white out.

Take Me Out top, Zara culottes, Kate Spade clutch, American Apparel hat

Revision and a sprained ankle have gotten me a little down lately, so for brunch with Stella, I decided to do a take on the all-white trend (if not for the sprained ankle, nude sandals would have been in order). Pure, pure, pure as the driven snow.

Caught Gatsby last night - only a shallow dip into the vortex.

Photos by Stella.

22 // LRD and a lady's jacket and sandals.

Three Floor LOOK SEE dress, H&M jacket, Jeffrey Campbell Favor sandals, Céline Luggage tote

LATELY have had the strangest craving for little bright red dresses, and with translucent panels, geometric pleats and discreet cut-outs, the Three Floor LOOK SEE dress packs a sartorial punch. Maybe it's more appropriate for attending a pop concert or jumping up and down in at a summer festival (pleats = cheerleader), but throw on a light bouclé jacket and some lady-like nude braided sandals and you've got a look worthy of a light ladies' lunch or tea. Also, I'd decided that since it was my birthday, I could wear a special piece for the day and pile on with it a massive men's watch from my father and as much gold arm embellishment as I could stand.

Happy to get some sun and avoid exam revision, Andrea and I, in her words, "had a 'light' lunch at Balthazar before shooting, which for us meant a three course meal and a giant chocolate souffle". The Balthazar salad (haricots verts, asparagus, fennel, ricotta salata and truffle vinaigrette) made a refreshing starter - who doesn't adore asparagus and fennel? Both of us were tempted by the Coquilles St. Jacques, which was a dish of beautifully light and meaty scallops, and the amazing frothy chocolate soufflé to share with rich chocolate sauce completed our luncheon. Making a note to return to the original Balthazar when in New York in July.

Thank you to Andrea for taking these outfit shots; that was such a good birthday lunch.

Balthazar
4-6 Russell Street
London WC2B 5HZ
+44 20 3301 1155







P.S. Yes I am back to blunt bangs, and I have had my hair ombréd!

eye spy with two eyes.

Mash-Up denim babydoll dress, Lipsy coat, Maison Martin Margiela x H&M "candy" clutch, Steve Madden ankle boots, Marc Jacobs bottle opener ring/necklace

I'm actually not very sure what I was thinking when I put this look together - the description "loud tribal embroidery, a black-splotched fur coat and an oversized bright foil pink plastic clutch shaped like a sweet wrapper" sounds terrible, but to celebrate my friend Grace's birthday, I felt that brights were necessitated and the strappy nature of this amazing denim dress required warm outerwear. Somehow that all seemed to work out.

My mother and I love finding local designers in Singapore to support, especially since she enrolled in an art course at LASALLE, Singapore's most well-known arts educational institute. I found this gem of a loud dress at PARCO next NEXT, a showcase area in the department store that describes itself as "a fashion design incubator project with a mission of nurturing promising local design talents". Daniela Monasterios Tan, Nathanael Ng and Shaf Amis’aabudin, the designers of the label Mash-Up,  are absolute sweethearts and LASALLE alums. They can often be found at the store, happy to give you styling pointers on wearing their one of their showstopping pieces.

The Lola dress caught my eye quickly because the babydoll silhouette flatters a pear shape and I love details like this embroidered face - what I might describe as hidden in plain sight. The bodice is lined with a sports-bra like design of netting and an elastic below the bust, and the skirt is wonderfully stiff, which means that I'll likely keep the dress in heavy rotation over the summer. Say no to body-cons and feel that cool breeze, no?

Grace held her birthday celebration at tibits, a lovely vegetarian place off Regent Street. We had a long, long table downstairs for a huge group of girls and the warm lighting, cushioned seating in lush jewel tones and the chic commune atmosphere made for a very happy party.

The way the restaurant works is that you pick and choose from their super-wide range of seasonal hot and cold dishes, deli-style, at the buffet set-up and the staff will efficiently ring up your bill at the counter after weighing your plate. I'm definitely not a vegetarian but I still loved how I could try a little bit of everything, and all in all, everything on my plate was tasty. As the kitchen keeps replenishing and changing the platters on the "food boat", everything is relatively fresh when you're filling your plate. Nowadays if I'm on the south bit of Regent Street and don't feel like cooking for dinner, I like to pick up some take-away here on my way home. Think of tibits as healthy fast food, and for the same price of a set meal at regular fast-food joints. Thanks to Grace for the introduction!

tibits
12-14 Heddon St
London W1B 4DA
+44 20 7758 4110




Outfit photos by Shefali :)