peitience is a virtue
On Proportions & Balance
Two of the most important things to keep in mind when dressing yourself are proportions and balance. Just take a look here. When I was brainstorming pairings for the blazer I thought that this maxi dress would look good with the blazer.
I was wrong.
Clearly, I was not thinking when I put this outfit together. I forgot that the blazer is long and hits me a little past the hips. This layered on top of my dress that already reached the floor, made me look..squat? hahaha Either way it doesn’t look good. I was embarrassed about making the mistake, but I figured I would still post it to demonstrate what NOT to do and give you guys a good laugh. :P
What would I pair this dress instead? I think a cropped jean jacket would be pretty cute! Anything like cardigans or jackets that hit me at the waist would probably look pretty good. Something long, paired with something short. Plus, it’ll give me the illusion that I’m taller, whee!
So, what are some guidelines to remember when dressing yourself? One I follow is to not a tight top with a tight bottom. Ex. If I’m wearing leggings I will wear a long (past my butt of course :P) flowy tunic shirt.
Do you guys have any guidelines you follow? Please share! Maybe I’ll do a post in the future to demonstrate such guidelines. :)
Outfit Detail:
Maxi dress: Target (XS is the perfect length for my short 5’2” stature, whoo!)
Blazer: H&M
On a Closet Staple: the Casual Blazer
I have two blazers that I bought last summer suitable for business casual attire. I got both from Gap and I think they were worth the money. Gap offers petite sizing, and the sleeve length fits me perfectly. Plus, the linings in the blazers are pretty so it looks really nice when you roll up the sleeves, which I do for a more casual look. I have the jackets in light grey and navy blue. The blazers I have aren’t on the website anymore, but I did find a similar pinstriped one.
Due to the length and style of the blazer, it isn’t suitable for everyday wear. I wore the Gap blazers to conferences, business casual meetings, etc. However, I soon realized that I wanted a more casual blazer to wear that wouldn’t make me look overdressed for daytime or overly business-like for just a nice dinner. There’s a fine line, of course, one that I just made up. hahahaha Hopefully some of you reading know what I mean.
It was a bit of a struggle for me to find a casual blazer that fit my almost non-existent budget. I found this one at H&M this spring and at $25 I was still kind of on the fence about it, but eventually succumbed to my “need” for it. :P
The longer length, straight shape (meaning not fitted), and boxy, over-sized pockets make it seem more casual and thus exactly what I was looking for. I think it was a worthy purchase because like I demonstrate in the pictures- the blazer can go with something as casual as a tank top to a nice top and skirt combo. So versatile! And if you know me, you know I like versatility. Thus, I believe a casual blazer is a closet staple. :)
Outfits’ Details:
Blazer: H&M
White tank: Forever 21
Jeans: Bullhead (sold at PacSun)
Cream flow-y shirt: Cotton On
Green tank: Forever 21
Black skirt: Forever 21
Ignore the flip flops. :P And thank you for reading! :)
On a Jacket for Spring & Summer
A few months ago I was looking for a jacket that was lightweight enough for the warmer months that were to come. On tumblr and in magazines I noticed that utility jackets were popping up everywhere! Also, around that time Hunger Games came out so I think that’s why more masculine khaki/tan/brown jackets increased in popularity as a result of Katniss’ character.
Anyways, I stumbled across this jacket at Forever 21 over spring break. It was exactly what I was looking for! Little did I know it would stay chilly on campus until the last week of school. :P Well, the weather has certainly warmed up since I bought the jacket, and since it gets chilly at night here in Irvine, I’ve been able to get more wear out of it. I love this jacket because it is light, thin, and has more of a masculine touch. I’ll admit sometimes I wish it was a bit thicker, but that’s just because I get cold easily.
