NEW ARRIVALS - 28 Nov (Sun)

Just a minute of your time, please. A quick one: VERY excited… more NEW ARRIVALS in store today!
Hoss Intropia of Madrid, Rebecca Taylor, Sachin + Babi for Ankasa (new from USA, dreamy!!!), Trina Turk, Twenty8Twelve by s.miller, Elizabeth and James sunglasses, bags from Rebecca Minkoff and Tory Burch, Rick Owens Men, Moscot unisex eyewear and more are hitting the racks this afternoon.
If you haven't visited in a while, today might be a good time to. We’re all set to welcome you!

[Photo: Ricot, Nagoya, Japan]

Etc.

LOL! Totally insensitive (which, surely, isn’t the point), but what a riot.
(So? Which option would YOU choose? :-D)

ELIZABETH AND JAMES Sheer-Back Bondage Knit Dress

Va va voom. If you want to spice things up a bit this holiday season, this Elizabeth and James knit dress is THE dress to wear. What at first appears to be an unassuming LBD turns out to be a secret stunner with a sheer mesh back.
Hide this bondage style under a blazer for your prim-and-proper workplace (!), then peel off the blazer to reveal a sexy surprise… and you're all dressed for the cocktail party that follows!
(RRP US$365)

RICO Jeans (Japan)

Fashion stylists, who dress the stars or direct shoots and put together runway looks for prominent designers, were once fashion’s unsung worker bees. Not anymore. For a while now, stylists have become the new fashion icons. Their quirky look and glamour have inspired a flurry of fashion lines, product introductions and advertising campaigns; now they are practically fashion prophets for ordinary consumers and celebrities alike. Particularly famous for this, are the Japanese stylists.
One of the cluster of high-ranking male stylists in Japan today (with a huge clientele that includes many Japanese bignames -- pop diva Hikaru Utada is one), Tadashi Mochizuki expanded his field of activity and set up his own brand-cum-select shop Rico in 2002.
Greatly inspired by music subcultures, Mochizuki’s designs for Rico are non-traditional in technique with cutting-edge production and innovative eye-catching styles. What results is a label ahead of the trend curve that signifies style, creativity and pride to many loyal Mochizuki fans.


According to denim affectionados, for denim spinning, vintage treatment and cotton-blending, Japan is the indisputable world leader.
Check out these premium jeans from Rico, made entirely in Japan.
(RRP ¥25,200 ~ ¥33,600 -- Come find out our price and be pleasantly surprised!)


Rico operates three standalone boutiques (with a flagship in Daikanyama, the laid-back but trendy shopping destination a mere stop away from Shibuya) and is represented at 40 other reputable points of sale all over Japan, including cult store Loveless.

Happy Thanksgiving

We give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Have a great day, whatever you do, and even if you don't have Thanksgiving where you are :-)

[Image: Chris Clare, Ontario, Canada]

NEW ARRIVALS - 22 Nov (Mon)

Gooooooooood afternoon lovelies!
How are you all doing today?
Everyone we know seems to be in a great mood because... how much nicer the roads are when the schools are off! …For 6 weeks!

We are also thrilled because a slew of NEW ARRIVALS has just hit our little corner of the world in Plaza Mont’Kiara!
Let's take a look at some of them, shall we?
Stefanel (Italy), Sheri Bodell, Paul Ka (Paris), P. Smith, Hoss Intropia (Nos encanta!), Halston, DVF, United Nude shoes, Rebecca Minkoff bags, AllSaints Spitalfields menswear, and a BIG collection of beautifully-made Timberland Japan brogue shoes… colourful, cool, and chic -- these three ‘C’s are certainly recommended factors to have when purchasing footwear!

All just as handsome as the delivery man, and guaranteed to steal your heart.

And that wraps up the latest and bestest from our favourite labels.
See ya! :-D

IRO (Paris) Silk Pants

Oh-so Roitfeldesque (can’t you totally see the editors at French Vogue wearing these with a contoured tank and killer metallic heels?), these elegantly airy silk pants by slick French label Iro are the perfect complement to give a chic twist to your ensembles.
Or pair with a sharp jacket and glossy pumps for the freshest way to work office elegance.


