Chinese New Year Outfit Inspirations 2020

Wednesday, January 29, 2020 Simone - Your Style Architect 0 Comments

Tangerine Tango :: Vintage Upcycle Clutch & Wide Leg Pants

Saturday, January 18, 2020 Simone - Your Style Architect 0 Comments

Hi everyone,

Barely a month after Christmas, we are counting down to the turn of the clock for Chinese New Year 2020. Welcoming the year of the Rat this year, many of you are probably starting to clean out your houses, and exchange your Christmas decorations for good luck symbols and colours of red, orange, yellow and pink throughout your homes.  Be it floral arrangements, kumquat bushes, lanterns and/or hanging ornaments.

Like with all New Year celebrations across all cultures of the world, wearing new garments and adding new items to one's wardrobe is always a part of such festivities. Perfect for Chinese New Year I have styled this beautiful bespoke, upcycled vintage kimono textile clutch from Heritage Refashioned, handmade in Hong Kong with this modern new year outfit trending the colour of tangerines. The Bishamon symbol on this clutch, is inspired by the body armour of a Japanese warrior god and symbolises the protection of wealth. PERFECT!! No better way to say it subtly for the new year than with this clutch.

This simple ensemble makes this a classic look one can take anywhere, anytime. With traditions of visiting friends and relatives over the Chinese New Year, I paired this with a low heeled all leather sandal from The Tui Collection which makes it perfect for running around comfort,  literally door to door especially during the first 2 days of the celebrations. I bought my first pair of Tui Collection heels just a couple of months ago, and now I am so in love with them for their unique style and comfort, I have 5 pairs of The Tui Collection shoes in my closet and still counting... accessories are starting to also pile up from this collection. Check them out now as they are having a sale of up to 70% off till 25 Jan 2020. You will not regret owning a pair of these bespoke, curated sandals/ shoes ... believe me! Whilst you are at it, do also check out their bags and belts and jewellery too.

Keeping it classic and yet stand out from the usual Chinese New Year dresses, do check out Heritage Refashioned for their collection of clutches with some gorgeous pieces going on "Last Piece" sale now. Feel free to share with me which is your favourite clutch from their collection and how you would be spending Chinese New Year with your family.

Love,
Simone xoxo

Bow To The New Year :: Kimono Bow Clutch

Sunday, January 05, 2020 Simone - Your Style Architect 1 Comments

Happy New Year everyone and hope 2020 has kicked off to a great start for you.

My 2020 certainly kicked off on a colourful start with a beautiful parcel arriving hand delivered from Hong Kong from Heritage Refashioned (@refashioned). The gift of  3 gorgeous upcycled vintage clutch bags refashioned from vintage kimonos and fabrics is the end product of designer - Vincci Ching who was initially inspired on one of her trips to Tokyo, where she spotted a pile of kimono scraps at the bag of a kimono boutique, that the owner mentioned was to be thrown out though some people do buy them off him to recycle them into other products. Vincci then took several bags of these " scraps" back to Hong Kong playing around with various designs and products, and today the success of her creations are so internationally recognised and coveted, that her beautiful clutches was even included in a recent Golden Globes goodie bag.

Vincci and I had recently connected and once she learned how I was also very much interested in promoting sustainable fashion and being eco-conscious as well as working with vintage / retro items, this was a very pleasant and deeply appreciated surprise to start off my new year.


This being the first of the 3 clutches I wish to showcase to you, I wanted to style this polka dot, bright fuchsia bow clutch in a modern outfit. To bring it very up to date with an outfit that everyone can relate to. A simple white top / blue jeans ensemble that brings out the boldness of the clutch colours as well as the unique and fun, playful design. To tie in the look, I paired it with my gorgeous @tabithasg necklace which is handmade in Cambodia by the local community, and of which the proceeds of these silk necklaces go towards helping the local Cambodians out of poverty. The crafting skills which the locals pick up from the programs run by Tabitha Foundation, helps them to earn an income and therefore provide them food, education and where their general health and well being is significantly improved. I must say I am so in love with these necklaces that I have a collection of them now.

Giving back to society, helping to keep fashion sustainable and reducing fashion's carbon footprint to save the earth is the vision of many in the fashion industry for 2020. You may wish to check out more of Vincci's other products and design at their website ( click here) where you can find other smaller accessories like card holders, cufflinks, silk hair ties, travel bag, coin purses..... and the list just goes on. I am certainly in love with how she has very much made vintage " new" and modern again!

Do leave me a comment below on how you would be contributing to keep fashion sustainable this year for 2020 and I hope you enjoyed this look and especially the showcase of these beautiful clutch. Stay tuned whilst I showcase the next clutch from Heritage Refashioned in my next outfit post.

Meanwhile, have a great start of the year and see you soon!

Love,
Simone xoxo