Often, when looking at streetstyle images, there's generally one person whose outfit you zone in on...everything else fades into the background. When I came across this image of Lou Doillon shopping in Paris however I found myself, somewhat schizophrenically, lusting after her outfit (jeans, plaid shirt, and tweed coat) and the sales assistant from Chanel (black, black, and those incredible shoes with the quilted gold heel). Which, I suppose, goes some way to explaining why my closet has split-personality disorder...

Much as I like the distressed denim shorts from Alexander Wang's Fall/Winter collection...okay, I admit, they remind me of a pair that I wore to a New Year's Eve party many moons ago and therefore fall under the "nostalgic lusts" category...I was surprised when I received the attached e-mail from Satine Boutique.

I can't help but wonder, is the demand really that large for $300 denim shorts? Doesn't this completely go against the trend of buying well-made classics in times of financial worry?

It seems like eons ago...actually it's about six months...since I first verbalized my lust for Heimstone's Perfecto jacket. It was...perfection. The ideal combination of the lady and the tramp. Also, hideously expensive (thanks to the exchange rate) and very hard to find (thanks to...lack of foresight from US buyers?)...I had, sadly, given up hope. And then...just before my birthday...I was doing a little Googling and discovered the Perfecto on sale. A little more Googling and I found a discount code for the online store. End result...the perfect(o) birthday present has just arrived and (not only am I blissfully happy that it is now in my sticky little hands but...) I have saved Mr. Heb a tidy little chunk of cash (as this was his gift to me). Moral of the story: never give up hope and always search for discount codes...especially when it comes to small boutiques.

I have to say, nuts make me think of Christmas...thanks to childhood memories of the inevitable bowl of nuts in shells (brazil, walnut, hazelnut) and accompanying "festive nut cracker"...in a household where no one actually liked them...which accounted for the layer of dust that was gathered on them by New Year's. I assume that they were part of my mother's childhood and she felt the need to carry on the tradition but, to me, unless you're a peanut or cashew I have very little interest. Until now...when I have had to amend my list to include whatever nut was used to carve this vintage Barong mask ring. The Barong is a Balinese deity who is a "force for good"...the Christmas nut basket was, of course, a "force for evil"...together they equal each other out.

There are a myriad of uses for these frosty treat drawstring bags...I'm thinking of using them as shoe bags for when I travel...but whatever you do with them they're sure to make you smile...and have an overwhelming urge for an ice cream.

Okay, so not the best bet if you're on a diet...

T-shirts may be a summer basic but don't you wish that sometimes they just weren't so...basic? If, like me, you need a break from basic cotton get ready to say hello to Slow and Steady Wins the Race and their unique take on the humble white t-shirt. The shape we all know (and to some extent love) in ten different fabrics...including coated linen, panne velvet, leather, and (my particular favorite) lace. A nice little break from the norm, don't you think?

He may have banned Hadley Freeman from attending his menswear show in Paris but I'll always have a soft spot for Paul Smith's clothes...especially when I see something like this floral t-shirt dress. In an instant it makes me think of chocolate box lids...paintings on velvet...vintage jigsaw puzzles...and all kinds of other dated quaintness.

You may be familiar with Louis Vuitton's printed travel guides...I must admit that I've seen them in stores but never flicked through...now LV is moving into the arena of audio guides which you can download into your mp3 player or phone. It's an interesting idea though the website did leave me with more questions than answers...if only because of the disturbing way that actress Shu Qi tells me she's going to show me "her Hong Kong"...quite frankly the one thing that I don't need from an audio tour is that overwhelming suspicion that it's trying to proposition me.

My other issue is cost-related as, at $17 each, it's rather expensive to go for a walk in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai (the three cities currently on offer)...which is rather galling, in these times of rising gas prices surely a virtual walk should be relatively inexpensive?

I've mentioned my fascination with rubber shoes before and, gosh darn it, I'm going to do it again. I can't help it...the idea of having fashionable shoes that also allow me to go for a walk in the rain and keep my feet dry is too entrancing to ignore...I'm obviously part human/part waterfowl. My latest find are these black and white rubber brogues. Shoes so snazzy that I would brave the pound to dollar exchange rate to get them in my grasp...were it not for the fact that they're not available in my size.

These coin necklaces look like something that you'd find as you rummage through a box of odds and ends in an antique shop. Nicely worn and knocked around, comforting in the well-worn way.

What do you think...a penny for your thoughts?

As an EPP (exceedingly pale person) who spends the majority of the summer under a hat or parasol I am constantly on the look out for something new and interesting in the head-covering line. Like this (completely unsubtle) elephant hat...from the front, slighty wacky with a vague pith helmet feel...and from the side, 70's tourist souvenir.

If it wasn't for the price, which is a little high for what is admittedly a novelty item, I would be adding this to my summer hat rotation faster than you can say "in the jungle, the quiet jungle".

“Man may escape from rope and gun;
Nay, some have outliv'd the doctor's pill:
Who takes a woman must be undone,
That basilisk is sure to kill”

- John Gay

I seem to have a fascination at the moment with weapons made of unlikely substances, first the wooden knuckledusters, and now these felt weapons from mp industries in Berlin.

I obviously have some pent up aggression...that I want to relieve with objets d'art.

From the Splendicity Community, comes this week's best in Beauty, Fashion and Shopping. Check out the very splendid best!

SHOPPING

CelebLOOK tells you where to get the fab tee, for charity no less, that Courtney Cox has been sporting.

