patience...

I admit it. Since my window shopping (online) post, I have been checking out the http://theoutnet.com/ website frequently, hoping to see again the items I had missed out on purchasing. I was never quite able to forget the Vanessa Bruno or the Marc Jacobs bags I saw back then.

The Outnet did not let me down. One day, the Vanessa Bruno athe leather tote I had my eye on became available for sale... but only in the medium size. What to do? Out came my ruler, comparing the measurements described on the website against an existing bag I had. It seemed the medium sized tote would be more wearable on a daily basis. i.e. it wouldn't look like I could acutally fit the kitchen sink in it.

Feeling the time pressure (as items on The Outnet get purchased in a ridculously efficient manner), I put the tote in my online shopping bag as fast as I could. Clicking through the various pages to buy the bag, I finally reached the point where all I had to do was wait for it to be delivered. I just hoped that I had entered all my details into the ordering forms correctly!

Now having received the bag, I am thankful that I didn't buy the oversized version. I think it would have been too large as a day bag. I guess it was described as a weekend bag for a reason!

Finally, here's a visual of my new bag.

the amateur photographer

Being an amateur photographer, I've found that it's always nice when people compliment my photos. Definitely gives that little buzz of happiness!

"like a pretty woman" by Yumie Kazama

On one of my trips to Kinokuniya (the book store referred to by many of us as "kino") to buy a "girl's style" magazine, I came across a book called "like a pretty woman" by Yumie Kazama.

As I flipped through the book, I found that it was full of photos of Yumie-san in her fabulous outfits. The book opens with shots of her in France. The ones that caught my attention were of her at Lyon train station wrapped up in a dark blue shawl with a hint of the white shirt and navy and pink polka dot scarf she was wearing underneath. Complementing her outfit were long brown suede boots, Louis Vuitton hand-carry luggage and an oversized brown leather shoulder bag. Needless to say, I kept on flipping through that book.

Yumie shares on "How to be a Lady". Here, there are photos about adopting Jackie (Kennedy)'s style,  the "Petite Jacket" and "Rain Boots" amongst many other aspects on "how to be a lady" through your outfits. As I continue through the book, it turns out Yumie is a stylist. Unfortunately, with my very limited Japanese I could not read a lot of the narrative running throughout the book. However, I was thankful for the sprinkling of English here-and-there which allowed me to at least find out about the background of the author.

Before I knew it, I was already at the counter paying for the book!

Having looked through the book many times now, I'd have to say that my favourite section is where Yumie records her outfits on 365 days. The photos were taken from February 2004 to October 2009.

How it's possible for someone to own so many clothes is a little beyond me. Regardless, the shots have been great in giving me ideas on how to pull outfits together. Outfits that have spanned a 5 year period and still look stylish today... that's something to aspire to.

http://sblog.gw.tv/yumie/

http://amazon.co.jp/

http://books.rakuten.co.jp/

"girl's style"

One of the things I've always loved about the hair salon I go to is the availability of Japanese magazines. As silly as this sounds, I always get excited when I have to wait (whether it be for my hairdresser or during a perm) and I have have to entertain myself with the stack of Japanese magazines they leave by my side. This is probably one of the only times I'm happy to wait for something.

Although I do know a little Japanese, I am far from being able to understand everything that is written in the Japanese magazines provided to me. However, they say "a picture paints a thousand words" and the images projected in those magazines have given me ideas on how I should be using items in my wardrobe, or clothing and accessories I've seen in those magazines have made their way onto my mental shopping list.

It was during one of my visits to this Japanese hair salon that I discovered "girl's style". I thought to myself: this is the magazine perfect for fashion lovers that don't know much (or any) Japanese.

"Girl's style" contains image after image of hit Japanese fashion items for that season. There are also pictures of complete outfits along with some street photography to give you ideas on how people are wearing the latest trends. Be it gumboots, leather jackets or boyfriends jeans folded to just above the ankle... I feel I've got a pretty good idea on how to work these items into my outfits, thanks to "girl's style".

http://www.kansai-girlsstyle.net/

o easter egg

Easter rolled around, and in keeping with a similar theme to the Christmas tree, Ferrero Rocher decorated the shopping centre with a large Easter egg. Once again, very classy. However, just a notch below the Christmas tree from before in my opinion. Nonetheless, still a delightful sight to shoppers like me!

o Christmas tree

As I was making my way amongst the bustle of busy shoppers during the Christmas season, I came to a halt at this amazing sight. This photo from my camera phone does not do the Ferrero Rocher Christmas tree justice. With a little imagination, I hope you can sense the elegance and grandeur of this Christmas tree that was the centrepiece in a shopping centre. What a classy way to celebrate Christmas.

window shopping (online)

In one of my recent shopping expeditions (online), I came across the Vanessa Bruno Athe Oversized Leather Tote. I almost immediately clicked "add to bag". Although the bag was decently priced, I held back. Unfortunately or fortunately, I am one of those analytical shoppers. Before making the purchase, multiple questions came across my mind. Would the khaki green leather go with what I usually wear? Would it look stylish when I carried it? Although measurements were provided, the fact that I was being told that you can "pack your weekend essentials in style with this oversized leather tote!" made me wonder whether the bag was actually too big for daily use. And of course, the usual questions: did I really need a new bag? And what impact would the purchase have on my bank account? Although I could provide answers to my questions to perfectly justify the purchase (the khaki green was verging on grey which made it a versatile colour and a big bag would mean that it could hold my D-SLR camera comfortably), I still hesitated. I decided to "sleep on it" and make a decision overnight. If the bag was still available the next day, it was meant to be!

For those that are frequent window shoppers at http://www.theoutnet.com/ will know that those "bargains" can be snapped up pretty quickly. To my disappointment, the Vanessa Bruno bag was no longer available for sale the following day. I instantly regretted dwelling on the purchase for so long. Now I'd missed out on owning the bag! I tried to tell myself that it just wasn't meant to be and the bag wouldn't have suited me anyway. However, I did bookmark the link to the page showing the bag, secretly hoping that one day, it would be available again.

A few weeks after the Vanessa Bruno episode, I found myself looking at the Marc Jacobs Stella Tote in Olive. It was clear that subconsciously, I had not recovered from the loss of the Vanessa Bruno khaki bag and was keen to find a replacement in a green shade. I rationalised the purchase in exactly the same manner as before. However, this time, more cash was at stake. Unable to immediately decide whether to make the purchase or not, I once again walked away from the website, relying on fate to determine whether the Stella Tote could be mine the next day.

The following day when I revisited the website, I was disappointed once again! The Stella Tote was no more!

My bank account is now thanking me. I'm also telling myself that I now have more funds to buy a bag that I really like some day. In any case, it's probably better to try the bag on in front of a mirror before buying it anyway!