More Batiks

Ever since I was young, I have always been exposed to batiks. As far as I can remember, my mom and grandma didn't wear anything else other than that. As I grew older, I came to appreciate batik more and learn what each design means. I collect quite a few - some to wear, but most are uncut pieces to keep.

Here are a few that I have acquired lately. They are all traditional batik designs, except for the green ballerina dress with pink flowers. The key is to have an eye on what batik looks good with which dress or shirt design. If not done properly, your batik can look 'butchered'.

Black Shoes

You can never have too many black shoes.  Okay....maybe you can.  But then again, my collection dates back to 1988.  In my case, I think I need to stop buying shoes that look alike (and in black).  Just realized as I was going through my closet today, I need more browns, tans and nudes :=D.

Black pumps are a must in any girl's wardrobe.  I have them in many styles to suit the different dresses and occasion. (from top left clockwise: Beverley Feldman, Aldo, Balenciaga, Charles & Keith, Vincci)

I had these shoes since I was still in grad school.  I used them almost everyday, and the top right one was my DJ-ing shoes :)  It was quite "mod" at the time to have patent leather shoes worn with a mini skirt. (from left clockwise: 9 & Co, Nine West, Enzo Angiolini)

I love these flats and I still adore them 24 years later. (from top left clockwise: Ferragamo, Aigner, Gucci, Ferragamo)

These wedges are both very comfortable and both are gifts.  The left one is an APC wedge from Megumi Hayakawa, Asia Olay PR manager before she went back to Japan, and the right one is Charles & Keith, a birthday gift from the Singapore R&D organization in 2006.

I was going through my closet and saw a pile of dresses I have not worn at all.  One of them is this, a lovely batik piece by Idha Jacinta.  It is a layered balloon dress that can be modified by tying or untying knots inside the dress to bring the fabric up or down as you wish.  It is really lovely and can be worn alone as a skirt, as a dress, as a tube with a top or like what I am wearing here with a vintage-inspired necklace by Vegi Handayani.  The shoes were an accident though - I was too lazy to take black wedges in the closet and ended up pairing it with something I had outside.  Not bad :)

Make-Up 101

I have been down with a cold and flu for the past 5 days.  It has been awful and I was literally strapped to my bed.  After Day 3 I got quite bored, but had no energy to move.  My bones and body were aching, I had a really bad runny nose and cough.  So, I resorted to my ipad and occupied myself.  Other than playing online games, I looked for tutorials on doing make-up. So...today, always too much time on my hands on a Saturday night, I had my helper, Ninik, become my model for me to practice my new found skills. 

Check-out her before and after photos.  Look how pretty she is! (Sorry, no step-by-step pics. This was my first time and so had my hands full!).

This is Ninik after my make-over :). I contoured her left and right side of her forehead, lower cheekbones and sides of her nose.  She is wearing a hand-me-down cocktail dress (by Bebe) from me. Yes, I used to be THAT skinny :)



This is Ninik before.  She has a pear-shaped face. 

    

I did not tweeze all of her eyebrows because half of it was quite thin, and without make-up she can look really ghostly without brows.  And so I just made her brows neater and covered it up with concealer.  In this close-up, you can still see the fine brow hair.  She also has very short lashes, and so I put on full false lashes on her and created a wing with the eyeliner to extend her eye.  (yes, I should have blotted all the oil off her face before taking this pic :)).

Love My Shoes

I haven't had much time to blog
what I wore lately but here's the shoes that made the cut last 2 weeks and the line-up for next week. Which one is your favorite?

Peplum blouses are the trend now and it's been everywhere, especially on recent RTW and couture shows. I love the style as it is quite retro. But if you have 'heavy' hips like me, a peplum blouse can make you look pear shaped. So the key is to wear it with a bottom that is straight cut, such as a pencil skirt or bootleg pants.

My first post after recovery (though I still look a bit unwell and grey) but the heels are back! Wore my 5 inch Prada's today for a bit before I gave up :). My cheongsam-inspired dress is by Idha Jacinta, handmade batik from Lasem.

I love this dress and use it A LOT, especially when I go to Reza's school.  I love the 2 pockets in front (useful for cards and coins) and it actually has a hoody (which unfortunately can't be seen here) for that sudden drizzle.  (Dress: Batik Centil, Shoes: Pedro)

Lunar New Year

For some reason I never did get this one out.  And for some reason I can't find the high resolution pictures in my archives!  At least I have these, and will update the pics once I find where I saved the better ones!

Dress: Chichi Bernardus, Shoes: Guess

Forgot where I got this dress from, but shoes are from Aldo.

Typically batik skirts can either look old-fashioned or resort-y, but this one is far from both.  It is a full skirt and when used with a nice fitted top, gives it a simple yet modern look that can be used for work.  (Skirt: Idha Jacinta)

Navy Monday

Today I wore a navy blue batik dress. The batik design was quite traditional but the dress had a classic cut, giving it a modern, chic look :)

Dress: Idha Jacinta, Bag: Bally (vintage from Grandma's), Shoes: Zara
Belt was made from a coconut shell - very creative!

Dusty Pink

I love the color pink, and in any shade for that matter.  But lately I have been sticking to this 'dirty' pink color (popularly known as 'dusty pink').  I find that it is the "new beige" :) easy to accessorize and combine with any other color.

Warehouse chiffon dress, Charles & Keith mary janes, Jimmy Choo Rosalie in nude handbag.

I love the details in the front of this knit dress I bought in Melbourne from Alannah Hill.

The ruffles in the neckline and elbow is really pretty and gives it a feminine touch to an otherwise plain sheath (from Marks & Spencer. Bag is Charles & Keith)

This dress has a 'Jackie O' feel to it (dress: Zara, shoes: Prada, bag: Jimmy Choo)

Feeling Bold?

A splash of color can make a boring black and white outfit come to life.  I paired mine with a red Oroton bag and Jessica Simpson shoes .  Keep accessories simple and let the bag speak for itself!

On the contrary, wear a dress with bold patterns, keep the bag and shoes in neutral color. (dress: DVF)

Green does not always have to be with green.  I paired my new shoes with a navy blue dress and gold and green bangles and necklace.  The navy blue just pops the green out!

Yellow is a 'pick-me-up' color for me.  It never fails to brighten up my day!

(Mango halterneck dress with Charles & Keith shoes)

Enthusing Color

Enthuse a little color into your outfit (and thank goodness it didn't rain today as nothing I wore can take water!).  Miu Miu pom pom wedges and Balenciaga Baby Daim City are not too matchy-matchy, especially with the beige dress.  But the heels of my wedge have some purple on it, same like the bag.  And a beige dress does not mean beige shoes and beige bag...boring!  Injecting color is always fun and of course, it does not have to match :=P