Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Givenchy Fall 2009 Couture Collection

I loved the Givenchy Fall 2009 Couture Collection when it came out, but it has only hit me now how fitting the Norwegian Wood chain elastic harness made for Shrimpton Couture is for Fall 2009!! This is especially true since strong shoulders were a huge trend for Fall'09 RTW. There are also a number of necklaces over at Shrimpton Couture with tons of chains incorporated such as the Glamourai pieces that fly out the store on pre-sales even before they come in, and the RSVP necklaces that had been featured on Dujour magazine!

Anyway, enjoy the pictures, I got them all from Nitrolicious.






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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Linea Pelle Large Lola Tote Handbag




Megan Fox (female lead in Transformers I and II) is usually not my cup of tea because she tends to exude an air of sexuality in the realm of sluttiness. However, I saw this picture of her today with Linea Pelle large Lola tote handbag in midnight (navy blue) and I thought, "Wow, Megan Fox looks great here!" It is probably in part due to her toned down makeup and outfit that I find her looking good. Also, the aviator sunglasses are blocking the view of her eyes, which is the sluttiest part of her face. And a big part is because that huge Lola bag looks surprisingly great on her!!! I don't know what she has in her bag, but it looks like she fitted a watermelon in there, yet it still looks chic and lovely. You may think the Lola bag is plain, but it does have a great shape with comfortable shoulder straps and buttery soft leather. The brass hardware and LP's signature zebra lining are quite likeable too. All in all, I think Megan Fox and the Lola bag fits each other like a glove. The bag gives Megan the edge she likes and is used to, yet is soft and womanly enough without giving off any slutty feeling. For a $355 bag (down from $595), the Lola bag truly is a great find.

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Monday, July 27, 2009

Purple Lab Huge Lips Skinny Hips with appetite suppressant



The word should be out there by now with regards to the lip gloss girls dream about. That is, Purple Lab's Huge Lips Skinny Hips lip plumper. With the same rectangular design as LipFusion, the Huge Lips Skinny Hips lip gloss is the first of its kind because it is infused with Hoodia, an appetite suppressant.

I bought one a couple of weeks ago in the Lychee Martini shade/flavor, and it is one extremely tasty lip gloss. I don't see a big plumping effect though it does have a nice tingly feeling to it (caused by the lemonpeel oil). Did it affect my appetite? Not really. But it is still one fun lip gloss to have.

If you were like me, you would have tons of questions around the Huge Lips Skinny Hips. For one, what is hoodia and is it a true appetite suppressant?

Well, the short answer is, there are many types of hoodia, but the one that actually has been found suppressing appetite is hoodia gordonii, a herb successfully used by the San Bushmen. The herb tricks the brain into thinking that the body has enough sugar. In animal trials, the lab animals have lost weight. However, since human trials are lacking, there may be unknown side effects.

The next question that pops to mind is whether Huge Lips Skinny Hips really works. I won't reinvent the wheel because The Beauty Brain has already done a review on that question. To be concise, women may ingest from 2 to 9 lbs of lipstick in their lifetime, but there is probably too little hoodia in Huge Lips Skinny Hips to make a difference either way (i.e., suppressing appetite or any unknown side effects). Well, like I said, it didn't affect my appetite, but any placebo effect is welcomed, and it is sure one tasty lip gloss to replace my need to munch.

By the way, for those of you venturing out to the land of Huge Lips Skinny Hips, Purple Lab is having a Kiss and Tell contest that will send 2 lucky persons to NYC. The contest ends August 27th, enter while you can!

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Sunday, July 26, 2009

I Heart Norwegian Wood: Fringe Necklaces and Elastic Harnesses

I thought I would share this AMAZING accessories designer/artist on Etsy called I Heart Norwegian Wood. Here's a bunch of stuff she makes:













I love the elastic harnesses because it can dress up any plain tee and make it really sexy. The fringe necklaces and earrings are great for people who don't want to put too much into a possible passing trend. The leggings, well, I wish I have one right now (because I don't feel like shaving my hairy legs and I want to wear a mini skirt!)

There are some other stuff such as cage skirt, fringe skirts, and tops as well. These are just highly unique and beautiful! This would cost a crazy amount if the designer was one of those name brands, but I Heart Norwegian Wood is extremely affordable, so go check her stuff out now!

