Adidas Stan Smith Review and How to get your hands on a pair

So for you those of you who don't know about the Adidas Stan Smith craze, then let me enlighten you here. From being THE ultimate tennis shoe to the Parisian Woman's closet staple, the Stan Smith frenzy is at an all time high in the fashion world as well as the sneaker world. While I can't imagine hitting up the court in them, I do see myself doing virtually everything else in them. They remind me of a great pair of French Connection oxfords that I own that look classic, minimalist, and modern with a touch of tomboyish cool. They are also a hit in Shanghai where Adidas Originals are extremely popular and widely prevalent. Are you sold yet? Now the more important question is- where to buy them if you are woman with a shoe size smaller than 10?

Fit and Sizing 
This was the trickiest for me. Like all the Adidas originals, the shoes are uni-sexual but the sizing are in men's.  I had a similar problem when buying my Adidas superstar 2.0 (another classic, love them) and it depends on the shoe. The Adidas website tells you to size down 1 size for women's, and that is do-able for the Stan smith's because they are a slimmer shoe, though if you can, try to get a size 1.5 smaller (for wider feet, stick to 1 size down). I'm a size 8 in women's and my size 7 Stans were a little loose on me, I had to lace up to the highest eyelet which covers up the tongue of the sneaker. For a wider shoe like the superstar 2.0, sizing down 2 sizes is completely appropriate.

Where to Buy

1. Adidas.com After Adidas re-released them in January, they have been more or less consistently sold out at adidas.com, HOWEVER, they do restock them every couple of months, so try to check the site occasionally for any updated inventory. If you happen to stop by a store, it's worth it to go in and check but heads up, I live in NYC and all 3 stores downtown I visited informed me the smallest size they carried was 9.

2. Jcrew.com, If you didn't know, J. Crew has a large inventory of other brands in their men's shoe department and they have one of the largest size selections out there, however they also tend to get sold out fairly quickly and you will have to check periodically to see if they've restocked. I purchased my pair from here.

3. Ebay.com, Ebay always have Stan Smith's in stock, however if you are looking for a pair in a lucrative size 6-7 then be prepared to pay at least 15-20% more. Also steer clear of Hong Kong sellers as they are more liable to be counterfeits

*Nordstrom's, Farfetch, and Footlocker also carry them, however, I've never seen anything lower than a size 8 in stock regularly

Conclusion
I've only worn mine for a couple of weeks and they're pretty comfortable, the soles are pretty flat so if you need arch support then I recommend an insert. Another thing to note is that the shoe does crease, for those who are shoe perfectionists. To sum it up, If you happen to come across them in your size, then definitely snatch them up. However, unless you're a diehard fashionista, there's no need to be paying designer prices for them. To get the same clean look, try the Adidas superstar 2.0 in all white or any of the white sneakers from Lacoste like the Mineria (my favorite is the evershot!).

New Clothing line!

I'm originally from Shanghai and last time I went back, I also traveled to the nearby city of Suzhou as part of a day trip. Historically, Suzhou was China's "artisan city", it was known for many artisanal and luxury goods, chief among them was their reputation for producing silk, textiles and dresses. When I visited Suzhou I saw that this tradition still continued with many boutiques carrying hand tailored blouses and dresses in oriental style cuts but minimalistic enough for everyday wear. Fabrics were carefully chosen for their beautiful texture and and weave and complemented each other, I had never seen such elegant simplicity in Asian clothing.

However they were incredibly expensive, so I bought a few and took them back to Shanghai with me, knowing that I could have similar designs remade at one of the fabric markets at a cheaper price. I brought my blouses with me and combed through all the stalls at the market looking for the exact fabric that I could recreate the pieces in because I didn't even know what kind of material it was made from. After a lot of misdirection and near defeat, I stumbled across a stall that specialized in sand washed silks of every color. I explained my situation to the stall owner and she agreed to get her tailor to replicate my pieces if I bundled the price, I agreed, however I didn't want copies of the same shirt, so I requested a few adjustments- shorter sleeves, high collar, different buttons, etc. and voila...the idea became the seed of a thought? How could I bring these styles to the US? There isn't really anything like it here. So I decided...if it's to be, it's up to me! Hence the idea to start my own clothing line.

The clothes would blend together traditional Chinese cuts and methodologies to western office appropriate casual wear. I believe in equal focus on the cut-which is what first draws the eye in any garment, and the materials- the softness, the texture and the details are what makes a garment a favorite. Traditional Chinese fabrics are updated like modern sand washed silk and in muted organic colors, which in combination with clean lines and Asian inspired details lend a minimalist elegance to the modern woman's standard wardrobe. Easily transitionable from office wear to after hours mingling, the soft silhouettes are comfortable and forgiving. A few key pieces from the line such as a blouse and a dress, will lend the much needed twist and allure to the closet of any busy urban woman.

I think most people's idea of Chinese clothes stem from what they saw at the Beijing Olympics- red, bright and slightly tacky...or kitschy tight satin Chinese dresses (they're called qipaos). I think I'm going to attempt to reverse that negative connotation, and I don't think it'll be difficult, because we already love the Asian inspired motifs that Zara and HM put out on a seasonal basis, which is nowhere near authentic or well made. So why not do it right? 

