The other day in a rush of high, I went to Neiman Marcus and bought the dress below (on the right). I simply loved the floral print and the color (my favourite!). Plus, it was on sale for over 50% off and still had my size. Is it fate or what?

As per my usual custom, I immediately showed a picture to HG. She was initially very excited for me, cause she loves this Marc by MJ print too. Nevertheless, she very frankly told me that something is off and that it made me look really washed out. My other friend told me I looked like one of those weak sick patients in a movie…….

Needless to say, my initial high for this dress went down a little. Then I came across this shopping article and thought #10 was pretty on the spot:

“10: Finally, no copouts or compromises. If you do not, there and then in front of that mirror, love whatever it is as much as you loved your favourite things when you were little (mine was a puff-sleeved cotton dress printed with yellow train engines – you need to know your benchmarks), then put it back on the hanger, thank the staff and leave.

Remind yourself, “Style is saying no” (Diana Vreeland, I think). Short of a third world war, those shops will be there next time with even more beautiful things. It’s life, not life and death. If it’s not perfect for you at that moment, simply do without.”

I realized that this is not really the purple floral print dress I wanted. What I want is the double tiered version on the left (above). The style makes the dress that much cooler, and I was only willing to settle for this one cause this one is cheaper. There’s something about the fringes that makes the dress look off (dare I say a little frumpy?). So bearing in mind that there will be plenty more fish in the stores next season, I went back and returned this one today.

Image source: Saks

In the past few months I’ve heard a lot about Alexander Wang, he is every magazine’s favourite newcomer and he was the CFDA Swarovski Women’s Wear designer of the year.

When I first heard about him, I naturally browsed his runway and his collections online ready to be wow-ed, but sadly I came away unimpressed. His designs either looked very plain (with big holes in the back) or had strange random cut outs about, which I am not sure is very practical nor flattering.

Even on the rack at Barneys it didn’t look too enticing (his drapey designs just don’t hang well). But after hearing all the rage, I figured I should at least give him a chance, and so I picked up the most interesting looking thing on the rack I saw and tried it on. I was super impressed! The hangs just right on your shoulders and the details are amazing. It unexpectedly buttons up assymmetrically. The combination of the wool and silk is done beautifully to fully reflect the boldness of wool and the flirtiness of the silk. I especially love how the silk is impeccably arranged in folds. And you probably don’t see it here, but the silk part at the back actually splits up, but is delicately held together at the bottom with a button. I wore it today with a white tank underneath and skinny jeans and felt distinctively unique- in a very cool rocker chic kind of way. It cleverly combines femininity with the current masculine perfectly.

The description below from his website suddenly makes so much more sense!

“Anyone can get all dressed up and glamorous, but it is how people dress on their off-days that are most intriguing. It is during these in between wayward days when a person’s true style emerges… the girls he dresses stands out, but not in the obvious way, more like the black sheep in a crowdinspiring, surprising and slightly mysterious”

Image Source: ShopBop

Has anyone been tempted to get one of these genie/harem pants floating on the racks this season?

Because I have. I nearly got these brown DVF genie pants (top left) from Barneys the other weekend. It is a good twist of the regular cropped pants and I’ve always had a soft spot for Aladdin. I figured that the silky material of these pants would also stop me from looking like a hobo. Plus, they’d be very comfortable on the plane. But then after being once subtly and twice not so subtly discouraged against them, I started seeing them differently and realized that there really isn’t much design going on in this DVF Allen pants. In fact, they remind me a little of those horrible gaucho pants from way back then. ugh. The genie pants is no easy trend.

To really get the genie look right, a la Sienna Miller (one of the few celebs I’ve seen to get it right) and the Ralph Lauren runway above here are a few thoughts:

1. Do not just pick any old genie pants off the rack because they look like genie pants. Pick one with some design and tailoring, like the Alice + Olivia ones (top right). You can see that there are pleats in this one. That makes a huge difference.
2. Unless you plan to take a page from Princess Jasmine and go barefoot, wear it with cute high sandals. You don’t need to be weighed down anymore than necessary and a pair of heels make everything look nicer 🙂
3. Pair your genie pants with a structured top like a blazer, a structured cropped jacket or a dress shirt. By structure though, I don’t mean rigid. A casual blazer and a loose dress shirt goes with the harem theme so much more.

Hmm maybe I should give those Alice + Olivia ones a try…….

Image Source: Shopbop

Update: My conservatism won out and I’ve decided on the cream one. Also, I have a feeling that San Diego may not be as warm as I imagine it to be…… Oh and the yellow thing on the hat are not feathers, it’s a small flower. I know, it’s not the cutest, I would’ve gotten the super big floppy cute ones they had but those are a bit more expensive 😛

*****

It turns out that the best place to go for cover ups this summer is J Crew- especially now that they’re on their final sale.

