A Bite Of The Big Apple (Part 1)

Greetings! I'm back after a wonderful week in New York with the boy celebrating our one-year anniversary and my birthday. It's back to the daily grind and my everyday routine, but not before sharing snippets of my trip with you and reliving favourite vacation memories. I couldn't narrow down my photos any further so this will be a two-part post. Enjoy!

1. Early start to the day at the airport
2. Salchipapa (sausage and French fries) at Peruvian chicken chain Pio Pio
3. The ceiling of the manually operated elevator in our hotel, Hotel Deauville, a refurbished turn-of-the-century brownhouse
4. Giant Hello Kitty statue!
5. Inside MoMA
6. Modern furniture design
7. Mid-century building blocks
8. Taking a ride in the Apple store's glass elevator
9. Goofing off at FAO Schwarz
10. Outside the Plaza Hotel
11. Chanel haute couture wedding gown in the window of Bergdorf Goodman

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Today's Outfit: Holt Renfrew/Chanel Cosmetics & Fragrance Space Launch

• Blazer (Gap)
• Dress (Juicy Couture)
• Necklace (H&M)
• Shoes (Browns)
• Purse (Chanel)

These days I find myself going straight to fashion events after work quite often, leading to this age-old dilemma: should I bring a change of clothes and makeup to work--which is a lot to carry--or should I just go straight to an event in the same thing I've been wearing all day? Case in point: Last week I left the office for a cocktail party thrown by Holt Renfrew and Chanel to celebrate Chanel's newly renovated cosmetics and fragrance space. Something chic and Chanel-worthy, but comfortable and wrinkle-resistant, was required. Just as I was about to give up on "comfortable and wrinkle-resistant," I remembered the gold-and-black lace Juicy Couture dress I bought in Vegas. Paired with a blazer, statement necklace, jeweled flats, and a 2.55 purse, this outfit met all the criteria I had in mind. (Okay, admittedly I might have been overdressed for work, where the outfit de rigueur of software developers is graphic tees, jeans, and sneakers.)

Huge thanks to gorgeous blogger Carolina of Closet Full of Nothing, who generously gave me her invite because she was going to be out of town during the event! I offered to cover it for her as a guest blogger in her absence, so I'll be updating this post later with a link to the recap on Carolina's blog. In the meantime, here's a little sneak peek.

UPDATE: My guest post is up on Closet Full of Nothing!

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Lisa's Most Coveted List

It's time for a long overdue edition of my Most Coveted List! Here are the 5 things I'm loving and/or lusting after right now.

1. Sephora Cuticle Care Pen. This product is an absolute godsend for the dry, brittle nails I have as a result of constant nail polish wear. If I'm planning to redo my nails on any given day, I'll remove the polish immediately when I get home, then paint a layer of cuticle oil on my cuticles and nails for an ultra-moisturizing treatment. The click-and-paint brush applicator makes applying the perfect amount of oil on each nail a cinch, eliminating waste and mess. An hour or two later and my nails look healthy and hydrated once again.



2. Ceci Korean magazine. For me, Asian fashion magazines are fascinating because they seem so accessible yet foreign and exotic. I can pick one up and flip through the pages and see faces, models, and bodies (kind of, sort of) like mine. However, I can't read a word of it (well, I can read the Chinese ones if I have a dictionary in hand and a lot of time) and the products, celebrities, and fashion are quite different. My new favourite Asian fashion glossy to flip through is Ceci Korean. I borrowed the summer issue from the library, which was so big it made the September issue of Vogue look like a lightweight. Page after page of pretty hairstyles, beauty products with high SPFs, adorable outfits--yay! The only thing I wasn't so crazy about was the 20-odd pages of plastic surgery ads at the back of the issue, but then again, I've heard eye and nose jobs are pretty prevalent in Asia these days.

Image from celeble.com

3. New birthday handbags. Remember when I was drooling over the Coach 'Sabrina' satchel and the Chanel camellia-embossed lambskin wallet clutch in this post? Well, I'm getting them for my champagne birthday, which is coming up at the end of this week (turning 25 on the 25th!). I already bought the 'Sabrina' in gray as an early present of sorts and have been using and loving it the past month. The clutch is coming soon hopefully.




