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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We met up in Holborn for lunch. I really like the area for some reason – you can easily head from there to soho for food, or to St. Paul’s for shopping. I much prefer this to the crush that is Oxford street 90% of the time.

The weather’s really starting to bite as we slowly edge out of autumn and into winter… Arissa gave me this cape when we met up in Paris, and I can’t stop wearing it! <3 It’s definitely not warm enough on its own, but it’s perfect when thrown over a leather jacket. Speaking of which, I’ve taken to abusing layering my clothes – I remember distinctly how my friend compared me to a cabbage when I was taking off my coat(s) indoors.

I like how unapologetically clunky these boots look. They are also really wide at the base, and remind me of hooves sometimes. Ultimate man-repeller boots.

Outfit breakdown:

• Cape: m)phosis
• Leather jacket (worn inside): All Saints
• Cardigan (worn inside): All Saints
• Skirt: m)phosis
• Boots: Ann Demeulemeester
• Accessories: Alexander McQueen

P.S. I will briefly be home in Singapore around mid December! I can’t wait to inhale all the food I’ve been craving since moving here. Chicken rice and nasi lemak! And 24hr McDelivery!

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L-R D&G, Vestiges, Ann Demeulemeester, H&M.

This alexander wang inspired clutch is actually really practical for school! It’s big enough for lecture pads and my iPad, which I store all my readings in.

Tiny, tiny closet. Most the the things I’ve hung up are coats, jackets, dresses and blouses. Skirts and tops have been relegated to drawers and shelves.

Wearing:

• Topshop jersey biker jacket
• Cotton On tank top
• m)phosis high waisted skirt

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Can someone just PLEASE invent teleportation already? I just can’t wait to be home.

Also, I started playing dressup cause there wasn’t really anything to do.

You can really make out the odd drapes of this tshirt from the side view.

Dressup was actually an excuse to abuse the awesome lighting that I had that day. I’m going to miss it.

Black Outfit Breakdown:

• Tshirt: m)phosis
• Leather shorts: H&M
• Shoes: Rick Owens with the feathery stuff from m)phosis.
• Boots: Ann Demeulemeester.
• Metal cuffs: m)phosis
• Necklace: Far East Plaza

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Old-ish stuff I discovered on my desktop. Wearing what seems to be some sort of a uniform these days.

Black Outfit Breakdown:

• Draped Vest: Schwing Schwing
• Leather shorts: H&M
• Camisole: H&M
• Shoes: Ann Demeulemeester
• Bag: Taobao
• Metal cuffs: m)phosis

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Just when I thought my sheer maxi skirts and dresses are too last season, Ann Demeulemeester decided to breathe life into this seemingly old trend. I was so ready to give up on my Cheap Monday chiffon skirt.

This season, Ann Demeulemeester seems to be missing the usually coveted accessories like belts and hair accessories though we’re spotting some (what I think is leather) hats. The choker seems interesting although I really hope to see a closeup picture of it before I decide if I like them. The hats are not really my thing and the shoes seems to be slightly less exciting this season as well.

What I do love is how chiffon flows in such an ethereal manner when you walk. It’s always one of my favorite fabrics to turn to when I choose to layer and it seems effortless how Ann Demeulemeester is doing it here.

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Landed in Christchurch a few days back. It seemed like a mini retreat, with the city centre closed there wasn’t really much to do except snapping some photos and cooking. I went nuts in the supermarket.

It was still a little chilly despite moving into summer. I can never get used to the timezone here. It felt like I was isolated from the rest of the world and I have trouble getting to sleep.

Circle scarves are so 2009 but they do a good job of keeping me warm.

Black outfit breakdown:

• Blazer: Zara
• Circle scarf: Seoul, Korea
• Boots: Ann Demeulemeester
• Jeans: Forever21

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I think it is especially hard when you are leaving home for a long period of time – you’ve got to consider footwear for every occasion, as well as take the weather into account. I wish shoes weren’t so heavy so I could bring every pair with me.

Here are the “finalists”: shoes which I think are both comfortable and functional, and most importantly, shoes I will wear often. Nothing worse than wasting luggage space on a pair of shoes you may only wear once.

The boots.

Clockwise from top: H&M Engineer booties. Exceeding comfortable and practical. Doc Marts lookalikes from Bugis Street. They don’t look like much, but they are a godsent when there is lots of snow around. Ann Demeuleemester wedge boots. One of the most comfortable pair of shoes I own, and I can wear them for slightly dressier occasions.  Dolce & Gabbana lace up boots (loot from the Club 21 accessory sale!). They seem awesome for cooler weather, and I can wear them when I don’t want to appear too sloppy.

