Cath Kidston Bags June 2011

Here are the Cath Kidston bags and items that I'm considering.
Wonder which are worth getting. Any ideas and suggestions?

1)Bunch Floral Mini Book Bag: £10
The bunch floral oilcloth kids mini bag is as multi-purpose as it's grown up equivalent. Perfect for shopping, going to nursery, as a party bag and for all sorts of goodies.

Size 20 x 20cm. 100% PVC coated cotton excluding trim.














2)Spray Flowers Mini Bag: £6
Our spray flowers kids' mini oilcloth bag is as multi-purpose as its grown-up equivalent. Perfect for shopping, going to nursery, as a party bag and for all sorts of storing and carrying.

Size 20 x 20cm. 100% PVC coated cotton excluding trim.

While searching for pics of this bag, I came across the Spray Flowers Old White mini bag which is no longer available. :(

Here's a close up of the print.

I have the cosmetic bag that came with the Cath Kidston Mook Spring Summer 2010, and it is in the exact same print. The cosmetic bag comes with the same print tissue holder and fold up mirror. Love!














3)Oilcloth Book Bags: £18
Size 33 x 38 x 8cm. 100% PVC coated cotton excl. trim.

Made from tough, wipe-clean oilcloth, our popular book bag has a multitude of purposes besides carrying books and folders. One pocket on the inside.

(a)English Rose Book Bag






















(b)London Book Bag






















(c)Summer Blossom Book Bag

Our book bags are something of a staple as their versatile design makes them ideal for carrying all your essentials and it's the perfect shape for book and folders. These oilcloth designs are ultra durable and great in the rain. The bag also has a small interior pocket for keeping small extras close at hand. This pretty Summer Blossom print is also available as a matching wallet.










4)Cut Roses Oil Cloth Box Bag: £20.00
Size 30 x 23 x 15cm. 100% PVC coated cotton excl. trim.
Our box bags are great for those extras that just won?t fit in your handbag. Perfect for carrying your lunch or spare shoes this compact design is also good for shopping too. Made from durable oilcloth they are easy to keep clean and fasten with a zip to keep things securely inside.














5)Button Rose Oilcloth Carry All Bag: £25
Size 40 x 32 x 12cm. 100% PVC coated cotton excl. trim.

Our carry all bags are something of an essential. Made from durable oilcloth they have a secure zip fastening to store all your essentials safely. The bag also has an internal pocket for keeping your keys and purse close at hand and the straps will fit snugly over the shoulder.

6)Oilcloth Mini Tote: £35
Size 32 x 21 x 11cm. 100% PVC cotton excl. trim / 100% cotton. lining / leather trims. For those who like to travel light our mini totes are perfect to carry all your necessities neatly.

(a)Candy Flowers Mini Tote
This design in our colourful Candy Flowers print has a nice neutral handle and fastens with a magnetic popper to keep your belongings safe and secure. Matching wallet also available.
















(b)Summer Blossom Mini Tote






















7)Oilcloth Day Bag: £45.00
Size 36.5 x 25 x 14cm. 100% PVC coated cotton excl. trim / 100% cotton. lining / leather trims.

Nothing nice in this range. After I did a draft of my post, more items were sold out.

I was eyeing the Summer Blossom Day Bag, but it's gone from the Cath Kidston website.

This is some random pic I found of the old range of bags. The bag that I have which came with another mook, is in the same print as the blue and small flower bag on the extreme right.

Complete List of Cath Kidston Uniqlo T Shirts

I found the entire range of designs for the t shirts in the Cath Kidston Charity Project & Uniqlo collaboration. This is from someone's Ebay listing.

Cousin Serene's design is #4. The white background brings out the red London bus and other details nicely.

I originally bought #7, and I really like the floral motif. But in the end, I exchanged it because when I tried it on at home, it was oversized, more suited to wearing with leggings. However, it still would look quite sloppy, so I decided against it.
This range comprises of the V-neck t shirts.

I prefer a round neck collar, so I didn't get any in this range.



Ahhhh... This range is nice, but I didn't see the cherry prints of #27 to #29 in the Uniqlo outlets.

The designs that eluded me are #35 and #36.

:'-(

I bought all of my t shirts from this range. I like the designs, and the sleeves are puff sleeves with binding.

I have #41, #42 in blue (not khaki) and #44.











The pics below are taken from the Uniqlo website.

Cath Kidston & Uniqlo

I recently went crazy over the Cath Kidston t shirts that were sold in a collaboration with Uniqlo. Or should I say, Uniqlo's collaboration with Cath Kidston. I found out about it a little too late...

By the time I was able to go to Uniqlo, most of the designs were either sold out or no longer in size S.

I would have loved to add this design with the small spray flowers to my collection, but it is already totally sold out. :( Seems that there was stock at the Uniqlo Vivocity opening on 6 May 2011, but I didn't go down. Now it is too late, none of the Uniqlo outlets have this design any more.

