ready for work

Zara top, Theory skirt, Christian Louboutin mary jane

Juicy Couture top, Theory skirt, Christian Louboutin mary jane

I used to wear cute top with a skirt....I love collecting skirts.
To me, the trick is the top needs to be a little tight fit and the skirt goes out at the bottom, it gives the illusion of long legs and small waist. Very appropriate for office and very classy look.


Tops

$49.95 from Gap

$69.99 from Ann Taylor online only

$48 from Shopbop. It will look very nice with a nice skirt instead of jeans

Skirts

$77.58 from Asos

$297.50 from Shopbop

$59.90 from Zara, pick a larger size so the skirt looks a littler longer

What I just scored @ Zara sale.

I spotted this blazer and clutch at Zara. 

Zara blazer $99.99, Allsaints top, Marc by MJ shorts, Christian Loubouton pumps

Zara clutch ($69.99), IMK2K top, H&M skirt, YSL tributes

Going out - casual & chic (H&M turlip skirt)

drap skirt from Shopbop

I bought a drap skirt from H&M but was having a hard time pairing it with a top...so I've been searching high and low...and this is the closest I came across. I like this look except the waist line...so I tried different tops to get the same look w/ the addition of a waist line.

This white top was from iMK2K (?? i can't tell what brand exactly...but I bought it from Intermix many years ago when I was a size 0). The shoes are lower-heel version Tributes from YSL.
I thought this is a very chic day time outing..like brunch or parties under sun light.

IMK2K top, H&M skirt, YSL tributes, Zara Clutch

This navy blue top (polyester) is from Asos. I was thinking navy vs pink is kind of odd...but i think if i wear it at night, I can get away with it. The shoes are Jimmy Choo.

Asos top, H&M skirt, Jimmy Choo clogs

I really adore this tulip skirt at Zara and it's appropriate for work as well. They are having a sale now...thought it's only 20% off but it's worth the effort to search high and low.

$59.99 from Zara

Leather Shorts + Oversized Chiffon Top

I really love the look of oversized chiffon top with leather shorts. 

My first attempt to take some shots of myself and I think the images came out not as good as I would like them to be...but I will improve over the time....so bear with me. :P

anna sui top, asos shorts, marni shoes

asos top & shorts, marni shoes

 Below I tried to find something similar and get the same kind of look. I really love my Marni shoes and I got them on sale from Marni's website for more than 30% off....

Oversized Tops

$265 @ Shopbop

$37.93 @ Asos

$51.73 @ Asos

Leather Shorts

$56.89 @ Asos

$120.67 @ Asos

$120.67 @ Asos

 Shoes

$250 @ Shopbop

$495 @ Shopbop

$136.50 @ Shopbop

 

Stalking some Discount Online Shopping Websites - Bluefly

 

 

Alaia

 black cutout leather lace up booties, $1364 from $1705. They are so hot if you like 4" heels. This is one of the most sought after designer shoes style, very versatile.

 

Pour la Victoire 

$150 instead of $250. They are very similar to YSL tributoos but at a much reasonable price.

And there are many more colors to chose from. This teal is a very fun pair to play with.

Christian Dior Beige Embossed Snake & Suede Duo Pump

$488 from $610...quite perfect for all seasons.

Something about me to share

I've been talking to my friends about my blog and am in the process of designing my blog header....so I digged out a lot of old sketches/school work. Most of them were in slides and a few were in jpeg format. 

 

So I am sharing this section of my thesis back in graduate school. I wanted to use this one as the background of the blog but the body would hide most of the image so...still thinking about it.

and more crazy experimental projects.

Stalking some Discount Online Shopping Websites - Overstock

I believe every woman should have a good quality purse either for work or for going out. Since I work 5 days a week and I like to invest money in my work bags but I also like my work bags to be chic enough for other events....may be except parties.

Form tPF I realized Overstock.com has some very great deals on high end designer purses....you can save about 20%. If they are running promotion, you can actually save more. I like stalking Overstock because their items are brand new and authentic. Sometimes they have Balenciaga purses too but you just need to be diligent to look at the site often to capture the great deals. Sometimes department stores have sales up to 40% off but usually you have to be the first one there to get the bags. Anyway, this is one of the many great ways to score something great.

