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I ran into a bit of a snafu Wednesday morning when I realized I’ve gone through all of my work clothes on this blog. I’ve worn all of my button down shirts already, all of my slacks, and all of my suits and my Captain’s/School Boy blazer. The only items left for work are a casual work suit which I’ll be saving for next week and a purple H&M dress that I bought two years ago.
I’ve worn this purple tulip-skirted dress maybe six times; about 1/3 of the time (twice), someone else has worn the same dress to the same event!
At an awards ceremony for my mum, another woman had the same dress as me. At a law school event, the same thing happened. Both times, each person involved had styled her dress differently, so only the person wearing the dress would have known that there was another woman wearing her dress (except for one very observant law school friend of mine who immediately exclaimed, “Hey! She’s wearing the same dress as you!”).
I’ve worn this dress 1) with a black long sleeved shirt underneath with tights, 2) without tights and a black cardigan, and 3) with tights with a black camisole. Basically, I’ve always paired this dress with black.
This was taken at a pre-Thanksgiving dinner with my girlfriends – I had just given the news that I had passed the California Bar…or was it that dinner was ready? Either way, people were excited.
I was going for a Mad Men look here, with a wannabe Joan Holloway updo. This was also the first time in probably 20 years that I’ve worn a nail color shade that resembles the color of the drink in my hand.
For work on Wednesday, I moved away from the regular black belt and grabbed my aqua belt. Then instead of the usual black cardigan, I grabbed my green one. Since I was on a roll, instead of putting a black camisole underneath the dress, I decided to go for a striped button down, and voila, I had a Color Brigade-worthy outfit!
F21 Button Down (bought in 2010)
H&M Purple Tulip Dress (bought in 2009)
H&M Green Cardigan (bought in 2008)
H&M Aqua Belt (came with a pair of shorts bought in 2010)
Target Taupe Heels (bought in 2009)
Guess Watch (gift from a friend back in high school)
Tan Stud Wrap Bracelet (free gift for signing up with BaubleBar)
Turquoise Bracelet (gift from a family friend in 2010)
Turquoise & Pearl Necklace (gift from a family friend in 2010)
Gold Bead Bracelet (gift from my husband’s aunt in the Philippines in 2011)
Green Glass Drop Earrings (bought at NYC’s Sea Port in 2005)
Detail of Turquoise & Pearl Necklace
Detail of Turquoise & Pearl Necklace, Green Glass Drop Earrings, and Tan Stud Wrap Bracelet
Detail of Green Glass Drop Earrings
I wore this to the office on Wednesday and later met up with some friends for some delicious-tasting ramen. I had no idea there were so many ramen joints in my neck of the woods. I’m so glad that one of my friends is a Yelp Elite who can introduce me to these fantastic places. [I say Yelp Elite in italics because it's a bit tongue-in-cheek for three reasons: 1) I sound like a douche when I say "Yelp Elite," 2) I actually mean it as a compliment to my friend who I always introduce as "[Her Full Name (because her first name is the same as mine)], Yelp Elite,” and 3) She’s been Yelp Elite for the last three years, and this year is the first that she’s not Yelp Elite because we had to study for the Bar…but my husband and I insist on calling her “[Her Full Name], Yelp Elite” nevertheless.]
We didn’t get a chance to check out the hipster bar across from the ramen restaurant, but “[Her Full Name], Yelp Elite,” there’s always next time!
***
Some last few notes:
1. Even though I’m reaching my 100th post (maybe ten more posts?), I still feel like I’m a newbie when it comes to blogging. I started blogging partly as a birthday gift to my husband by reducing my shopping spending and partly so that I could challenge myself to gain some fashion sense. The reason I continue to blog is that I find a lot of joy in writing and sharing stories. If you’ve come across my blog and have enjoyed reading it, I thank you for your time, and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed reading my posts.
