The Art of the Trench

While I was supposed to be finishing off the last bit of research, I instead was trying to configure how to make a super cool graphic of my images (well not supercool, just cooler than placing the pics on here haha). I realised then that the extension wasn't uploadable so I wasted my time and you don't get to see the extent of my graphic skills! (read: none). Guess you'll just have to live with below...apologies.

I saw the ad Art of the Trench last year when The Sartorialist shot for Burberry doing around the world shots of people in their timeless trenches. I loved the idea and of course the product not only because it's so classic, but because people dress it up in their own way. That to me is what 'fashion' is; making it your own.

Having always been a fan of the Burberry trench, I knew I needed to invest in one sooner or later, just later because of the ridiculous pricing they have here! This year was my year. Thank goodness I didn't have to spend the enormous amounts at the retail store (I'm a student! I can't afford that.) and was able to track one down at the outlet here in Hackney. It's about 40-50% cheaper and definitely worth it. I recommend those in London to try there first. They even had my size (US 2)! I bought the longer one because I thought it would best suit all the outfits (yes, I already had some in my head) I would pair it with. I bought it two fridays ago and I have not stopped wearing it since. Best purchase of 2010...so far.

Below are two of the ways in which I decided to wear it:


I absolutely LOVE the look of jean with the trench, so I went all out and paired the jeans together. Could I pull off an all jean outfit not in the 90's? Who knows, but I certainly tried.
Wearing: Burberry Trenchcoat, Vintage jean jacket (by vintage, I mean my own...from when I was 16), Current Elliot Jeans, Banana Republic scarf (stolen from bf), AA t-shirt, earrings from mommy


I wanted to see how it would work with a big poufy skirt and I loved it! Gave the A-line so much volume at the bottom.
Wearing: Burberry Trenchcoat, Talula skirt, ASOS shirt, stolen from sister belt, Nine West over-the-knees, Louis Vuitton purse, Fendi silk scarf

I am off to Fabriano (Mass' hometown) and Tuscany (Chianti! woohoo!), Italy, for an extended Easter long wknd. Will be on the lookout for more goodies to show you ;)

Ciao ciao (note to self: need to learn to say this properly tomorrow)

Sparkle and shine

Friday was my final and last day of classes for my LLM. From here, we're working on our papers/exams/dissertation; five months of research, studying and attempting to stay focused. When people in London first meet me and ask the polite questions of what I do, I have never said anything other than studying. I have been in school for 7 years now and I cannot WAIT to get out. I am excited and anxious to start implementing on this stuff I've accumulated in school but more importantly, be able to make money! Being a student doesn't stretch your funds very far (lucky for me I have a generous father and bf :)) Needless to say, I am looking forward to it...I just hope it'll come sooner rather than later!

Anyway, to celebrate my last day of classes (OK, not really - Mass can't eat meat on Fridays because he gave it up for lent), we went to Shogun at the Millennium Hotel (which poisoned an FBI agent a few years ago..hrm) for Japanese. The restaurant itself was great, I recommend the toro for sushi and the breaded oysters. Delish! We've tried and tested many, MANY japanese restaurants in London and have had some huge hits and misses (Asakusa is not recommended). This one comes high on our list, a little more pricey than a Japanese Izakaya, but well worth it if you're in the mood for Zuma/Nobu standard without the pretentiousness.

However, one big aspect dampened our meal. We were meeting a friend who is notorious for being late for dinner, who works with Mass. Typically him and his wife come around 45 minutes late, average. We're pretty understanding and we try to work around their infamous characteristic. This time, he was 1.5 hours late. What do I think about tardiness? I agree that it could happen, no one's ever on time 100% of the time. But how could it happen 1.5 hours later?! I've ordered, ate, and gotten the bill by the time you've gotten here! If you didn't want to come, or would rather cancel, no problem. You cannot walk in 1.5 hours later without so much of a 'sorry' and expect us to have a smile. Just because you call earlier and say we can order does not allow you to take your time in coming thereafter; the sense of urgency does not dissipate with a phone call!

Anyway, life moves on. Maybe next time we'll tell them to come for lunch and we'll get there for dinner instead.





Wearing: H&M Sequin Jacket, Mendocino shirt, AA leggings, Topshop shoes, Earrings from mommy, Necklace from Kamakura which is 1/2 hr away from Tokyo, Cartier tank watch, Vintage bracelet.

Ciao,
From Manchester Street

i need your help...

You could say I have a lot of shoes. In fact, you could say that I love them. But I'll never admit it, because in reality I don't. What I do do (I just said doodoo hehe), is probably what a lot of you do. I buy and wear a few circulating pairs for awhile and then when I find a new pair to circulate, I concentrate on those. Who doesn't love new things? Some obviously don't get the attention they should but when a lot of your time is spent walking, some pairs must take a back seat. No matter how beautiful.

