{Photos by Paul Milaire}

As much fun as it has been colour blocking and wearing brights this season, I've recently been drawn toward more classic and subdued looks (which also coincides with a new-found shopping philosophy). Although this outfit does not exactly adhere to the definition of classic, the colour palette itself is one that I will never tire of: white (or cream), black and gold, dashes of red with some leopard thrown in for good measure.









Wearing: thrifted blouse, Forever 21 skirt, Salvatore Ferragamo belt, MICHAEL Michael Kors clutch, BCBGMAXAZRIA sandals, Michael Kors sunnies

{A pretty, summery dress in the most gorgeous colour}

Just wanted to share a few photographs of some recent, simple little pieces of "happy" in my life. :)


{Homemade chocolate chip cookies dipped in chocolate milk - is there any other way to eat them?}


{Finding seasonally-appropriate uses for old jewelry dishes}


{After dinner strolls on the beach with the bestie}


{A new lucite keychain so that I never have to lose my house key in my handbag again}

What's making you happy this week?

{Photos by Tessa Tham}

An easy look to start off the week: this is definitely one of the most casual outfits I've worn in a very long time, but it was perfectly suited for a yummy lunch at Burgoo to meet Tessa last week. The neutral canvas of the clothing provided an optimal chance to debut my prized Tory Burch Reva's which I picked up at a consignment shop for $38 (brand new!) a few weeks ago. I love that they look like they were dipped in bronze!







Wearing: Zara leopard blouse and skirt, H&M chambray shirt, Tory Burch flats, Coach parka and bag (both c/o Coach)

After experimenting with different types of clothing, I have found that high waisted flared skirts are the shape for my body type: the way they fall away from the body is perfect for hiding my proportionately larger hips while the strategic waistbands help to accentuate my smaller torso. As such, finding the silhouette in trench coat form was a more than exciting discovering. This Zara coat is easily the favourite piece of outerwear in my closet nowadays; it's so easy to just throw it on and feel put together, even when I'm not.





Wearing: Zara trench, vintage scarf, skirt and Bruno Magli shoes, Michael Kors sunnies, Topshop earrings

My official start of summer yesterday was spent with Queenie, who has always been one of the most free-spirited people I know: she currently gardens for a living, and it was she who got me into running for fun and volunteering back in highschool. Although we are as different as night and day in so many ways, somehow we've been blessed with being able to stay in touch.

Since I can't think of many happier things than eating sugary sweets in the park on the day of the summer solstice while catching up with a dear friend (enough prepositions there?), I took the opportunity to dress in brights and patterns, and made sure to wear the comfiest high shoes I've ever owned (& even better than flats!) for the walk to and from the park.




{Queenie!}







Wearing: thrifted dress (with sash from H&M dress), cardigan from HK street vendor, Coach wedges (c/o Coach) and bag, Joe Fresh bracelet, vintage earrings, River Island sunnies

{Photos by Paul Milaire}

This lace number has been my go-to for about a month now. Worn in its original intent as a dress with colourful jewels or tucked into a pair of shorts for a casual look, it's the perfect feminine canvas to build a look upon. I really appreciate pieces like this and find that I've been re-evaluating my wardrobe for more versatile garments such as this one.



This reminds me of an interview with Alber Elbaz in an issue of InStyle, in which he says that women should "take a high fashion approach to lower priced clothing". He believes that we should thoughtfully consider each item & buy only the pieces that will truly be worn and cherished, not simply because they are inexpensive & fun. I don't know about you, but my limited bank account and diminishing closet space is growing to agree with this wholeheartedly. Although it creates more styling challenges (which is arguably a very good thing), I'm trying my best to really consider a piece's longevity in my closet before taking the plunge. And to be entirely truthful, who needs so much stuff?







What do you think? Do you frequently succumb to impulse shopping? How has being a blogger affected your shopping habits?

Wearing: ASOS dress (as top), Zara skirt, Club Monaco belt, Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes, labeless bag

{Church on Spilled Blood}

Saving the best for last: here is, to me, the most astoundingly beautiful place (in terms of physical structures) that we visited on our recent Northern European vacation. I was blown away by every sight we got to see in St. Petersburg: from the unapologetically extravagant palaces to intricately detailed churches, as well as the history-rich Hermitage museum-- everything was overflowing with beauty and was more than enough to make our two days there the highlight of the trip. And I won't bore you with many photos of me- the buildings themselves are what's worth seeing!

Back to regular programming (lots of outfit posts!) starting tomorrow!


{A glimpse of the mosaics that covered every wall inside the Church on Spilled Blood}


{Winter Palace at the Hermitage}


{Look at the detail!}


{Perfectly groomed gardens at Peterhof Palace - is it just me or is anyone else thinking of the blog photoshoot potential? ;)...}


{More Peterhof fountains. The inside of Peterhof Palace, said to rival Versailles, was incredible and the most extravagant thing I've ever seen in my life. Photos weren't allowed, but imagine gold leaf and silk fabrics lining every inch of the walls and each piece of furniture more beautiful than the last}


{Russian food is interesting to say the least. Also, it's customary to have champagne or sparkling wine and a shot of vodka at every meal- crazy!}


{The "Blue Room" at the Yusupov Palace. Amazing embroidered silk fabric on the walls, and the royal blue/gold/white is divine!}


{Interior of St. Isaac's Cathedral, which is covered in 220lbs of gold!}


{Another shot inside St. Isaac's Cathedral}

{Photos by Hilda Wong - thanks love!!!}

A warm knit sweater & cotton shirt on top and breezy summer shorts down below: something about that just doesn't add up, eh? It started off as a cooler day and I reasoned myself into wearing these shorts by convincing my brain that my legs never get cold-- only my upper body does. Luckily it turned out to be a pretty warm day so I never had to test that theory. To tell you the truth, though, I don't really care how the weather is most days when it comes to dressing (aside from rain)-- typically I just generalize into which season we should be in and dress accordingly. And whether or not this outfit actually made sense was no matter- it's just what I wanted to wear together. I can hear my mom's scolding already!

How big of a role does the weather play for you when getting dressed?









Wearing: Zara sweater, Dynamite shirt, Topshop shorts (from London trip - online here), Club Monaco necklace, vintage earrings and Bally bag, Marc by Marc Jacobs flats, Tom Ford sunnies

{Having danishes in Denmark! Our guide told us that they actually call it Vienna bread because the process for making it is Viennese}

Beautiful design. Gorgeous cities. Extremely good looking (and friendly!) people. Bicycles everywhere. Those are just a few themes that come to mind when I think of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. And they are some of the reasons why Copenhagen, Aarhus, Oslo and Sweden were among my favourite stops. We spent three days in Copenhagen and then briefly touched the other cities with day-long stops on a cruise. I'll let the photos speak for themselves!


{pølser / hot dog stand in Copenhagen. Way better than North American dogs. Delicious!}


{More eating - taking a break from walking along Strøget shopping area for quiches and pølser croissants}


{A typical home decor store in Copenhagen. Gorgeous, no?}


{Tivoli - a 100+ year old amusement part in downtown Copenhagen}


{Typical thatched housing in Aarhus, Denmark. Isn't the area amazingly beautiful?}


{Inside the Fram (at the Fram Museum)- the Norwegian fleet that has sailed further towards the North and South poles than any other wooden ship!}


{The Swedish countryside - what I wouldn't give for a vacation home here!}


{With my parents at The Globe Arena in Stockholm - the largest spherical building in the world}