justin: my family and I are taking a short trip to london and paris in a few weeks, and we hope to do major damage there! i was hoping you would know whether the stuff from the likes of Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Chanel and Miu Miu is cheaper in London or in Paris. keep up the fantastic blogging!
justin, thanks for the comment and lovely email! from my experience, prices between london and paris are not significantly different. especially for big fashion houses, they usually adjust their prices several times a year to reflect exchange rates movement. for example: the classic louis vuitton keepall 55 retails for GBP555 in London, and EUR640 in Paris, which at today's rates equates GBP568. granted that mere mortals rarely get exchange rates like that of the FX market, price differences between london and paris is really insignificant.
new york however is a different story. the keepall retails for USD1,010 which equates GBP703 in today's rates, which is a lot more than what you will pay in london at GBP555.
conclusion: doesn't really matter if you splurge in london or paris, prices are largely the same. i would however encourage you to spend in london, come boost the ailing economy! happy shopping, and let me know what you bought and from where!
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p/s: also reader sd sent in a tip to say that with code "MySpacefashion", one can get 15% off their purchases at oak, nyc. they stock a whole slew of labels, phillip lim, jeremy scott etc. happy shopping!
i thought last season's "life in a pocket" silk tie was a one off, but hermès introduced three new prints/embroideries and colorways for spring summer 2009. i really really like the grey tie above. seriously, there are silk ties, and then there are hermès silk ties.
the silk ties will be sold throughout hermes stores in support of the fight against AIDS. the ties were designed by their in house menswear designer veronique nichanian and has a special pocket designed to hold a condom and a tiny red bow sewn above the hermès logo on the reverse. a portion of all proceeds will be donated to Sidaction, a french-based charity dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS and to the search for a cure.
i applaud their effort to make this into a recurring thing. hermès silk and lurex tie, hand-folded with interior secret pocket, £117.
i heart. i want
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some of my favourites from oki-ni's latest arrivals:
folk drawstring cotton and wool cardigan, £119, i like the details around the neckline, very classic.
ymc sheep suede boots, £89, in a gorgeous off white/muted grey shade. i am loving it.
raf simons for fred perry cotton polo tee, £99, i love the subtle detailings, like the smaller collar, longer sleeves and tighter fit.
oki-ni ships worldwide, happy shopping!
IF BARON HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: please sir, can I have some more?
at this moment in time, i just want to reach for my computer screen and give baron a great big hug! reader chris sent me a link, in which his precious little one got featured in the baltimore sun. baron's favourite food is apparently a good old sunday roast, and... prada shoes! oh dear, what's he been chewing?!
the gorgeous little one has been in the studio for a shoot, adorned with louis vuitton accessories no less. the brown monogram canvas fits him perfectly! we can't use the phrase "it's a dog's life" anymore! all photos by phil weber- phil@philweberphotography.com
00o00 hearts bar00o00n!
how could we go away for the weekend & not indulge in a teeny weeny bit of shopping? we spent a day at bicester village, not too far from oxford & home to the designer outlet malls. anyone coming into london with a day to spare, i highly recommend going to bicester. it's about 2hrs train ride from london & you can find fantastic bargains, samples & past season collections from designers ranging from alexander mcqueen, paul smith, burberry, dior, bally, ferragamo etc etc. they even have a samsonite store for the excess luggage needs! in summary, this is the premier designer outlet stop, & it is dangerous!
surprising to say, amongst the six of us, i did the least damage! my friends bought anya hindmarch's handbags, smythson clutch bag, tods shoes, fcuk apparels, aquascutum apparels, ferragamo accessories, agent provocateur lingerie (she won't tell, but i am thinking nipple tassels! spice up your life!!) etc etc. me? i bought yet another bag! a blue perforated leather bag (70% off!!) & python leather coin case (think it's a sample, i got it for £9 !!) from london designer bill amberg, & a pair of handmade glass beaded cufflinks from stratford upon avon, shakespeare's birthplace. in fact, that shop is opposite shakespeare's house!
we blasted coldplay and sang along to lady gaga in the car. all is full of love. we love weekend trips!
pigtures from 2 weekends ago. mr hare is one of the most exciting shoe makers to have emerged from london. his debut collection "the purest form" will be launched soon in the coming months, and online style emporium oki-ni.com will be stocking pieces from the collection. here are sneak peaks of his debut collection, which i honestly really really like!
this is easily my favourite, it ticks everything in my box. the elongated front makes the feet looks much more flattering than say square tips or very pointy shoes. the color looks delicious, a cross between slight purple and grey?
brown oxfords with patent toecaps??! after seeing neil barrett's and burberry's, this must be a trend to stay. i like!
this is just to die for. i am loving the cream canvas against the rugged brown leather. if the soles were thinner like the first pair, i would have thought this came from hermes. but i still like it no less.
.: click on above pics for larger pics :.
if i may say, these are absolutely stunning for a debut collection. i await this collection with bated breath! visit mr hare's blog for more information.
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lugged my two pairs of new shoes across town earlier, and it was incredibly tiring! but i love new shoes, YMC gingham print canvas plimsoles in both grey and green. bliss
the weekend is near, i can smell it.
one of my "must have" shoes for the season, burberry brown patent toe cap lace ups. it looked great on the runway, but close up pics of the rubber sole doesn't look very well made.
but i still think it look great. not a lot of places stock burberry men's shoes. i would like to take a closer look at the shoes.
i like!
i've been listening to ben taylor's melancholic cover of macy gray's "i try" for the past few days and i am loving it. loving it.