4. Francis fall 2009 collection. Truly these are clothes that can put a smile on a girl's face! You can see the entire fall collection on Francis's Facebook fan page here. It was so difficult to narrow down my choice to 1 or 2 pieces, but in the end I went with the mixed menswear skirt and sleeveless argyle applique dress. According to the folks at the Francis studio, my order is set to ship sometime this week, so here's hoping it gets to me before or on Friday. I love this feeling of anticipating a special birthday parcel in the mail. :)




5. Greg Laswell. I've been listening to him on repeat since an acquaintance tweeted a link to one of his songs, "Days Go On." Click the player below and have a listen. Enjoy!

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Luxe Or Less: Chanel Flat Sandals

Admittedly, they are not the most exciting sandals on the planet: a flat sole, simple black straps, a white camellia or two as embellishment. But long after gladiators and cut-out booties become passé, these Chanel flat sandals will still look chic and timeless for many a summer. Think of how lovely they would look paired with a white ensemble for a garden party, or with a sun dress and oversized sunglasses for a day of window shopping.

If you crave the look but can't afford Chanel, there are more affordable alternatives out there. I found 2 on the Nordstrom website.

Poetic License 'Mint Julip' sandal ($89.95)



Diba 'Very Hot' sandal ($49.95)

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Lisa's Most Coveted List

This edition of my Most Coveted List is long overdue! 5 things I'm loving or lusting after right now.

1. NARS Orgasm Blush. Best blush buy ever. Back in January I had a gift certificate for The Bay, and not being in need of clothes, I decided to spend part of the amount on a new blush. (My old Revlon blush had been with me since I was 17. I dropped the compact and the clasp broke; it never closed properly after that. Needless to say, this purchase was way overdue.) The peachy pink shade is universally flattering, and when worn on the apples of your cheeks, looks like a 100% natural glow.



2. My new blog banner! In case you haven't noticed, Solo Lisa is sporting a new, more polished look these days thanks to my friend and graphic design guru Artem.

3. 90s nostalgia. I don't know why, but lately I've been experiencing the worst craving for 90s shows, movies, and music. This Counting Crows playlist on Imeem entertains me while I'm at work with tunes like "Holiday in Spain"--so perfect and full of melancholy yearning. I also re-watched Clueless 5 times in December. If you're feeling the 90s love right now, read Shay's post for a succinct breakdown of what 90s style was all about!

4. Miu Miu pleated apron skirt. I'm ridiculously in love with this swath of fabric on a fastener, thinking of the plethora of layering possibilities it represents. Wear it over a tee and jeans. Layer it on top of a peach cocktail dress at chest level and cinch it with a black patent skinny belt, like the March 2009 issue of Vogue did. Would I pay $880 for this? No. But maybe I could make something like it if I got my hands on some black jersey...



5. Paper flower headdresses from Chanel's SS09 couture show. One word: Wow.

Original images from style.com

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Random London Notes In 18 Minutes Or Less

I only have 18 minutes of Internet time left in my half-hour session on the hostel's computer. Let's see how many random recollections I can type in that time, shall we?

• London smells. (This is a bad thing.) Every once in a while I walk across a random intersection and get a whiff of something. It's not deadly or anything, and in fact it smells a bit like NYC and Mexico City. Maybe it's an overpopulated city thing.
• I'm surprisingly impervious to "the cold" (i.e. the weather that makes people here step out in tights, scarves, and jackets and/or cardigans). In fact, I'm actually overheating and I get way too hot on the tube. Plus it's not raining--miracle of miracles! I'm definitely regretting the wool jacket and boots and knee-high socks that I packed.
• Speaking of getting hot on the tube, I sat across from an extremely cute guy on the Piccadilly line this morning. He was kind of sleepy and kept nodding off. He also sported cuts on his nose and under his eye and what looked like a recovering black eye. I wanted to ask him how he'd done that, but I was afraid he'd reply that he got those injuries in a bar brawl (plus I was just plain afraid).
• Like NYC, I'm really enjoying travelling alone and meeting random people and having conversations with complete strangers. The Aussie tourists I keep bumping into are lovely. Oh, and today at lunch I struck up a conversation with a guy sitting next to me at a sandwich shop. He designs Facebook applications for a living. How freakin' cool is that?!?
• The high street shops sell some surprisingly craptastic stuff. Given the exchange rate, I'm not exactly buying it, figuratively and literally.
• Purchases from today: a prim cotton top that looks oh so lovely with my cameo necklace, some comfy two-toned T-strap heels, two nude-coloured miracle camis from Uniqlo. I also bought a satiny top from Dorothy Perkins and a skirt from Miss Selfridge, but upon a second look I think I might return them. I have serious reservations about the quality of both pieces.
• Wicked is wicked good. The half-price tickets deals available in Leicester Square made it even better.

