The fashion scene takes off!

I must say that I’m not proud that I have neglected my blog for almost three weeks. I took off to Hong Kong early in the month and just shopped the holidays away. More on that when I finally get around to putting up pictures sometime later next week.

On the bright side, I’m so excited that the fashion scene is bustling with activities back home.

Forever 21 opened its flagship store at orchard exchange last Friday, H&M is opening theirs soon. Paul Frank too at Ion. And can you believe that Abercrombie is hot on their heels, opening its 4 storeys flagship store at Knightsbridge? Say hello to a fantastic, insane Christmas shopping. I’m excited already.

And you know what? I can’t wait to show you what is coming through from the US!

Canada: Calgary

Calgary in its own rights, is a pretty charming town.

Not only is it famous for the Canadian Rockies, it is also famous for the Canada Olympic Park and Scotiabank Saddledome.

At the Canada Olympic Park, you get to read about the history of the Winter Olympics, try on some equipment and play some sport - if you are up to it.

After exploring the exhibits at the visitor centre, you should head up the hill to check out the ski jump complex.

Fifteen minutes of uphill climb and chilly wind later, we’ve arrived!

The scenery is pretty… Till you look down!

Skiers are such brave people!

Similar to the Olympic Park, Sandledome also held some Olympic games during the Winter Olympics in 1988. It lies near the grounds of the Stampede Corral. Ice Hockey anyone?

It is not difficult to understand why Sandledome is named the way it is.

Unlike Toronto, you can pretty much see most of Calgary when you are at the observatory deck at the Calgary Tower. Besides having the Rockies protruding at the far end of Calgary, the city is laid in neat rows on flat land.

Far right: Calgary Tower.

The Rockies lies right at the end on the far left.

In my entire life up till then, I have never really seen a full mountain range from afar. I vividly remember peering down on Calgary from the air and teared at the sight of the Rockies. It was and still is very beautiful.

The other side of Calgary.

The business district of Calgary at night.

Even during autumn, the streets of Calgary resonates the charms of Winter.

And guess what Calgary has that Singapore doesn’t?

Now A&W won’t you just come to Singapore?

Chanel: You had me at 18

Chanel is addictive.

It’s cliche to say that “once you start, you just can’t stop”.

But it truly is.

My not-so-secret love affair with Chanel started exactly 2 years back. Way before the crazy price hike. Way before women, and for that matter, men, became obsessed with the CCs.

It was quite coincidental.

I found it a pity that my sister wanted to sell her bag to a reseller and decided that I had to buy it off from her. Poor reseller who practically drooled at the bag. But thank God for the lucky save. That bag probably costs thrice its price now and no way I’m parting with it.

And since, I have babied more CC bags than nieces. I have also succumbed to CC jewellery temptation. Not to mention, how infatuated I am with Chanel’s make-up.

My deepest love for Chanel has yet to begin and lies undiscovered, tucked away at Chanel’s l’Espace.

With an open mind, my sister and I made an appointment with Jean, the perfume specialist at Chanel. We were promised an olfactory experience the Chanel way, that is set to change the way we thought about perfumes. Also, unlike the perfume bar at Ngee Ann, at l’Espace MBS, we were guaranteed an intimate experience with Les Exclusifs De Chanel parfum. It is notable that MBS perfume bar is the only fragrance boutique in whole of South-East Asia that retails Les Exclusifs.

The counter is overlaid in black and white. The chairs were made of tweet material. In an instance, I felt like a little girl in a gigantic boutique store going wow.

Before my eyes were rows of ceramic blotters. I was surprised to know that each blotter represented a Chanel perfume. I didn’t know that there were that many Chanel perfumes!

These are the 12 Les Exclusifs De Chanel parfum. Lined neatly in a row with the ceramic blotter.

Advertorial postcard that I received two months back.

Our journey started at 31 Rue Cambon where Coco Chanel looked on the media and press through the reflection of the mirror-panelled wall alongside the infamous spiral staircase. Fresh grassy spring with a thin breeze of Parisian air. The scent journey continued into the bright floral of Spring and the woodiness of the forest. Say hello to Allure and Chance. As we walked through 28 La Pausa, and waved goodbye to the flora aroma, we were led to experience the variants of No. 5.

