I Dream of a Lifestyle Involving Many Cocktail Dresses VII: Top Shop's Designer Collaborations

Originally I was going to do a second wrapup post for London Fashion Week, but I feel sort of indifferent towards the shows, even Luella's collection, which I had been looking foward to. With all the young and tredy prom dresses, Luella's S/S08 collection was so cute. The new F/W08 collection is cute too, in a darker way, but I'm just not that into some of the more bohemian-looking dresses.

Yes, I am still obsessed with looking at young, wearable dresses. And one thing that I have been obsessively staring on my computer screen this week has been the Designer collaboration collections with Top Shop Boutique. The designers involved are the 'it' British designers of the moment, including Preen, Peter Jensen, Christopher Kane, Marios Schwab, Todd Lynn, Richard Nicoll, Jonathan Saunders and Louise Goldin. From what I've seen online, some of the collaberations seem to be limited to shoes. But the majority of them have a small, but decent range of clothes available. The thing I like about these Top Shop collections is that the clothes have mostly been very nice -decent quality and designer-level designs at (mostly) reasonable prices.

The collection that I had been looking foward to most was the Richard Nicholl collection. The clothes just seem so simple, nicely cut and practical. Take this ruffle dress and peach blazer for example, it would make a great fancy dinner outfit. It could even pass as a work outfit if your workplace is dressy (but not business formal.)

After seeing this Jonathan Saunders dress in stores and online, I thought it was a good imitation of the original dress from his F/W07 collection (left), but tight jersey dresses don't usually look good on people. However, just a few days ago, I saw a girl wearing this out (without a jacket so she was probably freezing) in Leister Square, and she looked amazing in it! She made it look so young, fun and trendy, and it's really those fashion moments that you love the idea of designer-highstreet collaborations.

Another dress that I saw in store and actually liked is this Louise Goldin dress. The colours and pattern is quite pretty. The problem is, since it is a sleeveless dress, it's clearly much more suited for summer than winter. But it's made of knitted material (50% cotton, 50% viscose,) it felt too thick to wear in summer and not washing machine-friendly. Too bad.

The collection that I wasn't expecting to like but ended up liking the most is Marios Schwab's. Last season when Marios Schwab designed a few things for Top Shop, all I saw were black dresses, so I wasn't quite impressed. But this time, there are some young, casual clothes with unique-but-not-weird-looking designs. Take this block-coloured dress -it would be perfect for a fun night out, and it's colourful without looking tacky.

The Marios Schwab dress that really caught my eye was this knotted dress. I am worried that it would make one look like she was wearing a picnic cloth, but it's hard to tell until I see it in real life. I just really like the knotted detail and the combination of two seemingly-mismatched prints. Sort of fun and funky without me actually putting in the effort to mismatch clothes and end up looking like a mess. Unfortunately, they've run out of this dress online. I wonder if they still have it in stores. What do you think of this dress? Opinion please!

What really irritates me about these collections is that they ALWAYS run out of the smallest sizes within 12 hours of release online. Would it hurt for them to actually stock up on the clearly popular smaller sizes? Seriously. Hmm, I wonder if the actaul shops would still have all the sizes available.

Image credits: www.vogue.co.uk, www.topshop.com

Shilpa Shetty star in Miss Bollywood

The tag of Big Brother celebrity has definitely worked wonders for Shilpa Shetty. She is all set to make her debut on stage in the musical, Miss Bollywood.

Miss Bollywood is the story of a young Indian woman named Maya, played by Shilpa, who lands in UK with the dream of setting up a dance academy. Shilpa has a troupe of 40 dancers from Bollywood with her for this musical.

According to Shilpa, Miss Bollywood would not only cater to the lovers of Bollywood but also to the mainstream audiences who are crazy about dance and musical theatre.

Shilpa Shetty and her crew will begin the tour on September 29 in Berlin and finally performing at the Opera House in Manchester, UK on November 3.

Shilpa Shetty star in Miss Bollywood

The tag of Big Brother celebrity has definitely worked wonders for Shilpa Shetty. She is all set to make her debut on stage in the musical, Miss Bollywood.

