Designer Vehicles

Instead of rolling up in Hummer or a Lamborghini, how about flashing real bling-bling by driving a Chanel trucker or maybe a Louis Vuitton oldsmobile.

Chanel

Gucci

Burberry

Louis Vuitton

Although I first thought the idea was ridiculous, I actually like the multicolored Louis-Vuitton momogrammed Harley and the Burberry Vespa. What do you guys think, fab or just bad tastes?

Runway Redux

It just me or was this the first real challenge of the PR5 season? The first challenge was a recycled one from PR1; the second was not superduper challenging except working with crummy fabrics (for some designers); the third challenge was alright, like designing for DKNY; the fourth was just too confusing for the designers and too many took inspiration from the opening ceremonies of the early 1900's. The latest challenge was actually working with a client, Brooke Shields, and she would wear the winning designer's dress on her show Lipstick Jungle- so there's huge prestige from that win. At the same time the outfit had to be able to transform from the office to the cocktail lounge.


I honestly liked this outfit and I loved the blue tank inside. However, it just wasn't appropriate for the challenge. Since Brooke chose his design and told Blaine not to make it too busy, I really feel that both Blaine and Brooke were at fault for this miss. Still, I liked the concept and it was really well made.

Terri certainly has an eye for pattern, because I hated it when I first saw it but then it started to grow on me. Still, this was definitely not my favorite look. For me, it's too casual for work and not enough pizzazz for evening. It was just- O.K. It'll work on Brooke Shields but not on t.v.

Keith's dress was soo pretty. I would totally wear it and it works for both day and night. Brooke chose this dress, but I don't think it fits her. Her wide shoulders and large bosom will overpower the lightness of the top. Overall, I think it's just too young for her.

Compared to Keith's, I had the opposite reaction to Korto's look. I thought this look was too old for Brooke and the color would clash with her skin tone. It does hide her broad shoulders but I think hiding trouble spots under swaths of cloth is more for older women. I actually believe this outfit would look best on Oprah Winfrey.

Jerell's dress was my favorite. It was so age appropriate, and so ready for tv. Maybe, the ordinary woman wouldn't wear this to work but this is for Lipstick Jungle. I am so impressed with Jerell's mixing of pattern and texture.


Ack, hot tranny mess. I honestly feel bad for Kelli because she had the talent to move further, but this was just bad. The construction was a bit pieced together, and the skirt hem was not good. Part of the blame falls to her partner Daniel, for making such a craptastic skirt, but she didn't get it together. It's funny, but I think she could have made it less cheap hoochie by adding more leopard print.

Thanks Rumi, You Make Me Want to Spend $$$

Rumi who blogs on Fashion Toast, has serious style. She shows off her long, lanky legs with short shorts, mini-dresses, and high heeled boots, but the look is always cool not overly sexy. Rumi also has another skill- making me want her bags (and her legs too, but that's harder to buy). Every time I skim through her blog, I go a little starry-eyed over her handbags.

Ever since I saw Rumi with three different Balenciaga bags, it has become my dream bag. I long for, I crave it, I even told my mom I want that bag for my graduation present. Actually I want multiple, but that's not easy considering a medium sized Balenciaga bag is about $1,000.

A little more in the more affordable range is this Foley + Corinna tote that looks so roomy and chic. The F+C Mid City tote is only $444. I've been trying to find knock offs but I had no luck in China, and the Nine West version was still $100+. I may eventually buy this bag because it has the instant cool factor that goes with any outfit.

Finally there's the Aldo Vigorendena, the most affordable option at $60. I like the silver one Rumi has, but Aldo only has brown versions right now that I think are blah.

Unusual Semblance

I was browsing through the jewelry section of the Neiman Marcus website and I came upon a necklace that seemed awfully familiar. The necklace was a miniature lock on a chain. Then it struck me; it was Ren’s necklace from the Japanese comic NANA!

Roberto Coin Appassionata Necklace

Ren from the manga Nana

Surprised by my love for mangas? Well I appreciate both sophisticated fashions and childish comics. Somehow, this necklace joined my two passions.

But with such similar designs, I wonder which idea came first. Did Ai Yazawa sketch Ren’s necklace, and then Coin replicated it in reality? Or maybe Roberto Coin came up with the concept, constructed it, and then Ai Yazawa loved it so much that she incorporated it into her manga? I actually think Ai Yazawa probably came up with the lock necklace first since Nana has been around since 2000. Also, this manga artist is super fashion savvy too. Yazawa loves to feature Vivianne Westwood designs on her characters, and she wrote and drew Paradise Kiss, which is the only fashion-centric manga I know. Or it could be pure coincidence. No matter what the reason, I’m happy that I could potentially buy Ren’s necklace… if I had $2,000.

Click here to read Nana on OneManga.com- it's a seriously good read.

Vintage Evening Bags

Right now I am in love with vintage styled evening bags. I recently went to a local festival and found a stall that refurbished vintage evening bags. The festival brings together local artists and craftsmen, and I always go to stock up on fun, unique, but inexpensive jewelry. However, what really caught my eye this time was the tiny beaded pouches, jewel box-like evening bags, and sparkly minaudieres that were being sold in this vintage stall. I was dying to own one, but I knew these tiny purses cost a fortune so I didn’t even bother to look at the price tags. Evening bags are elaborately crafted and just scream glamour. Just another item to add to the ‘want but don’t need’ pile- but that never stops me from looking them up on the internet.

