Androgynous Style

Outfit: Miu Miu sunglasses, Alexander Wang t-shirt (hidden), Nike quilted rally hoodie (size down as it runs big. I'm wearing XS), Rick Owens leather jacket, The Kooples sweatpants (mine's medium) and The Kooples wedge sneakers.


"Are you a boy or a girl? I can't tell the difference."  Guys back in my university days used to taunt me. That's usually followed by "you should learn from the other girls." Pffffft. Whatever.

The standards and beauty ideals for guys and gals that Asians adhere to in Asia seem to be far more glaringly obvious than in the western world. Girls are meant to look pretty, girly, sweet, feminine, slightly sexy but not overly so but most definitely, innocent. Bah! None of those attributes apply to me. If anything, whenever I chanced upon a Chinese or Korean contemporary drama, my eyes are naturally drawn to menswear. The sharp tailoring. How they style sportswear. Their monochrome outfits.

A few close friends insisted I must watch "My Love from the Star", a Korean drama that took the world by storm. The lipstick worn by the heroine was even sold out in Winchester. Old historic city of Winchester of all places!! While my friends went mad for the heroine's clothes and accessories, I loved the male character's outfits. I found his sense of style (come to think of it,  probably his stylist's) far more appealing because it's more avant-garde and there are plenty of cool and practical sneakers as well as weather appropriate clothes.

Androgyny style can be sexy, edgy, comfortable and practical depending on how one interprets it.

I've noticed that whenever my blog's mentioned on certain forums, there's usually a comment about the decrease of fashion posts. It's also interesting to see that my Instagram account tends to get this introduction - "a blogger who normally writes about fashion but only ever posts travel photos here." I still enjoy fashion but I'm shockingly bad at following trends. I wear what I like. I take a million years to make up my mind when I'm shopping because I'm bloody picky. I prefer clothes from a few seasons ago which means I sometimes trawl secondhand places to see if they turn up. I often get sidetracked by food and travel. I'll try to add a few more fashion posts here and there but be prepared to see the same old clothes appearing again and again.

p.s. thank you to all those who helped diagnose my condition a few months ago. Yes! There's a name for it finally (IBS = Irritable Bowel Syndrome). What a difference it has made just knowing which food types to avoid. Thank you!

Off the beaten track: Chilbolton

Outfit: Rick Owens leather jacket (old but here's an affordable alternative), Alexander Wang t-shirt, The Kooples track pants, Nike sneakers and Miu Miu sunglasses.

One of the questions I get asked the most is what to pack for a trip to the U.K. Hmm......that's a million sterling pound question. It's June and I had to briefly turn on the heater. I gave up on summer clothes and went back to wearing sweats. It didn't stop me from looking at endless websites for broderie anglaise tops and pretty dresses that I'd probably freeze into a human popsicle if I attempt to wear them out now. Who knows? By the time this post is published, the sun will rear its head and grace us with plenty of vitamin Ds.

So....the answer to the question above is....bring clothes you can layer easily and a jacket with a hood just in case it rains. If you're stuck with unsuitable clothes.....well then, you have a FABULOUS excuse to shop, particularly if you're visiting London.

I've been to London more times than I can count yet I've never ventured 15 miles outside of Winchester to a little quaint village of Chilbolton. Friends of mine have briefly mentioned about the place but only in terms of its prime real estate with price tags that'll pop your eyeballs out of their sockets. The drive on the narrow country lane meanders through various rapeseed farmland as far as the eye can see with gentle rolling hills that add to the beauty of the landscape.

We literally gasped in wonder when we entered the village. It was as if we'd stepped into the world of Enid Blyton's fairy tale stories with enchanting thatched houses. I felt like any minute now, Snow White was going to step out of the door of one of the thatched cottages, along with her Seven faithful Dwarves.

There's the River Test that runs along the meadow (Chilbolton Common Cow) peppered with buttercups and daisies. A 12th century church stood at the entrance of the village, a reminder of its long history as Chilbolton was once an ancient settlement. I've read about the crop circle by the Observatory though the formation can only be seen properly from a plane. The locals at the pub gazed at us with such fascination which I assumed was the case seeing how few people actually traipse through the town on any given day. We had two extremely well behaved Pomeranians with us (our friend's pedigree dogs) and armed with smartphones and a camera which we promptly put to good use.

Public transportation to Chilbolton is rather abysmal. If you're a visitor from outside of the U.K,  I would suggest renting a car from Winchester. Enterprise rental car agency is located to your right as you exit the train station (it's in the same building). They're not open in the weekend. There are frequent trains from London Waterloo to Winchester. Check this website for train timetable.