being unkempt. I'd pair it with this:

From Lux at Urban Outfitters. I think it will match very well with the shorts colour-wise, and also because it will soften up the shorts.

As for skirts, I've only got this denim mini from Abercrombie listed cos I don't really wear skirts to school and I'm very content with my own denim mini.

Still, this is not too bad---it's got a nice cut and wash.

Then there are the tops.

These are from Topshop and French Connection respectively and I like the edgy colours and the billowy shapes. Would go nicely with the aforementioned jeans, with neutral coloured shorts (black, biege, white) or even with a denim mini. Remember that with billowy tops, keep the bottom part of your outfit streamlined!

I find this piece quite fascinating too. Mainly for the lantern sleeves. French Connection had this in a dress version last season, and now as a top, I think it works very well too. Would look chic with white shorts---I like the monochrome look.

And for a splash of colour, there are these French Connection tees.

Again, I'm not really liking the purple top, but the black one's cool. Very art deco.

Finally there are the shoes. I'm currently into embellished ballet flats, and-guess what-so is Lucky Magazine!

This pair is from Juicy Couture (revolveclothing.com), which I think is getting better and better at design. They're actually producing nice sleek things and not just terry/velour sweat suits.

And finally, these:

Both are from Ferragamo. Gosh, I never thought the day would come when I would actually say I like Ferragamo. I used to associate them with "old" and like frumpy cos most of the pairs I saw were those with chunky heels. But now, quite tellingly, I find them quite cool, especially those mules/pumps with sleeker heels and the workmanship is excellent. But of course. These are chic and elegant---easy to wear for school---and the heel of the latter isn't too high so it's good for walking around.

Photographs from: www.fcukbuymail.com, www.ferragamo.com, www.revolveclothing.com, www.urbanoutfitters.com, www.abercrombie.com, www.shopbop.com, www.riverisland.com, www.topshop.com

Of summer in Shanghai

2007-07-26T00:38:00.000-07:00

Day 6

Last day in Shanghai, and the Sun Yat-Sen museum still remains unvisited. But at least this time, I know roughly where it is and how it looks like, so the probability of me getting lost is low. I quickly get out of bed, change and go downstairs. James is on duty today and I ask him to help me write out in Chinese the name of the Sun Yat-Sen museum and the exact address. He does, with much neater handwriting, and Mummy and I head on outside.

The Sun Yat-Sen museum is as crowded as the Soong Ching Ling museum---in museum speak, it means less crowded than the Shanghai Museum but more crowded than the CCP and Shikumen museums. We see Sun's medical kit, the English books he wrote---one about the French Revolution and another about strategies for the development of China---his letters (my his handwriting is VERY neat, and yes, because my handwriting is rather messy, I tend to go around admiring people with neat handwriting). And Sun Yat-Sen is one of them neat handwriters.

As I look at his photographs, a passage from the book "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" comes to mind: "he was a Goodnight Moon (Brown, 1947). Goodnight Moons had duvet eyes, shadowy eyelids, a smile like a hammock and a silvered, sleepy countenance that most people wore only during the few minutes prior to sleep, but which the Goodnight Moon sported all day and well into the evening. Goodnight Moons could be male or female and were universally adored."(Pessl, 67) Now Sun Yat-Sen has a sleepy countenance. In fact, though he was an active person, in all his photographs, he looks strangely sleepy. I figure he must be a Goodnight Moon as he fits the next requirement of a Goodnight Moon---that of being universally adored. So adored that Taiwan, mainland China and the overseas Chinese regard him as a hero, Father of the Chinese Revolution etc.

Sun at age 17 and age 52, respectively. A Goodnight Moon?

Mummy as usual finishes looking faster than I am, mainly because I make it a point to read and close read every single thing write up in museums. A peculiar habit of mine, but I like to study the way people write history, and lots of times, the way the captions are written tell as much as what is being written. You just need to read closely. That no mention is made here of Sun's first wife, is also telling. I finish viewing the exhibits in the museum, and head on out to look for my mum.

I find her talking to a security guard outside. My mum is the best networker I have ever come across. In fact, she should write her own version of "How to win friends and influence people". I have yet to meet a person that doesn't really like her. Ever Miss Popularity, she won (or was a runner up) in a beauty pageant in university. Everyone seems to take a liking to her, at least that is how I view it. I say hi to the security guard and he tells us that the building next to the museum (both are within the same compound) is Sun's actually house. So we go and have a look. Again, we have to put on the plastic protective coverings over our shoes as we venture into his house.

Or Soong Ching Ling's house to be exact. Turns out that this was her house (the couple stayed in here in Shanghai), which she gave to the Chinese government to use as a Sun Yat-Sen museum when Sun had died. In return, the Chinese government gave her another house, which, upon her death, has also been turned into a museum. Basically, the way the museum for famous people thingy goes is like this: Original house is preserved just the way it was the day that person died. Next to original house is the exhibition hall where all the historical documents are kept. Both are within the same compound which is called a "gu ju". I'm not sure what gu ju actually means, but I figure I'd just call it museum. In the CCP museum's case, the original meeting site is preserved, and next to it is the exhibition hall, and once again, both original site and exhibition hall are in the same compound. Mr Lu Xun's one differs from this format, which resulted in me getting a bit lost.

But back to the Sun Yat-Sen/Soong Ching Ling house. The house is fitted out like a colonial bungalow---teak flooring, white walls, European furniture. There is even a veranda, complete with wicker chairs and a coffee table, and a lawn at the back of the hosue. Pictures of afternoons sipping lemonade and playing croquette come to my mind. I remember the photograh in the museum that I saw---of the couple sitting in their wicker chairs, with lots of people around them---and wonder if that event took place on this very lawn. There seem to be a lot of books in the house. "Are all these Sun's actual books?" I ask a guard. "Shi jia de" (these are fake), she says.

I guess unlike the Soong Ching Ling house which she moved into after the Second Sino-Japanese War, and kinda never left it, this house might have been abandoned during the war as Soong Ching Ling left for Hongkong to flee the Japanese, so the authorities weren't really able to leave everything just the way it was. They did try their best though, with Soong Ching Ling having been involved in the arrangements of turning the former house into a memorial site(pictures of her actively planning and supervising the work are hung up on the walls).

In the end, we finish viewing the museum in good time and we head back to the hotel for lunch. I want to eat the mango pudding at Gui Hua Lo, while Mummy wants to eat at the Yi Cafe. In the end, thanks to the resourcefulness of the manageress Jennifer, we both get to have our cake and eat it. We dine at the Yi Cafe, but Jennifer brings the mango pudding from Gui Hua Lo up here for me to eat. Come to think of it, while this is the 3rd time I have ordered the mango pudding, it's the first time I've actually got to really savour it and finish it. The first time I was already full, so I didn't finish it. The 2nd time, again I already too full, so the waitress packed it back for us, but she poured the milk on top of it. And everyone knows I am allergic to milk (for the time being). This 3rd time though, I eat the mango pudding first, and so I really get to enjoy it and finish it.

And then I start on the roast beef, which is really good---juicy and tender. As is the sashimi, and sushi. I consider going to the Super Brand Mall for some last minute shopping, but there isn't much time, so I change and get ready for my flight back home.

Mummy finishes her meal and meets me and Dad at the lobby. The car and the driver have arrived to take us to the airport, and I say goodbye to Charlie and James. I ask the driver where the Buick comes from and he says China. I am surprised. I thought Buicks were from America. Maybe this particular one was made in China.

It has started to rain and just like I guess, our plane is delayed for an hour. I have a headache (I tell you it's airplane phobia). Mummy and I do some duty-free shopping---this time it's a Ferragamo ring for mummy---and wait. I think back on my trip to Shanghai. Of how I enjoyed myself, of the people I met, of the place in general. And I think about him.

It's time to board and the pilot warns us of turbulence. Oh dear. Next to me is a Japanese man who seems very neat and prim and proper. He has a book, written in Japanese, with him, wears a blazer and corduroy pants. He eschews the inflight food for cup noodles, which I find odd (yes, I have nothing better to do than to examine those around me). And he spends his time playing computer games. He looks really bored. Mummy watches the same comedy twice (or thrice if you count in the fact that she watched that aforementioned movie on the flight to Shanghai) , while I, too nervous to watch any drama or serious shows, also watch that comedy. But only once. And then I listen to music to soothe my nerves, changing channels whenever I hear the words "fall", "gravity", "sink" or "crash". As usual, we buy something on board. This time it is an Aigner watch. We really have nothing better to do.

We land safely. PRAISE JESUS. And I stagger out of the plane, just so happy to be alive. I'm pale, and tired but sooooooooooooo happy that I'm home. A little duty-free shopping is again in order. This time it's for liquor. And then a cab takes us back.

By the time we leave the airport, it's past midnight.

Back home, Granny is there to meet us. I am so so happy. I missed her a lot. So much so that I ask her sleep in my room. At 2am, my sister calls, and we chat a little.

And at 3am, I finally sleep.

I really had a great time (this coming from someone who admits to not liking travelling much) and I truly thank God for it. He took really good care of me, as usual, throughout the whole trip, and I came back, with my parents, all of us safe and sound, having had lots of fun.

Photographs from: www.sysu.edu.cn

Of summer in Shanghai

2007-07-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

Day 5

Mummy and me have breakfast at the Yi Cafe. They have an excellent buffet breakfast---once again, they outdo themselves with their mind-boggling array of food and juices. The watermelon juice tastes a bit queer so I leave it be. Otherwise, everything is great. Next to our table sits an Indian man, an Indian infant and a Chinese teen. The Chinese teen holds the baby's toy. My mum thinks the Indian man has adopted both. I think that the Chinese teen is a hired babysitter. But neither of us ask them about it.

