Weekly Capsule 38.1: Brushstroke

Here’s my interpretation of this week’s SIA, inspired by Franz Kline “Painting Number 2”:

I have to admit, my pick of this inspiration was self-serving, because I was looking for an excuse to wear this skirt. I bought it a while ago, but the weather remained too warm for the longest time. When we had our first taste of fall weather this week (yes, I’m aware that 85 degrees is hardly autumnal for most of you guys, but for us tropic-dwellers, it is), I wanted to finally debut it, and with Jess’ skirt from last week, I just knew which artist to pick. So yeah, I picked the outfit first and found a painting to go with it, but hey, I’m the host this week, it’s my prerogative 🙂

Shirt & Shoes: local shop, Skirt: Zalora, Belt: thrifted, Watch: Swatch

Remember to check back tomorrow for the full round-up!

Weekly Capsule 37.3: Post-Labor Day

Posted: September 18, 2015 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Capsule, Clothes | Tags: black, black pumps, brooch, capsule summer/fall 2015, cream khaki pants, white, white lace tee | Leave a comment

For about a week before and after Labor Day, I’ve seen quite a number of posts/articles on style blogs about wearing white after Labor Day. And I thought, really? It’s the year 2015 and we’re still talking about how to wear white after Labor Day? It’s the easiest thing in the world. You just wake up after Labor Day, and put on a piece of white clothing. Or two. They don’t even have to match (like me.) Done!

What we really need to talk about is, how come it’s 2015 and we’re not adopting trends like the double-tie or the inside-out pockets yet? (I may or may not have recently caught Back to the Future II on TV…)

Top: Banana Republic, Pants: Mango, Shoes: local shop, Brooch: my mom’s

My looks this week – not exactly cohesive, but I wasn’t in a cohesive state of mind anyway:

Weekly Capsule 37.2: Rainy Day Emergency

Posted: September 17, 2015 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Capsule, Clothes | Tags: black, black pumps, blue, capsule summer/fall 2015, navy boyfriend jeans, navy gingham button-up, necklace | 3 Comments

Since I started the weekly capsule, my morning routine has been so much quicker. Except this morning. It was one of the few times I didn’t have an outfit laid out the night before because I wasn’t sure if it was going to rain or not (if it rained, my white pants would be out of the question.) Then I woke up at 5:30 to the deafening sound of a downpour and my mom’s scream “Your room is flooded!” See, my room has a balcony, and the rain was so heavy and so fast that the pipe couldn’t drain in time. Which means that the water poured from the balcony into my room. Again. I spent an hour scooping up water.

Suffice to say, this was the best outfit I could do in the circumstances.

Shirt, Heels & Necklace: local shops, Jeans: Charlotte Russe

Weekly Capsule 37.1: Cats, Big And Small

Posted: September 16, 2015 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Capsule, Clothes | Tags: animal print flats, blue, brooch, brown, capsule summer/fall 2015, cream khaki pants, navy button-up, white | 2 Comments

Back to the old grind! This is not the most interesting of outfits, but it was the Monday after I got back from my trip, so I was still too tired to think of anything more blog-worthy. I only knew that I wanted to show off my Singapore souvenir – this cat brooch, which I bought from DulcetFig (the shop with the cat, of course) in Haji Lane. They have a lot of pretty vintage brooches, but so expensive! I had to remind myself that I can find similar ones on Etsy for 1/10th of the price. In the end I got this cat brooch (not vintage) because not only it has the same colors as one of my cats, but it’s for a good cause too – the proceeds will be donated to a cat shelter. Win-win.

Then, because my feet were still sore (gods, I need to start exercising again if a mere 3-day trip to a city – hardly what you’d call physically demanding – can reduce me to such a hot mess), I chose these flats. And also because they’re sticking to the feline theme. Theme dressing, that’s what I’m good at.

Shirt & Pants: Mango, Flats: LA Fashion District, Brooch: DulcetFig

Weekly Capsule 36.2 & Book Review: The Grace Of Kings

Posted: September 8, 2015 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Book/Movie/TV Reviews, Capsule, Clothes | Tags: black, black pants, black pumps, book, brooch, capsule summer/fall 2015, green, green blouse | 2 Comments

This book has been mentioned around the sci-fi & fantasy circle under the term “silkpunk“, which is how I was drawn to it in the first place. You know how steampunk is influenced by the Industrial Revolution? Well, silkpunk is influenced by the myths and technology found in East Asian antiquity, resulting in things like battle kites, airships made from silk and bamboo, and mechanical whales. Now that I had to check out.

Also, I grew up with all the classical Chinese novels, so I wanted to see how a modern author might draw inspirations from those. In fact, I would say “The Grace of Kings” is very much Romance of the Three Kingdoms meets Game of Thrones, and it features plenty of characters or even plot lines similar to Three Kingdoms. The main plot revolves around a rebellion against a tyrannical regime in a world reminiscent of the Warring States period of ancient China, specifically the two men at the head and heart of it – Kuni Garu, a street-smart commoner who rises to the top thanks to his wiles, and Mata Zyndu, the last remaining heir in a line of proud warriors who perished under the current emperor.

My verdict? I could’ve liked it a lot more. Like GoT, it deals with interesting themes like the cost of peace, the effect of power, and men’s moral ambiguity, and there are some kick-ass female characters – always a plus for me. But I cannot get pass the writing, which is super flat and rushed. Everything the characters think or feel is told to us; storylines are set up and resolved within the same chapter. The funny thing is, those classical Chinese novels use the same third person omnipresent voice and are similarly episodic, yet somehow I don’t have a problem with them. Maybe it’s the language. I read an English translation of Dream of the Red Chamber once and thought it dryer than dust. I guess English is just not suitable for this kind of storytelling.

3/5 stars. But I would still read the next book.

About the outfit inspired by the book, I pulled this top out of the deep dark corner of my closet because of the embroidered design, which is reminiscent of Chinese scrolls, and added my yellow flower brooch to represent the dandelion – after all, the series is called “Dandelion Dynasty”. The rest of the outfit I kept simple, mostly because I have no idea how else to style this top. I have paired with black almost every single time I wore it. Maybe that’s the reason it was shoved in the corner in the first place.