Prom 2007: The Classics

Its prom season again! Oh those good ol' days seem so long ago. As much as I've gone on before about how I love cocktail dresses for dances, looking back, I think every girl should have a typical prom experience complete with the long flaring skirts, sparkles and shiny material. I mean, a girl doesn't get too many chances in her life to wear such dresses. So here are a few of the classics to choose from.
The long black dress. There'd be no wincing when you look back at your prom photos with this one. You will probably even be able to wear it more than once! And just to keep it from being boring, subtle details like the assymetric cutting and stripes on the left (ABS by Allen Schwartz) and the black satin striped layer over beige on the right (BCBG) are an excellent touch. I would also like to add that I've personally tried on the shorter version of this BCBG dress and the cutting is simply divine. It is SO flattering to the figure, I LOVE it. I WANT it.Prom is your chance to let your inner princess out. So bring on the tiara and slip on a gorgeous pink dress (left: David's Bridal, right: ABS by Allen Schwartz). I remember HG had on a pretty pink dress similar to that one on the left one year as well and she looked soo pretty!
Then there are the elegant designs that simply never go out of style. I am loving this godess-like flowing midnight blue dress (left: ABS by Allen Schwartz). And this black and white dress here (right: David's Bridal) is simply so elegant and timeless. The black and white contrast, the subtle sparkles and the and the assymetrical design is just SO flattering. My friend had a similar one during my prom (see how timeless it is?) and she looked fabulous!

And just because I said classic don't be afraid to try something fun (but tastefully so please!). You're only young once after all. Here are two by Jessica McClintock. I especially like the champagne color one because a) the scrunched up skirt gives it some amp but the whole dress still has all the qualities of a prom dress and b) I've been wanting a champagne colored dress recently!

So while you girls are out looking for your prom dresses, don't forget to check out the classics!

SS07 Lookalike Bags

Ages ago, a friend requested that I do a post on the affordable versions of hit bags. So last summer, I compiled a bunch of 'inspired' bags with their originals in this post. It's been awhile, bags have come and gone so I thought I would do a new one.

The Dior Black Cannage Lambskin Bag has really caught my interest this season. Mostly because I'm desperate for a black bag and a tiny bit because Ashley Olsen and the models looked so cool holding and swinging it. It's available online for 1290USD.
The 'inspired' version by Bebe is at an overpriced cost of 198USD. It looks decent enough, although maybe a bit too small.

The Chanel Cabas was last winter's it bag so new versions of it in different colours and material were released this season. Not sure about the cost though.
And the high street followed of course. The bag on the left is by Nine West (at 120USD and also available in silver and white), and the bag on the right is by Bebe (239USD). OK, is there a reason Bebe bags cost so much?

I'm not a big fan of the spot-my-brand-from-30-feet-away Prada bag (1052USD), but nevertheless I present you a very similar looking one by Guess (75USD). Although obviously, no one mistake your Guess one as Prada.

Chloe bags must be one of the most copied brands out there. Here is the black Betty bag by Chloe (right) selling at 932GBP and the high street version by Oasis (a UK high street chain,) selling at 65GBP.

Again, another lookalike by Oasis at 40GBP (left) but this time it's Chloe's double-pocket Edith at 924GBP (right).

Ahh, Marni's quirky little purse. I've always found these Marni purses so cute, but I haven't figured out an unquirky way to wear it yet (which is why I can't actually imagine owning a Marni purse).
These lookalikes are by Top Shop -they look good for a quick run to the supermarket on weekends. The Marni one is now on sale for 415GBP and the Top Shop ones are 55GBP each.

And finally, tha bag I was drooling over last summer -Botkier's medium Bianca satchel. I still haven't gotten over how pretty it is, esp the dark brown one (no pics here)! I would have totally gotten one if it costs less than it's 595USD!
A similar-looking one is available at Urban Outfitters at 68USD. Ok, it doesn't look that much like Botkier's but there are some similarities. Unfotunately the leather is no where as divine as Botkier's. Sigh...

Phew, that was a lot of sites! I assume that you all as fashion lovers are able to exchange basic currencies speedily so I didn't bother to convert. Gosh, the prices of bags have really gone up haven't they? Both the high end and high street ones!