No.5 is powerful in its own right. It marked the turning point of perfumes. No longer do women need to spot a single scent of their favourite flower, but now, they were given the rights to own a scent that was rich and womenly. It was at this point in the journey that I realise that Eau de Toilette need not necessarily be a thinner and lighter version of the Eau de Parfum. It is all about what the perfumer wants to highlight.

A coffee-break later, we were led to discover some of Coco’s favourite haunts - 18 Place Vendôme and 31 Rue Cambon- and the Gardenia. Three unique scents that will appeal to different types of people. 2 hours later, as our journey came to an end, we were greeted with whiffs of masculine scents that were darker, more mysterious and woody. As a finale, the perfume experience ended with Bois des Iles and Cuir de Russie - whiffs of leather and tobacco. An interesting ending note I have to say.

So the question is which fragrance hit all the right notes with me?

No. 18.

To Coco Chanel, this perfume was a representation of one of her favourite place. 18 Place Vendôm. The street in Paris that sold Fine Jewellery. No. 18  is essentially a fragrance that is to resemble that of a diamond. Multi-faceted, sparkly, and beautiful.

But to me, No. 18 is sweet, surprising and most importantly, it is my favourite number. It is also a scent that I have never owned - all my perfumes are flora, powdery with an underlying vanilla tone. No. 18 is also part of Les Exclusifs De Chanel parfum - only the best and most precious ingredients go into the line. A rarely used perfume ingredient, ardette seeds, went into the bottle that I bought.

As a parting gift, Jean gifted us with this pretty little ceramic charms spritzed with our favourite scent.

Maybe its time for me to explore the Chanel clothes rack.

Canada: Banff

People who say that there is nothing to do in Canada have never been to Canada’s pride national park.

Next stop in project touring Canada: Banff.

Famous for its snow-capped mountains and lush green, Banff is one of the top destination for locals and tourists alike.

This place is heaven. Although, my Finnish friends were quick to add that this does look like their yearly Christmas season back home. But till I knock on the doors of Santa Claus and ask for a spin in his sleigh, let’s just stick to the itinerary.

Tunnel Mountain.

One can easily figure out why Banff is one of the 1001 places to see before you die.

Banff is gorgeous. It’s hard to contain one’s excitement in this white wonderland.

The air is fresh. So fresh, I truly believed that my lungs were renewed.

Country music - checked. Sports wheels - checked. Here goes the road trip!

The first stop. Lake Minnewanka. It is called the “Lake of the Spirits”.

Nothing truly spooky about this place. Just a sense of calmness.

Along the road, we encountered many animals. This truly is a national park. Big-horned sheep ahead!

Gorgeous coat.

I had hoped that we would have seen more than these sheep - like elks or deers - but no such luck as the weather turned for the worse the following day.

Banff is pretty in all directions. This random shot taken from inside the moving car is proof.

Banff is overgrowing with pine trees. The smell is so refreshing.

The climb is steep and long, but we definitely need to reach the peak of Sulfur Mountain.

See that? Yes, that is where we will be heading towards.

Victory picture with my Finnish friends.

On the way down, we spotted the Brewstar.

How I wished I had the time to visit the polar bears!

And as night falls, what a lovely little castle to live in for the night… Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.

There are of course other places that are worthy of a visit in Banff.

On the top of the list is Lake Louise.

A pity it was really snowy. So we couldn’t take a good snap shot of the vast lake.

The town is charming though…

What better way to end the trip then to tuck in to a Wendy’s meal.

Vancouver: Whistler.

With only four days in Vancouver, I managed to squeeze in a day at Whistler. After all, I do need to satisfy my craving for snowboarding.

A pity I had only enough time to shop, but not enough time to try the slopes!

Just look at those people go. Utterly jealous.

But hey, there is shopping ain’t there?

Of all the cities I have travelled, it is just ironic that the place that has the most christmas-spirited lighting is in Singapore.

As it turns out, the weather got worse as the day went by.

I had to try something. So… What is left but…

Tubing!

It was totally hilarious. All we wanted to do was to sit in the tubes to take picture. But we got really really stuck…

Or at least I was.

That’s my JC friend who has since gotten hitched.

Love the snow, hate the frozen butt.

Did I mention that my favourite winter sports to watch is Curling?

Reebonz goes global on wheels!