It seems that the more popular t shirts designs have already been sold out in UK, and no further shipment is likely from the Uniqlo in Japan (so our Uniqlo in Singapore gets the stock direct from Japan).

This pic with the pretty Cath Kidston paper bag is taken from beauty blogger Iris' website.
Since I can't get my hands on the t shirt, I can only vicariously post pictures of other people's acquisitions.

It's so annoying... if I could have bought this t shirt design, I would have been so happy! Arrrghhh... It would have completed my collection of the Cath Kidston t shirts. The online store for Cath Kidston in UK does not sell nice t shirts, and they are more pricey than the S$19.90 promotion for the Uniqlo t shirts (usual price $24.90). If only I knew about this earlier! And I didn't expect the items to sell out so fast. Looks like Uniqlo is super popular too.

Ah well, at least I managed to buy 3 designs for myself, and another one for dear cousin Serene.

I couldn't get a online pic of Serene's t shirt, so here is one in grey. Hers is in white background, and in my opinion, nicer than in grey. This is one of Cath Kidston's signature designs, very Brit, with the London Bus, clock tower and London Eye.

It's a cute n cool design, and more unique than the other floral t shirts.





Here are the 3 t shirts I managed to buy for myself. This one is in dusky blue, with small bunches of classic Cath Kidston flowers.

At first I thought it was sold out, as I only saw other pieces in greenish khaki, and there was only 1 size M in the Uniqlo Woodlands.

Good thing I spotted that they hid some stock in the higher shelves, and I asked the kind sales assistant to help me bring down the S size. So I managed to get a new piece!

The small florals are pretty, and go nicely with the background blue.

This one is in "natural", more like a greyish beige colour. The flowers are pretty and striking. I really like this design too.

All the designs I bought have the Cath Kidston Charity Project cloth label stiched onto the t shirt, at the bottom right corner.

The fabric is very soft. But after washing, it seems to be less soft.











Here are the photos I took of the t shirts. On the left, photo taken with flash. On the right, without flash.

Here's a closer pic of my 2 favourite t shirt designs.
Hmmm, the lighting conditions aren't very ideal. Took the pics in the evening. The blue t shirt with flowers look different in every pic. Sometimes a bit greenish, sometimes a bit greyish or too grey.

My friend HW (J) says that the design on the left, the grey one with the big abstract bouquet of flowers seem familiar. She's seen it around somewhere.I'm not sure if it's very 'signature' of Cath Kidston. But I do know that the other floral designs have been overcopied. There are a lot of fake Cath Kidston bags and pouches these days.

There is a matching bag for this print on the Cath Kidston UK online store.

Hmmm it would be tempting to get a matching bag...

...To console myself that I was not able to buy the spray flowers white t shirt. Another friend from church, S, said that when she went to Japan last week, there were only L sizes left for the Uniqlo t shirts in Tokyo!

Here's a pic of the bag I have in mind. It's called Bunch Flowers Day Bag.

It would be cute if used together with the Uniqlo t shirt :-P

But the colour and print is more suited to carrying with jeans and casual wear. So I may not get a lot of mileage from buying this bag.

Korean Accessories

I love Korean accessories, especially the necklaces and brooches. They are pretty, delicate and feminine. Somehow the Koreans managed to capture the Chanel look with a Korean/Asian twist, making the accessories a chic and inexpensive addition to your wardrobe!

Here are some of my purchases.

1)Seven-strand Pearl Necklace with Flower


Bought this with a black coloured flower at Far East Plaza. Original price about S$62.

After much contemplation, I bought it with the black flower because it looked less common (there were also pink and beige flowers sold online as well as in other shops in Far East Plaza).
This is how the necklace looks when worn on the model.

It would be nice if paired with a lacey outfit, but the pink or beige flowers will look lost. And the outfit should be in predominantly cream/beige and pink colours... otherwise the flower doesn't really complement the outfit. Blue sweater with such a necklace won't be as nice.

I think the black flower makes the necklace more classic and also suitable for work. Pink and beige flowers on a 7 strand pearl necklace looks more casual for some reason. And not to mention very COMMON because lots of the shops have it! Pink looks similar to beige, hence making such necklaces DOUBLY COMMON! I just hate it when the shops bring in multiples of each item. Then everyone starts wearing the same thing... Unfortunately, I had already bought the black flower necklace before I discovered that other shops were also big on this trend.

This is how the necklace would look if paired with the correct outfit and accessories. Pity though about the black bag that the model is carrying. It doesn't go with the rest of her flowery pinky beigey outfit.

I'm glad I bought the black flower necklace, because I found a light pink camelia brooch made of stiff lace! I can attach it onto my existing 7-strand necklace and make it look original, refreshing and pretty.



2)Multi-layer Seed Pearl Necklace with Corsage Flower

I just knew I had to order this beauty when I saw it on the Korean online store "Cherry Spoon".

