Tea at Laduree, Harrods

Last week when Barneys Girl came to London, we decided we wanted to have tea before shopping around Knightsbridge. We really wanted to have tea at Ritz, but alas, we booked too late. So we settled for having tea at Laduree at Harrods. According to my yahooing, Laduree is a famous Pairsian tearoom which only opened in Harrods last year.

We've had our tea English style and Chinese style before, but never French style, so we were pretty excited to see what the differences were.The differences apparently were that the waiter was forgetful and not the most polite man I have met. The layout of the tearoom wasn't that great either -our table was situated under a staircase! I felt sort of cramped up there.

The food was good though. Barneys Girl ordered this caramel cream cake-like thing and a hot chocolate. Her chocolate drink was actually pretty interesting -it came in a tiny jug of rich chocolate liquid and a little bowl of cream. She was supposed to pour the choc liquid into the cup and mix in some cream. It looked delicious, but understandably, BG thought it was too rich for her taste. So it's def not for people who can't stand serious sweet stuff!

I decided to try the famous French tea food, macaroons with my tea. From what I can tell (and taste), macaroons are basically an outer layer of dry sugar with a thick layer of sticky, semi-liquid sweetness inside. The ones I had were of flavours vanilla, caramel, rose-petal and berry fruit. I know some people think it's too sweet, but I personally really liked them.

Having tea the French way was fun, but perhaps we will stick to English tea next time, (and it will also mean less of a headache to read menus that contain only one language!)

Tea at Laduree, Harrods

Last week when Barneys Girl came to London, we decided we wanted to have tea before shopping around Knightsbridge. We really wanted to have tea at Ritz, but alas, we booked too late. So we settled for having tea at Laduree at Harrods. According to my yahooing, Laduree is a famous Pairsian tearoom which only opened in Harrods last year.

We've had our tea English style and Chinese style before, but never French style, so we were pretty excited to see what the differences were.The differences apparently were that the waiter was forgetful and not the most polite man I have met. The layout of the tearoom wasn't that great either -our table was situated under a staircase! I felt sort of cramped up there.

The food was good though. Barneys Girl ordered this caramel cream cake-like thing and a hot chocolate. Her chocolate drink was actually pretty interesting -it came in a tiny jug of rich chocolate liquid and a little bowl of cream. She was supposed to pour the choc liquid into the cup and mix in some cream. It looked delicious, but understandably, BG thought it was too rich for her taste. So it's def not for people who can't stand serious sweet stuff!

I decided to try the famous French tea food, macaroons with my tea. From what I can tell (and taste), macaroons are basically an outer layer of dry sugar with a thick layer of sticky, semi-liquid sweetness inside. The ones I had were of flavours vanilla, caramel, rose-petal and berry fruit. I know some people think it's too sweet, but I personally really liked them.

Having tea the French way was fun, but perhaps we will stick to English tea next time, (and it will also mean less of a headache to read menus that contain only one language!)

SS06 Fashion Trend: Haute Ballerina

A few days ago when I was shopping in Marc by Marc Jacobs, I noticed at the outfit on one of the Marc salesgirls: she was wearing a shirt dress (as shown in picture above) and had two shirts layered underneath. Also, she had on black glittery eye shadow and mascara, which made her look more 'cool' than 'girly'. I LOVED this look, which I like to call the Haute Ballerina look.

Taking inspiration from the Marc SS06 runway, the first thing you must have are the layering shirts. Buy these cheap from high street stores and make sure you buy both long-sleeves and mid-sleeves ones.
The ones shown in the picture above is from Urban Outfitters. I have also seen a lot at H&M, (even the colors looked suspiciously like the pastel yellow, blue and pink that Gemma is wearing in the picture.)

Next buy some tights -available in footless and down-to-the-feet versions. Unless you have extra skinny legs, don't buy horizontally-striped tights. The ones shown in the pictures are from Urban Outfitters, just so you don't have to splurge on Marc tights.

If you like the look on the left, then buy this Marc jersey dress (or go find similar ones.)

These two Marc runway looks are a bit more girly and summery than the first two, (maybe it's just the color.) Anyways, tying a sash around the waist is a great way to accessorise and makes the two layers seem more cohesive.

To recreate the look on the right, buy camisoles that bunch up at the chest area, like this one from Urban Outfitters.

And if all the dresses and ruffles are too girly for you, recreate this haute ballerina look with the oh-so-trendy skinny jeans -that's probably where this whole tights trend spinned out anyways! Don't just wear a camisole with jeans though, you must wear layering Tees with them.