I thought this Givenchy 'Mirte' Large Black Leather Saddle Bag is quite chic and versatile. The listed price is $1828, original price as $2345. Where is my money tree??

This YSL Easy Bag is perfect for summer. The listed price is $1200 instead of $1495. I really adore this easy bag, it's simple, easy and elegant. They also have a black and a white Muse II on their website as well.
 

This Bottega Veneta Medium Hobo in dark brown, listing price is $1400. The woven design is very subtle and unique, the leather quality is buttery soft (so I've heard)

pictures are from overstock.com

Inexpensive dress & tops

I love dresses, it's less time consuming and I don't have to worry about mix and match properly when I am in a morning rush.

I used to buy clothes from Barneys/Saks and my price bracket for a dress was from $150 to $500+ but the fact that I got tired of them too fast or I washed/dry cleaned them and they shrank, and I just felt guilty to donate them so they just ended up sitting in my closet. Another reason is I've gained weight (from size 0 to 2/4) so some clothes just don't fit me anymore. Now I only buy from stores like Barneys NY when they are on sale but even on sale, they are still 3-digit for one item. 

I am a member of the Purse Forum and it's a very informative forum and I got a lot of useful information from there. The forum not just dedicated to purses but also other fashion related information. 

So, today I am going to share my experience of ASOS & ZARA

ASOS

This is an English based website, they offer free shipping and express shipping. I suggest express shipping if your order is more than $200 dollars because it will take longer to go through customs for regular shipping.

I would have to say the quality is not as consistent as I would hope but it's totally worth it. The black chiffon top is just lovely and I also appreciate they show the pairing of the top with a black leather shorts instead of just a pair of skinny jeans. I like the way they pay attention to the details of the outfits. The detail of the copper dress...I thought it's nicely done. As you can the the leopard dress I posted, the patter and color is just right, not too small not too orange. And I like the dress with the subtle attention of the waist line.

The sizing of their clothes are bit tricky...it's kind of hit or miss. As a rule of thumb, I always compare myself to the model who's wearing the outfit I had in mind. Usually I order one size bigger than she's wearing, depends on the cut, sometimes I had to order 2-size bigger. They also offer runway modeling video and that's very helpful to get a sense of how the clothes hang on the body. Their smallest size is UK8 which is the same as US4 supposedly but since UK8 is the smallest they would go...so I would say UK8 is more like US2 or even US0 depends on the cut. I would not let the number to decide what looks good on me...I just pick the size that is not too tight on me. Sometimes I do have to send it back for exchange but it's totally worth it. If you live in the country that does not have crazy custom fee you can order 2 sizes and return the one that doesn't fit.


ZARA

I love Zara since I was traveling in Europe 14 years ago. Zara's design is very clean and detail orientated...the fabric, the pattern and details are just done right to give that high fashion look without the high fashion price.

Zara's price is higher than ASOS and their design is tamer as well and in a way they are more appropriate for work. But it all depends on how you wear the clothes, simply a blazer can completely change the look to more professional.

The leopard dress is just done right, I really love the pattern and the color, this piece is real life is just as stunning as the stock photo. The dark green dress and the red dress have this retro look that I really love. Especially the red dress really reminds me of the 60s.

Unfortunately Zara still does not have online shopping in the US....the rumor says soon, we just do not know how soon. Another option that's missing from their website is the wishlist. And honestly I just can't wait.....looking up and down in the store can be exhausting.

----
Oh, I just read Zara is going to launch online store in September 2011
source: fashionista 101



asos clothes from asos.com.us
zara clothes from zara.com

scarf, scarf, scarf - Chan Luu, Virginia Johnson, Love Quotes

I believe spring/summer is a very good season to wear or bring a scarf with you when you go out, especially during the night time, it gets a little chilly sometimes.

My favorite scarves are LV leopard stole and Alexander McQueen pashmina square scarves. But they are quite pricey and I have found these fabulous scarves at a much more reasonable price but they still cost as much as a blouse or a blazer from Zara.

Chan Luu

I love square scarf, large voluminous scarf and Chan Luu's scarf fits the the bill. There are so many colors and patterns on the chanluu.com I bought one many years ago, it was off white but I lost it while I was hanging out.
The fabric is so soft with a little elastic feel to it. The color-ways are so lovely, there are so many shades of red/green/blue/yellow and other different patterns. 

