THE NONNATIVE

I can't imagine I'm alone in thinking that we all go through short phases of obsession. Sometimes the obsession is a certain food, a celebrity, a TV show, or in my case a fashion "phenomenon". As of late it has been studs. I know this isn't something new, and I could really just got to a punk/gothic/lolita type store and find studs & spikes galore - but I already wore studs and spikes about 8 years ago. I'm talking dog collars, koolaid hair, the works. I don't usually like to repeat trends if I can remember wearing them.

I get excited seeing elegant studs on bangles, bags, shoes, rings, earrings, shirts - wherever they are I like them!

I usually have a lot of luck getting my stud fix at the street markets, this is only because my love of studs coincides with the fact that studs are now uber trendy. Just because something is trendy never deters me from buying as much of whatever it is I'm currently obsessing over. I mean the Thomas Wilde skull trend appears to have died down - I still love skulls. Plus, it seems more and more that trends have a shorter lifespan but are revived within a few years instead of a few decades. I'm betting that skulls make a big comeback in 2011!

What I was so surprised to see was that Aldo was having a huge sale and what I did I see for an extremely reasonable price? STUDS. Everywhere! Studded earrings, studded bracelets, cuffs, shoes!

While I usually promote street market shoes, I do have to admit it is nice to buy a pair of shoes that will hold up under serious usage. Aldo is well-known as a shoe/accessory brand that makes high quality items for a reasonable price. All of their shoes are made from some of the finest material, soft leather and solid heels. Aldo's beginnings are from Quebec, the first store opening in Montreal in the early 70s. Since then, Aldo has expanded all over the world providing quality fashion at a reasonable price. Currently in Hong Kong there's only one Aldo store located in IFC next to Mango.

Looking over Aldo's F/W 09 collection they have a lot of soft, feminine looks - but as I continued on I found this cute studded tote. By the looks of things the studded accessory trend in general is going to be going strong for another season! So whether you're shopping the streets or checking out the sale at Aldo, make sure to stock up on some of the cheap studded accessories for your winter look.