It’s the end of a long week! Decided to go bold (and happy) with my newest acquisition – a dress by Singapore label, Depression, marked down to just S$40 (don’t we love post-season buys??).
Heels: Melissa Incense + Karl Lagerfeld (yes, the ice cream on the heels!)
Tote: Charles & Keith
While at the outlets last week with out of town guests, I succumbed to a leather jacket by Black Rivet. MSRP was listed as $550 and was marked down to $129. Thankfully I had printed a “$20 off $100 purchase” coupon online, so that made this supple lambskin leather jacket quite irresistible.
I love that the shoulders fit perfectly and the sleeves are long enough for my monkey arms. It’s been perfect for Fall in LA, and looks a thousand times better than the pleather version I picked up for cheap from Forever21 last year. Now I’m even embarrassed to have worn the faux version to New York…
This is a classic style that I believe will be timeless, as long as I can still fit into the jacket!
Only downside is that the husband sings the X-Men theme when I put the jacket on, and SmallWhiteSkinny thought I look like one of The Avengers….
I’ve always wanted to get a nice sling bag. You know, that one bag which you can carry to parties, midnight movies, brunch, events, wedding dinners, etc. And so I began my journey hunting for that perfect sling bag. I had originally set my eyes on the Chanel mini flap bag, but after countless attempts to beat the crazy queues (yes, we queue for everything in Singapore) to get into the Chanel store; and the multiple futile visits to duty-free stores at various airports, I decided that we’re just not fated to be. That said, I still wasn’t prepared to give up hopes on getting that one sling bag.
So one Friday evening, after dinner with the Atas sister, we decided to pop into my favourite (and trusty) ferragamo outlet at Paragon (after the fruitless attempt to queue at Chanel). To my pleasant surprise, that perfect sling bag, a new collection nonetheless, was sitting in the shop, waiting patiently for me.
And so…. presenting the leetle ribbon of happiness….
I went home a happy girl having paid 1/3 the price that I had originally budgeted for this sling of joy.
So after 8 years, my trusty Nine West black pointy pumps met their demise in a random trashcan in Manhattan.
As I rode in the towncar to JFK, I pulled up the Amazon app and ordered a replacement pair of Calvin Klein “Dolly” pumps in black leather. I had once tried these on at Nordstrom Rack and was incredibly impressed at how comfortable this shoe was, with its very padded & squishy foot bed, and a gel-type exterior sole that cushioned every step (pictured here).
Unfortunately, when the shoes arrived yesterday, they were VERY tight in the toe area, although the length of the shoe was just right for me.
So I tapped my Zappos.com VIP privileges, and ordered the same design, size, and color, but in WIDE width. It arrived today with free 1 day shipping – in under 24 hours – and they fit perfectly!
Left: The wide cut fit my feet and toes perfectly.
Right: Only downside is that the leather puckers slightly on the external side of the right shoe. I might have received a mildly defective shoe, but I’ll live with it.
Not bad for a $69.95 shoe ($10 more than Amazon). They’re a little less pointy than I would like, but I do envision having these for as long as I had my Nine West pair!
[See my Calvin Klein wedge peep-toes here]
My trusty pair of black ballet flats were getting very scruffed up after two years of wear. The front and back of the shoes were showing some greys as a result of me pounding the pavement with them ever so often.
Instead of dumping them (they are incredibly comfy), I decided to treat them to a Kiwi black polish the boys use for their shoes.
After patching all the greys and giving the shoes a good buff, they look good as new!
Yay!
This Valentine’s Day, I dressed up a calf-length black shift dress with a pretty hair piece – a rosette in shades of violet.
Those tiny safety pins used by boutiques for their price tags really came in handy. I pinned the rosette down with 2 tiny safety pins.
Over the last 36 hours, I ordered TWO pairs of black wedges from Zappos, both of which are justified purchases:
My cheapie pair of black patent wedges are finally showing their age, having split a few months ago, and now the sole’s getting pretty worn out. I love the stability and relative comfort of wedges, and these are certainly my go-to shoes for client meetings.
As such, I ordered a replacement pair in the form of Calvin Klein ‘Callie’ wedges in black leather, which were on sale at $69:
I love the height and how sleek & simple they are, and they show the perfect number of toes, haha.
The other pair of wedges I purchased – Cole Haan Air Tali Open Toe Wedge 40 – I’m totally not happy about the price (eeeeeeeeek!), but at least they count as a business expense, i.e.: tax write-off! These shoes are certainly a “need”, not a “want”. They’re not exactly the prettiest footwear, but they did serve me VERY well last year, where, for once, my feet weren’t completely destroyed with blisters & cuts after a long day of work. I highly recommend them if you have a job that requires a lot of walking around / on your feet all day.
Nike Air sole. Best invention EVER in a dress shoe!
Low wedge for greater comfort – completely flat shoes don’t have enough support for my high arches – peep toe for cuteness and breathing room & space, soft supple leather that doesn’t chafe & cut.
The biggest problem is that it seems like Cole Haan is no longer making this exact design: NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I am almost tempted to buy another pair as backup. Almost, if they weren’t so darn expensive!
It was a rather chilly evening as we headed to The London in West Hollywood to check out Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant. (Thanks, DineLA!)
I wore this outfit from New York with the trusty grey wool Esprit coat I purchased when KNoona and Miss Dressy came to visit. Black tights and “skyscraper” Enzo Angiolini heels complete the look.
Sorry the picture doesn’t really show the outfit.
Oh, as for dinner, it was OK. Michelin-starred celebrity chef? Just hype.
In the last month, The Gap just opened a new outlet store walking distance from my home. Today I finally popped in to look around, especially since I’ve been on the hunt for an affordable peacoat.
Lo and behold, I found this!
$13.99 for a black peacoat, marked down from $89.99, woooo hoooo!
It’s not the most wonderful fit, but I can completely see this coat replacing my Kenneth Cole down jacket that leaves feathers all over.
I LOVE that it has a hood too!
The Husband snapped this picture of me on the plane and declared that I look like an assassin on a job.
(Sorry it’s out of focus: snapped this real quick in passing)
After spending a good amount of time fretting over what to wear, this was essentially what I looked like every day in New York:
– Trenchcoat: DKNY ($59)
– Leather boots: Ralph Lauren ($129)
– Leather gloves: Fownes
– Chunky knit scarf: Etsy
– Satchel: Calvin Klein ($120)
Save for the first 2 days when I wore my new leather jacket, Hurricane Sandy meant the above outfit was de rigeur for the rest of this unintentionally-extended trip.
Black turtleneck: $24.95, H&M
Metal bow belt: $12.95, H&M
“Denim” (looks like it, but actually of a ‘formal’ material) pencil skirt: $6 from Target
I’ve been wearing black black and more black here in New York City. This Monochromatic Chamelon is certainly feeling very much at home!
I guess the jet black hair helps the ensemble too.
Ok, thinking about them involves trying them on. Saw this pair at Marks & Spencer today. Quite nice but, sadly, they don’t have my size.
Bought 3 new tops today, none of which cover up fully. This means that i’ll need to plan my undergarments ahead for these outfits.
(light peach and completely see through on the back panel)
Ok leather doesnt go with humidity but i couldnt give up on those adorable martini cut-outs!
I was taking in the laundry when The Husband pointed out my dotty-ness.
(No, I wasn’t wearing them together!)
