Monday, December 31, 2012

All Dressed Up, With Nowhere To Go...


New Year's Eve is not my holiday. The fundamental problem is I don't particularly like staying up late. But there are secondary problems too.  My local friends are often out of town, and my friends in the city are at all night dance parties which sound exhausting.  My mother hates for me to be out driving. So as you would expect with this attitude, I rarely have somewhere to go. However, as you may have seen with my sequin post, I still use NYE as an excuse to buy something (s) sequined.  So just like last year, I depressingly dressed up my dress form to go to a mythical soirée.  I chose this amazing sequined skirt from Forever 21. I think it's really unique and detailed for $25 (and channels of all this '20s  deco glamour in the run-up to the Gatsby release) To focus the attention on the amazing detail of the skirt, a v-neck T in a neutral which matches the skirt perfectly. For accessories, I went with a delicate charm necklace in a matte metal finish and an chain mail crossbody bag with oversize bow (much more practical than a clutch--especially if you're a dress form with no arms!)

Old Navy T / F21+ Sequined Scalloped Skirt / ModCloth Bag / Urban Outfitters Necklace






On the upside, I have an outfit idea I really like at the ready for any evening occasion in 2013. Happy New Year!

Black & Blue

Old Navy Shirt & Jeans / ASOS Blazer / American Eagle Moto Boots / Banana Republic Bag / Target Shades

I really like this blazer. It's in a sweatshirt-type material. I also have a similar one in black. It's just as comfortable as a sweatshirt with the polish of a blazer. I wore it secondhand-shopping in San Francisco.   To combat the cold, I added this scarf in the same colors.

And for your viewing pleasure, the lead single of of Black & Blue. In retrospect it was their laziest video, but it holds the record for number one days on TRL.



Big Changes...

I've finished with my temporary teaching position and have moved back home. Before I moved on, however, my students saw a picture of me at my undergrad graduation and encouraged me to go back blonder. So that's what I did once I was back in town to my trusted stylist, Sharon. Too bad they won't get to see it!

During:



After:

I had my stylist straighten my hair as well, since I rarely have the patience to do it myself (it takes about an hour).




A Histrionic Holiday


ASOS Peplum (other colors available and on sale here)/  Old Navy Pleated Maxi /
ModCloth "Bollywood Starlet" Necklace  

If you know me and and/or are religious reader of my blog, you know I love holidays. Especially holidays that require specific attire and have prescriptive color palates. As such, it's hard for me to break away from the red and green. Instead of fighting the holiday cheer impulse; for my Christmas Eve outfit, I tried to mix it up with a lime instead of forest green. I paired this bold maxi skirt with a bright red top from ASOS, with the peplum hem tucked in.


 Velvet Gap City Flats

Friday, December 21, 2012

Obsession du Jour: Sequins! Sequins!

Raglan Sweater/ Pailette Bodice Dress / Feather Patterned Top

Nothing says ringing in the New Year like sequins! Here are some of the plus size pieces that I've bought or am coveting this season.

Sweatheart Peplum / Peplum Top / Tank


 Kimono Jacket (reduced)  /  Blazer (reduced)

Friday, December 7, 2012

What to Wear: Chaperone




Recently I was on chaperone duty at my middle school's semi-formal winter dance. I had a great time admiring the girls' dresses (lots of sequins, chiffon, brocade, and hi-low hems). The boys cleaned up nice, too! As for my outfit, I still wanted to be dressed up and festive but also work appropriate. I went with a lace and chiffon overlay dress by ASOS (Spring '12?), a gold skinny belt, and wide-calf leather boots by Naturalizer.  I added a faux-leather flower hair clip from Forever 21, they have some really cute hair accessories this holiday season. I got several compliments from the girls, so I consider it a successful outfit. And as for the chaperoning, everyone was well excellently behaved except for the balloon popping. But what do you expect when you put balloons on a gym floor with 13 year old boys?


Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving

ASOS Dress, Alloy Heels, F21 Necklace

I love the holiday time because I get see my family and friends and dress up. This year for Thanksgiving I went with a berry-colored dragonfly printed skater dress from ASOS.  I'm very particular about matching purples (something about if they have more red or blue undertones makes it hard for me) but these ones all were close enough in hue that it worked out.



Thursday, August 2, 2012

Last Interview Outfit!

