My Rainy Day Shoes

It's been raining quite often in London in the past two weeks and I just realised that I have no shoes to wear for those rainy days. The only normal shoes that completely cover up my feet I own are my Puma sneakers, which are all white. You can imagine that by the time I got to my class, the front of my sneakers had terrible dark smudges. So I realised I really need a pair of rainy-day shoes. Thankfully, while I was blogging about ankle boots a few days ago, I realised that patent leather ankle boots were my perfect solution!

Since I'm planning to use this new pair of patent leather shoes for rainy, everyday use, here were my criterias: (love lists!)

• Easy to put on -because I'm always leaving my flat less than 10 mins before lectures start and rushing out of the door.
• 1-2.5inch-high heels -because flats are too low and 4-inch high heels are too high for me to walk quickly and comfortably around in. Unfortunately, most of the shoes out there these days are 4 inches high.
• From the high-street -because my budget can only afford high-street shoes, and my conscience wouldn't feel as bad when they get dirty and ruined by the black, watery London streets.
• Style-wise, they don't have to be super trendy but they have to be modern and somewhat stylish. I do go to school in the city afterall.

With ankle boots being all the rage this season, you would think it would be easy to find a pair, but it certainly wasn't. For example, Top Shop sells a pair for around 75 pounds (which is a bit too expensive,) and Office has a not-very-pretty pair for 60 pounds. Fortunately, my absolutely favourite high-street store, Zara had a pair that fit my criterias, together with the curved, Prada-inspired heels. (You can't really see the heels in this picture but they're there.)

Excuse my numerous posts about ankle boots if you're sick of them. I'm just excited I finally got a pair of rainy day shoes!

EBay Store: Trendy Outfitter

I'd like to begin by saying that I have no experience with EBay at all and that I have no idea how this EBay store works, so I make no quality guarantees about what I am about to expound on. But from all accounts and the many reviews this seller has had, it does look pretty reliable and should I ever decide to start using EBay, I think I'd start with this store. So, what made me suddenly so interested in Ebay? The Trendy Outfitter store! They sell trendy Japanese and Korean inspired apparel worldwide (they apparently ship from Taiwan, so I'm not too sure where the products originate).
But anyway, onto the fashion. This was the coat that caught my attention. When my friend first showed me, I was like, OMG I want that coat! And when I saw the price- I wanted it even more! Who can resist a gorgeous wool blend coat for $25? That, you see is the beauty of this site. I don't know why it is so cheap, but nothing you see on list is more than $30. The catch, we soon discovered, was that the delivery is the same price as the coat. But still, that makes it $50... still not too bad. As to the quality... well, you can't expect too much at that price. So I guess expect H&M quality? From the reviews, most customers seemed happy with their purchases....
More pretty coats. I'll take these two as well please.
And I absolutely LOVE this cardigan. Its so chic and girly. The perfect fashion item.
This will look soo cute on me! And you really can't go wrong with the fit of such a simple dress.
A perfectly simple sweater dress.
And I LOVE this sweater (though I'd like one in black/white). Its so simple yet trendy with the genie sleeves and the fancy turtleneck. Did I mentioned everything is priced below $30?

Personally, I am still a bit iffy about buying anything on Shopbop, let alone EBay. Especially here, there are the questions of: Why is it so cheap? Where do these clothes come from? Are they a copy of these pictures we see or the actual thing? How is the quality and fit? Is this store reliable? What do you think readers? Anyone have experience with Ebay stores?

Nevertheless, don't all these images just make you want to go to Korea or wherever these clothes originate from and have a super shopping spree? I know I do!

Image Source: Trendy Outfitter

Roberto Cavalli at H&M

Whenever I think of Roberto Cavalli, I think of animal prints, lacy tops, corsets, tight and glittery clothes and Victoria Beckham -all glamorously tasteless. Obviously I am not a fan of Roberto Cavalli. I don't care that his recent collection has improved a bit. The Cavalli style imprinted in my brain is still negative.

First off, you will notice that practically the whole collection is made of animal prints. There are leopard prints (in 2 different shades) and zebra prints. Talk about animal-prints overload! I can't believe he even put the prints on trousers!

Black and white animal-printed mini-dresses. I can't decide if these dresses are fun and crazy-looking, or just tacky.

