love lives forever

cloth of confidence

Photo taken by Nicole of My Cherry Magazine at the recent Topshop Fashion Show at ION. Look at the lady sipping her cocktail at the table behind. She's totally staring at the camera....

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Does dressing well give you that extra tinch of confidence? I seriously don't think people at my office give a damn about what I wear to work but I still dress up anyways. For me, dressing up makes me feel good, which I guess equals confidence. Then does dressing well equate to drowning yourself in brands? Sometimes, my judgment tend to be clouded by the value of the outfit rather than its true aesthetic. I think it's perfectly fine to own a few luxury items (bags, watches) but how many is too much? Maybe I'm juz envious of those who have the ability to spurge on luxury (high end brands and not our regular high street ones) clothes, bags and shoes. To me, it's definitely more interesting when I spot someone on the street wearing an awesome outfit which I haven't seen before rather than something easily recognizable. It makes me that much more hardworking in assembling that look.

I admire those who can look pass the brand, size, price and simply wear clothes that looks good on them. It's easy for me to walk into Zara/Topshop and have a list of WANTS because I associate these brands as having a certain status, reputation and fashion forwardness but am I able to shop confidently if I'm to walk into a random shop with all the tags removed? Will I still be so sure about forking out 100 bucks for a piece of garment? I shy away from blogshops/FEP because I'm afraid that I might bump into someone on the street wearing the exact same thing as me. It's also the same reason why I won't buy anything my friends have for fear of being too matchy (Of coz, Nithe told me a million of times that I should not impose my personal standards on others and I'm trying). At the end of the day, it's all about confidence. If a pair of louboutins or a pretty purse is required to buy confidence, go for it.

UOB Chef's Creation: My Humble House

My mum wanted her last bit of the UOB Chef's Creation promotion before it ends. My Humble House wasn't top on my list but most of the other Italian/French restaurants were either close on Sundays or the promotion isn't valid for Sunday.

4 courses 1-for-1 set lunch for $68++. My Humble House is known for their fusion Chineses-Thai cuisine and the dishes served isn't something new to my palatte. The food was pretty good but like Nithe said, eating chicken rice at a posh restaurant feels a little weird as we can get something similar at hawker centers for 3 bucks. I've visited My Humble House a number of times and I can say that this is not their best. Maybe it's becoz of the promotion or maybe the lunch standard is juz different. I'm not disappointed, I'm juz not boomz...

top: AX, blazer: AX, necklace: Island Shop, pants: Topshop, belt: H&M, heels: Pedder Red, bag: Balenciaga

best bbq since I can remember

Johnny and Klam, my church friends from Korea, invited us to their condo for Korean BBQ. I'm not a fan of Korean food but it was seriously the best BBQ I've eaten in a long long while.

It was really simple. All they prepared were frozen pork belly strips, no marination required. Look at those thick layers of fat. I seriously think that there's more fat than meat but it was so good. The fats juz seem to melt in your mouth.... Who needs satay and chicken wings for BBQ? Of coz, the fire was fuelled by the fats dripping from the pork belly.

BBQ meat, wrapped in lettuce, mushroom and homemade Korean paste. The paste was insanely tasty and went so well with the meat. We were literally licking up every bit of the paste to go with the pork belly.

Of coz, we had Korean wine, Soju. It's really similar to Japanese sake.

It's really lovely when everyone can juz get together and fellowship over food. These Korean dudes are really funny. They were saying that if SG guys were to go clubbing in Korea, they won't want to come back anymore. Also, >90% of Korean girls go for cosmetic surgery. Apparently, parents give it to their kids as some sort of graduation gift. But what kept me laughing like crazy was when Klam said "if you're not ok, let me know and I will say sorry". Their command of English isn't very good so they tend to be very straightforward. The way they express themselves is juz very dramatic and entertaining.