Here's another piece of exciting news, Shrimpton Couture now has I Heart Norwegian Wood designing them an exclusive collection!!~~ YAY~ Another great collaboration. More info about Norwegian Wood's creator after the jump


Description taken from Shrimpton Couture:

Angie Johnson started Norwegian Wood in 2008 after working in the mainstream fashion industry for just over 8 years. Although Johnson has been designing her own mini collections for independent boutiques since 1997, after graduating from university in 2002 she spent her time working for larger companies such as Silver Jeans, Industry Clothing and Manager Jeans. In 2005 Johnson and her partner Tyson Bodnarchuk opened the HQ boutique/gallery in Montreal featuring work of independent designers and artists. After 3 years of being surrounded by indie design at the boutique Johnson decided in 2008 that it was finally time she gathered up all the knowledge, contacts, ideas and skills she'd accumulated over the years, and put them to work by starting Norwegian Wood.

An online favorite, Johnsons designs have graced some of the internet's finest bloggers such as Susie Bubble; Queen Michelle; Tavi and Rumi as well as countless other stylish bloggers the world over. Norwegian Wood designs have also been featured in magazines/sites such as DuJour, Elle, Nightlife, The National Post, Lou Lou, Refinery 29, Modish and Worn Fashion Journal. Norwegian Wood was recently contacted by Topshop to be part of their Fall 2009 EDIT program which features 30 designers from across the globe with a special pop-up concept store in Topshop Oxford Circus from Sept.-Dec. 2009. This is the second edition of this program, and the first time a Canadian designer has been asked to participate.

For this exclusive capsule collection, Angie has taken the best of her designs and incorporated vintage elements to create unique one of a kind pieces available no where else but at Shrimpton Couture

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Saturday, July 25, 2009

Hayden Panettiere on with Alexa Chung



Hayden Panettiere, 19-year-old Heroes actress, arrives at the MTV Studios in New York City’s Times Square on Tuesday morning (July 7) to tape her appearance on the talk show It's On with Alexa Chung, where she promotes her latest movie, I Love You, Beth Cooper (out in theaters July 10th).

Hayden is wearing a minidress with puff sleeves from Elizabeth and James, Giuseppe Zanotti open-toe booties, a pair of diamond triple pinwheel earrings by Joan Hornig, and holding a Nancy Gonzalez purple clutch. You can watch a small part of the chat on the show between lovely Hayden and Alexa.

The pale pink minidress Hayden is wearing really shows off the tan she has and the bronzed makeup she chose. I adore the lovely ensemble Hayden has got on, but I think Alexa Chung's outfit is equally if not more attention-grabbing!


British import, Alexa Chung, was wearing her own dress from Topshop and cardigan from Charles Anastase. Her ballet flats and necklace were from Chanel. Alexa's outfit is very young and fresh. Most importantly, it is extremely comfortable and thus, extremely sexy~~. It's never very sexy to wear something binding and be unable to move properly in it (I'm sure you've had one of those awkward experience yourself where you felt like a piece of wood, a completely unglamorous state despite the stunning reflection in the mirror.) Well, of course, the fact that Alexa Chung has the most charming English accent and casual demeanor befitting a fashion-model-turned-television-presenter really doesn't hurt my perception of her sense of style. Oh, and she is half Chinese, HOT!!! Check out what Alexa Chung wears on her show at MTV.

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Friday, July 24, 2009

Seriously, Don't Shop!



13 of NYC's top online fashion media mavens were gathered under Style Coalition to take part in the DON'T SHOP campaign. The campaign aims at stimulating the public to support the fashion industry and talented designers. Inspired by the DON'T VOTE video aired during the last presidential campaign, the message of DON'T SHOP campaign is to shop even if you don't think you should. That is not to say that everyone should revert back to their days of habitual spending and conspicuous consumption. However, shopping wisely for an investment piece that can be worn for many years to come and passed down to the next generation is another matter. (1) Classics 0 never go out of style. Instead of blowing your hard-earned cash on trendy items or three pairs of the same shoe in different colors, opt for pieces that you will be proud to wear year after year. (2) It's a matter of supporting your favorite fashion designers through the tough economic times. After all, you would want to see them around after the storm is over, right? In other words, shop if you care).

