Jenni Kayne

HEELS DESTROY BOTH my feet and my will to live, which is probably why I have an unhealthy obsession for flats. Especially versions that deviate from the usual round-toed basics that permeate the shops, both virtual and physical.

So when I happened to come across these whilst trolling the Market section over at The Coveteur, I basically sat there for a minute and allowed my pupils to dilate.

Jenni Kayne Patchwork flats, USD 695 [HERE]

Made of kid skin/ leather

The patchwork detail on these keep them from being a boring basic, and the shape of these are equal parts going-out shoe as they are pyjama slippers. Totally obsessed. I love me some confused footwear!!

Man. I think I've found the holy grail of flats and JENNI KAYNE MAKES THEM.

... Now excuse me while I go attempt to win the lottery.

Olsen Twins: Back to Black

"I like change. I've never really had much consistency in my life, you know, from everyday work to my living situation to whether or not I'm going to be in L.A. The one constant thing in my life is my friends and family, which is all I need." 

- Mary-Kate Olsen

"I don't think you necessarily need to show off your stomach and boobs to be sexy. I'm just not attracted to that type of dressing." 

- Ashley Olsen

"I am Henri. Zee American cooking, it tastes like du caka poo poo." 

- Passport to Paris

They're Better Off Dead

MY LOVE FOR graphic tees just won't go away.

I mean ... what's not to love about a juiced-up plain tee?

Better Off Dead CC BDSM Shirt, USD 45 [HERE]

Better Off Dead St Yves BDSM shirt, USD 45 [HERE]

These aren't real but that doesn't make them any less desirable to me.

[edit] Just so we're clear - when I say they aren't real, I mean they weren't produced by either Chanel or YSL. In case there was any confusion over that.

Just in Case

AFTER MANY TRIALS and tribulations, I have recently managed to acquire the iPhone 5.

It took so freaking long that by the time I held that small white box in my hands, 1) my nephew had been born (he was probably the size of a small orange when the first order was put through), 2) they were already talking about the iPhone 6.

I almost flushed the stupid phone down the toilet.

(... But I'm so glad I didn't because it is super expensive ...)

These days though, you basically can't pry him (uh-oh, can anybody say Anthropomorphic?) out of my fingers unless I'm in the shower or asleep.

He's currently clothed in a plain black RM 40 case I bought from the teeny phone shop opposite my office, but because I am a girl and am therefore prone to being fickle, I've been trawling Etsy for more covers that I can switch around depending on mood.

It took me a couple of hours but I think I've finally managed to narrow them down.



FOR HAPPY DAYS:

(Left) iStyleiCase, Whale & Elephant case, USD 14.99 [HERE]

(Right) happyrabbitz, Elephant in Hot-air Balloon case, USD 18 [HERE]

WHEN I FEEL LIKE BEING A KARDASHIAN (HEY, IT HAPPENS):

(Left) hanaoutlet, Tiffany blue case, USD 17 [HERE]

(Right) URHiso, Louis Vuitton MM Messenger inspired case, USD 19 [HERE]

TO FEEL LIKE A BADASS (THIS IS SOMETIMES IMPORTANT):

CaseCoat, Jack Daniels case, USD 12.99 [HERE] 

TO REMIND PEOPLE I AM A GIRL ONCE FEELINGS OF BADASSERY HAVE WORN OFF:

(Left) the case factory, Black and Gold Chevron case, USD 15.99 [HERE]

(Right) iStyleiCase, Chanel Red nailpolish case, USD 12.99 [HERE]

WHEN AUNT FLO IS COMING TO TOWN:

 (Left) Luxcase, Biscuit cake, USD 5.99 [HERE]

(Right) TheCuriousCaseLLC, Waffle with Butter, USD 17.99 [HERE]

WHEN I WANT TO SIT IN A CORNER AND CRY FOR MY CHILDHOOD TO COME BACK BECAUSE BEING AN ADULT SUCKS (PMS-RELATED):

(Left) KeepCalmCaseOn, Blue Gameboy hardcase, USD 15 [HERE]

(Right) 1VintageSoul, Pink Radio, USD 21 [HERE]

WHEN I HAVE TO MAINTAIN SOME SEMBLANCE OF DECORUM BECAUSE NONE OF THESE OTHER CASES WILL DO (OF COURSE IT HAS TO BE MONOGRAMMED ... IS THIS GETTING TIRING YET? SORRY):

CreateItYourWay, Monogrammed iPhone case - Black chevron with turquoise monogram, USD 20.99 [HERE]

Seems like quite a number of these categories are about making me feel better during my special moon-time. Hahaha.


