DETAILS - Chanel

(Chanel Spring 2012)

If I am to focus on details of one fashion house, it would be without doubt the House of Chanel.  Mr Karl Lagerfeld showcased his collection at the Grand Palais with huge, blinding white sea shapes including corals, shells, sea horses, stingrays.  The clothes and accessories was also reflective of the Little Mermaid's underworld theme.  So beautiful, so Chanel!

Can you say she sells seashells by the seashore?

source: style.com

HOT EATS - Danji

Other than shopping, we also love to discover new restaurants when in another city, both fine dinning and cheap frills.  Danji, a Korean eatery, was our find of this trip offering above traditional dishes in tapas size dishes.

My favourites were the bulgogi beef and pork sliders!  So juicy and flavourful!!!  We also shared a crispy calamari with wasabi mayo...let me tell you that it's all about the sauce!

As main dish, I had the kimchi hamachi salad on rice while my mom had soba noodle and Dup Bop lunch box.  When when waiter asked us if everything was good, I simply pointed the licked empty plates on the table!  Yummy!

Danji 
346 West 52nd Street (bet 8th & 9th Ave)
New York, New York 10019 
Tel: 212-586-2880

SHOPPING - I almost died...

...when I saw these Celine two-tone knee-high wedge boots at Century21!!!  I almost had to rub my eyes and make sure I was not hallucinating!  But yup, there they were...the only pair...just hanging there with all the other boots...waiting for someone adopt them.  At 60% off?  Yes please!

This is why I love NYC so much: where else would you be even able to find these are regular price, let alone on sale?!?  And while there, I might as well take these black ankle boots with cognac suede wedge heel too!  A girl can never own too many pairs of boots.

ps.  If the two tone boots look a little beaten up, it's because I got too excited and wore them right away instead of carrying the giant box around the city.

VERSACE X H&M

(Vogue Russia)

For those of you who can read Russian, here's an article on the upcoming Versace for H&M collaboration, due to release on Nov. 17th at selected stores worldwide.  And for the rest of you (including myself), let's just look at the beautiful pieces on Abbey Lee.

SHOPPING - Call me Mrs YSL

I'm in NYC since yesterday with mom, hubby and Ayden for some good old shopping and eating.  And guess what I got?!?  Yes, yes...I finally got the YSL Arty Oval ring with Lapis blue stone!!!  I'm so excited as I've been lusting over it for the past 2 years.  But since I never got to try it in person, I really didn't know what size (maybe a sz 6?) to order.  Well, thank god hubby suggested to go in YSL on 57th because I'm actually a size 4 (they're made on the bigger side)!  

I was so excited about it that I got my mom to buy my second choice: the Arty Dots with white stones!  Too bad my mom is a size 7...or lucky her because otherwise, I'd be borrowing it all the time!!!

GIRL CRUSH - Julia Sarr-Jamois

Julia Sarr-Jamois is young (23 is considered young in my book), tall and the new fashion editor for Wonderland magazine.  Since her tenure starting last November 2010, she has become a fixture amongst during the European fashion weeks.  Julia first started as a model but soon realized that she needed more creativity in her career and therefore started styling after college.


She is known for her perfect afro and unique mixture of denim, color and accessories.  In fact, she rather sport a bare face and hide behind quirky oversized sunglasses!  My kinda girl!!!  Anyways, she already got me with the afro...

Fashion or Investment?

(Hermes Croco Birkin)

(Chanel Croco 2.55 Reissue)

(Reed Krakoff Alligator Hobo)

(Celine Croco Box)

(The Row Alligator Backpack)

Sometimes I wonder if I would have been better off investing in a outstanding piece, like any of the above, or invest in stock?  With the price of exotic skin, especially crocodile and alligator, soaring to the roof, it wouldn't have been a bad idea to "invest" while I can still afford it (pre-baby and pre-inflation).  

I mean I'm in finance; I know how to do the math.  You put $30K in stock 5 years ago, you might or might not get any return-on-investment (ROI) depending on what you invested in.  And obviously, the upside is infinite (with luck, you might have invested in apple and priceline.com).

However, "investing" in fashion has its own ROI.  If you choose your investment wisely (reputable fashion house, iconic style, luxurious skin), you will enjoy years and years worth of wear and compliments (best ROI for a fashionista!!), not to mention the sheer satisfaction of owning a luxury piece.  And if that's not enough, some "investments" might even make a small capital gain if kept in mint condition!

So what does StyledbyJanet recommend?  As any other good financial advisor, diversification is key!  Put some in gold, some in equity and some in fashion.