Saskia

For some girls, you remember them from the minute they first walk into your life...

I remember when I first met Saskia - she had on these amazing vintage brogues that I just had to steal. Thus was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, one that has never ceased to inspire me on twice-weekly basis (such was the nature of Constitutional Law classes spent flipping through oh-so-French artistically pornographic fashion magazines)

Sas is one of those epically cool people that actually manages to find her outfits through major scouring of suburban vintage shops. I, for one, have never managed to find anything except gold belly dancing outfits in a suspiciously dodgy looking tinsel material and/or grandma pantsuits that should best be left in the 80s where they belonged. Her personal style never ceases to leave me drooling and gasping for more...ranging from being effortlessly able to rock a tiny kid's multicoloured parka to cute preppy little blazers to the gloriously adorable nouveau-punk outfit in the photos above (that I was creepily trying to photo stalk in minute detail)

More than anything, I love her laugh and our conversations about all things fabulous and kinderwhorey.
And personality at the end of the day, makes the girl and all the lovely things she wears something truly worthy of inspiration.

And, god, where do I start with this outfit?! Well-worn belt, Doc Martens with a quirky little twist, all tied together with a statement piece...

Girl, you got it goin' on...

Love

xo

Bec

Ordinary/Beautiful

When I bought my very first Hermes scarf a couple of years back (one of those firsts that actually comes with pleasant memories), the 'I can tie brilliant knots of every single kind with consummate ease in about 5 seconds' scarf lady showed me this little trick. It's my fairly ubiquitous everyday/through rain/hail/sun/snow/volcano eruption bag (yeah the one that cops all the abuse and gets thrown on the top of a massive pile...) but with a little Twilly bow...it adds that little something extra to that everyday piece.

Plus...I'm not totally retarded at tying bows...which was a welcome discovery...

Phew...kindergarten actually taught me something...

I hope there's always something in your life which makes it just that little extra bit prettier...

If not - there's always Hermes no?

With Love

xo

Bec

Bag- Longchamp Le Pliage
Scarf - Hermes Twilly

Girl Crush: Charlotte Kemp-Muhl

The Girl-Crush (guhrl-karush) -

Overwhelming urge to gush and go totally weak in the knees in the face of the all-consuming, totally ah-mazing (and completely effortless...of course) style of an also preternaturally stunningly beautiful human being of the female gender.

(Definition courtesy of the Bec-tionary)

Been there. Done that. Wish I could have bought the t-shirt. I'm sure we all have.

Today's feature happens to be the 'so-stunning-I'm-friggen-jealous-she-even-exists-on-this-planet' Charlotte Kemp-Muhl aka model and girlfriend of Sean Lennon (yes...he who is son of John & Yoko) Also - Jalouse's cover girl of the month thereby putting her cool credentials at an all time unattainable high.

She's that sort of indie muse that just exudes sensuality while leaving an air of mystery. Meaning she's the type of person who can rock an Indian tribal chief rabbit tail headpiece and get away with it being a true fashion triumph while the rest of us would probably get looks signifying that we should party at that place with padded walls and these really cool white jackets.

An unconventional pretty thing who is the epitome of Belle Du Jour subversive sexuality in a trench and nothing more while romping around with her very famous (but somewhat less pretty) musical scion loverboy in the iconic Chelsea Hotel.

The French really know how to pick their icons.

Le sigh.

Love

xo

Pictures courtesy of NY Mag, Zadig & Voltaire

Beloved

A few of my favourite books
And my beloved pair of black Chloe booties from F/W 07 that go with absolutely everything
I think I fell in love with them the moment I saw them
The heel...
The weird buckle thing...
The asymmetry...

Architectural, Minimalist, and a little bit Bad...

Just the way I like it.

Love

xo

Bec

Little packages of goodness...

Alas - The title does not refer to the little red packets of monetary goodness that we of Oriental stock receive on an annual basis (while red and gold bring up too many images of scarily tacky Chinese New Year celebrations - I, for one, do not complain about the tradition of the red packet...I mean...seriously...money for the simple task of existing on this planet...)

But enough of my rambling on the merits of Eastern tradition...

I stumbled upon these little darlings upon my ritual traipsing through the world of Internet shopping (admit it, you all do it...)

Very aptly and cutely named the Mini Sac, they are the product of the very Gallic (and very NYC based) bag designer, Clare Vivier and by the looks of things...will only grow more alluring with age and wear.

I could so imagine these just effortlessly slung over a shoulder giving the wearer a sort of mussed-up vintage appeal. A men's shirt worn as a dress, brogues and some old inherited shameless gold bling.It's that quiet, subtle kind of luxe that really gets me going.



And, in a quintissentially Asian return to the topic of money, the best thing about these babies is they aren't going to hurt the hip pocket. As the French would say, Parfait!

