Party On

Went to a birthday party this weekend! An excellent time was had by all. This is what I wore:

Top: mimoa (v. old)

Black skinny jeans: NYDJ (thrifted)

Denim & leather jacket: Diesel Black Gold (eBay)

Choker: Foxy Originals sage wrap bracelet (available online)

Boots: ALDO (thrifted)

Thanks to two alert readers who point out to me in my last post that 'vera pelle' just means real leather in Italian. Everything else written on the tags, like "echtes leder" also means real leather, or says it's certified genuine in Italian, so I guess it is brandless. I'm a little disappointed I can't track down my coat's relatives through the Internet.

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I like all of the individual pieces in this outfit a lot, but I wish I'd had time to look at the proportions in photographs before I went. This was one of those "augh what do I wear" combinations that I settled on after trying on several tops and jackets, and those are always a mixed bag.

I did get numerous compliments on the shirt, which was awesome. Unfortunately for folks who asked, it is 14 years old, purchased at a little indie shop across from UC Irvine that no longer exists, and the brand has zero online presence. -_-

Good news: I finally found a pair of black skinny jeans that fit! I've been looking for half a year, and this pair fits really comfortably. I can sit down without my thighs feeling like they're tied up like a roast. AND they actually fit at the waist! (normally I have to size up a few to get jeans that fit my legs) They are literally mom jeans: the brand is called Not Your Daughter's Jeans. Hah! (Take note, other lady martial artists and women well-endowed in the thighal region. They only go up to size 18, though.)

Bad news: I made a mistake not wearing them under a dress or tunic. My thigh to ankle ratio is quite large because genetics and wushu are an unstoppable team. My friend's fashion adviser told her that boot cuts are not flattering, period, and that skinny jeans that fit just look better. Last time I'm trying that advice.

edit: My friend suggested tall boots balance out not-narrow limbs. I definitely wear tall boots with leggings and skinny jeans under dresses. I'll try 'em with my denim-clad upper legs showing some time!

The top and jacket both have high necks and emphasize the shoulders, so I think this outfit accentuates all of my stocky areas at once.

What I should have done is check my blog, since the last time I wore this shirt, I also wore black on bottom and a leather jacket (I am predictable), but the proportions were much better. Loose trousers + tight shirt = my friend. Sometimes I get carried away trying out different fits for kicks and forget about tried & true.

I'm not sure what to wear on bottom to balance out this jacket's shoulders and high collar. Maybe fall back on my old standbys, bootcuts jeans + chunky boots? I was born with only 6 cervical vertebrae instead of 7, and I have large trapezius muscles, so I should deploy high collars with care. Are there particular collar shapes or necklines that you avoid?

Off-Duty Superhero

  Well, this is definitely one way this blog has affected me: when faced with the choice of just wearing my workout clothes all morning before practice or dressing up as an off-duty superhero, the choice is clear.

  I didn't have anything in mind other than the weather (not cold but overcast with a strong damp wind) when I started getting dressed, I just thought I looked like an off-duty Asian superhero when I was done, and decided to stick with it because there are few enough of us. Oh Psylocke, thou who art literally a white woman Orientalized for exotic sex appeal. *sigh*

  It's probably the arm socks that make the whole superhero look. I love covered arms and bared shoulders. I find it sexy in a less-is-more way, and not the "I am bashing you over the head with the bat of my sexuality! MY LADY PARTS, LOOK AT THEM." way that makes me leery of some clothing.

  Speaking of the arm socks, these are actually leg warmers. It's just they are leg warmers from *Asia* which means I tore stitching the two times I tried to get them over my calves, so now they are arm warmers. Sometimes I wish they would make a separate category of martial arts clothes. They would be just like regular clothes, only with much bigger leg holes.

  I can't take credit for coming up with putting them on my arms. The salesgirl somehow managed to convey this clever second use to me, despite the two of us not having any languages in common. I think she took one glance at the ol' stancemakers and knew the primary function wasn't going to work out.

  I've had this shirt since I was a teenager. It was one of the first things I bought when I went to University (the first time) and it sat, cherished, in my closet for a decade and a half because I didn't know what I'd wear it for. The answer, as I know now, is for kicks and giggles.

  The trousers are dri-fit yoga pants from Nike, also well over a decade old. I thought they looked kind of Japanese, with the wrap-around tie waist and extra flaps hanging in front.  I've worn them as work trousers countless times. The shoes are Candie's platform booties that I wrote about (and shoved a rock into) last month. The rock worked! The insteps stretched the heck out and I now stride unhobbled to protect humankind. The rock is staying on in my apartment as my personal low-cost shoe stretcher.

Jacket: Laundry by Shelli Segal (Last Call by Neiman Marcus, old)

Shirt: Mimoa (very old)

Arm/Leg warmers: Owl Woman (Taiwan)

Pants: Nike Dri-fit (very old)

Shoes: Candie's (thrifted)