Pretty Daytime Shoes Under $100

No wonder I hardly buy shoes. It's so hard to find stylish and cheap shoes that don't look cheap! Even with the many choices on the internet, this was still no easy task. Anyways, this summer, I'm loving shoes made of woven leather, patent leather and bold colours. So here are some of my favourites from this season's offerings which are under US$100 (about 53 pounds according to today's currency rate.)

Free People Knotted Leather Ballet Flats -Love the strong blue. Clashing colours can totally lighten up an outfit.

I really like this pair of Dolce Vita Woven Toe Wedge from Urban Outfitters. If only the wedges weren't made of cork!

Silver sandals by Seychelles. Again, I like the woven leather and the perfectly-comfotable kitten heels.

50s inspired pumps by Seychelles. I'm not too sure I like the colour, but I def like the design.

More woven leather! This one is more boho looking. Pumps by Guess.

Moving on to patent leather: Steve Madden Pumps.

I could image this pair of Miss Sixty sandals matching the oh-so-fashionable black/ grey jeans.

Caged Flat Sandals by Top Shop. This may be boring looking, but it'll probably match all the outfits you throw together this summer. (Not to mention that slight copying of Prada SS06's shoes.)

I normally hate plain wooden wedges, but I really like the prints on the fabric and the design of the straps. Sandals by Seychelles.

These gingham sandal-pumps by Bebe are so cute that I can even ignore the terrible cork sole. Gingham is one of the trends that some of you might be liking this summer. For inspiration, go check out Dolce & Gabanna SS06 collection.

OK I'm cheating but I couldn't resist adding in two pairs of evening shoes. This sophisticated pair of stilettos by BCBGirls is the perfect choice for dances.

These Top Shop pumps are fun and elegant. This is def a possiblity for those who want something more that plain black pumps. (And since black pumps are everywhere, I wasn't bothered to find a pair under $100.)

The Daily

Every time I am in NY, especially during Fashion Week, I cannot live without "The Daily" . Ok, to be honest , I cannot live without several things in New York, "The Daily" just happens to be up there! I wanted to thank the lovely--and fashionably investigative staff--for naming my little ol' blog as a "Link of The Day". I will try to live up to that honor .

SS06 Fashion Trend: White Bermudas

Bored of wearing jeans? Move onto the SS06 staple (as agreed by many of the following designers)- white bermudas. They are ladylike, classic and incredibly versatile.

They can be worn in a very lady-like fashion fit for formal occasions and the office as seen worn above from the Ralph Lauren and Stella McCartney catwalk- cinched at the waist with a structured jacket.

Or it can be worn casually with sandals and a pretty colorful tank as seen on the Matthew Williamson and Luca Luca runway.

It can even be worn in a rock-star-ish fashion, like in LAMB, with a rocking leather jacket and funky belt.

And the great thing is that white bermudas can be found absolutely everywhere, so you can be sure you'd find the perfect one. The ones above are from Rebecca Taylor and Top Shop.

The Loose Shirt Look

The loose shirt look is one of the most deceivingly easy but in reality really hard to master looks. The point to this look is to look casual and effortless, like you are out for relaxing stroll. According to various style magazines (from Teen Vogue to Elle,) you're supposed to buy a shirt "a few sizes too big or borrow your boyfriend's".

This instruction sounds simple enough, but honestly, who's going to deliberately buy a shirt that doesn't even fit herself? (Unless you're very desperate to achieve this look or you have an amazingly large clothing budget.) And does anyone really walk around with only a few buttons buttoned up? (such as the Tommy Hilfiger look on the right.) Yes, in the Paul Smith photos (on the left), the model actually looks like she's taking a relaxing stroll in the city, but let's face it, most of us wouldn't be able achieve the same effect.

In my very limited experience of buying and wearing white shirts (for the rare formal job related events,) I always feel very... office-like. White shirts are essential for the office-look -like in the Jil Sander photo above, but ultimately, hard to translate into casualwear.

