What I Wore : Kate Spade Theme Outfit

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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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Review : Coach Reversible City Tote Bag

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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Accessories : Burberry Mini Towels

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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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 :)

(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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First Designer Footwear : Tory Burch Two-Tone Jelly Bow Ballet Flat

This was my first Tory Burch shoes. 
Wait, I think this was actually my first Tory Burch item! And my first designer footwear too!

After owning a couple of designer bags and accessories I've been thinking to expand my collection with designer shoes, because surely they too would last longer than regular brand shoes right? Well, hopefully ... 
At least they would elevate the whole look when you're wearing your designer bag (that's what I think when I checked myself in front of the mirror with the shoes, LOL).

So anyway, this is the Tory Burch Two Tone Jelly Bow Ballet Flat in the color Classic Khaki/Black. It is made of jelly / rubber-like material which was kinda on-trend around that time (think "melissa shoes" - and a couple years later the "Ferragamo jelly shoes"). 

When the hype of fragranced Melissa jelly shoes were all around I never wanted one, because I was at first skeptical about the material. I mean really, why would you spend $$ on jelly shoes? I thought it's gonna look cheap and not worth the money. But when I tried this TB jelly shoes on the duty free store.. hell, I was hooked immediately! Especially because my feet were already hurting so bad so the jelly feels like cold cushion to my hot sweltering feet 😝 Well, I guess I was underestimating these jelly shoes. No wonder they have lots of followings, because they are THAT COMFY to wear!

I think there were other color combination for this particular shoes but I chose the two tone with black toe cap because I think it's cute and resemble a ballerina shoes. The side of the shoes has a pattern texture and the black toe cap has a dainty ribbon details with TB logo charm. All part of the shoes were made from rubber jelly even the insoles, except for the bottom of the shoes.

I really like it as it was also my first ever jelly shoes. The jelly material is not like the other jelly shoes from cheaper brands. This one was very well made from high quality material. I thought jelly shoes would look cheap and ugly on my feet, but when I tried this on I was actually surprised on how well it actually looks and how good it actually felt on my skin. The jelly rubber doesn't hurt my skin or irritate them, it also conforms to the shape of your feet because of their more flexible material, so it would be more comfortable to wear (the jelly felt “cool” upon touching the skin too).

I also love the design on this one. I think Tory Burch shoes has elegant designs.This shoes also changed my mind about jelly shoes. I love how cool it feels on your skin when you put them on, I love how they move with your feet, and I also love how easy they are to clean. Jelly shoes are so easy to clean! Whenever I got dirt on it I just wipe it away with a wet wipes :)

wearing the TB Two-Tone Jelly Bow Ballet with 

my Ted baker top (H's fave!) & my vintage Fendi shoulder bag.

I had these flats for a while now and has been using it many times. I really like it especially because of the elegant design and the comfort it offers. Although I think this was a half size smaller for me but I could still wear it comfortably :)

Here’s hoping to more designer footwears in the future to complete my wardrobe! :)

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Review : Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM in Damier Ebene

Previously on my recent post I mentioned about purchasing my Dream Bag (!) which is the Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM in Damier Ebene. I finally got my dream bag in January of last year (2016).

Oh you have no idea how long I've been dreaming and lusting for this bag. From the very first time I laid my eyes on LV I already pre-determined my dream bag from their collection. And that is the Neverfull MM.

From the start I specifically dreamed of the MM size which is the medium size, because I know that the GM (Grand size) would be too large for my petite frame, and I'm not sure whether the PM (Petite size) would be too small for everyday tote bag or not. You see, I haven't been to an actual LV store before so I can only figure it out from the online photos and video reviews of the bag.

For you who is not familiar with the LV Neverfull series, it has three sizes : PM (petite), MM (medium), and GM (grand/large). They also available in many prints but the classic prints of the Neverfull are basically the Monogram, the Damier Ebene, and the Damier Azure. My dream bag is the Neverfull MM in Damier Ebene.

I know this would be my dream bag which I never expect to purchase any time soon because I just started on my luxury bags journey. I was a newbie and our finance wasn't much either, so I was having a moment with the lower spectrum of the high-end brands such as Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Longchamp, etc because those were the brands that suits our budget at that time (and still is, actually ;p).

But then it all started in January 2016 when me and my husband were feeling low and sad because of a miscarriage that I was having back in December 2015. Husband saw me cry all day and I was heart-broken and having an emotional-wreck. I was so sad and hubby offered me something that he thought would help cheer me up. He hate seeing me sad so he offered the kind gesture of buying me my dream bag. Yes, that's how it happened. That's how I finally purchased my dream bag. Although the price was actually out of our comfort zone but husband was being so nice and generous. He had an extra earning from his office around those months so he offered me to use the extra fund towards my dream bag. I am thankful for him, always ...

I was hesitated at first to spend his money towards this bag (to us that was quite a lot of money because of our currency difference), and I even rejected his idea at first. But he convinced me to go ahead and buy the dream bag anyway. So fast forward, I finally purchased it via the same way I purchased my very first LV item (the Louis Vuitton Mini Pochette in Monogram). I purchased it from Europe via a personal shopping service. My personal shopper is a stewardess who has an International European flight and were able to go to LV store in Amsterdam to buy the bag for me. From my research I found that LV prices are cheapest in Europe compared to other continents, so that's where I purchased my bag from.

When I put in the order I was sure about the size of the bag but wasn't really sure about the print. I was thinking of buying it in the classic monogram print but I was a bit hesitant that it'd be too loud (because it's a big bag) and I already have a monogram LV pochette anyway, so in the end I stick to my first option, the Damier Ebene print.

