I5 South

I'm back! I missed all of you.

Leather jacket: Laundry by Shelli Segal (gift from Mom)

Grey v-neck: Express (thrifted)

Pinstripe skirt: Club Monaco (thrifted)

Lark ankle boots: Naya (eBay)

Pewter enamel necklace: unknown (thrifted)

Moving has imposed an interesting set of constraints: I'm in Southern CA now, but there's very little room in my mother's house for any of my things, much less a one bedroom apartment of stuff, even after selling my furniture.

... also, the closet of the room I'm staying in is filled with my brother's clothes, and he refuses to move them. -_-

So here's a go-to outfit I threw together out of what was available while I was driving up and down the state. 

I thrifted the Express shirt ages ago, because I really liked the side ties and the subtle silver and grey floral print. I think it's going in the donation box because the elastic cap sleeves were not designed with someone of my shoulder girth in mind, and the rounded ruched waistline in front doesn't do my build --wide-waisted in front and narrower in profile-- any favors.

Still, I liked it because it showed off the cool buckles on this Club Monaco pinstripe skirt. Most of my other shirts are too long and would leave the pseudo belt (it runs through a loop in the back and buckles above the front pockets) as a funny-looking series of lumps.

I am glad I went out on a limb (for me, anyway) and purchased this pewter, rhinestone, and enamel floral necklace at the thrift shop before I left. I needed more short necklaces, and though I was worried the colors were too bold/garish, I decided I needed more obvious colors in my world of dark neutrals.

PERSONAL STUFF after the break:

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?

Pink Leather Coat Deployed

Most of my clothes are packed away in boxes, but I'm still here, and still getting dressed.

Pink leather coat: unmarked (thrifted)

Dress: Old Navy (thrifted)

Burgundy skinny jeans: American Apparel (thrifted)

Boots: Two Lips (thrifted)

Necklace: unknown (thrifted)

Hair ornament: eBay

I like how this outfit came out! I think next time I would like to wear a chunkier-soled shoe or a color that is higher contrast with the jeans. This is probably my love of large chunky shoes/boots talking. I would also like to get the sides of the coat taken in so it's less boxy. The coat, a very lucky thrift find, appears to be vintage, and made in Italy. A keeper! Alterations will happen when I have moved and worked a bit to refill the tuition-and-rent-drained coffers. :D

I love the comfortable fit of this thrifted dress, and I've searched in vain for more of them, but the styles change each year, and the brand Old Navy isn't high end enough to be worth reselling on eBay.

I can't decide if I feel comfortably sexy with the back cut this wide and low, or just weird to have a giant piece of backspan showing. This being San Francisco, I am always wearing at least a jacket and a scarf over it though, so it's not something I have to deal with in public.

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We're finally getting some much-needed rain here in California, after the driest year on record. (that's right, in 163 years!) I'm trying to be water-responsible while appreciating the weather anyway, since I have no control over it. It's the first year in Daly City that my apartment isn't growing rampant mildew/mold on the walls, so on a personal level it's nice not to walk around attacking the trimming with a spray bottle of vodka every day.

Personal style has been in flux due to circumstances. First, I packed away most of my Steampunk items along with my fairweather clothing when temperatures dropped in November. Then temperatures went back up and it never rained/got cold again, but all I had in my closet were my cold weather items. Then I finished school and started packing and now everything is in boxes.

I hope to someday live in a place large enough for me to unpack all of my clothes, because having gone through the whole Aya wardrobe and packed it in 4 cardboard boxes now, I must say: I have nice things! Some cool combinations occurred to me while I was putting everything away that I hadn't thought of because stuff just can't all be out at the same time.

I should have known you and I wouldn't work out, San Francisco: the minimalist wardrobe is not for me, and you won't date anyone that doesn't make the millions of dollars necessary to afford a single family home. It was fun while it lasted; so long, and thanks for all the thrift.

Casual Punk

I came up with this while trying to make an outfit around a different skirt:

  Of course, it wasn't school-appropriate, so I changed. But the moment is immortalized here!

Flutter sleeve shirt: Derek Heart (thrifted)

Embroidered skirt: PSSST (v. old)
Navy leather jacket: Laundry by Shelli Segal (gift)
Cap: Nine West (old)

Boots: ALDO (thrifted)

Sage wrap bracelet: Foxy originals

Pewter leaf necklace (H&M in Paris)

  I've had this skirt half my life, now. My friend Diana and I bought the same skirt when we were teenagers at Macy's. Blue cherry blossoms! How could I resist? It was $16.99, which was a little steep for my allowance(!) but I decided to splurge.

