President dress in Hot Pink – courtesy of MAIA, Gold belt – ZARA, Pearl and enamel necklace – Mom’s, Bag – Louis Vuitton x Sofia Coppola ‘SC’ Bag, 200 denier tights – ASOS, Amaaazing Jil Sander knock-off Heels – Tony Bianco.
I had these photos taken on the last week of my holiday in Singapore, I’d insisted these photos to be taken really early – I think it was a Tuesday – because I wanted to get it out of the way before I began my last food frenzy before my flight on Sunday. I was brought to 3 buffets in the same week and I can tell you truthfully that I would need a bottle of talcum powder and some powerful zip tugging to get into that pink dress.
The MAIA President dress was sent to me as a surprise – I had no idea they were giving me something else other than the two pieces I was allowed to pick, aren’t they just lovely? Thank you so much, Diana and the other girls behind MAIA! I have a lot of pinks in my make-up bag but not in my wardrobe since I much prefer the darker colours of fall. But thankfully, the President dress is a lot more wearable than most acid coloured clothing simply because of its black top. I’ve paired it with jewelry and a bag, both in a dark brownish red hue that complements the hot pink without having to do so much. If pink is not your thing, the dress also comes in the most incredible ink colour.
The Louis Vuitton x Sofia Coppola ‘SC’ bag was actually my mother’s birthday gift from my dad and of course, it is no coincidence that suddenly, my ultimate dream bag becomes my mother’s LOL. My mother wanted a classic LV bag without the monogram which was perfect because there could be no other bag but the Coppola for her (and me). We searched for it in Paris and Singapore but everything was gone to my mom’s utter disappointment. A secret phone call to my resourceful and well-connected LV maniac best friend and one week later the bag was hidden in plain sight in my mother’s room where she took 10 excruciating minutes to notice there was a huge ass LV paper bag on her bed. My dad took a video of this and I wish I could put it up here – it’s the funniest thing!
This bag is so effortless, so beautiful yet so casual that I can take it with me anywhere; for dinners with the family and coffee with friends. Another funny story is when my mom went shopping at Chanel, she left her Coppola bag at the counter and another customer lifted it up thinking it was a Chanel LOL. She almost died of embarrassment when my dad said, “I’m sorry, this is my wife’s bag.” We tried really hard not to laugh.
I also have a special attachment to the necklace I’m wearing in this entry. Again, it’s mom’s and it’s been with her for more than a decade now. It is seriously a work of art – I put on a simple top, pants and add this stunning art deco necklace and instantly I’m all dressed up, which is exactly what I did when I was in Kuala Lumpur. I believe in minimalist dressing when on vacation (save the luggage space for all your shopping!!) but I always take an incredible piece of jewelry with me to anchor the look. I had to give the necklace back to my mother before I flew back to Melbourne so I feel extremely gutted every time I look at these pictures. Sigh, they just don’t make jewelry like this anymore.
Face:
Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 hour Foundation in 103 True Ivory
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC20
Cheeks:
TOPSHOP Cream Blush in Pinch
Eyes:
KATE Quick Eyeliner S in Black
MAC Browset in Girl Boy
Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Neo
Lips:
Burberry Lip Cover in Brick Red
After years of playing around with make-up, I finally mastered the perfect winged eyeliner omg. It’s not all about steady hands; the eyeliner you use also plays a big part as well. It’s really about figuring out what you’re most comfortable with: I like KATE’s Quick Eyeliner S in Black, it’s works literally like a pen. Uncap and you’re ready to draw on a crisp line. Doesn’t smudge, lasts forever and so cheap – it is, to me, the holy grail liquid eyeliner. A lot of people love their gel eyeliners, e.g. MAC Fluidline, but I don’t know, my hands can’t work with a reed thin eyeliner brush lol.
