What's in my bag?

Prada bag. Rayban sunglasses. Minolta film camera. iPhone. iPod.

Miu Miu purse. Moleskine diary. YSL lipgloss & mascara

I thought I would let you in on some of the nit bits that I keep in my bag. My regular bag which I use for castings tends to consist of my super-heavy portfolio, a pair of heels and random food items that I live off whilst waiting in long lines. This is more me in a civil, grown-up manner with my flea-market-find Minolta which I try to use as much as I can and my old Moleskine which unfortunately gets overlooked because I find storing information on my iPhone a lot faster. Of course a girl always has to have a little lip gloss handy, because you never know what fine specimen of the male species you might meet !

The Selby is in your place

dress. ASOS. shoes. Miu Miu

I think I have just about had it with this week's events : from moving in with no internet connection, to misunderstandings that left me ready to bite people's heads off. Let's break down this week's events of not-so-pleasant moments that happened to me:

• My allergies are back in town - full swing
• I burnt my right hand taking food out of the oven, now I have a fugly permanent scar
• I almost knocked myself unconscious when I bumped my head on a panel in front of a casting director
• My first ever ASOS order ended up with me going to north London to retrieve my package, so I blasted them on email and Twitter (semi-effective tactic)

But on the brighter side of things, I now live in a lovely vintage-style apartment with a view of Regent's Park, with ton's more closet space. You can't imagine the number of mirrors in this apartment. Yes, we are talking vanity boosted ten-fold. I can only hope this weekend turns out better.

Excetera ...

Star Magazine (UK). 24 May 2010

It has been a year (and a number of days) since I started this blog! I never thought I would be doing something like this before. I have met a lot of talented and interesting individuals through blogging and learned a lot about the fashion industry through blogs. As my job in the fashion industry, my photography and my blog start intertwining more and more, I do see a future somewhere in the magazine / publishing world. For now I am happy with the way things are going and for working with Star Magazine recently on an editorial for tribal-inspired prints for spring.

Time to start labeling my boxes for tomorrow's move. I can only imagine how long I will have to wait until I get internet at my new apartment. All I know is I am excited about things to come.

You'll never get to heaven if you're scared of getting high

shoes. Miu Miu

I am back in London ! Moscow was a very interesting city indeed. I enjoyed it very much. I have hardly had time to settle back in and in two days I am getting the keys to our new apartment! I did manage to squeeze in a bit of much deserved retail therapy today. I must say going two weeks without so much as swiping my card must have raised eyebrows somewhere in HSBC's head quarters. But I have had my eye on these Miu Miu beauties for a while now and will be wearing them out tonight. The heels are high but oh-so-comfortable because of how thick they are. I think these will be my official summer heels.

To Russia with Love

Natalia Vodianoa shot by Mario Testino. British Vogue. May 2008

I am off to Moscow tomorrow morning for two weeks on an additional language course with other students. I hope 8 months of Russian classes will have paid off. I am excited and nervous at the same time. It is going to be lovely to finally see all those famous places like the Red Square and Bolshoi theatre. I think now I can put to rest this whole "Oh your name is Russian! Are you half-Russian?" talk that people in London are prone to saying to me. Don't ask why, but it happens quite a bit. Now I just need to remember how to say "Does this come in an extra small?" and "Make that vodka rain! ".

До свидания !

(it means goodbye: "dasvidania")

Laundry Service

hat. Beyond Retro. jacket. Topshop. blouse. KimChi & Blue

skirt. silence + noise @Urban Outfitters.

tights & buckle shoes. Topshop.

I have been so busy viewing apartments and studying for my Russian class at the same time, on top of living out of my suitcase, that I haven't had time to take a break. If anything I needed to do my laundry as well, in what I must say looks like a rather shady place. Let's just say I never thought I would see myself in student residence halls again until now. This is temporary of course, as I am waiting to move in with a friend. I am pretty sure everyone on my floor is wondering who keeps coming out Emma's room. Not a blonde Swedish girl that's for sure! She is living with le boyfriend until I go to Moscow. But besides that, I think I have officially developed a new love for hats and this beauty is my very first. Are you folks into hats?

Also CONGRATULATIONS to Natalia of Dreaming on Louboutin for winning my giveaway !

Motorcyle Diaries

I just moved out of my apartment and I'll be "homeless" for a month because I am waiting to move in with a friend end of May. Before that I'll be heading to Moscow but for now, let's just say life is more fun on a 600cc Yamaha bike. Enjoy the bank holiday weekend.

SnowBlack Giveaway : UNSEEN VOGUE

" For every picture that has been published in Vogue, there are many that never make it - not because of poor composition or execution, but because the fashion styling may have been too inventive, the camera technique too pioneering, or, frequently, because the magazine ran out of space."

I am very grateful for each new reader or follower of my blog I get, that I decided it was time for my first official giveaway. It has also been a year since I came to London from Vancouver and I have been looking back at what I have done and have yet to do in this wonderful city. We all give each other advice on where to shop when we travel and some of us here in London have seen each other around town, having recognized each other from our blogs. So I went to Selfridges today and headed to one of my favorite sections on fashion photography in order to give one lucky reader / follower this book on images that never made the final cut into the fashion bible but were still amazing.

