Dry January Outfit 3

Chanel bag (HERE)

J.Crew cashmere T-shirt (similar HERE or HERE)

H&M jacket (mine is sold out but this one HERE is really great)

Zara skirt (now sold out but similar HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE)

Gucci sneakers (HERE)

On this last day of 2017 I am wearing my hero outfit for the year.  The Zara skirt was such a good buy - I feel like a million bucks every time I wear it.  If fits well, goes with absolutely everything despite the print, and can be dressy or casual.  Let's hope midi skirts are here to stay for a very long time.

The cobalt blue cashmere T-shirt suits my coloring and brings out the green in my eyes.  I get more compliments on this top than on anything else I own - I think it's the vibrance of the color.

The H&M super light cargo jacket is the easiest thing to throw over anything, and light enough to wear in Hong Kong's humidity.  I have talked about the Gucci sneakers a hundred times, they are still the best high end item I bought in 2017.

The Chanel bag was a generous gift from my mum.  It was bought at the Rue Cambon store in Paris and as such it came in a white box and white dust bag, unlike the usual black packaging from other Chanel stores.  This bag makes a sporty, casual outfit like this one more age appropriate, as it may be obvious that I am not 20.  One day I will give it to my daughter and it's always going to be much more special than any other bags I own.

If you want to see more of my no-shopping dry January outfits, follow me above by entering your email and don't forget to check my instagram (@fashionexpat) for additional pics.  Thank you so much.

Enjoy your New Year's celebrations, dear readers, and I can't wait to see you back tomorrow in 2018.

xxxxxxxxxxx Di

Dry January Outfit 2

Canvas bag (see HERE for my one-off, but another cute green bag HERE)

Isabel Marant Etoile jeans (HERE)

Topshop T-shirt (HERE)

J.Crew tartan shoes, from last year, but similar HERE, HERE or HERE

Day two of no-shopping dry January was already hard.  As you can see I already found myself in a dressing room!  I had some time to kill before lunch, so I tried on a pair of faux leather leggings just for sh*ts and giggles.  They looked quite nice but after about two minutes of wearing them I already felt hot and claustrophobic, so I gladly handed them back to the shopgirl.

Phew, no-shopping challenge still intact.

That black T-shirt didn't hide my Christmas spare tyre as well as I hoped it would...  Tomorrow I will go for a long and loose jacket!

good night from Hong Kong!

My First Outfit for Dry January

Tibi velours top, HERE

White jeans, similar HERE or HERE

Very old Zara studded shoes, similar HERE or HERE

J.Crew jacket, now sold out, but similar HERE, HERE or HERE

Chanel bag, now sold out, but similar HERE or HERE

There is no way I will stop drinking for January.  A great glass of wine or champagne with dinner is one of life's true pleasures.  As Dr Michael Apstein argues in his article on dry January (HERE):

Some people believe that ‘giving your liver a rest’ by abstaining from alcohol for a month or so is beneficial. In fact, there’s no science to support this practice, nor does it make sense physiologically. The liver can metabolise a small and steady amount of alcohol without difficulty.

If you think you need to take a month off, you’re either drinking too much during the rest of the year or you have a guilty conscience.

My own version of Dry January pertains to shopping, and the good doctor's argument applies there as well:  if you think you need a month off, you've either indulged too much or have a guilty conscience.  That's pretty much the case for me when it comes to buying fashion.

It's a fact that I buy too many clothes and shoes, and I'd like to try and break the habit.

So my plan for January is that I buy nothing at all.  I will post an outfit every day and no doubt I will have more than enough clothes to go around.  I am a tiny bit worried about the end of the month when I will be in London for a week, because the shops there are ridiculously tempting.  But I am going to be strong.

To make sure you don't miss any of my January outfits, enter your email above (thank you so much - I very much appreciate it) and follow me on Instagram, @fashionexpat, where I will be posting additional pictures not on the blog.

xx Dianne

Twenty-Seven December 2017 in Tsim Sha Tsui

Boxing Day 2017... and another Christmas takes a bow

we started with a boozy lunch at the old Mandarin

central appeared totally deserted later in the afternoon

maybe that's because everyone was here checking out the christmas display in the landmark

we moved on to causeway bay for a bit more holiday shopping and a huge mirror outfit selfie

my mum bought this adorable blouse (HERE)

as i had kept my clothes hugely comfortable (my cold got worse and i felt rubbish when i woke up) i panicked just before we left and threw on a bunch of metal - earrings, necklaces and bracelets, not my usual style but who cares, it was festive - and we had a great day

- hope your christmases granted you everything you wished for -

xx dianne 

My favourite pre-Christmas shopping outfit - a bit of tartan and a classic blazer

I have a cold and my skin and hair looked ragged today.  But the great thing about a blazer is that it always manages to give you a bit of a lift.

