SS06 Bags Trend II: White

It's no secret the colour of the season is white. And it certainly is no news that white bags are very 'in' this season. But I have only really gotten into this trend recently myself. It all started after I 'borrowed' (and probably never will be returned) my mum's Marc by Marc Jacobs Fran bag. (See photo above: my Fran bag is the one on the left, but with the white leather and yellow side as shown on the right.) I only truly discovered how pretty and practical it was after I started taking it along to work.

This Dior Gaucho bag was really the SS06 bag I wanted at the beginning of the season. Fortunately, it was so expensive that I didn't buy it -thank goodness because it certainly isn't as practical as the Marc bag, (although it is way more fashionable.)

Miu Miu had a huge selection of plain bags this season, many being white. Some people don't like the huge bag trend this season, but it's so convenient when you're on the run in the summer.

I know a lot of people don't like the new direction Gucci has taken, but I really like it. This bag is very classy, but you would probably need an equally classy outfit to match!

Prada is a huge trendsetter for the whole white bag trend. This huge Prada leather frame bag is one of its main seasonal bag.

A white nylon with leather trimming bag by Prada. I love how pristine it looks, but I imagine you must be extremely paranoid about where to put it.

This J.Crew tote is perfect for a day to the beach; to the yauht; to the pool...

I'm loving this Urban Outfitters tote, (although I really can't comment much until I see it in real life.) I really want a bag that has both the handles and the extra shoulder strap like this one. This bag is a great combination of being trendy and practical.

Since I'm on the topic of practical totes, I must mention Tod's. This bag certainly isn't for people who like lots of complicated details, but it's great for those who have very simple taste.

It really isn't only a myth -white bags seriously match 95% of the summer outfits. I am so in love with them now. Just a little reminder: Use a damp cloth to wipe your bag once a week to keep it white.

Zara, on Sale?!?

Is it just me, or does Zara very rarely go on sale? Every season, I wait in much anticipation for the usual high street stores to go on sale before I go in and swipe up bargains. Stores like Mango are usually very accommodating and very quickly go up to 70% off. And since I rank Zara in the same category as Mango, I keep on waiting for it to do the same- yet it never does!

While browsing through my first copy of the Economist at the salon the other day, I finally found out the reason for this (one of the few things that caught my eye in the whole magazine).

It appears that this Spanish brand is so fashion forward that while it takes everyone else who manufactures in Asia 6-9 months to get a new design into the shops, it only takes Zara around 5 weeks to do so! Around half of their clothing is manufactured in-house at its base in La Coruna in north-west Spain or by smaller businesses in the same area. The clothing are then delivered by truck to Europe and by air to the rest of the world. In addition, Zara avoids mass production, which helps to keep the store looking fresh, create a scarcity value so we'd buy it now before it runs out tomorrow and to reduce markdowns. The number of marked down items that end up in sale is only about half the industry average. No wonder I've never seen any crazy up tp 70% off sales in Zara!

But I guess that is why we love them- we get to look fresh off the runway without worrying that we'd clash with someone on the streets.

Louis Vuitton FW06 Ads

With all the FW06 ad previews hitting the internet, it took me a while to decide which campaign to talk about first. So I thought I might as well start with the giant -Louis Vuitton. The Vuitton ads this season are all for representing different people -from the English to the Asians. Thankfully, Marc Jacobs continued using models instead of actresses.

Naomi Campbell -Hate this ad. (Probably because I hate the bag and fur hat thingy.)

Kate Moss and Pharrel Williams- OK, can the ads get any more commercial? This set of ads look more like boring catalogue photos than high fashion ads. No wonder big name models had to be used to hype up the ads!

DuJuan and Raquel -I really like how the models are positioned. It kind of looks like DuJuan's head is coming out from Raquel's body! Even though this ad is very obviously selling the bag and necklace, it's still quite artistic.

Daria Werbowy -I like Daria better when she's tanned, but this set of 'pale skin with techno-coloured eyes' ads are definately more creative than the Kate and Naomi ones. Again, the model's position (and the shoe's) are so eye-catching and unique.

I'm a bit confused whether these photos are supposed to be one campaign or two, but with all the brilliant models Vuitton hired, I wish the whole campaign was just a bit more creative. Kate Moss in pale skin and techno-coloured eyes would have been interesting.

