WOTTONCOOL

Australian clothing chain Sportsgirl has the capsule collection by their local designer Kate Hurst out in stores and on their website!

I spy lots of tiers, ruffles and prints, which seems somewhat similar to the GO International collection in Target now.

Of course given the prices you can’t really compare the quality and cut. There are some pieces from the GO collection that I wish were made differently, minus the pleats, cut the cowl… and so on.

Mmm.. I got some from the previous New Next Now GO collection, but I think I’m giving this one a miss. You?

You know that feeling when you return from your shopping trip lots of loot in hand, fully laden? I love the feeling of carrying many shopping bags like you’ve just got the best buy in a lonngggg time.

Ah.

I got the same feeling resisting the temptation to buy all the things I saw at all the sales in town today.

Ah.

Yes so my hands were empty when I returned home. It’s so odd, but don’t you feel the same way too?
“Yay I have successfully kept my money where it should belong!”
“Sales doesn’t mean cheap, doesn’t mean I have to buy them!”
“Liberation from my usually compulsive behaviour!”

I’m an unoriginal, cheating, ultra major copycat!

I was at Daiso (the horrible place that has everything from cosmetics to handicraft to gardening to food products - which makes you want to buy everything because it is just $2) with my boyfriend to help him look for some travel toiletry bottles for him to bring into his camp after he enlists for national service (army).

Then I spotted these lengths of zips, colourful zips, star zips, floral zips, silver zips, zips that you can cut to your own length.. then wait - ZIPS YOU CAN CUT TO YOUR FAVOURED LENGTH!

I got three long pieces at a go ($6 WTF) and spent half my day at work and the whole of last night making it.

It has ugly stitching and all, but I don’t intend to be that close to anyone for them to be able to spot that… It also doesn’t have a zip stopper (whatever that’s called) so the zip can come right off I don’t stop right before the hem. But of course all i have to do is zip it up from the bottom when that happens.

Worse still, it’s kinda to big at the waist and too small at the zip for me, so I just leave the back undone to accomodate the size.

Sigh.

Still.

Caged in a cage, in a cage, in a cage, in a cage

That’s the E.T. look, the semi chee-sin mui look, and the superwoman look. Wahahahha.

Top: Black silk/cashmere v-neck jumper from Mango Suit
Dress: Convertible black and grey dress/top/skirt from Baylene
Leggings: my sister’s
Pants: Silver denim pants from HK
Heels: Open-toed booties from HK
Headbands: Diva

(Okay I think I’m becoming a not-so-closet/secret Susie fangirl. And maybe also a bit of Diana. Heh.)

The long/mini dress/top you see in the last three photos is actually a convertible dress/top/skirt that i bought from a local designer - Baylene a week or two ago. There are supposed to be at least ten ways you can wear that thing, so since I splurged quite a bit on it, I think I better find more ways to wear it.

I like wearing it over my face. But it is not very practical, no?

The deed is done!

I spent half the day at work and the entire night cutting, trimming, stitching, zipping, poking (myself), trying and being a major copycat.

Heh. Photos tomorrow!

Meanwhile, I am being outbid for a pair of stripey pants on ebay. My bottoms are really boring. I need to earn myself some stripes ):

I spent a day at Fremantle recently and came across Morrison.

Their clothes are unique and simplistic. Colour palettes are minimalistic, consisting predominantly of earth tones.

The tunic-top (from the last picture) was the piece that beckoned me into the shop. And inside, I found SO many items which i LOVED!! The pieces are oozing with potential for various ways of mixing and matching.

The only (slight) drawback was that the heavy winter-appropriate fabrics for the aussie Fall/Winter collection, plus i didnt have enough cash with me that day . However, for any ever-so-stylish working adult, Morrie pieces would definitely be well-loved in the wardrobe.

After a bit more reading, I found out that Morrison was started in 2002 by Kylie Radford and Richard Poulson. The name was inspired by ‘Morrison’, their kelpie labrador cross, who is/was their CEO. Morrison, the dog, passed away in 2007 but you can read stories about him on the Morrison blog: here.

The company is environmentally conscious, using enzyme washes to treat their fabrics and are proud of the fact that all their clothes are made in Australia. Furthermore, the store also has an array of lifestyle products from diaries, to perfumes, to body oils.

Morrison

47 Market Street

Fremantle, Australia

+610 893 361 701

My mum’s in Chicago now, and that is propelling my urge to buy stuff online and ship it to her current address.

Now I feel like I NEED RAIN BOOTS.

I have very good reasons why I need rainboots

1) It rains quite a bit in Singapore
2) It’s not good to get your feet soaked in wet shoes from rain and puddles then go for class in a cold air conditioned room - rheumatism ensues - gasp!
3) I’ll be happier when the weather is moody heh heh.

