+J

Today Jil Sander's collection +J, at Uniqlo opens and boy was there a line! As much as I've been practicing great self control over my shopping habits - I couldn't say no to a grey woolen pea coat, one out of Jil Sander's 100 piece collaboration with Japanese basics mecca. *Sigh* With prices this affordable, it was hard to resist. My pea coat came in black & grey - Jil Sander's signature minimalistic and monochromatic aesthetic.

The selection was great for basics - cashmere cardis, sweater, crisp shirts, woolen blazers & coats. Apparently according to some line-bloggers, there were more men than women. My co-worker picked up 2 coats for her husband. Great shapes and well-fitted, I slid into the heathered charcoal pea coat and was thrilled at the fit :) I had to get it. It was Jil Sander afterall - probably the closest I'll ever be to the designer :P

I spoke to a salesperson and asked about replenishment - word is they will replenish tomorrow morning and that's it - the collection will be sold until its all gone. Happy Shopping & welcome to October!

ps: those Uniqlo cords that I wanted, aren't on sale anymore...good for me I guess! :P

My Emmy Picks

I only watch this for the gorgeous gowns.

My top 2: Blake Lively (HOT!!! in Versace) and Drew Barrymore (Divine in nude Monique Lhuillier)

Fashion Week begins!

The end of Summer is commemorated by NY Fashion Week and to begin the festivities: Anna Wintour's brain child - Fashion's Night Out. A celebration of fashion where brands and retailers all over the world in fabulous cities come together to encourage shopping :)

Being fortunate enough to live in the ultimate city of fashion and work in the heart of a fashionable neighbourhood, I strolled the streets after work with some friends and checked out the festivities which involved freebies, appys, lotsa cocktails and champagne and apparently celebrities - which I was completely oblivious to :P Boo. I think I left Tory Burch a few minutes after Russell Simmons arrived. I missed Anna Wintour at Bloomingdales and I did see the crazy line-up at Bathing Ape which must've had some sort of celebrity (it was Kid Cuddi - WHO?)

Of course, I was also following the tons of live play-by-play tweets as I roamed the streets. But an early day of work the next day prompted me to retire early and head on home at 9pm. I do hope this is repeated every year - it seemed like a great success and apparently Jason Wu alone, moved about $30,000 of merchandise so I hope it did the retail scene a little good this slow back-to-school/fall buying season.

It's a Friday night, I'm exhausted from work and chilling at home with Willi and am in dire need of catching up on NYFW's first shows & my September books, doing my laundry and general apartment cleaning/tidying up.

Ah...it's nice to be home :) Happy Housekeeping!

Let me see if I can stay away from H&M tomorrow

Matthew Williamson's capsule collection for H&M is available starting tomorrow at select New York locations. Thankfully, none of the Soho stores will feature this vibrant collection which means less likely a detour for me.

For those of you who aren't trying desperately to save money, go splurge at the following locations: 34th & Broadway, 51st & 5th and 59th & Lexington. Happy shopping while stocks last!

Anthropologie in Canada!

It was only a matter of time when this eclectic chain would come to Canada. Its urban sister, Urban Outfitters has already entered the malls and streets of Canada and I'm pleased to hear that Anthropologie will open its doors in Toronto on April 22 at Don Mills and then in West Edmonton Mall in May and Yorkville in July. Eventually, I'm hoping to see stores in Vancouver!

I must...

I must profess my love for Uniqlo again. Being back in the workforce in Soho allows me to peruse the store at my leisure. Recently, they're having this amazing jean sale - $49.90 for 2 pairs with free alterations of course. So I picked up a pair of skinnies (which closely resemble J brand's) and a pair of straight legs (the season's hot boyfriend style)! I simply couldn't resist :) Uniqlo is awesome for basics - the other day, it was absurdly cold in the office and I wasn't dressed for chills - I popped over and bought a merino wool cardi in baby blue for $19.90! How convenient! My mecca for basics!

PS: for all you Singaporeans out there, you're getting a Uniqlo of your own too!

Vanity Fair's Women

I was on VF.com and found a spotlight on the magazine's famous female portraits by famous photographers. I've selected my personal favourites to share with all of you *Drool*

I want one of me too, preferably naked on a horse like Gisele here... :P

Gisele Bundchen

Keri Russell

Eva Green

Olga Kurylenko

Selma Blair

January Jones

Hello Dr Marten, let's get reacquainted...

Photo courtesy of The Sartorialist

My Dad got me these exact boots ages ago from a trip to London. I wore them fervently during my teenage 90s grunge phase and retired them when I graduated to wearing "girly" shoes much to my Mum's relief. I think its time to bring those babies out.

Oscar picks

Congratulations to Danny Boyle and Slumdog Millionaire!

I was a little disappointed that Benjamin Button didn't win anything. I've also made a note to see many more of the nominated movies. But no Oscars is complete without oohh-ing & ahh-ing over the beautiful gowns & couture. Here are my fashion faves of the night:

Spring 09 window shop

Being back in Manhattan means I get to check out the retailers spring trends via my favourite past time - window shopping. I browsed one of my favourite retailers today for the latest season's looks translated into affordable, fast fashion and was pleasantly surprised! So much so, I had to hold myself back from whipping out my credit card & swiping it all on new clothes for Spring. Despite the economic downturn, Spring fashion is still fresh and very affordable!

H&M has a to-die-for Spring 09 collection!! I wanted EVERYTHING I saw. Billowy tops and bottoms, lots and lots of volume. Icy pastel palettes, florals and lots of neutrals like taupe. Tulip skirts, dresses, tops. Lots of layers - cupcake style on tops & skirts. Ruffles & sheers seen on everything. Here are some pieces I spotted in-stores today:

Photos courtesy of Modefeber

Happy Shopping you guys!

Golden Globe Gowns

I'm pleased that Slumdog Millionaire won, it was well-deserved but the Golden Globes are more than just movies and television. The gowns this year were fabulous. Neutral palettes in cream & white and flowing silhouettes, bare necks and one-shoulder gowns. Bringing back Hollywood Glamour, here are some of my picks, Eva Mendes being my #1 favourite of the evening:

Rockin' Rocks!

Shopping update amidst finals week: Scored 2 Rocks & Republic's for less than $200! Sa-Weet! No more jeans shopping for 2009. Hahaha!

Uniqlo

I think I might just have found my go-to for skinny jeans. A few days ago, I realised to my horror that my favourite pair of black skinny jeans lost a button, rendering it unwearable since the fly won't stay up, there's a big gaping hole where the button used to be. Furthermore, what once was a pair of fabulous black skinny jeans from Copenhagen, are now a faded greys. Boo. So now I was on the hunt for a new pair of black skinnies.

A class mate of mine recommended Uniqlo, the Japanese minimalist store. Their 1st US store is here in New York, right in the heart of SoHo. Coincidently, our brand management professor just issued us a case study on them. Uniqlo's concept is one of "unbranded" apparel, much like MUJI. Their store is very modern and colourful - their product is minimalist and apparently very good for basics. Namely, affordable cashmere & merino wool sweaters, cotton tshirts, cardigans and of course extremely affordable skinny jeans! I found a pair of black ones on sale for $29.99! Plus, free alterations in 24hours. (Actually, the sales person told me they can have it done in 2 hours if I was willing to wait!)

I've walked by this store dozens of time during the summer, where I worked. But I never thought to buy anything from here - but now, I know better! :D