The Big 2-0

I have officially entered my third decade of life and am finally out of my teens!!! I can still remember when I was 13 in high school and thought that some of the 19 year old seniors (and some almost 20 year olds if you were either a Chinese or South Korean student) were impossibly old. Now come to think of it, I really don't feel all that much different than when I was 13.

If it’s possible, I think I was quite possibly even more “mature” then than I am now. I was this angsty, bitter, cynical teenager, who in an effort to escape the WASPy conformist atmosphere of her boarding school, delved into the arts and sought refuge in fashion. The campus was big enough that I could wander off into the woods, away from human contact and much of civilization, to pore over magazines and books that none of my peers seem to be interested in. I have to thank fashion for taking the edge off of what could have been the darkest and bleakest hours of my adolescence. The things that I have witnessed when a lot of money, lack of parental supervision and teenage hormones are involved! It doesn’t seem all that bad now when I look back on it retrospectively, but it all felt too RAW and REAL for me to deal with it then. I survived to tell the tale. Perhaps this explains my utter distate and avoidance of drama and desperate attention seekers alike (and yes, fashion peacocks included).

To turn the conversation back to style, while I still at times don’t feel internally all that much different than I was 13, externally stylistically speaking, I have finally settled into a groove. I am finally more or less comfortable in my own skin, and thus have very little desire to upset this happy balance I have found for myself by experimenting beyond my comfort zone. It’s not being complacent as much as knowing what works and doesn’t, through mistakes both good and bad over the years. I am glad that I can afford to be lazy as my body shape hasn’t changed all that drastically throughout my high school years, save for my height.

Since people seem receptive to more personal style photos in the Curating + Collecting series, maybe I could also share more personal anecdotes and vignettes, lending more context and flavour to the discussion of wardrobe curation. While more empirical and analytical blogs are absolutely important and are utterly vital to the conversation, the atmosphere can seem a little cold at times were we to rely on that entirely. We are but two sides of the same coin. Maybe I’ll eventually find my own happy medium in talking about wardrobe curation, in the middle ground between the two. To the beginning of my 20something years ahead (which will hopefully not be ANYTHING like the girls on Girls *shudder*).

+ BIG WET KISSES TO JADA WHO CELEBRATED MY BIRTHDAY EARLY IN DC AND TOOK THIS PICTURE FOR ME.

Praktisch

As part of an attempt to be practical about building the wardrobe, I must introduce you to two bloggers whom I find are the best at giving the readily applicable advice: Maria of Lost in a Spotless Mind and Anuschka of Into-Mind. I don't feel as comfortable giving specific tips as I think my strong suit lies in the more theoretical/analytical part of curating the wardrobe. I'm not too methodical about it either—it's all up in my noggin when I curate. I don't lay out Excel spreadsheets and carefully catalog each item, though I think it might be fun to do on a slow weekend afternoon sometime soon. I'll update you guys and share the list should I get round to it.

There are no absolutes to curating, but guidelines are always helpful, whether you are a beginner or not. Especially if you are a beginner, you want to know how to start don't you? I read these bloggers regularly myself, and while I don't necessarily apply all their tips, I learn so much from their insights.

Maria is a true professional. Her job is, after all, to train fashion consultants and the like. Thus expect nothing but extremely well laid out posts with easy to follow advice and tips. I just love how thorough she is in her posts and how much ground she covers too, from maintenance of clothing, to styling tips to how to dress according to your body type and shape. Her blog is the style manifesto you wished someone had wrote, the style guru you always wanted—a blog of solid, stable, tried-and-tested, timeless advice that anyone could use.

Anuschka's blog is fantastic in her incredible attention to detail. Nothing, and I repeat, nothing escapes her eyes, with her laser-like focus on how to put together the most immaculate wardrobe. Furthermore, she can takes wisps of passing inspiration and distill into actual pieces within a cohesive collection. No one sees the bigger picture and the smaller picture at once as well she does. Her methodical approach to dressing spills over to also other aspects of her life, in both jewellery and makeup. If only I could be nearly as organized!

I am sure everyone can glean and learn something from even the most casual reading of these blogs. The best of all, it's all very digestible and not dry. Professional how-to style books can also learn a thing or two from these two. They would be the ones to email for questions on curating, while I hammer away on the boring stuff like the economics of curating ;)

My Personal Take on Basics

For the longest time, I've restrained myself from posting too many personal style ‘outfit’ type photos. The reason is because this blog is a reaction against the explosion of personal style blogs within the realm of the fashion blogosphere, which has led to a severe lack of more intelligent and interesting fashion conversations.

Over time though, I do realize that there is value in personal style blogs. One can plainly see just how that individual translates their theories and ideas about their own personal style in real life. After reading all my extensive writings and ramblings about basics, it only makes sense that you should see some examples of my own personal take on them. 

Peacoat Redux

I did say that I would be taking better photos to showcase the peacoat I bought from Uniqlo a while ago, didn't I? Well here you go, as seen wearing it while exploring historical Old Town Alexandria, a short metro ride from DC away.

Spring break was short but sweet. Now that I'm back at school, this means that blogging will resume as usual. I definitely missed reading people's blogs and hope to pick up right where I left. I look forward to sharing some other photos of my spring break very soon. Have a great start to the week!

+ COAT, UNIQLO. PURSE, ZARA KIDS. SCARF, GIFT. KHAKIS, UNIQLO. LIPSTICK, CHILI FROM MAC.