Afterwards, Mum and Dad go out together, while I continue my museum route. Today is Lu Xun museum day, and I am keen on seeing his memorial site or "gu ju" as it is commonly called here. Charlie re-writes the address for me on a slip of paper (I can't find where I put the slip Penny gave me on which the helpful people at the Soong Ching Ling museum write down the precise address of Lu Xun's and Sun Yat-sen's memorial sites). His handwriting is rather messy. I wonder if the taxi driver would be able to read it, but I then again, I know of people with messier handwritings (namely me) that are still legible enough (if barely). I take a cab from the hotel entrance and off we go.

Just that I end up horribly lost. The taxi driver drops me off at the curb (of what happens to be the wrong place), telling me that cars are not allowed to go into the park but that Lu Xun's house is in the park. I go into the park and see lots of statues of famous Chinese authors of the early 20th century, but none of Mr Lu Xun. It would be awhile before I realise that Lu Xun's house is not in a park, and definitely not in this park, but rather, along some streets. What's more, unlike the Soong Ching Ling and CCP museums---where memorial site and exhibit hall are within the same compound---Lu Xun's exhibit hall is some distance away from his house (which is his memorial site). His exhibit hall is located in a park though, aptly named Lu Xun park.

I don't find any traces of Lu Xun here but I see...

The former residence of H.H Kung aka the husband of Soong Ai Ling.

My his house is large. Then again, he was supposedly the richest man in China during that era. What I find surprising is that the current Chinese government still preserves this as a heritage site, for H. H Kung had close links with Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang, serving as Chiang's finance minister and, at one time, premier. And we all know that Chiang gets no love in mainland China.

This memorial site doesn't seem to include a museum though. So I walk past it and into the park proper.

The park is called Hongkou Park and it is along Duolun Lu. This was an area where lots of famous Chinese writers of the New Cultural Movement stayed, and here, you have their statues lining the park, with little stone tablets outlining the writer's significance.

And on a side note, you have this:

For those who can't see the writing, it says "The Historical Documents Museum of the Fourth National people's Congress Of The Chinese Communist Party...Please Visit The Museum From Here". But I'm not really very interested in this museum, mainly because I am unclear about the significance of the Fourth National People's Congress. So I give this a museum a miss.

The sign points into a courtyard, which has a XiaoYa Culture Art Co. Ltd. I wonder if I should take a look, but I am short of time, and I dunno how to tell the real from the fakes here in China. So I too give that a miss.

Instead, I wander around the park, looking at the statues dedicated to the writers, and reading tablets marking their former residence.

Statues like this...

The accompanying tablet states that this statue is of Ye Shentao.

And this is a tablet marking a writer's former residence:

It says "The Former Residence of Zhaoshiyan".

So this is how his former residence looks like. I wonder if they have kept the building almost exactly as it was, or if it differs vastly from how it actually was when Mr Zhao lived in it.

Other illuminaries whose statues are in the park include:

Guo Moruo,

Shen Yimo

Uchiyama Kanzo, (I wonder why the slightly bowed pose...is it to showcase his Japanese ethnicity, or is there more than meets the eye)

Apparently this was his residence. (Or was it his book store?)

This is Ding Ling, author and also a member of the New Cultural Movement. I wonder why she is portrayed looking like a schoolgirl.

I also come across a church. According to the inscription, it is the Hong-De Tang Church. Completed in 1928, it is the only church in Shanghai with the architectural features of a temple. Are there still ongoing services here?

It's hot, I can't seem to find much about Lu Xun here, and I am expected back at Ye Shanghai at Xintiandi at 1.30pm. I stop by the Master Arts Gallery to ask for direction to the Lu Xun museum. The ladies there tell me I have to walk all the way back to the entrance of the park, but this contradicts the advice given to me by another lady. I do head back to the entrance of the park and stop by the East Zili Continuing Education School, hoping someone there would speak English. A young lady there tells me that the Lu Xun museum is not here at all, but at Lu Xun park. That's it. I decide to go to Xintiandi.

I arrive at Xintiandi 20 minutes late, and look around for Va Bene, remembering tht Va Bene is just next to Ye Shanghai. I wonder if my parents would still be there. They are and they've already ordered the food.

Ye Shanghai next to Va Bene.

The food comes quickly and is accompanied by a jovial manager John Tang. Curiously, while Ye Shanghai is known to be the restuarant in Shanghai to sample Shanghainese food, it is run by Hongkongers. Similarly, Canton, a place renowned for its Cantonese cuisine, is managed by Shanghainese. The promotional material of Ye Shanghai reads something like this: "born in Shanghai, moved to Hongkong and now back in Shanghai". Quite peculiar indeed.

John is a nice chatty sort of fellow. He tells us about Hongkong, Shanghai, and Beijing. When is a good time to visit, what is nice to do, whether living conditions are better in Hongkong, Shanghai or Beijing etc. I learn quite a lot from him, about how things are run in Shanghai and Hongkong. John tells us that it is quite safe here in Shanghai as the Shanghai police are not corrupt and very efficient. He tells us that Hongkong is considered the gateway to China, while Shanghai is nicely at the crossroads between Hongkong and Beijing---it is two hours from Shanghai to either destination.

The food here is nice, and so is the decor. It looks like a great place to come in the evening when the glamour quotient is presumably upped somewhat. But I'm in a bit of a hurry. The museums, as I have been earlier told, close at 5pm and I have yet to see both the Lu Xun and the Sun Yat-Sen museums. Feeling frustrated about how difficult it is to get find the Lu Xun memorial site and museum, I hire the hotel driver to fetch my parents and I to the exact place so I don't have to get lost again, especially as I am running short of time.

Ye Shanghai at Xintiandi. Mummy says the toilets are a little too dark for her liking, but I tell her that this is part of the restaurant's theme of 1920s-30s Shanghai glamour.

The driver comes and picks us up, but he too gets lost and has to call for directions on his mobile.

Finally we reach the elusive spot.

It is a townhouse, not very big, tucked between other town houses. A few people take photographs there, but other than this commerative plate, there isn't much about Lu Xun to see here, especially since his former residence is not open to the public. So it's back in the car and off to Lu Xun's museum which is situated in Lu Xun's park.

Lu Xun's park proves to be about a 10 minute drive away. Boy am I glad for the car cos it is 38 degrees outside!! The driver stops us at the main entrance of the park, and we walk in to get tickets. Mum and me go in for a look. And find that EVERYTHING to do with Lu Xun can be found here. Lu Xun's photographs, books, letters, former clothes, the medical instrument the doctor used on him, pictures of his friends, the people he worked with etc can all be found here. Well, it isn't called the Lu Xun Museum for nothing. I guess that I didn't know that the life of ONE author could provide that much exhibition material. Well you learn something new everyday I suppose.

Strangely there aren't lots of people in this museum. Only and father and son team, and my mum and myself. Overall, the Shanghai Museum proves to be the most popular, followed by the Soong Ching Ling and Sun Yat-Sen museums. The CCP memorial site, Lu Xun Museum and the Shikumen Museum are rather devoid of people. I ponder buying a set of Lu Xun books to read, but figure that it'll be better getting it back in Singapore. The museum closes and I head back to the car.

The driver is waiting at the entrance. He opens the door for me and goes to the cafe to call my parents, my mum having left earlier. Next stop is the Chanel boutique at Plaza 66---something I had put off for a few days.

Chanel here happens to be more expensive than it is back in Singapore. As mentioned in the previous post, while there is no direct goods tax on top of the sale price, there is an import tax which is already incorporated into the sale price. But no matter. Plaza 66 is a lovely mall. Developed by Hongkong's HangLung group, it only stocks luxury brands. According to the booklet the lady at the information counter passes us, there are also a few restaurants. Many of the luxury brands that have set up standalone boutiques here are not available in, or don't have standalone boutiques in Singapore. This is unsurprising given Singapore's relatively small consumer market. Why set up in Singapore when you can set up in Shanghai with lower operating costs and a much larger market base to tap in. I wonder a bit on how Singapore will cope with that, but then my attention quickly turns to the mall itself. The layout of the mall is good, the boutiques and lanes are spacious and it is very clean. Mummy likes it very much.

I ask the information lady if she could call the driver back for us. She nicely complies. He picks us up and off we go, back to the Pudong side. Like John, the driver tells quite a bit about Shanghai, when to come (in april-may or in october), why (because it is harvest time and there are lots of fresh seafood), tells us about the Japanese trying to break into the market (i understand they are having a difficult time), about buying houses in Shanghai (you have to live here for a year first before you are allowed to buy a house, if not, you can try to get around it by paying much more for the house), of how Shanghai has changed etc. He points out some people standing by the road yelling and clapping their hands. They work for a restaurant and the manager is trying to boost morale or something of that sort. The driver disagrees with such methods. "Those in the know understand but think they are noisy, those NOT in the know think they have lost their minds", he says (or something to that effect). I tell him I think this is a Japanese or Korean run restaurant as when I last visited Korea, I realised the people there are quite fond of shouting and demonstrating in the streets (then again when I visited it was during the Asian financial crisis of 1997 so there was much reason to protest). And as for the Japanese bit, well, I once saw a Japanese television program that showed Japanese employees doing something similar. But I didn't tell him that last bit.

We reach the hotel in good time and it's time for dinner. Mum and I change for dinner and go to Gui Hua Lo for some more of their delicious food. We order the Curry Prawn again (I really like it), stir fried mixed vegetables (Mummy likes it), goose meat (very tender and juicy), mango pudding, rice and Chrysanthemum tea. They do not serve xiaolongbao for dinner. The manageress Penny recognises Mummy, and our waitress today is Sophia, a very helpful young lady. I tell the manageress about how much I like their fried mantou and how much i like mantou in general. She tells us she can get the chef to prepare a steamed one for us. So we order that too. In the end, Mummy and I are too full, and we have to pack the steamed Mantou and the mango pudding. We bring these upstairs to our room and head out to Cloud 9 at the Grand Hyatt. We meet a Singaporean lady in the lift. She works at Shangri-la and she recognises us as being at the Grand Hyatt bakery the day before.

