SEQUINS & STRIPES

Hat: Forever 21

Sequin Blouse: c/o of Club Couture, $39.80

Skirt: Old Navy

Suspenders: Claires, $8

Striped Stockings: Claires

This is the lovely blouse I received from Club Couture! :) I decided to dress it up with a pair of suspenders and a black hat to give it a showgirl-esque look. I had these sheer, striped stockings lying around in my closet so I threw those on to make the outfit less plain. I really love how simple but dressy this shirt is. For someone who likes to pile on the prints, the sequins added just enough flash for my taste :) The top is made of chiffon and there is also a vertical flap that covers the buttons which is a nice touch!

Moving on from my outfit, I got back from my school trip to LA on Friday night! On the first day, we had to be at the school by 5 AM so we could go to the airport and catch the first flight in. When we got to LA, we visited Mood Fabrics, and although I couldn't afford any $70/yd fabrics, I did get a teensy bit of intricately embroidered trim (Also so I could get the darn shopping bag! Hehehe) Afterwards, we toured Long Beach State's fashion department and headed to downtown LA where we toured FIDM and were set off on our own for a few hours. I went to the FIDM costume museum with a few friends and OH MY GOD THIS WAS DEFINITELY THE BEST PART OF THE TRIP. Even though I was extremely devastated to see that they did NOT have the Sherlock Holmes 2 costumes, like they had the costumes from the first movie on display last year :'( I was elated to see the Captain America and Thor costumes on display! Let's hope that next year, the museum would be able to display the costumes from The Avengers and The Hunger Games. Next, we went to the FIDM scholarship store where you can buy really discounted clothing, accessories, and fabric. I picked up a few small things there including a floral dress for my little sister. From then on, we spent the rest of our time in downtown LA in the Fashion District, where I ended up purchasing a huge quantity of crochet trim at $1 a block, 2 yards of red crushed velvet at $2/yard, a pair of peach, beaded flats from India for $5, and a gold, starfish arm cuff for $20! (Yes, a bit more pricey than I would have liked to spend but I've been hunting for a starfish cuff for ages now so I gave in). For dinner, we went to The Grove, which is an outdoor shopping mall, and my friends and I ate at The Farm. We finally arrived at the hotel at 10:00 and we were all exhausted by then.

On Sunday morning, we went to the Starbucks on Melrose and got to talk to a really nice girl called Erin who works in helping to produce Project Runway and all of Heidi Klum's various other projects. I thought this was a very valuable part of the trip because she had a lot of great advice to offer us :) Afterwards, we had four hours to spend on Melrose, and I had nothing else on my mind except the LAWasteland! I thought the one in SF was great but the one in LA seriously knocks it out of the park! It's over 3 times as large and I spent a bit over 3 hours in there (no exaggeration)! This is where the bulk of my money was spent... :P But the pieces I got were truly worth it and I'll be showing them in a haul post this week! The best find for me was a red satin, Rebecca Taylor dress for $15! I also got a crystal beaded, tulle babydoll style dress as my sister's birthday present, which she now plans to wear to her her 8th grade graduation :D

The last part of the trip involved attending the FIDM Fashion Club pre-party for the Debut Show! This year's theme was The Phantom of the Opera and they always decorate the tent beautifully. I got my picture taken with Nick Verreos, and he is even more kind and enthusiastic in person! They had a chocolate fountain, and lots of small foods like chicken kabobs, pot stickers, cheese and crackers etc. I mainly enjoyed eating everything :) At the fashion show, I got to sit third row in the aisle seat. I loved the costume segment because you get to see more extravagance than usual in the RTW segments. Although I cannot quite recall who presented the last debut line, it was by far my favorite and I hope I can resurrect his name when the fashion show pictures surface online. Plus, there was a male model in the show who looked like ROBERT DOWNEY JR from the side (with striking guyliner too, or maybe he just has really dark eyelashes...) but yes, I need to find the photos of him too... After the fashion show, our group pretty much bolted to the airport where we caught our flight back home and I slept for a total of 17 hours the next day...

Hope you enjoyed reading about my trip to LA! I get to see the Hunger Games in 5 days now while also frantically preparing the pieces for the school fashion show in 13 days (panic mode). And if you haven't noticed in the left sidebar, I am now sponsored by Romwe and Motel Rocks! :D You can use the coupon codes on the banners to get a discount if you see anything you like! <3

DARK GYPSY

Hat: Forever 21, $5

Lace Necklace: $10

Sheer Blouse: Thrifted Ralph Lauren, $8

Denim Shorts: c/o of Love of Eos, $45

Shredded Stockings: DIY

Shoes: Wt. Mountain

This outfit is a bit darker than what I usually dress in; my sister bought me this necklace for Christmas 2 years ago but I had difficult pairing it with the right items. Such was the same issue with this sheer Ralph Lauren blouse I found at a thrift store a few months ago. When these shorts from Love of Eos, arrived, I managed to combine all three items for a dark, gypsy inspired look :) I cut the leg portion off of my ripped tights and made stockings to keep my legs warm, without overdoing the black on the bottom portion of my outfit!

