My Obsession With... Detachable Collars

I rarely wear jewellery of any kind cos I am a lazy girl, especially necklaces. I find it a hassle having to unhook the chain, put the necklace on and hook it up and to undergo the same process to take it off. Haha, I am just so lazy.

So what do I do when I am wearing a plain outfit which looks blah without any accompanying accessory? I'll put on a detachable collar. It's chic, spices a bland outfit instantly and is much easier to put on and remove :p

Here's part of my growing collection of detachable collars to share with you:

Here's a detachable collar GWP given away with the November issue of Vivi. It is rare to see such interesting GWPs given away with monthly magazines.

It is made of a combination of lace and velvety-type material with a satin lining. My neck doesn't get all warm and sweaty as the satin lining has a cooling effect =) To hold it in place around my neck, all I have to do is to fasten the button concealed underneath the front of the collar.

I got this cute number from ASOS - a cotton collar with pearl and gem embellishments.

Love the intricate details on the collar. This instantly spices up plain outfits. Like the one from Vivi, this one has a hidden hook at the front of the collar to secure the collar around the neck.

This crochet collar is also from ASOS. I got this to glam up my boring tees :)

Unlike the previous two collars, this one doesn't have any button or hook. All I have to do is just to put it over my head and onto my neck :) Easy-peasy!

Here are more examples of accessorising outfits with different types of collars:

ASOS has a good range of detachable collars including cutesy faux fur ones for winter. Check 'em out!! :)

NIMES 2011 Autumn / Winter Collection Mook

Most of the Japanese mooks out there usually give away predictable GWPs such as lunch bags, tote bags, pouches, etc so it is really rare to see a foldable umbrella bundled with NIMES 2011 Autumn / Winter Collection mook.

The brolly measures 24.5cm x 4cm and weighs only 155g, therefore making it very lightweight. When fully extended, the brolly measures 55cm.

The brolly comes with 2 detachable charms attached to its handle. Actually, the charms were the ones that tempted me to get this =)

The round nautica striped handle is adorable! It is a little tiny though to be firmly grasped in your hand so users have to be careful while holding onto the handle. The brolly also comes in a matching case with a snap button.

The brolly is held together with a velcro fastening. I would prefer a snap button fastening though...

The top of the brolly is so cute with the cherry yellow round tip =)

Here's a shot of the interior of the brolly. In case you are wondering, the material does not offer protection against UV rays but it should be good enough to shield you from the rain and short exposure from the sun. However, I don't think it can withstand strong winds as it is so lightweight =)

Doesn't the brolly look adorable??

L'EST ROSE, Jill Stuart & Care Bears Fleece Blankets!

I recently bought a copy of the December issue of Steady for its adorable GWP - a very cute oversized L'EST ROSE fleece blanket! I love fleece blankets although I don't actually see the need to use them in our hot and humid tropical weather :p Nevertheless, they come in very handy for those long haul flights and coach trips to Malaysia :)

This blanket is the hugest one for a GWP I've seen so far measuring at 106cm (height) and 69cm (width)! It's wide enough to wrap around the shoulders and even around your hips if you have small hips, lol. It comes with a matching detachable strap.

I love the pretty floral rose pattern on the blanket :) Very Cath Kidston :)

The L'EST Rose brand stitched onto the corner of the blanket.

The blanket has 2 buttons where you can attach the detachable strap on to use the blanket as a shawl...

or to roll the blanket up neatly for easy storage. I can imagine Japanese girls using this to keep their shoulders warm in winter while waiting for the fireworks to start at DisneySea :)

So I was saying I love fleece blankets - here's one of the GWP fleece blankets I've collected from an old issue of Cutie magazine - a Care Bears blanket! It's really tiny though and not big enough to wrap around an adult's shoulders. I've used it before to cover my thighs though when I was wearing a short skirt in class :)

And here's another pretty one from an old issue of In Red magazine - pink zebra print Jill Stuart fleece blanket and matching pouch with a Jill Stuart charm. The size of the blanket is slightly larger than the Care Bears one but it is still mighty small.

Both the magazines with these Care Bears and Jill Stuart GWP blankets were sold out long, long time ago but with any luck, you might still be able to find people selling these on eBay :)

Leopard Print Shoes!

Animal prints are all the rage this autumn and I jumped onto the bandwagon by getting myself 2 pairs of leopard print shoes. When it comes to purchasing animal print items, shoes are about as far as I will go. No leopard cardigans or horrors, leopard or zebra print leggings for me!!