The listed price is $195 for solid color and $245 for patterned scarves. I've found one website provides cheaper scarves but only in zebra patter. I was very surprised to find a lot of zebra prints scarves on BlueHeaven It would be a great place to look for zebra print scarves. It's tax free but shipping is $8. There's another site also carry ChanLuu's scarves, I mentioned it because it's also tax free and free shipping and they are doing a promo right now of 20% off. It's better you do an online chat to ask for the code. The shipping is not the fastest I've experienced. I also would highly suggest you browsing other sites to check out the color in real life. The color on Chan Luu's site isn't very true to real life and you don't want to return and exchange, you have to pay your own return shipping.

Virginia Johnson

I found out about this designer about 4~5 years ago in Barneys. It wasn't as popular as the other two brands in this post, I guess it hasn't been worn by any celebrities. But her scarves are fabulous nonetheless. The scarf is rectangular and the fabric is merino and it can be a little thick for spring/summer but if the color is light enough, I thought it's a nice piece to have in the wardrobe anyway. It's very warm in the bitter cold winter when I did the double loop. This designer only do patterns and no solid colors. I have this scar in cream and with brown camels as pattern. A friend was commenting on camel (desert) on a scarf to wear in the winter was something very unique. She is truly a very inspirational designer. 

Barneys and Virginai Johnson's website carry the scarves and the retail is $195. I know Barneys had them on sale at the end of the season but I haven't seen any this season.

Love Quotes

This scarf has been very popular because a lot of celebrities have been wearing it and the price is much more reasonable, only $89 but this particular scarf w/ a different fringe designer is $92. The material is linen, very light weight perfect for spring/summer time. There are only solid colors and there are so many colors available. Many online stores carry LQ scarves, like singer22.com. I like buying online to avoid paying tax and love the free shipping option.

chan luu scarf picture from www.chelseabella.com
virginia johnson scarf picture from virginiajohnson.com
love quotes scarf picture from http://www.shefinds.com/

revision:
I just want to state that I bought a scarf from creativecontrast.com which I thought was a good site. I ordered it on 6/11 and today is 6/25 and I still do not have it. when i asked them to resend...they had no intention to ship it right away. I am extremely disappointed with this site and will not order anymore.

Sergio Rossi Zipper Boots

 

I love wearing heels but living in NYC involves a lot of walking and I do not want to ruin my feet so I've been looking for lower-heeled shoes/boots. Nowadays, most designer shoes are at least $600 after tax but I am used to designer shoes with their narrower toe box, I am always looking for great deals for designer shoes. Surprisingly it's not that difficult to score a great deal.

Personally I love Chanel shoes, their design is classic and their round toe is absolutely perfect but they are too expensive, they are really the top of the top. Luckily Chanel is not the only designer have gorgeous shoes. I found this pair of boots from Sergio Rossi from Yoox.com. I love checking out YOOX from time to time. They mostly sell last season designer items at about half price off. Sometimes they even offer additional discount on other less famous brand items. I believe YOOX is based in Italy and they carry a lot of European brands that less known to the US customers. This pair of zipper boots are so flattering in person, basically the zipper design is also functional as well. It is bit of hassle to put them on and take them off but when they are on your feet, they are definitely worth the effort.

This listed price of this pair of zipper boots is $490 and there are still many sizes left.

They run TTS. 

pictures from yoox.com website.

YSL Scarf

Hello,

I love fashion but can't afford all the beautiful stuff on the market so I think this is a nice way to share what I found in the store or online of some very good quality pieces that I found. And will also share why I think it's a good quality piece.

I am not big on accessories but I love scarves, especially large and voluminous scarves. When I was backpacking in Europe when I was young, it's the first thing I noticed. They can really bring out the outfit and enhance the wearer's face. Especially their way of wearing scarf. I always believe a great quality piece of scarf is so worth the investment, it can really bright up an ordinary outfit.

This first post will show this scarf from YSL. When I went to the store, this scarf wasn't displayed anywhere but I found it online and went into the store to check it out since I couldn't find more info on this scarf. It is thin and very soft piece, I believe it's meant for winter/fall season but it's so light, it can definitely be worn in the warmer days.


The original price of this YSL scarf is $760 and now it's on sale for $499.

picture from YSL website.