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Back in September, I was suddenly very determined to find a casual white coat to have fun with because I was bored of my other coats, which were all black. (Also I'm guessing it was a photo of Ashley Olsen in a white coat from around four years ago that triggered this sudden 'want'. Kind of strange right?) When it comes to shopping under time constraint, I do target-shopping. Which meant that I headed straight to Zara, where I know would have somewhat stylish, basic and very affordable coats. Zara didn't let me down and I ended up buying this: OK, so I have recently seen a LOT of girls in the streets here in London wearing basic coats from Zara, either exactly this one or similar ones. But since I get cold easily, I have already started wearing this in late September, so almost no one was wearing it yet. Oh, and I know the coat looks really not-pretty like that, but it looks really cool with the collar up and the top part wide open (the lapel part.) Oops, rambling off my point. So the white coat did prove out to be really fun. It brightened up my casual outfits and I found it especially fun to wear it with dresses. Unfortunately, the white coat got dirty really easily. I stopped wearing it to lectures after only one lecture because my sitting around in random seats was just too much dirt for my coat to take. My point is, while I wouldn't spend a huge amount of money on a white coat, I think it's worth trying out a white coat from affordable shops. Think of it as a youthful, cute thing to cheer you and your outfit up on those grey days!
 The whole shorts + tights + ankle boots thing is a huge trend this season (a follow-up of the super-mini-shorts trend from the summer.) Some magazines even claim it's the new mini-skirt, which I'm not too sure about but I'm a fan of mini-skirts much more than of shorts. Anyways, so I've seen a lot of girls in London wear this trend -at school, in the supermarket, shopping... While I can totally understand it's a huge trend, I'm still amazed by how many ppl are wearing this combination. Why? Becuase dude, it's cold out there. Like seriously cold. And with this look, it's a very thin line between fashion victim and cute/ cool. But if you really like this trend, then make sure you wear 'dressy' shorts. And you might want to stick to basic colours. Here are some that I like from Top Shop:  Checkered shorts -They're casual and preppy. Plus I've always thought checked things look better in winter than summer. Silky-like shorts -Silky-looking things always make the item look classy, expensive and perfect for a night out.  Velvet shorts -These are also very wintery feeling and give off that going-out vibe. They're very girly so they're probably not suitable for everyone's taste but if you're a girly girl... High-waisted shorts -While I could never pull off anything high-waisted, I've seen some Londoners try them on at Top Shop and they look really cool. Imagine these shorts with something as simple as a white T-shirt (tucked in) and platforms. Cool huh? (Although I think they'll look better without tights.)What are your thoughts on this trend? Have you been wearing it?
I know that the main focus of a lookbook of a fashion collection is the clothes, but upon looking at Paul & Joe's latest lookbook, I could not help but stare in fixated horror at the model's feet. Maybe I am just not fashion forward enough, but upon seeing these boots (almost everywhere in the lookbook) all I can think of is ugh!
 Maybe in a few months (or even weeks) time, I will find them cute and want a pair. Who knows how fashion evolution works? I mean, without the slouchy thing, the shape of the pointy toe is perfectly rounded and the heels look just right. But right now ,at this moment, the slouchy thing (which I assume is the CENTER of the design) just makes models look like they have swollen ankles to me- and that is never attractive.
 I tried looking at them from different angles, but still- nothing. Maybe it is also the awkward height of the boots as well, making them not quite ankle boots but not quite tall boots either. Only a model with super long legs like that can carry it off (I should know since I stupidly bought a pair of such awkward height boots last season and I am still trying to figure out how to wear them....) without looking short with their legs sectioned off like that.
 So what is the verdict for these $825 Peper Suede Paper Bag booties? Fashion forward? Or should it be stuffed into a paper bag?
In anticipation of Ralph Lauren's private sale, which takes effect online this Thursday 9am eastern time through to Monday 19th Nov, I decided to do a little feature on some of my top Ralph Lauren picks this season. I mean, the sales are going to be pretty good, going up to 40% off with an extra 15% off already reduced price items on Thursday by typing in "NOV15", so better make the most of the opportunity!  First thing that pops into my head that I want from RL- dress shirts. Especially blue/white stripey ones like these two. They are just classic. It would be a great addition to my building work wardrobe. I wonder if RL considers these classic enough to fall under: "Up to 30% off RL Classics: cashmere sweaters(whopee!), polo shirts, oxfords, chinos and select Create Your Own items".......
