Summer Essentials You Need to Stock Up- Prints & Colors

As you may have noticed in the recent weeks, the sun is getting more glaring and the temperature is slowly crawling up. Yes we are approaching the hot summer seasons in Singapore!

Contrary to what most Singaporeans always say that Singapore is hot ALL YEAR ROUND, like c’mon, November – February are like one of the coldest months in the year. And honestly the hot months are from April, and the fecking-hot-I-want-to-melt months from July to October.

But anyway I’m not here to debate about Singapore’s climate. The thing I like about the “summer” months of Singapore is how you can play with prints and colors in your outfits! Just because it’s hot doesn’t mean you dress in plain ‘o denim short and cropped tees. There is so many combinations you can work with. So if you want to look effortlessly fabulous, you need to stock up these Summer essentials prints and colors for your wardrobe!

After all, you can wear ’em for months since SG is hot 3/4 of the year. And if you’re a blogshop owner, do consider stocking these up for the coming months.

*Featuring some of the blogshops carrying summer essentials too! Click on the picture to access the links to the products!

Print & more Prints!

Tropical

Palm trees, coconut trees, tropical leave and flora, pineapple. Everything that remind you of a holiday on a tropical island!

(click for enlarged version)

Where to buy Tropical prints now:

Aforarcade: Tropics Tee (instock)

Hervelvetvase: Bijoux Floral Playsuit (instock)

Megafash: Sunny tropics playsuit (instock)

MGPLabel: Cher romper

 

Gingham

The colder weather may had been all about checks, plaids and tartan. But the hot summer days are all the tiny grids of gingham. They’re cute and they add a flirty accent to your outfit.

(click for enlarged version)

Where to buy Gingham prints now:

Aforarcade: Gingham midi skirt (Backorder now on)

Megafash: Full speed ahead gingham jumpsuit (instock)

Ohvola: Gracia off-shoulder dress (instock)

 

Floral bloom

As Vogue says, ” Never has the concept of florals for spring felt fresher: Big and beautiful or minute and abstract, this season, flower power is boldly feminine and here to stay.”

(click for enlarged version)

Where to buy Floral prints now:

MGPLabel: Julette Floral Dress

Hervelvetvase: Rosette Romance Playsuit

Megagamie: Watercolor Rosette Toga Dress In Red

Summer Colors of 2015

If prints are not your thing, here are some of the color that are trending in all the S/S2015 shows

Blue hues

Contrary to the idea that summer = bright colors, this year’s top trending color is actually the cool shade of blue. Aquamarine, Scuba Blue, Classic Blue, Dusk Blue, you name it

Where to buy Blue hues now:

Runwaybandits:
SAFRON CROP BUSTIER – BLUE

Aforarcade: WISHY WASHY CUT IN TOP IN INDIGO

Loveandbravery: LAB SANDERS CULOTTES NAVY

Ohvola: Jamie Lace Insert Shirt

Aforarcade: Oscar Sleeve Top in Aquamarine

Khaki

For the minimalist out there who prefer neutral tones, khaki was dominating the season too!

Where to buy Khaki colors now:

Loveien19: Korea Inspired Oversized Long Blazer

Grey

Yes I know right? But apparently the color trend for this year is about “cooler and softer color choices with subtle warm tones follow a minimalistic en plein air theme, taking a cue from nature”- Pantone (click for full color report of ss2015)

Where to buy Grey now:

Thetinselrack: Bravery tie-front midi

 

Shopeverydaypeople: YOUR EVERYDAY TROUSERS IN GRAY // Btw, I may sound a bit biased but if you like minimalistic clothes, SEP is the blogshop to go. Simple yet a tad sophisticated. Plus points for amazing photos.

Ohvola: Eclipse dropwaist dress

 

Custard Yellow

Instead of an eye-popping-in-your-face-shade of yellow, this year’s palette features a softer custard yellow. I would say this shade compliments well with ladies with darker skin tone. For fairer ladies, you’ll like to check out the next 2 colors…

Where to buy Custard Yellow now:

Aforarcade: KARLIE FLOUNCE SHIRT DRESS IN YELLOW

Loveandbravery: LAB PERRY TEXTURED TOP YELLOW

Runwaybandits:
IVANA MIDI SKIRT – YELLOW

Tangerine

A bright, edgy color that pops and bound to brighten your day (and wardrobe of course)

Where to buy Tangerine now:

Ohvola: IMOGEN CUT OUT MIDI DRESS

Aforarcade: SAME LEVEL LATTICE TOP IN TANGERINE

Megagamie: Greta Buttoned Up Culottes In Mandarin

Strawberry Ice

This shade of pink is great for going from work to casual. It’s not overly sweet and carries a subtle air of feminine class.

