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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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Accessories : Marc By Marc Jacobs "Workwear" Computer & Ipad Case

 

One of my fave department store is Galeries Lafayette because they have some of my favorite brands there (which most of them are on my forever wish list ;p), and most importantly because they always have Sales going on especially on Marc Jacobs and Longchamp counters. 

One of the huge discount I had at Galeries Lafayette was on the Marc Jacobs counter around 3 years ago. I found some items from the Marc by Marc Jacobs (MBMJ) range that were slashed for 50% Off - so obviously I must take some benefit from the sale because it's not so often that MJ having a 50% sale here.

So I bought myself a MBMJ "Pretty Nylon" Computer Case in Knockout Pink, and a blue MBMJ "Pretty Nylon" Ipad Case in Bauhaus Blue - both are from the Workwear collection :


Perfect for my 13" laptop


Perfect for bringing around my ipad 


I always prefer the bigger size / reguler ipad than the ipad mini because I'm more of a visual person so I love bigger screen which I can enjoy bigger pictures from. Hence the bigger ipad case from MbMJ. I really love the blue color and picked it up right away.

I also love the pink color of the computer case so I also snagged it up. Both of these were 50% off so I actually had a pretty good deal back then. If I'm not mistaken I only got them both for a total of $50 😀


I still use both of 'em until now but I don't really use the computer case that often because I don't really bring my laptop anywhere anymore. I mostly use my laptop at home nowadays so I don't really use the computer case that much. But I still love it and would use it if I need to lug around my macbook outside because it's the only computer case I have ;)

I love the design of MBMJ Workwear collection. It's modern yet a bit sporty and casual, perfect for the milennial generation, Lol. After 3 years they still look new and they don't show any tear or scratch whatsoever. The colors are still as vibrant as when they are still new. The inside of the cases are made of really soft fluffy fabric so it won't scratch your gadget. They're also slightly padded and made of very good thick material with a gorgeous MBMJ logo at the front.


Here they are on action :



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Sunday, February 7, 2016

First Preloved SLG : Coach Legacy Motif Wristlet

I needed a pouch to store my phone inside my bags so that I won't scratch the surface of my phone. I thought this would fit my iphone 6 but turns out that I was wrong. When I received it my phone wouldn't fit in it. In fact this pouch has a small opening so I guess there won't be much items that would fit inside it.



This Coach purple Legacy motif Wristlet was my first "preloved" SLG (small leather goods). I saw it in one of the usual consignment store I always went while I was looking for something else. The cheap price caught my eye. I wasn't very fond of it when I first saw it because : (a) I don't really dig the deep purple color, and (b) I don't really need it because I wasn't sure that it would fit my phone.

But the price offer was intriguing (I got it for $27.5 while the retail price is $68) and it was in excellent condition. And I kinda like the tassel motif design (though I don't fancy the color). Also I thought it would be cute with my purple Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac bag. So I bought it anyway. But it turns out that the purple is a different shade with my RM Mini Mac, and my phone didn't fit in it too :(

But I thought it would still be useful for an extra pouch. So now I used it as my cosmetic bag although it can only fit my Mac compact powder and lipstick, or I'd also use it as a small wristlet to store money and important cards when I don't want to bring a bag with me (i.e : just a quick run to the atm / mini market).

Here is the color comparison of the Coach Tassel pouch and the RM Mini Mac ( the purple shade is so different they don't go well together ) :

 
The RM Mini Mac looks more like a magenta (or is it fuchsia?) color while the Coach one is a deeper darker purple. 


Below are two of my Coach SLGs. Starting small :)
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First Vintage Bag : Fendi Zucca Purse

My first ever vintage designer bag was a Fendi Zucca bag that I got from a private seller. It was so cheap (and I did my research to make sure that it was not a fake) and it is still in good condition (although a bag spa would liven it up a bit). It didn't come with its original dust bag or box as most of vintage items do, so that's part of the reason why it's so cheap. I also think that the seller doesn't really know or care about designer bags so she had no clue that her bag could actually worth more (psstt, don't tell her, LOL).




Anyway, this was my first ever vintage item and I got it for $30 - which I considered cheap compared to other vintage Fendi items. The condition wasn't excellent but it was pretty good with no scratch or scuffs. The leather handle was still in good condition, the canvas was still very good albeit a little dirty, and the hardware were still looking nice although it has lost its shine (but a bag spa could easily bring some shine and life to the bag!). So I snagged it right away because I thought it was an offer I couldn't resist.

Usually I would only go for preloved bags that comes with its original dustbag / box / certificate to make sure it's authentic and to retain its value when I decided to re-sell it again in the future. But for vintage items I understand that most of them don't come with original dustbag or boxes so as long as they are authentic and in overall good condition I'd take it ! (*wink*).
After a further research I think this bag was from circa the 80's. And I'm glad I got this one before it got popular again, so I was able to get it at an unbeatable price. Nowadays ever since Fendi logo bags have risen up again in the fashion world the price of a vintage one is about 8-10 times the price I paid for my bag! So I was very lucky (again) I guess... I just can't believe my luck. And I'm so thankful because of that.

Back to this bag's story, when I first got it I didn’t really wear it as much as I want to. The size wasn’t big enough for me to carry my usual stuffs so it just wasn’t practical for me as a daily bag. It also has a dainty little shoulder bag shape (which I think is a little bit outdated at the time) so maybe that's why I didn't really wear it that much. 

 So I only wore it to wedding parties or to small events where I don’t have to bring a lot of stuffs with me. Plus I was also a little bit shy wearing designer logos back then, so that’s why I didn’t get to wear it that often.

But now this bag has slowly getting its way back into my daily wardrobe. Nowadays I prefer to bring less items, so I tend to wear smaller bags these days. And I’m a bit more comfortable wearing logos now because it’s actually "on trend". And Fendi logo bags and accessories were also in a "hype" right now because lots of celebrities wore them now, especially by rappers and kylie jenner and the likes. So yay for scoring this Fendi bag waysss earlier :))


Can't wait to style this purse with my other outfit.
Hoping for a much more wear to this cute little classic bag now that it's on-trend ;)

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