Ms. Match is Getting Hitched!

Ms. Match's lovely boyfriend just proposed to her last weekend. Well.. actually it was more the work of the boyfriend's cute 5 year old son. He said" Will you marry us?" Ms. Match was speechless! She is about to become a Mrs. Match!

The setting was perfect, Ms. Match and her crew (boyfriend, son and nanny) were on the beach on a beautiful day. However Ms. Match just got out of the water after frolicking around and getting swallowed by waves repeatedly, hence the slightly snotty nose and messed up hair. Nonetheless, it was beautiful.

And.. I know what you girls are wondering about, the ring. The ring is perfect! its a simple yet beautiful solitary diamond white gold ring. Just perfect! and most importantly: it goes with any outfit! The setting is also just right, not too much detail but not too plain as well. Too bad the diameter was a bit small for Ms. Match's giant fingers! so Ms. Match said the thing one should never ever say when one is being proposed. She exclaimed "It's tiny!" when she saw the diameter of the ring. She knows that it's a really bad thing to say! But she just could not help it! It looked like a ring fit for a woman half her size, for God's sake.

Ms. Match's poor boyfriend was, of course, hurt to hear that, but after she said yes and explained that the size she referred to was the diameter of the ring rather than the rock, he softened. So... next up is.. looking for wedding outfit, makeup and and getting pre wedding pictures done!!!

Since Ms. Match was a former fashion stylist, of course she is eager to do a propoer photo shoot with her future hubby. Especially since two good friends of her from her days as a beauty editor, one a fantastic makeup artist and an amazing photographer, have offered to do the pics for free! Alas, Mr. Match is not the type of person who likes flaunting his pics around. He is every bit as vain as Ms. Match (sometimes more, she swears!) but he just hates having his picture taken. Again, Ms. Match thinks that the main reason is vanity. Mr. Match thinks that he does not look good in pictures. But Ms. Match has not given up yet! She will draw up some cool story boards of what she wants from the shoot and show it to him. Hopefully he would change his mind. She alreasy has some ideas for the photoshoot which involves a rabbit, a dwarf and fairies.

Quick note on boots and 80s power suits

Just saw the most hideous thing today. A pair of boots worn with a stiff, formal work trousers. FYI the trousers were not the sexy skinny kind. They were more the 80s style power suit style which reigned in the days of of Dynasty. I know the 80s is coming back and coming back real big, but maaannn you just have to see these power suits. While following Marc Jacobs lead on an era of style is one thing, following a decade to the T is very different thing!

To top it off, the suit worn with it was not exactly a perfect fit either. All boxy, loose, with no definitive body hugging accent. Even the 90s was not this bad. Its not that I have anything against boots. The boots were actually pretty decent. Believe me, I have seen uglier ones!

But its just that awkward combination... in fact, from what I saw, the boots could look pretty okay if paired with a mean pair of jeans or skinny pants. And if only, like in ugly-duckling-turned-swan-make-over-movies, the look betrayed the outfit, it would have been ok. Unfortunately it didn't.

What came to mind when I saw this look was the term invented by some friends at A+ magazine: shims (read the i like an english i), which is short for si mbak. Any Indonesian reading this would instantly think of a type of look which might be attractive for some (maybe for some mas-mas) but not quite so attractive for others.

Anyway.. Usually boots and power suits conjure up images of sexy, power executives, but in this case, paired with the makeup and hair and also the 80s look suit (which would probably look okay with a sexy toe cleavage bearing pointy stilettoes) it seems that the look is a mix of dominatrix wanna be and stay at home domesticated house wife who thinks that those bejewelled hair clips are the epitome of cool. clash in their heads.

Or I guess its just their way of showing their domination, one boot at a time.