But before we go, we have a little walk along the promenade at the back of the Shangri-la, which is along the Huangpu river, directly opposite the Bund. A man sells pirated goods at the entrance while a few guards sit a few feet away. I wonder why they allow him to continue at such a prominent position. Perhaps he has paid them off. The weather is warm, but there is a bit of a breeze. The are couples embracing along the rails, while peddlers tout goods along the walkways. We walk around a bit more, then its back to the taxi stand and off to Cloud 9.

The promenade.

The view of the Bund from the promenade.

This time, the taxi queue has 2 people in front of us, however, not many taxis seem to be coming in, and it is hotter at the taxi stand. But praise Jesus, one comes soon enough to pick us up and off we go again.

The lights are dim, the seats are comfy and the view is just great! Only problem is that there is no available seats at the non-smoking area for us. I guess lots of people must have read a lot about this place, especially after the superb review given by Newsweek, in which cocktails at Cloud 9 were described as a must try experience. So we gaze at the view a bit more, but leave as there were no forthcoming seats.

Cloud 9 at the Grand Hyatt.

Before we go back, we stop by the Super Brand Mall to pick up some stuff. It's near closing time so we don't have much time to browse around. We go to Sephora and Watsons, and I see a huge NEXT store upstairs. Then we head back to the room.

Just before I am about to sleep, a call comes from the concierge, and a quick stream of mandarin words comes through the receiver. I don't understand a word.

"Is this Leon?" I ask, remembering that he was the concierge on duty.

Yes it is.

Turns out, though it is 11.35pm, there is a man wanting to deliver a parcel. Ah ha! Mummy's cushion covers have arrived. "Send him up Leon".

And then I sleep.

Photographs from: www.hyatt.com, www.moveandstay.com/shanghai, my own camera.

Of summer in Shanghai

2007-07-24T03:37:00.000-07:00

Day 4

I woke up feeling ill. Had breakfast at Shangri-la's Yi Cafe, but had no appetite. Ordered a plate of scrambled eggs breakfast set, and some watermelon juice, but felt really queasy, so i merely picked at my food. In the end, I barely ate any of it and went back to my room to retire.

My room was being cleaned by a kind lady called Isabelle. She pottered around while I lay on the bed feeling green and rather weak. Suspecting the malaise might be due to the tap water I might have accidentally drunk while showering or brushing my teeth, I asked her if the tap water was safe to drink. She said that if it was a small amount then there shouldn't be any problem. "xiao jie", she advised, "as the weather has been unusually hot these few days, please be careful with what you eat or drink. Don't mix hot food with cold drinks."

I thank her for her for her advice and continue to lie on bed. I feel better later on, Praise Jesus, and go downstairs to see if the concierge can recommend me something interesting to do.

Penny is the concierge on duty and she proves very helpful. I ask her to list out for me the site of the First Meeting of the Chinese Communist Party, the Chanel boutique, Lu Xun's residence, Sun Yat Sen's museum and Soong Ching Ling's museum. With that written down, I hope into a taxi and off we go. First stop, the site of the First Meeting of the Chinese Communist Party (or Communist Party of China, as it is called here).

The taxi drops me off somewhere near the site. Not quite there. I wander around a bit, and not knowing how to read much Chinese, get a little lost. I recognise my surroundings as being around the Xintiandi area, but where exactly I'm supposed to be at, I have no idea. I approach the nearest guard, whip out the piece of paper on which Penny has written, in Mandarin, the names of my destinations, and ask for directions. The guard points and utters something I don't really understand. So I walk ahead, then ask another guard. This time, I'm pretty close and a signboard (in English, phew!) points the way. I buy a ticket and make my way into the memorial site/museum.

The exhibits begin with the Opium War. "Lin Zexu?" I ask the guard, remembering Lin Zexu's central role in the Opium War. "Mei you Lin Zexu", he mentions. He shows me how I should go about viewing the exhibits and I am thankful for his kind gesture. After viewing the exhibitions on the 2nd floor, it's time to head to the ground floor.

Downstairs lies an exhibit dedicated to Zhu De, or more accurately, as the guide Mr Song later tells me, Marshall Zhu De. I wander about and am followed by the security guard. He is then joined by a guide and they two make it their business to follow me around. Not that I mind much---they provide a helpful audio commentary to the exhibits, whose captions come without an English translation. The guide introduces himself to me as Mr Song and points out Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Zhu De's wife, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Chiang Kai-shek etc to me. An interesting thing about exhibits in China is that the people are listed from left to right, unlike the right-to-left method used in most places. Perhaps this is due to Chinese script originally being read from left to right---i'm not entirely sure.

We are joined by two Caucasian ladies that I met upstairs. One of them asks me what the exhibition is about. I tell her I don't know how to read much Chinese but the guide informs me that this is an exhibit dedicated to Marshall Zhu De. I ask if she is from Australia. She says yes. I tell her I recognise the accent and tell her I'm from Singapore. I buy a book from the bookshop, and then I'm off to see the Sun Yat-Sen museum.

Only that the taxi driver doesn't know where it is, and Penny hasn't written the address down, just the name of the place. Oh dear. Then I'll see the Soong Ching Ling Museum instead. I was more keen on the Sun Yat-Sen museum as I have seen the Soong Ching Ling one before, but no matter, I don't mind revisiting it.

Soong Ching Ling's museum is comparatively crowded (when I was at the CCP memorial site/museum, there was only me and the two Caucasian ladies). The compound is large, with a building serving as her museum displaying her letters and other historical documents related to her, a garage housing her two limosines (one a gift from the Chinese government, another a gift from Stalin), and her house. I read her letters and speeches and am impressed at how bilingual she is in Mandarin and in English. Perhaps trilingual even if she was fluent in the Shanghainese dialect. Bilingual (or more accurately, trilingual) people impress me. I have struggled for years to master Chinese and even my Cantonese, while good, is nowhere on par with my level of English. And somehow, having to switch from English to Chinese seems to intimidate me, and while I have lots to say, I usually end up expressing myself in a mix of English and Chinese, with quite a bit of stuttering in between.

But back to Soong Ching Ling. So she is very bilingual. Her handwriting is large and cursive. But more intriguing was this speech she wrote upon being conferred the Stalin Peace Prize. Now Stalin Peace Prize, to me, is itself an oxymoron. She writes, and I paraphrase, that it is an honour to be associated with the name of Stalin, itself a name associated with peace.

Oh dear. I think of the purges. Of Billy telling us that Stalin killed 20 million of his own people. And i think...how very wrong---Stalin and peace do not go hand in hand. Was she merely misguided? Had she no clue of what happened in the Soviet Union? Of gulags, persecution, terror and purges? By all accounts, Soong Ching Ling came across as being perceptive, compassionate, strong, noble and wise. How could this grave (imo) error have occurred? Perhaps she had no choice but to accept the Stalin Peace Prize. China and the Soviet Union were then allies in the spread of world communism and it would cause a great diplomatic rift (though there were already signs of trouble) between the two should she decline. Stalin's gift of a huge black Russian-made car to her was also proudly displayed in her garage, all nice and shiny. Maybe no one outside of the Soviet Union really knew about the purges, the way most Americans didn't know about Chiang Kai-shek's corruption. Maybe this was all a necessary part in the staging of a political show. As for now, these questions remain unanswered.

A guide kindly directs me to join the tour group in seeing Soong Ching Ling's house. There are scheduled times for tours, which is conducted in Chinese. I can understand most of what is being said, just can't really speak it. A young man---he looks like a college student---offers to take care of my belongings. I take my handbag but leave the plastic bag containing the newly bought book with him. He hands me a pair of plastic bags which serve as coverings for my shoes so that Soong Ching Ling's house does not get soiled by tourists' shoe prints. And then we proceed upstairs.

Soong Ching Ling's house is nicely decorated. It seems a bit bourgeoisie to me though, and has a style similar to many an English country house. All in all, very quaint and quite charming. The guide tells us that the carpets were a gift from Mao himself, and they are emblazoned with peach (or was it cherry) blossoms---Soong Ching Ling's favourite flowers. Everything here appears to be kept almost exactly as it was the day she died, which was in 1981. She was 88. Even the clock has been stopped to mark the exact time of her death.

I linger at the back of the tour group and spend most of my time reading the English captions on the various objects in the house. There are lots of pictures of Sun Yat-Sen around. The guide tells us that Mdm Soong missed her husband dearly and hence, had many of his pictures put up around the house. Near her bedroom is her maid's bedroom. This maid is described as having been a faithful servant of Mdm Soong, and to thank her for her loyalty, Mdm Soong is described as having showered her with gifts and creating a scrapbook filled with pictures of the two of them. It is all quite touching actually. At least to me, having been brought up by servants, and being one easily touched by stories of friendship. In a way, I have always harboured hopes for that special friendship that lasts forever. The one that sees you from childhood all the way till old age. That it has so far eluded me has been a little upsetting. But there's always hope for the future. Heh.

The tour ends and I had back to the museum proper. I scan through the letters she wrote later in life, when Chiang Kai-shek had established himeslf in Taiwan. I wonder how the Soong family managed to function what with one sister being a leader of mainland communist China, and the other being a leader in capitalist Taiwan, which claimed to be the legitimate China. Letters written appear to be terse and judging from the photographs on display, it seems that Soong Ching Ling mainly got along with one brother.