At Bergdorf Goodman, THE designer of classy evening bags is Leiber. It is a brand that really stays true to the decadent styles of past black tie affairs.

Leiber Cylinder Minaudiere (top): $4,495.00. Chrystalline Clutch (middle): $1,995.00. Chantelaine Madagascar Clutch (bottom): $3,695.00. Gazing at lovely Leiber bags on my computer: Priceless.


Part of the problem with spending mucho dinero on expensive vintage clutches is that most people do not attend black tie events on a regular basis. Let me count the number of times I used an evening bag in my life… oh yeah, once for prom. This is why I think using BagBorrowOrSteal is ideal. You can borrow a Leiber bag for a short time- because an evening bag is required only once a year for most people and that’s usually New Year's Eve-at a fraction of its retail price. BBoS also has a great selection that anyone has access to.

Maxim Vintage Lucite Evening Bag

Leiber Marquise Evening Handbag

J.B. Vintage Spanish Vanity Case

Leiber Vintage Tulip Minaudiere

Hobe Vintage Rhinestone Frame Evening Bag

Sweet Sale

Ahhh... sample sale season, best times of the year. Too bad most sales only happen in stores that are only in NYC. Fortunately there are a few labels that have brought sample sales to the masses (outside of New York City) through the internet. Just last week Fashionista posted a 80% sale at Inhabit and I was terribly tempted to get a $40 cardigan (sorry, the sale's over now). However, I'm even more tempted now by the MaxStudio sale. Here are some of my top picks:

Tencel Jersey Sleeveless Dress- $38
Dip Dyed Cotton Voile V-Neck Tank Dress- $48

Printed Silk Shirred Empire Dress- $78
Silk Chiffon Embroidered Dress- $78

Update

Hi guys, I'm finally done with this semester. Finals were rough and I caught a cold that lasted the whole week. I spent my time studying like a good little girl and then I had to move out the day after my test. I was so caught up with tests and packing and coming home to a decent meal in weeks that I didn't have a chance to update the blog. Sorry!

I really want to blog some more but I'm actually vacationing in China and Japan for the next month. I'll probably have limited internet access so that means fewer updates. But when I get back, I'll have tons of pictures to post.

picture: from Flickr

My Style Diary

I apparently like to waste time. Remember how I said I wouldn't keep a Style Diary because I should spend the time working on the blog or studying. Well, turns out I get great enjoyment from taking pictures of myself in different outfits and putting them up on Style Diary. Amazingly I kept up with it for the past two months. Please check it out- Lyralie's Style Diary!

What's That Bag?

Do you recognize these bags? Coach, you say, Guess, Dooney & Bourke?

Nope, nope, and nope. This is actually Target’s Limited Edition Handbags collection. The prices range from $15 to $40. This new line by Target is super chic for cheap. I think the design resembles Coach with the curved caps around the bottoms. I’m seriously considering getting the $15 clutch. Only thing I don’t like about these purses is their fabric lining, which is always a sign of a cheap bag. I would have to take a closer look before I buy.

Target offers several other design-savvy collections. It has collaborations with Gryson, Loeffler Randall, and Cynthia Rowley.

Personally I’m not a big fan of Gryson’s woven pattern, but I do like the navy drawstring tote.

The Loeffler Randall collection is pretty cute and everything is 60% off. I really like the bow tie clutch and its price, $6.24. Amina Akhtar from The Cut reviewed the collection and said that the bags apparently smell funky but are pretty cute.

Cynthia Rowley has adorable totes for the beach.

Things I Really Shouldn’t Think About, But I Do

Oh man, today was absolutely nauseating. I just had two finals, both of which required some mad studying. So I tried to stay up and study as much as possible. Sometime around 3 or 4 am, I just could not stay up so I went to bed and set my alarm for an hour later. Always, always, a bad mistake. An hour later, I woke up, turned off my alarm, didn’t reset it, and went back to bed. I, somehow, woke up five minutes before my exam. I called the taxi and basically ran out the dorm with my notes in hand. Even though I tiptoed into class fifteen minutes late, there was plenty of time to take it, and everything turned out fine.

Then I went to the bathroom and took a look in the mirror. I seriously looked fugly, like a woman who has three small children and turned her wardrobe into a monotonous slew of colored v-neck tees and light wash jeans. I just grabbed the first clean shirt and first clean pants from my drawers and put them on. I did not think, I did not put anything over it to add any pizzazz. It just looked so plain and slobbish. So why did I have these two items in the first place? Well they do go well with other stuff, just not together. I was embarrassed to be walking around looking twenty years older, which is just as bad as forty-somethings dressed up like Paris Hilton. Why, oh, why did I not grab a jersey dress instead!?

Instead of lamenting about how horrendous I looked, I should be thanking my lucky stars that I made it to my final in time. But it was just looked so bad! Just goes to show you where my priorities are.

picture: from Flickr