Narcisco Rodriguez....and Facebook

Minimalism is sleek, modern, and luxurious. To achieve the looks of Narcisco Rodriguez's Fall/Winter 2011 show, go out there and invest in streamlined dresses, outerwear, and nice fitted pants. Oh, and color blocking is still very much in for this Fall.

Speaking of Minimalism, the new Facebook trend has been to have as less friends as possible. What are you waiting for? Start your own purge. Your Newsfeed will thank you for it.

I think I have an obsession

Shearling and leather. There was never a better marriage.

Pretty Little Fashion: Aria

With this week's summer finale of season two of Pretty Little Liars (talk about intense!), I am very much hyped up about the show and of course, the great fashion that comes along with it. Today I will be profiling the eclectic taste of Aria (Lucy Hale).

First of all, Aria as a character is very creative and out of the box--she has a soul for interpretation and analysis of literature. We all know she has a thing for English ; ). To help portray that, the show focuses on her fashion choices, which are directed in an individualistic sense. She doesn't seem to follow any trends and simply puts together something that makes her feel good and look distinguished among the crowd.

In this first outfit, Aria shows an understanding of art by mixing the two complementary colors together (bold yellow in the dress and subdued purple in the bag), and they also act as accent colors within the darker pieces of the rest of her outfit (leather jacket <3, bag, and socks). She ventures with mixing two different prints, infusing the floral dress with the funky eyelets knee high socks. And did I mention the wonderful contrast of the masculine jacket and feminine dress? There are so many elements of art and styling concepts in this one outfit alone that easily puts Aria in the fashion spotlight.

But don't think Aria is always elaborative with her styling. Sometimes she does rely on simplicity to make her fashion statements. For this second outfit, she dons an ordinary combination of shirt and jeans with minimal accessorizing, yet it is still worth talking about! I am enthralled by the tasseled sleeve details and that spiky silver necklace. Both give so much character to this outfit but since it is a simple combination, she looks effortless and chic. 

Here are more pictures for you to feast on!

Vintage accessories! : D

This picture is not in the show but it is very Aria!

Trend Alert: Animal Prints are here to stay!

Feather earrings: her signature look. This gives her the bohemian flare. xD

If you like her style, I recommend looking at Urban Outfitters or Nastygal for more inspiration. The easiest bet is to go shopping and be more bold and creative with you purchases. Have fun with colors, prints, and textures! 

My Neighbor Totoro

I never watched Totoro when I was young but for some reasons, listening to this song just ignites nostalgia.  

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!

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!

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.