I spy with my little eye something that starts with the letter S..

So this is my first fashion related spot, and i'm quite proud of it :) 

It all started sometime around the end of summer (it would still be summerish in Dubai i believe) that stars made a breakthrough thanks to Dolce & Gabbana and their 2011 Fall collection. Mesmerizing is just an understatement to the 360 collection D&G offered (shoes, bags, clothes). After the big star debut from D&G, chain stores started developing a fetish for stars, and this is when the stars everywhere burst to life. 

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2011 - Stars

Stars were also worn by 'Stars' and Star patterns made it to 'best dressed lists' and magazines covers.

'stars on covers'

Britney Spears in a D&G star dress  

I'm a star person..i like stars; wearing a star patterned piece does not seem to fall under a certain era, geometrically speaking stars have a cool shape, i grew up getting star stickers from teachers when aced my homework (up to 3rd grade i guess), and i feel that they're happy, simple yet elegant. 

So many stars pieces are out there, and everyone must have a stars piece to light their closet with :) I have a beautiful collection already, and i just completed it with the cutest pair of stars heels by Kurt Geiger. 

Star heels by Kurt Geiger

My very own Star collection 

dee - 

V for Versace

I gotta start by saying that Versace was not a fashion house that would attract me as a person. I am more of a Dior or a Chanel person when it comes to big designer names. I grew up with Versace presence at home, my mom is a big fan, so i got used to the patterns, the colors, the 'sun' :) vintage Versace all the way!

A fashion empire on its own, I was kind of interested when i found out that H&M locked a collaboration deal with Versace..who wouldn't? My reasons for that special interest are below: 

- growing up with a Versace presence as i mentioned above 

- i love H&M and i admire their marketing techniques, deals and collaborations..building the brand image perfectly in my opinion

- it was interesting to know which designer house was going to sign off the deal after Lanvin

- Donatella Versace was very arrogant when talks started about Versace launching at H&M

Guess what Donatella? Versace did launch at H&M on November 17th worldwide, and the 19th in the States. 

With a very 'out there' collection, the Versace pieces that showcased and were all over the internet and on the H&M website were truly one of a kind. They represented Versace's style in every aspect (patterns, colors, shapes, etc...)

loved the photography, very visually appealing 

another interesting Versace piece showcased at H&M

I think i went through the collection twice or 3 times. I wasn't really hyped up about the collection, but..something caught my eye. I have been wanting a leather jacket since last winter, and i couldn't find a piece that i liked. And there it was, in the Versace collection..it was exactly what i was looking for. Black, fit and minimal gold and silver studded Versace patterns. I decided that I would make a trip on the launch day to pick up that jacket. 

the Versace leather jackets, jacket to the left is my favorite

THE jacket 

To make my H&M Versace launch visit more interesting, i happened to be in the States at the time. So, i got to see all the reviews from people around the world that shopped on the 17th. I remember reading the blog of a girl (should have kept her name and her blog's name) who lives in London. I believe this girl was extremely lucky. She made it to the store by 11am and still got everything she wanted to get. She gave me hope. 

I was in Orlando at the time, and the collection was launching at The Florida Mall. It was a 20 minutes drive from where i was staying. My cousins thought i was kind of crazy to wake up so early and pay the mall a trip at 7 am to start on 'some' shopping. Completely ignoring the crazy accusations, i still woke my mom up (since i didn't want to stand in the line alone) and went to The Florida Mall. 

Arriving at 7:20 AM, there was a line of almost 80 people, I was glad i ranked under a 100. I got the hand badge thing and my time slot happened to be at 11:20 am. Women collection was to be shopped from by slots; each group of 10 has 15 minutes to shop the collection. While the men collection was on first come first serve basis. 

line up in front of H&M at 7:30 AM

My Versace pass

By 8:50 AM doors opened and people were welcomed in. There was a live DJ playing by the entrance, and H&M branded Versace staff handed people coupons of 20% off upon purchasing any H&M item for that day (don't you just love H&M?) Looking at the fenced Women collection, i could see 5 leather jackets (did not focus on anything else). I could also see the small clutch handbags in fuchsia as well (so bright and fresh, i loved them). 

Women collection at H&M

By 9 AM, first group of 10 got their pass. It didn't take them 5 minutes to clear most of the stands. My face was so pale when i saw only 1 jacket left. It didn't make sense how people were shopping; bigger built girls were definitely getting smaller sizes, and smaller sized girls grabbed all sizes they can see. It only meant that whoever went in wasn't entirely buying for themselves. 