Photo credits: The sites linked to the label of the bags.

Meet the Robinsons

So I haven't watched an animated movie in a long time. Not willingly anyway.

But this time I really wanted to watch this one, because the trailer was just absolutely brilliant.

I love the idea of boy genius with his wild imaginations and inventions and future scenes of fly cars (just like the Jetsons!) etc. But what really made the cut for me was this scene that they showed when the dinosaur says that his head was too big and his arms are too short. That just made me burst out laughing and so I simply HAD to go watch it. So kudos to the trailer production team- you deserve the big bucks!

The actual movie did not disappoint. It was just what a Disney movie should be- funny, inspiring and heartwarming. Lewis is a boy genius who builds this machine to bring back the memory of his real mother who'd left him on the doorsteps of this orphanage.

And of course for every movie, there is a villain. This one happens to be the "guy with the bowler hat". .

and his "sidekick" Doris from the future. They steal Lewis's invention and tries to pass it off as their own and thereby changing the future.
But of course there is the kid (Wilbur) also from the future that chases after the villain. He takes Lewis to the future with him in this cool time machine. .

. . where Lewis meets Wilbur's eccentric family, the Robinsons and has a grand adventure where Lewis eventually learns to "move forward," gain confidence in himself and saves the day.

I loved the quirky family, especially the grandpa who always has his head on backwards and Uncle Art the pizza delivery man who dresses like a superhero. The movie was both heartwarming and hilarious at the same time. I definitely recommend this for a fun watch for family and friends.

Any Publicity = Good Publicity?

We've always been told that any publicity is good publicity. But really, who actually wants bad publicity? (Wait, I just remembered Spencer, the why-wouldn't-Heidi-dump-him and publicity-seeking a-hole from the Hills. Nevermind.) Remember back in Tom Ford's Gucci days, he supposedly freaked out when he saw Victoria Beckham wearing his designs. The story (as spread by numerous media and the book, Fashion Babylon) is that he called his Gucci's London PR to find out who had put Posh in the outfit. When the PR told him that Posh had bought it full price at the Gucci shop, he screeched, 'Well, somebody stop her!' Even though I'm indifferent to Tom Ford, one can't help but feel sorry for him. Afterall, which designer would want his designs to be worn by people who he deemed as eww?

I've always thought of Prada as a foward-thinking, intelligent and artsy-feeling brand. Which is why it must have been a sad, sad day for Miuccia Prada and her PR team to see her lovely design worn by the unstylish likes of Britney Spears. (Although props to Britney for looking better these days.) That pink handbag is totally mismatched with the dress and the cowboy hat just makes me think the dress is some bad mix of ethnic and Texas ranch wear. And does the dress even fit her properly in the first place? Poor Miuccia must be so traumatised! But then again, Miuccia thinks in mysterious ways -whoever knows what she thought of this?

In my mind, celebs like Nicole Richie, MKA Olsen, Mischa Barton, Kate Bosworth, Kiera Knightley and even Lindsay Lohan are excellent, positive PR. People like Paris Hilton are sort of neutral -some people love her style and some hate her style. As for Britney, well, she's sort of in the neutral to negative territory, isn't she? I suppose Miuccia can take comfort that Britney at least didn't flash her undergarments or private parts while in the dress. Now that's got to be a plus in Lalaland.

Photo credit: www.style.com

Cleaning Routine

Coming back from a night out, the thing I dread most is washing the make-up off my face. I am very anal about having remnants of make-up on my face in fear of break outs, so I try really hard to make sure everything is off. Here is what I have to go through:First off is the eye make-up, which is the most painful to get off. I use Lancome Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Make up Remover, first on cotton to get rid of the mascara, eye shadow and some eye liner. For mascara I put the remover-soaked-cotton on top of my closed eye and gently wipe downwards to try and get the majority off without losing too much lashes (I already don't have that many!). It generally gets really messy and I hate it- is it any wonder that I don't wear mascara all the time? THEN to get rid of eyeliner, I soak a q-tip with remover and gently run it along the eye-lined areas that are especially close to my eyes. Nevertheless its still quite tricky to get rid of eye liner under the upper lid and in between the top lashes for me.