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Birthday Bows

Image from The Moves

"Being grown up is a terribly hard thing to do. It is much easier to go from one childhood to another." - F. Scott Fitzgerald

I'm another year older today and none the wiser. Want an example of my stunted emotional growth? The quote above comes from a card my coworkers presented me with in honour of my university graduation. I started working at this software company a week after my last final, and 2-3 weeks before convocation. Jumping from school to the working world seems like a very grown-uppish thing to do--until, that is, you consider that this card is pinned above my work desk, right over the heads of my growing Starbucks bear collection. How ironic and appropriate all at the same time.

To celebrate my birthday, let's look at some pretty bow-festooned clothes and accessories I'd never in a million years get a chance to wear but would love to wear today, shall we? It's fun to fantasize after all, and elaborate bows can make a chica feel like she's a perfectly wrapped present all unto herself on her special day.

Alexis Mabille (All images are from the fall 2008 couture and RTW collections on Style.com)

Armani Privé

Chanel

Christian Dior

Elie Saab

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Happy Mid-Autumn Moon Festival!

Image from Chanel.com

I wish I were wearing this ring from the Chanel Comètes collection right now as I sit in front of my laptop, munching away on lotus paste-filled mooncakes. That pearl's phosphorescence rivals the moon's.

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Luxe Or Less: Chanel Camellia Metal Chain Necklace/Belt

(Original photos courtesy of La Voguette.)

"Okay, okay, we get it!" you think as soon as you see the title and picture for this post. "You love Chanel. You're all about the classy and classic pieces. You'd sell your soul for double-C logos and white camellias. And yeah, that's a cute, versatile piece whether it's worn as a statement necklace over a simple black sweater, or as a low-slung belt over a little black dress. But come on! It's downright exorbitant for a flower, some beads, and some metal chains."

Yeah, my thoughts exactly...which is why I have my eye on the 'Lisa' flower necklace from Marciano, priced at $82.35. Look, look! An enamel flower, multiple gold chains, even a chain with interwoven leather much like what Chanel does for its handbags. I'm in love. It's even named after me. This must be fate.

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Luxe Or Less: Colourful Chanel Ballet Flats

In this case, the question "Who copied whom?" is like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg. Ballet flats are traditionally dance shoes, so it's not like Chanel can take the credit for that innovation. By the same token, it would make sense for a dance shoe manufacturer like Bloch to come out with streetwear ballet flats. However, who came up with the idea of a fluorescent two-tone flat first? Bloch's purple-and-black number bears an uncanny resemblance to Chanel's hot pink-and-black flat. These colours are spunky and will definitely get you noticed, but I think I prefer Bloch's navy and yellow versions with white accents more.


Bloch luxury ballet flats, on sale for $51 on Shopbop.com

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Eye Candy: Chanel Paper Dolls

I mentioned ages ago that I'd ordered a copy of Tom Tierney's Chanel Fashion Review paper doll book and promised scans of my favourite looks in an upcoming Eye Candy post. Well, after two and a half months, I've brushed the dust off my scanner and delivered on my promise.

