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Saudi Born, European Educated, Hong Kong situated fashion loving Editor and Fashion Director in the luxury publishing sector

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Filthy Magical Baubles


It's Typhoon 8 in Hong Kong, my friend told me that the last time this happened he saw a cow fly by his window.  Naturally, I got very upset about this and spent the morning running around Hong Kong tying down all the cows.  

Now that all of the cow's are secure I can tell you about filthy magical baubles.  

I discovered two amazing jewellery websites thanks to Stripes and Sequins Blog.  Bauble Bar is a savage (awesome, fantastic, sweet, cool, rad, substitute as you see fit) website.  Matt neon set in classic metal settings make for some pretty neck candy.
www.baublebar.com
Unfortunately this isn't in stock anymore but I'm sure a little e-mail could move the manufacturing machine along.

I also love anything monogrammed and personalized, when I was 18 my dad wrote my name in arabic and got a jeweller to make it into a gold ring in his handwriting.  I haven't taken it off since.  Unfortunately Dervla is pronounced Jerbila in the Middle East and the jeweller's exact words to me were, (thick Arabic Accent for full effect), 
"Jerbila ees verry verry ugleee een Arrrabic....choose a deefarant name."

So my dad suggested my middle name Catherine.  

"Much Betta een arabie", was the jewellers response...

If they call Pepsi into Bebsi, and Birthday into Birzday, then I guess Dervla can be Catherine in the Middle East.

These monogrammed friendship bracelets allow you to personalize three names, so they are perfect gifts for your girlfriends or your mom.

Bauble Bar 3 Name Friendship Bracelet



There are so many other great finds so go onto the website and check it out.

Next on the list is Filthy Magic.  I wanted everything from this website so I was happy when I saw the super friendly prices.  It's a great place to shop if you want to try out a few new jewellery trends without breaking the bank.  Here are some of my favorites.

Buy Nail Ring here Only $14 US!
Buy Shirt Collar Necklace



Buy Horn Ring here Only $17 US



There is so many more great pieces so check both of these sites out

Friday, June 29, 2012

Vintage Pop Up Shop June 29th and 30th

After 4 hours of Visual merchandising and trying not to buy the Gucci Boots that are begging me to take them home (more on that below) the Vintage Pop Up Shop at Noho House is ready to go.  Personally I think Simon Doonan would be proud!



We're only open today and tomorrow and everything is for sale, down to the beautiful white Laura Ashley-esque furniture and the vintage framed posters.  

So grab your mother and friends and enjoy a glass of wine while you purchase designer clothes and support Redress NGO with every item bought.

DATE
Today (June 28th) and Tomorrow (June 30th)


ADDRESS
NoHo House
3 Shin Hing Street
Central
Hong Kong

TIME
11AM - 8PM


Here are some of the great pieces that are looking for new homes
Gucci Boots

Lace Up Italian Boots
Pucci Jacket

Giuseppe Zanotti Heels

Christian Dior Biker Boots

Going nutty for nuts

Day 3 as a vegan has commenced....

Day 3 of overdosing on peanuts and dried mango has also commenced....

Day 3 of walking into a shop and not being able to buy ANYTHING to eat has also commenced....

But....I feel great and after some research on google I have found out about the many lovely things I can eat instead of mangos and peanuts....

I will miss Ranch Dressing but will replace it with hummus :)

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Animal Lover's Diet

What do Lea Michelle, Natalie Portman, Elijah Wood and Alicia Silverstone all have in common?

They are all vegan.

This term has been written about, blogged about, and is enjoying a cult following.  So I've decided to take on this trend and delve a little deeper. 


It started last week....

Incident 1: I was going about my usual morning routine and cracked open my hardboiled egg.  What I found underneath was a fluorescent yellow boiled egg...my stomach turned and I was put off eggs straight away and haven't touched one since.  To all of you who think double yolks are lucky...think again, personally there is nothing lucky for your body about a genetically modified egg.

Incident 2: I have to walk through a wet market (open food market) every morning and evening to get to work.  The smell of raw meat....the jumping fish being sold still alive....and seeing the same pigs head hanging for a month finally wore me down.  Every time I thought about eating meat my stomach went weird and I opted for something else.

Incident 3: I looked a bit further into it and watched "Meet your Meat" (video below) please be warned it has some very graphic content.  This was the final straw and my chicken satay, beef stir fry and honey ham days are well and truly over.


Following the above 3 incidents it has been surprisingly easy to take on the 30 day vegan challenge.  Yesterday was easy as the thought, taste and smell of anything animal related makes me kind of queasy.    I am also staying away from palm oil (which costs the lives of over 1,000 Orangutans a year).  Have a look at the below video.


I have discovered that palm oil is in everything...it's difficult to find food that it is not in, but I love monkey's so it's worth it.  I could never hurt an animal or butcher it, and therefore I don't think it's fair to eat it.  Try it for a day if you want to challenge yourself, it's way easier than you think.

I plan on looking further into this, vegan high fashion, a celebrity cook book with only vegan recipes.


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Roger Vivier gets bejewelled in "A Queen Forever"

A girl can never have enough jewels or shoes.  Now you can have both thanks to Roger Vivier!




In celebration of the Diamond Jubilee, the Creative Director of Maison Roger Vivier, Bruno Frisoni created "A Queen Forever".  The diamond-enrusted shoe is truly fit for royalty and was hand crafted in coordination with The East India Company.  The shoe was inspired by the original shoe designed for the Coronation of HM Queen Elizabeth II.  

If you would like to view this once in a lifetime dazzler, you can book an appointment at Roger Vivier London or experience it afterwards at the diamond "Brilliant Exhibition" Masterpiece Fair in london from june 28th to july 4th 2012.  


