February 7th

After having a cocktail at dinner with my friend on the 30th of January, I let my inhibitions down and said "YOLO" to shipping costs and bought this "V-Neck Pullover Sweater" for $8.10, "Hammered Triangle Short Necklace" for $5.00, and "Extreme Push-Up Bra" for $8.00 on Charlotte Russe's online store. My package arrived on Tuesday, the 4th, and naturally, I spent 1-2 hours playing with clothes in my closet in order to find an outfit that worked for my new items. The sweater was a lot looser, yet fitted in the arms, than I thought it would be. To remedy this situation, I accessorized the sweater with a black cami and belt that I got for free last semester through an ASOS Scavenger Hunt on campus. Before this sweater, I had no use for the belt. When playing with my clothes, I also put on the push-up bra. The push-up bra instantly created cleavage, but unfortunately it is a tad big for me, so I did not wear it this past Friday. I did wear a smaller "regular push-up bra," though. Lastly, because the belt had a hint of gold, I paired the necklace with this outfit. This is the same necklace I had been pining for months, and I finally got it because Charlotte Russe is one smart cookie, who leaves things you looked at months ago in your cart. The sweater was also a v-neck, which made pairing the necklace with it an easy choice to cover up my bare neck. I finished off the color scheme with black jeans and one-inch gold heels in an effort to wear heels more and enhance my height. These heels had been sitting in my mom's closet for years before I decided to add them to my wardrobe. The addition of the heels added a subtle touch of sexiness to complete this going-out outfit.

February 1st

This outfit is the antithesis of the saying, "When shopping, buy outfits" because for a long while, I didn't know what to wear with this cardigan (Belk, <$15). My mom and I just bought it because it was pretty and at that point, I didn't have many cardigans in my wardrobe. Flash forward at least five years later, my mom gives me the blouse (Belk, <$15) when she visited me in college. At this stage in my life, I rarely take clothes that my mom picks out for me, but I took this one because it was actually from the junior section and not the kid section. I also took it because I didn't own any lace in my closet. However, I just metaphorically threw it in my closet and didn't bring it out until months later. That's when I realized that the front was entirely see-through, so I had to do something about it. At first, I wore it with a pink blazer without a cami underneath, but then I played with all the clothes in my closet to reach this combination. I added the cami and scarf (Winter Break Purchase #3, $5.50, Wet Seal) to complete the winter look i.e. make myself warmer. I also chose to wear this outfit on this day because we were visiting my grandparents' house to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and I was inspired by the flowers traditionally adorning houses in Vietnam during the new year. Albeit, those flowers are pink and yellow, but you get the point.       

Winter Break Purchase #2

What: Floral jeans
When: December
Where: JCPenney Outlet
Price: 5-7 dollars (I forgot the exact price)
How: The local JCPenney Outlet was closing, so my sister and I decided to check out the final sales. I went in looking for sweaters but came out with a new pair of jeans.

Comments I received:
"Are those pajama pants?"
"I like your pants."
"I'm feeling them to see what kind of fabric it is because they don't look like jeans."

Leggings as Pants

Yesterday, I tweeted "#teamtooscaredtorevealmybutttowearleggingsaspants," but today I changed my mind because leggings are probably the perfect winter bottom (The real story is it was so cold yesterday that I wore leggings under my jeans and was too lazy to ever take them off). They're perfect because they're so comfortable, and they cling to your legs to keep you warm. I also realized I have assets, so why not show them off? I mean, I can't be single for the rest of my life, right? Because these leggings are 3/4 lengths, I paired them with my long fuzzy socks to keep the rest of my legs warm. I'll also probably wear boots with this outfit because anything else would look weird. For the top, I added two necklaces to make this plain shirt flashier. This outfit has a very different style from the outfit I wore yesterday because it's more close-fitting and cuter. However, this outfit also gets me closer to looking like the common white girl. All I need is a Northface jacket and Uggs to complete this look. Too bad Northface jackets and Uggs are too expensive and mainstream for this blog (I would not be against owning those items if I had the money; I just wouldn't feature them in this blog).

Winter Break Purchase #1

Snowy weather dawned Charlottesville today, which forced me to wear shoes with traction. This is the first time wearing my new rain boots from The Shoe Dept ($16.97, Clearance section; did not plan to buy them at all; saw kids' rain boots on sale first, but they lit up). Having only slept one and half hours, I threw this outfit on with the intention of just keeping warm. I kept it simple with a navy sweater, but added detail with my coat and rain boots. I even mixed patterns, but kept the color scheme the same.  

Christmas

Update: I fixed two of my necklaces, including the one I mentioned two posts ago, with pliers-what an amazing tool!

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays because it's one of the few times that everyone dresses nicely without being asked to do so. The winter wardrobe offers many styles that people can pick and choose from to create their Christmas outfit. My sister went the ugly Christmas sweater route. Our baby cousin sported similar attire with the classic male sweater vest, while the kid cousin and I opted to wear dresses. I turned my regular neutral toned dress into a more winter outfit by adding leggings and a bow necklace, to represent a bow on a present. However, I’m not writing this post to talk about my own outfit, but to talk about my teenage cousin’s outfit. She had planned on wearing a gold and white striped sweater with a red cardigan, but when she put on the sweater, it didn’t fit her the way she wanted to: it was loose. She did not know what to do, but she found a gold belt of hers. I suggested she tie it on her waist, but alas she did not want to accentuate her waist. Then, voila, she had this brilliant idea to tuck the sweater in her pants and use the belt on her jeans. The outfit was not complete just yet. The finishing touch was a feather necklace that I gave her two years ago as a Christmas present-finally a gift of mine that I see being used! I might be biased, but the necklace turned that outfit from a 9 to a 10 by adding a defining and noticeable piece. Not only that but I was also amazed by how the ensemble came together from something my cousin hated to something we all loved with just a few simple accessories and a simple color scheme of red, gold, and white.

Fashion Shows

I never understood why certain fashion shows were so extravagant until I saw a fashion show at JMU's akdphi's Real Dukes Wear Pink Charity Ball. The fashion show was, to be honest, boring because it showcased everyday outfits that weren't revolutionary. That's when I realized that fashion shows need to be different in order to capture the audience's attention. Different doesn't necessarily mean avant-garde. Different just means something that's not seen every day, as in the case of many cultural show's fashion shows. For example, the Vietnamese Student Associations's fashion show consists of many beautiful traditional dresses or ao dai that one doesn't get to see on a regular basis. Today, I watched for the first time, the Victoria's Secret Annual Fashion Show and was blown away by the creativity of these designers. Yes, no one would wear these outfits in real life, but that's the point-a fashion show with just bras and panties wouldn't be interesting at all nor would it sell. Add in music and some pretty confident models, and bam! a real spectacle is born that actually lives up to its name, "show."