SS06 Fashion Trend: Haute Ballerina

A few days ago when I was shopping in Marc by Marc Jacobs, I noticed at the outfit on one of the Marc salesgirls: she was wearing a shirt dress (as shown in picture above) and had two shirts layered underneath. Also, she had on black glittery eye shadow and mascara, which made her look more 'cool' than 'girly'. I LOVED this look, which I like to call the Haute Ballerina look.

Taking inspiration from the Marc SS06 runway, the first thing you must have are the layering shirts. Buy these cheap from high street stores and make sure you buy both long-sleeves and mid-sleeves ones.
The ones shown in the picture above is from Urban Outfitters. I have also seen a lot at H&M, (even the colors looked suspiciously like the pastel yellow, blue and pink that Gemma is wearing in the picture.)

Next buy some tights -available in footless and down-to-the-feet versions. Unless you have extra skinny legs, don't buy horizontally-striped tights. The ones shown in the pictures are from Urban Outfitters, just so you don't have to splurge on Marc tights.

If you like the look on the left, then buy this Marc jersey dress (or go find similar ones.)

These two Marc runway looks are a bit more girly and summery than the first two, (maybe it's just the color.) Anyways, tying a sash around the waist is a great way to accessorise and makes the two layers seem more cohesive.

To recreate the look on the right, buy camisoles that bunch up at the chest area, like this one from Urban Outfitters.

And if all the dresses and ruffles are too girly for you, recreate this haute ballerina look with the oh-so-trendy skinny jeans -that's probably where this whole tights trend spinned out anyways! Don't just wear a camisole with jeans though, you must wear layering Tees with them.

Short Hair

After having the same hairstyle for the last 5 years, I was ready for something new. At first, I thought I'd try a shorter hairstyle. Short short hair a la Sienna Miller and Kiera Knightley was suggested.

But as effortlessly chic as they look, it is just a little bit too daring for me. In the end, inspiration came in the form of . . SHOCK. . . Nicole Richie!

She's not exactly my fashion icon, but one must admit that she does look good with short layered kind of bob hairstyle (and her outfits are vastly improved thanks to Rachel Zoe). And the length is just perfect, since its short enough to be different but not so short as to be too shocking to my delicate constitution. There is also such flexibility, as her hair looks great natural, straight AND curly (although not everyone has a personal hairstylist at their disposal all the time).

Alas, Vince, my fabulous hairdresser at the Aveda salon London, made me see the error in my logic.

a) Her face shape is small and angular, so it does not suit all face shapes. I have an oval shaped face, so technically I should fit everything, but I'm still a bit skeptical about it. . .

b) But more importantly, she's blonde and has highlights, which gives the hairstyle texture and shape. If you, like me, are not blonde and have very defined highlights, then the haircut will just turn out to be a boring bob despite all the layerings. Such wisdom. (Note that Sienna and Kiera also has highlights to define their hairstyle)

In the end, Vince layered my hair a LOT, giving it more texture and movement, while keeping it long. Then, he straightened my hair with a flat iron. The end result was sleek and fun. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE my new hair style. Its different but still very me. Unfortunately, the difference is less prominent naturally. Now I'm actually considering permanently straightened so I can look sleek and fabulous everyday!

Short Hair

After having the same hairstyle for the last 5 years, I was ready for something new. At first, I thought I'd try a shorter hairstyle. Short short hair a la Sienna Miller and Kiera Knightley was suggested.

But as effortlessly chic as they look, it is just a little bit too daring for me. In the end, inspiration came in the form of . . SHOCK. . . Nicole Richie!

She's not exactly my fashion icon, but one must admit that she does look good with short layered kind of bob hairstyle (and her outfits are vastly improved thanks to Rachel Zoe). And the length is just perfect, since its short enough to be different but not so short as to be too shocking to my delicate constitution. There is also such flexibility, as her hair looks great natural, straight AND curly (although not everyone has a personal hairstylist at their disposal all the time).

Alas, Vince, my fabulous hairdresser at the Aveda salon London, made me see the error in my logic.

a) Her face shape is small and angular, so it does not suit all face shapes. I have an oval shaped face, so technically I should fit everything, but I'm still a bit skeptical about it. . .

b) But more importantly, she's blonde and has highlights, which gives the hairstyle texture and shape. If you, like me, are not blonde and have very defined highlights, then the haircut will just turn out to be a boring bob despite all the layerings. Such wisdom. (Note that Sienna and Kiera also has highlights to define their hairstyle)

In the end, Vince layered my hair a LOT, giving it more texture and movement, while keeping it long. Then, he straightened my hair with a flat iron. The end result was sleek and fun. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE my new hair style. Its different but still very me. Unfortunately, the difference is less prominent naturally. Now I'm actually considering permanently straightened so I can look sleek and fabulous everyday!