I have Catherine to thank for my red lips, she sent me a Burberry lipstick sampler for Christmas and the shade I’m wearing is no. 19 Brick Red which a gorgeous deep brownish red. I have become SO obsessed with the Burberry lipstick line and bought one right before I left but that’s a story for another day.. 
Thank you Dejiki for the beautiful photos and my mother’s LV LOL. My other best friend, Aaron, just graduated yesterday and he’s leaving for a 3 week trip in Europe tomorrow so I got that summertime sadness right now 
Congrats bb, take care and please buy me all the beauty crap you can get from the French pharmacies!
I’m slowly getting back to the swing of things here, school has been so exhausting but I’ll try to whine less and write more. Hope everyone’s had a good weekend!
Archeologist cardigan in Grey – courtesy of MAIA, ‘Dress’ – tailored (read below), Gold belt – thrifted @ Lost & Found, Melbourne, Gold cocktail ring – ASOS, Blue glass ring – Sunday Art Market @ St Kilda, Melbourne, Bag – Chanel, 200 denier tights – ASOS, Platform heels – Forever 21 (previously seen here).
Putting up outfit shots on t-n isn’t feasible for me because there really isn’t anyone I can ask to take photos of me except for my best friend but he lives in Singapore and I’m in Melbourne most of the year so I’ve taken to putting up my looks on Instagram instead (add me on Instagram: @ilyana 
) But when MAIA emailed me and asked if they could send me some pieces from their first collection, there were no apologies, no excuses – a style post had to be written.
The Archeologist cardigan I was sent is no ordinary cardigan. I’ll be honest: when I first spotted it on the MAIA website, I only picked it because I needed a new cardi stat, the Archeologist was a quirky option (name and all) and that was it. What you don’t really see in their photos is that each cardigan has secret air pockets hidden at the bottom (see first photo) to trap the wind, allowing the billowy fabric to float and whirl every time you move; it’s a cape disguised as a cardigan (it’s even made with a bit of spandex in it ;p) Genius! Easily my favourite pick from the collection.
Each clothing piece you purchase has a tag with a pretty sweet handwritten note with an inspirational quote from the MAIA girls. “In order to be irreplaceable, one has to always be different” – I’d like to think I am lol!
I also picked up their Zoologist scarf whose name is strangely fitting; it’s a blend of two very abstract leopard and grunge prints doused in a dusty gradient of rose and pink. I think it is this feminine hue that makes it very wearable and I hate that I haven’t gotten the chance to wear it yet. It’s made of the softest poly satin, a godsend in our crap weather. Ready for more secrets? If you observe the scarf carefully, you’d notice these 6 black loop holes emerging from one of its edges..
Those loops are meant to be fixed onto these buttons you see on my President dress (I LOVE THESE NAMES LOL). I believe most of their pieces have this element in them, meaning the scarves were designed to be worn in synchronisation with the rest of the collection. Naturally, you can wear the scarf on its own but you can tell immediately a lot of thought has gone into the design process of this entire collection which is why I hesitate to call MAIA your run-of-the-mill “blogshop”.
Their prices are on the more expensive side and I think it’s fair because their clothes aren’t the sort of basics you buy and throw after two years – they have little secrets embedded in them and they’re designed to be statement pieces that are meant to add a little somethin’ somethin’ to your own style. If you want to check out MAIA‘s clothes in person (which I highly recommend you do!), they are stocked at OVA.
Thank you Diana and the other girls behind MAIA for sending me these pieces! Diana actually won my last giveaway too, I gave her free Lush products and now she’s giving me free clothes – good karma also exists, people! Don’t forget to join MAIA‘s mailing list and get 15% off your order ;D Full disclosure: I wasn’t paid for this post kthx!