I like these shorts particularly because they flatter my figure and don't give off that "paper bag" look in the back which is a common problem for me because I literally have no butt. Another reason I tend to stray from denim shorts is that I often find them too bulky; but the fabric of these shorts is on the thinner side so they are rather comfortable!

With my fashion show collection, I am now drifting into the "Panic Mode." I had meant to work for a couple hours after school on Friday but I was too exhausted to do anything and didn't want to overwork myself for the SAT next morning. On Saturday, when I came home from the SAT, I was similarly too mentally exhausted from taking that test. And now today, with the time change and all, I slept until noon. -.- I guess it's gotten to the point where the task of finishing all the garments seems so impossible that I am trying to just push it off all together! But I really need to just pull myself together and work on it instead of procrastinating like I am right now by making a new blog post :P

And as of today, I'm going to LA in 3 days! The bad news is that it's not going to be sunny there :( I also can't bring my Lita Spikes because I don't want to get in trouble with the metal detector at airport security. On the bright side, my teacher changed our schedule so we now have a couple more hours to shop at Downtown LA and Melrose! :)

PYTHONS & PORCUPINES

Hat: Forever 21, $5

Fuzzy Sweater: c/o of Sugarlips Apparel, $49

Python Print Jeans: c/o of Love of Eos, $89

JC Lita Spikes: ShopAkira.com, $189

I know people say that money can't buy you happiness but I'm going to have to make an exception when it comes to these shoes!!! THEY HAVE FINALLY COME IN THE MAIL! And just as everyone says, the JC Litas really are the most comfortable shoes ever! At first glance, they look impossible to walk in, but the platform in the front elevates your foot to only a 1 inch heel so it feels like you are walking on the flat ground almost. And I can't forget the beautiful spikes on these! They are screwed in so you don't need to worry too much about them falling off. I love the way the Litas make your legs look a mile long without killing your feet :) I've caught Jeffrey Campbell fever and now I'm obsessed. I got these shoes all thanks to the WhatIWear.com's Hey Beautiful photo contest! I won the first place prize of an iPad 2 and I gave it to my mom in return for her buying me the Lita Spikes, so thank you so much WhatIWear!!! <3

Next, I received this sweater in the mail from Sugarlips Apparel again :D I'm really loving the whole fuzzy textured fabric trend going on right now. The sweater might appear to be itchy but it's actually pretty soft. My sister has also expressed ardent interest in borrowing this sweater haha :) I love the little v-snip cut at the neckline and the brown band accents on the sleeves. With it's earthy tones, this sweater will look great paired with a floral headdress the next time I wear it!

And these are the python print jeans I got from Love of Eos the other day! I was rather disappointed when I found out I could no longer buy the python print Litas online so these pants were a happy substitute :) They are by the brand Sass and are more like jeggings rather than jeans, which is great, considering I find jeans uncomfortable for the most part. They are stretchy and fit me like a glove. Yet another bold, printed piece I can add to my closet again! Plus, I can see these pants working with a lot of other tops, without worrying about clashing prints because of the overall, neutral beige tone.

Do you ever put together an outfit where you feel like everything fits together like a puzzle piece? This is that outfit for me :D In other news, I am taking the SAT again tomorrow morning and then in the evening, I'm going to one of my best friend's birthday party for dinner and a sleepover at her house. Sunday, I get to do some more sewing and I actually have no homework at all to do! Mostly because I assumed my APUSH teacher assigned another chapter of the textbook to complete when he didn't, so now I'm actually ahead of the game in APUSH (for once!) And LA is in 5 days too :D 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! :)

POTPOURRI

Hat: Forever 21, $5

Dress: Motel Rocks, $18

Shoes: Wt. Mountain

I love this bold floral print dress which I ordered from Motel Rocks :) The print reminds me of a bowl of potpourri and I love the pops of fuchsia since that's my favorite color. The sweetheart neckline sits nicely on the body and I like the unique cut out in the back. If you're looking for well-cut bodycon dresses, Motel Rocks is the place to go!

