Afternoon Tea at Raffles, Darling

Can you believe that even though I am obviously so stunningly sophisticated, I’ve never had a proper afternoon tea before?  I know.  Shocking!  It took Rachel (Queen of all things English), Amy (Ms. Hong Kong), and Ragnhild (a Norwegian expat living in London) to get me to a real afternoon tea at Raffles Hotel, one of the most gorgeous hotels in all of Asia.

Me standing outside the billiard room, where we had our afternoon tea.  I’m wearing a Jovovich-Hawk linen cotton/linen striped dress.

Always with the Marc bag, I know.  Listen, it’s the only thing that holds my camera, guide book, notebook, cell phone, hand sanitizer, make-up, wallet, tissues, etc.  So, yes, the Marc bag again.

My Sigerson Morrison black patent flats.

Raffles Hotel, named for Sir Stamford Raffles (1781-1826), a British statesman, and father to modern Singapore.

Photos of our afternoon tea buffet.  Not too shabby, I say.  Not too shabby.

Me eating one of the many tea sandwiches that I injested, along with trying a little bit of everything else on the buffet.

Ms. Fabulousity, Rachel.  I owe this wonderful experience to her.  And yes, I did insist that she wear her sunglasses for this photo op, she’s not the type of person to wear her sunglasses indoors normally.

After we finished our tea, we strolled around the hotel, acting like the tourists we are, taking lots of photos.

And we attempted to take a timed photo of all of us together by the beautiful fountain in one of the courtyards.  Where were we looking and what were we laughing at?  I don’t remember.  But a great shot, all the same.

Raffle’s Courtyard Bar.  Lovely.

What is one to do after one has eaten a huge meal?  Have a drink, of course.  Here’s me enjoying a Singapore Sling, the drink created here at Raffles.  One of those sweet drinks that can put you on your ass before you realize it.  The good news about this drink is that it’s $23 Singapore ($16.43 US) so unless you’re rolling in money, chances are you’re not going to have very many of these.  However, you know me, if a place is famous for something, I’m going to try it.

I’ve got a busy week of work ahead of me, so enjoy these last few posts for a few days.  Then I’m off to Thailand ( I know…  Poor me) for the weekend, so lots more fun posts to come.

-Summer

 

 

I Love Chinatown

It’s so great to have a whole day free…  My first since coming here two weeks ago.  Finally, some friends and I had the opportunity to spend the day, or shall I say half-of-the-day (we slept in), wandering around Singapore.

I’ve become a little obsessed with my Singapore guide books.  Researching this and that, learning about the city’s history and culture.  Finding out where to go, what to see, and what to eat.  Lonely Planet’s Singapore City Guide has been one of my most important resources.  The book includes these wonderful self-guided walking tours to get your bearings while you explore each unique neighborhood in the city.

Today, was Chinatown.

Me at the magnificent Thian Hock Keng Temple.  Just one of the beautiful places I loved in Chinatown.  I’m wearing an A.P.C. red floral printed top and a Gap white denim skirt.

I’ve had this vintage blue floral bead necklace since high school and I still love it.

As always, my Gap by Pierre Hardy brown leather sandals.

Beautiful red paper lanterns line the ceiling throughout the temple.

Ragnhild and Rachel tour the temple.

Alex met us and brought freshly baked muffins.  Love that Alex.

Ragnhild’s casual chic look.  A colorblock top by Marni, black walking shorts by Club Monaco, and her Dries Van Noten brown leather bag (that I’m so going to steal from her.  shhhh, it’s our secret.).

Love her sunglasses that she bought at one of my favorite stores, Louis Boston.  Her necklace was designed by a friend, Siv Stoldal.

Colorful, well-maintained houses, buildings, and shops line the streets.

Did I mention that November and December are the rainy months here in Singapore?  And when I say rain, I mean deluge.  None of us had our umbrellas (as if they would have done anything in this rain).  We were walking around the street market when the rain came pouring down so we ran to the nearest shelter.  Rachel and Alex huddled under a street vendor’s umbrella.