Our mess

Impeccable Style @ Mango

Impeccable Style @ Mango was organized by Style Magazine at ION Mango Boutique. It wasn't a fashion show but more like a style workshop, using Mango pieces to suit the different body types. The take home message was to be comfortable in your personal style and to own it =)

During the styling presentation, the most awesome thing happened. The fashion editor of Style was trying to explain how to play with lengths and proportions to trick the eye into seeing the goods and hiding the boos and I was picked out from the crowd as a positive illustration of her point. Apparently, the polka dots and the blazer was a good match, the length proportions were right, the shoulder pads from my blazer as well as the rolled up sleeves made the outfit chic yet casual. Overall, thumbs up =) So instead of selling Mango clothes, she ended up selling mine. It was like my 2 mins of fame. hahaha....

blazer: mum's, playsuit: Topshop, heels: Anne Klein, bag: Balenciaga

Also, this is my first time wearing a white blazer. I stole it from my mum's wardrobe and if vintage is defined by it being >10 years old, this is super vintage =) I can't seem to remember my mum being a UK10. I have been shunting this for a long while as I was afraid that it might resemble a lab coat. It's still subjected to more outfit experiments but it's promising. Why bother spending money when I can dig something out for free?

Style Magazine Fashion Editor Sharon Tulasidas & me

Of coz I'm petite =) Mango goodie bag. 15% off storewide plus a cute little organizer.
I was good and DIDN'T spend a dime.

On a whole, a completely different experience from the Topshop Fashion Show but it was fun nevertheless. Seeing these stylists at work make me so tempted to leave my boring and unfulfilling job but deep down, I know that fashion is juz a subset of my life and not my whole life. It's better to juz keep it as a hobby for now.

Topshop Christmas 2009

If only Santa can stuff a few of these items into my stocking..... Especially digging the chained vest =)

photo credits: mode.feber.se

UOB Chef's Creation: Gordon's Grill

In light of the UOB Chef's Creation 1-for-1 lunch/dinner promotion, my mum decided to treat us to Gordon's Grill @ Goodwood Park Hotel. Being a weekday night, it wasn't crowded and the service was thoughtful.

$128++ for 2 is pretty reasonable for a 5-course set dinner =)

Nithe: 30 pounds for dinner is totally reasonable......
3 weeks in UK made him lose the concept of value in SG.

poke-a-dot

What can I say, the dots have finally invaded my wardrobe. There's this whole 80's retro and whimsical vibe about it that I adore....

credits from fashionista.com

My little attempt to inject some dots... Nithe bought this playsuit from Topshop London and I'm super duper loving it. Not only is it cheaper over there, I haven't seen it at Topshop SG. Hopefully SG doesn't bring in this piece. Oh it comes with hidden shoulder pads too. 2 trends in 1 =) hahahaha......

playsuit: Topshop from London, dress: Miss Selfridge, belt: DKNY, heels: Pedder Red

my boy is back......

What's better than a fully paid 3 weeks holiday to London and Paris? Gifts from gf and parents. Can it get any better?

only time will tell

Finally found the perfect graduation gift for my doctor-to-be boyfriend. I wanted to get something that's memorable yet practical and lasting. It didn't help that most of the items I laid my eyes on were WAY beyond the depths of my pockets. The chance finally came when my mum received some watch preview sale invitation. Bombed 1 whole month's pay on this timeless beauty even after 40% off retail but it was worth every penny (at least to me).

Presenting Tag Heuer Carrera Automatic Chronograph Tachymetre. TAG Heuer Caliber 16 automatic chronograph movement. Silver dial with 3 counters (hours at 6 o’clock, small seconds at 9 o’clock, minutes at 12 o’clock). Date at 3 o’clock. Circled counters at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock. Luminescent diamond-set hands to facilitate legibility. Hand-applied indexes. Monochrome TAG Heuer logo. CARRERA inscription. Case back with a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass. Fixed bezel with tachymetre. Water-resistant to 100 meters. Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.