Olympic Fashion 2008

So last week, I did a prelude to the Olympic fashion this year. Now let's take a quick look at reality. Most teams weren't very exciting and the whole parade dragged, but here are a few of my highlights:
The much hyped up uniform of the US team by Ralph Lauren did not disappoint expectations. It was elegant, smart and clean cut, a very good representation of the US team.
Definitely not as bad and commercialized and humiliating as American Politics made it sound and appear (above right) like. The logos, even of the Olympics were discrete and appropriately sized. And as for the cutting, I cannot quite tell from the pictures, but they appear fine to me. Granted I wouldn't really wear this uniform out in public (being hip and fashionable obviously is not a priority), but given the occasion and how they had to design it for both sex, I thought it was really well done.
Another country I rather liked was Britain. I thought the uniform for women was much more feminine, with the navy dress, white blazer and belt, that gives it more shape. Though I must say, I think the over all look is compromised by the fact that so many of them are wearing the same thing. I know that is the idea of uniform, but... I guess that's why people don't like it when they clash clothes!
A few more examples of potentially cute looking outfits being compromised by replication: France (left) and Romania (right). The French looked simple yet chic (maybe minus the bag though...). The color of the Romanian team's outfit also looks very pretty (though I probably wouldn't wear it quite so matchy matchy). And check out those pumps!

Image Source: American Politics and Yahoo News

V-Neck Shirt By American Apparel

Remember how I did a post of the American Apparel Reglan shirt awhile ago, basically professing my love for them and acknoledging that I had worn them almost everyday last winter and realising I should probably buy new shirts? Well, now that it's summer, I can't really go around wearing the Reglan shirt -it's simply too hot. So not surprisingly, I decided to try out one of AA's oh-so-popular V-neck tees.

We all know that AA is really popular for it's deep V tee, but seriously, the V is so deep that I can't say I actually understand why people even feel comfortable wearing it casually (or not casually.) What's the point of a basic, boring tee if it's not comfortable and I have to spend the whole day pulling my shirt up?

So I stuck to the basic V-neck tee. Before trying on the tee, I imagined that an AA V-neck tee would magically transform my outfit to look cool and all, like you know how it always looks cool on whoever's wearing it in the photos you see in paparazzi or candid fashion photos? Alas, from what I could see in the AA changing room mirror, the tee totally did not make me look any cooler (not surprisingly I suppose.)
The coolest way to wear the AA tee is probably with skinny jeans or denim shorts -they really create a more unisex, effortless feel. Although admittedly, I've been wearing the tee with a denim skirt. And after wearing this outfit a few times, I'm really appreciating how brainless the combination is! (Brainless-ness is clearly one of the key factors to my favourite outfits.)

And yes, I realise the AA tee is totally last year's news, (or maybe even news from the year before,) but hey, at least I'm learning to appreciate this boring (but very useful) basic tee now.

