topshop personal shopping AW12 preview.

 Last Saturday morning I had the privilege of attending an exclusive Topshop event hosted by Fashion Fast Forward (F3), a company which oversees the likes of Ben Sherman, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins, and most recognizably; Topshop and Topman in Singapore. Two of Topshop's wonderful Personal Shoppers, as well as one of the most noted bloggers in the region: X-Wen of Fash-Eccentric, hosted the wonderful morning event, with a series of talks about AW12 trends, tips on how to infuse key pieces from Topshop's latest collection into your wardrobe, and a wonderful preview of Louse Gray's collaboration with Topshop, which are hitting Singapore stores soon!

After picking up a quick drink at Starbucks, I headed over to Topshop Knightsbridge (the largest Topshop in Singapore), where a whopping queue of eager Topshop enthusiasts snaked far from the entrance of the store, perspiring in the humid morning sun. After a quick browse through the store, my friend Ayla and I were lucky enough to nab some seats before blogger X-Wen ("real name Xiao-Wen, although X-Wen sounds more mutant!") and two gorgeous personal shoppers Melanie and Anny began their presentation.

Hearing what the personal shoppers had to say about the AW12 trends was incredibly interesting. I've never really given much thought to the fact that people actually make a career out of dressing and catering to the personal style of individuals - but after further contemplation and an excellent impression made by the shoppers, personal shopping and styling definitely seems like a rewarding, dynamic facet of the fashion industry. The two shoppers, with their sharp eye for contrast and sixth sense of trend-forecasting, demonstrated easy ways to work Topshop's key AW12 pieces into your existing wardrobe. From deconstructed denim to sequin-saturated crop tops, there's no avoiding the iridescence and WOW-factor that this season holds. Whether you choose to pair your studded denim chambray shirt with vibrantly printed cigarette pants, or are more of an A-line skirt and oversized cardigan type of girl, Topshop's AW12 collection has the most versatile, chic separates which have a way of seamlessly falling into place amidst the rest of the treasure trove that is a fashionista's closet. 

{X-Wens face: Priceless!}

Everyone who came to the event enjoyed 20% off the whole store - and after such a great talk (which almost gave me enough motivation to buy the entire store, not that I lacked any motivation in the first place...), there were long lines to the changing rooms, lines which I honestly couldn't be bothered to join. I opted for a lovely gold geometric necklace that didn't require a changing room and a mirror to fall in love with, which will be featured in an outfit post soon! I browsed the racks of gorgeous collars and "Freedom" jewellery with Ayla, and was lucky enough to hang out with X-Wen for a bit! #bloggerbonding
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Seriously, she made it to the top of my "cool people list" looong ago, all it took was a glance through her stunning site day in day out... and then I met her. #starstruck

At such a deliciously fashionable event, it was only natural that I witness the most incredible street style - from the likes of bloggers, fashion enthusiasts, and the Personal Shoppers themselves! Which of the three outfits above do you like the best?

"Fashionable Brunch Date with a dose of Topshop" wasn't exactly a difficult dress code to follow - I loved putting my outfit together for this stylish event! I had a mini panic-attack when this gorgeous geometric top came in a parcel and landed at my doorstep (who doesn't love getting snail mail?!), courtesy of OASAP.com, a reasonably priced online store that I just stumbled across with an astounding variety of quirky pieces! This shirt was somewhat of a DIY project (or not really) for me; it came with a ladybug-like layer over the shirt that you see in the pictures above, and although I thought the extra layer was really cool - I was DYING to wear it to this event, and I knew I had to whip out my scissors and snip goodbye to the ladybug layer if I wanted this sheer button-down to work with my ubersoft A-line Topshop shorts. It was a spur of the moment thing; and I've never really just got out my scissors and shredded up a brand-new piece of clothing on a whim, but there's a first time for everything, isn't there? I'm glad I didn't make a mess of my brand new shirt, considering my competence with DIY artsy stuff (or lack thereof).

Shorts // Topshop -- Blue Wedges // Primark -- Geometric Shirt // courtesy of OASAP -- Leather Wristlet // Coach -- Jewellery // assorted

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Did any of you guys attend this event too? What do you think of Topshop and the collaboration with Louise Gray?

#AFF2012 part 3: roland mouret.

Roland Mouret's Fall/Winter collection was packed to the brim with all things wonderful: cool sorbet hues, sophisticated peplum separates, and some of the most ingenious tailoring I have ever seen. I particularly enjoyed the mash-up of menswear-inspired, tailored outerwearand feminine, pastel shift dresses.Seeing this collection right before my eyes (from the third row!) during the Audi Fashion Festival might have left me a little biased, but this collection will forever resonate in my mind as proof that an array of simple pieces can really make an impact.

For an under-ten-minute long show, the collection ticked a LOT of boxes. From effortlessly simple shift dresses to fur-topped pastel hued outfits, every ensemble that was sent down the runway possessed something from the greater scope of things; at least one recurring element drawn from Mouret’s initial inspiration. In other words, there were no “filler” pieces just to pass the time; each ensemble was brutally conciseand adhered firmly to a set of motifs, fabrics, colors and tailoring styles to create a solid collection with a strong aesthetic identity. I’ve picked out a few of my favourite trends within this collection and collaged them below:

I love the interesting architectural quality of the crossover-neck. 

Think of it as a scarf, I guess. With a bolder “twist.” (pun intended!)

Voluminous fur, meet sorbet hues and pastel peplum. Probably one of the most unexpected combinations in this collection, but definitely a favorite of mine. There’s actually nothing cuter than a peek of peplum or a flap-pocket underneath a huge ball of fur (that somehow manages to still look chic). Roland, I don’t know how you do it.

Another fabulous highlight of the collection – a succulent abundance of masculine tailoring in various forms: fitted, slouchy, or tweaked to look girly. The angularshoulders and no-fuss colors made ‘borrowing from the boys’ something we ladies should contemplate doing more often.

This is the part where the girls bring out their scissors, needle-and-thread and pastel colored dye; menswear is about to get a whole new look. Whoever thought muted, manly office-wear could be so intimately related with such gloriously girly confections? Along with his fantabulous team of seamstresses, Mouret has managed to whip up a plethora of different neckline designs for each ensemble. While the peplum dress on the extreme right boasts pleated puffy shoulders, the electric-white pantsuit next to it (center right) has a lovely loose fit but a wide, creased shoulder to raise the bar. The blue ensemble (centre left) possesses a delicately folded bust and shoulder, reminiscent of the elegant Japanese paper-folding art form: origami.

Another super-great thing (gosh, I could go on forever gushing about my love for this collection) about Mouret’s AW2012 line is that it sticks to an exclusive color palette, which is echoed and recreated through the whole collection in ways that really did make my jaw drop. Take that shapeless lemony frock paired with knee-high boots, for instance. Gorgeous color, light fabric, and the ruched shoulders and crinkled neckline are super feminine. Now, on the far right we have another ensemble featuring the stunning fluorescent hue. A restructured, slouchy take on the modern blazer, this unusually long piece of outerwear is equipped with lethally tailored broad shoulders, and a sharp pair of pants to match. And there you have it, a floaty, DVF-esque dressand a sleeveless, slouchy blazer-type-thing-which-still-qualifies-as-super-cool, both coated in the same, delicious color. Roland Mouret is definitely one to conjure up ingenious juxtapositions of his own designs (and present them within the same collection), which give every collection of his an authentic feel. 

Sorry that this post was months late (AFF was ages ago), I totally forgot about it but I still really wanted to share it. Hope you enjoyed!

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xx v.