What I wore to work in snapshots..

Monday: Decked in this MBMJ dress which I purchased online. Didn’t fit, had it altered and somehow the dress didn’t look kinda great anymore. Sigh..

Tuesday: A lace peplum chiffon blouse from Warehouse paried with simple navy pants.

Wednesday: Looks like no one is interested to dress-up, so ditched the theme and went for a doodle-printed shirt dress. Dress is actually good in disguising the bulge for ‘I feel fat’ days.

Thursday: Crazy night out with the friends. Took out my Marni for H&M dress for a spin.

Friday: Deliberately left the outfit for this day out cos I rushed out of the house in a pair of jeans and the Co tee-shirt.

Hope your week has been fine and dandy! We’re off to Bangkok for the long weekend!!! Updates on Bangkok to come soon.

Enjoy the looooong weekend then!

What next?

[Image source]

I can’t believe in just less than 2 weeks, our lives would change again.

We’re heading back to a life that we’ve known a good part of our lives, a life that I’ve been so looking forward to return but yet I can’t quite describe how I’m feeling as I write this post.

I wonder where this chapter in our journey will lead us.  I wonder what I am to do with my life back home.  But most days, I honestly just wonder where I will go from here.

Friends asked me at our farewell party, what are some of the things I’m looking forward to in Singapore?  I say we’re definitely looking forward to spending time with our beloved fur-kid, Sparky; to meeting up with our family and friends; for the Man – saner working hours and for me, to be gainfully employed soon.  But beyond these, I’m also looking forward to things that I’ve taken for granted back on our tiny island.  For instance, safety – I’ve heard too many cases of pickpockets in trams and unfortunately for us, the Man fell victim to this petty crime recently in Paris.  To stores opening on Sundays – don’t think I can deal with wondering what to do on Sunday if we’re staying put in Geneva or rushing to the grocery store on Saturday just to stock up on food.  And knowing where to seek medical attention when needed – now that I’m super duper sick, I want to be able to walk into a doctor and ask him to give me antibiotics for a quicker recovery.

They also asked what I will miss about Geneva?  I paused for a while trying to think of what are some of the things I would miss about this place.  The list ain’t too long but given that we’ve only been here for 10 months, I think it’ll suffice.  I say I would miss the four seasons.  Having four seasons make dressing up a little more fun.  Also, I’ll definitely miss the traveling.  Geneva is really the perfect springboard to travel and see other parts of Europe.  I’m grateful for the many weekend trips that we’ve taken.  Lastly, I will also miss the friends and the wonderful people that we’ve met during our stay here.  They definitely make life in Geneva a little more colourful.

So, what’s going to happen next?  Honestly, I have no clue.  But stick around, won’t you to watch the story unfold?

Fall-ing in love

It’s my first Fall and I’m actually kinda loving it.  The weather is cool despite it being erratic at times.  I’ve heard that there will be loads of rain to be expected but so far, the weather gods have been kind.  So much so that my pair of funky rain boots that I specially purchased for the changing season is still sitting in the shoe cabinet.  I’m wondering if I should bring them back to Singapore instead for I’ve heard that we’ve been getting quite a fair bit of torrential rain.

The weather was lovely today so I set off for a coffee date at Starbucks with S from Schwigen in Switzerland. She was craving for one of the Fall flavours from Starbucks while I was craving for a Peppermint Mocha for I’ve heard its been launched back at home.  But unfortunately, none of the flavours are available here in Geneva.  After a nice chat, we headed to do some window-shopping.  S needed to get some stuff to complete her Halloween costume.  As for me, I tagged along but ended up getting a really cool tulle champagne cocktail dress from H&M instead.

Here’s what I wore today:

I paired my metallic Zara knit with my new grey leather jacket purchased in Florence (a gift from the Man ).  One of the products that Florence is famous is quality leather goods.  While roaming around the streets of Florence, we marveled at the number of stores selling a variety of leather goods.  We eventually walked away with new leather gloves as well as a new jacket each.  I’m pretty pleased with the quality and the design as well as the decent price-tag that came along with the jacket.

Go on raid my wardrobe!

#10 essential wardrobe piece: LBD

Making it number 10 on the list is the ubiquitous Little Black Dress (or LBD as it’s affectionately known).  It’s style is timeless and classic, plus the colour can play in your favour and flatter your figure too.  It has also been a life-saver on several occasions when the invitation calls for Formal, Evening or Business.  I just open up my wardrobe and search the stash of black dresses tucked in the corner of the closet.  And if I’m in a fashion rut or feeling ‘blue’, all I do is to put on one of these black dresses.

Whoa… can you believe that 10 weeks have just flown past?  This pretty much signals the end of this series… ta-dah… Lady’s J 10 essential wardrobe pieces that will see you through the changing seasons.

