Flowy Floral Skirt

This is one of my favorite skirts - it's colorful, floral, and flowy! I wore it with a bright blue blouse to play up the loose textures, paired it with neutral brown leather sandals, gunmetal accessories, and a denim bag. Guess what? These pictures were taken a few weeks ago. I've since gotten my hair cut... so stay tuned for that!

Outfit details: Blouse: Mine via T.J.Maxx / Skirt: Express / Sandals: Franco Sarto / Necklace: LOFT / Earrings: Gifted / Bag: Gap 

Soon I won't be able to take advantage of my school's geography for my photos! Graduating is an exciting event and it reminds me of how close college is! I guess now I won't be saying I'm a high school student - I'm a college student now!

Pinstripes with a Bow

This outfit was sweet and comfortable - I played up the volume of the boyfriend shirt with skinny white pants. My favorite part about these shirts is the fit - I feel like I'm wearing pajamas! I added a bright green bow to complete the preppy look and my blue handmade necklace for some sparkle. 

Outfit details: Shirt: Gap / Pants: American Eagle / Shoes: TOMs / Necklace: DIY 

Have a beautiful day! 

Happy Memorial Day!

Fedora: Charlotte Russe / Cardigan: Charlotte Russe / Dress: Forever21 / Shoes: TOMs

Quick post today guys! Memorial day is all about honoring veterans who served our nation. It's important to show respect because a lot of men and women gave their lives for our freedom.

So I dressed for the occasion.

Today, I was planning on going to the Devon Horse Show in Pennsylvania (ended up not going and went to the largest retail mall in American instead, King of Prussia Mall) so horse show = preppy (dresses and hats in particular). Now I don't have many hats, but I thought this straw fedora matched my outfit nicely without distracting from the red, white, and blue ensemble.

I started with the white polka-dotted, red dress as the base and layered on a light white cardigan with a lace back. The sides of the cardigan kinda dangled weirdly so I tied it up.

And for that final pop of blue....TOMs!

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day and weekend!

Colorblocking

I wore this colorblocked outfit recently for a Mother's Day lunch with my family. We went out to a local Chinese restaurant. I wanted to style a pair of statement earrings and I decided to match them to a bright colored outfit. I debated whether I wanted to wear the belt and decided to in the end because it helped transition the shirt and the skirt. It also matches my sandals, which are super comfortable. I believe comfort is most important when it comes to shoes. I don't care how good a pair of shoes looks, if I'm in pain, I don't want to wear them! 

Outfit details: Blouse: Mine via TJMaxx / Belt: LOFT / Skirt: H&M / Purse: BCBGeneration / Sandals: Franco Sarto via Lord and Taylor / Earrings: Lord and Taylor 

Here's a closer look at the earrings. 

I love how they combine all my favorite colors. 

Have a wonderful day! 

Shine Bright

For this outfit, I wanted to style my powder blue blouse with my white jeans. Both items are classic and simple. I matched the silver crystals on my blouse to silver TOMs, and tried a double braid in the back instead of my usual braids that meet in the middle. My hair is getting long! I'm going to get a haircut soon...only a few inches, though! 

Outfit details: Blouse: Forever 21 / Pants: American Eagle / Shoes: TOMs / Watch: Pierre Cardin / Bracelet: Handmade 

I like the hairstyle, and I think I would bobby-pin it next time instead of using the clips. I've been brainstorming prom hairstyles...there are so many pretty styles! Prom is in a few weeks for me, but some of my friends have already had theirs. They looked gorgeous! This is a fun time of year and the weather seems to reflect everyone's mood. The seniors are starting to feel restless, because our AP and IB tests are over. I think everyone is ready for summer and starting to realize how soon graduation is. I'm trying to enjoy the last few days of high school before summer - and college - begins. 

Have a beautiful day!

Bohemian Maxi

In Xuewei's last post, she styled a pretty maxi skirt with a chambray shirt. Here's how I styled my maxi and chambray. My outfit features a  bohemian, relaxed style. I wanted to be comfortable yet stylish for school.

Outfit details: Chambray shirt: American Eagle / Printed shirt: Delia's / Maxi skirt: TJMaxx / Shoes: TOMs / Watch: Citizen / Belt: Vintage / Necklace: The Hot Jewelry Box (local store) 

The printed top contrasts with the simplicity of the black skirt and the chambray added another layer of comfort and warmth.

I had no idea how to style this black maxi skirt, so I browsed Pinterest for ideas. Whenever I get a new piece of clothing, I always look at Pinterest for inspiration. It's great to see how other ladies have chosen to pair clothes together. Sometimes I come across some ingenious solutions! 

Hope you're having a great day.

The Art of Layering: Pattern Play

I wore this outfit on a day when the weather was simply wonderful - not too hot or cold, and a slight breeze...It was one of those days where you can close your eyes, relax, and release all your thoughts. 

For a day like this, I wanted to wear something relaxed and comfortable. I chose this grey floral dress and added a printed belt to define my waist. On top of the dress, I added a green cardigan. The patterns in the dress and belt work together because they are both understated. If I'm mixing patterns, I try to keep only one as the focus. In this outfit, the dress is the focus, and the belt, which has thin stripes, is an accent pice. The green color in the belt and cardigan bring everything together. I kept all other accessories neutral - you can't see them in this photo, but I'm wearing these silver glitter TOMs.

Outfit details: Cardigan: Abercrombie and Fitch / Dress: Gap / Belt: LOFT / Shoes: TOMs

In this photo is my friend Victoria Elizabeth. I love her outfit! The dress, cardigan and belt combination is so great for spring, when it can be chilly in the morning but warm in the afternoon! 

