This weekend I went to a beach party that goes from day to night and onwards into the next morning. Personally, I've never been to a huge beach bash before (I can't even remember the last time I stepped foot on a beach), so I was actually really excited to go. I imagined it to be similar to the beach party scene in Princess Diaries, minus the public humiliation bit of course. As the date approached, I was increasingly thinking about one question- what does one wear to a beach party? Beach wear? But its a party.....supposedly like a nightclub moved to a beach.....how does one recouncil the two?
Some thoughts. As I didn't plan on getting myself wet or anything, the first thing that popped to mind was a pretty summer dress in bright colors like these two from Free People shown here. Just imagine what a pretty beach pic these dresses would make! And the thin material and relatively cheap price is perfect for the beach, as you wouldn't have to constantly think about ruining it. 
Ultimately though I ended up wearing cropped jeans as the practical side of me pops up, with the fear that skirts may be blown by the wind and it could get messy. You always want to wear pants when things get messy. Of course, shorts work too, but I was also scared of mosquitos too since it was night- I know I think too much! (Both from Forever 21)
Topwise, I suggest a pretty floral top that would also make a pretty picture (left: UO, right: Forver 21).
And if you're worried about a tan line (as I'd be if I'd went in the afternoon), tubes are a great option like these two from Forever 21 (left) and UO(right). I especially love the white tube, because its so simple but elegant and fun.
Then came shoes. These are the times when sandals/flip flops become your best friend, as heels will sink in and are impractical and sneakers are too hot. Remember to get super cheap ones, as you wouldn't want to ruin your fancy pair on the rough sandy shores of a beach (above from UO). I bought a pair of flip flops for less than $3 especially for the occasion! 
Then came a bag to put all your stuff in. At that moment, I wished I had my white Le Sportsac huge tote with me. But alas it is in Chicago. But really, just stuff everything (mat, sunscreen, food, water, shades, umbrella etc) into a big beach bag like the one above from UO. And just in case you want to head over to the bar for a while and don't want to bring everything with you, consider bringining a small clutch like this one also from UO to put your valuables in. Leaving valuables anywhere is not a good idea. Plus, it'll look more chic then holding your wallet around. And lastly, don't forget to bring a cardigan. It CAN get cold at night on a beach- think OC beach parties with everyone putting on college sweat shirts and cardis. And that is my whole thought process prepping for this beach party. I know, I think too much. LOL. Hope everyone has a fun weekend as well!
Prada's accessories are always one of the first brands I look at in style.com's accessories preview. Afterall, Prada's accessories are always the sales force behind the brand and they're usually copied by all the other high street brands (thus Prada's accessories almost always form part of the new trends.) 
The first time I saw this season's Prada's shoes, I thought err... I hated the gradient colour theme (more so for certain colours like green and black than others,) and I wasn't really into the whole leg-warmers-with-heels trend because realistically, I'm not going to even try that. But when I was wondering around Barneys in LA, I couldn't resist trying on a pair of one of Prada's FW07 runway shoes, the Vernice Sfumata Pump, which to us normal people, are commonly known as the gradient-coloured pumps. So I tried them on and wow, I loved them! I instantly felt like I was sucked into the world of artistic, intellectually glam world of Prada. I especially liked the thick, black, elastic strap in the front. I was wearing a flowery skirt that day so it didn't really match my outfit but I imagine it would look absolutely amazing with black pants -modern, sleek and creative. Sigh, now I'll probably spend the next few months admiring these shoes online everyweek.
After yesterday's not-too-positive post about LA's food, I'll move onto LA's shopping today! I stayed at Beverly Wilshire so the place I went everyday was Rodeo Drive. Before going I wasn't really enthusastic about Rodeo Drive because I thought it was just going to be another designer name-packed street which will be like all the other places I usually go to (-Hong Kong, London etc.) I was right about the designer-packed part, but what I didn't expect was that I really loved the street. I loved how there was so much space to walk around and not feel crowded, and the salespeople there were so friendly and helpful! (The sad thing was of course, I could hardly afford anything there!)
