This could be the start of a beautiful new relationship...(MISCHA BAG)

Since reading about Michelle Lai as a Sassy "That Girl", I have had a bit of an online crush on her line of bags titled MISCHA.  I love how she is inspired by her experiences and travels.  I particularly like her love affair with japanese obi fabrics.  (I spent three wonderful years in Karatsu, Japan).  Anyway, it had been a bit of a one sided, unrequited love affair from a distance as I stupidly never had the opportunity to see the real thing.  That is until I went to Le Shop des Créateurs's launch event for their pop up store at the Hive, in Wanchai.   A celebration of local designers, I finally managed to get my grubby hands on some real life MISCHA bags.  The boy and I admired a mini doctor's bag style which had been placed on an armchair.  The boy made a valid point that it was rather heavy for a display model.  To my horror and mortification, I later found out it was part of the new Autumn collection which was not on sale yet and in fact was the bag of one of the lovely ladies of the brand.  After over coming my horror, I made pleading puppy dog faces at the boy who generously offered to buy me one of the travel pouches/clutches.  I eagerly rushed back and secretly began giggling over the colours available.  Resisting the urge for bright pink ( I have a bright pink purse and phone cover already....the clutch might have been a wee bit of overkill), I chose a lovely turquoise bag with the lovely obi style graphic print.

The next day, the boy and I went for dinner at Ming Court in Langham Place Hotel, so I took the opportunity to take my new bag out.  I wore a vintage yellow maxi dress and proudly carried my lovely MISCHA bag.

Yellow Vintage Maxi Dress and MISCHA clutch

I would like to post more pictures but the boy would kill me as he is featured quite prominently in them.  Shockingly, he would rather remain anonymous.

I am looking forward to the launch of the new Autumn MISCHA collection and will be waiting to buy one.  (I am already trying to guess what colours will be available and which one I would choose...)  Apparently they will be out in the next month or so.

I can see that this love affair is going to continue...

What to wear for a wedding?

As I get older, more and more of my friends and family seem to be getting married and though you are happy for the future bride and groom, the dilemma arises about what to wear?  Of course it depends on the location and theme of the wedding but you do want to look good (without upstaging the bride) as you never know who you will bump into (your ex, your high school nemesis or even someone you want to impress).  You also do not want to wear the same dress as another guest (which puts high street choices as dangerous unless they are previous seasons) and yet look appropriate and not stick out.  This last point about not sticking out happened to me recently.  I went to a wedding in France and as it was to be a church wedding, I thought (with inspiration from Catherine and William's wedding) that I could wear a headpiece/fascinator.  It was an outfit that I had worn before to another wedding with great success and as I would not be meeting anyone from that previous wedding at this wedding, I thought why not?  Bad choice, I rocked up to the church and realised that the ladies were a) not wearing any hats or headpieces whatsoever, b) casual shirt dresses or even mini dresses which a TOWIE star would be proud to wear seemed to be popular choices.  So yes, I rocked up in my navy heels and slim fitting navy dress with my headpiece jauntily fixed onto my head.  Did this make me stick out?  I would like to think in the right way but the jury is still out on that one considering the looks I received from the other ladies attending the wedding.

Hobbs headpiece and navy dress, vintage Ferragamo over-sized clutch

I have a few more weddings to attend in the near future - one of them in the winter and another I am hoping will be Spring or Autumn (Summer can get too hot).  For both, I am hoping to wear some of the vintage pieces that I have found and am waiting for the opportunity to wear.

Winter Wedding

Hopefully, the setting will be a crisp November winter's day and with the historic backdrop of an estate in Kent, I am hoping to be inspired by the old Hollywood starlet styles as well as one of my fashion inspirations Nicole Warne.  I hope to wear a maxi, long-sleeved, black, woolen dress with a high neckline and pair it with a blonde faux fur coat.  I am afraid to wear real fur in the UK just in case I have a Carrie (Stephen King's Carrie not Carrie Bradshaw) moment and get doused in pig's blood or red paint.  Not sure how the combination will look but in my mind's eye, it seems like a potential combination.  Accessories yet to be decided but I might bite the bullet and sport some ruby red lips.

I just noticed that the dress looks navy in the picture but it is really black!  Hmm, bride to be please hurry up and send the official invite and fingers crossed that the weather will be cold enough for this outfit!

Spring/Autumn Wedding


Another friend has announced his engagement and I am hoping that it will be a Spring/Autumn wedding ( I love the fact that I want to decide the time of his wedding not the happy couple whose wedding it will be!)  Another of my vintage finds is another maxi dress which has an amazing Pucci inspired print which I am hoping to pair with a brown/tan belt and my brown Miu Miu heels.  No jewellery except for may be a pair of Dior inspired earrings....

The question for both scenarios is what bag to take?  I am assuming a clutch would be the best option but as I like to carry a lot of stuff, the clutch will have to be large enough for everything.  I love the concept of a minaudiere but it is impossible for me to limit myself to a few things.  An option would be the quilted Chanel clutch...

I need a hero(ine)

Yes, I am that cheesy and yes I do love those 80s songs.  Anyway, Alexander McQueen's Heroine bags are definitely on my designer wish list.  I like the idea of a structured bag which looks ladylike and yet roomy enough to put all my things in (including the kitchen sink in my case!)  They remind me of the purses that Margaret Thatcher used to carry and in that sense embodies the power that Maggie T possessed yet with a modern twist.  Not sure how practical the side zip is for me but I like the idea of it.

Now how do I persuade someone to give me this as a birthday present?

Fancy a picnic?

Following on from my previous post regarding the GLUSH Grassy bag, I recently have come across a bag designer called Marie Turnor who has designed a series of leather bags resembling brown paper bags.  Made from the softest leather, these bags bring to mind school lunches and well picnics (hence the name of the bag).  For HK residents, you can find these bags at Chum 5 in Sheung Wan.  So anyway, who wants to join me for a picnic?

Photo from Chum 5

The grass is always greener

Continuing with my need for something bright and cheerful to brighten up my mood in this gloomy rainy HK weather, I am currently lusting after the GLUSH Grassy clutch.  I recently saw someone holding one at a Sassy HK event.  It just feels like you are holding your own portable garden!!