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It’s pretty rare when my other half and I can both take 10 days of straight vacation. So, when the opportunity arose to take a honeymoon, we decided to go somewhere far. Europe! We made several stops along the way, the most surprising being Zurich, Switzerland. We only stayed one night as it was sort of a stop-through on our way back home but I was completely taken away by how beautiful it was. So much culture, so many narrow cobblestone roads with tons of great shops. As we were there just a few days after Christmas, all of the lights were still up, like in the picture above.  The photo does not do it justice.

Before I left on my trip I was contemplating a casual dinnerware purchase. I really love these Kate Spade Market Street Cereal Bowls and Accent Plates. They also come with matching dinner, mugs and platters in a solid color, but today I’m feeling the dots and now they remind me of the beautiful lights in Zurich! Very festive, year round!

]]> http://hurchariot.com/2013/01/05/travel-find-street-lights-in-zurich/feed/ 0 serahur zurichlights katespade katespade2 http://hurchariot.com/2013/01/03/cocoa-hearts-by-jen-ramos/ http://hurchariot.com/2013/01/03/cocoa-hearts-by-jen-ramos/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 12:19:14 +0000 misshur http://hurchariot.com/?p=1243 ]]>

I am totally feeling inspired by Jen Ramos beautiful paintings for Cocoa & Hearts! She is by far one of my favorite bloggers (check her other awesome goodies at Madebygirl.com) and I love her eye for color. Not to mention she styles her paintings with none other than coffee table books… she is a woman after my own heart.

This piece, approporiately titled Mick Jagger, is by far my favorite. Simple mix of turquoise and gold paints with brass studs. Brilliant.

How good are these? Right now everything is sold but I am dying to see more of Jen’s work!

via The Decorista

via Vogue Mexico

via The Pink Padgoa

via Dwell Studio

via The Hunted Interior

via Knight Moves

• Traveled: to Bali a handful of times, Phuket, Cambodia, San Francisco (twice), Taiwan, probably more places that I can’t remember off the top of my head.
• Got to book five of A Song of Ice and Fire. Whoa.
• Got a New Job: that I love.
• Got a Dog: that I love even more.
• Got Married. I love my husband the most.

Life is amazing! Anyway, getting married was probably the biggest event of the year (umm or my life?!) and I hope to post some pictures about it soon.

I do have some pictures of my favorite day leading up to the wedding, which was doing the flowers! Planning a wedding abroad is stressful and expensive. I decided to not spend thousands of dollars on a florist in New York City. My amazing wedding planner, Lauren, convinced me that we could head to the floral market in Chelsea Flower Market and do it ourselves. It was a decision I did not regret!

(I apologize for the poor quality photos. I have been hooked on instagram these days! Will post some official photos later.)

My mom at I at the market.

If you haven’t been to the Chelsea Flower Market before but plan on doing some of your own DIY, here are some  good-to-know-tips for beginners. I had googled this a couple times before my visit and here are the things I wish I knew before:

• It is not one storefront or location that is the “market.” The market is actually made up of several different shops located on 28th street in-between 6th and 7th.
• The market is not open to the public until around 8 or 9 in the morning. We started sneaking in around 8:30 and some industry folks were still around but it was ok that we started shopping. It’s not like there’s a doorman asking for a badge or anything (although, I have heard they ask for your license if you try to purchase before 9am).
• Haggling does not work if you are not a florist, so don’t try if you don’t know your flower stuff! If you are there with your mom and two friends running around giddy screaming “OMG sooooooo pretty!” (not that I did that or anything…) don’t expect to get a designer’s discount.
• Do expect to know what you like before you go. I had a general idea in mind after staring at a few of my favorite floral pins on Pinterest to get a sense of what I was looking for.
• The good ones do go early. We had to snatch up those peonies quick!
• However, once you set your flowers up on the large metal crate, there is an unspoken rule that no one grabs from anyone else’s pile. Yup, it’s the honor system!

When we got back to the hotel, we moved all the furniture aside and laid down the spread… we ordered in room service, turned on some tunes and the 5 of us (me, my mom, Lauren, and my three bridesmaids) went to town.

Lauren (seriously, how awesome is my wedding planner that she helped me DIY flowers?!) and I hard at work. I ordered the vases ahead of time from Jamali Garden, a wholesale floral and events store also located on 28th street.

I can’t take credit for the bouquets… that was all my mom. She researched for months on floral design, and within less than 4 hours she completed all 4 bouquets plus several boutonnieres for the groomsmen, parents and the officiant! I really couldn’t have done it without her. She has and will forever be my DIY hero.

The flowers back in the cardboard boxes. We chose burgundy & white peonies, astilbes, seeded & leaf eucalyptus, burgundy & white ranunculus, and some other greenery and a couple other white flowers that I couldn’t identify.

I told the girls that I wanted each vase slightly different than the other, so it was fun to play around and get variety.

Here are my beautiful bridesmaids and the bouquets made by my mother! Aren’t they gorgeous?

So, all in all, I spent less than $1,000 on all the florals, including the beautiful silver nob nail vases plus supplies. But aside from staying within my budget, the time spent with the girls was priceless.

Kaehana Asymmetric Print Dress, $224 at ERIIN.com. Print Brushstrokes Dress, $89, Mango.com. Reiss Fenella Dress, $132, Reiss.com. Alexander McQueen Floral Print Wool Dress, £798.04, Net-a-Porter.com.

