I was a wee bit sluggish on Saturday morning, thanks to some late night dance-party shenanigans (I do love me some "Hips Don't Lie"), but I'd hidden some leftover blueberry pancakes in the freezer and they pretty much did the trick. Any remaining slogginess was lifted by the chance to wear my new Mexican-style embroidered tunic top, which I paired with long denim shorts and my bird-link belt from Bangkok brand Senada Theory (the shirt actually has some nice volume without the belt, but I'm still feeling a little sensitive about my last foray into oversized tops and so a-belted I went).


In a surprise move, here I am with a head, taken in the traffic mirrors at my apartment building. I actually kind of prefer this picture to my normal headless patio shots, and would probably do it more often if a) I didn't have to stand right in front of the guards at the gate to the complex, who didn't say anything but who probably now think I'm a crazy narcissist; or b) it didn't require that my hair look somewhat presentable, which it often does not.


I was on my way to meet Mike for his suggested field trip of the day to the Singapore Library book sale, which is held in an enormous expo hall out near the airport. In other words, quite a long haul. I was all excited at the prospect of scoring some old Vogues and maybe a few coffee table books, but when we got there the place was a madhouse. People were literally shoving each other out of the way to grab four-year-old issues of Women's Weekly. I found a few Vogues from 2003 (which does me no good since I already own every issue since late 2002) and then I begged Mike to take me somewhere more sane.

So off we went, back into the city to check out the new store Pluck on Haji Lane (full report below!). And we went to the always fantastic Muji and Topshop (still no shoes in my size, boo!) and ate Indian food and just happened by the Carrefour in Plaza Singapura, which is an enormous store like Wal-Mart and which was having a fantastic book sale. I got these amazing design books (below), for US$3 each. So my book dreams were realized after all.


And then I came home and crawled into bed with my new September Lucky, which had about a million things I'd like to own. And wasn't their spread on "The New Volume" so fun? There are some fall trends I cannot get behind (for example, leopard – something you will probably never see me wearing, ever), but the oversized shapes that are the focus of this season's fashion get me all excited every time I open a magazine.

Manic Monday

Inspirations of the day:

Clockwise from bottom left: restored vintage phone by art thang, via atelier455; gorgeous photograph entitled Apartment Block, via Apartment Therapy; fabulous purple and green vintage dress, via vintage clothing flickr pool; suede booties from Topshop. I never, ever thought I would love booties, but I love these.

Serious Contender for Cutest. Dress. Evah!

This is probably the most adorable dress I have seen in awhile, and if it wasn't already up to $96 on eBay I would probably try and purchase it immediately. However.

I'll still be keeping an eye on its eBay seller Bleubird Vintage for other cute stuff, but not this dress, because I actually already own it. (!!) Mine's from the Atlantic Avenue Salvation Army, in Brooklyn, if you'd like to know. Link via That's Hot.

{update} For reasons I can't quite figure out, Bleubird Vintage and all its items seem to have suddenly been removed by eBay. It's very odd. But! We can still admire the dress, even though there seems to be no chance of any of us getting it now.

{update again!} Bleubird Vintage is back! phew.

More Zara Love

I know I've mentioned how smitten I am with Zara's current fall collection, a gorgeous mix of voluminous cuts, great silky prints, 60s-style coats and perfect ballet slippers. Mike had to work late last night, so I took myself on a very nice date, which involved conveyor belt sushi (which I love), finding this terrific fashion photo book (for just $15!), and checking out what's new at Zara. (Mike showed up at the end of my date with myself, just in time to buy me Fashion Babylon, the buzzed-about tell-all about the fashion industry. I really didn't want to like this book, but I read five pages standing around in Borders and was totally hooked. I have barely been able to put it down since.)

Anyway, Zara. I was thinking of doing a little dressing room photo shoot of all my favorite pieces, until I realized that if I tried on all the skirts and dresses and tops I love right now, I would probably not be able to resist buying several -- or most -- of them. I'm trying hard not to overshop too much, see. So instead, I just picked one piece to try -- this silky kimono-style dress with a fantastic (if somewhat complicated) obi belt:



It's about $150 or so. There's a bubble-ish skirt in a circle print with a similar palette that is my favorite piece in the whole collection; I wanted to try that on as well but couldn't find an appropriate top to pair it with. In the end, I usually go with dresses anyway. They are so much easier to wear -- you don't need to worry about matching tops and bottoms and their cuts and colors and… you get the point, I'm sure.