When the order finally came it was shipped with complete set including all the box and the original receipt from the store. I was excited beyond belief because I finally have it. It's here ! The bag is here !

The overall quality and the whole vibe of the package is luxurious. This was my first ever big-ticket item, so although part of me was still cringing a little bit because spending that lots of money into one bag, but the other half of me is screaming with joy inside because I still couldn't believe it and just can't wait to open the box !

My first experience of unboxing a high-end luxury bag was something I would always remember. Although I didn't buy it personally from the store myself but still the whole complete set made me feel like I just did the shopping myself :)

I remember that I opened the box slowly and squeaked a little when I pull out the bag from its dust bag. The Damier Ebene was so beautiful and really elegant print, I'm now glad that I chose this print. Unlike the Monogram I won't have to worry about the handle being discoloured over time with the Damier Ebene, because the Damier Ebene doesn't come with vachetta leather like the Monogram does. The handle in Damier Ebene is made of leather so it won't goes through a patina process like the vachetta leather in Monogram bags.

I really like the Monogram but worries about the Vachetta leather because I don't like the patina that it will eventually has. I personally think that when you see someone wearing a monogram bag with a patina then you'll know that it's an old(er) bag or not recently purchased. But when you see someone wearing Damier Ebene then you might not guess easily whether the bag is new or old (especially if it's still in good condition). And now a year later I proved myself right, my Neverfull still looks like new ! Hehe ..

But that doesn't mean that I don't like the monogram. I would still get another monogram bag from LV (if my budget permits), but I would prefer the one with less vachetta leather on it. Less vachetta means less patina, right? Currently I am eyeing the Favorite MM :)

The Damier Ebene print has red lining (which is one of the reason why I chose this print, because I love red). There's also a deep pocket on the inside that is useful for bottomless bags like these. The bag has a side pull anyway so you can adjust the size of the bag. You can cinched-in the leather strap on the sides to make it appear smaller in size or release the cinch to make it wider.

The Neverfull has an open top with a small closure in the middle. So you must be careful when putting small things in this bag because it can spill out of the bag when you're not careful due to the open top style. I would usually use some pouches to store my smaller things in addition to its own large pouch that comes with the bag. The inside is bottomless by the way :) You can put anything and everything in there, and it would hold nicely.

The construction of the bag is superb. Everything is beautiful and not an inch wrong. I adored the craftsmanship and it's the kind of bag that you know would last a long time just by looking at it. Although it is made from canvas but it is a high quality canvas that looks elegant yet very durable. The leather trim were also of a high notch quality.

The newer releases of LV Neverfull also came with a matching large pouch inside which is also detachable so you can use it as a clutch on its own. The pouch has a zip in gold hardware and has a separator inside that acts like "pockets". This is the other reason why I chose the Neverfull because it's like getting two bags with one price.

I use the bag for daily use, and use the pouch as a clutch for when I go to wedding parties or fancy meet up. Though you can't put a lot of stuffs in the pouch because although it's large but it's also very thin, so if you put in too much stuffs it would get bulky and looks distorted.

So anyway, so far I have been very pleased with my purchase (it is my Dream Bag after all!). And I have been taking good care of the bag since I got it, because I don't wanna ruin it. So that's why my bag still stiff and still looks like new even after a whole year of usage. I simply store it in its dust bag after using it. And I also wipe it with a cloth every other time. I also never put it on the floor when I go out ( I use bag hooks that you can hook on the table so your bag won't touch the floor), and I also avoid water and dirty situation whenever I'm using the bag 😉

As the name suggests, this bag is really "never full". You can put a lot of things inside it (but I avoid putting too much weight on the bag because I want to take care of it), but you could fill it to the brim if you want. It could be a school or work bag because it can hold your laptop and documents, or some moms also use it as a fancy diaper bag. I also found that some women loves to travel with it because it can hold a lot and easy to just tote around, but I personally won't take this when I'm traveling because it doesn't have a zipper at the top so I figure it's not safe enough (or maybe it's just me who is paranoid hehe).

I think this would be perfect for your first Louis Vuitton bag. Consider you'd get more than you paid for. Aside from the tote bag itself you will also get the detachable pouch that you can use as a clutch. Aaanndd you can also change the shape of the bag by cinching in and out the side pulls, so you'll get an option of two different sized bags : a wide tote or a small bag :)

See? You can get many uses out of this one. It's like getting three kinds of bags with one price :)

When the sides are not cinched-in it is a wide tote bag

with the sides cinched-in it looks like another bag :)

I really love this bag and still adore the quality and craftsmanship behind it. And it's considered a classic too. So you can still wear it years from now without being out of date. The quality is also superb, that if you take good care of it you can hand it down to your daughter (or maybe even grand daughter) in the future 😊

For me this could also means a great investment. In my country the prices of preloved Louis Vuitton is still high especially if they are still in good condition and comes complete with at least the dust bag. So that's one of the reason why I would like to keep this in pristine condition. Not that I want to sell this any time soon, I might never sell it but it's just nice thinking that I made a good investment in this bag.

So this is my most high prized bag in my wardrobe right now (because I can't afford Chanel yet - even the preloved ones 😅) so I don't want to use it too often because I'm afraid I'll ruin it faster, Lol. That's the problem with a bag lover. You dream about the bag, then you finally had the bag, but then you're afraid of using them because you don't want to ruin it. Who can relate ? 😂

Anyway, to close this already super long post, here's a couple of photos of how I styled the bag :

(with the mini pochette attached!)

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