Olympia Le Tan makes the one Natalie and Chloe were seen with but if you want to stay under the $350 range, Kate Spade makes some adorable ones as well. However, after poking around a bit, I have to say these ones by ChickLitDesigns on etsy are hands down my favorite, and they are all under $200:

Be still my book-cover-loving heart!!! Check out the rest of her stuff here.

I’m not usually one to post pictures of my outfits, but now-a-days if you have a blog remotely related to fashion it seems necessary. Anyway, I have totally given into the whole neon trend, which is sort of blinding-ly everywhere these days… But I have actually found it easier to introduce than expected! It’s an awesome alternative to the daily work shirt worn with black pants. As always with a trend, don’t spend too much if you think you’ll only wear it one season. Today I’m wearing my Forever 21 (Yeah and I’m shamelessly admitting I still buy clothes there.) Neon Green Top, with my Theory Tailor Pants, my trusty Micheal Kors Mid-Size Chronograph and OPI’s Hot and Spicy.

Off to Ho Chi Minh city this weekend!

My personal favorite, the Stark House! There is something magical about Winterfell and the north: the talking trees, the crypts of old Starks past and of course, the wolves. The end of the first season hinted us that winter is in fact coming, and when it does, the Starks will be prepared.

Clockwise from Top: Poster, T-Shirts, $28, at RedBubble. Black Skull Charm Flats by Alexander McQueen, $545, at Alexander McQueen. Galaxy Necklace byLost Revolution, $285, at ERIIN. Twig w/ Aquamarine by Bittersweets NY, $1,300, at Catbird. Cast Metal Jewelry Tree by West Elm, $29, at WestElm. Lytton Raffia Clutch by DvF, $295, at DvF. Gunmetal Mini Hearts Studs by Lady Grey, $156, at Catbird. Wolf Ring by Uno Cacciatori, $424, at LuisAviaRoma. Reversable Shearling Gilet by Donna Karan, $4,200, at net-a-porter.com.

Even though Tyrion is only likeable Lannister, you have to admit this house has some appeal. Whatever Cersei lacks in character she makes up for in appearance. I do have a thing for her high-collared, long-sleeved embellished gowns. Their daggers and spikes are might have started a war, but when a house always pays their debts: they’ll at least have the best looking armor.

Clockwise from Top: Flat Pyramid Stackable Rings by Noir, $105 (set of 4), at Noir. Sweet Sergeant Velvet Embroidered Jacket by Winter Kate, $600, at ASOS. O’Keeffe Lion Hinged Bracelet by Alexis Bittar, $375, at Nordstrom. Spike T Bar Headband, $20, at Topshop. Asteroid Suede and Patent Leather Pumps by Christian Louboutin, $1,595, at net-a-porter.com. Lipstick Queen Medievel, $18, at Anthropologie. Pearls & Daggers Bracelet by Noir, $165, at Noir. Giselle Top by Club Monaco, $118 (sale), at shophop. Prideful Prowl Doorstop, $24, at Anthropologie.

Let’s start with House Targaryen!

Well, ‘House’ Targaryen is now just Daenerys Targaryen. Poor Dany, she’s really been through a lot the first season. When she does return to Westeros with her fire and blood, maybe she’ll dress better. I mean, you have to admit those Dothraki outfits were not fit for a princess such as herself…

Clockwise from Top: Draped Open-Back Jersey-Satin Gown by Amanda Wakeley, $1,600 at net-a-porter. Naga Square Stone Ring by John Hardy, $995, at Nordstrom. Oak Fringe Suede Clutch by Oak, $460, atnet-a-porter.com. Wolf Embellished Cotton Vest by Isabel Marant, $4,140, at net-a-porter.com. Porcelain Dragon by Jonathan Adler, $350, at Jonathan Adler. Lady Jane Spiked Bracelet by Assad Mousner, at net-a-porter.com. Waxy Leather Studded Belt by Bottega Venetta, $780, from net-a-porter.com. Flame Wedge by Prada, $1,100, from Neiman Marcus.

Winter is Coming! I am a huge, huge, nerdy fan of Game of Thrones and the book series. Yesterday, Season 2 started back home and unfortunately, I don’t get HBO in Singapore so while I try to find ways to watch, I find myself dreaming of Game of Thrones fashion. Enter Helmut Lang (a consistent favorite) designed by Nicole and Michael Colovos. The Fall 2012 collection was inspired by the show: high collars, textures and leathers, direwolf grays (House Stark for life!), tree-branch prints reminiscent of the world north of the wall, blazers fit like knight’s armor, and even some red and black paying homage to the Lannisters. Although that model is a spitting image of Dany don’t you think?

As a fan of both GoT and Helmut Lang I have to say: This is totally, completely, satisfyingly awesome!

Photos via WWD.

Introducing the shorts that turned my prejudice mind upside down.

The Uniglo Short Chino Trousers. £19.90. (Available at ION Orchard location.)

I know you’re thinking, “Uh, they are just regular shorts,” and you’re totally right, they are! It’s just… I’ve never found a pair that are cute enough to wear out to dinner, long enough to wear to work (but not too long where they start cutting your legs off), casual enough to wear on my weekend trips, and comes in the juiciest salmon pink that goes actually looks great with anything. So naturally, I got them in another color (navy, of course) and might need to go back for more.

On a side note about Uniqlo, they launched their uniglo undercover line which includes some pretty cute effortless casual tunics. In Singapore, find it at the 313 Somerset store, launched March 16th. (I know, I know, I’m trying desperately to catch up!)

Check out the full post here.

By day.

By night.

By sometime  in-between.

The Upper West and the Lower East.