My First Online-Buy

Hmm, how to start? OK, to begin with, I am extremely cautious shopper. I analyse over every little detail of item -like the colour, the cut, the weight, the practicality, how often will I wear it, when will I get sick of it etc., until even my parents get fed up with me and tell me to just buy whatever it is. Also, even though I spend an abnormally large amount of my line window-shopping online all the time, I have never been brave enough to actually buy anything online -that was until a few weeks ago.

So a few weeks ago at the end of my Christmas break, I was looking through the net-a-porter sale. I looked at clutches first, since I figured if I was ever to buy anything online, it would be a bag, and clutches are usually cheaper than other types of bags. Plus I haven't bought an evening bag in almost two years and I'm terribly picky. So imagine my surprise when the first 'sale' page that I looked, there was a Miu Miu clutch that I actually liked and most importantly, it was affordable! So after imagining myself using it for a few days, encouragement from my sister and mum, and knowing that net-a-porter is extremely trust-worthy, I clicked the buy button.
The package arrived one day later than estimated, but it was all good. The clutch turned out a tiny bit smaller than I thought -it could just fit my already-tiny Samsung mobile phone. But I have come to accept that it is one of those little lipstick clutches. I love the velvet, which makes it look so classy. It's small, chic and girl-looking without being too cutsey. All in all, it was a fantastic experience. Now I really feel like I'm living in the twenty-first century!

Tell me about your online-shopping (or online-window shopping) experiences! Are you as obsessed as I am?

My First Online-Buy

Hmm, how to start? OK, to begin with, I am extremely cautious shopper. I analyse over every little detail of item -like the colour, the cut, the weight, the practicality, how often will I wear it, when will I get sick of it etc., until even my parents get fed up with me and tell me to just buy whatever it is. Also, even though I spend an abnormally large amount of my line window-shopping online all the time, I have never been brave enough to actually buy anything online -that was until a few weeks ago.

So a few weeks ago at the end of my Christmas break, I was looking through the net-a-porter sale. I looked at clutches first, since I figured if I was ever to buy anything online, it would be a bag, and clutches are usually cheaper than other types of bags. Plus I haven't bought an evening bag in almost two years and I'm terribly picky. So imagine my surprise when the first 'sale' page that I looked, there was a Miu Miu clutch that I actually liked and most importantly, it was affordable! So after imagining myself using it for a few days, encouragement from my sister and mum, and knowing that net-a-porter is extremely trust-worthy, I clicked the buy button.
The package arrived one day later than estimated, but it was all good. The clutch turned out a tiny bit smaller than I thought -it could just fit my already-tiny Samsung mobile phone. But I have come to accept that it is one of those little lipstick clutches. I love the velvet, which makes it look so classy. It's small, chic and girl-looking without being too cutsey. All in all, it was a fantastic experience. Now I really feel like I'm living in the twenty-first century!

Tell me about your online-shopping (or online-window shopping) experiences! Are you as obsessed as I am?

Chloe Bags SS07

Since the Paddington, Chloe bags have been on everyone's radar. Well, it has been on mine anyway (although I've always liked the style of their clothes as well). I especially liked the Betty bag. But now, its time to look forward to their newest offerings in SS07. Here are the two I like best.
The Bay Bag. Isn't it a little reminiscent of the Balenciaga Motorcycle bag? But I quite like this version of it. It still fits everything and its more rounded, cute, feminine and just different. I find the two huge zips on the pocket really adorable too! This is a really fun and classic bag.
Then there is the Ava. Although similarly rounded, this bag is less structured and I think more elegant, ladylike and feminie. Definitely more sophisticated.

I can't quite decide which one I like better, they are so similar and at the same time so different! I adore them both. Et toi?