The night was young and bustling with excitement at Chjimes.

Fans of reebonz gathered at Chjimes to snag their favourite bags and to take a sneak peak of Reebonz’s latest business platform - the truck!

Photo credits: Channel Newsasia

While I did not manage to snap a picture of the truck myself - I did busy myself and snuck in before the 7pm start time!

The dress code was elegant causal. So I paired my fushia maxi with an asos pleated bag - I won’t risk my Chanel in a mad crowd! And my new found love - black Fendi cuff.

Of course I brought my best pal - my sister to the event. Or as my sister will claim, it was the other way around. She was the shopper, I was the accessory.

As my sister shopped the shelves - note the absolutely neat display behind her - I was happy to whirl around with my glass of sparkling wine.

I just love the mosaic tiles on the church floor.

Not before long, the clock struck 7pm and the crowd came flowing in.

Note the messy shelf.

Note the long long long queue to browse the truck!

But of course, we had snagged a lovely Miu Miu flat clutch way before the crowd made its way in and weren’t too bothered to queue to go up the truck.

To inject a little humour, Reebonz had to give us this as a parting gift.

But honey, if you were really that kind, I won’t have mind to have this as a parting gift.

But the best surprise of the evening is to run into your long-lost primary school friend! The last time I bumped into her was on a train many years back. Talk about Singapore being awfully small.

What a great evening.

Vancouver: Victoria Island

One of my favourite places in Vancouver is Victoria Island. An unassuming little town with an old charm that lingers in your heart three years on.

I’m a city girl, and to wake up in one of these must be a total enjoyment.

And as usual, I’m decked in my all time odd attire. Love the shoes though.

Lunch was this mouth-watering plate of beer-battered fish-and-chips. Nothing beats eating seafood along the docks. For that matter, nothing beats eating seafood along the coasts!

If you have just about 1 hour extra, you should take time to visit their Miniature World. This place is a toy haven for children and adults.

It’s quirky, whimsical… and fun!

I was genuinely impressed with the detailing.

Everything is clock work. Right to the carriages.

A lot of people stopped to take pictures at this huge display depicting fairy land.

A tribute to London.

I could go on and on rambling about the museum.

But with one hour to go and a ferry to catch back to mainland, it’s shopping time!

After all, I really truly am a city girl at heart.

Paradise at ASOS

ASOS is fast becoming my new BFF.

A wide range of fashionable clothes at an affordable price plus superb shipping makes for a very lucrative business model indeed.

If I can’t afford the time to go shopping at the brick-and-mortar shops, hello online paradise.

I was pretty glad that I jumped onto the band wagon when they were having winter sales.

I have a strange fascination with clutches. Especially beaded ones. I got this for £12!

Recently, I also managed to secure a hot shoe item. It took me two weeks of persistent load-and-reload to get the size and colour that I want.

My second booties! It’s really really tall.

I love the lace details and the side zip.

But I just swoon at the ribbon at the back.

Asos is having a 20% off selected brands.

Byzantine Times

I have been for the past year, inspired by Chanel’s Byzantine collection.

Humungously sized, overpowering with gold and blatant faux gem set jewellery is totally the It jewellery of the season.

Unfortunately, I have been too mortified to purchase Chanel’s Byzantine cross necklaces. Honey, for that price, I think I rather splurge it on Louboutins.

Anyway, as I was browsing through Kenneth Jay Lane’s jewellery on net-a-porter’s site, behold!

Gorgeous don’t you think?

Rose Tourbillion

Hey ladies, it has been a while.

I finally had the time to pop by Chanel to get my eye candy fix. A pity I did not like any of the new colours on the bags. Fall colours ain’t my cup of tea. But, I did hear that the pre-fall collection jewellery will be in store sometime mid June! So I’m definitely getting my eyes on that collectio.

Anyway, after 2 months worth of combing all the Chanel beauty outlets in Singapore…

My luck has turned for the better!

Do you see what I see? It’s rose tourbillion! The sold out blush colour in Singapore!

An asia limited edition fit to flatter any lady.

Check out the vibrant colour. Falling in love with Chanel’s blushers is just an understatement.

I also snag the pearl highlighter at 20% off!

I haven’t gotten around to using any of them, because they are just too precious.

The smell of rose for spring is just too good to be true.