VivaGambita Petite Jeans Review + Giveaway

H&M oxblood cableknit sweater // DL 1961 Toni Cropped Jean in Switch, size 26 (c/o VivaGambita) //

Firmoo round cat eye tortoiseshell glasses (c/o) // Zac & Zoe for Payless penny loafer pumps //

From China black and crystal detachable peter pan collar //

Photography: self; tripod and remote

Today the temperature took a dip into the nippy 50s and a lightweight cableknit sweater from the colder months still left me shivering. Today's outfit was inspired by the hipster librarian - cat eye tortoise shell glasses with a strong cat eye eyeliner, comfy sweater with a little sweet, comfy jeans and "mannish" shoes. I pulled on these fit-me-like-a-glove jeans that are the perfect length for 5'3" petite me and surprisingly stretchy to leave room for my thighs and acrobatics. Getting creative here, I wore my detachable peter pan collar backwards because of the more subtle rounded shape. Popped on some pennyloafer heels and we were good to start off another week of work.

I got lots of compliments on these glasses too and my classmates kept asking if they were new prescription glasses (they're not). Firmoo contacted me again for another collaboration and let me choose 2 pairs (the other one is quite unique - the frames are totally clear) to style and review. As you remember, they offer stylish frames and prescription glasses on the cheap. Whenever I pop on some cat eyes, my whole mood becomes surlier and cattier as the corners of the glasses are tugged past my eyebrows.

VivaGambita is a brand new petite clothing store that I am excited about. From their adorable mint and white logo to their curated inventory, their chief Caroline has it covered. This pair of petite denim came cuffed but when tried rolling it down, I was surprised to see that it was the perfect tailored length. While I can dish out a few bills and get all my pants rehemmed, the fit around the rest of my leg is much harder to manage. This dark wash pair does it all and from the lack of unsightly bunching lines and muffin top, they are finally a true "ready to wear" piece for us petite ladies. We are excited to give away a pair of VivaGambita's legit denim - enter via the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this post.

Click to see more pictures → → →

O Christmas Tree | Meetup with SydneysFashion

BB Dakota chevron tweed cape (c/o Jupe Boutique) // H&M faux leather pants // 

Mossimo black suede ankle booties //

Photography: JJ, taken on Sydney's Nikon camera

LES PETITES MEET. One of the funnest things about blogging is meeting your friends in real life. After all morning in anatomy lab, I was excited to jump out of scrubs and spend my Saturday afternoon catching up with Sydney again. It was nice to slow down and do a little shopping, latte-sipping, and holiday-spirit enjoying at the mall amongst hoards of shoppers on a mission.

Thanks so much JJ for snapping these! Sydney was kind to send me photos from her camera and I edited a few different ones. You can read more about our fun and see other pics on Sydney's post. The bokeh made all the holiday lights twinkle and turn into big sparkly dots. The GIANT Christmas tree makes us petite gals look even more minuscule, doesn't it? :D

JJ and I had many adventures out on the town as well. We watched Wreck it Ralph and played the online versions of the games too - Disney never fails to disappoint, chatted Neuroscience at the cozy and hip Northstar Cafe on High Street (their food is so fresh and delicious and healthy!), enjoyed macarons and eclairs with eggnog latte at Pistacia Vera.

Petite Fashion Challenge #19: Ombre Crochet Maxi Dress

Pitaya ombre pastel crochet tank maxi dress // H&M nude long tank top (underneath) //

Target pink beanie (gift from Dad) // Aldo nude pumps // Rue 21 wide woven belt //

Genius Outfitters dainty gold skull necklace (from Hawaii) //

Bracelets: Poshlocket Celeste gold and silver (c/o), Forever 21 pearl // 

Rings: green amethyst - Oklahoma medieval fair, silver statement - Erin Wasson Low Luv (thanks Suzy), turquoise cluster - gift //

Island Girl Hawaii neon yellow nail polish in Aloha Color //

Photography: Cassandra Morecroft King

Congrats! You made it to the great reveal of Petite Fashion Challenge #19: what did I have cooking for you guys? I call this look, THE MAXIMALIST. So as any of you may have guessed, I took my Trend Benders challenge too the extreme and went all-out. First off, maxi dresses are always a challenge for us petites. Tripping over your hem all day long, pulling down the entire dress with it, tattering the bottoms, sound familiar? The whole idea of maxi dresses is to let loose and take in all the chill vibe that comes associated with the slanky silhouette and length. On top of this comes another trend - ombre (and pastels while we're at it). Ombre is really cool - I have always been inspired by watercolours since I was young and avidly painting at every opportunity. The pretty purple and blue alternating drew my attention. Summer friendly crochet material? This shifts this dress all the way into the impractical-trend-why-did-I-buy-this zone, unless you have something handy to wear underneath (I went with a long nude tank top and black shorts). Leave it to me to have 4 trends or so in one piece going on.

