Monday 29 November 2010

Keeping Things in Perspective

Sometimes... when I might have shopped a *little* too much... I take a moment to remember Mia's Two Towers (of Hermes & Chanel), which is arguably a more awe-inspiring sight than Middle Earth could ever conceive. I am humbled.

p/s I can't wait to debut my Parisian Pick-Me-Up #3... can't be hard to guess what it is, eh? :)  

Friday 26 November 2010

Tis The Season

OK, back to encouraging people to shop (well, for now at least) so I thought I'd start with a good cause.  Maybe if I combined retail therapy with doing something for society it would all square off and wretch me out of retail rehab?
alldressedup rather timely offers all us shopping sinners a redemptious option by tying up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to bring some charitable joy to children with life threatening medical conditions. 

Reasonably priced at S$69 to S$89, their giftables are an excellent mix of Mulberry-trendy and Chanel-classic keychains, brooches and necklaces. 10% of the sale proceeds go toward making it a merry Christmas Day for someone who treasures every single day. I think I feel a lump in my throat now... or maybe it's lust for that adorable blue tartan bear who's parachuting from a cascade of grosgrain ruffles. 

Thursday 25 November 2010

Parisian Pick-Me-Up #2

I've been a bad, bad girl - I'm not entirely sure if it's the disappointment of not securing anything in the Lanvin x H&M scrum or the realisation Ez and I only spent one day shopping in Paris.  Possibly collective grief? Either way, the plastics are going on major hibernation after today. 

 

I'd like to blame Club 21's End-of-Season flyer for this moment of weakness at Lanvin but, in truth, I should thank them for the sale preview since these deeply discounted darlings cost me scarcely more than a full-price Nine West (at 70% off). 


If you pop down to their Hilton Shopping Gallery boutique, this treasure trove of items between 60-70% off is tucked away behind the mirrored screens at the far end of the boutique, whereas the rest of the store was an introductory '30% + 10%' - how sly!  It's still early days in the sale so there are a decent selection of bags in the bargain bin - most going for under S$980, including an Amalia Cabas tote in a chilli-tomato red and this anthracite grosgrain shoulder bag.  There was even a classic Lanvin 'Love' sketch pouchette for only S$164!


It's a wonder I came out relatively unscathed... now excuse me while I let the cards go cold and the shopping frenzy die down *cough* *shiver* *sweat*

Wednesday 24 November 2010

Parisian Pick-Me-Up



You will not believe the craziness that the Lanvin x H&M collaboration is turning up - the website in the UK was down even before the shopping began! And now eBay is flooded with ridiculously marked up wares... what a bust up! I can't say I'm entirely disappointed - galpal E and I had a VERY productive time with French labels over the last fortnight, including *ahem* actual Lanvin. More on that very soon!

In the meanwhile, I'm consoling myself that the H&M shoes and dresses were apparently more "prom" than "pompe" and I already have this charming souvenir from the land of Maje

Parisien knitwear designer Sonia Rykiel is well-known globally for her bright, fun sweaters (and more recently, for her H&M tie-up) but those have always been all too Rainbow Brite on me.  You can imagine then my elation in finding a bale of wool knit at her concession at Printemps - the bale's sold by the metre and in done in an annual, unique, stripe combination! Imagine have a stack of striped scarves from each trip to Paris? Tres bien, no? I literally felt like a kid on Christmas Day watching them measure and cut the scarf out... the feel-good factor to this buy is immeasurable! In fact, I highly recommend this as a joyful alternative to the cookie-cutter Hermes/Longchamp gift if you're shopping for a gift from Paris for a girlfriend!

Monday 22 November 2010

The Wait is Over

H&M finally arrives in Singapore in Autumn 2011. SQUEAL!! And it's located right below daddy's office... can you say "designer collaboration overnight stakeout venue"?

Thursday 18 November 2010

Here Comes Christmas

Alexander Wang at up to 60% off... doesn't that make you tingly and feel like Christmas is near? To celebrate the launch of The Outnet's mobile version, I reckon this Alexander Wang selection (with even the Rocco bag will be available at the sale) will more than make up for the somewhat middling offerings in their weekly stock updates. Who's already planning to wait by their laptops at Thursday morning GMT? :)

Update (10am GMT): The black and nude Rocco bags are sold out already. Well there were 50% off... dresses and shoes still available!

