Going to a town

Blouse - H&M.  Shorts - Asos.com.  Shoes - New Look.
Ring - Present from Dhany.  Scarf as belt - My mother's.  Earrings - Diva.

What I wore for a quick journey to do some errands in town - easy, breezy and um, yellow.  I'm particularly enamoured by this kitchsy new three-finger ring as I've never owned one before, and not being able to separate your last three phalanges is more comfortable than it looks. 

Off-duty effortless

Shriya, Anjuly and I have sleepovers at least once a month.  I don't remember how it started, just that we would hang out into the wee hours of the morning until there didn't seem to be a point going back home for bed anymore.

I was never allowed sleepovers as a child.  I seriously missed out on all the fun stuff that other girls got to do with their female friends, and in a way, I'm making up for lost time.  

We've since gotten our sleepover system down to an art.  I bring my duvet and an extra pillow, the hosting person (either Anjuly or Shriya) clears space on the bed and floor and nibbles are provided by all.  We even have a timetable of sorts - traditionally dinner, or a massive snack fest, followed by a couple of chick flicks and then gossip or discussions that go on for hours.  And always, always breakfast the next morning. 

On the face of it, it's a really frivolous, girly thing to do, but behind closed doors, things can get pretty intense and I don't mean in the way school boys always imagine.  As the moon peaks and then starts to set, we talk about our pasts, our futures, our hopes, our dreams, our fears.  We laugh a lot over juicy tidbits, but the talk can also get pretty serious.  Somehow after midnight, everyone's guard comes down and thoughts are shared, some so private and secret that we don't even mention them the next morning.

Breakfast is a different matter.  A phone alarm goes off, and I, ever filled with anxious energy, bound out of bed and get dressed first.  Shriya gets ready second while Anjuly lolls around in bed till the last possible minute, then we all troop to the nearest coffee place to giggle and chat.  At this point, I'm usually feeling a bit scuzzy and bedraggled, and shuffle for coffee in the closest thing to pajamas I can get away with.  

Not Anjuly.

Miss Thing has perfected the morning after outfit (a crisp white shirt, jeans and cute flats) that would blend in equally well at brunch with the girls, a shopping expedition or a lunch date.  I often hear lots of people talk about how models and actresses dress off-duty - a neat, simple, classic pulled together look.  But I seldom see anyone (myself included) carry it off so well in real life. 

In particular, I love the details that elevate this from a simple jeans and shirt ensemble.  The dainty gold hoops, the coordinating but not overly matchy structured bag and tortoiseshell sunnies and the subtle snakeskin print.  And I love that her belt is a contrasting colour.  Whoever said black and brown shouldn't be worn together didn't know what they were talking about.  

The next time we have a sleepover, I'm going to attempt to look equally pulled together - well, as pulled together as I can be after a night of flaming gossip.  Hah!

Dinner at eight

Back home, one of the things The D and I like to do is eat.  (This explains my not-quite-svelte physique.)

I mean, in Singapore, I don't think there's anyone who doesn't like to eat.  We have an unapologetic love affair with our food that most of the world greets with disbelief, and occasionally, disgust.  There are many eateries that stay open 24 hours and they're packed most of the time.  Most places don't close for the break between lunch and dinner because people keep right on going in between as well.  Going to dinner is a huge event, trumped only by the enthusiasm with which a 2am supper is greeted.  And don't even get me started on buffets.

So back home, we continually look out for good new places to try, and since The D is as sartorially um... inclined as I am, we like to get a bit fancy to do it.

When he came to visit, we made sure to hit up new places every.  Single.  Lunch and dinner.  I'm embarrassed to say that at least 50% of the schedule revolved around reservations.  Particularly exciting was the night we met up with five of my classmates/friends to try dinner at the much-hyped Jamie's Italian in the next city.

Top - Primark.  Jean leggings - New Look.  Oxfords - New Look.

Croc clutch - Secondhand vintage.  Earrings - F21.  Bracelet - Fie Japan.  

Rings - Diva.

I'd just bought this bright mustard top from Primark and I love how voluminous and relaxed the fit is.  Aki, a fellow blogger, suggested that there should be a specific category for outfits to eat in (as a Singaporean, I agree) and this definitely fits in that category.