 Off to more interesting pieces, I also like these white dress shirts with an extra feminine touch. Especially the one on the left, the pleats are just right to make it look interesting, but not so much that it looks overtly girly.
 Long cardigans are also just the thing this season. Paired with a printed dress shirt (left), you'd have perfected the preppy chic look. By itself, they are casual and cool (right).
 And we must not forget this season's must have: dresses. These dresses above are both simple and elegant. The key of course is the belt. The one on the left with the badge and the collar is more casual and youthful. Except I'm not sure if it would look as good on me as it does on the model...what if I look school girl like? Its a thin line.
 As the holiday season approaches, we have these very holiday feel sweaters with the snowflakes, plaid and red. Personally, I'd go for the red sweater and plaid shirt combo. Least then I can also wear it separately and besides, plaid is going to be fun this season.
 Something dressier, there is this adorable bronze satin dress. I don't know why, but I have a huge affinity towards RL shoes even though they are not known for making footwear. This season is no exception. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE these black ankle boots. They are high, but with platform, so I won't be in pain all the time. And the heels look sturdy. The toes are perfectly rounded. The black bow is just the right of detail to make it interesting while still keeping it simple. I just LOVE it. I can wax poetry about it all night. I WANT these!
 And last but certainly not least are these jackets/coats. Coats and jackets are the best investment, because they don't change everyday so you really get good mileage out of it. They are the first thing people see you in when you walk in somewhere- so make sure you make a good statement with it. I am loving the stylish cropped jacket (left), which can be worn formally like this or casually, layering with jeans etc. And the long coat- it is just princess like with its perfect fit and flare!
Whenever I think of Roberto Cavalli, I think of animal prints, lacy tops, corsets, tight and glittery clothes and Victoria Beckham -all glamorously tasteless. Obviously I am not a fan of Roberto Cavalli. I don't care that his recent collection has improved a bit. The Cavalli style imprinted in my brain is still negative.
 First off, you will notice that practically the whole collection is made of animal prints. There are leopard prints (in 2 different shades) and zebra prints. Talk about animal-prints overload! I can't believe he even put the prints on trousers!
 Black and white animal-printed mini-dresses. I can't decide if these dresses are fun and crazy-looking, or just tacky.
 The only thing I remotely consider decent is this sweater dress.
The things that I am interested in are the accessories, especially now that it's party season.  This braclet looks really pretty in the photo. I wonder if it will look that pretty in real life.
 Another thing I'm interested in (as inspired by Mary Kate Olsen) is this cocktail ring. So that's it. Anyways, just because Roberto Cavalli isn't my style, it doesn't mean that other people won't be anticipating the H&M collection. Look out for any craziness.
This post is about the cute ankle boots, by that I mean the ones that go with skirts and dresses.  V-slit ankle boots are another 'it' thing this season. I didn't like them at first but now I'm seeing their charm. Only wear them with dresses or skirts though, because I suspect the slit would look really odd peeking from under trousers. (This pair is by Costume National.)  This pair by Urban Outfitters looks really young and casual. I picture them with denim skirts and casual dresses.  If you like the London and LA style, then you'll like these bright yellow Top Shop boots. They would totally add casual funkiness to ones outfits. Imagine them with a plain cotton, mini-dress, plus a chunky bright scarf and a bunch of crazy cocktail rings. Fun!  Even though they're not my style, these suede KG boots are feminine and can be used for casual or semi-formal days.  These white Top Shop boots have more of a 'utility' feel to them. I'm not sure how one would wear these boots. I imagine they would match black stockings really nicely.  I've seen these Marc by Marc Jacobs boots 'inspire' a lot of other high street version. They're cute -sort of like leg-warmers combined with ankle boots. Cute as they are, they are unfortunately not very practical in real life, are they? The thing about these cute boots is that while they are certainly more eye-catching and distinctive than the basic, black ones, they're just not as practical. So unless you get to dress casually a lot, then I'm not sure if they're worth buying. But hey, if the boots are from the high street stores, (ie. totally affordable,) then have some fun with them!
As you may have noticed Barneys Girl and I haven't blogged a lot about fashion trends recently. Mostly, it's because we haven't been particularly inspired. Doesn't it seem like you can wear last FW's clothes and still seem fashionable this season? There is one trend that we have been loving from last season and it continues this season -the ankle boots.  I'm not a particularly exciting person and I like to know that I can use my expensive shoes (my so-called investment items,) over and over again, so after searching for two seasons, I finally found my perfect pair of boots. I love the shape and the leather is so gorgeous. They're comfortable too (-Prada). Obviously they would be more practical if they weren't so high-heeled, but I guess it's time I learn how to walk in high heels!
 The other pair that I am loving this season are these Aldo boots (right). They look suspiciously like the pair of Louboutins (left) I was drooling over last FW. I love the Aldo pair so much that I've tried them on in LA and Chicago, but I didn't get them because I had already bought the first pair by then. They are so easy to put on, plus they cost only 100usd!
 While browsing on the Aldo website I noticed this pair of boots. I realise that not everyone has adapted to the recent round-toe shoe trend, so this is for those who still like pointy shoes.
 Meet this year's Louboutins, the Metallika. It looks like leather wrapped artistically around feet!
 These Gucci boots are such stylish winter boots. (I feel warm and fuzzy and stylish just by looking at them!) I'm not a big fan of suede (esp since it rains so much in London,) but this brown is such a fantastic shade.
 Even though I don't like that the zippers are in the front of these KG boots, I like the shape of the toe area. You see the way it hooks up? It reminds me of this season's Stella McCartney pumps that I've been staring at over at Net-a-Porter.
 And finally, this season's major trend -patent leather. Shiny, patent leather risks the possiblity of looking tacky, but this pair is just classy. Sigh, isn't this pair of Miu Miu so gorgeous?These basic boots are perfect for almost all outfits. They can go with jeans, pants and even mini-dresses/ skirts, so they're a must-buy for this season, (that is if you didn't buy a pair last season!)
The wardrobe staple, dress shirts are essential whether you are trying to achieve the preppy look or you need it for work. And they are literally every. There will be at least one dress shirt type thing in any store you walk in. But when it comes to finding the perfect one, that is when it gets tricky.
 When I first got into the business of finding a dress shirt, I fell into the trap of buying a pretty and structured one. I mean, the line between dress shirts being manly and feminine is thin, so I thought I'd err on the excessive side and find a highly feminine one. And that is how I now have not one, but TWO, v necked structured dress shirts in my wardrobe from Ted Baker that looks terrible on me- kind of like these two here from Express above (Ted Baker must have seen the error of his ways and stopped producing them, because they were nowhere to be found on his site).
Not that it doesn't look good, but this design is VERY hard to wear- especially when one has a flat chest like me. The fit everywhere else is fine except the chest part, which has an awkward spacious puff because I have nothing to fill that area with. And because of the structured design, there is no way around it, pulling it down does not help and it gets darn uncomfortable in the long run. Therefore if you have a small chest like me- please, DON'T buy v-necked dress shirts no matter how pretty they look. And I heard that the other extreme is not fun either. i.e. if you have a larger chest, you have the problem of having unseemly big gaps in between the buttons. You could wear a tank top underneath I guess, but that gets kind of hot.
So girls, next time you go looking for a dress shirt, beware of these traps and make sure that it FITS you perfectly and comfortably before buying- as hard as finding a perfectly fitted and comfortable dress shirt is. No wonder so many of my working friends get their's made!
Before, I didn't really see the need for eyeshadow primers. You see, I bought the Smashbox eyeshadow/lip primer before and it did nothing, absolutely nothing, for me- except maybe reduced the redness of my eyes so then the color appears better. But I can achieve that with a little application of my YSL Touche Elcat. Nevertheless, being the beauty addict that I am, the other day I got the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion after hearing so many rave reviews about it- and now I am a convert.