My shoes for SS06

As a smart shopper who also strives to be fashionable (which is no easy feat I tell you!) it is ever important to pay attention to accessories. Afterall, we live in the times when our clothes can come from just any high street stores, but the accessories must be from an original designer and somewhat this season. So the rule of thumb is to splurge on ONE pair of shoes and ONE bag each season.

At the beginning of this season, I was 80% sure I wanted a pair of brown leather platforms. Kind of like this pair of Chloes, except not as high for practicality's sake.

But then I realised that these brown leather platforms only look good only if they were 4 inches high, so then I fancied some colorful sandals to go with this season's neautral color clothes, like this pair of green sandals by Marc by Marc Jacobs.

Next, I was swayed by the cutest Marc by Marc Jacobs ballet shoes. I've been waiting for such ballet flats which have elastic straps for a few seasons already, and finally designers are making them! But at US$295, are they really worth it?

No they weren't, maybe I'll wait for them to go on sale. Next I tried on this pair of sandals by Top Shop. Totally fashionable, affordable, and after trying them on, they actually look good on one's feet! Sounds good right? The problem was that the straps sort of scrape against the back of my ankles when I walk, and so I sadly left them.

Yesterday, my first full day back to Hong Kong, I visited Miu Miu. While my mum was making a decision whether to buy a gold bag, I was doing what else -trying on shoes of course!

I am totally in LOVE with this pair of platforms (as seen in the top picture in gold) except I want them in white (the color shown in the bottom half of the picture.) These platforms are about 3 inches high but they are AMAZINGLY comfortable -I would say even more comfortable than my 1 inch Marc shoes. Not to mention they look BEAUTIFUL when I wore them, (you know how some shoes just don't really seem right on your feet? Well these totally felt right!)
I also love this pair of seriously glittery platforms. My only concern is that I would NOT feel as comfortable wearing such shiny shoes during daytime. BUT the glitter, patent leather and color combination DOES make them more fabulous than the patent leather ones on top.

So here's my dilema: which pair of Miu Mius should I get as my shoe this season:
1. White patent leather platforms.
2. The same patent leather platforms but wait for gold ones to arrive in store (as seen in top picture) since gold IS more versatile than white.
3. The seriously glittery and fabulous ones.
4. Find something else from another shop.

Help!

My shoes for SS06

As a smart shopper who also strives to be fashionable (which is no easy feat I tell you!) it is ever important to pay attention to accessories. Afterall, we live in the times when our clothes can come from just any high street stores, but the accessories must be from an original designer and somewhat this season. So the rule of thumb is to splurge on ONE pair of shoes and ONE bag each season.

At the beginning of this season, I was 80% sure I wanted a pair of brown leather platforms. Kind of like this pair of Chloes, except not as high for practicality's sake.

But then I realised that these brown leather platforms only look good only if they were 4 inches high, so then I fancied some colorful sandals to go with this season's neautral color clothes, like this pair of green sandals by Marc by Marc Jacobs.

Next, I was swayed by the cutest Marc by Marc Jacobs ballet shoes. I've been waiting for such ballet flats which have elastic straps for a few seasons already, and finally designers are making them! But at US$295, are they really worth it?

No they weren't, maybe I'll wait for them to go on sale. Next I tried on this pair of sandals by Top Shop. Totally fashionable, affordable, and after trying them on, they actually look good on one's feet! Sounds good right? The problem was that the straps sort of scrape against the back of my ankles when I walk, and so I sadly left them.

Yesterday, my first full day back to Hong Kong, I visited Miu Miu. While my mum was making a decision whether to buy a gold bag, I was doing what else -trying on shoes of course!

I am totally in LOVE with this pair of platforms (as seen in the top picture in gold) except I want them in white (the color shown in the bottom half of the picture.) These platforms are about 3 inches high but they are AMAZINGLY comfortable -I would say even more comfortable than my 1 inch Marc shoes. Not to mention they look BEAUTIFUL when I wore them, (you know how some shoes just don't really seem right on your feet? Well these totally felt right!)
I also love this pair of seriously glittery platforms. My only concern is that I would NOT feel as comfortable wearing such shiny shoes during daytime. BUT the glitter, patent leather and color combination DOES make them more fabulous than the patent leather ones on top.