In my opinion, the visuals in this video plays a big part in bringing across the message since the writers/editors all went from plain t-shirts to their respective glammed-up versions of pretty dresses and well put-together accessories. I would love to see more creative collaborations like this in other areas that do not (yet) traditionally make use of media.

Participating in the video were: Yuli Ziv of MyItThings.com, Jean V. Pratt of StyleObserver.com, Felicia Sullivan of FeliciaSullivan.com, Michelle Madhok of SheFinds.com, Lauren Dimet Waters of SecondCityStyle.com, Julia Dinardo of FashionPulseDaily.com, Anne Fritz of TheJetSetGirls.com, Morgan Williams of RunningWithHeels.com, Jennifer Davidson of StyleBakery.com, Gala Darling of GalaDarling.com, Sarah Conley of StyleITonline.com, Carolyn Hsu of TheDailyObsession.net, and Dina Fierro of Eye4Style.com.

Enjoy, help us please spread the word...and please, get shopping!

Check out Felicia Sullivan's post here

Click here for StyleBakery's post.

Click here for Eye4Style's post.

Click here for MyItThing's post.

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Thursday, July 23, 2009

Zebra Trends: Issa Dress Coat and Kelly Chan's Newborn



When I first saw Issa's zebra printed trapeze coat dress, I went "WHAT? REALLY? Would anyone wear this?!?" I'm aware of the animal print trend, which I can't say I entirely approve of despite my love for exotic skins on bags and graphic prints on apparel. However, this dress coat elevates the zebra trend to a much more frightening level. Laid flat, it looked like a shapeless harem jumpsuit meant for workers pretending to be a zebra, possibly for a children TV show. Thank goodness for the next picture of the dress coat on a model.

Seeing the zebra print jersey dress coat on a model made it a lot better. So the designer (Daniella Issa Helayel) wasn't crazy. It actually looked interesting with the graphic swirls and comfortable folds of the dress coat. It actually looked like a dress coat and not a harem jumpsuit or zebra costume. It actually looked rather attractive with the crisp monochrome print and contrast! Kudos for converting me into a believer.

Based in London, Issa is actually a relatively new brand as Daniella Helayel had created it only 8 years ago in 2001. It is now sold worldwide. Check out Issa's Resort 2010 and Fall 2009 collections.


Kelly Chan, a well-known singer-actress from Hong Kong, just had a very high profile birthing (on July 10th) of her first son. That is, she continued to do commercials when she was very pregnant, and she hasn't hidden from the media after giving birth. A week after her son was safely delivered, she introduced her baby (Chace). The adorable baby has a beautiful nose and tiny limbs. But more notably, the baby was dressed in a zebra print outfit!! In this case, there can be no confusion with regards to the appropriateness of the zebra print on the baby. It is simply cute and attention-grabbing. Leave it to Kelly to be on-trend when dressing her son! What I would really like to know is where she bought the babywear.

In the meantime, others have been caught wearing the zebra trend. Michelle Obama wore a zebra print top under a white cardigan while visiting a museum with Barack Obama in Europe. Kelly Osbourne and Michelle Trachtenberg both sported zebra-print frocks, as did Bai Ling, Vivica Fox, and Cameron Diaz. Some did it well while others made questionable choices, but Jennifer Lopez did it best with her zebra print top. This proves that trends work best in smaller dosage, don't you think?

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

MoMA Store Sale gives unexpected necklace finds

I miss visiting the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City! After all, it's a really cool place where you can sit around staring at thought-provoking abstract art for a substantial amount of time, all the while watching droves of people walking by and about. You may be wondering, what does art have to do with fashion? I'm hoping the answer gets really obvious with the necklaces featured below:







The MoMA store is having a sale and you can find all the above items online. I love them all! Especially the Marianne Olry necklaces since hanging raw gems and precious stones around the neck is simply hot, hot, hot. And yes, the last one is a necklace SCARF made out of synthetic taffeta (cloth). Creative? I would say so. Clean and crisp? Mm-hmm! Gorgeous craft? Most definitely~!

