Arty family

This is my current YSL Arty ring collection in (from left to right):lapis, leaf green, and aqua. I bought them off Net-a-Porter (on three separate occasions) and the one in Lapis is the latest addition to my Arty family. While it is tempting to expand the collection, I think these three beautiful colours are more than enough to compliment my wardrobe though I am lemming on the ones in cream & black/gold. These rings really are an addiction!
                                                       

Monotone

Featuring: Miss Dior bag, Dior; pants, Tibi; heels, Saint Laurent; shirt, T by Alexander Wang; and silk scarf, Weston. 

Dressing in monotone is always a fuss-free affair as there are only ever two main colours involved: black & white. And as the style's name suggests, there is a repetition, often drab, of colour. Here I added a fuschia silk scarf for some colour and the silk helps soften the entire ensemble. Heels are minimalist in black leather and black permeates throughout the look with some panel detailing on the pants. The chiffon shirt allows some skin colour to peek through and this, in my opinion, modernises the monotonous look.

I am always a fan of red nails and lips so I would suggest a neutral eye complimented with bold lips and nail colour. I would only add tonal red to this look and no other colour so as to not detract from the monotonous styling. A smokey or well-shadowed eye would work with the look too as long as paired with more subtle lips. Just think along the lines of monotony and limit variation to 2-3 colours for a monotone-meets-downtown look that exudes stylish simplicity.  Images courtesy of Dior.com & Net-a-Porter.com.

Beautiful, Shiny, Sparkly Things

I grew up being rather boyish for a girl. Even in my early teens, whilst developing crushes in school (proving that I'm not absolutely immune to growing up/ the birds and the bees/ womanhood), I never really fancied dressing up nor understood the point of jewelry. I had a friendship bracelet and that was it. Thank goodness I've grown out of that phase.

It was only in the recent past year or so that I've begun growing my humble collection of statement jewelry pieces.What started this affinity for statement costume jewelry (I cannot yet afford to splurge on real deal carats and 18-24k gold so Swarovski, natural stones and plated finishes would have to do for now; I'm not complaining!) was my discovery of the YSL Arty oval ring. Net-a-Porter played a part in fueling this obsession with their bi-annual sales. So after much consultation with the DBF, I added to bag. Checked out. Done.
A beautiful mint green Arty was on its way from NAP's UK headquarters.

I thought one Arty ring would suffice but as soon as picked it from its satin pouch, caressed it, Instagrammed it & stared at its glass bauble intently; I knew I was wrong. YSL of course had to make them in a million different stones, coloured glass and finishes and tempted I was but I couldn't ever justify paying full price for costume jewelry. Even if it was designer. So I waited for the sales again.

Long story short, I bought another (w/ generous store credit from the special someone). A leafy green. Even bought a cocktail dress later on to match it.

Thus began this vicious cycle of hoarding beautiful, shiny, sparkly things. Third to join the family was a Maltese Cross ring by Kenneth Jay Lane, one of my now go-to brands for impeccably made statement jewelry. To fund all of this, the Net-a-Porter online sales has become a close ally and will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Fourth from Net-a-Porter yet again was the Venus Flytrap necklace in mint green crystals by J Crew. I underestimated the bling-factor of this piece but it is still a beautiful, wearable necklace. I couldn't help myself it was on sale! But nor was it an impulse buy; I tend to do a ton of researching on the piece before caving in- blogger reviews and photos save the day always (they also help with minimising  Buyer's Stockholm Syndrome later on).

During the most recent NAP June/July 2013 sales (it's still on-going by the way!) I helped myself to three new pieces of jewelry. I figured if the discounts were good and the designs timeless, why not? After all if I didn't buy them now they'd be bought by others and gone forever. Never was I to see them again if I didn't make a move to get them now. Yes, the NAP sales can bring out prehistoric survival instincts as you stay up guarding your shopping bag and watching the discounts and stock levels of the items you're interested in. You should've seen my reaction when I found out someone else had bought the last Michael Kors Tilda clutch that I had sitting in my shopping bag. Not pretty. 

Ah yes, back to what I got. A necklace by Tom Binns, the Arty ring in Lapis (I promise this will be my last), and another Kenneth Jay Lane ring. If there's anything I need right now it's a restraining order from Net-a-Porter.com. Can anyone really resist an Arty in Lapis (one of the most sought-after colours) at 60% off? Do I need more Arty rings? No. Do I want more? Shamelessly, I'll say yes.  (On a side note, Arty rings will always have some resale value to them especially when there is a chance that the house of Saint Laurent may discontinue them. A little bird told me that someone sold their Arty for US$400+ on eBay; double the retail price and probably five times the sale price!) Images courtesy of Net-a-Porter.com.

Fuchsia and Black, ft. Saint Laurent

Featuring items from Net-a-Porter: Lanvin necklace, Saint Laurent escarpins, Saint Laurent tote, Diane von Furstenberg scarf, Saint Laurent blouse, Moschino Cheap & Chic pants. 

I personally like what Hedi Slimane has done with the Saint Laurent aesthetic, introducing a sleek and modern touch to the brand's image. When first seeing some items on Net-a-Porter, I felt a gush of inspiration to think up a look featuring the fuchsia Saint Laurent blouse and oddly enough, the reversible black tote. 

The heels are a far cry from the popular YSL Tribtoo pumps which is expected of the rebranding but I do appreciate the occasional non-platform escarpin plus these Saint Laurent beauties have a little something extra in the back of the heel which makes for a beautiful side view of the shoe.

Oh and did I mention that the tote is reversible? Suede on one side and all leather on the other. Love the minimalist take on the bag's logo placement too. It is small and embossed in gold, and perfect for the totes sleek construction. Very Céline. Don't think I'll be missing the "Y" on the Cabas Chyc and the "YSL" on the Belle du Jour anymore.

Read more about Saint Laurent's debut in-store collection here.


Images courtesy of Net-a-Porter.