Carolyn Massey sailor shirt, Paul Smith loafers

My attempt to acquire some affordable designer loot came to a fruition when I got hold of what seems to be a sailor shirt by London-based menswear designer Carolyn Massey for Topman Lens SS08. I just love the over-sized collar detail, complete with buttons along the hem and everything... but too bad was not able to purchase it online last year. The reason is Topman does not ship to Russia, out of many European countries that they serve. But thanks to the miraculous online market that is eBay my long wait has ended...

The shirt fits me rather perfectly, except for the long sleeves. My short extremities is unarguably the main reason why I find it hard to buy clothes that fit me well. No regrets in that however... it goes without saying that a trip to the tailor is necessary in this case. Hmmm... thinking of the amount of money that I spend on tailoring my clothes daunts me a little bit, but I believe the end result surely gives a positive impact on the fit of the clothing. The money is not spent in vain, or so I'd like to think.

Another self-gratifying purchase is these PS Paul Smith loafers that I got for myself at the Heathrow Airport Terminal 3. Another frivolous and extravagant purchase I hear you say? Can't say that I totally disagree with that but to my defense they were on sale, and they're tax-free, no less. Plus I had some extra Roubles lying around and it HAD to be converted to Euros (a sad-but-true fact is Russian Roubles are of no values outside its borders...) so with my new-found cash a graduation present was deemed necessary at that moment. (still waiting for my grad present Canon IXUS digi cam though :).


I fell in love instantly at the sight of the snaky texture on these cowhide loafers. And that quirky dragon-fly and dandelion detail on the soles- how adorable! They were the last pair, and fortunately were my size. I'm a dainty but wide size 6, the smallest size that Paul Smith have in store, not surprisingly. I was immediately excited to grab this last pair lest someone else with such small feet will, but I hesitantly paid the cash (it's been a while since my last wallet-thinning purchases). However I finally justified the moment realising I would not get such an offer in Malaysia . Yes, all these so-called 'luxury items' are annoyingly overpriced in Kuala Lumpur. Personally I prefer buying 'designer stuff' overseas because I know that the price are greatly reduced during sales and the abundance of choice is always welcome, of course.

Carolyn Massey sailor shirt, random street vendor striped tank, Veronique Branquinho trousers, PS Paul Smith loafers, eBay glasses, eBay belt

PS: I just realized that these items which are new to my wardrobe are both from British designers. This reminds me of one of my favorite English menswear blog Style Salvage, who not by any chance harp about Carolyn Massey so frequently.