Have any cool iPhone covers you'd like to recommend? I'd love to see them!

Accessories for Drunkards

USD $225 [HERE]

HAVE YOU SEEN this delectable flask bangle from Cynthia Rowley?

They're currently sold out, but are in the process of re-stocking. Something to keep an eye on for all you drunkards out there! 

Man, this would've been totally great for NYE - slugging gulps of vino, pretending to be Jack Sparrow...

Luckily for me though, I'm Chinese and I get to celebrate two new years every year, which probably sounds like total shit-sticks to anybody who's only ever known one new year's celebration (my sincerest apologies), BUT what it means is that THIS BANGLE MAY STILL BE OF USE TO ME YET.

Personally

A SHOCKING NUMBER of you have been voting for more personal posts and pictures from me, and I'm a little terrified that this has happened.

But that's cool. I get it. One of my greatest guilty pleasures in life is finding and reading un-apologetically personal blogs, sooo you know ... if I ever come across a blog with a poll asking me what I'd like to see more of, that's probably one of the first things I'd vote for.

Um. And if it wasn't one of the choices, I'd probably type it in the comments section under a handle like  DeZTInee's-CHiLD_6678865700 to throw people off my scent and protect my reputation. (If you ever receive a comment from OmAIGoD_GeOrGe_cLOOneY_4-evA!!!!!!!!!! with that exact number of exclaimation marks ... that was probably me too.)

... Man, that whole Anonymous Voting thing kind of blows because now I really want to know who wants to know.

Although I think I kind of know who ONE voter is ... even though she was being all coy about it.

I woke up to a text from Twinnie one morning that basically said, "Hey, so I voted for you to put more personal stuff up on your blog. Do it," because I think she sometimes needs things to read when she's bored and waiting in line for something like fish-ball noodle soup; followed by: "EH ... soooooooo .... what did everyone else vote for? I kind of need to know..."

I promised her I'd show her, but that was like a fortnight ago. And if I'm being super honest, I was waiting for the 'I like it when you feature items you're currently coveting' category to move up a few points because I was really rooting for that one.

But anyway ... Twinnie, I'm showing you what's the haps with the voting thing right now.

Did everybody just kind of look at this and go, "Well GREAT, now I have to click like a BAZILLION TIMES for personal crap to go up on this blog"? 'Coz now I feel stupid for splitting the posts and pictures options up.

Kay Ell

Hello all, I just got back from a quick trip over to Kuala Lumpur and I am pretty much vanquished by all the pollution and bad traffic. Hehe. Can't tell you how much I've missed not fearing for my life in some rickety speeding taxi.

Anyway! This is going to be a terrible photo diary, seeing as how I was way too busy either running around or stuffing my face with Aunty Anne's pretzels/tubs of Baskin & Robbins ice cream to remember I actually have readers who want to see these things too ... but this post is up because way too many of you have voted for more personal posts and pictures. 

More on this in my next post.

So here we go.

Obsessed with Topshop's eyelash ditsy necklace. Just the right amount of combined sass and whimsy.

"Just wait 'til you get up here ..."

This scared the crap outta me. And I was so excited to see some cheapo Matthew Williamson stuff, too. 

WHO DOES THAT?!!?

Topshop jeans and top, Mulberry bag.

I am aware that I am coming off like a nut-job who almost exclusively dresses herself in Topshop, but it's not true.

... I also save a pretty huge chunk of closet space for Zara, and there's a shelf in there that houses like a million tees from American Apparel.

Sneaker Freaker, Faux Python Skin Edition

ph. pixiemarket

USD $96 [here]

WHAT IS IT about these sneakers that have me salivating uncontrollably?

Could it be the fact that these are equal parts boot and sneaker? Or is it simply that in lieu of traditional laces, there is a zipper that goes down the front; a zipper that basically negates all the fiddly knots and the Virgoean worrying that laces will come undone at any given moment?

Whatever it is, no snakes were harmed in the making of this shoe, which really deserves a super duper thumbs up in itself.

