Ever the Same

outfit: striped top and tights -- j crew; grey dress and bow -- f21; wedges -- uo; belt -- topshop

Hello!
This outfit was inspired by two of my favorite bloggers--Amanda and Jen. Normally, I'm not one to be inspired to dress a different way or try a new look. I just read blogs and think "That's a really great outfit, but I don't think I'd ever really wear that." I just march to the beat of my own drum, but...when Amanda posted this look a few days ago, I immediately wanted to recreate the look with a striped dress and a solid tank dress. That's really the whole point of inspiration isn't it--to take something sensational and make it your own. Jen already got me into buying maroon tights, but when I saw these wedges at UO, I thought of her. They're a hybrid of her Seychelle wedges and UO olive heels. These are now my second pair of heels and they were only $10! I think I've seen the light in what heels can do for your legs. Who knows--maybe now I'll be open to boots too?

So this is it...the last outfit of 2010! I can't believe this year is over: so much has happened this year. I'm kinda sad to see it go, but I love the idea of starting fresh tomorrow. Here are my resolutions for the new year:

1. Eat and be healthier--while this may result in weight loss, it isn't the objective. I've been getting sick way too often now so I really just need to start taking care of myself.
2. Apply to grad school--which includes preparing for and taking the CBEST and CSET exams in the Spring and Summer.
3. Save more money--invest in timeless pieces and quality items, and utilize what I already own.
4. Go to NJ/NYC in September--I miss Jen and all the other bloggers.
5. Spend less time on the internet--do other things like reading and getting back into photography.

What are your resolutions for 2011?

Until next post,
Jasmine

Before the Storm

outfit: striped top, chambray skirt, maroon tights -- j crew; bow belt -- h&m; flats -- marais usa

Hello!
It's hard to believe that it's actually kinda warm here, while Jen is in winter wonderland on the other side of the country. I took these photos on Monday before the storm. It's been raining pretty hard today. While I have accepted that it'll never snow here in Southern California, Mother Nature should at least let me able to layer a little bit this Winter. I have this insatiable craving for scarves and knit hats. Jen also inspired me to buy a pair of maroon tights to style on my own. I got this top and these tights at the J Crew outlet in Vegas. Robert and I were at $88; and if we spent $100 we got an additional 20% off, so basically I got these tights for free since they were $12. They have become my new favorite tights. You may think this striped top is familiar, and that's because it's the blue version of my minty green one. I seriously think my closet is only so abundant because I buy everything in multiples! Actually most of my striped tops have a fraternal twin. Is this...normal? Please just keep me in the dark and say yes.

So these are my long awaited new pair of shoes! I'm pretty sure Robert got sick of my obsessing over them, so he bought them for me for my birthday :) When they came, they were a bit small so I had to exchange them via mail, but they're finally with me now and I love them. But they're already scratched after just a day at work. I think I'll be saving these for special occasions. And so my search for everyday shoes continues...!

I don't have any plans for New Year's Eve yet, sadly. Do you?

Until next post,
Jasmine

2010 Flashblack

Hello!
Since my blog's birthday and New Year's Eve are so close together, I decided to do a huge flashback and reflection of 2010 altogether. It has been an amazing year for me, probably one of the best ever and I'd like to think it was all because I started blogging. A little over a year later, I am more sure and confident of who I am; have developed a unique style; and have made so many friends along the way. While in the beginning, blogging stressed me out (and still does sometimes), it is without a doubt one of the best projects I've started and continued. It's kinda cool to see how much I have grown as a person, as a fashion blogger, and as a photographer since my very first post.

I feel like I came into my style in July during and after my 21 for 21 challenge. It's kinda ironic and poetic that during a time when I was most limited, I became the most creative. My subsequent and present outfits have followed the similar style and pattern of those 21 outfits, and I don't think my outfits have ever been better than they are now. I think that challenge really reaffirmed my love for stripes and bows by showing that I could wear them for weeks (now months) without growing tired of them. Even though sometimes I get into ruts with all my striped tops, solid bottoms, and basic dresses, I honestly would not have my closet be filled with anything else. I love my clothes and my style.

Here are my top 10 favorite outfits/posts:

#1 On My Way Down

For many of you, this was your favorite outfit of my entire challenge and it was only my second one! I just love how sweet this outfit is with the lace and the bow belt. This was my first outfit with this belt and it has been so loved ever since.


#2 Soak Up the Sun

I adore all the colors in this outfit--they look so delicious! This was such a spontaneous outfit. I had planned something entirely different for the blogger meet up that day, but I love the way this turned out.