The jacket has a drawstring at the waist that allows it to be cinched. I figured I wouldn’t tie the drawstring into a bow often, but I still wanted that cinched look to make the jacket look more fitted. My solution was to cinch the jacket at the waist, and just tie a knot higher up on the drawstring so the jacket wouldn’t come un-cinched. I hope that makes sense…haha
Anyways, I wanted to showcase the different looks I can accomplish with this jacket- from casual to almost smart casual. Ignore the flip flops! I was too lazy to change shoes. hahaha
Outfits’ Details:
Jacket: Forever 21 -mine seems to be a different color than the one pictured on the website; similar jacket also from Forever 21
Outfit 1: Short-sleeved hooded sweater from Madewell, leggings from Charlotte Russe
Outfit 2: Shirt from H&M, jeans from Bullhead (sold at PacSun)
Outfit 3: Tank dress from H&M
Flip flops (for those who are curious hahaha): Rainbows
The How-To Guide for “Big Hair, Big..Personality? ;)“
I’ve had my short hair for about 2 months now, and I’m still loving it. Kind of. I still love the fact that it is easy to maintain and style, but I miss braiding and curling SO MUCH. My hair has grown out to a length I thought I could curl, but after a few semi-successful tries near the end of school I almost admitted defeat to my pin-straight hair.
Well, you all should know by now that I’m stubborn. This past week I decided not to let my short hair stop me from being able to curl my hair! Just because I had short hair doesn’t mean it has to be straight all the time, and to be honest I was starting to get bored that it always looked the same.
I didn’t bring my curling iron with me to Irvine because I didn’t think I’d use it and so one morning I started searching frantically in my mom’s bathroom for her old curling iron (not ceramic!). I raised that curling iron in victory when I found it and quickly got to work.
It turned out…okay. I was better than the previous tries, but still not up to par with what I wanted. Also, I went to the beach that day and the wind just tore it apart. :( I tried curling it again on Friday, and hey what do ya know! It turned out FABULOUS. Below, I will share with you how you can get the same curls I got on my asymmetrical bob haircut!
Materials:
- 1” curling iron
- hair clips
- bobby pins
- Mousse to hold your curl- I used Herbal Essences Totally Twisted mousse and my curls lasted honestly all day!!
- Hair spray for the short side of your bob
Directions:
- Use day old hair. Freshly washed hair won’t hold curls as well! I curled my hair in the morning after having washed it the night before. Still turned out good!
- Divide your hair into 3 sections horizontally, and clip the first two up and out of the way.
- Start curling the bottom layer of hair- all going away from your face. I have really short hair on one side so I just do what I can with it.
- Let down the second section (middle horizontal section) of hair. This time, curl towards your face. Again, I did what I could with the really short layers. I left the hair on the right side of my head where my hair is the shortest alone. I’ll get to why later.
- Let down the third and final (top) section of hair. Curl the hair like you did with the bottom layer- away from your face. The reason why I alternated the direction of the curls every layer was so the curls wouldn’t just all bunch up together. It also provides good volume! The bigger the better, yes? :D
- When your hair is all curled and has cooled a little bit, run some mousse (I used two large dollops) through it with your fingers, and scrunch up the curls a bit with your hands to help it retain its shape and bounce. Actually, I usually use mousse before I curl my hair, but I forgot to this time. Luckily, the curls still held!
- Lastly, pull the hair on the side of your head with the shortest hair, back and against your scalp. , and hairspray. Pin it down with a bobby pin or two. This keeps you from looking like you forgot to curl one side of your head. hahaha It hides the straight hair I guess.
And voila you’re done! My hair was huge after I curled it and at first I thought “crap, this looks ridiculous- my hair is too big!” Yet, I was in love with the curls and thought “to hell with it! I love it and I’m going to rock it.” Knowing my hair might get me a couple of weird glances caused me to sort of have this surge of confidence before I walked out the door, which kept me smiling all day and not self conscious about my hair at all. :)
Hope you like how the curls turned out! Thank you for reading, and let me know if you have any questions. Sorry I don’t have individual pictures for each step, or a cool YouTube video to go along with it. :P
The Hi-low Skirt
Hi-low skirts and dresses (front is shorter than the back) are pretty popular right now! After seeing them all over lookbook.nu, two of my favorites are from Jessica R. (1,2). Plus, she’s absolutely gorgeous (I want her legs)!!
After searching online and in-stores for a hi-low skirt, I found one that I really liked at Cotton On. This skirt was a bit pricey for my taste ($25), and I haven’t decided if I will keep it or not. I actually still have the tag on! :P Let me know if you like it and think I should keep it.