Superhero Fantasies

ph. oaknyc

USD $222.50 [here]

IF I WERE a superhero, this is exactly what I'd like to be immortalized in.

I haven't decided what I'd like my superhero powers to be yet, but flying probably shouldn't be on the list if this is what I'm going to be wearing.

... Unless I find a bad-ass pair of leather leggings to go under this because it really seems like leather is one of those things you REALLY need to wear to be considered a legit superhero, and I don't want to be left out.

Clare Vivier Monogrammed Duffle Bag

WE SPOKE OF my struggle with severe personalizophilia a mere five days ago when I met Rifle Paper Co.'s amazing fully-customizable stationary ... and yes I still want 2000 cards with my cartoon-ized face on them, but this is a blog celebrating my love for consumerism and what this means is I already have something else to add to my list of Total Must-Haves.

Meet this duffle of Clare Vivier make, something I spotted over on that fabulous blog le catch all of five seconds ago but we all know time means nothing where true love is concerned.

I'm pretty sure I'm ready to make a commitment to this bag.

ph. via le catch

USD $460 [HERE]

It kind of reminds me of that duffle Sofia Coppola did for LV - just one of hundreds of bags from seasons past that I haven't managed to exterminate from my mind yet.

Though .. it is rather fortunate that I am equating this duffle with the Sofia Coppola one, because this one is like a third of the price, but I get to have my initials on it.

And that, my friends, makes all the difference in the world.

We Are Frends

Layla headphones in Rose Gold  USD $149 [HERE]

Taylor headphones in Rose Gold  USD $199 [HERE]

1. Jewelry inspired design 2. Genuine leather & hand crafted metal 3. Soft touch fabric cord 4. Three button mic with volume, music + phone control 5. Memory foam ear cushions

ALL I REALLY got out of the product description for these headphones: jewelry-inspired design with memory foam ear cushions.

Translation: Stylish Tempur mattresses for your ears.

Yea ... I can get into it.


What do you think of these Frends headphones? 

Construction Ahead

AM ATTEMPTING TO make some layout changes to Raincloud for Rent, but Blogger is being unusually difficult.

And because I am incredibly lazy in general, I can't be arsed changing things back to the way they were before my stupid fingers started itching (I hate past C so badly at the moment, you have no idea).

So now if things look like a couple of HTML codes got a little too drunk and strippy around here, you will not be caught off guard.

Rifle Paper Co. Illustrated Notes & Calling Cards

THERE ARE SO many things I could say about personalized stationary, the first (and most obvious) being that YOU GET TO HAVE YOUR NAME ON IT.

This is incredibly important to me because when I was growing up, I could never find my name on anything in novelty gift shops.

Lurid, tacky signs boasting  "every single name imaginable" on hideous plastic key-chains always proved to be consistently disappointing - a fact that I personally believe has given rise to my consequent battle with severe personalizophilia...

Yes. I am a personalizing-monster. 

If I could get away with it without looking insane, everything I own would be stamped with either my name or face on it (or BOTH), because that's just how personalizophilia works, and I'm almost 100% certain this is a new medical disorder that nobody has discovered yet, which means I am an honest-to-goodness pioneer and if you take this away from me your teeth with fall out of your face.

...

Which brings me on to the somewhat-related subject of an amazing company called Rifle Paper Co. 

Owned by Anna Bond and her husband Nathan, they do just about the most covet-able, adorable stationary I've ever seen. 

I literally discovered them like a hot second ago but I'm already beyond obsessed.

ph. from Rifle Paper Co.

Prices vary from USD $35 - 400+ depending on your level of customization [here]

Other fully-customizable stationary sets [here]

On top of an array of fonts and colours to choose from, you can also have a customized illustration of your face emblazoned on this.

A CUSTOMIZED ILLUSTRATION. OF YOUR FACE.

... OH MY GOD I SERIOUSLY CAN'T BELIEVE IT, THIS IS LIKE MY HOLY GRAIL!!!!

I need this so terribly, my face is tingling.

Personalizophilia, people. It's a legit thing.

And the genius folks from Rifle Paper Co. are just enabling me with all these promises of total and utter customization.

Need, need, need ...

