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| My homemade breakfast. |
EVERYONE knows that after a major holiday (Thankgiving, Christmas, etc.), there tends to be a huge sale.. everywhere. I spent so much on holiday gifts that I told myself that there is no way I could possibly spend any money on myself. I have all that I wanted/needed, so there is nothing that could possibly be worth purchasing.
WRONG.
WRONG WRONG WRONGGGGGGG
I went to Union Square to return the vest I purchased for my dad (Uniqlo x Theory collaboration) as it was slightly small for his taste, and instead purchased a bigger size for him through Theory's webstore. Since SF is a bit of a distance from me (had to take public transportation BART to get there), I figured Obiwon and I could browse around.
And then I shopped.
It was not that I spent a lot of money, it was more like I actually found some things I liked that surprised me. I know what I like/want and won't settle for less.
First stop: Superdry
This brand had always been on the top of my list of "will-probably-go-broke-if-i-go-in-that-store". I have been staring at their windbreakers online for quite some time, but sadly there was no store near me when I was in SoCal. Found out there was one in the Union Square mall, and so about 2 months back when they had a sale, I snagged one happily. Sweet deal and it makes me feel like a bad-ass whenever I wear it, even though I am not. |
| Superdry Windcheater (purchase here) |
HUGE SALE. O M G.
However, I was really happy with my windbreaker, and the parka I wanted to grab (70% off?!) did not have the size and color I wanted.
And so I was about to leave until I saw a bin of accessories. And finally, I got myself one of their beanies.
The lighting does this beanie no justice. The text is actually a funky fluoro orange. Apologies!
At first glance it looks like it reads "Supreme". I wouldn't mind if it was a Supreme beanie at all haha.
H&M
Recently, I have been finding H&M items less impressive. I used to find many items I like, perhaps it is with age or something, but now I check what material the items are made of and the feel of the fabric. The weather around this season is drying, and so I try to stray away from polyester as synthetic fibers feed static.
H&M has always been a place I enjoyed visiting though, regardless of whether there are any interesting pieces. Luckily, I found a blazer on sale ($20?!) in the color I have been wanting (pink-nude).
And then I wondered why no one was buying this. It was a great deal, it looked really nice, and it was well made. However, for some reason, there was a whole turning-rack dedicated to this with no one around it. WHY ISN'T ANYONE BUYING?
I realized why. The stitching was the problem. In the following pictures you will see fat stitches bordering around the blazer, which made this elegant/fancy item look less... elegant/fancy (almost casual even). What most women do not know is that these are supposed to be removed (take note ladies!).
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| Small stitches in the front of the blazer (note the indents/shadows) |
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| Stitching behind the lapel |
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| Stitching on the lapel (sorry the image is upside-down) |
In menswear, many blazers/jackets have these sewn around seams. As it does look absolutely strange for such formal/professional attire, this prevents seams from stretching/ripping prior to a purchase. What you do when you want to wear it is carefully snip them off and pull out the strands. Keep in mind, sometimes you may encounter small stitches that seem difficult to snip. Just turn it over to the other side to reveal the bigger stitches. These stitches are usually around the lapel (the "collar" of the blazer), the edges, and sometimes even on the shoulders (this is more for men). If you still want to grab one, better head over to H&M!
Though I do not have a lone image of this, I also purchased a pleated black short with belt. I have had one that I wore religiously a few years back, but the shorts have loosened. Fortunately I found a lovely replacement. AND it matches my blazer.
MANGO
This was another brand that I have been wanting to walk into. There were no stores in SoCal, so when this showed up in the mall (and had a sale), I walked in to look.
It's like ZARA, but less packed. Sounds good to me.
What I liked more about MANGO was that they carried a lovely amount of blazers. I have always been drawn to blazers/jackets as they always made an outfit that much more refined. There were plenty of blazers that I wanted to grab, but practicality-wise, I already have the essential blazers: the perfect black blazer from Theory, a dress-up-or-down pinstripe blazer from Metersbonwe (a franchise store in China), and now a splash of color from H&M. All I need is a tweed blazer and I will be set.
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| MANGO Satin Sheen Slim-fit Trousers (purchase here) |
However, a pair of satin-finish pants caught my eye. Made of a thinner material (great for spring/summer), it had a slight sheen and extended length to compensate for those who have longer legs wanted to wear heels with them. They had all the colors I wanted, and so I chose the one color I did not own in that fit; grey.
I swear I could probably wear all that I just bought and it would be an awesome outfit. I didn't even plan it out that way.
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| H&M blazer and shorts, Superdry beanie, MANGO pants. Total spent: $65. Not bad. |
Again, I apologize for the poor lighting, therefore poor quality.
Our lunch that day: ramen from Ajisen.
My OOTD:
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| Metersbonwe jacket, gifted sweater, vintage belt, ZARA pant, Clarks desert boots, gifted messenger from China |
Other shopping I did was online. I thought the $65 was well spent, but I guess that was just a catalyst for more spending. Sigh.