With the world's largest artificial artichoke

This is my interview outfit for the day. I'd say it was successful since I got an offer! I went with a Peter Pan Collar Apple Print Blouse from Forever 21+.  I thought it was a fun print for a teacher. I made the outfit professional with a tulip suit skirt from Eloquii, my new favorite work clothing destination.

F21+ Blouse, Urban Outfitters Wayfarers ,Eloquii Skirt (on sale), Old Navy Kitten Heels , ASOS Belt (on sale)

F21+ Cardigan

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Water Lilies

ASOS Curve Dress

Another day, another interview. Since it was a bit warmer today I decided to go with a dress instead of my skirt suit. I took my mother's suggestion and wore the scarf that I bought her from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Catalog. Monet is our favorite artist, and the color palate worked perfectly with the dress. I further incorporated the color inspiration from the scarf in these super comfortable ModCloth wedges.

Wedges: Mod ClothScarf: The Met Store

Sunday, July 15, 2012

It's Easy Being Green...



I know I've been raving a lot recently about Eloquii, the Limited's new plus line. This classic sheath styling with the pleating at the shoulders feels very vintage yet wearable. Here I've styled it with a belt that came with a different Forever 21 dress and a brooch to really drive home the green palate.


Saturday, July 14, 2012

A Walk On The Wild Side

ASOS Curve Dress (last season), Gap Tank, Gomax Sandals (last season, via Piperlime)

Monday, July 2, 2012

Professional Chic

Blazer: Eloquii, Necklace: Old Navy, Michael Kors Shades 

Today I had a job interview in a little town on the Coast. After the interview we stopped by the beach to snap a few pics of my outfit. My blazer is by Eloquii, the Limited's new plus line. I have worn pieces from them to all my interviews, they are good quality and fit me well.


Dress: ASOS Curve

Moss Landing's Famous Power Plant & Marina


Sunday, June 24, 2012

Daytime Sequins



This weekend I visited my best friend Edwin in San Francisco. Since it was Pride weekend, I wanted to add a little sparkle via this paillette-encrusted blouse.

Naturalizer Wide Calf Boots, Old Navy Jean Leggings, Forever 21+ Blouse


Kate Spade Gumdrop Studs, Tru.che CA Necklace, Old Navy Round Sunglasses

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Graduation



Yesterday I graduated with my teaching credential from UC Davis. Since I knew this outfit was going to be under a black robe, I wanted to put together an outfit in black that would work for the ceremony and then transition to the party afterwards. I chose this simple dress accented with a high-low hem and punched up with a bold statement necklace.  I also added a beaded clutch with the same yellow accent color and cage sandals.

Dress: ASOS Curve, Necklace: Piperlime, Sandals: Zappos


Forever 21 beaded clutch (in store), Kate Spade Sunglasses







Saturday, June 9, 2012

Shopping in the City

Alloy Cuffed Jeans, F21+ Blouse, Chanel Sunglasses, Thrifted Loafers,
 Impressionist Tote  from Museum Gift Shop

Monday, May 21, 2012

Retro Style

This week my students are doing presentations on the decades of the 20th Century. They are getting extra credit for dressing up in the clothing of their era, so I am going to as well.

1940s-Inspired:

Dress w/belt: ASOS Curve, Wedges: Old Navy

I added these Wayfarer style sunglasses to complete the Old Hollywood look:

Old Navy


Sunday, May 20, 2012

What I Wore: Farm Bonfire

Kenneth Cole Boots, F21+ Dress, Old Navy Jacket, Michael Kors Shades

May is a very busy birthday month for my family and friends. Yesterday was mine, and I celebrated at a friend's bonfire on his beautiful farm. Since it was my birthday I decided to go with an attention-grabbing bright red sundress, studded suede boots and and my trusty medium wash denim jacket.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

What I Wore: Snoop Dogg Concert


I recently went to see Snoop Dogg peform at the Dixon Mayfair. He showed up more than an hour after the opening act had finished (suprise, suprise), but he was really amazing.  For concerts, instead of trying to match my clothing to the act's style, I just try to dress cute for me. I chose a maxi strapless dress that could handle the 20 degree temperature fluctuation from afternoon to evening.



Forever 21+ Tribal Maxi
Vinca Camuto Malinda