The same difference: Marc by Marc Jacobs

While Marc by Marc Jacobs, formerly only available online or at BlackJack by Club 21, has opened a standalone boutique in Singapore at Ngee Ann City #02-09/10, those looking for a high street alternative to his halter dress (left) can just hop over to neighbouring Wisma Atria and get a simliar piece from Topshop (right).



(models in Marc by Marc Jacobs)


Photographs from: www.shopbop.com, www.topshop.com, www.net-a-porter.com

Grey matter

I am fond of grey---not because my grey matter is important in helping me in my exams, but i find grey/slate sorts of colours oddly soothing to the eyes. Just this last Wednesday, i wore a grey top to school, only to have a certain somebody wearing a grey top walk past me and my friends. Quickly, i armed myself with a repartee---"grey is such a becoming colour isn't it?" (insert merry grin)---should any teasing ensue. Thankfully it wasn't needed.

A knitted grey dress from the Fendi Spring Summer 2007 collection. What can i say, they don't call him Kaiser Karl for nothing.

From Derek Lam. Would look lovely with shorts or trousers, and would nicely dress up a pair of jeans. No ripped jeans though---the ornate tailoring would look out of sorts.

From French Connection. Good as a jacket but would also work well as a dress.

From River Island. The draping of this is simplly lovely, giving the piece an elegant romantic look without having to resort to the usual romantic palette of pinks, whites and pastels.

From American Eagle Outfitters. Provides a casual elegance. Would look nice with spring's striped tops.

From Jose Ramon Reyes. Isn't this just cute? I'd wear it with a skirt like this (below, from Topshop) for a retro look.

I like the slouchiness of this Paul and Joe Sweater. Perfect for lazy (to dress up) days.

From Adam+Eve, one of my favourite labels for its tailored urban look. Their sleek aesthetic is exemplified in this pair of shorts.

Another piece from American Eagle Outfitters: a grey cami. It combines the a romantic cut with a gentle colour.

A few pointers: there is grey and there is grey. Be sure to get the shade right. Some shades should be saved only for gym clothes, or not worn at all. The cut of the grey piece is also important. As grey can convey a sense of sloppiness, it is best to choose only grey pieces that are well tailored. Also bear in mind that poor quality shows up easily on grey so choose your grey pieces wisely. That and don't wear grey head to toe. No one benefits from looking like a slab of concrete.

Photographs from: www.style.com, www.ae.com, www.topshop.com, www.paulandjoe.com, www.topshop.com, www.riverisland.com, www.elle.com, www.fcukbuymail.com

The year of the dress part 5: Eyelet dresses

Eyelets were a feature of the spring catwalks and not surprisingly, high street quickly caught on. Usually the domain of white dresses, eyelets can now be found in other colours and other pieces like tops and even shorts.

Badgley Mischka's eyelet dress.



Peter Som's eyelet dress. Black is a refreshing take on the usual white eyelet.

Again, there are always high street options available.



Old Navy does a simple empire-cut eyelet dress. Perfect for those summer days matched with a hat and bejewelled sandals or espandrille wedges. These Christian Louboutin espandrille wedges and Miu Miu bejewelled sandals are utterly adorable.


This eyelet dress is from Delias, and the ribbon belt adds to the romantic vibe.

Another eyelet dress in a romantic cut is this piece from French Connection. Pair it with knee length flat soled boots and and you'll look straight out from the movie set of Pollyanna. As I am not fond of Pollyanna, i suggest those interested in this piece to keep with the wedges, espandrilles or sandals combi.



For those who might not like the country-girl connotations of the white eyelet dress with empire bustlines, there are eyelet dresses in more modern shapes. For instance, these two pieces are from River Island and Delias respectively and come in A-line shift and babydoll style of the 60s, short short hemlines included.



Not to be outdone, Arden B also provides a eyelet style in a modern shape.



C and C California also created a series of eyelet dresses for their spring-summer collection. I like the way it is paired with a tank worn underneath.



These are eyelet dresses, also from C and C California, in the tube dress style.



While it can be worn plain like in the picture, i would suggest pairing it with a tee of another colour worn beneath the dress. Yellow and white would be a nice combination. This Topshop one would do the trick. You might also want to add a wide-waist belt to cinch the waist and break up the white.



Eyelets also make for beautiful tops, as this Webster piece adequately displays.



For those who can't get enough of this trend, there are also eyelet shorts. However, I hope eyelet trousers or jeans never come to fruition.




Photographs from: www.shopbop.com, www.activeendeavors.com, www.delias.com, www.ardenb.com, www.topshop.com, www.saks.com, www.style.com, www.elle.com, www.fcukbuymail.com, www.riverisland.com, www.oldnavy.com, Elle Uk magazine April 2007 issue.