The adjustable necklace has 6 strands of different sized seed 'pearls', with a nice layering effect. There is a detachable corsage flower too, should be able to multi-task as a brooch.

Or it can be taken off the necklace if the effect is too flowery. Even without the corsage, the necklace on its own is very sweet.

My purchase consists of the necklace, corsage flower and a ribbon tied bracelet made of the same seed pearls! Nice!

I like the floaty ethereal effect of the necklace. It looks like it would belong on a stage play such as A Midsummer Night's Dream... worn on the fairies that live in the moonlit forest!

The model here is wearing the bracelet.

Pic below is from a customer of Cherry Spoon. The necklace looks even prettier on the pink background. The customers can take pics and upload on the website. That way, other customers can see how the clothes/accessories will look on real people.

If you look carefully, the bracelet is shown in the middle. The multiple strands of pearls are tied together with a thin ribbon.

3)Pearl Necklace with Black Ribbon

This is a 3 strand pearl necklace with a removable black ribbon brooch. The pearls differ in size - the longest strand is made of larger pearls, and the mid-length and shortest length of the necklace are made of smaller sized pearls.

Hope it will turn out to be nice. The pics on the Babirolen website where I purchased it, were taken with a bright flash, and so the pearl necklace looked overly yellow. Crossing my fingers... just ordered it so it will likely take about 1 month or more to reach me (since Chinese New Year is round the corner, likely to have some delays).

On the model here, the necklace looks stylish. The grosgrain ribbon is not the usual simple ribbon but a double bow one. The black contrasts well with the creaminess of the pearls. Hope that the necklace will look just as good in real life!

And that the ribbon brooch will be versatile enough to be paired with other accessories or clothing. Since it is black in colour, it should be easy to match.

4)Black Ribbon & Flat Camelia Brooch

Okay, finally here's a non-necklace item. I also ordered this from the Babirolen website. Such nice accessories!

I've seen a similar brooch at Clifford Centre at Raffles Place. Unfortunately, that shop that sold the brooch did not bring in a good quality piece. Bad materials and bad workmanship. So I doubt that shop's brooch was actually from Korea. Can't fool me!

The brooch I ordered from the Korean website is made with a thicker grosgrain ribbon. The ribbed effect is more special and elegant, setting it apart from brooches with cheaply made plain satin ribbons.

Also, the gauzey material is thicker than the fake Korean brooch I saw in Clifford centre. At first glance, both the Babirolen and Clifford centre brooches look the same. But on closer examination, what a world of difference!

I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of the brooch. It is part of the same order as the Pearl Necklace with Black Ribbon. But that's what I love about online shopping. It is a thrill when you purchase, and another happy thrill when the parcel arrives and you open up the eagerly anticipated items. It's a bit like shopping twice! Double the fun... :)

The brooch on the model is used as a accesory to spice up her beret. It looks cute when perched on a beret or hat.

So French style!

5)Black Leather Belt with Pearls & Bow
I bought this exact same belt in Far East Plaza! I grabbed it because it is rare to find an all leather belt with such a sweet design. Even the bow is made of leather. Most Korean belts are made of plastic and elastic band. The contrasting tiny 'pearls' form the centre of the bow.

Although it's slightly cheaper online, I'm glad I bought it first, because it was sold out when I finally discovered the website!

Chaber since 1984

This is a brand that I like (I have 5 items which I bought from Takashimaya). Unfortunately, the recent designs are nothing fantastic, not wearable and not so nice. Let's hope they will have good designs that will bring the standard back to what it was, especially in the 2007 period.


The Chaber clothing line was founded in 1984. There are 2 names for this clothing design and manufacturing company, depending on which country it is made in. There is Taiwan Chaber International Co., Ltd and Shanghai Chaber Garment Co., Ltd. But if I'm not wrong, this brand originated in Taiwan.

It's not a cheap brand, when I was in Shanghai in 2006, I discovered the fashion line in a few department stores there. I did not want to pay >S$100+++ for a small item, so I didn't buy it when I was in Shanghai. About a year later, Chaber was introduced to Singapore in Takashimaya. The prices were in line with Shanghai prices... But I could not resist. The detailing, embroidery (mostly hand-embroidered) and flower designs are really pretty and unique!


I like the jeans!

The flowers are so pretty and colour combination is great.

Unfortunately I have not seen these jeans in Singapore. Otherwise would have grabbed them. However, I have tried their smallest sizes for jeans, and they are too big for me.




It's the flower embroidery that makes the denim stand out.



Most of the fashion items seem to be denim - jackets, skirts and jeans. There are few nice embroidered blouses or tops.

I like the white lace and pearl necklace outfit (scroll down)... The lace and stiff tulle peticoat is a bit gothic lolita, but the lace pattern is more modern. Need to layer a lot of pearl necklaces to achieve the semi-victorian yet modern bridal look!

Again, it is unfortunate that most of the nice designs do not make it to the shores of Singapore.