Memorial Day Weekend

Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone! I love long weekends. Especially those that comes with fabulous sales!! And boy were they good. Its only Saturday, but I've already spent so much that I do believe I'll be hibernating in my room for the rest of the weekend eating crackers. But before I do that, let me regal you with my two bargain buys.

I am happy to announce that after much debating and waiting, I've finally bought this Marc by Marc Jacob's top. And in the end, I think it was totally worth the wait. The sale is even better than the last time I mentioned it! Bloomingdales is having a 5-day Memorial Weekend Sale, and this shirt that was originally $178, was on sale with an additional 20% off. It was only $80.1-more than half off! And as fate would have it, the only one left on the rack was a size 02. I was originally going to buy the dress version, but I've been all over the place and the smallest one around is a size 06. It was meant to be!!

My other buy was a floral Aqua dress that was originally $78 and was now on 20% off. So it was $62.40. Not TOO great. But I do love the fit and the dress is oh-so-classic! Besides, I surprisingly do not own too many dresses. Mostly because they are almost always one of the most expensive and inversatile types of apparel.

So anyway, my point being- head to your nearest Bloomingdales NOW if you haven't already for great bargains. And in case you're wondering, Nordstrom and Barneys is not on sale yet. Happy shopping everyone!

Madonna, Headshot and Jean Paul Gaultier

Sorry for not posting something for a week or so but it has been a little hectic here in Los Angeles for me (Hectic in a good way). I am nearing the end of the Spring Quarter and had lots of Midterms and papers to grade, plus I am cutting orders for my line, Nikolaki and meeting with people regarding various future projects. I also somehow sneaked in a session with a great photographer, Johnny Nicoloro to take some new “Head Shots” for me. Yes, headshots, a clothing designer in 2006 now has to have headshots. We live in a crazy world!

Amongst all this, I did find time to take a little break last Sunday and experience Madonna’s “Confessions” concert Debut in Los Angeles at The Forum. Year’s ago, I had designed and made some outfits for Madonna’s iconic backup Diva, Niki Harris. She was the sweetest, kindest person, opening her home to me for fittings, and “dishing” about the Industry. This is the closest
“Six Degrees of Separation” that I got to Mrs.
Ritchie.
I expected to be entertained, shocked and to work up a sweat (I am a Madonna fan, for the last, well, 15 years!)and I was. The beginning, with the “W” magazine photo-video montage by photographer Steven Klein, and the whole Jean-Paul Gaultier/Hermes-meets-S & M Horse-riding costumes was one of my favorite sections of the whole concert. I especially loved the dancers and their saddle accessories on their shoulders and their horse-trotting inspired choreography. It was both innovative and sexy. She did several costume changes, going from velvet knickers-clad Madonna-on-a-cross with thorned crown to boot, to her ode to John Travolta in “Saturday Night Fever” white 3-piece Disco suit.

I have to say, however, that there were moments in the whole concert where she could have “gone further” in terms of costume. I expected a little bit more in that department, and especially knowing Jean-Paul Gaultier was collaborating with her. His most recent Haute Couture collections have been breathtaking visions of the ultimate design.
Several seasons ago he paid homage to Africa by designing silk and leather bustiers based on African Tribal masks as well as chiffon gowns reminiscent of Garden parties in pre-colonial Kenya. Just stunning. A parade of these gowns would have fit perfectly in the section of the concert where photos of African children were splashed on the big screen. In my “fantasy” Madonna concert this would have juxtaposed the horror of these photos with the blinding beauty of these dresses all standing on her concert-stage-runway.

Most recently , his collection was inspired by Grecian beauties, with one particularly stunning red “bubble” gown that I could have just imagined Madonna come out on stage in. But in the end, I enjoyed the visual journey the concert put me through. If I had the money, or the connections, I would have seen it again.

SS06 Fashion Trend: Shirt Dresses in the Shops

OK, so yesterday we ogled at pretty shirt dresses on the runway. And since most of us can't afford those, I window-shopped online a bit. (Some of these are tunic dresses but since they're so similar to shirt dresses, I put them here too.)

Top Shop Linen Shirt Dress -Simple, but I'm not sure I like the material.

Now this Top Shop shirt dress is mega-stylish. The color is bold, but it totally suits!

