Gwen Stefani Sweet Escape Concert 2007

After 6 months of waiting (yes, I bought the tickets as soon as it came out- and yet I still had less than ideal seats....) I FINALLY went to see the Gwen Stefani Sweet Escape concert a few weeks ago in Chicago. I was SOOOO looking forward to it, because after seeing the Cold Play and Maroon 5 concert- which were good but not really as exhilarating as I'd imagined, I decided that I most wanted to see Gwen Stefani because I love her and her music. Plus then at least I'd know and like most of her songs and from all her music videos, she seemed like a good performer. That turned out to be an understatement because Gwen is a BRILLIANT performer and the whole concert was just AWESOME.

First of all, the location was great. Even though we had to drive about 1.5 hours away from the city to get there and it was literally in the middle of nowhere (and I am not a fan of the middle of nowhere), going to a concert at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre was an experience in itself. I've probably just not been to my share of concerts, but the experience of being in a open stadium listening to a concert with 20,000 other excited people expanding far behind on the green lawn on such a beautiful spring night was just overwhelmingly brilliant.

Shopping wise, I must say, they had a pretty good selection. Tank tops, many really cute printed tees, posters, badges, beanies, scarves, dolls, toys and such. But what I was REALLY looking for, was a black cap that says "The Sweet Escape 2007" on in swirly handwriting with a small squigle of Gwen's signature on the corner in silver or black (this is purely from a figment of my imagination, but I think that it SHOULD exist!). I'm confident that I'd at least wear it once or twice. Whereas if I got a tshirt, it would end up rotting in my wardrobe (like my Corrs tank top) and me never wanting to ruin it by wearing it. So in the end, I got a booklet (above) on the show, and in the end I think that was a good investment.

We had seats at towards the center on the second pavilion (I don't understand why I couldn't buy tickets in the first pavilion when I started booking tickets the day it was out....) and had an ok view of the stage. The opening act of the opening act was Lady Sovereign, which I've kind of heard of. But not exactly my type of music.

Half an hour later, the actual opening act comes out- AKON! Personally I don't really know much of Akon's songs besides Lonely, but it was a brilliant opening act. He really got the crowd going and he has inspired me to listen to his music some more.

Another half an hour to an hour later (I never understand why they make you wait), Gwen FINALLY comes out in a golden cage that pops onto stage, singing the Sweet Escape and we all go wild. And the BEST thing I love about her is that she sang music from her last cd (which I liked better) too. She danced, she sang, there were matching themes according to her songs. (sidenote: don't you just love how the stage setting improves as you get along towards the "main" course?).Like when she sang Yummy, she changed into this apron outfit (right) along with her dancers and the background screen showed multicolored candies dancing around. And I think there were even a treadmill and two mini trampolines on the stage to help with some of the excellently chereographed and executed dance moves. Definitely a great performer.
Costume wise, there were some that really only Gwen can carry off. Like this kimino wrap thing...what IS it? From afar, it looked like a short pink bubble dress, but from the book......I have no idea. And the whole showing the midriff thing, I hope that remains in the 90s. But this whole thing made me realise the place for overdramatized clothes. Like this simple blue/white striped shirt for example. From afar it looked like a simple shirt with a slight twinkle, but on a closer look, it is actually made of sparkly blue/white sequins. The sequins really made her stand out from afar.
My favourite outfits in the whole show were these two. I love the preppy yet edgy look she has here. I am totally going to look into those prints next fall. Her long trench coats were just SOOOO pretty. I think towards the end at the encore, there was this other similar coat that was just as amazing. I bet these are all available from LAMB as part of her smart marketing technique. And her SHOES. Even from afar I could tell they were sexy gorgeous shoes
At one point, she even ran off stage and into the audience. Luckily we were on the right side of the pavilion, because she ran to our side and stopped just 3 meters away from us and started to sing, Cool (love that song)!!!! We were all kicking ourselves for not buying tickets a few rows backer! And WOW she has amazing abs for a mother (or anyone!). Its hard to remember that she looks pretty with all the make-up and costume thing Gwen wears all the time on her MV's.

So in case you haven't gotten the message yet, it was an AMAZING SHOW. I loved it sooooo much, that just writing about it now makes me excited all over again :D Even my friend who doesn't even like Gwen Stefani thought it was an awesome show. Sigh.... it was the one concert that left me happy and smiling for at least a weekend after. The PERFECT end to my school year :)

ps. Sorry, my scanner broke and I had to use my camera....