2. In blogging and in life, I know I will make mistakes. Early on, I wrote a post that I thought was honest at the time, but upon re-reading it, I saw that it could be taken offensively, and I deleted it. I never openly apologized for it because I thought that would call too much attention to what I had said, so even though that post is no longer up, for those who did read it and took offense, I apologize.
3. I didn’t want to seem like too much of a dweeb, but I got my first reader email the Sunday that I saw Emily VanCamp (Rebecca from ABC’s Brothers & Sisters) at the airport. Not joking – receiving my first reader email was more exciting than seeing Emily VanCamp, but I felt shy about sharing how happy the reader’s email made me, so I kept it to myself (and my husband – who I mentioned it to over and over and over again).
4. The other day, I read a reply to a comment I had made from another blogger who said she was inspired by me (by me!), and that also made me kinda giddy.
5. Over the last couple of weeks, my friends have told me either in person or over email how they like certain outfits or certain items, and hearing that makes me not only appreciate the clothes and accessories already present in my wardrobe, but also the time my friends took in sharing their thoughts with me. I thought I was the only one who liked my orange pumps until a friend emailed me that she liked them; I was about ready to toss out my black and white linen pants until a friend had said she liked an outfit with those pants the best. I thought I looked a bit out-of-character when I tried some punk rock looks, but a friend said she really liked those outfits. Another friend was delighted that I featured a gift she gave me on my blog. To all of the readers who are my friends (or family), thank you for reading.
(P.S. - Sunshine, if you’re reading this, the bigger pictures were done just for you!)
A co-worker once complimented me on this cardigan and said, “I love the robin’s egg blue shade.” Before her remark, I had no idea that robins’ eggs were blue; I just thought that was a name for a shade of blue.
Apparently, robins’ eggs are blue and they’re similar in color to my cardigan:
Esprit Blue Cardigan (Size M, gift from a friend in 2000 or 2001)
BR Dress (Size 2, bought in 2008 from a gift card a friend gave [shortened by about six inches])
H&M Aqua Belt (came with a pair of navy Bermuda shorts, bought in 2010 – the newest version of the Bermuda shorts has a tan skinny belt attached)
Turquoise & Pearl Necklace (gift from a family friend)
Turquoise Bracelet (gift from a family friend)
Gold Bead Bracelet (wedding gift from my husband’s aunt)
Pearl Earrings (gift from my auntie)
Mossimo Taupe Heels (Size 7, bought from Target)
Detail of Bracelets:
I’ve had this cardigan for over 10 years. When I pointed out to my friend that she gave it to me a decade ago, she said, “It’s held up well!” I replied, “It’s because I’ve only washed it three times!” I wore it often in undergrad, a few times while teaching, a handful of times while in grad school, and a couple of times while in law school. I hadn’t worn it in a while, though, and I found that it was the best lightweight cover for the BR dress.
I like to call the BR dress my “Belle” dress because it reminds me of Belle from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The Belle dress used to end at mid-calf, but I brought it to the tailor’s to shorten it to knee length a couple of years ago. This dress is usually worn to special occasions: my brother’s graduation from graduate school, my friend’s son’s second-year-old birthday, my husband’s Confirmation, a reunion dinner with some close law school friends, and now added to the list: my friend’s graduation from pharmacy school!
Today was one of the busiest days I’ve had in quite some time. Early in the morning, I was scheduled for my first in-person renewal at the DMV. My driver’s license has had my 16-year-old picture for the last 13 years. I was forced to get a new picture; otherwise, I would have been fine with the picture of my 16-year-old self, if only out of sheer laziness and my reluctance in going to the DMV. Following my one-hour stay at the DMV, my girlfriends and I road tripped it to my friend’s graduation (her husband kindly treated us to both lunch and dinner), and then we all went shopping.
Loved this dress, but sadly left it at Forever 21:
It was a Size S, priced at $24.80, and it was the last one that the store had. I loved the scoop neckline, the flattering fit, the pockets, the color, the sleeves, the lining, the way it fit, the reasonable price, and the lace.