I went into Selfridges on Sunday because I just came from having brunch with a gf and was about to meet Mass for our Sunday ritual of reading and cigar lounges (clearly its more his ritual than mine). He was running late so I thought it would be a good time to pop into Selfridges and buy that MAC lipstick that needed replacing. Of course, as any true addicted shopper would have it (I just bought a trench on Friday which I'll post very soon!), I went straight to the shoe department first. After browsing around through the likes of Alexander Wang, Giuseppe, Prada, I found a pair of Miu Mius that I've been looking for. Well kinda. Been searching for a version of the f/w 2006 season Miu Mius with the thick heel.

The colour in the pictures are pretty off (its more of a nude/v light pink). They're classic, which is more me I think. Now for what I need your help on...



Should I keep them?


Or these...I ordered these a month ago and they just came in. Jeffrey Campbell Charlies. I like the clog look, but not sure how long I'll like them for? A season, at best? But then again, isn't that how long I typically circulate my shoes anyway?

Ciao,
From a striking Brit Library

Older and wiser: Take Two

I rarely take my camera out (not smth you shld admit as a 'blogger'); these were stolen from someone else's album. With two of my fav. Italians/men.

Random

I just came across this article in the NY Times last year about the Japanese Body Pillow.

I'm struggling to not judge the culture. What are your thoughts?

Special tribute...

to Mass:


Going to my first europa league game on Thurs bw Fulham and Juventus. The provider struck again! :P

(is it sad that I'm currently thinking, 'what should I wear?')

older and wiser? or just older?

This past week I went through a revelation: I am getting older. All my life I've surrounded myself mostly with friends and partners that were generally older than I, so I've always been the baby. However, this week I found out one of my friends from Uni is engaged (a male no less, whom these days tend to marry later, if at all), I held my gfs newborn for the first time (I'm definitely NOT a natural), and I went to my first 40th birthday party (not related to me). Then, I realised...I'm getting older. I'm in no rush to force the process, I know all girls say that, but I really am not. I think it's mostly because my mother whom was a successful business woman (rare amongst her now chinese, tai-chi group of frds who have spent most of their lives raising their kids on their husband's money, who lives in China aka si lai) and she always reminded me to push the boundaries to create my own independence. Even til this day, she writes me emails telling me to be humble in happiness and work hard to make your own footprint. I'm still en route, therefore, in no rush to accelerate forward (...as Mass breaths a sigh of relief, lol).

Despite this all, I am still getting older and cannot fight signs of old(er) age. An example was this past weekend. Typically, my wknds spent in London are pretty simple. We have dinners and brunches planned and we're very happy people. However, we had some good friends of mine in town for the week/weekend and went out for a celebratory 'party' night on Sat eve. I'll be honest with you, by the time 10pm rolled around and I was putting on my outfit, I was pretty darn beat, and ready to throw in the towel. Nevertheless, I pushed through (the agony, the pain, and the muscle aches), and headed on out. Went to a club, Merah, which was the former Crystal. I went to Crystal about 2 years ago and saw the owner of the Chelsea football team there (with 6 security guards surrounding his table), shared a bathroom with Mel B from the Spice Girls, and saw that Hayden whatsherface (short term memory failure, another sign). Not that I'm a HUGE celebrity follower, but I mean, if these guys think it's good enough, who am I to think otherwise?

Last night, when we got to Merah, what a total joke (imho). If it weren't for the company, I would've walked right on out of there. Completely revamped, Merah was packed to the brim with 18 year old rich kids at tables grinding and dry humping each other. What once was a beautiful light show on the ceiling, became a dingy, unkept, unorganised, teen fest. I swear Mass was the oldest person in there, well except for the odd grandfather who came with his choice prostie that night (I'm kidding...uhhh, no I'm not). Luckily one of my good friends, and our friends eventually walked in (Anthony, I hate you), and in combination with the good mixes of house and rnb, I was pretty happy. The slight inebriation also helped things move along.

Maybe I just need to accept that life does move on, and days of dry humping and i'm-too-cool-for-school-that's-why-I'm-wearing-my-sunglasses-indoors, are the cool new things to do and I'm just hating on the better way of living because I can't keep up.

Then again, maybe not and if I do choose to go out, I'll just find another club to frequent.





Wearing: Maurie and Eve gold top, AA leggings, Roberta Freymann necklace, vintage gold bracelet, Pearl earrings from mommy, Cartier tank watch, Mac lipstick, and BCBG Mendel wedges

Ciao ciao, from the old age home.

