Congratulations Lena Ma, Miss World Canada 2009

Congratulations Lena on this accomplishment. :-) I wish you the best of luck at Miss Worlds and am so proud that you are this year's Canadian representative!!!


The Miss World pageant tries to promote it's Beauty with a Purpose campaign, advocating that it is more than a 'strictly' beauty competition. Many pageants are following suit by incorporating self-development and community-building workshops to the pageant agenda. Fundraising is also a large component in some pageants and at Miss World Canada, the contestants were successful in raising more than $25,000 for the SOS Children's Village charity!!!



That being said, I don't think pageants will ever escape the public's stereotypical view of it and with good reason: the final show is essentially a parade of girls in an evening gown and/or swim suit and in a few catchy/cute choreographed scenes. The interview portion, let's face it, rarely includes difficult questions and what scores you points aren't philosophical/theoretical/complex answers, but happy "world peace" answers (not literally, "world peace" but you know, optimistic, Ghandi-be-the-change-that-you-wish-to-see answers).

Pageants aren't BAD though. Pageants have always fascinated me and I participated in a few a couple years ago. I enjoyed it, I made friends and I learned about myself in the process. I even learned etiquette rules that I still find helpful today while I'm networking at professional cocktail parties with investment bankers and lawyers! And all the make-up, clothes, shoes, and jewelry I received when I competed and won?? that's DEFINITELY a good thing in my books :-).

Pictures from Miss World Canada.

Thank You! ♥

Thank you everyone for your lovely words and tips about getting ready for my prom last saturday. I had a wonderful time!

Glossy Pink, loved the earrings idea and I made sure I went with matte make-up. Daisy Chain Dreams, thanks for the hairspiration! Emz, the mousse in wet hair and hairspray later, helped my stubbornly straight asian hair hold the curls throughout the night. Thanks lovelies for your advice!

Hairstyles for Prom

I've only got 2 weeks of classes left to Law school! The past week and the next few will just be so busy but in a good way. I've got a dance performance on Sunday and will be singing at a local bar on Tuesday for a charity show. Right now though, I am looking forward to going to my Law School Graduation Formal (I call it PROM) this Saturday.

Okay, so I need some ADVICE!!! I picked out my dress and it is hanging in its garment bag in my closet. I actually didn't like this dress when I first saw it on the BCBG website but loved it when I saw it and tried it on in store.



I started looking around for hairstyles today and decided that I want to wear my hair down and have it wavy/cury. I've got long, straight, asian hair that doesn't hold curls well, so I'm hoping this works out! Does anyone have any tips on how to achieve the following looks??? I'm also trying to decide on make-up colours and jewelry too so any suggestions about those things would be appreciated too. Thanks :-)






I've also accidentally deleted my Blog List today and am in the process of re-adding my links!

The CHANEL Suit

I don't think I'll ever find myself in a financital situation where I can afford to purchase Chanel pieces that I can wear for only a season. The "Chanel Suit" though, is one of a few Chanel items that I am willing to invest in as it'll be something to wear and to love for many, many years.

"[Coco Chanel] had numerous other major successes that changed the fashion industry, including the ever popular Chanel suit, composed of a knee-length skirt and trim, boxy jacket, traditionally made of woven wool with black sewing trim and gold buttons, worn with large costume-pearl necklaces." (Wikipedia)

Here are some from the Chanel Fall 2009 Paris Show.

Jimmy Choo v. Guess

I cannot believe how much a little sunshine and (relatively) warmer weather can do to a person's mood! :-) I've been rather busy since my arrival in Vancouver and am VERY excited to go to a friend's wedding tomorrow. I'm a little behind on replying to comments but I'll get to them, promise! <3 I'll get back to more regular posts upon my return to Ontario!

