Take Back The City

Posted: December 16, 2013 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Clothes, Style Imitating Art | Tags: beige, brown riding boots, camel sweater, necklace, red, red plaid dress, style imitating art, tights | 3 Comments

So here’s my outfit for this week’s SIA, inspired by one of the famous paintings of the Hanoi Old Quarter by the Vietnamese artist Bui Xuan Phai. I was not exactly happy with it, but then I reminded myself that it’s not about replicating the painting exactly, it’s about drawing inspiration from it.

I want to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about Hanoi itself too. The thing is, I never really identify myself as a Hanoian, although I was born here. I always think of the city as separated from the suburb where I live, and it’s too crowded, too loud, too polluted for me. I’d say this about Hanoi though: it has character, unlike some city I’ve lived in (*coughLosAngelescough*), even if that character doesn’t exactly appeal to me. I think I would like it much more if the Old Quarter still looked like it does in Bui Xuan Phai’s paintings (it doesn’t), but then again I always think the past is better.

Check back tomorrow for the full round-up post and see how everybody interpreted this painting!

Dress: Vietnamese shop, Sweater: J.Crew (thrifted), Tights: Target, Boots: Aldo, Necklace: hand-me-down

Friday the 13th

Posted: December 13, 2013 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Clothes | Tags: brooch, brown, brown riding boots, green, green cardigan, mustard scarf, olive dress, tights, yellow | 1 Comment

After two quick “grab whatever’s clean” outfits earlier in the week, I felt compelled to put a bit more effort into my Friday look. Although I might have made things more difficult for myself because this exact outfit, with a grey cardigan instead of green, would be perfect for SIA next Monday. Oh well. I’ll figure something out.

Anyway, it’s starting to feel like the holiday around here. We don’t really have a big Christmas celebration, but our poinsettias are blooming, my mom has set up a little Christmas corner out in the hall, I’m going to a Christmas book sale tomorrow, and I’ve reread and rewatched Hogfather, so I’d say yeah, we’re definitely feeling the Christmas spirit.

Dress: Modcloth, Cardigan: thrifted, Scarf: Forever21, Leggings: Charlotte Russe, Boots: Aldo, Brooch: vintage

Wild Skirt

Posted: December 6, 2013 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Clothes | Tags: black, black slouchy boots, brooch, navy embroidered skirt, orange, pumpkin sweater, tights | 3 Comments

When I bought this skirt in Sa Pa, I figured I would wear it casually, and that’s about it. But there are certain advantages to working at a film school, and one of those is dress codes. You can pretty much wear anything you want as long as… well, as long as you’re comfortable with it. This lady in my department has been rocking some similar skirts lately, so I decided to wear mine too, except I’m not quite brave enough to wear it on a day when I have to teach. I’d like to appear a bit more professional with blazers and stuff when I face the students.

I also realize that whenever I wear this skirt, I’ve always matched to the orange in the pattern. You’d think a plain black or white top would work with it, but for some reason it doesn’t. Any other idea how to style this? It’s a fun piece and I’d like to wear it more often.

Sweater: Target, Skirt: Sa Pa, Boots: Journee, Brooch: vintage, Tights: old.

Friday of the Year

Posted: December 5, 2013 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Clothes | Tags: blue, brooch, brown riding boots, navy shift dress, pink, pink blazer, tights | 2 Comments

The weather has been really nice lately. Chilly in the morning and night, but during the day it’s always in the upper 70’s, breezy, warm, and clear. I’m suspicious of it. Let me check the forecast… Yep. A cold front is coming next week, with what looks like a lot of rain. Of course.

Anyway, I don’t know if it’s because the weather’s been nicer or because I’ve just gone through a whole month in jeans and neutrals, but suddenly I’m all about dresses and skirts and colors (well, not a whole lot of colors, I don’t want to shock myself, but definitely more than I wore last month). Maybe it is the weather. I read a post on Tumblr that says “November is like the Thursday of the year”, and while that shouldn’t make any damned sense, it just does, you know? November is long and dreary and we all want it to end. And if November is the Thursday of the year, then early December would be Friday, so I’m breaking out the dresses and skirts to celebrate. And then the holiday season would be… the weekend, I guess?

P/S: Of course, I posted this on a Thursday, which makes it even more confusing.

Dress: Gap (thrifted), Blazer: Zara (hand-me-down), Tights: Forever21, Boots: Aldo, Brooch: vintage

Book Review: The Children’s Book

Posted: December 3, 2013 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Book/Movie/TV Reviews, Clothes | Tags: book, heeled loafers, red, red sweater, tights, trench coat dress, wrap skirt | 8 Comments

OK, disclaimer: I never, ever skim any book. I may put a book down and pick it up a couple of weeks later, but I don’t skim – heck, I read Twilight cover to cover to see what the fuss was about (I did see what the fuss was about, and I disagreed.) This one, though, I had to skim, and it’s nowhere near the densest book I’ve read. It’s just… boring. In my defense, I’m going to translate it anyway, so when I got to the last 100 pages I just skimmed to see what happens to each character.

Anyway, “The Children’s Book”, by A.S. Byatt, is about several families in Edwardian England who move in a circle of liberal artists and writers, and the many secrets and tragedies that connect them. The title refers to a book that the main character, a writer of children fantasy loosely based on E. Nesbitt, writes for each of her children.

Edwardian era is one of my favorites, the characters are fascinating, so what’s the problem? Mainly, I think the book is more to showcase the author’s intensive research of the period rather than to tell an actual story. There are chapters after chapters detailing social, political, and artistic movements of the time, and I found myself asking “What does this have to do with anything?” There is not enough time to get to know any of the characters. I feel like the author only remembered to check in with those characters from time to time before getting back to her historical research. The parts that I’m interested in, the parts about the damage that the main character’s children suffer because of her focus on her art (she’s not exactly a neglectful mother, but she’s too busy making up stories about her children to see what is really going on with them), are really rushed, and the ending is just… there.

It’s too bad that every time I try reading a literature book (as opposed to my usual genre fictions of sci-fi and fantasy), I always end up disappointed. Seriously, do you guys have any recommendation? I’d like to expand my literary horizon a bit, but I don’t know where to begin.

I tried to recreate an Edwardian look with my outfit, though my skirt is too full to be Edwardian. Still, there are a lot of descriptions of Liberty gown and William Morris fabric in the book, so I think the skirt works too.