Because I am a giver and introducer of all things beautiful...and I like to share...
They are all ready to be taken home online at:

http://seevivier.com/index.htm

Love

xo

Bec

Educated Glamour

Sunglasses - Olivers Peoples
Bracelet - Grandmother's heirloom

I dedicate this post to my one and only amor (not compadre...mind you...but mi amor and mi hermana pour le reste de ma vie)...you know who I'm talking about...Stephanie.

That was some really facetious use of foreign language.

But as Le Triskel says...'Arrogantly French'

Or 'Try-hard arrogantly...yep...' Bon...voila...quoi?

Love xo

Bec

The Name-Game Knuckleduster

There is something so inspirational about my friend Stefanie...
And her beyond awesome bling...
She had a name necklace that I was a bit in love with...
But I think I may change my name just so I can steal this absolute dreamboat of a knuckleduster...

It really packs one hell of a cuteness punch...

Love

xo

Bec

Bring me back to prep school!

These looks from two of my favourite New York cult labels (yes cult as in...no I do not come with a big shiny logo or designers whose names are on the lips of everyone...but I am subtly desirable in an understated way)...
Okay I will finish the sentence eventually...
I saw these a couple of days ago and they totally made me want to go back to school. Okay so I could do without the grimy lockers, the Year 12 common room that was falling apart and pretty much everything to do with PLC...
But I'd re-live it again if I had a hot man friend from Eton and could steal a preppy collegiate blazer and sweater and wear it in my own way.

Do like Lou Doillon, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alexa Chung and basically all those painfully hip girls on this planet and do it better than the boys.

Respect.

Boy by Band of Outsiders




Rag & Bone





All images courtesy of Style.com

Lots of love

Bec

xo

Educational reading...on my booklist anyway

I think every girl should have one. It's more necessary reading than the entire university booklist put together.
Well...almost as necessary as something like 'French Women Don't Get Fat' or that book about the travails, perils and tears shed on the journey of attaining an Hermes Birkin.

But if all girls read this...we would be spared the horror of jeggings, fake tattoos, hair extensions, slutty lycra dresses (cheap Herve Leger spin-offs...) and my personal favourite...Tony The Tiger tan...it's not healthy ladies...it just looks orange.

Word.

Over and out

Bec

xo

Cover image courtesy of Refinery29

Pre-Fall...what a wonderful thing!

It's not Spring...it's not Fall...it's like...IN BETWEEN!

Yes.

The thing that makes obsessive compulsive people such as myself (i.e. yes you who can't go a day without seeing something new and pretty on Net-A-Porter) REALLY happy are things that come in between the SS and AW shows every year!
Praise the fashion gods that be for capsule collections...
YES...those wonderful collections called RESORT and PRE-FALL...

Given that we are currently smack-bang-in-the-furious-middle of the New York AW 10 shows at the moment, my little selection of Pre-Fall goodies has probably come a little late. Nonetheless - the joy must be shared because these looks just made me do the whole "sigh-and-die-and-fall-off-my-chair" routine.

Chloe Pre-Fall 2010



Now I must admit to re-falling in love with Chloe ever since Hannah McGibbon took over a couple of seasons ago. I think she captures the girly, cutesy, kind of androgynous, bohemian and very French chic that the house embodies. And the Pre-Fall collection was no exception to the rule. Major LE SIGHS and "I die bananas!" at the skinny cropped suits and perfect camel coloured coats...

It's a little bit tomboy and a little bit polished 'ladies who lunch'...the kind of thing that makes me swoon...

Yves Saint Laurent Pre-Fall 2010
The man is about to have entire pop-rock soundtrack type musical fest dedicated to him ('Une Vie Saint Laurent')...Will definitely SUPER GUSH more about that later. But deservedly so. For Monsieur Saint Laurent who sadly passed away last year was a true legend who revolutionized the very way the modern woman dresses. Le Smoking anyone? Enough said. There's enough brazen sexual power in there to render most men weak at the knees and to give most women (or maybe just me) a total EYEGASM.

So I was most pleased when Stefano Pilati decided to tread along the well-worn path of tradition and showcased a swoon-worthy capsule collection of well executed classics...the trench, the perfectly cut tuxedo blazer...it's all too perfect.








It could be my penchant for all things a little bit edgy but mostly classic
The way those forms and shapes and colours have tastefully adorned the bodies of many a bold style-setter...
Call it my fetish...
But baby, these looks are better than sex.

I may take that back in a little bit...but for now...

Say it with me now...EYEGASM.

Love

xo

Bec


All images courtesy of Style.com

Because we're all portions for foxes...

I did some mucking around with some of the stuff I have in my somewhat overcrowded wardrobe today...
And I had Rilo Kiley playing in the background...
I had a cup of green tea (yes that sugared stuff that's really bad for you)
And I read some Baudelaire

Happy Valentines


And the talking leads to touching
And the touching leads to sex
And then there is no mystery left...
And it's bad news, baby it's bad news...


