watercolor textures.

 booties - zara

pants - h&m

clutch - c/o katja tamara

top - tout a coup c/o i.t.

watch - c/o juicy couture

I'll be back in Singapore next weekend and I couldn't be more excited to be greeted at the airport with a gust of humid, gloriously hot air, the smiling faces of my parents and the Christmas spirit in the air. I've never spent Christmas away from Asia, so I oddly associate Christmas a lot more with the heat than with the cold in which I now spend most of the year in! I picked up these watercolor-streaked pants for £5 (yes that is five pounds everyone) at H&M; they're probably the best bargain I've ever gotten at a high street store and I love them to death for their thigh-slimming properties and exciting colors. I paired them with a super soft knit top with gorgeous sheer detailing from Tout A Coup (available at i.t. concept store in Wisma Atria), which I raved about in this blogpost after attending the opening of i.t. and being gifted a generous $100 to spend in-store on the night of the event. My stunning Zara booties have finally gotten the chance to be featured on my blog; I love them so so so much even though they cause me a lot of pain. The sleek black heel, the silver zip, the nude suede and the magenta platform - what's not to love? Yet another texture is introduced into the picture in the form of a stunning python clutch, handmade in Bali, courtesy of Katja Tamara. It's luxurious and raw to the touch with a soft, flexible shape, a discreet magnetic closure and a size that is just perfect. Last but probably most important of all is my new favorite piece of wrist-candy: the Juicy Couture watch I won in the lucky draw at their opening event at MBS! I've never won a lucky draw (or anything of the sort) so I was particularly chuffed to walk away with the Swarovski-encrusted gold beauty on my wrist! 

So there you have it: gold stainless steel, python skin, suede, knit and denim. Textural mash-ups have never been so fun!

ootd @ sogurt!

Hello lovely people! I'm still in the depressing midst of exams so apologies for my erratic presence on the blog (and for my over-presence on Instagram - it's proved to be insanely good at distracting me from boring revision). I shot this quick outfit post while having froyo with Zack at Sogurt's Star Vista outlet, which has literally become my second home. It's situated at a perfect location (near MRT stations and my school!) and is such a great, healthy option for post-exam treats and catching up with friends. For those of you who have never been to Sogurt before, check out my step-by-step guide for the perfect Sogurt experience below!

 1. Pick a cup! Sogurt offers two different sizes for cups, and while I usually am able to restrain myself to a small one, I occasionally opt for the bucket-sized cup for a more... intense dose of froyo. The big cup is perfect for sharing between two or three people too! Sogurt doesn't charge you according to the number of toppings or the size of cup you choose - you pay by weight. And I don't know about you, but that for me is the most liberating thing about the Sogurt experience: you can have as much of anything as you feel like! (Marshmallow lovers pay virtually nothing for those featherlight toppings!). Some days I'm in the mood for a dessert-style froyo so I load up on various indulgent toppings and flavored sauces, and other days I'll grab a half-cup of plain Sogurt with strawberries for a healthy, quick snack option when I'm on the go. 

 2. Fill up with froyo! Each outlet usually has about 4 dispensers with different flavors of Sogurt, and the flavors are often offered on a rotational basis. There's nothing more fun than walking into your usual Sogurt outlet and being surprised by a new flavor, and don't be afraid to ask for a tester to see if the new flavors offered tickle your fancy.

 3. Fill up with more froyo! Don't stop at one flavor. Or two. I usually layer my three usual flavors of froyo (nutella, strawberry and plain) in cute swirls, and contrary to popular belief, mixing flavors isn't gross. It's the best thing ever.

 4. Pick your toppings! This is arguably the most fun part - whether you're in the mood for chocolatey everything or you just want a classic berries/granola mix, load up with whatever you want and however much you want! My personal favorites have got to be strawberries, chocolate covered banana, white and milk chocolate chips, oreo cookie crumbs, almonds and digestive crumbs. Delicious!

 5. Weigh in! After you're done filling your cup with all things nutritiously delicious, place your cup on the weighing scale to pay (Sogurt charges $3 per 100g of goodness). To make the most of your Sogurt experience, collect a loyalty card and receive stamps for every $5 spent and plenty of surprise discounts along the way! Furthermore, Instagramming your Sogurt experience with the hashtag #sogurt gets you a little surprise too.

Top and Clutch: c/o style.in.kind, Necklace: c/o Katja Tamara, Skort: Zara, Cross Bangle: c/o OhMySmoothies

See those vouchers on the table in that last picture? I'm giving a BUNCH of them away real soon so stay tuned for that! Use the hashtag #SISxSogurt on Twitter and Instagram and I may just surprise you with some vouchers!