The blazer is from Sandro - find it on sale HERE.

Holiday stroll through the neighbourhood: view towards Deep Water Bay from Severn Road

I fail miserably at being cool - that's why I had to return these Tibi mules

These were heart palpitation inducing when I noticed them on Net-à-Porter.  I saw myself walking around being just sooooo cool without having quite figured out the outfit to go with them.

They arrived within hours - Net-à-Porter is simply the very best at the whole delivery and return process - but the 37.5 was a bit small for me, so I knew right away I would have to return them for a 38 if I really liked them.

And I did... but I could not figure out what to wear with them.  Cropped mom jeans and a tucked in jumper?  Yeah maybe, but would that do anything for my appearance at all?  I came to the conclusion that I liked the idea of these mules only.  Ultimately I think I'd rather look attractive than edgy, which makes me undeserving of these shoes.  If you are way cooler than I am (which is easy), maybe they will work for you - find them HERE.

This Christmas you can never have too many...

Lip balms.  Even in Hong Kong my lips are cracked and dry.  Kiss Mix is the very best lip balm I have ever tried.  It's been on my bedside table for years.  Buy it HERE.

Scented candles.  'Tis the season!  My current favorite is Byredo's Bibliothèque, which (to an untrained nose like mine) smells mostly of vanilla but with some fruitiness and leather thrown in. It's beautifully subtle and goes really well with the scent of Christmas trees.  Find it HERE.

Make-up brushes.  During the festive season I like my make-up to match the mood, but as sparkly eyeshadow can clog brushes I use a separate set for glittery shades.  Real Techniques are my absolute favorites because they have a huge assortment of professional products which also happen to be very affordable.  The brushes are made with artificial hair, which makes them super easy to clean.

Find them HERE.

Reading Glasses.  The kitchen, the office, the bedroom - I keep reading glasses everywhere nowadays.  It's been about four years since I can't read anything without my collection of trusty Warby Parkers. 

I go out of my way to avoid buying Luxottica eyeglasses (THIS is why) but aside from that, I just love Warby Parker style.  Micky Drexler is on the board, and we all know how awesome he looks in his retro clear frames. 

These brown and blue specs are my latest ones.  Use a forwarding shipper (Like THIS one) to send them to Hong Kong or make Warby Parker the first stop on your American vacation.  Find them HERE.

Cosy socks.  These cheap and cheerful socks are from H&M, because in our damp cold house without central heating slippers alone are not enough.  H&M carry chenille socks HERE online but these Christmas editions came from the store in Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong.

Three's a charm - I promise I am going to change my bag and shoes tomorrow

Proenza Schouler bag (HERE)

& Other Stories jumper (HERE)

Isabel Marant Étoile jeans (HERE)

J.Crew velvet shoes (from last year but similar HERE, HERE, and HERE)

New COS jumper, inspired by Aimee Song

If you are wondering why those red shoes and bag again...  I am not a super glam blogger who has to change outfits completely every day.  So I leave my shoes downstairs when I get in, and once I change my wallet, keys, glasses, and toiletries to a new bag, I usually carry that one around for a while.  My laziness aside, this bag is really practical - the pocket on the back has my key, phone and Octopus card while the three fairly spacious internal compartments hold the rest. 

The shoes are available at J.Crew in IFC in a pale pink velvet, although they do have black ribbons that sort of turn them into mary janes.  The jeans are way old straight leg Zara.

The grey jumper inspired this outfit.  I picked it up yesterday at COS - it's oversized and reminded me of a jeans and jumper combo Aimee Song posted recently on Song of Style.  I loooooved the outfit Aimee wore in that post - I don't really know why because it's sort of plain, but fashion can do that sometimes.  Anyway, this COS version is fab.  This jumper is not on the COS website, but there were plenty in store on Queen's Road Central.

A Perfect Day To Wear Pink (Isabel Marant Étoile Mom Jeans)

A quick pic from my living room before I run off to Central.  I hope mom jeans are here to stay!  All muffin top is gone, and the looser fit around the legs is a very welcome relief after so many years of skinnies.  I am off to find some wrapping paper for Santa.

French Connection jumper (HERE)
Isabel Marant Étoile pink jeans (HERE)
Proenza Schouler bag (HERE)
J.Crew velvet shoes (from last year, but I also love THESE and THESE)

J.Crew and @floralflowerist team up for a wreath making workshop

I won't give up my day job.

