Adventures In Watercolor: Doodlewash June 2019 pt II
Posted: July 17, 2019 Filed under: DIY | Tags: art, watercolor 1 CommentHere’s the second batch of my June Doodlewash paintings/sketches. July is turning out to be busier than I thought, so I don’t think I can participate in this month’s challenge, but it’s been really fun. My skill really improves by painting every day, I got more comfortable with drawing (I’ve never been great at drawing anyway) and my control of the colors and the amount of water got a lot better too. Hopefully I can paint more regularly once the entrance exams are over.
I was going to use this for the “Movies” prompt since it’s based on the sandstorm in Mad Max: Fury Road, but I decided “Sand” was more fitting
Floral Pocket
Posted: July 15, 2019 Filed under: Clothes, Style Imitating Art | Tags: black, black baggy pants, black loafers, style imitating art, white, white embroidered blouse 2 Comments
When I saw this week’s inspiration for SIA, a floral embroidered pocket from the 18th century, I knew I was going to wear my embroidered blouse. What to pair with it is another matter though. At first, I wanted to pick out some colors from the embroidery, but I’d already wear this blouse with my green pants (and for SIA too). In the end, I decided to go the easy route and wear my black pants because of the black background. It wasn’t until I uploaded these photos that I remembered my yellow culottes – which would look interesting as well. But never mind. I wore this to my second proctoring session, and yellow pants might be too distracting for the students. Black is a better choice.
Don’t forget to drop by Daenel’s blog on Wednesday to see other outfits inspired by this fun piece!
Second Chance
Posted: July 12, 2019 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: brown, brown flat sandals, gray, gray wide-leg pants, pink, pink gingham button-up 2 Comments
Remember these pants? I stupidly shrank them last year, and after trying to stretch them, I haven’t tried them on again to see how they turned out. Turns out they aren’t that bad. Not as bad as I’d imagined, anyway. They’re definitely shorter and less roomy in the legs than before, and not “dressy” enough for work anymore, but for casual wear, they’re still fine (I wore this to go shopping with my sister.) They were so shrunken that I was prepared to hand them down to my niece, so I’m just glad that they still fit.
Too Hot To Function
Posted: July 10, 2019 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: beige, beige flat sandals, blue, navy print culottes, white, white v-neck popover 2 Comments
Is summer over yet? No? This summer seems particularly long, probably because I still have to go to work. I’m proctoring our school’s entrance exams this week, which I’m not looking forward to at all. And of course, the temperature decides to go up to 100+ for the whole week. So this outfit is the best I can do while still maintaining some form of professionalism. I mean, if I’m going to spend 6 hours sitting around with nothing to do except to stare at a bunch of sweaty, nervous kids, I might as well be comfortable.
SIA Inspiration: 18th-century Pocket
Posted: July 8, 2019 Filed under: Style Imitating Art | Tags: style imitating art Leave a commentIt’s Daenel’s turn to host SIA, and she picks a really fun piece:
Can you guess what it is? It is not a handbag, but rather an 18th-century pocket! Back in the days, women’s pocket is not sewed into the clothes but a separate accessory tied around the waist, like a fancy fanny pack. The intricate embroideries of this particular pocket are truly impressive and can be a great source of sartorial inspiration. So put together an outfit and send it to Daenel (livingoutsidethestacks@gmail.com) by next Tuesday, July 16th. Enjoy!
Graduation Ceremony
Posted: July 5, 2019 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: ao dai, black, black culottes, brooch, red, red suede heels, white 3 Comments
Happy belated Fourth of July to my US readers! Hope you guys had a great celebration.
Last week, I’ve shared what I wore to be on the thesis committee, and this week, here’s what I wore to my students’ graduation ceremony. It’s a semi-formal occassion, so of course, I brought out my traditional Vietnamese áo dài. I was quite happy to realize that my shoes match the buttons and the stitching on the tunic almost exactly, and they added a nice pop of color. For a sentimental touch, I also added a brooch that my students gave me for Teacher’s Day last year.
The students, however, all decided to wear dresses instead, and I don’t blame them – áo dài can be uncomfortable/difficult to move around in (mine isn’t because it’s made of linen and has a looser fit.) My only problem with wearing áo dài, in fact, is that it’s a set, which means you can’t really mix and match it (I do wear the pants separately though). But it’s for special occassions only, so it’s fine.
SIA: Children At The Beach
Posted: July 3, 2019 Filed under: Clothes, Style Imitating Art | Tags: style imitating art 4 CommentsWelcome to another week of SIA! This week our inspiration is the summery, beachy watercolor painting by Post-Impressionist Maurice Prendergast, “Children at the Beach.” Let’s get to it!
First up we have our co-host Daenel, who put together a simple look with a lovely pale yellow top and jeans:
Next, we have a new SIA participant – Dotty! Check out her beach-ready outfit:
Long-time SIA participant Mike is back with a blue polo shirt, in his awesome new backyard:
Our other co-host, Kim, took inspiration from all of the blue tones in the painting:
Kezzie is adorable as always in her blue skirt, and, in keeping with the whole nautical theme, koi necklace!
And finally, here’s me:
Thank you for participating, and remember to check back next week for Daenel’s inspiration of choice!