I’m eyeing a few from Target.com, which are muchhh cheaper than Pluey’s, and don’t seem be any less cool or cute in their designs.

I am quite sure I’ll be getting these Hearts and Skulls Rain Boots in pink and white. I’m not really someone who likes skull prints, even in Alexander McQueen’s scarves of yesteryear, but what is not to love of the odd juxtaposition of a usually fierce, angsty print with colours so sweet you might become diabetic?

Okay, so that pair would fulfill my “happy print” criteria, and I can already imagine a few outfits for these

But I am equally smitten by wedge rain boots! I have something against the cut-out clonkiness of the sole (yes, I do know it’s for mushy terrain… I think) and heel of the regular rainboots. Only in the above pair can they be overlooked and forgiven.

Help me make a decision.

Shiny solid black ones? Goes with just about anything. I think I’d get more wear out of these cos I have been looking for a nice pair of flat leather boots, but to no avail. This is kinda the cheapy substitute.

But will I look too much like the local fishmonger?

Again, I can imagine Pinks giving me a deadpan look just as I mention these Scatter Dots Wedge Rain Boot, “What SCATTERRR dots? Polka dots are polka dots are polka dots!” Lol. I’m not in love with these but strangely enough, it is one of the contenders.

Then we have the Colourful Stripe Wedge Rain Boots. I think they’ll look more interesting on me from a distance than humanless, kinda close up, smack in the middle of your computer screen.

Browse more

One of my first purchases on my Perth trip was a necklace from Forever New.

Its a simple chain necklace, that looks somewhat like a snake because of its “scales”.

But its so versatile! <3!

best of all, i paid AU$3 for it! (which is about S$4!)

So here are a few things I’ve been able to create.

with simple knots, looping and sheer boredom, these were some of the patterns i came up with.

I especially like the double loop (2nd pic) and the variation of the simple knot (5th pic). Furthermore, the clasps allow me to wear it without the fear that my big head wont be able to fit through. hahas.

ok, thats all for now.

cheers!

I remember how my friend likened her new deep yellow nail colour to that of an egg yolk. I like eggs - salted, preserved, scrambled, with mayo… anything! I wouldn’t eat it raw, but it looks really pretty raw. Then I decided anything in yellow and white must look quite acceptable

Here’s what I wore to watch Iron Man today. Yes, I know it’s a little late, but it was a free movie pass that came in just as we left for Hong Kong! Luckily the show is still running

Dress: from Forever 21 (my sister’s)
Outerwear: Navy striped double breasted jacket from East Point Mall SGD20
Belt: Yellow faux leather belt from This Fashion SGD8
Bag: Yellow and white tie dye from H&M
Shoes: Yellow leather tie flats from HK Wholesale Centre HKD200

Close up of my shoes. Or our shoes. And my boyfriend’s hairy legs

I like my cool new leather tie shoes. Especially the bright happy yellow colour! But I don’t know if I am starting to love yellow a litttllleee too much. I bought egg yolk coloured tights (SGD8 from This Fashion) and tried them on with my shoes (:

Is it… too much? I usually wear black, white and grey. Yellow’s kinda a level up, haha.

Promised some outfit shots of the stuff I bought in Hong Kong. Here’s an interesting pair of bottoms from Giordano Ladies.

It’s actually a pair of culottes. I had to flare them out so that the legs can be seen. If not it’ll look just like a skirt. But I managed to make them look like a draped skirt too!

Spot my new grey heels from Hong Kong too! HKD200 each from the same shop I bought the yellow shoes

Managed to get it look like something else with the help of a good ol’ safety pin. But I know it’s not too good for the fabric, or the pin, cos its a heavy suiting material.

Top: Grey v-neck basic top from Giordano Concepts HKD90
Necklaces: Black choker from This Fashion SGD8, Malleable silver necklace/bracelet from Shen Zhen RMB30

Top: Grey camisole corset from H&M
Bottoms: Black playsuit from H&M
Outerwear: Floral short sleeved cardigan from Shen Zhen RMB100
Bag: Beige tote with multiple zips from HK Wholesale Mall HKD100
Shoes: Beige low wedges from HK Wholesale Mall HKD150
Hair accessory: Malleable silver necklace/bracelet from Shen Zhen RMB30

Yay for silver nails!

I know I said I’d buy colours and prints, and I did buy colours and prints in HK, but wearing yellow the whole day was quite visually exhausting for myself, hahahah.

I leave you with a happy me in Hong Kong enjoying the last of my steamed milk custard and steamed egg custard looking like a real half-boiled egg

“Mai dong xi, chi dong xi, mai dong xi, chi dong xi” (go shopping, take breaks for food, on repeat) is the motto that has been ringing in my ears for the past 7 days. That was the tagline for a tourism campaign for HK that was aired in Singapore a few years ago. Boy did I do just that!

