In Defence of Mary Kate

I am so tired of reading people’s comments in forums and articles about how they hate Mary Kate’s recent outfits. For those of you who don’t keep up-to-date with MK, here is a typical recent outfit of hers: long shirts/ short dresses with leggings and Balenciaga ankle boots.

Yes, she has been wearing shirts and sweaters that very just cover her butt. But guess what? She pulls it off. And before anyone starts complaining how short those tops are, may I point out that no paparazzi photographer has yet to snap a shot of her flashing any underwear or private parts. And we all know the paparazzi are very efficient in shooting such shocking shots.

Mary Kate’s Balenciaga ankle boots (which are rumoured to be around 8 inches tall,) are possibly this season’s more controversial fashion choice. Gossip-mongers in majority seem to hate the boots. Personally I love them. I loved the Balenciaga FW06 show and I loved those boots, although I can understand that those boots are not for the fashion-faint-hearted. MK’s style is often controversial, but very stylish: stylish as in creative and personal, but not preppy or the American immaculate-looking type of stylish.

So yes, feel free to criticise MK's fashion choices. Just remember that at least she stays true to her own style.

Winter Sales Above $100

To continue the momentum from the other day, here are a few items from two of my favourite brands to shop at (because of their brilliant style and relatively affordable prices as opposed to say. . . the real Chloe) that are still on the sales rack.
See by Chloe tux vest ($136)and jackets($246) absolutely LOVE these tux styled jackets, because I think it instantly adds class and style to any outfit. For adventurous souls out there try the vest. But for those who go more for the classics, like me, definitely get a tux jacket. I have a similar one and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
Next on my list are silk shirts. As you can see, my obsession with silk has carried over from this summer. They just look so feminine pretty and shiny! They are great for work or to just look pretty with jeans. They are just great. These two are from See by Chloe ($261, $174 respectively).re silk shirts, these two are from Marc by Marc Jacobs. The one on the left is similar to those above($136.80), except I think the black tie makes it look fun. And even though the one on the right ($173.60) looks somewhat plain, I think it'll be a neat match for all those dressy winter skirts that you don't know what to wear with.
Another silk dress here from Marc by Marc Jacobs (right: $243.60). I think the two materials used here is just genius and perfect for a night out. And for something more casual, there is this more casual printed dress (left: $196)also from Marc by Marc Jacobs, just the thing for night and day!
I am coming to LOVE cardigans recently, and these two from Marc by Marc Jacobs are just the thing to spice up the usual. Ok, so this brown one here on the left ($248)is not on sale (except for the khaki version of this, but I think brown is SO much better) so it really shouldn't be in this post- but I just couldn't resist because it looks sooo cute! And for something with a bit of a twist, there is this balloon sleeved cardigan for $148.
Another adorable cardigan from Paul and Joe Sister for $62 (I've been eyeing this one since Paris!). And something cute to match from See by Chloe ($96). I love the length and the tailored boxy style of these winter shorts.And to keep you warm and cozy, there is this hat/scarf set and funky hat ($103.60) from Marc by Marc Jacobs. The flower on the gret hat ($68.60)is to-die-for!

(All items featured are available at www.net-a-porter.com, www.shopbop.com)

Mr. Blackwell's 47th annual "Worst Dressed" list

Mr. Blackwell's famous annual worst dress list was released a few days ago, and I only got around looking at it properly. Quite frankly, I don't agree with half the list, and I don't care about the people on the other half of the list. So I'm just going to talk about the people who I notice.

No.1 Britney and Paris -"Two peas in an overexposed pod"
Oh Britney Britney, I thought losing K Fed was going to make you a pretty star again. Unfortunately setting you free on your own was even worse. Stop flashing your private bits and underwear. I also read today that you don't listen to your stylist. It's always best to listen to the pro dear, especially since you obviously have no personal style.

