Thursday, May 25, 2017

What I Wore : Kate Spade Theme Outfit

I bought this black and white Kate Spade bow dress especially for my husband's birthday dinner earlier this month. We had a customary birthday celebration in which we would have laid back lunch or dinner, followed with a little bit of shopping for birthday gifts. 

So that day it was just a casual early birthday dinner in a really nice bistro with good food, followed by a birthday gift shopping :)
We bought an Apple TV for Hubby's birthday gift as it is what he always wanted. I also got him a Burberry polo shirt from an outlet store that we visited that day as my personal birthday gift for him.



I wore a full-on Kate Spade theme outfit that day, with a black n white theme. The bow dress is from Kate Spade which I found while thrifting, the bag I was carrying was also Kate Spade (reviewed here), and the earrings as well as the mobile phone case were all Kate Spade too. The phone case even has similar motifs with the dress, but instead of the bow pattern it has the polkadot pattern.


The earrings I bought way earlier about 2 years ago, I bought it with a blue/black necklace. I think it was probably one of my first ever designer brand costume jewellery I bought. Hmm.. maybe I should do a post regarding that soon. I actually kinda forgot what my first designer jewellery was, but I do remember the Kate Spade earrings & necklace, as well as a pair of Betsey Johnson leopard earrings were among the first jewellery items I bought that were from designer brand.

Aaanyway, back to this post.. The only thing that weren't Kate Spade was the shoes because I didn't have any Kate Spade footwear. But the rest of the outfit was all black n white Kate Spade theme :)





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Monday, May 8, 2017

New-In (Footwear) : KENZO Tiger Espadrille

This was my second designer footwear (shoes) and the start of many (LOL). Well, not many, just a couple more contemporary designer brands afterwards. I found that a nice shoes can really elevate the whole look. So when you wear your regular brand clothing items but then you add a fancy bag and THEN ADD a fancy shoes then you will look three times more put together (:p).


I only speak for myself so I'm not talking about anybody else, but on me when I wear my random brand clothing and add my fancy bag then I sometimes still look a bit dowdy, especially because I don't wear heavy makeup and too lazy to brush my hair let alone styling it. So sometimes I'm scared that other people would think that my bag is fake because my overall look is too frumpy, drab, or dull hahaha .. It's just my own thoughts and sometimes it affects my self esteem. But when I add fancier shoes into the mix I felt like my overall outfit starting to look much better and finally my bag seems like it's not in the wrong place anymore (;p). I think that's one of the secret of "How to look more expensive" : Fancy Shoes. 😁

So anyway, I bought this Kenzo Tiger Espadrille in Aqua - which is a Blue shade - from the online outlet store. The price of this was a bit pricey for my budget range at the time but I took advantage of the credit card zero installment program and that was one of the way I can afford my designer items. My rule is : for higher priced item I’ll take max 1 year of installment - and only once per year. While for the medium priced items I only go for max 6 months of installments (3 months is even better).




I wanted these Kenzo tiger espadrilles for so long because :

(a) I always wanted to own an espadrille.

(b) it has Tigers on it ! (I love Cats including all Big Cats, so I'm all for Lion, Tigers, leopards, etc).


It came in a white box with Kenzo logo on it. I really like the packaging. Inside the box the shoes rests in between white tissue paper, and I remember it was so beautiful when I first laid my eyes on it in the box. I adored the craftsmanship because it looks strong and sturdy yet the canvas material looks high quality and the Tiger logo is embroidered beautifully on the front of the shoes. 

I got it in a size 36 but unfortunately it was a half size too small for me, but I can still wear it although not as comfortable as if I upgrade it half a size. I bought it online and never tried Kenzo shoes before, so I can't try it on and just guessing my size, and when it came I realize that it was just a tad bit too small. But as I mentioned above I can still wear this but it's just not comfortable when I wore it too long, because I don't have any rooms left inside the shoes for my feet to expand after a long day. 


The top opening was also a bit too tight for the shape of my feet so that adds to the tightness of the shoes. Other than that I like the sturdy canvas and the espadrille style at the bottom of the shoes. The canvas is breathable but still thick and durable so it still remains its shape even after a long time of wearing it.

I also love the Tiger embroidery at the top of the shoes. I really like Kenzo's signature tiger logo. It's just so cool and so Kenzo ! You can never mistake a Kenzo tiger with other tiger logo :)




So far I'm liking these espadrilles for my off duty look and for weekend outings. It's comfortable for train rides or outdoor walking. And if it gets dirty I can just clean it easily with a canvas eraser / cleaner. Or with wet brush and soap and a little water if the dirt is more difficult to clean.

