A Little Over a Year

It has been a little over a year since the last entry has been written. Much has changed. To be honest, I have deviated from my plan/desire to look for my own personal style. Distracted is the right word. But, I have crossed paths with this desire again, this time it is much stronger. There is a desire to acquire things that will last, things that can be passed down, cherished, and loved. Such a great feeling.

With this new desire, I quite saddened to no longer see my favourite blogs - search-for-style, antique-gold-sphere, fashionpariah, the-shades-of-black.. I wish they would resurrect their blogs someday as inspirations to us they have left behind, well, just the blogging world. But those blogs still serve as inspirations, even just through memory.

One such blog that has excited me is deadfleurette. I am looking forward to her future posts while I am devouring her current ones.

On another note, I have been inspired to assess my current style in the form of bits about my style. Some such bits are as follows.
1 I cannot be without a men's watch. I feel naked without a watch on my left wrist. These days I prefer the watch to sit beside a gold/silver bracelet given to me by my father during one of our trips abroad. I leave the other wrist naked.

2 I have an affinity for pearl earrings. Like the men's watch, it is another accessory I cannot leave home without. Although I have a couple, actually they all look similar only varying in shade, I currently have an affinity for this almost pink/peach shade one.

3 I feel best when I am in a skirt or dress. Unfortunately, I dress in jeans for work as the environment demands. But all the other instances, I wear a skirt or dress. My legs are not my best asses (actually I am going for my wrist and collarbone), but there is something about a skirt that hits right above the knee that feels very feminine. Together with the men's watch, I am very pleased.

4 Usually when I wear a skirt, a black top is what I use.

5 I have so many heeled shoes (platforms even), but I am almost always in flats or wedges in special occasions. It is very frustrating to not be able to utilise what I have purchased. This is where my quest has been enlivened. Money spent on those shoes could have been utilised to purchase several investment pieces. Very frustrating indeed. But I hope this shall change.

Those are just some I can come up with atm. Would like to post a couple of items I should focus on saving up for.
1 trousers for work preferrably in black and loose on the upper part and a bit skinny on the lower leg
2 investment bag. I already have something in mind but I will need to evaluate.
3 cartier/rolex watch
4 flimsy white as well as black top
5 flimsy white as well as black button down
6 jewelery. Currently have a penchant for gold.

I guess that sums my current state of style being. Nowhere near quest I have begun a year back, but it is a hope to see that I can start all over again. In the meantime the closets should be purged and key items should be selected.

On the other hand, I don't yet have the time to edit my current wish list. Maybe some other time.

Hiatus

My style journey has taken the back seat while I am focusing on my career.

Besides loving fashion and all it's glamorous glory, I also find it valuable that I should have a great, successful (financial and career-wise) future ahead of me. After all, I am working very hard to be able to afford all these beautiful pieces of clothing and accessories (and hopefully great investments, homes, and cars in the future, not to mention passive income!). I just celebrated my birthday last 8/29 and had so many realizations. So for now, I might not be able to regularly update. I know I promised more updates and I had to throw this.. Fashion and the quest for my style will always be my first love, but I also want to be financially free.. I hope you understand and bear with me. Wish me luck!

Acquisitions:3.1 Philip Lim,Tsumori Chisato,Vanessa Bruno,etc.

As I have mentioned, I have been trying to look for my own style - something I feel suits my personality well and at the same time, a look that is comfortable. It's not surprising but I acquired mostly black pieces. What surprised me is that I was less impulsive with my purchases, in other words more safe with my choices. Maybe because this style is new to me and I prefer not to waste precious time and money with items I am not happy with. The first one is black and white flat sandals with a strap closing at the back. I had already worn them this weekend and although I am happy with the comfort level flats bring (as well as the uniqueness of the particular pair), the laces are a pain and made me plaster bandages at the back of my feet. That is so frustrating. Still, I will try to get the most wear out of them.

Inspired by Road to Style, i bought a similar pair of sandals she had (I hope you don't mind ;) ). She has a better quality photo in one of her posts, in fact she has two pairs of this. I am madly in love with the ruffle design, but have yet to describe the comfort level.
After much looking, I found open toe boots some time ago, but I haven't worn them yet. The fabric (suede) used is very soft but I hope I last long in them as they are heels. I am not to sure if I have mentioned this but I am trying to stay away from purchasing heels as much as I can as I do not get the most use out of them. Most of the time I end up changing into flats so I have decided to finally invest in the comfort of flat shoes, sandals, and wedge shoes.

Side view of bootsMy favourite purchase this month is this Philip Lim black trench. The photo truly does not give it justice. Blame my horrible phone camera. I fell in love with it. Hope I get to maximise its wear while the rainy season is at its peak.

Purchased this silk Club Monaco top awhile back and have already worn it. The neck is too low so I opt to wear a bandeau or a think tank underneath. It's a nice shade of dark grey and the fabric is amazing to touch. The bubble hem sleeves add a nice touch.
I am really excited to wear this knit black Vanessa Bruno dress. I might wear this sometime soon, but of course it has to be ironed first or something..
This will become one of my staples and will get so much wear as I am fond of flimsy long sleeves and shapeless tops. In a few weeks/months time this will be so overused and I like that thought.
I feel happy with my purchases as there had been so much thought put into them. I hadn't mentioned and included in this post but I also bought 2 pieces of a black tank top in a thin fabric, 1 black tank top, and 1 white tank top which are basic necessities in my wardrobe. I realized that if I found a really nice bargain I will buy multiples as I have a tendency to wear them so much. I cannot wait to wear these items in my next couple of posts. On another note, I am a bit preoccupied at the moment so posting will become less frequent. I am still reading all your nice comments. Thank you so much for reading my blog.;)

Grey Matter

The weather has been on extreme ends lately - either it is boiling hot or it is stormy and all in one day. In a way this has immensely affected the way I wear clothing lately. I should be able to adapt to these changes as I do not want to suffer in heat or shiver when it is so cold. In a more recent situation, I resolved this by wearing something thin, in this case a thin grey dress from a french brand and leggings. I also brought with me a wrap/shawl as well as a grey motorcycle jacket in case it begins to get cold.

