Silver collar necklace is a cheap find from H&M. I love how affordable their accessories are.

I love my recent taobao/Peeka loot which included these garter stockings and the replica Alexander Wang Kristen satchel. It’s pretty decently made as opposed to the other stuff I saw on taobao which are all PU leather.

Barely survived the day with these Theyskens Theory replica. Dawn was on the receiving end of my grumpiness and I ended up buying a new pair of shoes which regrettably made my feet hurt too.

Black Outfit Breakdown:

• Blazer:  Zara
• White shirt: Uniqlo
• Black leatherette skirt:  The Scarlet room
• Stockings: taobao
• Bag: Alexander Wang Kristen satchel replica from taobao
• Shoes: Theyskens Theory replica from taobao
• Neck collar: H&M

I wonder if anyone would be interested in a white shirt series. Anyone? Anyone?

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While we congratulated Dawn on being 21 just a few days ago, I’m feeling the dreariness of being an adult. Sometimes I wish I could just drop everything and be a traveling hippie (okay not really but you get the point), but alas I have responsibilities and commitments to fulfill so I’m going to stop whining for now and get back to whatever it is adults do.

This outfit has nothing to do with a rat race of course, I do like to take the opportunity to rant about life once in a while. If anyone objects to this, I think I will take my rants at some other location.

If anyone notices, I am actually wearing the nail polish from the Gareth Pugh x MAC collection. I’m not usually a fan of blue but the iridescent hue grows on me.

Fake Hermes galore on my arms. When will I be able to afford the real deal?

PS: omg Lenne and Venetia, do you remember how long ago these photos were taken? serious backlog is serious.

Black Outfit Breakdown:

• Blazer: Topshop
• Chiffon skirt: taobao
• Shoes: Dsquared replica from taobao

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It’s been a long while since I posted anything with my face on it. I blame SWTOR (in case any non-geeks wonder, it’s the new MMORPG called Star Wars: The Old Republic), I’ve been spending too much time on it and I never thought I’d be one of those addicted to an online game.

These pictures were taken a while back, where my boyfriend and I relished the concept of having brunch one fine day. I’m usually not a morning person but I entertained the idea anyway. The food was pretty okay and we had a seat in the “greenhouse” area.

A little greenery is a welcoming sight since we’re surrounded by concrete most of the time.

Le boyfriend was being preppy that day.

I was in a fairly androgynous getup if you discount the good cleavage day. Wearing flat shoes out is so liberating and comfortable.

These shoes are from a local label called Depression, extremely comfortable with removable straps so you can just slip them on on lazy days, otherwise the straps go around your ankles, I seriously think they should have a high heeled version of this.

Black Outfit Breakdown:

• Camisole: Cotton On
• Blazer: Topshop
• Pants: H&M
• Shoes: Depression
• Envelope clutch: H&M
• Collar: ASOS
• Accessories: m)phosis, taobao

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Harsh winter days are spent burrowing myself in the sheets with the laptop to keep the tummy warm. There was also a revelation that radiators are good surfaces for taking photos as illustrated by the Gareth Pugh x MAC post.

Besides makeup, I ended up taking photos of the shoes I brought along for the trip and some photos of bags, jackets and accessories.

Seems like the shoes were arranged in order of comfort. I kid, the dsquared reps are actually more comfortable than the Theyskens Theory reps.

My buttery soft lambskin bag is one of the lightest bags I own, it’s useful cause I tend to bring too much stuff out and despite that, it won’t give me much of a shoulder ache. I’ve had bags that are heavy on its own and I tend not to bring them out too often.

A clear favorite, my Datya leather jacket from All Saints. Kept me warm for a few winters now.

This H&M jacket is also one of my favorite to wear. It’s so smart-looking and I’m glad I got Dawn to buy it for me in London.

Pretty glad it was a productive day despite choosing to stay in.

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Happy December everyone!

Every now and then I go into a phase. I had a multi-chain necklace phase, a sunglasses phase, a leather trimming phase, draped jacket phase, chiffon maxi skirt phase… well, you get the point.

Right now, I’m in a sweater phase. There’s nothing like a warm snuggly sweater to feel comfortable during the cold harsh winter. I’d layer it over a pair of leather shorts for warmer winters and probably a long midi skirt paired with ankle boots for a slightly more dressy look.

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The weekend in Paris came and gone in a breeze but it remains one of my favorite memories with Dawn. I’ve been to Paris a few times but mostly exploring the city on my own. It’s very different when you have someone close roam Paris with you. One of the biggest draw was to have all the awesome food that we ate.

Like all tourists do, we headed to the Eiffel Tower and snapped some pictures there. The weather was lovely and we had the most awesome lighting.

My replica Dsquared Nappa Spine heels did not break on me this time. Praise the travel gods!

The ASOS O-ring collar was sent to Dawn in time for her to pass to me while we were in Paris. It makes for a really nice statement piece.

Dawn and I were just talking the day before about finding the bridge (Pont de Bir-Hakeim) where the Ariadne’s dream scene was filmed in Inception. We didn’t really think much about it but chanced upon it when we were around the Eiffel Tower area. We’re really huge fans of Inception and it was just awesome being there.

