Dress – COS, Knee-high socks – Market in Korea gift from mama, Shoes – Office, Belt – Rope, Bag – Market in Vilnius, Sunglasses – 80′s Purple, Watch – Casio through ASOS. Thank you Macku for the photos!

The first generation Barclays Cycle Hire bicycles appeared today all around London at 6am. I had pre-purchased an access key as sort of a dessert after a gruelling main-meal window shopping session at ASOS, and after having experienced the privilege of giving a new city bike its first spin, I must stop and give myself a pat for such a thoughtful pre-arrangement. I can be so smart sometimes! I wish it happened more often. Only signed up members can use the bikes for now, so there were a fair amount of keyless people fawning over the new bicycles – stroking them, sitting on them, serenading them, licking them… a kid came up to me in his own bicycle and asked me how I took one out and I said dood go away, you HAVE a bike. If you have an address and a bank account in London, I suggest you head over and get yourself a key. They’re heavy as hell to ride (felt heavier than the French Vélib) but so worth it when you realize later your damned body is heavier to lug around.

(Oh, some are probably wondering what I did with my own bicycle – I don’t normally ride it into the city [7 miles], so the Cycle Hire scheme is better for short trips within town.)

Top – Courtesy of Your Eyes Lie, Pants & Bag – Gmarket, Shoes – New Look, Cardigan – Massimo Dutti, Watch – Casio

Last week I received a comment that read something like ‘I like your blog and the way you make it approachable for someone like me who’s not really into this type of fashion. The only criticism I’d give is that your layout isn’t necessarily fully accommodating and I think you can find some better looking designs in Blogger or WordPress, you can even make your own templates!‘ at this point I let go of all my muscles and just went WHUuuu? I sat there stumped, not really knowing how to respond – my Web Design-heavy CV proceeded to mentally fold itself into an airplane and kamikaze onto undercharged previous-clients dressed as terrified villagers. Then I heard my boyfriend giggle into his laptop in the corner. Let’s put it this way, I will have to tie his laces from now on because, I HAVE BITTEN OFF ALL HIS FINGERS.

Have you seen the occasional ‘mean’ comment that advises me to buy a new camera because the photography is borderline crap, or one that says that all my shoes are ugly? They’re all from this man named Zbigniew and I soon learnt that that’s when my poor boyfriend wants some attention. He actually uses the opportunity to to ridicule comments I often receive that insinuate that the camera makes the photos. And he dislikes all my heeled shoes because they hurt ma feet, aww. This is a truly truly a 21st Century method of dating.

Clockwise: Vicki, Myself, Jen, MJ, Saskia, Sarah, Sabine, Leia, Adele, Sherin

I’ve done it, gone and joined a cult, my own little Band of Brothers. Take 10 is a group of ten UK bloggers who decided it was high time there was a UK version of the Delightful Dozen, and came together to form a virtual sisterhood, conjoined through the elastic band of skirt. Band of Sisters, or something like that. Lovely Sarah approached the nine and pitched the idea, and we all jumped in, every girl loves that spread in the magazine where one item is worn in several different ways.

Here’s us just saying hello, all 20 hands of ours waving. Role call! MJ from Dreaming Spires and Old Car Tyres, Sherin from HiFashion, Leia from Leia’s Delights, Jen from Little Bird Fashion, Vicki from Magpie Girl, Adele from Molto Curiosa, Saskia from Not Just Medical, MOI, Sabine from Psynopsis, and Sarah from We Shop, Therefore We Are. You can also follow us on Facebook & Twitter!

Be back soon with one item, 10 different ways of styling it!

Above: Lucy Hutchings SS10, Scarves – Athena Procopiou
Below: Dresses by Obakki SS10, Mesh bag by OROTON, Dress by Tina Kalivas

Above & Left: Shoes by Beau Coops
Below: Stolen Girlfriends Club SS10

Menswear by Omar Kashoura

We Are Handsome Swimwear

Hello lovelies! I may have been Missing In Action but I haven’t been Missing In Adventure, I have a lot up my sleeve and some down my throat, latter non-refundable though – can’t beat power digestion… but brace yourselves, there’s lots to come thisaway! My West London era is slowly coming to a close and I’ve been busy looking for twigs and grass for a new nest up in North London, hopefully the likes of Angel or Dalston, we’ll see where the Big Man takes me next.

