PH8 party

(PH8 jacket/dress, F21 tights, Kenneth Cole boots)

Checking out all the new clothes at the PH8 store in Beverly Center made me want to run to the nearest gym and sign up for a membership. Almost.

I headed over to PH8 yesterday to attend their in-store party, where they were offering refreshments (mm...Godiva chocolate), free gifts with purchase and a tantalizing 25% off everything in the store. After hauling tons of stuff into the dressing room and spending way too long in there, I wanted to live in their sexy, flattering workout gear - stretchy, tight pants, little shorts at just the right length, sleek reversible jackets in colors like neon yellow and hot pink. What I love about the clothes is that every single piece is so versatile; I can easily see myself wearing the same jacket to the gym and out to dinner. Everything is functional yet trendy, sporty yet glam, ideal for the woman with an active lifestyle. I particularly fell in love with this zip front dress/jacket with side ruching detail (above in gray). Perfect incentive to work out!

Ninja in red tights

(F21 tunic layered over PH8 long-sleeved mini dress, F21 tights, Jeffrey Campbell boots)

This Forever 21 tunic with military-inspired buttons is one of my favorite budget pieces. I am so in love with anything remotely military-inspired at the moment, so as soon as I spotted this short tunic with the gold buttons, I was sold!

This Saturday, I'll be live Tweeting (you can follow me here) and later blogging about a very fun event - the PH8 "New Year. New You. New Us" party. If you live near a PH8 store, be sure to check it out and take advantage of the 25% off promotion going on that day!

Photos taken by Vincent Lim.

According to you

(PH8 sequin jumper, Jeffrey Campbell wedges, Nine West belt, vintage purse, F21 earrings, vintage cuff)

It was love at first sight when I first laid eyes on this black sequin jumpsuit at PH8. But after Christmas shopping for my family and friends (and er, myself) last month, I decided not to indulge. Last week, however, I spotted one deeply discounted jumpsuit in my size on the rack - the last in the store! - and quickly scooped it up. The jumpsuit, with the harem pants and allover dazzle, is a little bit outrageous and so much fun to wear! I lost count of the many curious looks I got when I headed out in this outfit. The best part? It was truly comfortable. I felt like I was wearing pajamas, albeit very sparkly ones!

Photos taken by my talented bro in law Vincent Lim.

Down to Urth

(Free People dress, J.Crew socks, Jeffrey Campbell shoes, Fallon bracelet, F21 necklaces, Alice + Olivia cuff, MM Couture by Miss Me blazer)

A night at the He-Man art show at Gallery 1988, then Urth Caffe in Beverly Hills. Urth is one of my favorite places in Los Angeles for a late night bite; I never tire of their desserts, particularly the pistachio tart and deep dish blueberry pie, and tea lattes.

I've been wearing this comfortable floral dress all week, even to a recent work event where I got to mingle with the cast of Glee. I'm a tad obsessed with the show so I simply had to post pictures of the talented Lea Michele (wearing Isaac Mizrahi) who plays Rachel Berry and the brilliant Jane Lynch who plays Sue Sylvester. The entire cast was so humble, kind and unbelievably down to earth despite the huge success of their show. Is anyone else out there a Gleek? :) Unfortunately, I don't have a jumping shot in this outfit (didn't want to disrupt the art show!) but hopefully the beautiful Lea Michele will make up for it!

Most photos were taken by the very talented Henry Bow and Vincent Chan! Thank you!

Happy new year!

(PH8 ballet neck top, coincidence & chance skirt, Kitson hoops, F21 tights, Kenneth Cole boots, blazer from Japan, vintage pins, Marc by Marc Jacobs purse)

To all my dear readers and fellow bloggers, I wish you a happy new year and hope 2010 will be good to all of us. I apologize for being so absent from the blogosphere lately. In between the craze of the holidays and a very full plate at work, I've also been dealing with personal issues. It was a rocky 2009 with many ups and downs, but certainly one of the best parts of the year was watching my blog grow bit by bit, participating in America's Most Stylish Blogger and discovering so many fashion bloggers who are beautiful, talented and brimming with style. That means you! :)

On a less serious note, I recently visited one of my favorite places, Extraordinary Desserts, in my hometown San Diego. They have this lovely gate-like structure in front, a pretty, organic framework that I've always liked, and serve up the most amazing sweet creations. I wore one of my current obsessions - a stretchy, incredibly comfortable ballet neck top by PH8. I love the low scoop back and cream-and-black stripes! It was a little Christmas present I bought for myself while shopping for my sister's gifts... was anyone else guilty of that?

Style Sophisticate's Reader Giveaway: Win A Scrunchy Cashmere Scarf!

Congratulations to the FOUR wonderful bloggers who scored the PH8 jacket! Please check out the winners' blogs at Breakfast at Saks, Thumbelina Fashionista, Alpha Beta Chic, and Glitteryeyesxx. Thank you so much to all my readers who entered! If only I had a jacket to give to each one of you!

Today I have an amazing giveaway courtesy of Nepali by TDM Designs. If you haven't heard of the brand, sold at Shopbop.com, Saks, Bloomingdale's and more, you will! Designers Michelle Baldwin and Michelle Taylor-Spearman work with over 125 female artisans in Nepal to create beautiful, luxurious scarves. The line offers Nepalese women an opportunity to earn an income and contribute financially to their society; profits also support Nepalese women and children with health care and education.

Now Nepali by TDM Design has kindly offered one of their bestselling scarves for one Style Sophisticate reader! Made of 100% cashmere and available in an assortment of colors, the Scrunchy Cashmere Scarf is one of my favorites on their site. I'm definitely partial to the golden poppy color (pictured above)!

To enter to WIN, all you need to do is...

1) Follow my blog & add my site to your blog roll (http://www.stylesophisticate.net).
2) Leave me a comment on this post & make sure there's a way for me to contact you if you're the winner!
3) Get an extra entry for posting about the contest on your blog!

The winner will be chosen randomly and the deadline for the contest is 12/27/09! This contest is only open to readers in the US and Canada (apologies to my sweet international bloggers)! Good luck, everyone!

Comic books

I'm posting about this a little late but the Glendale News-Press and Burbank Leader newspapers were kind enough to interview me for my participation in America's Most Stylish Blogger. They sent a photographer, Scott Smeltzer, over to my place for a mini shoot and below are some behind the scenes shots. I don't have my hands on any of his pictures yet but he was so much fun to work with, as was Zain Shauk who interviewed me and wrote up the article. Thank you so much to both Zain and Scott for everything! Check out the Q & A here.

(PH8 funnel neck dress worn as jacket, BDG silk shirt, Pleasure Doing Business skirt, Forever 21 red tights, Kenneth Cole boots, J. Crew necklace)

Last Friday, my good friend Henry Bow (whom I call Bow Bow, much to his dismay) invited me to meet Mike Mignola, a renowned comic book artist and author. Henry's a wonderful photographer and took some quick shots of me while we browsed the cool comic book store The Secret Headquarters in Silver Lake. Thank you, Bow Bow!

(Banana Republic trench, Goodie Two Sleeves tee, American Apparel mini, Nine West boots)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is enjoying the holiday season! Since it's been rainy and cold in Los Angeles the past few days, I've been taking full advantage and wearing my thick coats, scarves and boots!