This also goes great with either shorts, jeans, or mini skirts. Here’s a sample of how I have worn and styled it with :


Top : Calvin Klein Performance | Denim Skirt : Atmosphere


Denim : 7 For All Mankind | Bag : Kate Spade Georgina


Chambray : Levi's | Jeans : H&M



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Saturday, April 1, 2017

Review : Coach Reversible City Tote Bag

Each of my designer bags has a story behind the purchase. And I created this blog to document the journey of my collection and the story behind every piece. This bag also has a story. And it’s one that I wouldn’t forget. 


My dad suddenly passed away in June last year and ever since that happened I was basically in a bad place. I was sad every day, almost falling into despair and depression. My husband noticed it and one day out of the blue he asked me to go out to have dinner in a nice restaurant located near a mall. He said I should go out more often so I don't get more depressed. He cheered me up all day that day. He treated me to a nice dinner and then he surprisingly offered to buy me a new bag to fix my mood. It was a surprise for me right after dinner. He knew that I might get a little bit happiness from the excitement of a nice dinner and a new bag. I really appreciated his gesture, I think that was so sweet of him to think like that.

So in the end he bought me this bag. I didn't want something expensive as I was still not really in the mood of picking up bags, but this one is good enough as it is a reversible tote bag so it's like getting two bags in one purchase. Actually scratch that, it was like having three bags from one purchase because it also comes with a large pouch that I can wear on its own :)

So that's the story of this bag. And a memento of that time in my life, and of how kind my husband was and I just couldn't be thankful enough for him being by my side. I think without his continuous support I may not be able to walked out from that sad and mellow phase of my life.

Anyway, enough about the sad story, now let's get into the review of the bag.


As the title suggests, this is Coach Reversible City Tote Bag. Yes it is a reversible bag. And this is the only reversible bag I have in my collection right now. This bag actually came in many color combination and many patterns combination too, but I chose the black/white one because I thought it would be more versatile. I also don't have a white bag yet at that time so I opted for this classic black/white one.

Well actually the tag says that it's in the color of black/chalk to be exact. It also comes with a large pouch inside which is detachable. The pouch is large and has some depth to it so I can actually wear it as a regular clutch because it can fit my necessities nicely.

The bag also comes with a leather tag attached to the handle of the bag. The leather tag is in black with Coach logo in gold color. Because it's reversible so it doesn't have any other embellishments aside from the tag. It also has no pockets, so when you reverse the bag it would be a flat surface with no pockets hanging outside. 


more details :

I like the classic look of this tote bag and also the generous size of the tote bag. I also like the gold lettering and the material used in this tote bag. The material has a little gritty texture to it and it also has a little bit of sheen that makes it look elegant and not cheapo looking. One thing I don't like is how it's not that easy to reverse. Reversing the bag would take more than a few minutes, definitely not something that you can do in a jiffy if you don't want to ruin the bag. The rather stiff material is what makes it harder to turn the inside out and vice versa. 

The detachable pouch is large and has a design of its own with the lettering style. The size is similar to the pouch that you get from Louis Vuitton Neverfull but this one is more flexible and can contain more stuffs because of the zipper that opens all the way through the side. While the pouch from LV Neverfull is too thin and restrictive. I prefer this pouch than the LV Neverfull one. I also wore this pouch more often on its own as a clutch :)



The inside of this tote bag is very large and because it doesn't have any pockets so you can just throw all your things inside it or (like me) you could use multiple smaller pouches or SLGs (small leather goods) to organize your things inside.

Because of the large size this bag is also perfect as a shopping bag, for weekend errands, a short stayover, or even for traveling. It can also function as a diaper bag if you use one of those purse organizer inside it.

I originally purchased it because I don't have a white designer bag so I intended to use the white side more often than the black side. But in reality the white side gets dirty really fast so I started to use the black side more often now.

(with H&M bag charm)

Because of the blank palate this is one of the bag that I love to accessorize. I like to add some little adornments to it now such as a black bow bag charm that I got from H&M for cheap. Sometimes I also wrap my small Celine scarf to one of the handle when I'm using the white side :)

Overall, this is a very nice grab-and-go bag that you can wear for everyday use. It doesn't have much style but it is functional and can fit a lot of things. It is also reversible and comes with a pouch that you can use as a clutch, so you'd get three purses with one purchase. The price was also not very expensive because I believe there are some great discounts on this reversible city tote nowadays.



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Friday, March 31, 2017

Accessories : Burberry Mini Towels

I found another designer items I would like to collect as well : Towels ! (LOL).
Sounds a bit silly collecting towels but this is just something that I found accidentally. So I was browsing through my usual consignment store that usually sells vintage scarves (the one that I bought a few designer scarves from), and that day I saw they have a couple of mini towels from various designer brands, from Burberry to Polo Ralph Lauren to Fendi, etc. I was intrigued by it because it was the first time I ever saw the mini towels in that store although I frequented that store.

When I said mini towels I meant it's the small towels that you use for hands or face. There's also a small bathroom hand towel that has longer shape and size. When I saw them I thought I could use these for my travelling. Maybe for washing face at the airport or for an extra towel at the hotel. I could also use these as my sports towel. Well I only do yoga as sports, but I can bring this mini towel to my yoga class to wipe any sweats and it would be cool, right? hehe ..


