What I loved this week:

I am not a t-shirt person. I am not comfortable wearing tees out of the house. I don’t even own more than five basic ones, three black ones (long sleeve, short sleeve and V-neck), one white and one with faded artistic flower and a little bead work that I got last year. But as soon as I saw these floral print tees, I wanted one so badly.




…Flat shoes. I very well know that wedges are going to be the shoe du jour for spring and summer, clogs and platform strappy sandals a close second (and third). But for our transitional weather to spring (ummm, no, we are not buried under a few feet of snow!), I like flats and not those pointy toe two toned formal ones either. I like my flats comfy, light, delicate and feminine with flowers on top. Something like these babies:



…Apple tortes. Yeah, I know I sound like a glutton but all that sweet goodness is hard to resist!



…..aaannnnd on that sweet note, have a great weekend!

An urban experience

What I love about LA is the urban life which we living here in south OC pretty miss out on. All those little holes-in-the-wall cafes and little ethnic restaurants, (Himalayan cuisine, anyone?), all those people watching, boutiques and (no, of course not) the traffic.
Wearing head to toe black felt very urban to me. Yeah, I know, wrong city but I gotta work with what I got!!!

What I loved this week:

Well, not much really! I’m in the middle of winter depression, hating heavy and dark winter clothes and not finding anything airy and springy enough to wear.
What I keep looking for is airy chiffon and silk tops in nude and cream and dusty rose. Ruching and ruffles and lace trim and beadwork details are more than welcome on these sweet pieces. I am practically in love with ultra-feminine tops.

This gorgeous necklace from Anthropologie. It looks so simple, so childish and innocent. It is named “That’s a Wrap” necklace and comes in two finishes, Gold and Silver. With a price tag of $178, it is a little dear for costume jewelry but if you have a birthday coming up, start dropping hints left and right and hopefully someone might buy it for you!


And finally the color green. I guess it is all the green covered hills and new leaves which has started this obsession. But I was wearing green at least once everyday. A sage green cowlneck thin sweater, a light blue-green top, a green tunic, green jewelry, green suede handbag and my green and navy jacket.
What I’m looking for is a pair of green cargo pants in slim cut. Wish me luck!

Lace shoes, just because!

On the same day that I admire a pair of Badgley Mischka Ivory satin and lace slippers in a store, I get a comment about lace shoes! It has to be fate or something!
OK, I won’t bore you with my account of those satin and lace slippers with little bows and delicate beadwork and cute fringe, just let me say that they were fit for the queen of shoes, Marie Antoinette.
Now for the rest of us there are lacey shoes out there, some delicate and wispy, some seriouse and no-nonsense, some playful and happy, and some in styles that no self-respecting hard-working woman can imagine wearing.



Take 1,2,3 and 4, these are beautiful. You can wear them with long formal gowns or with cocktail dresses, you can match them with your dress or go for a complete contrast. wear black lace shoes with a colorful bjut simple cut cocktail dress. I like to view them as formal wear.
5 and 6 ; a little lace or a lot, sweet or playful. You can dress them up with ankle length feminin skirt or dres them down with skinny dark or white jeans and a t-shirt. They are happy, simple and delisousely casual.
7: a very modern lace for those who like unfussy modern styles.
8 and 9: delicate elegant lace, I like to wear them with skinny cropped jeans (or a simple black minidress with opaque tights) in an all black outfit and let the shoes to be te focal point of the outfit.
10: beginner lace or lace shoes for the conservatives. It is safe and elegant enough to wear at work or in day time.
11: oh, don’t! just don’t wear anything like this if you are over 5 years old! Although I think Paris Hilton might sport a pair!
12: modern lace but tricky to get it right. The shoes are so eye-catching that you have to keep everything else simple and covered. They are seduction incarnated, show-a-little hide-a-little, and to avoid going over board, be very careful with the rest of your outft.
13; beautiful on their own but I am not sure if they look respectable with any outfit.
These boots are close to that ladies-of-the-night look girls of the oldest profession sport.
If you are as conservative as me, you won’t get close to lace-y boots.

And finally, whatever you do, do not EVER wear lace shoes with a lace dress or skirt with lace shoes. Matchy-matchy is not a good look when it comes to lace.

How to wear lace

If you still haven’t heard, you’ve been living in another galaxy: Lace is going to be huge this spring. Annnnnd, it is tricky to wear. You can wear a little or a lot, head to toe or just a peek. But doesn’t matter where you get your inspiration, be careful how you put your look together. With lace, it is easy to end up somewhere no self-respecting woman wants to be, looking like a …. Wearing lace is a delicate balance. If you want to wear head to toe lace, pick a conservative style, demure cut and choose an elegant color. A bright pink lace dress with flowy skirt is not a good look when you are more than 7 years old. A black lace dress which is too short or ultra revealing and body-con might falsely advertise your job as a type lady who makes her living on her back.
Also, be mindful of proportions and for the sake of everything holy, please; don’t do this:

A little lace goes a long way. You can pull quiet a stylish figure with just a suggestion of lace around the neckline or shoulders. If you are wearing a lacy skirt or top, keep other parts of your outfit lace free. And if you are wearing a lace dress for day, pick something uncomplicated and casual, be mindful of your under things and match it with casual complementary pieces.

1,2,3: Anthropologie
4: Diane von Furstenberg 'Arcelia' Crochet Lace Dress via Nordstrom (shopstyle.com)
5: Trina Turk 'Zafira' Lace Dress & 'Bellflower' Cardigan via Nordstrom (shopstyle.com)
6: newportnews.com
7: Serena in “Gossip Girl” via Instyle.com

Winter Blues or what I didn’t like recently

Ahh, I’m becoming really irresponsible with this weblog. Not my fault really! I blame it on monotonous winter days. After a week of rain, we are having a couple of weeks of half cloudy weather with tangy chilliness. Yep! That is a very accurate scientific description and my dad would be proud of me (he is a retired meteorologist). And I got winter depression. Or to use a very common expression, I’m in a winter style rot. That whole challenge with skirts didn’t work out. Apparently I am not in the mood for skirts this winter. It is much easier to layer a dress over one of my barely worn button downs and just stress over the matching of my scarf and coat.
Then I ordered a pleather rain boot and it took two weeks to get here. Now that I got it, the rain has stopped.
I feel like getting dress is taking too much effort and makes me tired. I’m preferring to wear jeans and a comfy long sweater and flats (oh, horror!).
Else? I went to look for transitional breezy pieces for spring and couldn’t find anything suitable. The silk skirt I fell in love with was extra flowy and voluminous. Looked very nice on the hanger but not-so-flattering on me. The geometric print cotton dress I loved was too short (barely covering the essentials!) and the boutique was out of that silk dusty rose top in my size.
Should I add that the scarf I was admiring was sold before I could get to it?
Not a very happy uplifting shopping experience, I tell ya!
To get my fashion fix, I started watching the “Ugly Betty” Season three DVDs but the unhappy ending and all those bad things happening to all the characters just added to my funk.
I started a couple of illustrations and made such a mess of lines that I gave up.
I am tired of heavy dark winter clothes. I am fed up with my boots, I want to wear nice shoes, and not clogs either!
I have a large list of essential items for spring and I can not find them anywhere (with a reasonable price tag, I mean).
And my husband’s birthday is in two days and I still haven’t bought his gift. Worse yet, I don’t know what to buy for him!
Winter blues? Oodles!


On a less depressing note: if you are planning to mix patterns this spring, be very careful. Let’s Betty be your warning. Do not, (repeat) do not, under any circumstances; mix large or bright colored patterns. Go with one small and one large pattern which are similar in color or shape or theme.