Smockin'!

As i scoured through boutiques and high street shops, one thing that pops up in almost all of them is the smock. Formerly the garb of artists---the baggy white tunic they wear to protect their garments---the smock has since been shortened and pretti-fied, such that now, it is mainly worn as a top, though there are smock dresses, and (almost) no one would use it for dirt protection purposes.

There are a few characteristics of the modern smock: 1. It tends to have a squarish or wide scoopnake collar. 2. It tends to be voluminous, thereby allowing pregnant women to be au courant while expecting. 3. It mostly comes in white or pastel colours (a throwback to the original smock). 4. Unlike the artist smock, it usuaully has short sleeves. 5. It is often made with cotton in materials such as broderie anglaise, although there is now a surge in alternative renditions in other colours and materials. All the better for us i say :)




By Paul and Joe Sister, the diffusion line of Paul and Joe, designed by Ms Sophie Albou who is also known as, at least to me, Ms Smock herself. I call her such as she tends to feature the smock, especially in broderie anglaise, in each of her collections while other designers usually save it for spring or ignore it altogether. As such, her smocks are often the yardstick in which other brands measure up to.



From C and C California. Perfect for spring's romantic look. They are FINALLY branching out to something more interesting that plain tees in different cuts.




From Miss Selfridge. I like the big buttons---they add a cute twist.




From River Island. The bell sleeves make this piece stand out---most smocks are usually short sleeved. River Island has a very comprehensive smock collection in white this season, but i couldn't find pictures of their other white smocks online.



One of my favourites! From Adam+Eve. I simply love the rich dark blue colour and the gold accents.

If wearing your smock hung loose over your pants/skirt is too casual for the office, follow Ms Albou's direction (below left; from Paul and Joe) and tuck it into a pair of high-waist pants or skirt (high-waists being another key trend of spring 2007)



This high waist skirt is from Topshop and its conservative shape and length should suffice to balance out the casualness of the smock top.

For dress lovers, don't worry about missing out, smock dresses are also popular this season, as Ms Albou again demonstrates with her Paul and Joe Sister line.

Fed up of white? River Island has a black alternative:




Don't like 'em plain? Try them in prints!

This is from Rebecca Taylor and would look stylish on expecting mums and non-pregnant women alike.



Don't like Rebecca Taylor's prices? There are high street options as well.



This is from Mango and...



this is from Miss Selfridge.

Still unsatisfied? Make your own.


Photographs from: www.missselfridge.co.uk, www.topshop.com, www.paulandjoe.com, www.mango.com, www.elle.com, www.stylefinder.com, www.riverisland.com, www.activeendeavors.com

The Year of the Dress part 4: The chiffon dress

Chiffon dresses were one of my favourite in the Spring 2007 catwalk roundups. I particularly like the 3.1 Philip Lim ones---one more reason why this is my favourite label :) I love the way that chiffon dresses teas: they tend to come in conservative shapes, and while they "cover up", they're also see through. Here's to chiffon.

These 2 are from 3.1 Philip Lim.

I didn't take down where I got these pictures from. I don't think these are from the Spring 2007 season. Maybe last year's Autumn Winter. Were they Oscar de la Renta? These are the counterparts of 3.1 Philip Lim's white chiffon pieces.

This is from Chloe and i like it very much. It has this retro bookish-sexy vibe. Pair with stacked T-bars or Mary Janes worn with socks, and go and pose at a bookshelf in the library.

From Aerosoles and Two Lips respectively. Super nerdy but that's the whole point. For those who think the brown shoes are taking the nerd-chic thingy a little too far, there are these black options:

From Franco Sarto and Nina.

For a t-bar option there this pair from Frye, a label well known for producing good sturdy shoes, particularly boots.

And if you're still in a spending mood after the Chloe dress, you could pair the dress with the creme de la creme of shoes:

Christian Louboutin.

And of course, there are the high street options.

This is from French Connection. I tried it on, very flattering. The colour is darker in real-life than in the picture.

This is similar to the French Connection piece and it's from Topshop. While it isn't in chiffon, i couldn't resist adding it to this post. I just love the shape.

This is from Mango.

From Mango. A nice way to pair chiffon, with something thicker, and the wide belt anchors down an otherwise floaty piece.

From Adam+Eve . One of my favourite labels as well for its cool preppy look. Can also be paired with ballet flats and worn with a cute jacket like this Moschino Cheap and Chic (not cheap but very chic).

Kate and Kass. I like the mod shape.

Photographs from: www.shopintuition.com, www.shopbop.com, www.zappos.com, www.net-a-porter.com, www.fcukbuymail.com, www.topshop.com, www.mango.com, www.style.com, www.elle.com, www.neimanmarcus.com