It Definitely is Official: SUMMERTIME!

Dearest Dashionistas,

It definitely has been awhile since Dashion has posted and we sincerely apologise for that!

T's been doing all her little summer trips here and there ...

I have been, well, dancing (lol). Well, to actualize the arrival of Summer, I had a haircut!

After years (and years and years ...) of having such long, thick hair, it is now gone!

Long hair will always remain a timeless choice but a change, especially during Summer time, is definitely refreshing and inspiring!

[Picture below: I was wearing my blue, Armani Exchange tank top and shorts and paired it with nude (and super comfortable) flats from a local shop in Causeway Bay and black and white spotted bag from Icon Outlet (Singapore)]

It was also my birthday two weeks ago and, along with T, we had a little dress-up for the birthday dinner.

Surprisingly, or maybe because of the Summer atmosphere, we both opted for floral dresses!

T wore a fitting, navy blue floral dress from Pull and Bear, paired with flats from Staccato. I wore a flowy, pink floral dress  from West One (UK) and gold wedges from DKNY.

The various seasons definitely do influence not just what type of outfits you wear, but also the colouring and style!

Since it is Summer - and as a little special present for not posting as regularly anymore - we venture briefly into the Health, Fitness and Beauty realm today!

Also, we have some special, summer promotions for you at the end of this blog, courtesy of Style by Essenza! (Do you remember the lovely online store that Dashion had a photoshoot with? If not, check out: Dashion Meets Style)

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I came across a Health, Lifestyle and Beauty blog today (http://www.fitnea.com - I recommend reading their blog posts for more healthy lifestyle information!) and two posts captured my attention:

• 10 Healthy Foods that are not that Healthy after all
• 5 Myths About Getting Flat Stomach

As an athlete, I am conscious about my health and physical body as there are physical and mental requirements I need to meet on a daily basis. I found these two posts to effectively communicate misplaced conceptions on the body and 'dieting'. 

Understanding how your body works and uses energy (the digestive system and metabolism) and knowledge on (actual) food nutrition are the fundamentals to maintaining our health in the long-run. 

In a nutshell, if you would like to start to understand the mechanisms of food, the body and health, I would (highly) recommend to you to research and start from this area: SUGAR. 

Yes, the condiment that we come across on a daily basis; the hidden component on many foods that we may not be thoroughly aware of and the effects it has on our physical body (including energy and ADDICTION to sugar, hint: "blood sugar levels") - the worst 'non-food' that people eat everyday (quote: Kat's Food Blog)

To quote William Dufty from a fellow blogger, Kat from Kat's Food Blog:

"After all, heroin is nothing but a chemical. They take the juice of the poppy and they refine it into opium and then they refine it to morphine and finally to heroin. Sugar is nothing but a chemical. They take the juice of the cane or the beet and they refine it to molasses and then they refine it to brown sugar and finally to strange white crystals." - Willam Dufty, Author of Sugar Blues

 Why did I highlight this specific topic area and linked it with the 'Flat Stomach' post?

Simply because, excessive sugar intake plays a major role in storing fat cells in our body - and the storage area is the stomach.

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So there you have it Dashionistas! A little informative post to go along with Dashion's love for Fashion and Dance! Afterall, Health plays a key role in these two realms! :)

Style by Essenza Summer Promotions:

As promised at the beginning of the blog, we announce two special promotions, courtesy of online Fashion & Lifestyle store: Style by Essenza! 

Promotion 1: Style by Essenza Mini Decanter Giveaway:

Head over to Style by Essenza's Facebook page - 'Like' their page and sign up for their Newsletter ('Newsletter Signup' tab) for your chance to win their 'Style by Essenza Mini Decanter' (See picture below)

Promotion 2: Style by Essenza Summer 'Butterfly' Promotion:

A 10% discount is available for the range of Butterfly items when online promotional code 'BUTTERFLY10' is used upon checkout at www.stylebyessenza.com

Hint: Butterfly Items are all by Pineda Covalin and are named: "Papalotl Mariposa" and "Santuario Monarca".