Stunning unexpected table setting by @floralflowerist.  The combination of black and white graphic table cloths, stripy linen aprons, and rustic decorations in antique gold cups was extraordinarily beautiful.

If you like flowers or flower arranging, check out @floralflowerist on Instagram. You can take courses, or I suppose you can just buy flowers as well.  I like their take on a modern bouquet.  Making wreaths was such a lovely treat, arranged by J.Crew in their IFC store.

I have been wearing rather a lot of J.Crew again this season.  The dark red jumper below was a perfect purchase from J.Crew in London earlier in the season - I love it so much that I pretty much wear it with everything.  The cobalt blue trousers and the multi-color metallic shoes (both J.Crew although the shoes are from last year) seemed perfect companions.  As I pretty much always find myself trying to tone down all things shiny, I carried a casual canvas bag and was happy as a clam in my super comfortable clothes all day on Friday.

If you don't want to spend a lot on a whole new look for the festive season, get out some of your more colourful clothes and try to combine them in unusual ways. The blue trousers would also go beautifully with bottle green, fuchsia pink, or mustard yellow.  Or if you want to pair a brighter trouser with a neutral, choose a camel or heather gray instead of black.  Then make sure you wear a slightly deeper colour of lipstick or lipgloss - you don't have to go super dark, just a bit more intensity to match your colourful clothes.

J. Crew trousers (HERE)

J.Crew jumper (HERE)

J.Crew rose gold oil slick pumps (last year's, but similar HERE or HERE)

Canvas bag from Shenzhen with pins from the Victoria and Albert Museum (from an earlier post HERE)

You bought it, now you'd better wear it

Mild but hazy weather in the Hong Kong Christmas season.

We decorated our second (this time real) tree without a plan and without my usual anal symmetrical precision and I love how it turned out.   The house smells beautifully of noble fir.

And now I am trying to figure out what to wear this weekend for a Christmassy birthday dinner at The China Club.

I bought this dress on 50 per cent sale 2 years ago...  was that a good idea?  Probably not.  It was one of those moments where I imagined myself to be a cool New Yorker in my The Row dress, and that somehow my coolness could make this dress not look like 1987 Donna Karan*. 

So now I am trying to shame myself.  You bought it, now you'd better wear it.

It's quite funny, my twelve year old has started to do the same - and when you do end up wearing something your were not sure about, very often your doubts disappear.

Now I have to figure out if I have Spanx strong enough to hold me in.  Then I am thinking some modern earrings (like THESE, THESE or THESE kitschy lovelies).

The Row dress, HERE.

*  And it's not just Donna Karan's clothes that are 30 years out of touch - her take on Harvey Weinstein was quite a shocker (HERE).

Why not bring some colour into your winter (and try out some alpaca while you're at it)

Zara coat HERE

Isabel Marant Étoile jumper HERE

Maison Kitsuné jeans, similar HERE

Saint Laurent boots HERE

Although I love a full black or grey outfit in winter, I live in a subtropical climate, and sometimes all that darkness looks out of place next to the palm trees. 

When it does get cooler in January and February my favourite way to keep some brightness in my outfits is by wearing off-white jeans.  The jumper is from Isabel Marant Étoile, a mix of alpaca and regular wool, in the prettiest pale blue which will go beautifully with my Zara coat.  I wore that coat for four days straight in London last week and loved every minute.  I saw two other girls in it on the King's Road, but I didn't mind at all - one of them walked towards me near the Duke of York Square and we both smiled at each other knowingly.  There are still some left at Zara now - I highly recommend.

Isabel Marant has been using a lot of alpaca wool this season, and I love the feel of it. It's featherlight and doesn't seem to pill very much. I think companies have become interested in alpaca for the past few years because it's reportedly more sustainable than cashmere (read more about that HERE).

How To Make An Easy Wardrobe Lookbook

Find a place with decent light. Pick a category of clothes or accessories to photograph. Take all the photos in a category in one day, without interruption by other photos.

When done, go to All Photos and take a screen shot of all the images you have captured. In this case, 20 photos fit on the screen of my fairly antiquated iPhone 6. 

You can use them as digital images, but I have printed mine out and made them into a binder. A great tool for when you don't know what to wear.

I do it only once a year, and in between lookbook updates new clothes and accessories always get stored together in a separate part of my wardrobe. This system ensures that I don't forget what I have just bought.  

After a year, you may have enough new purchases to fill up more iPhone screens and add to your lookbook.