September 04, 2007

FCUK FW07-08
FCUK kicking off this season, I would like to gush about the new FW07-08 FCUK collection. Once again they have exceeded my expectations for them and turned out some very pretty and trendy looking clothes this season. The ads actually makes me look forward to fall/winter, evoking images of ladylike elegance, sophistication and a hint of fun and funk. LOVE the whole look here, the hair, purple dress and ankle boots!!!The image of ladylike sophistication. I especially love the picture on the right, except I'm not sure the actual outfit of black turtleneck and long black skirt would do well in real life.... you'd have to be very tall and slim to pull it off.And here I just adore the beige cardigan. Its a coat cardigan but has the prettiness of a dress like at the same time!And sigh.... these coats are sooooooo gorgeous. The grey coat on the left is classic and stylish, with the collar. And the black coat is chic and trendy with just the right details!
For now, I think I am going to go with these plain loose tees in different colors as I'm probably going to get the most mileage out of them this season, so buying it full priced would be worth it. Especially since I've finally decided that it was time to move on from my usual plain tees from Mango and Zara, these would be a nice little upgrade. The plain color with its simple but more flowy and elegant cutting is perfect for everyday wear to school.
Sigh, it feels like only yesterday that I gushed about their SS07 collection!
Image Credits: FCUK
posted by Barneys Girl at 3:10 PM 9 comments
September 03, 2007

New FW07 Layout
Hey people. It's our bi-annual layout changing day again! If you've been a reader of ours for more than a year, you would probably know that we change our layout on every 1st March and 1st September. Usually we're really on time with changing the layout, but this time, we weren't both at home at the end of August. (I went to the States and BG worked full time.) We really tried to do it in advance (which we still feel amazed about,) but we were completely uninspired at that point. OK so admittedly, we still don't feel very inspired and there are probably still things we could have done better. But hey, both of us completely lack IT skills and creativity, and given the deadline we don't think we did too badly. First we had to pick a background photo. We went through BG's many scenery photos from Paris and experimented with them, but it turns out that randomly floating models don't fit into scenery photos well. Then we came across this pink background taken with BG's Nokia at the New Years party that we went to. (The party wasn't that great but now we have decided that it was fate that we went, just to take this photo!haha) Yes, I know the picture is blurry but it's part of why we chose it. As for the models, they are from the FW07 shows of Nina Ricci, Prada and Balenciaga, left to right (images from www.style.com). I know it doesn't seem like we put much thought into the models, but each of the models you see in the image is actually two of the same models with different effects put together to form one model. The technical stuff should work on your browsers since it's pretty much the same as the previous one, but as usual, if something is wrong, leave us a comment. (Although we would even happier to read comments about what you think of the new image as well!) In some unexpected way, the layout does suit this season doesn't it? You know, the dark, greyish colours with huge blotches of bold pink. Bring on FW07!
posted by Harrods Girl at 11:29 PM 25 comments
August 31, 2007

Prada Vernice Sfumata Pump
Prada's accessories are always one of the first brands I look at in style.com's accessories preview. Afterall, Prada's accessories are always the sales force behind the brand and they're usually copied by all the other high street brands (thus Prada's accessories almost always form part of the new trends.)
The first time I saw this season's Prada's shoes, I thought err... I hated the gradient colour theme (more so for certain colours like green and black than others,) and I wasn't really into the whole leg-warmers-with-heels trend because realistically, I'm not going to even try that. But when I was wondering around Barneys in LA, I couldn't resist trying on a pair of one of Prada's FW07 runway shoes, the Vernice Sfumata Pump, which to us normal people, are commonly known as the gradient-coloured pumps. So I tried them on and wow, I loved them! I instantly felt like I was sucked into the world of artistic, intellectually glam world of Prada. I especially liked the thick, black, elastic strap in the front. I was wearing a flowery skirt that day so it didn't really match my outfit but I imagine it would look absolutely amazing with black pants -modern, sleek and creative. Sigh, now I'll probably spend the next few months admiring these shoes online everyweek.
Image credits: www.saksfifthavenue.com, www.prada.com
posted by Harrods Girl at 11:15 PM 24 comments
August 30, 2007