(Papalotl Mariposa scarf range)

 (Santuario Monarca silk dress and tunic range)

(Please note: Promotional photographs belong to Style by Essenza)

Good luck and Happy shopping! xx

Happy Summer to all of you, and see you in the next post!

♥ "It's all about how you put it together" - J x.

Les filles de la mode

"Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to T..

Happy birthday to you!" - J

We were lucky enough to have T's dear friend from university, Joseph, also known as girlie to help T and K (who decided to grace her appearance as our guest blogger this week) to do a set of photos to feature these two lovely dresses that we bought from a local store called Dark Art. It's also Joseph's birthday today so HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLIE!

These two beautiful dresses are definitely worth the price. It was more like purchasing a piece of art rather than just a piece of clothing. Just a little FYI, T & K are sisters and since there were several special occasions coming up, these dresses were perfect for them! 

T's dress is called the '3 Layer Cocktail dress' and had a built-in corset (which accentuates, alot. *wink*). The dress was designed whereby the attachments were underneath a translucent sheen of material, sitting above the pink. With various, custom-made additions of wave patterns and a layered bottom, the dress has a 3D effect and creates the perfect hourglass shape. T has a more girly kind of personality and therefore the dress was perfect for her, she knew she had to have it the minute she tried it on. 

T has decided to use pearls and gold to accessorize to complete the look with a classy and elegant touch. The pearls were bought when she went to the bazaar in Discovery Bay. The gold bangles were a set from H&M and the mini gold serenity bracelet was brought from Style by Essenza. We have recently been obsessed with the accessories from this store and you will definitely see us feature more of their things in the upcoming blogs! 

Since so many special occasions were coming up, T had her nails done especially just to match the colour of her dress that she will be wearing. 

K had chosen the Blue-Gray, white-washed, cocktail dress. On the darker and cooler side, K's dress also has a built-in corset, but with bolder line and colour definitions to the dress as its statement compared to T's soft and subtler dress details, but with a bolder shape build. With the flower detail at the top, this dress was perfect from K's age.

 

K finished the look with a simple lace choker from Claire's accessories, giving it a bold, edgy yet feminine touch. It fits perfectly with the black line lace detail and flower on her dress. 

To complete the looks, T has used a white jacket that she purchased in a no name store in Causeway Place and K has used a black jacket that was bought in a small store in Vancouver.

So it was a really busy weekend for Dashion last week! From T's birthday on Friday to her family's wedding on Saturday, there were parties on 3 nights in a row!

Thursday night was ladies' night so it was a little trip out to LKF for some lady-like drinks and all that, and count down to T's birthday.

As the night went on, somehow we all ended up in front of the 10-shot challenge place (never a good sign! Nights tend to spiral slightly out of control from there). After dousing ourselves with some (really sugary) shots, we've made our way into Volar for a Hip Hop/RnB chilled-out session, followed by a quick blast at Prive.

Come Friday evening, another gathering was set up at the Spanish Tapas Restaurant on Wellington Street: "Fofo's" - the food was really delicious (especially the Paella & salad! - Jx) and not too bad for cost, compared to higher-end restaurants. 

After dinner was served, we surprised T with the pre-ordered, custom-made, CANDY CRUSH cake! (Lol). It was Heaven in a cake - red velvet layers with various royal fondant icing to create the Candy Crush layer, filled in with various candies, with "Happy birthday Sugar Crush, Level 24" written in icing to top it off.

Post-dinner drinks were held at The Den. The atmosphere was very relaxed, building up with more people as the night goes on. The Polaroid camera was in full action, snapping various guests (and their outfits!)

What do different guests where for different, party-like events? Well, take a look below! 

T, as the birthday girl, had a major statement dress piece. She further paired the dress with a white, fitting jacket, nude purple gel nails, matte-coloured heels and light and dainty accessories, giving a 'classic yet modern' twist to the outfit style.

For Friday evening's celebration, J wore a cocktail-like, polka dot dress, paired with a red waist-belt and her new heels as seen in her previous shopping post: "Chuffin' 'ell, I 'av nowt t'wear!" She further styled it with her gold accessories and a gold-studded bag. 