Of course, I have my own style secrets too. The dress that I’m wearing in this style post? You see, technically it isn’t a dress. No one believes me when I tell them but it’s actually the top bit of my baju kurung – has your mind been blown yet LOL? This is probably the only baju kurung I bothered bringing over to Melbourne and I thought it was a bit sad I could only wear it once a year because it’s so god damn beautiful. It’s made of this sheer blue floral chiffon with gold lining so it’s got this duochrome effect I’m crazy about. I broke the baju out of its traditional realm and I’ve been wearing it out paired with the perfect gold belt, andddd INSTANT CHIC SHIFT DRESS TYVM. This, ladies, is how you ‘recycle’ your baju kurung without looking like a skank.
The gold cocktail ring is a recent purchase from ASOS to add to my dizzying ring collection and honestly I wasn’t expecting it to be this huge obnoxious thing (online photos, they lie) but I actually like it this way. My other bff, Aaron, and I have been jokingly calling it my future wedding ring – whether it’s really a joke or not, I can’t tell you that yet ;p
And my Chanel bag finally makes its debut on the blog with its own almost gratuitous shot. I suppose perfection doesn’t need to be explained.
My Diana Mini I’ve ignored for far too long and one of my favourite buys of the year: a vintage brass ring Aaron thinks must have come straight out of the Lord of The Rings. Everyone else keeps mistaking it for a YSL. Either way, I’m not complaining.
Left: One of the small boutiques along the street sells French soaps and bubble baths. Honestly, I could care less about the fancy soap; I just want the beautiful bottles they come in. Right: The unnamed Deli (or is it just ‘Deli’? hmm..) whose lattes I have a fondness for.
Technically, this bakery isn’t on Brunswick St but on Gertrude St which is pretty close. It’s called Fatto a Mano and they sell some of the best (and cheap) organic bread. They’re famous for their sourdough and potato & olive pizza slices which always run out by mid-day :/ I LOVE their jam doughnuts as well. Unlike conventional doughnuts, their version is a simple ball of light yeasty bread. It’s sliced in half with raspberry jam slathered on one side and a heaping of cream in the other. Mmm. Creammmm.
Fatta a Mano’s pizzas I was talking about. Left: Sundried tomatoes and basil. Right: Potato and Olive. Yep I bought a slice ;p
Perseverance Hotel: love the old architecture and the turrets but would I ever consider staying there for a night? Never.
The many tiny roads leading out to Gertrude St/Brunswick St have some great graffiti. On that subject, I do consider graffiti a form of art but only when it’s on the streets and not on a property I own. Fork yeah, double standards!
And as always, I’m suckered in by any species of pretty plant/flower.
Some photos I took while meeting a friend for coffee at Brunswick St, the ‘hipster spot’ of Melbourne. It’s essentially a ten minute walk from my place and it’s one of the few things I’m going to miss about living in this crap hole apartment. It’s also where you can find my fave fish & chips shop, Hooked (which I wrote about here).
I’m trying to write shorter entries for this blog so nobody has to wait a month for another one of my super long entries. I’m not good with multitasking: when I have school work, I have finish it first which is why I can no longer read my favourite blogs as often as I’d like (forgive me, friends! ) and any thought of updating my own blog has always been ignored and pushed to the back of my to-do list. And frankly, I also can’t afford to get an Asian F on my transcript or my parents might threaten to cut me off LOL. So here’s to a more regular posting schedule on tea noir! ;D
Fatto a Mano Organic Bakery
228 Gertrude Street
Fitzroy VIC 3065
God these photos are so overdue. After our Great Ocean Road adventure and my roomie’s health scare, Naz and I went for a day tour of the Dandenong mountains and took a ride on a steam train to properly celebrate my birthday. I thought 23 would be a good age to be a real adult and devise plans to squelch self-indulgence but uh, it’s not really working out lol.