How to Look Good: Costume Party

Just add Miu Miu.
{pc: tfs}

Wednesday 17 November 2010

To the Left, To the Left

Not that I profess to be any kind of expert on the city, but my heart's pretty sold on Paris' Left Bank. Less crowds, the Musee d'Orsay, Le bon Marche and the namesake of one of my favourite designer ready-to-wear lines. Like Lanvin, there is something very precious and inner-circle about the Yves Saint Laurant brand. Perhaps it's their lack of overt branding (non monogram, si vous plait!) or the couture history that comes with the label. On a more practical level, my preference was cemented from witnessing the juxtaposition of the tourist hordes that stormed Longchamp and Louis Vuitton with the dignified discernment exhibited at Lanvin and YSL.

This may well be my favourite purchase from Paris. I love that the gold-plated bracelet has the appearance of a chaste charm bracelet; it belies a wink and wit. Discreet enough with a plain black dress at the office party, but also naughty enough for cocktails. What a perfect tribute to the lifelong friendship between Catherine Deneuve and Yves Saint Laurent which sprung from the set (and wardrobe) of that iconic film.

Whilst I try not to play favourites with my jewellery, this will certainly give my YSL necklace (dubbed my 'Funny Face' necklace) a good run for its money. This also means I now have two film-inspired pieces from YSL, which is delightful coincidence and making me adore them even more!

Tuesday 16 November 2010

Cheap Thrill: Going Dotty at H&M

Some pieces need no hesitation; this cheap(er) than chips shirt from H&M is a hark back to its CDG collaboration with some pink blush thrown in. At GBP3, there really is no reason to say 'no', is there?

Here are the other pointillism perfection pieces I passed on:

Downstairs; Upstairs

Act I, Scene 1: Downstairs, a shoe-mad shopper exits with more bags than can comfortably be carried. Hails cab out of sheer exhaustion.

Act I, Scene 2: Upstairs, the champagne flows, the wallets come out and much good is done for the local design scene.

This was more or less my life in Bruton Place in London - first that the always tempting Rupert Sanderson and then at the House of Voltaire pop-up shop selling artists' works, limited editions and original pieces by leading contemporary artists in support of Studio Voltaire (an independent arts organisation of 45 London-based artists). The vibe of the pop-up was very Comme des Garcons , but less overtly edgy. There was an encouraging mix of affordable fare (t-shirts and tea towels) and, of course, the art pieces. Something for everyone really.

As for the shoes, I haven't taken snaps of most of rest of the shoes as they're comparatively less exciting (think primarily basic pumps...). But these I love, no LOVE... as in a weld-them-to-my-soles, sleep with them under my pillow way. But isn't that how all acquisitions should feel?

Saturday 13 November 2010

Cheap(ish) Thrill: Tsumori Chisanto pour Petit Bateau

Bonjour! When I sighted the whimsical, très chic “marinière” top from French label Petit Bateau's collaboration with Japanese designer Tsumori Chisanto, I yelped and promptly made a beeline for their nearest boutique in London. I was such an early bird that they hadn't even had a chance to place pieces from the 13-piece collection onto the shopfloor... which perplexed me somewhat because the TC website listed the collaraboration being available since mid-October. Ergh, Japan always get stuff first...
Blagging my way into a "sneak peak" was worth it. How adorable are these two styles? The femme version is a heart and star thin cotton jersey top - perfect for even sunny Singapore; the homme version with the shooting star is of a slightly thicker weave and would probably work better as a cotton jumper. In a bit of non-buyer's regret, I feel like I should have also picked up the bag (how CDG is that?) and the scarf... but then, there's always Paris :)

Friday 12 November 2010

The Spitalfields Haul

With the proliferation of fast fashion and the rise of China manufacturing, it's been increasingly hard to find anything 'Made in England'. This is one of the reasons why I make it a point to check out Spitalfields on the weekend - less touristy than Portabello and warmer than strolling the open streets (Up-Market's indoors). It's no wonder then that I had delightful spree there!
Of the four stalls I succumbed to, Enelle and Clara Francis made the biggest impression. Enelle was a particularly great find; her modernist take on bunch of strawberries has been permanently around my neck since the weekend. In fact, I was probably her last sale at Spitalfields - the lovely Nina is moving onto biggest and better things now that she's appeared in a couple of periodicals including Cosmopolitan so Sunday was her last day in the market. All the best!

Clara Francis' creations also had a similarly unique feel. For her balloon necklaces - which I've dubbed my 'Up' necklace, she's tucked a little poem into each balloon. You'll never actually know what it reads, but it's lovely knowing a little dream is hidden inside! I'm sure she'd be able to do personalised creations with your choice of poem or message inside if you asked nicely. I'd cooed at her stall 3 trips in a row now and am so pleased I finally caved this time :)