Hayden Panettiere for Dooney & Bourke

I have been wanting to rant about how ugly I think Dooney & Bourke bags are for almost as long as we've been blogging, but never got around to doing it. I've only ever seen Dooney bags sold in the States before, so I don't know where else they sell these bags (-shows how much I'm not bothered with this brand.)

The first time I was introduced to Dooney bags was from Mischa Barton's ads in Teen Vogue of the 'IT' bag series. It were these ads that made me think that a lot of the Dooney & Bourke designs look similar to Vuitton bags, especially the monogram designs, and they're certainly not cheap. And doesn't Mischa look like she's a showgirl at some mobile phone convention?

Next came the Lindsay Lohan ones. (Actually, were the Mischa ones first or the Lindsay ones? Whatever.) The bags Lindsay held looked like a small girl's art work put onto an adult-shaped bag. Not good.

Then came Emma Roberts' ads. Even though I'm indifferent to Emma Roberts, I have to say that if I were fifteen, I would consider the red, bean-shaped bag on the right. But I'm not so sure about the bees on the bag on the left.

And finally, this season Dooney has Hayden Pannettiere helping design and advertise its Hayden bag. It seems like Dooney has finally managed to select great images for the ad -Hayden fits well with the bag and the whole image suits a much larger age range. As for the bag, I actually like the bag! The bag looks modern and trendy, thanks to the design itself and patent leather. It looks big enough to fit books and such, thus practical, and the shoulder straps' length look just right. The only ugly thing that sticks out is the 'HP' tag, but that should be removeable.

And look, Hayden has such good work ethics -she's actually using the bag in real life! Such a smart and responsible girl! The best thing is, unlike a lot of other celebrity endorsements, the bag actually looks great with her outfit. I would consider buying this bag, even though it costs $500.

Anyways, as I always say, style is all about what you like and feel comfortable in, so don't let me put you off this brand! What do you think of the Hayden bag and Dooney & Bourke in general?

Image credit: http://www.dooney.com/, www.justjared.buzznet.com

End of Quarter Shopping Spree!

In celebration of the end of our finals, my roomate and I treated ourselves to a shopping spree downtown and here is what we got:
I finally bought the Marc by Marc Jacobs mary janes. They were 30% off PLUS an additional 25%. Bargain!
I thought it would be perfect to match this season's cute dresses, like this one above from Aqua. Unfortunately I tried them on together and it seems that the strap does appear to cut my legs up...... maybe it takes getting used to? My mom thought it looks better worn than in a picture......Oh and isn't this dress super cute? I love the metallic and the simple style, perfect for the holiday season. Only thing is, the cutting is a bit awkward and makes me look pregnant and the hem bit at the bottom is a bit fragile.....
I also finally bought an oh-so-popular beret from Urban Outfitters. It was a tough choice between a good head fit (the cable knit one) or a nice color (this black one with silver sparkles). As you can see, I decided on the nice color one. The cable knit one was brown.... Though now that I look at the pictures of myself throughout the day wearing this hat, I'm having second thoughts. Maybe the beret look too takes getting used to........
Then, there was this vibrant blue silk dress shirt from Barneys with the tie (I finally learnt how to tie a tie!!!). I imagine it would look hot with a high waisted pencil skirt and a pair of pointy black heels- unfortunately I have no occasion to wear such a hot office outfit to. So I was thinking of just casually with jeans. I love it. Only downside though is that it doesn't look very good in pictures because you can't really appreciate the details as well and it just looks like a bunch of stuff..... but its super cute in real life!
Attracted by the super cute window display we went into Express to check it out. On the rack this dress looked kind of slutty, but when worn it actually looks really nice (it also helps that I have no chest...). While in the store I did a mini survey with the corporate office ladies from Express and they gave me a $10 coupon. Then when I was checking out, this lovely lady next to me gave me one of her $25 off coupon (thanks again!). So in the end, the dress was half off! Score! I love it :) though my mom finds it a bit low cut... oh well, it'll be perfect for the holidays!
The other red dress I was considering was this one my friend has from BCBG. Isn't it SO darling? It fits perfectly (and modestly) on top, with the little tie on one side which is so cute. And the dress part is silky and shiny with a a bit of bubbling at the bottom. Two very similar yet very different dresses I know... but I love them both!
Oh and I thought I'll throw in this other dress my friend recently bought also from BCBG (yes, she loves BCBG). I believe HG talked about this some time ago. I just love how sophisticated and elegant it is.

Sigh, so I guess I have a lot of thinking to do tonight and a lot of returning to do tomorrow.... any thoughts on who stays and who goes?

