Little India, Singapore

Little India 

My boyfriend and I are utterly obsessed with Little India in Singapore for a multitude of reasons. First of all, it is so colorful. These pictures (which you might have seen on my Modcloth Travel Bug post)  barely scratch the surface of this beautiful and dynamic rainbow-region of Singapore; the buildings, wall murals, street vendor wares, the marigold necklaces…  And don't even get me started on the saris! There's so much to take in and look at - not to mention buy! 

Another reason we can't enough of Little India is the food. Stephen is curry-crazy and eats it any chance he can get. For me, I'm all about the mint-corriander chutney and butter masala at Delhi Restaurant. Oh, and butter nan. (Basically anything with butter. You can take the Southern girl out of the South but you can't take the South outta the girl…) In between wandering around and shopping, we always get roti prata with gravy and lime juice for a snack at one of the side street hawker centers. We usually will grab a few beers at Countryside Cafe, too. It's this charming little bar on the backpacker's street where the lovely and welcoming owner, Shiree, will gladly chitchat with patrons. I don't think she's ever met a stranger! 

Stephen and I also always feel nostalgic when walking around Little India. Even the smell of incense takes me back to three years ago. In summer 2012, Stephen was planning a month long trip to Northern India and at this point, we had been dating for about a month. He asked me to go with him and I laughed in his face! I thought he was insane. But luckily, Kristen and he convinced me to go and I'm so glad I did. It was hard work traveling there and India is full of crazy extremes but we experienced so much there and created so many memories together. The beginning of a long-lasting relationship is incredibly exciting anywhere but to do that in India…! So Little India holds a special place in my heart, personally. 

For this particular visit, I actually went with my friend Lauren from Fried Green Kimchi. She had recently moved to Singapore so it was only too fun showing her my favorite little haunts and she did such an incredibly job capturing all the colors of the area! She also does amazing things with fusion food on her blog so I'm really curious to see what she'll cook up for the Singaporean-Indian-Western dishes... (**hint, hint**)

The Outfit

I bought this dress years ago on super discount at Target. I almost didn't get it because it's just a smidge too big for my taste. Or so I thought. But with the loose shift dresses being a huge trend now (and very necessary) for summer, it's just the ticket! And who can resist red and turquoise together in a bird print? No one in my book, that's who. To me, this dress is very much the style of many young Singaporean women I see: a fun and casual dress to easily throw on, a simple tote bag, great sandals. The girly little bow was a Lindsey touch, though! 

Dress: Target (old) | Shoes: Thrifted | Tote: H&M | Sunglasses: Cotton On | Ribbon: Coach 

Photographer: Lauren of Fried Green Kimchi

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Wild Horses

I love being able to throw on a cute little dress and just GO. I had forgotten about this dress in the back of my badly organized closet. I bought it for $2 at my local Uptown Cheapskate (a trend-curated consignment shop) when I was at home this past December. Year-round Singapore summers for the win!

And this dress is so darling: the peter pan collar, horse print, and chiffon, flowy fabric. A few fun accessories and I'm ready to run!  

Have you found any good deals lately? 

Dress: Uptown Cheapskate (Target) | Sandals: Madewell | Headband: Korea | Earrings: Bugis Market | Purse: Gift | Ring: Accesorize 

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Happy as a Lark

We checked out the Jurong Bird Park a few weeks ago, further continuing our Singapore staycation. We were probably more excited than neccesary because we viewed this as a recon-research mission. Our group of friends back in Korea we had nicknamed the "Birds of War" and every member was a bird that matched their personality. The pathetic part (besides grown-ups pretending their animals) was that our knowledge of birds was very limited.  Not to mention, my boyfriend insisted I was a turkey or chicken (isn't he sweet?) while I was adamant that I was definitely a peacock. Luckily, we found a bird for me that we both agreed on: starlings - amethyst starling to be exact. They are the most vibrantly colored purple bird I have ever seen. 

And of course, when one goes to the bird park, one must wear their bird dress! This print is so much fun because from far away it just looks like a geometric print but at closer examination, it's actually a big ol' flock of birds! Not to mention its fit is sublime and it's probably the most perfect dress I have for this kind of heat; the perfect amount of lady-like coverage without too much fabric. Also to hide the effects of heat, I threw my new thrifted scarf in my hair and secured it with another bow. 

Macaws 

Scarlet Ibis

Common Crowned Pigeon

Dress: Modcloth | Sunglasses: Modcloth | Shoes: Cotton On | Scarf: Gap (Thrifted) | Jewelry: Lovisa | Belt: Target 

Fresh Fruity Pickin's

It's so much fun noticing a trend from the inside out, sorta speak. I've been reading Style Feed, a book about popular bloggers (although it was published back in 2011 which is ancient in the fashion blogger world!) And the author, Susie Bubble, talks about the push and pull of fashion - where do some trends originate from: the streets or the catwalk? 

I started to notice a trend of fruit fashion in a lot of my favorite fashion bloggers so I immediately assumed that it was going to be a big trend this year that everyone had known about but me. So I jumped on google ready to see all the fantastic runway photos with fruits blazing from Cara Delevingne's chest. Couldn't find any except for ones from Spring 2011 (how did I not know that was a trend then?!?!) Which leads to me to think... maybe the fashion bloggers are reviving this trend for 2014...? I also struggled to find a cornucopia of fruit fashion to pick from a wide range of online sites. Although, slowly but surely things are starting to pop up. Modcloth is leading the way on this one which makes sense, being that they are lovers of novelty items and prints. I've also had my eye on an adorable banana tote bag at H&M. 

Regardless of where it started this time around, I couldn't be more pleased! I want all the watermelon, cherries, apples, pears, peaches, and bananas I can squeeze into my closet! What do you think of fruit fashion? 

The Cherry Blossom Girl

The Cherry Blossom Girl

What Olivia Did

Gary Pepper Girl on Man Repeller

The Cinnamon Slipper

Xander Vintage

Modcloth | Asos | Nordstrom | Modcloth  

Etsy | Asos | Modcloth | Delias 

Modcloth | Modcloth | Modcloth | Etsy 

Net-a-Porter | Etsy | Etsy | P Johnson

And here's my own growing collection, as seen from instagram! The strawberry earrings are actually my mom's from the 80's. :) 

Gimmie Some Sugar!

I saw this top and knew it was going to be mine even if it didn't fit my North American bustline. I was shopping in the maze of Bugis Street where they sell tons and tons of cheap, trendy and adorable clothing from China. The catch is that they won't let you try things on; you can hold it up to your body but that's it. So even though the petite sales lady looked skeptically at my lovely lady lumps, I instantly said, "I'll take it!" For $10 I was willing to take a chance on this pastel perfection with embroidered cupcakes. AND it's got polka dots and a crisp white collar. I  It's unfortunate that my camera in it's pathetic-dying state didn't do this flawless pale pink top justice. 

 Shirt, Earrings & Headband: Bugis Street | Skirt & Belt: Goodwill | Watch: Gift | Sunglasses: Modcloth