Packing For London Again

Black bouclé coat by J.Crew

Cherry print wool jumper by J.Crew

Grey distressed ankle jeans by AG Jeans

Fake fur scarf by J.Crew for Net-à-Porter

Grey V-neck T-shirt by Club Monaco

White and silver sneakers by Raf Simons for Adidas

Every time I am packing I vow to become a better shopper from that moment on. What's obvious today is that I don't always follow this vital shopping rule: return the items you are not willing to wear right away when the opportunity arises.  

If you buy a blazer for an interview on Friday, but when the time comes, you decide it's not quite right, you should return it right away. If you buy an evening dress but then don't feel like wearing it on party night, bring it back as soon as you can.

Because if you truly love something it will be right for the occasion, it's as simple as that. I loved the coat, the jeans, the sneakers and the scarf enough to suffer from nervous anticipation stomach: when you ask for the size and think please please please tell me you have it, because I really want to buy this.

The cherry jumper is where my problem lies. I wanted a cherry dress from the same collection, but that was sold out. On a whim I ordered the cherry jumper online thinking I needed to possess something of that cherry fabric. Three days later, the cherry print popped up in the IFC store on some adorable shoes that I simply had to have.

Another three days later the cherry jumper was delivered, and the print was not quite as fetching on the wool knit as it was on the shoes. But I was sure it was going to work with something, after all it was sort of cute. Since then I have rejected it on more than one occasion because it wasn't quite right.

Not quite right with blue jeans, too dreary with black jeans, too girly with skirts, too messy with other colors (although I am suddenly thinking it could be good with chinos). Annoyed with my laziness (I should have returned the jumper) I am forcing myself to wear it to London. I am also packing a check shirt and a stripy shell and cardigan combo that have been lingering in the back of the closet to punish myself for being a careless shopper too often. That'll hopefully sort me out and the kids' college fund will be safe. Hopefully.

I will be reporting next from the great city of London.

Happy Chinese New Year!  

Chino's on another dreary polluted day in Hong Kong

Such a shame this beautiful place looks like this so often nowadays.

All J.Crew except for the trousers which are Vince (see post below for link).

I should make I LOVE FASHION a dedicated J.Crew website, because I seem to wear not much else.

I assure you I am not getting paid, J.Crew just makes clothes that perfectly fit my life - reasonable prices, nice quality and easy to wear with everything else.

For The Love of Chinos

Étoile Isabel Marant jacket

Shoes, Trousers, Shell, all J.Crew

 Belt, Hugo Boss

I've developed a renewed obsession with chinos, at a time when you can hardly buy them anymore. Although I did find an awesome pair HERE this morning, they look a tiny bit more polished than the also lovely J.Crew pair above.

Winter is done and dusted in Hong Kong's shop windows

This cute dress makes me want to be very young, tall, thin, and rich. 

Find it HERE.

If this one is not for you either, don't worry, spring will bring lots of stripes, like this gorgeous J.W.Anderson skirt, or this fun Lemlem outfit, or this REDValentino short jumpsuit, or this Caroline Costas shirt, or this Rebecca Vallance dress.

Chanel Cuba Cruise Lace Ups

There is also a slip on version of the gold ones.

My sneakers saved my dress

very old Phillip Lim dress, box fresh Raf Simons for Adidas sneakers

This Phillip Lim drapey T-shirt dress was one of my early Lane Crawford purchases after I moved to Hong Kong.  The shoulder detail dressed up the easy wearing cotton, and the loose shape allowed for a bit of muffin top.  But I wore it so much that I got sick of it.  Then the other day I picked up some Adidas at the Lane Crawford sale and thought of the dress.

Gucci at Elements in Hong Kong

I can't get enough of Alessandro Michele's Gucci.

The men's outfit in this display is my favorite. The sales girl assured me the men's size would fit me beautifully...  but then it didn't.

I am starting 5:2 this morning. 