Time flies and I had promised my mum I'd meet her back at the hotel room at 3pm. It's times like this when I really wished I had checked beforehand if my handphone had autoroaming. I ask for directions to the Sun Yat-Sen museum and the Lu Xun musuem as Penny had earlier informed me of its proximity to the Soong Ching Ling museum. The guide, a guard and a tourist all three congregate around the guide's desk and helpfully write down the exact address for me on a piece of paper but warn me that there would not be enough time to visit both places. Museums here all close at 5pm. Thanking them for their help and with that in mind, I exit the compound hoping to catch a quick taxi ride to the Sun Yat-sen museum, browse around quickly, and make it back fashionably late. But it isn't quite so easy getting a cab. I ask a caucasian for help.

"Excuse me, do you speak English?"

He does, but from his accent, he seems Italian. I ask him if it is easy to get a taxi from here. He says no and recommends the subway. I rather take a cab. He waits a while with me before going his own way, warning me again that taxis rarely stop here. But I have help from God. A taxi does stop, and a very comfortable one at that, and it's back to the Pudong Shangri-la for me.

We get stuck in a jam, but at least the air-conditioning, unlike most taxis here, is working, and the seats are comfortable. I reach my room at 3.20pm. My parents are there and my dad has bought some bread, fruit and a speak-Chinese guide. Mum and me go shopping for a while at H&M at the Super Brand Mall---it's a rather nice place. Big and airy, with lots of changing rooms so you don't have to wait too long to try on stuff. We come back and, with Dad, seeing that it is too late to go to the Puxi area, head off for dinner at Canton, the Grand Hyatt's specialty restaurant.

Now in Singapore, romantic and Cantonese restuarant doesn't really go together. But here, class and elegance are the order of the day. The decor seems more suited to a French restaurant, and unlike many Chinese restaurants, this one does not come with loud incessant chatter from surrounding patrons. The chairs are plush, the floor fully carpeted and the lighting is a nice soft yellow. Seems like a nice place for a date. And I know i'm not the only one thinking that---two dating couples sit near (if it can be described as such as the tables are fairly spread out) us.

Canton at the Grand Hyatt Shanghai.

The atarax I took just before I left for dinner begins to kick in while we wait for the food, and I am feeling sleepy. To perk myself up, I order Chrysanthemum tea (no Camomile tea confusions here) and allow my tongue to get slightly burnt so that it might shock my system into alertness. It works temporarily but I begin to feel sleepy again. Manager Robin checks on us and his pleasant conversation does help distract me from my tired state.

I comment to my mum that Robin looks very similar to my friend Yingkit. You know, the guy you sometimes fetch who speaks very fluent cantonese? They even have the same mannerisms. Just that Robin doesn't speak much cantonese---he is Shanghainese, albeit the manager of an established Cantonese restaurant. We try to order in Cantonese cos at least mummy can speak that real fluently and I'm not too bad. But Robin speaks rather good English, so we, this time Dad included, all end up speaking in English anyway. He asks us if we stay at the Grand Hyatt. We tell him no, we stay at the Shangri-la. "Ah.. Stay at Shangri-la, eat at Grand Hyatt. Get to enjoy two of the best", Robin replies.

Turns out Robin has been to Singapore for a holiday. He has gone to Orchard Road (he mistakenly called it Orchard Street), Sentosa and even to neighbouring Johore Bahru. Furthermore, he'll be coming to Singapore for training at the Grand Hyatt. Robin has been the personal assistant to late Singaporee President Ong Teng Cheong ("tall, slim, thick specs?" Gosh, the more he talks, the more I am reminded of Yingkit), and if I am not mistaken, has served Lee Kuan Yew. This is his first time as a manager of a Chinese restaurant. Usually he is in charge of the Italian restaurant, or in other posts. Not that it is noticable anyway. Robin is extremely professional and works the floor like a veteran. He passes my parents his business card and gives us a box of chocolates. On the house, he tells us.

Perhaps I might meet him at Singapore's Grand Hyatt. I go there often anyway since I have their membership card. The box of chocolates looks exactly like the ones sold at Mezzanine at Singapore's Grand Hyatt. Down to the paper wrapping and square compartments. We appreciate his nice gesture, bid him farewell and leave for Cloud 9.

Turns out Cloud 9 is fully booked and we would either have to wait or come back another day. We decide on the latter and head downstairs to the bakery where I realise---to my horror---that I have left my handbag at the restaurant. (That is why atarax is only to be taken just before bedtime) I thank God that while there were a couple of times I realised that I was missing something, I always managed to find it later on. Upon arrival, the lady asks me if I left a white CK bag behind, I say yes. Everything is in tact and we head back to the Shangri-la.

At the lobby of the Jin Mao tower, we pass by hordes of tourists snapping away with their cameras, and two very tall and Manga-esque security guards decked out in Mao suits. Just outside, the Oriental Pearl TV tower lights up the sky looking one part disco ball, one part toy, one part science fiction building. The weather is warm but dry, and crossing the road is a little precarious as the drivers don't seem to stop for pedestrians crossing when the green man lights up. But praise Jesus, no traffic accidents occur and we're back all in one piece.

The Oriental Pearl TV tower lights up the Shanghai sky.

Photographs from: www.hyatt.com, and my own camera.

Of summer in Shanghai

2007-07-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Day 3 (Part II)

We arrive at Bund 18 where I plop myself down at the Sibilla Boutique Cafe, a charming Italian cafe, with another handsome manager. I'm starting to think the service industry in Shanghai deliberately employs the handsome guys. Once again I meet Exhibit A of the Shanghai manager---fair skin tone, tall and handsome, with good skin, no spectacles and a relatively good grasp of English. He recommends a few Italian pastries but i tell him i am allergic to milk. He doesn't understand what allergy means, and I am grateful for a little Mandarin prep that I did back in Singapore before I left. I duly spout out a sentence my ex-bf taught me regarding my milk allergy. "wo dui niu nai he niu you de chan ping you ming gan", i say in rather stilted Chinese. Or something of that sort.

Doesn't matter. Handsome manager understands. Ming Gan! He exclaims. Oh then you cannot eat all these! He looks a bit flustered. This sure is one expressive man. Perhaps he could consider a career in the movies? I ask him what the soup of the day is and if it contains milk. He rushes off to find out for me, and comes back beaming. The soup is milk free and the Italian bread that it is served with is also milk free he says. And happily ushers me to a seat.

Bund 18

Sibilla Boutique Cafe

The waiter on hand is called Orlando. He asks me where I am from. I say Singapore. I ask if he is from the Philippines. He says yes. I tell him i recognise the Filippino accent. I ask him why he chose to work in Shanghai which is so far away from the Philippines, and no one really speaks English here. He shrugs and doesn't answer.

Enter two men and with even closer links to Singapore. One of them loudly announces in English to his friend that the Patek Philippe watches here are much cheaper than in Singapore, and they don't have a goods tax slapped on them. Sadly, they don't carry the model he wants. All this in a Singaporean accent. Which is recognisable anywhere.

And then he announces (deliberate choice of verb on my part), again in English, that he has to use the toilet, and noisily walks off.

Well at least that will give me a bit of quiet. His companion isn't so loud and in fact, rather mousy in appeareance. The noisy one then comes back, and i take my leave.

I explore the various boutiques in Bund 18, mainly to check how the prices compare to that in Singapore. I walk into Cartier checking out charm bracelets---my current love---but nothing catches my fancy. Then i wander in and out of Ermenegildo Zegna, which has a huge store here, spanning 3 floors. Bottom for accessories, 2nd for ready to wear and sportswear, 3rd for bespoke suits. I meet more cute sales people in there. One is particularly helpful but no, nothing catches my fancy.

Then it's off to check out Younik, an upmarket multi-label boutique that only stocks Chinese designers such as Shanghai Trio, Jenny Jen etc. I used to think that most Asian designers mainly dabbled in overly avant-garde, deconstructionist type pieces that while showcasing creativity, is not very functional, but I manage to find some rather fashionable, yet wearable, pieces here. The sales people are snooty and so after some browsing, I exit the shop.

Younik

Next up is Allan Chiu, a huate couture outfitter from Hongkong that has set up shop in Shanghai. His ready to wear is pretty nice, with knee length gowns for the younger crowd like myself. But i'm not in a mood for trying clothes.

Beside Allan Chiu is the Ports 1961 store.

Now this is a label I am quite excited about having read about it in TIME magazine a few years back. I see a really cute teddy bear and I ask the sales lady how much it costs. She tells me the bear comes as part of a travel set that includes luggage, note book, bathrobe, and such. All in all, the travel set costs 8000 RMB. I am not interested in a whole travel get up (especially when i don't like travelling to begin with) and so i turn my attention to the other clothes. I flip through the catalog and mainly like what I see. Some pieces are a bit plain and on the whole, it is none too bad. While one of the sales ladies rustle up some dresses for me to view, I pick up a Shanghai society magazine and come across a fashion spread featuring a model all decked out in Chanel. The sales ladies helpfully answer my query as to where Chanel can be found in Shanghai (I want to see how much the 2.55 costs here) and write down precise directions in Chinese for me.

That is good service. And I'm off to the Chanel boutique.

Or so I thought.

I get distracted by the other shops on the bund and decide that Chanel can wait for another day. Instead, I pass by the colonial-era buildings now housing banks and other large firms, as well fashion flagship stores.

Like Shiatzy Chen.

"Is this 3 on the bund?" I ask the salesman upon entering. "No, it is number 9".

No matter. This store is AWESOME. I'm not exactly crazy about the clothes but the layout and the decor is far more tasteful than many a luxury boutique in Singapore. It spans two levels and is really huge. Shoes, handbags, accessories, women's wear, men's wear, furniture. It is all here, stately displayed among dark teak furniture and huge screens playing her fashion shows. I am the only one in the store and a helpful sales girl follows me around. The store exudes refinement and taste and is a nice respite from the noise and heat outside. I take a business card and make my way to 3 on the Bund.