Miss Bollywood is the story of a young Indian woman named Maya, played by Shilpa, who lands in UK with the dream of setting up a dance academy. Shilpa has a troupe of 40 dancers from Bollywood with her for this musical.

According to Shilpa, Miss Bollywood would not only cater to the lovers of Bollywood but also to the mainstream audiences who are crazy about dance and musical theatre.

Shilpa Shetty and her crew will begin the tour on September 29 in Berlin and finally performing at the Opera House in Manchester, UK on November 3.

Final Sale

Its finally FINAL sales time! And I admit, I've been struggling with the the-sales-are-so-good-I-simply-MUST-buy-something syndrome. Thus, lately I've spent a LOT of time online window shopping desperately looking for something to buy in order to take advantage of the bargains. So here are some of my finds. After seeing on TV this local celeb wearing this Balenciaga-esque blazer (yes, I recognized the whole look as J Crew- and indeed it was) with an argyle sweater looking really cool, I've been wanting this white blazer (and preferably the argyle sweater too). I just LOVE the simple yellow lining of the blazer. I'd never have thought that yellow lining would look nice- but this one works! And the BEST thing is, it is on sale from $250 to $99!!!! I think that is a fair price considering that it is made of wool, but I'm still hesitant to fork out $100 for J Crew, especially when free shipping is not available.
I've also been dying to get a dress from Shopbop since the sales are up to 70% off and there is free delivery. I even narrowed it down to these two above (left: AKA, right: Karen Zambos), each around $120, which I think is a good deal because they ARE silk dresses and both used to be in the $400 price range- but alas, many of my friends disagree. Maybe my sense of value is going wonky? Anyway, I LOVE these two dresses because one is simple, modern and fun (the pink strip is also detachable making it that much more versatile), while the other is classic, ladylike, very pretty and just very me. I struggled between buying the two at the beginning and was leaning towards the AKA one since its more lively, but alas, its hard to imagine whether it'll look nice on me when I haven't tried it. My friends pointed out that the horizontal partings on the AKA dress may make me look shorter. And I worry that the blue dress is too prim and old looking. Sigh, thats the thing about final sale items- no return!!
Other things that caught my eye. I thought this dress (left) from Joie is the CUTEST thing. At $88.50 down from $295, it sounds pretty good. Though it occurred to me that it might not so good on me in person. I can't quite put a finger as to why though. Then there was this silk dress (right) from Thayer, which can double as a skirt as well. I don't particularly like the style of the strapless dress, but I love the versatility. Down to around $80 as well, it seems like a good buy.
I adore the black dress with the chiffon sleeves (left) from Sweetface, the mixture of material makes the all black that much more interesting. And its only around $70! And the black metallic Mint Jodi Arnold dress (right) looks so much like this black dress I tried on at Barneys by Alice Ritter, which I fell in love with but was waaay too expensive, that I want it. I love the black metallic texture. If only I didn't already have too many black dresses already.
Another dress I was considering was this pink backless dress from T Bags, because I LOVE the print! From the front it looks nice and its only around $50. But I'm not too hot about the back. The cheap jersey material and bright colors in combination with a big backless hole, borders too much on skanky and slutty for my comfort. Besides, I'm not sure that a cheap looking jersey dress should be worth $50 at all!
We mustn't forget about shoes. I think these two from Ernesto Exposito mary janes are so cute. It has the perfect balance of texture, chunkiness and finesse. PLUS, its a bargain at $150, down from the $500's. And yes, I know, I have a thing for tall, chunky heeled, gently rounded pumps. These ones from Joie are exactly the way I like them. Down to $105 from $210, its not bad. These are SHOES after all. But alas, they ran out of my size.

So in the end, after all this over analysis, I finally didn't end up buying anything. So what do you guys think? Did I make the right decision not to get any of this, or am I missing out on some great deals?