After the first group was done vacuuming the collection, i waited as staff were bringing in what seemed to be a refill. Apparently, at 9:20 AM, that was THE LAST refill for the day. There were no more jackets. I was pretty annoyed at that moment, but there was one more jacket that the mannequin was wearing and a customer in their slot time could buy it. I thank myself for making it obvious because a girl heard me talking to one of the staff members and decided she wanted the jacket. Oh well..i didn't put my hands on that jacket, and it was pretty annoying at that time, but i kind of enjoyed myself and the whole experience. 

Feeling a little bit down, i managed to shop around the H&M store and use my 20% off and my mother's as well since we got 2 coupons :) 

I was also introduced to the amazing cake pops by Starbucks, my first ever cake pop experience and they're there to love..chocolate peppermint and birthday cake. 

Recovered with some cake pops

Wondering where all the Versace pieces went? Well all of them seemed to be on Ebay for triple the price. I found so many leather jackets online. I still think that was unfair. 

Could it be Dior or Chanel for the next H&M big fashion / marketing deal? If that's the case, then i'll definitely camp a night before like so many people did for Versace :) 

dee - 

New York, Broadway, Hugh Jackman

This is a relatively late post since it should have been dated around 3 weeks ago, but then i didn't have a blog so it still counts as an un-late post. 

November is my month, and this year, it seemed to have been very sweet to me. Because of my addiction to Google, and having Hugh Jackman on twitter and liking his fb page, i got to know by the end of October that he will be back on Broadway for a limited time. Wish exactly at that moment? Definitely to watch him perform live. The sky was wide open then i guess because that wish came true without any planning. 

I started checking Broadway tickets to Hugh Jackman's Back on Broadway show online, purchased 2 (one for me and the other for my mother, who absolutely knew nothing about it, of course it was my treat..it's Hugh Jackman we're talking about) and booked 3 nights in NY before carrying on with our States trip. 

The great thing about traveling to the States is that you do not lose a day upon your arrival since there is a 9 hours difference. We traveled on Friday the 11th and arrived the same night to NY. 

I was so excited about seeing Hugh Jackman live but at the same time i think i was under shock that i actually made it a point that i didn't want anything to go wrong, i couldn't risk it. On Saturday the 12th, i was awake by 8 am ready to go, had breakfast at the hotel, and was extremely excited to show my mother around NYC. 

One thing my mom did not get along with in NY is the subway system. She would try making me use a taxi instead but i wouldn't allow it. I like traveling in the subway, i find it easy and cool to change stations and wait at stops (thanks to my I-pod's Google maps and GPS system of course). 

We picked up the tickets from the Marriott Marquise at Times Square and i think right then right there it hit me, that i'll be seeing Hugh LIVE in less than an hour. 

My very own personalized envelope with THE tickets

By 1:50 PM we were already in line in front of Broadhurst Theater waiting to get in. The line up was full of older people..much older people, i could have been the youngest. We were seated next to a group of 40 something women that were extremely excited about the show, one of them was telling another that Hugh could definitely see her from where she was sitting. In my head it was more like he'd see me and none of you :D 

Broadhurst Theater

Line up for the show

*blush* 

THE tickets 

Hugh Jackman entered stage singing, and i couldn't believe that i was seeing him so close, i could see his features and he looked amazing in his suit. 

A one man show by Hugh Jackman? Definitely a success. He sings, he dances, he communicates with the audience and he adds a few laughs here and there. Jackman performed a medley or a combination of different parts of musicals that he was in during his career, like 'Oh what a beautiful morning' from Oklahoma, 'I won't dance', The boy from Oz (which he actually started his second act with wearing his golden outfit - shirt, pants and shoes), and my favorite was from The Music Man as he rapped the salesmen parts which as a young man he memorized; all the salesmen roles. Jackman also pulled out an old woman out of the audience and danced with her, the luckiest woman in my opinion, they even sang fever together. 

He also added an 'Australia' piece featuring a group of Australian locals singing along in their local dialect. 2 hours of heaven showered me with ultimate happiness. I couldn't believe the show was over and i left a different person, a person who fulfilled a wish they had for the longest time. 

Taking pictures was something not allowed, but who were the ushers to stop me from taking pics of Hugh performing! I would hide my camera and turn off the flash, take a pic and act as if nothing happened.

*sigh* 

Hugh Jackman on stage

As the lights went on and people started to leave, i could hear people's chit chat about how much they loved the show, how some older men were dragged by their older wives to come and watch (although they did love the show afterwards). In conclusion, Hugh Jackman had so many women fans, women from all ages.

After spending 2 weeks in the States, we were bound to get back, and we passed by NY as our connection to Dubai was from there. Because of my forever nagging, my mom approved flying to NY early morning (as our flight to Dubai was scheduled late that night) and i got to see Times Square one more time before leaving. It wasn't just Times Square i saw, the greedy and stubborn person in me wanted to see Hugh Jackman and take a picture with him. Unfortunately i couldn't take a picture with him although i kept nagging to the ushers about how important it was for me to see him. 