When the rain slowed, most of the tourists in the market had scattered, leaving us.  A goofy, great photo that my friend Alex took.

We ended up ducking into a Chinese palm reader’s stall, as the rain started to pour again.  Thunder and lightning crashed and rumbled overhead.  He was so great!  He didn’t speak English so another incredibly sweet, shop keeper translated.

At the end of all of our readings, he wanted to take a picture with the four of us.  So sweet.  Such a great experience to share among friends.

I love Chinatown!  I definitely plan on spending some more time there.

-Summer

 

Food, Fashion, and Fish Spas… Just Another Day In Singapore

The 3 F’s for today.  Food, fashion, and fish spas.

Today marks week two in Singapore and finally I feel that I am getting out to see more than my neighborhood.  The last few days have been full of exciting adventures all around the city.  Jeannie, my Singaporean food guru, took me and two of my friends Ragnhild and Rachel out to Maxwell  Road Hawker Centre in Chinatown the other day for lunch.  Maxwell’s is renowned for being one of the best hawker centers (food courts) in the city with multiple hawkers (food vendors) being recommended by Singapore’s Makansutra guide (THE food guide).

Ragnhild and Rachel giddy in the cab on the way to Maxwell.  I adore Rachel’s amazing turquiose Ray Bans.  P.S.  She sells them at her fabulous vintage/retro shop Helter Skelter in Margate, England. 

Me outside the hawker centre.  I’m wearing an Odile cotton poplin dress, perfect for enduring the heat both inside and out.  Maxwell is an open air center so there isn’t any air conditioning, only ceiling fans.  That paired with the hundreds of people eating and all of the stalls cooking can make for a very hot and humid experience.

Linea Pelle cognac leather belt.  Thank God this thing is adjustable, otherwise I would have been super uncomfortable after having stuffed myself silly with all of that delicious food.

My single gold bangle.

Gap by Pierre Hardy brown leather sandals.  Definitely the most comfortable shoes I brought, other than my running shoes, which I don’t plan on photographing for you any time soon. 

Inside, there are two rows of hawker stalls like this.

The fabulous Jeannie waiting in line at Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice stall, which is thought to be the best chicken rice in Singapore.  And for those of you who’ve forgotten, chicken rice is one of Singapore’s national dishes.  This place is a big deal.

Tian Tian.  I first heard about this place on one of my favorite shows, Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations.

The chicken and a side of steamed bean sprouts served family style.  Each of us had our own individual servings of rice.

Jeannie also brought us an oyster omelet and yam cakes.  Mmm-mmm.  We had quite a feast.

We were going to be lame and get boring old iced tea to drink, but Jeannie insisted we try sugar cane juice instead.  “You’re on a tropical island, for goodness sake!”, she exclaimed.  It was AMAZING!!!  Not as sweet as I expected, and absolutely delish.  Proving, yet again, that Jeannie knows all.

For dessert, an ice kacang which is a bowl full of fluffy shaved ice, topped with colorful syrups, red beans, corn, condensed milk, attap seeds, and tasty gelatin cubes.  Sounds weird, I know, but it is actually refreshingly delicious.  There are versions of this dessert all over Asia.

Later that evening, Ragnhild and I decided to go to Kenko fish spa in our neighborhood to get the dead skin on our feet nibbled off by some fish.  This photo (lol!) is when Ragnhild first put her feet in the water.  She was shrieking at how ticklish it was.

My feet with the fish!!!  Holy CRAP!!!  It was a crazy weird sensation to have little fishies munching away on my feet and legs for a half hour.  It starts off tickling, but then you get used to it and it feels good.  And when it was done, I did feel a huge difference.  My skin felt very well exfoliated and soft.  Such a cool experience.

-Summer

 

After Work Feast

Luckily, I’m surrounded by fellow food lovers here in Singapore.  So, it’s easy to convince people to join me for a delightful meal.  I’d been dying to try chili crab or black pepper crab, which are two of Singapore’s most well-known dishes.  The Makansutra guide suggested a restaurant called Long Beach Seafood Restaurant at the East Coast Seafood Center which is on the straits of Singapore.  After a busy day, or actually more like a busy week and a half, my colleague Ragnhild and I, having finally conquered our jet lag, taxi’d it over for an after work feast.