Last week, I asked for advice as to whether to continue this series or not and most have replied ‘YAY’.  Thank you loads for your support and giving this series the thumbs up.  I haven’t had much luck with starting a series and I hope that this time I will have better luck.  So, here goes:

Calling for entries!  I thought this time round it would be nice to share with others what you think is your essential wardrobe piece.  So start raiding your wardrobe and send me a picture of your essential piece.

Please drop me an email to [ladyj_musings@rocketmail.com] with your photo(s), along with:
- your name
- your website (if any)
- 2-3 lines about why the item is an essential wardrobe piece

With your support and contribution, I’m certainly looking forward to featuring more fashion essential pieces.  Otherwise, I just may come ‘knocking’ on your door and asking for your help.  Hehe.. ;p

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Click here to read more about Lady J’s Essential Wardrobe pieces.

#7 essential wardrobe piece: Statement Accessories

Nothing updates a wardrobe or changes the look of an outfit more than accessorizing with key statement accessories. For me, they often finish off my look and add instant glamour where needed. This is why ‘Statement Accessories’ is definite essential in my wardrobe.

I’ve read somewhere that statement accessories is like something you wear to celebrate feeling good about yourself. For me, it often works as a perk-me-up when I’m feeling blah or when I feel that I’m in a fashion rut. There are days where I wanted to just be dressed in a plain tee and jeans with flip-flops, but don’t want to look like a drab. So depending on how I feel, I either throw on a simple necklace and pile on the bracelets or put on a statement piece of jewellery and instantly I feel fabulous already!

How does one start to acquire these statement accessories? They are plenty of stores out there that you could start with. I like heading to Accessorize, Diva Jewellery and even M’phosis to check out the different types of fashion accessories. They are often inexpensive and it’s fun to mix-and-match the accessories according to latest trends. It’s also worth investing in a couple of classic pieces that will last you through the years. The above statement accessories are my treasured pieces and they travel almost everywhere with me for I know they can help up jazz up any look that I want to achieve.

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Click here to read more about Lady J’s Essential Wardrobe pieces.

#6 essential wardrobe piece: A perfect handbag

Okay, this sure is a toughie.. there are so many bags out there that I could think of that could qualify as the perfect handbag.  But I guess the one bag that I seem to never quite get tired of is bags from Balenciaga.  Thanks to Fashionista Cat who first introduced to me how fabulous the bag was about 5 years back.  Thereafter, there was no turning back in the acquisition of these B-bag babies (my affectionate nick-name for the bags).

I believe the investment in a perfect handbag is an essential wardrobe piece. It doesn’t really matter if it’s designer or not, just remember a high quality and simple fuss-free leather handbag will last for years.  Before I could afford any designer handbags, I either raided my mom’s wardrobe for her arm candy or just invested in a good leather handbag that lasted me a good couple of years. Check out leather handbags from Hue, they won’t burst your pocket plus the styles are pretty trendy.  And, if you are thinking about investing in a designer handbag, do consider a couple of these things – ‘Price point (of course)?’; ‘Will the bag age well?’; ‘Does it suit your lifestyle?’ and ‘Will it still be a classic item to pass it down to our kids?’.

For me, the two brands that seem to answer the above would be Chanel and Hermes.  The Chanel 2.55 Bag and the Hermes Birkin/ Kelly are great investment pieces that seem to withstand the test of time.  I’m also inclined to throw in the Balenciaga Motorcycle bags as well.  It was introduced in 2001 but after a good 10 years, its staying power is definitely proven.  I love the bag for its chic-rock style plus it’s slouchy look means that I can throw just about everything in the bag. 

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Click here to read more about Lady J’s Essential Wardrobe pieces.

#5 essential wardrobe piece: Day Dresses

Almost halfway there now…. Day dresses make up essential piece number 5 in my wardrobe!  Dresses make up bulk of my wardrobe for they are simply the best thing for me to put on especially for work.  I hate having to mix-and-match the different ensembles.  So, day dresses are great especially on days when I’m running late and can’t decide what to wear, all I have to do is to grab a dress and I’m all set!

And who says you can’t dress up for the day?  You must certainly can!  It really is the perfect and versatile piece to own for I have dresses in my wardrobe that suit most occasions.  I love dresses with details or with prints.  Ex-colleagues used to joke saying that they will probably get a headache raiding my wardrobe for the details on my dresses simply are too busy.  Well, it’s true but that’s probably because it’s the style that I choose to have.  It’s fun to inject a variety of prints into my outfits just to perk my day up.

I guess my most outrageous dress to date would be this white dress with smiley faces and stars.  It sounds bizarre but it’s really a fun piece to own.  Speaking of which, I probably should bring out for a show-and-tell soon!

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Click here to read more about Lady J’s Essential Wardrobe pieces.