The Accountant

There are so many jokes about accountants - how boring we are etc etc. (then again there are jokes about most professions). But this picture shows we can be chic and cute! :)

From The Sartorialist

Not your typical Accounting dress code (even down under) but she's so gorgeous.

The Sartorialist was book signing here in Melbourne last Thursday. Unfortunately, the Accounting profession did not allow me to attend as I was locked away studying.

Big really is better!

On Wednesday I wrote about Costco's entrance to the Melbourne market and how big is good. Next thing I see are articles about full figured ladies gracing magazine covers. This has been extremely well accepted with readers applauding the long awaited move to feature healthy girls...Check out this article from The Age.

Finally...a refreshing shot of reality!

Next thing I heard was Myer featuring plus size models on their runways. And the great thing is that they haven't been casted separately. They are part of the main show as fashion labels are catering for and embracing the average woman.

I know girls who can eat eat and eat and still be stick thin (yes JT, I know you're reading and you know we're all so jealous). Then there are those who eat and abuse themselves to be thin when they're already thin! (not that you ever need to abuse yourself). 

At the end of the day, it's your health that counts, not what the fashion industry typically sells. A roll here and a roll there will only make you more cuddly :) 

Winter Fashion No-No

August last year I was enjoying summer in Italy. Being a fashion capital, I was horrified to see this (might I add, this was seen within the Golden Quad)...

Taken from my girlfriend's blog Sugarchic...We both spotted a lady fully decked out in Italian brands sporting this!? I'm not quite as bad (ankle stockings + shorts) but bad nonetheless. 

Fast forward 10 months and I'm shivering my way through an awfully cold winter in Melbourne. I tend to wear skirts to work because I'm such a girl. But after a night of hail, I thought it'd be best if I wear thermals under a pair of pants. Then I thought that my feet would get cold just wearing heels with no stockings. So I rummaged my sock drawer and found little skin toned stockings (the short ones). All was well until I had to attend an event that night.

O-M-G...they were so not skin toned! Under the light there is this white shine which is sooo far from my actual skin colour (if I were really that fair, people would think I were a ghost). And I didn't realise that when I'm sitting with my legs crossed (like how a lady should), you see white cut off at the ankles.

OOOOO-MMMM-GGGGGG. I am as guilty as can be. Not to mention, I spent the whole night trying to hide my feet under the chair in front, pulling them higher to hide them under my pants and even sitting with my legs somewhat to the side to hide the terrible sight from most of the attendees. *slap on hand* and no wonder those stockings were at the back of the drawer. They should head straight to the bin!

Tata Lacroix?

In the current economic climate, businesses are struggling and the fashion industry is no exception. With recent news of Kookai and Cactus Jam struggling financially here in Australia, a much bigger name seems to be in trouble in Paris.

It has been reported that Christian Lacroix recently filed a petition for protection from creditors. At this point in time, a few possibilities could result from this:
1) Restructuring
2) Liquidation
3) Sale of the company

Extravagant Lacroix designs

His designs are known to be a mixture of everything - styles, texture and color. Sometimes you can almost say you know a Lacriox when you see it because of the crazy combinations (well I think so anyway).

The show may (or may not) go on for the Lacroix Cruise 2010 and Fall 2009 couture lines at this stage. But it was evident that the Fall 2009 show was put together on a tight budget being held at a garage and with broken mirrors used as decor.

The company's CEO Nicolas Topiol says that the filing "doesn't mean the end of the story. It's the beginning of another chapter". So maybe it's not Au Revoir just yet...

Canine Couture

This was way too cute for me to resist... I never knew Ralph Lauren dressed pups but apparently they're having a Summer Sale. Doesn't apply here I don't think, (since we're entering Winter) but what does apply here is that there is no harm dressing up the little one...

Summer Ralph for Your Yorkie (too cute!)

My brother's friend apparently bumped into Miranda Kerr as she was shopping for a dog collar in Louis Vuitton. Miss Kerr asked if she could invite her and the pup to her hotel room so she could share her street encounter with her beau - Orlando Bloom! *heart flutters*

Note: I did not hear this story first hand so I cannot vouch that it is 100% true. But with a well dressed pup and a supermodel crossing path's on Collins Street, it can only end in Hollywood style.

I have a crush!

My brother told me about The Sartorialist a while back but didn't get too into it but recently the team (well a part at least) made an appearance in Australia! They were in Melbourne and Sydney and ever since, I've been falling head over heels with their snaps of fashion on the street...

I am especially smitten with this little one -

On the Street...Little Star, Sydney

I am now so inspired that I want to take my camera out onto the street and take photos of good looking people wandering around. But at the same time, I am no one famous to tell people to pose nicely for me...so right now, I'm wondering if it's stalker like to just snap at good looking, well dressed people.

Just can't get enough

I post once about girly childhood memories and they just don't stop popping up! I went to have a look at the Alannah Hill website...don't know why really. Maybe it was to soak up some girly inspiration but either way, I was surprised to have been welcomed to a new virtual site...tres cute!

Bring on the fun! xo

Fairy tales...

On the topic of childhood, I must say fairy tales have given us girls unrealistic expectations of the world. We think Prince Charming will come and sweep us off our feet and we'll live happily ever after. There is no such thing...why were there no cartoons to prepare us for the real world? Uni life, friendships, the ups and downs of dating, FULL TIME WORK!?

Cinderella was one of my favourite stories...if only I had a fairy god mother and a team of mice, wouldn't that make life a whole lot better?

Embarking into the corporate world has made me wonder if I could have been better prepared for the change. My social life is out the window and I feel like such an old woman savoring any quiet time I have at home. 