Gofer

When I go back to Toronto, by ritual, the first thing I do is go to Go For Tea. Then, for the next however many days I'm there, I go at least once every other day, sometimes I even go twice a day. It's not that I think Gofer is a particularly amazing restaurant, with 3 star michelin quality food, nor am I really going for the unbeatable customer service, because tbh, none of the hostesses/servers make an inkling of an effort, especially when they see you every other day (sometimes twice!). I go because its my place. Because its a safe haven for my gfs and I to sit and talk without prejudice (apologies for the legal term thrown in there) and in confidentiality. We can sit for hours talking everything and anything, and although there's no booze there (as the name would state), we don't seem to require the extra inebriation in order to create for some interesting nights. Needless to say, its 'our place'. Can I get an amen for Gofer?

In London, where the gfs are far away and the Gofer substitute is absurdly poor, we need to find our niche spot to compensate for our voids. My UK equivalent (stolen from Mass) is a much smaller space with Italian instead of Chinese, and a european flare for customer service:Princi. I say to all the newcomers to London, you'll eventually get there; it's inevitable. Located in Soho, conveniently across from Mass' cigar lounge, its a cafeteria style dining, that incorporates fast food with good food (if there were ever such a combo!). Serves mostly pizza, various breads, salads, pasta, lasagna, and a to die for bakery section (my rec: the choc chip cookies! and passion fruit cheesecake). An added bonus is the coffee is made well enough to the picky Italian std, therefore Princi is sometimes a stop over between destinations. We never fail to go here at least 3x a week and it has become our Saturday ritual. This place originates in Milan, but infamous restauranteur Alan Yau and partner opened it up in London and now the place gets so rammed, we barely have standing room, (remind you of anywhere on a Fri night!?!)

All in all, this our Gofer.


Fairly poor image of Princi, by the coffee bar. Wearing: Habitual jeans, Danier leather jacket, Rabbit fur shawl given from mommy, Ca4la hat, Zara shirt, Miu Miu purse

Snapped a quick pic of Mass hailing a cab. MIB, yum. Wearing: Nico Di Donna jacket and trousers Marc Jacob sunnies, Ca4la hat, Birkemberg shoes, Italian scarf, and a bag made in Canada!

The following day, we decided to give Princi a rest and go for some good brunch eats at Joe Allens. American style bfast, complete with NYC decor, Broadway posters, AND american sized portions. Couple shots we took in the resto and outside it. Freezing cold day in London it was.





Wearing: AA shirt and leggings, Mendocino sequin vest, Topshop shoes, Club Monaco leather gloves, Moncler puffy jacket, Italian scarf, Raybans, Miu Miu purse

Ciao for now!

hoochie mama?

Before I started this blog I phantom stalked a thousand other bloggers. (That's a slight lie, because I still phantom stalk a number of them). I read an article in the Times the other day after the Milanese fashion week finished on how 40% of the fashion show attendees are now bloggers. There's an obvious debate between print and web, but if you can convince the designer's PR rep that your blog will bring in a wide audience, you're in the loop for shows. However, they probably won't pay you - like they do Rihanna, reportedly $100g per appearance to sit front and centre.

Personally, I'm really on the balance for fashion shows. I like them and all, especially because they're the first resource for all the ready to wear we see on the streets, but truthfully, I love the style on the streets so much more. The more original, the better. This is why I phantom stalk so much (admit it, you do it too - you're probably doing it right now ;) ), blogs are such a great way at being inspired.

The other day when I was going through my list of followings, I came across Mayas Agenda whom I've seen before in pictures but didn't find her blog until recently. She's the daughter of Elle Japan editor studying in Paris and she has one of the most inspirational styles I've seen in a long long time. Mind you, she has a great skinny body to compliment all these looks. She loves to pair shorts with tights/stockings. Now, I have never been a fan of that look, especially in London where girls do it so shapelessly, but after flipping through Maya's posts, I decidedly gave it a try.

I wore this outfit last Friday and as I was walking through Shoreditch to meet a few gfs for dinner, I kept getting hoochie calls. I know that Shoreditch isn't the poshiest of neighbourhoods and guys (boys) cat call after a few drinks (esp in Ldn where they start at 3pm), but this was abnormally much. I reckon its the shorts. Does Maya get cat calls? But she looks so effortlessly stunning in them! So my question to you is, how do you wear the tights/shorts look tastefully?




Wearing: Theory elbow patch blazer, t-shirt from Tokyo, AA shorts, random tights, Jonais boots, stolen from bf scarf which he bought in Turkey (yes that's his, not mine)

Ciao, from Shoreditch