The MoMA store is awesome for carrying pieces from relatively obscure designers from all over the world. For example, Paola Volpi lives and works in Rome where she is known to transform industrial materials into unique and precious jewelry and the context in which we see these materials. Marianne Olry, on the other hand, is a jeweler in Paris who was discovered by Bonnie Mackay, the creative and marketing director of MoMA Retail. Mackey spotted Marianne Olry’s delicate drop necklace sparkling in a shop window while wandering through the Marais in Paris. Alexis Bittar is a New York designer who is getting increasing amount of attention in America as well as worldwide. His biggest recent gig is designing Burberry's first ever couture jewelry collection. Quite a feat for the Brooklyn native known for his modernistic Lucite jewelry! Francesca Amfitheatrof is based in London and designs for the home in addition to her jewelry collection. Her clients include Alessi, Chanel, Fendi, Marni, Wedgwood, and so on.

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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Louis Vuitton Irene Bag

Monogram Irene $2,640
Irene Espresso $3,890
suede and embossed patent leather
Irene Coco $3,890
suede and embossed patent leather

Along with the Totally Monogram tote, Louis Vuitton has also come out with the Irene on Jun 6th this year. It was first shown in LV's Pre-Fall'09 collection back in January and can now be found under "New Arrivals" of the online Louis Vuitton store. You know the bag is a hit because it is out of stock online and replicas are already available all over the internet (Yes, perhaps even before the real one was released).

There is a number of details I love about this bag. The little rectangular pieces that hold the straps are very cute, and the straps themselves are bigger than what you would find on the Neverful bag, which means that it would be more comfortable resting on your shoulder. The drawstrings on the bag gives what would have been a bucket a much more interesting cinched shape. All in all, the bag should look good on almost anyone. My favorite is the Irene Coco (because I'm into gray bags). What about you?

Here's a really cute Youtube video of the Louis Vuitton window display at Fifth Avenue, NYC. You simply gotta chuckle.

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Monday, July 20, 2009

RSVP Virtual Trunk Show at Shrimpton Couture


One of my favorite vintage blog and e-store is having a sale on beautiful reworked vintage pieces~! Go check it out at Shrimpton Couture e-store or blog. A lot of the items has just become 25% off instead of 10% off!!! My favorite item is the necklace featured on the left of the poster above.

While you are at Shrimpton Couture, do remember to check out Glamourai's necklaces!! Glamourai is a jewelry designer who designs many gorgeous pieces for Shrimpton Couture on a regular basis. In fact, "gorgeous" just doesn't do her work justice. Louise Black's necklaces are also awesome, in a totally different way.

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Final Sale at RueLaLa: Smitten with Badgley Mischka


RueLaLa is having a Final Sale event with 36 brand names and it's ending in seven plus hours from now (around 7:30am PST). Some of the brands may have sold out early, but I only had eyes for Badgley Mischka's amazing dress sales. This flowy silk dress above is still available in a size 6. It is also 76% off from its retail price and is now extremely affordable at $299. I LOVE the navy blue paisley print along bottom hem, which looks like art. And the full-bodiedness of the dress comes from its three layers and structured mesh lining that holds its shape. Isn't it simply BEAUTIFUL? I can't believe it's not sold out yet! Perhaps it's because this dress is just a tad bit difficult to wear. I mean, you almost need a TV/magazine appearance lined up in order to wear it, and the princess skirt part may still seem too formal. It's almost like a wedding gown, but the paisley prints make it that much less suitable to wear down the aisle. I still lust for it though...Can you really blame a girl?

Here are some more dresses I love from Badgley Mischka's sale:






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Sunday, July 19, 2009

Pineider Travel Bags



If you thought that Louis Vuitton is the only bag company that produced luxurious and durable bags, you were dead wrong. Pineider was founded in Florence in 1774 and is one of the top European luxury brands that makes gorgeous hand-made leather goods. Part of Pineider's charm is from its obscurity as it is known only by a handful. When I saw these travel bags from Pineider, I fell in loveeee~~~. They are SO handsome! Raw vintage meets gentleman, these bags evoke the image of a strong edgy maturity that gets my heart pounding. The only drawback, I'm guessing, is that these heavyweight champions weigh in at 2kg to 3.5kg (4.4 lbs to 7.7lbs), which is heavier than the Chloe Paddington. In any case, Pineider's pricing is reasonable compared to other hand-made brands such as Bottega Veneta and Hermes. Also, Pineider carries a full range of stately briefcases, handbags, small leather goods, and stationery.

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