Can a piece of coral...

...really inspire a whole outfit?

In this case, the answer is overwhelmingly, YES.

Ever since I got this remade vintage coral ring from my momma, I can't stop crushing on all things coral. The ring is even extra special because the coral was originally one half of an earring mom wore on her wedding day. My sister-in-law has the other half, made into an identical ring surrounded by white and yellow tiny diamonds.

I wore this same dress earlier in the week to JK Model's Anniversary Party held at the upscale LEONE boutique. It was a fun night hanging out with some local bloggers, including Kelsey of The Anthology, Nicole of Le Mode Du Jour, Aces, Nikki of A Haute Mess, Olivia of Stylestruck, Lisa of Solo Lisa, Raul of Hummingbird604, and Erin of Haus of Hybrid.

Wearing:
Strapless dress with diamond back cut-out, by Elizabeth and James
Brown leather jacket, by Blues Heroes
Gypsy macrame thong sandals, by Elizabeth and James (available at ShopBop.com)
Remade vintage coral ring, gift from mom
Silver seahorse pendent, custom
White bone carved flower pendant, Simply Sublime
Mother of pearl cuff bracelet, from Knysna, South Africa
Bronze cuff, from Morocco
Floppy hat, American Apparel

Fall Picks Part 1 - Motomania

We're two days away from September - can you believe it? As sad as that is, I am excited about putting away the flip flops and slips and trading it for boots, leather, and layered scarves.

By reader request, I present to you part 1 of 4 posts with my fave fall 2009 trends. The first: Motomania.

Biker chic for means plenty of leather (jackets, shorts, pants, skirt etc.), zippers and studded everything, destroyed and skinny jeans, and lots of boots (take your pic: flat, spiked, ankle, cut-out). Although hard-edged, this is a more feminine and luxe motorcycle look that has plenty of sexy pieces which cling to the female body.

Immediately Above: Preen Shrunken Leather Biker Jacket and Frye Engineer Boot
Opening picture: Vintage leather shorts from Rock Paper Vintage

I wasn't sure about the whole harness trend until I saw the below one from Norwegian Wood - paired with the blouse, it's a lot more tamed.

Above: Norwegian Wood Punk Ballerina Leather Harness from Shrimpton Couture and BE+D Garbo Tote

I've been looking for a bustier for a while now, and this one is definitely on the wild side. I'd love to pair that with a slouchy blazer.

Above: Kettle Black Studded Bustier and Luxury Rebel Kelsey Open-Toe Booties

I had to include this Diesel helmet because it's actually damn sexy. I'd so wear it with the leather shorts.

Since Alexander Wang single-handedly brought back zippers and the buckled boot, I've included pieces below from his inspiration. And he'll do it again with my next Fall Pick.

Will you rock any of these looks for Fall 2009?

Above: Preen Line Stretch Miniskirt and Alexander Wang Buckled Booties
Images courtesy of Shop Bop, Net-a-Porter, Shrimpton Couture, and Diesel.

It's All About Texture

I finally got around to getting some pics of my new stuff from the trip today. The weather wasn't as nice as I had hoped for, so I didn't get many outside snaps. That said, I still found a way to feature the gorgeous cherry blossoms that are in full bloom right now outside my house. I am also blogging from the EEE asus and I'm having problems with cropping photos so please excuse that.

I was so happy to have found three items from my HK Hit List: Fringed, Leather Jacket, and Cut-Out Bootie Sandals, all featured in this outfit. None of these items are brand names, but rather are from various boutiques in Hong Kong.

Brown bomber leather jacket: by Blues Heroes (haha not St.Louis tho - GO CANUCKS GO!). From Hong Kong
White beater fringed tank top: from a small boutique in Tsim Sha Tsui, HK
Blue Grey tiered skirt: from small boutique in Tsim Sha Tsui, HK
White leather mesh cut-out sandal slingbacks: from Causeway Bay, HK