Since the skirt is a solid color and has no texture to it, I decided to pair it with a top that had some. This ruffled top is a good neutral color that gives the skirt some contrast and helps the color of the skirt stand out and become the focus of the outfit. If you want a to pair a top with ruffles with a hi-low skirt, I would stay away from a ruffles that run horizontally. I tried on a top with ruffles like that and since those ruffles run parallel to the hem of the skirt, it looked kind of funky. :P
I have a confession to make. I cheated a bit with this skirt. It’s a bit too big for where I want it to sit at my waist and my solution to that was to add a belt! I didn’t add the belt with the intention to accessorize the outfit. However, I was pleased with the outcome! Doesn’t look too bad right? And it holds the skirt up, perfect!
I really like how this outfit looks altogether so I think I’m going to save it to wear next weekend when I go down to San Diego. :) Hope you like it!
Additional ideas:
Pair with a fitted top, since the skirt is so flowy, for a balanced outfit.
Pair with a white top for more contrast (suggested by @ericabasolo).
Outfit details:
Top: Foreign Exchange (borrowed from sister’s closet)
Skirt: Cotton On (bought- don’t forget to tell me if I should keep it or not!)
Shoes: Steve Madden (bought- on sale for $31!)
Necklace: Swarovski (gift from friend’s mom for high school graduation)
Belt: taken from a dress I got from Forever 21
A Funky Necklace
I bought this necklace yesterday from a cute little boutique at The Lab in Costa Mesa. The place was called The Shangri-la and the owner is only 25! The girl was gorgeous and makes a lot of the jewelry herself! Her stuff is beautiful, but because it’s hand-made with such quality materials it can get a bit pricey. The necklaces my friend and I got were on sale for only $10, but sadly not made by the owner. I think I want to make another trip back to the adorable little trailer she sells her stuff out of (chalkboard ceiling!) and maybe I’ll catch a sale on some of her stuff.
I wanted to wear the necklace with an outfit that made it stand out, but not with something as casual as a t-shirt. I found in my sister’s closet this sheer button up top and thought it was perfect! I decided to pair the shirt with these cobalt pants because it’d add an awesome splash of color to the outfit. :D
The necklace and jeans contributed to my…uhh, let’s say “chic urban look” (or is it urban chic??!?) and so to amplify that I decided to braid the shorter side of my hair. I realized later that the blue studs I had on matched my pants, perfect! They were $5 at BP (junior section) of Nordstrom. :)
Later on, my ldbf came to pick me up to go to dinner and low and behold- we matched almost exactly! hahahahaha She bought a necklace from the same boutique yesterday and I guess we had the same train of thought when thinking of how to show them off! Too funny. I’m pretty sure people looked at us funny, but oh well! It was unintentional, I swear!
Additional ideas:
Wear a bandeau underneath the top.
Pair top with other colored bottoms or just blue denim.
Outfit details:
Top: sister’s closet
Pants: Charlotte Russe
Earrings: tomas (at Nordstrom)
Necklace: The Shangri-La
Watch: Fossil
Belt: H&M
Part 4 of my mini-series on accessories which focuses on necklaces! Sorry I put this up so late! Summer got in the way. ;)
These are the 3 “big necklaces” that I have. I call them big because well, they’re big! To me at least. Because these necklaces stand out more than a pendant necklace, I would pair them with a more neutral colored and simple outfit.
First up is the coral-pink necklace in the middle. It is made up of about 6-7 strands of beads of all sizes and shades of coral-pink. This is a shorter necklace that sits, at its longest length, right below my collar bone. Better paired with a top that has a higher neckline. This was a gift from many many years ago.
Second, is the wooden beads necklace I got also many many years ago from Heritage 1981 (when it still had stand alone stores!). This was the first “big” necklace I bought and it hasn’t gotten much wear over the last…4+ years?! Now you see why I want to practice accessorizing more? I gotta put these things to good use! I was intrigued by the colors, neutral with a pop of purple from the flowers drawn on the beads. I also liked that this necklace is tied with a ribbon. How fun!
Lastly, is this multi-tiered necklace that might be hard to see in the first picture so hopefully the second picture gives you a better idea of what it looks lie. I got this last summer at Old Navy to wear to my sister’s graduation. I love that although it’s a gold-plated piece, the “jewels” are pastel colored so they aren’t overwhelming. I think this would be great to put over a solid top to give it some dimension and color. I like to wear it with a navy colored silk top I have.
Well, this concludes my mini-series on accessories! If you want to take a look at everything again here is the intro, part 1, part 2, and part 3. Thank you so much for reading!