Case in point: a steam train ride?? I know what you’re thinking but let’s put it this way – it’s an unrestrained throwback to my kiddy memories of Thomas & Friends and the fantasy lit series that has me fixated (which really is a nice word for mildly obsessive ;p) for about a decade now: Harry Potter. But surely not even the Hogwarts Express would permit its passengers to casually sit on the window’s edge and stretch their legs out? JK Rowling probably knows there’s still a high risk of mutilating your limbs despite being in a magical world and she cleverly writes about chocolate frogs and pumpkin pasties to distract us from the (im)possibility that a ride on the Hogwarts Express is the equivalent of taking a train ride to Chinatown. Except fancier.
Disclaimer: That was a joke. There is no way in Pottermore that taking the Hogwarts Express would be as drab as taking the train to Chinatown.
Anywho, my legs are still intact and dangling them off the ledge isn’t as dangerous as you might think. The only awful thing that happened was my legs felt like heavy rocks after 20 minutes of exposing them to the winter air. Anyone spot something out of the ordinary in my photos? I’m actually wearing sneakers LOL, you have to know it is extremely, extremely rare to find me in my high cuts since I’m a flats/heels kinda girl. But, going back to the theme of mementos, sneakers were what I always wore when I was in high school. Ah, the simple days of having just a pair of black sneakers and having nothing in your mp3 player except Avril Lavigne.
Coincidentally, I’m also wearing the first trench coat I ever bought (in honor of my 18th birthday too actually) and I guess you could say this was the one coat that started my DISREGARD SINGAPORE’S BLOODY WEATHER AND BUY TRENCHES phase. It’s from Sisley and was at that time, the most expensive thing in my wardrobe lol. The only reason I could afford it was because my cousin had an employee discount card, whoo hoo connections!
If you’re visiting Melbourne and would like to pretend there is some danger of having your limbs torn off, check out the Puffing Billy steam train 
It’s not the Hogwarts Express but it is almost as cool.
Also some real life news: I am definitely moving out of my apartment after my lease ends this year. I know I’ve said previously I’ve gotten used to its flaws bla bla etc but oh. my. god. you wouldn’t believe what happened to me last Sunday night when the roomie and I were collecting our clothes from the laundry room. We pushed the door open and there was a druggie in the room shooting up drugs in his arm WHAT THE FLYING FORK. He started shouting and gesturing wildly when he saw us – I did what any sane person would do: RUN. So yeah, having a druggie doing drugs in my seemingly safe laundry room is the last straw. It’s time to start finding a new home.
Switching up my hijab style for a bit as I bid adieu to my 20/20 vision. The university has stolen my perfect vision and now I’m struggling to find some space in my bag to keep these specs. Thankfully I can still see almost perfectly without them but if you were to put me at the back of a lecture theatre sans specs, I’ll be swearing under my breath.
About my turban: I have it in 6 colours, from tangerine to my current favourite shade of the moment – grey. I think my friends are just relieved to see me in something that isn’t black lol. It’s a godsend in this merciless climate!
OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OHHHH *FLICKS HIJAB*
I try to make it a point to buy something special whenever I’ve accomplished something academically. This Yves Saint Laurent Arty Ring in Lapis is payback for my daily grind of red bulls, readings and slathering pimple cream on my face for the past 1.5 years. I know there has been a huge influx of fashion bloggers who own the Arty Ring (some even call this “THE blogger ring”) but I don’t care for the alleged negative connotations behind owning it. I have been waiting to purchase this beauty for an entire year now – 6 months to decide that this ring was everything I wanted (at that time anyway) and another 6 months to wait for the ring to be restocked in my size. There is not a single YSL boutique in Melbourne, can you believe it? Scandalous. I bought this the day I arrived in Singapore while meeting my cousins for dinner and I think I must have made them shell shocked when I handed over my credit card to the SA at YSL, they probably thought I was joking LOL SRY GIRLS! x
Also, some drama: If you discount the takoyaki party I held for my close friends when I turned 21, my birthdays are usually simple affairs. This year’s, however, was a little unconventional. At the stroke of midnight on the 27th of June, my cousins and I were singing “GO SHORTY IT’S YO BIRTHDAY, WE’RE GONNA PARTY LIKE IT’S YO BIRTHDAY” and IT’S A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT, WE’RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING DUMB TO DOOOOO” as loud as our chocolate chip cookie-filled mouths could manage before falling asleep without actually marrying anyone (confused? click on the link lol).