The only thing I didn’t love? My stupid self imposed shopping ban. Okay, not so stupid, but at the time, that’s what I was telling myself. As we left the store (H&M and F21 bags happily flapping from the hands of my friends), two of my friends did tell me they were proud of me…and I’m actually proud of myself.
I am learning to appreciate my closet more, and additionally, I’m getting better at deciding which items I really love as opposed to the items I just have a passing fancy with, and those are just the types of lessons I need to learn while on my quest for fashion sense.
On Saturday night, my girlfriends and I got together to hang out with one of our friends who had relocated to San Francisco and had traveled down for a visit. Although my girlfriends and I only get together one or two times a month these days, the estrogen fest was a welcome event. Our chatter and laughter could be heard from downstairs and outside of my friend’s 2nd floor apartment so said a few latecomers. Among our topics of conversation: a lacy “magic bra” that made everyone look good (I think it’s this one) and its twin from Target (I think it’s this one), bathroom hangups, finger toes, how my friend totally looks like Wendy‘s doppelganger, and favorite brands for certain items of makeup.
The overwhelming favorite brand was Mac for eyeshadow, eyeliner, and any item that is not face/foundation related.
Photo Credit: Lauren Miyake
My favorites include Dior Diorshow mascara (my friend’s a fan of Dior Black Out), Nars Orgasm blush, L’Oreal Colour Riche lipstick, bareMinerals foundation, Almay intense i-color, and Smashbox Limitless eyeliner.
For our dinner get together (my friend made a mouthwatering steak using this recipe), I wore the following:
H&M White Cardigan (Size 6, bought in 2007)
F21 Pink Top (Size S, gift from a friend in 2009; cut off the band at the bottom)
F21 Aqua Ribbed Tank (Size S, bought in 2010)
H&M Bermuda Shorts with Belt (Size 8, bought in 2010)
Mossimo Camel Patent Pumps (Size 7, bought in January 2011 here)
Shell Flower Earrings (bought from an NYC street fair in 2005)
[cost/use of pink top = 0/5 = 0]
Writing this post reminds me of this post I just read today from of Rogues & Gentlemen, which in turn reminds me of a previous post where my husband called me a stock broker from Bermuda.
The inspiration for my outfit, however, unconsciously came from Revlon’s advertisement featuring Jessica Alba in Lucky magazine:
The first time I went through the magazine, I was struck by the color combo, but didn’t give it a second thought. It wasn’t until I re-browsed through the magazine a few days later that I realized my pink and aqua combination came from the ad.
And where will my next inspiration come from? That’s a secret I’ll never tell. XOXO, Gossip Girl.
[Apologies for the corniness. It's late, I'm watching Gossip Girl while writing this, I just found out earlier today that I signed up for the wrong Real Estate exam (doh!), and I have tomorrow off because I was slated to take said wrong exam. Life is both good and bad - good that I have tomorrow off, bad because all of my studying will now be postponed for a later date until I can take the Broker's exam.]
I was in a major time crunch before going to church with my family today. I decided to wear what I had worn to bed with just a few tweaks.
H&M Aqua Tee (cut off the arm bands and the band on the bottom of the tee – bought in May 2010)
Purple Scarf (borrowed from my mum)
Refuge Jeans (bought from Charlotte Russe in 2007)
Bronze Belt (gift from my aunt in 2006)
Aldo Wedges (bought in 2009)
Dasha Boutique Pearl & Moonstone Earrings (bought in 2009)
Mother of Pearl Cuff (bought from Viet Nam in January 2011)
My husband had been waiting for me to get ready (I was trying to fix my hair and do a quick makeup application), and when I finally appeared, he remarked, “You look like spring!” Awesome–that’s exactly what I had wanted–a spring-like vibe.
The scarf really adds a chic touch to the otherwise casual outfit, or as my husband said, “It’s classy.”
