Night Skies

(blazer and sequin top from Forever 21, white denim shorts from H&M, thrifted pointed patent pumps from Crossroads Trading)

I added a navy blazer and pointed patent pumps to an otherwise casual outfit to create a more "formal" look. This look was aptly named "Night Skies" because I thought the combination of the blue blazer and sequin top looked sort of like a starry night.

This is my last post from home before I go back to school. It's crazy how quickly August went by! Soon, I'll be back in a lecture hall learning about various statistical distributions, among other things. I am definitely experiencing a mixed bag of feelings regarding the new school year, including excitement and dread. But cheers to novel experiences, a fresh start, and a new adventure.

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Anna de Rijk for Vogue Mexico

(reblogged from Le Fashion)

So enamored with this editorial from Vogue Mexico featuring Anna de Rijk. Fall 2013, for me, is all about neutrals, classic black and white pieces, clean lines, and effective minimalism. Beauty-wise, I can't help but love Anna's choppy bob and defined brows. Though I won't be cutting my hair again anytime soon (since it took two and a half years to grow out my Rihanna bob), I'm thinking about going lighter again, perhaps an ash brown.

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Snap Back

(baseball jacket and ankle zip pants from Forever 21, thrifted leopard crop top from Crossroads Trading, lace-up heels from Charlotte Russe, faux leather cap from Asos)

Looking sort of like a juvenile delinquent here with the faux leather cap and baseball jacket. I really like this jacket because of its unique color combination; usually, baseball jackets come in red, white, and blue, but this one comes in a beautiful forest green color. I decided to "glam up" the outfit a bit by wearing these amazing lace-up heels from Charlotte Russe.

Lately I've been extremely motivated to work on my blog...and my life. I've always been interested in personal change and transformation, but only in the last few months can I honestly say that I've experienced personal change through consistent effort. I'm still working on it, but I've really learned to accept life as it is without craving anything. I'm really starting to fall in love with the process instead of focusing on the results. This definitely applies to my blog; instead of worrying too much about what others think and trying to win approval from others, I blog for me. I blog because I truly enjoy it and want to improve my ability to develop a personal style.

On that note, I leave you with this quote:

"One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it's often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one's own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the center and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong."

- Adrian Tan

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Easing into Autumn

(beanie, jacket, and button-up shirt from Forever 21, thrifted acid wash top from Crossroads Trading, bodycon skirt from H&M, boots from GoJane)

Usually, I dislike overcast lighting, but I think the lighting worked really well with this outfit. Summer and spring are usually my favorite seasons for dressing; I love wearing loose layers, light colors, and denim shorts. On the contrary, I typically hate dressing for fall and winter. It's always seemed cumbersome to wear layer upon layer, and, in general, I despise cold weather far more than I despise hot weather (Yes, I've been a spoiled Californian all of my life). However, this year, I'm going to try to get over my hatred of dressing for colder weather. One of the things that I'm challenging myself to do is to work on layering. I decided to "dress up" a typical outfit by adding a collared shirt between my khaki jacket and acid wash sweater. The baby blue adds a nice pop of color to an otherwise neutral outfit.

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Desert Beauty

(Tsumori Chisato cardigan, Stella McCartney black and white print shorts, Ann Taylor black wristlet purse, 80's Purple round glasses / Laura Mercier lip plump in Bronzed Berry)

As summer is winding down, I feel the need to take advantage of the last bits of warm weather before I go back to Berkeley (which is a lot chillier than my hometown of San Jose). Soon, I'll be putting away my denim shorts and light tank tops for cozier pieces to brace the fall and winter. I love neutral, earthy tones for fall, so this outfit is sort of a transition from summer to autumn.

Have a lovely weekend! TGIF.

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Summer Love

(thrifted lace cardigan from Crossroads, lace bustier top from Foreign Exchange, skater skirt from Forever 21, thrifted platform sandals from Crossroads)

I wore this when I went out with my best gal pal last week to talk over some food and drinks. A very girly outfit that reminds me of summer romances, warm nights, and good talks with good people. Alas, my summer is drawing to a close, and I will surely miss the leisurely lifestyle that I've been living for the past couple of months (even if I did wake up at 6AM everyday for six weeks for summer classes...). No matter, though. I'm honestly looking forward to taking upper division classes for my major, even if it means I will have to strain my mind to understand concepts of probability and learn how to program in R. The fun part is the challenge.

Also, I can't stop listening to Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle." These are some lyrics that have really resonated with me recently:

"Hey, you know they're all the same.
You know you're doing better on your own, so don't buy in.
Live right now.
Yeah, just be yourself.
It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else."

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Wildest Moments

(cropped jacket from Wet Seal, thrifted cheetah top from Goodwill, draped asymmetrical skirt from Foreign Exchange, leopard lace-up heels from Charlotte Russe) 

Ahh, the infamous Helmut Lang-inspired draped skirt. I wore the taupe version in a previous post, as you may recall. I decided to style the skirt differently this time, making it more edgy and modern with denim and animal print. Also, these lace-up heels add some instant glam to any outfit. This year, I've been a big fan of minimalistic shoes, but these lace-ups were hard to pass up, especially with a discount.

In other news, this is my last week of summer school! I'll have about two weeks of academic-free vacation before going back to school again. At the beginning of summer, I was pretty ambivalent about my feelings about the upcoming junior year. I definitely experienced the sophomore slump last year, so initially, I cringed at the thought of going back and returning to the grind. However, if there's anything I've learned this summer, it's that perspective is everything. Despite the adversity I've faced in the past few months and the difficulties I'm currently facing, I'm much more happy than I've ever been in a long time. Now, I'm really looking forward to next year's opportunities, experiences, and even the challenges, which I know will teach me to be more resilient and positive.

Have a lovely week! xx

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Little White Dress

(hat from Forever 21, thrifted crochet babydoll dress from Crossroads Trading, heels from Zara)

"Do not confuse dreams with wishes. There is a difference. Dreams are where you visualize yourself being successful at what's important to you to accomplish. Now dreams build convictions. Because you work hard to pay the price to make sure that they come true. Wishes are hoping good things will happen to you. But there is no fire in your gut to put everything forth to overcome all the obstacles. So you have to dream more. And never ever ever blame somebody else if it doesn't happen. That is in your department."

- Dolly Parton

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