My 'Dream Bachelor Pad'...TenFace Hotel Style!

Below: Welcome to my room in Tenface Hotel!

Below: I love these wire puppets! Modern thai style!

Below: Contemporary decor with asian touches...my dream bachelor pad:-P

Below: Big couch to vegetate. I like the masculine colour combination

Below: Sleep like a king in the king size canopy bed!

Below: The 'king' has to pose somehow for the obligatory 'I am here' pic:-)

Below: Tosakan box and the thoughful goodies inside...

Below: Airy and cosy Wanara Eatery

Below: Check out the 'wire sculpted thai letterings' on wall!

Below: A 'cute' wire serpent sculpture for the private dining area

Below: Chic and cool Sita Bar

Below: Corridor/lounge area with connecting skybridge to next building. Love the painted Tiger wall mural!

Below: Nice modern exterior of hotel taken from pool

Below: Small pool but relaxing atmosphere

Bangkok Stopover...Part 1

So a week ago, I would have been lounging in style and comfort in Tenface Hotel via London. A nice 3 day stopover to get splendid and cheap Thai massage to soothe away those jetlag blues:-)

And the hotel, Tenface, made my stay even much more comfortable and pampered. I simply love the interior furnishings and concept of the hotel. I would want my future bachelor pad to resemble the style featured there! Such nice masculine colour combination and yet simple and very loft like. The white wooden panelling in the living room makes all the difference. And of course, injecting contemporary Thai style makes it all the more appealing. I thought the suspended wire Thai puppets is a modern and yet innovative touch. Never seen anything like that before.

Beyond that, the room is a one bedroom apartment (Tenface is more like a serviced apartment) which boosts a generous room size. With not one but 2 large LCD TVs...you can watch TV in the cosy living room couch or the comfort of your huge canopy bed! I feel like a king! And the bed is supremely comfortable. Zzzzzzz.

Wi-fi is free of charge all over hotel. One of the features I always lookout for in a hotel these days. It's important. And the tosakan box contains lovely thoughtful items such as Thai address for places to go, BTS train card, local SIM card and even an ipod nano (For loan). Tenface hotel even have a private channel with its own Bangkok travel guide programme, hosted by beautiful thai ladies with interesting travel tips!

Besides fantastic room design, the whole hotel has a lot of interesting decor that is a pleasure to wonder about. The Wanara Eatery has light and airy designs with a private dining area that has a very interesting wire frame serpent sculpture. Sita Bar looks fabulous with the curvy wire partitions and metal cutouts of Thai dancers. The common area with seating is also stylishly done up. I am a 'tiger' horoscope so the tiger mural on the wall resonates with me exceptionally well. The pool however is pretty small but it is quiet and relaxing to lounge on those deck chairs.

All in all, the hotel is definitely worth a second visit despite some minor 'inconveniences' for my stay. I will request for a room away from the lift next time. The lift do create unnecessary noise at night. I was lucky I was so tired from jetlag and also bar hopping that I slept like a log. And they forgot to include the BTS train card and SIM card into my tosakan box. Good thing is the hotel is very new and not crowded. The staff are also very friendly and helpful which is the most important aspect of the hotel industry.

Check out the website at www.tenfacebangkok.com

My MANy Bags News #28

Gucci Cruise 2009 Collections Presentation

Look what got into my mailbox today! Woohoo...Thanks to my friend Willis, who is from Gucci Singapore, I got invited to the Cruise 2009 Collections presentation which is happening next Thursday, November 6th!

So exciting and just in time, since Gucci's new cruise and spring summer collections have so much wearability potential and exciting items waiting to be uncovered:-) Will be even better to see them on gorgeous models while sipping champagne. It makes a whole lot of difference!

I hope the Cruise 2009 Collections will be a fantastic one, since the pic featuring the menswear on the invite looks promising already:-) Love the combination of greys and orange, very fresh! The tattoo print for this collection will be something that a lot of guys will love as well. Wonder what other items will have the print besides the shoes and bags. I know a t-shirt will feature that print as seen on the latest issue of Japanese UOMO magazine!

