Siren Song.

Our English teacher showed us a video excerpt from the movie O Brother Where Art Thou since we were studying the Odyssey at the time. I particularly loved the scene where three sirens (siren (noun): overly nymph-like, sensual, etc.) sing. Their outfits are extremely inspiring.

The siren costumes remind me of Keira Knightley's gardening outfit in Atonement (another movie well worth watching. While Keira's character isn't exactly the same seductress the sirens are in O Brother Where Art Thou, she does seem to be channeling the same type of clothing vibe.

I personally love both takes on sheer garments, and I hope to expand my closet with some new pieces inspired by both movies soon.

The Sirens seduce the main protagonists in O Brother Where Art Thou.

Keira Knightley in Atonement.

You can watch the O Brother Where Art Thou scene below:

-Adrienne.

VOGUE Fashion's Night Out 2010

As most of you know, I went to check out VOGUE Fashion's Night Out last weekend (Saturday, Sept. 11) at the three Sogo Department stores in downtown Taipei. It was such a great way to start off the school year (and to take a break from all the High School homework) and to spend time with amazing friends. Hope you all enjoy!

There were tons of people waiting in line at the Fashion's Night Out booth. Every year, Vogue comes out with limited edition FNO tees, and this year, Taiwan has its very own designed by Peter Som.

We then headed over to the Vogue photo booth, where we took a group photo. Loved that this year they added a makeup, hair, and jewellery bar, complements of Accesorize London. The photographer that shot our photo was also the one who shoots covers and spreads for Vogue Taiwan. Score!

Cute pointed bow shoes from Prada. They also had turquoise and navy, which look absolutely devine.

Alida, Janne, and I posing with an....EHEM...caterer outside of Prada at the invites-only Sogo Dun Hua 16th Anniversary party. The party was so exclusive and every store had their own caterers and waiters, which was so luxe. Definetly loved the ambiance and how improved the party was from last year. They served a killer diluted Midori with milk and of course, Coke and Coke Zero.

Later on that night, we all headed over to MAC, where we shopped around and bought some products. Janne and I both bought Woodwinked Eyeshadow, which is the most gorgeous shade ever.

We were all so excited for the new autumn collection from MAC (as you can tell).

After some more shopping around the downtown Taipei area, we went to Du Xia Yue, a more upscale Taiwanese cuisine restaurant. We ordered garlic-y noodles and chatted away.

Janne and me! I just love how my shoulders are pointy in this picture.

After dinner, we went to Yogurt Art, a buffet style frozen yogurt store, which was right next to Du Xiao Yue.

I LOVE frozen yogurt.

And now... what we wore, and how we wore it. Photos taken in front of the big Fashion's Night Out sign in front of Dun Hua Sogo.

Crystal: Dress: Urban Outfitters (I think!)

Janne: Tank Top: I don't know where, but you know, it's just a white tank (;

High Waisted Shorts: Night market! Janne, how the heck do you find cute floral shorts at the night market? I'm so jealous.

Alida: Tank: Target, Skirt: Topshop (I think!)

I love your outfit!

Adrienne: High Shoulders Top: Sparkle & Fade by Urban Outfitters (on sale for $9.99!)

Skirt: Forever 21 Heels: Tahari ($50 at Marshall's, what a bargain) Earrings: Clip ons from Claire's Ring: Forever 21

After we finished eating, we decided that we should shop some more, but I unfortunately didn't take any pictures. However, we did venture through the streets of Taipei to find some killer boutiques, designer thrift shops, and a whole lot of hidden treasures. Maybe one day I'll do a post on the "hidden wonders" of downtown Taipei.

It was a GREAT night, and I'm looking forward to having monthly shopping excursions with Alida, Janne, and Crystal.

Thank you to VOGUE Taiwan (and VOGUE everywhere else) for making FNO happen, thank you to my aunt and uncle for nabbing tickets and exclusive passes, and thank you Taipei for being such a wonderful and fun city (;

P.S: Watch this FNO video from Taiwan's VOGUE TV! We're featured at the end!

Nerdy Mr. Potato Man

Today I went to the big Eslite bookstore near Taipei 101 and got new glasses! The "geek chic" look seems to be quite the look as of the moment, seeing that this style and type of frame has been in magazines and such.

Here they are!

Sorry for the extra cam-whoring, I couldn't help myself (; My inner geek was coming out! Speaking on geeky terms, I also got this awesome Mr. Potato Head pajama set from the States while I was on holiday. It even coms with matching long pajama bottoms (ooops, forgot to take a picture of them)! How adorable is that?

Hope everyone is having a superbly awesome day!

-adrienne.

I've Joined the Circus.

(Click to enlarge photo)

List of items pictured:

1. White Eyelet Tank: Forever 21 ($15)
2. Cream Lace Skirt: ASOS ($60)
3. Studded Cream Brogues: ASOS Milo ($54)
4. Gold Leather Ballet Flats: Old Navy ($12)
5. Heirloom Sillhouette Pin: Etsy ($50)
6. Cream Knitted Crop Top: Miss Selfridge ($70)
7. Cream Ruffled Dress: Topshop ($150)
8. Vintage Chanel Beach Tote: ASOS Designer ($2,450)
9. Gold and Cream Gem Ring: ASOS ($100)
10. Daisy Rose Earrings: Tarina Tarintino ($31)
11. Florence + the Machine (pictured)


My first try at Polyvore. Enjoy!

-Adrienne.

The New 'Do

I got my hair cut yesterday, and I originally only wanted a trim and shorter bangs. However, I changed my mind all of a sudden and told the hair stylist to cut of quite more than I had originally planned. Here's what the new cut looks like:








And a better picture:
It's really more of a mid-length bob than a blunt cut bob, but I really love it. I will possibly never grow it out and just continue trimming and cutting so that it stays this length.


The weather in Taipei has been so bizarre lately. It's been simultaneously raining while the sun is shinning, which is actually quite normal for Taiwan, I've heard. However, this is definitely a weird change from the beautiful California weather that I have been in for the past month. Here are two photos of today's sky. You can't really tell it's raining, but it is:






-Adrienne.

♫♪ Now Playing: The Boy Who Murdered Love-Diana Vickers

Analog Love

Many of you have probably met my Diana Mini (in my opinion, the best lomography creation on the market at the moment, apart from Dorophy Tang's limited edition Qing Hua Diana F+) However, my love for the plastic beast didn't just stop at the purchase of my Diana; it seems to continue on.

Recently, I popped into Taipei's Studio A (an Apple retailer) to get my iPhone skinned (or pimped out, in simpler terms). I also desperately needed a new screen protector, so tonight was the night that I went to get my iPhone makeover.

This is the result of my brand new iPhone SkinJam:

Before....

...and AFTER!

A regular SkinJam that is applied directly to the appliance (in my case, iPhone) is really expensive, so I opted for a plain case and then asked them to SkinJam that instead of my iPhone. The total only came up to 790 NT, which is a far cry for the normal 2000 NT+ price tag.

I couldn't help to put this picture up:

They seem to have bonded pretty well :)

-Adrienne.

Play on Words.

Awesome tee that from Shi Lin Night Market. They always seem to have the most awkwardly cool things.

Tien Mu Flea Market!

hello everyone!

I have an exciting post tonight that will most likely stun most of you. Keep in mind, it will be a very wordy post, so bear with me. If you aren't interested in reading about my experience, you can skip to the part (or "haul" if you would like to call it) of pictures.

Tonight, I went to the Tien Mu Square Flea Market. This flea market only seems to run on weekend evenings (so Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights) so if you were to look for it, it most likely won't be there. However, seeing that today was a Sunday and I don't have school tomorrow, I grabbed the opportunity to go.

I've been to the Tien Mu Flea Market so many times and have picked up a few tidbits here and there for amazing prices, so I rarely go home empty handed. The Market is split into two sections: second-hand goods and homemade goods (think knitted hats, homemade jewelery, etc). I opt to shop the second-hand goods first, but I do go over to the homemade goods if I have the time. Don't get me wrong, homemade items are very unique, but at the Market, they are extremely overpriced (and if you don't know Taipei, there are homemade things everywhere).

Some people may be wondering how I can cope with using someone's used items. When shopping at flea markets, I keep myself open minded. I tend to only be accessories such as bracelets or small jewelery pieces since they are much more sanitary (for the clean freaks like me out there) and are usually the most unique pieces. I know that people do sell cosmetics (such as MAC) at an INSANELY low price. I've seen lipglosses still in their boxes sold for under 100 NT before. It's crazy and VERY tempting, but who knows where they have been or whose used them before? It is by far NOT sanitary, and I do not recommend anyone buying cosmetics in flea markets.

