I never watched Totoro when I was young but for some reasons, listening to this song just ignites nostalgia.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Closet Talk: The Motorcycle Jacket
So the other day, I briefly mentioned a little something called the moto jacket at the end of my blog. Little did I know, I have been subconsciously attracted to this specific piece of clothing article for awhile now. Every time I go shopping, online or in-stores, I find myself looking for and loving the always grungy and versatile (faux) leather slash moto jacket slash bomber. Whatever labels they are attached to, we all know they are a women's medium to her wild side (wildly confident that is). Here are some I am crazy about at the moment:
The Architecture: BCBG Max Azria
This brand is chic and modern in many areas of clothing, but I especially love their jackets. An example is shown below with this beautifully structured quilted jacket. And oh my lord, the back is incredibly slimming with clean lines that accentuate your shape. It is a type of clothing that speaks for itself--there is no need for added effort in jewelry or even sky high shoes. Just wear it as is with simple black skinny jeans and let the jacket take over. If you're feeling bloated, don't wear it zipped up and wear a bright simple v-neck tee for some color accents.
The Color Blocking: ASOS
Fashion is all about breaking rules. The classic leather jacket may always be black (or in Michael Jackson's case, red) but the contemporary taste has allowed us to be more flexible in our color palette. Besides how appealing the two color panels are placed aside each other, I also find the cropped detail of this jacket very fitting--it is modern and youthful. You can style it in a minimalistic concept like in the picture or throw on a simple black tank body-con dress, classic black pumps, and a silver watch (avoid gold because that is too matchy-match with the yellow undertone found in the jacket). Be outrageous and add some geometric prints (keep it small) into your top or bottom. Or play with complementary colors and add a rich purple top to the outfit.
The Cool Kid
This is as simple as it gets--a beaten up black leather jacket, which means you can thrift the jacket or opt for the less expensive avenues like Forever21 or H&M. Play them up with pins or stud them in your own design. Wear them with flannels or tie the flannel shirts around the hips for a casual look. Or wear them over lacy dress for an unexpected contrast.
Forever 21
H&M + Elle collaboration
I hope these ideas will make you more confident in your next venture to find the perfect leather jacket for yourself. Most importantly, just remember to have fun!
The Architecture: BCBG Max Azria
This brand is chic and modern in many areas of clothing, but I especially love their jackets. An example is shown below with this beautifully structured quilted jacket. And oh my lord, the back is incredibly slimming with clean lines that accentuate your shape. It is a type of clothing that speaks for itself--there is no need for added effort in jewelry or even sky high shoes. Just wear it as is with simple black skinny jeans and let the jacket take over. If you're feeling bloated, don't wear it zipped up and wear a bright simple v-neck tee for some color accents.
The Color Blocking: ASOS
Fashion is all about breaking rules. The classic leather jacket may always be black (or in Michael Jackson's case, red) but the contemporary taste has allowed us to be more flexible in our color palette. Besides how appealing the two color panels are placed aside each other, I also find the cropped detail of this jacket very fitting--it is modern and youthful. You can style it in a minimalistic concept like in the picture or throw on a simple black tank body-con dress, classic black pumps, and a silver watch (avoid gold because that is too matchy-match with the yellow undertone found in the jacket). Be outrageous and add some geometric prints (keep it small) into your top or bottom. Or play with complementary colors and add a rich purple top to the outfit.
The Cool Kid
This is as simple as it gets--a beaten up black leather jacket, which means you can thrift the jacket or opt for the less expensive avenues like Forever21 or H&M. Play them up with pins or stud them in your own design. Wear them with flannels or tie the flannel shirts around the hips for a casual look. Or wear them over lacy dress for an unexpected contrast.
Forever 21
H&M + Elle collaboration
I hope these ideas will make you more confident in your next venture to find the perfect leather jacket for yourself. Most importantly, just remember to have fun!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Buying Smart: College Textbooks
Going to college requires the big bucks, from tuition to room and board to transportation. At the end of the day, it is always preferable to cut some slacks in certain spending areas in order to save for future needs (and you will need it). Here's a way: through buying and selling textbooks.
TIP #1: Yes, I already gave it away. Buy your books, don't rent it. Because after a semester or two, you will be able to sell the books back to your university bookstore or online (ebay or amazon). I would recommend not selling it back to your university because chances are the buyback price is very low. Renting may seem cheap ($20-100) compared to the heavy price tag of the text ($50-300), but don't be tempted. With buying the book, at least you know that you will be able to sell it later for nearly the same amount of money as soon as you're done with it. Essentially, it will cost you less. Just remember to keep your book in the same pristine condition as it first arrived.
