Daisy Chain: Valentino

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Remember Project Runway's excruciating last-minute challenge to add to the designers' already complete Fashion Week collection?  Or to create a complimentary look to their star piece?  That was precisely what came to mind when I chanced upon this cheerful, daisy mini dress at BHLDN.  

To say it seems cut from the same cloth as the polarising Valentino Resort 2011 gown braved by Michelle Williams at this year's Golden Globes (bless her!) would be an understatement.  Someone put these two together, barefoot, in a bohemian forest wedding, please? 

 

Speaking of which, where the heck is Project Runway?  I'm going into Tim Gunn withdrawal. 

Matchy Smatchy: Tsumori Chisato for Baby!

Ok so I might have gone temporarily mad over Tsumori Chisato but how positively precious is this baby set from the Petit Bateau collaboration? At USD69 (and just over 50% off!) for a onesie, bib and toy, this would be a perfect baby shower gift for any fashion-devotee looking to impart unmatched Japanese cool/French flair to their newborn.

Who says you can't be born this way?  Available in pink/blue online at Shop Bird.

How to Party: Tsumori Chisato & Club 21b Launch

Either the universe is telling me I do shop too much or I just lucked out in being invited to Club 21's joint launch party last Friday for their Tsumori Chisato and Club 21b boutiques. 

The evening honoured Chisato with a capsule 20-year retrospective on her career.  It was a joyous rainbow of intricate knits, embroidered silks and clashing prints that delighted and worked the way only the Japanese could.  I only wish they'd curated the exhibition with descriptions of the year/collection each piece was selected from so that visitors could appreciate the development of her design.

And so champagne flowed, the good looking preened, models strutted, Chisanto photo-called and I cooed and coveted an indulgent S$40 cotton hankerchief speckled with Chisato's trademark feline motifs.  Large enough to use as a necklace/scarf (think Muji's Tokyo/Paris/London range of map hankies), it would have been an affordable and extremely chic memento for the evening!  Too bad it was Lent or I'd definitely have put my 20% discount that night to good use...

Speaking of honouring the designer - I decided to debut one of my precious Tsumori Chisato x Petit Bateau tees, paired with Comme des Garcon long shorts (which The Man adorably calls my 'police constable shorts') and my appropriately feline patent Rupert Sanderson wedges.  Would it be narcissistic to proclaim I love my outfit?  But I so DO, and can't wait to wear the combination again... Maybe this Friday, would that be too soon? ;) 

Resist! Resist! Outnet's Clearance Sale

Having managed to log-in at 17.07 today, I found a stronger will than ever imagined.  I have proudly avoided breaching my Lenten shopping ban!

The Peter Pilotto Mismo printed tote taunted me and sat in my shopping cart for a whole 20-minutes before I logged off with my dignity (and soul) intact. The remainder of the offerings weren't particularly interesting, though there were at least 2 Herve Leger dresses which at 80% off, unsurprisingly, were gone in 5 minutes. Go there in peace, fellow shoppers!  TGIF

A Place in the Sun: RIP Elizabeth Taylor

An icon. A beauty. The end of a era.

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Wake me up when it's Friday: Comme des Garcons

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Have you ever woken up on a dismal morning to the chatter of rain on the trees? When the morning sun, usually your day-timer, shies behind the grey sky?  How about that accompanying instinct to don all that is black, cashmere and ostensibly anything with hardware as amour against the seemingly unending gloom?  Welcome to my seasonal affective disordered wardrobe. 

It just dawned on me how I'd managed to cobble together a collection of corporate office-appropriate pieces from the Comme des Garcon family (and alumni) over the last 5 years or so.  Nothing too shady or too deconstructed.  Just edgy enough for the office, without losing any credibility.  Photos to come - I've decided black, white, dots and stripes are all I can manage for now... but in the meanwhile, forgive me as I crawl back into bed to recuperate from the day's madness in the office.

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Music to My Ears: Net-A-Porter's Bag Guide

Watch Net-A-Porter's eye-candy video the first thing this morning at your own peril!  I'm off to a day of meetings with the sexy sound of clasps and zips swirling in my head.  Bliss.  TGIF xx

Disaster Movie: Celine on Reebonz (Again)

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After the tragic fate that befell Balenciaga and the motorcycle bag, the writing was on the wall for Celine after their first appearance on local discount (read: installment plan) website Reebonz.  

