White House, Black Market, Green Jeans

We're getting some much-needed rain here. I've been wearing the silhouette that I depend on heavily in the winter while my more costume-y things are packed in boxes.

Tunic: Karen Kane (gift from Megan Mae)

Green skinny jeans: White House Black Market (thrifted, size 4 on eBay)

Boots: ALDO (thrifted)

Cloisonne necklace: (thrifted)

This tunic is another gift from my friend Megan Mae! It's cool because it's a cut that's flattering, in colors I like, soft, comfortable fabric, and it pushes my comfort boundaries a little because it has a pattern on it. I'm liking it more and more each time I wear it.

Something about tunics and longer pieces is comforting in cooler weather. My father wears women's fleece jackets because they are tunic length, instead of stopping at the hip. I always hear him in my head saying, "Keeps mah buns warm!" in his gravelly way. He's a life experience, that man.

These White House Black Market sage green skinny jeans have rhinestone rivets!

I'm such a sucker for unique pockets.

The bottoms also zip so they can be worn outside of or in boots:

Aaaaand I can move in them! Stretch fabrics are my friend. I think this company is worth checking out in the future. They go from size 00 to 16. (This isn't sponsored, I just get excited when I thrift jeans that fit.)

Do you favor certain silhouettes depending on the weather or season?

Winter Picnic

  On Sunday my friend threw a picnic in Golden Gate Park. It was 35 F.

  I realize that's balmy compared to where some of you are, but you probably weren't voluntarily hanging out on the ground for two hours, were you? Oh well. My role is not to ask, it is to make a batch of Hawai'ian fried chicken and go support him.

  Oh, and to dress warmly.

Violet undershirt hoodie: Blu Chic (thrifted)

Knit tunic: Threads (gift from Megan Mae)

Skirt: Hillard & Hanson (thrifted)

Sweater dress: Rhys Dwfen (thrifted)

Coat: S by Serle (thrifted)

Scarf: unknown (thrifted)

... very warmly.

Very similar to the look I shot my friend when I got there.

  I actually added a knit hat and some fingerless gloves before heading out the door, too.

  The asymmetrical sweater tunic deal is from Megan Mae! It's another one of those items I never would have picked out for myself and that I like better and better the longer I have it. It's a fantastic overlayer for my long sleeved shirts for winter. I put another asymmetric knit over it, the soft wool sweater dress by Rhys Dwfen:

  I don't know how interesting my outfits are right now. We're going into the coldest weather of the year in my area, and I am a delicate California strawberry. My outfits are me wearing as many things from my winter wardrobe as possible, all piled on top of one another. I'm trying to keep a little color in there, but mostly I'm trying not to look cranky all of the time (which is how I look when I am cold. :D)

  Does your style change with the weather?

  Speaking of interest, I thrifted this lavender Jones New York dress the other day. Love the color, am baffled by the shapeless tube-form! I already removed the unfortunate shoulder pads, else the dress wouldn't touch a single part of my body. Check this out:

It's a cassock!

  I think I have two main options here, but I wanted to see your preference or if you had any additional suggestions.

  The first is I could take the dress way in. I would likely do pretty dramatic princess seams in the front and back, then let the skirt back out to an A-line.

  The second: since this dress is a garment-and-a-half, with an opaque panel/half a dress under the front panels, I could remove the dress panel, open the false jacket in the front, and make this a decorative coat.

  Ideas, votes, and pointing and laughing are all welcomed. :D

  ... I confess half the reason I bought the dress was it smelled really clean and faintly of naphthalene, and it reminded me of my grandmother's house. The rest of the reason was it was $5 and I love the color. :D Do you ever buy things on emotional whims?

Style or Die! challenge: Triple Five Soul vest

  Outfit 1 is everyday steampunk using the Triple Five Soul pinstripe vest:

Vest: Triple Five Soul (clothing swap)

Skirt: Ann Taylor (Megan Mae)
Aristocrat coat: CAbi (thrifted)

Lightning boots: Naya (gift, old) 8.5W on eBay

Rhinestone locket: Express (very old)

Grey shirt: Gap maternity (thrifted)

  I like this one so much I will link to Patti's next Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet style. :D

  I don't know much about the brand CAbi, save it's probably not Japanese, because kabi in the Japanese language means mold. I found out from Google images that this is called the Aristocrat coat. It's 100% merino wool and a teal color. I love it already.

