Peplum

Jumping onto the peplum bandwagon (months later!)

I don't usually shop for clothing when I am back home in Kuala Lumpur as I usually feel like a humongous hippo in the midst of twiggy flamingo types but for some reason or other (vanity sizing has hit?), I actually fit into normal US sizes when I stopped by Spanish retailer Mango (MNG)

Made for a perfect outfit for a reunion type dinner with family while we were back in Kuala Lumpur



And it made for a lovely match with the jewelry, which is a gorgeous antique set made out of jade and diamonds. It belonged to my late grandmother and I was honored to borrow them from my mother. It was a present from my late grandmother to my mom when she turned 18(? or something like that...I don't remember) and it's now MINE! muahahahahaha!

Top - MNG Pants - j.Crew Minnies in black twill (regular size) Shoes - Christian Louboutin New Declics Clutch - Hollywould for Target Earrings and ring - grandmother's And I suppose the biggest compliment I got was from my daughter who said "Momma, when I am big, can I borrow these shoes? And that dress(top)? And that lipstick? And then I will be very pretty!" Awwwww....shucks!

Like a Lady...

Felt like I could blend right in to a 1950s tv series when I wore this outfit that I scored from Anthropologie this past weekend. I stopped at wearing a double-strand pearl necklace though. That may be pushing it a bit far...pearl earrings will have to do.  

 

The dress has pockets!!! I super love it now!

 

Dress - Anthropologie Dakota dress in Navy

Belt - Ann Taylor

Shoes - Christian Louboutin New Declics 

Listen Up, Class!

Having said that I have several schizophrenic style tendencies, the one that I tend to revert to most comfortably and most frequently is what I call my Classics look.

 

Quite simply, it involves pencils skirts, pearls and pumps. This is one where I pretend that perhaps I am a librarian, or in honor of back to school week, perhaps even a school teacher! A role that makes a difference to the community and that feeds my fascination with stationery.

Top - J.Crew Back-zip Pullover

Skirt - J.Crew Double-serged Cotton No.2 Pencil Skirt in Natural

Belt - Ann Taylor

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Back to Business

It must be an attestation (is this a word?) that I have been dressing pretty sloppily in the past few weeks when a colleague remarked to me that I was looking all done up today.

I was most assuredly NOT all done up. But dress comfortably badly for 2 weeks only to revert back to semi-professional outfits will throw a monkey wrench into one's image.

Speaking of monkeys...

 

Notice anything odd in the picture above?

Cardigan - Forever 21

T-shirt - Forever 21

Skirt - J.Crew No.2 pencil skirt in Golden Burgundy

Shoes - Louboutin New Declics AND  a certain 3 year old's ballet slippers

Bag - Chanel Cerf tote

 Little girls are big trouble

And mine happens to be exceptionally good at walking around in 5" heels.

(pardon her room -- redecorating in progress)

Playing Around

Once in a while, I like to play around with my hair. I'll be the first one to admit that I know squat about doing hair and that it generally is too much effort for me in the mornings to do more than just yank a brush through it.

In fact, my daughter is having her first dance showcase in a few months and I am agonizing over the fact that I'm going to have to put her hair in some kind of updo so that her tiara won't fall out. Arrgh!

But thanks to the plethora of Youtube tutorials out there, once in awhile, I get ambitious enough to try. I found a "new" way to curl my hair using Jen's tutorial

 

 Sweater - Forever21

Skirt - J.Crew No.2 Pencil Skirt in Royal Paisley

Necklace - double-strand pearl necklace from Ebay

Shoes - Christian Louboutin Very Prive 

Bag - Chanel Jumbo in Beige Claire

 

J.Crew Maritime Dress

That dreaded final sale. No returns, no exchanges, leaving customers to be at the mercy of sheer dumb luck.

I love stripes. No secret about it. And when I saw the Maritime Dress pop up in the sale section of Jcrew.com during their additional 30% off sale items, I clicked around the world-wide web, looking for reviews; placed an order and crossed my fingers.

 The front? Not too bad...It's a loose fit, but that just means I can indulge in a good lunch (which I did before taking these pictures). This is after it was washed, hence the wrinkles - I'm not 100% sure if it shrank at all...perhaps a little?

