Emilio Pucci SS10/RTW

I received an e-mail this morning from net-a-porter (I subscribe) regarding their latest video snippets of the highlights of recently released Spring 2010 RTW (ready to wear) collections. There are 18 videos in total - one of each brand net-a-porter will sell.

Out of the 18, my favourites are:

1. Burberry Prorsum (as always)
2. Diane Von Furstenberg (DVF)
3. 3.1 Phillip Lim
4. Emilio Pucci

I was a surprised by the last selection! When I hear "Pucci", I automatically think of loud, wild, colourfully neon, geometric prints older Asian women loved to wear. I never gave them a chance. When I was watching the short snippet of their runway highlights, finger ready to pounce on the button for "next designer", I was shocked at how tasteful and wearable their clothes were!

Here are my Top 5

Credit to style.com

Except for the last shot, the video does a much better job in capturing the movement and wear-ability of the outfits... they aren't as boxy looking on the runway as they are in these pictures. I will post up my other Top 5 outfits from other designers eventually!

Adorabunny

haha Fifi can be so funny!

I have often lamented my lack of long flowing locks. You see fur is a very different texture to hair and it never grows longer than an inch - and that's only when it gets really cold. I dream of having long silky tresses that swish and swirl around me while I walk, like an advert for posh shampoo… So anyway as that is never going to happen I will have to make do with this Givenchy dress. But does it fit with my week of wearing unusual fashion? It’s made of real human hair. Enough said.

bunny kisses
Fifi Lapin
xxx

"It's made of real human hair" hahahaha

Playing With Shadows

Can you recognize?

The first one makes me laugh whenever I look at it.. the funniest-shaped creature in the world!

Zac Posen Fall '09 Orange Lip

I know these pictures are dated, but I just couldn't get over the perfection of orange lips!

Credit to style.com

Of course, Zac Posen wasn't the only one who had orange lips on the runway.   I believe Nanette Lepore and BCBG among many others also rocked the look. What I love is how this orange isn't the burnt orange nor the nude orange nor the fluorescent orange trendy in previous seasons. This is a rich, flattering blood/peach orange pretty much anyone can wear. I think it's way more wearable than red and it can be both an everyday colour and, as you see above, one you can wear with a gown. I also think it's a colour for all seasons! Anyway, I'm super excited about having had discovered this colour somewhat recently. It makes me happy looking at it in the tube (and on lips) and I could wander aimlessly for hours (secretly) gawking at all the pretty shades of orange at Sephora.

Straight Up Button Up

Credit to Zipia.

Got Lemons? Zesty Lemon Bars Recipe

This is the first of my "Tried and True Recipes"... (easy peasy lemon squeezy) Lemon Bars!  

I had five lemons and didn't care to make lemonade, so I decided to make Bake Sale Lemon Bars... though this recipe only used two lemons! These have a 4.5/5 rating from allrecipes.com and my family really loved them (and they're not big sweets/dessert eaters)!

The following recipe makes 36 servings.. but I thought it made more like 15 -20 sizable ones like the ones in the above picture I took from the site. I think it's a good amount to share with friends and family!

I baked it in a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Prep Time:15 Min
Cook Time: 45 Min
Ready In: 1 Hr

Ingredients

For the base:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

For the lemon top:

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup lemon juice (+ zest!)
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. (I used wax paper which wasn't the greatest idea. After, I thought it would have been better to use a spring form pan)
   
2. Combine the flour, 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, and butter. Pat dough into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until slightly golden. (Remember, for convection ovens, either lower the temperature or reduce baking time by a bit!) While the crust is baking, whisk together eggs, white sugar, flour, and lemon juice until frothy. Pour this lemon mixture over the hot crust.
4. Return to the preheated oven for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares.

* Upon first taste, I thought they were wayyy too sweet (I followed the recipe pretty closely... but it wouldn't be a "nat" recipe if I didn't change something!), so my suggestion would be to reduce the amount of sugar by a third and/or substitute with brown sugar or something.
* I personally enjoy a rich lemon flavour so I grated a bunch of lemon zest into the liquid batter, which made it more tart and zesty.
I actually took some pictures throughout the baking process but... well, let's just say my end product left a lot to be desired appearance-wise (I was never one for food presentation)...

For the full recipe + if you want to change serving size, click HERE.

Perfection Caged

Flying notwithstanding.