On the left is a tunic dress by Twelfth St. by Cynthia Vincent that is perfect for daytime, while the dress on the right by T is more suitable for night-time.

I LOVE this AKA New York Shirt Dress. The flowery patterns are SO pretty. Lovely!

ABS is always on the spot in being 'inspired' by designer labels. This Eyelet Shirt Dress is absolutely perfect for this season.

If you don't like plain clothes, you might be interested in this printed shirt dress by Nil Lotan.

Tunic dress with dress by T-bag. I really like the subtle vertical stripes (since vertical stripes can be quite flattering.) I also like the other details on this dress -see the rollup sleeves and the tie-up at the neck.

C&C California Classic 70's Button Up Shirt Dress -This summer, keep the shirt dress above the knee. This long shirt dress is not pretty.

Polo dresses by Splendid -very sport, although I'm really not a big fan of wearing such preppy clothes as casualwear. These are probably more suitable if you actually went to a country club.

Ya-ya Air Belted Shirt Dress -Shopbop calls this a shirt dress, but I think it really is best to wear it with the jeans. The leather wrap really makes a difference though. If you do buy a shirt dress that looks exactly like an over-sized shirt, then it's best to add some details like a belt.

This Lux Fruitie Tuttie House Dress is probably one of the most affordable. And it actually looks really pretty and cute too. If only they sold it in the UK Urban Outfitters!

The dresses are available at their respective websites, Neiman Marcus or Shopbop. Oh, and remember the Stella McCartney shirt dress from yesterday's post? (Just scroll down)

The one Mary Kate is wearing isn't the Stella McCartney shirt dress, but it's a fantastic inspiration of how to wear it in real life. MK's solution is simply to wear barely-there-shorts underneath!

SS06 Fashion Trend: Shirt Dresses on the Runway

Dresses are all the rage this summer. After a lot of magazine-reading and window-shopping, I'm totally into this trend now. OK, so today I'm looking into shirt dresses, which in my mind is very Kate Moss and Stella McCartney. I gathered a bunch of SS06 runway photos that show shirt dresses. A lot of these are debateable about whether they are actually shirt dresses or not, but I like to think of them as different styles of shirt dresses.

Stella McCartney -The classic one. Cool and effortlessly casual, and will definately give that 'just rolled out of bed' impression. But this also means this shirt dress is extremely difficult to wear in real life.

Marc by Marc Jacob -I love this shirt dress. One of the key trend to learn from this photo is layering. This season, remember to stock up on simple shirts with sleeves of all lengths and tanks. Another way I've seen people in real life wear this is to wear tights underneath.

Ralph Lauren -Blue and white is one of the easiest trend to wear and look stylish instantly. This dress is very Ralph Lauren -very clean.

Bottega Veneta -The extremely stylish, high maintanence version of shirt dresses. One fashionable styling trend this season is to wear a belt and accentuate the waist.

Prada - Polo dresses used to be only preppy, tennis/ golf-player's dresses. But this season, Prada brilliantly managed to transform them into artistic, expensive couture. To see these Prada dresses worn in a haute, sporty style, see this month's Vogue (both UK and US.)

Graduation Fashion II

After finding the perfect dress, the next step is finding the fabulous pair of shoes to go with it. I've heard that some people actually wore flip flops to graduation at my friend's school in Canada, but if you're reading this blog, wearing flip flops to graduation shouldn't even BE an option.

You could go with a smashing pair of heels, like these ones from Dior. But if your school is anything like mine, then you're going to be walking on grass. I haven't personally tried it, but heels sinking into the mud and getting dirty does not sound enticing. So you can either brave this or. .

. . you could try flats. Something pretty like these ones from Marc by Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu wouldn't be too bad. Makes it more casual. But this IS graduation and you don't really want to be that casual. Plus, some height would be nice.

Luckily for us, wedges are super trendy this season and they are everywhere, because they are PERFECT for graduation. They look as smashingly fabulous as heels AND it won't sink into the grass!!! I especially LOVE these two from Miu Miu and Christian Louboutin. They're both made of patent leather (so won't get dirty so easily) and the styles are both very classic and elegant. Perfect for both formal or casual occasions. Plus they are the just the right height. Just tall enough to give height but not so tall that it'll be the devil to walk in.