Image Source: J Crew and Shopbop

London Fashion Week F/W08 Wrapup I

It's time to take a look at London Fashion Week. As usual, a lot of the clothes are very artsy in a fashion-school-project way. The clothes aren't entirely practical, but I think these collections are cute:

Christopher Kane
Since he debuted a few seasons ago, Kane's show has possibly been each of London season's most anticipated catwalk to watch. I usually like looking at his collections, even though I really am not a fan of tight clothes. But this season, his clothes are loose, yet this creative-looking.
Lots of big, long, wool sweaters. Finally some clothes that look more like daywear than costume-wear.
Most of the clothes were covered with paillettes, (which I think are basically huge sequins.) As per London's usual style, the pailette-covered clothes did not look simply minimal and sparkly, but had lots of artsy details.
I like the fusion of the pailettes and sheer fabric. I especially like the grey dress in the middle -it actually looks wearable for cocktail functions and parties.

Biba
I admit I have no idea how the original Biba (from the 60's) looked like, so when I look at the current collection, I look at it as if they were just any other new collection whose brand has a strong 60's influence. While I'm not sure how practical these clothes are to most of us in real life, I really liked a lot of the individuals pieces. The clothes really give off a cool, girly, glamorous vibe.
As from Biba's origin, there were a lot of mini-dresses. I love these dresses because they look so young and the colours are so vibrant.
Imagine glamorous girls walking in cities in these outfits. Way too cool. I love all those details on the purple dress. (The details are on some of the other dresses, which are just as pretty!)
And for those who don't like colourful clothes, there were a good range of grey and black dresses and skirts. Sigh, if only we had the money and the life to sit around in bars in these gorgeous mini-dresses!

PPQ
I haven't noticed PPQ until recently. PPQ is apparently a favourite among young British 'socialites'. The dresses are SO cute! Admittedly, many of these dresses are not entirely cocktail-party-cool or the modern effortless-dresses, but they're so darling that I can't help but adore them!
The collection started off with some FW-looking clothes -dark-coloured dresses and coats.
And then the fun began -prom dress time! Usually I hate tie-dyed looking clothes, but I really like the way the colours blend and the cut of the tie-dye dress in the middle. And the bright yellow dress on the right is my favourite dress out of this collection. I think I just really like how the black legnth of chiffon wraps around the dress. Again, cute!
And even more cute, young dresses! The dress on the left would be so fantastic if you have cool events to go to.

It's a pity it's not often I manage to find clothes by Biba and PPQ in stores. I think I have only ever seen a dress (a rather unimpressive one at that,) or two in a department store once. What are your thoughts on London Fashion Week so far?

Image credit: www.vogue.co.uk

Valentine's for Friends!

Valentine's day is just around the corner! Over the years, I feel like we've quite exhausted the topic of Valentine's, from what to get for her, for him to what to wear. So this year, I've decided to take on a different angle and do Valentine's for friends. As someone reminded me lately, Valentine's day is the day to show people we love that we love them, and that is not exclusive for lovers.
A very good idea is to make personalized Vday cards for all your friends, like the ones above (left) from Shutterfly. Its simple and sweet. Other ideas. I quite like this "All About Me" book from UO where they can fill in their life's tale. What better gift than to give them a perspective on themselves?
Classic pink Vday trinkets like this rose ring and compact heart shaped mirror from UO is also a nice touch. Lovey dovey presents don't always have to come from your lover after all.
But of course, amongst us girls, we know that the true path into our hearts is not through heart shaped trinkets, but through lots of pampering and primping. So might I suggest these darling lip shines from Philosophy (left) or nail varnishes in fun colors (right: OPI)?
You can even throw in some Spa sets (left: Bliss, right: Cosmedicene) and have a girl's night in, giving each other spa treatments and painting each other's nails....
...while watching this season's most girl power tv show, Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle. So far, I like Cashmere Mafia more.
And last but not least, sweets! More specifically, I have a craving for cupcakes. These are from Sprinkle's, but I've never tried them. So my heart is with the Magnolia bakery cupcakes from NYC.....yum! I keep on thinking about them, I fear that I've placed it on a pedestal and it is only in my imagination that they are so good. But yes, these will be the perfect thing to share with your friends and show them you love them (also think of Blair's super sleepover in GG- they had cupcake fountains too!). I know I'd feel loved :)

Happy early Valentine's Day everyone!

