Patchwork Girl
Posted: June 29, 2020 Filed under: Clothes, Style Imitating Art | Tags: beige plaid dress, belt, blue, blue button-up, brown, brown heeled oxfords, style imitating art 3 Comments
For this week’s SIA, inspired by Anne Ryan’s “Number 453” (it looks like patchwork, hence my post title), I knew I’d wear something blue and something plaid, both of which I have plenty of in my closet. However, I didn’t want to wear my blue jean culottes again, and my plaid shirt doesn’t quite match the colors of the piece.
Then, by a stroke of luck, I came across this plaid dress at an online thrift store, so I snatched it up. The problem is, I didn’t realize it was an empire-waist dress (that’s the thing with thrifting online; the photos can look deceiving) and the top is too short on me. Luckily, the waist is elasticated, so I could just unbutton the top, tuck it into the waistband, and voila, I have a skirt! I paired it with my blue linen shirt, brown oxfords, and navy belt, and it’s a perfectly acceptable outfit for SIA. I thought about chopping off the top of the dress to turn it into a skirt permanently, but in the end, I decided to keep it as a dress. That way, I can wear it both as a skirt and a dress.
Don’t forget to check out Daenel’s blog on Wednesday to see other outfits inspired by this piece!
One Dress Two Ways
Posted: June 12, 2020 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: belt, blue, brooch, brown, brown flat sandals, navy print dress, red, red suede heels 2 Comments
I’m definitely wearing more dresses this summer. Usually, I don’t worry much about my summer style, because at this time of year, my work would be winding down as we prepare for the summer break, but due to the pandemic, we are still playing catch-up and it looks like we’re going to be working all summer. This means I have to step up my style a little, but dresses are an easy way to look put-together. Before, I used to stay away from dresses because one dress is just one silhouette, but now, thanks to all these cotton dresses I recently thrifted, I can vary my looks without feeling like I’m repeating myself.
Vintage Girl
Posted: June 3, 2020 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: belt, brown, brown loafers, yellow, yellow printed dress 1 Comment
If you’ve been reading the blog for a while then you know I’ve always lamented the lack of thrift/vintage shops in Vietnam. Well, during the quarantine, I was browsing around Instagram out of boredom and stumbled upon a few local vintage/second-hand shops – it’s where I got this dress, this dress, and the dress I’m wearing here. You can imagine my excitement, and I’ve been happily replenishing my closet since. In fact, I’ve made a point to only buy second-hand from now on, including shoes. I have enough basic stuff in my closet to last me a long time, so I can just replace things as I go.
The good thing about thrifting now, as opposed to when I first started the blog, is that I have a clearer idea of what I like, so I’m more selective about what I buy. Of course, the cheap price is still a temptation, but I’ve tried to be more conscientious (before I buy anything, I always try to come up with at least three-five outfits for it) and so far everything I’ve bought has worked out – as you’ll see.
A Little Teapot
Posted: May 18, 2020 Filed under: Clothes, Style Imitating Art | Tags: belt, black, black loafers, brooch, green, light green shirt dress, style imitating art 3 Comments
I struggled a bit with this week’s SIA, inspired by this gorgeous Worcester teapot. I may have the individual pieces, but they don’t all go together, and I didn’t want to force them together just for the sake of mimicking the inspiration exactly. In the end, I decided to just go for the general feel of the piece rather than being literal.
By a stroke of luck, I recently found this dress in an online thrift store, and the color and the delicate embroideries on the top kind of remind me of the lighter part of the teapot, and I paired it with this braided belt to mimic the handle and my bird brooch is a nod to both the birds and the gold touches in the design. All in all, I’m happy with the outfit, even if it’s not as close to the inspiration as I’d like.
Don’t forget to check out Daenel’s blog on Wednesday to see other outfits inspired by this teapot!
Wedding Guest
Posted: March 11, 2020 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: belt, blue, navy dress, red, red t-strap heels 3 Comments
I haven’t been to a lot of weddings since I moved home from LA – most of my high school and college friends were married by then – but one of my co-workers got married earlier this month, so I finally had an excuse to dress up a bit.
Wedding season in Vietnam is usually from late November to mid-March – it has the best weather (summer is just too damn hot and humid), and since our Lunar New Year falls around January and February, it’s when most families have food stocked up, which in the old days made it easier to hold a wedding feast. Some weddings may take place in the dead of winter, when it’s too cold to dress up (like my sister’s – she got married around Christmas), but lucky for me, this early spring wedding was the perfect time to bring out my dressier pieces – like this belt and these shoes.