Black Outfit breakdown

• Jacket: Taobao
• Pants with leather details: H&M
• White draped vest: Far East Plaza
• Camisole: H&M
• Shoes: Replica Dsquared from Taobao
• Bag: Taobao
• Metal collar: ASOS

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Winter is upon us and it’s finally time to layer up and keep warm. Leather trimming and accents make for a good texture contrast when layering up in an all black outfit. Madly in love with the Jil Sander bag, I’ve been looking all over for a spacious and minimalist looking one.

• T by Alexander Wang long sleeve sweater, €184
• Rag bone wool sweater, $395
  
• Alexander Wang zipper jacket, $285
  
• River Island knee length black skirt, 30
  
• Rick Owens bike pants, €795
  
• Theyskens theory platform wedge, $465
  
• Gareth Pugh leather wedge boots, $1,285
  
• Jil Sander genuine leather handbag, $1,650
  
• ASOS stainless steel jewelry, 858 NOK
  
• Gareth Pugh leather jewelry, 159
  
• Dsquared Gloves, $180

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The Gareth Pugh x MAC collection  was released on 23 November in USA. Guess who went ahead and bought too much makeup?

Prior to being at the store I only had intentions on getting the makeup pouch cause it looks spacious enough for my makeup. Upon reaching the store, I was sold on how awesome the packaging looks and how beautiful some of the colours are.

The iridescence of the nail polishes got me really excited. Pictured here are Hyper and Ascension.

I am a HUGE fan of nude lipsticks, I never really believed I’d look good in any other colours but the purple lipstick (featured in the print) is too gorgeous to pass up. Purple and plum are very “Fall” colours and who knows, I might try and pull it off somehow.

Pictured here are the colours Restrict and Fervent.

I also got the pigments in Guise. The rest of the eyeshadow colours weren’t fully released yet for some reason and the blush wasn’t really suited for my skintone.

And here’s the pouch that got me waking up at 8am in the morning to go to the MAC store. Apparently, I wasn’t the first one who got there. This pouch was the last piece they had in the store. >:3

For those interested, this is how it looks like inside. The pouch features handy slots for your brushes and a compartment for all the makeup. I don’t have a measuring tape but I’d estimate it to be about 17-20cm?

The zipper pull is awesomely detailed.

The collection will be out in Singapore in December exclusively at Tangs. I hope those interested will be able to get their hands on it.

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In order to shop on taobao effectively, you will first need to know that taobao is somewhat like eBay. The seller creates listings in which you will be able to order an item. Most sellers on taobao carry items in bulk unlike eBay where most of them carry only one item.

There aren’t regular payment options like credit card/Paypal on taobao which is why there are many buying/shopping services site that offer to buy on taobao for a small fee. We use Peeka as they are easy to use. Peeka also has an advantage over the rest as they calculate economy shipping based on volume and not weight (note that this is for Singapore only).

Basically this tutorial will teach you:

• How to search for an item on taobao.
• Ordering the item via Peeka.
• Paying for the item using Peeka.

How to search for the item you want on taobao.

When you arrive on taobao you will be greeted with a scary wall of gibberish (especially when you don’t read mandarin).

The main thing you need to worry about at this point of time is the search field.

Enter your search terms (eg. Ann Demeulemeester) into the search field and hit the search button. I have mentioned previously that some of the listings do have the brands listed in english and it shouldn’t be that much of a problem trying to find something from a specific brand. The problem comes in when you need to find something specific like shoes, bags, blazers or pants.

Continuing on using Ann Demeulemeester as an example, here is the results page that we get after hitting the search button.

The results page will display a list of items that coincide with your search terms, however if the item that you are searching for is very generic or has a high number of search results, you might want to narrow your search down. The area highlighted in blue are the subcategories that are listed within the search results.

At this moment we have:

1. 女鞋 （women’s shoes）
2. 女装 （women’s wear）
3. 其他 （others）

Within the blue boxes are subcategories of women’s shoes, women’s wear and others.

There are a few things you need to know before buying on taobao and they are pretty similar to buying on eBay.

Seller rating

Sellers on taobao are graded according to the symbol beside their seller name.

There are hearts, diamonds, crowns and gold crowns graded in that order and there can be 1-5 of them. For example, a seller with one diamond has better seller ratings than a seller with 5 hearts. Generally, I only buy from sellers with diamonds and above.

Photos

It is important that you pick sellers that have pictures of the actual products especially when it is a replica of a brand item where pictures of it are easily accessible online. The seller will usually state that it is “实图” which means that it is pictures of the actual product as opposed to pictures found on the internet. Sometimes, several listings from different sellers can have similar pictures which I believe are provided by the same manufacturer.

User feedback

If you read Mandarin, there is the bonus option of being able to read the individual feedback that is left for the items. They may provide information on whether the sizing runs big or small or if the quality of the item is good.

Now that you have selected an item, click on it to be directed to the item listing’s page.