One usher was sweet enough to tell me to stand out of the theater were Hugh Jackman would come out to sign autographs for his fans. Yes i pushed to take a better view and waited with another 100 people for Jackman to come out, and i took amazing close ups of him (i am so proud of them) and i even leaned out and gave him my notebook for an autograph. 

Hugh Jackman after the show

Hugh Jackman's autograph on my page

And the peak of the evening was that i actually talked to him as he signed my notebook, i told him that i was here all the way from Dubai for his show, his reply: 'Wow, Dubai! Thank you' 

Bless you Hugh Jackman. To a great person and an amazing actor. 

If you haven't seen Hugh Jackman's Back on Broadway yet, it's not too late. Hugh's one man show is on until January 1st, a period of 10 weeks. You can buy your tickets from broadway.com 

If you dream about something, work on it with all your might, with all your heart, i am sure that you will achieve it one day. 

I still wait for the day where i would actually take a picture with Hugh Jackman. Till then..

dee-

team breaking dawn

I am so happy my first post ever is a Twilight based post. But I gotta warn all of you, I've only watched the movie last night and i would be more comfortable to give a full insight if I see it a couple of times more. I will have a go at it though :)

Although i am jet lagged and i just got back from the States the night before, i couldn't wait to get up and go watch the movie, excitement woke me up at 5 am. I was at the movies 40 minutes early with all the drinks and snacks ready to go. My favorite person, coki (cookie but we decided to spell it this way) who's also my twilight buddy came along to share with me another Twilight Saga success.

I warn all of you again, from this point on wards i could go on forever, but i promise i will try to keep it simple and short :) Spiced up with some SPOILERS

The beginning:

We start off with the wedding preparations, Bella walking in her wedding heels. I could actually sense the happiness through Kristen Stewart's face. She has evolved so much as an actress portraying the character, she actually deserves to be Bella in Breaking Dawn. 

The chemistry between all the characters set my mood and had me fully concentrated on every tiny bit in the movie. I guess that is definitely and advantage of having a saga. They all felt like a a true family; Edward and Bella's love, Jasper Emmett and Edward's brotherly love, Alice being in control, even Rosalie showed a better attitude. Not forgetting Charlie's funny jokes and Renee being her self. 

Scenes felt so real. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when Emmett and Jasper pick up Edward for his bachelor's party; something about them jumping around, the way they talked to Bella, the way they were acting when Edward finally jumped out brought a smile to my face. 

Bella Swan getting ready surrounded by family

The wedding:

There couldn't be a prettier, more peacefully designed wedding than what was pulled for in this movie. The flowers, the venue, the harmony in colors (even in the characters outfits). The Cullens looked so balanced, the guys in the black suits and fitted white shirts while the ladies in soft and royal purple shades. 

Best moment in the wedding? When Edward saw Bella entering with Charlie and his face shined, i cannot describe the smile he had on his face, it totally lightened a trembling Bella walking down the aisle. A smile so comforting it would satisfy her whole existence. Not forgetting 'flightless bird' playing in the background when they both kiss. (Flightless bird was first played at the end of Twilight when Edward and Bella were dancing outside during prom).

I'm the type of person that likes the dress that Bella was wearing in her dream. Not that her actual wedding dress was not pretty (it had a very pretty back), but i feel the other dress was happier, pure and very age appropriate. The actual wedding dress though goes with Bella's actual personality and her style throughout the book and movie, plain and simple with a hint of playfulness (the back), yet elegant. 

Definitely enjoyed the toasts part, that was a very nice added touch. Charlie hinting about the hunting and how he's the best at it (what does he know about hunting compared to the Cullens), Renee singing terribly, Emmett and his inside jokes, and Jessica's obvious jealousy issues.    

I wasn't really impressed with the 'cousins', The Denali's. They actually were described in the book to be beautiful, this wasn't the case. 

I am not a Jacob person, so i won't be doing him much justice in this post. We see Bella so happy seeing Jacob at her wedding. Up until now, i never understand how Edward feels about the whole Jacob Bella situation, how does he manage to be fine with it. Bella's picked up easily by a strong Jacob and we can see that Bella changed into a pair of white sneakers instead of the heels. 

Edward Cullen at the altar waiting for Bella Swan

Note to self: it was amazing to see Edward happy for a good portion of the movie. This book unlike the previous 3, shows Edward actually happy and expressing it wonderfully. He has always been a tense and a worried character (can't blame him).

I also disliked Alice's hair a lot. I still believe that the best hairstyle she ever had was in Twilight itself (1); pixie short and spiked from the sides. 