  The skirt is brand new to me, having just received it in the post from Megan Mae! It's just the color I like, fits me at the waist (fantastic since I outshrank most of my skirts while in school) and has layers of ruffles that can be bustled up. Here I used a safety pin to take up the front. I think it's going to become a wardrobe staple really fast. :D

  If you've followed my blog for any amount of time, you'll notice I have a lot of vests. Most are thin and meant to layer under jackets. This one's is thick and double-layered, as well as longer and wider at the shoulders. It has to be worn as a top layer because jackets over it make me look like a fullback. Thin overcoats seem ok. I think it needs mid-length skirts at or near the natural waist so as not to look like office wear. Time will tell if this is too narrow a set of constraints.

  Tried this outfit with other vests and the proportions don't work as well. And it's *warm*. I ended up sweating while writing in my apartment, which is a good sign. For now, I think this one is a keep.

Repurposed

  I hate mornings.

Prairie hoodie: Prairie Underground (thrifted)

Dress: Liz Lange) maternity for Target (thrifted)

Harness: Audra Jean (Megan Mae)

Jodhpurs-as-leggings: Ariat Pro (thrifted)

Boots: Fitzwell (6pm.com, old)

  Trivia: my mother has a stuffed cat with the same facial expression I am wearing above. She was scooting through an airport in Japan to catch a flight when she saw it in a gift store window and couldn't stop laughing. She brought it home and showed me, and sometimes when I wake up with this expression while I'm visiting, she runs and gets it and holds it up next to my face.

  I'm convinced modern scheduling was invented by psychopaths who ran around changing everything while the rest of us were sleeping until a reasonable hour. I spend the first two hours of each day hating everyone on earth (not personal) and not being able to open my eyes all the way.

  Maternity wear: yes! Pregnant: no! I think it drapes very nicely as a tunic/dress.

  As much as I hate mornings, I like socializing with my friends more, so after a late night of a housewarming party and going to see my friend's band play, I got up early to go to dim sum, another housewarming party, and wushu class. It is more socializing than I've probably done in the rest of 2013.

  These pinstripe Ariat jodhpurs (mentioned in my thrifting post here) are so comfortable. They stretch very well and the pockets are reasonably roomy and accessible.

  As I was going out the door, I added this hat by San Diego hat company, since I seemed to have an overall 'riding' theme going on, with repurposed jodhpurs, riding-style boots, and a Western-inspired hoodie. Sorry I didn't get a photo of it, but I've used my brilliant photoshop skills to bring the full outfit to you:

  I'm still low on sleep, so this is a short post, but when the week slows down, I hope to have more up. Have you ever worn clothes that weren't as intended?

Athletic Ninja

  Last week, I was a participant in the studies we are doing for senior research at school. I had to wear all black and shorts for mo-cap and for electrodes. Well, the athletic ninja look is so last season and no one wears all black after Overthrow the Shogunate Day (and my bike shorts are really short!) so I added a wide leather belt, two silver scarves, and a coverup silk dress by 4 Love and Liberty.

Dress: 4 Love and Liberty (gift from Megan Mae)

Belt: évenément (thrifted, Japan)

Scarves: Fair Indigo and forgotten junior shop (v. old)

Toe shoes: Vibram (The CAMP at Costa Mesa)

  Yes, this is yet another gift from the wonderful Megan Mae! This week was evidently the Megan Mae Festival. I wish someone had told me in advance; I could have baked cupcakes and sewn a flag.

  I love shirt shells, so I should love dress shells too, right? RIGHT. This thing is incredibly comfortable and in my favorite shade of 'Depression Blue' (friend coined it, I love it.)  There are little loops in the back, so I will add some ties when I find a suitably pretty ribbon.

  I also took a shot of my athletic shoes, since I don't know how often they're seen outside of my area. They're common enough here that people know the brand and recognize them on sight, but they're predominantly worn by middle class young people (the people who have the time and income to think of their health.) I love them because as someone with very wide feet, it's the first time I've practiced stances in martial arts and not had my feet cramp because the distal half is being vise-gripped into a block by my shoe. Also they were 65% off and the purple is cute. I get a lot of comments on them. (:

  How did you spend Megan Mae Week?

The Ottoman Inspire

  It's pretty dark when I get home from class these days, so you are getting treated to my morning face. It involves squinting and unkempt hair.

Shirt: Bisou Bisou (thrifted)

Vest: MOUTHvalley (Japan, thrifted)

Pants: Koi Kathy Petersen (thrifted)

Sash: Megan Mae (gift)

Jeweled dagger brooch: eBay

  This is an entry for Spy Girl's Accessorize! challenge: pick your accessories for the day first, then dress to match them. I chose the jeweled dagger brooch I picked up on eBay recently. To match, I went with a (very loosely!) Turkish inspired outfit. The pants gather at the ankles and I added a wide sash around the middle (a gift from Megan Mae.)  The super flowy sleeved shirt and vest are for fun.

