i used to hate pink

Wearing | blazer from Buffalo Exchange • Forever 21 striped cardigan • Forever 21 lace top • American Apparel black skirt

In less than 48 hours, the 00's will draw to a close, and we will have finished another decade. Besides the explosion of social networking, technology flourishing, and scripted reality television, what do you think this decade will be known for as far as fashion goes? There is no doubt that this decade ripped off the previous ones (How many re-revivals of the 80's have we had?!), as I'm sure we can all name at least 10 unoriginal trends throughout these years from destroyed denim to oversized sunglasses and so much more at the top of our heads. I think this time period focused the most attention on shoes by far, but other than the Uggs and Crocs (ewww) phenomenon, I really can't think of any other overrated fad outside of shoe world that was absolutely new and revolutionary. Many of the things popular now had evolved from another era. Even gladiator sandals date back to Roman days and pleather pants were worn in the 30's. You'd think the first decade of a new millennium AND century would be a bit more avant-garde, when really, we looked back more than anything. The whole “fashion recycles itself” has never been so apparent as this decade. I'm really excited to see what the next 10 years will bring...

what i learned in '09

1. Always trust your instincts.
2. Admit when you are wrong, the first time.
3. Suck it up, fear is the first step to failure.
4. Force yourself to be strong, even if you feel defeated.
5. Who cares what anyone else thinks?
6. Don't hesitate to take risks. Live on the edge.
7. Health is wealth.
8. Always have a positive mindset. Always have a positive attitude. There is a bright side to everything.
9. Never get mad. Getting mad just means they won, and you lost. Kill people with kindness.
10. If you want someone, let them know.
11. Turn jealousy into inspiration.
12. Go through every journey it takes to get what you want. Anything worthwhile isn't easy.
13. Try.
14. Try Harder.
15. Nothing is too difficult.
16. People care too much about their own problems to care about yours.
17. Follow through what you say, and mean every word.
18. It's better to not say anything than make excuses.
19. Nothing is permanent. Never take things for granted. Always show gratitude and appreciation.
20. Always be considerate. There are too many selfish people out there who only care for themselves.
21. Don't compare yourself to anyone.
22. The least you expect, the more you'll be surprised.
23. If it doesn't matter a couple days from now, it's not worth worrying about.
24. Make the best out of every situation.
25. Fight.
26. Love conquers. Always.
27. Don't stop believing.

wildcat

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas! I didn't ask for anything specific this Christmas from anyone so I was pleasantly surprised with all my gifts. One of them was this Wildfox tee!

Cat eye mask made by me :)

happy holidays :)

(The lace "skirt" was primitively a shirt that I picked up at a thrift shop for no more than a dollar. I chopped off a fraction of it and wore the remaining piece over a red tube dress)

Cheers to thoughtful gifts, homemade Christmas cards, the magical aura of the holidays. Cheers to family, friends, to unconditional loving, to food made out of love. To "I feel like I'm in a movie" moments, to dreams that touch reality. To substance-over-style films, to music that moves your soul. Cheers to positive mindsets, to positive state of minds. To wandering, to discovery, to inspiration. Cheers to strangers who say hello to you on the streets, to big hearts and contagious smiles. To tight hugs. Cheers to pure, unreal, over-the-moon, wild love. Cheers to all things that money can't buy.
I can't believe that time of the year is already tomorrow, happy holidays and Merry Christmas!

one man's trash is another man's treasure

Yesterday, a friend and I roamed around the streets of west L.A. and happened to encounter The Buttermilk Truck, one of the many newer gourmet food trucks that everyone in the area seems to be raging about nowadays. All I can say is... breakfast at late afternoon hours has never tasted so, so good! Velvet pancake bites and cinnamon French toast sticks, omnomnomnom.

In other news, we spent some time browsing through thrift shops and while rummaging through a pile of scratched, worn-out wallets, I saw a peek of leather. Black leather. Quilted leather. I picked it up, and there I saw the Chanel logo. I questioned the authenticity, and after examining it for a couple seconds I wondered why I even bothered. I mean, it looked real at a glance. It felt real, and you will never catch me with a replica handbag/wallet of any designer, but how could I pass this up when it was only $6?! $6! $6 for a classic Chanel anything is an absolute steal, and you know it.

the world just lost a bit of sunshine today

It's weird... I just watched "Clueless" for the first time since I was 12 two days ago and when I heard Brittany Murphy died this morning I didn't believe it until it started popping up everywhere. She was only 32. RIP.





