Farewell 2014 with Celine Trapeze

Over the holiday and my birthday, my good friend Amanda surprised me and sent me a box of goodies all the way from Chile. Amanda and I "met" through the infamous The Purse Forum several years ago. What drew us in was the obvious: our passion and addiction with all things handbags. Over the year, we have chatted on an almost daily basis. Seriously, I talk to this girl more than I talk to my own family sometimes. We talk about everything under the sky but mostly around all things "superficial"...handbags, shopping, beauty and the occasion complaints about each other's "significant others" (shhhh)!!
Long story short, sending each other parcels isn't a new thing to us but when she generously gave me this beautiful Celine Trapeze as my birthday present, I was over the moon. The bag is designed beautifully. This is the older version so it lacks the back outside pocket. It is definitely not the most practical bag but it is such a lovely purse. Thank you Amanda, I will treasure this gift forever!
Oh, by the way, what is everyone doing on the last few days of 2014? I will be working but I do get off early on the 31st so we may end up just going to a movie and relax :)
Thanks so much for reading my very "dull" blogger life :) I hope you a healthy happy New Year, and I shall "see" you all soon <3

Coat from H&M (last year, got it at a bargain. I was in almost the same outfit too, see this post), Frey riding boots (similar pairhere), Celine Trapeze handbag, Lindberg sunglasses, Baublebar ear cuffs (here), Etsy wide band ring and stackable bands (from Nepheliad use LOYAL15 for 15% off good until 01/15/15), beautiful beaded bracelets created by my friend Mona, check out her drool worthy Instagram here

Coach Rhyder 24 Satchel

I am a bag girl at heart. What does that mean? That means, I kind of consider myself a handbag lover, collector (barely) and admirer. My love affair with handbags sprung about ten years ago when I was introduced to Coach. I was a student with minimum disposable cash so when I was given a gift certificate to go shop at this American iconic brand, you can imagine my excitement. I still remember what I chose as my first, it was a Coach logo fabric mixed leather hobo bag in black. I loved it, used it until the hardware tarnished and had to give away eventually.
Many of you may have different ideas about Coach. The brand has definitely morphed throughout the years. I can't say I love every single style but I am attracted to their smaller cross-body bags the most. Last winter I bought an awesome saffiano leather mini Tanner cross-body in navy (first seen in this post) so this time I decided to get something in a brighter hue. When I actually went into a Coach store eventually, this cutie Rhyder caught my eyes.
This bag has the nicest buttery leather. I especially love all the silver buckles.  Due to the suppleness of the leather, you can fit a lot more than you would expect from such a compact design. The strap is adjustable so it is versatile for people of all heights. Check out Coach's handbags selection this holiday season. I also picked up a wristlet in the same orange hue for my mum (shhhh). Although I have several other designers handbags, Coach always has a special place in my heart :)

p.s. this post is not sponsored whatsoever.

Zara scarf (from previous season), Levi's ID curve jeans, Coach 24 Rhyder 24 Satchel (here in five colours), Lindberg sunglassess, Bear Two blazer and David Yurman moonstone ring (here).

I am off to Las Vegas for 2014 US National table tennis tournament this week. Wish me luck :)

Happy Birthday to me 2014

Who else here is a December baby? I used to not liking having birthday in December (not that I have any choice lol). As a kid, you want to have as many chances for toys as possible. So when your birthday is a couple of weeks away from the biggest holiday of all time, Christmas, you secretly wished the two could have been further apart. Now that I am older (well, a LOT older), I actually do not mind having a December birthday. I have more reason to celebrate by having a nice evening out with yummy food and basically just declare December is my birthday month :)
In parts of the world, it is the 9th of December already but here in the Pacific Northwest of America, there are still a couple of hours before the 9th. However I am already looking forward to tomorrow night when I will be taken to a new Italian place for dinner. I will tell you guys all about it in my next post but if you are curious, follow me on InstaGram (@kiwifashionblog) because it's highly likely I will be posting pictures :)

Coach mini Tanner bag (last year but my honey bought this one for me this year for my birthday), Levi's floral leggings, Sam Edelman Petty booties (in Putty colour here), Stella and Dot necklace (old but lovethis one) and Baublebar 360 earrings (sold out, but very similar here, use INSTAGLAM for 30% off until 12/09). I have a crush on this, I might already bought two other pairs..opps. But hey with the extra coupon code, it's almost like it's my birthday special for us all :)

Thank you so much for reading. I will now enjoy my evening tea and get ready for bed :) 

Freezing December

I am smiling (or trying to squeeze out a smile?) in these pictures but trust me, it was FRIGID. Do not let the sun fool you though. The wind chill really makes the temperature feel even colder! I was going to show you what I was wearing on my fingers but I could not help it by wearing gloves. I think I will wait to show them to you next time in case my fingers getting frost bites and fall off :D
It is official December. Did you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend? I love December because it is my birthday month and we get to go visit Las Vegas in two weeks to play the US National Table Tennis tournament! It is still Cyber Monday right now so excuse me, I need to go browse now :) Have a great rest of the week!

