A Time of Policing

Writing about fashion and lifestyle subjects feels so frivolous at this time.

There’s not much for me to say that hasn’t already been said. But what I do know is that expressing shock and horror and sadness is not enough. Complicit anger is equal to siding with the aggressor. 

Stereotypes are based on an element of truth and there’s a reason why Asians are considered passive bystanders. Because a lot (not all) of us are. Or at least the ones I’ve found myself surrounded by. Including myself.

To be anti-Asian racism is to be anti-black racism. The model minority myth, no matter how positive, is a myth that should be dispelled. If Asians had entered this country on the foundation of slavery, the Asian-American story would be very different today.

I hope to keep educating myself through books and resources, donate where I can, actively protest when I can, and most importantly, speak up without backing down when injustice occurs. 

Because black lives matter.

What She's Wearing: Loungewear

I’d been on the wfh train for almost 6 months when the quarantine began so you’d think I’d have my work uniform down to the T (or tee). But that was not the case. At all.

Over the past nine weeks (yep, it's week 9), I’ve found myself rotating through my vast sweatpant collection, my even more vast collection of free t shirts and oversized concert tees, and completing the look with ratty, unwashed hair and my Harry Potter-esque wire framed glasses (I’m tempted to call them spectacles).

COVID-19 brought on a thunder wave of articles on “How to Successfully Work From Home,” of which I perused many and bookmarked a few, and per popular opinion, I decided to give “get dressed for the day” a go. With a more refined pair of sweatpants of course.

Around week 4, I even went so far as to wear a pair of (now really really tight) jeans. Cue the gasp of all gasps.

Though I’d like to be the kind of person who wears real clothes while working from home, let’s be real. Home is where the comfy clothes can be worn, day in and day out.

On this third day of week 9 though, I find myself needing structure, even if it's in the form of a silky printed pant, or a non-stained t-shirt I would be ok wearing in public.

Nevertheless, here's what's been in my rotation of WFH-wear thus far.

The RecTrek Pants by Outdoor Voices are my holy grail of comfy pants. Drop me off at the airport, in the middle of the desert, at a mall, at brunch, and I’ll be good to go as long as I’m wearing these ultra light, swishy nylon-made pants that somewhat look like trousers but feel so much better than leggings. I also have these in bone, which I love to style as an all-white look.

Tie dye is clearly all the rage right now and I'm here to fully embrace it. I bought this t-shirt from Killer Acid's merch table at Hop Culture's Juicy Brews Craft Beer Fest in San Pedro. The fun, whimsical print immediately caught my eye and I just love the cotton candy color.

I hesitantly bought this jacket at 40% off (!) because I loved the plushiness but wasn't sure how the color would look on me. The size I selected fit just a little oversized, in a comfy kind of way, and I adore the patterned drawstrings as well as the extra chest pocket.

I'm still on the hunt for some comfy house slippers but have been making do with these ones from Uniqlo for now. Maybe I'll dig out the pair I stole took from my stay at the Marriott last winter.

Thoughts on Cutting My Hair

I do this thing where I chop off my hair every year and a half or so. It stems from wanting a change. A desire to shake things up...add some spark to my life, as lame as that might sound. I went through a grueling six (SIX) hour long process last Thursday in an attempt to go lighter, blonder, and shorter. The initial result was wonderful, of course also in part due to my hairstylist's ability to curl and mold my locks into that oh-so-carefree wavy look. But yesterday, after holding out on my beautiful blowout for as long as I could, I finally shampooed and felt a twinge of disappointment.

I thought I looked akin to Helga, from the TV show Hey Arnold. As if I had a huge helmet of straw-like hair. A straw bob.

Prior to my salon appointment, I had joked to my boyfriend that I was either going to get a pixie cut or maybe even a buzz cut. But now, looking in the mirror for the first time post-shampoo, I almost felt as if I had lost my femininity.