I don’t normally wear scarves because they’re such a defining staple in my mom’s wardrobe. Every time I think of putting one on, I feel like I’m becoming my mom. Weird, I know. My mom is pretty stylish and I’ve picked up a few habits from her (preferences for bright colors and shiny baubles), so imitating her style choices is not the problem. It’s more like I feel uncomfortable that I am dressing like her–for instance, if I wore a fleece, cargo shorts, and Rainbows, I’d feel like I am dressing like my husband. Scarves are my mom’s thing.
I’ve decided to let go of this weird hang up that I have, though, and embrace wearing scarves. They really do elevate a somewhat ordinary outfit up a notch.
For a comparison shot:
See original post here.
To find more ways to “dress up” a basic tee and jeans, check out the recent Petite Fashion Challenge hosted by Jess of Stylepint here. I wanted to sign up for the challenge, but I wasn’t quite ready at the time.
However, I have signed up for “the LBD” Petite Fashion Challenge for April 28th–it’s going to be my first one! It’s hosted by Jessy of The Little Dust Princess. Signing up for the challenge was one of my “Do one thing a day that scares you.” I told myself to just bite the bullet and sign up…and I did. If anyone else wants to sign up or do this with me, go here.
If you feel some trepidation in terms of putting your face or figure out on the internet, here’s an idea on how to quickly create outfits. My friend sent me the link and said she was reminded of me when she saw it.
Back to the aqua tee: You can see from the pictures above and from this post here that the aqua tee looks a lot better after it was cut. It’s also a lot more comfortable–so comfortable that I was able to sleep in it, as mentioned above.
I may borrow (okay, steal) a few clothing items/fashion ideas from my mom, but it’s actually not too bad because she steals/borrows ideas from me, too. She’s been cutting up her T-shirts! I cut a line down the front of crew neck shirts because I tend to find them constricting. Turns out my mom does that as well. I’ve known that my mom has been following my lead on that for a while, but when I saw her cut-up shirt today, I just felt a whole lot better about borrowing a scarf from her.
After church, my family and I were scheduled to support my mom’s school by wearing orange and participating in an event to raise awareness regarding budget cuts, so I changed to this:
Aldo Sunglasses (bought in 2009)
H&M Aqua Tee (not shown – bought in May 2010)
NY & Co. Coral Button Down Shirt (bought in 2005)
Aqua Belt (came with the shorts worn – bought in May 2010)
H&M Bermuda Shorts (bought in May 2010)
Silver Bangle (bought in 2009)
Rainbows (bought in 2009)
Dasha Boutique Pearl & Moonstone Earrings (bought in 2009)
I bought this coral button down shirt in 2005. It’s the shirt I referred to here. I used to wear it when I taught and while I was in grad school, but I stopped wearing it because I felt like it wasn’t conservative enough. The last time I wore it was some time last year when I layered it under a brown v-neck sweater. I’ve worn it about 15 times and it was sub $20, so cost per use is great at $1.33/wear.
Nevertheless, I haven’t worn it in quite some time, so I’m glad it got some attention today. I’m also going to have to take a brief hiatus from wearing coral–I’ve worn the entirety of my coral clothing items all in one week. Poorly planned, Quest for Fashion Sense.
Please note that I chose to wear my Rainbows today, too, because they are uber comfortable. I wasn’t set to jump on the Rainbows bandwagon until a friend asked me to send her a pair that she had left at my house (that planted the seed in my mind that they must be great if my friend couldn’t wait a month to retrieve them). Later, I asked another friend who owns multiple Rainbows pairs why they were so great, and she just went on and on about them. Once I tried on her pair, I was sold.
Rainbows mold to your feet, they are created with parachute material, and they come with a complimentary repair and return policy.
I wanted to wear Rainbows today because my family and I thought we would have to stand for an hour or so for the event, but as it turned out, the event was canceled. We did not get the memo.
Lastly, if anyone saw two people dressed alike at a street corner wearing orange-ish shirts, shorts, and Rainbows, that would have been my husband and me. Needless to say, due to his aversion of dressing like his mate, he immediately changed when we got home.
Guess he’s just not ready to embrace that trend.