Stylemint
And then I purchased 4 tees from Stylemint. My twinsy and I have always loved soft tees (rayon/modal/viscose materials), and so for Christmas I decided to purchase several casual pieces; two for her and two for me.
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| Stylemint tees. Clockwise from upper-left: batwing, turtleneck, zipper tee, racerback. |
Guess who has which?
Thrift Town
Just yesterday, I went thrifting. The thing I love about thrift-shopping is the concept of not wasting produced goods, that we are reusing. I love looking for vintage goods in stores and finding neat things, and I love knowing that I am also saving myself a handful. However, the huge downside is that you have to go through a LOT of clothes if you don't have anything specific that you are looking for, and sometimes the condition of the item you want isn't up to a person's personal wearable standards.
Obiwon and I went to two thrift stores, Thrift Town and ECO Thrift. We decided on these stores as they were two of the bigger ones around our area, and according to Yelp, they had some pretty neat finds. I even found Stuart Weitzman heels... for $20! Too bad they did not fit me.
After filtering through each isle, I got one thing out of the two stores.
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| Thrifted tweed blazer |
Remember when I listed earlier that, "All I need is a tweed blazer and I will be set"?
I
AM
SO
LUCKY
I usually have the worse of luck when it comes to thrifting. I never find anything good in my size. For some reason though, I happened to pass by the blazers/jacket section of Thrift Town, and copped this! Some details:
In perfect wearable condition (I swear it's like brand new or something; no visible wear at all!) for $9.99! I go lucky.
MANGO
Yes. Again. This time it was an online purchase. Since moving up, I have not adapted to the colder winter (I can wear a long-sleeved shirt in LA this time of year and be fine), and realized I need something warmer than a hoodie to keep me from freezing over in NorCal. So I went on the MANGO online shop to see what I could get.
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| MANGO Cashmere-Wool Blend Boxy Coat (purchase here) |
Once again, I am an advocate of quality fabric and optimal comfort. Cashmere and wool together? Never heard of it, but it sounds amazing. I chose a boxy fit so that I could layer underneath with thicker cardigans/sweaters. I have never been a fan of body-forming thick outerwear, so this is just perfect. It should arrive in two days.. I hope it fits and looks as good as the photos.
As part of Obiwon's Christmas gift, I got him tickets to see Bonobo at Hopmonk, a gastropub in Sebastopol. A huge selection of beers, great vibe everywhere, fantastic outdoor seating, and get this, an outdoor room for live shows. We went an hour earlier to have dinner before going to the show.
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| Raging Bitch IPA (mine) and Mongol IPA (his) |
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| Hot Beer Sausage + Mustard Mash Caggiano smoked sausage made w/ Lagunitas with mustard potatoes, red cabbage and apples |
It was a small sized entree in my opinion, but after I finished eating, I felt extremely full! It was made perfect, it was delicious, and it was presentable. Highly recommend this.
After eating, we got our wrist stamps to go in, and chilled there with beers as we watched/listened to the headliner DJ Malarky do this thing as we anticipated Bonobo's arrival. And then he arrived.
I have never been to a live DJ show/set before, and so I must say this was very inspiring. I have always closed my eyes when listening to quality music to absorb it like a sponge (yes I closed my eyes several times during Bonobo's set), but I watched Bonobo a good amount of the time..and it was very uplifting.
Never have I seen someone so into music. As I watched him do his thing, I could see him almost dance and groove to the jams himself. The only thing differentiating him and I would be his knowledge and ability of mixing/making music. And so it was a great honor to watch him nod and bounce his head to his jams, watching him smile when the crowd gets excited for a staple song, and just enjoying his work. It was awesome.
Talon Update
Photo update of my beloved Talon anyone?
I gave Talon a water bath (no soap lol) earlier this week since he has been "smelling" bad. Honestly I don't smell anything, but Obiwon believed otherwise.
So I got the sink cleaned and filled it one-third of the way up with warm water and put Talon in.
Talon was not happy. He jumped up on me and onto the drying towel immediately. I had to put him back in and have his arms on my wrist as i poured warm water on him.
Few days later, when I got home, I found these:
I have been told that giving your beardie warm baths help with the itching when they are shedding, and it also helps with the shedding process in general. His first shedding came in bits all over the tank, but this time there were only two pieces.
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| Talon enjoying his sunbathing. |
I have to say this is the best photo I took to explain how Talon sleeps. I always say he has ballerina legs because he tends to sleep with his legs like... that. He has his body fully stretched out and grips on the branch with his arms.
You can also see that he hasn't fully digested his food yet as his gut is hanging out. So attractive.
I realized how much a person can do within a week only because as I am blogging, I notice the length of my entries. Really enjoy documenting my activities now as I do look back to see how I have grown since I started. I hope I look back at this when I'm 40 and think of myself as cool. LOL HAHAHAHAAHAHA.
