how to make everyone drool over your winter coat

 original images via here and here

I used to fantasise about winter coats all the time. The Best Friend and I would nip into Zara, try on all sorts of coats and drool. Whilst knowing that my limit would be buying sharp workwear when I was a student, or fuzzy cardigans in tropical Singapore, it would be massively insane for me to splurge on trench coats. Not even for vacations. Perhaps just a simple coat or a puffer jacket. Then in the dizzying chain of events between March and October 2009 where I received my acceptance letter and subsequently prepared to ship myself off, I assembled a 'starter kit' of trench coats. That collection, of course, expanded in the first two months when I landed in the UK. One year later, I think I am slightly wiser about Dressing Up The Winter Coat-- THE piece de resistance of your outfit. Because sometimes, you never remove it, nobody really gets to see what's beneath. So, puff up your shiny plume, dress yourself up and amp out the outer beauty ;) 

original images via here, here and here

Not all coats fit properly. Sometimes we find such irresistibly-beautiful ones in thrift stores or via other miscellaneous sources online but they might be that tad too big. Here's the belt to the rescue-- for a nipped waist, and a more flattering fit. Besides, not all of us look good in straight-cut clothes so the belt feels like sweet salvation. The best belts for coats, to me, are chain belts. They hook on and off easily, rather than having to deal with buckles. For a starter kit, a gold one and a silver one would suffice to match colour palettes and jewelry. And, the best thing about these belts is that they can be found easily in vintage or charity stores.

the vampiress' tale

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Sometimes I wonder how bad can I get. These shots were taken eons ago, on the day I caved in to expensive haircuts in the UK and snipped off part of my thick locks since they were driving me crazy. The hair stylist (a really nice girl!) decided to give me a volumising-cum-straightening blowdry, which I had to take photographs of, because it's not everyday that my hair is straight. Walking back from the pub, I told D I wanted Vampire Shots, because of The Vampire Lipstick (also seen here). So he directed me to the dilapidated-looking estate (well, it looks like that in the dark), turned on the flash, took about ten shots and ran off before anyone could see us. Today I decided to atone for my badness and am hence posting another one, complete with some story I conjured. I've been awake for 17 hours, and am about to run off for the weekend. Happy weekend everybody xxx

Henne red cashmere coat; Dolce & Gabanna shoes; thrifted mini skirt; Mango top; no brand black tights; Diva ring; Marble Ink black leather bag.

stylish blogger award- thank you! x

The lovely Dora of Vintage Passions Just Like Mine and Josceline of Succeeding at Failing conferred upon me my second blog award.

Here's what I have to do:
1)Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2)Share 7 things about yourself
3)Award 10 recently discovered great bloggers.
4)Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award

Let's see, seven things about myself:

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 Ms K & myself since 2004

I love cats-- it is in my blood. Whilst you often see The Chocolate Robber (here and here) in my posts, the main feline love of my life is Ms K, my black-and-white beauty with the expressive face and the large puppy eyes. She who loves to scream in photos as though she is abused, watch out for me from the study windows upstairs and run to the door like my loyal dog, and must be stroked and talked to in order for her to eat her food. Here's what I wrote about her a while back:

" I have four family cats back in Singers. This is my absolute favourite, not because of her colour or the fact that her facial and hind markings are perfectly symmetrical (I'd only realised months after adopting her, which makes it even sweeter, kinda like how happy I was when I realised D is actually a cordon-bleu chef masquerading as a designer) but because there was that something in her. I met her on the first day of volunteer duties at the SPCA and I knew she would be my cat. But, my father is vehemently anti-cats. Week by week, every other cat got adopted, but magically, this cat somehow never got chosen. Which was rather mysterious because she was the best-looking cat there (seriously! and there were loads of ugly cats). 13 months later, I finally convinced The Mother to engage in a smuggling mission with me (needed her to sign the papers because I was underaged). Execute first, face the music later-- 先斩后奏. And one stormy Monday morning on the 27th September 2004, Ms K went home with us in a taxi, to the backdrop of howling winds and merciless rains. And beyond everything else of what a wonderful (sometimes snobbish, sometimes loving) cat she is, She Who Looks More Soft Toy Than A Soft Toy has a crazy knack for shoes that I find both amusing and endearing. When I walk in with a new paperbag nestling a box of shoes, she will wake up and charge towards me, knocking things over (she never does that normally) and paw the bag. She'll sniff the shoes with glazed eyes and look a little high as she marks her territory (and brands her seal of approval) on them. I've never met cats like that before. So sometimes I miss her reaction whenever I buy new shoes here. Luckily for me, D shares in my shoexcitement too."