Shiatzy Chen

Along the way, I make a stop at the Dolce and Gabbana flagship store. Then turn the corner and ta da, it's 3 on the Bund. Lots of cars stop by the front entrance, and I spy Giorgio Armani and Hugo Boss flagships. I look around the Hugo Boss store, take the elevator up to the Evian Spa (that uses Clarins products), pass by Barbers at Three, and then come down all ready to go back to the hotel. There weren't any taxis at the entrance so the lady at the frontdesk kindly offered me a seat.

Three on the Bund

But no taxi was keen on crossing over to the Pudong. It was peak hour and the tunnels were closed to taxis. The doorboys tried to convince them but they loudly refused, and I didnt' dare enter a taxi with an angry driver. The manager Sean came out and explained that during peak period, no taxi wants to cross over to the Pudong because there would be a huge traffic jam and they were not allowed in the tunnels. When does peak period end then? I asked. I was starting to get a headache and was keen on getting back asap. After 7, but to be safe, come back down at 7.30.

Faced with such a situation, I decided to have a drink up at New Heights and wait out the peak period.

I asked for Chrysanthemum tea, the waitress doesnt seem to understand. So i say "ju hua cha". She says Camomile tea. I say: Oh nono. Chrysanthemum, not Camomile. She says ju hua cha is Camomile tea. In the end, I order watermelon juice.

And I prepped myself for the hour long wait. I was so bored that I carefully studied the staff, amusing myself with the way one waiter lit up a series of tealights---he only manages to light up two, at most 3 before the flame consumes the matchstick. The watermelon juice isn't fantastic. The air conditioning doesn't seem to be working properly, and there is another man sitting all alone at another table. I flip open the Shanghai Chic book to see if there is anything interesting to read, but I am still restless. Lots of foreigners stream in, most western, some asian. The Western expatriate presence is so strong that, if I am not mistaken, two managers here are Western. A handful go out to the balcony to take in the view (it's not called New Heights for nothing) but the sky looks smoggy---health hazard, i think to myself. So i remain indoors.

But there is only so much of waiter watching that anyone can take. So I tell the waiter I am going outside.

The air doesn't smell too bad, and there is a slight breeze. But it is the view that is truly captivating. How much nicer it would have been if not for the smog. I take a few pictures and lean along the rails, watching Shanghai go by.

The view from New Heights.

I see my hotel from the balcony. So near yet so far.

A Caucasian man starts setting up a tripod stand and mounting his camera on it. He takes lots of pictures of the waterfront. Now chatting to people I don't know is highly uncharacteristic of me, but I decide to ask him, "Why don't you take a picture of the Chinese flag as it flies across the Bund? It would be quite iconic if you can catch it at the right time---red flag of communism flying high above the Bund, now synonomous with capitalism." (Furthermore, in the background stands a building quite reminiscent of the Empire State Building). He says that he was thinking of that as well, but the shutter speed of the camera prevents the fluidity of the flag movement from being captured nicely, so instead, he will record the movement of the flag on video.

The photojournalist's name is Alan and he comes from Memphis, Tennessee. He's on assignment around the world to find connections to Memphis. "Oh, Memphis." I reply. "Elvis right? And Grace( I forget to add -land) Mansions". Alan is surprised. "You're the first person here I met who knows Elvis you know."

Now it's my turn to be surprised. I thought everyone or almost everyone knew Elvis. But then again, China had shut it doors to the world from the early 1950s on, and it was only in 1978 that Deng Xiaoping "opened" China to the world. In the meantime, Elvis, whose career bloomed mainly from 1956 onwards, continuing on to the late 1960s, had died in 1977, before China has opened up. No wonder no one knew about Elvis here---the Elvis phenomenon had peaked and waned during the period China remained closed.

I asked about more about Memphis and Tennessee and Alan helpfully fills up the gaps in knowledge I have about the city. I learn that FedEx is from Memphis, and am reminded that Ray Charles is from Georgia (how could i forget! He wrote "Georgia on my mind"). I ask if Mark Twain is from Memphis. No, he isn't. But he writes lots about the Mississippi River that flows through Tennessee. I see a replica of a 19th century riverboat ploughing allowing the Huangpu. "Look! Riverboat... Memphis Connection!" I tell him. "Good you're thinking," Alan replies. Alan then asks how come I know about Memphis and Tennessee. "I'm a history major," I say, "we make it our business to know a bit about everything."

Alan's colleague Trevor then arrives. Alan nicely asks if I'd like to join them. But I'm tired, and it's nearly 7.30pm, and I really want to get back. So I politely decline and take a cab back to the Pudong. Still, meeting someone interesting was a great way to pass time.

The aforementioned flag that got the conversation going.

Diners at New Heights. I took this photo to show how the balcony of New Heights looks like, before I got to know Alan (he's the guy in white). So if you ever happen to see this photo Alan, please don't be offended, it was taken to showcase how New Heights looks like, and yes, I took it before I got to know you. And you can see my watermelon juice in the foreground.

The cabbie is nice, and if I understand correctly, his neighbour is a Singaporean and he has just fetched a Singapore lady who has been working in the property sector here in Shanghai. I tell him that a lot of Singaporeans find it hard to do business in China because they are easily swindled as they are too trusting. This trusting mentality came about because the Singaporean government is so efficient, Singaporeans simply trust the government to make everything alright for them. As a result, when they travel overseas, some bring this naivete along, and hence are easily cheated. He tells me that he finds Singaporeans are very "liang xing" that might present some difficulties in China's competitive environment. I am just grateful I have God to help me up wherever I go.

I change and get ready for dinner. James is the concierge on duty today and I ask him to recommend a restaurant. I wanted to go to Cloud 9 at the Jin Mao tower for dinner, but they don't serve meals, just snacks. James recommends I try Jade 36 here at the Shangri-la. I go there only to find it is fully booked. I come down and ask James to recommend another restaurant. It's nearly 9 and I haven't eaten. I'm hungry, I tell James. He passes me the list of restaurants available here. I have eaten at almost all of them, and I am not interested in Japanese food. Finally, I settle on the cantonese restaurant. I ask James to call to see if they are full---to save me the trouble of having to travel to an already fully booked venue.

I listen in to the conversation. No, they are not full, James says.

Alright then, I'll go.

Table for one, he tells them. Yi ge xiao pen you lai.

James puts down the phone.

I look at him and say, "I am not xiao pen you James. I am 21."

James just smiles.

Photographs from: http://www.bund18.com/, http://www.images.businessweek.com/, my own camera.

Of summer in Shanghai

2007-07-23T05:38:00.000-07:00

Day 3 (Part I)

I woke up real early today. About 7.30am and accompanied my mum to the Jin Mao tower. She had a meeting while I was venturing there to savour breakfast at the Grand Hyatt---supposedly an experience to remember as the Grand Hyatt Shanghai is the tallest hotel in the world, occupying the 53rd to 87th floors of the Jin Mao tower. I figured having breakfast so high in the sky had to be quite a treat.

The Pudong financial district.

Breakfast was pleasant enough. I didn't have much of an appetite but the view was spectucular. My glass of water wasn't completely clean---I could see things floating in it, ewww---so i had juices instead. I wanted to eat steamed mantou, but they didn't have any there. Instead, the chefs, a bespectacled chap who looked vaguely Thai Chinese and a kind matronly lady, whipped up for me some vegetable buns which I didn't have an appetite for. But it was such a nice gesture. I tried to eat as much as I could but I wasn't feeling quite well, so I nibbled on it and hoped they weren't offended.

Breakfast at the Grand Cafe.

Breakfast with a view.

A view of the Bund from the Grand Hyatt.

Showcasing the zoom prowess of my camera. Heh.

Still feeling queasy, I took a cab back to the Shangri-la, packed some bottled mineral water (I have issues with the water in China, somehow it doesnt agree with my stomach and i think it tastes funny), took my guide book and went to the Shanghai Museum. The cabby was the one mentioned in the previous post, who mistook me for a Japanese. Upon realising that I was a Singaporean, he said, Singaporeans used to look down on China's Chinese, but now that China was a rising power, Singaporeans are now respectful of China's Chinese.

To that I had no reply so I just kept quiet. (Or did i say "err...") But still, there was favour from God, as mentioned in the previous post.

The Shanghai Museum

Off at the Shanghai Museum where I spent about 4 hours checking out the exhibits. I rented an audio guide which I found particularly helpful. It is this telephone like device whereby you punch the exhibit number and listen to an audio commentary regarding the aforesaid exhibit. The only problem was that some of the exhibits were hard to find---i had just listened to commentary of exhibit number 223 and had a hard time finding exhibit 224. Finally, after enlisting the help of the security guard, I learnt that the exhibit had been removed. (I seem to recall him muttering re ben ren under his breath).

But I really enjoyed the Shanghai Museum. In Singapore, most museums don't have really old artefacts as Singapore is relatively young, history wise, so it was nice seeing really ancient sculpture, coins and yes, porcelain and such on display. And I have no idea why, but i found the museum very romantic. Like it's a nice place to hold hands and look at exhibits together. Then again, my notions on romance have always veered towards the unconventional. Apparently I'm not the only one. I saw a Caucasian man kissing his girlfriend in front of a Tang Dynasty exhibit, and there was another Caucasian man holding hands with his Asian girlfriend at the coin exhibit.

Maybe museums are just romantic. Period.

I espy a young man who, judging by his dressing, looks rather Singaporean. Branded flip flops (check), graphic tee shirt (check), cargo bermudas (check). I keep running into him and I realise that he goes about the exhibits the same way I do---carefully peering at each exhibit and reading each commentary---while most people just give cursory glances. He looks Japanese though and like me, he is all by himself. Maybe this is how I might come across if I were a guy.