HG's LA Trip II
After yesterday's not-too-positive post about LA's food, I'll move onto LA's shopping today! I stayed at Beverly Wilshire so the place I went everyday was Rodeo Drive. Before going I wasn't really enthusastic about Rodeo Drive because I thought it was just going to be another designer name-packed street which will be like all the other places I usually go to (-Hong Kong, London etc.) I was right about the designer-packed part, but what I didn't expect was that I really loved the street. I loved how there was so much space to walk around and not feel crowded, and the salespeople there were so friendly and helpful! (The sad thing was of course, I could hardly afford anything there!)The thing I loved most on Rodeo Drive was the Prada shop. The first time I saw it from across the street, I thought, that coat looks like it's from Prada's FW07 collection and those stairs are very NYC Soho Prada-like, is that the Prada shop? You will notice that the shop doesn't even have a Prada sign, and I really haven't seen a store before that didn't display its own designer name! I loved it! (Seriously, if you didn't know Prada well and just walked past it, you would think it was a weird warehouse!)But walk by at night and you'll be surprised. See those three holes on the ground?They're like lighted caves filled with Prada goodies. The concept is so cool.And of course, there is the newly renovated Chanel store, my second favourite looking store on Rodeo Drive. It looks so clean and clear cut, with only white, black and gold.While I love the atmosphere and all of Rodeo Drive, the shopping place that I really liked was Robertson Blvd. Robertson Blvd is the street where a lot of mix-brand boutiques like Kitson and Madison are, and also boutiques of American brands like Nanette Lepore and Alice + Olivia. For me, Kitson was sort of... blah. I only noticed lots of T-shirts and the new Paris Hilton clothing collection. If anyone visits Robertson Blvd, then you must go to the Alice + Olivia store -the clothes are SO gorgeous. It's not too often that I think clothes look even prettier in real life than on shopbop.com. And there are so many more stores on Robertson -that was def a fun trip.Unfortunately for me, the only things I could afford on both streets was the BCBG sales rack! Surprisingly, the sales rack still had loads of goodies. I got a boring/ classic, black and nude-coloured dress for only 150usd (half price!) and a very useful black cardigan thingy. And while I love my BCBG purchases, my favourite (and most useful) purchases were probably the two pairs of sporty shorts (great for lounging around the house doing nothing) I bought at Target, where my sister bought her moving-into-college-stuff. So all in all, shopping in LA was pretty cool and it ended up being a really relaxing holiday.Ooh, and now I finally understand why Mary Kate and Ashley look so wrapped up (with scarves and cardigans) in paparazzi photos even in LA. Even though it was sunny everyday in LA, the temperature was kind of cool ,especially in early mornings and nights. Anyways, I'm leaving San Francisco tonight so I better go pack now!
posted by Harrods Girl at 6:00 PM 16 comments
August 29, 2007

HG's LA Trip I
Today I just wanted to give everyone a quick look at my LA trip. Last week, I stayed in LA for a week suppsedly helping my sister move into USC. (OK I wasn't much help carrying her stuff nor did I attend the orientation but whatever.) First off, I just want to say how boring LA's sightseeing spots were. The Walk of Fame, Kodak Theatre, Lady something catherdral thingy, the Hollywood sign etc. -honestly, all a yawn. I don't know why people get so excited and take so many pictures there. The only thing worth seeing was The Getty Center -the garden and photography exhibition were gorgeous. Since the sights were so disappointing, I decided that a trip to LA must involve the young people hotspots. So I made my poor family go with me to Koi, Pink Berry, Sprinkles, Spago and The Ivy. For those who don't know, Koi is one of the 'it' restuarants, where a lot of celebs get their photos taken by the paparazzis when they leave. It's a Japanese fusion restaurant. Admittingly, it was fab for the ambiance and all, but the food seriously sucked (way too salty,) and the tables were just too crowded. Definitely not a place for serious dining. Spago (which claims to be a Californian restaurant with Austrian influences) on the other hand, served fantastic food. The only warning I should give out is that it's pretty touristy. Sprinkles, the hotspot for cupcakes, always had a line outside the store. The cupcakes were... cupcakes -Sweet, but nothing special and overpriced. But it was an 'LA experience' for me, to join in the craze with other Angelinos.Pink Berry is basically the snack place of the moment in LA. They sell simple yogurt, soft ice-cream style, and you add toppings on it. Surprisingly, I actually liked the yogurt there and had it three times in my one week there! No wonder they're earning so much money and opening so many stores. Do try it if you go to LA -it's another 'LA expeience' one should enjoy!Ah, the oh-so-famous Ivy. I stumbled across it on a shopping trip and surprisingly managed to get a table without reservation in 15 minutes. The food there was pretty good, although my mum and I were more impressed by how the waiting crowd outside the restaurant didn't seem to get smaller even at 3pm! While it wasn't the best Italian food I've ever had, the meal was certainly one of the better ones I had in LA.