As for clothing, I tend to base my decisions on the seller. I know how biast that sounds but it really does make a difference. However, I hardly purchase clothing from flea markets.

Anyways, I know most of you are dying to see what I got, so here we go!

First off, we stopped at a lovely lady's spread of items. What I picked up here was a nice beaded candle motive. I really can't get enough of these types of things. Even though it is used to house candles (tea candles, to be particular), I have stuck some fake flower pens into it :) I have to admit it looks pretty nice. We bartered with the lady and knocked it from the original price of 100 NT ($3.10 US Dollars) to about 40 NT ($1.25 US Dollars) Here are some photos of it:









Next we stopped at a spread that sold manly household items, such as vases, bowls/plates, etc. It was rather surprising to discover a vintage Beatles poster. The poster itself is actually kept in rather nice condition, and there is a date on the back written in pencil (1983). Ehhh, it's sort of the wrong era to be holding a Beatles poster, but I love it all the same. Here is the photo of it:

Finally, we stopped a nice lady in her early 20's who was selling mainly slightly more expensive items. I was just about to pass her spread when I came across a Marc by Marc Jacobs bag. MBMJ is an adorable range of items (and Marc Jacob's fusion line, in case you didn't know). THE BAG WAS ADORABLE. She told me that she was selling it for 3000 NT ($95 US Dollars) and that when she bought it last winter, it was 10,000ish NT (around $300 US Dollars). The quality was amazing, and she claimed to have only used it once and thought it was too large. We eventually bargained it down to a reasonable 2300 NT ($72 US Dollars), and I got it! Here are some photos:


















Alright, well that's it for this post. Let me just emphasize again that flea market shopping and second-hand shopping is incredibly fun and can bring out treasures in another man's trash (nice use of wisdom, eh?) As long as you develop good instincts, flea market shopping won't seem dangers or shady ever again!

-adrienne.

Location:ZhōngZhèng Rd,Shihlin District,Taiwan

Cath Kidston.

hello everyone,

Today we have a post dedicated soley on my current obsession: Cath Kidston. I don't know what screams to me from their products: the amazing array of oilcloth totes and accessories or the gorgeous vintage rose-spray prints. I'm very excited to show you all what I got (*screams*) so...

Here we go!

First off, I would like to introduce the brand to everyone. Cath Kidston was first opened in 1993 in a tiny store in London's Holland Park. Kidston began with selling vintage inspired fabrics and wallpapers, and soon gained enough namesake to start designing what she is most well known for now: oilcloth items. The brand is now a cult favorite, and has branched all the way to Ireland and is praised immensely in Japan.

Now on to the more exciting portion... today I braved the rain and headed over to Taipei's only Cath Kidston store (mind me, there are a couple of stands in department stores, Eslite bookstore, etc but this is the only actualy STORE I've seen around the area). Here is a picture of the store:



I couldn't snap any shots inside the actual store itself, but I can assure you that it is gorgeous (and complete with vintage Singer sewing machine). The lovely sales ladies helped me to find a suitable-priced bag that would be convenient for everyday use. What I decided to get was this amazing find:





The inside is absolutely amazing (I need a bag with lots of pockets since I am a sadistically neat neat freak). There's a pocket for my iPhone, my planner (which is roughly the same size as the bag), and a ton of other random tidbits. Here is a look at the inside:





Mind you, it wasn't the famous Cath Kidston oilcloth, and the size isn't exactly Kidston conventional either, but I am still falling head over heels for it. The reason that I purchased this one was due to a) the affordable-under-2000 NT-price tag. b) the freebies it comes with (more on that later). and c) the pockets inside and the overall print of the bag.

The bag was a BARGAIN. It was originally marked at 1800 NT and was marked down to 1260 NT with a 30% discount. Plus, it included a zany and adorable mirror and a slightly random matching tissue holder (?) . The mirror is adorable and I just recently lost mine, so this replacement definitely makes me pleased. Here is a picture of the mirror and the *slightly* random tissue holder:






As a little thank you, the lovely sales lady gave me their new Spring/Summer '10 catalog and that made me super excited. However, the text was entirely in Japanese resulting in a rather irritated Adrienne....but I'm enjoying the pictures anyway.






I'm rather pleased with all of my purchases and I am definitely repurchasing something from the Cath Kidston range soon!

Have a beautiful week and a wonderful and blessed Easter!


-adrienne.