Two hours later, my roommate (read: she’s also my cousin) woke me up, red-faced and breathing heavily while telling me that she was having trouble breathing due to her asthma. The worst bit of all: she had just run out of medication. I think my mind must have went on hyperdrive then. All of us sprang out of bed; my other cousin ran to my roommate’s room and grabbed all her important documents while I called for an ambulance. I’m actually pretty darn amazed I remembered which number to call in my frazzled state because the emergency numbers in Australia and Singapore are completely different. My other cousin ran down to wait for the ambulance and I stayed with my roommate, pretending that I had everything under control but in actuality, I was so close to breaking down in tears myself.
The paramedics arrived and took her to the hospital where she was rushed to the emergency ward for treatment. We slept in the waiting room in the weirdest positions – you gotta hand it to us for finding ways to sleep on those uncomfortable plastic chairs lol. At 5am, the doctors finally called us in to see my roomie and thankfully, there was nothing critically wrong with her body. My roomie got discharged in the evening that same day too, thank god. This was not how I imagined my 23rd birthday would be like but all that drama aside, I helped to save someone’s life which is probably going to score me some super karma points. Plus, I get to tick “Get a ride in an ambulance with a hot paramedic reminiscent of a young Prince William” off my bucket list too XD OH YES I DID LULZ
I’m heading to Malaysia over the weekend to meet Aaron again and do a little shopping, can you believe it’s been half a year since our first meeting? Our sense of time is so warped sometimes. GIVEAWAY ENTRY COMING UP NEXT and it is much more exciting in terms of prizes than my last one, you don’t want to miss it! See you guys soon x
So today I checked my site stats for the first time in say, 10 days, and someone actually googled “what happened to tea noir” to get here LOL. I then realized that if someone willingly spent 2 seconds of his/her time to google about my current state of being, a) I have amazing readers and b) it’s a sign I should start blogging again.
Concerned reader whoever you are, thank you and don’t worry I’m still breathing! I’ve just been through a rather intense month in school! I was supposed to blog during my Easter break but that didn’t work out because my essay deadline got extended a couple more days so I took my time with that submission. Plus, I had friends from Singapore and Sydney visiting and well, you know how it is with me and playing tour guide.
Some exciting news: The blog got featured in Singapore’s Malay paper, Berita Harian, last Friday!! I really wanted to put this up on Friday itself but I didn’t have time D: Thank you Nur for writing this amazing article, I’m very grateful you chose tea noir amongst the many other great blogs to feature! It’s great that my fellow muslim sisters are taking to the internet to write about their views on fashion and beauty! I know tea noir isn’t strictly a “hijab-oriented” blog since I write about everything I find remotely interesting, not necessarily about my religion or the hijab, but I feel privileged to be clustered together with these other hijab-wearing muslim bloggers. Our content may vary but we have one thing in common: we’re a niche. And a pretty awesome one at that!
Excerpt from the article VERY loosely translated by me:
Singapore isn’t left out with the muslimah blogging trend either. Even though we do not have a group of dedicated muslimahs blogging about fashion such as “Scarflets”, you can still find a few Singapore-based fashion and beauty writers on the Internet. One of them is Ilyana Idros, who blogs at Tea Noir (REPRESENT!).
Apart from discussing issues pertaining to fashion and beauty, she also takes beautiful photos and occasionally shares Western and Mediterranean recipes.