Chloe Bags SS07

Since the Paddington, Chloe bags have been on everyone's radar. Well, it has been on mine anyway (although I've always liked the style of their clothes as well). I especially liked the Betty bag. But now, its time to look forward to their newest offerings in SS07. Here are the two I like best.
The Bay Bag. Isn't it a little reminiscent of the Balenciaga Motorcycle bag? But I quite like this version of it. It still fits everything and its more rounded, cute, feminine and just different. I find the two huge zips on the pocket really adorable too! This is a really fun and classic bag.
Then there is the Ava. Although similarly rounded, this bag is less structured and I think more elegant, ladylike and feminie. Definitely more sophisticated.

I can't quite decide which one I like better, they are so similar and at the same time so different! I adore them both. Et toi?

SAG Awards 2007 Fashion

Award show again, but this time it's the SAG Awards. The winners of the SAG are pretty much the same as the Golden Globes so I'm not going to bother much with who got the awards. Actually, this award seemed so similar to the Golden Globes I wasn't even going to blog about it, but some dresses were so pretty that I couldn't resist.

OK, wow. Katherine Heigl's outfit was pretty disappointing at the Globes, but this dress just looks stunning on her. Plus she carries that old Hollywood look really well. Look at how gorgeous that hair and makeup are...

Sandra Oh (and her stylist) seem much better at selecting the right dresses for her now. She looked elegant in this Armani dress. One thing worth mentioning, Armani (or Armani Prive) totally upped the fashion-meter at the SAG yesterday. A few of the stylishly classic dresses were by Armani -more below:

I love Cate Blanchett's whole look here, from the dress to necklace to the earrings. The dress is such a great fit and cool look on her.

Anne Hathaway in Marchesa -uh, so-and-so I guess. Teri Hatcher -I usually hate Hatcher's fashion, but this dress looks really nice on her, (thanks Armani). At the very least, she doesn't look her usual tacky self.

Sara Ramirez -not bad. The green silk suits her skin tone really nicely. Diane Kruger in Dior -ahh, what can I say? Diane K practically looks pretty in everything.

Ellen Pompeo in Lanvin -I appreciate that she's got her own sense of style, but I'm really not liking the neckline bit of this dress. Kate Walsh -So summery and happy! It's not an amazing dress or anything, but she looks great in it, which at the end of the day is the most important thing.

Helen Mirren -I'm usually not interested what the older actresses wear to award shows, but Mirren looked so lovely and the dress was so suitable for her that I had to post about her.

The Ugly Betty ladies! Becki Newton -She's so gorgeous! Love the hair and makeup. And that dress looks amazing on her. This is definitely an improvement from that ill-fitted dress at the Globes. America Ferrera -Oddly, I don't like her as much as Becki, but she does look elegant in this dress.

Rachel McAdams -Ooo, I've been obsessed with her pink highlights for awhile. As much as the dress is young and cool, I'm not sure this super mini dress was the right choice for the red carpet, but she looks so cute that I'm going to ignore it and just declare her mega-cute!

Whose dress and whole look did you like the most?

SAG Awards 2007 Fashion

Award show again, but this time it's the SAG Awards. The winners of the SAG are pretty much the same as the Golden Globes so I'm not going to bother much with who got the awards. Actually, this award seemed so similar to the Golden Globes I wasn't even going to blog about it, but some dresses were so pretty that I couldn't resist.

OK, wow. Katherine Heigl's outfit was pretty disappointing at the Globes, but this dress just looks stunning on her. Plus she carries that old Hollywood look really well. Look at how gorgeous that hair and makeup are...

Sandra Oh (and her stylist) seem much better at selecting the right dresses for her now. She looked elegant in this Armani dress. One thing worth mentioning, Armani (or Armani Prive) totally upped the fashion-meter at the SAG yesterday. A few of the stylishly classic dresses were by Armani -more below:

I love Cate Blanchett's whole look here, from the dress to necklace to the earrings. The dress is such a great fit and cool look on her.

Anne Hathaway in Marchesa -uh, so-and-so I guess. Teri Hatcher -I usually hate Hatcher's fashion, but this dress looks really nice on her, (thanks Armani). At the very least, she doesn't look her usual tacky self.