OK, onto Paris. Now I am no fan of Paris' and have always thought she looked just-not-right in most of her outfits, (although her hair was so pretty in Simple Life 3.) But it is SO wrong to place Paris up at No.1 with Britney. I actually think many of Paris' outfits are ok, but it's her who looks odd. I've chosen a few photos here which shows Paris is not-bad outfits, and in a terrible one.

No.3 Lindsay Lohan -"from adorable to deplorable"
Riiight. Why on earth is Lindsay on this list? Apart from the very occasional mistakes (-she is human afterall), Lindsay has been dressing really well. With her limitless wardrobe, she's sometimes casual, sometimes hot, sometimes high-fashion, sometimes in a stylish dress etc. Oh, and let's not forget she has nice taste in bags. Just because Lindsay is an easy target, doesn't mean should be in every negative lists out there. Leave her alone.

No.5 Mariah Carey -"the queen of catastrophic kitsch"
Totally. Actually, Mariah should be bumped up to no.2.

No.9 Sandra Oh
Sandra Oh doesn't seem to have mastered the art of picking the perfect outfit yet, but they're not all too bad. She wore too many necklaces with that blue Vera Wang dress, but the black dress on the right (the picture taken only a few days ago,) acutally looks quite nice on her. I love her as an actress so much but alas, I can't defend her because her everyday clothes which I've seen from the very few paparazzi photos have been seriously ugly.

As for Blackwell's 10 "fabulous fashion independents" list, most of these so-called independents don't get photographed much and don't make particularly exciting or influential fashion choices. Oh, and what kind of best dressed list is it that doesn't have Kate Moss on it?

Winter Sale Under $100

Forgive me for being overly excited, but after spending 3 months in Paris and having yet to see a decent sale, I am very excited to be back in the US where everything is fabulously on sale. Given that it IS towards the end of the sales there are still some basics that one can pick up- at below $100 too!
So my first purchase since coming back to the States (that is not household related) is the Lacoste Polo (right: www.nordstrom.com) in a deep shade of purple (since I already have a RL polo in light purple). And I am VERY happy, because I've been waiting for them to go on sale (it is now $52 something as opposed to $72) since forever. And just as a note, the Ralph Lauren Skinny polos (left: www.polo.com) are also currently on sale now at $44.99. They are also fabulous.Sales are also the time to grab classic quality basics, like these simple C&C tees (www.shopbop.com). I have not personally tried them, but I have it on good authority that they are superior to regular tees and if you are a fan (or you just want to try one) this is a good time to with prices as low as $32.
If you just LOVE the feel of cashmere (who doesn't?), this is also a good time to stock up on the cashmere. These classic cuts from Abercrombie (www.abercrombie.com) are $99.90.
A girl cannot have enough black dresses right? Here is one for the day and one for night. These two are from my favourite brands: Velvet (left: www.shopbop.com) and BCBG (www.nordstrom.com)!
And then there are the denims. What would we DO without them? These two are from Notify (left: www.shopbop.com) for $69.30 and Sevens (right: www.nordstrom.com) for $78.90 (can you believe it??).
Also from Abercrombie (www.abercrombie.com) there are these classic black cuduroys for $29.90 and these wide legged trouser denims for $59.90, which I think are adorable.
And everyone needs a pair a decent denim mini's right? I still haven't quite found my perfect one yet. The color, the cut and the length are so important! Potential candidates are these two from American Eagle (www.ae.com) for $11.95 and $14.95. I like the look of both. One is neat and dark. And the other one has just the right run down look to it. Now if only I can FIND an AE store in the area to try them on!
Not exactly classic, but I just LOVE neat tailored winter shorts like these. They are so fun with black tights and ankle boots. These two are from Vince (left) and Alice + Olivia (right) for $58.50 and $59.40 respectively(www.shopbop.com).

So these are my finds under $100 (unfortunately not all are in my size- not that I can afford all of them if they were, but still, its fun to look!). Care to share your bargain finds this sales season?