Thanks to everyone who participated in PFC #19! It's been a pleasure to host and I can't wait to join the fun and creativity on many more to come. Here is the list of participants and their Trend Bending outfits. Please add yourself - you have until the end of September!
1. Click the “Click here to enter” button to add to the list.
2. In the “Link it to:” field, please provide the url of the specific post.
3. In the “Caption or Title:” field, please write the title of your blog (ie. Pandaphilia).
4. In the “Thumbnail field:” select pull from Web and follow the instructions to select your image.

Click to see more pictures → → →

Announcing Petite Fashion Challenge #19: Trend Benders

Today I am excited to announce the 19th PFC: Trend Benders. Pick your favourite Summer or Fall 2012 trend and make it work for you, whether it's going all-out, incorporating it into a professional outfit or using it in moderation. For example - how would you bend this neon brights trend into something in sync with your personal style? Challenge yourself - you might even take something you think would never work on you and get creative! Extra brownie points if you can use your trend in more than one look.

To participate:

1. Leave a comment with your blog URL to express interest

2. Schedule your post for September 18 at 8 PM Eastern Time

3. If you're a non-blogger, just comment with your name and email. Email me your photos at angie@pandaphilia.com before the due date

4. Check back on 9/18 to see everyone's outfits. I'll have a new post up revealing my outfit too. I'll try to Linkytools everything for better visuals too.
[SEE THE LIST OF PARTICIPANTS AND MY OUTFIT HERE]

Have fun and let the trend bending begin!

Blogger Meetup: Adventures with Sydney of PetiteLittleGirl

SWEET HOME OHIO. Yesterday, I had the fortune of meeting up with Sydney of PetiteLittleGirl. It's interesting when the internet becomes a real place - in this case, a Barnes & Noble and Urban Outfitters. And let me tell ya, this girl is so beautiful is person! Pictures don't do her charming laugh and long lashes justice. I had a blast grabbing some 'Bucks and chatting about life. Afterwards, we did some shopping at UO, Sydney looking for form-fitting holiday dresses and me rummaging through cozy knits and ogling these pink glitter platform wedges (that I would never dare to wear). Instead, I fell in like with these navy crushed velvet loafers. Size 6 is definitely roomy but doable with padding or thick socks, so these stylish flats went home with me for $34. Sydney had a lot more self-restraint and turned down the pieces she tried on. When we walked back to her car in the rain and darkening sky, her car was gone! We had such an ordeal to get it back from the towing place. Good riddance. I still feel so bad about this! We still had a blast and I'm glad to have met one of the sweetest petites!

[[ CHECK OUT SYDNEY'S POST FOR MORE PHOTOS ]]

Readers - have you met a fellow blogger in real life?

Images are credited and linked back to PetiteLittleGirl.com

[CLOSED] Alonai Petite-Friendly Shoes Giveaway (US size 2-14)

Alonai, the kind sponsor of my petite feet and two pairs of stylish heels, is sponsoring a giveaway for readers of Pandaphilia! They are providing 2 pairs of fashionable shoes (US size 2-14) up to $50 USD value each. I will draw a winner after 2 weeks, then another after the 4th week. Good luck! If you've been struggling to find cute shoes for your extra small or extra large feet, search no more (well, do search Alonai's extensive catalog). For those blessed with average sized feet, Alonai also carries your size!

Rules:
MANDATORY:

1) Must follow Pandaphilia publicly through Google Friend Connect (click here) - you can use your Gmail, Twitter, AIM account
2) Must visit Alonai.com and choose your favourite pair of shoes
3) Must fill out the form below only once


Optional, for bonus entries:
+1 Follow @pandaphilia and tweet this message: "Enter @pandaphilia + @alonaishoes stylish shoes giveaway! US size 2-14! http://bit.ly/ivtGRw" or click: Tweet
+1 Like Alonai's Facebook page
+1 Like Pandaphilia Facebook page

+1 Post this picture with link on your blog's sidebar (blogs made only for giveaways will be disqualified) 

<a href="http://www.pandaphilia.com/2011/07/alonai-petite-friendly-shoes-giveaway.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBI0hskbk9Gc3QhRQZWUyiIlVvUpuali8BqsJ4MmABcsoE3AJJcL9kLxBgrc-akto0kEWNJhpqaDqth_ZKGZqVZTvBfoIBBpwDvi0c6lpenlMix40jJwe486i4YtcDrrwzvm4yj9WSX7AX/" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a>

This contest is open to US and international readers (I will personally ship to the international readers). Please ask parental permission if under 16. Giveaway ends on 7/29/2011 at 11:59 PM CST. Two winners will be drawn, one on 7/16/2011 and another on 7/30/2011. Winner(s) must email me with their mailing address within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected.

[Contest form removed after giveaway ended]

2 pairs of shoes (up to $50 USD value each) will be provided by Alonai. I am not affiliated with the company.