Me with some friends.  You can’t get any fresher than this.  I’m wearing a Theory light weight cotton top over a Madewell white ribbed tank and my J.Brand boyfriend jeans.

My vintage eggplant leather bag and piled on turquoise and coral beaded bracelets.

Red suede Gap sandals.

Our appetizer:  Steamed Scottish Bamboo Clams drenched in a minced garlic sauce.

Our main course:  Prawns and their famous Black Pepper Crab.

A close up.  And in case you were wondering how you eat these fabulous delicacies…  With your hands, my friends, with your hands.  It can get a little messy.

My Norwegian friend Ragnhild and I super excited to be enjoying this lovely feast.  I usually smile with my teeth showing, but I honestly was afraid that my teeth were covered in black pepper.  LOL!

Our dessert:  Wierd pinapple jello served over dry ice.

And from the top.  It had a very refreshing, lightly sour taste, that is uniquely Asian.

The view from our table out onto the straits of Singapore.  Such a fabulously relaxing evening.

I’m loving Singapore.

-Summer

 

DeLiCiOuS

At this point, you’ve probably figured out that I’m a little obsessed with food.  I should say up front that I never intended this blog to be a food blog, it is a personal style blog and a blog about things that inspire me .  But let’s face it, when in Singapore, there is no way that I cannot be totally inspired by the food this city has to offer.  I haven’t even had a chance to delve into my Makansutra Singapore guide (the go-to food guide for Singapore) because I’ve been too busy working.  And still, I have been blown away by the food that I’ve eaten in the last week.  Not only is it supremely tasty, but it’s also cheap!!!  Double bonus!!!

I LOVE Indian food!!!  So, needless to say, I was extremely excited to eat Indian here in Singapore because it has such a large Indian population.  I’d read about Lucky Prata in a couple of my guide books and to my delight, it’s in my neighborhood.  Since I’ve been here I’ve been begging my colleagues to join me for lunch at this Orchard Road institution, and finally Friday we did it!!!  Can you tell by the look on my face, how super happy I am post lunch?  Delish.

Oh yeah, what I’m wearing…  I am wearing a Clu light weight pocket tee and a Cynthia Steffe overdyed skirt.

Lori Leven silver disc earrings from her tattoo/ jewelry shop New York Adorned.

Two silver cuffs stacked.  The large one, an Indian piece from New York Adorned.  The “S” is a vintage piece from my good friend Airynee, that I’ve had since high school.

My standard Pierre Hardy for Gap leather sandals.

Lucky Prata’s signature dish, Chicken Biryani.  There are no words for how amazing this dish is.

Washed down with an iced lemon/lime/ginger drink.

Yummy kashmiri naan which is made with fruit and nuts.  So happy right here.

As we were leaving Friday, we found out that Lucky Prata is actually relocating to another part of the city and their last day is Monday (tomorrow!).  Devastated to have only just discovered such an amazing restaurant days before their closing, we went back Saturday, and will likely go back again tomorrow.  We must savor every morsel before they close their doors. 

Orchard Road

I’ve been in Singapore a whole week already!  Whoa, time flies when you’re working every day.  Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to really explore the city yet since I’ve been working every day.  Soon enough…  In the meantime, I’ve been getting to know my posh neighborhood fairly well.  Most everything in this area is super new, with the exception of some of the older colonial homes.  There is constant construction happening at all hours of the day/night/weekday/weekend around here.  I’ve never seen anything like it.

Lunch time on Orchard Road (see what’s for lunch below).  As I mentioned before, TONS of lush greenery.  Here I am posing in front of one of the many live plant posts that line the street.  I’m wearing a Steven Alan cotton poplin top and my J.Brand boyfriend jeans.

With this hot weather the only thing I could layer was my necklaces…  I paired a delicate vintage beaded necklace with my over-the-top Forever 21 Lanvin knock-off necklace.

A vintage wooden painted bangle.

J.Crew bronze metallic leather espadrilles.