At the dinner we also had two lovely ladies, V and N.  They have been T's best friends since middle school and always have had a unique and spectacular sense of taste when it comes to fashion.

V has always been bold with her colours as seen in the photo, pairing a red belt with a green dress, but nonetheless, classy.  N on the other hand, may not be as bold with the use of colours but always manage to be fashionable and elegant at the same time.  They have always been T's inspiration and she knows she can always count on them for fashion advice.

Then on Saturday, for the wedding reception at St. John's church, T has worn a dress from Forever 21.   She has paired it with small pearls since it was day time and did not want to be too extravagant. In the first photo below is T & K on each side with their mom in between.  Their mother had looked amazing that day, with her hair styled up at the salon and the Jones New York dress.

Little M, T's niece has also paired her pretty little yellow dress with pearls, and they were the "Pearlie girlies".  Little M had refused to wear the pearls but when she saw T with them, she immediately put them on without another word.

T's "Three layer cocktail dress" made a second appearance at T's cousin's wedding dinner that night. Her hair has been styled up by the hairdresser for a more dramatic and formal look. This time, K has also joined in the Dark Art line and they have styled it as featured earlier on. 

T & K's cousins in the above photo all had their own unique style, but were all stunning the night at the wedding banquet.  One particularly stood out was the Karen Millen dress, lets take a closer look below.

T's cousin on the left is always elegant, and that night she completed the look with the famous beautiful peacock blue satin pump embellished with a intricate silver and jeweled buckle at the toe that Sarah Jessica Parker had in Sex and the City - the Manolo Blahnik Something Blue heel.  On the other side is the groom's older sister in the red dress, it has a touch of Chinese culture and at the same time making a bold statement. It was very fitted for the occasion as Chinese people do believe that red is for luck.

For J's sketch of the cycle, she opted for a cocktail dress as she finds them most versatile for parties.

However, she wanted her piece to be the perfect party dress through the details' element - for example, the contrasting and bold front colouring, with a more traditional-like, high-neckline. The back of that neckline has a little detail that symbolises the 'Geisha' mark at the back of the neck (Real, traditional Geishas! Not the commercialised/stereotyped notion of them). 'Why?' you may wonder - well, because I've always, somehow, incorporated dance/entertainer/performer symbolism into (nearly) everything in my life! :)

P.S. That Half-Angel wing is just part of the drawing... It's not part of the dress design, just an inspiration.

T's design for the cycle on the other hand, is less thought out but more in how she feels after seeing all those dresses featured.  In the this cycle, we have featured a lot of lace and big dresses, so all she thought about were three words - PARTY, LACE, BIG. Since it is a party theme after all, T's designs are cocktail dresses that could be worn in various occasions just like the one she had on for both the birthday and wedding party.

We've had one busy week and we apologize for the delay! Next week we have a new cycle coming up and T will be in charge of the first blog :). We hope you have been inspired by all the different styles that were showcased this cycle! Follow us on twitter: @dashionhime and instagram: @dashionhime for updates!

♥ "It's all about how you put it together" - T & J x

Chuffin' 'ell, I 'av nowt t'wear!

We have ALL been there at one point or another: 

"Oh my God, what do I wear to attend (Insert name here)'s birthday party/celebration??"

Even as children, we had to make that life-changing decision of dressing up as Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella; or as Wolverine or Batman.

This post was actually collectively inspired by my friends. Of course, it is T's birthday soon (April 5th *hint hint* lol). It was also inspired by her as, well, being a girl; my best friend in Malaysia; and my girls back in England.

There always came a SPECIAL time (most of the time, if not every time), when we were facing a closetful of outfits, yet had NOTHING to wear. Yes ladies (and gents!), I am sure you know that feeling very well!

And so, as the (modern) saying goes: "We gotta do what we gotta do!" - and shopping time it shall be.

(Editor's note: It is Causeway Place, not Causeway Plaza!)