THEN I wipe my face with this gentle Sebium H2O purifying cleanser until no more color (from foundation) comes out. Next I use my usual gentle Cetaphil face cleanser to clean my face just in case. And FINALLY I put wipe on some toner and put on moisturizer and call it a night.

Oh and did I mention before this I will probably also shower and wash my hair to get rid of all the smoke smell? Its a looooong painful process that takes me around an hour or more, but I still do it. Now if only I have a cure for my smokey smelling clothes. Especially my cashmere cardigan, its all smokey now :( . . . . I thought they banned smoking indoors in america?!?!?

Zara SS07

First of all I have to say I am a HUGE Zara fan so excuse this somewhat biased and overly-enthusiastic post. OK, so I love Zara -it usually sells clothes that are totally fashionable and right on the mark. But the great thing about Zara that I like above all the other high street stores is that Zara's high end 'inspired' clothes don't look like cheap and cheesy copycats. The clothes look classy and expensive when in fact they're very affordable. The first time I saw Zara's SS07 collection was when I was on family holiday in Barcelona (where quite frankly, there were no other shops worth looking at so you can imagine how long my sister and I stayed inside Zara.) Zara's SS07 collection is totally loveable and wearable:

See what I mean? Seriously stylish. Sidenote: Zara always has clothes which are very Marni-ish, like in this picture.

When in Zara, look out for its silk tops and dresses. They look much more expensive than they actually cost and are the way to go to look classy. This dress (and similar ones) are available in other prints. The only reservation I have is that it is very obviously from Zara, plus you could easily clash with someone you know.\

And here's a beautiful silk top. Such a pretty summer top for day (and possibly night) wear! I'm currently considering buying similar tops (from Zara).

This Gucci-inspired dress is what I mean by 'on the mark' fashionably in a classy way. I read in a recent article that this dress was sold out within hours of selling in the the Oxford Street store. It's also available in other prints and colours. How I wish I bought one now (or at least tried it on since I'm not sure how it would look on a short person)!

And finally, there is of course officewear, which Zara has tons of.

I bought a black, double-breasted jacket from Zara last fall and absolutely adored it. However (just to balance this post out), there were two problem:

1. Loads of other people have bought the same or almost identical jackets. I'm not one of those people who are crazy about unique-looking clothes, but this is a problem when you're walking around a tiny campus and every other girl has the same jacket on.

2. The buttons are sewn on very losely so be careful! One of my buttons fell out and since Zara is a high street store, no extra buttons were provided and now my jacket looks wonky. *hopes someone in Zara'a HQ reads this!*

What do you think of Zara's SS07 collection? And any thoughts on Zara in general?

Photo source: www.zara.com

SS07 Trend: Bell Sleeves

Ever since seeing them done oh-so-prettily at the Burberry Prorsum show I've been in love with the bell sleeves.

They just so perfectly compliment the rounded collars, adding the perfect feminine, girly touch to their staple trench.

I love it so much that this spring break, I had to get my own (more affordable) version of the bell-sleeved trench, from a small boutique in HK. Loosely fitted apparel are not usually my thing, but I am definitely coming around to loving it. The trick is to pair loosely fitted clothing with fitted ones to create a balance. For example, with this jacket, I usually wear a fitted long sleeved tee (since the jkt sleeves here are three-quarter so it peeks out) with my skinny jeans and it looks very cute! Something similar to this would be the empire-waist jacket I showed by J Crew in the Empire Waist Cardigan post.

Other bell-sleeved jackets in the stores to be considered with a more fitted shape. There is this short one from Development (left) and this long one that is more simple and subtle from Nanette Lepore (right).

Flicking through Marie Claire UK (April 07), plenty of bell-sleeved dresses also showed up. I am loving how the sleeves here gives this Gucci dress here a more playful and flirty touch.

This one by Tara Jarmon, with the light fluttering bell sleeves is fun yet sophisticated at the same time.
In the stores we have this dark eyelet one from Diane von Furstenburg (left) and this simple electric purple one (right) from French Connection, which I think is also perfect for the mod look this season.

Photo Credits: www.shopbop.com, www.nordstrom.com, www.elle.com