It's not just Clueless but she starred in some of my other favorite movies--Girl Interrupted, Riding in Cars with Boys, Uptown Girls, Just Married, etc.

And so, another one bites the dust. :/

the higher the heel, the closer to god

Giuseppe Zanotti for Balmain inspired booties

First day of winter break and it feels like the first day of fall! Weather here often has mood swings... but I love the versatility of it somehow. I can go from wearing a big coat one day to flowy dress the next. If only it was bipolar enough to snow. No school for 16 days. Time to mess up my sleeping schedule (and proudly go back to bad eating habits). Christmas next Friday. New Years the Friday after. Rodarte's line hits Target tomorrow. Want/need/must have this dress. Breathing. Waiting.

ahhh

via Luxirare

Gimme.

confessions of a shopaholic

H&M pea coat | BB Dakota lace cardigan | Topshop top over basic black dress | over-the-knee socks

No more spending money. No more spending money. No more spending money. No more spending money. No more spending money. No more spending money. No more spending money. No more spending money. No. more. spending. money. Until After-Christmas sales.

I've developed such horrible spending habits! It started in late August, and at the end of October it cooled down a bit but ever since the week of Black Friday it has gotten bad again. I mean, with discounts on every corner, warehouse sales marked all over the calender, and Christmas shopping to do I can't help it. I grew a fear of repeating an outfit or even wearing the same top more than once in a month. As a result, I've been uncontrollably spending hundreds to thousands of dollars on mainly new clothes, shoes, and accessories. And in between, useless things that give me temporary happiness and others I question what I was thinking when I bought it. In the past 3 months I have spent over 10 times as much of my own money on materialistic goods than I normally would in ONE year.
We live in a world in which vending machines dispense iPods, taxicabs accept Amex, YouTube is your talented best friend when you don't know how to do something, and we can partake in a serious shopping expedition without setting foot in a department store. There is nothing more addicting to me than online shopping. I am so addicted to it that I would automatically know if you're wearing something from certain stores because I am constantly checking out retail sites. I love the thrill of waiting for a package to arrive and opening it like present on Christmas morning. Packages have been piling on my doorstep at least a few times per week in these last 3 months. I've gotten to the point where I forgot what I ordered and I don't even remember what's inside some of the packages. My closet is expanding into a tenfold and it's basically tighter than the racks at Forever 21. I am running out of room to put my shoes. Shopping is my drug of choice and I basically get high off it it. When the feeling dies out I have to do it again. I can't stop and I drown in pure guilt every time I keep coming back for more.

Please tell me you have the same problem as I do!

cold

It's one of those days.
Two cups of Earl Gray and massive readings.
I guess the rain is okay once in a while.

First photo taken by me, rest from Lolita blog.

1990's revival

Wearing | sister's denim jacket from 10 years ago • Forever 21 flannel • Zara sequin tunic • Aldo chains

This weekend, my house held a garage sale for the first time in years. To my surprise, we had 10x the amount of visitors than I thought we would have both mornings and we earned over hundreds and hundreds of dollars in total!
The night before as I was helping my mom get all the clothes we were to sell ready, I found this one enormous box with some of my sister's old clothes from the 90's. I looked through the box, hoping to find some things that I might want to keep... & holy crap. I knew a lot of 90's trends came back this year, (e.g. tucking in shirts & the resurrection of Melrose Place), but I didn't realize how, fashion-wise, 2009 has truly been a serious revival of the 90's in full swing. I mean, think of all the things that cycled back onto the fashion rotation this year: GRUNGE, denim jackets, Doc Martens/combat boots, plaid & flannels, crop tops, overalls, stirrup leggings, bodysuits, pocket t-shirts, destroyed jeans, bleached & acid-washed denim, harem pants, John Lennon sunglasses, biker shorts, floral print, tube skirts, platforms, thigh-high stockings, wow... did I leave anything out? SOME of which mentioned were what I found in the box aforesaid. Why haven't I searched through this box before?!

all the lights are coming on now

rebel intentions

Not a huge Taylor Momsen fan but I am infatuated with her style whether it's on or off the set of Gossip Girl.