Dhany wore something really cute.  I loved the unusual combination of the hoodie with the more formal collared shirt, but we disagreed on the cap.  I said he should go without, and well, you see how he felt.

I'll open to the floor.  What do you guys think?

PS  Though the food was hit-and-miss, the restaurant was very warm and big.  I wish I'd taken pictures of it, but true to form, I was too busy stuffing my face.

Magic Minutiae: Vintage Earrings

I'm huge a sucker for details.  To me, the details in an outfit make it - tiny stud earrings, delicate necklaces, a chunky ring.  Nothing thrills me more to see a person in a cute basic outfit with lots of little touches that make it different and individual.  So I was delighted when my fellow blogger Camille, over at http://sacheebombom.blogspot.com/ announced that she was starting a series called Magic Minutiae that would focus on all the little details in a person's outfit.

She's invited anybody and everybody to join - all you have to go is go to her site and put the Magic Minutiae banner on yours, then link your posts when the time comes.  If you're all detail hounds like me, you know what to do!

This week is the first call for entries and the theme is Vintage Earrings.  At this point, I have to say that I've cheated a little because although I got my earrings from Camden Market, I'm not 100% sure if they're vintage or not.  I suspect they're newly reconstituted from vintage buttons, but I thought they looked old school enough to participate anyway!

The pearlised centre and gold curlicues match with everything from jeans to a cute dress and I constantly find myself reaching for them when I'm looking for studs that don't just hide meekly under the hair.

Dress - Primark.  Necklace - Claire's.  Bracelets - H&M.

Mustard tights - Topshop.  Shoes - H&M.

I wore this to meet with some friends for a potluck dinner.  (Is there a more genius idea than potluck?)  Some people hate these mustard tights, but I'm personally a big fan of how they make any outfit pop like this £10 dress from Primark.  I love the navy colour, the print and the way the fabric falls around the shoulders and the hem.  I think the mustard tights keep it from looking too girly and precious. 

Also, I know that there's a thing called an "arm party" that's coming (back?) into vogue - that is - wearing stacks of bracelets at the same time.  I love the way it looks, but I'm a little bit timid, so I started something that's more like an "arm intimate dinner" with these H&M bracelets. 

Strangely, all the arm parties I've seen on style blogs are extortionate from little branded cord bracelets costing above £50 to massive leather or even stingray bangles that are worth much more.  That's like £500 on on arm!  I don't have the money for such an expense right now, so my bracelets cost about £8 altogether, at £1.99 a set.  Thank you, high street!  I also love how the thread bracelets have little gold buttons as fastenings. 

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Magic Minutiae!  Hop on over to Camille's post to check out all the other great looks!

The secret garden

My friend Jon lives in a brick house so lush that we get really excited when we're invited for drinks and snacks.  My favourite part of the house, despite his attic room crammed from floor to ceiling with books, cds and movies, is the garden.  It's one of the first real "English" gardens I've seen here, or at least, the first garden I've seen that complies with all my childhood visions of the English fairytale back yard.

The house opens right out onto the road, so it's a huge surprise when one is led around the sight and into a quiet, scented green tangle, quite tucked away from the rest of the world.

I imagine that if you press back the vines and creepers, the little stone or wought-iron lizards sneaking beneath them will suddenly come to life and flee with flicking tails.

We were invited for a garden party a couple of weeks ago, and I wore a casual, comfortable outfit conducive to stuffing my face.

Tied-waist blouse and brogues - New Look.

Pants - Zara.  Necklace - Made by mother.  Sunnies - Primark.  

Bangle - Vintage.

This summer blouse that ties at the waist is made of the thinnest, smoothest cotton, so light it's like wearing a cloud.  The photos (and my terrible posture) don't do it justice!

Photos of me by Shriya

And of course, what would such a gathering be without the food, artfully put together by Jon and his parents?  We had a hell of a time running in and out of the massive kitchen, complete with a rustic island at one end and an actual iron stove at the other.  At one point, my friends Gruff, Tori, Hilary and I actually gathered round and performed a loud (and squiffy) acapella rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.  There is footage of it, but if I show you, I'll have to kill you.

Despite all the mad laughter, running around and the copious amounts of food...

... even I got a little distracted.