Beauty Trend: Dark Nails

It's no secret that dark nails are all the rage this FW season. Who hasn't asked the Chanel beauty counters, or at least heard about the out-of-stock Chanel Black Satin nail polish? (And if you haven't heard about the craze, please go brush up your fashion current knowledge!) Dark nails look so cool with this season's clothes. When I say 'dark', it basically refers to shades such as brown, black and dark purplish-maroon. Personally, I favour black. Dark nails are good for casual and formal outfits:

Mischa Barton wearing semi-casual, lux, halfway-gothic/punkish clothes.

Lindsay Lohan shows that dark nails are great for formal occasions too. Of course, that lovely huge ring of hers helps too.

One very important thing to remember about this season's dark nails is that your nails must be cut short, and preferably a neat, professional-looking shape. And it's always a good idea to add on a transparent layer on top just to get that extra shine, (very much like this season's patent leather accessories!) If dark colours just isn't your thing, red is the other pretty and fashionable choice.

As a little New Years treat, my friend and I went to get manicures. I was so excited I finally got to get my nails black (-yes, I get excited over very little things.) The nails were seriously cool and went with all my outfits. Plus it have me a much-needed polished-edgy feel. Even though Chanel's nail polish was the one in spotlight this season, BG tells me that OPI (which was used in my manicure,) makes better nail polishes than Chanel. Who knows? I guess just buy nail polish from the brand you like or which is at the price range you feel is right. Has anyone else been having fun with dark nails?

These are a few of my favorite things...

at the moment

The OC Is Really Ending

Hey people, we're back! We had a wonderful, relaxing holiday and fun New Years Eve. (We can't believe our four-week holiday is already finished. We're ready for another four!) We were so touched by the readers, who some nicely, some not-so-politely, asked us to come back.

In the past week, I've had family and friends, who usually are not so on top of entertainment news, call/ email me to confirm that the OC really is over. (It really is amazing how many people knew about this so quickly.) Yes, sadly, the OC really is over.

The OC was such an amazing, fascinating show in its first season. Season 1 was fresh, beautiful, glamorous and oh-so-addictive. Sadly, Season 2 and Season 3 kind of went downhill. One of the main reasons why I continued to watch was for those to-die-for clothes worn by Marissa and Summer.

Now that Marissa is gone and Taylor is the other young female star of the show, Season 4 started off rocky. But for some reason, I really feel that The OC has started going uphill again in the last four or five episodes. Sure, there is no more effortless chic (a la Marissa), nor the fabulously spirited (a la Summer pre-environmentally-friendly days.)

But Taylor, who is always so direct, practical and motivated, has slowly grown on me. Summer is thankfully growing out of her save-the-earth-with-not-so-stunning-clothes phase. And there are the usual: Julie is up to something sneaky, Kirsten Cohen is clueless, Sandy Cohen is saving people with his legal power, Ryan has finished brooding and is back with the Cohens, and Seth is well... doing nothing as usual. Oh, and of course there is Kaitlin Cooper, who Willa Holland is quite great as -you can totally see her related to Marissa. Why oh why does Fox have to cancel the show when it is just getting better again?

Alas, Fox has confirmed that the final episode will air on 22 Feb 2007. Well, I suppose now the producers never have to figure out how the OC kids have to seperate to different colleges. What do you feel about the OC really ending? I for one will really miss it.

isn't she lucky

I am the luckiest a) for making it to 30 relatively unscathed and not too jaded b)I have more than I could have ever dreamed possible and c) I was completely and utterly spoiled last night surrounded by my dearest and yummiest friends in the lounge area of an ultra cool Shibuya hot spot.
Thank you so much to everyone for braving the Tokyo chill and surprising me greatly with gorg pressies, titillating performances and a very swish gathering.






Thank you to my Mama, Nan and Gran, Kerry, Geoff, Larissa, Kelly and Brett for the lovely phone calls and emails.