Today, I finished making the pants for my collection! I may put in a zipper later if I have time but for the most part, the fabric is a stretchy knit so you can pull them over your hips if you are careful! The next thing on my agenda is the fitted, long sleeve top. I don't want to reveal much but it is going to be made of nude fabric as to echo the effect of a skin tone and then will be appliqued all over! With that piece completed I will be 65% of the way done with making the garments. I kind of even want to do a 6th look because I came up with a new idea I think would fit in well with the whole theme, but I shouldn't think about that until I finish the first 5 pieces :)

Thanks for all your lovely comments that you guys always leave me! I'm so sorry I haven't been able to get back to you all because of school but know that I appreciate each one very much! <3

SANDCASTLES

Chain Headpiece: DIY (Tutorial here)

Top: Vintage, from my Mom's closet

Maxi Skirt: c/o of Love of Eos

This top, which I took from my Mom's closet, has been sitting in my closet for a long time because I had trouble pairing it with the right item... but recently, Love of Eos sent me this nude maxi skirt and it seemed like these two items would go perfect with eachother :) Love of Eos is an online clothing store based in Australia and they've got some really nice choices for bottoms in particular! Sophie, the owner of Love of Eos, also sent me a pair of distressed black denim shorts, and I gave up on wearing denim shorts because I have the hardest time finding a pair that flatters my non-existent behind and also isn't made of fabric that is too thick and uncomfortable, and these shorts were comfortably thin and didn't make me look like a was wearing a paper bag as a pair of shorts :) And there are these amazing python print jeans which I am holding off on wearing until my Lita Spikes arrive in the mail!!

A quick update on the progress of my fashion show collection is I have managed to finish the 2nd gown, and the burlap shorts for the third outfit. So now I'm moving onto the corset top and kimono-styled cardigan to finish the third outfit! I'm also pretty excited to go on our Fashion Class' annual trip to LA next week where I'll get to go to the FIDM Debut Show too (and miss 2 days of school :D) but I'll probably not be as happy about that when I am actually faced with the make-up work... but what I'm most anticipating is our visit to the LA Mood Fabrics; maybe I will be lucky and find some pretty (hopefully not crazy expensive) trims and appliques I can use? Nonetheless, I am glad to get a mini-vacation in the middle of this hectic month of March!

BOTANICAL

Floral Headdress: DIY (Tutorial here)

Leopard Print Dress: c/o Oasap, $25

Hello everyone! Yesterday, has honestly been one of the BEST days in my life! Yesterday morning the ACT score reports came out and I got a 33!!!!! Oh god I just wanted to cry (just kidding... but no I kind of did almost). If you had been reading my blog when I took the SAT back in January, I was a nervous wreck.. The SAT did not treat me well and I didn't do as well as I thought I would. So there was a lot of pressure that I placed on myself to do well on the ACT in February... and now I could not be any happier with the score I received! I was on cloud nine the whole day at school :D I'm taking it again since I'm already signed up for it but I feel like a huge, huge load of stress has been lifted off my shoulders and I can actually sit back, hit pause, and relax a bit :)

Besides that, I'm also really happy with my outfit! I got this dress from Oasap and I'm glad to add another animal print piece to my closet because I definitely overwear the cheetah print bandage skirt I have from H&M... it also happens to be a long sleeve dress-- something I'm always looking for when I'm out shopping. The fabric is stretchy and soft; it feels kind of like that athletic, running shirt material. It's comfortable enough to sleep in if you are too tired to change into pajamas when you get home... I do have to note that I am on the shorter side (5'3") and this dress is short on me, so if you are tall, it will serve you better as a longer top. The floral headdress is new too; I had been wanting to make a second one but with larger flowers instead of all smaller ones. I like the way it turned out but it's definitely a bit more difficult to get the larger flowers to stay put!

And one more thing that made my day, ROMWE got more galaxy print skirts! I saw them for sale months and months ago and saved it to my bookmarks for later, with no idea how quickly it would sell out... they never restocked them after that :( so I'm over joyed that they brought them back! You can get them for $26 (Use the 20% off coupon on the orig. $33 price), which is a great investment for such a unique print. A good galaxy print is really hard to find these days at that price; there's always Black Milk leggings but those are a bit more out of my price range. If you want one, go grab one now! There's only less than 50 in stock now and I'm pretty sure they will set out like they did last time. Romwe also has the Jeffrey Campbell Skate dupes! Of course I wouldn't discover that until after I ordered the Lita Spikes but that's okay :) I'll be happy with the latter too. I just love Romwe's stuff because they are spot on with current street fashions when they arise, not like most stores where you have to wait a couple weeks at least for certain trends to hit.

Well this weekend has gotten off to a simply wonderful and rewarding start! Yesterday night, I got to watch Hugo with my family. I wish Jude Law could have been in the movie for more than like 2 minutes though... oh well :( Anyways, have a lovely weekend everyone!