New Baubles and Christmas Randoms

     As per Filipino tradition, my family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve. It gets a little crazy. SO who is a little bit of a Christmas Grinch sometimes sits in disbelief at the Christmas chaos. Here are a few Christmas Eve randoms and these new baubles I found during the Boxing Week sale.  Most stores had the same sales they had before Christmas,  but I found these at TOMMY (AKA Tommy Hilfiger) for 60% off. SO didn't know it, but these were his "add-on" Christmas present to me. LOL. They're really big, and pretty darn heavy, but I think they are awesome anyway:

My friends were teasing me saying they looked like they came from my friend's parents' chandelier. LOL. 

And here are some Christmas Holiday randoms. Hopefully I'll get some real fashion-related photos up soon, I've just been so busy! I hope you are all having a great holiday season! Sorry, some are a little blurry. Apparently, Blogger can't handle the file sizes and my new iPhoto update isn't compatible with Blogger just yet so it's taking so much more time to upload pictures.

Happy Holidays!

     I just wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays! Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, or any other occasion, religious or not, I hope it's filled with love, laughter, and makings of great memories!

Safe Travels

     I headed to the outlets last weekend as a tag-along with my friends who were trying to finish up their Christmas shopping. I finished my Christmas shopping weeks ago, except for a few gift cards that I have to pick up when I get back to T.O., so I was under no stress to get anything. Gotta love online shopping! ;D 


     My friend was taking his time in the Fossil store trying to decide if he really wanted a wallet and I was checking out the leather travel goods. It suddenly occurred to me that I could really use a Travel Wallet. It would be a heck of a lot better than what I have been carrying:

     Let me tell you, that black card holder is pretty darn heavy with everything in it, and the plastic file is really inconvenient. I can't take it anywhere. I do travel between countries pretty frequently, so it wouldn't be a completely frivolous purchase. LOL. I thought that I could really benefit from a wallet that would allow me to consolidate everything as much as possible. That is, a wallet that holds a passport and all my Canadian cards and money instead of having everything in three different places. My regular everyday wallet can get pretty big with all the American AND Canadian cards that I stuff into it. Plus, it would look nicer. Haha.


     I passed on the Fossil Passport Wallet that I saw and decided to search for one online instead. I searched many of my favorite websites and most of what I found were just passport holders and didn't hold much else. I needed the holder to carry more than just my passport (or else what was the point?). Finally, after quite a few hours, I decided on the Marc by Marc Jacobs Postal Travel Continental Wallet in Newsprint (Dark Brown):

     I found it on Bluefly on sale for $139 from $248 plus an  extra 15% with code making it ~$118. A pretty good deal. I love all the card slots, side pockets and the special slot for my passport. I appreciate the zip-around style because it helps me feel more secure about my passport not falling out. The leather is great, like most MBMJ leather goods it is thick and durable.  It is also very light which surprised me considering it made of leather. It is quite a bit larger than a typical clutch wallet, but that's something I'm willing to sacrifice if it holds my passport. Overall, I'm really pleased with it. Now all my necessary cards are conveniently stashed away and secure in two decently-sized wallets. Yes, I'm still going to carry my old wallet. LOL. I know I have the option of transferring my necessary American cards/driver's license to it if I really wanted to, but I think I still will carry my old wallet if for no other reasons other than I like it and that the SO gave it to me (I'm also not comfortable with carrying my passport around with me everyday, but I guess I could always take it out)...OK, you caught me, maybe the real reason is that I'm really just lazy. :P 

One Sweater, One Skirt, One Belt, Three Ways

     I've always loved finding inspiration from J.Crew's catalogs. I found this one online a short while ago:

     So simple, yet still so pulled together. I tried it. It didn't work. LOL. I'm way too short-waisted to pull this off successfully. So disappointed. I had to make it work some other way so make my torso look much more proportional to the rest of my body. So I started playing around with the pieces and added a few accessories. I need to start doing this more as I definitely don't do it enough. When I'm bored with my clothes, I buy things to spice it up a bit. Maybe what I really need to do is just mix it up more. So I used one sweater, my Jacob black and white stripe turtleneck (size XS, this season), J.Crew Double-serge pencil skirt in Nightfall Blue (size 00P), and my Asos Double-Wrap Leather belt in black (size S).

It's a little bit better with a belt, though still not great:

 Sweater belted and untucked:

For this one, I added a little jacket, which is my answer to my every fashion dilemma:

    I like it styled in #2 and #3. Not so much #1 though the belt does help draw away from my short torso, which is a cool little trick that I just figured out. Which do you prefer?

Now, find me some rain!

     I was at work last week "chillin' 'n billin'" (what we call sitting around and doing nothing because the firm hasn't given us work to do) and decided to do some online browsing to pass the time. The last thing I need is another pair of shoes, but I was perusing Endless.com and saw that Loeffler Randall rain boots were 40% off! Hmmm. I really want a pair of Hunter boots, but I was willing to give these a try. The idea was to leave a pair of rain boots at the SO's place so I wouldn't have to keep traveling with multiple pairs of shoes with me when bad weather hit (shhh, don't tell him I'm leaving *more* stuff there!). So I went ahead and bought them just to see if they would work. I purchased two styles (photos from Zappos.com):

Loeffler Randall LR Rain Boot, $195.