Favorite New Store Alert!: Pluck, Haji Lane

Singapore is not known as the land of innovative boutiques—there are a few here and there, but I generally have to get my fix on my twice-a-year visits to Brooklyn. (Hello, Cog & Pearl, Bird, Bark, Romp and Nest! I'll see you soon!) So basically, I get really excited when anything out of the ordinary pops up. Especially stores with one-word names, because that apparently is the new barometer of coolness.

I've been pressing my face to the windows of Pluck, at 31/33 Haji Lane, for weeks now, drooling over their adorable store wallpaper and waiting somewhat impatiently for it to open. So I was thrilled when I stopped by on Saturday and it was finally in business -- and very busy! (I was even more thrilled when they very nicely let me take a few pictures for the site.) If you live in Singapore, you'll definitely want to stop by and check it out. (And if you don't, I still think you'll find the photos incredibly drool-worthy.)


I'm most excited about their vast selection of vintage fabrics (they're S$50 – that's US$30 – per yard). Mike and I are thinking of getting a few yards and stretching them onto wooden frames to make some cool art for our bedroom:


They also have an extensive collection of vintage wallpaper, which they use to custom make these screens, which I really have no use for in my apartment but still really want:


I think I may have to get one of these adorable clutch purses (starting at S$90):


Really, the whole store is chock full of fun and funky pieces:


When you're on the street, be sure to stop at my other favorite store, Salad, an emporium of black and white design pieces. It's at #25/27 Haji Lane, just down the way:


Pluck, 31/33 Haji Lane (near Arab Street), phone: 6396 40408
Salad, 25/27 Haji Lane, phone: 6299 5808

A Little Sunday Afternoon Reading Material

I loved this Hint Mag interview with Central St. Martins program director Louise Wilson, who is completely brash and refreshingly candid. It also made me immediately want to go and create something kind of edgy and fun, the results of which may be coming soon.

So. True!

Mike just handed me this cartoon, from the July 10 & 17 issue of the New Yorker, which pretty much captures us perfectly.

Both Intriguing, but for Very Different Reasons

On the left we have Steve Madden's Baltik wedge, $89.95. Because while I know many of you are prepping for fall, we here in Singapore sport bare toes year round, and I am still searching for any sort of sandal that is both cute and can be worn for more than two hours without debilitating discomfort.

On the right, Play-Doh cologne spray. No reports on whether it also tastes like Play-Doh, which would probably be much more reminiscent of my childhood. Both via I am a Greedy Girl.

Rats. Foiled Again.

I've actually been really good lately about not spending money. Well, until I bought that bag last weekend. And then the sweater immediately afterwards. And there was that whole buy-as-many-tunics-as-you-can-carry India trip thing. And the digital camera I pre-ordered today. Er. But! Otherwise, I've been very good, so much so that I haven't even bought anything from Amazon lately, even though there are quite a few books I desperately want/need. Such a fine line.

Anyhoo. I was out today and thought I'd pop into Topshop to see what was new. I've decided recently that you can never own enough empire-waisted jersey dresses, but my Rachel Pally one is far too nice for everyday, running-around usage, and I have less and less hope for the almost universally panned Target version, still on its way. Unfortunately, Topshop is no longer carrying any good jersey dresses. But they did have this:

Topshop kimono flat, about $50. It was available in white in my size, and in black not in my size (they didn't even bother to stock it; a size 10 is considered shockingly gargantuan in Singapore). Which was horribly disappointing because white shoes generally make me feel like a nurse, but black shoes – now those I need. [Even though I have two pairs of black flats under my bed right now. Both have proven to be completely non-comfy and so under the bed they will likely remain.] I'm going to stalk some of the other Topshops in the city to see if it can't be found.

But Enough About Me. Or Not.

I do really love those quirky little meme questionnaire thingys – yes, I believe that's the technical term -- that ask lots of random but revealing questions. I love getting them, I love filling them out, I especially love reading all the funny bits of information about other people (or, usually, other bloggers) that I might not normally have found out otherwise. I particularly like the one that Trust Your Style has going on (which I discovered because she had Happy Mundane fill it out as well.) I liked it so much, I decided to do it too. And I hope you do too, if you are a blog-type person. Be sure and post the link in the comments if you do.

A) FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE:
1. Sales clerk at The Gap. I won a pair of flannel pajamas during one of their "How many crewneck sweaters can you sell?" initiatives and 10 years later, I still wear them all the time.
2. Camp counselor, for about 7 years. Which I would do again in a heartbeat, if only for the art projects. Popsicle sticks rule!
3. Lifeguard. I never had to save anyone, but I did learn how to play a mean game of Asshole and got a very dark tan that I now realize is probably the cause of any premature wrinkling. Sigh.
4. Fashion magazine underling. Think The Devil Wears Prada, but with a lot less free Chanel.