26 August 2008

three hours of beautification

 

Yesterday was an intense brain-draining day. After I was done with work, I was rushing a report out for a client last night, and ended up finishing at 7am. This meant that instead of sleeping tonight five hours after I awoke, I put on some jazz, lit the flat with candles, scenting it with ylang ylang, sage and black pepper, and kicked back to relax. Then I looked at the mess that I had made over the past few weeks-- deliveries since preprepre-Christmas that had just arrived recently due to snow delays, laundry hanging around the bathroom, the kitchen that looked like a bomb had just exploded in it. I shifted to Chambermaid mode*. And then I decided, it was time to kick off my decoration plans. I had pledged to stop buying stuff for the house pre-Christmas until finances start improving**. All I had were four new white feather boas, inspired by the restaurant we went to during New Year's Eve. With all the ideas ticking about in my head all the time, I rubbed my hands in glee and started shifting stuff around the house.

 *My mother would be so proud. D was shocked that all my life I have magically evaded housework so I had to clarify that my (younger) brother knows housework, just that I started to earn and therefore paid him to do my share. "I am going to have words with your mother" he said, instead of offering to mop the floor when I admitted I have no idea how to do it and called the dustpan "small sweeping device". To which I sheepishly admitted, "I thought that when I grew up I would have maids" and he burst out laughing. In my defense, though, in the past year I have learned how to sweep the floor, wash dishes, change the sheets, do the laundry, etcetera amen. Vast improvement. Oh God, why am I justifying. 

 **But seeing that I will be a student for the next N years, it is hard to imagine just when.

The three-way gold mirror came downstairs. I got it from a Gumtree ad***, and picked it up the day I moved. It has since been cleaned and the horrible sticker removed. And ooh, I found a use for my Egyptian beaded headpiece I got from my bellydancing class back in Singapore. My teacher always brought back so many beautiful things from Egypt, every lesson I couldn't resist but buy something. . Those were the days.

***To this day, The Best Friend still thinks I am lying when I insisted it is £10 only. 

 

I  always feel like Cleopatra in that headpiece :)

creationism in black and white

 

I feel the urge to create coming back, beyond the card I illustrated for my cousin's wedding (which she used as part of her wedding presentation!) and the Tearing Wax Candle Holders I made. This is a welcome move as I had a dry spell for an entire year apart from a few random sketches where my pen surreptitiously moved inside my notebook pages. I got reminded of the long pair of gloves I studded sometime back in Singapore in preparation for Cambridge life (yeah right, more like I was being vain), and a set of photographs that showcased them. . 

The emphasis being on the accessories here-- a faux fur collar and long black leather gloves. It's so hard to find huge dangerous-looking studs back in Singapore. Of course there was Ebay UK and US, but delivery charges were a bit insane for a tiny packet, I decided to practice extreme delay of gratification. I was so happy to find a children's Stud Your T-Shirt With Mickey Mouse set in a 7-11 store whilst waiting for my friend to pick me up from the bus interchange. Of course, I wasn't planning on having a silver Mickey silhouette on my tee, but I love buying crafting materials knowing I will use them someday* . And so when I found these gloves from m)phosis on major discount, I knew I was going to get Stud Happy with them.

Back to The Look-- bold eyes did the trick here, together with juicy coral lips (see first picture of this post for a better idea).

*Imagine when you decide to make necklaces in the middle of the night you have to source online and wait for delivery till they come?

Studding is done both at the base and then it radiates upwards from the base of your thumb towards your index finger to simulate a ring. Jewelry and accessories-- purrfect for greedy souls like myself.