Update on the lame/PVC legging hunt

To find some information on where to get those leggings I posted my quest on my facebook status. Within half an hour there were 5 possible solutions. Here they are along with what I found:
1. A friend said I would be able to find them at Melawai Plaza. Tried to find them a couple of days ago but couldn't. ended up restocking my neutral tank tops and tube tops for Rp 20.000-Rp 30.000 each. What a bargain! I have forgotten how cheap this place is. Not a bad choice if you want to find some basic stuff. Just keep in mind that sizes run small here. And for tops they only sell one size. Saw some dresses as well which could be quite cute, if I didn't think that half of Jakarta would be wearing them as well!
2. Factory Outlet stores in Bogor. Went to one last weekend and..... I found a pair!! Not black and fake leathery type like I wanted, more like lame material. But pretty cool all the same. The length was not what I was looking for though, they only come down to my calves. For Rp15.000,- a pair, what a bargain! I instantly snapped up a pair (pictured here) in my size.
3. One suggested Topshop. I've written about Topshop. Too expensive! plus they're gone any way.
4. my best friend suggested Pull&Bear. She said it was on sale for Rp 150tho, Went to the one at Grand Indonesia. They were gone!
5. Last suggestion, was Hong Kong. Yea.. right...If I had the money to fly to HK I would have bought the one at Top Shop.

In my despair, I fund a light at the end of the tunnel.. material shop! What if I made my own?! I was thinking to find the material at this little shop I know in Pasar Tanah Abang, but the thought of going there on my own was a bit much. Good thing a friend went to Cipadu textile market and saw some material like what I was looking for. I went to check it out and ...SCORE! Got one meter for Rp 25.000! How cheap is that?? Just need to have it made. Will post the picture once it's done.

New Jodhpur Pants!

Ms. Match is very happy. She went to PIM in search of the Puma legging with the gold zipper and she found a cool jodhpur style pants instead at Zara (don't know what's going on with the third person thingy here.. I guess I have been reading too many blogs) It was on sale too! Got them for 269.000 (the original price was Rp 449.000)! There were only four pairs left, minus mine. So anyone out there who wants them, you better be quick. Tried them on as soon as I got home with my heels and my boy friend's bow tie. Nice look! If I may say so myself. Will definitely try this for work this coming week. These pants are 100% rayon but look and feels a bit like silk. It kinda falls like silk as well, only a little bit stiffer. The perfect material for these kind of pants. It has a bow tie detail around the waist and also buttons along the bottom sides of the pants. I tried wearing the pulled up and as is. Verdict: pulled up is noce to go with cool flats and casual top for a weekend wear, while the one worn as is would be perfect for work when worn with a more formal tank top, bow tie, tiny vest, and killer heels.

Wish list #1 Lame/PVC legging

I am currently kicking myself over and over again. Why oh why didn't I buy a pair of lame leggings at American Apparel????? WEll the answer is easy I guess, because it costs 30 quid and I was broke! Hmmppphh!! Now I have some pounds left over which I am not using for anything and I am regretting that stupid decision to save up for rainy days. I saw a pair at Topshop in Senayan City, it costs around 550thou. I really really really wanted to get it. But that day I didn't have enough money on me, so I was thinking to wait another week or two until I get paid. Alas! Lady luck is not on my side. The damn leggings were all sold out! Could not find it anywhere. *Sigh* What to do what to do... Another idea is to make a pair myself. Maybe it's time to go material shopping to Tanah Abang! I remember seeing some lame material there some time ago. Does anyone know exactly how I can get my hands on lame or PVC legging or at least the material???

Yesterday I went to Senayan City again in a futile effort to look for those hard to get leggings. In their place I found a pair of cool Puma leggings. Its murky purply brown in color (if you know what I mean) with.. get this.. gold zippers on the sides!! How cool is that??? I thought to myself.. yes! I have found the substitute! But noooo.. they only had an L, no Ms... so I guess tomorrow it's time to go hunting for my size. Yay!