#3 The Little Blogger Who Could

This was my last outfit in my 21 for 21 challenge. It was the first time I layered a shirt over a dress to make the dress into a skirt. I felt so good in this outfit and so good that I had actually finished a challenge. I need to get around to doing another one sometime soon.


#4 Dynamic Duo: Better Together

This photo pretty sums up that weekend in NYC with Jen in all our dorky glory. Dynamic Duo has been one of the best parts of blogging. I love Jen. Meeting her (and all the other bloggers) in September was so indescribably amazing--life changing actually. That entire weekend was life changing. I love how similar yet different we are when we style our DD items. The entire purpose of DD really encompasses the best parts of blogging: friendship and collaboration. This reminds me we need to get around to doing one or two DD posts during winter break.


#5 Over My Head

I debuted this dress in this post. I've worn this dress so many times afterward. It's so comfy and easy to slip on when I don't know what to wear. Look at shiny and fresh my Topshop flats used to look too...!


#6 Slow Me Down

I love the print mixing going on here. Stripes and bows? Seriously perfect for me! This skirt began as a Dynamic Duo item and is now one of my favorite skirts in my closet.


#7 Ordinary Days

This is such an everyday outfit for me: a plain t-shirt with a skirt, cardigan, and a bow and I'm out the door. I absolutely love how this one turned out. I like this red, white, and grey color combination. I need to try it out again.


#8 Separate Ways

I wore this to a Thanksgiving dinner with some friends. This dress has become one of my favorite finds in the sale section of UO (my way of "thrifting" hehe). I love it paired with the red tights.


#9 Blanket of Leaves

I like this outfit mostly because of the amazing scarf, that has pockets. Need I say more?


#10 Night Life

I wore this to my first time clubbing ever while in Vegas with my first pair of heels. I think this outfit shows how much I've grown. I don't think I would've ever dared to wear anything like this last year, but look at me with heels, printed tights, a metallic skirt, a blazer-like cardigan. I can only wonder the great lengths I'll go next year!

Thank you to all my amazing followers! I'm going to try to be a better blogger in 2011, hopefully by hosting more giveaways and trying to comment back on your blogs.

Until next post,
Jasmine

TW x Monochromachic and Shop Update

Hello!
Today, I'm guest blogging over at Monochromachic on things that I can't live without. So go check it out, even though I'm pretty sure you all can guess the clothes I can't live without. I have also finally updated the blog shop with some things. I cleaned out my closet a bit. So have a look around and maybe buy something!

Until next post,
Jasmine

outfit: cardigan and striped top - -gap; skirt -- cotton on; bow -- etsy; tights -- f21; shoes -- topshop

Holiday Cheer

outfit: peter pan collar top and skirt -- uo; belt and shoes -- topshop; bow and tights -- f21

Hello!
Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you are spending it with the people you love :) I have yet to look at all the Christmas lights in my community. I think I'll have to do that tonight before they get taken down.

Robert and I took these photos on his last day before he went off to Taiwan for 10 days with his family. I miss him already. This is next to his house. While it was raining, his street was covered with leaves and I thought it'd be great for an outfit photo location, but as you can see, the gardeners beat me to it. So I decided to just take pictures with the pile of leaves instead. This is my holiday-inspired outfit with my red peterpan collar top. I wore the cream version of this top not too long ago. I really don't know which one I love more. Red has become my favorite color to wear in 2010 and I'm pretty sure it'll be again in 2011. Can you believe 2010 is coming to an end?! I really can't! I have already started on my end-of-the-year post.

Until next post,
Jasmine

Minty Green

outfit: striped top and skirt -- j crew; tights -- gap; belt and shoes -- topshop; bow -- f21

Hello!
Thank you all for your sweet comments on my last outfit that wasn't very me. But this one...is definitely me. This is the last of my Vegas outfits. We took photos on our last walk on Las Vegas Blvd. I bought most of my outfit while shopping at the outlet on Friday. The J Crew store was having an amazing sale that day and I just couldn't help myself in buying two striped tops, this skirt, and a pair of maroon tights. If you don't already know, green is my favorite color and I'm so happy that I've been finding ways to wear it recently, like my green cardigans and skirt. When I was in high school, I made it a point to wear green practically everyday. Of course it usually came in the form of obnoxious graphic tees, but now I have found a way to wear it in a cute way. I absolutely love the shade of this green. It reminds me of mint chocolate chip ice cream. I think it compliments this skirt well and I can't wait to pair it with other things in my closet.