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Finally, I arrived in the UK. Ebay delivery fees were £2 instead of £20. So I ordered myself a large packet of mixed studs. But I had no urge to create anything in Cambridge. Actually I had little urge for many things there. So the studs sat in my Craft Boxes, together with the millions of things that needed repairs involving hot glue guns, wires and pliers. Last night I remembered how I used to create stuff whilst watching the telly. You see, I stopped watching tv back in 2007 or 2008, apart from the occasional drama when I was sitting with my family whilst having dinner. They always say that family dinners with the tv is bad for your family as it reduces the dynamics, but in my family, everybody talks, laughs, discusses and gets distracted, telly time involves a lot of interaction. Okay, why am I talking about that now. It was scary that so much time gets eaten up with television. Say, you start at 7pm and then you end at midnight. And then you watch all the US drama serials freshly broadcasted on the internet for another few hours (I've never had cable before-- people think I'm poor for that lol), you have no more time left. Plus I also started working very very hard.

Quite possibly because yesterday was Epiphany, I had my own epiphany that our Stargate Atlantis marathons** were . . tv! And that I had ordered new soft leather gloves. . and that I had so many things I wanted to create. . and that I had finished up loads of work earlier before Christmas just so I could craft. Then The Bad Unjust Apocalyptic News hit. Then there was the holiday season. Then. . The Epiphany. 

**I am going to become Fashion Blog That Mentions Stargate The Most. 

So I crept into my storage cupboards and pulled out my tools. And assembled together likely designs. Finally I decided to Be Greedy. Et voila, asymmetrical gloves! Complete with a 'ring' on the right side. Because you should Be Greedy.

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And whilst we are at it, I also created this ruffled collar|necklace back in Singapore. Made of ruched black fabric, a silver chain across its center hooks it into place. I just realised it's perfect with the many turtlenecks one can wear this winter season. The photography is terrible, but it's the middle of the night and the light upstairs leaves much to be desired. .

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Instead of sleeping last night after doing up my gloves, I starred at my many necklaces hanging in my bedroom. Many of which, were sort of nice but not really my type. Sometimes snapped up during massive sales because I loved certain elements, at other times out of impulse. But as my style evolves, loads of them no longer cut it for me. Together with bits of broken jewelry in my craft boxes, ribbons, lace and other materials classified under 'Will Come In Useful Some Day', I laid many pieces on the floor, hung some up on hangers, and started to play around.

This was a ring that I hardly wear anymore, but love the design still. And therefore decided to incorporate it, together with a lace bow and a vintage brooch from my mother's box. I remember that box since my childhood-- a small rectangular wooden box from India with beautiful carvings and shiny bits on top. In it contained some beautiful brooches, of which she gave me a few. Whenever I think of The Mother Vs. Yours Truly, I think of her as stylish, polished and classy and myself as chameleonic, sometimes a bit cheap in terms of taste (i.e. high-street ripoffs) and then I hang my head down in shame like Tom Dooley. Whilst striving to improve myself, of which I do believe (and not in a delusional sense) that considerable advancement has been attained.

Definitely loving this creation of mine :)

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Technically, this is not a creation, but rather some inspiration that struck me like a bolt of lightning. These two necklaces would be awesome layered together.

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And my final piece of the past 24 hours-- an asymmetrical layered necklace. The curved silver bits came from a multiple tiered piece that was a little too delicate for my liking, so I decided to make it a little chunkier. As I assembled together chain links, pearls, silver cords and the large black mirrored gem (of which I modified the border from gold to silver), I started grinning to myself. This piece evokes the ornaments and embellishments that early humans in ancient settlements would wear to demarcate the social class they belonged to-- markers of differentiation that are deep within one's primal origins. Also, that today's symbols for vanity in accessorising has got much deeper roots. And hence I christened it Upper Echelons.

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Hope you've enjoyed this post. . Thank you for the New Year wishes . . and I definitely hope to meet at least some of you this year! xxx

friend friday: me versus you, us versus them

 image from original post here

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1. Have you ever looked at someone's blog and thought yours will never measure up?

Sometimes I do. The major blogs I started reading many years back were Agathe of Style Bytes, Fashion Toast, Karla's Closet and WishWishWish. They were big even back then. I thought that was The Standard. Other variables I've discovered along the years include amazing-ness of photographs, awesome lifestyles, expensive clothes, number of comments and readership levels. Then as I jumped into my own Devilishly Pleasurable project a few months back, I did want mine to be aesthetically pleasing but one that is enjoyable and personal, where I can pour my passion, energy and style into. Not a competition, a collection of comments or anything along those lines.