Alonai Petite Shoes Review

As you may all well know, my blog may as well be called "Petite Feet" for all my frustrations finding small shoes for my less than size 5 feet. Alonai is a Florida-based shoe company specializes in petite and big shoes (Women's size 2-14 Men's 14-17), a much wider range than the typical retail store. Alonai was kind enough to sponsor me these two pairs of size 4 shoes to review and try. [And yes, these photos were taken by my new Canon Rebel T2i + 50 mm f/1.8 lens. Treating myself with my summer scholarship money feels oh-so-good]

Firstly, my foot length is about 215 mm, so a US size 4-4.5. I realized that I am on the larger end of that range, so a size 34.5 would have been perfect. Unfortunately Alonai and many other shoe stores don't make half sizes, so I went with the 34 and took a risk, because the size 5's I've been living off of definitely leave a gap and the consequent discomfort after walking around all day. Can you imagine my surprise when I tried these on and realized that my feet were too big? That never, never, ever happens. Add water into zip-loc bags for awkard freezer stretching a la Michelle Phan and ... they didn't stretch much on the first go. I'll keep trying - this is not Alonai's fault and I just need to break them in.

If you have small feet like me and struggle with finding cute shoes that aren't covered with Barbie faces and ungodly amounts of glitter, check out Alonai's wide selection of stylish petite shoes. Finally, high heels that fit without gapping and let me strut with a woman's dignity! The prices are also usually less than other small shoe boutiques and a lot of styles are on sale right now.

10% off next purchase with coupon code: alonai4me

Pretty red boxes for the brand Andres Machado. Bigger: black wedges. Smaller: blue slingbacks

Blue slingbacks in size 34 with elastic back strap (purchase here)

Slingback review (size 34): 3.5 inch heel. Very true to size. Overall, I'm impressed with the quality of the shoe. The heel is sturdy and securely attached, no defects. I like the fact that the heel is also this unique blue colour. The material is a cross between leather and suede. These shoes are comfortable to stand in and match well with pants, skirts, shorts, dresses - very versatile. I reiterate that my feet are size 34.5, so the fact that these are very, very tight on me and painful to walk in is my fault. If I could find a way to stretch the back strap more than the elastic gives, that would solve most of the problem. By design, if the back strap had an adjustable buckle, it would help those who wear half sizes too.

Mary Jane Espadrilles Wedges review (size 34): 4 inch heel. This is my first pair of mary janes and my first pair of espadrilles. Woot two birds with one stone. This black wedge is super versatile too, I like the visual effect of an ankle strap dividing the endless length of leg. I really like that the mary jane strap comes with adjustable buckles - I keep mine on the middle hole and there's still some wiggle room, whereas the tightest one is constricting. The material is like a suede and toes are quite round. With this small size and the roundedness, this shoe is more youthful and little-girl-like. The 34 isn't as small on me as the slingbacks, so I'm guessing it's more like a 4.25 if there could be such a size. A session of ice stretching should fix the squashing my toes.

Thanks to Alonai for sponsoring this wonderful pair of tiny shoes. I already wore them in two outfits that I'm excited to show you in the next few days. I'll post photos here to supplement once those outfits are up.

I was also eyeing these wedges and cool t-strap booties:

P.S. Figured out how to post to Flickr directly from Lightroom. My new camera doesn't need much editing even after shooting indoors in dim lighting but Flickr is definitely better than Blogger/Picasa for keeping colour integrity. Most photos were shot with lowest aperture: f/1.8. I'm learning, so forgive me :D

Don't forget to join my Style Yourself fashion handbook giveaway! (c/o Weldon Owen)

Although the shoes were sponsored, these opinions are completely honest and my own.

Bodycon, M.D.

Ann Taylor white fitted blazer (00P) // Pitaya cutout bodycon dress (S) // 

Merona black dotted tights (S/M) // Fioni for Payless strappy heels (5) //

Photography: JJ using Nikon D70

Way back in September, I ventured into Ann Taylor for the first time and came out with my first nice piece of clothing. Though it was after Labor Day, this stark white fitted blazer still caught my eye from the sale rack. To my surprise, a 00P was even slightly too big on me in places. The sales associate told me the back needed to be taken in a little and the sleeves shortened. It was originally something like $180 originally but had a sale price of $60 but in the end after some more discounts for a few dirty spots I found it came out to be $32. Not bad at all! From pictures, it seems like the fit is pretty good though not perfect. 

Bodycons really do make me body-conscious, or rather body self-conscious. All those steak phillies are finally catching up to me d'oh. I like the cutout of the back and this is probably one of the most skin-showing pieces I own. I definitely went out with the blazer on so that I didn't feel naked at the fashion show. 

I am SO STOKED to be leaving on a 14-hour flight to Taiwan in 3 days !!! This is my first time out of the country and back in Asia in 7 years. These next few days are going to be full of writing scheduled posts of reviews and some leftover outfits, packing and packing, trying to figure out how to avoid jetlag. My poor body is in need of some healthy vacationing, with amazing food and depending on my legs for transportation instead of firmly planting my butt in a hard chair and keeping my eyes glued to books or a computer screen. I want a true vacation away from the internet (gasp!) so I'm going to blog a ton beforehand and get my fair share of adventure and relaxation during. See you on the other side of the world!

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