The only thing I remotely consider decent is this sweater dress.

The things that I am interested in are the accessories, especially now that it's party season.

This braclet looks really pretty in the photo. I wonder if it will look that pretty in real life.

Another thing I'm interested in (as inspired by Mary Kate Olsen) is this cocktail ring.

So that's it. Anyways, just because Roberto Cavalli isn't my style, it doesn't mean that other people won't be anticipating the H&M collection. Look out for any craziness. The collection hits stores Nov 8th -that's tomorrow!

Image credit: http://www.hm.com/

A Weekend in NYC

Having wanted to go to NYC for the longest time (I haven't been since I was 4 years ago!), I finally went this weekend. And let me say, it is more awesome than I remember! Besides the usual Times Square, Saks Fifth and Madison, I also managed to visit Barneys, Carnegie Deli's, Korean town, W Hotel and a few other more interesting places....
Interesting place no. 1, the New York Palace hotel where Serena lives and Chuck owns in Gossip Girl. When we were planning it, we imagined lots of gossip girl-esque pictures- which we realized in the end. The place is as luxe as it looks, except for one thing- it has more traffic than one would imagine from the show. But oh well, it IS a hotel. Oh and behold the picture above of the courtyard- it is not the official xmas decorations for the hotel but for filming purposes only- expect to see this scene on GG. Next place I visited was Soho. First my friend took me to Le Pain Quotidien, a Belgium chain cafe (also available in the upper east side, amongst other places) which served the most delicious Belgium waffle I've tasted this side of the Atlantic. If you have a sweet tooth- you must try this place!
Then, I finally got to visit the Prada store in Soho. It is like the fashion mecca that I forgot to visit last time I was there. Interestingly, outside, it completely blends with the rest of Soho and doesn't look like a Prada store at all. We nearly missed it, if we didn't have the address (that is ONE good thing about blackberries)! And I find it fascinating how such small entrances can enclose such large spaces in NYC, because inside it was HUGE. And the stairs down.... it was just incredible. Definitely a fashionista's stop when in NYC.
Another highlight for me on this trip was the fact that it was SAMPLE SALE SEASON in NYC. So I visited one random sample sale in Soho on Greene St (one of the reasons I went to Soho actually), where I FINALLY found wide legged jeans which I liked! They are from Rich & Skinny and they were only $75! Score! I also went to the Helmut Lang and Rags and Bones sample sale on 32nd St. I was in heaven. Besides the already cheaper prices, there was an extra 25% off everything. In the end, I got a classic white dress shirt and black dress pants from Helmut Lang for $160 in total. I DO need more office clothes after all. And the material and cutting for these two is amazing- smooth and not wrinkly at all (which is SO important for office wear). My white dress shirt is actually slightly different from the one above. It has a slightly asymmetrical cutting, which makes it interesting and at the same time subtle enough for interview purposes. So I thought that was pretty good for HL. There were more stuff too, like HL jeans and this Rag & Bones dress shirt that I liked.... I had to restrain myself!

I can't wait to go back to NYC! I still haven't covered the Met, Magnolia Bakery, Serenpidity.......

Image Source: ShopBop

FW07 Trend: Ankle Boots II -the Cute Ones

So last Saturday I blogged about the basic ankle boots, the ones that go with almost all outfits. This post is about the cute ankle boots, by that I mean the ones that go with skirts and dresses.

V-slit ankle boots are another 'it' thing this season. I didn't like them at first but now I'm seeing their charm. Only wear them with dresses or skirts though, because I suspect the slit would look really odd peeking from under trousers. (This pair is by Costume National.)

This pair by Urban Outfitters looks really young and casual. I picture them with denim skirts and casual dresses.

If you like the London and LA style, then you'll like these bright yellow Top Shop boots. They would totally add casual funkiness to ones outfits. Imagine them with a plain cotton, mini-dress, plus a chunky bright scarf and a bunch of crazy cocktail rings. Fun!

Even though they're not my style, these suede KG boots are feminine and can be used for casual or semi-formal days.

These white Top Shop boots have more of a 'utility' feel to them. I'm not sure how one would wear these boots. I imagine they would match black stockings really nicely.

