The Search Continues.....

I went to Selfridges today after work. Selfridges is one of my favourite department stores in London. It has a wide range of selection under one roof, from high end designers, to contemporary labels, right through to streetwear and high street brands, you name it! It is one of the best places to do market research. I always make sure I see the clothes in person after browsing through the collections online. So I get to feel the texture of the fabrics, to examine the craftsmanship, and better still to be able to try it on! After all you have to see what the garment would look like on a normal and imperfect figure.

I saw the Givenchy SS10 collection in the Selfridges Superbrands' section. Seeing and touching the garments in real life is definitely different to just seeing the photos on Style.com. I cannot get over how beautiful the collection was. I was in awe!!!!


Photo Source: Style.com

Then I saw this pair of silk printed trousers from Joseph. Although it is no comparison to the Givenchy trousers, it has its potential. I can dress it up and accessorise it to create the look I am after. If I cannot afford a pair of £975 Givenchy trousers I can find alternatives to create the same look.


Photo Source: www.Selfridges.com

Searching for the Printed Harem Trousers

Yeah! You can finally smell Spring in the air in London, and it has definitely set off people's high shopping spirit! I went out to the West End on Saturday and there were full of people seriously shopping on high streets. I think everyone is gearing up for summer and getting ready for their beach holiday!

I have not had much luck finding my printed harem trousers online throughout the week. There are a lot of options for printed skirts or jumpsuits but not much for printed harems. Most of harem pants on the market are plain colours. I found only two options online.

First one I found was this pair of Whistles harems on ASOS.com. It is the right shape but I am not keen on the print. It is not authentic enough as an ethnic print.



The second one was this Acne pair of tie dyed trousers from Browns online boutique. I like the tie dyed print which has the primitive quality of tribal prints. But the legs are too wide at the bottom. I could have them altered. However the trousers cost £225. For a price tag like this I would expect to purchase the trousers that match all my criteria.




That was why I went to the West End yesterday. I thought I should use the guerilla tactic by setting off my hunt by foot after not much luck browsing online. I had been to all stores such as Liberty, Selfridges, Top Shop, H&M, All Saints and what have you. I also went to Anthropologie on Regent Street which offers a wide range of printed clothing. But not one single printed harem I found! Unbelievable! I think it will be a challenge to find my printed harems.....

First Suspects

It is terrible that after 11 hours of staring into the computer all day at work, the first thing I did after I got home was to browse on the web! Can't help being a victim of the digitalised world!

Found a few options of blazers on Net-A-Porter.com.

1. This Moschino double breasted blazer would be perfect! It fits the shape that I had in mind, double breasted so it is boxy, and the length falls just below the hip which is not too long for a shorty like me. It is structured but the crepe gives it a feminine fluidity. It matches all my criteria except for its expensive price tag of £930! Don't think I can justify spending so much money on one item :( I am teary~




2. The second one I picked was this Chloé wood blend twill jacket. It is single breasted but its oversized cut and broad shoulders also fit into the shape I was looking for. The twill wool gives it structure. Very smart! Though it is £767 which is also over my budget.



3. This Helmut Lang wool blend blazer is beautiful! The shape is simple and slick. The long line lapel elongates your body to make you look taller! The price is £435 which probably fits my budget. Definitely a potential contestant!



4. Another option I saw was this MCQ long length satin blazer. It has Alexander McQueen's signature sharp shoulder cut. Can't go wrong with it. £395 is also achievable to save up for.

What I am looking for now.

Two more items I would love to squeeze in on my shopping list for SS10 are a pair of printed harem trousers and a boxy shaped black blazer.

1. I am thinking of ethnic printed harem trousers like the ones from Dries Van Noten's or Isabel Marant's SS10 collections. Or if I was able to own the ones from Givenchy's SS10 range it would be like a dream come true!





I would wear the printed harem trousers with a t-shirt and with my leather biker jacket! Oh~I feel excited about it even just by visualising the look!!!


