Vintage Silver Bracelets

After having a coffee at my favorite cafe, I wondered around the Hampstead Indoor Market and spotted these in a £2 basket. They were from a vintage jewellery stall where I usually oogle at their timeless pieces.

The chunkier bracelet is intricately engraved and hinged. The thinner one is delicate and goes with any outfit. Both so pretty and best of all, they fit my bony wrists. I love vintage jewellery and these were a bargain. Best Sunday morning ever.

Beaded Necklace and Vintage Floral Saucer

I have the tendency to buy matching things for my outfit and wear it out the store. It's instant gratification. And thanks to a black dress, I got this necklace for £10 at Designs in Hampstead.

Not sure what the lime beads are made out of but the center cluster is made from real pearls and Swarovski crystals.

And what else does it go with? This vintage floral saucer from the Hampstead Indoor Market for a quid. I'm collecting them to hold pillar candles and display dress jewelry. A nifty use for pretty saucers!

London Fashion Weekend 2010

Here I am at London Fashion Weekend!

I was excited, hoping to get a true flavour the industry-only event of London Fashion Week. I thought hard about what to wear and if I was inadvertently channelling Betty Suarez.

But there was nothing to be worried about. If you come to London Fashion Weekend, nothing is exclusive and there's no real dress code. You pay for entry, the catwalk show and showbag. It's really a place for designers to showcase/flog their wares.

And the catwalk show? Brought to you by Special K. I'm not joking. They played sponsor's ads between each show and the hostess kept flogging brands like an infomercial. Why-oh-why do we have to pay to watch ads???

If you want to feel like Anna Wintour, you must have a front row seat. Otherwise when the first model swans out, everybody's Blackberry, iPhone and compact camera springs out, blocking your view.

Blatant advertising aside, the catwalk show was enjoyable and inspiring. Looks like 70s and 80s fashion is a trending theme for this autumn/winter season.

Designer sales were plentiful but not worth the hype. The prices are similar to sale prices in department stores. Advertised Sass & Bide clothing barely filled a rack. There was a oversupply of Juicy Couture tracksuits and a minute range of London Sole flats.

Some girls brought suitcases to carry their shopping but I only felt obliged to buy after an hour of browsing and walking up and down stairs.

Nothing caught my eye until I saw these mega-cute Les Nereides earrings!

Converting to Gold Jewelry - Vintage Bracelets

Since I was teenager, I had an aversion to gold jewelry. I thought it looked dated and sallow against Asian skin. With the many variations of gold, I even thought it looked cheap.

Recently I bought the amethyst Caroline Najman bracelet from Lafayette Galleries in Paris. My friend and I stopped in our tracks when we saw the delicate gold chains with faceted semi-precious stones. Her designs are stunning and ever so pretty.

Her bracelets actually fits my bony wrists. A rare treat so I couldn't resist. And who said gold jewelry looks cheap? Pfffttt!!!

The vintage enamel and diamante snake cuff is from a charity shop. Even with a few missing stones, I think it still makes a statement.

And my most recent purchase is an engraved hinged bangle from the 60s. I bought it from a little old lady at Hampstead markets. Her vintage jewelry was divine and I had to buy something beautiful that no one else would be wearing.

Once I decided on a bangle, there was a small dilemma on silver or gold. The gold bug bite from Paris took effect and now I'm converting. More gold to come!

Just need some advice since I can't bear to take off my silver rings - is it OK to mix gold with silver?

Freebie Alert: Travel Sized Essie Flower Girl

Just a quick note as Tatler magazine (August with Elle Macpherson on the cover) has a freebie from Essie. You get a travel sized nail polish with a choice of six colours:

Yes We Can Pink

Flower Girl (pictured)

Mint Candy Apple

Rock The Croc

Lollipop

Rock Candy

The magazine is £3.99 so this is great value. Was close to choosing Mint Candy Apple to match the aquamarine and quartz bracelet I'm wearing. (From the charity shop for £1.40!)

Finally I chose Flower Girl which is a pale frosted nude with green shimmery highlights.

Dior Sandals & Rose Quartz Necklace

Can't think how a day could get better. The sun was shining and the sky was clear. Summer in London is glorious.

As I was walking home from Hampstead, I spotted a beautiful pink necklace with a £10 price tag in a window. I figured for a store in this area, the necklace would have to be plastic but not so.

The necklace is made with rose quartz beads knotted along the string and the clasp is sterling silver. I wear it looped around twice and it's the perfect length.

Turns out I had stumbled across a designer clothing store where everything was nearly new.

After half an hour browsing the store, I also bought a pair of Dior patent wedge sandals for £28 and a textured linen scarf for £5.

A bit more than what I'd pay at the thrift shop but designer has never been so cheap.

Quirky Freshwater Pearl Necklace

Went window shopping in St Johns Wood, my old neighbourhood. There is a beautiful dress-jewellery store on the high street called Hana Lee.

They have gorgeous pieces and I almost bought a necklace for £49. It was so stunning I did'nt even wince at the price. Fortunately I shook out of it and remembered that I'm going to New York next month.

Oxfarm was a few doors down and what did I find? This quirky pearl necklace for £4. A bargain substitute for my near purchase. Not a bad price for freshwater pearls and the faceted glass jewels are just lovely.

I wore it to work and my colleague pointed out that the evil eye charm was hallmarked. It was stamped on the back "925" which meant it was sterling silver. Nice!

Chunky Diamante Pendant Charm

Just a quick post to show you this chunky diamante charm from the thrift shop. I got it for £5. When I'm not wearing it as a necklace pendant, its hanging on a cream ribbon on my mirror.

The charm might be vintage and the previous owner attached the spring ring. Anyway, I love it because it's got character and it's so sparkly!

Primark and H&M Hello Kitty Mini Haul

Shopping at Bond St is insane on the weekends. For me it's therapy looking for cute and shiny things. I'm a sucker for cheap thrills!

1) Fuchsia and gold glomesh necklace £1 (reduced from £3). Gives an eye-popping splash of colour to an outfit. Plus it's curiously slinky!

2) Hello Kitty Devil eyeshadow palette £1 (reduced from £3). There are seven jewel shades. Even if I don't use it, it's still pretty to look at.

3) Hello Kitty Garden Pink nail polish £2. At first I saw the green version which is pale and shimmery. But practicality got the best of me and I bought the pink one. Equally as lovely. I'll do a swatch on it soon.

4) Pineapple Body Butter £2. I don't normally buy this stuff because of my eczema but it smells like pineapple candy. I'll use it as a hand cream.

I was exhausted from the walking against the crowds. But what a productive day and I only spent £6!

Brunswick and Chapel Streets

I was in Melbourne and managed to sneak in some shopping from my two favorite places of the city.

Could'nt indulge as I'm going to Singapore next week. As a token souvenir, I bought these black chatoyance (has a luminous sheen) faceted drop silver earrings for $2 AUD from Brunswick Street.

The triple strand long necklace was a bargain too. I bought it from Chapel Street, which I thought was for half price. I asked the sales assistant if it was $9 AUD to confirm and she said it was for $5. Whoopee, even better!

The necklace has a strand of chain and glass beads, and two strands of black acrylic beads and ribbon. I untied the ribbon strands so they can be worn separately so it's not too heavy looking for work.