This was my dance day-cum-shopping day outfit: the skirt is easily taken off and the top was my dance top previously featured on "Backstage Pass"

Initially, I thought I would end up scouting around many places, but I actually only went to two places: Cotton On in Central and Causeway Place in Causeway Bay. Here are some outfit selections from Cotton On:

  

I especially LOVE the polka-dot skirt! I find that patterns are a great way to spice up an outfit/look and if paired with heels, either one of these outfits would be a good birthday party/celebration outfit (although it is leaning towards the more casual end of the line!)

So after leaving Cotton On in Central, I ended up at Causeway Bay and also, shop-spotting (you know, when you spot something and instinctively know that it is perfect and all that jazz) in Causeway Place and Causeway Place only! The first, were the heels:

I came across this shop called 'HiHeel' at the place and it instantly drew me in:

Somehow, the shop just spelled out: "There's something for you" the moment you set eyes upon it - and indeed I did!

The sales member, Jason, was very lovely as well! He noted my favourite style/colour etc. of heels and recommended to me a selection of heels for me to try and choose from. Most importantly, they accommodate for 'larger' shoe sizes here than the average UK 5 shoe size that you normally find in independent shops!

The service is exceptionally personalized and friendly and within 10 minutes I have found my perfect shoes. (And a good deal with it as well!) Another point to note is that you know they are quality the moment you try on the heels - if you don't, experiment with the different price range of shoes, take note of the 'sensation' when you wear it and move it around and you would come to recognize the shoe's quality. (Although it isn't always necessarily the case for the more expensive shoe to be the better one! It is all about individuality with that shoe!)

I definitely look forward to returning in the near future to get more heels and will be featured on Dashion. If you are interested in taking a trip there or finding more about HiHeel, here are some details:

"If you are looking for something funky, wicked, unique heel; than you have come to the  right place. We hand pick all the finest shoes around the world, just for you to choose from and if you have any enquiry, please do drop us a line on our facebook "https://www.facebook.com/causewayplace.hiheel" or can reach us on whatsapp +852 6685 6582 as well. 

Happy shopping my Lady. Cheers" (Edited)

146, 1/F Causeway Place

1-1L Yee Wo Street

Causeway Bay, HK.

+852 3116 9993 or WhatsApp: +852 66856582

HiHeel's Facebook Page

So what are the shoes like? *Drum roll*

My beautiful Gianmarco Lorenzi heels that fit like heaven and is actually a variegated version of a pair of heels I used to have (with the glitter and all that!)

The best bit of this pair of the heels is the heel shape itself. It is subtly caving inwards but it makes all the difference and it is just so. damn. beautiful!

So as you may have come to know in the video, the shoes were ever-so-slightly over-budget therefore I was reconsidering about getting an outfit and using what I (don't) have in my closet. HOWEVER, it was destiny to get lost whilst trying to leave Causeway Place ...

I came across this corner shop called 'Babylon' and what caught my eye was this:

"MAX MAX MAX MAX MAX SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE .."

I kid you not.

 So I went in and looked at the sales rack, hoping to find a dress (and at the same time, hoping not to so I don't go even more over-budget) and what happens? I found it.

I was in love. The red-black colour combination and lace sleeves and top lining it. *swoon*

I didn't even manage to try it on and I knew I had to have it (Though, it is NOT recommended to do what I did! Always try on your outfits before buying them - it is one thing to spot them and another to wear them).

When I got back to T's place, I experimented with various accessories and had a further choice of using a thin, black waist belt or my black furry scarf. 

 It has been a great day shopping and finding my perfect outfit for a birthday celebration party. Especially with my new heels! (which, honestly, was actually my main priority for the shopping trip - a good pair of heels could make whole lot of difference to any outfit!)

So if you had nowt t'wear, what would YOU do? :)

Tweet or Instagram us (@DashionHime) your shopping successes (especially heels! lol) and we will feature them on our Twitter/IG pages! Also, don't forget to follow us for more Dashion love to come soon!

♥ "It's all about how you put it together" - J x