A tunic that I can actually wear

Since I have been looking into trips to the Middle East I have made an effort to pay more attention to tunics. Tunics are cool and comfy and again they cover a big ass. I like this one. It's long enough--not too long and not too short as most of them tend to be. The fabric is lightweight and soft and wont be too fussy for Istanbul or Dubai. What I also like about it is it will look great with jeans or capris. Now I just need to get a little cami or vest to go under it and I am good to go.

My new aubergine bag

At first I could not decide whether I wanted to keep this bag or not. It's a good style, carries things well and is a good colour. It was a drastic markdown at TK Maxx so I got it. I have another one that is similar to this one at home except it's actually black leather by Vera Wang. It's a very smart bag. Not sure what the style is called though. I think it's on the style of one of those Gucci bags.
I'm still hunting high and low for the perfect big black leather totebag. I know warmer weather is here now but yeah I can still put it off until autumn.
However it would be great to have a nice designer replica duffel bag like this featured Gucci or even something solid. I don't normally like designer stuff with the name written all over it but this is one that I am willing to take. Amazing how you fall out of interest with that sort of stuff as you get older.

My latest finds

I love these little cropped cardigans. They're very cute, easy and look great with skirts. The black strappy number is actually a lounging dress. Very skimpy, sexy, comfy and sweet.
The black shift dress is very versatile. I mean I can wear this one in a casual manner or dress it up with heels and pearls. It's smooth and comfy on.

A look for Royal Ascot

Now I am trying to decide what to wear to Ladies Day at Royal Ascot in June. I bought this top some years ago and still haven’t worn it. It looks great blended with a skinny black skirt, heels and my new fascinator. Cost a lot of money so I better wear it. I have it in aqua also.
Then there’s the other outfit I love. It’s very Sex and the Cityish. The teal satin bolero is from Debenhams accented with a large hot pink floral corsage. The dress is black strapless satin vintage above the knee. Both looks are very killer and sweet ; ).

Fabulous fakes

Hmmmm in total I probably have roughly 60,70 handbags; maybe more or less. I'm not sure exaclty. Collecting handbags is a more obsession of mine. Some people love shoes, I love handbags and the more the merrier.
Lately I have gotten into the trend of designer alternative bags. I think that started with working on Amartab Online Bazaar. After I bought my first fabulous fake, the pewter Fendi Spybag I was releaved a year later once they weren't as popular anymore that I had only spent a few quid on mine as opposed to the $2,500 I have seen them for at Bloomies. Damn, I think, I would feel like total shit if I have spent that much on a bag only not to carry a year later. I don't see how some of those ladies do it. But hey they can afford it. What I like about my Spybag is that it's one of the better quality ones and not like those cheap looking tacky ones you see at the kiosk at the local shopping centre.
The charcoal Gucci look-a-like is great as an overnight bag. It's a very large bag and would not be as easy for me to carry as an everyday bag. I love the charcoal metallic colour. It's very different and stands out.
I have the Gucci wannabe horsebit bag in metallic charcoal and bronze too. Just wish I had not overdone it on the metallics--it gets old after awhile. These bags are great but very much for evening wear in big cities. It's actually a lot flash in person.
I love my new black Balenciaga wannabe bag too. This bag works well with a lot of stuff and unlike most styles you can carry this one for a bit and not feel so bad.
At first I didn't believe in copied work but now I realise that I wouldn't be Fendi or Balenciaga's customer either way. I can't afford the real thing and the fake is not theirs to begin with--so either way they still loose with some of us.
But guess what? For the sake of the fashion police I will not be steppin into Paris with any of these

Handbags, handbags and more handbags

It's easy being green

Sometimes it really is. I love this colour! Thank goodness I was born in May. I'm not a big big Kelly green or Lime green fan but occasionally I am willing to work with it. The lime green short sleeve cardigan goes quite well over a pink or coral vest. Hey it's quick, simple and cheap so I got it. Primark £10 for the two.
The Limoges trinket pot is one of my favs. I got this one as most of the others from one of those little boutique on Rue de Rivoli in Paris. I have several of them but this is one that I keep on my dresser along with a few others.

Westbourne Grove shopping

Shopping in Bayswater, London is always a fun event and I love going into Whiteley Centre and visiting shops like Aftershock, H&M, M&S, and now Jigsaw which used to be Kew. I bought these tops at Aftershock; they sell such cute and colourful clothing. It's always great to pop in and a cool bargain.
The neutral tops came from some nice vintage shops in Westbourne Grove. I love shopping in this neighbourhood. It's a posh area so you never know what you'll find. These tops will go well with a smart black skirt and boots.

The Fontanelli Ladybug bag

I have been trying to get this bag since I saw it in Germany but unfortunately that day the sho was closed and we were leaving. This is a unique looking bag. It's by Fontanelli and called the Ladybug polished bag. But I want it in black. The one I bought in Florence has a broken strap. Guess I will have to order it.

Lace

Lace goes so well alone or under a great jacket. The pink lace top is by Betsey Johnson is a cool look with jeans. The ombre silk lace top also goes well with jeans. This one is from Victoria's Secret.

Pink and black lace

This lacy pink and black bustier goes well with a nice black skirt suit. It really sexes up the look takes some of the dullness away from a simple black suit. It's a killer with the right heels.

Black knit tunic

The black knit tunic dress looks fabulous with coloured tights. I wore it with magenta tights and black boots. It was fantastic. This dress is very comfortable, simple with a key hole front and easy to work with.

Burned out

Can't wait until the weather is nice enough to wear this tee. It's very cute and colourful. I love the burn out effect and it's softness. I have a skirt that goes very well with it but unfortunately I left it behind in Texas. So for now it'll have to go with jeans. This one came from Dillard's at $34 (that's a bit steep for a tee) but I love the picture.