Oh, I am just about done with my oathtaking. I shall post outfit of said event some time soon.

Military Jacket + Nude Shoes

This is probably the dirtiest my mirror has been as this was also the time I was studying for the aforementioned exam (check in previous posts). My excuse being I was always in a rush for work then off to hours of studying, coming home only in the wee hours of the morning and getting very little sleep. But then again, I am not complaining because the hard work paid off - I passed.;)

I wear a Ciel Reiv military jacket (extra thick, great for the cool weather) and Macy's shoes to study. The jacket is not the best thing to wear for a long day as the fabric is stiff and limits movements. Good thing I brought a hoodie jacket as a fallback as it was raining heavily back then. I ended up changing into that as well as sandals. Well, so much for personal style in this instance. During critical times as I sometimes refer to instances/events in my life, comfort is key to dressing up. I just could not bear to don something I cannot move in the entire day as I not only had to read (I am now talking about the study hours, after I am off at work), I also had to compute and scour through pages or jump from one page or book to another. A clothing that limits my movements in a way impairs me to do what I have to do. I guess that is the limitation that clothing offers. In this case, I was able to show my personal style only for a short period of time as I cannot perform simple tasks. It was not easy to navigate as I had difficulty in arm movements. This is a case of going back to basics, sadly, it did not reflect my personal style. Now, I am in search for something for comfortable. Personal, but comfortable, that is now what I am looking for.

Nightgown + Fur = Vintage Film Lady

One of my favorite things to do is play dress up especially in cold weather. As I am just lounging at home sipping a sweet cup of hot chocolate, I like to wear my favorite things that do not get the wear they deserve as the weather or the occasion does not permit. I am wearing my vintage peach night gown that is totally flimsy so I wore another layer of slip underneath from the more modern store Topshop, vintage fur coat (possibly faux as this was just given to me as a present). When I took the photo I wore the Prada satin jewel-encrusted shoes as opposed to going barefoot which I am actually as there is no need to wear shoes, but for the sake of the look I am aiming for, the shoes are great with the look.
There are very rare instances when I get to wear fur. I wish there were more occasions as well as the weather being cooperative. Alas, this may well be just a dream so I wear my fur and thick coats in the comfort of my home - they are very reliable especially in instances when it is extremely cold or when I have a fever or in this instance, I am playing dress up. I have about more than a dozen coats add to that several dozens of jackets and cover ups. It is quite impractical to have acquired that much, but I love them so much and try my very best to get the most wear from them. I am thankful for cold weather as I get to wear them outside and play with them while the temperature permits. Another shot of the night gown with the shoes. The fabric is just so silky, I can wear this all the nights in my life. But I only have two, the other in black. The fabric is so soft and it is prone to slight tears, I am very careful not to scratch it as I am intent on keeping it forever.
A close up shot of the Prada shoes as per Pangea's request. They are border pink and peach satin fabric with not too bright gold heels (about 3 1/2 to 4 inch heels -they seem steep/high when walking) and two rows of jewels encrusted on top of the sandals.

Scandinavian Wishes

For a while I have had a slight obsession with scandinavian homes. There is something appealing about the white bricks contrasted with light colored wood accents, a certain coldness to the look that is admirable. When it is unbelievably warm in my place, I have dreams of cooler locations and scandinavia. It is currently raining and windy so I opted for something inspired by my dreams. I wore a vintage grandpa cardigan that is really meant for a grandpa somewhere in the european regions in the 1950s (this is also an appropriate look/clothing right now). I paired it with a flimsy black tank and an oversize thin grey knit tank and the most comfortable oxfords there is. It is not visible, but the jeans I am wearing in the photo has small paint splatters from where I used to work before.

The grandpa grey cardigan, I imagine a sweet old european man in his 80s wearing this. But the sweater is brand new but it is vintage brand new. When I got outside, the heavy rain and wind was too much so I threw on a huge olive green hoodie I found lying at a chair at home. Everyone at home is very nice as they allow borrowing of clothing and items as they know they will be well-taken care of. I have used several of my mother, father, and brother's items. Not so long ago, my brother gave me his beat up jeans and they ended up becoming boyfriend jeans on me. The fit was great and the jeans had its own wear and tear history which is just lovely (a bit on the scruffy side with slight rips as wells as torn hems from walking on stones perhaps). I got looks of amusement/bewilderment as the boyfriend jeans craze was just coming out at the time. I found out that men's jeans are not comfortable as they are not the least bit stretch and I had to wear a leather belt to keep it from falling as I found out men had no waists and curves so belts are necessary. Or maybe that was just those particular pair of jeans.

I love the rustic, almost ancient look of the shoes. They seem a bit tattered but they are imperfectly perfect and that is what I love about them.

I am off to my cozy corner to drink hot chocolate with small marshmallows on top.