I hope you have a pleasant spring day! 

Candy Shop

When I put together this outfit, I thought about combining classics - the striped shirt - and Spring pastels - the mint jeans. I added the necklace, something I made in Chinese school in a macrame class, as a fun pop of fruity pink. The colors in this outfit remind me of cotton candy or a candy store! I spotted this denim jacket in my grandmother's room and I asked her where she had found it. This is one of her secondhand store finds! I really like how it balances out the outfit and tones down the colors. Its length helps coordinate the pieces together.

Outfit details: Jacket: Secondhand / Shirt: Gap / Jeans: American Eagle / Shoes: Sperry / Necklace: Handmade 

I just love Spring colors :) 

A quote for your day:

Found on Tumblr

I've been doing a lot of reading for pleasure lately, and this quote reminded me of the books - it's a great motivational quote. 

Have a beautiful Spring day! 

Crystal Collar

I planned this outfit around the shirt. I haven't gone clothes shopping in a long time, so when I saw this affordable, trendy and sophisticated blouse at Forever 21, I knew I had to get it! Thanks to Xuewei, I've been looking at brands I normally wouldn't shop at. I don't have anything in this cornflower blue color. I usually buy clothes in only cool tones so that they will blend in well with the rest of my wardrobe. My favorite part about this shirt, however, is the crystal collar. It's just a tiny bit of glam - perfect for days when you want to play up the dressiness. The dark jeans serve as the canvas for the shirt and the leopard flats are just another pop of fun. I'm looking forward to wearing these flats as neutral statement pieces in Spring - neutral because of the coloration that matches everything from black to white to neon and statement because of the cute animal print. 

Outfit details: Blouse: Forever 21 / Cami: American Eagle / Jeans: American Eagle / Necklace: LOFT / Earrings: Gifted / Flats: Nine West

My necklace is actually a lariat from LOFT. The gunmetal color contrasts with the dark silver of the crystals. My earrings are also a matching gunmetal color. I looked for balance: A sprinkle of match and mismatch.

I changed it up with the hair this time! Since the collar is the focal point of the outfit, I didn't want to take attention away with my hair. However, since the collar cannot be seen from the back, I took the opportunity to braid my hair a little differently. Here's the amazing Pinterest tutorial that inspired the look. Some modifications I made: After I made the two Dutch braids (you have to be careful when making the top one not to use too much of the hair - start higher than you think and section off the bottom hair), I combined them into a single side braid. Hope you like the hairstyle! It's a more intricate look and keeps the hair out of my face. Most of the time Pinterest tutorials seem too complex (i.e. involve too many bobby pins) so I don't try them, but from how this one came out, I might want to try some more! 

Going back to shopping again - Since I don't shop often, when I do go clothes shopping, I am pretty selective. What I've found helps me the most is having developed a more cohesive style. Since middle school, my style has become more sophisticated and feminine. Therefore, anything that fits into those categories are easier to incorporate into the mix - florals, jewels, and classic staples are all great. Have any of you found that having one or two style "themes" helps when building your closet? 

Hope that you have a great day! The sun and bright blue sky, combined with my clear blue shirt, lifted my mood today :) 

Mixing Prints

For the past three weeks, I've been suffering from itchy and red eyes and a runny nose. A few days ago, my mom introduced me to my new best friend: Allergy medicine! Now that my symptoms are alleviated, I've been feeling so much better. These photos were taken on a day when I had, unfortunately, not started taking the allergy medicine. That also is one explanation for why I usually am not wearing makeup in my photos. I don't like to wear makeup when my eyes hurt, but I think the allergy medicine might change things up a bit! 

Outfit details: Blazer: Lush via Nordstrom / Shirt: Gap / Jeans: American Eagle / Boat shoes: Sperry / Necklace: Forever 21 / Earrings: Anthropologie 

For someone who loves nature as much as I do, being able to deal with my allergies is such a relief. 

Now onto the style theory behind this...I've wanted to wear this floral blazer with something striped for a while, but I've always been wary of mixing prints. I finally decided to give it a try and I like how it turned out. I think having this blog has made me more adventurous in my outfit choices :) I kept the shoes and jeans neutral so my outfit would not be a visual overload. These are one of my favorite pairs of jeans - super comfortable and I like the flare style! It goes with my more bohemian, casual side. 

Hope you're having a fantastic day! Here's a quote for your day. 

Don't Be Afraid

This outfit was a bit more daring for me. I remember planning it out and asking myself: is this going to work? Should I go with a more neutral shirt? What color boots should I wear? Looking at these pictures, I think the choices were bold, but worked well. I tried the colorblocking trend with two of my favorite colors and mixed in my handmade necklace - I can tell it's going to become a staple!

Outfit details: Blouse: Mine via TJMaxx / Jeans: American Eagle / Boots: Nine West / Necklace: Handmade

In my first post about this necklace, I wore it short by knotting it in the back. This time, I'm letting it hang to its full length. It matches my shirt pretty well! 

It brought a smile to my face to look at my bright-colored outfit :) Does your outfit influence your mood sometimes too? Like Xuewei mentioned, a lot of times you need confidence to pull something off. Although this was more bold than my usual look, I liked it - and I felt good wearing the blue and aqua. I think it all comes down to whether or not you feel good wearing your clothes. I'll remember that for the future - and I'm definitely excited to incorporating brights into my outfits in the Spring. Have a great day!