a n h - m i n h . c o m

I can't stop looking at these shoes!

The good and bad news is: They don't come in my size. So I can't have them/won't blow $350 on them.

Posted at 10:11 PM | Link

A couple of years ago, Jon bought his mom one of the small Longchamp Le Pliage tote bags for her golf outings. I was rather impressed that he picked out such a simple yet stylish design all by himself! A few months ago, when I was thinking about what to bring on our trip to Bali and Singapore, I kept coming back to that same tote. I ended up getting the large size in curry:

It worked out great, especially since I could fit a big stack of magazines in it. (I bought so many foreign magazines during our trip!) The style works for carrying around town or down to the beach. It also has a small pocket for your lip balm, cell phone, hotel key, etc. My only complaint is that I wish the pocket had a closing mechanism. (I ended up attaching some adhesive-backed velcro squares as a temporary fix.)

Posted at 09:29 AM | Link

After years and years of doing laundry, it finally happened to me: I washed a dark item with a white item and then the white item was white no longer. I bought this sleeveless wrap top in Singapore and ended up throwing it in the wash with a load that included a pair of navy pants. So when I pulled the top out of the dryer — you guessed it — it was pale blue.

Everything I read about bleaching clothes freaked me out. And I was just about to give up when I had a junior high school flashback: Rit Dye! A quick search on Amazon revealed the existence of a product called Rit Dye 65 Powder White-Wash. The reviews gave me hope that the shirt could be white again. And within seconds of dropping it into the pot of Rit-infused water, it did indeed return to its original color. Here's the proof:

Please pardon the wrinkles — the top was fresh out of the dryer when I snapped the "after" photo. The point is: If you need to revive a white article of clothing, give Rit's White-Wash a try!

Posted at 05:36 PM | Link

I don't usually take outfit photos — as you can see from my Flickr images on the right, I was an utter failure at last year's Bloganista project — but I was so pleased with myself for actually wearing a rather grown-up ensemble today. My usual work uniform = t-shirt + jeans + Converse.

Maybe it was the amazing weather that motivated me to dress up a little today. And the fact that I picked up a bunch of new stuff during my vacation:

In Singapore, I discovered my favorite new label: Écrin. I wasn't able to find much information about the brand online, but I believe it's based in Korea. I bought several pieces and they're so easy to wear, with a bit of a stylish twist. (For example, I love the drawstring waist on this navy top, so you can change the look by cinching it tighter or looser.) The Paul Ropp necklace was purchased in Bali. (I'm trying to accessorize more these days.) And the tote is from a kikki.K shop in Singapore.

Speaking of vacation and clothing, there's a pile of (finally unpacked) laundry that's calling my name!

Posted at 05:17 PM | Link

BTW, in anticipation of last week's showers in NYC and Philadelphia, I packed this rain jacket from Anthropologie:

I love it. And I don't know why there aren't more attractive, rain-proof jackets on the market! Trenches don't count—for me, a rain jacket needs to have a hood! (Bonus: This one also has good-sized pockets with snap closures, so I didn't have to worry about my phone or wallet falling out.)

Posted at 04:38 PM | Link

The forecast calls for more rain this week in the Bay Area. Which I am actually looking forward to now that I've got my new Dace raincoat:

I have been searching for the perfect raincoat for quite some time, and I think this is it. I love the look of a trench — I've got a few in my closet — but they usually don't have a hood. And I need a hood because I don't like to carry an umbrella.

So this? This may be the Holy Grail of raincoats for me.

Posted at 05:15 PM | Link | Comments (5)

You may have noticed that my Flickr feed over there on the right has been populating lately with photos of me. Well, photos of my outfits, to be exact. They're part of the Bloganistas Flickr pool, run by the lovely Erin of Design for Mankind.

We're only in Week 4 and I've already missed one week (#3)! So that gives me a grade of a C. I've been taking self-portraits and the lighting hasn't been the best, so that's something I'm hoping to improve on, too.

Posted at 08:05 AM | Link | Comments (4)

I bought myself a couple of pieces from the recently launched Stella McCartney line for GapKids.