Sara Ramirez -not bad. The green silk suits her skin tone really nicely. Diane Kruger in Dior -ahh, what can I say? Diane K practically looks pretty in everything.

Ellen Pompeo in Lanvin -I appreciate that she's got her own sense of style, but I'm really not liking the neckline bit of this dress. Kate Walsh -So summery and happy! It's not an amazing dress or anything, but she looks great in it, which at the end of the day is the most important thing.

Helen Mirren -I'm usually not interested what the older actresses wear to award shows, but Mirren looked so lovely and the dress was so suitable for her that I had to post about her.

The Ugly Betty ladies! Becki Newton -She's so gorgeous! Love the hair and makeup. And that dress looks amazing on her. This is definitely an improvement from that ill-fitted dress at the Globes. America Ferrera -Oddly, I don't like her as much as Becki, but she does look elegant in this dress.

Rachel McAdams -Ooo, I've been obsessed with her pink highlights for awhile. As much as the dress is young and cool, I'm not sure this super mini dress was the right choice for the red carpet, but she looks so cute that I'm going to ignore it and just declare her mega-cute!

Whose dress and whole look did you like the most?

Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow Palettes

On the first day I arrived back in London last week, I went on a oh-so-important beauty shopping trip with two friends. My friend, uh hum, not me, desperately wanted new makeup. (Oh wait, I think I ended up buying a skincare product too. Anyways...) A little tip to you: If you know you're going to buy a certain makeup product, you might as well get the makeup/ saleslady to put it on you so you learn how to use the product professionally. So, we went to the Dior counter at Selfridges and my friend got a little makeover.

The makeup lady applied concealer over her eyelids and undereye area first. Then she spent a long time layering the different shades of shimmery pink and purple onto her eyelids. To complete the look, the makeup lady put on eyeliner and mascara. Tada. The effect is super super pretty, like the looks you see in magazines.

As we know, the smoky eyes look were very 'in' for FW06, and smoky eyes are just so useful for nighttime looks. But the key to this season's smoky eyes is to use many shades of the same colour. (According to a magazine I read, using only one dark colour to create smoky eyes is like, so last decade.) For example, if you use this Dior palette, you would use the dark purple and brownish colour on the outer corners and the light pink on the inner corners of your eyes.

A Dior palette costs US$49.50 in the US and 32 pounds in the UK. Of course, there are other cheaper or more expensive eye shadow palettes, but I do think these Dior palettes have great colour selections.

The Queen

In the light of all these nominee's for The Queen, I felt like I should comment on it as well. I watched this movie back in Paris, because they weren't showing Marie Antoinette in the cinema. So I didn't have much expectations for it and honestly, I had no idea what it was about.

So I was pleasantly surprised when the movie turned out to be so good. I've never thought of Diana's death from such an angle. I just remember feeling sad that she died and we all watched the tele when they showed her funeral procession and Elton John sang Candle in the Wind. It was interesting to see how the Queen struggled to cope with the situation.
And Helen Mirren played Queen Elizabeth so well too! All the inner struggle, the pride and the dignity was so powerfully conveyed- and she didn't even do it with words! Plus, she LOOKS like Queen Elizabeth! The make-up and hair and everything is just amazing.
Even her co-star Michael Sheen looked like Tony Blair. And I really liked his character too, he was funny yet compassionate and supportive of the Queen's plight while everyone else just didn't understand. Plus, I thought the bond between the Queen and Tony established at the end by Diana's death was really touching. I also liked that the theme of the movie was different from all the usual genre of movie, romance, comedy, save the world etc.

Who would've thought that such a touching movie could be made of a few short days?

The Queen

In the light of all these nominee's for The Queen, I felt like I should comment on it as well. I watched this movie back in Paris, because they weren't showing Marie Antoinette in the cinema. So I didn't have much expectations for it and honestly, I had no idea what it was about.

