I've moved on...
...to a different domain. Why, what were you thinking? The truth is, I just woke up one day and decided it's time for a change—a metamorphosis, if you will; or, in layman's terms, if Britney can shave her head, then maybe so can I? Nevertheless, it's been a rather handsome 10 years of talking to you, and thank you for putting up with all my moodswings and terrible dad jokes. Fear not! The hormonal imbalance and jokes are more terrible on CUBICLE, see you there.

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art direction SHINI PARK photography & styling TEAM PARK & CUBE created with support from THE SOFA & CHAIR COMPANY
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Draw me like one of your French girls
Meet Rose. Not named after colour but the fact that it pulls the user gradually down into a posture not unlike the ‘Draw me like one of your French girls’ scene in Titanic. You know this posture very well, one that epitomises comfort and general sexy vibes, yeah that one. And also the fact that technically it’s a two-seater but there sure ain’t any space for Jack on this surface once the Mindy Project goes on. (Sorry Leo) Arms splayed, one foot thrown over the backrest and the other somewhere in a Dorito’s bag – this how I like my 5-minute breaks.

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Blazer & Skirt – Filippa K. Trousers – Filippa K. Gold cap Heels – YSL. Clutch – Whistles (similar).

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Bracelet – Meriko London. Skirt – ASOS. Off-the-shoulder top – Topshop.

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…see the world one more time with rose-tinted shades.

Rose is a great gal, soft but of solid build, great legs too. One afternoon in May I had spent an embarrassing amount of time at the Sofa & Chair Company, doing laps around the showrooms and then poring over fabric books as thick as my forearm. They are known to specialise in bespoke, luxury furniture, and I was in the market for a sofa. If you follow on Pinterest you’ll have noticed this little corner of my brain that still hasn’t reached puberty, clearly one that saw an opportunity and yelled ‘PINK, Let’s just do pink’ after hours of umming and ahhing and many a frazzled nerves of those waiting for me to decide. Six weeks later I met Rose, and I was enamoured by the result. (It could’ve been worse, I have a secret Austin Powers board) The blush fabric (Fabric: KOBE – Samba 38) was pulled over the supple foam-wrapped feather cushioning of the Renoir, and the light bounced cheekily off the dimples created by pulled buttons covered also, in linen blush-pink fabric. A cloud-grey piping (KOBE – 8) swept the edges and married perfectly with the marble coffee table. I was in love.

Ignore my brash Dorito-infused lifestyle for a moment, I’m marking this sofa an icon of awesome spontaneity, and small a reminder to see the world one more time with rose-tinted shades before this sarcasm becomes my identity and it’s too late.

Stay tuned for Part 2: The (gruelling) customization process and a tour of the Sofa & Chair Company factory (specifically, a room filled floor-to-ceiling with pastel-coloured foam, or also known as CAN I HAS DIS).

Shoes – Senso. Coat – Filippa K

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Jumpsuit – Dagmar.

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Pattern from Kim Hargreaves Scarlet pattern book, called ‘Craft‘.

C2B, C2F, KTBL, P2…

…which is not an encoded call to Starfleet, but nonetheless a new language for me this season as I enter a new domain that is sweaters and cable knitting. Before I delve into the complexity of this sort of pattern, let me just say: if I can knit, a mattress can knit. A fingerless mattress. A blind, fingerless mattress. So don’t be discouraged when I say my eyeballs were bleeding and it took literally 32 hours to do a mere 6 inches. Cable knitting follows a grid pattern, and I’m not sure if you’ve tried doing geometry homework while watching a BAZILLION movies, but it sure slows you down (duh). Especially if some of them are Italian (La vita e bella) or French (Amelie) and you get your subtitles and knitting pattern confused and end up knitting “Bongiorno principessa“, then undo the entire row afterwards. It’s all good fun though, and not at all hard if you have Youtube and some time handy, which is exactly what this Christmas was, spending it quietly in London just with the hubby.

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Ballerina flats – Josefinas

Ryan G

These navy classic ballerinas are from a Portugese brand called Josefinas, but considering how much I fondle them and dream of spring-time dates by the riverside I’ve decided to name it ‘Ryan G’ so that when the times comes I can say ‘I’m taking Ryan out for a ride’ and confuse the crap out of hubby. For now Ryan G’s in winter hibernation in a snug silk dust bag that smells like Eucalyptus.