But I digress.

The museum is cold and so i hurriedly go through the exhibits on the top floor such as the furniture exhibit, the calligraphy exhibit and the minorities exhibit. I learn about the Assyrians, Scythians and other people who traded on the Silk Road---they all have exotic sounding names, including one particulary group that escapes my mind but who believed that deformity was beautiful, and so on their coins, they made their king look as deformed as possible.

I like the Shanghai Museum gift shop too. As expected, it is much bigger than the hole-in-the wall branch at Xintiandi and is stocked with many books on China---novels, business and travel guides, including the risque Shanghai Baby, which i thought was banned in China. Well, apparently not. There are also lots of souveneirs. A pair of Japanese guys buy a set of bookmarks, while I ponder at this huge pot and wonder how it would look like in my living room.

The museum is cold and my legs are tired. I leave and flag down a taxi to take me to Bund 18.

Photographs from: www.hyatt.com, and my own camera

Of summer in Shanghai

2007-07-23T04:50:00.003-07:00

Day 2 (part II)

Back at the hotel at around 7.30pm. To my surprise, I managed to get back to Pudong considering that there is actually a ban on taxis using the Yan'an Tunnel during peak hours, that is, 5-7.30pm. Then again, perhaps I just lost track of time cos when i last checked my watch, it was already 6.30pm. Nevertheless, i dropped off my belongings, changed into something more formal (read: dress, jacket and nicer shoes) for dinner.

The night was still relatively young, mummy was still out, and i decided to do some exploring on my own---dinner and perhaps a bit of clubbing no? But first, a safety check. I hopped over to the concierge counter and asked James and Charlie (2 people I would end up pestering for the next few days) if I could get a cab back easily from the Bund. Not easy, replied James, especially during peak hours of 9.30 onwards.

Yikes.

Was it safe for a girl to travel around by herself?

Not very safe.

I honestly didn't want to remain cooped up in the hotel room. And neither was I interested in exploring the Super Brand Mall. So I hired the hotel driver to bring me around Shanghai, and yes, bring me back, and asked James to make dinner reservations for me at Tan Wai Lou---a Cantonese restaurant on Bund 18---for 9.30pm. While James got busy hiring the driver and calling up the restaurant, I waited with Charlie and read the South China Morning Post (Hongkong's main broadsheet) .

At 9pm (just as James said---in Shanghai, the people are very precise when it comes to timing, often describing distance from one place to another in minutes e.g. it's a 3 minutes walk, or a 15 minutes drive. What is unusual is their uncanny accuracy as to the number of minutes it takes to travel. Did they time themselves using their watches?) an Audi came to pick me up. A young man opened the door and James came to check everything was alright. And we were off.

The driver's name was Ronnie and he was a very pleasant fellow. I asked him to take me around to see the Bund, both West Nanjing Road (Nanjing Xi Lu) and East Nanjing Road (Nanjing Dong Lu). Mine you, these places are relatively far from each other, so I was quite happy sitting in the car, taking in the sights while it was noisy and crowded outside. He drove us past major landmarks and we chatted easily. All in all it was a very pleasant and cosy experience. I have always liked the feeling of being safe and warm inside the car while it was crowded and unkempt outside, though I wished my sis was there with me. I'm sure she would have had a great time too.

I reached Tan Wai Lo rather late, without much of an appetite as I was enjoying my car ride, only to realise that they weren't taking orders. Neither was Sens+Bund, a French restaurant within the same building. So the waiters---a young lady and a young man, both looking as though they couldn't be more than 20---helpfully called Ronnie back (i did not turn on the autoroaming for my hp). I didn't know the Chinese word for driver, but so I simply translated the Cantonese one---cheir fu became che fu. It worked.

We went back to the hotel to see if my mum had already come back. All in all, this was around 2 hours, perhaps slightly more say 2.5 hours. Mummy had just come back and she didn't want me to go out again cos she felt Ronnie was too young to be a bodyguard should the need arise, and she was too tired to accompany me. So it was bye bye Ronnie and the end of Day 2.

Of summer in Shanghai

2007-07-22T22:02:00.000-07:00

Day 2 (part 1)

We awake at 9.30am. That's very early for me, but I wanted to utilise my time here. By the time we left our room it was nearly 11. I wanted for us to have brunch at Paulaner bakery at the former French Concession. The concierge is a young chap called Leon. Fair of skin, slim built, brownish hair with somewhat worried looking eyes, he pulls out a map and informs us that it will take about 20 minutes to reach the Huai Hai Lu area. We don't have such luxury of time. Mummy, being a very important person, has a very important meeting at 1pm. So lunch will be at the hotel's Gui Hua Lo and so begins our love affair with Shangri-la's signature Chinese restaurant.

Gui Hua Lo

Now I am not usually one for Chinese food. It's alright but somehow, I get bored of it quickly so any Chinese restaurant that makes me hanker for their dishes has to be something rather special. And Gui Hua Lo is just that. A Chinese establishment serving Shanghainese, Cantonese and Sichuanese food, they serve a mean Curry Prawn dish that is really nice and spicy and comes with fried mantou that tastes just heavenly. Their xiao long bao is very good too, but i forgot that inside the dumpling contains hot soup, so i scalded my tongue a little. No matter. The excellent food more than made up for the little mishap on my part. Only snag is that the chicken isn't very nice. Somehow, in Shanghai, chicken doesn't taste as good as the skinny kampung chicken served here in Singapore. But this matter is a slight one---they have lots of tasty alternatives---duck, goose, beef and pork that are extremely succulent. Especially the goose meat, which is not common in Singapore. I also ordered a beef la mian, and my mum some stir-fried mixed vegetables. Mummy was so enamoured of the food and the restaurant, she would visit it a total of 3 times in 5 days.

The concierge was right, there would not be enough time to go to the former French Concession for lucn and come back in time for the meeting---by the time lunch was done, Mummy had to go to the Jin Mao tower. That left me and Dad all by ourselves to explore the city. So we stopped the cabby at the Times Square and we went our separate ways.

Times Square

It seems that almost every major city in the world has a place called Times Square. Shanghai has one, Bangkok has one, Tokyo has one, New York has one, London has one. Singapore doesn't have one...yet. The Shanghainese Times Square is very similar in lay-out to Paragon in Singapore. Luxury brands on the first and (a few) on the second floors, and then the high street brands on the 2nd floors upwards. I spied Mummy's Max Mara handbag on sale, wandered in and out of Coach, Bally, Ferragamo, before proceeding upstairs to check out accessories at Follie Follie, togs at Only Jack & Jones Vero Moda, Max and Co, Tough Jeansmith and some stores carrying the latest Korean fashions.

I can't seem to find an Aigner boutique, and the girl at the information counter tells me that it is unavailable there. Instead, I should make my way to "West Nanjing Road" (Nanjing Xi Lu), a place where the big name luxury brands call home. I ask the girls at Max and Co for directions to Xintiandi, and one of them helpfully draws a map, telling me i should exit from Zara and walk straight and turn left. At Zara, a very unhelpful security guard tells me that i should ask directions from the people on the street, so i exit Times Square and attempt to make my way to the much talked about Xintiandi.

A note about being in Shanghai: I had initially thought I would blend in nicely with the locals, as in Singapore, the most oft question I am posed is "are you local?" My friend assures me I look North Asian, so I simply assumed I would easily pass of as a Shanghainese. No such thing. At best, with my mouth shut, I look somewhat local (though the frequent stares I get somewhat negates this assumption on my part), but the moment I open my mouth, my very mangled Mandarin, stuttered hesitantly by yours truly earns me disapproving "oh she's Japanese" looks and we all know that China is NOT the place you want to get mistaken for as a Japanese. For obvious reasons. At last count, a taxi driver, an American photojournalist, some sales people and a group of Japanese tourist thought I was Japanese. (When i was in Japan some years back, the Japanese thought I was Japanese. Methinks this misperception comes about due to my skin tone and the shape of my eyes.)

This gets you no love in Shanghai, where one of my drivers tell me that the discrimination is such that Toyota has huge problems breaking into the Shanghainese market. Needless to say the people are hugely nationalistic, and a cabbie tells me that what the Japanese have done, the Chinese "leng zhai xing li". Ouch. To get around this, I tell him that while I stutter badly in Mandarin, I speak relatively fluent Cantonese, and that I know Chinese history. He happens to understand Cantonese, just doesnt' know how to speak it. But somehow the favour of God kicks in, and suddenly, I am counted as "zhong guo ren", and praised for being intelligent and perceptive, with good grasp of what is happening, just facing some difficulty expressing myself.

Well, whatever works.

Oh, and of course, there's always the old trick of allowing the cabbie to keep the change.

No surprises here, but the Chinese here speak Mandarin very quickly and I don't really understand what they are saying, so I stop a Caucasian lady and ask "Sorry but do you speak English?" She does (a bad encounter with a French security guard in Paris at age 4 has taught me that not all Westerners speak English, or admit to speaking English) and helpfully clarifies my queries on what is the former French Concession---Xintiandi is but part of the former French Concession and the whole area from Huai Hai Lu, Madang Lu etc all make up the former French Concession.

I finally made it to Xitiandi and found a delightful little bakery called Paul.

Paul at Xintiandi

The pastries all look really good, but alas, I am allergic to milk and I dont want to run the risk of having a complication develop here in China due to a tiny French pastry. I politely decline the manager's offers instead settle on a bottle of grape juice. He passes me a business card. I sip a little before stuffing the bottle into the Pudong Shangri-la paperbag, which i had brought around because it spells out the hotel's name in large Chinese print, which is useful for showing the taxi driver in case he/she doesn't understand my Chinese.

And then i make my way around the lovely tree-lined and cobbled stoned avenues.