Balenciaga black moto jacket (I got my via Hgbags here), Express skinny leggings (highly recommended for petite hippy girl, 50% off here), Coach leather gloves Vince Camuto booties, Stella and Dot scarf (more options here), Rebecca Minkoff MAC bag in red (other colours here) and Lindberg sunglassess

First winter post with Zara and Rebecca Minkoff

Oh how I have ignored my blog in the last month or so is not something I can find a word to describe it. So what happened? Well, the usual, I have been busy with work, travel to visit family oversea then followed by bad jet-lag of course. Ok I will let you in on a little secret, the other reason was being I gained weight in the past several months and was horrified to find all of winter jeans did not fit any longer (gasp). I had two solutions, go out and buy a new wardrobe of jeans in larger sizes (sounds tempting I know), or suck it up and lose the extra weight. Well I chose the later. However it has NOT easy. I don't feel embarrassed to tell you that I have gained about 6-7 kg in a period of a year. So far (it's only been a month) I have managed to shake off about 4 kg so there's about 3 more kg to go but at least I can now fit into some of my old winter jeans (phew).
I don't want this post to become a ramble and complain about my weight but it goes to show you by avoiding weighing yourself for as long as I have (which is about 12 months) certainly has not been the best decision I have made.
I hope you can forgive my absence and give me some encouragement on this weight control journey. It's good to be back posting though. I can't wait to wear all of my favourite winter outfits!
p.s. this Mini Perry Rebecca Minkoff went back to Shopbop yesterday. It is unfortunate that the product is flawed with cracked leather and defective magnetic closure. Lovely bag though...

Zara short coat (old from last year but I LOVE this one from this year), 7 for All Mankind coated jeans, Sam Edelman booties (here, highly recommended, so comfy and so easy to match with all outfits), Rebecca Minkoff Mini Perry bag (here, in love with this orange colour) and Lindberg sunglassess

Thanks so much for reading. I aim to post every week <3

As the leaves fall.....

It is happening. Leaves are starting to fall off the trees here in the Pacific Northwest. I swear it literally happened overnight. Everywhere I go I see these beautifully gold paved roads. Some of the remaining leaves that are still hanging on the trees have this pretty translucent pinkish colour. I will try to snap a picture and share it on IG if I ever get a chance. Time like this is really short and precious. I guess this is one of the reasons many people love autumn because of the mesmerising colour changing (and still somewhat dry weather).
I hope your changing season is going well (for those of you in the southern hemisphere, happy spring). Work is calling, gotta go, talk to you all real soon :)

Zara top (old, last season), Sam Edelman Petty boooties (here, so comfy), Mulberry Alexa bag, Stella and Dot necklace (old, last season) and Lindberg sunglassess.

Thanks so much for reading :)

Early autumn Sunday with Vita Fede

I have been really into dainty jewelry lately. I remember not too long ago when the huge YSL Arty rings were all the rage and I picked up two while they were still in production. Husband's reaction when he first saw those giant size rings were "whoa, they look like mushroom on your finger". What? Mushroom? Oh men, what do they know? I thought. A year and some later, I have completely switched up and started collecting little dainty ornaments on my hands.
Vita Fede is one of my latest splurges as seen here on my right wrist. I have been lusting over this for many many months but was afraid to get it due to sizing issues. When VF finally came out with extra small size, I still hesitated due to the high price. Finally, I realized that XS is rare and every time I went back to Shopbop to look at it, quantity just kept dropping. Finally, I pulled the trigger last week and got this silver and rose gold beauty. I am so happy I finally bought one. For those of you with small wrists (my is 5 1/2 inch), XS fits me perfectly! Thank you Vita Fede for making them in this size and thank you Shopbop for your speedy shipping. My wrist couldn't be happier :)
What kind of jewelry are you into lately?