Image Credit: www.americanapparel.net

Design a Coach Tote

Over at Coach, they are having a design a Coach tote competition where the winner gets their tote made and win a shopping spree of $2500 along with many other Coach goodies. Talk about a great opportunity!
These two designs are currently ranked the top two. Personally, I think it's been rigged. Because I don't see the appeal. The Penguin design, Born with Style, is cute and I like how they put the Coach C's. But the penguin print just seems kind of random. It's not exactly what I'd say very cutesy, but at the same time it is definitely not serious. It's just somewhere in the middle. And the purple bag, Hot Pink Summer... I think it's fairly obvious why I wouldn't be caught wearing that.
I admit, I didn't personally go through all 3279 entries, but here are a few of my personal favourites. You can never go wrong with black and white, and I think these two, Classic B&W and Skyline Inverted, are no exception. They are both classic and chic. Obviously I have very consistent taste since both are really similar, but the black and the white and the bow just goes so well together! The one with the silhouette of the Coach is more distinct, but then the city skyline, while a bit too bunched together, appeals to my city girl side.
Of course, it is not lost on me that they're looking for a 'truly inspired and unique' design and even I know that those are not. Other bags that caught my eye were these two, Chic in Pink and Falling Leaves. I love the pink stripes and the color combination, it is all very sharp and bold. Falling Leaves on the other hand is simple and subtle. But then doesn't both of these remind you a bit of Anya Hindmarch designs? No?
I also rather like these two here, Munchkin and Swirl Pattern. They are both just so.... pretty! With their quiet and feminine color palette and elegant design, I'd definitely consider wearing these two.
And that is high compliment indeed, because designing a tote is not just about splattering on a pretty designs. Witness these two here Dark and Coach with a Twist.The designs by itself are really quite pretty.But in reality, it doesn't really translate well. The fading silver is a good concept in 2D, but in 3D I think it'll be a bit too much. And while the swirly idea is good and simple, I just don't it'll look really classy in real life.This is why this Classic Black and White is my absolute favourite. Fine it is not exactly that far off from the first two I posted, but I think the huge sunflower print over the subtle Coach prints and the 'Coach' squiggle makes all the difference. It is different, unique and yet still very Coach. And I'd definitely wear it! Pink Lilies is also not bad. On first glance, it looks like just another bag with a pretty print. But then the designer has cleverly put in the Coach element on the butterfly and I think that's really cool.
Then there are the super cutesy totes. Clearly these are meant to be cutesy. But there is a fine line between looking cheap and cutesy. But I think these two designers have achieved the right balance. The Juicy and the Bunny tote are just adorable. The first one is completely unique, with the bold graphic print of the cartoon, but the over cutesiness is countered by the subtle Coach prints in the background, which is very neat. The bunny cartoon on the other hand is just the perfect compliment to the Coach print. The silhouettes is simple and not very colorful, so it is not over the top. And yet it is still very cute. Juicy is a little too bold for me, but I'd definitely carry the Bunny. It's cute without being too immature and kidlike (at least not matched with the classic print!).

I must say, I'm very impressed with the selection. What computer program did everyone use to create these really real looking bags? (seriously, they look like photographs!). Which ones did everyone else liked best?

The competition is now closed, but you can still support your favourite design by voting for them on the site (I think you have to sign up for Brickfish though...)!

Image Source: Coach

08 Trend: Gold Eyeshadow -The Smoky Eye

So while finding the runway photos on style.com for the Pure Gold post, I realised that the gold eye shadow look that has been in my mind wasn't really the Bottega Veneta S/S08 look but it was the very different Versace S/S08 look: the smokey eyes.

For a light smokey eye, go for the Zac Posen S/S08 way.

You can see that there's obviously yellowish-gold eye shadow in the inner corners and on the bottom lashes. As for the top outer eyes, the brown eye shadow is applied in a 'wing out' way, which may look cool on the models, but I imagine very hard to apply on yourself in real life -the winged shape is so hard to acheive!

For something more smoky and made-up for a night out, try the Versace S/S08 way. The Versace 'face' is definitely one of my favourites this season. It's pretty do-able in real life, (as long as you don't expect to look 100% like it does in the photos.)

For an imitation of this smokey eye, just blend gold and brown on your eye lids.

Try this: Mac's Goldmine + Tempting. I've never actually tried tempting, but I'm guessing most shades of shimmery brown would be ok.

Pale lips seem to be the way to go, although for some odd reason, pale lips never seem to look as cool in real life as in fashion magazine photos.

Picture yourself in this makeup for a night out -loves it!

Image Credit: www.style.com, www.elle.com, www.maccosmetics.com

Ralph Lauren at the Beijing Olympics

It's the opening of the Beijing Olympics today! Granted I'm not much of a sporty person myself (my idea of sports is walking/shopping), I can't wait to see the opening. Not only because the performances at the opening ceremonies are always really amazing, but also because I can't wait to see the outfits of the US team! I always have the impression that the opening outfits are very old fashioned and not very flattering. But this time, designed by Ralph Lauren (how much more American can they get?), it should be much more fitted and elegant. In the mean time, let's take a look at the Ralph Lauren Olympic collection.
Usually I'm not too excited. They're almost always very touristy and looks more like an advertising campaign than anything. This hat is no exception. I can totally picture an American tourist with a big camera wearing it.
The polo with the Chinese characters saying Beijing is ok. But I can't help but think that these two tops are something I can grab from a tourist shops in Beijing. You know, the tops with the name of the city emblazoned on it, that can be found in any tourist shop in any city... this is especially so for the red top.
They do however, have something a bit more subtle, like these two polos. They're quite cute, but then again nothing that out of the norm for a RL polo. So where is the happy medium between too touristy and too subtle?
These tops. I'm loving these RL polos. The trimming and the stripes are genius. They are patriotic, very Olympic yet stylish. For one thing, I'd actually wear these out in public- even after the Olympics!

