Strapless Summer Dress

It's a hot summer day (yes, it's still summer in LA in October!) and I decided to wear this bright strapless dress (plain ol' cotton). How to make it less revelaing for the office? A loose knit sweater over the top. Gold belt, large charm necklace. Viola! It's very "spring" with bright pink and green floral pattern, but it is fun and necessary to get out of my style rut. Gotta break up the routine. Adventures in fashion...

After the workday is through, that sweater becomes a shrug, showing off just a little skin. :)

Be adventurous today, even in a small way.

MIA Again!

Oh, so lame. I disappeared for another week. Sorry folks. My 3 followers must've been so sad. Are there other readers out there? Do I do this for an audience? It's a passion project, right? The kind you do out of love and not for glory? Sure. We'll stick with that.  I'm back in LA now after an intense and busy week of work-related travel. Saw great shops, clothes, chic European street-style, art, theatre...and had loads of tiring meetings as well. But back to the business at hand. MY personal style choices for living a fashionable life... Isn't that the theme of this weblog? Well, my advice is to do things you love doing and fill your time with those activities. It brings joy, peace, stress-release, and self-satisfaction. For me, it's all about being creative in all my endeavors. Creative and critical thinking, pushing past the obvious and easy, not being lazy or sedentary (in mind and body), being inspired by EVERYTHING! Is it a mind-set? Can anyone get there? Will it change your life? I can't answer that. I'm no guru.

That is my armchair philosophy/pep talk for the day. Here's my stylish outfit.:) Be well.

Jason Wu for Target sweater, white dress also Target, Miss L-Fire shoes via ModCloth, vintage button earrings.

lovely lace on lace...

Fun Friday Frock

I love this "film-strip" print frock from ModCloth. It's so cute. But... since the pattern is so busy and the dress is a bit too open at the bust and very short, it demands some extra accoutrement. Soft blue sweater, for comfy fuzzy warmth, and these silly and fun tights with silver stars. Excellent funky Xmas gift. Thank you, Frances.
I love this outfit. When I get dressed each day, I'm thinking, "What can I wear that is unique to ME?" Something no one else will be wearing today?" This outfit is certainly unique. :)
Have a great weekend!

What is "edgy"?

I tasked myself (as I always do) with challenging myself... in all ways. Including dressing and styling. Yesterday I posted that I would push style conventions a bit more. And I said "edgy"...but all night I thought about that...what is that?
I suppose like "style," it is subjective and can be interpreted in different ways. At first thought "edgy" is cutting edge, it's cutting, it's punk, it's aggressive, it's in your face like a blade, but it can also just be subversive and comically thumbing your nose at convention. I like both ideas. But edgy does not have to mean black leather and studs. Isn't this what Fashion forward means? Ignoring and bucking trends to do something different?

My advice:  As soon as you say to yourself, "what goes with this dress/top/skirt/shoes/whatever?" And you pick some matching item. Throw that thing in the back of the closet and go the other direction!

Sweater from H&M; Pants from Target; Shoes from ModCloth; Jewelry thrifted.

Work Wear

I love this comfortable sheath dress (INC from Macy's). And the fitted shape just lends itself to the "office wear" look -- it says "my clothes fit, i'm a serious person, and i mean business." A bright dress with a black jacket and flashy gold jewelry. The obvious thing would be to go for black shoes; but I hate to go for the obvious, so I chose burgundy leather heels and this graffiti bag. Hair pinned over to one-side. A fun outfit like this can make you feel good all day.

(That is what I'm all about! Feeling good about yourself!!! Everyone, get on board the self-confidence train!)

Dragon pin, thrifted gift from Karen

Made by Me stripes

Mixing prints is tough work. You have to be fearless! Adventurous! Daring! Just go for it. Stripes and polka dots (esp. black and white) are fairly easy to pair. I really enjoyed wearing this fun outfit.

I made this shirt -- perhaps "adorned it" is a better word. Lace and cut out flower appliques on an old striped t-shirt. REUSE REPURPOSE REINVIGORATE.

Belt, thrifted; Skirt by Kookai, thrifted; red beaded necklace... you guessed it...thrifted. :)

50's meets 80's

Rude girl 80's rock style, but just restrained enough for the office. 1950's housewife-dress paired with leopard print loafers, a black suit jacket, and chunky silver jewelry.  "This ain't no party, this ain't no disco, this ain't no foolin' around."

This vintage gray cotton dress (from Goodwill) was in need of some alterations. I took up the hem about 8 inches, took off the huge apron pockets and took the side seam in about 4 inches on each side. I'm loving it now. Cute and comfy.

That's my bike in the background. Yes, I ride in a dress. Everyday.

My advice, as always, is to MIX IT UP!
Happy styling!

Mix and Match

I was inspired by the dress (ModCloth soda fountain dress) to pair it with the red belt. I thought, "Desert sunset." Then I needed a sweater and this strawberry vintage cardigan had just a hint of red to match, but no yellow or gold so as not to be too matchy. I don't like matchy-matchy and I warn you to avoid it. It is too matronly and square. And I love preppy-style, but you can go country club without being overly conservative.
The green in the sweater inspired the green plastic rose earrings. What a fun dress-up day!

Notes on the sweater: It was a gift from a friend in a box of vintage. It is very old and worn with small holes. Over most of them I have sewn buttons of various reds. I like the added texture and uniqueness of that look, and I love buttons too. For the front closure buttons, the sweater had some mismatched plastic pearl buttons -- I replaced them all with slightly different greens but all the same size. This has become a special item that I will wear until the day it completely falls apart.

(Beaded necklace, Goodwill; earrings, gift; shoes, Remix; socks -- Little Tokyo mall -- I got into wearing these when I lived in Japan, now I can't bear to be without them. :)

Going Vintage

I love vintage clothes, thrift store finds, and modern re-makes on classic 40's and 50's styles. As someone who enjoys costumes and playing dress-up, I advise when wearing vintage, GO ALL OUT! Create your period look by honoring the classic silhouette of the time, embracing fabrics and textures of the time, consider accessories carefully (esp. the shoes!), and thoughtfully do your hair and/or makeup to contribute to the overall look. Have an adventure by living a day as if you are Ava Gardner or Rosalind Russell in an old Hollywood movie. Dress like a grand lady, and you'll feel like one.

(Top, ModCloth; Skirt, vintage Pendleton wool; Syllabus Heel, Miss L Fire for ModCloth.)

(Hair: Pull up side sections, twist and push forward for a bit of volume in the roll, then pin.)

New Skirt

I wandered into this Little Tokyo re-sale shop and saw some simple cotton w/ elastic waist skirts with pockets. I was inspired! So I went home and made my own. I'm really pleased with it and will definitely make more. You'll be able to find them on my etsy shop in a few weeks if you need one too.

I love unique things. One-of-a-kind items. That is why I make my own clothes and buy used items. I want to express my own personal style.

(Skirt paired with a pair of my favorite shoes, from Remix. T-shirt from Target; necklace from Goodwill.)