Back when I was living in Maryland (circa 2004-2005), I had worn a coral button down shirt, and my roommate and close friend saw it and complimented me on my choice; she told me that coral was really flattering for Asian skin tones (apparently it’s flattering on all skin tones).
Since then, I’ve been drawn to coral items, especially for spring and summer [previous coral post here]. I particularly like the color combination of coral with aqua and white, as displayed below:
H&M Coral Tank Dress (bought in May 2010)
BR White Lightweight Cardigan (bought in 2006)
H&M Aqua Belt (came with a pair of shorts – bought in May 2010)
Target Taupe Heels (bought in 2009)
Gold Initial & Rhinestone Pendants (REALLY OLD)
Gold Bead Bracelet (gift from my husband’s aunt)
Turquoise Bead Bracelet (gift from a family friend)
F21 Square Mirror Studs (not shown – part of a set/received in 2010 for a friend’s bridal shower)
I wore this outfit to go to brunch with an out-of-town friend who I had not seen in a very long time. The wait to get in to the brunch place was a bit intense. My husband and I went an hour ahead just to guarantee that we’d get seated as soon as my friend and her fiancé arrived.
Once they came in and we were seated, we heard some great stories from them and caught up on the last 10 months or so since we’ve last seen them.
My husband and I had a few errands to run afterwards and the weather was so hot and sticky that it felt like we were in the middle of July.
I haven’t worn this coral tank dress in quite some time because it’s a bit sheer and I feel like I have to wear leggings under it to be comfortable. However, at the same time, the color is very spring-like, so I feel odd wearing leggings with the dress when it’s warm. The last time I remember wearing it was on the last day of the bar back in July of 2010. I wore it with black leggings, my VS hoodie, and my Onitsuka Tigers. The test center felt as cold as a meat locker, though, so wearing the leggings actually made sense.
Today, without any leggings, I was feeling a bit exposed, but I ended up wearing the bottom half of a swim suit underneath the dress so that psychologically, I’d feel better. I try to psych myself out every now and again with tricks like that. For instance, I would say to myself, “Well, if the wind blows or someone can see your knickers, it’s okay, because it’s really a swimsuit.” Of course, this could have totally been avoided by not wearing the coral tank dress at all, but I like the color and it really was the perfect fit for this type of weather. I also live in California and somewhat close to the beach (or close enough where beach-y attire is not uncommon), so I think I can get away with wearing what’s really a swimsuit cover up which I’ve been passing off as a dress.
What I love about this dress is that it has pockets, it’s comfortable, and it was only $7! This is the fourth time I’ve worn it, so that makes the cost/use $1.75.
Please also note that I’m wearing an initial necklace. I completely forgot that I had this in my possession. I got the initial pendant as a gift from my dad when I was 6 (!). That means it’s old (um, more than 20 years old). I was reminded of it when I read this post from Cher of a.fashion.deliberation. I thought I didn’t have any initial pendants and really wanted one–then I realized I had one all along. It’s been kept in a small jewelry box that I rarely open because it contains gold jewelry. I generally don’t like to wear gold jewelry, but I’ve recently opened up to wearing it more–partially because I’ve gotten some wedding gifts from my husband’s relatives that are gold and partly because I love this blazer with gold buttons and I tend to wear gold jewelry when I wear the blazer.
When I first found the pendant, I noticed there wasn’t a chain attached to it, which could be why I haven’t worn the pendant since I was in high school. I’m pretty sure I broke the accompanying chain one night while I had a nightmare that someone was chasing/choking me…and that was the last time I wore necklaces to bed.
Luckily, my mom had a few chains to spare in her jewelry box. Score! She didn’t have a chain on its own–the chain came with a rectangular rhinestone studded pendant that can’t be removed, but I think the initial pendant and the rhinestone pendant go well together.
I liked how all of the colors in my outfit, gold included, complemented each other–and even though the sun was blisteringly hot (not a cloud in sight!), I have no complaints for today…and that is partly because no one saw my swimsuit (although if someone did, it would still be okay).