  I've not worn it before now because it's tight and short, and I've always been a little self-conscious of my thighs, but I see style bloggers with muscles rocking the short-skirt-boots look, and I really like it. I find it both sexy and strong, so I've decided this combination is not just for the delicate of limb. Are there looks you have decided to try after reading style blogs, or just decided to try as your style evolved?

Casual Japanese Elements

  Casual day today. Trying to relax. So, jeans!

  This is my shirt shell with the most ridiculous sleeves to date. I dig it. I heart the chrysanthemums and Japanese-y traditional print, and I love the criminy out of the flowy bell sleeves. I didn't even have to alter them. They are wrist length for me. Love.
  I am adding a new label today: fire hazard. It will mark all of my impractical sleeves and anything that has dangly pieces of lace or string.

  Clearly with jeans and black shoes, a leather jacket is in order. Something about these three things together make me feel more confident and a little armored.

  Sushi jewelry is also in order. It's even American-style sushi, with California rolls! Japanese, American, and California, just like me.
  Trying out liquid eyeliner more lately. I avoided liner for a long time because I thought it was far too dark and had the unfortunate effect of making the wearer look sleep-deprived/angry/strung out. I've since realized that of course, you notice the things most when they are are too strong for your personal preference. When I apply the me-amount, I quite like it. And of course, there are always people who can rock eyeliner all day like it was made for them. Like this man:

  Hot damn. I hope your weeks are off to good starts. As always, thank you for stopping by.

Shirt shell: unknown (thrifted)

Underlayer : MNG basics (old)

Jeans: 7 For All Mankind (thrifted)

Blue leather jacket: Laundry by Shelli Segal (gift)

Shoes: Dansko (thrifted)

Sushi necklace & earrings: tatsuko- shop currently selling chiyogami. other sushi jewelry (old, etsy)

In Longterm Vestments

  I don't know if it's the physical and mental exhaustion from the long days, or if it's just not as much fun being constrained in what I can wear with lab four days a week, but I'm determined to have more fun dressing up on my three days off.

  When I choose my clothes and makeup, it's a bit like armor against the world outside my front door. I don't live in a hostile or dangerous environment, but I'm nervous by temperament, and having things on that make me smile and remind me of my delightful stash of stuff in my safe home helps keep me going throughout the day.

  Anyway, something clicked (or snapped, your choice of semantics and following implication) when I got home Friday and I reached for the box on my closet shelf that holds my "special occasion" garments. These are garments I don't have a practical use for but bought because they lit up the fantasy part of my brain. My upbringing never cured me of that. I'm a woman in my mid-thirties wondering I'll ever have financial stability or a permanent home. What am I saving them for?

  I live next to a city where I could wear a bathrobe or a ballgown (or both) on the bus and no one would bat an eye. I am so lucky. These items cost me about as much as everyday wear because most of them were thrifted. There's no fiscal or social reason not to wear them, really. The one who decided these things aren't part of a daily wardrobe is me, which is fine, because now I'm changing my mind. :D The practical part of me approves of this.

  On the other hand, the practical part of me is aghast because she's the one responsible for vacuuming my room, and right now there are clothes strewn all over the bed and floor. She'll deal.

  First up! A fancy black top with netting from BCBG.

   Has: boning without restricting breathing/movement, built in padding, tiny stick-on jewels on the straps, and strips of ragged lace. WIN.

  The jeans are new to me. I wouldn't be surprised if they were new, period. Picked them up at the mothership thrift store in SoMa and even after chopping off several inches for my short calves, they are still recognizably bootcut. I am thrilled. (This never happens! I love bootcuts, and by the time I'm through with them they look like straight leg. I love mermaid skirts; when I chop them to my height they are vaguely A-line.)

  And now, a leather jacket, because I love the look of jeans, boots, a leather jacket, and some kind of sexy corset-y top. Something about it seems tough and tomboyish and feminine and sexy all at once to me. I like how the lace strips from the flower still hang below the jacket waist.

  I got the jewelry from a mall travel store in downtown SF that was going out of business. It was located across the way from another travel store. They probably should have planned that better. I like it as a pseudo choker because it doesn't actually touch my throat and therefore drive me crazy. Looked up the company and it is actually a bracelet. Works both ways. :D

  I am linking up to Not Dead Yet Style's Visible Monday where style bloggers share their looks that make 'em feel rockin'.

  It was sunny earlier today:

Glue (the comic)

Top: BCBG (eBay, size 6, size 8, mystery)

Cracked Motorcycle Jacket: Laundry by Shelli Segal (gift)

Sage wrap bracelet (worn as necklace): Foxy Originals (product link)

Juniors low rise flare jeans: Levi's (thrifted)

Shoes: Candie's (thrifted)