Velvet Torch

All summer long, HG and I have been wondering- where does one go to buy nice cheap but chic dresses to go with all the dress trends that have been so popular recently. I mean, dresses aren't quite the cheapest thing on the menu.
So the other day when I was shopping at Nordstrom on my way to pick up a baby gift, I passed by the Juniors section and saw a number of cute dresses. Intrigued I took a closer look- and found some more really cute looking dresses at a REALLY cheap price ($50's)! Now I know the quality and cutting might not be the same, but since I have a slight frame anyway, I picked up a bunch and gave them a try- and was impressed to find that the fit was quite good- better than Forever 21! After much debating and taking photos of myself in the changing room (the lighting is so bad though), I finally settled on this silver shift dress. I thought it was simple and chic, perfect for dinner and a night out! I spent the longest time trying to decide between silver and gold too. I finally decided on silver because I thought it contrasted with my pale skin tone better and would match my grey boot, but now that I'm home I'm not too sure.....thoughts?
Anyway, that dress was by this brand called Velvet Torch. With a little googling, I found the rest of the collection on the Nordstrom website and thought- wow, not bad at all! These two are my favourite for fall. The black one with the bell sleeves is super cute. And the grey check one is prim and ladylike, with the neckline adding some fun to it.
Cute eyelet dresses. Though these were probably better for summer.
I love the simple cutting of the plain black dress (left). Its great for....all day. And the grey/black dress (right) is just the thing to wear going out during the day.
And then there are these adorable printed dresses.

Sigh, these are so cute! I can't wait to go back when it goes on sale and buy some more. Who knew shopping in the Juniors section could be so fruitful?

Image Source: Nordstrom

Tom Ford Sunglasses

I've never been much of a sunglasses girl. Don't get me wrong, I think they look very cool on celebs and most people around me. But personally, I just don't want to spend 300usd on an accessory that I'm going to use probably 5 times a year, (and then it'll probably go out of season.) Which is why I don't pay much attention to sunglasses in general. That is until I got bored shopping one day, I remembered that Ashley Olsen wore Tom Ford's Hawkings (iamge above,) and I tried a few pairs on. (No, I'm not trying them on only because I'm a fan of Ashley's. We have a similar face shape, which as you know, is key to whether glasses look good on one or not.)

I first tried on this pair. When it comes to sunglasses, I prefer metal frames because in my mind, metal frames seem more classic and less cheap-looking. This is one pair of sunglasses that looks trendy but basic enough that I could wear for the next few years. Unfortunately, it looked awful on me.

Then I tried on this extremely trendy-looking pair (called Whitney.) I LOVED it! It suited my roundish face and looked so cool. I liked them so much I tried them on at 3 different shops. But a pair of Tom Fords is about 1.5 times the price of a pair of Marc Jacobs, meaning that they're really expensive, even in this time when accessory prices are going up and up.

The saleslady told me that Tom Ford doesn't exactly have a FW07 collection of sunglasses, but the newer styles that the shops have at the moment are generally new colours of the SS07 styles. This is slightly comforting in that if you bought yours in the SS season, at least you'll know they're still 'in season' for the FW season. But for now, since it's almost winter, I should probably just wait for the SS08 collection. Plus, I'm really not ready to part with 300+usd for a pair of Tom Fords.

Image Credits: http://www.shopbop.com/, http://www.tomford.com/

Think Pink

Its Breast Cancer Awareness month everyone, so when shopping- think pink! Here are a few of my favourite "pink" things this month that are both stylish and meaningful:

To start off with, there is the new running polo from the Pink Pony Collection at RL. To be honest, I would probably have bought it anyway just because I am a fan of polos and the running polo looks interesting. But now, they've given us a better excuse to buy it- this month all proceeds from the Pink Pony collection will go towards the Pink Pony Fund. Yes, all $125 will be put to good use! For something a little less preppy with more of an edge, there is this really cute t shirt, Live to love, from Loserkids,for the Keep a Breast Foundation. So its not pink, but I think this is the perfect color for such a t shirt. If it was pink, I don't think it would have quite the same rockin' effect. Oh and another point, these tees are printed on American Apparel t shirts- so quality control everyone! They also have a few more t shirts supporting the foundation, so check them out too. I also really like the Own Hope tee!
Following the rockin' theme, there is this Y-Me Link Tank from Presents for Purpose. For $56, you can benefit the Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization. I think the chain looks really cool on the otherwise plain white tank. From the same site, Presents for Purpose, they have pink stationary that also contributes to Breast Cancer Awareness. The cube shaped photoframe/box is my absolute favourite! I think it'll make the perfect present for anyone. Come to think of it, I bought something very similar to my best friend once for her bday and she thought I'd sent her an empty box before she realized it was a photo frame....haha.
Moving along to beauty, lots of beauty companies are also embracing this month's theme (it is fashion's favouite charity . As HG says, the pink ribbon is just sooo pretty!). Smashbox came out with this BCA Blushing Pink Fusion Soft Lights & Brush Set, for $59 and Bare Escentuals made this Pink Passion set for lips and lids for $40.
For the body, Philosophy has a Shower For The Cure shower gel, where 100% of the proceeds goes to Women's Cancer Research Fund. Then there is Lacoste with its Touch of Pink perfume. Isn't it just so adorable how they all incorporated the pink ribbon into their packaging?
Accessory wise, there is this cute cap from Ford's Warriors in Pink collection, where 100% of the net proceeds goes to Komen for the Cure. I've JUST been looking for a cap this summer to keep the sun off my face. A plain one seems too boring, a designer one seems a waist, a sports brand one feels like I'm wearing an advertisement, Von Dutch is a cliche...this is perfect! And to keep warm and pretty over the fall/winter months, the Pashmina Store is also doing a promotion this month, where 5% of the proceeds of anything pink you buy on their site will go to Komen for the Cure. A great opportunity to stock up- think of the coming cold weather and all the evenings you will have that you'll be needing a nice pashmina shawl to keep you warm and stylish! They are also divinely soft and comfy!
But for the ULTIMATE pink accessory, there is nothing quite like this limited edition Warrior Mustang, a special addition to Ford's Warriors in Pink collection. With only 2500 units around, they are available in a V-6 Premium Array Coupe or Convertible models. But more importantly, this Mustang comes with a pink ribbon and Pony fender badge, pink Mustang rocker tape striping, charcoal leather seats with pink stitching, aluminum-spoke steering wheel with pink stitching and charcoal floormats with pink ribbon and contrast stitching. I especially like how it is selectively pink, a completely pink car will be waay too Barbie. Through the sale of these hot cars, Ford hopes to donate more than half a million dollars to Komen for the Cure. Talk about a sweet meaningful ride!