2. I do have a black blazer for years but it is much too waisted and fitted for the look I have in mind. I want one that is slightly boxier like a man's blazer that is made of wool and the wool has to be slightly stiff for the blazer to have structure! Similar to the blazers from Lanvin's or Proenza Schouler's SS10 collections. Double breasted or single breasted would both be fine.



My problem is that I always have a set ideal about what I am looking for, and it would take me ages to find what I want or quite often I cannot find 'THE' one! I guess that is what makes the item special for me.

The blazer is quite a transeasonal item so it can even be one of the Autumn/Winter 10 items to buy if I cannot find it from the Spring/Summer 10 collections.

So the search begins.....

Photo Sources: Style.com

SS10 Dream Wardrobe

To stick to the £150 budget a month, I should have £48 left to spend on my wardrobe until the end of April as I have already spent £552. But £48 does not allow me enough options for a good purchase so I've decided to carry this amount over to May.

Most of the stores in London should have all their Spring/Summer 10 deliveries by now though. As a result it is too late to plan for SS10 shopping unless I am lucky enough to find what I'd like in sales. I thought it might be a good idea to start planning on Autumn/Winter 10 which will be in store from May.

Every season I would create my dream wardrobe from the runway reviews on Style.com. This would be the 'It' wardrobe that I'd love to own if money was never an issue, or whether I had the perfect body to wear them or not. A girl at least is entitled to dream, right?

Here is my key SS10 dream wardrobe -

I absolutely loved Givenchy's SS10 collection. I loved how Riccardo Tisci mixed the black and white looks with geometric patterns and tailoring, and ethnic influenced prints. The range was really strong and striking. I would wear almost everything from that collection.




Dries Van Noten is so good at mixing prints and patterns. So I have always loved his collections. I will have to find a pair of printed harem pants for this summer.



These Balenciaga boots are amazing! So much intricate details. Lovvvvve it!





Photo Sources :
www.style.com
www.balenciaga.com

What Have I Bought for SS10 Prior Starting The Blog?

I am not very into summer clothes. I love coats and I love layering up the look. So I usually buy less in summer, particularly in London where summer could be missed in a blink of an eye.

So far I have bought a dress, a pair of shoes, and a bag in the past three months for this summer.

The first thing I bought was this Paul Smith dress. I have always loved prints. When I saw this dress in the magazine I knew it is the one! It cost me £279.

I wasn't thinking about what shoes I could wear with this dress. But I saw this pair of Ash shoes I thought they would go nicely with it. They were £185.

I had been looking for an easy and small weekend bag for months. Coincidentally the satchel I bought from The Cambridge Satchel Company was also from the brown family. I wasn't trying to match anything. The only reason I bought this bag in caramel was because it was the best colourway to age nicely. £88.

The total of the three items came to £552 which not only blown my budget of £150 a month; the worse part was I spent £552 within the period of one month and a bit! My finance spiraled down from there. I had not only struggled to pay my monthly expenses and also sank further into overdraft, painful! I had actually hidden the shoes from my husband for three weeks! There will be no more shopping this month that's for sure!

Setting Budget

In my profile, I have explained about my aim of starting this blog. I want to be able to spend sensibly and enjoy my purchase more. Fashion has always been a big part of me since I was little. Thus I was not surprised later on I studied BA in Fashion & Textiles and had my own fashion label for three years in Australia. Then I decided to come to London, one of the fashion capitals to embrace fashion!

From my childhood memory, buying new clothes had always been a very happy and enjoyable experience. Part of it was probably because Mum and Dad paid for it! It is still enjoyable for me now but there is always a sense of guilt due to adulthood responsibilities. Although I cannot afford most of the designer clothes, I do not want to settle for throw away fashion from high street. Beautiful clothes should be able to be kept and be timeless. So, the only way to buy what I'd like would be to plan for the purchases.

My first step is to set a budget for myself. After listing out all my household expenses, I managed to squeeze out £150-£200 a month for my personal guilty pleasure. I gave myself a lead way of the range between £150 to £200 depending on that particular month's overall expense.

So here I have set up my budget. Wish me luck and happy shopping to me!