 At first I wasn't sure if I was just having a good eyeshadow day or it was the potion, but after having had 3 good eyeshadow days I am pretty confident that it was the potion. And by "good eyeshadow day" I mean going a whole day (morning till night) with no crease, no smudging and sharp color! Its really quite incredible. I didn't think it was possible. Oh and another point is that it literally glides on and really creates a nice smooth surface for eyeshadow application that really sticks. And no, I did not just copied that from the blurb on Sephora. And since I'm about the most oblivious person around when it comes to the whether a beauty product works game, this product really DOES make a difference! So if you haven't already- I highly recommend it!
 I'm not a big perfume lover. I spray perfume maybe 10 times a year, usually for nights out. But like most girls, I can't resist browsing at the ever-interesting perfume bottles and sniff all the new scents. There are so many scents that I like, but because of this, I can't possibly buy all the scents I 'like'. Out of all the scents, there's one scent that has grown on me and I have fond memories of, the Marc Jacobs Eau de Parfum. And I've been meaning to buy a bottle for awhile, but I've been slightly hesistant becaues I wasn't sure if the flowery smell was too strong for me to wear for too long of a time so I never got around to buying it. I was excited when I saw the new ads of Daisy, the Marc by Marc Jacobs scent, in Teen Vogue. It's got that sweet, non-chalent The first time I smelt it, it smelled like any other perfume out there in the market. But at the encouragement of the Marc salesgirls (who told me not to buy the Marc Jacobs perfume but try Daisy instead,) I sprayed both scents onto perfume paper and brought them home to smell for a day. (The salesgirls also told me that their first shipment at the Hong Kong store soldout in 3 days!)  After smelling both scents at least once an hour, I've decided that on the surface, Daisy smelt only like a light, fruity, flowery scent. But later on, the scent smelt musky and most importantly, of Gardenia, the signature scent of the Marc Jacobs perfume. (Yes, I know I think too much before buying things.) According to the Daisy site, Daisy's notes include strawberry, ruby red grapefruit, violet leaves, gardenia, violet leaves, jasmine petals, musk, vanilla and white woods. Not exactly what I smelt, but close enough. And surprisingly, since I've bought it two weeks ago, I've already used it 4 times. Perhaps the reason I haven't been using much perfume before was that I haven't found my right one yet? What do you think of Daisy? Isn't the bottle simply adorable? Has anyone smelt it or bought it yet?
Having been a devotee of the pale pink/whitish nail varnish for most of my nail varnish wearing life (seriously, I have about 5 bottles of pale pink varnish in slightly different shades), recently I've finally jumped onto the bandwagon of bold (darker) colored nail varnish. I am not exactly sure what go me into it....perhaps its because everyone on TV has it and since I watch so much TV it has subconsciously filtered into me and displaced my initial notion that bold nail colors look old and trashy. About time too! I think the trick is to keep nails short and rounded. Long and sharp...now that is trashy. My first bold color obsession: red. Bright red. Mine is a similar color to this, An Affair in Red Square, from OPI, except mine is called Fishnet Stockings from Essi. I just couldn't find the Essi website. But yes, I randomly bought the bottle and tried it on and I LOVED it. Its just so SHARP and cool! I actually spent a few minutes in the mirror checking out my new nail color afterwards! :) The next color I wanted to try was Purple. But not electric purple. And not reddish purple. Cause then it'll just look too purple. It was a tough choice, but in the end I settled on this Russian Navy, from OPI, which has a bluish, purplish tinge. This one actually took me a while to get used to (I think I'm still trying to get used to it), but I think once winter comes on full force, it'll fit my wardrobe perfectly. Incidentally the whole new OPI Russian Collection fits my recent fall/winter mood perfectly. Dark, rich colors of blue, purple and red. Its fabulous. Although I'm not sure about the texture. Maybe its just me, but I find them not to go on as smoothly as my Essi ones. And lastly, HOW does everyone apply their dark nail varnishes? I am phenomenally bad at application. So I try not to mess up by just applying one layer (no, I'm seriously bad) and for these bold colors, its not too bad since its already so strong. But I can't help that I accidentally apply over the edges and then it just looks like a little kid coloring and going outside the lines. Also, a lot of times, I get streaks. HOW am I suppose to DO this properly??? Please help!
