Showing posts with label Shopping Diary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shopping Diary. Show all posts

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, September 24, 2016

New-In (Accs) : Laduree Macaron Keychain


I'd like to dress up my bags with little bag charms and/or scarves, and I always like how this Laduree macaron keychain looks like on other people's bags, so of course I wanted it for myself ;)

They are so cute and pretty, and they come in many colors. They are not cheap though, so I always hesitate to buy them. They are also not available in my country so I have to purchase them via a personal shopping service that can get you stuffs from abroad. 


Husband finally got me this Laduree keychain as a Valentine gift. We ordered it from Laduree Japan via a shopping service. It came in a beautiful box and the keychain is super cute !

I chose the brown color because I intend to put it on my brown colored bags such as my LV Neverfull Damier Ebene or my Michael Kors Jetset Tote in luggage. 

[UPDATED] : I also find it looks cute hanging from my Longchamp Le Pliage Small Tote in Beige (new bag!). Below is an example of when I use it as a bag charm in both my LV Neverfull and my Le Pliage :



Now don't they look cute together?
Thankyou hubby !


And here are my other bag charms using scarves :

LV Neverful bag adorned with a Fendi scarf 


Michael Kors JetSet Tote Bag with Laura Ashley floral scarf 



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Saturday, September 17, 2016

New-in (Clothes): DKNYJeans Wool Knit Sweater


Last week (September) there was a charity bazaar held by Club 21, a boutique that sells designer names. The bazaar is basically a boutique sale + designer garage sale that were held for charity. I of course decided to come because it was actually my first time ever coming to Club21 Charity Bazaar. I remember I came at the last day of the bazaar and on the way there I can't wait to see what would I purchase from the garage sale section.

It turns out that the garage sale section didn't really have anything interesting. Sure there were a lot of designer preloved goods (infact, almost all of the items on sale were designer brand names), but there was nothing that interest me, and maybe because I only came at the last day and the last minute so there really wasn't much left. Maybe the good stuffs were already sold out because all that's left was ugly dirty clothes and shoes that no one wants. There's a pair of Louboutins that looks like its still in good condition but it wasn't in my size (and it was still a tad expensive too). There was also a cute and girly Marc Jacobs rain boots for only around $20 but it was in shocking pink color (!) and it's not customary here in my country to wear rain boots, so I had to skip it because I don't think it's worth it. Another thing that I was gonna buy is a preloved travel document holder from Aspinal of London in very mint condition. It was made of rich luxurious leather in a royal blue color that makes me fell in love. I kept looking at it and then picking it up and then putting it down again (repeatedly). It was marked $30 and I didn't buy it, but at home I tried to browse around and I realized that it's retail price was a whopping $142 !

My mistake was I went to the bazaar when I know I didn't have money (yasss, so stupid, I know). But even though I didn't have money I still wanted to come to the bazaar just to see if there might be something cheap that I can take home. So the reason why I didn't get the Aspinal of London travel document holder (that I coveted) is because I already found something cheaper that I wanted to purchase. A grey ruffled DKNYJeans knit sweater that was marked down for 70% Off. Then surprisingly I got extra discount at the cashier so the last price I had to pay for the sweater was only $7 !! And it wasn't even from the garage sale section, it was from the boutique sale section (which means it's a new item from the boutique, not a preloved from club21 members). 
The sweater is a mix of viscose, cotton, wool, angora materials. It is warm and fuzzy, and adorned with feminine ruffles on one side. There are fabric ties on top and bottom of the ruffles, so you can wear it tied for more detailed look, or just let the tie loose. Thanks to the tie the sweater can also be ruched at the bottom, and this is how I mostly wear it, with a little ruched on the bottom side.

Unfortunately I didn't get the preloved Aspinal of London travel document holder, and that day I also saw a row of Diane von Furstenberg wrap dresses at the boutique section that were on sale. Sadly the DVF dress was still too expensive for my budget at that time (even though it was on sale around $60-70). So I had to let it go.. But at least I got a brand new angora wool DKNY knit sweater for just $7 ! Ha!
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Sunday, March 27, 2016

New-In (Clothes) : Morgan de Toi Cardigan

We went to the mall to meet with our family last weekend and we were the first to arrived, so we went ahead and look around the mall while waiting for our family to arrive. The first thing I saw when we entered the mall was this one store that offer designer brand sale up to 80% !

