turning japanese

My cousin gave me this maxi skirt from Uniqlo for Christmas. No matter how much I wish I could pull off a maxi skirt, I just don't have the height for it. Thankfully, I am also in search for the perfect midi to pair with my footwear of choice, the boots. :) 

So, a snip here and a tuck there and voila!

For this look, I was inspired by the Japanese and decided to play up with the proportions. Of course, when I was styling this, I didn't realize this proportion is actually a thing now. Embracing frumpterable!

I paired the midi with an equally voluminous top and bell sleeves. 

And of course, my combat boots to top it all off!

blanco

Went to Manila for a very short trip last month. I managed to sneak in a quick trip to Blanco at SM Aura and scored this neon top sale for half-off!

I've paired it with my gray trousers for a full neon effect! 



The trousers are Ma's old pair from the 80s! I love the loose fit and boxy cut (and I think I've spied some similar silhouettes at Zara lately.) 




I was wearing: Blanco neon top, Ma's old trousers, studded sandals from H&M.

second skin jeans

Got this new pair of super skinny jeans from Blanco. I hesitated to try this pair as it's marked "super skinny" because my Body Pumped-quads could never fit in those, but I was drawn to that faded denim shade so I gave it a try. They turned out to be a really comfortable pair and I've been living in these jeans nowadays.

I love pairing skin-tight jeans with a bigger, oversized top to create a sense of balance. 
 

Seriously one of my favorite looks.

 

Also love the ripped detail. 

I was wearing: Super skinny denim from Blanco (Manila), Zara top and studded sandals from H&M.

modern boho

This is the only good outfit photo that came out of the series of shots. Anyway, this is my take on a modern bohemian look - floral dress with electric pleats paired with utilitarian uniforms of cargo vest and boots.

I was wearing: floral dress (Ma's own), Liz Claiborne utility vest, Bershka boots, belt from Landmark (Manila).

seeing red

My own take of the ~sexy librarian. Ha!

I find it a bit of a challenge to pair red with other colors - pair with white and hey, it's National Day!, pair with green and it's Christmas. 

 

So to be less festive, I paired with this floral blue button-down. It's a little bit sexy nerd, isn't it?

I was wearing: tailor-made pencil skirt, Stradivarius button-down, studded sandals from H&M.

 

hang loose

H&M really knows how to make loose boyfriend t-shirts. This is exactly the kind of loose-fitting top I love! It goes pretty much with anything - printed pants,like what I did here - untucked paired with pencil skirts and boots or partially tucked in with denim. At S$14.90, it's so worth it!

These printed pants, btw are just love!

 

...And, a little awkward pose in an attempt to show how lose this shirt is.

I was wearing: H&M boyfriend tee, printed pants from Blanco, court shoes from Charles & Keith.
 

patchwork part 2

Last week, I showed you how I styled my new favorite denim patchwork jeans. For today's look, I'm still going for the casual easy look paired with a loose white button-down.

I was wearing: Zara jeans, H&M button-down top, Charles & Keith court shoes.

patchwork part 1

I bought these Celine-ish patchwork jeans at the last minute while I was in Hong Kong and I'm glad I picked it up because it's become one of my favorite, most comfy pairs I own.

For first look, I went casual and easy.

Paired with lightweight jumper and to add some spunk - leopard print pumps.

Next time, I'll be brave enough to do a denim on denim look with this. :P
 

 I was wearing: Zara jeans, jumper from Forever 21, Charles & Keith leopard print pumps.

an oldie but goodie

This is an old dress I picked up from H&M in 2010. Because of it's looseness, it's so comfortable to step into. For awhile, this was my go-to dress. 

I've recently dug it up out of my depths of my closet and have been wearing it almost regularly. I usually wear it with black leggings underneath which sort of gives it an off-duty ballerina vibe. 

Love the bell sleeves.

 

And the asymmetrical hemline. 

 

I was wearing: H&M dress (old), leggings from Cotton On, Charles & Keith court shoes.
 

if i were

Since it's the fashion month of September, I could totally wear this at a Fashion Week show. 

I just fell in love with this top the moment I saw it. I love the subtle Oriental print and these bell sleeves are awesome. 

 

Showing you how flouncy the sleeves are. The printed pants are eye-catching and pairs so perfectly with black. 

I was wearing: Top from Zara, Blanco (Athens) printed pants, Charles & Keith court shoes.

travel outfit

Just a selfie to show you what I consider my optimum travel outfit. Taken from my recent trip to Hong Kong.

My ~fanny pack to hold all my valuables (cash, passport, phone), backpack to hold all the bulkier stuff like water, snack, book (cause I never leave home without!), map, etc and the comfiest pieces of clothing and shoes I own! It continually puzzles me when I see tourists who know they will be spending the entire day sightseeing and yet choose to wear heeled sandals, party dresses (it's perfectly acceptable to wear a dress but a jewel-toned taffeta dress and I came across this more than once?!) and a clutch. *SMH* 

I was wearing: Loose tank from Cotton On, Forever 21 skinny jeans, Nike shoes, backpack from H&M Men's and belt bag gifted from Moro Mou (Athens).

bright

I woke up to a dark, gloomy and rainy day. To counter this, I decided to wear something bright!