You can read the rest of the article in Malay here. Sorry ah I only got B3 for my Malay ‘O’ Levels. I seriously admire Malay journalists, I don’t know how they’re able to write long articles in the language but RESPECT!! Thank you so much Nur and congrats on your blog feature too ;D
And so the secret’s out! The blog I desperately tried to hide from my family (apart from my dad and selected cousins) has been trolled excessively by my mom and all my other aunts last I heard. I wanted to keep the article a secret from my mom and repeatedly told my father to hide the papers from her but my cousin called me that same evening and revealed to me her whole family knew about it. I must have mentally said “Oh shit!” a thousand times lol so yeah I told my mom shortly afterwards because obviously, if someone was going to tell her, it had to be me.
Mom didn’t react as badly as I thought she would shockingly – she was mostly distracted by the Royal Wedding during our phone call ROFL THANK YOU KATE AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL MCQUEEN. She’s proud of me, I guess. I’m just thankful I didn’t list the prices of most of the stuff I’ve bought or I’ll be getting a serious talk about my finances HAHA! Hi Mom! No, I haven’t bought anymore shoes I swear! The shoes you see on this blog were bought during a time of emotional turmoil and I needed them to fill an empty void in my soul. Plus, they were on sale! ;p Hope you’re having a nice time shopping in KL, miss and love you! <3 <3
Now that my 5 seconds of fame are up, I have photos of my ELLE Collections magazine to share with you guys! They release it every season as a recap of the major fashion collections and srsly, I would buy this magazine just for its stunning layouts! I like that the magazine isn't just about the clothes, you get to see a compilation of all the invites each designer sends out, what the front row is wearing, how to make Prada banana earrings (I'm not kidding) and great written pieces on what went on backstage.
Stellar huh? Grab a copy if you can, it is exquisite! Thank you so much for sticking around despite my absences guys, I’d really like to blog and comment as often as I can but school will always, always remain my top priority. It’s terrible but I have no life outside university. Depression aside, hello to my new readers (and my extended family) who found this blog through the Berita Harian!! Don’t be shy and say hi! Please subscribe to my blog and follow me on twitter so you don’t miss out on any updates! See you all soon x
Hello from Melbourne! Sorry I haven’t blogged in a while. I don’t really have to apologise for I did say I was going on a short hiatus in my last entry. The truth is I did have time to blog. I was just stuck. Creatively.
I’ve been afflicted by a severe case of writer’s block the past two weeks and while I am still far from getting over this self-bashing, I was in dire need of expressing myself so I’m attempting to get rid of this block by doing exactly what I don’t want to be doing: writing a blog entry. I’m not sure how long I’ll take to write this but I’m putting away all sharp objects just in case I get vexed by my own writing and start having ideas about reenacting scenes from Sweeney Todd.
This writer’s block just materialized one morning after I had my cup of English breakfast tea and reading The New York Times online. I sat up quickly on my bed, crippled with uncertainty and thought, “My god, I can’t write for shit.”
I think this has been going on for some time now, manifesting like a leech in my head over the last stretch of the summer holidays and with me, its host, caught unaware. Writing is very subjective, as is design. There is more to writing than the careful placement of a verb, a noun, an adjective; a quiet chemistry that happens when you string a bunch of words and punctuation together. And while I am familiar with the rules that govern the standards of ‘good’ design, I am completely inexperienced when tinkling with the alchemy of writing. But I suppose we all have to start somewhere.
tea noir is my baby, it’s only been two years since I decided to show the world how much make-up a person can accumulate but this site has transformed into a quick-change act, emitting enough ambiguity to confuse even my most loyal reader. New friends who want to link me on their blog always ask the same question: “Should I put you under beauty, fashion, photography or simply under Personal Blogs?” I was just as stumped.