Let's see if RL maintains this happy medium for the opening ceromony.... in 8 hours!!

Image Source: Ralph Lauren

Ipod Classic Cases

When it comes to music players, I'm not exactly the most up to date girl around. My music players never break. My Sony MD player from back in the days when people knew what MDs were, still works. And thus, as the world moved on with colored screens, nanos, videos and touches, I was still using my ipod mini v2, with its measly 6GBs and black/white screen. After 3 years though, the battery in my mini finally showed signs of giving up and I can finally get a new one. After much debate between the pink nano (cute and adorable!) and the classic ipod (the itouch is too big, if I was going to get that, I might as well get an iphone....), I settled on the classic, figuring that I can outfit it however way I want- thus this post.
My first thought was just to get a regular silicon plastic case like the one I had for my mini-except maybe this time I'd be more "adventurous" and try a colored case instead, like these ones above. It comes in packs of three and I love ALL the colors in the packet- I can literally help my ipod change clothes like a Barbie!
But then, just as I was about to grab them and leave, this retro pink acrylic case caught my eye. A few days before, I wasn't even aware that ipod cases came in acrylic, until I saw my colleague's ipod encased in them. But then I thought, maybe it was time to try something new and fun, and this was definitely it. And that was how I ended up with this case. Once I got home, I googled up the reviews and concerns were raised. Apparently these acrylic cases don't exactly fit like a glove and will potentially scratch the very pretty, currently scratch free and pristine surface of my new ipod. The want to protect and keep it as clean and new as possible arose, but was quickly squashed by my mom's voice in my head going, "if you're not going to use it because you're worried it'll get dirty, then don't buy it." Words from a wise lady indeed. You might wonder why I didn't choose a gorgeous designer ipod case or one of those super cute ones that keep on popping up on Shiny Shiny- I'm of the opinion that designer ipod cases are unnecessary and that an ipod should look like an ipod and not disguised as a fluffy stuff toy. One ipod case I DID like from Shiny Shiny though, are these Griffin Reflect cases. They're basically mirrors encasing an ipod and when your screen it turned off, it too becomes an reflective surface! Perfect to double as vanity mirrors on the go!

What does everyone else use?

Image Source: Apple and Shiny Shiny

Teen Choice Awards 2008 Fashion

The celebs at this year's Teen Choice Awards seems... younger, more teenage-y than usual. Gossip Girl, (a fun, girly show full of beautiful clothes) won six awards, although I don't understand why Blake Lively won both Choice TV Actress Drama and Choice TV Breakout Female. I like watching Leighton Meester's (Blair's) scenes so much more than Blake Lively's! And is Chuck really a villian? Anyway, back to the fashion there, this year's dresses were surpringly mature -maybe it's because of the floral and maxi-dress trend. So unlike the years before, there weren't really any shockingly ugly outfits.

My favourite outfit was Rachel Bilson's (even though I'm not sure what she's doing there.) I love the silhouette and colour of the dress! It's fun, bright and just so cute! The accessories -the shoes and earrings matched the dress so well too! Somehow she always wears the best little dresses!

Blake Lively's outfit is great too. The colour's vibrant and it also has the tulip-skirt silhouette that I like so much. Very young and trendy!

Oddly enough I'm not a fan of Leighton Meester's green dress. (Usually I prefer Leighton's outfits over Blake's.) The green looks good on her, but the silhouette just seems a bit mature. It's classy, but doesn't seem like it's a TCA dress. Plus the green blends in with the background too much!

Kristen Bell's outfit is so adorable! I love the colours and that skirt is such a perfect fit!

Not a fan of the print of Lauren's dress. It looks so messy.

Sophia Bush looks gorgeous as usual, and the dress is so pretty too. But it just seems so mature for a TCA show.

Hayden Panettiere's dress is my favourite long dress. The colours are so sharp and the dress just fits her so well.

Vanessa Hudgen's dress is young, classy but not particularly interesting.

Who wore your favourite TCA outfit this year?

Image Credit: http://justjared.buzznet.com/