PRETTY PLEATS

I've always thought that military green would only work well with beige/browns/etc. Turns out I was wrong. I've been wearing this pleated skirt repeatedly ever since I got it and I've been experimenting it white (as shown for today's post!), pinks, and musky-lilac.. As always, I could never wear this hat (and my other hats) out in Jakarta. I spend my about 98% of my day indoors or inside a car. So there's no occasion for a hat I guess. I wish I could write a detailed post for tonight but I've been sick for 2 days and I need the rest so I can function properly next week. I hope you'll like today's photos as I much as I did :)

BEHIND THE SCENES : COSMOPOLITAN

some behind the scene photos during the cosmopolitan photoshoot I did last month ! the issue is out now and my feature is on the little Shopping : Shoes and Bags booklet that comes with it :)

GOLD FOILS

expect to see more converse showing up in this blog. they're my current "go to" shoes when I can't afford the time to stare at my shoe-rack and decide which one to wear. You know those days when ballerina flats are too feminine but havaianas are too sloppy? well, converse seemed to answer those shoe issues for me.. I find them highly useful when I feel the need to dress down an outfit. I'm off for another busy week and hopefully I can still make posts on my usual basis! first thing I need to do now is to search for some gold jewelries (earrings, bracelets, anything) for a birthday present...

MINUS SEVEN

For about 80% of my friends, a party or dinner invitation means a great excuse to dress up, head to the hair salon, and to get some pretty makeup on. As for me, I was a part of the 80% number. But now? I've turned into a lazy arse when it comes to curling irons and eyeshadow palettes. If you read Garance Dore's "10 Degres de Sophistication", my level has dropped from an 8 or 9 into a 5 (minus the messy bun part as my hair is pretty easy to tame without much labor anyway) for the weekends. and if I got nothing important to do, I would drop to a level 4. These photos represent that "level 4 weekend", as I like to call it now. No makeup, a breezy tank dress, and a pair of sunglasses to hide under... oh, and the hat would be a nice add-on if I lived somewhere outside indonesia (with the exception of bali..)

CUT-OFFS

quick update from my dreadful week. In between work and blogging, I am trying my best to stay up to date with fashion week reports. Thanks to Twitter and a blackberry browser, I'm not too far behind from the latest runways. Spring 2012 is probably the first spring season I'm looking forward to. I'm usually more of a fall-girl, but next year's spring collection is looking real good.. anddddd it might just motivate me to stay away from my neutral comfort zone (... might). I forgot to charge my dslr's battery prior shooting this set, so I used my S95 instead. the only thing I would complain from that camera is the noise level. But then again, it's a pocket camera anyway so I shouldn't make a fuzz about it. My week doesn't get any better with the scorching weather and with the fact that flickr only publishes two out of six photos I prepared for this post. I think I had to retry the upload about 15 times until the whole set was uploaded. I had some gold earrings on, but flickr was not willing to upload that one last image! I suppose that the technology gods are angry with me today...

HUBBA BUBBA

First thing that came into mind when I saw these jeans was : bubble gum. All of a sudden, I had flashbacks of those bubble-gum days (including the first time I accidentally swallowed a pack which I thought I was going to die). Well, I no longer go crazy over pink bubble gums but I do have a particular interest in these pair of jeans. Pink is not my usual taste of color (except for dusty almost-nude pinks) but it doesn't hurt to have some variety within the wardrobe right? I went for a light-colored palette for the whole outfit.. Added an orange clutch and a wee bit of bracelets for a final touch. All this from one website, DO NOT BREAK. Labels such as Naima, 16DS, and Oneandahalf are already a part of the multi-brand webstore. Now, I can get new goodies from different brands without having to wire my payment through multiple accounts.

FAST FORWARD

These two streetstyles were shot during NYFW. Not only do I love the simple looks, but my eye is drawn to that belt. Can anyone identify where those belts is from? I've seen it a couple times throughout my time on the internet but I have no idea where it's from.

ps. how amazing was Theyskens' Theory?? I was ecstatic to see some fall elements such as knitted textures and navy amongst the lighter shades present in the collection. Yes I loved Prabal Gurung and Marchesa, but those dresses won't come in handy on a daily basis. Styling was brilliant and I can picture myself wearing all the pieces that came out (okay, take that back as I might not have the guts to wear the low-crotch denim shorts).



and.. helllooooo sky-high ankle straps!

photo sources: studded hearts and vogue.com

LAST WEEKEND // SPOT-a-VENDRE

last weekend I participated in the Spot-a-Vendre bazaar hosted by 10 fashion bloggers, the LOOKBOOK Jakarta community, and 7 local brands at the southern area of Jakarta. Good news for the day : I managed to drive there without getting lost with Marcella Caroline of Footloose and Fancytree. Mini Google map on my phone screen never fails to keep me on the right track even when my phone provider opted to blank out in the middle of the trip. and now, the bad news : I was busy packing (with the addition of procrastination..) the night before.. caught a hideous flu from all the dust within my dresser, andddddd forgot to charge the battery of my Canon. these were the only pictures I managed to shoot before the last bar emptied.