Alice with pixie short hair

The honeymoon:

As i imagined it to be since the day i first read the book. It was a change to see Bella walking in a dress in heels. Brazil, Isle Esme, Bella tensing up all set the mood for the major event. Isn't it cool to get married to a vampire? well it just looked amazing, starting at the fantasy wedding and ending with a magnificent honeymoon. 

Pregnancy:

Until day 14, Bella's rumored pregnancy. Events on wards happen so fast. Edward is helpless to Bella's decision of keeping the baby, Rosalie is fully protecting her while the rest of the family feel like the baby is a threat to Bella's life. Jacob is back in the picture trying to convince Bella to get rid of the baby. Edward is back to his gloomy old self with a scene where he snaps at Bella, shouts and leaves her lying on the bed in the room alone after the baby breaks Bella's ribs. 

Again, Kristen Stewart did an amazing job portraying Bella's pregnant character. She adapts to the situation and embraces a motherly feel, although Bella is not more than 19 years old. Amazing videography and editing were used to show a very thin Bella with a very bony body and a huge bump. The bruises on her tummy, her scrawny face and hollow eyes all portrayed the true image of a pregnant Bella in the book. 

The Cullens are all color oriented when they are shown at home. They all follow a clothes color scheme that I felt was very in it's place. All of them were in shades of blue, along with some browns and beige in harmony with the house furniture. Seeing the scenes at home, they felt so subtle with the color coordination, although in the bigger picture, they were all stressed out and torn apart between the choices and acts happening under their own roof. 

Meanwhile outside, the wolves were already in feud over Bella's choices and the treaty. A very scary scene in my opinion was when all the wolves were actually in their wolf forms and they were discussing the situation. Sam's orders and Jacob not wanting to follow (I found the tone used for the voices in wolf form stupid. It sounded like it was coming out of the Autobots and Optimus Prime - Transformers) 

Bella's concern about the pregnancy

The relief:

Thanks to Jacob, Bella found that drinking blood soothes the baby and feeds it, so by the end of her pregnancy she was on a blood diet to feed her baby. One of my favorite scenes is when Bella was sitting on the couch and Edward discovers that he could hear the baby and for the first time after the honeymoon, Edward and Bella are cuddling on the couch giggling and looking their prettiest as a family. Another change-the-gloom-mood scene was when Bella, Rosalie and Alice were telling both Edward and Jacob about the names Bella was coming up with for the baby.  

The delivery: 

As Carlisle, Esme and Emmett left to feed before the delivery, the baby surprises everyone and decides it is time. A scene that is visually shocking; Bella falls down breaking her back and what seems both her knees while all the vampires around her are in a state of shock. Edward then runs and saves her head as she lands numb on the floor. She is then carried to Carlisle's office that was turned into an OR where Rosalie, Edward and Jacob are surrounding her. The decision was made not to wait until Carlisle is back as the baby was trying to push it's way through. Rosalie opens up Bella while she's still not sedated which causes Bella more pain and Edward carries on as Rosalie loses it at the sight and smell of blood. 

One of the scenes where i was sitting at the edge of the seat in the movies with probably my mouth open, Edward paler than ever not knowing what to do, he looked so scared and would panic in any moment, but still he finds the courage in himself to continue and save both mother and baby, letting Bella know that she gave birth to Renesmee. Robert Pattinson gave it his best as he changed moods throughout Breaking Dawn, a great character build; a lover, a husband, a husband in despair, and ending with a father. 

Bella is injected with Edwards venom, and he bites her whole body so the venom spreads quicker as he fights the thought of losing Bella who looked very much dead with Jacob running out and believing that Bella died.

Jacob imprinting on Renesme was the 'in your face' moment in the movie. I was actually telling coki (twilight buddy) how funny it would be if they brought up Renesme up to the wolves and waved her in front of them where none of them could lay a paw on her. 

A beautiful ending showing Bella in her final transition moments, all her ribs and limbs get repaired, she gets fuller, her hair has a shine and she has the ceramic white and pale glow. A true 'New Born' as she opens her eyes and we see only her red pupils. 

One more scene: 

If you were thinking what happened to the Volturi scene, well it's there but it's at the very end along with the Bruno Mars song afterwards. A scene not to be missed, so if you haven't seen it, go ahead and check it on the internet or watch the movie one more time, i know i would :) I will find more to write about when i see it again, it was totally worth it. 

I was happy when I saw that the decoration and interiors were totally left the way they were since Twilight. Bella's room had the same IKEA lamps that she had from Twilight on wards. The Cullen's place had the same entrance, with what seems to be a big cross positioned at an angle next to the staircase that was still there, and the board of graduation caps is still as is. 

In case you didn't figure it out, i'm very much Team Edward and my favorite wolf is Seth Clearwater. 

dee -