Short is HOT

I know this post about short hair is long over due. The trend has been around, for, like, a decade or something but I was known as the girl who always had long hair and no matter how much I like seeing all tose cute pixie-ish hair cuts I just couldn't imagine myself with short hair. Images of my junior high schoool days when everyone was in love with Demi Moore's cute crop in the 90s hit "Ghost" including my mom and myself always held me back from taking that plunge. You see, that obsession with Demi Moore, led us to a hairstylist one day, and I ended up walking out of there with the (then) coveted do. It was a terrible decision. Back then I did not realize that the decision to cut one's hair boy like, means that one has to strive even harder to prove that one is truly a woman. I was a late bloomer and more in love with my beat up jeans than my floral dresses. That said, you can probably imagine what I must have looked like. Yup, I looked like a boy! and this was the day when the only item of makeup in my bag was a chapstick. Hmmm... A friend of my mother even mistook me for a son instead of daughter. That day I started washing my hair everyday in the hope of making it grow faster. I also made a vow to myself never again to have short boyish hair cut.

However... 15 years down the line, I started to become intrigued once again by that oh-so-cute cut. First its Audrey Tatou in Amelie with her extra short fringe and cute, wavy bob . But that is still quite modest, it is still a bob and it is still quite feminine. Some years after that movie the bob craze took place, and I succumbed. I let Wisnu from Irwan Team Pondok Indah Mal do the owner of cutting my long locks short for the first time in 15 years. I was so happy with the result that I have never gone back to having long hair again.

After almost 2 years of the bob cut. I needed a change. I was thinking to myself, maybe it's time to look into super short cuts. I first fell in love with Sienna Miller in Factory Girl looked with her Edie Sedgwick short hair and large lashes. And then there was the super cute Miss Deyn with her peroxide pixie cuts. I wish I had the guts to die my hair that color (even though I do not dare to think of how much suffering my black hair will go through during the 8 hour dying process). After some thoughts, having the guts to go super short was the first thing I needed to do.

I thought I would do it one small step at a time, by asking my trusted hair stylist to cut off a little bit more each time. So in my head, my next hair cut would on the short side but not super short. But Wisnu was more cunning than I thought. As usual I spent the hour and a half reading my book (this time its Toni Morrison's Tar Baby) while looking forward to the pleasant surprise ahead when I look at the mirror. After the last few finishing touches, I looked up and saw that my hair was shorter than what I wanted it to be. YOu know the whole Rihanna craze? Yeah, I got that with some modifications. The sides and the back are a bit longer. At first I was horrofied, but after I stepped out of the salon and walked around the mall abit (checking my reflection everywhere I saw a mirror), I started loving it! Now I can proudly say that I LOVE MY HAIR! The cut has settled (I always say that a hair cut needs at least one day to settle to your daily life and routines and also to take the shape of your head) and now my daily beauty routine is cut short from 15 minutes to 5 minutes! Yeay! A bit of wax and a mess up and my hair is ready to go. I don't think I will ever go back to long hair now :)

A bit of fashion please..

It has now been three and a half years since I left the beauty and fashion world (so to speak, I started counting when I resigned as the beauty editor of one women's magazine in Indonesia). I have now a totally different occupation, which, I have to admit pays for the bills (mostly bills from my shopping and partying!). While the old one involved working with lipsticks, eyeshadows, hair spray, makeupartists, other beauty and fashion editors, and fashion photographers this new involves working with the finance section reporters, economic news, insurance news, bogus CSR programs and meetings with boring men in suits and boring women in suits (one with a particularly big 'jambul' or quiff as some might say it). Hmm very different I have to say. I am learning A LOT of new things, but sometimes I just miss being back in my old world. I miss having an excuse to look through fashion magazines, call friends for work and a bit of gossip (they were all working in the same field), and being one of the first to find out and have new makeup and other cool stuff. I realized how much I missed this world when I was calling up journos the other day to try and "sell" a story on a CSR program a client did (they like to call it CSR, but frankly speaking it's all bull). I realized that I don't know how to sell these stories because for me they are not important. Well if this was a "real" CSR program then I would do it wholeheartedly, but this was just some lame event that involved a samll amount of donation. And they expect Kompas to write an article on it? Hmm.. I was a journalist (before being a beauty editor I also worked in dailies as well, mind you) and I can spot a time waster a mile away. Anyway.. lets just hope some news paper will pick it up. Right now I want to go back to browsing through beauty and fashion blogs. I just wish that soon we will get a lifestle or fashion client!