I think I’ve figured it out though. tea noir isn’t a beauty/fashion/photography/personal blog, it’s a commitment to an aesthetic: my own set of principles and elements of style that I’ve cultivated through my experiences growing up. It’s up to you to figure out which genre or category tea noir falls under, it’s all blurry at this point but I consider it a strength, a uniqueness that I possess in this wired world. People have asked why I don’t have ads, sought out advertorial opportunities or joined nuffnang. It’s not that I oppose it, I just want free reign on what I put up on my blog (and sry2say I worked too damn hard for my pretty layout to be destroyed by ads created by some idiot who *think* they know design I HAVE PRIDE ALSO K)
LOL so enough ~serious business~, I think the previous paragraphs have been a great warm-up to help get me back on track. If you’ve made it this far, I hope I didn’t bore you lol. I just needed to shake off this hatred I feel towards my writing :/
I’ve been redecorating my room the past week to keep me distracted from my writer’s block and it’s been going, for lack of a better kick-ass word, spiffy! 8D I’m sick of complaining to everyone that my apartment is fug so I decided to be pro-active and make my room a better place for womankind. If you’re expecting the methodical “before” and “after” photos, sorry I’m not going to indulge you with the “before” photos because I refuse to let anyone be subjected to that kind of horror lol.
I keep all my skincare and accessories on the ledge of my window. Because there is not enough space elsewhere for the amount of product I have. Yeah I know, I have a ton. I went thrift-shopping for a couple of days to find one-off pieces for my ledge and scored that super long tray for $3. I got it at a weird party store too lol. I like to close my eyes and pretend it’s from Philippe Starck ROFL.
Floral soap dish, oval container and brush holder were $8? Vintage bone china side dish plate was a lucky find too, isn’t it gorgeous? I love the delicate gold trimming. That polaroid photo was taken the day I left for Australia for the first time in 2010, a reminder of new beginnings and my family’s love.
Monet’s Regatta at Argenteuil, circa 1872 <3 If you ever find yourself living in a ghetto apartment, throw in a Monet painting in a baroque frame and girl, you've got instant CLASS. The almost pastel green glass bottle houses my most adored scent from Parisian perfumer Annick Goutal, Petite Chérie. Incredibly pricey too, I try to use it sparingly.
My bedside table! I found this bone china dish at the same thrift store where I bought its sister and it houses the make-up I use daily e.g. mascara, concealer, fave go-to lipsticks. Anyone notice that tube of Maybelline Full N’ Soft mascara? That was my first mascara ever and it was discontinued in Singapore like 6 years ago or something. SO STOKED TO FIND IT HERE! I always have a cup of tea in my room in the mornings and at night. Also introducing my first film/lomo camera, the Diana Mini in her pristine white reincarnation.
These wooden alphabets were given to me on my birthday last year by my crazy friends! I think it’s an ingenious take on the boring greeting card plus it doubles as a brilliant prop atop my shelves. Please excuse the expletive you see in one of my friend’s written greeting above lol. I was going to blur it out but that would’ve made it seem even more obvious. Plus I’m no innocent, just because I keep my language clean on this blog, doesn’t mean I don’t swear in real life ;p The painting is Van Gogh’s lesser known Starry Night Over The Rhone, 1888 (told you I was an Art History buff!)
Remember in a previous entry I was ranting about the silly tribal flag painting in my room? I covered it up with some high fashion material WERQ IT! Can’t believe I took a year to think of this ._.
MY FAVOURITE THING IN MY ROOM RIGHT NOW: FRICKING FAIRY LANTERN LIGHTS!!!! I don’t care if that makes me a pseudo hipster chick, my room has AMBIENCE. I can serve some tea and let people chill on my bed for $10 per head just to look at my lights, THIS TRUMPS ALL.
Cherry blossoms printed on each paper lantern
My Keep Calm poster! It’s actually longer and has the crown at the top but it got cut off by my camera, I’m using my 50mm – left my zoom lens in Singapore because it was just annoying to carry around.
So that’s the end of my room tour, I hope you guys like what I’ve done to the place! I’m going to change the look of my entire apartment gradually but for now, my room is looking foxy and that is enough ;D
Also, to the man who bought me my first Chanel and who would’ve supported me even if I wanted to be a drag queen, to the man who taught me that there is no sense in being rich if you don’t have humility, a great personality and substance: Happy birthday dad, I love you!