The thing I loved most on Rodeo Drive was the Prada shop. The first time I saw it from across the street, I thought, that coat looks like it's from Prada's FW07 collection and those stairs are very NYC Soho Prada-like, is that the Prada shop? You will notice that the shop doesn't even have a Prada sign, and I really haven't seen a store before that didn't display its own designer name! I loved it! (Seriously, if you didn't know Prada well and just walked past it, you would think it was a weird warehouse!)
But walk by at night and you'll be surprised. See those three holes on the ground?
They're like lighted caves filled with Prada goodies. The concept is so cool.
And of course, there is the newly renovated Chanel store, my second favourite looking store on Rodeo Drive. It looks so clean and clear cut, with only white, black and gold.
While I love the atmosphere and all of Rodeo Drive, the shopping place that I really liked was Robertson Blvd. Robertson Blvd is the street where a lot of mix-brand boutiques like Kitson and Madison are, and also boutiques of American brands like Nanette Lepore and Alice + Olivia. For me, Kitson was sort of... blah. I only noticed lots of T-shirts and the new Paris Hilton clothing collection. If anyone visits Robertson Blvd, then you must go to the Alice + Olivia store -the clothes are SO gorgeous. It's not too often that I think clothes look even prettier in real life than on shopbop.com. And there are so many more stores on Robertson -that was def a fun trip.
First off, I just want to say how boring LA's sightseeing spots were. The Walk of Fame, Kodak Theatre, Lady something catherdral thingy, the Hollywood sign etc. -honestly, all a yawn. I don't know why people get so excited and take so many pictures there. The only thing worth seeing was The Getty Center -the garden and photography exhibition were gorgeous. 
Sprinkles, the hotspot for cupcakes, always had a line outside the store. 
The cupcakes were... cupcakes -Sweet, but nothing special and overpriced. But it was an 'LA experience' for me, to join in the craze with other Angelinos.
Pink Berry is basically the snack place of the moment in LA. They sell simple yogurt, soft ice-cream style, and you add toppings on it. Surprisingly, I actually liked the yogurt there and had it three times in my one week there! No wonder they're earning so much money and opening so many stores. Do try it if you go to LA -it's another 'LA expeience' one should enjoy!
Ah, the oh-so-famous Ivy. I stumbled across it on a shopping trip and surprisingly managed to get a table without reservation in 15 minutes. The food there was pretty good, although my mum and I were more impressed by how the waiting crowd outside the restaurant didn't seem to get smaller even at 3pm! While it wasn't the best Italian food I've ever had, the meal was certainly one of the better ones I had in LA. 
Hilary Duff -She was the co-host so you will notice that she had more than one outfit. I quite like her wearing this Corey Lynn Calter black, sequined dress, although it feels more nightime than daytime.
Hilary's other two outfits were very 'her'. I like her in the blue and black sequined dress, and so-and-so about green jeans. What I don't like about her is her hair! What happened to those classy locks? What is up with the gradient-coloured hair?
I may like Avril's music but I'm really not a fan of her clothes. I used to like it when she kept it simple with jeans/ pants with tank tops, but now her clothes (and pink hair) are just, for a lack of better words, not cool. Actually I suppose this outfit isn't too bad, but it would have looked much nicer if her hair was just left straight down.
I've never liked Fergie's clothes so I'll just say here that her grey heels don't match her polka dot dress.
Lauren and Audrina -Kind of typical choices for them, but they could have chosen cuter dresses. Audrina's dress is too nighttime clubbing-ish, and Lauren's is just not as fun as her usual choices. (Lauren's dress is from her upcoming collection.)
Jessica Alba's dress is really nothing special, but seriously, that girl can make anything look amazing. Jessica not surprisingly, won the female hottie award. I really want to watch her new movie, Good Luck Chuck!
Emmy Rossum is finally not in a boring long dress, but I don't really like her dress here either. The pink looks great on her, but maybe the way the fabric is draped on her just isn't that cute? Or maybe adding a thin belt around her waist would have added more shape to the dress.
Wow, Sophia Bush looked amazing in a hard-to-wear Herve Leger dress. I love her playful dress with that cute but proper hairstyle. I guess she had to look good, afterall, she won three awards!