(Yes, I bought them for me. Not my nieces. Not my nephews.)

Posted at 04:29 PM | Link | Comments (5)

I haven't followed Project Runway for a few seasons now, but was intrigued by this morning's post on Jezebel about last night's challenge: Design Using Newspaper as Fabric. The contestants came up with some amazing pieces:

Photos from Jezebel, which offers more details on each design as well.

Posted at 08:59 AM | Link

I want this J.Crew ruffle-front coat.

In camel, please.

Posted at 02:40 PM | Link | Comments (1)

On Saturday, I spent most of the afternoon on Fourth Street in Berkeley. While we were in Erica Tanov, my friend Sherrie pointed out the store's fantastic lookbook, which is actually a set of "polaroids":

This may be the best lookbook idea EVER.

Posted at 02:39 PM | Link

Did you hear that Anna Sui has a collection launching at Target this fall? AND it's inspired by Gossip Girl?!? You can see a slideshow of the 19 looks and get more details at The Cut (New York magazine's fashion blog).

No surprise: The "Blair" looks (like the one above, left) are my favorite. The "Serena" outfits don't really remind me of the character, but I still like a couple of them (above, right).

Posted at 09:07 AM | Link | Comments (3)

I couldn't resist buying both of these Vena Cava dresses — part of the limited-edition collection at the Gap that's designed by finalists of the 2008 CDFA/Vogue Fashion Fund.

I have no idea how they'll fit, but figured I'd order them while they're still available. (The collection just hit the online shop tonight.)

Posted at 10:03 PM | Link | Comments (4)

I never would have thought that there would be a First Lady whose wardrobe I totally covet. But Michelle Obama keeps bringing it. Most recently, with this Sophie Theallet dress (via Jezebel):

Also, I wouldn't mind having one of the coats that the Obama girls wore to the inauguration. J.Crew is now offering pre-orders for either style.

Speaking of J.Crew ... I was flipping through the latest catalog last night and was dog-earing just about every other page. So much goodness.

Posted at 09:17 AM | Link

While I loved Michelle Obama's outfit yesterday — how perfect were those olive green leather gloves? — I've been coveting Malia's and Sasha's coats. Apparently, they were custom J.Crew pieces and are not available for purchase ... yet. (I suspect that the Crewcuts collection will come out with similar coats in the coming months.)

Posted at 09:22 AM | Link | Comments (4)

I didn't make any New Year's resolutions for 2009, but I can't stop thinking about Hollister Hovey's post about her #4 resolution: "More adventures!" It's not so much the idea of traveling more that's on my mind; it's the photos she included. She looks so well put-together as she visits L.A., Paris, Marrakech, etc.

I want that!

If you look at most of my travel photos, I'm wearing jeans and sneakers. But if you look at my closet, that's a small percentage of my wardrobe. So going forward, I resolve to pack more stylish outfits when I travel — and make sure I get photographed wearing at least one of them.

Posted at 08:11 AM | Link | Comments (1)

Not one, but two pairs, were waiting for me under the Christmas tree.

Posted at 10:36 AM | Link | Comments (4)

As in Michelle Obama. Mrs. O is all about her ensembles. Love this site (which was temporarily down yesterday after Jezebel linked to it).

I totally want the J.Crew Italian Deco tank that she wore on Leno the other night. (Bonus: It's on sale and J.Crew is offering free shipping right now.)

Posted at 08:19 AM | Link | Comments (2)

I met up with Christiana yesterday for brunch and shopping. Things worth noting from our outing:

• The "Pop Tarts" at Foreign Cinema = seriously good. And the slow-cooked brown-sugar smoked bacon is just as awesome as it sounds.
• One of my favorite shirts is the Emma button-down from Sunhee Moon. It fits me perfectly (must be the touch of lycra!) and is so easy to wear (meaning, I can pair it with practically anything, from casual to dressy). So I was thrilled to see that they are on sale right now. Since the style will be retired — at least temporarily — I *had* to pick up a few in different colors.