So I ended up picking three Burberry mini towels that day. Two of the smaller size / face towel and one larger size / sports towel. The two mini ones each have different patterns and color, I picked up one in red/pink hues and the other one in the usual Burberry color theme but with stripes pattern (as seen above).

While the larger one or the sports towel as the store says, is of Burberry's signature check pattern and color. The sports towel has fluffier material so it feels a bit more luxurious than the two small ones. But nonetheless I love all of them. I use the sports towel for when I go to my yoga class or for swimming (just to tap the water excess off my face and hands after swimming), and sometimes I use it as my hair towel too, for wrapping my hair after I done washing it. The size is great for short to medium length hair.

As for the small mini towels I hang them near my sink as a hand towel in my bathroom. I use them alternately so when I wash the other I can use the other one ;) This is perfect for guest bathroom too because you only wanna use your fancy towels on the guest room, right? LOL.

(the sports towel)


Actually I did buy another mini towel afterwards, which is an MCM face towel in it’s iconic color and logo. But right now I couldn’t find it so I can’t include it in the pictures on this post. As soon as I find it I will update this post again, but meanwhile let’s just focus on the Burberry towels for now ;)

I hope I can find more designer brand accessories just like this, maybe a discounted blanket or home decor items? I would like to adorn my home with more quality items as well, so they would last  me longer than my regular items and can save me money in the future.

I'm slowly trying to upgrade the things around me with better quality items because now I realize that better quality items have better wear time and they don't break so easily. But because they're expensive so I can only add them one by one, little by little, if my budget permits. Hopefully in the long run when our income would eventually rise so does our ability to purchase the finer things in life :)


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Tuesday, February 28, 2017

New-In (Clothes) : Miu Miu Dress & Isabel Marant Knit Sweater

Hi, if you're new here and this is the first post you read, this is a personal blog that I created as my own journal to document my journey in trying to build a designer wardrobe. You can read it all on my first ever post in this blog where I explained why I created this blog at the first place. 

I've also mentioned on that post that I wanted to upgrade my whole wardrobe not just the bags but also the shoes, clothing, and accessories. I wanted to have a well curated wardrobe that can last me a long time, so I've been scouring for designer clothing items ever since. 

Back in September of last year I purchased two new designer clothing which I found at the outlet store and the preloved market. They are both in great condition. 

First is the Miu Miu dress. I don't know the name of the style but it is a sleeveless dress with a bow shape at the front which was one of their most popular style a couple seasons ago. I found it at an outlet store so the label tag was cut off, though not everything is cut off so you can still see the Miu Miu label ;p

It has a soft pink pastel color with dainty little bonbon / candy prints all over. It also has a large bow shape style at the front and made of 100% silk with lining underneath. It was a size Large but somehow it runs small so it actually fits perfectly on my petite composure. 






I like the fabric, the soft pastel color, and the romantic / girly model of the dress. The height is just around my knees so it's just perfect for me as many dresses usually falls a bit too long for my short legs hehe .. I really like how it falls so nicely on the body when worn, and also how it looks feminine and flirty and romantic and girly at the same time :)

It's perfect for Valentines' day or for a date (as what I did, I wore this dress for a date to the flower shop and tea house with my husband, it is just a perfect dress for that 💗). Here's how I style it when I wore it to the date :



(with my Louis Vuitton Mini Pochette Accessoires)

The second piece I purchased was this winter knit sweater from Isabel Marant. This is my first time encountering Isabel Marant piece because not many of her items were floating in the preloved market here, so when I found this one in a good price I immediately bought it (although we don't actually have heavy winters here, but I can wear it on winter vacation or on a super cold heavy rain night probably hehe). 



It is a heavy knit sweater, the kind of sweater you wear in a cold winter days. I really like the off-white ish color that looks a bit creamy - which is a nice neutral color to wear with tall boots and winter hats in any color.

I haven't had the time to properly wear this yet because as I've told you we don't have heavy snowy winter here, but I did lend this to my cousin who had her winter vacation in Korea snowy mountain. Washing it was a bit of a hassle though, because I try to take care of my nicer clothes properly to retain their age so I always try to follow the washing instruction on every piece of designer clothing item I have. Some of them I dry clean, some of them I hand wash myself, including this 100% wool ??? knit sweater. This was a heavy one because the knit is so thick, so it gets even heavier when wet. But I don't want it to break away prematurely so I'm willing to go the extra way of taking care of it although I'm actually a lazy person 😅


Here's how I would style it for winter wear :

Style 1 : 

with Cotton On scarf, Nine West Boots, and Vintage Ettienne Aigner bag

Style 2 : 

with a string necklace that I tied around the neckline, and my LV Damier Ebene Clutch from the Neverful Tote



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