Design(er) Diagram - Part 2

Shoutout to my lovely friend, Faye, who's giving out an exciting giveaway! Check it out here!

Design(er) Diagram - Part 1

If I apply the same concept I do at work on this blog, my posts would look like this:




I do a lot of diagrams and arrows and smart arts for my work documents and presentations, so I figured, why not for my blog?

Please stop by everyday to see more design(er) diagrams here for the next couple of days!

A Skirt for When I'm 50

-- brown dress from Manila -- Carmen Marc Valvo brocade skirt -- Banana Republic necklace --
-- Prada crackle platform pumps -- Fendi watch --

I'm much too young to be categorized as "Mother of the Bride". Heck, I'm NOT even a mother yet! But that didn't stop me anyway from picking up a skirt at the "Mother of the Bride" section at Saks.

The skirt was originally very matronly - too loose of a pencil cut and with hem stopping at mid calf. I asked a friend to shorten it just right above the knee and voila, this skirt is now packing with some ooh la la!

Pairing it with a dress and I now have another "SKRESS" (Skirt + Dress) look. I wore it this weekend at our friend's baby dedication service. Coincidentally, it's the same friend who altered this skirt for me! More so, I was one of her baby's godmothers.

I guess I'm a "mother" afterall... to 6 godchildren and counting!

VitaMinn DVN

photo credit: style.com

...is for Dries Van Noten pumps with python-covered curved heel.

My hubz call them the "cow" shoes. Look closely and I think you'd agree. ;)

Whenever I'd wear this pair, I always have colleagues and complete strangers tell me, "Wow, those are some shoes!" I wonder if they really meant to say, "Wow, those are some COW shoes!". =)

Doesn't matter. I'll keep mooing in these!

-- H&M gray sheath dress -- black blazer -- CK belt --
-- Banana Republic necklace -- Dries Van Noten python-covered curved pumps --

Here it is appearing on the FW 2009 runway:

photo credit: style.com

Pronounced as: Dreez van NOH-ten... not Know-ten... not Note-en. Short "o" and short "n".
This is according to a very reliable Dutch/Flemish source. =)

Have a great weekend everyone! Moooo!!

Dolce&Gabbana... &Yoda

Will you ever drop a grand for a skirt? For a purse, easy... but for a skirt, not a chance!! Well, unless it contains some magical powers.

This Dolce&Gabbana skirt probably contains some magical powers. It's the only plausible reason why it originally retailed for twice as much as my first rental apartment. Glad I didn't see that right away or else I would have had a retail-induced panic attack.

I first picked it up when it was already on its 2nd markdown at 60% off. Intrigued (who wouldn't be at 60% off), I tried it on and I was instantly smitten. It hugged my curves so well and the sheen bounces light very nicely (which unfortunately, I was not able to capture in this photo). It's simple, timeless, geometric and very Dolce-esque. Yes, if I'm a Tai Tai, I would definitely pay for this full price.

But Tai Tai I'm not,
So to wait, I must.
Three months, it passed.
Wishing, waiting, wondering...
Dolce&Gabbana, I now have!


BOW!

Thank you, thank you. That was my Yoda-inspired shopping haiku! And now without further ado....

-- Dolce&Gabbana gray pencil skirt -- Target jacket -- Express cami --

-- Banana Republic belt and necklace -- Givenchy black booties--

PS - The uber chic Hanh of Life-in-Travel picked me in the top 20 finalist for her Fashion Blog World's Inspiration contest. I'm already so happy just being picked, but if you wanted to vote for me here, I won't stop you! Wink, wink...

May the (shopping) force be with you!

Dare to Stare

comments are disabled. please vote!

One day, as I was going about with my own business around the downtown skyway, I couldn't help but notice a few long, flat-out stares directed at me. Made me wonder why because as far as I'm concerned, I looked very normal that day. I wasn't wearing anything that is begging for attention nor was I showing any skin (which btw, I never do! Or at least, not too much!)