One Of My Random Outfits...

Just wanted to post an outfit I wore for a Friday night out a few weeks ago:

Simple black dress from Uniqlo, which I only discovered recently (yes I'm slow,) and visited because I wanted to check out the Phillip Lim for Uniqlo collection but didn't see any when I was there (-so disappointed!) Instead I picked this dress up. The best thing about it is that it's made of cotton, so it's machine-washable!

A belt from Kate Moss Top Shop. I love the studs and that it's wraps around the waist two times. What I'm not too big on is the suade because it's such an easy-to-get-dirty material. Yes it's over-priced but I was in desperate need for a belt and it's hard for me to find a belt I actually like.

Gold shoes to add a bit of nighttime glam to the outfit. And I wore a bright emerald green-coloured wrap on top. I figure when I get sick of wearing this outfit at night, I can just wear it with gladiator sandals instead as a daytime outfit. Genius (not)!

Photo credit: http://www.topshop.com/, http://www.uniqlo.com/

MAC Brow Clear Finisher

One of my many lazy traits is that I don't like plucking my eye brows too much. Many girls I know pluck them into these perfect and narrow arches, and while that looks great on some people, it just looks so superficial on others. Some of my brow hair is a bit long and they droop down so they make it look like I've got hair under the brows and mess up the arches. One way to deal with this (not from solid knowledge) is that you can cut long eye brow hair shorter. I can' t even figure out how to pluck my eye brows to get that arch, so I definitely don't want to start cutting my brow hair. (And I'm still way too cheap to get a professional plucker to do my brows.)

The second way is use a product to make the brow hair stay in position. This way can be done in a variety of products. You've probably seen those eye brow shapers that look like mascaras, such as from Bobbi Brown. I've thought about trying those mascara-looking brow shapers out but I figured since I wouldn't be using it often, I wanted a product that I wouldn't have to replace after six months usage. Thankfully, when I visited MAC to look at eye shadows, the saleslady recommended me MAC's Brow Finisher (picture above,) which is basically a wax stick. It applies on clear so you can't really tell you've applied makeup on there. Most importantly, I just really like how simple it is to just stroke the finisher at the outer ends of the brow to keep the brow in position. So even if you're only so-and-so eyebrows, fixing their shape really helps define them. It is now a must-have in my makeup bag. Loves it!

Photo credit: http://www.maccosmetics.com

SS07: Neon Bright Colors on the Street

A few weeks ago I took note of the neon bright colors on the runway. But in reality, how many of us are going to go out dressed like one of those bright orange and yellow road cones?

Taking the trend a step down for the streets, we have subtle bits of neon to brighten up solid dark shades, like here at Gucci (left) and Lanvin (right).
To be more economical, instead of finding outfits with built in neons, accessorize the solid colors you already own with neons! Take here on the Cacharel (left) and DVF(right) runway- I LOVE how the bright belts adds extra personality to each outfit. The yellow belt makes the outfit instantly younger. And the fuschia belt gives the stark black dress a softer, more feminine and flirty touch.
So copy this look with this cheap skinny fuschia belt from UO and this not-quite-so-cheap yellow Elegantly Waisted cummerbund belt from Shop Bop.
Even easier, forget the belts and just grab neon bright bags/shoes and pair it with neutral colored outfits, like here on the Marni (left) and Paul Smith Woman (right) runway.
For neon accessories, don't pick anything too fancy. The color IS the style. Go for something simple and classic, like these yellow ballet flats and even just flip flops from UO.
Or this simple yellow tote from UO. For something slightly trickier but definitely refreshing, try sprucing up your summer wardrobe with neon colored tights instead of the usual black ones, which frankly, becomes quick boring after all this time.
Something more subtle (and definitely more economical) that I'd probably go for are neon colored jewelry, like these necklace and bangles from Forever 21. They are the simplest and the most economical way to embrace this trend.
Then there are the neon colored skinny headbands and colored shades. I'm actually considering getting a pair of colored shades cause they look so cool. Incidentally I tried on a similar pair as the ones shown above at UO the other day and the fit is amazing. My only concern is that you'd have to make sure that the outfit you're wearing works with this particular colored shade- and hence my shades are either black or white. On the other hand.... it IS only $14.