What is it about long hair that makes a woman feel feminine/womanly/desired? It could range from societal norms to evolution and fertility to celebrity influence. The list could go on and on. For me, a huge factor is social media. Instagram, to be exact. I could spend hours scrolling through pictures of models, bloggers, influencers, fashion insiders, scrutinizing what they're wearing, how they're doing their hair, who they're hanging out with. And I come away from it feeling not inspired but discouraged, downcast, and wondering why I can't look like that and if I could perhaps change my look to that.

But one thing I've been telling myself more and more is to be present and stay in the moment, rather than lamenting the past or pining for the future. Hair extensions aren't an option and my hair definitely cost a pretty penny, so I might as well rock it while I can.

loving the goth, platinum blonde vibe

so summery and so 2017

January Jones off-duty

some famed Japanese model with a gorgeous bob

Mira Duma will always be my style icon. Especially because we're the same size.

cool girl-ish with 90's sunglasses

Are white socks a faux pas?

On Saturday morning, I was late for brunch plans and hastily grabbed a ball of white socks embellished with mint-colored cats on the front. Only after I put on my ankle boots did I realize the socks rose a tad too high and were in full view but, oh well. I was late.

On the drive to brunch, I wondered if I should have donned black instead or forgone socks altogether. Were white socks always a faux pas? Was it just as of now or was there a higher fashion gatekeeper who deemed them forever an anomaly? White socks bring to mind the dad look, which might just be back in style, or bobby socks paired with patent Mary Jane's, a la 50's fashion.

It's clear I'm not the only one with this conundrum. A Google search of "white socks fashion" brings up the frequently asked question: "Can you wear white socks with black shoes?" Answer: "Use white socks only with white athletic shoes, shorts, track pants and other active gear. Select darker socks with dark colored athletic shoes."

But who's keeping track? With 90's fashion trendy again and athleisure on the rise, I say anything goes when it comes to (socks) style. Especially if worn with confidence.

Hello, it's me.

An interesting post on edible book art.

I haven't posted in forever. Do you ever have those moments where you're at work and you think, "What the *#%@ am I doing with my life?"
I had one of those moments this week and I've been feeling that way for the past two months.
Not necessarily about work but just in general. I have little drive to create, write, document, or get inspired. Maybe its just a "phase" and I'll snap out of it somehow someday but I know I need to push myself to snap out.

What is it that I want to create? What is it that I want to write? I don't know right now.

Bloglovin

The bane of my free time as of now.


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Lost in Los Angeles: Hollywood Bowl

Ever since I moved down to southern California for college, I've been adding to my bucket list of things to do in LA. Every time I crossed something off my list, I intended to document it but never got around to it. Lost in Los Angeles will be a weekly post dedicated to my wanderings in LA and more importantly, for the purpose of pushing me to continue to cross things off my list and experience all that the City of Angels has to offer.

Last Tuesday, my friend and I spontaneously decided to go to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. We'd been meaning to go and as it turns out, Tuesdays and Thursdays are when they hold their classical music series. The tickets were pretty reasonably priced (about 12 bucks a pop) considering we booked them the day of and apparently, they also usually offer one dollar tickets. The day we went was when pianist Yuja Wang and the Los Angeles Philharmonic were playing. We packed a picnic basket, took a Lyft to the venue, and settled in our seats by 8 pm. Some hilarity ensued because my friend forgot to bring a wine bottle opener and unearthed a whole rotisserie chicken from her picnic bag. We carved the chicken while listening to Yuja Wang finger dance on the keys.
Around 9 pm, Ms. Wang took her bow, stepped off the stage, and the concert was over. My friend and I commented on how it was so short and that we should come back again. We looked around to see a lot of the audience still milling around so we took some pictures, poured out the rest of our wine (we already spilled half during the concert), and thought to be smart and hurry out before the rest of the crowd decided to leave. As we were walking back to the parking lot, feeling bittersweet that it had ended so soon, we heard an employee call out, "4 minutes until intermission is over!" We looked at each other incredulously and burst out laughing since we had been so set on leaving. We hurried back into the amphitheater and sat for the next hour, squirming and waiting for it to be officially over. The night ended with fireworks that accompanied the philharmonic's finale piece and we walked back, satiated and feeling slightly cultured.

crackers, chips, and said rotisserie chicken 

stunning at night

fireworks to end the night