Direction

Room wall | H&M Baseball top and The Editor's Market Backpack | Editorials by DANSK

Goals, goals, goals-

1. To learn to be less lazy and emit all contraction-usage on the blog. (isn't it the best thing ever though?)

2. To wake up early enough to actually see the morning sun

3. Not end a month with -$100 and a thousand impulsive buys

4. Not end a month with $1000 and a hundred why-didn't-I-invest-in-that regrets

5. To finally get rid of the year-old blonde ends

6. To work on things I've always wanted to on the blog

There are many reasons to smile (whoa whoa whoa it's the cliche dentist advertisement line!) about school holidays but this one is going to be like no other. 

The smell of September comes briefly with birthday candles to blow for SuedeFingers' third birthday. It's the third year since I first made this site public and yes, a very enthusiastic entrance I did make. Click here for a throwback of such.

I cannot deny that blogging isn't easy when you've grades to fight for in the education department, let alone try to avoid a writer's block or give more attention to coconut popsicles. However, SuedeFingers has become my best friend for fashionable ranting- my trusty listening ear indeed.

With that, there is so much to anticipate this coming month and the number of excitement dances done might have skyrocketed to possibly about a year's worth of dance central. (That being said, I don't even own a Kinect)

I have been spending lots of time sourcing for inspiration, particularly from editorials. Bookstores, museums, photographers, places and magazines are just one of the few things I might have to thank for all the resources (as seen on the wall). This week's favourite has to be DANSK's thoughtful editorials. I cannot believe I actually spent my last $20 on it instead of Vogue's September Issue.

Here's to a great holiday and September- I promise to go for that haircut before October, yes yes yes yes.

Lots of love and goals come true,

Tessa

Clean-cut Canvas: Dion Lee

If it isn't friday- the time of the week when we end up in a detrimental state of overflowing school work but succumb to great writing inspiration. 

If there is one thing I love about assignments, it is the fact that online shopping can easily pass off as inspiration-sourcing. And call me a civil servant to the world of inspiration-sourcing because I'm bought every time net-a-porter decides to help shove my way to a page with Alexander Wang boots that cost as much as 300 jars of apricot jam that I wouldn't be able to finish in a lifetime. 

I don't even like apricot jam. (Shoutout to my fridge for jam inspiration though) 

Boots and jam aside, sourcing has done me well with newer perspectives and yet another designer to rave about. I've been shuddering over the amount of money spent on my sushi dinners and not his clothing:

Australia has been breeding a new generation of designers that make waking up in clean-cut tailoring the new norm. If New York has Wang to make the outta-bed clean-cut look, Australia has Dion Lee to make the I-don't-need-anything-else-in-life clean-cut look.

Structured, well-tailored and a great eye for detail would be a few terms to describe him. While paying tribute to traditional tailoring, the 24 year-old designer finds it in himself to create art out of it. And the result? Think numbers that accessorise themselves along the way with eccentric, crisp tailoring. This- complex simplicity- is new art. (Okay fine, art never grows old but still.)

While we see his pieces as to-die-for additions to our wardrobes, Dion Lee's pieces reflect a kind of reinvention that just bites at every tailored corner, making us wonder "why didn't I think of that?!" Truly, Lee has to be a representative of a blooming generation- eager to find beauty in old things to piece on a brand new canvas- and alas, a complete painting.

To say the least, I am ecstatic that Dion Lee's eye for quality and detail has met an audience that is willing to support the designer to greater heights. If this is what he is now, I cannot wait to see the powerhouse he's bound to lead in the next few years. 

Lots of love and 'inspiration-sourcing', 

Tessa

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Images via Vogue/ Style.com/ everywhere maybe.

Splitting skirts, splitting costs

(photos taken by +Natasha Von Epichelin)

Thrifted jacket from Hong Kong, Adidas sports bra (or as they'd like to call it, REALLY 'cropped top'), Skirt from Vietnam, Plimsolls were custom made, Topshop transparent bag (a gift from my clique kids!)