Vanessa Hudgens -The dress really suits her, except the clutch doesn't match the dress. OK, I accidently watched two minutes of High School Musical 2 this afternoon, and I don't get why they are so popular! True, they do seem talented (which is not a given in Hollywood these days,) but what is so fun watching a bunch of kids sing on tv? I suppose musical is only cool to me if it's live.
Since I really have no interest in men's fashion, Zac Efron (who won male hottie) is obviously here for eyecandy. He always looks a bit too photoshopped (or madeup?) for my taste, but hey, eyecandy is eyecandy. Enjoy!
The product that really caught my eye was the new 'Neo Climax Lip', which is described by the saleslady as an in-between of lipstick and lipgloss. She suggested I try on the colour that the model had on. I did that and loved it! Like the ad suggested, it wasn't overly sparkly, and gave a cool, glossy finish to my lips. Unlike the lip 
You know how you get to an age where you feel like you're in-between for everything? Too young for certain things and too old for others? I want some lip colour that will stay on but I'm not ready for lipstick yet. So basically, I consider this a more sophisticated-looking version of lipgloss. On the Maquillage site, there's this image which shows how you apply this product (-which is simply how you apply all other similar lip products.) So do check out the Neo Climax Lip when you pass by a Shiseido counter next time!
Maybe because the creative directors behind the ads did a really good job, or maybe it's because the bags are just so classic -not matter what, these classic bags fit in surprisingly well with the seasonal clothes. I mean, look at this Prada ad, even with the artistic and somewhat weird clothes Prada has this season, the bags still seem to belong there. The puffed up messenger bags totally fit in with Prada's intelligent, artsy image.
As for the Louis Vuitton ad, the classic monogrammed bag fits in really well with the whole posh, well-dressed, high-maintanence woman image. (For once, I'll refrain from ranting about how much I dislike celebs posing in high fashion ads. Sigh...) Even after looking at this uber-glam ad, I still don't feel the urge to buy this monogrammed bag, although to be fair, I'm not a fan of obviously-monogrammed bags. Oops, now I'm ranting about monogrammed bags.
She opened with a bang with Girlfriend. Dressed in a black tank, pink plaid mini and those doc marten looking boots (whatever you call them), she was every part Avril. She even had dances to match her songs, which I thought was very cute, though some of the moves were actually very high schoolish- but then again I guess it was appropriate since it was a pretty teeny bopper crowd. What I found most impressive about her though was her voice, which I thought was amazing- she was literally screaming with a high clear voice that never cracked.
Even though there are Urban Outfitters shops in the UK, the US UO things are so much cheaper! For example, a graphic T-shirt is around 23 pounds in London but around 28usd in the States. One item I want to check out is the Lux cinch dress. It looks so easy to wear and pracitcal -one of those items that can take the dresser from daytime to nightime activities.
Another thing I just found on UO's website is this Lux dress. It looks really cool in the picture but it could look cheap and awkward in real life so I really must check it out.
I've never been to an American Apparel shop before and I've been wanting to go so I can't wait. So many people seem to love American Apparel at FashionSpot. American Apparel sells really boring, basic clothes so I probably shouldn't have such high expectations but I do love plain clothes. The first thing I want to check out is this tank dress (and any other useful basics). 
The other item is this cardigan. It looks perfect to wear to school this fall -simple and goes with jeans. Afterall, who has time to think before rushing to class?
Onto beauty products, after reading so many rave reviews on Urban Decay's Eye Primer Potion (at MUA and from you guys,) I am determined to buy a few bottles -one for me and a few for friends who have requested I buy it for them too!
OPI nail polish, which is my favourite nail polish brand, is very expensive in Hong Kong (about HK$120 per bottle,) so my mum and I are definitely going to stock up. BG tells me they sell for around 6USD in the States so I'm hoping they're about the same price in San Francisco too. The most important thing is the base and top layer.
Then onto basic (but fun) colours -red and nude.
I recently saw a friend who had wine/ maroon-ish purple nails and they look so sophisticated. But I really can't tell the difference between the many shades of purple! Perhaps this colour is becoming fashionable because OPI's new Russian collection seems to be all about this colour!
And finally -books! On my list so far are Charmed Thirds by Megan Mccafferty (in paperback finally,) Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women by Elizabeth Wurtzel (only because I love Wurtzel so much,) and The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.