Take It or Leave It

one gift set 3 layering bands from glamrocksdesigns. two reigning champ crewneck navy. three everlane box cut tee white. four everlane ryan tee black. five reigning champ crewneck heather grey.

Like all my “want lists” in the past, these are just somethings like I would like to have but hey if I don’t manage to get around to acquiring them, well that’s okay too. Reigning Champ is a brand that I have been meaning to talk about more – they are a great brand hailing from my hometown of Vancouver, Canada. They make THE best basics for men. That however does not stop me from seriously lusting after their pieces.

I have been meaning to post more during my spring break here in DC but my internet has been quite spotty so far. So I'm afraid you would have to make do with only this post for now until I'm back at school.

+ THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST.

Hello Spring Break

Can't believe it's already spring break! It's ridiculous – the whole past week was a blur between midterms and re-watching Veronica Mars since it broke $2 million on Kickstarter in one day! What's crazier than realizing Veronica Mars premiering almost ten years ago in 2004, are the actors that I recognize from other projects and some of which are now stars: Paris Hilton (well not so much but I forgot she was even on the show), Max Greenfield who's in New Girl with Zooey Deschanel, Leighton Meester who was in Gossip Girls, Jonathan Bennett who was Aaron Samuels in Mean Girls, Amanda Seyfried (no explanations needed) and of course Aaron Paul who's now on Breaking freakin' Bad. Booyah! And that's all just in season one.

Back to the fashion and spring break talk. Guess where I will be for spring break? Hate to disappoint but no GGW in Florida for me. I'll be going to DC! I have quite a few things planned, being the Fieldmarshal that I am (courtesy of the MBTI test I took on The Nife): visiting museums, concerts, places to eat etc. – but I would love to meet up with anybody who's in DC from the March 18th to the 24th. I hope they have last minute student ticket sales at the Kennedy center as they do in Lincoln center. I'm pretty much down for whatever. Please let me know if you have any recommendations for things to see/hear/eat/do in DC!

Basics vs. Classics

+ MALGOSIA BELA BY KORAY BIRAND FOR HARPER'S BAZAAR POLSKA MARCH 2013

I’ve been thinking about the concepts of both basics and classics a lot, ever since Jess started to write about the classics (parts 1 & 2). Ever the astute scholar, she definitely gave me a whole lot of food for thought. It made me deeply question why exactly am I so utterly bonkers for trying to find “the right basics” (you may chart my journey starting from the summer of 2011). Are those two the same things, or they different? If so, how then?

Team Americano

If there is one team I can get behind, it's Team Americano. Everything by Gant Rugger again is pitch perfect. There are no words as to describe just how beautiful everything looks (and no it's not neccessarily the dudes themselves). Long time readers by now can understand how it tickles my fancy for all things PITA.

More text heavy posts to come as the week starts! Here's to the redditor who says I do not post all that often (don't worry I lurk there too occasionally though not particularly in the FFA subreddit).

This is not a sponsored post and the opinions are all my own.

Winter Essentials+

I neglected to mention in my last post is the blogging is truly the ultimate therapy. The ability to upload and share your unfiltered thoughts helps relieve the stress and tension of everyday life. It’s a suspended fantasy we live in on the interwebs. 

Now that we’re (hopefully) in what will be the final stretches of winter to spring, I thought it would be fun to share a little something other than clothes for once. Amanda’s Beauty Regime post was the inspiration here, though this particular post of mine is nowhere near as exhaustive.

Spring Cleaning the Mind

+ FIFTY SHADES OF WHITE BY MIKAEL JANSSON FOR WSJ MAGAZINE MAR '13

How does one even begin again after my last post? I spent most of the weekend before the post moping, not doing much, save for the odd shower. I sent an email to my professors and excused myself from classes that Friday. From past experiences though, constant sleeping in and not having a schedule is one quick track to depression. So I forced myself up as the week started again and resumed my normal schedule of classes. I also made my way to the gym for the first time in the semester to get my fair share of endorphins. Boy am I unfit.

My friends were incredible. They took me to Petco (my first time ever). Apparently it was a vaccination day so there were a ton of adorables doggies of all different breeds around for me to play with. Pet therapy is the bomb. That wasn't just it though. They also brought me to the mall to visit dun dun DUN, Forever 21. It must have been over two years since I've been to a Forever 21 store. Honest. And I cringe as I type this: I bought three items of clothing. The quality is shit (to be expected) and rather slutty (therefore not fitting in with my existing wardrobe at all), however they were purchased under extenuating circumstances and I really needed the extra retail therapy.

I had originally planned to stay away from the blog for at least 2+ weeks. What made me really snap out of it though was learning that my professor's wife gave birth over the course of the week. Literally witnessing life moving on before me was surreal. Classes were cancelled (yay) but geez were those giant spoonfuls of perspective pie! Since, I've recovered from a bad cold (the things you contract when you visit your boarding schoolmates at Lena Dunham land Oberlin) and managed to complete two midterms and problem set. Woot woot.

Bet you guys thought I would forget to say one big giant THANK YOU to the Internet. You people are supposed to be creepy and scary. The numerous kind and sweet tweets and emails I received were anything but. You guys know who you are! Even others who did not send me a personal message per se, thank you for continuing to read this blog and giving me a platform to share all sorts of random fashion-related thoughts I have on the spur of the moment.