Is it just me that uses Reebonz as a barometer of when a brand/bag might have hit its saturation point in Singapore?  Add to the fact their prices aren't really discounts; they're often still pricier or match the full retail price in Europe.  I guess the appeal is the ever available installment plan, which contradicts the point of these beauties  being aspirational luxury. 

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Nowadays, apparently Celine Shopper Totes sell out on their site over lunchtime and galpal J reports at least 4 in Raffles Place plus another handful in her office building.  I haven't noticed a similar proliferation in my area but then I might be living in denial *wail* 

My only consolation is the fortuitous availability of the limited edition envelope style.  It may not have the same curves, but baby it's mine (just mine)!

Shopping Update: Tom Ford 'Single Man' Glasses

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Oh the great lengths I go in search of a bargain!  Anyone who's lived in Singapore will know there is one place you do not venture to on a Sunday if you can help it: Lucky Plaza

Madding crowds notwithstanding, I found the time to stop by AS Optics which triumphed where nights of online searches failed.  As an added incentive, the tortoise and plain black Tom Ford frames that retail at S$620 online could be The Man's (and mine to admire) for S$380.  Yes, that's still a pretty penny but with the savings you'd score that bottle of whisky, monochromatic vintage dress and be on your way to that exceedingly authentic Single Man party!

Note: Yes, it may seem rather lackadaisical to post about the same frames twice (and in a row) but I am in LOVE...

Singular Sensation: Tom Ford 'Single Man' Glasses

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Hours from Lent, I'm tasked with scouting for gifts for two men in my life.  Fortunately, birthday gifts don't breach my Lenten shopping sacrifice.  

Not quite so convenient is the price of these Tom Ford 'Single Man' glasses.  Wouldn't these look fantastic on any guy?  Made for George Falconer, so Tom Ford, a perfect celebratory buy for The Man in honour of Colin Firth's win!  Obviously everyone else seems to thinks so as they're completely sold out - which leaves me to consider these alternatives (via Mr Porter, and the no less sartorially superior John Slattery).  *pause* Ooh, I feel the urge to throw a Single Man / Mad Men themed party! 

Speed Shopping: TriBeCa's Bazaar Sale @ Forum

Racing out of the office toward a sale that promises the prospects of brands such as Matthew Williamson, Milly, Temperley, Notte by Marchesa and See by Chloe at up to 90% off is one of the joys of life.  I got to TriBeCa's 'Blow Out' Bazaar Sale held at their boutique in Forum Shopping Mall just before closing time to find patient and pleasant SAs still unpacking boxes of goodies as a handful of shoppers perused the rails.  Maybe I had been hardened by the elbowing and foot-tapping waits involved in entering other sales, this really surprised me.    

The sale isn't for everyone.  If you were hoping for a plethora of Elizabeth & James at the price of H&M, you might be disappointed.  However, if you have aspirations for a S$300 after a 90% discount (under GBP 150) silk Matthew Williamson maxidress or a S$70 Diane von Furstenberg sundress (again 90% off), this would be your moment.  

The SAs promised more clothing (and shoes) today and tomorrow, so there' still time to grab a bargain in time for the weekend!

TriBeCa Bazaar Sale

4th - 6th March 2011

10.30am to 7.30pm

#01-18 Forum

Great Big White: Kate Spade 'Head in the Sand Melinda'

It's been a while since the concept of a white bag crossed my mind. The first, when Cousin C showed off her hard-earned Miu Miu Matelassé.  Then Galpal M finally succumbed to the allure of the Valextra Boston bag.

When I chanced upon Kate Spade's 'Head in the Sand Melinda' tote at 30% off online (US$298, about S$388), a chorus of angels erupted.  I'd previously posted about the delicious blueberry version but a white version?  I had doubts.  How was the leather?  Would it hold its shape?  Could I carry it off?  After a whistle-stop tour of the Raffles City boutique, it was the bone-white spoke to me like a burning bush.

Just to put things in perspective, the same style is discounted in Singapore but, buyer beware, the sale price in Singapore (S$588) is pretty much the US full retail price!  Are you still here?  See you at the checkout!