A Fashionable Pursuit

With the FIFA World Cup going on in Germany, there's been a worldwide soccer craze- at least in my part of the globe it has. Suddenly, it has become fashionable to watch, talk and breathe soccer.

People who normally don't cared a fig for soccer is suddenly staying up til the middle of the night to very enthusiastically watch soccer. By enthusiastic, I mean they are shouting out stuff and reacting as if they know what is going on, when I don't even think most of them know what an "offside" is. Of course, I'm sure there are many of those that actually ARE soccer fanatics and DO know whats going on. But what I'm saying is that soccer has become such a trend recently that there are many who are suddenly loving soccer because it is fashionable to do so and not because of the sport. And this is not limited to normal people. It is even widely spread in the media, where they'd have local pop idols go on soccer TV shows and talk about what they think of the coming soccer game when they clearly have no idea what is going on.

Now I'm not saying I'm not a little bit affected by this soccer fever myself. I just don't pretend to know anything about the sport. For me, soccer is just a bunch of people kicking the ball back and forth. And I am personally vouching for England only because I think David Beckham is hot and after watching a documentary about him on tv just now, I would like to see him lead England to win the World Cup before he retires.
On a side note, soccer stars do have pretty girlfriends/wives who loves to spend their other half's phenomenal earnings on fashion. I would like to say that Cheryl Tweedy (left, Ashley Cole's gf) needs to get a seamless strapless bra. And that something is off with Posh but I can't put my finger on it. Could it be the hair? Or could it be that she just needs to buy food?

Anyway, what I'm wondering is, if this soccer craze is limited to my corner of the globe. Is soccer suddenly fashionable with the rest of the world as well?

The Vuitton Antigua

Following the girl in the gorgeous Marc by Marc Jacobs dress the other day, I spotted yet another girl wearing this Vuitton Antigua tote. Although by no means would this Antigua collection be considered new, it just struck me what the perfect bag it is for our SS06 wardrobe.

After all, the SS06 wardrobe is supposed to be of a more sophisticated nuetral palette and nautical. And this Vuitton Antigua bag is definitely both with the beige canvas and the spot of red strap making it interesting.

Another very good color to consider is this off white and brown one. Now THIS is a combination that will match everything.

Plus, this is a great alternative if you want to own a Vuitton bag that is more subtle and doesn't scream Vuitton on every inch of its surface!

SS06 Fashion Trend: Suspenders/ Braces

Apart from the trend of dungaree dresses, suspenders have been seen on the runway and in shops. The normal way of wearing is like as seen on the Luella SS06 runway above: a pair of suspenders clipped onto the pants. I really have to say ugh to this trend. It's just so... 90s? Actually I have no idea when suspenders were last in fashion, but suspenders only remind me of those potbelly, middle-aged detectives one would see in TV or read in books.

However, I have to say, the only reason why I am writing about them at all is because they did look wicked cool in the Marc by Marc Jacobs show. Maybe it's because the suspender looked like another layer on top of the many other layers of clothes on the model. Or maybe it's because the belt is only on one side of the model, so the asymmetricalness adds randomness to the outfit, thus making the outfit funkier.

OK, my point is this: I don't like suspenders. Unless you manage to carry them off like a model could and look really good in them, then don't waste your money! There are definately prettier trendy accessories you could spend your money on.

Braun Cordless Stylers

The other day when I was having lunch with my little eleven year old cousin, I discovered the cutest thing. She'd curled her hair and I asked if she bought a curling iron and she said yes, in fact she was doing it on her way to lunch on the car. And I was like, what?? On the car?? How??

Then she whipped it out of her tiny purse and showed me this Braun Cordless Styler. It was SO cute! It is just one long curling stick, in this adorable light blue color with a clear lid so you don't get burnt when the iron is cooling down, with none of that long wire hassle. It operates on this thing that looks like some kind of liquid gas, but they call it special energy cells and it supposedly lasts for 8 hrs- although we have not put it to the test yet so I can't vouch for it. What I CAN vouch for is that it heats up quickly and that is actually works. My cousin did it for my hair on the spot during lunch (just a few strands) and it curled just fine! Plus, its cheap. I heard it was only about $30USD.

Maybe I'm just way behind on the technology of curling irons (or too caught up with the T3 tech), but before that, I've never heard of a cordless curling iron before and I'm in awe!