A group of Japanese tourists that I bumped into repeatedly while navigating around Xintiandi who mistook me for a Japanese.

The Shanghai Tang store. There was also one at our hotel. In this store, there is a wall with lots of framed pictures of celebrities, both Asian and Western, in Shanghai Tang garb. I particularly remember a photograph of Naomi Campbell looking very pleased in her Shanghai Tang cheongsam.

Quaint little alleyways, all nicely landscaped.

Coffee Bean at Xintiandi. There were students studying in here as well---seems that no matter where Coffee Bean sets up shop, there will always be the inevitable student crowd studying in there.

Another shot of Xintiandi. Come to think of it, the decor and landscaping looks similar to that of Disneyworld. The sky in Shanghai seems perpetually foggy.

I stopped off at the Simply Life flagship store (the ground floor was closed off for renovations but the 2nd floor was still open) and picked up some delightful trinkets to give as gifts. I like their tasteful Asian aesthetic. Too often, goods that incorporate Chinese motifs tend to come across as tacky, exuding "made only to cater to tourist perceptions of how Chinoiserie should be" vibes, but I was pleasantly surprised by the subtly elegant way in which Chinese elements were incorporated into their items.

The Simply Life flagship store in Xintiandi.

Call me sentimental, but I find such things charming.

Upon leaving the store, I realised I had to use the ladies. Remembering the horror stories I heard about the toilets in Shanghai, upon reaching a juncture where I had to choose between two department stores, I walked to the decidedly more upmarket-looking one, hoping the toilets there would be cleaner. I asked the sales assistant where the toilets were and she pointed me over to a department store on the opposite side of the road, the one I had snubbed just a few moments ago. Uh oh, I thought to myself, but was somewhat reassured when I saw an Caucasian lady ushering her kids into the entrance. I know this whole paragraph makes me sound somewhat shallow, but I am a stickler for cleanliness and I absolutely cannot stand dirty toilets and the thought of having to enter some slimy, grimy, smelly cubicle irks me. And I figured that a Caucasian lady wouldn't dare bring her kids into a dangerous and run down shanghai store.

The department store with the dark looking facade turned out to be all nice and shiny inside, stocked with familiar brands such as French Connection, Hagen Diaz, Nine West, United Colours of Benetton, Sisley, Camper and such. They even had Hongkong's multi-label store I.T which carried brands such as Miu Miu, Cacharel, Eley Kishimoto, a standalone Vivenne Tam boutique and a Baby Jane by Cacharel boutique, all which are not available in Singapore.

And the toilet was very clean. Some girl was trying on clothes in front of the make up counter there. Slim and pretty, but a bit vampy in presentation, I wondered---model or escort, or both?

I left through the back back entrance of the department store and surprise surprise, stepped into a very beautiful plaza, with the same quaint cobbled streets, potted plants, restaurants and boutiques such as Boss by Hugo Boss (the salesman there was pretty nice) and Anthony Chao (got my cousin a hairband here).

The back entrance of the Xintiandi Mall.

But soon, shopping fatigue set in and yearning for something more substantial than just clothes, I paid 20RMB for entry into the Shikumen Museum which showcased how life was like for the Shanghainese in the 1920s. The lady at the ticket counter was rather rude (could it be she thought I was a Japanese?) but no matter. I happily walked around the museum, which is itself a restored Shikumen house, filled with 1920s Shanghainese furniture and other memorabilia. History appetite satiated, I leave the place and walk around summore.

The Shikumen Museum.

Ditto.

I wander about a bit more around Xintiandi. My shopping bags are heavy and my shoulder is starting to ache. I look around somemore, enjoying the cool of the evening and the beautiful glow the setting sun casts around my surroundings. I manage to find the much talked about resturants listed in the Shanghai Chic book---Va Bene, Ye Shanghai etc---, a posh looking club house (or is it a restuarant?), as well as the Annabel Lee boutique (not as nice as Simply Life and far more expensive).

And then i leave Xintiandi and head to the main road.

Before heading off back to the hotel, I stop by the Shanghai Museum shop which is well stocked with books, remakes of historical artefacts and prints of famous Chinese paintings. The tote bags are cute but, as much as I like the Shanghai Museum, I can't imagine anyone wanting to carry around bags with "Shanghai Museum" emblazoned on them.

And here, I find his book, with his name listed as one of the editors sitting right on top of the bookshelf. I ask the sales assistant to take it down for me, and I flip through the book, memories of him, his mannerisms and his voice coming to mind.

And as much as i don't want to admit it, i realised i missed him.

Photographs from: www.paulchina.com, www.col.com.hk, www.shangri-la.com

Of summer in Shanghai

2007-07-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

I just came back from Shanghai and I had lots of fun. Like any holiday, there were ups and downs, but on the whole, it was mainly positive. And this is considering the fact I really don't like travelling much, mainly due to airplane phobia, or more accurately, air turbulence phobia.

Day 1

Arrive at Changi airport at 10. Flight was at 11 something. So did duty free shopping. Tod's had this bag which was rather cheap (for a Tod's bag that is) that my mum and I considered getting. But we hesitated thinking maybe the Tod's at Shanghai would be cheaper. Oh big mistake. While China does not have a Goods and Services Tax on top of the sale price, apparently they have a high import tax that is incorporated into the sale price, and things there end up being slightly more expensive than that of Singapore.

Take for instance the Chanel wallet i wanted to help my dear sister get. It was sold out in Singapore (like the French Connection top she wanted that was also sold out here but available there) but available at Plaza 66 in Shanghai---this swanky mall whose only tenants are big-name luxury brands---but it cost about SGD$1000 there, compared to SGD$800 (including GST) here. But I couldn't call my sis to ask her if she wanted the wallet cos my handphone didn't work, but it was an interesting insight into the luxury goods market in Shanghai.

But i digress. Back to Changi Airport.

So mum and me skipped Ferragamo, Tod's and Chloe and Coach there. But on the plane, we bought this really nice Aigner charm bracelet set with a lock and key pendant (thanks mum!) Singapore Airlines has a really nice selection of goods to get that are cheaper than ground prices. Follie Follie, Aigner, and other gems can be gotten at relatively nice prices, and there was a 10% of all goods due to the upcoming national day celebrations. A further 10% can be wrought if you have a PPS card (or if you're really nice to the air stewardess, they will just give you the discount since a good sold at a discount is usually better than no good sold at all). Mum and I have a hard time finding the Priority Pass lounge as one of the guards gives wrong directions. Upon finding it, there wasn't enough time to er lounge. It also seems a bit boring. So we skip that and board the plane.

On board the airplane, the first announcement was made by the pilot warning us of a turbulent flight ahead. Now that did little to soothe my already sensitized flight phobia. But i prayed and it except for little air pockets, it was smoother than expected. Praise Jesus. Phew.

I did reach Shanghai safe and sound, but on the flight, my appetite kinda left me (due to the turbulence, what else) and I hadn't eaten much prior to the flight (erm this one was due to time constraints) so i started to get a headache. There was Amazing Grace shown onboard, and that was a show i had wanted to catch (so as to see the rather handsome Stephen Campbell Moore) but my jittery heart couldn't take any more drama so i watched Two and a Half Men, 30 Rock, Black Adder and listened to music instead. I discovered a very nice, but not very apt, song---Rehab---by Amy Winehouse and that distracted me for most of the part till the plane landed.

Touchdown Shanghai. Headache there. My mum tells me it's cos of my lack of food from morning (i awoke at 9am) till now which was 6pm. I wonder how i am ever to travel to England for further studies given such flight phobia that results in me fasting on each flight. The air conditioner doesnt seem to be working. What is more perplexing is that our driver does a no-show!

So we head over to the Shangri-la counter (which is just next to the Four Seasons counter where a very cute staffer sits) to ask where our driver has gone. The staff are helpful and inform us that our change in flight details were not given to them. An Amex travel boo boo as my mum had told her secretary to inform them of the change. In front of us are a group of disgruntled Indians, looking tired and in a hurry. We're asked to wait about an hour, but the hotel staff manage to hire another driver much earlier and we're off. My headache follows.

The car is plush---a China brand called a Buick and it is very comfortable. We pass by long stretches of roads, huge condominium compounds, and at least one golf course. This must be the new Shanghai---the Shanghai of the bourgeoisie.

As we near the city centre, there are lots of construction sites and really towering condominiums. See Exhibit A:

The air is perpetually foggy, perhaps due to the never ending construction, perhaps due to pollution---who knows. I ask the driver what the name of a mall stocking French Connection, G-Star and other fashionable labels is. He says "ba bai ban". Now it's been a long time since I've spoken or studied Chinese on a regular basis---probably about 6 years. However, i seem to recall "ba bai ban" as referring to Yao Han when my primary school Chinese tutor gave me a list of department stores to memorise in case I had to spout it out during a Chinese oral exam. A quick check on google proves I am right. So Yao Han has landed here. What next?

Well, it'll be some time before I find out. We reach the hotel, and check in. Mummy is listed as being Mr Seah, a common mistake she reassures us. I look around. The check-in guy reminds me of a classmate in junior college and looks vaguely Japanese. The hotel exudes a pleasantly warm sort of elegance. This will be "home" for 5 days.

The Pudong Shangri-la: "home" for 5 nights

I consult the "Shanghai Chic" book, a coffee table book i bought so as to know where to hang out in Shanghai and not end up seeing the merely tourist-y sites. It recommends the Yi Cafe among others. Mum stops by and takes a look. She likes it so we dine there.

Enter manageress Jennifer and a whole smorgasbord of food. The cafe serves Western, Japanese, Morrocan, Chinese, Thai, Malay, Indian, employing the "open-kitchen" concept similar to Straits Kitchen at the Grand Hyatt Singapore, or, according to my aunt, The Line at Shangri-la Singapore. My appetite remains unimpressed and while Jennifer brings soups to the table and is extremely helpful, I still feel queasy.

