Shopping In My Closet: Sequins

One of the greatest perks of being a Business major at UW is not having class on Fridays. This being said, you'd assume that I would take full advantage and do something really cool, or at least get some work done. Nope. This is what usually happens on Friday mornings (BTW, Friday mornings extend to 3PM).

Before you judge, the reason behind this disaster is my favorite Friday morning activity... playing dress up. But for the sake of my 20-year-old dignity, I prefer to call it "shopping in my closet." It starts out with trying to figure out what I'm going to wear, and after a series of swaps, I throw on something totally impractical that I've neglected and try to re-style it.

Today, this was what I came up with. Take a guess on what the piece was!

If you guessed the sequin skirt, you're half right. It's actually a dress, originally worn like this. I've worn this a grand total of 2 times and I was starting to lose hope until I put on a cropped top. But even after the top, something was boring me so I grabbed the closest bright object, which happened to be a salmon pink scarf, and fashioned it into a belt. Maybe it's the colors, but something about this outfit reminds me so much of Kate Spade--and I love it!

P.S. Please please please ignore the UGGs... Those are usually reserved for special nights when I study until 5 AM, clad in an impressive ensemble of yoga pants, HS tennis t-shirt & a hoodie. College, ya'll.

P.P.S. I didn't actually wear this outfit today. It was pouring rain. It's February. I'm in Seattle... But it's definitely one I'll remember later for warmer, fancier days :)

Bottom Photo: Cropped knit (Urban Outfitters), Scarf (Fuego), Dress (Express)

Stacks on Stacks--Lessons in Layering: Necklaces

As I said in the previous post, I'm a costume jewelry fiend. Although bracelets are certainly my muse right now, necklaces are what got me started. This particular one was an earlier favorite, although some of the baubles have fallen off and it has certainly seen its better days.

But I had been avoiding it lately, because I've worn it so much over the years, and it was getting quite boring. But one adventurous day, I drew inspiration from my tendency to stack bracelets and set out on a mission to buy a basic gold necklace that would be a perfect layering piece. This one did the trick!

I saw this piece immediately after I walked into the store, and even though I usually don't grab the first thing I see, the texture and color were too perfect to give up.

And... voila! Fixed the necklace for good. Although this idea wasn't that innovative, it made me so happy to breathe some new life into an old favorite! I'm probably heavily biased, but I certainly think that the added chain makes this necklace look much more interesting and sophisticated.

Anyone else with a fun jewelry layering experience?

Top Photo: Bauble Necklace (AEO--Old but similar here)
Middle Photo: Gold Chain Necklace (F21)

Times Are A-Changin': Bracelets

My first *real* post! I decided to start entries titled "Times Are A-Changin", a series of tales dedicated to me rebelling against my self-imposed fashion rules.

Long ago, I banished bracelets from my shopping realm. As a perpetually writing/typing student, the jingling drove me nuts, and bangles always traveled far too long on my arms/hands, thanks to my small Asian wrists. However, as I started following fabulous blogs like Atlantic-Pacific and Man Repeller, I reconsidered. These ladies had the art down to a tee, and I came to the realization that  layering bracelets could be a fun new way of accessorizing, rebelling against my staple statement necklace routine.

And so, off to the mall I went. Anyone that knows me at all knows that I looove inexpensive costume jewelry, so F21 was my first stop. As for the small wrists issue, I still avoid round bangles because they're awkward on my arms, but I'm all open to oval hinge cuffs and adjustable chain bracelets! I also try to layer them in order so that smaller bracelets will hold up the larger cuffs.

This was the haul from my first bracelet hunting adventure, and I fell so in love with these that it quickly led to my second haul...

Well, the middle one is a hair tie, a lifetime habit. As for the skull bracelet, I'm really not a skull person by any means (if you need any assurance, my entire room is pink & green...) but I fell in love with it instantly. I want to go to a craft store and hot glue gun some rhinestones into the hollowed eyes, but we'll see... I may end up buying a second one in case I mess up!

Anyone else with an unhealthy obsession with the "Arm Party"?

Top Photo: Pyramid Hinge Bracelet (F21), Leatherette Wrap (Similar here), Braided Bracelet (Similar here)Bottom Photo: J.Crew, goody hair tie, Skinny Torq Bracelet (ASOS)

A Fresh Start

Since it's a new year and all, I thought it was time to start a new blog. I wasn't too engaged with my wordpress blog, and thought a different interface might help me out.

The blog name was inspired by "This American Life," a section of an NPR broadcast that my dad always listens to while in the car. I just thought I would tweak the phrase a bit to better suit my lifestyle.

Stay tuned!