Having had a stressful few weeks, I decided to treat myself to a day of guilty pleasures. - My top guilty pleasure is sleep. And by that I don't mean the usual 8 hours. I mean sleeping for however long and whenever I want. See, I'm not a morning person. Hence I never feel like waking up in the morning. So this morning (afternoon), I woke up late. And then I went for guilty pleasure number 2......
- Romance novels. I find the newer novels these days to be much too formulaic and tedious to go through to find a good one. Hence I love reading the old ones that I know are good. The classics never get boring. They are all the same anyway, its just the quality of the writing that differs. Besides, all I'm looking for is a happy ending to escape from the real world. One of my all time favourites is Jill Mansell's, Miranda's Big Mistake. Its super sweet. Mansell is generally pretty good, though I can't say much for her newer books......And while I was reading by the window next to the warm sunlight, I indulged myself some more and rest my eyes whenever I need to.
 - Next on my list is endless hours of mindless TV shows. These days I watch just about anything, Greys Anatomy, Samantha Who, Gossip Girl (love it), ANTM etc. But my ultimate favourite is still the chic lives of the girls on Sex and the City. I can never get bored of them. They are classic!
 - And we must not forget nourishment. Guilty pleasure number four: eating ice cream out of the carton. Then you can really eat as much as you want. And the ultimate pleasure of all? Sleep after you eat. I know that it is highly not recommend it. But succumbing to food coma is just the best thing I can imagine. Even if you cannot sleep for the rest of the night after....
 - But thats ok, because then you can indulge in guilty pleasure number 5: talking on the phone with an old friend and going down memory lane- for hours. 4 hrs and 5 minutes to be exact. There is no path better than memory lane. Now I really want to read all those Christopher Pike books I loved to read when I was 13...... especially Starlight Crystal. Its about this girl who falls in love with this guy but a few days later she had to go on a spaceship that is designed to be a time capsule that observes human evolution over time. And then something goes wrong and there is this huge time warp and....I just remember it being more cool than it sounds now.
 - Staring into space and letting your mind wander...and closing your eyes for a few minutes whenever you like. Especially nice if you have a nice view or a clear sky to stare at.
- And the last of my guilty pleasures? List making. I love list making. I make lists about everything (observe this blog). And diary writing. It really keeps track of your thoughts and clears your head up. Besides- its awfully entertaining to read a year later....especially if you make interesting lists, like new years resolutions and checklists... I highly recommend it.
And this is my list of guilty pleasures I like to indulge in on my "me" time. What are your guilty pleasures?
I am constantly amazed at my mom's ability to be so up to date with the latest going ons in fashion. Her latest discovery are the trendy dresses at Vivienne Tam. Surprising isn't it? I've always related her style as western with oriental influence and wouldn't exactly call it trendy. So when my mom told me she'd bought me a dress from there, I was like, what?
 Luckily for me, the dresses over at Vivienne Tam seems to have gone through a revival and are much trendier than I'd imagined. The dress my mom got me was this one, except mine is black and made of a woolish material. Now to be honest, when I first saw the dress (and identified it as this one in the catalog), I didn't like it very much. It was past my knees and it has the most awkwardly positioned tie thing in the middle. That is not exactly the most flattering cut. But after playing around with it, I've tied it at the waist, such that a little puffy effect is created and is shorter, which is kind of cute with ankle boots!
 This of course got me looking into the rest of the catalog and now I am lusting for more Vivienne Tam dresses! They have more simple casual (kind of shift) dresses. I especially love the grey one in the middle. The color is also so nice and wintery without being too black.
And check out those silver Mary Janes! I WANT a pair. They look so perfect in the winter with all these cute short dresses!
 For something more sophisticated, there are these more polished creations. The dress on the right is my favourite! The bottom frills gives it just the right touch of girliness to the otherwise sophisticated and simple design.
 Something a little more fun, there are these printed dresses. The rich silver brocade dress is so adorable! And as a side note, I really like that look on the far right (sorry about the bad scanning). Its so simple to achieve too. All I need is to go out and get myself a cute printed mini!
Who would've thought that these creations were Vivienne Tam?
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