As I mentioned in my last post, Orchard Road is the shopping mecca of Singapore.  It’s lined with mall, after mall, after sensory over-loaded mall.  This is Ion, one of the three most prestigious malls on the strip.  At night, its’ facade turns into a veritable light show.

The legendary Takashimaya…  Oh yes,  the Singaporeans love their labels.  This photo was taken on my early morning walk.  By lunch time this street is teaming with tourists and locals alike.

More designer shops at Paragon Mall, which also houses one of the world’s best restaurants.  Might make a point of having dinner there before this trip is over. 

Lunch has consistently been my favorite meal of the day.  This is a very typical Singaporean dish simply called chicken rice which I got at a food center called Food Republic.  It looks so simple, but tastes so yummy.  The chicken is steamed and extremely flavorful.  The rice, which deceivingly appears to be simple white rice, is actually cooked in chicken stock, so it too is extremely delicious.  I topped the rice with a thick soy sauce, then drizzled on some hot chili sauce and garlic sauce as I ate.  YUMMMMM and only S$5.50 ( $3.94 US).

For dessert, three of Tan’s Tu Tu coconut cakes.  Doughy soft rice flour cake with a gooey coconut center.  De-friggin’-lish.  3 for S$2 ($1.43 US)!  Love that!

More to come soon.  But for now, I’m off to bed.

-Summer

Singapore Day 1 & 2

It’s 6:19 a.m. here and 6:19 p.m. at home.  I’ve been doing pretty well with the jet lag but this morning I found myself wide awake at 5:30 a.m., only 2 hours before I really need to be awake.  But whatever, now I can write a post about my experience here so far. 

Here’s a little Singapore 101 for those of you who have never visited.  Singapore is gorgeous, hot, and humid.  The city is extremely multi-cultural, mostly consisting of Chinese, Malays, and Indians, with the common language being English, or Singlish, as they like to call it.  The city/ country is a very modern Asian business center.  I’m living in one of the many luxury residence hotels that exists to house people like me who are in town for long-term business.  My hotel is located in the Orchard Street district, the mecca shopping district in Singapore, only a 15 minute walk from the office I’m working in.

As I’ve been struggling against the jet lag, and might I say, I’m definitely winning, I’ve been walking around my neighborhood a lot.  Orchard Street is full of all of the top name designer boutiques and countless malls.  In fact, it feels like Orchard Road is one big mall.  The difference between these malls and American malls is that the food courts are AMAZING!  In fact, Singapore is known for having some of the most amazing food in the world.  Yippy for me!  The food courts have stalls with artisans who sell their specialty dishes for super cheap prices.  To be honest, I’m starting to learn that eating out here is cheaper than cooking at home.  Last night was my first supermarket shopping experience, and I spent a whopping $98 Singapore ($70.50 US) on a few bags of basic groceries.  Lesson learned.  I will continue to eat out.  No complaining here.

The view from my hotel window.  As you can see Singapore is full of lush greenery.

Day 1: My colleagues (from left to right:  Zaazaa, Alex, and Binnie) and I went out to Ambrosia, a mediterranean restaurant in the Kampong Glam district.  You remove your shoes when you arrive, walk up a dark staircase and then make yourself comfortable seated on the floor around a low table surrounded by loads of silk pillows.

The view from Ambrosia’s window out onto Baghdad Street.  It’s a very cool part of town!  I can’t wait to go back and explore.

I had Bamia (okra and chick peas cooked with tomatoes and served with saffron rice).  Their pita bread and hummus was the best I’ve ever tasted.  It was cloud soft and warm from the oven.  Delicious.

Day 2:  Alex and I at a tiny Thai restaurant tucked away in a mall (of course) across the street from our office.  I chose to wear my lovely Rebecca Taylor silk dress for my first day in the office.  In fact, I pretty much wore this same outfit.  It’s perfect for all of the heat and humidity.

Can you say hot chilis?  Oh yeah.  Singapore’s favorite condiment.  Look how lovely.

Binnie’s delicious green curry and Alex’s yummy tom yum goong served over their own flames (under the pots).