Loeffler Randall LR Rain Bootie, $165.

     I purchased the knee high in hopes that they would fit my calves (not high hopes, of course) and the lace-up booties just in case they didn't. LOL. I actually like the booties better from the pictures as I much prefer the leather version of the Matilde boot, but lace-up rain booties doesn't seem very practical.

Here is the Bootie:

     I think they're pretty cute. Almost like a military boot, but more feminine. For some reason though, I think it makes it look like my feet are huge. Haha. These are a size 6. I was a little concerned because I usually go up a half a size for extra sock room, but these boots don't come in half sizes. It was unnecessary though. These fit pretty well with thick socks and pretty snug with insoles. I would say that these are about half a size large if anything and on the narrow side. Surprisingly, they are quite comfortable. The lace-up detail allows for me to make them tighter, which I like. The small wedge measures to a little over an inch. Hardly noticeable, but it is a nice detail. The only complaint that I have is that because it is ankle length and I have thin legs, I can feel my legs banging around the top of the boot when I walk. But, I suppose that's not different from most of my ankle-height boots. To fix that I usually put on a pair of longer socks, and if necessary I'll put a heel grip around the top for extra cushioning. Not a big deal. Otherwise, they appear to be really durable, and maybe if I stepped in an ankle deep puddle it will actually keep all the water out. 

     Here is the LR Boot:

   I purchased these in olive green. The black seemed too blah for these. I loved the zipper in the back. It is a very nice touch. The zipper was unnecessary though, I could slip these on and off without having to unzip them. I thought they looked pretty cute, but there was quite a bit of space at the top, which didn't really bother me, because they are rain boots after all and for rain boots I think a little space is fine. What did bother me was the amount of heel lift. These are a size 6, and although the length of the boot was also about half a size large like the bootie, there was much too much space between the top of my foot and the top of the boot. It made walking very awkward. Otherwise, like the bootie, these were very comfortable. If it wasn't for the heel lift, I probably would have kept these over the booties. But the fact that I could potentially trip over my own feet and fall on my face was a deal breaker.

    I think I might keep the booties, though. Thoughts?

Pretty in Pink

     ...like *really* pink. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but pink is actually my most disliked color. Never liked it as a child, and I still don't. Although, as I've gotten older I've come to be more accepting of a raspberry or fuschia-type pink. If it's dark, I may be able to handle it. LOL.


      So I ventured out to Macy's a few weeks ago because of the F&F sale. I don't usually find anything I like at Macy's, but I thought I would give it a good effort this time around. In particular, I was looking for my Secret Santa gift. I've been going crazy trying to figure out what to get my draw. Her style is pretty  "FOB"-y and a lot more girly than my own (do the T.O. and B.C. girls know what I mean? LOL). I've bought five different things and returned them all, and she's been in HK for the last few weeks so she hasn't put up a Secret Santa Wishlist.  Anyway, I do know that Macy's carries quite a few decent brands like BCBG, Rachel Roy, and BB Dakota so I thought I'd try my luck in that section.


       Did I find something? Why yes, I did. And I loved it...for myself! The only problem was that it was pink and in no other color.

Rachel by Rachel Roy Librarian Blouse (Framboise). 

     I've always wanted a top similar to this, so it immediately caught my attention when I saw it on the rack. I love the tie-neck bow and the ruffle down the front. Gosh, so pretty. It was selling for $69 regular price, plus 25% off with the F&F and if you have a Macy's card, there are a few extra coupons you can use in there that would make this $35. I purchased it in a XS. Secret Santee is a very thin girl, but she is also almost 5'10. My instinct is to buy her a S, but she insists that she is a XS (even though I sent a spy into her closet and apparently a lot of her stuff is S). I brought it home and pretty much stared at it for a few hours wishing that it wasn't so pink. It's actually a bit darker than you see in the photo above. Finally, I gave in and decided to try it on for myself. After all, I had to see if I purchased the right size, no?

Skirt: Talula Babaton by Aritizia (black, size 0)

Belt: Nine West Reversible Belt (black/brown patent, size S)

Tights: Betsey Johnson (black argyle, size S/M)

Shoes: Lauren by Ralph Lauren Amaya Pump (black, size 6)

     Immediately I fell in love, despite the insanely bright pink color. It fit me around the bust extremely well with no extra room. Anyone with a larger chest than my own may have a more difficult time with this under the arms and across the chest. The overall length was good. Not too short, and not too long (no you can't see it, so you're just going to have to take my word for it, haha). Arm holes aren't too big (it is a halter top), and the fit around the waist wasn't too boxy. I really had my doubts as to whether this was going to fit my "Secret Santee". Not only is she much taller, but she also has a larger chest even though she is very thin. So...I decided to keep it! LOL. I'm not sure how much of my closet I can match with this given most of wardrobe is so anti-pink, but I'm definitely giving it a try.

     If you need it to be more work appropriate, throw on a little jacket or cardi over top like I have here: