Dotted Dalmatian Pants + Sheer Top + Leather

Forever 21 woven detail sheer top // H&M spotted Dalmatian print pants //

Thrifted Ann Taylor stripy sandal wedges // Claire's black and white polka dot ball earrings (old) //

BCBG metallic silver foldover clutch // 

Photography: JJ

Usually on planes, I'm out cold before we clear the runway, but today I felt excited and productive in-flight. This was an outfit I wore when visiting JJ in Pitt (5/24/13). My Dalmatian "party pants" are still a lively favourite and get good wear for dancing and those weekdays that need a good pick-me-up. My quirky detail of the day was my black & white polka dot earrings to mirror the pants. Sheer is a cool look, but requires extra layers and steps to prevent the unclassy - in my case I always reach for a nude tank top to maximize the sheer effect. Finish off with strappy sandal wedges and a metallic clutch.

The past month has flown by in a giant blur of med school, research, getting swole at the gym, hanging out and catching meals with friends new and old, going "home-home" to Toledo and visiting Ann Arbor. Looking forward to a crazy weekend in NYC and updating you via Instagram and street style posts!

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Summer Citrus

H&M orange pleated midi skirt // Forever 21 embroidered sheer peasant top (deal) //

White tshirt (underneath) // H&M black bow ballet flats ($10 steal) //

Photography: Angela

FANTA ORANGE. It's almost unthinkable that this outfit came from last summer in the August heat, at the beginning of med school (8/8/12). Back when I was still getting settled in, back when I had no idea what I was doing (still figuring that out), back when my best friend by the same name was still in town. It's a blessing that we have known each other since 1st grade and through my many, many moves we are still close and keep each other updated. She means so much to me and kept me afloat last semester as I was trying to figure out how to face sad discussions of illness and death in class after losing my Mom, how to study, whether I belonged. Thank you.

Commonwealth is a hipster sandwich bar right around the corner from my place, and they have $5 deals every Wednesday. Interesting tidbit: I ran into Destiny from America's Next Top Model Cycle 19 and got the guts to introduce myself and have a conversation. I really enjoy their Three Little Pigs sandwich (ham, pulled pork, egg) and Into the Woods (vegetarian arugula, goat cheese, mushrooms), and sauces that go with their traditional/sweet potato fries. They also have bottled Mexican Coke and Mexican Orange Fanta, matching my outfit colours (along with the Blogspot logo).

I also spent a good deal of Sunday organizing my Threadflip closet - this site is kind of like a blog sale social media hub, less crazy than Ebay (which I'm too lazy to learn how to use), and allows buyers to see the exact final price they'll pay for each item so they won't be flabbergasted at the shipping costs at checkout. If you enjoy my outfit posts and would like to get your hands on some of my pieces, take a look and shipping is free!

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Paisley Pleats

Forever 21 sheer black top with lattice detail // H&M nude slip dress (underneath)
H&M paisley pleated skirt //Pitaya yellow faux patent leather belt // 
Thrifted @ Scholarshop basketweave nude loafers // Poshlocket gold and silver striped bracelet (c/o) //

Photography: self; tripod and remote

At long last: a new outfit post! So maybe med school is as time-consuming as everyone says it is ... the great news is for every outfit I've worn since school began, I've taken pictures and they're all nice and cozy on my SD card. But after all the additionally lectures we're required to learn each day outside of class, I have -5 hours of free time, which ends up stuffed in my piggy bank as rain checks for "sleep, what is sleep?" Moral of the story is: time management is everything and life just started fast forwarding at 3x speed. Second moral: dressing cute is the one thing stringing my sanity together. This is what I wore for running around during the undergraduate activities fair (hot summer weather), ziplining on my lunch break (yup, always in style), and meeting the dental students who are our partners for anatomy dissection. Business ultra-casual? The skirt was a $7 on-sale thingeemajigger that I grabbed before my China trip and the best thing is it has pockets; the second best thing is the pleated flap covers more leg when you sit down.

In the past 2 weeks I have learned how to perform CPR, place EKG leads, how to take a patient history, the clinical side of sickle cell anemia, and lots more. Between all this I finally settled into my apartment and got internet, drove to Pittsburgh for the weekend to visit JJ (he's starting grad school), ate my weight in free food. This is an exhilarating change of pace, because I'm finally learning all the things I wanted to since the beginning of college and we get hands-on clinical experience very early on. Also, at least twice a week I have to dress professionally, so time to start crash-coursing petite friendly outfits for young-people-forever-stuck-in-and-pencil-skirts-and-pantsuits. It's so strange having to wear pencil skirts instead of for whimsical I-feel-fancy-schmancy days.

More random thoughts uncategorizable for paragraph form:
1. There are so many undergrads everywhere (50,000 to be exact-ish?)
2. IKEA is heaven on Earth. Confirmed by scientific studies. Their Swedish meatballs are also food of the gods. Also confirmed by science. Okay maybe not ... still. LINGONBERRIES
3. Being an "adult" is soooo weird. Not sure if I like it. Can I return after 30 days?

Thank you Underrated Gems for featuring me alongside Youtube fashion and beauty gurus. I'm beyond flattered - check it out! Good luck to everyone going back to school - snap a pic and show me your outfits!