I didn’t listen when people said to just pack light and buy the rest of your clothes in Hong Kong. I wasn’t sure what kind of shopping I was in for, but I still wanted to look slightly dressy and presentable wherever I went so I brought along quite a few pieces with me. But gahhh I should have listened because I nearly overloaded my baggage.

I actually got a chance to go to Shen Zhen and Macau for a day each. Macau was pretty, and pretty boring. Shen Zhen completely won me over! It’s just a short train ride from Lo Wu MTR Station.

Okay this isn’t so much of what I bought, it’s more of what I did and what I found interesting that hopefully will be useful to some people who will be visiting HK. I’ll post outfits and more of my personal experiences later I’m getting lazy during the school holidays!

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Hong Kong

Hong Kong Industrial/Wholesale Centre
Lai Chi Kok MTR Station

Here is one of the places where small shops in areas like Causeway Bay find their goods, and you know that HAS to be good, because the prices are like 1/3 that of those in malls and major shopping areas. Some shops require that you just buy in bulk (they don’t sell items singly) so… either look out for signs outside the shops that say just that, or the salesgirl would most like approach you to remind you of that once you step into the shop.

Clothes prices start from 20HKD
Bags prices start from 50HKD
Shoes prices start from 80HKD

You’d need at least half a day to plough through the beehive of stores. You’ll find mostly pretty funky Japanese and Korean stuff. Most shops are open from 12nn to 6pm.

I got myself 3 pairs of shoes, and 2 bags!

H&M
1) 68 Queen’s Road, Central MTR Station
2) Langham Place, Mongkok MTR Station

They always say that the store at Central is the biggest and the best, but that always means that the sizes are gone, and all that jazz. You could pop over the Langham Place for another H&M that’s just as good

I just snapped up whatever I liked without much thought, because when the hell is H&M gonna arrive in Singapore anyway?!!

You should do the same too (:

I don’t know how to list what I got from here, hahaha.

Uniqlo
Festival Walk, Kowloon Tong MTR Station

This Uniqlo is pretty big and the staff are friendly, but their incessant spamming of “Foon Yeng Gong Lam” gets kinda irritating, cos they just repeat it after their colleague who heard another colleague repeat it from another colleague who repeated it from another colleague who is standing at the door welcoming customers.

Ah screw that. Anyway. The fit of their jeans are pretty weird. There were these very pretty pair of pink jeans from the guys section, but there just wasn’t a right size!!!! Grr.

I ended up with a pair of paper bag denim shorts, a cardigan and a mini dress with the cutest fake collar.

Giordano Ladies and Giordano Concepts
1) Capitol Centre, Jardine’s Crescent, Causeway Bay MTR Station
2) Terminal 2 HK International Airport, Lantau Island

I am so smitten with these stores. If you’re not Singaporean, you would probably not know that Giordano doesn’t have a very good fashion reputation (: Anyway, Giordano Concepts is avant-garde cool without making you look like a confused fashion follower. Giordano Ladies is a bit more tuned to work friendly pieces. They have outlets in Singapore, but this 2-in-1 shop has a more generous serving of their range of clothes. The staff are realllyyy professional too, they treat you like you’re their most important customer even if you’re buying the cheapest things (ie my boyfriend and I trying on 5-6 pieces of the 2 for 150HKD tees and just deciding on 2 each, HAHA)

I got myself 2 tees and one cool knit hooded coat/shrug thing that almost all the staff were wearing. Well no one will think the same when they see me in it in Singapore!

O, and everyone who works there is pretty or handsome. Eye candy in their clothes makes you think that you’ll look like them when trying on the clothes too!

Evil.

When I got to the airport (omg yes I was still shopping and cramming stuff into my hand luggage at that point in time), I got myself a greyish purple cardigan and black baggy culottes.

Woot.

La Foret Mall, Fashion Street
Causeway Bay MTR Station

I have come across other people recommending walking along Causeway Bay for La Foret Mall, Fashion Street and the like. They’re pretty interesting too, but after you’ve spent the day at the wholesale centre you can’t help but mutter “RIP OFF!” as you saunter past the small shops of goodies other people seem so engrossed with. Haha.

But just go anyway because it is a pretty interesting atmosphere to immerse yourself in.

Temple Street
Yau Ma Tei MTR Station

My boyfriend and I spent one evening covering the super long Nathan Road to find the Temple street night market. There were paintings, toys, wood carvings, memorabilia, slogan tees, jewellry, fake goods, watches, and lots of gooooddd foooooddd! Actually the items on sale are not THAT interesting, but there are still lots of middle aged foreigners giving their all at bargaining for that fake monogrammed bag.