B) FOUR MOVIES I WOULD WATCH OVER AND OVER (AND DO):
1. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. Yes, starring Lindsay Lohan. Seriously. Love. This. Movie.
2. Josie and the Pussycats. I'm not ashamed to admit my favorite films tend to hover in the preteen category. Gerkin!
3. Fletch. A classic.
4. Amelie. I love all its adorable quirky French-ness. And I know I was only supposed to pick four, but Garden State has a similar happiness-inducing effect on me, no matter how often I watch it.
[Mike would like to point out that I have seen both Love, Actually and The Notebook an alarming number of times as well. Uh, possibly as recently as Tuesday. What can I say? Ryan Gosling never gets old.]

C) FOUR PLACES WHERE I HAVE LIVED:
1. Singapore
2. Beijing
3. Park Slope, Brooklyn
4. Newark, Delaware

D) FOUR TV SHOWS I LOVE TO WATCH:
1. Project Runway. I'm always a season behind, but love it nonetheless.
2. Old episodes of Gilmore Girls. Can't get enough of the quirky, rapid-fire banter! Or a brooding Milo Ventimiglia, for that matter.
3. TRL. I heart music videos – they're like perfect little movies.
4. The Simpsons. I dare you to watch any episode and not laugh.

E) FOUR PLACES I HAVE BEEN ON VACATION IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS:
1. Peaks Island, Maine
2. Luang Prabang, Laos
3. Dijon, France
4. Las Vegas

F) FOUR WEBSITES I VISIT DAILY [Note: Just FOUR?! I visit about 50 favorite websites a day! It's like choosing between children! However, here are four non-fashion sites that I don't endorse often enough.]
1. A Bird in the Hand. Inspires me to be more crafty.
2. Watch Holly. My friend Holly is having a baby and (thank god) she's acting like totally normal person about it. Her posts always make me laugh.
3. Pink is the New Blog, my daily celebrity gossip fix by the always adorable Trent.
4. Wikipedia: Singlehandedly responsible for making me a (slightly) smarter person.

G) FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:
1. Any potato product, preferably fried and smothered in cheese
2. Bean burritos
3. McDonald's ice cream cones. Oh, or Wendy's Frostys. Or Wendy's Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers, for that matter. My fast food favorites could fill a very long list alone.
4. Garlic. Anytime, anywhere, with almost anything.

H) FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
1. New York, NY! (Er, as long as that heat wave is over.)
2. A thrift store in the middle of Pennsylvania (or any other place where there's fantastic vintage treasure to be found).
3. Rue Mouffetard, Paris. Ommmm… fondue…
4. Surfing in Bali (or, more accurately, falling off a surfboard a lot in Bali. Still fun.)

I) FOUR FASHION ITEMS I WOULD BUY RIGHT NOW, IF I COULD [Okay, so I added this one. I'm a fashion blogger! I needed something about shopping in there!]
1. Pretty, comfy, well-fitting ballet flats. Possibly from Lanvin. Possibly in a wide variety of colors.
2. A Holiday & Brown-print Prada circle skirt from the A/W 2004 collection. I still have dreams about the print (seen in dress form here), I love it so.
3. A classic Oscar de la Renta pouf dress, not unlike what Carrie Bradshaw wore in that Sex and the City when they went to McDonalds at the end. (I just saw that episode; maybe that's why I'm obsessing over it so much?)

4. Oh, now I don't know what to use this last one for. An oversized men's watch? Slouchy leather boots? A midnight blue silk Lanvin dress? Anything from Balenciaga? The possibilities are overwhelming; I think I might need a nap.

A Weekend's Worth of Fashion

My weekend, in fashion-related highlights:

1. Purchasing a new black bag from Massimo Dutti, which is basically a higher quality Zara (like the Anthropologie to Zara's Urban Outfitters, if you will). The bag reminds me of an enormous version of a little vintage change purse. It also ends a years-long quest for a slouchy black leather bag that is big enough to be used for work, does not have an excess of hardware, and is slightly higher-end without breaking the bank. I think it will do nicely, but I don't know what fashion item to fixate on now that my black bag quest is over. The perfect navy shoes, maybe? They've eluded me for years.

2. Ordering the Paul & Joe Target kimono dress, in black. Despite the disappointing reviews, I bought it anyway. Fingers are crossed!

3. Trying on several pairs of skinny gray jeans and definitively concluding that skinny jeans are not for me (or, more specifically, for my thighs). Gray jeans, however – now they are something I can get behind. The hunt is on!