A big thank you again, Willis! So nice to you to drop my name for the invitations!

Last of all, Happy Halloween, everyone!

Gender Bender #33

Rebecca Minkoff French Tote

As I have mentioned before, I love holiday chic. Any styles that reflects a carefree and fashionable travel lifestyle is my cup of tea. So while browsing thru Diana (www.bagcraze.blogspot.com), I spotted this lovely holiday style tote bag from Rebecca Minkoff. Aptly named Rebecca Minkoff French Tote, the name already suggests you are taking a sun drenched holiday in the French Riveria! Woohoo! Get your sunglasses and the most perfect tan on! Maybe even some skimmy and sexy swimwear:-) I meant for the ladies.:-P

This brilliantly coloured tote bag of beige and brown features a stripey design and a top cross-buckle closure. Stripes of this manner somewhat feels like the canvas canopy of cafes along the French Riveria:-P But the most interesting feature has to be the charms that hangs on one of the handles. They look like old luggage labels from hotels of the good old 60's! 'Royal Hotel Paris' and 'French Line SS Minkoff' is written on the charms in classic style:-P So french and so chic!

Measuring at a size of 15"H x 16"L x 3.5"D with a 7" strap drop, it should work for some guys and most ladies. I imagine tying a nice scarf on the handles and you are all set for jet set days across southern France! Me like!

Retail price: US$660. Where to buy: www.shopbop.com

My Bag Collection #39

Izzue Gunmetal Coated Canvas Duffel Bag

Today is my birthday:-) Unfortunately, I have not taken a day off to celebrate and spoil myself on this special day. Another year passed and hope I get a year wiser:-P

I miss my holiday in UK, still in post holiday blues, so today was not exceptionally motivated at work. Plus work sucks at the moment. Working with an asshole is detrimental to the morale. But I am biting the bullet for the time being and will seek resolution next year. Another long stretch of leave coming in Dec from Christmas till New Year! Hurray! Have to pull thru another 7 weeks to get there! Wish me luck. Who knows, I may plan another getaway then. Too long to waste and 'vegetate' in Singapore. Hahaha. Hong Kong? Bangkok again?

Speaking of Bangkok...my recent stopover in Bangkok has not been in vain. I still managed to secure a couple of shopping finds:-) The one that I am most happy and proud of is this Izzue Gunmetal Coated Canvas Duffel Bag! Such a gorgeous piece of design and yet so functional and affordable! I cannot believe the price!

The bag features matching grey canvas shoulder straps and bag handles against the shiny metallic gunmetal colour. Simply chic and gorgeous! Using black instead of normal silver buckle, D-rings and zippers is a very nice touch as well. This bag reminds me of Dior Homme's bags. The round tubular shape is sporty and perfect for gym. But I probably only end up taking it down Orchard Road.:-) BTW, I squeezed a huge pillow inside the bag to take pics. You can imagine how much it can carry:-)

I love this bag! A beautiful creation from Hong Kong label Izzue. It's a brand that you can always rely on to find gorgeous accessories or clothes everytime I drop by the Bangkok store. Wonder why they have not arrive in Singapore shores yet...

Their latest ad campaign is shot in Europe taking the brand to an even more international level! Lovely photography style.

I love Izzue!

Retail price: THB 3590. Where to buy: Izzue Boutique at Central World, Bangkok

My Bag Collection #38 (SOLD)

Slowly unveiling...

Yes, Introducing my latest bag collection, the STAR of my UK shopping!

The Yves Saint Laurent Mens Besace Flap Bag!

Love the antique brass hardware:-)

How it looks on me:-) Love it!

UK Shopping Adventure - Yves Saint Laurent (SOLD)

The biggest purchase for my UK shopping adventure ready to be unveiled:-) It's been a long way from London to Bangkok and then Bangkok to Singapore. So I have done it again...buying a bag, carrying it all the way cross continents back home. It's dejavu again from all my past holiday trip experiences! I thought I had persuaded myself not to buy bags from holidays as it had been a huge hassle to transport them and especially when you switch so many airports. Yikes. I marvel at my ability to do this so many times.