I was at the GUESS store in Metrotown and noticed a pair of black naga pumps. I thought they looked ridiculously familiar to a pair of Jimmy Choo sandals I saw last Spring. They're a pretty similar match! I'm partial to the Jimmy Choos and the irridescent patent leather, but I really wonder if it's worth the price difference. Check these two comparisons out:

GUESS Genovieve Sandal $97 at Zappos


Jimmy Choo Atlas Patent Sandal, SOLD OUT ($750)


GUESS Naga Patent Pump $89 at Zappos


Jimmy Choo Eliza Patent Patent Sandal, SOLD OUT, $585

If Shoes Could Kill...

I'm leaving to Toronto airport in one hour to fly to Vancouver. Even though the weather forecast is teling me to expect lots of rain, I'm being positive and telling myself that rain and 8 degree weather is better than this windy -13 degree mess going on outside right now!

On a MUCH brighter note, the Claudia Mirror Leather Sandals featured in Jimmy Choo's Spring/Summer 2009 Campaign Ad are killer!



Check out these two other gorgeous pairs of Jimmy Choos:

Jimmy Choo Grant Silk Satin Peep Toe Shoe from their Autumn/Winter 2008 Collection

Jimmy Choo Lance Mirror Leather Sandal from their Cruise 2009 Collection

Mackage Spring 2009 Coats

Even though there's a fresh light covering of snow outside, the previous few days of warmer sunny weather is telling me that Spring is just around the corner! I hope this means I can put away my thicker wool and cashmere coats soon; it definitely means that I can start looking for a lighter spring coat though :-). Mackage coats have a sort of military-inspired feel to them and I have never seen a piece that hasn't reflected both a use of quality fabrics and an extraordinary attention to detail.

Designers Eran and Elisa design and manage their company out of Montreal, Canada (..my home and native land!). A cute tidbit: the name "Mackage" was actually inspired by a mispronunciation of the french word for make-up "Maquillage".

Bloomingdales and Revolve Clothing carry some Mackage pieces, but SSENSE definitely carries the widest variety of Mackage coats. Mackage also sells their current collection on their website. My favourites from their Spring 2009 Collection:

Mackage Abby Grape Leather Jacket C$660


Mackage Jules Black Coat C$530


Mackage Jules Birch Coat C$530

Nina Ricci's Ruffly Hemlines

Nina Ricci's gowns from both her Spring 2009 and Fall 2009 collection have such amazingly complex hemlines. I thought of how fun and showy these dresses would be in a pageant's evening gown competition. I really want to see one of these dresses on the Miss Universe Pageant Stage!

Gowns from Nina Ricci's Fall 2009 Ready-to-Wear Collection:








Gowns from Nina Ricci's 2009 Spring Ready-to-Wear Collection:







Photos from New York Magazine.

CHANEL, Je t'adore.....

Wedding Guest Attire

I'm leaving to Vancouver in three days to attend the wedding of a girlfriend from high school. It's a semi-formal evening event and will be held at a heritage site. I have been shopping for a dress to wear for her spring Wedding: a shorter dress that would be fun to dance in and one in a relatively lighter shade. I can't decide which among these do I like the best.


Marc Bouwer Glamit Ruffled One-Shoulder Dress $495 at Neiman Marcus


Nicole Miller Stretch Hammered Satin Dress $495 at Nicole Miller.com


ABS by Allen Schwartz Ombré Silk Dress $328 at Nordstrom
Nordstrom conveniently has a "Guest of Wedding" category in their Dress shop with some beautiful pieces.


BCBG Taffeta Ruffled Hem Dress $358 at BCBG.com
I don't know how appropriate the colour might be since it looks so much like white, It's such a cute dress all the same.

Elie Saab's Spring 2009 Collection

After totally adoring Evan Rachel Wood's Elie Saab Gown at the Oscars, I had to check out more of Elie Saab's designs. They're stunning!!! These are just some of my favourites from his Spring 2009 Ready-to-Wear and Couture collections.








(All photos taken from New York Magazine.)