The book was a brilliant purchase as a time capsule of Chanel's most notable vintage looks, but as an actual paper doll book, it wasn't that great. The dolls and outfits are printed on heavy paper that feels like a glossy lightweight cardboard--a very difficult material to cut, especially since some of the dolls have very fine details that you have to cut around. Also, none of the dolls or outfits are perforated, making cutting out the dolls and outfits without mutilating them even harder. In the end, I didn't want to ruin the book and the lovely captions detailing each outfit and left it alone. This book isn't just eye candy, though; the inside cover features a brief biography of Coco Chanel's life.

These are just some of my favourite looks in the book and what I love about them.

Details, details. The subtle white bow headband and chunky costume jewelry add interest to the head-to-toe white ensemble on the left. The outfit on the right is the iconic Chanel suit, but the oversized bow and two-toned pumps add extra flair.



Still stylish today. The black flower on the hip of the left outfit reminds me of Carrie Bradshaw's oversized silk flower corsages. The little ribbon tie on the right ensemble is a look that Sienna Miller and Sarah Jessica Parker have both sported.



Black dresses and pearls are timeless. Just look at the outfits below! Enough said.



Roots run deep. Chanel began her career as a milliner. This deep orange cloche hat with the pleated embellishment is so simple yet perfect, and is evidence of her humble beginnings.



Drop dead gorgeous. Chanel is best known for introducing the world to the LBD, but even she knew nothing stops admirers in their tracks like a jolt of jaw-dropping colour, as evidenced by this purple evening gown designed for Gloria Swanson.



A cinched waist. I love how full this coat is at the bottom. You just don't see high drama like this in coats anymore.



Cue the drool. I love everything about this outfit, period. I'd wear it in a heartbeat.

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Lisa's Most Coveted List

Five guilty pleasures I can't get enough of right now.

1. Chanel's fall 2008 couture collection. Longtime readers of this blog will know that I've become a very fervent fan of Chanel since my trip to NYC. I've been ogling the photos from the Fall 2008 couture show on Style.com over and over, sighing over how lovely everything is. Unlike Christian Lacroix, where "more is more" was the guiding aesthetic of the show, Karl Lagerfeld balanced luxuriousness with tailored restraint. Take a look at the outfit and the detail shots while you're perusing the show photos. My favourite piece? This hoodie evening gown trimmed with gray camellias. So lovely.




2. Asian yoghurt drinks. I've been hooked on these for the last week or so ever since my mom picked up a couple packs from the T&T supermarket. Yum!



3. Cracked pepper and olive oil Triscuits. I've always thought Triscuits are a bit bland, but I tried these out at a friend's house, liked them, bought some for myself, and now I can't stop eating them. They're the perfect snack indulgence because at approximately 20 calories apiece, they pack a salty/peppery/garlic punch and are about as fattening as cardboard (but soooo much more delicious). And did I mention they're whole-grain too? Munch away with no regrets and wash it down with a yoghurt drink.

4. Giraffe scissors. These would look so cute on my work desk next to the Starbucks bearista bears, the bunnies, the beanie dogs, and the paper clip holder that looks like a cross between an egg and a baby chick. (Yes, I was and still am one of those Asian girls in love with Hello Kitty.)



5. Katy Perry's style in the video for "I Kissed A Girl." Girly-glam and oh so retro, Perry's feminine style makes for excellent eye candy. Just check out the red crop top, high-waisted shorts, and espadrilles on her album cover! If you haven't already seen it, trust me, the fashion in the video is even better.

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Luxe Or Less: Floral Cocktail Rings

Spring and summer have finally arrived and our gardens are blooming, so why shouldn't our baubles? I've spotted an abundance of oversized flower cocktail rings lately on Bag Borrow or Steal from the likes of Kenneth Jay Lane and Chanel (cue the drool), with enamel accents and semi-precious stones galore. These multi-petalled beauties are even more lovely than their real-life counterparts.

Chanel pink flower ring



Kenneth Jay Lane large flower ring



While Bag Borrow or Steal doesn't list purchase prices on their website, I imagine these rings cost a pretty penny. I suggest snagging this flower ring from Urban Outfitters for a mere $18 to get the look and still keep some money in the bank for a rainy day. At that price, you'll have something left over for a new floral-print sun dress to match your ring.

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