Updates

Okay so I haven't been in much of a shopping mood lately. It has been extremely hot back here ever since I got back. You know how your camera or mp3 player jams when it's in the extreme cold? Well my body jams in extreme heat. I can literally sit under the 'cool' fan yet melt away, getting up to do anything became a chore. Hopefully I am melting stubborn fats, like in a sauna. :)

So when the temperature dropped by I suppose 1 or 2 degrees, I got off my ass and finally got around to baking a Matcha (Green Tea) Chiffon Cake. I got the recipe off a blogger who adapted it from a Japanese chef. It requires olive oil instead of butter! Okay it looks like a punctured tyre because it started sinking but tastes really good. I did take pictures but ... if only the cake in the picture didn't look uglier than the real deal, I'd probably post it up. I guarantee you it tastes good!

Second update. Imma have to take up a job before returning to London. Seeing that my schedule is packed; Alvin visiting late April and South Korea trip late June (Hotel and flights are booked! I'm excited!); I'd have to manouver between high turnover rate jobs. Since I have absolutely no work clothes here, I have to get some soon to last me temporarily, which means boring stuff and painful shoes first. :( Sigh good quality bargains are hard to find when you are in a rush. No fear, I should have plenty of time in between to go hunt for pretty work clothes and comfy shoes.

Now because of the heat, dressing up is such a pain. You can't really layer and you are limited to certain materials. The only thing I can do is admire from afar on the WWW.

Hats galore! I wish for one like this to go into the sun now.
She's cool. Her shoes and blazer are really nice. I may think twice about going out with those pants over tights but she definitely has the look to pull it off.
And she's got a really cute giraffe ring! Giraffes are rare okay. I'm just sayin' from experience.

Yellow blazer that reminds me of the Karen Millen Striped Blazer we just sold off! Also I'm pining for her hair. Oh yah I forgot to mention, I went off to get a hair perm by myself without my mum's blessing hence only able to settle for the cheapest option. Not only is my hair NOT wayyyyvey it is completely wrecked in terms of silkiness, softness and smoothness. Never ever settle for less. But in this case I was that desperate, 5 years of begging and pleading but my mum never budged, not even a milimetre. Now, I have to do a Zen haircut to get rid of the horrible-ness. For now, I can still bun it up and no one will have a clue but I'd have to do it sooner or later. Oh well, new job, new life, new hair. At least there's a ring to it.

- sue

Play clothes

Since Sue did a post about work clothes, I thought I'd respond with one about play clothes.

Somewhat contradictorily starting work has engendered in me the most terrible hunger for comfy clothes to go on holiday and slouch around at home in. Fortunately, Uniqlo provides. Their gloriously comfortable boyfriend shorts are just as good for tramping around foreign cities as for lying in bed at home looking at ASOS.

Black cardigan - Topshop; paint-splattered Charlie Chaplin T-shirt - market stall at the Curve; denim shorts - Uniqlo; grey tights - H&M; Dorothy shoes - Clarks; audioguide - courtesy of Caixa Catalunya, proprietor of the magnificent La Pedrera

Since despite the fact that we can only wear shorts over tights here in Britain (it's a different story for Sue! Damn yoooouuu, Sue) I am an incurable optimist, I bought another pair of these, this time in light green. They are almost exactly the colour of green tea chocolate.

Peachy T-shirt and graphic print scarf - H&M; green boyfriend shorts - Uniqlo; green Birkenstocks - TK Maxx

I also picked up this scarf for £3 in H&M -- it is thin and super soft, but surprisingly warm when wrapped closely around the neck.

So far, so dull (though undeniably comfortable). I did look at a pair of synthetic leather shorts at Uniqlo, but decided against it. Here are some rather more exciting pairs of shorts, if you prefer ...

Louise Gray for ASOS bloomers, £27.00

I love everything about this outfit. If I had this girl's legs I would wear it everywhere. (Well, maybe not to work.)

ASOS Africa printed tie-waist shorts, £40.00

The ASOS Africa line is so gorgeous. I like the print T-shirt dress best.

Oasis leather shorts, £60.00

I like that these shorts aren't too short. I like tiny shorts but I do think you can go too far when it comes to leather shorts.


Darling floral shorts, £40.00

This should be worn with a floral top and floral oxfords, just because.

- Zen

Hunt for Work Clothes Part 1

Job search accomplished! I officially join the workforce as a business analyst in a management consultancy. I know, the title is a mouth full but honestly, as always, the title is the only glamorous thing, not the job itself.