I went in expecting everything to be short sleeved or the wrong size, but it turns out that there were many selections that fit my criteria. They were cheap too at $20 each- even more so than the perfect one from American Eagle (and I daresay these are of better quality). The sale was so good that I decided to throw in a straw hat. How cute is that hat? It’s only $10 and it completely makes the outfit. In fact, it did such a good job making the outfit that now I’m stuck between the sophisticated cream shirtdress that just touches my knee, or the youthful and pretty pink tunic that just covers my butt. The cream one is more sophisticated and conservative (cause it’s longer) and it would probably match my white with gold stripes bikini more. But then the pink one is more youthful and cute, and you’re only young once, right? Thoughts?

On a side note, J Crew also has a bunch of tissue boyfriend v neck tees on sale for $20. They feel so divine and hangs just right!

Ps. The photos above does not do justice to the cover ups. So try to imagine them worn!

I’m going to San Diego next weekend! After all the rain and cold recently (yes, even in June!), I can’t wait to get away to sunny, beachy San Diego and I’m not even a beach person! In fact the last time I went to a beach was probably last March in New Zealand and the last time I actually swam in the sea would be… never. I can’t even remember the last time I swam in a pool….  I wonder if I still remember how to swim. Regardless though, this time I need to be beach ready because we’re planning to go on a kayaking trip to explore the caves and my friend is trying to convince me to paddle surf (whatever that means). I’ve already got a swim suit and flip flops (Old Navy has really cute stripey flip flops for $5 btw), but what I really need now is a beach cover up: a) because I’m conservative and b) because tanning is not my thing.

Initially I considered getting something sheer and fun like these beachy dresses above from J Crew and Victoria’s Secret. I even went to J Crew and tried on that dress. But then I realized that it would totally defeat the purpose of point b) and then what would be the point? I’d probably even get a weird tan line!

So I continued to search. I went to H&M, Old Navy and even Filene’s Basement (considering that I go to the beach exactly once a year, I really don’t want to be spending too much on it!) but came out each time with nothing. Has no designer ever considered that some girls might just want a simple, long sleeved sheer beach cover up instead of sleeveless maxi dresses? I was pretty sure I’ve seen them around in abundance when I was not looking for one. Finally I came across the PERFECT beach cover up at American Eagle. It is white, it is sheer, it is simple, long sleeved, at just the right length with the perfect amount of subtle feminine detail at the neckline. It is machine washable. It is at the right price point. It is exactly what I’ve been looking for! But alas, as with all things perfect-  they are already sold out.

Rendered back to the drawing board, I decided to maybe widen my idea of perfect a bit and came across the above beach cover ups. I like the idea of a simple long sheer dress shirt. It’s as if someone just casually threw it on! And I am also loving the J Crew tunic cover ups (bottom two)- especially the white one. The sleeves are not quite the right length (ew..tshirt tan!) but maybe I can deal with it? I will try them out tomorrow.  Hopefully they will be available at the store. Fingers crossed!

During my search I was also very surprised to find that Victoria’s Secret has one of the best cover up collections around! I actually rather like the sheer deep v neck long sleeve dresses above (top two), they’re really feminine and pretty! But then, I realized that they might look a little too night dress-ish for the beach and that I don’t have the assets to carry off such a deep v dress anyway. If you do have the assets however, do consider them!

Image Source: Victoria’s Secret, American Eagle and J Crew

The fashion at the CFDA this year for me defined the current red carpet trend. Goodbye long flowy elegant gowns and hello body hugging fashion forward cocktail dresses with trendy booties/platforms.

Diane Kruger in Jason Wu, Dree Hemmingway in Alexander Wang (who got the Swarovski Award for women’s wear) and Kirsten in Rodarte (womenswear designer of the year!) were the epitome of this move (left to right). At first my aesthetics rejected these body hugging creations as too Jetson’s like and inelegant, but the longer I stare at them, the more they are growing on me. There is something very refreshing but still very flattering about these dresses. I especially liked Dree’s Alexander Wang creation. And who knew he was such a cutie? Oh and I need to get some crazy platform booties like the ones Diane and Kirsten are wearing!

Lydia Hearst (left) looks a bit anorexic here, but I love how she paired this whimsical Marc Bouwer dress with those rockin’ Louboutins. It instantly jazzes up the look. The hot pink color of Blake Lively’s Michael Kor dress (right) more than makes up for it’s simplicity in design. In fact, anymore detail and it would look Betsey Johnson like. Instead, paired with those to die for nude pumps (I’m almost sure they’re Louboutins) she looks elegant and youthful.

I thought Anna Wintour (left) adapted herself perfectly for this move. Her Carolina Herrera dress fits the silohuette but is still elegant, demure and appropriate for her age (Come on, she would not look good in that Alexander Wang dress). I’m not sure how that Zac Posen dress Doutzen Kroes (right) is wearing looks still, but I love the effect in motion. It looks fun and flirty!

Oh and congrats to all the CFDA winners!

Image Source: Style.com