Image Source: IMBD, Sephora, Urban Outfitters, Shutterfly and Sprinkles

Venice For A Weekend

With New York's rather dull season and with online fashion staples all reporting on various fashion weeks, I thought we could take a break and looks at something different. Last weekend, I went to Venice with my parents. All I can say is, Venice is absolutely gorgeous! At first, I was a bit hesistent about Venice because I've heard it's not really that pretty and it smells there. But for the two days I was there, the weather was perfect -cool and sunny. It wasn't too crowded and I loved just walking around admiring the old buildings with the canals. As for food, the seafood and pasta were gooood!!

If you walk on any of the larger bridges, then you would get a beautiful view like this one.

St. Mark's Basilica -possibly the most 'golden' church that I've been to.

The view from the top of St. Mark's Basilica. Isn't the view amazing? For once I was glad that it was sunny. On the left is Doge's Palace, where the famous Bridge of Sighs is. There is even a prison inside the palace, and it is dark and cold down there.

And to experience passing through Venice, take a boat ride (like a bus). It's a different experience from walking around. On the boat, you get a much broader view. You almost feel like there's too much to see and for your brain to process the gorgeousness.

A common marketplace/ piazza. It looked historical in an old and pretty way to me.

As for souvenirs, the most typical things to buy are probably the masks and glass. There were a lot of these stores around. I really wanted a mask like the one Blair wore in Gossip Girl, but that type of masks was too expensive, so I settled for an ordinary tourist-y eye mask. It's still a prettier souvenir than the stuff you can buy in other places, probably because it feels more like a simple piece of artwork than a tourist's souvenir.

San Marco Piazza at night. It feels more calm and historical, and less tourist-y at night. It's very fun and relaxing to wonder around here after dinner.

So yup, I loved Venice! Although I wouldn't want to stay there for more than a few days, I really enjoyed everything there! If you're planning to travel around that area, you must go to Venice! And if you have been there, did you like it there? (It's interesting because people's views seem very extreme -they either loved it or hated it.)

Dhoni is truly sexy, gushes Urmila

Urmila Matondkar was the chosen one — she was approached to be there to greet the T20 World Champions, who were given the most rousing welcome ever seen in Mumbai post independence.

The bus ride that took Dhoni and his triumphant devils from the international airport to Wankhede stadium would have culminated with Urmila greeting them with garlands and tikkas, but she had to forego the opportunity because of a prior commitment.

A regretful Urmila says, “Yes, they were really keen on having me there to greet the team. But I had a prior commitment in RK studios, Chembur, and it would have been impossible for me to travel from Churchgate to Chembur.”

But Urmila especially rues a lost encounter with the captain of the team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. She says, “Their game was truly exciting and this victory will remain close to every Indian’s heart for a long time to come, considering that they are all young, fairly inexperienced players who have taken on the stalwarts of the world and come back with the Cup. It is a proud day for all of us.”

Talking about Dhoni she says, “Dhoni is the most dynamic player I have seen. He is an extremely talented player and its exciting to see someone with so much will power, focus and charisma. He is so chilled out and to imagine he comes from a small place in India but has enough confidence to rise above being a regular player is truly sexy.”

Dhoni is truly sexy, gushes Urmila

Urmila Matondkar was the chosen one — she was approached to be there to greet the T20 World Champions, who were given the most rousing welcome ever seen in Mumbai post independence.

The bus ride that took Dhoni and his triumphant devils from the international airport to Wankhede stadium would have culminated with Urmila greeting them with garlands and tikkas, but she had to forego the opportunity because of a prior commitment.

A regretful Urmila says, “Yes, they were really keen on having me there to greet the team. But I had a prior commitment in RK studios, Chembur, and it would have been impossible for me to travel from Churchgate to Chembur.”

But Urmila especially rues a lost encounter with the captain of the team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. She says, “Their game was truly exciting and this victory will remain close to every Indian’s heart for a long time to come, considering that they are all young, fairly inexperienced players who have taken on the stalwarts of the world and come back with the Cup. It is a proud day for all of us.”

Talking about Dhoni she says, “Dhoni is the most dynamic player I have seen. He is an extremely talented player and its exciting to see someone with so much will power, focus and charisma. He is so chilled out and to imagine he comes from a small place in India but has enough confidence to rise above being a regular player is truly sexy.”