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? 

Black and white.

Wearing: Blouse from Banana Republic, chiffon tie taken from my dress, thrifted leather skirt, thrifted woven beaded belt, Exchange by Charles David pumps  

I got to see the in-laws' new shih-tzu puppy yesterday and she was soo adorable! She was a ball of uncoordinated roly-poly-fluffiness. She doesn't have a name yet, but some of us like Dao-fu (aka "Tofu") Mocha was definitely jealous upon seeing her, as she is used to lapping up all the attention. 

After putting on this outfit yesterday, I realized I looked like a Japanese schoolgirl. It was totally unintentional, but this is what happens when you're Asian, look like a high schooler and have bangs. Perhaps it's time to go blond, just kidding. I don't think I'd ever do that.

Dark night.

Wearing: Band-aid skirt, striped shirt from macy*s, DIY bracelet turned necklace, silver knit shirt-turned vest taken from Gramma, Faryl Robin platforms

Had an anti-climatic Halloween. I really look forward to Halloween each year for some odd reason (childhood deprivation for Trick-o-treatin'), and the past few have been letdowns. Other than wrapping a piece of foil on my wrist to get a free burrito at Chipotle, I wasn't in the mood to "dress-up." I've given up on throwing a Halloween party due to a flakey turnout the first time. I think people our age just want to use this festivity as an excuse to dress promiscuously without being called a vile name, immerse themselves in debauchery and wake up with hangovers. Kind of over that. 

The pros this year were seeing my friend's awesome "Pirate's Cove," a scarier version of The Pirates of Caribbean, which her family built from scratch as a Halloween tradition each year. They literally brought the entire neighborhood and beyond. Second plus was seeing our friend's daughter dress in an Ariel costume we got her. We went Trick-o-treatin' with her last year as well and it sort of made me want a child of my own, hah. Ended the night watching Coraline with the Hubby and my cousin until we were super sleepy and ready to crash. I loved the stop-motion art involved in this beautifully done film. I can't even imagine how long it must've taken them to do each scene. And that was my Halloween.

Black magic.

All items from forever 21

I've been attracted to a lot of black, lace, tweed, suede, leather and dark metals lately. Perhaps it's because Halloween is just around the corner. My Halloween night will most likely be spontaneous this year, I don't even know if I'll be dressing up (other than being a "burrito" to get a free meal at Chipotle.

As the month of October is ending, I am proud to say I have not purchased a single clothing/shoe/accessory item! The feeling is sort of empowering, but who knows if I'll continue onto November. I'll be traveling here and there and I always tend to break my monthly budget when I travel, tsk tsk.

A chock-ful weekend.

My friend and I found out we both had a black sequined skirt/dress, so we decided to be like little girls and coordinate around the item just for kicks.

Wearing: Sequined dress from Target, gray vest from H&M, Rough Justice boots, vintage Christian Dior sidebag

Had an eventful weekend full of random happenings. Friday night, the Hubby surprised me by taking me to Wolfgang Puck's flagship restaurant, Spago, in Beverly Hills. DineLA had a special 3-course prixe fix menu, which allowed us to sample a variety of dishes for nearly half the price. I was definitely impressed by the service and flavors of the food, especially the chocolate purse at the end.







Outside the restrooms stood a sculpture piece displaying a rack full of shoes holding spices, which gives the term "spice rack" a fun flair.


Finally got to wear a top/dress I bought while in Paris. Been saving it for a special outing and I guess food + my Hubby are good enough reasons, heheh.


Helped a friend get ready for her homecoming dance. Gosh, this brings back high school memories. I feel old, haha.


Then, went to see a Chinese Cultural Dance fundraiser for our church.

Had a Croque Madame for lunch today at the local french deli..pretty good, but it doesn't beat Paris : )

And that concludes my weekend.

Fall fashion picks.

Due to the ongoing recession, I decided to post some affordable picks for the Fall/Winter. I usually tell people to invest in shoes, bags and classic items. Super trendy clothing pieces such as tops, dresses and accessories aren't worth spending a ton on, which is why Forever 21 is such a great source.

Forever 21 Fall picks

Ponchos, fur, stripes, military= love.

Forever 21 accessory picks

I'm an accessory hoarder and seeing all these beautiful finds on the F21 website is making me drool. 

Cold-weather boot selection


L-R: Piperlime/Aldo/Aldo, Bottom row: Piperlime

People have been asking me questions on buying boots, so I've decided to put in a few tips:

• Boots are an investment. Go leather, Pay more, feel better and wear them longer. Expect to spend at least 80+ retail. The key is to find them on clearance.
  
• Try shoes on at a local department store and then find them cheaper online. At least now you know how they feel/look on you.
  
• Go for classic colors if you intend on spending more for your boots. Neutrals, black, grays, red, you'll never get tired of these shades and they go with everything!
  
• Properly store your leather boots back into the box when you're done wearing them for a season, otherwise the leather will start to dry out.
  
• Get over the UGGs. They have and never will be considered chic. They're only practical when there's snow.
  

 Bags. Spend more, buy fewer and they will last longer. I'm not a huge fan of designer monogram. Small logos are okay. Go for all-leather if you decide to buy a classic bag that you will keep for years. Loehmanns, TJ Maxx and Nordstroms Rack are excellent choices for a variety of designer bags. 

Alright, that is all for today. TGFCW (Thank God for cooler weather) !!

When in Paris...

Thrifty outfit of the day: striped top from U.O- $10, blood orange shorts-gift from a friend, cowboy boots-$3, isaac mizrahi leather sidebag- $6.99, f21 chain necklace, sunglasses by ben sherman

This is what they use to make moscato sweet wine. I love the flavor of muscat grapes!

Had an unexpected "Parisienne" day  (striped shirt also unplanned, heheh): Went to the local farmer's market, found a charming little French deli/cafe, complete with French workers with heavy accents, had a crepe, baguette with frommage, tiny glass of Bordeaux and a macaron for dinner, heard Boum by Charles Trenet, one of my favorite old school French songs, and then heard a little boy speak French to his father at Trader Joe's. For a moment, I felt like I was in Paris again...sigh. 

Raindrops keep falling on my head.

Wearing: fur-trimmed jacket from AE, long gray cardigan from macy*s, chiffon scarf from mom, knee-high socks from gap, hunter rainboots

In honor of the rain, I decided to take our camera out to shoot photos of the beautiful raindrop remains:





Since I'm on a shopping freeze, I created an "imaginary list" of items that caught my eye, I think imaginary shopping actually helps!

Items found on: net-a-porter