It's raining, it's pouring.

It was definitely a rainy day yesterday in Southern California, but we braved the rain for the sake of fashion. There was a Monastery I once spotted and always thought it would be a wonderful site for taking photos. During our photoshoot, we were greeted by a couple of warm Sisters who lived right upstairs of the Monastery. They proceeded to tell us that the building was over a 100 years old! I love it when a building has history, and what a blessing it was to meet them!

Wearing: DKNY nude lace top, wool shorts from Papaya, leopard tights from Ross, Bandalino boots, vintage wool coat gifted from a friend, thrifted medallion necklace.

Below are some photos of the loverly Channing:




Channing and her first french macaron.


A couple of loverly nuns.

Street-style Photography

Image credits: Style and the City, The Sartorialist, Stockholm Streetstyle and Garance-Dore

Just perused through the photos taken by the The Sartorialist for his collaboration with Burberry in Art of the Trench. Scott Schuman has such an amazing eye for the little details that contribute to an extraordinary outfit. His photos are definitely inspiring and beautiful. Ordinary street photographers with an eye for style are becoming the new fashion photographers and it's exciting to see through their eyes. 

My fascination for street fashion photography all started with my curiosity to see what others around the world were wearing, preferably those in France : ) Anyway, after stumbling upon websites such as The Sartorialist, Garance-Dore, Facehunter, Style and the City and so forth, I've been exposed to a whole new meaning for the word "fashion." It's nice to know that we all have a bit of common interest; makes the world seem smaller than it really is.

Speaking of street style photography, I present to you:  Something Brilliant, a collaborative fashion blog my friends and I created. The purpose of this blog is exercise creativity, unity, and most of all, fun. A passion for fashion is something all of us share, so why not collaborate our interests into a blog? 

My Style Muses

Every woman at some point in her life has had a fashion icon or muse, their source of inspiration and admiration. In my lifetime (and I'm not that old), I've had several. Perhaps that explains my wardrobe schizophrenia, indecisiveness and mood swings when it comes to dressing up.

Audrey Hepburn: I'm sure she's the style icon for nearly every woman, but I'd like to think I found her first. : ) I remember the time when I was 15, and right before our homecoming dance, I went to the library and picked up Breakfast at Tiffany's, the VHS (yes, I'm dating myself here) version because the cover looked glamorous. I hadn't had a clue about who Audrey Hepburn was. After watching the movie, I was instantly hooked. I was devastated when I had to return the VHS and dreamed about watching the movie again and again. I finally found it at Costco a year later and begged my Mom to let me buy it. From that point on, it was movie after movie...she will always be my favorite fashion muse.

Claudia Kishi: During my elementary school years, my nose was always stuck in a "Babysitters Club" book. My absolute favorite character was Claudia, because she was a lot like me (Asian, bangs, loved art & junk food, crazy-style, lousy student, etc.). My friends and I even wrote chain letters like the Babysitters Club in a notebook I still have today. I remember looking forward to the beginning of each book that described her wardrobe because she had such funky and cool outfits. I think Claudia would still look hot today within the streetstyle community. There's even a blog devoted to her: What Claudia Wore



Cher Horowitz: If you asked any of my childhood friends, I was the biggest Clueless fan. My friends and I even gave each other nicknames from the movie, sported knee-high socks, schoolgirl skirts, high-heeled mj's, wrote with fluffy pens and the list goes on... I thought Cher Horowitz was a "total Betty" all throughout middle school. We formed our own little "Clueless" clique that had other girls in our church labeling us as "Davina & Co." Pssh, losers *flashes the L sign*.



Buffy Summers: After Clueless was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I thought the kick-boxing slayer was so bad because she fought monsters and demons and wore a cross everywhere she went. Because of her, I started to wear a cross necklace and a ton of black. And I so wanted to sign up for kickboxing classes but my Mom told me it wasn't very "ladylike."

Nicole Richie: Post-body-style makeover, Miss Richie looked fantastic. During my college years, I loved her boho-style outfits, oversized sunnies and stacked bracelets. I have to say, she still looks good today, even after her daughter, and now she's preggers again! 

The present: I'm slowly starting to develop my own style but it can be difficult because a. I'm indecisive b. I get tired of things quickly. I have to say I respect street-style because they're not designer or celebrity-based. Most of the looks people wear on sites such as Lookbook.nu, are more creative and original. I also have to admit that the Europeans always seem to know how to dress, perhaps that's why they're always ahead! My prof. and I were talking about how the French women just "have it." They never look overdone or as if they're trying too hard. It just comes naturally. Some of my favorite sites for French street fashion are: Garance-Dore and Style and the City. Both seem to capture the essence and chic-ness of the French woman. 

So there you have it, my melting pot of style.