The rest of my weekend was spent watching the Olympics, unpacking more boxes, hanging out with Jon and his college friends, and removing the last few pieces of furniture from our old house (okay, Jon actually handled this task).

After stressing for weeks about the sale of our house, it turned out, there was no reason to be concerned. The house hit the market on a Friday and by the following Wednesday, we had a deal. As expected, the realization that the old house — which was our first, the house we purchased just one month after getting married — is not really ours anymore was a bit emotional.

Posted at 03:23 PM | Link | Comments (3)

So so pretty!

I totally want that tangerine coat.

Posted at 09:19 PM | Link | Comments (9)

I couldn't resist. J.Crew unveiled some new arrivals this week and I had to buy these Penelope flats:

P.S. Those are the girls' Penelopes; the grown-up version of the flats comes in other colors.

Posted at 10:46 AM | Link

Yes, you read right: I said Christmas.

Mark your calendars. Target has just announced two limited-edition collections that will be available in stores October 12-December 26. Anya Hindmarch and Sigerson Morrison!

Sigerson Morrison flats and heels available at Zappos.

Posted at 09:09 AM | Link

I convinced myself that I need a green handbag and picked up this Gryson for Target tote this weekend:

You can view the entire collection right here.

Posted at 08:26 AM | Link

It's been about a year since I was first introduced to the awesomeness that is designer Ivana Helsinki's work. (Eden&Eden, a fantastic store in SF, is one of the few shops in the country to carry this label.) Recently, I was doing a search to see if I could score some IH goods online and I came across Huset — which specializes in items from Scandinavian. In addition to IH dresses that I love, there's a lot of cool housewares. Such as:

Huset is definitely getting bookmarked.

Posted at 09:20 PM | Link

I am trying to resist buying this dress, by Madison Marcus:

But the scallops! The adorable racerback! I'm not sure I can deny my closet this much cuteness.

Posted at 07:32 AM | Link

This cropped leather jacket is called the "Lindsay." It retails for $880. Can you guess the label?

MEMBERS freaking ONLY. No, seriously.

There's more where this came from: Revolve Clothing carries this jacket, as well as other leather ones, and MO mini-dresses.

Posted at 03:04 PM | Link

The latest collection by this New York label is just starting to show up online. I like. Especially the dresses.

Pssst ... The arrival of the spring line means that the Fall 2007 goods are deeply discounted now!

Posted at 06:47 AM | Link

I love these new Millie flats, available at J.Crew:

Alas, they don't come in size 4. Typical.

Posted at 10:47 AM | Link

These days, more often than not, I've got a pair of Converse on my feet. Which is why I'm intrigued by the collection of apparel and footwear that the company is launching next month exclusively at Target.

You can view the entire image album right here.

Posted at 02:23 PM | Link

Am I the last one to know about this new J.Crew brand called Madewell? According to Jezebel, it's the company's "hipper and less-expensive line."

Judging from the spring 2008 collection, I don't think I'm the target demographic.

Posted at 09:52 AM | Link

Look what recently arrived at the Saks online shop! New Loeffler Randall goodies!

Actually, they're only available for pre-order, but they'll probably be snapped up quickly (especially the shoes). As someone who wears jeans, sneakers and t-shirts to work most days, I have no business buying any of this — well, maybe the boots? — but they sure are pretty to look at.

Posted at 06:57 AM | Link

I love the city and area-code jewelry by Root'd In Style. (Several other locales are also available.)

     

Posted at 07:16 AM | Link

I think Alice Temperley's may be my favorite yet of Target's "GO International" collections.

  

The Temperley line hits stores next month.

Posted at 11:04 AM | Link

Jon and I recently embarked on his annual shopping excursion. Once a year, he agrees to buy a batch of new clothes. This year, a new pair of flip flops was on his shopping list. But I kid you not, we could not find any plain ol' men's flip flops. They all had some weird gimmicky thing going on. Like the pair that had a bottle opener on the bottom of the sole. Or the pair with a screw-cap canteen in the heel.

Huh? So weird.

Posted at 07:58 PM | Link