But no matter how unrealistic whatever it was we were exposed to as children, we continue to dream. And one of the things we dream about is our wedding day. Whether or not we are in a relationship and whether or not we're anywhere near getting married, we think of our special day dressed in white. And as friends and relatives close to me are getting hitched, the dream seems to be getting closer (or at least we'll be able to see others dressed in white if it isn't ourselves). 

I sometimes wonder what my dress will look like...then I came across an article about Lanvin's Collection Blanche. It's relatively old news, but I thought how interesting if your wedding dress could be beautiful and practical (and not something you'll only wear once)...you'll be able to bring back memories of your special day with these off the rack pieces and they've been designed to break the rules of conformity...enjoy ladies!

P.S: If I haven't already made it clear, I'm not getting married nor am I hinting. This article is purely for fashion's sake :) xo

Mama Mia

St. Marc's Square, Venice

I love Italy… the food, the shopping and the people watching. My favourite would have to be Florence because of its historical sights followed by Venice because it is such a romantic city. With graffiti-covered walls, second-rate sights and a dodgy public transport system after 9pm, Milan probably isn’t a city you’d typically associate with glamour and probably the least aesthetically pleasing of the Italian cities I have visited so far.

Love is in the air ~ There were these cute exhibitions of the word "Love" in different languages scattered around the Duomo in Milan. A much better sight compared to graffiti I say!

If you think that over-priced gelatos plus a seat facing the street with a sea of tourists walking by is your thing, then the streets surrounding the famous Piazza Duomo might be the perfect destination for you. And if you’d like to be sipping drinks twice the intensity of those in Australia and Alicia Keys just a glance away, the Just Cavalli Café would have to be your next stop. Milan is filled with good looking people, with the men pulling off ankle length pants in any colour (which my aunty calls “old man kopitiam pants”) and women in outfits straight off the runway strutting their stuff in the highest heels on cobbled streets.

Alicia Keys
A cheeky snap on my camera by Mr. KVC as the songstress was leaving the VIP area of the Just Cavalli Cafe. Might I add, from where we were standing, she appeared to be quite the average young lady; dancing, chatting and even taking photos for her friends.

But the most exciting celebrity sighting was of Rihanna walking along Via Montenapoleone. I was so consumed with her outfit that I didn’t even realize who I was walking past until a small Italian man with female antics in front of me turned around and whispered her name. Dressed in a yellow cotton dress, a ton of bangles and wedges…

Rihanna shopping in Milan

I probably would have kept on walking thinking "oh, what a stylish young girl". Unfortunately when I realized it was the beautiful voice behind “Umbrella”, I also noticed she had quite a massive bodyguard a step behind and I was too polite to forcefully take a snap *sigh*…

Isn't She Lovely...

It's been a while since Obama's Inauguration, but it's still worth a mention:

Barack and Michelle Obama

Photo by Kevin Mazur for the Presidential Inaugural Committee

Michelle Obama is the youngest first lady to occupy the White House since Jacqueline Kennedy. And quite often Michelle is compared to the well noted fashion icon having stepped out in similar style sporting A-line skirts, brooches, pearls and even a hair flip.

On January 20, as she stood by her husband on the steps on the nation’s Capitol in silence, her white chiffon dress by Jason Wu said enough…

Michelle and Obama at the Inauguration Ball

The white gown with a single strap over the right shoulder, was designed by 26 year old Taiwanese, New York educated Jason Wu. Unlike celebrities who strut the red carpet in looks by the likes of Versace, Dior, Chanel and Lacroix, Michelle has opted for designers who don’t belong to the most celebrated walks of fashion. Instead, she marries her love of fashion with consideration of the price conscious.

As Michelle and Barrack Obama enter the White House during dire economic conditions, Michelle’s fashion preferences appropriately reflect the financial difficulties we have yet to face.

While many have scrutinized her for dressing all Jackie O like, I say Michelle has chosen wisely to start off following in the steps of a fashion icon adored by many, then and now. But throughout Obama’s presidential campaign Michelle’s style has evolved nicely focusing on ladylike florals, fitted dresses, bold colours, flats, pearls and cardigans with a little sense of adventure.

Your wish is my command...

I'm not quite sure why I hadn't heard of the concept Wardrobe Wishes...

To keep it short and sweet, the idea behind it is that by hiring Diana (a wardrobe consultant), she can share her expertise and de-clutter your wardrobe so that all your staple and favourite pieces are within reach. We only wear 20% of what we own and WW will assist in organising and maintaining your wardrobe so that you can be more efficient when searching for outfits. Unused items of clients will go towards St Vincent de Paul to be resold or rationed to families in need. 

Once your wardrobe has been sorted, a personal shopping service is also offered to fill in the gaps of your new wardrobe and Diana will teach you smart shopping tips that fit your budget and also ensure that your purchases will last for more than a season. 

I can imagine the price tag on this service to be quite high given you'll be recruiting a professional shopper with a decade of experience in the industry and abroad. But I shall keep this wonderful concept in mind for when I climb the corporate ladder and earn super big bucks (if the day will ever come), but no harm dreaming :)

Note 1: Initial consultation is free, so I just might be inquisitive and ask. Will keep you posted if I do.

Note 2: I once helped a friend who just moved homes to unpack his clothes. I was so impressed after two hours of handling, sorting and re-arranging but when I revealed to him his brand new closet he just looked at me and said, "Omgosh how am I going to find anything? Why are my jerseys all over the place!?" I said, "But it's all colour co-ordinated!" He appreciated the effort but I definitely would not consider a career in wardrobe consulting. At least you could tell there was a touch of girliness in there :)