Always love visiting Robbers and Pfeffmeister (Robinson Pfeffer) – the showroom is newly stocked with droolworthy SS’11 pieces already, but between you and me, I visit to watch Kyle & Andrea and kick eachother’s legs under the table and make your mom jokes over soy milk teas and Minties. They have this massive sense of humour and easygoingness that generates enough energy to power the entire showroom (and Hussein Chalayan’s studio next door), and there’s no question why the company’s a hit amongst London’s hippest. Other than that I’d like to have them as my older brother and sister – not denying of course that I may end up hanging head down from a tree at some point, but the hand-me-down wardrobe will be le schweeet.

Top – Uniqlo, Pants – Zara, Bag – Vintage, Necklace – H&M, Watch – Casio, Bracelet – COS, Shoes – Bought in Tokyo 2008

Leather bag from Old Town market I fell in love with <3

It even surprises me how much I travel with my family. Apparently at my age I should be doing roadtrips with a horde of friends to the soundtrack of I’m not a girl not yet a woman, regularly taking turns to bully the one wearing the bumbag. Instead, I’m riding  into a golfcourse sunset horizon with my mother, father, brother and golfbag – note, that ¾ of the family can not play golf. The car journey is always the same – my brother and myself wedged in each corner of the back seat, with a mid-point fence made from tennis rackets, jolting awake to dramatic truck overtaking. In fact, my father seems to be rather taken from the thrill, we’d sit at the edge of our seats clutching at something solid, pleading for mercy while he takes over every vehicle in sight. Once he’s tired he switches on the 80s’s acoustic ballad hits and we’d roll over and simultaneously let out a moan – the lyrics are so cheesy that with a bag of Nachos we’d be a Taco Bell delivery car.

Well, Vilnius was beautiful, there were evident traces of a once-wealthy Lithuania that used to own half of Central Europe circa 1450′s. Next time I’m running away on a golf cart for a proper tour of the city, I believe finding a hotel 15km from the city was one of my father’s evil masterplan to teach me golf.

Jacket – Monnari, Bag – Vintage, Shoes – Zara, Shorts – Topshop, Top – Lace body DIY, Bracelet – COS

Zachęta National Gallery of Art; Jan Lebenstein collection;
Thank you Andrzej for the outfit shots!

What I love about the Polish is that they never like to beat around the bushes. Have I taken up a new gardening interest – no, not in a million years would I gain the ability to keep a plant alive for more than a week – I mean it in the way they seem to be able to nonchalantly spit out their most honest of opinions. Meet interesting specimen no.2: Andrzej (above in the dashing white jacket) is a freelance journalist who I’d first met last London Fashion Week standing in line behind me for one of the shows (previously did an interview with him here). We were walking in Old Town the other day and I was completely yanked off guard when he casually commented that my face is round. I know, dearest Asian readers especially, I had to stoop down to pick up my own jaw. Later I realized that he didn’t mean to jab at a complex, so I’m sorry for that slap and flying side kick; did you find that tooth?, but only to comment on how round faces are grossly underappreciated in the industry. To top it off he sent me a link of an article he wrote for Lula.pl last November about round faces, entitled ‘Pretty as a Doll’. Ah well, then I just had to forgive him.

Also, insert another priceless facial expression on finding out he’s about 10 years younger than I thought he was, my age-o-meter needs serious inspection these days it seems.

