... LEOPARD PEPLUM AND CHAMBRAY DRESS for a fashion experiment

TGIF!  I had a follow-up appointment with my oral surgeon today and he told me I can drink boba again, HURRAY!  That news made my day and you can bet that right after my appointment I went to the nearest boba shop and got me a tapioca milk tea.  He jokingly said that my headaches were probably caused by a boba withdrawal and I should be fine now.  We will see about that =D.

In order to balance shapes I've always practiced wearing peplum tops with a more fitted bottom (whether it's a peplum jacket or this same peplum shirt).  However after seeing the ever chic Blair of Atlantic-Pacific effortlessly pull off peplum with a full skirt, I wanted to give that combo a shot.  The result was a bit out of my comfort zone but that's the fun of fashion.

With a B.S. degree and working in scientific R&D, my first instinct was to write up a report for this fashion "experiment".  In fact when I first restarted blogging, I contemplated following a lab report format for my entries.  I nixed that idea though because the format didn't seem to flow with the fashion part of the blog.  But thinking about it now, it doesn't seem like such a bad idea.  I will toy with the idea some more.

Wow, what a tangent I just went on.  Before I went off talking about work and entry format ideas, I was going to discuss my feelings on this outfit.  I loved the idea of the fun print combined with the dark chambray but I feel that the silhouette is off.  The skirt (which is actually a dress) is too short to give it a retro look and too long to be modern.  I would prefer  a shorter, more full skirt (easily achievable with a hem job an a petticoat) next time I do a peplum/full skirt combination.  However I do like how the peplum blends right into the dress so there isn't a big dimensional difference.

Petticoat Alley leopard printed peplum / Miss Sixy dress (worn as a skirt, similar skirt here, one from Modcloth under $43) / 

J. Crew belt / Talbos necklace, Guess bracelet / 

Lauren Ralph Lauren bag (only available in pewter currently but nearly identical one here) / Pour La Victoire pumps (on sale!)

Again, TGIF!  Have a beautiful weekend and if you're in the bay area, prepare yourself for Bay to Breakers this Sunday!

... CLEAN AND CRISP with stripes and white pants for a new blog design!!

If you came here from my blogspot address, you may have noticed that you got redirected to a new domain!!  And with that domain change came a whole new name/header!!  Don't be alarmed, it is all self-inflicted as I transition into a more streamlined blog name and layout.  I've always been excited to post but even more so now because everything just goes together.  I do notice that there is a slight lag in loading the pictures/header so part of the transition will be to figure out how to make the site load faster so expect a few more changes over the next week.  Overall though, I am really stoked about the change and thank you so much for your support!!

To celebrate this joyous event (at least for me), my first outfit for the new layout is something clean and crisp.  Mom's first thoughts on this outfit when I asked her what she thought was that the outfit is very "ching" which is Cantonese for clear.  Direct Cantonese to English translation is sometimes funny so I would say "ching" used in this case means crisp.

To add more Spring oomph to the outfit, I added my favorite daisy necklace which blended in with the blouse but also provided more dimension to the smooth silk.  I was going for a more simple look with no attention going towards a statement piece and my cousin Alex, who has quite the keen eye for details, said it best when he said that the top flows into the jeans without the use of a belt.  Thanks for the sharp observation cous!

Equipment top (here's a LOFT blouse in the same colorway) / Levi's denim leggings (on sale for under $40!) /

Talbots wedges (similar and Kenneth Cole ones for less than $85) /

Lauren Ralph Lauren bag (last worn here with shoulder straps out, only available in pewter currently but nearly identical one here) /

Rolex watch (Michael Kors version here), Talbots necklace (last worn in this entry, similar here for $30)

This blog change has been a good way to deal with being in bed all weekend and today and it might be psychological but I am definitely feeling better.  Hey, gotta turn those lemons into lemonade right?  Though I do owe a lot of thanks to Vanessa who informed me that it is the antibiotics that are making me nauseous and not the narco that I was prescribed.  Hurray, I can mask the pain again!!

I do find it a bit ironic that after I was feeling grateful for my health, I've been complaining about it for two entries straight.  Funny how life works!  But I am feeling better and that is all that matters now.  Thank you for reading, take care and have a lovely Tuesday!!

... SIMPLE AND COMFY for a wisdom tooth extraction

Just as I've developed a new love for maxi dresses, so has mom.  She actually picked out this dress for me because she was enamored by the very first maxi dress I wore.  She also liked the mishmash of lines on this one.  Weather has been a little bit unpredictable lately with it being hot one minute and then windy the next so a nice leather jacket fixed that right up.

Joie leather jacket (last worn here, and 70% here!!) / Bar III striped maxi (similar here on sale for $49.99) / 

Talbots necklace (forever 21 alternative), Gucci watch, bracelet from Shane / 

Prabal Gurung for Target wedges (similar in diff color combos) / Chanel Cambon bowling bag

Pictures are deceiving because the last thing I am right now is up, smiling, and full of life.  I went in to get my last wisdom tooth extracted yesterday and boy oh boy am I feeling it bad.  Strong migraine, jaw soreness, and then add in the side effects from all the meds and you have one bedridden gal.  The oral surgeon that did the extraction told me that it is best to have your wisdom teeth extracted in your teenage years because they haven't grown too big thus less of an impact when you get them out.  I wish someone told me that when I got the other 3 pulled out 7 years ago!  

I should've planned this better because it's Mother's Day weekend.  No good food for me this weekend but I should be well enough by tomorrow to enjoy the beautiful day with my Mom and all the other Moms I have in my life (my aunties, my grandma, my beautiful MILF cousin, and my friends who are mums to cute little dogs!).  Happy Mother's Day to your mom and have a great weekend!

... CROCHET AND CHAMBRAY when summoned for jury duty

Hi!  Hope you've been having a good week so far.  I was summoned for jury duty yesterday so spent all morning in an assembly room and then the rest of the time in a court room.  Unfortunately I didn't get selected to be a juror.  And since California has a One-Day or One-Trial jury service policy my name is out of the hat for the next 12 months.  I did come to a sharp realization from this summons though.

During dinner with my family on Monday night I had a discussion with Vicki about how much jurors get paid and we both shared the same thoughts about getting $15/day.  That amount would get us lunch.  And we can stretch it to pay for parking.  Yesterday afternoon as I was sitting in that assembly room, I felt extremely lucky that I could afford a ~$12 lunch because I remembered a fundraising campaign that my colleague told me about - Live Below the Line.  Live Below the Line is a campaign to raise awareness about poverty by challenging individuals to live off $1.50 PER DAY [for 5 days] to experience what extreme poverty is.  I will not hesitate to admit that I would not be able to survive on $1.50/day - $15 covers a meal for me whereas $15 would be able to cover 10 days of food for someone living in extreme poverty.  That campaign combined with the "salary"of jurors is enough to make me so appreciative that I can afford three meals a day.  What a reality check.

James Perse chambray combo top (last worn here) / Free People crochet skirt (last worn here, similar and forever21 alternative) /

Mom's vintage Fendi clutch (this season's version and loving the fun pink one as well!) / Talbots belt /

Talbots necklace / Talbots sandals (Manolo Blahnik ones if you're so lucky or how about these Emilio Pucci)

Super thankful to be able to go to bed happy, healthy, and not famished.  Also thankful to you for your time and for allowing me to share some thoughts.  Take care and happy hump day!