fall 2012 - england | photo diary.

Here it is; the comprehensive photographic recollection of my marvelous week in Kent + London! For those of you who don't keep up with me on Twitter, I spent a week in early November soaking up the nippy weather, sunny skies (YES you read that correctly - there was magnificent weather!) and beautiful fall scenery of England. Although the purpose of the trip wasn't exactly for leisure (I spent the first half of the trip studying and sitting various exams, eek!), I ended up doing a lot of shopping, sightseeing and touristy photo-taking in England's stunning capital city. Following my rambles (which should end soon) is a photo-diary which will hopefully take you on a visual journey through my various experiences over the past week, including one or two repetitive outfits (Singapore Airlines' weight allowance unfortunately didn't accommodate my entire wardrobe so apologies for the lack of diversity in the apparel department!), tourist-y shots, and countless snaps of the crispy fall leaves/bare trees - I seriously can't help myself when it comes to fall, I have such a weakness for the burnt hues of the perishing foliage, the fragile, naked branches and the fresh-red-cheeks weather that goes along with it. It's such a beautiful representation of nature's most intricate cycle; the dying, falling, absence and subsequent regrowth of leaves, and the leisurely decline in temperature followed by the eagerness of warm sun, gently nudging the snow out until next year. Judging by the snowstorms that have hit my cousins in Connecticut, my description was probably a little (or a lot) romanticized, but when you live in a tropical city without the luxuries of dynamic weather, all you've got is your imagination to fuel you (e.g. turning my air-con down to 10˚C on Christmas Eve in order to bundle up in several woolly articles of clothing and pretend I'm in Europe). Enjoy!

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?