But ah, this leads me to a completely new wardrobe change. =D Anything new for the wardrobe is a good thing. Granted I have been living in baggy shirts over leggings with Converse while hunting for a job with my weapon of choice, the laptop and internet, I can now shake off the laziness and go look at pretty things!

One problem. Work clothes are tough. 1) They can easily become uniform-y 2) There just ain't enough creativity in the field of professionals that allow colours, trend and style to go pass that business meeting. All of which I predict will come true after slogging six months in the office with no desire to do anything but sleep/watch tv once you get home.

There is however a preventive measure. Buy items that fall into the smart category but also enable you to look different from the sea of black suits. Unconventionally smart. And I believe the answers lie in blouses, accesories and blazers.

I've found a few examples to show you.

Note: Some of the following outfit photos are not suitable for the workplace. I am only interested in the single piece items when paired with the usual pants and pencil skirt. haha just in case.

Plain white shirt with a twist. Mandarin collar-esque shirt with a slightly poofy 3/4 sleeve.

It actually looks boring alone but look what you can do with it! I love how it has been styled with a scarf and the belt definitely accentuates the waist.

I'd probably wouldn't pair it with a red cardigan though. I would prefer it if it was in navy blue. And ooo, I like the bag! But I digress. I think the amazing thing about this top is that I can see myself wearing it out of work. It can be easily turned into a shirt dess with a skinny brown belt paired with leggings and heels. Awesome right? I love it when you can get your money's worth!

Second example. Probably a dress I would never buy if I saw hung on the rack. Looks rather dull and a bit too 40 year old-ish. Plus the buttons down the side make me go 'Huh?'

But look what happens!

It's amazing what scarves can do to clothes. It immediately glams up the whole outfit and makes it more presentable. I am telling myself now to overlook first impressions and just think of what you can do to the outfit, especially if you find a dress like that on the sales rack. I would definitely have not even give it another glance before realising this.

Next is just a shirt. It looks like a normal work shirt but look at the details on the puffy sleeve! Subtle details like the folds on dresses/sleeves does give the outfit an extra edge. Not to forget pussy bows and ruffles.

And if the details are too subtle for you, throw on a cute little blazer and voila you're ready for that Monday morning power meeting. I would obviously highly recommend that you go in long pants instead of shorts.

Last but not least, blouses! They are one of they ways to add colour your dull work life. Versatile and pleasing to the eye, what more can one want? Although I may think of toning it down a bit by not pairing it with pencil skirts as it may appear less professional., depending on how the blouse looks like. That 's what I currently think anyway. Again, it can be easily styled out of the workplace.

Another shoutout to blazers! Instantly ups your professional look points.

Another lovely find is this interesting sailor top. It's too cute!

So yes, I am now on the hunt for clothes as versatile as the alphabet. Obviously for work clothes, go for quality and this time I'm going to probably splash out a bit. You need to look polished at work and a little extra quality in the materials you choose will definitely make you look more professional. And remember to also take cues from observing what your colleagues wear. The individual pieces above may be slighly too informal for a strict workplace but the idea is there.

This hunt is going to be mighty hard though so stay tuned to see what I manage to find!

- Sue

Zen's Oxfam picks

I enjoy my Oxfam online browse of an evening -- there's always the chance that you might find something exciting, like gold Repetto flats (too small for me, alas) or a glorious sequined skirt (too big). The clothes are cheaper than Asos, giving the illusion of attainability, and they don't even charge for postage anymore!

I think Sam would look good in these button-rich 3/4-length trousers. The slightly poofy legs add just the right amount of whimsy. I for one would enjoy wearing something by a brand called Olga de Polga.

Vintage Olga de Polga trousers, £35

I'm a little dubious about the fit of this dress -- I don't like the way it hangs on the mannequin -- but the sari fabric is gorgeous. Why don't people use this type of fabric more in Western-style fashion?

Handmade restyled for Oxfam dress, £19.99

Oxfam online tends to have a decent number of French Connection pieces, but they're all really boring jeans and T-shirts that look like they've got faded in the wash. I always look because I dream of the day I will find one of their gorgeous embellished dresses for a steal.

Until that glorious day, this decidedly unembellished white linen dress would provide some consolation ...

FCUK cream linen dress, £15.99

A small-built person with interesting dresses trudged down to her local Oxfam recently. If I were Sue-sized I would be tempted by one of these.

Vintage apple green dress, £15.99

I like how they've put ruffles on the hem of this green dress. It somehow makes it more interesting than if it was only ruffled at the bodice.