Thus perhaps, the only 'will never measure up' thoughts is in terms of design of my posts and visuals these days. That, however, might be more influenced by D who's a designer. I watch him anally scour the web for inspiration and spend days poring over a latest concept for a client, battling with 'every last daft pixel', whilst he turns around and asks "My Art Director" for opinions on his work.  I have somehow become very concerned about the aesthetic. I never cared about grids, or much about specific typography in the past. Stuff were lopsided, pixelated and shoddy as long as they looked kinda pretty. Today I actually find myself enjoying these very much as I learn to play more with design.

 

2. Do you (did you) feel pressure to meet some kind of undefined standard for fashion bloggers?

Back when I had my now-dead old fashion blog, I realised the whole What's Trendy thing that mushroomed across so many blogs and look rather cool. Loads of skinny girls in the latest styles that everyone would laud and wax lyrical about. Sure, these girls and pieces looked extraordinary and I'd covet some of them. Then, the high street would dole them out, but sometimes you wonder if you really want to spend all that money for some disposable trends. But I did know that my style was slightly different-- i.e. the style that I wanted to develop, that felt in my blood and in my being. Slowly did I allow it to evolve and hey, I still get to dip into my Experiments With Latest Trends Persona once in a while. In that sense, I don't feel pressured any longer to meet unspoken fashion standards.

3. Many established fashion bloggers are also extraordinary DIYers, bakers, and crafty people. Do you think you need to combine all of these things to be successful at blogging?

I might raise my hand up at being a DIYer, crafty person and a bit of a chef, but the verdict is non-existent on whether I'm extraordinary at those ;)

Nonetheless, I doubt you need to combine those to be considered successful-- hey, then would you need to pretend to be someone else? I think most of these bloggers do these out of the love for their passions-- the ingredients in their personality. There are elements, of course, for success-- design, a strong voice, being good at certain trends, commanding a significant following, etcetera etcetera etcetera till kingdom come; yet I think one undeniable aspect is that no matter how much it is YOUR personality, don't forget you're writing for your readers too! Who are more often than not your friends as well :)

4. The most successful blogs are the ones that have their own personal voice - how are you developing your voice or how did you find yours?

Putting in elements from my life and peppering them with musings, sprinkling in the things I love and making friends with amazing people have helped me develop my voice and perspective.

5. Toot your own horn... what's one thing you do that is unique to you and your blog? What gives your blog an edge?

Devilishly Pleasurable loves luxe and decadent-- whether in terms of lifestyle or fashion. Whilst you might find almost no fashion reports here or latest high-street offerings, and whilst I may be 'behind the curve', the curve here is a devilishly pleasurable one ;)

What you find here now are: recipes; home improvement and inspiration; DIY and quick adaptations you can easily achieve; lifestyle pieces; tips on styling and blogging. And, you know you love The Shoes, sketches, creations, photos of feasting extravaganzas, ideas such as All Year Gift Guide For The Girl With Everything, and The Chocolate Buffet. Some readers enjoy my musings, which encourages me further to keep pumping in my own voice and stick on those feather lashes ;)

I also intend to bring in much more articles this year. . including those on Your Own Sensual Burlesque Style and living decadently whilst on a budget. Fact is, you don't need a million bucks (or anything close to that) for a Devilishly Pleasurable life!

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To join Fashion Beauty Friend Friday, contact Katy Rose of ModlyChic.

happy rufflicious twenty eleven!

Life has been a bit of a crazy whirlwind since Christmas eve. Loads of feasting of every sort, as well as my Come To UK And Be A Teetotaller Fantasy mocking at me and saying "kiss my arse". Nevertheless, it's the New Year already! Twenty Eleven. . what a fulfilling the last year has been, in a very different sense from all my other years, especially in making me more resilient and certain about the Leaps I take. Here's another long PhotoFest of a post-- saying goodbye to 2010, wrapped up in the ribbon bows of beautiful revelations and immense gratitude; and a hello to 2011.