The Yi Cafe and its plentiful offerings

I order a bit of suckling pig, the cook is in a bad mood as i have apparently interrupted his conversation with some of the staff. He grumbles and slaps down a few pieces of pork and condiments onto my plate. I bring it back to my table but my dad eats it instead. I don't like the idea of eating something so rudely placed on my plate, but then again, I wasn't in the best of moods. So i wander of to the pastry section with my mum. There we encounter service that the Shangri-la is supposedly (i use this word as I would later on meet with another unpleasant experience) famous for. David the pastry chef is helpful and kind. A bright happy-go-lucky sort (this opinion is based just on looks, and we all know how accurate that can be), he speaks rather good english and i compliment him on his excellent knowledge of his dishes. "But of course" he smiles.

Back at the table, Damian the waiter is on hand to ensure everything is alright. I comment to my mum he looks similar to Lee Hsien Yang. She agrees. Jennifer comes around to check on things. Parents are full, I am still queasy but more rested. We foot the bill and leave.

Eager to walk around, mum and I made enquires about a mall her boss told her about, that was right next to the Shangri-la. Welcome to the Super Brand Mall and boy is it huge or what. This is a shadow of things to come in Shanghai, where the malls border on the gigantic. The Zara is HUGE. I try to find a the left side of a pair of sandals I scoured from the sale section. (In Shanghai, while goods cost a bit more than in Singapore, they have very good sale items, as there is a fairly large selection of on-sale goods and the discounts are quite high) The salesperson tells me that that left side of that particular sandal has gone missing for quite some time. I go back and search again. Ta-da, found it. But i decide to forgo the sandals. It is too big for alternation by a cobbler to be feasible.

Super Brand Mall---Convieniently located right next to the Pudong Shangri-la.

We walk around some more and come across H&M, a brand currently unavailable in Singapore, that I am eager to look at. The H&M store is huge, and the staff are proficient in English. I wonder if they are college students. But it is nearing closing time and we head back to the hotel.

And miracle! My headache is gone. Praise Jesus. I suspect it was a tension headache brought about by plane phobia and eased by shopping. Whatever it is, I'm just glad it's gone. Before I sleep, I check out the booklet "Shanghai Culture and Shopping Highlits", printed by the Shangri-la. It is written in English and Chinese, which suits me perfectly as I can point to the Chinese words to tell the driver the place I want. The hotel also has a copy of the Shanghai Daily (a newspaper), Noblesse (a Tatler-esque magazine) and a Luxury guide (a booklet about luxury shopping in Shanghai). I spot an Aigner advertisement and make a mental note to ask for directions to the Aigner shop here so I can get my charm bracelet (bought on the plane) altered.

It is nearly 1am when I fall asleep.

Photographs from: my own camera, www.shangri-la.com, http://www.mallchina.net/

Accessories!

2007-07-13T07:32:00.000-07:00

While I, like most girls, are fond of bags, shoes and accessories, I have yet to devote a post just for them. Well this all ends now.

Here are the bags, shoes and accessories I am currently liking:

First up, shoes.

I really like this pair! It's from French Soles and looks very Tod's/Prada. The grey, camel brown and black colours are just right for autumn/winter too. And the patent leather and buckle adds just the right touch of elegance (a trait i look out for in most of my pieces).

Next, accessories:

This necklace is from Urban Outfitteres and I think it's really cool. Would look great paired with a plain white tank. Perhaps the length could be adjusted and be worn as a charm bracelet.

Finally bags (and a wallet):

This bag is very Prada/Miu-Miu-ish and I love the camel brown colour. I think it'll look great as a school bag. From ASOS.

Other camel coloured bags I like are those leather and canvas bags---camel coloured leather and cream coloured canvas makes for a very sophisticated combination imo.

Like this one from Ralph Lauren. It just screams, i mean, subtly states weekend-at-the-Hamptons, and old world luxury.

This is from Principles and is a more casual take on the camel-leather and cream canvas combination. Massimo Dutti has a bag that looks very similar to this.

Then there are the bags with colourful prints. My tastes can get vere from extremes---from classic and elegant to colourful and cute.

This is from Ollie and Nic and I think it looks really summery and fun! A great bag to put all your beach stuff in.

Then there's this one from Jcrew that looks perfect for wearing with basics and for running errands with. I can see myself carrying this and pairing it with a white tank and some shorts/miniskirt and zipping around doing errands.

Then there is this other piece from Jcrew which is so cute for dates. Like at an open air restaurant (perhaps by the sea---very apt) or at the movies. Either way, it is a quirky statement piece that is more preppy than loud and makes a feminine outfit more interesting.

Last, but not least, is this wallet which I heart. It is by Loop at Urban Outfitters and has such a happy feel to it and would be such a nice juxtaposition to all the serious-looking upmarket handbags out there. Imagine being at the cashier's and opening up your Hermes Birkin or your Chanel 2.55 or your YSL Muse/Downtown and taking out this sunshine-y (literally) wallet.

Now that is cool.

Photographs from: www.stylefinder.com, www.ollieandnic.com, urbanoutfitters.com, www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk, www.jcrew.com, www.polo.com, www.revolveclothing.com, www.asos.com

Nippon Go!

2007-07-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned in the post just before this that I am currently enamoured of batwing tops for their flattering shape. An alternative is the Kimono-style cut, which, like the batwing cut, drapes loosely on the shoulder and is usually long enough to hide any upper arm flab. Also, while there are many versions of kimono-style tops out there in the market, this post will mainly focus on kimono-style dresses and cardigans.

To begin with, for the uninitiated, a kimono, very basically speaking, is a wrap dress of sorts, tied firmly with a cummerband-like belt called Obi. It usually has long drapey sleeves and a deep v-neck and is the national costume of Japan.

A basic kimono-style dress looks like this---drapey sleeves (the lengths have been shortened for a modern take), deep v-neck, in block colours. These are from Lux at Urban Outfitters and River Island respectively. They may seem a bit plain but they are comfy and easy to dress up or down.

This is a maxi-length kimono-style dress from Miss Selfridge combining, yup you got it, the maxi dress and the kimono-esque trends. As most maxi dresses out there tend to be sleeveless---with all that coverage down below, it's usually best to go bare-r on top---this version is a good alternative for women who are shy about showing off their arms. I think this would look great at an evening soiree paired with gold jewelry. Some nice gold cuffs perhaps? I dunno why but such a combination somehow reminds me of Cleopatra. With all this coverage, don't pair this with pumps. Instead, show of that pedicure with slinky stilettos!

This yummy Gucci pair will do nicely.

For taller ladies, skip the heels and go for gold or jewelled flat sandals.

If the first two dresses were too short and the previous dress too long, Banana Republic has a nice mid-length one that hits slightly below the knees. Very elegant.

Now this should be paired with pumps rather than strappy sandals. Somehow it's just more lady-like with pumps, either peep toed or closed toed.

Then there are the kimono-style dresses with prints.

How apt. One in white (from River Island) and one in black (from Mango). The Mango piece takes the trend a little more literally. Reminds me a little of what massage palour girls wear. The white one is a nice casual piece though. Feminine but not overly girly.

Then there are kimono-style dresses with longer sleeves.

These two are from Lux at Urban Outfitters and they somehow remind me of an artist's smock. Again, a bit plain but can be easily dressed up or down with jewelry. I particularly like the one on the right. While slouchy (a look I am very into now) it still looks elegant. And it looks great on the model's lithe frame. The black also complements her fair skin really well.

Now this is interesting---a kimono-style dress with cutout embroidered sleeves. It's from Warehouse and has a nice vintage-y feel. While it can be dressed up or down, I think it'll look better for day wear because of its summery vibe.

And finally, for Kimono-style cardigans.

These are from Topshop and H&M respectively and would do nicely as cover-ups for camisoles or for days that are slightly chilly.

Photographs from: www.topshop.com, www.hm.coml, www.misselfridge.co.uk, www.riverisland.com, www.mango.com, www.bananarepublic.com, www.urbanoutfitters.com, www.bergorfgoodman.com, www.warehousefashion.co.uk

Pretty blouses Part I

2007-07-12T23:43:00.000-07:00

Fall clothes are making their way onto the racks and since i have nothing much to do today, i figured i better post the pictures of the spring summer clothes before they become outdated. And also because they are taking up too much storage space on my computer.

So here goes.

First up is chiffon.

Chiffon blouses have this romantic etheral feel that is oh so lovely. These are from Lux at Urban Outfitters and i think the batwing sleeves are very flattering.

This is also by Lux. It is more of a smock top and would look great for school. Very slouchy cool yet feminine.

This is from Kimchi & Blue at Urban Outfitters. It is actually a top but is worn as a dress here. I am currently having a thing for such sleeves---very flattering. Makes your arms look super skinny, especially if you have skinny limbs but somewhat muscular and broad upper arms (all those years of swimming) like me.

Diane von Furstenburg, who (together with Vera Wang) can be counted on to produce all things feminine, but not cloyingly so, also has a chiffon blouse in her spring/summer collection.

As you can see, it comes in two colours and has a very bahamas resort vibe to it. Would look great paired with shorts and sandals. Perhaps one of those currently ubiquitous gladiator sandals would do nicely.

Now on to my favourite chiffon pieces:

The one on top is by United Bamboo, while the other is by Miguelina. I love the noir-ish vibe these 2 pieces have. It's feminine but with an edge. I can so totally see myself wearing the Miguelina piece to school, especially now that i'm into slouchier pieces.

Photographs from: www.dvf.com, www.net-a-porter.com, www.urbanoutfitters.com, www.bergdorfgoodman.com. I'm not sure where i got the picture of the United Bamboo blouse from.