  I count five sets of strings/dangling things on my outfit, making this a definite top contender in the fire hazard category.

  Random note: I can't make a fist or grip anything with full strength for about an hour after I wake up. It's worse if I've been woken suddenly or didn't get enough sleep. The Internet says I'm having a stroke (I don't think this this the case, this has been going on since childhood. The Internet also said my migraines were brain cancer.) Does anyone else experience that?

New shirt shell love

How sweet is this shirt??!

  This Spencer Alexis Asian-ish top is a gift from Megan Mae and my latest shirt shell. I spent the morning contemplating its details and I kept liking it more with every hour.

Top: Spencer Alexis (gift from Megan Mae)

Kanzashi hairpin: Megan Mae buttonflower

Under cami: Express

Skirt: Chico's (thrifted)

Boots: ALDO (thrifted)

  I'm trying to decide if this very outfit in another 40 years will make me blend as an old Asian lady, or not. I wore it over a contrasting color tank to show the cool bottom. It reminds me just a little bit of kesa- the shawl Japanese Buddhist monks wear draped over their necks.

  Nothing would do as a hair accessory but a Megan Mae buttonflower-as-kanzashi. I also figured out if I hug myself, I make a big heart. Do you see it?

  It somehow combines so many things I like (shirt shells, embroidery, mixed fabrics, AZNness) with pushing at my comfort zones (bold colors, pattern/print, brocade, embroidered pattern on top of another pattern.) I love it. I love it so much I was busy staring at it and thus the "Hm, I should tuck my hair back" and "Is that camera thing blinking?" looks in the photos up there.

  What's an item that pushed you a little out of your comfort zone? Does it have a story?

Class Structure

  Trying out the adjustments on the harness from Megan Mae. If I let the back strap all the way out, I can get it to my lower ribs for a different suspender-like look. :D

Harness: AudraJean (etsy, from Megan Mae)

Blouse: contempo (thrifted)

Jeans: UNIQLO (Japan)

Boots: Fitzwell (6pm.com)
Necklace: Foxy Originals Sage Bracelet (foxyoriginals.com)

  This is one of my hybrid school outfits, hopefully combining freedom of movement for labs with some visual interest and structured style.

  ... did you know that black shows *everything*? There are tiny lint hairs everywhere! Augh!

East by South East

  Ariane at Style Sud-Est is doing a linkup with a Japanese-inspired theme and I was all, "I'm Japanese! I'm inspired!"
  I'm going to link this up to Patti's Visible Monday, as well.

Look, fire hazard sleeves! My favorite.

  This is my latest shirt shell from the thrift shop. It was like, "Look, (non gender-specific) bitch! FANS."

  and I was like, "Hells yeah." *reaches for shirt*

  I took one of the lovely button flowers Megan Mae gave me and used it as a kanzashi hairpin.

Kimono-style shirt shell: Zero Zero (thrifted)

Skirt: Express (thrifted)

Button flower: Megan Mae (gift!)

Laura sandals: Fitzwell (old)

Necklaces: gift from brother (Okinawa), rice necklace mall stand (very old)

  The only wee problem with the shirt: the way it's folded right now, I am a dead person. I'm going to have to take apart the ribbon under the bust and switch the fold to left over right. I am not at all superstitious, but I keep worrying a Japanese person will see me and be mortified. (haha!)

  It is SO HOT and sunny in the Bay Area right now! Of course by hot I mean it got to 85 the other day. I know all of you languishing in summer heat are staring daggers at me right now. I can feel them. Poik! Poik! Poik! Ow.

  I love this weather, though I can't spend a lot of time in direct sunlight because starting in my late twenties-early thirties, I started freckling instead of tanning evenly. NOW I know why fobby women shield themselves from the sun as if they were puddles.

  Last weekend in Sacramento, my friend got married in the California Automobile Museum. It was really cool! We could walk around and look at the exhibits in between the ceremony and reception, and there was Vic's ice cream for everyone. I never thought of myself as a car-lover (though I enjoyed working on them with my father growing up and in high school) but the collection there is amazing. There are interactive demos, old cars you can climb into and take pictures in, and free tours. I really loved it.

  I thought of Ally especially so I took some pictures of the classic cars. (click to enlarge and scroll)

  I hope all of your weekends are as gorgeous as mine. (: