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

lomography!

With a delicious potluck feast, walls lined with funky cameras and hipsters aplenty, Lomography Singapore's 20th Anniversary Party was the perfect way to kickstart my weekend with the ever-lovely Zack. Admittedly, such an event wasn't exactly a fashion blogger's stomping ground, and given my lack of proficiency with cameras/electronic devices in general, I felt a tad out of place, but I got up and did the macarena anyway and then I made friends and ate lots of cake. My knowledge about photography doesn't even exceed Instagram, but I can't deny my love for the lightweight, colorful cameras and the one-of-a-kind effects that they bestow on photographs of any kind. Meerly Wang, Managing Director of Lomography Singapore, was lovely enough to have a chat with Zack and I; she named the fish-eye lens as her all-time favorite and recommended the "La Sardina" camera for rookies like myself - so who knows, maybe I'll start my photography career with Lomography soon!

fade.

floral-framed sunglasses -- urban outfitters // floral button-down -- thrifted // denim cutoffs -- gap // bag -- H&M // belt -- H&M

"Let summer set you free."

The quote above was from a letter written to me at the beginning of summer by my best friend. I feel so peaceful whenever I read it; it makes me feel like I'm putting my life into the hands of an unknown entity dubbed as "summer," and letting "summer" take me away and throw me into situations and places I could never even dream of. Summer is when we unravel the dusty cocoons formed during the remaining months of the year and spread our wings and go places and open ourselves to the new world around us. It's when we let ourselves be touched and moulded and shaped and influenced by the new people we meet, the new things we see and the new places we go. Summer is the time we all become butterflies, you could say. But as much as summer changes and shapes us, it also manages to embed a slice of itself into us: a slice saturated with scars and snapshots and memories that'll remain infinitely vivid and play a vital, albeit nostalgic role in the rest of your life. Summer leaves it's mark on me every year in one way or another, be it a heartbreak and a subsequent love lesson, or a friendship that will stay dear to my heart for the rest of my life. Summer has many facets and it is somehow much larger than the sum of these facets: it's a part of something bigger. It's not just about sand, hot lifeguards and late nights, nor is it merely a vacation from life as we know it. It isn't just a time for fairytale love, and it certainly isn't just what the thermostat reads on a baking afternoon. These tiny aspects are what summer is made of, but adding them all up won't even come close to the authentic magic of the season.

Much like this Marks and Spencers floral button-down I picked up at a thrift store in Ireland a few weeks ago, summer is slowly but surely fading. But maybe that isn't a bad thing - faded shirts with granny-inspired prints will always be cool in my books. As for summer's gradual fade into the school year, that is a bad thing. It's a terrible thing. Heck, I already find myself dreaming about and planning for next summer!

Although I wish I could chase the perennial humid summer weather out of Singapore, it's the long months of absence and relaxation that summer entails which I must sadly wave goodbye to. Summer, I bid you a bittersweet farewell.

+ Don't forget to enter my summer care-pack giveaway here!
xx v.

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10QQ with rachel.

Meet Rachel Tayza, a fifteen-year-old beauty from Burma. She's not a blogger, but we used to go to school together, and stalking this girl's Facebook pictures for five minutes was all it took for me to decide to approach her to do this short interview. She's such a sweetheart, and her electric, sophisticated sense of style is unquestionably enticing, especially for a girl of her age. I love how artsy these photos are as well!
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1) Describe your personal style in three words: Edgy, comfortable, ever-changing.
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2) Favourite places to shop: TopShop, Urban Outfitters & Minkpink; I mostly online shop.
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3) If you were given $100 to spend, what would you buy? I'd donate it to charity!
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4) Heels or flats? Neither; I can't wear either of them, so I stick with my TOMS!
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5) Something not many people know about you: I'm claustrophobic!
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6) Favourite celebrities/style icons: Charlotte Free, Agyness Deyn, and Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeah's.
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7) What you'd wear on a typical day out: A comfy big T-shirt and tights.
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8) Favourite season: Summer, I can't wait for the holidays!
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9) If you could only use three beauty products for the rest of your life, what would they be? Eyeliner, Baby Johnson Face Cream, and Brow Definer.
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10) Favourite accessory: This great, full-on pins-and-needles necklace!
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What do you guys think of Rachel's awesome style? 

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