Desperately need to shift the spare potato tire around my waist. There is a combination of mashed, roasted, and deep fried dipped in mayonnaise in there. A squishy fanny pack made of Idaho baking potatoes.

My Current Elliott boyfriend jeans have turned into skinny jeans.

A deep breath popped a critical button on my most reliable white J.Crew shirt, while I was wearing a ten-year old industrial granny bra. 

In public.

Blueberries for breakfast.

Enjoy your Mondays everyone.

Why not try a pantsuit on for size

J.Crew jacket and trousers

Saint James T-shirt

Gucci sneakers

The Women's March on Washington is on January 20, and I am symbolically standing by my fellow sex in a proper pantsuit. It feels quite serious to wear matching trousers. The wool fabric on the J.Crew suit is so soft, I had to check the label to see if it was cashmere. It's not, but the quality of the wool is outstanding. I have left the trousers a tiny bit on the long side, so they hang slouchily on my sneakers.

Find out how to join the march HERE.

2017 Resolution Time (Buy more Dior)

A cup of tea and some fashion news, HERE.

Actually, that's not a bad idea.  I desperately want Maria Grazia Chiuri to succeed at Dior, the house founded by arguably the most famous man in fashion history, who incidentally is known for designing some of the most feminine clothes ever.

Maria's work at her previous employer, Valentino, was stunning.  I sincerely hope Bernard Arnault will give her time to develop her style at Dior.

I watched a French movie on the plane home: Tout de suite maintenant, in which Isabelle Huppert carries a very simple and soft Dior bag with a thin palladium chain.  Her co-star Agathe Bonitzer wears the simple French classics, trousers with cotton men's shirts and blazers, a trench coat, and when she is dressed for dinner she wears a cream silk blouse with a long shawl tie and black trousers without any other embellishment.  That kind of French dressing is always seductive to me, but I am not sure it translates well to regular non-stunning women. It may just appear a bit dull.

The film's stylish simplicity does, however, remind me that beautiful quality cloth (for example the coat Huppert wears in the car scene of the trailer) is so obviously different from all the high street rubbish we wear nowadays.  For me the best classic fashion on film is found in I Am Love, with Tilda Swinton and Marisa Berenson.  It's depressing, but stunning.

My real 2017 resolution is to pay for my daily news.  I already have a subscription to The New York Times and the Washington Post.  In order to make sure broadsheet news does not perish, I think it is vitally important we start paying for our online news, just like we paid for our news when it only came in paper form.  The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph and the periodical The Economist top my list.

I hope I can convince you to do the same for the newspapers in your geographical area.  Aside from political and financial news the fashion writing in these publications is excellent as well, and you may still find fashion critics there, a long gone phenomenon in fashion magazines.

Whether it regards fashion, political elections or the war in Syria: it is of paramount importance in 2017 that we support freedom of the press, and quality independent journalism. It does not matter what your politics are, freedom of the press is crucial for the survival of democracy.  If you think freedom to publicly dissent is not an issue in your life, read this PBS interview with world champion chess player Garry Kasparov HERE.  Imagine living in a world where a champion chess player is not allowed to voice his concerns about his government's policies and then ask yourself if you want to live in such a world.  If you prefer the freedom to tell your friends at a dinner party that you think Clinton is a liar or that Trump is a vulgarian, then you should act by making sure these publications stay in business.  Read more about the current state of press freedom HERE.

I don't think I personally have the courage of a Garry Kasparov, or the courage displayed by critical journalists around the world every single day, but monetarily supporting the work these reporters do is an easy, yet meaningful contribution anyone can make in 2017.

On a personal editorial note, my mother received a letter while I was in Holland, from the son of a British soldier who was billeted at my grandparents' house for much of the second world war.  The letter informed us that Jack's widow had died.  The bravery of my grandparents, hiding two British soldiers from their German occupiers, is awe-inspiring to me.  And the courage of those young British and American men who risked their precious lives, often voluntarily, to fight tyranny abroad must never be forgotten.

Happy New Year - I hope 2017 will be a great year for you all.