TIP #2: Buy an older version (by this I mean one or two versions back, not buying the first edition when you are supposed to buy a tenth). This will probably work for most social science or English classes. To be certain, contact your professors before you proceed with the purchase.
TIP #3: Buy the International version. I had seen myself and my friends saving so much money through this tip. It is phenomenal how low the price can drop just because the cover is crappier and book becomes paperback. As a participant of higher education, we all know it's what's inside that's most important. And with international version of textbooks, the content is always the same with the bank-robbing hardcover US version. In any case, if you are worried that it might slightly differ, check out the US version of the book in the library and see for yourself.
TIP #4: Compare the prices. You need to be the smart consumer who can distinguish between a rip-off and a once-in-a-lifetime low offer. Some colleges do the price-comparing for you on their bookstore website, but just to be safe, do the digging yourself. Look at ebay bids and check on amazon often to see if there's any other lower offer. Remember, if you can buy an expensive book for a low price, you may profit greatly when you sell it back to others. A great tool to help you along the way: dealoz.com
There are many ways to save money on textbooks. Some people don't even buy them and just go to the library for constant use of them, but for myself, I find this method a little bit too risky. Some classes may be so loaded that when midterms and finals are around the corner, all the books are probably gone before you know it. Some may share it with a friend (or a group of friends even), but this really puts in more work negotiating with your friend on the time and frequency of usage on the book. Obviously, you cannot hog the book as much as you want if the book was your own. And think about it, what if the class is incredibly hard in small details and you need constant exposure to the book? And your friend thinks the same for his or herself? So follow these key methods, and who knows--you might save enough to buy yourself that moto jacket you've been eyeing. Good luck!
TIP #1: Yes, I already gave it away. Buy your books, don't rent it. Because after a semester or two, you will be able to sell the books back to your university bookstore or online (ebay or amazon). I would recommend not selling it back to your university because chances are the buyback price is very low. Renting may seem cheap ($20-100) compared to the heavy price tag of the text ($50-300), but don't be tempted. With buying the book, at least you know that you will be able to sell it later for nearly the same amount of money as soon as you're done with it. Essentially, it will cost you less. Just remember to keep your book in the same pristine condition as it first arrived.
TIP #2: Buy an older version (by this I mean one or two versions back, not buying the first edition when you are supposed to buy a tenth). This will probably work for most social science or English classes. To be certain, contact your professors before you proceed with the purchase.
TIP #3: Buy the International version. I had seen myself and my friends saving so much money through this tip. It is phenomenal how low the price can drop just because the cover is crappier and book becomes paperback. As a participant of higher education, we all know it's what's inside that's most important. And with international version of textbooks, the content is always the same with the bank-robbing hardcover US version. In any case, if you are worried that it might slightly differ, check out the US version of the book in the library and see for yourself.
TIP #4: Compare the prices. You need to be the smart consumer who can distinguish between a rip-off and a once-in-a-lifetime low offer. Some colleges do the price-comparing for you on their bookstore website, but just to be safe, do the digging yourself. Look at ebay bids and check on amazon often to see if there's any other lower offer. Remember, if you can buy an expensive book for a low price, you may profit greatly when you sell it back to others. A great tool to help you along the way: dealoz.com
There are many ways to save money on textbooks. Some people don't even buy them and just go to the library for constant use of them, but for myself, I find this method a little bit too risky. Some classes may be so loaded that when midterms and finals are around the corner, all the books are probably gone before you know it. Some may share it with a friend (or a group of friends even), but this really puts in more work negotiating with your friend on the time and frequency of usage on the book. Obviously, you cannot hog the book as much as you want if the book was your own. And think about it, what if the class is incredibly hard in small details and you need constant exposure to the book? And your friend thinks the same for his or herself? So follow these key methods, and who knows--you might save enough to buy yourself that moto jacket you've been eyeing. Good luck!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Inspiration
Nicole Warne from Gary Pepper Vintage.
This outfit works around with so many concepts that it would help anyone to be creative with their own ensemble. Let's see: we have the contrast of the heavy top and the light and feminine scalloped shorts, the woolly texture upon the blank canvas, and a peek of collar to give the outfit structure. A great outfit for summer-to-fall transition. I love love this.
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