So I got these flats from the newly opened H & M in Singapore quite sometime back. They're all out of this particular design now but it should be relatively easy to find similiar designs elsewhere. This pair costs only SGD17.90 if I recall correctly. They are chic and don't break the bank, although not exactly the most comfortable pair of flats on my shoe rack. I have been wearing these mostly on weekends with my black shorts and navy / white / red / yellow tops. The trick to wearing animal prints is to keep the rest of your outfit simple in order for the prints to take centrestage :)  

And here's my latest acquisition below from online site ASOS ~ leopard loafers! I got this pair at half price at 35 pounds and even though it was at half price, it was still risky to buy shoes online cos you never know if they will fit you properly and thank goodness these fit me fine. They're a little, just a little, too big but there's nothing insoles or tights wouldn't do :)

Aren't they gorgeous? I love the tassels on the front! I can only wear them out on sunny days as these don't look like they take to rain very well :) Compared to the H & M ones, these are more versatile as they look formal enough to be paired with a dress or suit for work and yet casual enough with shorts for the weekends and the pretty shade of the shoes is neutral enough to go with practically any colours :)

SEE BY CHLOE Mirror & Pouch x InRed Magazine November 2011 Issue

I picked up a copy of the November 2011 issue of InRed as I simply adore the enclosed GWPs ~ SEE BY CHLOE mirror and pouch! A gal can't have enough mirrors, can she? ;)

The mirror measures 15cm x 12cm while the pouch measures 13.5cm x 19.8cm. I adore the combination of autumn colours, especially the mustard yellow and burnt orange colours :) These are some of the hottest colours this fall :)

Here's a close-up shot of the brand logo printed on the front of the pouch. The pouch is made of some kind of polyester material that resembles synthetic leather somewhat. I like it :)

The pouch also comes with a zipper.

The size of the pouch is just right to fit the mirror. Of course, you can use the pouch as a makeup pouch as well.

Did I mention I am so in love with these colours?? I totally revamped my wardrobe recently with many pieces in the latest autumn colours such as navy, burnt orange, mustard yellow and grey. Salmon is another hot colour but I don't think my skin tone can carry it off, haha :)

The mirror appears a little frosty as I have not removed its protective covering yet, haha. The mirror can be used either as a desktop mirror or a handheld one. Do not be surprised at girls (and guys) in Japan holding onto mirrors of such sizes to check their makeup and hair onboard trains :) The mirror is made of plastic by the way.

The next issue comes with a  Roberta di Camerino twin bag and pouch set releasing in Japan on 7th November 2011. They look cute but I am skipping these :)

Gucci Suede Folder X Taiwan VOGUE Magazine September 2011 Issue

I was in Taipei last week and spotted the September issue of Taiwan VOGUE at eslite bookstore. I picked it up immediately as it was enclosed with a very pretty Gucci envelope folder! A similar folder was given away with China's edition of VOGUE earlier in June this year which caused a wave of frenzied (or shall I say panic) buying and blogshops and eBay sellers were hawking these as high as USD30 each.

Sorry for the inconsistent lighting in the pictures below...

The folder looks very dark here but it is actually in a lighter shade of brown as shown in the pictures below. It's gorgeous!

The text is hot-stamped, not printed, thus the text comes up beautifully against the suede material of the folder. I must state that the exterior feels like suede but the entire folder is actually made of thick cardboard.

The picture above is probably the closest shade to the actual colour of the folder.

The material on the exterior of the folder doesn't look like it is suede here but it is (at least it felt like it is, haha), and with the Gucci logo embossed, and not printed, all around. Beautiful work, even though it is just a paer folder.

There are people who claimed the folder can fit iPads but seriously, I think your iPad won't be very secure in a cardboard folder :p It will be great for documents though.

Tsumori Chisato 4 Stationery Set X mina Magazine November 2011 Issue

Now, this is something different for a change from the usual totes and pouches given away with Japanese magazines :) The November issue of mina is enclosed with a cute Tsumori Chisato 4 piece stationery set consisting of a notebook, pouch, ballpoint pen and a sticker sheet.

The sticker sheet is cute! Pity there are only three stickers. 

The hardcover notebook is thin but nevertheless quite functional. 

The pages of the notebook are unlined. I would love the pages with the Tsumori Chisato brand printed on them though but that will cost us, haha.

I love the tiffany blue colour of the pen! Looks chic and expensive.

The magazine describes this as a pencil case but it definitely can hold more than just pens. It comes with a zip closure in the same pretty tiffany blue colour as the pen.

The Tsumori Chisato brand sewn onto the side of the pouch.

As I've mentioned earlier, the pouch can hold more than just pens. The notebook could fit very comfortably into the pouch with room to spare. I can see this as a passport and pen holder for travelling.

A pair of SHIPS socks will be given away in the next issue releasing in Japan on 20th October 2011.