The shoes

L-R: Yves Saint Laurent trooper pumps. Because it’s absolutely necessary for you to pack at least one pair of shoes for formal occasions. And who knows when you might need it for themed parties? Aldo pumps: I am still waffling about bringing this pair. I might swap it for more “everyday” shoes instead. Vvestiges balenciaga inspired wedges. Purchased from the lovely Venetia! Part of me rather doubt the practicality of open toed sandals in where I’ll be heading, but they look too good worn to be passed up. My toes will just have to be wet and freeze. Aldo wedges. I am unsure about this because they are open-toed as well, but at least I can wear these with socks!

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Stuff you need to know:

• There are places that you can bargain and places you can’t. You can’t expect to bargain in a designer outlet but if they are places like Argyle Centre or random camera stores, PLEASE bargain or you will be ripped off horribly.
• Most of them speak Cantonese, Mandarin and English, try and go with a local friend or someone who speaks Cantonese if you intend to bargain.

This is were we would go to:

Argyle Centre: Take the MTR (the subway in Hong Kong) to Mongkok station, Exit D2. This mall is rather messy and you are encouraged to bargain here. The pieces are mostly cheap and they cater to the younger crowd. A pair of shorts costs about HKD39-60?

The type of clothes they carry here vary from season to season, they have quite a couple of shoe stores that sells reasonably priced heels and wedges. Right now it seems like a mish-mash of Liz Lisa-type clothes and lots of flatforms. Not exactly my type of stuff but I managed to get a decent number of stockings and also some accessories here.

H&M: Quite a number of branches here in Hong Kong but I went to the one near Central Station. I was in the San Francisco H&M right before I was in Hong Kong and I was surprised at how updated the Hong Kong one is when comparing the product timeline when I was in the H&M Singapore Showroom.

The store is always crowded. Tried to get help regarding the sizing on a certain piece that I was interested in to no avail. I don’t have a good impression of Hong Kong service staff, I am hoping someone can prove me wrong on this.

Bought the entire store (almost). Enough said.

Horizon Plaza: Outlet mall in Ap Lei Chau.( 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau, Aberdeen) It is pretty inaccessible cause there is no MTR stations there. I took a cab from Admiralty station and it costs about HKD90-100. It’s cheaper when you share it among a few people.

The warehouse exterior makes the whole place look pretty meh but I would suppose there are hidden gems that you have to look out for.

Most of the floor space is dedicated to furniture stores but most of the clothing outlet stores are concentrated on the 5th, 19th, 22nd, 25th and 27th floor.

You can expect cult stores that carry brands like Vivienne Westwood, Bluemarine, Moschino and the like. There is a Lane Crawford outlet store (which is the equivalent of Barney’s or Saks in Hong Kong) which carries designer labels. I managed to get myself  pair of Rick Owens when I was there. I also spotted past season shoes like Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, Lanvin and Alexander Wang (omg Constance boots and mummy boots from A/W’10) when I was there.

The key draw for me to go back is the I.T Outlet store on the 5th floor. They carry several avant garde designer labels like Ann Demeulemeester, Comme des garcons, Maison Martin Margiela, Gareth Pugh, Rick Owens and so on.

I spotted a pair of Jeffrey Campbell Ohne Titel Knockoffs at less than half the price I got it for. There were shoes. Many shoes. There was the MMM nail heel boots that I would’ve bought if not for my fat thighs.

You can also take a look at the shoes that I bought from Horizon Plaza ✚here✚.

There is also a Space (Prada, Miu miu) outlet nearby, if you take a cab, the cabbie would most likely know.

Other honorable mentions:

Ice House Street: I wasn’t able to make it there but there are plenty of awesome boutiques there like Gareth Pugh, Ann Demeulemeester and Rick Owens.

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The Red Square in Moscow is one of the many city squares in Russia. The name doesn’t come from the colours of the bricks but rather from the Russian word красная which can mean both “red” or “beautiful”. красная (beautiful) was applied to the Saint Basil’s Cathedral which is in the vicinity which was later transferred to the square itself.

The Resurrection Gates were at some point demolished to allow heavy military vehicles to move through but later rebuilt after the fall of the Soviet Union.

There were people giving out free cans of Coca cola. A godsend for well needed boost of sugar in the middle of the day.

It was a pretty sunny day, in the backdrop is the GUM department store, spectacular building.

Black Outfit Breakdown:

• White camisole: H&M
• Shredded cropped t-shirt: DIY
• Pants: Topshop
• Shoes: Ann Demeulemeester
• Clutch bag: Taobao

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