GENERAL CURIOSITIES #19

I’m not going to lie, this week has been a busy week. Me not posting at all this week is a pretty good indication of how busy I’ve been. This week worked (both at my full-time job and for my dad), saw The Dandy Warhols with a colleague, went to a Mexican themed 21st birthday party, watched a few movies and caught up on some TV shows. Here are my thoughts on this week’s events:

• The Dandy Warhols - They were amazing! I would definitely see them again. The rest of the evening was filled with burger eating, hipster walking/strutting, silly girls doing an assortment of bizarre things.
• Mexican 21st birthday party - A fun evening that involved a Mexican food, Tequila, felt mustaches, handmade ponchos and a Justin Bieber cardboard cutout.

I also went shopping and bought a new pair of Melissa shoes. I think this is my seventh pair?

I believe that I will be going on a brief blogging hiatus until I can get all of the work that I currently on my plate done. Ciao!

THE FRONT LINES #1: MAXINE THAM 2011 CORPORATE IDENTITY

Thank you all for the fantastic feedback you have given me. Because of your feedback, I have decided an extra segment called The Front Lines.

The Front Lines is a segment where I will specifically look at branding and marketing. I will primarily focus on niche/unique/boutique branding (but I will occasionally look and major rebranding) and marketing campaigns that interest me.

But before I get into looking at other brands and their marketing, I wanted to feature my personal branding and corporate identity. As you can see below, my corporate identity varies slightly from my blog (I may do a comparison post at some point). My primary logo is simply my name stylised in a square. It is simple and clean with a modern edge.

In addition to my square logo, I have included a cat with antlers as part of my corporate imagery (it was something that I added once I had designed my blog). A lot of people have asked me about the significance of this cat. My reply is simple: cats are(or can be) feminine, sensual, assertive, dominant, self-sufficient and independent. I wanted to strengthen a few of these traits by adding antlers.

The colour scheme that I have selected is primarily black and white with hints of magenta. Black and white was the obvious choice for me as they are classic and timeless. I added a splash of magenta because it is a strong colour that contrasts well with black and white. Although my favourite colour is green, I find that printers and monitors can display the colour vastly different from what is intended.

The business card, letterheads and email signatures are all pretty self explanatory. I essentially wanted to create something that was simple but striking. 

NOTE: The phone numbers displayed are false.

What do you think of my corporate identity? Is there something in particular that you like or hate?

I hope you enjoyed this first installment of The Front Lines. Let me know what you think by leaving me a comment or sending me an email. 

STYLE INKLINGS #6: STARK CONTRAST

This white FCUK dress is one of my favourite dresses. It is so versatile and is a statement in itself. I wore this dress to work and teamed it with opaque stirrup tights, silver accessories and black patent leather.

I selected this ensemble as it was dressy enough for work and yet casual enough for my post work antics. The problem? Keeping the dress clean! Of course it didn’t help that my post work antics involved eating at Max Brenner for dinner (yes I know, chocolate and sweets for dinner) and sitting in a cinema (seriously, I don’t even want to know what are on those seats). After a fun night, you would all be glad to know that I stayed 100% stain free.

What I Wore:

• Dress - FCUK
• Earrings - Monet
• Bracelet - Tiffany & Co.
• Watch - Tommy Hilfiger
• Bag - Bruno Magli
• Shoes - Nine West

GENERAL CURIOSITIES #11

This week I have been working, tying up a couple of loose ends and preparing myself for my new job. Like I mentioned in my Bookmarked #8 post, I have been doing a personal cleaning/organisation overhaul. I have successfully cleaned and reorganised everything from my wardrobe to my computer files.

I have also gone on a bit of a spending spree. My parents just got back from the US and so, I got my mum to buy me some cosmetics and beauty products. 

I also went shopping for some more professional attire. I managed to buy three linen dresses and one beaded tunic top (not pictured) from Sportscraft. I very rarely wear cool colours (especially blues), but these dresses looked so good on and the vibrancy of the colours really suited my skin tone.

I also bought two tops and a pair of long satin pants (not pictures) from Events. I really love the orange top. It is so eye catching and bright.

I thought that you would appreciate the detail, so I took a close up shot of the roses.

And last but not least, SHOES! I bought two pairs of heels from Nine West. It is really strange but this week I have been buying a lot of things that I wouldn’t usually wear. As I am quite petite, I tend not to buy shoes that have ankle straps as it typically shortens my leg line. But the moment I saw these shoes I fell in love. When I tried them on they were so comfortable and they really didn’t appear to cut off my leg line at all.

Although they are both black with ankle straps, they are vastly different. The first one looks very chic and futuristic while the other pair is is more classic.

I am very happy with my purchases. What do you guys think of them? Would you like to see a couple of outfit posts?

GENERAL CURIOSITIES #10

This week (well technically last week since I was supposed to post this yesterday) has been all about leather, suede and motorbikes.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a leather skirt from the Height of Vintage store on Etsy. It finally arrived this week and I am absolutely in love with it! The leather is so soft and it is in fantastic condition for something that is vintage.

I also tried my hand at OPI’s suede nail polish (no pun intended). The colour I used is called We’ll Always Have Paris. It is amazing. It has flecks of glitter in it and is 100% matte. It requires no base or top coat and dries in 30 seconds. It is the perfect nail polish for the gal (or guy) on the go. I definitely want to get more suede colours.

STYLE INKLINGS #5

The weather has been a little gloomy lately but I love that it is finally starting to cool down. This installment of Style Inklings reflects the current weather. As I personally don’t own any rainboots, I find that my Docs are almost perfect for wet weather. I say almost because they are not really suitable for ridiculously heavy rain (particularly when you are without an umbrella) and gigantic puddles.

STYLE INKLINGS #4

A couple of weeks ago I promised Tim a noir fashion post. I know that it was supposed to be 100% black but how could I resist not adding these amazing Sergio Rossi pumps?

STYLE INKLINGS #3

Although I advocate splashes of colour, I do love just wearing black and white. It’s all about modernity and statement accessories! I particularly love the Finsk shoes and the Fable and Fury necklace.

GENERAL CURIOSITIES #5

This week has been exceptionally busy. I’ve spent it getting a hair cut, driving to and from the airport, playing house, working on an international project, providing some creative assistance at a photo shoot with Suprana Photography and seeing my sister.

With regards to hair, I try and get something a little different every 6 to 12 months (in fact I should do a ‘hair through the ages’ post). I’ve had asymmetrical fringes before but never a heavy one so I thought I’d give it a go. Yay or nay? What do you think?

Here are some behind the scenes pictures from the photo shoot. The model was Samantha O’Gorman and the makeup artist was Jessica A Young. I’ll post the final photos once they have been edited by the photographer, Michael Suprana.

You also may have noticed that I have slightly modified the header for this blog. The previous one was designed to be temporary until I had the time to design one that I was happy with. So here it is! While I kept a few key elements I added the horizontal stripes. These stripes were partially inspired by these Armani glasses. 

With such a busy week I did not get to finish redecorating my bedroom. If things keep up like this it looks like redecorating will be a long and gradual process.

GENERAL CURIOSITIES #4

This week has been an incredibly warm week full of work, movies and copious amounts of Daria.

I got these these fantastic shoes this week. They were designed by Karim Rashid for Melissa and I am in absolutely in love with the heel. The way it is shaped gives it a modern and futuristic feel.

Hopefully next week will be a little bit more exciting.