So here are the competition rules:

1. Leave a comment on this post, with your name and email address. If you have a blog link you can add that too.

2. And follow this blog under Google Friend Connect on the top left side bar if you are not already a follower

3. Competition ends April 30, 2010 at midnight London Time Zone.

4. The winner will be contacted via email and announced in May's first post.

On to the next one

sunglasses. RayBan. jacket. Topshop Boutique. Dress. Rick Owens. bag. Louis Vuitton. shoes. Primark

You cannot imagine how disappointed I am feeling. Thursday, my friend are I were supposed to be off to Copenhagen and Malmo but a volcano just HAD to erupt in Iceland. I was so excited to see what Scandinavian brands I would find and share with you guys on my blog. So now we have canceled and got our refund from BA and are spending a sunny weekend at Hyde Park. I'm off with friends to do a spot of retail therapy to cure our blues. I hope this clears soon because it's no longer about my own vacation but I know friends and family who can't travel as well, so I am at least grateful I have the luxury of being in my own apartment and city when this is happening. So all I can say is have a good weekend.

I never had Acne in my teens until now

Dress. Acne

I can finally start wearing my Acne dress now that the weather is getting warmer. This is the second coral-colored item I have ever purchased, right next to a DKNY summer dress I bought a year back. You can wear it loose or tight, though I prefer the latter. I am thinking of taking it with me Thursday as I will be heading to Copenhagen and Malmo for a few days, which by the way, if anyone knows of amazing Scandinavian brands (besides Acne) please let me know! Also, I would like to thank MARIAN KIHOGO for featuring me in her blogger style series. You can read the interview HERE.

VOGUE Russia. April 2010

Naomi Campbell shot by Steven Meisel

Chouette Silhouette

dress. Rick Owens. shoes. Reiss

So this is my Rick Owens tank dress that I absolutely adore. The silhouette it creates of a woman's body is, in my opinion, sexier than any type of dress I have worn or seen. You don't need a slit to show a mile-high thigh or a low cleavage to display your "twins" because this dress has a type of pseudo see-through effect thanks to what is called cheesecloth fabric. So in other words on a very sunny day if you stand at just the right angle to the sun, you should cause a car pile up, bicycle pile up and deer-caught-in-headlights with their mouths open stares from baby boys in their strollers to the trio of World War II veterans clocking in their last tan before leaving this Earth.

À bout de souffle

earrings. Othello. jacket. Dior. stockings. House of Holland

Bonjour from Paris. Today has turned out to be a lovely day (so far) despite last night's rain. I have been catching up with friends, including some who are too lazy to hop on the train to London, though I do love any excuse to come to Paris. Saturday was a great day to catch up with my best friend Amelie and have lunch at the famous cafe Les Deux Magots, and do a spot of shopping, which for me included buying more jewelry to add to my collection. I bought these lovely earrings at a jewelry store called Othello on 21 rue des Saints-Peres, 75006. Metro: Saint-Germain-des-Pres.

And seeing as I am currently living at my photographer friend's place, I am abusing every privilege to do test shoots and little videos with him and drooling all over his photo equipment and his iMacs that he uses for retouching. Ugh, he has a photographer's apartment to DIE for ! As well as his Dior jacket which shall somehow accidentally find its way into my luggage.

Ling Ling, you forgot your bling bling

vintage bracelet. This n' That (New York)
rings (from left to right):P.Love, Topshop, YSL, Rings Eclectic, Pema, Accessorize, William Mansell
bra. Agent Provocatuer
bag. Prada



bracelet. Pema

So my ring collection is growing ever so slowly. I love vintage jewelry the most and I love the new YSL rings in circulation right now. I just have to decide whether to pay my gas and water bills or show my landlord the finger .... with a ring on it. Yep, I think that's what I'll do; the Single Ladies dance in front of my landlord to show him where some of that rent money went and then pray he has a shoe fetish so that I can sacrifice one of my Louboutins as compensation.

But with the weather getting warmer, and with people showing more skin, it's time for me to go jewelry shopping again. I love the jewelry section at Liberty of London. It has the best variety in my opinion. Of course Bond Street has some sweet treats but the KGB -looking bodyguards all over the street make it impossible to even look at the window for more than 2 seconds. God forbid you might whip out a hammer from your Prada and smash the window! LOL. For those of you who didn't get that last part, in London we have a current trend of gangs on motorbikes smashing jewelry stores with hammers, whilst us locals and tourists watch and film it to post later on Youtube.

William Mansell (click here) - London
This n That (click here) - New York City
Pema (click here) - New York City

Leather lover

leather jacket. All Saints. belt. Reiss. pants. Zara

I should be wearing nothing but this leather jacket. Just kidding! Although I am sure I would go through airport security quicker. But I must say this All Saints leather jacket feels like the lovechild of velvet and butter, if any of that makes sense? This is my second leather jacket from All Saints, seeing as I have worn my previous one to death over the last two years. (The previous one being the one below). And with these silk Zara pants billowing in the wind, all I need is a Hattori Hanzo samurai sword weapon to give me that anime look.

leather jacket. All Saints. sunglasses. Vintage