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.
Not At The Beach
Posted: July 1, 2019 Filed under: Clothes, Style Imitating Art | Tags: blue, blue print blouse, navy cropped pants, pink, pink loafers, style imitating art 4 Comments
I wanted to put together something a little summery for this week’s SIA, inspired by Maurice Prendergast’s “Children at the Beach”, but I still had to go to work (so! much! paperwork!!!), so here is a work outfit instead. The print on my blouse and the blue color are to evoke the sea and the sky in the painting, naturally, and my pink loafers are to mimic the softer, daintier colors of the children’s clothes. It’s not beach-appropriate, but it’s SIA-appropriate, and I’m OK with that.
If you haven’t sent me your outfit, you still have until tomorrow! And don’t forget to drop by on Wednesday to see other outfits inspired by this lovely watercolor!
One Bottom, Two Tops
Posted: June 21, 2019 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: belt, black, black loafers, blue, navy linen sleeveless top, pink, pink embroidered top, white, white baggy pants 1 Comment
Thanks everyone for your kind words about my dog. She’s doing well now. Luckily, she only got flesh wounds, and in Vietnam we have a saying that goes “A dog heals its skin, a chicken heals its bones”, which means dog’s skin and chicken’s bones are easy to heal, so it looks like she’s on her way to a full recovery.
I have two casual outfits today. The semester is officially over for the students, but there are still papers to read and grades to turn in, so I opted for something easy and breathable. I didn’t realize it until I put the two of them together, but they are actually inspired by Keira Knightley’s outfits in Begin Again, specifically these two. I’ve been getting inspirations for my summer wardrobe from that movie since I first saw it – it’s one of the few movies with realistic costumes that I can actually recreate, and it helps that her character’s style is pretty timeless too.
Summer Flower
Posted: June 3, 2019 Filed under: Clothes, Style Imitating Art | Tags: brown, brown oxfords, green, green linen pants, pink, style imitating art, white, white embroidered blouse 4 Comments
For this week’s SIA, inspired by Daenel’s photo of a pink/purple coneflower, I knew I wanted to wear my green linen pants – I only have a few green things in my closet, and given the weather, these pants were the natural choice. However, for the top, I was stumped. The other colors in the photos are pink, purple, golden yellow and dark orange, which are not very present in my closet, and I already wore a pink top with these green pants for another SIA challenge.
In the end, I decided to go with this embroidered top. Sure, it’s mainly white, but the colors of the embroideries can mimic the shades of pink/purple/red in the photo, and finally, I chose my brown oxfords for the yellow/orange shades (since I don’t actually have anything yellow or orange!) All in all, the outfit is not as close to the inspiration piece as I’d like, but at least it’s wearable and comfy. I’d rather have that than to force myself into some ridiculous getup just to meet the inspiration.
Don’t forget to check Daenel’s blog on Wednesday for other outfits inspired by this lovely photo!
Untrendy
Posted: May 3, 2019 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: black, black cropped jeans, black turtleneck, brooch, gray, gray plaid blazer, pink, pink sneakers Leave a comment
I’m not a very trendy person, style-wise. I mostly wear what I like regardless of trends. However, I can’t escape trends altogether, especially when I live in a place still ruled by fast fashion. So my approach is to look at what’s currently on trend and see if any of it can fit into my style. Unfortunately, the most prevalent trend right now seems to be 90s revival, which, no offense, is hideous (my most obnoxious teenage years were spent in those styles; I don’t need to see them again, thank you very much.)
That said, there is one current trend that I can get behind – the wide-leg pants. I’m still holding on to my skinny jeans, but as the weather starts warming up, I want a looser silhouette. So far you’ve seen the wide-leg khaki pants I wore for SIA a couple of weeks ago, and here is another pair. I’m not sure if the blazer works (it’s too long and too boxy), but I’ve gotten a few compliments for this outfit from my students and co-workers, so I must be doing something right.
April Flowers
Posted: April 22, 2019 Filed under: Clothes, Style Imitating Art | Tags: brown, brown oxfords, gray, gray plaid pants, green, green tee, pink, pink floral scarf, style imitating art 1 Comment
I had several ideas for this week’s SIA, inspired by the cover of a Gregory & Son seed catalogue, but because the weather has been so unpredictable lately (last week it went from 70 degrees one day to 100 the next!!!), I didn’t decide what to wear until the day of. I simply picked out the main colors in the inspiration image – gray, green, pink/red, and a touch of brown – and pulled pieces from my closet accordingly. My scarf also has a floral print on it, though it may be difficult to see.
By a stroke of luck, our rose bushes have started blooming – and there are roses in the image as well. I wanted to take photos with the flowers, but because of the position of the rose bushes, it proved to be impossible, so here are some photos of the flowers instead:
Don’t forget to stop by Daenel’s blog on Wednesday to see how others interpret this springlike image!
Off-Duty Land Girl
Posted: April 3, 2019 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: black, black cardigan, black flats, brooch, gray, gray plaid pants, pink, pink gingham button-up 2 Comments
It’s the middle of the week, I’m recovering from a nasty case of the flu, and the weather still can’t make up its mind if it wants to be spring or summer, so I’m going for something easy and comfortable, with a layer that can be taken off if it gets warmer. The silhouette and the brooch make me think of the 1940s, hence the title (and also because “Casual 1940s” sounds too boring. Sometimes when the outfit is nothing to write home about, I have to come up with a really interesting post title just to make up for it.)