Where to buy Strawberry Ice now:

Ohvola: HEPBURN LACED BACK ROMPER

Aforarcade: LUCKY STRIKE CIGARETTE TROUSERS IN PINK (BACKORDER)

Hervelvetvase: ANTOINETTE PEPLUM BLOUSE – BACKORDER

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That’s it! Happy shopping girls and have fun styling for the coming months! By the way, stay tuned as I’ll be talking about the summer essential pieces you must have too!

*not a sponsored post, all clothes recommendation are based on my own research. Some blogshops are heavily featured because well, I’m more familiar with them but if you have other recommendations, feel free to comment below!

 

Best of #CNYOOTD 2015

The thing I love about Chinese New Year besides the Ang Baos is the array of #cnyootd ! Somehow on these days everybody will dress to the nines, and you see how creative people can get with their outfits

Personally I avoid buying cheongsam or cheongsam- inspired clothes during CNY. Why?

1) Besides CNY, what occasion do you have to wear your cheongsam again?

2) You’re literally going to wear it only ONCE because when the next CNY comes, you’ll buy new clothes right. Who wears last year’s CNY clothes for CNY visiting?

3) Actually you can just wear your cheongsam. But most Singaporeans are super judgemental and stereotypical; you wouldn’t dare to wear it out after CNY unless you don’t care what people think. (i.e. the inevitable “wa still in CNY mood ah?”)

My advice is, if you really want to get into the CNY mood, play with seasonal colors, prints and textures. To help you with this, I’ve gone through #cnyootd on Instagram and found some awesome CNY outfits to inspire your outfits for the remaining of CNY’15 and possibly next year!

*All images credits to the owners of the instagram accounts featured. For outfit details, check out their respective IG accounts.

It’s All About The Lace…and Tulles

Nothing screams “Feminine” more than these 2 materials.

Some lace patterns give the illusion of oriental prints; plus points when you get them in red hues for the festive period. What’s more lace dresses makes a subtly sexy dress for a date

Totally loving this dress!! Anyone knows where I can get this?

Subtle lace pattern on the bodice with this cute jumpsuit. I see so much matching potential with this piece

Tulle is not a material you’ll wear any day so CNY is a perfect excuse to go all extravagant with the poof! If red is too loud for you, you can try out soft spring colors like the Pastel palette; think soft pink, blue and purple. That way you can wear your tulle skirts/dresses for other occasions like a brunch date with your girl friends.

This dress is made by Sarah herself! #sotalented. Do check out her portfolio at sarahzainal.com!

 

Duh of course must feature myself haha! Got this skirt from @lovemynt on IG. The skirts are customisable so you can get them in any length, color and it’ll fit you perfectly

Go Wild With Prints

As the S/S season comes, it’s time for the prints to come of course! The great thing about prints is they are naturally eye-catching. So if you got it in a dress, you don’t have to put too much thought into your accessories. If you got it as a separate, just pair it effortlessly with a basic so you don’t look like a walking confetti bomb.

 

Image credit: heymaymay. Once you have prints on, it looks fine to wear black. Print adds colors what (ok can)

 

Image credit: @sweetambush. Dress is from @runwaybandits. I always love how their clothes are simple and versatile. Too bad this is no longer available in size S T_T

Floral Bloom

If loud prints is not your thing, go for a floral prints. At least it will carry you all the way through the year until the weather starts turning chilly again; Florals are in for spring, in for summer and hot months.

 

 

Image credit: @goobeedoo

And suddenly it’s totally acceptable to wear dark colors on CNY as long as your floral game is strong.

Image credit: @sweetambush

And yes, you still can look sophisticated in floral prints when you get them in the right pieces. “New Look” length dress is a timeless design (seen on Sophia and Ashley). Shorter bustier frocks will look more mature if you get them in a darker base; remember to pair with the right shoes. Dresses with simple shapes looks better with big floral prints as the prints will help soften the lines of the dress.

Experiment With Colors

Just because it’s CNY doesn’t mean you have to be in Red.

Green is also a lucky color you know!

Of course go for any bright colors in your arsenal too!

Mix ‘n’ Match

I adore separates because you can always match them with something else in your wardrobe to create another look. And these girls are working some awesome combi with their separates…

Outfit Highlight: The baby blue lace off shoulder  // You can also match it with: Pencil skirt, for a more sophisticated look

Outfit Highlight: The Rose top // You can also match it with: Black midi skirt and black pointed heels. Create an up-do with your hair and you’re on a modern twist for a vintage look :)

 

Love these 2 pieces! // Top: Pair it with denim jeans and loafer heels for a relaxed mannish look // Skirt: because of its simplicity, you can match it with several types of tops. But for something more unique, try a patterned off-shoulder top.