Paris Fashion Week SS08 Wrapup IV

Last Paris Fashion Week SS08 post! Gosh, it's been such a busy time of the year I haven't had the time to blog about as many designers' collections as I would like to, but here are the last few collections.

Nina Ricci

This is one of the shows we've been all waiting for. Olivier Theyskens totally got my attention when he said the theme was on 'a group of girls you'd see on the street in the early morning coming from a ball'. I mean, in my imaginary glamorous world, one of the scenes I would picture myself in is exactly that -way to steal a girl's heart!

This season's look has still got last season's wavy, feather-added hair going on. While this collection is not as stunning or wowing as last season's, I still am in love with a lot of the dresses. I love how these silk dresses look so effortless, simply but not boring. SO chic!

Another thing I love about Olivier's Nina Ricci, the romantic, gothic element. Like that outfit on the left, it's sort of dark, yet still so pretty. The one thing we all recognise now is the long dresses' trains -they remind me of waves 'wishing and washing' behind the dress-wearer. Absolutely divine!

Lanvin

Another brilliant collection by Alber Elbaz. In my mind, he's the designer that started the trend of silk clothes and bright-coloured clothes. Unfortunately, Lanvin is one designer brand I can't afford anytime soon...

Very sophisticated and elegant.

This collection was mostly dresses -a lot of them suitable for parties.

These dresses are fun, glamorous with lots of luxurious details. If only I had all those parties to go to...

John Galliano

Usually I don't care much about Galliano's personal collection. OK, I probably still don't care that much, (not really my style.) But the theatrics of the show really caught my attention. It's not every show that the models don't look stoic and seem to be actually putting on a show.

A modern take on the elegant, flapper style.

The dresses are so dramatic! One dress I see potential in is the dress on the left -it's prints are light and pretty, and the dress itself looks totally wearable. I hope to see it in real life next season!

Ooh no, I just realised I haven't blogged about YSL! Oh well, just remember to go check it out yourself! What did you think of these collections?

Image Credit: http://www.style.com/

Paris Fashion Week FW07 Wrapup III

Instead of looking at the clothes, for a change, I'm only going to look at the accessories. Admittedly, I don't like Vuitton's new collection and I feel so-so for Miu Miu, but the reason for focusing on accessories is that the accessories are the main selling point to me (and most customers) of these two brands anyways.

Louis Vuitton
OK, for a brand that's supposed to be major bag sellers, these bags are just terrible. I don't care that the designs are collaborations with artists. The colours and designs are just not what I would expect from a luxurious house. But there's no doubt that come spring, I'll see rich women carrying the new multi-coloured monogram bag on the streets.
I seriously dislike that PVC, yellow and denim-monogrammed bag on the left. It's tacky even if you plan to carry it just to the beach. As for the purple bag on the right, I still have mixed feelings, (but would definitely not even consider buying.)

Miu Miu
Miu Miu is usually a major accessories galore for girls in their 20's. They're girly, cute, sophisticated with a funky edge.
For SS08, Miu Miu's shoes were all about the ankles -in different forms of ankle straps.
Even simple pumps had straps around the ankle. Some of the outfits also had this cream-coloured piece of cloth (whatever it's called) around the models' ankles or wrists.
It's SS08, why were there boots? I don't care they have holes along the calves! You have to be a serious fashionista (or fashion victim) to wear these boots!
As for bags, I didn't see many of them in the runway photos. The only bags I saw were these clutches. Cute, slightly bohemian and very girly, but I'm not too sure on their practicality.

Image Credit: www.style.com