..God I love/hate my writing. I’m going to bed.
This is exactly what happens when I go shopping: I see something I like, I check for colour variations and then I check its price tag, holding my breath since I’ve decided 10 seconds ago that I couldn’t leave the store without buying every colour available. It’s not surprising that I am one of those people who fall prey to bargains. You don’t say no to pretty things when they’re cheap and come in colours that would complement my almost monochromatic wardrobe.
Even if they aren’t exactly cheap, this is the best time to get a sugar rush (can I recommend a small cone of ice-cream?) and let your mind play tricks on you. Don’t worry darling, your bank account has more money than you think. Buying that extra pair of shoes isn’t going to change the numbers drastically. And your mother will never find out as long as you get the credit card bill from the letterbox before she does. Your pulse will quicken once you’ve signed for the shoes and when you carry them with you on the train home, you feel a strange sense of fulfillment. Savour it, it won’t last long.
Since I am no longer earning my own keep and my love life is a barren wasteland, I can’t afford nor bribe a foolish man into buying me expensive shoes. No worries, actually. I’ll just keep finding cheap designer rip-offs. My Forever21 chunky heels are an amazing combination of ugly/beautiful and I’m pretty sure they were inspired by this pair of miu miu platforms. J’adore <3 Of course, the most blatant shoe rip-off in this entry would be my fake Ferragamos lol. They aren't exact copies (I prefer it that way) and I couldn't decide between the black or gray so I bought them both!
I have new rings too, don't they look like cracked speckled eggs? Again, I couldn't choose between the coral or the turquoise so...don't you see the distinct pattern here lol? Currently having a rekindled love affair with my tilkah bracelet, I can’t decide what it reminds me of: reptilian scales or a costume prop from Xena the Warrior Princess. I bought it on my birthday but it’s very heavy so it isn’t the best accessory to wear to school when you’re expected to take down a flurry of notes.
Sadly, my shopping/eating adventures in Singapore are drawing to an end. My heart grows uneasy whenever I am reminded that I only have two weeks left before I am due back in a country I don’t call home. It is natural for people to link studying overseas as something fun, prestigious even and while I would never trade this experience for anything in the world, leaving your family, your things behind is the most bittersweet feeling. Sometimes I feel like a gypsy; always moving around in places never been, forging beautiful memories but never truly belonging. I don’t feel particularly attached to Singapore, to be honest. Sure, I was born and raised here but I find it a little too stifling, too safe. Still, there is an eminent sense of familiarity that draws me back whenever I’m away.
I don’t know if I’m meant to call Singapore home forever but for the moment, this is home and that is good enough.
That’s the last of my photos for tea noir’s Valentino series. Seeing the collection pieces in real life was evidently a richer experience than viewing runway shots on Style.com. The stitching, beading and other fine details were laid bare to be observed and scrutinised by us common folk. It was also lovely to see the old archive pieces we would have never gotten access to. And while I don’t agree with Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli’s vision for Valentino, I left the exhibit with a tad more respect for them than I would normally admit. The exact pieces I hated on the runway were swiftly made okay when I realized how much work must have gone into them as I broke the dresses down ruffle by ruffle.
What I wore to the exhibit:
Werqing the Azzedine Alaïa HAHAHA AS IF. And urgh, I have the fattest legs in the world :/ Anywho, ever since I saw a photo of Giovanna Battaglia wearing this Alaïa dress, I have been obsessed with finding a similar version which won’t lead me into debt.
I found my navy blue pleated dress at MANGO, I love how the colour is contrasted with a thick black border at the edges. My art nouveau gold belt is a lucky thrift find from Melbourne and my bag is from COACH, twas a birthday present from my mother. I never thought I’d like the brand (their CCCCCCCCCCC monogram is so off-putting) but I’m eating my words now, I love my bag!