But here's the exciting part:

 Sogurt's 3rd Anniversary Bash at Zouk promises to be the most exciting event of the year! With free froyo, exciting games and prizes to be won, and free club entry for TGIW at Zouk - what more could you ask for? It's going to be an incredible night of froyo fun with the best froyo chain in town, and it'll cost you barely anything considering all there is for you to win! Tickets are available from any Sogurt outlet, so make sure you get your paws on some for you and your friends before they run out! You're not going to want to miss the biggest party of the year!

10qq with katja tamara.

I have a seriously incurable obsession with statement clutches; for a student on a sartorial budget, statement clutches are the perfect way to spice up a classic, re-wearable outfit - namely a light colored chiffon blouse and denim jeans. They can add a splash of color, texture or pattern to any simple ensemble, and in the case of Katja Tamara's python clutches, they add all three. Possibly my favorite thing about these gorgeous accessories (although seriously, what ISN'T to like about those beauties) is the fact that they exemplify the perfect marriage of color, print and texture through the distinct python-skin print they all boast. If there's such thing as the perfect, all-encompassing statement bag, these clutches might be just that. With a medley of color schemes on offer as well as variations such as python-skin tote bags and carryalls, Katja Tamara's fantabulous designs are definitely a staple for any fashion-forward woman (or man!). Drawing inspiration from Bali where all her designs are exclusively manufactured, Katja has expanded her label to include beautiful tasseled necklaces each with unique bead patterns and Buddha pendants. I'm so over the cheap fad of gothic Christian-cross designs, so I welcomed one of these gorgeous Buddha necklaces (in black) into my accessories collection with open arms a few weeks ago at the ilovedesigner.com event! 

Check out Katja's 10 Quick Questions below:

1) Favorite thing to do on a Saturday night: Dinner with friends, listening to music, dancing and late-night lounging, or having Apple TV movie nights (and popcorn!) with my husband and kids. 

2) Your current beauty must-have: An 8 hour night of sleep and Tom Ford’s Eye Color Quad in Titanium Smoke, which is suitable for day or night.

3) Your favorite vacation destination: Does it have to be narrowed down to 1 place? I love to travel! My favorites are Bali during Spring, Hawaii in the Summer, New York City in the Fall and Zermatt during Winter. 

4) Something not a lot of people know about you: Both of my parents are European, but I grew up in California. They wanted to give me a name that could be pronounced in Norwegian, German and English easily, but unknowingly they gave me a name that was quite unique in the USA. When I was younger I was tortured with nicknames! Now I can embrace my name and I love it. 

5) Something that inspires your designs: As cliché as this is, I genuinely have Wanderlust. Whenever I travel, I take snapshots in my mind of the natural beauty of animals. 

6) An artist you've currently been listening to: Coldplay; although they have been around for a while, I always come back to them. 

7) A pet peeve: People who brag. 

8) The best part of the design process: Sourcing different textures, patterns and colors, as this inspires my creations. 

9) A language you wish you could speak: German, my father is from Germany. I used to have to go to German Saturday School in California, but I rebelled and refused to speak it! Now I wish I was more fluent. 

10) Future dreams and goals for the Katja Tamara label: My obsession is for people to own versatile pieces in their wardrobe and not to take themselves too seriously. I think a lot of the rules of fashion have been broken and it's not about recreating the wheel but reinterpreting it. I would love for my label to be carried by influential people on a world stage and by moms out on a Saturday night.  

~

What do you think of Katja Tamara's gorgeous clutches? Shop her designs on ilovedesigner.com!

i love designer.

Boasting a hugely varied selection of talented upcoming designers in a medley of specialized fields, ilovedesigner.com is fashion's favorite new e-commerce site. Their Singapore launch was an afternoon of delectable style and certainly one to remember - I felt like a little child in a candy store, drooling in awe at all the accessories on display! Held at the beautifully picturesque Novus Restaurant at the National Museum of Singapore amid Fort Canning's lush greenery, there was delicious finger food served (chocolate covered strawberries on little trees yay!) which really made me want to go back to that restaurant and taste a whole proper meal, but nothing was quite as delicious as the gorgeous accessories which we got to try on. From delicate string bracelets to statement earrings encrusted in a rainbow of precious stones, python clutches in vibrant hues to beautifully printed bathing suits, the array of fashion merchandise on display was perfectly varied. Favorites of mine had to be Outhouse's crazily intricate and often oversized jewelry creations, Katja Tamara's sleek and sexy python bags and clutches and Kriss & Jules' delicate selection of string-pull bracelets with petite charms -  perfect for layering! 

Check out their website here and let me know what you think!