SPREAD:
Bag - My first Prada bag (back when I was sweet 16)
Shoes - Georgina Goodman
Necklaces - Vintage heirlooms from my grandmother

Love and kisses
Bec
xo

Goodbye Alexander McQueen

I was going to write a post about another indie bag label I had completely fallen in love with (makes me almost want to put the kind-of-newly-purchased-Longchamp bag in the pile of retired bags)

But then read on the internet grapevine that Alexander McQueen was found dead at the age of 40 sometime yesterday or today (I guess depending on which hemisphere you're on)

It kind of hit me in the stomach. The same way it happened when Yves Saint Laurent passed away last year. It's all a little bit surreal because McQueen was one of those designers that just took my breath away sometimes. I think he was one of the few remaining couturiers...the type who knew how to cut a brilliant ballgown (with just a hint of British cheek), and the perfect jacket with which to go on imaginary hunting trips (yes with my imaginary aristocratic boyfriend).

Watching his shows (yes vicariously through Style.com...oh how did I live before that site...) was almost a fairy-tale like experience (if you dream of bags instead of magic pumpkins and shoes instead of fairy godmothers)

But he put a little bit of magic into fashion...It was so out there and yet so rock and roll. I remember falling in love with his campaigns for his offshoot label McQ. The gritty punk kids off the street, all leather, smudged kohl eyeliner and the spirit of sweet rebellion...and even the ones with the colour coordinated cheerleaders. He captured the youth and all-embracing nature of having your own individual style.

In my little homage to McQueen - I've just put up some of my favourite moments and outfits that I think embody what the man meant to me. I never knew him but he embodied everything that I love about fashion and everything that inspires me. That you are able to dream and make-believe, and project those visions and the beauty of those images into what you wear every day.

Thank you Alexander McQueen and the sartorial world has lost yet another of its greatest stars prematurely.


Images courtesy of Style.com

Love

Bec

xo

Rainy Days & Cut-Offs

So a question I would love to pose to the 'Big Man Up In The Sky' today is...

What is with the weather?

A serious tropical storm in the middle of summer? Hello. Just. So. Not. Cool. (And yeah said EXACTLY like that)

Because it started off like actually tropical (I mean sun and all...you know like how summer days are meant to go)...I thought it would be a good day to rock the cut-offs (in my try-hard-but-failing-miserably-to-emulate-the-Girls-of-Glastonbury attempt to do effortless rolled-out-of-bed chic) I know my adjectives go on forever and ever. Get used to it. I fail to see how one word i.e. 'awesome' or 'fantastic' actually adequately describes anything. So shoot me.

On a day like today, you just want to go back to those staples in your wardrobe.

Those truly loved items that feel as good as they look.

That would be a pointed comment on those spray-on jeans I bought during my aptly called "skinny phase"...which just make me feel bad now for that love affair with Fromage D'Affinois (so fatty...but so good...and so totally worth it for the gorgeous French guy selling it...)

The conversation which plays out in my head goes something like this:

Vous etes ici pour le fromage?

Eh...beh...non je suis ici pour toi

Heinously far from reality though. Le sigh.

Anyway...in a bit of a sad little nod to the weather...I pulled on a little cropped cream leather jacket (kind of like a baby trench but not...)

It's the kind of Gallic chic I wish I was born with.

Plus I'd eat all the double cream brie I want...and not get fat...

Shorts - Current/Elliott

T-shirt - ZoeTees

Jacket - Arabella Ramsay

Necklace- Bettina Liano

Love

Bec

xo

Manbag? No...I'd just get a Boyy bag instead

Many moons ago, I decided to call my now recently ex-boyfriend Manbag. While he was none too happy with the nickname (something about being rather emasculating and all...it was admittedly rather fun seeing the faces of boys shrivel in disgust at being labelled a 'manbag'), I thought it was rather fitting. They add that little bit extra to your outfit (assuming they're good looking), carry all the stuff you don't want to be seen lugging around (how very un-glam...nobody needed to see my Accounting textbook) and make for pretty nice companions (most of the time)

Having said that, following our recent break-up, Manbag has now been demoted to last season's Mansack. Never to be repeated. There is, however, something rather inspired about giving boys' names to bags. I do worship you Jerome Dreyfuss. The concept works especially well in the case of these Boyy bags that I am totally lusting over after spying them out during one of my illicit Internet breaks during work (Spreadsheets? Uh...totally yeah...was doing that...).

I for one am totally crushing on the Slash and Clyde with their worn-in, perfect vintage-y looking leather and the HARDWARE (oh god...don't get me started on hardware)...it's a feeling that's only comparable with that totally one-sided love affair with that track runner in 8th grade. Not that anyone needs to know about that.

But looking at these babies, I'm just dying to score a date. They would be the perfect companions with everything. Insouciant, charming, practical, just a little bit rock & roll and cheeky...the perfect boy really.

The perfect Valentine.

Lots of love

xo

Bec