Top – Courtesy of Schwing Schwing in 2009, Jeans – H&M, Bracelet – COS & Accessorize, Ring – H&M, Shoes – Zara, Bag – MarzArt

Beautiful Oliwia from The Gallow; Dress – H&M, Shoes – Gap, Necklace – DIY

Areas around Plac Konstitucji

The Warsaw I remember is gone, the bumpy rollerblade rides past the crush’s house, the jewellery stand near the park that frequently robbed me of my coins… Warsaw is now air-conditioned rides to meet new friends for coffee, and priceless facial expressions on finding out she’s 15 years old. It’s also weaving through the streets to come across apartments with bullet holes from the war, and trespassing into private property for a quick photoshoot for some internet thing called ‘blog’.

Oliwia from The Gallow blog contacted me the day I landed, insisting for us to bump into eachother for coffee. I had no idea she was 15, she didn’t look or talk like one, and she certainly didn’t dress like one. She may still be the age where ‘meeting for coffee’ means ordering green tea while I sip liquid she still finds too bitter, but her aura was all grown-up, kinda like that girl in middle school that always hung out with high school boys. I always feel thankful that this blog allows me to meet interesting people, and pretty Oliwia was no exception. Look how she’s wearing her H&M skirt inside out just because she liked the lighter pattern.

Top & Shoes – Zara, Shirt as skirt – Mum’s from Stefanel, Bag – Storets.com

Thank you brother for the outfit shots; Shirt as skirt inspired by Elise’s lurvely outfit

I’m slowly starting to realize that a birthday in July is not something I’d like to gift to my child, possibly a November or an April birthday instead. Call me ungrateful but this is one day I allow myself to wallow in self-pity as I scroll through the phone in search of a few who’d want to have dinner with me and eventually give up thinking why am I the one organizing my own birthday party… a sizable chunk of the phonebook is out of the country anyway.
Thank you G for inviting me over for coffee with 3 near-strangers and the delicious bday tart. And for those trying to deduct my age from the number of candles, it’s not 3 for 30, or 23; it’s 3 for 3 – the age of my inner child that sulks over such trivial elements in life. Sorry.

Cardigan – DIY Uniqlo, Top – Uniqlo, Jeans – H! by Henry Holland for Debenhams, Shoes – Zara, Laptop Bag – Samsonite, Bracelet – COS

The best and worst thing about coming back home to Warsaw is that I can pick up exactly where I left off 6 months ago – the same roadworks that still jam the intersection to dad’s restaurant, my car with its front wheels in the garden grass as I last parked it… Even the snow shovel from January is still leaning outside the garage door. The fact that nothing seems to change is haven but at the same time I feel that it robs the satisfaction of being away from something for a long period of time. It’s as if the act of taking everything off except my wig, bra and panties at the security gate was for no cause, or standing an awkward minute too long at the check-in desk waiting for the man to realize how politically uninformed he is to ask whether we are from North or South Korea was an awkward minute wasted.

One thing that does seem to change though, is the increasing number of wrinkles on my parents face each time I visit – I wouldn’t mind taking the gun out of my wig or telling the man that we’re from West Korea if it means I could give the pleasure of giving the folks a visit.

Hat - Angels Sale, Dress – +J Uniqlo, Tights – Courtesy of Gal Stern ‘Lizard’ of Wild Collection, Crop top – Vintage, Shoes – H&M, Bag – Vintage studded, Watch – Casio, Necklace as bracelet – F21, Nailpolish – Model’s Own ‘Red Alert’

Exactly one month ago today was when I put the order for Canon EOS 550D at Calumet, with hopes of picking it up in a few days. I was starting to wonder, as days and weeks crept by, whether they were trying to assemble the camera with sticky rice, or instead of loading it onto an airplane they’d commissioned a Tokyo taxi driver to courier the cameras to London. Little did I know that the lovely volcano with a keyboard-slam of a name would interrupt delivery flights, and the factories lacked parts to birth my baby. Then the call came last Friday, and today Kit and I went to pick up the camera, oh bliss. This photoshoot marks the first hundred shuttercounts of the hopeful millions to come. Thank you 400D for being my closest sketchbook & pencil since 2007.

Thank you Kit for slaving in the heat, waiting on you to join the new-camera club!