Vita Fede mini titan two tone bangle (XS in this combo), Baublebar Love ring (sold out but lovethis one), Citrine ring (this Etsy shop), Rebecca Minkoff Hudson mini moto bag (love this fall orange one) and Rebecca Minkoff espadrilles (spring style sold out, alternative with Sam Edelman ones here)

Have a wonderful week ahead, thanks for reading :)

The long romantic denim skirt for fall

I have gradually developed a love towards denim skirt. Not the mini's, the long long one that covers down to my ankle with a bit of flare at the end so I can enjoy stepping onto myself my walk down the street. I currently own three longer denim skirts but all of them are at least five years or older (the oldest one has been with me since I was in school). Something about denim, they wash well, stay intact through almost anything and as the colour fades, they develop their own "characters". I think it's time for me to look for some new ones this coming season. I know this is a style I would wear at any age :)
What is your forever wardrobe piece? Share with me down at the comment. I would love to hear them.

Baublebar pink bracelet (sold out, similar here) and earrings (black version here), Stella and Dot Amelie bracelet (here) , David Yurman moonstone ring, Omega watch, Ash wedge sneakers and Givenchy small Antigona bag (awesome brand new one with good pricehere).

Happy Monday and thanks for reading :)

First autumn post

We are back at our favourite corner for shot today. Do you have a favourite corner, street, building or just a spot on a random street that you love the most? If you have been reading my blog for a while you would remember at least in 2-3 other posts where I stood on the same corner. What is it about this spot that makes photographs work? The bright eye-catching brick background? Is it the colour? Or the three-dimensional angle created by the walls and the pavement. I think it is all of the above. This is also a great capture of what Pearl District Portland looks like. Come visit, you will see why :)

We also had our first rain in weeks and it sure feels like autumn's steps are approaching. I chose to wear this faux leather skort since it would have been too warm just days before. Alot of people say autumn is their favourite season. To me, every season has it's perks and I want to fully embrace mothernature and enjoy every season. I do miss wearing my raiding boots though but that's something reserved for another month (or two?).


Aso sandals, outfit is from Asia, PS1 bag in plum (I got my from HgBagsonline here), Stella and Dot necklace (here), QVC turquoise ring (in three metal colours here), and Lindberg sunglassess

Goodbye summer. Autumn, I am ready for you ;)

A true OOTD post

These photos were taken really quickly before I stepped into the dentist office right behind me. I wore this (my favourite navy dress this summer) to work earlier today and had to leave for my 6 months teeth cleaning appointment. Long story short. The dentist has moved so this building is still brand new with all the other spaces being empty. Ha, I thought, perfect place to sneak in a few outfit photos to share with you. I am no professional model/blogger so whenever I choose a location I prefer it to be quiet with minimum traffic around. I get a bit uncomfortable posing with people starring (even though they probably are not starring and can care less).
Anyway, teeth are fine, no cavities this time haha. As we are heading into fall, can you tell I am trying to grasp as much remain of the summer as I can? I refuse to let go of my sandals, not just yet!!! Oregon has long cold and wet winter so I am wearing open toes sandals for as long as the weather permits :)

Iroo cardigan and dress (last seen here), Balenciaga City bag in Mangue (mango), ASo sandals, David Yurman moonstone ring, Baublebar 360 pearl earrings (get them here), Lindberg sunglassess

Thanks so much for reading :)

Is green the right colour for me?

Recently I have been falling in love with the colour green. Strange thing is that I was never into this hue. I always thought it does not compliment my skin tone since I am so pale. Then I saw some girls with dark hair rocking the beautiful emerald green colour earrings and necklaces and I was in love! Honestly, there should be no rule in fashion when it comes to colour matching right? So I have made a decision, this autumn and winter, I will be experimenting with more greens. It's an official warning, I will be blinding your eyes with greens this coming season. :) Tell me what fashion item, colour and/or style will you be experimenting this season?

Baublebar 360 stud earrings (similar here), Rebecca Minkoff "Made in NYC" MAC bag (similar here), Birkenstocks sandals (I love this colour) and Lindberg sunglassess.

Thanks so much for reading. I hope you are having a fantastic day :)

Back to school, can you smell fall?

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a blessed weekend. I will not write too much today as I am suffering from a major migraine (stupid PMS) and at work (fun). But I would like to show you what I did over the weekend which was a visit to the local university (Portland State University). We had a nice walk on campus which reminded me of my own university all the way back down in Auckland, New Zealand! I am really missing it a lot. What do you remember about your university years? My fondest memories include going to the canteen with friends, studying in the central library and simply strolling around the Auckland Domain near by and enjoying all the greenery.
I hope my migraine would start to settle down already as I have a full day ahead of me! Let me know what you did this past weekend! Cheers :)

Stella and Dot Cheryl Drop earrings (here), Baublebar bracelet (similar here), Sam Edelman sandals (on sale here), Balenciaga bag and Lindberg sunglassess, T shirt from Uniglo (old).

Thanks so much for reading :)