Anatomy of a listing

There are several things we need to take note of before proceeding with an order on Peeka.sg. Below is an example of how an average listing looks like.

1. URL of the listing. This will have to be input into the order form on Peeka.
2. Seller name and rating. The seller has a rating symbol of one diamond. It should be safe to purchase from them
3. Item name
4. 价格 (Price)
5. 促销 (Discount/Offer) There are time-based discounts on taobao which is similar to eBay. The brackets states the time in which the offer expires.
6. 尺码 (Size)
7. 颜色分类 (Colour)

Now that you have all the information you need, the biggest hurdle is over. It’s time to head on over to Peeka to proceed with your order.

If you haven’t signed up for an account on Peeka, you should do so. The site is in english so it is easy to navigate. Once you have signed up for an account, click on “New Order” on your dashboard to start a new order.

Your order ID is as stated, just select your delivery type and if you would like to include shipping insurance to your order. Dawn had the wisdom to click on it the first time we had ordered, one of our items came damaged and we received a new item because we bought insurance. Click on “next”.

Enter the URL of the item which you want to buy and click on “next”. Peeka will fetch the necessary information.

You will be able to see most of the item information including price and shipping from the seller to Peeka’s China receiving centre. Do note that Peeka will fetch the highest price that is listed and if the item is on discount, you will need to correct the amount. You will need to enter the colour and size on your own as well.

To proceed, click on “add to order”. Once the listing is available on your Peeka order page, there will be an automated calculation at the bottom stating the subtotal, exchange rate, handling fee, tax , insurance and deposit amount required and total amount.

In order for Peeka to proceed with your order, they will need a deposit amount from you. Payment can be via bank transfers for Singaporeans or residents with a Singaporean bank account. They also accept Paypal on occasions but you will need to email Peeka regarding the fees that may be involved for using Paypal.

Once the deposit has been paid, Peeka will order the items on your behalf. You will receive email updates on the ordering of the items or when the item is out of stock. You are still able to add items to the order until all the items in the order has reached the China receiving centre or if your deposit amount falls below 80% of the total amount.

Peeka will send another email for final quotation which includes shipment charges when all your items have been received at the China receiving centre. You will then be required to pay that amount before the item is shipped to Singapore.

The staff from Peeka are very helpful and I am constantly impressed by how efficient they are in answering my queries. Do note that they do operate regular office hours and do deliveries themselves instead of using Singpost. Before I receive any flak, I’d like to state that we are not in any way affiliated with Peeka or taobao and are not paid for this. We would just like to recommend a good service. We have used Peeka a few times to order from taobao and are very pleased with their services.

If there are further inquiries regarding Peeka, there’s a helpful FAQ located on their website. They can also be reached using email or phone.

Helpful Keywords for shopping on taobao.

Clothing styles:

• 欧美 – European / American style. What you see in street snaps and blogs, mostly.
• 英伦 – English style – lots of tweed, plaid, penny loafers and school inspired blazers.
• 日韩 – Korean / Japanese style. Tends to be frillier and girlier.
• Clothing inspired by what actors in Korean / Japanese drama wore.

Shoes

• 男鞋 – mens shoes
• 女鞋 – womens shoes

Heel type for shoes

• 坡跟 – wedges
• 防水台 – platform
• 高跟 – heels
• If you want platform wedges, simply combine both to form 防水台坡跟

Types of shoes

• 单鞋 – pumps / sandals
• 凉鞋 – sandals
• 平底鞋 – flats
• 靴子 – boots

Types of material used

• 真皮 – real leather
• 人造革/PU – fake leather
• 亮皮 – patent leather
• 蕾丝 – lace

Different Brands

• 亚历山大王 – Alexander Wang
• 亚历山大麦昆 – Alexander McQueen

Colours

• 黑色 – Black
• 白色 – White
• 灰色 – Grey
• 红色 – Red
• 蓝色 – Blue
• 绿色 – Green
• 黄色 – Yellow
• 紫色 – Purple

We hope that you’ve enjoyed this tutorial. Happy shopping on Peeka and taobao!

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For us, it had always been meeting every week but that was before Dawn left for London. The last two months had been excruciatingly lonely for me.

I had to head to Paris for work and Dawn decided to come down and spend the weekend together. She wasn’t too fond of Paris previously and I had to change that. Paris is a beautiful city and we had so much fun walking around, taking pictures and eating.

These replica Theyskens Theory wedges were really painful to wear without stockings. I had decided to give it another chance with some new tights that I bought from ASOS. I could not resist the lace print. The fact that they end at the thighs make my legs look longer for some reason.

The weather was also remarkably kind to us. Dawn mentioned that the weather had hit single digit in London but we had a fair bit of sun while we were in Paris. It was nothing short of perfect. I carried around a light cape and it was all I needed.

Black outfit breakdown:

• Dress with white trim: H&M
• Sheer blouse with tie collar: H&M
• Cape: m)phosis
• Clutch bag: Alexander Wang replica from Taobao
• Tights/Stockings: ASOS
• Shoes: Theyskens Theory replica from Taobao

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