-- Theory blazer -- striped top -- JBrand jeans --
-- Stuart Weitzman over-the-knee boots -- Banana Republic necklace --

I got so paranoid I even stopped at a store to check myself out in a mirror and sure enough, everything was normal. Zipper up? Yep! Face markings? Nope. Visible stains? Nope. And then it hit me... Gosh, do they think my hips is laughably too wide? Nah, can't be. Some of those who stared had hips wider than mine! Could it be that my over-the-knee boots look hoho-ish? Nah. Maybe if they're patent red. So what then could it be?? My golly goodness, confusion in the universe!

Stuart Weitzman "Carnaby" over-the-knee boots



Welcome to our office bathroom!

That leaves me with just one plausible explanation: maybe they found me interesting enough to merit the 5-second stare. Maybe.

And so it begs this question, when people stare, do you:

	Stop them dead in their track and shout "Care Bear... STARE!!!"
	Smile a big smile and strut like a runway model.
	Feel conceited... how do you even know they're staring in the first place?
	Curse the entire outfit for garnering such unwanted attention.
	Hand out business cards for your blog.
pollcode.com free polls

Have a great week ahead!

Travelogue: Viva Las Vegas!

If you could, would you quit your work and travel the world for a year?

Our friend from Melbourne did just that. She quit her job, packed her bags and bought a roundtrip ticket around the world! Now at the tail end of her journey, we caught up with her in Las Vegas before she headed to Hawaii to cap off her grand holiday. It was so fun hearing about her adventures from New Zealand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Burma to London, NYC, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia and LA!

And so I couldn't help but ask myself: Can I forgo 100 pairs of Loubies (or 20 Chanel bags) to see the world?

Gladly, there's no dilemma there. With a mortgage to pay and retirement accounts to fund, the next 30 years of my life is already devoted to unceasing toil.

Vegas will have to do...

Besides, you see the world when you see Vegas anyway, yeh? It's like traveling from Cairo to NYC to Paris to Venice, to Monaco & Lake Como all in one strip.... nowhere else in the world has that!!!

I'm pathetic, I know. But enjoy these pictures anyway!

The Strip

Wynn Encore

living area


study


bedroom


foyer


bathroom


vanity



more vanity!


-- brown sweater dress -- Banana Republic belt -- F21 leggings --
-- Prada camoscio brown booties --





City Center


2-story Prada & LV shops at the City Center


Cirque du Soleil's LOVE



Freemont Street Experience presents Aliens




* * *
And the winners of the wine holder giveaway are:

Congratulations "Woman" & Normie! I'll be contacting you soon. Hope you enjoy it!

I already opened mine and used it today for our wine with dinner! It's beautifully-crafted, perfectly-packaged and so slick-looking, love it!

* * *


Again, thank you CSNstores.com for the lovely giveaway!

UPDATE: Just received this Hi-Fashion award from Che of Adventures of a Pinay Neska.
Thanks Che!!

Travelogue: London, Bath, Windsor & Stonehenge

Bath

England will always have a special place in my heart. It was the very first trip the hubz and I took together back in '04. We had such a blast then and vowed to come back. We managed to keep that promise and now after 5 years, we are back!

-- mini: AE -- jacket: Target -- scarf: Benneton -- boots: Hot Kiss --

This time, we wanted to cover a few cities in the London outskirts. I didn't want to stress myself doing all the planning myself (this is an anniversary trip afterall), so I just booked a tour for us. For $125, we covered three attractions all in one day: Bath, Stonehenge and Windsor. The rest of our stay, we window shopped and day dreamed along Bond and New Bond streets, ate fish & chips, watched West End shows and experienced a Topshop overdose.

With its steep history and fabulous citizens, I cannot get enough of England! I enjoyed it so much and so we vow to be back again here. Hopefully, sooner than 5 years.

Windsor Castle




Stonehenge





West End

-- dress: Prairie New York -- ruffle cardigan: Banana Republic --
-- belt: Oscar by Oscar dela Renta -- thigh-high boots: Nine West --


London

And with this ends my Paris/London adventure posts. We had such a blast and felt like we stepped out of our normal lives and lived stree-free for a full 7 days. It was such a good break and felt so blessed for the opportunity!

If you haven' done so already, please join my Paris giveway here. It's still open for a few more days and a winner will be picked on my next post. =)

Have a happy mid-week everyone!