Lots of shouting and wailing and blasting music, you have to shovel the crowds away to get to your target stall. Luckily I had great company to make up for the lack of interesting buys (:

Heaven is in these precariously stacked bowls of pallid milky goodness, haha!

Smooth, sweet orgasmic stuff!

Look out for this shop, or a red circular logo of a cow’s head admidst the neon signs!

Yee Shun Milk Company
1) Along Jordan Road, Yau Ma Tei MTR Station
2) Lockhart Road (behind Sogo), Causeway Bay MTR Station

Here’s where you get the best double skin milk (seung pei lai) and steamed egg custard (dun dan). Try the original. Then try it in other flavours like chocolate, cappucino and ginger juice. Ahhhhhhhh the milkiness is so strong but it feels so light all at the same time. This just makes you want a bowl after another after another!

My boyfriend and I made a small video. He very cleverly tilted the camera vertically, so you might have to tilt your head when you view it too, haha.

Mak’s Noodle House
44 Jardine Bazaar, Causeway Bay MTR

This was part of Anthony Bourdain’s food trail when he was in Hong Kong. How bad can it get! And how good can it get! Very very good. The noodles here have great texture. It’s what Chinese call “Q” or “song”. There’s just no English equivalent for this expression! Bouncy or chewy just doesn’t cut it. Elastic just sound wrong, haha.

The wanton filling is just as bouncy and yummy, with a very generous portion of shrimp mixed with meat and rolled in a thin smooth skin

Ahh.

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Shen Zhen

Luohu Commercial City
Shenzhen Railway station

This place is best know for their designer knock offs of bags, watches and clothes, and occasionally rejected designer goods, but they do have some tiny shops with awfully cheap shoes and Japanesey and Korean items. Be sure to bargain! Think this is another place where small shops get most of their stock.

And if you have the time, get a manicure there too! They’re mostly about 20RMB, for a full manicure/pedicure, and it isn’t as crumpy as the price suggests

I got three pairs of flats, 2 tops and some cheapy silver accessories (:

Eye that ginormous bowl of sashimi!

Mostly black interiors

Kamii Restaurant
King Glory Plaza, Luohu District

Those who were with me said that this place serves one of the best sashimi. I cannot vouch for that because I don’t eat wasibe, so I don’t take sashimi either. But the other things like handrolls and shabu shabu were delish!

You’re enveloped in black interiors, with a water feature right down the centre of the restaurant and a very peaceful and happy looking buddha. Ah, the life.

Best of all, it’s actually a buffet from 11am-2pm and it only costs 100RMB. Like wtf, how can they serve such food at such a price! Go and eat your fill!

Shui Yun Jian (Water Cloud House)
Fu Qiang Road

This place is a haven for hardcore shoppers, not that it is another cheapy wholesale centre, but it is a place for you to take a nice shower, indulge in a sauna or jacuzzi, and a good fulll body massage, all for just about 60SGD.

Massage parlours around Asia all sound kinda dodgy, but this place is t3h sm3x! Sorry to those who are not acquainted with 1337 speak, I have been influenced by the boyfriend (: t3h sm3x just means that it’s ridiculously incredibly awesome, heh.

The great thing is that you just have to buy any massage service, and you can stay there for the entire day, eating, sleeping (yes there is a room for you to sleep!) watch tv while the masseuse pound you up, and like I said above, bathe and indulge rid yourself of all the muckiness of hardcore shopping!

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Sorry I kept having to say cheap. But everything kinda was!

I hope this was at least a litttllleeee helpful for anyone who’s looking for a rough guide to HK, cos prior to the trip I’ve been devouring travel blogs and fashion blogs and wikipedia and wikitravel for shopping guides! Actually the Shen Zhen places and the wholesale shopping mall was reccomended by my boyfriend’s aunts, who are local to HK

I must add that I did not manage to cover some places, like th sneaker street, Soho area and Wan Chai. Part of me selfishly hopes that it’s not all that great so I wouldn’t have missed out on much, haha.

Hello everyone! Jo is back from Hong Kong, safe and happy, without having to pay any excess baggage charge despite having bought almost half of Hong Kong back to Singapore

Just wanted to say a quick hi and that I’m still alive! I am back with a humungous shopping loot of about 2 dresses, 5 bottoms, 6 cardigans and jackets, and about 10 tops… 7 pairs of shoes and 7 bags, among at least 15 pieces of jewellry and accessories. All this, excluding the pieces that I bought for other friends and family

HAPPINESS IS ME!

O, and may I add that I am also back with probably 2 or 3 kgs more. Most likely around my waist and arms, lol.

Pictures and the best of Hong Kong will be up later, after I catch up on sleep and water!