It's one of those pop-up store and they were offering huge discounts on brands such as Bebe, Ted Baker, Morgan de Toi, Ipanema, etc. Of course I went inside right away, who would turn a chance of getting designer goods for 80% off ? 😝.

There were many dresses and pants/jeans from those brands that were on offer inside the store, but I wasn't interested because I don't really wear much dresses these days except for maxi dresses. And I also have adequate pants in my wardrobe so I didn't think that I needed anymore pants, so I didn't browse the pants racks. I do however found one rack near the back that were filled with blouses and sweaters (although there were not many options on that rack either). But I found a really nice cardigan with a Chanel-esque style !

Chanel signature style is one of my favorite looks ! I love Chanel fashion especially their classic signature blazer/cardigan with that rows of buttons and pocket lines. And this Morgan De Toi cardigan has that style ! On the tag it's called the Noir/Rose Bubble (Bicolor Cardigan). And it's a very pretty cardigan with a combination of pink over black color with an elegant rows of black-gold buttons.


I guess I was lucky or it was meant to be, because there was only one cardigan in my size left !. I usually go for the smallest size in designer clothing and there was one Xtra Small (XS) size on the rack. When I tried it on, the "XS" size is still a tad bit loose on me but the bodice fits nicely. I was hesitant at first but seeing that it was discounted almost 50% off ( => from $60 to $32 ! ) I couldn't passed it up.

The material is a thick knitted viscose/wool. It feels luxurious and looks very classy. It also has diamond stitching pattern that makes it more elegant looking. I love it so much. The pink accent against the black cardigan and gold-accented buttons makes it even more special. AND it has working pockets too ! I'm glad I got the last one in my size, and I can't wait to style it :)

At the same rack I also saw a very nice pastel blue cashmere sweater with a really nice v-neck and zipper details on the shoulder. The zipper can be opened up to showcase a pretty lace details underneath. I think it's a very lovely detail on a very delicate robin's egg blue cashmere sweater. I was thinking of also getting it but hubby noticed there's a loose thread near the center front that can lead to more snagging. I was kinda sad to see that because I do love it so much and was gonna take it to the cashier along with the cardigan.


On another rack I found a really nice Bebe lazy pants made from silk which looks and feels awesome to the touch. But I was hesitating because the bottom of the pants were gathered, like a jogger pants. And I found that jogger pants style does not suit my short legs, so I had to put it back to the rack. 

When I already paid for my cardigan and went out the store I also saw on the window display the Ted Baker pleated maxi dress that I once coveted for many months ! But it was too late, because I was already out the store and my family already arrived so I didn't have time to go back into the store to look for the maxi dress. Well, maybe next time ...

 Meanwhile, here's how I styled the cardigan :

Morgan de Toi Cardigan with H&M jeans, 
Tory Burch Flat shoes, and LV neverful tote bag accessorized with
 Laduree Macaron keychain.
Anyway, this cardigan is only my second Morgan de Toi fashion item that I had in my wardrobe.

The first one is a nice black dress I found from thrifting many years ago. It's one of my best thrifted item, and one of my luckiest thrifting day too. I remember that day I went thrifting and found a black little dress from Morgan de Toi and a vintage circa 1960-70s Christian Dior button-up dress in navy/white. I also found some really nice vintage dresses in mint condition that day. (oh how I missed thrifting).

I actually don't wear the Morgan de Toi black dress very much because I only wear it to special occasions and parties. It's actually just a simple dress but it has a nice drape-y neckline and a cute little slit at the side of the dress. It's made of crepe and falls really nice on the bodice. It's been one of my best evening dress so far. I last worn it on my brother's engagement day, with some silver adornments to accessorize myself for the special day.

