Schoolgirl Tulle

H&M mustard knit sweater (XS) // Forever 21 chambray shirt (S) (underneath) //

Forever 21 light pink tulle skirt (S) // Merona faux calfhair leopard print flats (5.5) //

BCBG silver metallic foldover clutch (c/o ReallyPetite) // Forever 21 burgundy tights //

Bracelets: Poshlocket (c/o), Forever 21, H&M // Forever 21 white plastic bow ring (S) //

Photography: me, tripod and remote

TUTUS, NOT VOODOO. As much as I like the idea of bravely going where no fashionista has gone (on campus) before, the last few times I pulled out my pink tulle skirt for styling, I've chickened out and reluctantly put it back in the closet. One day while surfing Lookbook, the perfect inspiration scrolled across the screen - a girl wearing an orange sweater with a collared shirt underneath and a tulle skirt very similar to mine (sorry can't remember exactly who). This was the toning-down solution that escaped me and I gleefully stored the image in the back of my mind.

Friday (2/3) was the perfect day (mid 50s and cloudy) to throw on this ensemble for my one class. Even in a class full of pre-meds and biomedical engineers, I felt fun and flirty but not crazy. Mustard and chambray are a match made in heaven and I love how the bright yellow pops against the grey skies and is reminiscent of a schoolbus. JJ was gone for a grad school interview so I fumbled with my self-photography equipment and raced the wind and impending rainstorm. This weekend has been pretty tortoise-paced in a pleasant way - hanging out, sleeping, playing racquetball, feeling out some Legend of Zelda tunes on the piano/violin, eating exorbitant amounts of pho, green onion savory pancakes (congyoubing), Chipotle, hot dogs. No, I did not watch the Super Bowl (but glad a Manning won) nor join the fray for Jason Wu x Target. Now for squeezing a big dollop of catch-up on my work. Have a great week!

Click to see more pictures → → →

Forever 21 x Hello Kitty Collection

As a lifelong fan of cute things, I was excited when Forever 21 announced their collab with Hello Kitty. Initially looking through the items, my reaction was disappointment at everything gawdy, but after some choosing and closer looks, there are a few pieces that can apply to a more mature wardrobe (what I'm striving for nowadays). You can shop the collection here. If you want anything, shop fast because they're disappearing left and right.

Lookbook

(where is this white sweater ... so cute)

My picks:

Leatherette Trim Raincoat $29.80

My favourite and most practical one of the items in their collection: a clear raincoat. I'm crazy about clear umbrellas and a clear raincoat is so practical for my biking and rainy St. Louis weather needs. However, if it only had a hood ... I can always DIY one on. The price is a little steep, still chewing this over. I'm afraid that it will just start to crack and break because of flimsy cheap plastic.

Pointelle Hello Kitty Cardigan $24.80

Bright pink, all right. But look it has little patterns of Hello Kitty on it! Super cute and nice to brighten up a cold winter day at the library. Ideally paired with a chambray shirt, bow tie, and hipster glasses. The print top the model has on is cute too.

High-Low Hello Kitty Dress $22.80

Hi-lo trend! If it were chiffon and more classy, I'd get it but it's still cool and makes Hello Kitty more grown up and fashionable.

HK Boyfriend Cardigan $24.80

Collegiate-ish, red

Intergalactic Hello Kitty Tee $17.80

Can't complain, nice big print

 Hello Kitty Film Strip Tote $16.80

My top accessory pick. It's so adorbs! I almost never use totes though. They hurt the shoulders when I carry my 10-lb + load every day to class. Pricey for a bag.

 Hello Kitty Trio Socks $8.80

I have a soft spot for socks, if you didn't already know.

Going to snoop these out in store to make sure the quality and fit is good before I commit. Meanwhile, heading back to San Diego at 6 AM tomorrow! I'm super pumped to be home with my family and eat amazing food and not have to deal with senior year havoc for a few days. Finished a "clustermuck" of Immunology today (3 essays, an exam, homework) and I'm ready to take off : )

Readers - will you pick up anything from the Forever 21 x Hello Kitty 2011 Collection?

All photos are credited to Forever21.com

Blues Hues

Forever 21 teal casual button down shirt (S) // Forever 21 navy and red striped mini skirt (S) // Taiwanese brand pearl ankle strap ballet flats (35) // Forever 21 turquoise beaded necklace //

Photography: Self-timer and tripod

I did it. I applied to med school! First step of applications completed last night and finally submitted. Instantaneously a huge weight has been lifted off my chest though I know there is a much longer road ahead. Nevertheless, the rush of exhilaration and nerves felt good after writing and rewriting my story over and over again for this past week. Who knew that talking about yourself could be so darn hard? Shouldn't I know my life better than anyone? As my er ge says, "You'd be surprised."

This monochromatic blue hues outfit was for work about a week ago (6/8) on a Wednesday - midweek slump calls for some over-the-top colour coordination, eh? Ironically the red pops out more than the blue in my skirt, though the red stripes are thinner. Funky how the human brain interprets things. I've been recycling my Forever 21 pieces to some good use and the interest flats were irresistible in that Taipei night market - around $6 USD and in size 5! Surprisingly, my feet are considered too small in Taiwan too - is there any place on earth I'm not considered a mutant?

I have a huge backlog of photos, including those taken with my spankin' new and shiny Canon Rebel T2i + 50mm f/1.8 lens. Absolutely can't wait to post those :) Meanwhile I have started a Flickr account to post my SLR photos with since I've noticed that Blogger/Picasa do not keep the colour profile intact upon upload.