IRO
Iro was created in 2004 by Laurent and Arik Bitton. The brothers come from the music industry and moved in a hip alternate universe -- trip hop, New York lounge and Tokyo private parties make up their daily world. Being at the forefront of all kinds of trends gave them the idea to create clothes for the girls in their cosmopolitan circle.
Even though its name was taken from the Japanese word for ‘colour’, you won't find a lot of colourful things with Iro -- grey, black, white and other toned-down shades dominate the palette. And the music-influenced rocker edge is only one aspect of the brand; the focus also lies in incorporating the Bitton brothers’ love of vintage and in using quality materials. The overall outcome is a modern, flirtatious spin on the nonchalance of Parisian street style and attitude.
No wonder that the line is rapidly amassing a cult following both in Europe and Tinseltown. As if that accolade wasn’t enough, Iro recently got the ultimate seal of approval via a personal email order placed by none other than Kate Moss herself (only just last week voted ‘Best-dressed Woman of the Decade’ by US Vogue).

Happy School Holidays

From our little shop (open 364 days a year), here’s hoping everyone will enjoy (survive) the school holidays.
Have some simple ideas on how to keep the family entertained on your car trip :-D

[Photo: Soft colour series “Good old school days, Japan”, by Nao]

ELIZABETH AND JAMES 'Cheyenne' Shirt

The Cheyenne shirt, an Elizabeth and James staple, comes to us in fetching plaid.
Whipped up from incredibly soft fabric, this oversized button-down with a covered placket, chest pockets, and shirttail hem is an easy breezy way to work off-duty cool -- team it with your favourite skinnies jeans and metallic pumps on weekends!
(RRP US$245)

Etc.

“Bottle”, New Jersey animator and illustrator Kirsten Lepore’s stop-motion film about a transoceanic relationship between a clump of sand and a ball of snow, gave us a serious throat lump. How adorable are the gifts they sent each other? And why oh why must such a sweet little tale have such a heartbreaking Shakespearean ending? Gaaaaahhh.
*reaches for box of tissues*

Hidden Gem: ONITSUKA TIGER 'Lay-Up 72' - Lmited Edition

You know, there's so much neat stuff in our little stores, occasionally some really interesting bits get overshadowed by other flashier stuff... Which brings us to today's “Hidden Gem” post.
The Onitsuka Tiger “Lay-Up 72” sneakers, still considered somewhat of an “undiscovered shoe” with great potential to become a classic, were first developed in in 1972 to cater to the trend of young people starting to wear sports shoes as a fashion item.
Named after the lay-up shot in basketball, the shoe featured innovative production processes (Lay-Up 72 was one of the very first sneakers to combine both nylon and vulcanised production), and a “Tiger” lettering on the side of the upper -- which was unusual for a sports shoe at the time.
The new set of re-issued designs for 2010 is based off original designs taken from the Onitsuka Tiger headquarters, dating back almost 40 years.
These kicks come in very limited quantities -- plus, what's left of them are now being offered at a markdown. Honestly, it'd be a bit of a sin, if you missed this :-)

Happy Aidil Adha

A safe return to our Muslim friends performing Hajj this year, and Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating Hari Raya Haji.

(Saudi Arabian artist Ahmed Mater’s magnet and metallic filings installation (“Magnetism”) mirrors, in miniature, Muslim pilgrims’ circumambulation of the Kaaba in Mecca.)

3.1 PHILLIP LIM Suspender Skirt-Dress

Maybe it's the sweet innocence of school pinafores that inspired 3.1 Phillip Lim. The designer is featuring plenty of suspender skirt/dress style this season, including this one, which he got Belgian rising star Hanne Gaby Odiele to wear on his runway, to “casualise” her sequin top.
So versatile, you could wear it over a white blouse (for the office) or a little tank (for an after five look), too :-)

UNITED NUDE Mono Jane Wedge

Hello Miss Mono Jane! Vibrant colour, playful style, and alluring peep-toe -- all in lightweight and oh-so-fashionably vegan EVA material. Can we say these fun United Nude shoes are like your “sexy Crocs”? :-D
Wear with everything (a swingy dress, a denim skirt, ski-pants leggings, or jeans) and marvel at how well they intermix with all of your stylish belongings!
UNITED NUDE
United Nude was co-founded in 2003 by architect Rem D. Koolhaas (nephew and namesake of the Dutch "starchitect") and Galahad JD Clark (a seventh generation shoe maker from the Clarks family of UK, and founder of ethical shoe company Terra Plana).
Known for pushing boundaries, constantly blurring the lines between contemporary architecture and fashion in their futuristic footwear, United Nude is today a booming business with flagship stores in Amsterdam, New York, Shanghai as well as presence in London, Vienna and China. The company also has plans to move into clothing, furniture, bags, and eyewear.

Rem D Koolhaas and Galahad Clark getting goofy at the launch celebration of United Nude's new U.S. flagship store at Bond Street NYC (May 2010).