& reader sam emailed me and asked what's in my bag. he said he has a complete set of small leather goods from louis vuitton to match his louis vuitton bag, and if he should get another set to match another bag. whoa nelly, victoria beckham sure likes to match her shoes and outfit, but i am hardly that thrown together. anyh00o00 here's what's in my much loved portfolio today (i can take the term manbag but not man clutch or worst mlutch!):
many thanks to all those who entered the competition to win a bottle of "burberry the beat". the answer to the question (who is current creative director of burberry?) is of course the uber dreamy and talented yorkshire boy christopher bailey. i can reveal that the winner is robin langlais from paris! congratulations, i've passed your details to burberry, who will send the fragrance to you shortly.
thank you to those who send me little messages with your entries, i've read them all! work's been hectic this week, apologies if i cannot reply to all.
& a great big thank you to burberry the beat for sponsoring the giveaway. you can also get the fragrance online at burberry.com
just a quick reminder for those who hasn't entered the competition, the very nice people at burberry has very kindly sponsored a bottle of their latest fragrance, burberry the beat, to one lucky reader.
for your chance to win, just answer the following question: who is the current creative director of the house of burberry?
(a) agyness deyn
(b) bianca balti
(c) christopher bailey
email the correct answer with subject line "burberry the beat" to 00o00.blogspot@googlemail.com (since you're emailing already might as well pen me some random musings!). competition is open to all, and closes on 17th february 2009 23:59hrs GMT! a winner will be chosen at random and burberry will then ship the very cool fragrance to you!
i would so want the fragrance to myself if i can keep it! good luck to those who entered!
it was a wild night on friday & i stumbled out at 8am, throbbing headache, free coffee mug at mcdonalds, slightly wasted but too wasteful to sleep the glorious saturday away. i harbored lingering thoughts like that of a schoolboi on the morning after the night before. i hope fate will bang us together again.
grabbed my friday work bag and wandered around bricklane in the afternoon. rummaged at vintage kookiness rokit which apparently is one of kate moss's regular haunt , & coffeed at luncheonette, which is an amazing eatery/bowling alley, which apparently koss moss was in the house two hours before. we just ain't fated to meet.
& i saw two guys wearing the same zara orange plaid jacket i wore last week. one was sitting opposite us during our afternoon caffine break. i didn't know what to make of the situation if i was wearing the same jacket. not exactly a flattery is it?
oh fate.
more shoes! i just ordered these two pairs of ymc (you must create) canvas gingham print plimsoles from matchesfashion.com. reduced from £75 per pair to... £20! instead of choosing amongst the colors, why not just get both!
lets hope they will process my order and deliver this time round.
click here if you're interested in getting the shoes, they ship internationally.
happy days!
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last saturday was indeed madness. while waiting for the hotstamping of my luggage tag, i thought about deluxeduck's recent purchase. i've long wanted the scarf, but kinda gave up because i never seem to find it in stores or online. his acquisition re-ignited my interest, so i casually asked the SA, and she nonchalantly fished one out from the store. i used this too often, but it was the beat my heart skipped!
let's learn some french. the name of the scarf is "automn hiver plan echarpe noir", echarpe = scarf, noir = black, automn = autumn/fall, hiver = winter!
the scarf was featured on the autumn winter 2008 show. the blue suede jacket is absolutely stunning, but i feel it's the scarf that brought it to life. i love quirky details like maps, floor plans, sketches etc on accessories. rumeur has it that the print is the floor plan of the flagship champ elysee store. true? visit deluxeduck's site for an interesting tour around the building!
happy days!
last saturday was madness. i also picked up a pair of H&M x comme des garcons canvas sneakers. repeat after me "one can never have too many pairs of shoes".
it was the last pair in my size, and reduced to... £10. would you walk away?
another 2 pairs from the collection. mine seems like a hybrid of the two!
we love bargains!
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last saturday was something of a madness, which rarely happens really. besides the louis vuitton graffiti keepall, i also bought the bottega veneta ash coated sardegna canvas vachette tote. the sardegna canvas bags are reworked every season, and to be honest is one of the best entry level bags from bottega veneta. i've always wanted one, and when i saw the pics from this season's catalogue, i knew i had to get it:
the bag is painted a masculine shade of steel grey, with luscious honey brown leather handles that will age beautifully over time.
like most of their sardegna totes, the sides feature snap buttons, which is a practical feature. i believe sardegna means sardinia in italian, which is the source of the cotton used for the tote.
the tote is simple in design, so attention to details would be key. their stitching is flawless. someone left me a message saying that bottega veneta sources their leather from the same source as hermes. true?
the leather handles go all the way round the bottom. it's amazingly lightweight, i foresee using it for work and also for weekends. SA mentioned that the canvas is waterproof too. i wouldn't test it, considering it's an open tote with no top zipper!
the bag is lined in their signature maroon/brownish cotton, and comes with an internal zipper. 
perfect for me. it's a timeless piece of accessory and i see myself using it often.
a similar version appeared on the spring summer 2009 runway show. the duffel is made of the same material, but costs more than twice what the tote is going for. the canvas duffel retails for around the same price as their signature leather woven intrecciato bags.
bliss. my first foray into bottega veneta. if you are keen on this bag i suggest getting it soon as the sardegna range always sells out quick. (hence my saturday madness!)
& 2 more frivolous shopping reveals coming up!
and oh, have you entered my blog's competition to win a free bottle of burberry the beat for men? hurry competition closes on 17th feb 09!
guy in london pondering about all the inane, frivolous and unnecessary wants in life. like, "00o00h i want one of those".