I feel like with all the shopping I've done recently, I have too much clothes for my own good now. I just don't know what to do with them all. It's a bit overwhelming really. I still have things that are still new but months old that I need to show you. I should just freeze my debit card in a cube of ice like in Confessions of a Shopaholic until I really need something. Somehow, it's never really enough. There's always something on my to-find-in-stores list. I'm going to clean out my closet over Christmas weekend and update my blog shop. I'm going to force myself to be brutally honest and get rid of things that I absolutely don't use...or just buy some under-the-bed storage containers. I'm horrible at letting things go.

Until next post,
Jasmine

My Grown Up Christmas Wish

1. J. Crew Factory Midnight Tweed Bungalow Skirt 2. UO Wooden Ships Isadora Turban 3. "Despicable Me" DVD 4. Holga Fish Eye Lens for 35mm 5. UO Cooperative Woodland Earflap Hat 6. UO Cooperative Canvas Lace Oxford Wedges 7. UO Deux Lux Reptile Backpack 8. Canon 35mm f 2.0

Hello!
Merry Christmas Eve Eve everyone! I know my wish list is incredibly late, but I wanted to make one anyway! Can you tell how much time I spend oggling over at UO's website?! I can't believe it's Christmas tomorrow! With all the rain we've been having, I'm really craving some crazy hats (inspired by Jen's owl hat of course) and/or a knit turban to try out. Hopefully I can get in a holiday-inspired outfit post before Christmas ends because when else is the best time to sport my favorite color to wear (red)?

Until next post,
Jasmine

Night Life

outfit: cardigan -- gap; chiffon ruffle tank -- h&m; skirt and bow -- f21; tights -- target; shoes -- steve madden (thrifted)

Hello!
This is probably the most anticipated outfit of the trip. So many of you said you couldn't wait to see what I ended up wearing to go clubbing for the first time. Well this is it! Sorry for the poor quality photos--they were taken in the hotel bathroom. Classy, I know. But look there's Charlie Sheen!

I find that real blazers look a bit odd on me. I'm more of a cardigan girl. I'm pretty self-conscious when I wear tank tops with my jiggly arms so finding a sweater blazer while in Vegas couldn't have come at a better time. A normal cardigan would've looked a bit awkward with this outfit, but this one really just brings everything together. I'm still so in love with the top even though it is a tank: The ruffles are of a chiffon material and it's just so light and dreamy. I'll have to find ways to wear it casually so you can see it better. I really want the cream version, but the trip to Vegas and Christmas shopping has taken such a huge chunk out of my bank account that I really shouldn't shop for myself for a long while.

Clubbing was a ton of fun! Drinks were expensive, but it was so nice to dance with Robert since we haven't done that since winter formal in high school. We went to XS at Encore. I was the most conservative girl there. Most of the girls didn't even wear tights, let alone a cardigan over their outfit. But...this is my version of club wear and I still felt good. I ended up liking my outfit a lot and the guy checking my ID wished me a happy birthday so it was a good night. It was really fun trying something new. I don't think I've ever had so much black in an outfit before or something shiny like my skirt. I also put on a bit of make up for the first time: just a bit of concealer, mascara, and some lip gloss. Dressing up is so much fun! I'll have to find reasons to do it more often. Maybe New Year's Eve.

Until next post,
Jasmine

Wrong Exit

outfit: peter pan collar top -- uo; skirt -- zara; belt and shoes -- topshop; bow -- f21; bag -- marc by marc jacobs; tights - -gap

Hello!
I'm so thankful that I have these photos from Vegas to post this week since it's going to rain the entire week and I have no idea how I would've taken outfit photos. I wore this on our second day. We went shopping at an outlet where I started and finished all my Christmas shopping. We did some more shopping at the Fashion Show Mall and afterward we walked around. We visited the Bellagio hotel, which had this super cute Christmas display. I am obsessed with polar bears and penguins! I wanted to steal their red chunky knit scarves. I originally wanted to take outfit photos near the lake, but I took us through the wrong exit and stumbled upon this amazing view of the Eiffel Tower. I love this view. If only it weren't raining...I would've taken so many more photos, but these turned out great nonetheless. I had quite an audience too. Who wouldn't want to watch a silly little Asian girl posing in the rain without an umbrella or a jacket?

I got this peter pan collar top on Black Friday and am just getting around to wearing it. I love it--so much that I got it in red too. It's a perfect substitute for a plain white tee and I can't wait to layer it underneath dresses! I originally planned to wear it with a different skirt, but thank goodness I'm an overpacker and brought a spare skirt because this looked so much better.

More photos from my trip to come so stay tuned!

Until next post,
Jasmine