So what do you think? Do you like the idea of Asian inspired clothing that can be versatile enough for both in and out of work?

What I got for Christmas 2013

What I love about Christmas besides everything that we already love about it (the decorations, the food, the festivities etc.) is the practicality of giving and receiving gifts. Yes, that's right, I think the entire process of buying and receiving gifts is extremely useful and practical.

Yes I know, detractors will say that Christmas is a waste of time and money and for all that you spent on gifts for others, you could've bought yourself that brand new Clarisonic mia2 you've been eying for the past 6 months, but the fact is...we don't. Because every time that we saved our money and are heading out to Sephora to get that new Clarisonic, something always happens- your cat's sick, you have a plumbing emergency, you blew it all on Friday night drinks, whatever. There's no judgement, but it's a fact of life that we always hold off on things we really want and buy cheaper substitutes aka shit we don't really want. That's where Christmas and the gift of giving comes in. It's a way of getting what you want without the psychological guilt of paying for it yourself, because we never really feel bad when we spend money on others (assuming you like the people in your life) and in return, they are socially obligated to return the favor with a gift of equal value (greater if he's a man). Now if you are really savvy, you'll also have a method of passive or aggressively telling people what you want so Christmas morning won't turn into a grab bag of random gifts but the fulfillment of months of yearning.

Lastly, Christmas and gift giving comes at the most perfect time of year- the end of it. Because right after you have New Years which gives you a fresh new start with brand new resolutions, so all the goodies you got for Christmas is put to good use as new gear to star the New Year off with. What better way to keep your resolution to wash your makeup off every night than a new Clarisonic to help you achieve that?

So having made my argument, without further ado, a little peak at what I got for Xmas 2013! Please click on titles to access the link.

1. New Laptop

Pardon the bad pic, it's a brand new Samsung ATIV book 4. I'm still getting used to windows 8 but a new laptop has been on my list of things I've been needing but have never got around to (please reference above point). Many thanks to my lovely boyfriend!







2. New Coat

Not the best quality picture, but you get the point. Coach striped short trench coat in navy and jade. The coat is good quality made with a heavy fabric. Can be a bit stiff and boxy but I've been rocking this the past couple of days with just a fleece underneath so it stands it's own against frigid New York winters. Thanks mom!












3.  McKenna jewelry box and travel case by Pottery Barn

 absolutely LOVE THIS! A large jewelry box has been on my list forever but there always seemed to be something else that needed to be bought and so I've been making do with a collection of 3 smaller boxes where my necklaces continuously gets tangled. In steps my boyfriend with this lovely blue armoire so I can conglomerate all my jewelry in one place.


4.  agnes b. voyage shoulder tote

Christmas just isn't Christmas without a new bag. Last year, I gifted myself the Michael Kors Hamilton in Saffiano leather, and when I visited Shanghai this summer, my cousin fell in love with it and I gave it to her. In return, she got me the agnes b. bag I've been lusting after for months while in China. Truth be told, I was ready to move on from the Hamilton in Saffiano, yes, it is classic, but the saffiano leather was extremely heavy and I was feeling like one of 8 million carrying a Michael Kors Saffiano bag, so it was time to move on. <enter my discovery of agnes b. > I knew about the existence of the brand prior to my Shanghai trip but I've never come across any of their stores in the US, so it was love at first site when I saw them in person. The leather is thick and waterproof yet lightweight and scratchproof. The style is structured and classic, like something Grace Kelly would carry in the 50s.

5. Blue Clarisonic Mia2

Clarisonics are extremely expensive in Shanghai and fakes are rampant in China, so I gave my green mia2 to my cousin before I left and got a new light blue mia2. There's not much that I can add to the repertoire of the mia but I did notice that the new one has a much better engine than my previous one (not sure if it was getting old or what) so I'm undergoing a slight purging phase.




6. Random skincare products

I love Caudalie's Beauty elixir. Again, I gave my previous bottle to my cousin, but even so, I couldn't resist this limited edition bottle designed by L'wren Scott. Does it remind anyone else of something by Tim Burton?

Sweet Bee Magic skin cream, this is basically the cheaper version of Egyptian Magic. Same ingredients, only slightly oilier (think butter that's been out for a couple of hours), Egyptian magic is waxier. I'm guessing it's a difference in concentration between beeswax and olive oil. I'm still pretty satisfied, hasn't broken me out and does a pretty good job of moisturizing.

Kiehl's is really expensive in Shanghai, so my cousin asked me to bring her Kiehl's creamy eye treatment with avocado with me from the US. I've heard a lot about this product out on the blogs, but have never got around to trying it, but when I tried some of hers in Shanghai, I knew I had to get a jar of it for myself. It's creamy and moisturizing without being super greasy, and soothes my tight dry eye area after I wash my face.

Well that pretty much sums up what I got this Christmas. I did get a couple of other bits and bobs that I'll blog about later, but this covers all the big stuff. Thank you Father Christmas!