CrystalPhuong.net is a Personal Style & Travel Blog based in Singapore, written by Crystal Phuong. The blog was nominated FOUR times in Top 10 Best Fashion Blogs in the annual Singapore Blog Award from 2012- 2015, voted as one of the Best Lifestyle Blogs in Singapore in 2013 by Hotelclub.com, and Best Travel Blogs in 2016 by Foodpanda.com. Crystal hopes to connect and inspire young women to lead a healthy and happy life. Be confident, be positive, and be kind.
Looking at these photos makes me feel like it was just yesterday when we spent time in Phuket with Radisson Blue Plaza Resort. Believe it or not, it has already been one month since our second visit to this beautiful place. My first time staying with Radisson Blue Plaza Resort Phuket was in April this year. Because my boyfriend and I loved this place so much, we decided to celebrate my birthday this year, at the hotel.
It was the first time I celebrated my birthday overseas. There are no words for me to describe how it felt other than "Perfect". When I was much younger, I loved having many people around to celebrate my birthday. Now that I'm older, I just want to spend these precious 24 hours with people who matter to me the most. In this case, they are always my family and my boyfriend.
Meanwhile, here are the outfit photos with the beautiful Panwa beach behind me as the backdrop. Does it look amazing? But wait until you see what Radisson Blue Resort prepared for my birthday celebration, which I'll share very soon in my next blog post.
One of the many reasons that I enjoyed Vietnam Fashion Week so much was the opportunity to meet many amazing people, including some famous fashion designers like Kenzo Takada, Dubai couture designer Ezra Santos and many more.
Saving the best for last, I decided to put on my favorite backless midi dress from ASOS and fruity sandals from Rene Caovilla for the closing night, which was televised live throughout the country. It was the best night that we had. Everyone decked out in their most stunning outfit, celebrating another milestone for Vietnam fashion, sharing the same happiness and making new friends. Besides many talented Vietnam fashion designers, I had the honor to meet the renowned Japanese- French fashion designer- Kenzo and Dubai's one of the most internationally recognized designer- Ezra Santos for the first time. According to them, they were impressed with how professionally organized Vietnam Fashion Week was and felt so happy to be invited to this extravaganza event. With a charming smile on their face, they both were happily talking to everyone, taking photos with many people who admired their work. I was one of them.
I was not only impressed with Vietnam Fashion Week but also felt so proud of what my dear friend, Trang Le- the President of Vietnam Fashion Week has achieved. She is a real life example of a strong woman who is capable of doing anything as long as she puts her mind and heart into it. Thank you so much for having me at this amazing fashion week. It was truly my most favorite fashion week by far, believe it or not.
The most anticipated day of the festive shopping period is here: Black Friday! Believe it or not, some people have been saving their entire year for this day to shop. Others have been checking the websites every minute to make sure that they don't miss out any great deals. That's why shopping on these few days can be very crazy and stressful.
I'm not the type of person who can spend hours queuing in the store for checkout. Neither do I have the energy to walk to every shop and find out what deals they have. Over the last couple of years, my preferred shopping style has always been online, at my comfortable home. I can pick whatever item I want, check out, and wait for it to arrive at my house a few days later. It always feels like Christmas comes early whenever I receive a parcel. The only problem is I need to be as fast as possible as sales items are always sold out so quickly. Once you lose it, you'll never see the same deal again.
Another challenge would be "How do I know which website has the best Black Friday sales?". If you are reading this blog right now, you are in luck because I'm about to share with you a whole list of best Black Friday sales that will make your life so much easier. Are you ready?
Extra 10% discount offer is valid on sale price items only and equates to 10% of the sales price shown up to 40% off. Extra 10% off all sale prices. Until Nov 30th. Use code BF15
Up to 50% off women's dresses and men's shirts. Cyber Monday up to 80% off + 20% off all sales (only on Nov 29th), 50% off final sale items. Use code BLACKFRIDAY20 and CYBER50
I've always been a huge fan of vibrant colors and I'm never afraid of expressing that love through what I wear. If you look at some of my recent blog posts (here, here and here), I don't think you can disagree with me on that. To me, life is more beautiful with colors and that will never change. While pastel colors make me feel feminine, bold colors energize me in some ways that I can't explain. They lift me up and give me the confidence that I need whenever I'm at events or fashion weeks.
But things changed when I was at Vietnam Fashion Week. Except for this vibrant outfit that I wore on day 2, the rests are either plain colors, black and white like this outfit on day 1, or monochromatic like what you see here. I felt like I needed a break from all the crazy colors, quirky prints, and heavy embellishments from the street style madness since New York fashion week. And I thought nothing could refreshen myself up better than a crisp white on white outfit. After going through a dozen of white tops in my closet, I decided to pair this cut-out crop top with wide leg pants instead of a white pencil skirt or jeans. Red was the only bright color that I added to the whole look.