 

Outfit highlight: The red peplum top of course // You can also style it with: A patterned midi skirt. Yes it’ll go over the peplum but this creates a different look for the top, doesn’t it?

Dare To Be Different

Although there were so many girly outfits on #cnyootd, I spotted a few who stood out because of their unique style…

The Street Kid; as Pei Zhen said it herself, #ibelongtothestreet

 

Image credit: @shijiaoreo. Saw this kind of style featured in Vivi a few times and I thought it’s pretty cute!

 

This is quirky in a cute way; the socks adds a pop of color to the otherwise monochrome outfit #stockuponcutesocks

 

And of course I have a weakness for preppy outfits

 

So here you go!  9 more days before CNY officially ends. Hope these looks gave you more ideas for the rest of CNY, have fun styling!

 

This is How You Can Look Good in ANYTHING You Wear

Hey I’m finally getting down to writing! So start off, we’re going for something basic.

You know how some girls seem to be effortlessly stylish? I’m not just talking about those stick-thin skinny girls; but those plus size girls too. So how!? Well the answer is simple, they just understand their body.

 Tall, short, petite, plus-sized; they all made it work~

When you know your body shape/type, you’ll be able to make adjustments to hide the flaws and highlight your assets. So yes, you don’t need to starve yourself and become size 0 to look good in clothes; own your body and make clothes work for you.

Now, you want to know what are the different body types and how to style accordingly right? Are you ready? Read on below…!

Step 1:  Identify your your body type. If you’re not sure what’s your body type, head to this site and it’ll calculate it for you!

Step 2: After you find out what’s your body type, read the style tips for your body type below ▾▾

1) Straight

• Chest & Hips are almost same size, waist is only slightly smaller
• Flat butt
• Lower legs are your best asset

Style Tip:

1. Dress your top and bottom proportionally; if you’re wearing a flare skirt, wear a open-collar top/wider shoulder
2. Enhance your waist with banded tops, belts. You can even wear outfits that cut-out at your waist; showing some waist-skin helps create the illusion of a more defined waits too
3. Invest in padded bras too so it’ll add more volume on your upper body, giving an illusion of a smaller waist
4. Stock up on flare pants, full / tired / bubble skirts to add volume and curves to your hips, giving an illusion of a smaller waist. You can even show some skin around your waist by wearing a cropped top with flare skirt to look like you have a defined waist

2) Pear / Triangle

• Hips are larger than chest; defined waist that slopes down to hip
• Slim arms and shoulders
• Tend to gain weight in the butt and legs, then tummy and upper body

Style Tip:

1. Enhance and highlight upper body
2. Wear tops that shows your neckline/shoulder to create an illusion of a wider top
3. Don’t forget about your waist; wearing high-waisted bottoms makes your waist look smaller and your leg longer, therefore “stretching” the round-look from your full hips.
4. Create a A-line silhouette; long, “flow-down” lines E.g. Pleated skirts

(I would say this is my body type, that’s why if you’ve been following my ootds, you would realise i wear a lot of high waist and midi skirts. Even my jackets either cuts off near the waistline / shaped to give a look slimmer in the waist.)

3) Spoon

• Almost similar to Pear, except your waist is SUPER defined; so you look like you have “shelved” hips.
• You are prone to getting love handles, because even if you gain a bit of fats near your waist, it looks very obvious because of your tiny waist
• Your legs and arms are your best asset to balance your look

Style Tip:

1. Put every effort to draw attention to your upper body to balance your full hips.
2. Invest in padded bras and tops that shows off your neckline, collarbone, shoulders. Possibly go for horizontal stripe on your top to “extend” the width of your upper body
3. If you’re wearing flare skirts, keep them short. and wear shorts to make your legs look longer
4. If you’re wearing tight pencil skirts, just match with the right top (see above) to balance your look

 

4) Hourglass

• Basically this is the BEST body shape you can have
• Chest and Hips are well-balanced, waist is obvious. Dang you lucky girls!

Style Tips:

1. No style tips because seriously, you can wear ANYTHING and it’ll look perfect.
2. Since you’re blessed with the best body type ever, don’t hide your curves under baggy clothes.

 

 

 

 

 

5) Apple

• Most of your weight accumulates just above the hips; so it looks like your chest and waist are about the same, whilst your hips and below are smaller
• Since you run smaller measurements from waist down, your best asset is your legs!