So presenting my proud new acquisition, the very rare, the very chic Yves Saint Laurent Mens Besace Flap Bag in beige suede! This is a huge size version of the ladies design. Everything else stays the same except for the size. It almost feels like a backpack! The slouchy look makes the bag nonchalant in style, and emits a certain carefree bohemian look. I love the draping effect:-) especially with the 2 front flaps hanging. There is an external back pocket as well as an interior zip compartment and handphone pouch as well. The bag is roomy! I can fit my laptop easily into the bag! The bag also features antique brass hardware, with the interlocking hooks on the shoulder strap as its most interesting feature:-) Beige leather trimmings are all around the suede bag. I am so in LOVE LOVE with this bag!

Comes also in a smaller size in blue coloured suede for men as well. I chose the large size since both costs the same price but beige is definitely a better colour for me. The smaller men's version is not the similar in size as the women's and has longer shoulder straps. So this Besace is definitely made only for men!

I had to go back to the shop 3 times to try it on separate days as I was struggling between the Besace or a gorgeous light grey women's Balenciaga Weekender which I cannot find the colour in Singapore stores. I was pacing up and down Bond Street justifying which one is better or not buying at all since financial downturn is in sight. I was worried. But in the end, I told myself, I only lived once. This is the only piece in London. I checked the Sloane Street YSL store but they do not stock it. And this was not everyday that I find this bag lying around for me to buy, and with approx. 12% VAT back (I was supposed to get UK 114 pounds back but becos I opt for cash, the VAT people charge me another UK 5 pounds for cash refund. Sucks!). So I bite the bullet and went ahead to bring the bag home. Plus I was served with one of the cutest YSL SA with dirty blond hair and super nice, patient and cute. His name is Greg! He got my email address to send me updates on sales and stuff in case I drop by London soon. Hehe. Maybe I should.

So another shopping conquest a success...I love YSL!

(Update, 1 Dec 2008: My credit card bill came last weekend and the final amount in SGD is $2464.94. What a favourable exchange rate! Plus I got back like UK 99 pounds. So this bag literally costs me only SGD $2200. Woohoo!)

Retail price: UK 980 pounds. Where to buy: YSL Boutique at Bond Street, London

The Material Boy #179

Old Theme Song from the 70's:

Someone remix the theme song and now it sounds great for clubbing!:

Diane Von Furstenberg 'Wonder Woman' Tote Bag

At last, my favourite heroine of all time is featured on a fashion luxury brand! Diane Von Furstenberg is doing a special collection featuring the star spangled heroine, Wonder Woman! This is one comic character whom I have adored and grown up with! I am a huge fan as a kid with the 'Linda Carter' TV shows (The theme song is super cheesy but catchy:-) and also the 'Super Friends' cartoons. I also collect her toy figures and comic books! I learned how to draw the human form because I was fascinated by a colouring book of Wonder Woman! And I remembered a time when young where I use toilet rolls, cut them into half and use them as the bracelets. Or even make my own tiara...embarassingly. (Kids do stupid things. I would not attempt that at this age:-P Hahaha.) Oh my...the infuences of this powerful heroine is endless!

So now, it is with extreme excitement to see her inspiring Diane Von Furstenberg for high fashion! Especially this 'Wonder Woman Tote bag'. I want this tote. Nathaniel (www.fallapart84.blogspot.com) just got one....I am so envious! I wish I lived in US now!

It's a huge tote and definitely my style. Proceeds from the sale of the collection will benefit Vital Voices and empower women worldwide. It's best of both worlds to shop and contribute to a good cause!

(BTW, Wonder Woman animated movie is coming to DVD Feb 2009! Woohoo!)

Source: DVF website and www.fallapart84.blogspot.com

Retail price: US$165. Where to buy: DVF Website