So far, this weekend has been surprisingly productive - studying MCAT Bio all over again at Kaldi's Coffeeshop, playing Wii Sports Resort and taking out life frustrations with Boxing (man my triceps hurt today), and right now going to eat some delicious ultra-legit Korean BBQ. Thanks for all the good lucks :D Thinking of you guys and your support makes me so happy!

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Left My Cowboy Hat Hanging on a Cactus

Forever 21 ruched shoulder chambray shirt (S) // Forever 21 black and white floral skirt with tulle lining (S) // 

H&M yellow lace cami (Euro 4) // American Eagle for Payless brown peep toe cork wedges with bow (5) // 

Photography: Self-timer and tripod

This was my outfit for my first 9 to 5 Friday (6/3). I did unfortunately have a mishap with the alarm clock, but still put forth the effort to tame my Einsteinian mane and throw on something nice. Luckily I tried this on the night before or I would have been running there in exercise shorts and a college tee. Our lab meetings are now becoming full on professional presentations, and I'm up to bat this Friday (nerve-wracking!) I wish my battery didn't die after a few shots so I could show details and my lip colour. I was using a super bright orange Revlon one over Soft Nude and it screamed LOUDMOUTH. Of course I didn't wear that to work, same with the wedges - still transitioning. Meanwhile yesterday I tried out Dr. Scholl's heel liners and they seem to improve heel comfort at least a little. Now that I know size 5's are too big for me and no wonder there's always a gap in the back, heel liners seem like a BFF option if only they weren't at least $5 a pop. Have you petite feet ladies found any cheaper solutions to shoes that are half a size too large? I'm considering padding with paper but that'd probably get ugly real fast.

This chambray shirt is quite versatile, but the material isn't really chambray. I'm considering getting a better one without the funky poofy sleeves, which made me look kind of ridiculous in the lab, but the poofy A-line of the skirt helped balance it out into an exaggerated hourglass shape, creating the illusion of a smaller waist.

Still hitting Kayak's coffeeshop as much as possible for endless internet (btw you HAVE to try their Durango wrap - I'm in BBQ heaven). Tuesday couldn't arrive any sooner, could it? I'll get back to all comments and catch up on reading your blogs as soon as I can. Meanwhile, all free time is spent organizing my room and unpacking. I have no recollection of where I hid my shampoo ... 

In the summer heat (it was 102 Saturday and I stayed out all afternoon for an awesome barbeque - so tanned!) and scorching blazing flames that curl towards earth at the speed of light, I still somehow manage to layer. The shadows come out to play so fiercely at 5 PM. It feels like I'm back in Oklahoma, or wandering across a Texan desert. Does Texas even have desert? A cowboy hat, companion horse, and some cacti would be a more fitting backdrop to explain how it feels when I'm stubbornly shooting these photos after work. Thank God for skirts. Can I get an amen?

In case you missed these outfits/reads:

• Soda pop-inspired bright shirt & skirt
• Sponsor interview with twentythree handmade jewelry
• Romper as a top - summer wardrobe becomes work-friendly

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Of Milkweed and Thyme Consumption

H&M monarch butterfly cropped top (Euro 4) // H&M yellow lace tank (Euro 4) // 
H&M ruched mid length skirt (Euro 4) // BCBG Generation metallic foldover clutch //

American Eagle brown peeptoe wedges (5) // H&M polka dot socks // 

Photography: JJ

Vintage wash oh-so-good. Today I timed myself for exactly how long does it take to produce one outfit post. This little experiment will help streamline posts in the future and gauge where I need to speed things up. The not-obvious-til-now bottleneck lies in photo editing. Although Lightroom makes my life sooo much easier, it still takes time to get everything perfect. The vibrance this time took forever to tweak since I don't want to oversaturate but I want all the colours to snap crackle POP. Maybe I should stop being such a perfectionist. If only it were that easy. The lesson learned here is the less photos, the better, faster, harder stronger. I cannot afford 2.5 hours of my day to update every day, so I should top it off at 10 photos max, aim for 8. Maybe I can write a program too to speed things up in LR. Here is the breakdown:

• Makeup: 10 min
• Outfit: 5 min
• Shoot with JJ: 15 min
• Upload: 1 min
• Choose photos to edit: 6 min
• Lightroom to perfection (12 photos): 47 min
• Upload to Blogger and format order and size of photos: 32 min
• Write content: 15 min
• Title, add links, finalize format: 10 min
• TOTAL: 2 hours 21 minutes

Also, I just noticed that my outfit was almost completely H&M. I am dying to try out the Conscious collection and finally get my grubby little paws on some scallop hems! My black hair has also faded again to this weird orangey colour and hopefully one last dye will correct this once class ends. I am so ready for this semester to end so that summer can be here and I can frolic (when I get off my 9 to 5). I am very excited about working in lab full-time but sad that I'll have to wear pants and normal professional people clothing. Tights and slacks shopping, here we come.

By the way there's a freaking deluge going on outside. Tornado season, the sky is ominously purple-greyish and I get the feeling that my ceiling's going to cave in from all the hail. Can I just have one normal day of spring, pretty please? These photos were taken only 2 hours ago o_0

one word

butterfly

• H&M cropped top
• H&M tank top
• H&M skirt
• H&M socks
• American Eagle Wedges

Angela C from United States

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