4. Satisfying new gray urges with a thick, short-sleeved sweater, also from Massimo Dutti. Possibly the most impractical thing I could have purchased, since I'm not going to be anywhere near coolish weather until at least October or November. But – as Mike helped justify – sweaters don't go bad. Right?

5. Loving the new trailer for Marie Anoinette. It looks like Kirsten Dunst got to eat several hundred decadent little cakes during the making of the movie, and that makes me jealous. The candy-colored shoes are pretty awesome too. I know it got booed at Cannes and all, but I'm still looking forward to the film, if only for the overwhelming extravagance of it all.


6. Speaking of Marie Antoinette, I am currently fixated on the arrival of the new September Vogue. [Taps foot impatiently.] I have made Mike solemnly swear to bring it home from his work (where our US mail is delivered) the second it arrives, no matter how large or cumbersome he may find it to be. In the meantime, I'm in search of September UK Vogue and Vanity Fair's new style issue. And possibly the new Marie Claire with Maggie Gyllenhaal on the cover. It looks great, and I'm very intrigued.

You've got to give U.S. Vogue some credit – at least their Pepto-pink cover stands out among all that black and white and gray on the newsstands now. I dig it.

7. Seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Because while I had some problems with pesky little details like the plot, I did enjoy Keira Knightley's sea sprayed hair and bronze-y boat look and Johnny Depp's perfectly smoky eyes.


I also enjoyed Orlando Bloom in general, for reasons that probably don't need explaining.


8. Reading Elle.com's a to z list of the fashon trends of the season. Not bad, though it's clear by walking into my friendly neighborhood Zara that the biggest style is going to be the detailed vintage look: cropped jackets with big collars; full skirts (slightly bubble-y, but not too bubble-y); scooped necklines; bold patterns in muted colors; gray, gray, gray; peter pan collars; oversized, fabric-covered buttons; sixties-style mini-jumpers; stacked suede heels with interesting detailing. Really, it's very much my kind of fashion – that feminine vintage chic. Every time I walk into a Zara these days, I swoon. (And though I've been very good thus far, I'm pretty sure my credit card is quivering with fear.)

9. There was also a really delicious trip to a restaurant called Waffletown USA, which has no fashion significance but was quite tasty.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive: Anamika Khanna dress

I am totally smitten with my new Anamika Khanna scoop-neck dress. It's such a classic, comfortable shape, and the textured fabric is really amazing. The light was kind of bad for photos today, but I still thought I'd post it, for your enjoyment. And, um, also so I didn't have to think of other things to post about. (And! There's a third Anamika Khanna piece – which Mike and I both agree may be the very best yet – on the way, but it's been slightly sidetracked for alterations.)

In case you missed it: Last month, I gushed about my new favorite Anamika Khanna trench coat.

A Little Experimentation

After I posted yesterday about that fantastic Anthropologie coat, I started thinking more about my own vintage coat collection, which has been sorely neglected for over a year now. [Pause. Indulge in small pity party. Okay, moving on.]

I actually have a black wool vintage coat that's incredibly similar to the Anthropolgie coat and I've worn it once. (I have refused to part with if only because of its amazing collar and buttons [above].) It always has had so much promise, but every time I went to put it on, I felt like unattractive, enormous bear. Or something else that's big and cumbersome. On the hanger, it looked retro-chic. On me, it looked awkward.

But then I was looking at the Antropologie coat yesterday and thought, "maybe all I need is to crop the sleeves!" And so, some test photos below. Now, in hindsight, yes, I wish the pictures were less blurry, and yes, I probably should have done a better (or at least more even) job when tucking up the sleeves. But I was in a hurry and the gist is there. Er, right? I'm actually really loving the cropped sleeve thing already; I think it really gives some balance to the volume of the coat. Now I just need a good tailor.

Feel My Pain

Highly covetable for fall: lovely felted wool dress, $348; insanely adorable cold snap coat, $328. (Via coquette.) Both from Anthropologie. And both heartbreakingly unjustifiable for those of us in tropical climates.

Beauty Products: Reader Reviews!

In a continuing effort to keep afloat very occasional columns such as Beauty Products I Use and Would Actually Recommend to Others, we've got two special correspondents' reports. So, I cannot actually vouch for these products myself, but feel confident enough to put them out there for discussion. (And clearly, I am not the only one with such fabulous ideas.)

First: About a month ago, I actually convinced Mike that it would be a very good idea for him to use some eye cream. "Removes undereye circles!" I said. "Fills in crows' feet!" I said these things even though I have four not unpricey eye creams in my bathroom and not one of them have done these things for me. However. I maintain hope.