Here's another time when I wore the black Morgan De Toi dress to a wedding party, pairing it with my vintage Fendi shoulder bag :



Hopefully I can go thrifting again because there's not much places here to go thrifting. But I missed browsing and digging around the thrift store to try to find some nice items. Finding designer items on thrift store here is considered very very lucky, because we don't have fabulous thrift store here like the Buffalo Exchange in USA (or even GoodWill!). But hey, as long as you're lucky and determined to dig that treasure at the thrift store, you'd soon find some gems ;)

 At least, that's what I believe anyway...
I'll see you on my next Shopping Diary post ... !


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Saturday, March 19, 2016

New-In (Clothes) : Calvin Klein Clothing

At around the same time when I realize that designer bags have excellent quality and worth their price I was also starting to collect designer fashion items. I realized that luxury fashion items although more expensive compared to the high street brands but their quality were also much better. Then I slowly started to improve my wardrobe. I started buying good quality high-street brands clothing and a couple of luxury brands if my budget allowed. I slowly improved my wardrobe that was once filled with department store brands and a handful of cute-but-cheap clothing. In short, I just want to upgrade the overall quality of my wardrobe. My goal is to have a well-curated wardrobe with nice quality items (that can lasts for years) and less junk.

So with that reason in mind I started hunting for discounted designer clothing. Of course my budget wouldn't allow a full retail price for designer wardrobe so I always try to find some discounted or bargained items. I would scoured these discounted designer items from various sources. I would purchase them as long as they are less than retail price ;p

And that's exactly what happened with this haul.
Several days ago we went out to upgrade my husband's phone because he desperately needs a fresh one after using his old phone for years. We were having a post-holiday shopping mood that day so we decided to shop around a little bit. We accidentally found out that there was a factory outlet near the place where we went to upgrade husband's phone, so we went there afterwards. Husband bought a new t-shirt from TopMan and a new belt from Oakley, while I saw this blue jumper with loose cowl-neck from Calvin Klein. 

This turquoise blue sweater/jumper really stood out for me from the rack. There are many features of this jumper that I like very much. It was only available in a size Medium though (my actual size is Small or Xtra-Small because I'm very petite), but because I like it so much I got emotional and purchased it anyway although I know it is a little bit big on me 😅.

It's from the Calvin Klein Performance line which is their line for active-wear clothing. Well I personally thought this does not look like an activewear clothing at all. I think this jumper looks chic with it's open wide cowl-neck at the front, it's loose wavy shape, and other unique features.

It is made of thick sweater-like material so it's quite warm for the colder weather. It also has a "quick-dry" feature (maybe because it's from their activewear line). What I love about this jumper is how the wide neck gives a dimensional look to the overall outfit.

However, my most favorite feature of this jumper is obviously the thumb hole !
I always wanted one of these since college! One day at the dorm I saw my friend wearing a sweater with a thumb hole in each arms and I thought that's a cool feature to have in a sweater, and I have been wanting one of those ever since. So now I'm so happy to finally own a thumb hole jumper in my wardrobe, hahaha, it's so silly, I know .. 😝
{the thumb hole!}  
{worn with turquoise tanktop}

As you can see on the photo above, the cowl-neck opening is very wide so I need to always wear an inner top with this jumper. I also bought a random brand tanktop in similar color to go with this jumper. Luckily the turquoise blue tanktop I bought matches the jumper perfectly.


Notes for Petites:
I think Calvin Klein clothing size runs big. So instead of my regular size I should opt for one size smaller instead. You see, I bought a Calvin Klein blouse before and it was slightly big on me too, but I decided to purchase it anyway because it looks so elegant and different from what I had in my wardrobe.

When I saw this blouse I thought I could wear it to a semi-formal event but I haven't worn it yet so far - because I haven't had a semi-formal event to attend to. So it still hangs nicely on the rack in my wardrobe room. It's a beautiful salmon pink blouse with a subdued white crocodile-esque pattern. It's made of cotton-silk material and it has elegant design with a nice little buttoned opening at the top. If I was still working at my 9 to 5 office I'd definitely wear this beautiful blouse for work.

As I mentioned above, I think Calvin Klein sizing runs a little upsize. This blouse is also slightly big for my true size so the length of the arms are a bit too long for me. So I don't think I can wear this blouse in long-sleeve style, I probably would always have to wear it with it's sleeves rolled up.
Nonetheless, I'm still patiently waiting for the moment that I can wear this salmon blouse!


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