Style Tip:

1. Elongate your torso and create the illusion of a waist.
2. Wear a lot of open necks, low-cut tops above a good fitted bra so your torso looks longer and the fitted bra centralises your boobs to make your chest area look slimmer.
3. You can wear long necklaces to “stretch” the length of your torso too.
4. Belt-off at the smallest part of your waist to make it look like you have a smaller waist and wider hips; so your top and bottom will look proportionate.
5. Wear comfortably-short bottoms to help enhance the length of your leg so it draws attention away from your upper body.
6. E.g. Wear a short flare dress with a low neckline

 

6) Diamond

• Very narrow chest, full mid-section (undefinded waist), broad hips and thick thigh
• Shapely lower legs (i.e. calfs) and arms

Style Tip:

1. Most heavier girls will have this figure; your mission is to widen the width of your upper body (chest and above) so it’ll look balanced to your heavy mid-bottom section.
2. And of course create your waistline; either using accessories like belts and banded tops, are style your clothes to make your top and body look proportionate and your waist will look smaller
3. Top: Create fullness in your chest by wearing loud or big prints, padded bras. Don’t be afraid to show off your shoulder and neckline too as they will help your upper body look wider
4. Bottom:  Go for block colors or simpler-geometrical lined prints to make a lean silhouette and lengthen your lower body. You can even wear pencil skirts that cuts off above the calf as long as you pair it with the right top. Remember your focus is to bring attention to your upper body.

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If your body type is not mentioned, don’t worry, just pick the one that best match yours. The main thing about body type dressing is to create a balance between your upper and lower body. So if you have a heavier top, focus on extending your lower body and vice versa.

Do you have other “cheats” for your body shape type? DO share in the comment section

 

 

Daily Look x Mianbao

Hey I’m finally here to blog! Yes I have been gone for ages because:

1) I’m busy settling into my day job, which was really crazy
2) I have no idea what to do with my blog

I have always wanted to start a fashion blog but I have no idea how to go about it. As in the type of content i want to roll out. I don’t want to just roll out outfits after outfits of what I’m wearing. I want my blog to be informative for everyone. Becase I believe everybody has the ability to dress stylishly, no matter your figure, size etc.

So over the past months, I had been thinking and organizing some of the content I’m going to do and I’m very excited to share with everyone! So do stay tuned to my blog for styling tips! Of course there’s my busy schdule to consider but hey! I’ve got that under control..so ees I PROMISE I’ll do at least 3 entries a week ok!

Also recently, after months of hashtagging all my OOTD, I think my efforts are slowly paying off now i’m starting to get some contacts for collaboration so I’m really excited for my blog :D Speaking of this, LA-based fashion e-store DAILYLOOK had contacted me to do a feature on their Little Black Dresses for the festive season. So here’s my style set using the dresses and accessories on their site!

Mannish Style
with
Finders Keepers, DailyLook

If you had been following #mianbaoootd on instagram, you would had realise recently I’m into the mannish-style. To me Mannish style is feminizing the male styling pattern. E.g. Structured, tailored looks in the form of dresses, Man outerwear paired with female garments. Also, I’m also a sucker for dresses with unique back detailing. So I chose this dress!

It’s really a simple, basic, structured cut when you look at it from the front. But when you turn around… *low wolf whistle* , it gives a element of surprise doesn’t it. Also I feel this is a safe and functional dress to go partying in because you don’t have to worry your skirt riding up (as in the case of bodycon dresses and skirts) and you still look classy-ly flirty and cute :)

As the dress is really simple, you HAVE to amp up on the accessories. But that doesn’t mean you have pile accessories on yourself like a Christmas tree. ALWAYS choose a focal point in your outfit. In this set, I chose a pair of metallic heels as the style focal point. With a simple dress, you’ll just need a pair of show-stopping heels.

I kept the other accessories simple yet attention-grabbing. A thick wrist cuff will add weight to your bare wrist so you don’t look too plain, and the ring (to be worn on the opposite hand of the wrist cuff) draws subtle attention because of its interesting cut. And last but not least, grab a black clutch with simple gold/silver details to complete your look!

Another alternative of the dress I came across would be the Keepsake Lonely Lover Scuba dress

Get this dress if you prefer a sexier look :)

Yeap, that’s it! Do check out the other LBDs on Daily Look. Hope you’ll have fun picking out your holiday outfits!

Start the new year with a bang (literally)

After almost one year, i decided to trim my hair anddye it a new color, i always believe how my hair at the beginning of the year with define my look for the rest of it. Did this look before but i like it better now cos my face is not as big and fat as it was in 2010!

You know u never realise how shitty your hair is until u sit down in salon chair in front of the mirror. Check out the montrousity of a hair i have; overdue black roots and shitty dehydrated ends. But yup, this is the year of the bangs (again), a constant reminder for me to watch my diet so i remain small-faced, else i’ll look lik some bowling ball with a fat face+bangs combi