Or if you can take it, there are these two higher more strappy wedges from Kate Spade and Miu Miu. I don't reckon the thin straps would be too comfortable, but your feet will look GORGEOUS!

Darn, I wish I was graduating too!

Graduation Fashion I

Its the graduation time of the year again! I used to think that the only fashionable thing one needs for graduation is a fabulous pair of shoes-after all, isn't that the only thing one can see with the long black graduation gown?

Boy was I wrong. During dinner with some graduating friends the topicof what to wear on graduation came up. The first question was, pants or dress? Since I've never been to a graduation, I don't have any first hand experience on what is the norm. But while wearing pants underneath may look good (or so I heard), college graduation IS one of the most important events of one's life,and one should celebrate it with a fabulous dress. Besides, at some point one will probably take the gown off and take pictures in your dress!

That settled, we moved onto what kind of dress one should wear. The ceremony is in the day time, so you probably don't want to wear something that is shiny and too evening. On the other hand, you don't want to be wearing a dress so casual that you might as well be strolling in the mall. Nor do you want to be too revealing, this IS graduation. The trick is to find a balance between casual and formal. And since the gown is black already, you don't want to wear anything black either. Here are a few of our ideas:

My first instinct was too go for a pretty white eyelet dress. Something like this dress from ABS. Mostly this is because I wore a white eyelet ABS dress to my high school graduation and hence I shall forever link white eyelet dresses with graduation. But also becausse the style is pretty, classic, formal yet casual and summery- perfect for graduation. However, this might be a little too girly, innocent looking and classic for some. So moving along....

. . there is this simple printed nuetral colored summer dress from Burberry. It fits the occasion and is more sophisticated and elegant. Definitely a winner.

In fact, my friend bought something very similar from BCBG (above). Here, instead of print, there is floral pattern and black trimming, making the dress more interesting. You don't want something too plain and classic afer all, this is a memorable day!

And speaking of not boring, the dress Rory wore to Logan's graduation comes to mind. The GORGEOUS Marc by Marc Jacob's dresses this season (especially the vibrant silk ones-like the one above) are perfect. They are vibrant, bold, exciting and totally unforgettable- just what graduation should be! Plus its very photogenic against the green grass background!

Resort 07 Wrap up

More than a decade ago, RTW shows were just for the buyers and VIP clients. Now, RTW shows are huge events that we can all log onto style.com and see videos and photos the next day. Just last week, Dior and Chanel held resort collection shows in NY in an unusually grand scale -that is with the buyers, press, celebs and after-parties. Are other labels going to follow this step? We'll see next year.

Christian Dior
This collection confirms that skirts and dresses are still the main focus next year. I love the way John Galliano used one or two choices of fabric per dress but managed to create so many different styles and cuts. Most of the collection seemed to be made of bright, shiny material, which according to style.com was laminated cotton and metallic linen. In the rare cases of pants, skinny pants are still Dior's choice. The bright, solid blocks of colour throughout the collection reminded me a bit of the disco times.
The left outfit is perfect for the fashion-foward business women. The dress on the right reminds me of Preen.
I don't know how anyone in real life would wear the dress on the left, but I can't get the image of Sasha in it out of my head! Metallic trench coat on the right.
Sexy and sooo cool.
LOVE these two dresses. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope high street stores will make similar dresses, esp the asymmetrical gold one!

Chanel
Usually I don't have much to say about Chanel's collections, but I really liked the casual, spring feel of this collection. But the knee-length gladiators are just... not great. Karl Lagerfeld really needs to work on the shoes he puts on the Chanel runway. Here are some pretty pieces:
Classic Chanel black and white prominent throughout the collection. The cute string bow thing in the hair reminds me of the Chanel haute couture shows.
Love the black leather coat on the left. If only I could afford it!
Pretty dresses! Notice the details on the dress on the left, and the accessories on the right.
The left is for the young and cute. The right is for the sophisticated.