WELCOME!

Welcome to my new fashion blog. Now, this isn't my first post, but I plan on making this a permanent blog. I didn't realize how useful it was until I had to do it as an assignment. I am making it an extension of my fashion store. B3 stands for "Big-Eyed Bunny Boutique" which is the name of my eboutique. Feel free to visit my store as well! Thanks! :)

IN STYLE NOW: Bandage Dresses For Less?

Remember those days when women weren't allowed to even show an inch of her skin and were stuck with wearing layers of clothing? Well, that's obviously over.

Not long ago, I've arrived upon a sexy little discovery- bandage dresses. It seems to be synonymous with sexy in Hollywood, with sexy vixens (think Megan Fox, Victoria Beckham, and Halle Berry) spotted wearing it. The most famous brand of bandage dresses is Herve Leger. This guy pretty much invented/immensely popularized the tight-fitting dress, then changed his named to Herve Leroux after designer Max Azria bought the brand. Herve Leger dresses retail upwards from $600, so it is definitely made for those with cash to spend. However, many other retailers such as Arden B/Wet Seal, BeBe, Guess, and Forever 21 have come with similar versions for a fraction of the price that is definitely worth a try!

At first, I thought that these dresses would make me look fat and stumpy, but that is not the case at all! I feel so confident and sexy when I slip myself into a wonderful bandage dress. Despite its tight appearance, it does not feel stuffy at all! It shows all of a woman's feminine curves and even helps to push some flab in if that is one of your concerns.

Try it; you'll be surprised at what it can do for your figure and be glad that you did.

DESIGNERS TO WATCH FOR: Rebecca Ciccio

Rebecca Ciccio, a local handbag designer in San Francisco, always has an effortlessly chic line ever since its launch back in 2005. “I'm inspired by materials,” says Ciccio. Well, I can definitely see what she means by that as her current line is full of bold colors such as a bright teal and a mustard yellow. Most of her bags are made of a type of leather of which are all very luxurious and high-quality.

Ciccio is a traveler as well as a painter, so you might notice that her merchandise is all named after the streets of major cities like LA, NY, and San Francisco. Her keen sense of color sprouts from her original dream to become a painter. Her collections share the common goal to provide fashionable women with “a luxurious, comfortable, quality handbag that will be a staple in their wardrobe for the many years to come.”

Make sure to check our her website and eboutique @ http://www.rebeccaciccio.com/ !

There is also a list of her distributors on the site, so if you live in or visit one of those cities/states, you definitely should not miss out on her fabulous designs.

She also hosts special events, so be sure to subscribe!

Here are two handbag styles for the season. Presidio (named after a neighborhood in SF) sells for $595 and Octavia (a street in San Francisco, I happen to live right there) sells for $590. Both of these come in 8 colors to suit every palate.

BEAUTY: Tokidoki=Too Criminally Cute!

Tokidoki has been described by many as being “criminally cute.” I too, am guilty of drooling over the mighty adorable, yet innocently-naughty characters. What amazes me and inspires me to the core is that a few years back, they were just a series of lively and whimsical graphics made by Italian graphics artist, Simone Legno on his personal website; waiting to be hatched. Suddenly, a pair of entrepreneurs stumbled upon his website and the rest is history. “Tokidoki” (which means “sometimes” in Japanese) is the perfect name for how this brand began- from Legno's love for Japanese things and his belief that “everyone waits for moments that change one's destiny. By simple chance or meeting a new person, tokidoki is the hope, the hidden energy that everyone has inside that gives us the strength to face a new day and dream something positive, that something magical will happen to us.” Well, that something happened to him because now, not only are there Tokidoki bags, skate decks, clothes, and toys; but recently, he has released his own makeup collection at Sephora. I have a feeling that it will sell unsurprisingly well and that there will be over a 2-mile line for his 3-hour appearance at San Francisco's Sephora @ Powell on May 20th.

I am also part of the Japan craze. I love so many things about Japan- the fashion, the food, the lifestyle, the culture, the merchandise, and the sights; just to name a few. Because of my undeniable affection for the country, I even learned the language! And now, Simone Legno makes me want to learn Italian. His collections really helps me satisfy my shopping urges because they aren't that expensive! The Bellissima cosmetics bag collection shown above retails from $20-$42 USD at Sephora. The Sephora Tokidoki collection starts at $5! For only $5 you can have a piece of KAWAII!

If you want to meet this inspiring and talented person, then be sure to be at Sephora @ Powell Street in San Francisco on May 20th, 6pm to 9pm PST.

He'll also be at Sephora @ South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA on May 22nd; 1pm to 4pm.

Has anyone seen the Tokidoki version of Karl Lagerfeld? ADORABLE! It is limited edition (ONLY 1,000 made!) and sells for about $190 USD.

Here it is! :


Courtesy of wemakeitgood.com

And since I am a Tokidoki fan myself, here is a beautiful cellphone/mp3 player case I just bought. These retail for $58.00 USD:

IN CULTURE: Eurasian/Biracial/Multiracial Supermodels?

You guys might have noticed that Caucasian models far outnumber Asian and African models on both the runway and magazines. I can only think of a few ethnic models off the top of my head like Tao Okamoto (Japanese), Tyra Banks, and Naomi Campbell (although they don't model very much anymore). Tao has a unique boyish-chic look that makes her stand out from other Asian models. Tyra and Naomi are what I call “classic” supermodels.

However, I have noticed that there are a bunch of mixed-race models. In fact, in Japan, most models you see in magazines like "ViVi" and "Glamourous" are mixed-race such as Reika Hashimoto and Anna Tsuchiya. Hong Kong also has their fair share of biracial models such as Maggie Q (Vietnamese, American); Rosemary V (Chinese, French,Russian); and Ankie Beilke (Chinese, German). In American modeling, you might have noticed a beautiful, dark-skinned model that is increasingly shown in Victoria's Secret catalogues; her name is Emanuela de Paula and she happens to be a mulata (white/african-brazilian hybrid). Also, the model, Chanel Iman, that has been appearing in almost every fashion magazine possible (even Victoria's Secret) is Blasian (South Korean and African-American).

But this does not mean that if you're mixed, you're going to be automatically scouted or offered work. I happen to belong to Eurasiannation.com (a gathering place for mixed-race peeps and peepsters) and just yesterday, one of my forum-buddies, Ganbare! (a very insightful person), came up with a very good post/question:

“Last evening I have met a Luk Kreung girl [Thai mixed-race] at Starbucks. We talked about pretty trivial stuff until she mentioned she had just returned from Thailand where she had modeled unfortunately for her she couldn't find much work despite being quite stunning and speaking a decent amount of Thai. Apparently pure-blooded Asians similarly to the Korean and Japanese star systems are taking back the front seat there. I'm not very familiar with the entertainment industry in Asia nor in the West honestly.

Is the glamorous image of EAs in the media just a fad?”

Well I hope it isn't “just a fad” because this is very good news for not only mixed raced people like myself, but it shows how the world is gradually accepting and embracing diversity. True, there is a long way to go before it is big news, but we're getting there! All races have beautiful people and it should definitely be shown proudly.

The above "collage" of mixed race models are courtesy of their respective owners. I do not own any of the images.

From top left: Anna Tsuchiya, Emanuela de Paula, Ankie Beilke, Alexa Chung

From center left: Rosemary V, Reika Hashimoto, Claudia Jordan, Maggie Q

From bottom left: Saya Ichikawa, Chanel Iman, Mandy Lieu, Devon Aoki