Cheryl Marie Cordeiro

The beige Chanel flap bag seems a complement to the Ferragamo kitten heeled slingbacks.
Photo © Cheryl Marie Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC, 2009

Ferragamo knows shoes. Classic and elegant in design, Ferragamo shoes are what I grew up witnessing most working women in Singapore own and love. A staple in most career women’s closets back then as is today, it isn’t difficult to understand why women generally rave about their Ferragamos – they’re utterly comfortable.

Made with the softest, buttery leather that feels like sheer luxury on your feet, Ferragamos tend to mould to the shape of your feet and make you forget that you’re actually wearing shoes.

Ferragamo shoes also come in a range of width sizes, from AAAA to D or E, the latter being broadest when measured across the ball of the feet. Most, if not all Ferragamo shoes sold in the Singapore stores are of width C.

“So, what’s with kitten heels? I don’t understand them”, a girlfriend of mine said whilst bringing a warm cup of hot chocolate to her lips. She added that kitten heels of 2.5 inches were odd because they were inbetween the inherently sexy spiked stilettos and the inherently girlie Marc Jacobs or Ferragamo’s Varina flats.

I’ve never really thought about kitten heels, especially when purchasing subconsciously, but thinking back on what kinds of shoes I end up wearing to the office, I realize that most have actually been kitten heeled pumps. Ultimately, it was the comfort factor, when having to walk about in the office from meeting to meeting or even getting to and from work, you appreciate shoes that are kind on your feet. In the highly competitive life in Singapore, missing the first 3 minutes per interval train system during your rush hour timeline also inevitably makes you feel behind time. This is especially so if you make it to the platform just in time to see the train take off without you. Kitten heels give you that two seconds advantage over the stilettoed.

Beige and black with an embossed logo on the front of the shoes.

This pair of two toned, sleek kitten heeled slingbacks are indeed comfortable. For the sassier career woman, you might wish to check out the new Ferragamo Creations range. The Viatica for example, is high on my list of appealing shoes! It probably isn’t as comfortable as these two toned slingbacks, but as with every Ferragamo piece, it’s symmetry and balance in design is a work of art. And definitely eye candy enough for office conversation.

A blue pinafore dress by Alice and Olivia in a royal blue that is close to, if not just a slight shade darker than the CHIJ (Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus) school uniform blue I grew up wearing.

Photo © Jan-Erik Nilsson for CMC, 2009

As a student in Singapore, the days in the month of June are always long. It’s that month when most, if not all students in Singapore have their mid-year holidays, and I gather now that my days were pretty much filled with reading, the ocassional bowling session with friends, tennis or BBQ by the East Coast beach.

Red currants ripening, a fairly common sight in high summer in Sweden.

And though I spent a lot of time reading during the school holidays, the concept of ‘summer reading’ didn’t really hit home, partly because the seasons in Singapore were not distinguished as such, but rather with the monsoons, the summer monsoon and the winter monsoon. The summer monsoon brings with it warm rains, deliciously fat raindrops that drenches all in reach, quenches nature’s thirst, and the kind that ruins unsturdy shoes. The winter monsoon is what characterises the Christmas season in Singapore, with rains distinctly cooler than any other time of the year.

In my hand, my latest summer read entitled Shining Hero by Sara Banerji.

After having worn this particular shade of blue for ten years of my life, through primary and secondary school at CHIJ, it doesn’t take much to understand why I’ve refrained from having this particular shade of blue in my wardrobe, until now.

I thought it’d be fun to have this dress in my wardrobe because it was similar yet different enough from the CHIJ pinafore for keeps. The colour is reminescent, the pleats from the top of the dress are in place, but the dress is generally tulip shaped, its silky material ballooning from where you cinch the waist with a belt, parting like petals to the knees.

Draping at the sides, to the knees. The dress is belted by a columbia blue suede belt with silvertone ware. The outfit is paired with an intrecciato weave, chocolate brown Timberland flats.

A cobalt blue ribbon in the hair and turquoise stone dangling earrings.

This hairstyle is similar to what CHIJ girls would wear to school on a daily basis, back from my mother’s time till today. I’ve used in this outfit, a cobalt blue ribbon in the hair. This particular shade of blue for hair accessories as I recall however, was not permitted during my days at the convent. Navy blue, white or black were the preferred hair accessory colours and only one colour was permitted at a time for the accessories. So you couldn’t for example, have a braided black and white headband as that would be deemed too ‘fancy’ for the school uniform.

These red currants will be ready in a day or two, for red currant pie.

There were plenty of school rules to follow in the convent, one of which was that all girls should wear a pair of school shorts under their potentially billowing-in-the-wind pinafore skirts. I thought this school rule disastrous to follow for personal hygiene standards, the tropical heat alone would make the wearing of shorts under the skirt so uncomfortable that any concentrated effort at learning would be impossible. But shorts over underwear, under skirts were compulsory nonetheless and the students were spot-checked constantly for proper attire. The very act of spot-checking under skirts in the name of decency, would leave many a convent girl pondering the concept of virtue versus duty for the better part of their lives.

Reading, indoors.

Shining Hero by Sara Banerji proved a poignant read on livid lives both in high society and children of the streets of Calcutta, India. That so many of the themes in her book were also reflected in Slumdog Millionaire, 2008 was disturbing to me, never having visited India myself. I found Slumdog Millionaire to be much more genial and optimistic in its depiction of street children than Banerji’s work.

Dahlias in full bloom

In a straw hat and a pink silk charmeuse dress by Natalie Anne.
Photo © Jan-Erik Nilsson for CMC 2009

It has been several weeks now of very warm weather in western Sweden, so it’s perfect for any outdoor activities. What we did, we packed our picnic basket and brought out the barbeque pits for our first BBQ this summer!
Continue reading “Picnic barbeque in pink silk charmeuse” →

Tod’s grained leather bag.
Photo © Cheryl Marie Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC, 2009

Tod’s is an Italian luxury label that offers a distinct laid back, understated style.

The Tod’s Group that owns brands such as Hogan, Fay and Roger Vivier (acquired in the mid 1990s) began in the late 1920s in Italy. Reminescent of Ingvar Kamprad’s story of humble sales beginnings right at home, Diego Della Valle, founder of Tod’s, began selling leather goods from his basement.

Today, Tod’s can be found in select outlets around the world, from Scandinavia to the USA and Asia. No doubt though, the most exciting place to visit for Tod’s products would be Italy’s factory outlets, where its friendly customer service personnel will take pride in showing you its range of products and where shoppers can get a Tod’s for a friendlier price.

My first encounter with a Tod’s product was when a girlfriend of mine showed me her latest bag purchase. It was a pristine quality Tod’s bag, large enough for her daily needs, in the right colour palette to suit her wardrobe and her fair skin, and one that I thought was stunningly bland for a luxury item.

But after a passionate affair with Louis Vuitton monograms and Chanel quilts, where such bags are immediately recognizable on the streets, I’m now discovering with interest and delight, the subtlety of a Tod’s make.

Tod’s is hardly bland. In fact, its magnetism for Tod’s fans is precisely the Zen and simplicity in their designs. Continue reading “Tod’s, understated luxury” →