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White candle – Diptyque ‘Cypres’. Dark candle – Dior 30 Montaigne. Cuff – Chanel ‘boy’ lego brick cuff. Rings – Monica Vinader stacking rings

I’ll count, you hide.

A couple firm favourites from 2013 that I’ll be taking into 2014: a Mikimoto circle pearl necklace that used to be my mother’s, Monica Vinader stacking rings (Baja and Diamond pave), and Chanel ‘boy’ lego brick cuff from the Cruise 13 collection. The cuff is actually on loan from the Chanel press office to ‘play’ with (their words, not mine), although the most ‘playing’ I’ve done so far with it was wrapping it with bubble-wrap and placing it in a 6-digit-code safe. Which is what I used to do with my prettier looking Barbies anyway so I guess that does count as playing.  

 

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Necklace – FHH Accessories via Lulu Guiness. (Similar here)

Come on baby light my fire

When this arrived in the mail my pyromaniac husband put it around his neck and ran around the flat giggling. I’m afraid I’m not even kidding. I swear one day he will burst into flames from sheer girliness.

 

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Striped top – c/o Gudrun Sjoden. PJ Bottoms – Gift from mummy (from Oysho, I believe)

A new surface

Ever since spilling beer all over my slightly more ‘agile’ laptop (aka not a tank) I’ve had to get out of bed, walk a meter, sit in a chair, and start my day on the internet like a normal human being. However, thanks to the recent acquisition of Microsoft Surface 2, a tablet with a handy keypad/cover that snaps onto the side, I’ve been able to return to my blissful lifestyle of a single-cell organism, that is: wake up, troll online, sleep. Some kidding aside, so far it really has boosted my level of productivity, although if you’ve e-mailed me in the past couple of months and didn’t receive a response, MY DOG ATE MY PURPLE KEYBOARD OKAY.

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Wool & the Gang ‘Ashleigh’ sweater knit kit, with custom elongated sleeves.

Chunky monkey

World, meet my first ever hand-knitted sweater! All thanks to Wool & the Gang, who generously supplied with the pattern, wool and constant cheering throughout. Their HQ happens to be located about 2 minutes walk from where I live, so sometimes I hear a ‘GO SHINI!’ which usually just turns out to be one of the teachers in the school behind my building yelling ‘NO SHITTING!’. Which, don’t get me wrong, is pretty good encouragement too because one mustn’t poop in the living room. This particular pattern didn’t take long to do (6-8 hours in total?) as the yarn is super chunky, so I’d say it’s perfect for first time sweater knitters!

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Perfume – Kenzo Flower in the Air

In the air

A whiff of the Flower in the Air takes me back to that one day in June when I took a train to Paris, rode a ferris wheel by the river, and again, then hopped back on a train and came home. A fleeting moment, that’s what it smells like, which is surprisingly lyrical compared to the usual scent pairing with my sarcastic temperament. On the skin, it’s a clean, modern scent, quite sharp at first, but settles into a comfortable floral blend of rose, gardenia… almost berry-like. I can’t wait for it to snow a little actually, I have a feeling this might be a great pairing, albeit slightly ironic.

 

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Time machine

Watch & straps – Daniel Wellington

Somehow the folks over at Daniel Wellington know about the unfortunate vintage watch I cracked with a plier three years ago, I think. Then again, it was a plier that usually does the pipes under the sink, I don’t know what I was expecting. My hand slipped and crack, a spiderweb on the watch face. A roll of duct tape was the only adhesive tapey thingy I had in the flat, and for a week I’d only know when it was 2:15. This DW set, however, comes with a tool that sings finesse: a firm nudge and it dislodges the bar from the hinges, which you then slide out the leather, and back on the hinges again. The grosgrain ribbon (that comes with a rose-gold buckle) slides through the bars, then secured. I can probably duct tape my eyes shut and do it again. Curse you plier! 

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Behind the scenes at the YSL Rouge Volupté Shine mini-photoshoot

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Waring: Sweater – Quiksilver. Skirt – Alexander McQueen. Shoes – ASOS.