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Maxi to Hi-Lo Hem

H&M lace chest sweater dress (S) // Pitaya/Solemio sheer pleated maxi skirt (S) (tucked in as a hi-lo hem skirt) //

From Taiwan opaque teal tights (M/L) // Pitaya yellow patent skinny belt (S) //

Fioni for Payless zip up black cutout booties (5) //

Photography: JJ

BUSINESS IN THE BACK, PARTY IN THE FRONT. Hi-lo hem, fishtail skirts, mullet skirts - there's a different name every week for this style of skirt. What makes sense to me is the fact that it's high in the front like a mini/knee-lengther and long in the back like a maxi. It shows off your legs, shows, and you get a big tail trailing behind you when you strut. While I've been hunting high and low for these all season, I decided to faux it by tucking in the front of my sheer maxi skirt into the waistband and secured with a bright yellow skinny belt. It's not exactly the same thing, but it's more like a really long tulip hem and shows a bit of leg (which I dutifully covered with bright tights to vibe up the black-black block). This also made it slightly easier for shorty me to walk without tripping.

JJ helped me snap these shots in the walk of naked gingko trees quickly after a delicious carvery wrap lunch at Holmes Lounge (1/27). Their house sauce plus a tad of spicy barbeque makes my mouth water just at the sound of it (like right now ... man I feel like one of Pavlov's dogs). It was freezing, so campus bystanders onlooked quizzically while I threw off my coat and pranced around for a few minutes trying to look as un-cold as possible. This weekend consisted of hanging out, attending the best ever Lunar New Year Festival performance, eating dim sum, pho, bubble tea, and Asian supermarket shopping. Somewhere in the fun, there's work to be done. One is as a poet, in the mood before you know it. (Ima dork, forgive me)

By the way, I announced the winner of the Poshlocket giveaway in the original widget. Congrats! Don't worry there's another giveaway for you lovely readers tomorrow!

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Olives and Black Roses

Forever 21 black sheer top w/woven neckline (S) // H&M tan tank top (Euro 4) (as undershirt) //

H&M olive green A-line skirt (Euro 2) // Forever 21 black rose print tights (M/L) //

Wild Diva peep toe suede booties w/ bow accents (5.5) // Jewelmint Astoria necklace (worn as bracelet) (c/o) //

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude // Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette gunmetal, gold, forest green eyeshadow //

Photography: JJ

THE LATTER IN MY DRINKINI. Day 8 of the 12 Days of Fabulous! (This is like running a freaking marathon, blog-wise.) It's Christmas Eve in all its excitement - there are presents under the tree and candy cane on the faux branches, but most importantly there is delicious homecooked Chinese food on the table and my family gathered around it. Home is the best. I wish that they wouldn't ever stop playing Christmas music, year-round. I will always be the idiot singing out loud in the supermarket to "offer you a simple phrase, for kids from one to ninety-two ... Merry Christmas to you." This was what I wore to Styleta Fashion Night Out 2011 (12/10) to enjoy the on-campus fashion and photograph the runway (the post soon).

SHEER + A-LINE SKIRT. I always had trouble styling this top because it was sheer, long and flowy and generally boxy. Sometimes I wore a belt around it but it never quite felt right. With something black underneath, it kind of lost its sheer charm. So luckily I finally figured out a way to accentuate the sheerness without baring uncomfortable amounts of skin (which for me is any amount of midriff I realize) - layer a nude coloured shirt underneath. Voila! Also finally glad to bring out this skirt, something that finally went on sale for $7 last Christmas and I snatched up a Euro 2 versus the 6 thinking that if I became fit enough, it'd be fine. Hahaha, self, time to exercise and eat healthy ... what were you thinking? Either way, the back would not zip up so I just hid it under the shirt's loose material. LOVING the feminine A-line flared shape and olive green colour.

Another wise discovery: buying M/L tights instead of S/M has saved me a lot of ripping. My mondo-thighs just seem to hulk out of any normal dainty pair, so sizing up has greatly helped. You might remember this grey pair of the same F21 rose print tights - of course now they're ripped and questionable looking. Too finish off with some ingenuity: my Jewelmint Astoria necklace (read my review) wrapped thrice around my little wrists to make a cool chunky brassy/golden bracelet. Hurray for arm candy!

Readers - how do you wear sheer?

I See Right Through You

Pitaya sheer pleated maxi skirt (S) // Pitaya cutout sweetheart dress (S) (worn as top) //

Fioni for Payless cutout zip up heels (5) // Calypso necklace (c/o Jewelmint) // Claires chain ear cuff //

Urban Outfitters double face watch // BCBG silver metallic foldover clutch (c/o ReallyPetite) //
Aldo snake coil ring (5) // H&M black red trim blazer (Euro 4) //
Makeup: Wet n Wild Vanity E/S Palette, Stila eyeliner, Too Faced Shadow Insurance primer

Photography: JJ

JUST DANCE, GONNA BE OKAY. This was my outfit for St. Louis Fashion Week @ Macy's (10/12). I aimed for a classic yet interesting look - sheer pleated maxi worn over a cutout bodycon, accessories silver and snazzy. The sheer and long silhouette made me want to dance and sway and I'm happy to say I got a lot of looks during the party and show. Threw on a blazer for the sake of modesty and staying warm. The dress works as a great miniskirt kind of slip too.

Jewelmint recently contacted me and had me choose two pieces from their collection to try out. I'm wearing the Calypso necklace here - it's really pretty and has three stones that match pretty much anything. I like the shape and length too. A more thorough review coming up soon (I also got the Astoria necklace).

Notes: Yes, I look slightly possessed in the first photo. I had a Photoshop adventure removing plugs and a big black light cable out. CS5's content aware removal is pretty good but not perfect, so a lot of it turned out to be manual clone stamping. Not much else to add, other than I have so much to post about Fashion Week and so little time. This week is exceptionally busy, with multiple exams, papers, prepping for a med school interview, adoption season. When will there be a breather? Notice: stress levels and amount of blogging have a strong positive correlation. Bee tea dubs: You NEED to go see Monet's Water Lilies. It was the highlight of my Fall Break! I was lost in the colours and got super emotional when I saw Agapanthus. Yeah, world's biggest dork award goes to me.

Readers - how do you wear sheer pieces?