Vintage magenta dress, £15.99

Though either the lighting in these photos is whack, or the person who did the descriptions didn't have a colour wheel at hand, 'cos those shades don't look anything like apple green or magenta to me.

The purple one is clearly more absurd, but it is also a little more special. I like them both, though. I would wear them with little shoes with low block heels and maybe a happy hat.

Zen approves

And suspects Sam will as well!

Seen at style is style; picture originally from calivintage

Serendipity

I was going discreetly to refrain from posting about this so soon after documenting my last bout of extravagance, but since an early birthday visit to Sam revealed my lapse, I suppose I might as well tell the other Lemm ... and anyone else reading this blog, whoever they may be.

I was wandering around Covent Garden the other night, wondering what to do, when I saw a sale sign in the Oasis shop window and decided to pop in. And discovered that the Rosalind Kemp trompe l'oeil collection I squealed about last year was on sale!

I am ridiculously pleased because the original prices were, er, ridiculous -- or at least far beyond my touch. I wouldn't actually pay £30 for a tank dress no matter how cute, but £10 I don't mind stretching to.



It was interesting seeing the pieces in the flesh (or fabric, as the case may be) as opposed to only in pictures. It become obvious, for example, that the T-shirt dress pretending to be a trenchcoat is too short for me to feel comfortable wearing it as a dress.


It's not a complete disappointment, however -- it does indeed have pockets, as I suspected!

I am wondering whether I could wear it with shorts, or whether it would look funny or as if I wasn't wearing anything underneath it. Sadly I left all my shorts at home and have yet to find a worthy substitute here ...

These knit shorts I tried on in Zara probably aren't it.

Grey & white polka dot cardigan - Marks & Spencer; owl necklace - gift from sister; white lace T-shirt - TK Maxx; teal tights - Dorothy Perkins; white oxfords with lilac ribbon laces - Robert Clergerie; amazing knit shorts - Zara

Though they are kinda cute! But how often could you wear horizontal-striped high-waisted knit shorts? No. I will keep looking.

- Zen

Catching up

Being a working woman is bad for my wardrobe ... and I mean "bad for my wardrobe" in a "the engines cannae take it, captain!" kind of way, not in a "my wardrobe is too empty" kind of way.

But after a week of being all :|-faced in the office, you do feel the need for some whimsy. Polka dots and bright tights are the themes of my weekends.

Navy blue polka dot dress - New Look; purple jade necklace - gift from parents; grey and white polka dot cardigan + mauve tights - Marks & Spencer; white shoes with lavender ribbon ties - Robert Clergerie

Ruffle cardigan - Avellini; white lace T-shirt - Nic and Jess; deceptively worn-looking denim shorts - Quiksilver (all via TK Maxx)

This second set of photos is somewhat deceptive; besides the postbox-red tights, I wasn't actually wearing any of these clothes while going around this weekend. I was just trying them on in TK Maxx. I only bought the lace T-shirt in the end, though I suspect the outfit only looked nice because the lace T-shirt looked nice with the grunginess of the shorts. I've been wanting shorts but these were too big for me around the waist. Bye bye, shorts!

The other thing I bought at TK Maxx were evidence of a certain optimism on my part.



I've never been especially keen on the look of Birks, but they are pretty comfy, and I found the almost-apple-green shade of these attractive. (They are not quite Granny Smith green. Maybe they are pistachio?) They make me think of summer and shorts in pale colours. I then got quite concerned that I wouldn't know what to wear them with, since pale colours and shorts are pretty much the opposite of what predominates my wardrobe at the moment (lots of black and Srs Bzness clothes). A quick search on Wardrobe Remix and Lookbook.nu turned up the following hints.

1. The best accessories for Birkenstocks are sunshine and bare legs.

meligrosa @ Wardrobe Remix

Sheng Mae L.@ lookbook (incidentally I am in awe of how cool and comfortable this girl looks, considering this photo was taken in Malaysia!)

2. Simplicity is key. It spoils it if you look like it took ages to think of what to put on; Birks are a "throw 'em on and go" kind of shoe.

Hartkor @ lookbook

Henry Browncoat @ Wardrobe Remix

3. If you've got to break the bare legs rule, make sure you show a bit of ankle at least.

meligrosa again!

Jessy Y. @ lookbook

4. Nerd it up! Birkenstocks are not cool shoes. The sooner you embrace that fact, the better for all concerned.

Tree T. @ lookbook

Inspiring stuff! I'm all excited now. Forget the spring season -- roll on summer!

- Zen