Silk tunic and black Obi

I bought this silk tunic about two years ago in Dallas. I don't think I have ever worn it out but it does look great with jeans and strappy heels. Pairing the Obi with it will bring it out more and give it a different look. I even have a lovely Oriental silvertone disc necklace to go with it.

My favourite scents

Perfume is a must. I have never been one to stick to just one fragrance. I think I started to wear perfume around the age of 12. My first were Love's Baby Soft and Giorgio of Beverly Hills--ahhh 7th grade. What it is to be a kid again.
It's very difficult to stay faithful to one scent. In the 90s I experimented more with the Calvin Klein's Eternity, CK One and Escape. Those scents were really nice but just didn't stay with me. I even went for something more classic but relatively old fashioned in the way of Estee Lauder's Pleasures (loved the black and white ads). Givenchy's Amarige was kickin'.

It's the new millenuim and now I have found my true loves in fragrances. All hailing from Paris.
1. Emanuel Ungaro: Diva. There's nothing more bitchy about this scent-- Oi! I love it. The scent is very strong, woody and rich. I am on my second bottle.
2. Christian Dior: Diorissimo. This one too is very rich and bold. It stays with you too for a very long time. It's a terrific combination of florals.
3. Christian Dior: Tendre Poison. Oui! Dior has done it yet again. The green poison is my third scent in the fabulous serious of CD Poison fragrances. They get nicer everytime. Regular purple Poison was lovely with a scent of a candy shop and Hypnotique was simply that hypnotising even leaving your skin with little bits of gold dust with every spray. Tendre Poison on the other hand is very soft and I love to wear it at bedtime. It's like being a baby again. It reminds me a lot of baby powder very soft and flowery.
4. Yves Saint Laurent: Opium Fleur Imperiale . Great another brilliant take on the classic Opium. The first red Opium has a beautiful frangrance and this new one is just as magnifique. An oriental, floral harmony reminiscent of the apricot tree flower, for a fresh and radiant sensuality.It's not very different from the original but it is certainly softer. I love all work by YSL--the man did great things for the fashion industry.

Other notable fragrances I enjoy wearing include Carolina Herrera's Chic, COCO Mademoiselle,Calvin Klein's Sheer Obsession and one from Mary Kay Private Spa.
Was just in Debenham's a few weeks ago to collect my free sample of the new Estee Lauder Beautiful. I think I likey.

It's great being a girl.

Limoges trinket boxes

My lucky number is 12 and that's where I have stopped or at least so far in collecting these lovely little Limoges trinket pots. Actually there are 13 Limoges items in this photo but I mainly collected the trinket boxes. They're very sweet. They are all so different and decorative. A bit old fashioned but I still love them. The little sky blue dish on the far side is a vintage mini plate that Ade gave me. The navy box on the far right front was my very first that I got a few years ago in Paris. I was really excited to have come across the little gold compact case--this is one you don't see very often.
A few of the boxes I took home to Texas lastyear. They are very good for keeping small jewellery or coins if the box is large enough.
Maybe I will collect more but who knows.

Brooches

Over the past few years I have taken a keen interest to brooches. Haven't bought many but they are wonderful to look at. The large green star brooch in this ad is just a cheap simple one from Primark but it looked cute and I love green--I will probably get a wear or two out of it but hey what they heck for £1.50.
The smaller green opal brooch with stones is a vintage one. It looks great with a bright pink Rena Rowan jacket that I have. If it's green or pink--I'm in love: )

The black fedora

Fedora's are so cool as are most hats especially when they are for guys. I picked this one up at a hat shop in London. It looks great with a black dress and heels. ; )

Primark's version of the body con dress

"We love the canary yellow and at £15 it's a damn sight cheaper than a dress by the king of bodycon, Hervé Leger. The ex-Lagerfeld assistant popularised bandage dresses in the '90s and after a decade they are back in vogue, in a big way. Leger dresses cost over £1000 and are much loved by the red carpet set for their miraculous body shaping properties but can you depend on Primark's £15 version to do the same? Take our poll and let us know what you think!"--- The Catwalk Queen

So it's not quite a Hervé Leger number, but with a smart blazer and great pair of heels, you will get away with it for sure. No one need know it’s a Primark steal and
I was just in Primark yesterday to find the amazingly sought after body con Herve Leger look-a-like dress. Yeah they had'em and lots of them. Seems these dresses aren't taking off so well in Southampton. They're supposed to be a sell-out elsewhere. Well of course I have to get one. They had all the colours lime green, bright yellow, hot pink, black and lilac I think. I got the hot pink one. I have black one with sheer sleeves and a fuchsia Adriana Papell. I tend to get lots of compliments in berries so I thought I'd get that one. The dress is quite true to size but I will need to adjust the straps as they are a bit loose on me. The rest is quite clingy as I am very hippy. It was only £13 so I thought I may as well go for it and not have to worry about regretting it later. However I'll wait to wear it in the States.

Legatte

Fabulous black Joseph dress

Got this dress from Joseph last year. I love black and loads of it. It’s sexy, cool and slimming. This dress looks great with high heels or heeled boots. I think this is one of about seven black dresses that I bought last year. Believe me it looks so much better on than in this photo. It has a lot of pleats around the bodice and in the back so on this photo it looks a bit frumpy. There's another one from Topshop on the wrap style that I wore a lot.

The Girl in the Hat

This is such a cute little picture of a young girl in a bright coloured hat and holding a cat. It's very French or at least it seems to me and reminds me a lot of some of the work of my favourite impressionists like Monet, Manet and Renoir. It's very sweet. I got this one at an Oxfam charity shop for £3.