Mary Janes

Ever since I did that post on cute Vivienne Tam dresses a few months ago, I've been wanting a pair of Mary Jane's! They just look SO perfect with all the pretty short dresses floating around lately. Maybe this makes me a bit late on catching up with the Mary Jane wagon since Miu Miu already had that phase last season on their runway, but better late then never right?
So the pair that I've been seriously considering and almost bought is this pair from Marc by Marc Jacobs, probably in Black/Black, but Black/White does seem more interesting.....But Anyway, the point is, that I like the perfectly rounded toe and the platform and how the overall chunkiness works. The only problem I've encountered with this is that the chunkiness of the heels just a little bit off..... so despite the tempting discounts there are online for these pair (down by $100 I think), I have decided to wait until I can try it in person first.

And if those don't work out, I may go and try these from Aldo (left) and Linea Paolo (right). They have a different feel since they're not as chunky and I'm not sure about the peep toe in winter, but I DO like the platform and the heels. Plus I do so love the huge button on the Aldo pair, its the perfect detail to make it funky!
More Mary Jane's with buttons from Max Studio (left) and Dolce Vita (right) although these don't have the platform (platform Mary Janes are SO hard to find!). Though again I think the heels of the Dolce Vita is a bit off, too square with the rest of the design.
Funkier Mary Janes from Tapeet (left) and Marc by Marc Jacobs (right). I'm not sure I like the wide ankle strap but I really like the overall shape of the Tapeet pair.
Girlier and sleeker Mary Janes from Barneys Co-op (left) and Aldo (right). They look nice, but personally I think they're too sleek to go with the dresses this season.


Wow there really aren't that many places with Mary Janes around this season! Anymore suggestions on places to look? I feel like I've been onto all the sites these last few days looking for the perfect pair of Mary Janes and the only one that comes close is the Marc by Marc Jacobs platform ones.

Image Source: Style.com, Barneys, Aldo, Shop Bop and Nordstrom

I Dream of a Lifestyle Involving Many Cocktail Dresses III: Sequined Scarves

One of my favourite ways to wear skinny scarves has been to wear it like a tie. (Emphasise on the 'like' -I still haven't figured out how to tie a tie yet even though I have been taught several times.) So recently I was styling and shopping my friend for her pre-graduation party season For her traffic light party, she already had a basic cotton, round-necked, short-sleeved dress. It wasn't a dress that screamed party so I decided accessories. The obvious choice would be to go for an oh-so-popular wide, patent leather belt, but it didn't really suit her. So I chose her a thin, silver sequined scarf from Oasis (a UK high street store,). I've seen her party photos and believe me, the sequined scarf really adds a sparkly-and-glam factor to an outfit. Here's an imitation of her outfit:

A plain dress from Top Shop. While dresses like that aren't exactly party material, they are good for day-to-night days. Plus -

For night, add a sequined scarf to make the basic dress more fun.

If you have a dressy event and you want to wear a sequined scarf, make sure your dress is pretty plain, like this purple Shelly Steffee slip dress or this electric blue Julie Haus Cha Cha dress.

Even though I haven't tried it yet, I suspect a sequined scarf would also look cool with strapless dresses. The green A-line dress if by Susana Monaco and the black one if by Laila Azhar.

Or a V-neck dress.

This woven beaded scarf is also from Oasis. It's not as sparkly as the all-sequined one, but I can't find the exact photo on Oasis' website.

If sequined scarves are too 'bling' or 'shiny' for you, then maybe go for a metallic scarf and wrap it all around your neck like in this image from Urban Outfitters.

Image credits: www.shopbop.com, www.oasis-stores.com, www.asos.com, www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk, www.topshop.com

I Dream of a Lifestyle Involving Many Cocktail Dresses II: Backless Dresses

So I realised I forgot to explain my 'I Dream of a Lifestyle Involving Many Cocktail Dresses' series. Contrary to the timing, the series is not specificly here just because it's party season. It's here because I've been so inspired by Gossip Girl. If you haven't watched the oh-so-addictive Gossip Girl yet, basically, a fabulous event happens every episode and all the gorgeous characters are dressed amazingly -both girls and guys. (I loved Blair's birthday party: the clothes, the venue, the atmosphere!) Even in episodes that don't have parties, they're all still dressed fashionably.

So anyways, before I feature more dresses and accessories that I like, (such as in my post on Marc dresses last week), I have questions about some dresses. To start off with: backless dresses. I've been seeing a lot of backless dresses online and in high street stores recently, with the revival of a few 80's trends and racer back dresses.

I'm a bit confused how we're supposed to wear them. Obviously wearing no bras is the logical solution. Or perhaps some people would just let their bra show. But honestly, I do not feel comfortable at all even at the thought of not wearing a bra. I guess I'll just have to avoid all backless dresses. Sigh, it's such a pity. I really like some of the dresses that have this problem (like this grey studded dress above.)

How comfortable are you with backless dresses? And how do you wear it?

Image credits: www.asos.com, www.topshop.com