So here's my dilema: which pair of Miu Mius should I get as my shoe this season:
1. White patent leather platforms.
2. The same patent leather platforms but wait for gold ones to arrive in store (as seen in top picture) since gold IS more versatile than white.
3. The seriously glittery and fabulous ones.
4. Find something else from another shop.

Help!

Fashion: London vs US

After hearing so much about shopping in London, last week I finally got to see for myself what it is all really about. And let me say, fashion in London is both exhilarating and depressing. Exhilarating because everything is so much more funky, cool and interesting than in the US. Fashion in the US is simply much more plain and casual.

A good example of this is Ella Moss. The clothes they show of Ella Moss in US stores (left) just doesn't do justice to her! At this fabulous store that sells mixed brands called Brown Focus they sold some gorgeous Ella Moss creations that were intricate, innovative and cute (right-although this is perhaps not the best example since Brown's online presentation is not exactly that good).

Then there was of course, one of my favourite brands, Ted Baker London! The store was huge, with 2 floors devoted to men's fashion and one to women. But there were still a LOT more styles and variations than the Ted Baker store in SF. For example, they had the black dress I bought in the SF store in almost 5 different shades. There was also this amazing Stilo dress (above) that fitted me to perfection! Alas, it was £110. . . . so I settled for this funky brown silk polka dot/jersey striped v necked sleeveless top instead. But I am still thinking about Stilo and kicking myself for not getting it.

Even their "cheap" high street stores were great. After oogling at their site for so long, I finally stepped foot into a real top shop store. It was crazy! On the friday afternoon that I was there at the Oxford Street store, it was packed with shopppers trying on and buying all their wonderful, relatively good quality, super trendy clothes, shoes and accessories. But the weird thing is, unlike H&M, the stuff there wasn't even that cheap! Sadly, I had to limit my purchases. . by a lot. I finally DID settle on this cute Chloe lookalike crocheted camisole that was only £16 ~ $30USD (left). Unfortunately, the turnover rate was so high that they'd already ran out of them in size 8 that wasn't foundation/lipstick stained. . . :( I also considered these thongs too. They're simple but cute, perfect for me to traipse around campus in. But again, £36~S70USD for a H&M/Zara quality pair of thongs seemed a bit steep.

So you can see how shopping in London can also be very depressing. Yes they may be prettier, edgier and all, but they are also even more expensive and unaffordable.

Fashion: London vs US

After hearing so much about shopping in London, last week I finally got to see for myself what it is all really about. And let me say, fashion in London is both exhilarating and depressing. Exhilarating because everything is so much more funky, cool and interesting than in the US. Fashion in the US is simply much more plain and casual.

A good example of this is Ella Moss. The clothes they show of Ella Moss in US stores (left) just doesn't do justice to her! At this fabulous store that sells mixed brands called Brown Focus they sold some gorgeous Ella Moss creations that were intricate, innovative and cute (right-although this is perhaps not the best example since Brown's online presentation is not exactly that good).

Then there was of course, one of my favourite brands, Ted Baker London! The store was huge, with 2 floors devoted to men's fashion and one to women. But there were still a LOT more styles and variations than the Ted Baker store in SF. For example, they had the black dress I bought in the SF store in almost 5 different shades. There was also this amazing Stilo dress (above) that fitted me to perfection! Alas, it was £110. . . . so I settled for this funky brown silk polka dot/jersey striped v necked sleeveless top instead. But I am still thinking about Stilo and kicking myself for not getting it.

Even their "cheap" high street stores were great. After oogling at their site for so long, I finally stepped foot into a real top shop store. It was crazy! On the friday afternoon that I was there at the Oxford Street store, it was packed with shopppers trying on and buying all their wonderful, relatively good quality, super trendy clothes, shoes and accessories. But the weird thing is, unlike H&M, the stuff there wasn't even that cheap! Sadly, I had to limit my purchases. . by a lot. I finally DID settle on this cute Chloe lookalike crocheted camisole that was only £16 ~ $30USD (left). Unfortunately, the turnover rate was so high that they'd already ran out of them in size 8 that wasn't foundation/lipstick stained. . . :( I also considered these thongs too. They're simple but cute, perfect for me to traipse around campus in. But again, £36~S70USD for a H&M/Zara quality pair of thongs seemed a bit steep.

So you can see how shopping in London can also be very depressing. Yes they may be prettier, edgier and all, but they are also even more expensive and unaffordable.