Tomboy Inspiration: Françoise Hardy

"...all the other girls, little girls, were dressed differently than I was — their parents had more money...I didn't enjoy at all everything, the trappings, when all of a sudden you become very famous... [on being taken up by the fashion houses] it was work, things I had to do, a chore - I didn't enjoy it at all...It is quite impossible to stand — to be admired too much — it is not a normal situation...I don't like that at all...I am not comfortable with my professional life really, so the word 'icon'- it's as though you were talking about someone else, it's not me really...I feel happy when I'm on my bed, in my room with a good book." 

- Françoise Hardy

#tomboyinspiration #60sstyleicons #fashionmuse

Alexander Wang Pre-Fall 2013

ph. via Style.com // View the entire collection here.

ALEXANDER WANG'S PRE-FALL collection for 2013 is a drop-waisted, grey-marled, asymmetrical, drapey, leather-accented, clunky-footed confection that kicks it so hard it leaves a slightly sporty aftertaste in your mouth. 

I need just about everything I saw in the lookbook, though this probably wouldn't be news to any of you by now.

... God. This is like a fresh reminder of Alexander Wang's impossibly awesome street cred. Can anyone imagine what Balenciaga is going to be like with him spearheading the design team? 

Nicholas Ghesquière did a pretty stellar job; I can't imagine the fashion house churning out anything other than his signature scuba-inspired wear and ditsy florals at this point. 

That being said though, the world is probably ready for a City-Marion love-child..


What do you think of Alexander Wang's pre-fall collection? Would you wear any of these looks?

90's Flashback

WHO WOULD BE the first person you'd think of if I should chance to scream, "DUNGAREES!" in your face?

People with a genetic predisposition for coolness would most likely think any of the following things:

• Kate Moss, in that issue of Harper's Bazaar.
• Carrie Bradshaw, in that episode of Sex and the City where she talks about sex.
• Alexa Chung, just being Alexa Chung.
• Rachel Bilson, because I'm pretty sure she's done overalls sometime in her awesome petite life. 

I, however, thought none of these things, which cements me in a place that is not on the barometer of cool. 

In fact, I'm probably not even anywhere too near it, because the first thing that popped into my head was Larisa Oleynik in her role as that mutant teenager Alex in The Secret World of Alex Mack. 

As I recall it, she was kind of always in overalls.

Is it just me, or does it look like she's wearing the same pair of overalls in about three of these photos?

Granted, nobody has taken the time to upload too many images from this long-dead series (one can only imagine why), so I really only have these three stills and two promotional photos to tack together in the world's ugliest collage - all in the name of proving my pretty unreliable point, which is that Alex Mack practically lived in dungarees ... and beanies, but that's a whole 'nuther discussion. 

Anyway.

The real point of this post was that I happened to stumble across these on ASOS, and I fell in love.

£45.00 [here]

Doesn't the model look unbelievably cute in these? She looks like she could either be headed for a hoe-down in the barn, or to a fancy cafe on Rodeo Drive to pretend to be a friend of Nicole Richie's. Or maybe she's going to do both, who really knows for sure?

Things get wild and unpredictable when you're wearing dungarees. Now if only I hadn't chosen to draw links between them and Alex Mack, this post could have gotten away with a larger quotient of coolness.

What do you think? Would you ever be caught dead in dungarees? Tell me in the comments below.

Jennifer Zeuner Gia Lariat

USD $235 [here]

20" rope chain

Length from clasp to first star - 20"

First to second star - 6"

Stars (with diamond), approx. 1/2"

ACCESSORIES ARE TO me, what kryptonite is to Superman.

And there's something about the Gia Lariat necklace from Jennifer Zeuner that has me crying like a child on the inside, and it's not just because it's studded with diamonds so delicate they look like pixie dust.

...Or tiny baby unicorn tears, which I suspect they are.

Mark my words, Gia Lariat necklace (why can't I stop saying this in full?), I WILL OWN YOU SOMEDAY.

Opinion Poll #1

This is probably not the first thing you'd think of doing on a Friday, but it would mean the world to me if you could take a moment to answer this poll.

Also.

This is probably neither here nor there, but here is a super adorable picture of a puppy imploring you to take the poll.

"You are now under my spell .... take the poll ... taaake the poll ..."

Do the right thing, guys. Listen to the puppy.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

[edit:] I probably should have mentioned earlier, but this poll is entirely anonymous.

This means the puppy can't track you down even if she tried. And as anybody who is anybody knows - puppies are pretty good at tracking stuff down. 

... Most of the time.