ShopDiary has invites to a Rue La La, an exclusive invitation only shopping site whose past sales featured Chloe, Prada, Hanky Panky, Juicy Couture and more.

Her Accessories has just launched a new jewelry blog, Gleaming Things - come and check it out!

Glamour Gift Guide talks about the Miu Miu Dragonfly Clutch.

FASHION

Come test your luck! NY Spender is giving away a beautiful Amelia Rose necklace worth more than $500!

Tops 2 Bottoms welcomes the new Black. Explore style options with Navy as it makes its comeback in the fashion scene.

Check out what Sasha wore to the Philippine Fashion Week over at Style Manila.

Style...a work in progress experiences monomania when she takes a look at Louis Vuitton's latest collaboration with Takashi Murakami.

Shoe Blitz shows you the Christian Louboutin suede booties with tonal leather stripes.

Viva Woman shares with you the DIY way to store and organize your hook earrings.

BEAUTY

Beauty and Fashion Tech reviews two good acne treatment products, the Bioelements and DDF Acne Treatment Masks.

Beauty Bento Box invites you to join the conversation on makeup and Asian skin and get the chance to win Artistry goodies!

Beauty Secrets Revealed asks Is Wine An Anti-aging Potion?

Krizia from Beauty Match discovers UnDamage free beauty samples specifically created for smoker’s skin

Cinnamon Kitten launches a string of upcoming contests with a contest giveaway for a goodie "box" stuffed with beauty products!

March Hare: Birthday? Hahaha! My dear child, this is not a birthdayparty!

Mad Hatter: Of course not! Hehehe! This is an unbirthdayparty!

Alice: Unbirthday? Why, I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand.

March Hare: It’s very simple. Now, thirty days have Sept- no, when... an unbirthday, if you have a birthday then you... haha... she doesn’t know what an unbirthday is!

Mad Hatter: How silly! Ha HA Ha Ha! Ah-hum... I shall ellusinate! Now statistics prove, prove that you’ve one birthday.

March Hare: Imagine, just one birthday every year.

Mad Hatter: Ahhh, but there are 364 unbirthdays!

This happens to be my birthday...as opposed to all those other days which I celebrate as unbirthdays...and possibly the only time I could envision wearing Martin Margiela's gift bow ring. However, as the ring is a momentary whim, I will focus on the tapas and gallons of sangria...which, later today, will be a reality. Cheers!

When putting your new bicycle helmet upon your head...do not get all goofy. Otherwise the edge of the helmet slams into the bridge of your nose and you end up with a good-sized bruise...and everyone you meet assumes you've been hit with a club.

Yes, I am speaking from personal experience here...

How can a (relatively) rational woman conceive a desire for something based on a description and the associations created by her mind...finally see it and realize it is not the object of lust that she imagined...yet still experience a yearning for it? It's simply not the act of a sane person.

And yet, embarrassing as it is to admit it, I am currently in the throes of this monomania. The item? A piece of the latest Louis Vuitton/Takashi Murakami collaboration...Monogramouflage...which, in my mind, was going to be tough (yet feminine)...Sergent Benjamin meets haute couture...amusing and earthy and luxe...plus, a chance to add to my collection of Murakami ephemera.

Then I stopped by my local Louis Vuitton store and was...severely disappointed. Though I only saw a bag...and the object of my affection was an over-sized scarf...the colors were washed-out...sad. I left disillusioned.

And yet...and yet...a part of me still wants that (hideously expensive) scarf. What is going on here? The madness has to stop.

Though it seems a little earlier than usual, we have entered that magical time of year when items that you've been stalking...like a lioness on the Serengeti going after a particularly succulent wildebeest...are now slightly more appealing (pricewise that is).

Yes, the summer sales are here...and two items which I have been yearning after, but ignoring in a vague effort to be fiscally responsible, will soon be winging their way to me.

Item #1, Opening Ceremony's suede desert boots...because I need some comfortable shoes and my skirts and dresses need a touch of "Bridge on the River Kwai". Item #2, Junya Watanabe's reverse pants...or, as Mr. Heb said when I showed him a picture of them, "MC Hammer pants"...something which I naturally countered with "not just MC Hammer pants...Japanese-preppy MC Hammer pants". Which isn't the snappiest of comebacks, I admit, but it was that or start singing "U Can't Touch This"...

Having been pondering some knee-high fringed sandals from Topshop for a few weeks now I happened upon this picture of Elle Macpherson in a much more expensive (though remarkably similar) pair from Etro...yet another lesson that it's often best to stop and think before making the leap into the shopping abyss...because if these shoes can make "The Body" look stumpy what hope is there for us mere mortals?

Working on the theory that 'one out of five isn't bad'...even when it's applied to the five food groups...I once spent several weeks in Paris surviving on baguettes and red wine. Something which I can't recommend from a dietary perspective but is certainly a regimen that saves money for the necessities of life...ie, shopping. On the upside, it appears that I'm not alone in my love of the dough and the grape as I just came across this bread and wine bag...

When I was in my local wine store the other day I came across a piece...or should that be a drop...of my childhood...otherwise known as Babycham, the (self-titled) happiest drink in the world. Unfortunately it's also one of the chav-iest but, be that as it may, a small tingle of anticipation ran down my spine when I saw the bottle nestling on the shelf. A tingle which lasted until I opened the bottle. Because, as it turn out, when they say "you can never go back" it relates to liquor as well.