So I was pleasantly surprised when the movie turned out to be so good. I've never thought of Diana's death from such an angle. I just remember feeling sad that she died and we all watched the tele when they showed her funeral procession and Elton John sang Candle in the Wind. It was interesting to see how the Queen struggled to cope with the situation.
And Helen Mirren played Queen Elizabeth so well too! All the inner struggle, the pride and the dignity was so powerfully conveyed- and she didn't even do it with words! Plus, she LOOKS like Queen Elizabeth! The make-up and hair and everything is just amazing.
Even her co-star Michael Sheen looked like Tony Blair. And I really liked his character too, he was funny yet compassionate and supportive of the Queen's plight while everyone else just didn't understand. Plus, I thought the bond between the Queen and Tony established at the end by Diana's death was really touching. I also liked that the theme of the movie was different from all the usual genre of movie, romance, comedy, save the world etc.

Who would've thought that such a touching movie could be made of a few short days?

Haute Couture SS07 III

The final wrapup of the SS07 Haute Couture shows; the last dazzle.

Armani Prive

The most obvious thing about this show was that everything was silver, or at least some part of the couture was silver. The second most obvious thing is the Indian theme -Indian influenced cuts and turbans.

Other than that, it really is just a dazzling show of gorgeous, elegant dresses and suits.

That's such a pretty, cute cocktail dress (on the left), which sort of reminded me of Marchesa, although this dress is obviously fancier. And the dress on the right is the Armani-chic take on the Indian dress.

Ahhh... the simple, beautiful flowing wedding dress.

Jean Paul Gaultier
While the Armani Prive collection was certainly lovely to look at, I personally found the Gaultier collection somewhat more fun to look at. Maybe because I'm not of the age to wear businesswear yet, and am more into the haute-casual-couture, if that makes sense. Anyways, I'm just going to state the obvious: this collection is very religion-inspired. Not a particularly inspiring topic to me, but Gaultier pulled together quite a lot of fascinating pieces.

First there are the halos. I love Stam's whole look (most right) -it's so beautiful and haunting.

Then there are the slightly darker looks. It's so cool how the halo on the left and the dress on the right look like the windows seen in churches.

Then there are the couture that are so artistic that I don't quite understand. Oh well, this is haute couture.

And finally, though not my style, it is a really pretty dress, with the cape and sheer material. And of course, that crazy hair and halo!

Alas, we'll have to wait another six months to see the next round of Haute Couture collections. Or perhaps we'll see a few of these dresses at the award shows? We'll see.
Photo credit: Marcio Madiera @ style.com.

Haute Couture SS07 III

The final wrapup of the SS07 Haute Couture shows; the last dazzle.

Armani Prive

The most obvious thing about this show was that everything was silver, or at least some part of the couture was silver. The second most obvious thing is the Indian theme -Indian influenced cuts and turbans.

Other than that, it really is just a dazzling show of gorgeous, elegant dresses and suits.

That's such a pretty, cute cocktail dress (on the left), which sort of reminded me of Marchesa, although this dress is obviously fancier. And the dress on the right is the Armani-chic take on the Indian dress.

Ahhh... the simple, beautiful flowing wedding dress.

Jean Paul Gaultier
While the Armani Prive collection was certainly lovely to look at, I personally found the Gaultier collection somewhat more fun to look at. Maybe because I'm not of the age to wear businesswear yet, and am more into the haute-casual-couture, if that makes sense. Anyways, I'm just going to state the obvious: this collection is very religion-inspired. Not a particularly inspiring topic to me, but Gaultier pulled together quite a lot of fascinating pieces.

First there are the halos. I love Stam's whole look (most right) -it's so beautiful and haunting.

Then there are the slightly darker looks. It's so cool how the halo on the left and the dress on the right look like the windows seen in churches.

Then there are the couture that are so artistic that I don't quite understand. Oh well, this is haute couture.

And finally, though not my style, it is a really pretty dress, with the cape and sheer material. And of course, that crazy hair and halo!

Alas, we'll have to wait another six months to see the next round of Haute Couture collections. Or perhaps we'll see a few of these dresses at the award shows? We'll see.
Photo credit: Marcio Madiera @ style.com.