An Aramco Brat in Sand Land

Growing up in Saudi Arabia had a profound effect on me.  Here are a few things that I remember.



1. Everyone could do a perfect Indian Accent and therefore would be perfect employees of Sky Digital Customer Service

2. All of the snack bar staff was called "my friend"

3. A five star Shawarma came from golden juice corner in Khobar

4. A 1 star Shwarma came from the snack bar stuffed with mayonnaise and french fries

5. Sid is the illegal version of Bacardi Rum, the only thing that will counteract the petrol taste is mixed fruit juice saudi style

6. Saudi Sandals suddenly made a statement in the year 2005 when the GOLD versions came out.  Those who had them kept their mouths firmly shut about where they got them,  and simply mentioned a vendor called Abdullah and chuckled while they walked away from the confused enquirer

7. The sound of a microwaves beeping at early hours of the morning and parents waking up with no food left in the fridge on a weekly basis.  A result of some funny plants...I will say no more

8. Thinking you were the shizz if your parents had suped up your golf cart 

9. Coca Cola costing 1 Riyal thats 26 cents US.  And the outrage that ensued when it was raised to 1.50 Riyals

10. Thinking you were badass if you drank non alcoholic beer

11. Note to younger self: On the first day of Kindergarten do NOT pick the piglet as your year long cuddly toy.  Social faux pas at age of 6

12. Thinking that the person at customs who had the job of coloring in all the scantily clad girls in bikinis must have loved his job

13. My brother and his friends being arrested 4 hours before their flight back to boarding school for chasing camels on quads in the desert.  They ruled out farming and herding as job options following this

14. "Give it to me your ID"

15. Getting caught speeding on the golf cart...not realizing it was possible to speed in a golf cart

16. Hiding my many purchases in my best friends house (next door neighbor) and shuffling them through our connecting garden gate into my room after my parents went to sleep

17. Having a golf course in the backyard and not using it once

18. Trying to sell green scones (too much baking soda) at the commissary by wrapping them in colorful paper age 10....my mum getting a lot of phone calls...my dad seeing a lot of patients with food poisoning

19. The weather constantly being at 114 degrees because if it got too hot certain people couldn't work...something illegal in that somewhere

20. A certain someone believing that there was a special chartered flight from Abqaiq to Khobar.  Abqaiq and Khobar are only 69 kilometres away, 47 minutes in a car which would have meant a ten minute plane ride...it being funny forever

21. Atcha Batcha

22. Getting yelled at by Omar the lifeguard, for getting into the jacuzzi or sauna before you turned 18.  Spending the next three hours trying to get back in.

23.  Being forced to work as a lifeguard by your parents to make yourself useful during your time off college....not listening in class...spending every minute working hoping nobody ever drowned

24.  Getting my mum to cook lasagna (his favorite food) for the lifeguard instructor who was grading us later that day....him telling me I was lucky that my mum was such a good cook when I got my certificate

25.  Becoming very good at intensely timed shopping due to prayer times 


Please e-mail me at dervlalouli@gmail.com if you have anymore you'd like me to add

Fast Fashion to slow down in 2013

We all know the initial cheap thrill of rushing into H&M or Primark and finding a dress that we have literally seen only a few weeks previously on a catwalk.  It doesn't last long though, in fact it probably lasts only 5% as long as the high you got when you purchased that Italian leather handbag that you saved up for and had been coveting for months.

This is the problem with fast fashion and in a way I am quite happy to say that in 2013 it is looking set to slow down.  I have always been drawn to quality items and will happily pay a lot more for something that will last me through many seasons.  

Take for example the Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Hillier Hobo
I wanted this for a year before I finally purchased it.  They still produce it every season and the leather is so soft.  Black leather with gold accents is an expensive and elegant looking combination.  I use this bag for casual events and for work as it fits all my documents.  It is a bag that has been loved and used and abused and I still have that thrill from the day I finally got it.

Image courtesy of Marc Jacobs

Moving onto a classic, the Chanel 2.55 is a bag that can be dressed up for the evening, and down for the day is the Chanel 2.55. This bag is an investment but one that you will give to your daughters one day.  In addition it also has enough pockets and secret compartments to keep even Sherlock Holmes happy.  Be warned, your friend, sister, mother and grandmother will all be asking to borrow it.  Say yes, this bag looks better after it has been loved a lot.

 Image courtesy of Chanel

Once you have these you can buy all those fast flash neon pieces from high street shops for "purse friendly" prices.  Because lets face it Coachella only comes around once a year and neon pink kinda looks better on 6 year olds.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Summer Sandals

As I was walking by the window display at H&M this morning these caught my eye.  
Very pretty for summer and so easy to wear with casual or dressy outfits.
Purse friendly too!

Shoes $17.95 H&m


Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Best of Net-A-Porter Sale

For those of you with a habit for impulsive shopping cut your credit cards in half before heading to the Net A Porter online sale.  I did a virtual closet shop in the hope that my luxury shopping addiction will be curbed.

Fluffy Oscar de la Renta marshmallow dresses, gothic Alexander McQueen Galore, Valentino, Lanvin and Yves Saint Laurent to name a few.

Enjoy


Heres the Best of the Best


My personal favorite

LANVIN


Tiered silk-gazar mini dress


Was £2,421.74 Now £1,210.87 50% OFF
Lanvin Silk-Gazar Mini Dress

Everything can be found at Net-A-Porter but be quick many of the best items are going fast!

































And last but not least from Yves Saint Laurent, because everyone needs a bit of crazy in their life!