When I picked up this neon pink girly skirt, I had this idea to pair it with men's tee. You know, to balance it off. 

And I think I finally found the perfect men's tee to pair with this in form of this boyfriend top.

And as usual, I applied my favorite partial tuck to avoid the shirt being too loosed.

I was wearing: Boyfriend tee from New Look, H&M skirt (old), Charles & Keith court shoes. 

birthday gifts

Love this beautiful printed top from Zara, a birthday gift I picked out (;P) from Ma. What's not to love - it has an interesting print and an oversized fit that works so well with my pencil skirts. 

 

Here I am pairing it with one of my favorite skirts. Love the proportion that a voluminous top and a pencil skirt creates. 

 

Also debuting my new haircut here. (Though I still miss my curls.)

Another birthday gift from Ma is this polka-dotted, silk bandana (again self-picked :P) also from Zara. I just fell in love as it reminds me of long summer days or lazing about in a yacht while cruising the Mediterranean. Ha! 

If I get tired using as bandana, this Fall 2013 campaign from Miu Miu offers a re-purposing idea:

 I was wearing: Oversized top from Zara (gifted!), pencil skirt from Rockwell (Manila), Charles & Keith court shoes. 

pastel

This light-colored combo is great for a hot day. 

Pairing this mint top with chambray is sort of an experiment. (I tend to gravitate to darker pairings with the chambray.)

 

To balance out the pastel shades, I paired with my studded gladiator sandals. 

I was wearing: Pullover and sandals from H&M, Cotton On shorts. 

braided

Tried something new with my hair (which is desperate need of a perming. :( )

 
Love going for simple outfits like this whenever I'm feeling lazy. A simple top paired with a great fitting pants can't go wrong. 

I was wearing: Printed tank from H&M, Mossimo skinny cargo pants (USA), Charles & Keith court shoes.

the haze

You might have heard of the nasty haze that enveloped the usually pollution-free Singapore a few weeks ago. During this time, the Pollution Standard Index (PSI) hit 400, the highest ever in years. For context, Singapore's normal PSI is in the 40s. 

Dressing during this time is the last thing in my mind because there was this constant feeling of a black film of dust enveloping you. The haze also caused nose & eye irritation (among other things). An N95 mask became the fashion it item. :P

I ran out of the N95 so I had to make-do with this surgical mask. 

 

But, you know, it's ~safe indoors. :)

 

Love the print on this oversized tee found at the Cotton On sale rack for $10!

I was wearing: Stradivarius printed leggings, Cotton On tee, ankle boots from Bershka.

music and me: bon iver

Last month, I launched a new series on the blog called Music and Me. You'll find my first entry here. Today, I am featuring another look inspired by another artist that I am absolutely in awe of - Bon Iver.

This indie folk band fronted by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon produces rich and melodic soundscapes accompanied by deeply personal and reflective lyrics. 

Here's one of the best live versions of Calgary, one of my favorite Bon Iver songs.

Frontman Justin Vernon is often in t-shirts and that hipster uniform, the plaid shirt.  

Beanie, plaid shirt, Ray-ban frames, skinny jeans and boots, disheveled hair. Yup. (Of course, the beanie was just for photo-op and didn't actually wear them out.)

Saw Justin Vernon performing their cover of I Can't Make You Love Me wearing a similar yellow beanie. Funny story about the beanie. I lost this twice - the first when I was biking on a rainy morning in Kos. Good thing the store I accidentally lost this in kept it aside for me. (It wasn't too difficult to forget me as I was probably the only Asian in the entire island!). Second while I was at my favorite bookstore in Athens. I 've walked around the store for a bit before I realized it was missing. Retraced my steps and found it. This really is for me. :)

I was wearing: Plaid shirt from Cotton On, Mossimo jean from Target (US), H&M boots and beanie.

1 skirt 2 looks

Last month, I told you about this new "circle skirt" that I picked up from New Look. I generally stay away from balloon skirts but I liked the fit when I tried it on and I wanted to try something different. (And I think this short balloon skirt is on trend as I see similar pairs at H&M and Topshop.) So far, I've been almost living in my new skirt. I wanted to avoid wearing this with a button-down which is probably how most people would wear this. Frankly, that bores me! Here are two looks I've done with the skirt.

Look 1: Relaxed fit

Paired with a loose jersey top for a relaxed look.

With my favorite partial tuck to show off the belt.

Look 2: Black and white

Paired with a simple black and white tank top. 

Paired with neutral lace-up booties.

And my silver statement necklace to dress up the tank top.

I am wearing:
Look 1: New Look skirt, top from Shana, Charles & Keith court shoes
Look 2: New Look skirt, tank top from Cotton On, Zara lace-up booties, Forever 21 statement necklace