I've seen these Marc by Marc Jacobs boots 'inspire' a lot of other high street version. They're cute -sort of like leg-warmers combined with ankle boots. Cute as they are, they are unfortunately not very practical in real life, are they?

The thing about these cute boots is that while they are certainly more eye-catching and distinctive than the basic, black ones, they're just not as practical. So unless you get to dress casually a lot, then I'm not sure if they're worth buying. But hey, if the boots are from the high street stores, (ie. totally affordable,) then have some fun with them!

Credit Images: http://www.barneys.com/, http://www.topshop.com/, http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/, http://www.kurtgeiger.com/

FW07 Trend: Ankle Boots I -the Basic Ones

As you may have noticed Barneys Girl and I haven't blogged a lot about fashion trends recently. Mostly, it's because we haven't been particularly inspired. Doesn't it seem like you can wear last FW's clothes and still seem fashionable this season? There is one trend that we have been loving from last season and it continues this season -the ankle boots.

I'm not a particularly exciting person and I like to know that I can use my expensive shoes (my so-called investment items,) over and over again, so after searching for two seasons, I finally found my perfect pair of boots. I love the shape and the leather is so gorgeous. They're comfortable too (-Prada). Obviously they would be more practical if they weren't so high-heeled, but I guess it's time I learn how to walk in high heels!

The other pair that I am loving this season are these Aldo boots (right). They look suspiciously like the pair of Louboutins (left) I was drooling over last FW. I love the Aldo pair so much that I've tried them on in LA and Chicago, but I didn't get them because I had already bought the first pair by then. They are so easy to put on, plus they cost only 100usd!

While browsing on the Aldo website I noticed this pair of boots. I realise that not everyone has adapted to the recent round-toe shoe trend, so this is for those who still like pointy shoes.

Meet this year's Louboutins, the Metallika. It looks like leather wrapped artistically around feet!

These Gucci boots are such stylish winter boots. (I feel warm and fuzzy and stylish just by looking at them!) I'm not a big fan of suede (esp since it rains so much in London,) but this brown is such a fantastic shade.

Even though I don't like that the zippers are in the front of these KG boots, I like the shape of the toe area. You see the way it hooks up? It reminds me of this season's Stella McCartney pumps that I've been staring at over at Net-a-Porter.

And finally, this season's major trend -patent leather. Shiny, patent leather risks the possiblity of looking tacky, but this pair is just classy. Sigh, isn't this pair of Miu Miu so gorgeous?

These basic boots are perfect for almost all outfits. They can go with jeans, pants and even mini-dresses/ skirts, so they're a must-buy for this season, (that is if you didn't buy a pair last season!)

Image credits: www.net-a-porter.com, www.aldoshoes.com, www.kurtgeiger.com, www.saksfifthavenue.com

Dress Shirts- The Trap

The wardrobe staple, dress shirts are essential whether you are trying to achieve the preppy look or you need it for work. And they are literally every. There will be at least one dress shirt type thing in any store you walk in. But when it comes to finding the perfect one, that is when it gets tricky.
When I first got into the business of finding a dress shirt, I fell into the trap of buying a pretty and structured one. I mean, the line between dress shirts being manly and feminine is thin, so I thought I'd err on the excessive side and find a highly feminine one. And that is how I now have not one, but TWO, v necked structured dress shirts in my wardrobe from Ted Baker that looks terrible on me- kind of like these two here from Express above (Ted Baker must have seen the error of his ways and stopped producing them, because they were nowhere to be found on his site).

Not that it doesn't look good, but this design is VERY hard to wear- especially when one has a flat chest like me. The fit everywhere else is fine except the chest part, which has an awkward spacious puff because I have nothing to fill that area with. And because of the structured design, there is no way around it, pulling it down does not help and it gets darn uncomfortable in the long run. Therefore if you have a small chest like me- please, DON'T buy v-necked dress shirts no matter how pretty they look. And I heard that the other extreme is not fun either. i.e. if you have a larger chest, you have the problem of having unseemly big gaps in between the buttons. You could wear a tank top underneath I guess, but that gets kind of hot.

So girls, next time you go looking for a dress shirt, beware of these traps and make sure that it FITS you perfectly and comfortably before buying- as hard as finding a perfectly fitted and comfortable dress shirt is. No wonder so many of my working friends get their's made!

Image Source: Express