The best prawn pad thai I’ve ever had!

Okay, my stomach’s rumbling for breakfast.  So I’m going to get ready for work and head out.

More to come.

-  Summer

Culture Day

My good friend Doug is hilarious.  The other day when I talked to him on the phone he told me he was having a “culture day”.  A culture day?  I love it!!!  Why not take a day to enjoy the city and its’ culture?  I told him that before I left for Singapore, he and I should have a culture day together and today ended up being that day.  We discussed a few options but decided to focus our culture day in West Chelsea.  Galleries, lunch at the Half King, the High Line, and of course cupcakes at Billy’s Bakery.  Could there be a more perfect day?  I think not.

Walking along the Hudson, I’ve always loved these two installations that are right next to each other.  People are always posing for photos with these pieces, so today was our turn to take our own photos.  I’m wearing a 3.1 Phillip Lim coat, Club Monaco black merino wool turtleneck, and J.Brand dark skinny jeans.

A detail of this fabulous coat and my Robert Geller white painted ring.

My recently polished Costume National black riding boots.

A view of the High Line, which was once an elevated freight train track that ran through the west side.  The city decided to renovate the delapidated tracks and create an elevated park, which opened to the public on June 9th.  Even though it’s been open for so long, this is the first time that I’ve actually made the time to check it out.  I know, shame on me.  Anyway, this is a view of some of the installed lounge chairs facing the Hudson.

Doug sitting on one of the benches of the “theater” which overlooks 10th Avenue.

After the High Line we went to check out some of the galleries in West Chelsea.  My friend Dasha Shishkin’s show at the Zach Feuer gallery was unbelievable!  She is hands down my favorite contemporary artist, regardless of whether or not I know her.  She is so insanely talented and creates the most intensely colorful, dreamlike paintings and lithographs that always touch on the erotic and the grotesque.

Her show is up until October 17th, so if you haven’t seen it, go see it now!  And keep an eye out for her future exhibitions.

What a great way to kiss NYC goodbye as I prepare to fly out to Singapore on Friday.

Now off to pack.

-Summer

10 Days and Counting

In 10 short days I’m flying to Singapore for a 6 week consulting gig, which I’m super excited about!  So, here’s the thing…  This is a personal style blog and I’ll be living in a tropical climate while all of you (if you’re reading this in the U.S.) will be enjoying the Autumn (my favorite season!).  It’s been really hard for me to prevent myself from diving head-first into new fall wardrobe purchases.  But the truth is I won’t need a lot of new cool-weather items if I’m not going to be here for the cool weather.  Instead, I’ve been buying things that I think can transition from the cool weather we’re having now to the tropical climate I’m about to be living in.

I wore two of my new transitional pieces today,  a sheer navy Theory top (over a Madewell white ribbed tank) and a Theory light heather grey jacket with my J.Brand light wash jeans.

This photo was taken after I got my hair cut and blown out by my wonderful hair stylist, Morgan, at Arrojo Studio.  I highly recommend him if you live in the area or are visiting NYC.    Oh yeah, I’m wearing a Sabrina Dehoff red leather heart necklace.

My Robert Geller white painted ring.

Vintage painted wooden bangle.

J.Crew bronze metallic leather espadrilles.

That’s it for now.  Hope you’re enjoying this phenomenal weather too. 

Etsy Bag Search

I believe in supporting small business.  Whether that mean shopping at your local small boutiques or purchasing directly from artists/designers/crafters on Etsy.com.  You should do it!  I mean, who wants to look like everyone else anyway, right?  Wouldn’t you rather have something that’s handmade and one-of-a-kind?

Here are some stand-out bags that I recently found on Etsy that I thought you would dig:

A custom made leather bag from Twisted Tree Studio.

An upcycled cowboy boot that is now a bag from Purse In Boots.

Dark blue and auburn leather circular messenger bag from Luccia O.

Classic black leather hobo bag with double shoulder strap from Reid.damnit.

Studded and painted gourd bag from Autumn Reed.

Okay, now go out and purchase your new Autumn bag.  You have my permission. 

Have a fantastic weekend!

-Summer