Stripes
Posted: May 31, 2021 Filed under: Clothes, Style Imitating Art | Tags: belt, brooch, brown, gray, gray striped dress, maroon monk shoes, style imitating art 5 Comments
For this week’s SIA, inspired by Mary Cassatt’s “The Child’s Bath”, I built my outfit around this dress. The striped pattern perfectly reflects the striped dress of the woman in the painting, and I also added a cross-stitch brooch to mimic the floral patterns of the carpet and the wall.
The only part of the outfit I’m not happy with is the shoes – I wanted something dark, because there is a bit of dark red/brown in the painting, but this dress is so quintessentially 80s that if I wore heels with it, I’d instantly look like an extra in 9 to 5 or Working Girl. So in the end, I went with these monk shoes, hoping they can modernize the outfit a bit, but they’re too clunky. Oh well. Don’t forget to check back on Wednesday to see other outfits inspired by this painting!
Shrinking Violet
Posted: May 21, 2021 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: blue, blue and gray plaid skirt, blue oxfords, blue short sleeve sweater, brooch, gray, navy blazer 2 Comments
I bought this skirt way back last fall, but haven’t been able to find a top to pair with it – I didn’t realize that gray and blue would be such a tough combo to match! Any color I pair with this skirt would either not look right or seem too much, so I was happy to discover this blue sweater, which matches the blue of the skirt exactly. I also added a flower brooch (some violets, hence the post title) to make it more spring-appropriate. Usually, I would try to avoid “one-trick ponies” (items that can only be pair with one other item) and matchy-matchy looks like this though, so I’m going to have to find some new ways to wear this skirt before next winter.
Dedicated Follower Of Fashion
Posted: May 19, 2021 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: brooch, brown, brown cardigan, brown lace-up boots, gray, gray plaid wide-leg pants, yellow eyelet top 2 Comments
I’ve been listening to The Kinks a lot lately, hence the title, but it’s kind of related to my post as well. When it comes to fashion trends, although I don’t really follow them, I’m not anti-trend either. Instead, I just pick whatever trends that speak to my own style and preference, and take inspirations from them rather than following them blindly. So that means no ’00s fashion (I’ve been there once and hated it, thank you every much), but dark academia and some cottagecore? Yes, please. Take this outfit, for example: it’s the combination of those two trends – the big collar for cottagecore (I’m so happy that I keep this dress-turned-blouse), and the color scheme and the plaid for dark academia – but it still feels me.
All this reflection is because I recently read on a fashion forum a question asking whether bike shorts are cute or not, as the OP was having a hard time getting into the trend. And that kind of boggled my mind. To me, if you like a trend and want to follow it, then who cares what everybody thinks? On the other hand, if you’re not sure about a trend, then just… don’t do it? It’s really that simple.
Fall In Spring
Posted: May 14, 2021 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: black, black alligator boots, brooch, brown, burnt orange wool jacket, gray, gray plaid wide-leg pants, oatmeal mockneck sweater Leave a comment
(I was going to give this post a more pun-y title of “Fall into Spring” but decided that was too cheesy.)
In my post on Wednesday, I tried to add some colors and floral to the outfit to make it more “springy”. The weather still couldn’t make up its mind though, so in the end I just said, fuck it, I’m just going to dress like it was still fall/winter. I’m much more of an autumn person than a spring person anyway. Besides, I really wanted to wear this new owl brooch and these pair of wool pants (a hand-me-down from my mom), and neither of them really screams “spring”.
Two Cats
Posted: April 30, 2021 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: black, black lace-up boots, brooch, gray, gray cableknit sweater, mustard corduroy pants, white, white scallop collar button-up, yellow 4 Comments
I’ve been trying to cut down on my shopping, since my closet is absolutely bursting and there are things I bought from last year that I haven’t gotten around to wearing yet. But the one thing I cannot resist is a cute brooch, especially if it’s an animal or something vintage-inspired. Take this one, for example: it features cats, a big one and a small one (just like my cats, a mom and a daughter!), and it’s also a chain, meaning I could wear it with my blazers like a watch-chain (a menswear look I’ve always wanted to try), so of course I had to get it. I know, excuses, excuses, but at least it’s just a brooch, it’s not taking up a lot of space (yes, another excuse.)
Anyway, here are some photos of my cats, who don’t look like the brooch much but have the distinct advantage of being real live cats, and therefore, cuter:
