royals.

 Bag c/o wholesale7.net
Top + shorts set c/o Dahlia

Earrings c/o Lovisa

Studded Bracelet from Urban Outfitters
Studded booties c/o ClubCouture

I've never really experimented with athletic playsuits-which-are-actually-just-matching-separates, but when I visited Dahlia's flagship store in London to select some of my favorite pieces from their new collection courtesy of their generous management (more about my exciting visit to Dahlia coming soon!), I fell in love with the silhouettes, the patterns and the versatility of this two-piece dream. The top is cut to a slouchy fit, which adds a touch of tomboy appeal and balances out the rather teeny athletic-inspired matching shorts. While the detailed design in varying shades of blue is luxurious enough to be teamed with sophisticated additions such as blazers and heels, the astonishing level of comfort tempts me to wear these pieces while lounging around the house on a lazy weekend morning. Sunday lie-ins have never looked this good! Initially I was inclined to shoot these separates with non-matching tops/bottoms and add complexity to the ensemble with bold accessories, but, being someone who rarely plays the matching game while getting dressed, I figured these pieces would be the perfect place to start being a little more cohesive with my dressing. It's hard to even tell that they're actually separates - they look so seamlessly perfect for one another!

Black is the boldest of all statements in my opinion; it floats airily above any fluorescent color combination you could ever concoct with the firm knowledge that, through its silence and apparent understatement, it reigns supreme. I am head over spiky black heels in LOVE with my gift from wholesale7.net - a black crossbody carryall. With lovely gold accents interspersed between all the perfect leathery slouch, this bag can hold my hopes and dreams and look effortless the whole time. Definitely a new staple of mine, considering I've been looking far and wide for my Prince Charming that takes the form of a slouchy black bag for quite a while now.

And of course, who can forget these shoes. With plenty of spikes and studs to ward off annoying unwanted people (please don't quote me on that), they add that extra edge that black leather alone lacks. They are also astonishingly comfy; they feel just like an elevated pair of Converse I swear. Snap these up on ClubCouture.cc! I wore these babies to the ONE day of FIDe Fashion Week I was able to attend - I literally hopped off the plane from London and into makeup and heels to catch the last couple shows of this year's fashion week. Is it crazy that I feel a bit like Chiara Ferragni, jetsetting from London to Singapore (albeit in an economy class seat and minus paparazzi) in time for fashion week? With this easy breezy playsuit, no-fuss bag and the comfiest pair of heels I own, traveling in the style of the world's top bloggers has never felt more within reach.

 current tune: royals // lorde

formal!

 Dresses of every color and fabric grazing the ground, man-to-man bow tie readjustments, last minute lippy touch-ups by teary-eyed mothers, clinking champagne glasses, plenty of giggles, a confused medley of perfumes and colognes intertwining in the air and a luxuriously limitless line of (parent) photographers armed with DSLRs, each keen to capture their children bearing smiles that outshine the whirlwind of lightning-like camera flashes. I can now proudly speak from past experience when I say that those clicking cameras and mile-wide smiles simply do not cease until the wee hours of the long and lovely evening that is prom - or, as our school calls it, Grade 10 Formal! Here is the product of what was an incredible night filled with good food, excellent company, crazy dancing, and of course, beautiful dresses: A relatively comprehensive photo-diary, which took me ages to narrow down from a crazy excess of photographs!

Getting ready for Formal was stressful but definitely enjoyable. I got my mani-pedi done the evening before to avoid last-minute rushing and freaking out - a lovely pale pink on my fingernails to match my dress and nude on my toes (I was contemplating not painting my toenails because no one would see them anyway!). I ended up rushing like mad the night before formal though; getting shoes, earrings, rings and bracelets 24 hours in advance is not advisable. I bought a lovely gold bracelet from Lovisa which I especially liked - it was a thin, elastic bracelet adorned with abstract floral and organic motifs such as delicate gold leaves and dusty pink petals. I was far too sleepy at 10pm on a Wednesday night to be fussed with finding the perfect pair of shoes that no one would even see under my long dress anyway, so I picked up a comfortable nude pair from Mango which I will definitely get future use out of. 

 

The morning before Formal was a blur of facemasks and makeup (I did my makeup myself and was very proud of how natural it looked!) before heading off to Visage Salon at Delfi Orchard to get my hair done. Because I have naturally thin, limp and very straight/boring hair, I knew I couldn't leave it down and expect even the tightest of curls to stay put for the whole night. Ask any stage-mom or hair stylist that has dealt with my hair: no matter how much hairspray is used, curls do NOT stay in my hair. Before deciding on the exact hairstyle I wanted for this special night, I formed the following set of criteria: I wanted something mature, fuss-free, at least half-down (to avoid the bald egg-head look in photos taken from the front), something a little bit curly/more voluptuous than normal, and well suited to my dress. After speaking to my hairstylist Dominic, we agreed on a side braid pumped up with plenty of volume. To achieve that, all my hair was curled into tight ringlets and covered in hairspray to create volume and those curls were then braided loosely into a plait that fell over my shoulder, with plenty of curly tufts here and there. It was perfect and completely fuss-free!

 And now, the most important constituent of any girl's prom night: her dress! I was super late on the dress-hunt; many girls began posting pictures of their dresses in our girls-only Facebook group (created to ensure no dress clashes!) months ago, and my dress only arrived in the mail less than two weeks before the big day. Nevertheless, it was perfect and I loved it. It was BCBG Maxazria's Avi Pleated Gown in Talc, and the moment I saw it I fell in love with it. It was everything I wanted my formal dress to be: geometric, flattering, comfortable, and just the right balance of "girly" and "statement." I knew from the start I didn't want a dress that was all one tone/texture/color - I wanted some form of diversity WITHIN my dress, but I wasn't quite sure how that diversity should be achieved for such an event (I was skeptical about overdosing on too many colors, too). This dress fulfilled that criterion perfectly through the marriage of different fabrics and textures in a geometric explosion that comprises the body of the dress. With interlocking lace (both with and without underlayers), pleats and fabric segments, distinguished in subtle variations of the same "talc" color, an understated pattern is created on the upper half of the dress to accentuate the torso, nip in the waistline and fall elegantly and loosely on your hips. It wasn't overly girly and it wasn't a neon geometric statement free of femininity either - the muted hue served to soften the definition that such an architectural dress boasted. I love the fact that it wasn't strapless as well; while I initially thought going strapless would add a sexy, feminine edge to my outfit, my dress allowed me to dance the night away without once readjusting/pulling anything up, so I'm glad I didn't let a strapless dress create constant problems on what was a very special night. 

 

 

And the last aspect of my outfit - my bag! This gorgeous blush-toned scalloped portfolio clutch courtesy of Dorothy Perkins was the perfect match; it accentuated the pink tones in my dress and added a more glamorous splash of gold to my otherwise matte outfit. The scallops served to soften the straight lines and edges of the details of my dress while retaining the geometric flavor of my outfit. It was a tad on the larger side, but that worked to my advantage by making more of a statement and fitting all my essentials for the evening!

It's tradition to have Pre-Drinks (known as Pres) at someone's house with a bunch of friends before the event itself, where parents are also invited to sip champagne and take as many pictures of their kids as they want. My best friend Camilla invited a handful of us over to her place for Pres where most of the picture-taking took place. It was so nice to gather with some of the most wonderful people before one of the biggest nights of high school - I couldn't be more grateful for these guys. Note the parent-paparazzi picture above!

All in all, Formal was an absolutely amazing evening. Held at the Fullerton Hotel's Grand Ballroom, a spectacular venue, the evening went very smoothly (much to my relief: being on the Formal Organizing Committee was a LOT of work). There were two big projector screens on both sides of the ballroom where Eventstagram ran a live feed of every Instagram photo posted with a certain #hashtag, allowing everyone to enjoy each others' pictures and letting each of us have our five seconds of fame up on the big screens! A couple of talented student musicians in our grade got up on stage and performed, awards were given out, tons of bad dancing happened and a lot of food was eaten. Formal was also the perfect way for me to say goodbye to a lot of people, because as some of you know, I'm heading off to boarding school in the UK after the summer and won't be returning to my previous school, which has been like a second home to me for 10 years. Thanks to everyone who made Formal 2013 such a great night, and to all my beloved friends, teachers and peers who have shaped my 10 years at this school and made it infinitely fulfilling and worthwhile.

ootd + giveaway!

Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Bracelet: Lovisa

Shorts + Belt: c/o PiecesofSummer

Top: thrifted/brandless

Rings: H&M

Wedges: Primark

iPhone case: Kate Spade

First outfit post in ages! I really enjoyed shooting with Sophie for the first time - we had the blessing of dry weather, (mostly) empty streets and the quiet backdrop of Orchard Road before the city properly woke up. These were shot right before a delicious brunch at Wild Honey with Kris, which, by the way, is my new go-to place for kick-ass breakfast food for any time of day. I'm glad my horrifically painful and hideous sunburn situation didn't show up too much in these pictures, and for those of you who follow me on Twitter, I'm sure you've heard enough about my current state of being an aloe-vera drowned lobster. I'm getting better though! I got this blouse for a ridiculously cheap price during my weekend trip to Bangkok a couple weekends ago, and while I could've downplayed the tropical prints with some denim or hushed accessories, I decided to liven it up with even more... Crayola colors (literally only word I can think of right now - someone get me a coffee). With electric blue wedges, bright green shorts and a striking red bag, this printed blouse is given a smart, urban update. Prints are traditionally used to liven up an outfit, but "outdoing" printed garments with colors and accessories that are bigger and better might just be my new style motto. I'll probably whisk this featherlight blouse away with me on my next beach vacation to wear as a cover-up, but who says prints always have to take the spotlight?

Last but not least, thanks so much for 700+ on Instagram! I Instagrammed about this giveaway on Monday so thanks for the overwhelming number of entries that have flooded in already! Win this versatile piece of arm candy from Lovisa, one of my favorite new places to shop for accessories! Its segments are threaded with elastic for a more comfortable fit, and I adore its texture, which adds a great touch to such a classic, wearable piece. 

Keen to enter? Two steps:

1) Follow me on Instagram (@veenamccoole)

2) Drop an email with your contact details and the subject line "Lovisa Bracelet Giveaway" to veena@seveninchstilettos.com

This international giveaway closes on the 20th of April at midnight (Singapore time), and the winner will be selected randomly, contacted by email and asked to provide a screenshot of their "follow" via email. If the winner doesn't respond within 24 hours, then I'll pick someone else to win this great prize! Also, I'm open to suggestions for future giveaways. Drop me an email or inbox me on Tumblr if you've got any ideas you'd like to share!