The Traffic Post

Boy, the road has been REAL bad this week in Jakarta.. I'm still in the midst of traffic as I am writing this post up on my phone. Wearing Zara bblouse and wide legged pants with lanvin platforms. The glasses aren't alexander wangs, they were a gift from Paola Loves to Shop. My head's getting dizzy now, so I'll leave u with the rest of the post :D

BROWN BASICS

Shopping. verb ( shopped |ˈʃɑpt|, shopping |ˈʃɑpɪŋ|)
1 [ intrans. ] go to a store or stores to buy goods.
It's not just girls who do it; but every it's an activity that everyone does. Even when your mom buys groceries, that IS an act of shopping. Now, the only difference lies within how each individual use up their budget. My guy, for example, chooses to spend his on anything car related. As for me, I don't think that I need to tell you what I spend mine on (it's fashion and food if you still haven't recognized). However, within the fashion range, I tend to divide that up again. Some of you might start thinking "Shoe or bags is it?". The answer to that is "Yes.... and no". Other than those two, I also like stocking up on quality basics.

Basics, to certain people, may be one of the things they save on. However, from my own experience, investing in well-crafted ones will take you a long way. After all, they're pieces that you can constantly wear from season to season. Just a little bit of accessorizing and those basics look just as good as new. They may look exactly the same as those "3 for $10" packs, but I tell you, once you put them on, you'll notice the difference. I'm not saying that you have to spend a fortune on it but you can "invest" some time finding the right one for you. Everyone has got a different body, so one brand will not work well for the whole nation. Today, I'd like to share this simple yet classic dress from WALK-IN-CLOSET. It's neutral in color (hello to 'remixes' of this dress!), and it's only Rp 189,000. Not bad at all for a dress made with comfortable fabric and good cut.

BUFF AND BLUE

a little sneak preview of my next post ! neutrals with a pop of blue..
Congrats to ICE PANDORA and KANYAPRATITA for winning the PANG LOOK Giveaway !
both of you will be receiving some emails shortly so be sure to check your inboxes (including the junk folder and it might go in there..) for the prize claiming :)
ps. those who asked which photos were shot using the S95 on the previous post.. it was all of the black and white photos, the metal mini cups, and the chatime neon signage board.

JAKARTA PHOTODIARY

I had a really nice week-long Ramadhan break last week. I didn't go on a vacation but I did enjoy every inch of Jakarta's empty roads I drove through. For non-Jakartans out there, the traffic here is REALLY bad. How bad if you ask me, well if can take up to 3 hours to cover a 25km track. If anyone in a different city can top that of, I would love to know! With this city being peaceful, I couldn't help but go on random culinary trips all over Jakarta (which resulted unnecessary fatty acids to grow). Here's a little bit of recap of my holiday-in-town..

Parseltongue

If you're reading the preview text on my RSS feeds, there's NOTHING harry potter related here. in fact, I'm having a mini giveaway here :) I just felt like using parseltongue in place of the word 'snakeprints'. I've always thought that snake-printed things were tacky (I don't like the idea of touching snakes either.. It's just slithery and creepy for me). That is, until I saw this year's fall collections (Chloé to name one) and this Prada shoes I fell over. Turns out serpent-goods DO look good when worn correctly. I was cleaning up my closet looking for things to sell for the upcoming Spot-A-Vendre bloggers' bazaar this saturday and I found my old snake print clutch. I remember buying this at the same shop I bought my clutch form my previous post, but I still can't recall the name of the store. After 2 years of hiding, I opted this over my regular black clutch for the day.

Mine, Not Yours

It's funny how I manage to track my changes from my blog. It's not style changes I'm talking about, but it's the change in me. One night, I forgot that I am not supposed to take coffee at 11pm and I ordered a nice latte which resulted me one nasty no-sleep night. During that wide awake moment, I decided to take a look at my blog archives. I managed to go circa june 2010 and I realized something : despite how scatterbrained I am, I could connect the posts I wrote with what I was feeling at the time even if I didn't mention the slightest bit about my personal on-goings. I am aware that this is a very random thought.. but now I remember doing some tests when I was in middle school and the examiner told me that I'm a very visual person. Memories kick in with the help of graphics/motions, not words or sounds. I assume that I was able to recall those memories within my blog via the photos perhaps? yes? no? It's interesting how the human brain works (and how it varies through different people). One time in high school I even decided that I wanted to study Psychology, but in the end fashion won my heart. and if you're wondering why I'm writing all of this : I have no idea. This thought just sort of travelled through my mind as I questioned myself "why did not I have the guts to wear red jeans 3-4 years ago?" and the answer was because I dressed to impress others. and now, the older I get, the less I care about what others think. I wear what I want, I do what I wish. It's my life, not yours and no one else's.

so the next time you have some decision-making to do, always take yourself into consideration. ask what is it that you want? there's no harm in taking others' viewpoint, but in the end, it's your call ! :) have a fabulous september ahead !

behind the scenes : shopatvelvet

BEHIND THE SCENE PHOTOS at VELVET'S LOOKBOOK PHOTOSHOOT








model: anna polyaeva - posh management, makeup: sisca, styling and directing: michelle