The thing to be careful about with all this neon bright trend is that its a thin line between looking trendy and looking cheap. So try to be more subtle, pick one neon accessory and pair it with a classy looking outfit!

Photo Credits: www.elle.com, www.urbanoutfitters.com, www.forever21.com

YSL Costume Jewelry SS07

Awhile ago, I've started to think typical costume jewelry from brand-named stores like Dior and Vuitton as unstylish. Think of those typical jewelry that spell out 'D-i-o-r', (I think I might own one or two myself!) Admittingly, not all are ugly, but I just can't stand how even tiny little jewelry have to be branded so obviously.

But as I was going through my old magazines from the last six months to rip out any pretty images, I noticed a tiny editorial blurb in Tatler about YSL releasing a small set of jewelry to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Opium fragrance. I really like the necklace. Imagine wearing it with a simple white tank top with jeans -that's adding a hint of luxury to a casually cool outfit. So recently, I went to a YSL shop, (which I normally never go to.)

And I fell in love with these earrings. They're the Muse earrings. Look familiar? That's beacuse they're the same style as the little metal thing on YSL's Muse bag. I love how classy and stylish these earrings look. They're made of Swarovski crystals (thankfully), making them relatively affordable.

Another very stylish piece. This braclet looks so versatile. You can totally wear it with any nice outfit, whether casual or going out (as long as gold jewelry matches your outfit.)

This brooch is very YSL SS07 -remember all the violets all over the runway? This design isn't very 'me', but I'm sure it would look elegant on the right people.

I LOVE the cocktail rings. They're so deco-feel. They would be perfect for plain outfits, like outfits that are in black and white, or those long, bat-winged dresses.

The gold one on the right is my favourite. I dont' wear rings often so I'm not going to splurge on it, but it is just SO pretty. Sigh...

I just found out that this is the first season YSL has released costume jewelry in recent years, so if you haven't checked them out yet, go visit a store!

Photo credit: www.ysl.com

FCUK SS07

Usually the only thing I like about FCUK are their FCUK tshirts, because they're just so cool that way. Definitely an improvement from those vintage coke ad tees. I am still loving my "FCUK in the Windy City" tee. Everything else....I'm only so so about it, I thought it was a bit overpriced for the style ofclothes they are offering. But it seems that while I wasn't looking, FCUK has undergone a change....

...for the better. Still slightly pricey, but along with their ad campaign, their SS07 collection also looks trendier than ever! It was the ads that first inspired me to look closer at the rest of the collection- in particular that white dress (top right) which I am TOTALLY in love with. Even my friend who is adversed to the current "curtain" style of clothes liked it. Unfortunately the material is see-through and I couldn't figure out how I'd wear it without a shift dress underneath cause that would ruin the whole style. And also because the top isn't exactly really fitted.

I am LOVING the loose grey cardigan over the dress pulled together with a wide brown belt (left). The whole look just so effortlessly cool in a fun and girly way.

And for a funkier look, I like these two outfits. It really makes me want to go out and buy a waistcoat/vest thing even though it was kind of a last year thing.

And I absolutely ADORE the vibrant print dresses they have. The color is rich and vibrant without being obscenely glaring. Just perfect!

More colorfully perfect summer dresses. Although it doesn't look it here, in the store the cutting looks really flattering and pretty.

Even the shift dresses. Although i'm not TOO fond of the print on these two, they have some better ones at the store in similar style.

Oh and to cover up, think WRAPS. Like this one here (left). It also comes in cream. Inspired by Kitty from Brothers and Sisters, I think it'll be perfect to put over a dress or spaghetti strap as a cover up. Its pretty AND warm.

More choices for cover up. The flattering wide neckline and the bell sleeves makes a plain black cardi that much more interesting. And I recently bought a similar white short puff sleeved blazer from Bloomies (right) and I LOVE it. Its just the thing to pull an outfit together. The summer version of the black blazer.

And lets not forget taht FCUK also makes very nice bottoms, like these bubble flared skirt and denim shorts.

Seriously, I am VERY impressed with the SS07 collection- those in the stores in the US anyway. The ones in HK, even though are a lot cheaper, is not so classy and stylish looking. Since I didn't get anything in the States, I think I shall have to stick with buying a few plain slightly bubbled tees from FCUK in HK as a summer staple. But for those of you in the States- enjoy!

Photo Credit: FCUK