Summer Of Rock

Source: Elle France June 2011

Erin Wasson in her dressed down style, captured by photographer Fred Meylan and styled by Anne-Marie Brouillet in last month's issue of Elle France. I like Erin's personal style for the same reasons I like Alexa Chung's style - it's laid back, dressed down, casual, low key, or whatever you wanna call it - it's simply stylish and always looks so effortlessly good. And again I'm loving the hidden tats in the last pic!

White On White

"White... is not a mere absence of colour; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black..."  

                 - Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Source: mode d'amour, The Sartorialist, Hanneli

We all know that white is well and truly in at the moment. White white, cream white, ivory white, ghost white, you've seen it all on the runways and in the magazines and what better way to wear white than pair it with another shade of white. I like all of these looks - the difference in the shades of white are more subtle in some outfits than others but I think all of work very well. Inspiring!

Outfit | Leopard Black

Today's outfit for doing a quick dash into town to sell a guy my old camera lens! I don't often wear black during the daytime and especially not an all black outfit so I threw on the scarf to break it up a bit. I'm really not a huge fan of black. I think living in Singapore has put me off the colour to be honest, just because everyone here wears black and that's all you seem to see. It was actually quite different being in Tokyo where it was the complete opposite - hardly anyone wore black and the people who did, really stood out. But even then I don't think I saw anyone dressed in completely black outfits except for maybe the Goth-Lolita girls. To me it's more of an evening colour, a winter colour or the sort of colour you wear to a funeral. In a place where it's summer all year round, personally I feel more comfortable wearing whites, neutrals, and light colours.

I'm wearing a self-made asymmetrical dress, scarf from Tokyo, sheer blouse from a boutique in Singapore, bag from Taipei, Converse shoes and a DIY gold plated tooth necklace. With the necklace, I took a tooth from James' old topshop bracelet and guilded it using pure gold leaf. It's my favourite necklace to throw on as it goes with just about everything.

Pistachio

I've been following the latest series of Masterchef Australia, and as much as I think it's become more of an entertainment/game show/soap opera at times, it's still good for getting ideas on what to make or try out in the kitchen. So, after seeing lots and lots of desserts that had been finished with some sort of shard or toffee garnish, I decided to make caramelized pistachio shards to go with some ice cream for dessert. I don't usually have that much of a sweet tooth but I packed these full of nuts and they were perfect!

All you need is salted pistachio nuts (80g) and castor sugar (200g). Here's how to make it:

1. Line a baking tray (or chopping board) with foil. Coarsely chop up the pistachio nuts and spread them out in an even single layer. Alternatively, you can crush them using a mortar and pestle which is what i did. It's good to still have big chunky pistachio bits so don't go overboard with the chopping/crushing.

2. Put the castor sugar and three tablespoons of water into a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until all the sugar dissolves.

3. Increase the heat to medium and simmer, without stirring, for approximately 4-5 minutes or until it becomes slightly golden in colour. You need to make sure you keep an eye on it as there is a very fine line between golden caramel and a burnt disaster.

4. Pour spoonfuls over the pistachio nuts and leave to cool completely for 1 hour or until set.

5. Break up into shards and serve with ice cream or your favourite dessert (or if you have a really sweet tooth - just eat it on it's own!)

Enjoy!

Outfit | Khaki Casual

A simple outfit that I wore last Sunday afternoon in Tokyo. It was a hot 30-35 degrees everyday we were in Tokyo but it was a nice heat, like more of a burning but bearable heat! It was a pleasant change from the humid heat in Singapore where you just get drenched in a lovely coat of sweat within 5 minutes of stepping out of the house. I'm wearing a Cotton On men's tee, Uniqlo belt, shorts and necklace from Harajuku. Can someone please just put us on a plane back to Tokyo right now?!

Inspiration | Simple Summer

Adam satin top

MIH-Jeans cuffed shorts

Topshop fringe shoes

Alexander McQueen leather tote

Ray-Ban classic aviator sunglasses

Alexander McQueen leopard scarf

Asian Girls On Top

In V71's first ever Asian issue, Asian supermodels Tao Okamoto, Fei Fei Sun, Shu Pei & Liu Wen feature in a "Girls On Top" editorial, photographed by Terry Tsiolis and styled by Jay Massacret.

Following up from their appearance together in Givenchy's historical haute couture collection in January this year, these models are making their mark in the fashion industry and demonstrating how fast Asia is moving towards fashion's forefront. I love it and it's so refreshing to see!

Givenchy's haute couture collection which was showcased on a cast of exclusively Asian models.

Source: V71 Summer 2011