So imagine my surprise when Mike – after two weeks of occasionally remembering to slather on a little Kiehl's Cryste Marine Firming Eye Treatment -- announces to me from the bathroom that his crows' feet are on the major decline. It was probably the only thing that could have gotten me to put down Heat and hustle out of bed lickety-split. And sure enough, while not doing much in the promising-to-remove-dark-circles category, the skin around his eyes is now remarkably wrinkle-free. It took all of my willpower not to snatch up the jar and yell, "MINE!" (We have since agreed to share.)

Moving on. Our D.C.-area reader Ro dropped a note about the new Avon Instant Manicure Strips that apparently everyone is buzzing about (news like that doesn't make it to us here – we only follow the CNN headlines and the gossip reports – so we were very intrigued by the concept). Reports Ro: "For $8.00 you get enough strips for just one application, which kinda sucks, but it still comes out cheaper than a manicure. When first applying, it's a bit tricky to get the strips on evenly without creases, especially if you're a bit uncoordinated like me, but there are a few extra strips provided to allow for mess ups. But once they're on, you're good to go! And it lasted roughly 10 days." (Beauty Dish had a similar experience.) Ro still recommends Revlon Colorstay nail enamel even more highly, though. (We don't know much about these things since we, um, still bite our nails, and when we don't, we find ourselves gravitating again and again to the cult of Essie Ballet Slippers.) But there you have it, kids. There is just no excuse for flaky nails anymore.

DIY of the Week: Bangle bracelets

Remember a few summers ago when we all went out and bought those big plastic bangle bracelets in bright 80s colors? Ah… hindsight. However, I love a good, wide bangle, and was determined to give even my most garish ones another chance at a fashionable life. Here's how this works:
1) You'll need a sheet of patterned paper (I used Japanese origami paper, which can generally be found in arts & crafts shops), some basic white glue (or Modpodge) and a clean paintbrush.

2) Cut the paper into small strips, about 1cm wide and long enough to wrap around the width of the bracelet. You're going to need to have enough to cover the entire exterior of the bracelet, which is probably around 30 strips.

3) Brush a light layer of glue on the inside and outside of the paper and position on bracelet. Continue this and work your way around the exterior of the bracelet, slightly overlapping each piece. Coat the outside with more layers of glue to help the paper stick together seamlessly (you don't want to overdue it with the glue, but it will dry clear so you don't need to keep it too minimal either).

4) You'll probably want to do half the bracelet, then set it upright on its non-gluey end to dry before finishing the other half.

5) I gave mine another good coat of Modpodge Matte later to seal it so I wouldn't have to panic too much if I'm wearing the bracelets during one of Singapore's regular rainstorms. However, they're still not exactly rain- and spill-proof, so perhaps a spray of acrylic sealer would work better?

6) This seriously takes about 20 minutes, tops.

Voila. Instantly reinvented bangle bracelets. Cute, no?

Reports of my Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

I am back! Sort of. I am suffering through some post-trip Bombay Belly, which is pretty much sapping all my energy and creativity. I was fine the entire trip, but since returning have only been able to eat something like seven Wheat Thins. I'm going to take another day or two to fully recuperate, but I'll be back with fantastic Indian fashion (and my new Anamika Khanna dress!) very soon.

Did You Miss Me?

Is there anything cuter than sleepy kittens? I submit there is not.

Anyway, just so you didn't think I came into bodily harm or something: There are no posts today because I've been traveling all day, from Singapore to Bangkok (where I had a long layover that contained meetings and shopping), and then from Bangkok to Bombay, where I arrived just a little while ago and where I am going to fall asleep any. second. now.

I hope to be back fresh as a daisy tomorrow, but realistically, I'll be in Busy Work Mode for the next few days (as opposed to Normal Life Mode, which generally includes a lot of leisure time for trolling the Internet and also singing showtunes very loudly in the bathroom. An aside: Hairspray? Amazing!) In the meantime, have you checked out all the links at your right? They are all quite fun and have the Fashion is Spinach seal of approval. Hours of entertainment, at your fingertips.

Okay, see you in the morn!

Make it Work!

Have you seen Tim Gunn in the new EW yet? Because if you love Tim Gunn – and really, who *doesn't* love Tim Gunn – you will want to check it out. And! Did you know that in addition to the blog, Tim now has a podcast as well? Totally yay.

Instruction Manual Required

We admit to being a wee bit intrigued by the Infinite Dress that Style Bubble is featuring right now. However, we're not sure if we're $169 worth of intrigued. And we are definitely not intrigued by the questionable Infinite Pantsuit.