Now for the sideview ---

 

Yea.....no.

I naturally have a very defined curve on my back, making it tough for me to find fitted dresses that don't leave me with a pouch bulging up around my tailbone area. (either that or my bum is just big...I prefer the first explanation)

Regardless, I can't return it, so I found a way to work it into being wearable

Ta-da! I have a waist!

The beauty of belts =)

 

 

I am wearing an XS. 

The dress is made up of a thick cotton so it may not be the best summer dress to lounge around it. But the thicker material will help it keep what little shape it has better.

Now, the question is...do I look like I just escaped out of prison???

Dress - J.Crew Maritime Dress

Obi/Belt - Geren Ford

Clutch - Balenciaga

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Red Hot Chilli Pepper

I have been wanting a pair of non-black, non-blue, non-brown, non-gray pants for awhile now. But I have found that those non-colors have a tendency to make my stumpy legs look like stumpy sausages.

Flipping through the latest J.Crew catalog and mentally making up my "I WANT" list, I decided to try out the Minnie pants. Touted as the pants that will flatter everyone, I wondered if it included short stumpy me. 

I like them. They may not necessarily look the same as the darn model, but I think it's passable. And will be even more so once I finally work on fulfilling my promise to start up yoga and running sessions again!

I ended up with a regular size 00. Typically a size 0 in skirts, the size 0 in these pants were slightly loose on the waist, and I was afraid that it will end up stretching out to baggy bums as the day wears on. 

The length hits right at my ankle (I'm about 5'4", with a longer torso). I am now curious on the petite sizing. 

 

This is probably the first time I bought something from J.Crew at full price, with no coupon code whatsoever. I got tired of waiting for one. I may end up getting the other colors if it goes on sale. 

Cardigan - J.Crew Factory

Shell - Talbots

Pants - J.Crew Minnie twill in Vibrant Flame

Shoes - Christian Louboutin New Declic 120mm in black kid leather

Bag - Chanel Cerf with GHW

I Spy...

Something with my little eye....

That begins with L...

Hello, beautiful...

New Declic 120mm in black leather

They are surprisingly comfortable. I was pleasantly surprised. In terms of sizing, definitely go up 1/2 size from your normal Louboutin size.

 

Oh yes, I'll be keeping them

Movie Inspiration

I love sappy romantic comedies. Among my favorites are While You Were Sleeping, You've Got Mail and The Wedding Planner.

Typical chick.

In The Wedding Planner, Jennifer Lopez plays...well....a wedding planner. She's organized, anal, prepared, meticulous, put-together and have fabulous outfits. All the things I want to be. Well, only if you replace "anal" with "precise". I do not care for the fact that the story was really about an engaged man falling in love with another, but I suppose it happens enough in real life that I should just get used to it.

One of my favorite outfits was the red dress she wore during the tango scene. I LOVE that dress. I LOVE ballroom and Latin dances. And having Matthew McConaughottie (!) as your partner definitely bumps up "fun" factor. And there's something indescribably knee-melting about a guy who knows how to dance. Not the bump and grind stuff, but real dancing. 

I've been looking for a dress similar to that for awhile now. And I finally found one!

 

It is super twirly, the color is red-hot and I love it.

Happy birthday to me.

 

My Prized Matches

It's been a busy few weeks. But then I got tired of dressing like a dowdy matron. So I pulled out my most expensive bag and shoes and upped it. I find it amusing that the bag and shoes are a perfect match for each other. I don't remember if it was a happy coincidence or if I planned it that way.

 

Cardigan - J.Crew (~ $20 from the outlet)

Top - from Australia ($10)

Pants - Elie Tahari ($50 from Saks outlet)

Bag - Chanel

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Continuing on the bargain trend in clothing, I suppose. Love outlets. Especially the J.Crew one. I have to limit myself to a maximum of 2 visits per year (thank goodness my office shifted! It used to be 5 minutes away from the outlets)

What Does One Do...

When one has the mean reds?

For this lady, she puts on the most femme fatale shoes that she owns and plots her world domination plan, of course!

And we know that there's no one who does femme fatale better than Monsieur Louboutin.

Christian Louboutin 120mm Very Prives in Nude