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Shade: 3 Violet INcognito

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Shade: 3 Violet INcognito

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This was back when I was in Paris for a night in celebration of a particularly silky and sensual YSL lipstick range called Rouge Volupté Shine – a small photoshoot was organized for a select few bloggers and each of us were assigned colours and themes from the collection to represent. You would think that after years of pouting with a bottle of mouthwash in one hand, delivering catchphrases like Jennifer Love Hewitt to the mirror while your brother bangs on the bathroom door (who eventually resorts to peeing in a bush in the garden) would prepare you at all for situations such a these. Well no, apparently my face hits a 404 error at Lights, camera, action! and it forgets how to blink… or just malfunctions altogether. The morning of the shoot I’d rejoiced when I found one of my lipsticks to be called INcognito, which I thought meant I could basically do what I do best and hide behind a curtain of hair, or maybe even just a thick curtain, but as it was deep violet in colour and also one of the darkest shade in the range I was directed to act like a surprised vampy spy caught in the act, face twitching or not. So all-in-all, I must say I have newfound respect for models in beauty campaigns, and also find myself very snug in the pro-photoshop side of things.

A huge thank you to YSL Beauty & Ykone for a wonderful day and an eye-opening experience!

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Forever classics

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Creamy cashmere staples from the White Company
Airbag for everyday cycling safety thanks to Chanel (Cocoon collection) of course.
Barely there – Chain ring by Iwona Ludyga, Green sapphire necklace by Laura Lee and mummy’s old gold rings
Second skin T by Alexander Wang (grey | black)
Superhero cape for any woman – black stilettos by Christian Louboutin (Corneille Kid)
The leather jacket (Shearling for colder seasons – Muubaa Aurora)

I had it all figured out – I built a machine (The Winchester) that would guarantee survival for myself and Emma Stone (and Jennifer Lawrence, if she’s up for that kind of relationship) when the first fiery meteor of the Apocalypse hits the world. We’d sit in it, have a pint and wait for it all to blow over, then we’d step out onto a charred earth and repopulate and generally live happily ever after. And these are a few things I’d have packed – timeless pieces so I don’t unnecessarily exchange food for the latest alien trend, but I understand old habits will die hard (i.e see me shell out kebabs for a pair of Charlotte Olympia kitty flats this season).

It takes a while to understand which pieces are Forever classics for you, and I believe we all have different sets, but for me it was seeing what I took into the shower every day, and the kind of clothes I wanted to slip into the minute I dried off. Not to forget of course, little accents like red lips or a pair of Louboutins (my first!) that help take on the day. I’d also add the Isabel Marant sneakers as a Forever classic, but I’ll save that for if & when I’m doing ‘What’s in the diaper bag’ post, as I’m convinced it’ll be the only thing I’ll wear from ‘fashion’ once a junior is born in the far future.

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Daytime tote’n: 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli satchel via Monnier Freres

Front/rear lights for my bicycle that I never realized I had – I swear this bag belonged to Mary Poppins
Cutler & Gross sunnies, window reflection sadly does not come with.
LC-A+ camera because I’m too cool for school, or too poor for the Canon EOS M.
3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli satchel in pine green, AKA our Christmas tree this year.
Urbanears in ‘do-not-disturb’ tomato-red, and best noise cancelling headphones.
Spare battery and memory card for the beast that bears the name of Canon + business cards for this enterprise.
Samsung Galaxy SIII – another one of my horcruxes.
House keys and oyster card, if I’m clumsy enough to lose this I should be put into jail.
Fashionary planner 2013 (also featured in first image) and assortment of pens + portable watercolour kit
Wallet from Chloé, red for ‘warning’ or ‘danger’, or would yellow wallet be a better reminder that I don’t have unlimited funds?
Tapestry pouch, stolen from mummy who had it since we lived in Austria in the late 80’s.
Leather gloves from ASOS with slits, for knuckle dusters, naturally.
Not pictured, but the main culprit for carpal tunnel and all known diseases, Canon 5D Mark II + lens

I carry my laptop if I feel particularly insane that day.
Beauty bag: YSL Rouge pur Couture lip stain (10), Estee Lauder lipstick (Lilac) & lipliner (in 03 Tawny), Valentino Valentino mini Eau de Parfum, bobby pins, Chanel bronzing compact

… and a compressed version of that for the evening: DVF Carolina lip bag via Monnier Freres

Stella McCartney Falabella zip pouch as a thin wallet alternative.
YSL travel compact, bought at the airport under pressure of ‘duty free’
DVF Carolina lip bag, bumping strangers in the tube with the lips and being awkwardly intimate.
YSL Touche Eclat for lightening touchups, perfect for under-eye baggage.
Samsung Galaxy SIII – another one of my horcrux.
Chanel ‘Laser’ lipgloss for the impromptu jedi battle, naturally.
Balenciaga Eau de Parfum purse spray (mini vial), also can be pepperspray, depending on situation.