Rarely do I wear things that match my hair, which always gets me questioning if it's time to cut. But nuh uh, I'm guessing today's jacket was here to change my mind. I got this beauty (2sgd only) hidden along the streets of Hong Kong, from a thrift shop 'Me & George' (address below) that every fashion blogger had to talk about with bags full of cheap thrills. ALAS, I FELL VICTIM TOO. An hour later, I was 40SGD poorer, yet 10 pieces richer. Pretty crazy for thrift shop terms in Asia, especially when huge superstitions create fusses about keeping old clothes- let alone sell them. But from time to time, Asia will always reveal its own one-of-a-kind hidden gems. Forget about travelling west just to thrift if you're already living in the middle of so much concealed beauty ;) it's rare, but very precious.

Spent some good time with Natalie and Natasha (my two favourite Nats!) over lunch at Concetto. Like every chef-trusting customer who'd say "GIVE US YO BEST", we picked every recommended dish on the menu. Our eyes were full from lots of artistic dishing but don't place your bets on a 'hearty italian' meal on this one. Not very hearty, but scores high on beauty!

Have a good week ahead, and hug tightly onto your last week of holidays, poly kids. I know I'll be grasping onto mine with lots of sleep till the very last second D:

Lots of love and $2-clothing lovin',

Tessa

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Me & George

64 Tung Choi Street, Mongkok; 

9 Li Yuen Street West, Central

*don't expect huge quality pieces- but give it a chance and an hour to find someone's trash becoming your treasure!

The different languages of comfort

Pictures taken by Shereen Soon! (@ShereenSoony)

H&M top, Zara skirt, Bershka bomber jacket, Mphosis heels, Cotton On cap, Primark necklace, Aldo arm brace (or warrior stuff)

I gladly submitted to Shereen's proposal to take this Sunday's (yes, we're making it a weekly habit) outfit shots at Raffles Place.

Like a Singaporean Wall Street, Raffles Place is the heart of our business district that never stops beating- its bloodstream running wild with vibrant characters: dreamers, workaholics and people striving to find comfort in their own capabilities. I've been an avid onlooker of this vibrant city, since 5 years old when mom made it a point to meet Dad after he knocked off and today for my boxing classes. Till this day, it amazes me to see the real world packed into buildings- exchanging cheek-to-cheek greetings and ready to start a meeting, while secretly craving for a good meal to comfort themselves from all this stress.

The magic of being an onlooker is watching the district breathe on such hectic activity, like a body that sustains itself on sugar- sometimes bad, yet terribly addictive. It is for moments like these when we start to realise the silence in the weekend- when the working ones find comfort at home and forget the salad-bar-meals along Cecil Street. And of course, when people like me start to explore (AND THAT CYCLIST) (AND THOSE ISLAND HOPPER BUSES).

Here's to the ones who've been fighting good battles week in and out for the comfort love that's waiting for them at home. Here's to you dad- if you're reading this, press on and we'll always be waiting for you at home for a non-salad meal all day EVERYDAAAAAY (except mondays to wednesdays. It's cleanse period)

Lots of Love

Tessa

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Personal favourites: 

Mango - Something Borrowed - Steve Madden

ZALORA Singapore Google+

Inspiration

There is something very magical about monochromatic minimalism.

like a beautiful see-through white dress with a leather bralet on the inside.
like a white room full of white furniture. Maybe just one.
like a black sky and white stars (maybe it's just white to me, I can never perceive why we were always taught to colour them yellow) (nuh-uh, we will not start with science and the sun!)

Maybe it's just been my vision lately, or my view on things. I've been into less complicated things and have been all about everything pure. I like the simplicity but the edginess that can be fed through materials and textures. Or personality through the owner's character.

It's through simple things when that resourcefulness in you blooms. Or maybe you just learn to see things differently. That's the beauty of minimalism- It's simple but never boring.

The last picture features a piece that I'm holding close to my heart this season (and who knows, for many more months to come!) Say hello to the Slip Dress. I love how it flows and how it gets all comfortable around the feminine body without having to force you into jumping on the lemonade-diet bandwagon. Bares your collarbones, covers comfortably and ends right above your knees- faultlessly indestructible despite its gentle touch.

Image sources: tumblr// pinterest// topshop