This outfit might not be the most striking one that you've seen on me, but surprisingly, it's attractive enough to catch the attention of people on the street. Don't believe me? These photos below can prove it.
After the first day in Vietnam Fashion Week, I started feeling more relaxed and enjoying while it lasted. Honestly, I was a bit stressed at first about not being well-prepared for the event due to the last minute decision. I knew no one there except for Ms. Trang Le, the president of Vietnam International Fashion Week, who I have the honor to call her a friend. What would I do there for nine days? I had so much work to do after coming back from New York Fashion Week, how could I finish? Many things popped up on my head to stop me from going. But I decided to attend Vietnam Fashion Week regardless because I wanted to support my friend and to learn more about Vietnam fashion landscape. On late Saturday night, I booked a flight. On Sunday morning, I jetted off. Just like that!
That spontaneous decision turned out to be the best one. I had a fantastic time in Vietnam, met many wonderful people, and talked to many talented Vietnamese and international fashion designers. Everyone was so kind, warm, and friendly. Not to mention I had a photoshoot done in the middle of Saigon, with a young and talented photographer, Chanh Nguyen, whom I met at the event. I couldn't think of shooting at any other places that represent the country better than the street itself. A street with full of motorcyclists is a trademark of Vietnam, and any tourist that has the courage to cross the road without traffic light is a hero.
Guess what? After being away from the country where I was born for 11 years, I was able to cross the road. I felt like a hero. I mean, you don't see a blonde-hair girl wearing a blue lace dress, striking cobalt blue heels, and sparkling clutch crossing the road on a regular day, do you?
I remember my first time entering a huge fashion show venue like this in New York, I was stunned and so overwhelmed. Gorgeous LED lighting setup, bright camera flashes everywhere, and a big room full of fashionistas. Not to mention stunning Hollywood celebrities sitting in the front row. It's hard not to feel intimidated if you are a first-timer. That was what I felt like last year. This year, I became more confident and more familiar with what was happening around me. Excitement, however, was still in the air.
I attended Concept Korea's fashion show in the morning
and joined an interview with a local media afterwards. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask what channel they were shooting for so I didn't know how this video turned out. I hope it's good.
Leaving Skylight Moynihan Station after the first show, I quickly went back to my hotel for a quick outfit change and headed to another show in the afternoon.
Dennis Basso Spring- Summer 2016 fashion show. I was fortunate to attend his show last year and this year. His collection mesmerizes me every time. Perfection in every single detail.
The Hilton sisters were also at his show. We were actually walking side by side, except they had so many bodyguards around them and I had none. Paris Hilton is actually quite friendly.
After Dennis Basso's fashion show, I went to have another outfit changed so that I could do a photoshoot with my friend, who is a famous fashion blogger in the US, Hallie Daily.
New day, new outfit. The most common question that I was asked whenever I walked to the show: "Excuse me, Miss. Can I have a photo of your outfit?"
Bohemian style in New York- Reem Acra Spring Summer Fashion Show.
Front-row at Vivienne Tam Spring Summer fashion show.
As usual, outfit change for an evening event with Hanley Mellon. After running around the Manhattan streets in heels for 6 days, my feet decided to give up on me and demanded a special treat. This white pair of sneakers made my feet jump for joy. It was one of the best purchases I made on this trip.
Day 6 began with one of the fashion shows that I was looking forward to attending: Stella Nolasco Spring- Summer 2016. I had a chance to chat with the fashion designer, learned about her designs, and watched the entire show progress from the beginning to the end. It was simply fascinating!
Gorgeous models lined up backstage.
Christian Louboutin, every girl's dream shoes were on the floor. Those red hearts and red soles are to die for.
Posing with the most stunning fashion designer that I've ever met: Stella Nolasco. She is super friendly, sweet, and kind.
Her designs are as beautiful and stunning as she is.
My pretty front-row seatmates, whom I met at the show: Daisy and Valeria.
I still can't believe that this dream came true. Most importantly, it made me realize that nothing is impossible as long as we keep chasing our dream and working hard to achieve it.
I wanted to spend 2 days to explore New York and to do what a tourist normally does, but like last year, I didn't have much time to do so. At least, I had 30 minutes to visit Central Park
and perhaps, fifteen minutes spending at this iconic place, Empire State Building.
I guess that was good enough this time. Leaving many other places undiscovered will be a good reason for me to come back to New York again.
See you soon next year, Big Apple!
In case you want to see everything in action, my team and I actually filmed the entire fashion week when we were there. Please watch and let me know what you think!
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[description=Singapore Travel & Lifestyle Blogger, hoping to connect and inspire young women to lead a healthy and happy life]
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