Ahoy Sailor!

When I threw together this nautical theme outfit for blog pix, my boyfriend seriously *made* me wear it to dinner because he loves it that much. So I grudgingly obliged because it's still cold and gloomy here in LA... (Funny how I'm so updated on U.S. weather from reading blog posts lol.)

Top: H&M

Skirt: Forever 21

Belt: unknown, bought from Overstock

Wedges: Banana Republic

Purse: Louis Vuitton

I got these wedges during my college years and haven't touched them for a whopping 5 years. Had to clean off all the dust layers before taking them out for a spin...

And are you jealous of my hair tossing skills? Of course you are. :P

Soooo sorry for the brief post, but I've been super busy lately. And now for the winner of my BCBG clutch giveaway... *drum rolls please*... Cee of to brighten my day! Congrats Cee and please email me your addy so I can send it your way. Thank you everyone for entering and for interacting with me on this little blog. Cheers to all! :)

PFC #8: Spinning The Favorite

This month's PFC is hosted by Gracie of Radiator Session. I haven't had the pleasure of interacting with Gracie yet...so Gracie, if you're reading this I would like to say hi *waving hand frantically*. Although I've read the gist of this challenge weeks earlier, I was stumped and couldn't figure out what to do...

"...the challenge will be to take a 'go-to' outfit, put a spin on it by styling it in a different way but still keeping a couple of essential components."

So...yikes...a "go-to" outfit? I don't think I have one! I decided not to overthink this task and settled for a summer "go-to" outfit. Being a Socal girl, my quintessential summer wardrobe includes t-shirts, shorts, and flip flops. It's not a favorite, but I guess it'll pass as a summer staple. :)

Here is plain jane me in the summer essentials mentioned above. Or should I say plain joe? I look like a sad little boy lol.

The transformation is nothing drastic. I wanted to keep the casual, laid-back look going but not so bum-like. I added a belt, long necklace, and traded flip flops for cute flats.

Top: Forever 21

Blazer (pictured below): H&M

Shorts: H&M

Belt: Hollister

Purse: Louis Vuitton

Necklace: Ann Taylor

Bracelets: H&M

Shoes: AGL

I was excited to find these shorts at H&M but if I'm being nitpicky then I guess the color is too matchy matchy with my skin tone. Wait until I spend one day at the beach, you won't be able to tell where the shorts end and where my legs begin lol.

And gosh, I love this blazer to death! I swear I wear it every other day (or more). Ahhhh must make a conscious effort not to reach for it so frequently. This is the first blazer I found that can be dressed up or down with ease so I'm seriously sprung. I'm thinking of getting a spare to wear for years to come.

I can't wait to see what the other ladies came up with! I'm sorry mine was so boring blehhh. Please go to Radiator Session to see the full list of participants.

This has definitely been a:

P.S. If you'd like to win a BCBG clutch, please click here to enter my giveaway.

Only 2 days left before I draw a winner. :)

Red Pencil Skirt: Take Two

Ever since my horrible attempt at styling the red pencil skirt here, I've been dying to give it another go. Mind you, I was on my deathbed at the time (only slight exaggeration), plus the crappy self photography didn't help any either. So here I am, hopefully doing it justice the second time around.

Top: Victoria's Secret

Skirt: Ann Taylor

Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Purse: Chanel East West

Pearls: eBay

Meet my little sidekick for the day: dear baby niece. She loves going outdoors so when she saw me leave, she immediately grabbed her shoes and followed. Ahhhh please excuse the ugly crocs, her mama (my sister) has no sense of style. She said comfort over beauty for the baby. Nonsense, you can have both especially for babies!!! On top of that, her dada put her in a soccer t-shirt because his favorite soccer team was playing. Poor baby, she has no chance of looking stylish (but still soooo cute though). I want to dress her like Suri Cruise haha...

There's something about the color red that's just so powerful! I would definitely pull out this outfit whenever I need a boost of confidence at work. If I have important events/meetings on my calendar that day, I take a little extra care to my outfit that morning. Looking good can really make you feel good! And I love how the red skirt matches the red soles of my shoes hehe...

Don't forget to enter my BCBG clutch giveaway ending this Saturday 6/18!

Here's to hoping that we all feel "powerful" at work this week, ladies! ;)

Electric Blue

I've been on a "blouse" kick lately so when bf pointed out this little number during our SF trip, we quickly snatched it up! He commented that I have too many white shirts already and I completely agree. I'm just drawn to white/beige tops like that. But worry not, I'm open to new things, especially if that means I get to shop more! :P

Blouse: Zara

Skirt: Ann Taylor

Pumps: Christian Louboutin Prorata

Pearl Necklace: eBay

Handbag: Chanel East West

It's hard for us to find time for blog photos but we do what we can. Sometimes I see bf only a few hours a week (like this past weekend), so we rushed outside to snap a few quick pix before the sun goes down. We lost...darnnit! But I rather like the blue against the black backdrop; it pops even more, don't ya think? ;)

Cleaning my Louboutins. :D Gotta put in zip soles soon, darn thing easily gets scuffed up by these harsh cement streets!

Yayyy it's Friday! My weekends are usually more hectic than weekdays because I have many volunteer obligations. Although I lack leisure time, I don't think I would have it any other way. I often ponder...one of these days I'll just stop with all the extra activities and finally have time for myself, would I be more happy? I may have to make that decision soon out of neccessity but I know part of me will always feel like something is missing...

Wishing you all a very beautiful weekend!

BCBG Clutch Giveaway

I've been trying to downsize my closet...and as I'm sorting through my stuff...I find several new items that I haven't even touched. Instead of listing them all on eBay, I've decided to keep a few and share them with the blogging community.

My first giveaway is this brand new BCBG satin bow clutch (retail for $178). I bought it for a wedding but ended up using my other clutches, so it's been sitting there waiting for its time to shine.

Color: beige/gold

Material: satin

Comes with removable chain handle (can be used as clutch or worn on shoulder)

Fold-over flap with turn-key closure

Approximate dimensions: 10"W x 6"H x 2.5"D

How to enter this giveaway:

1. Be a public Google follower of this blog (required +1 entry)

2. Add me to your blogroll if you kinda sorta like my blog enough hehe (absolutely optional +2 entries). I've noticed that some ladies have added my blog on their blogrolls and I'm so grateful for that. Thank you so much! <3
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- Deadline to enter is June 18, 2011 at midnight PST.
- Open to international readers.
- Winner will be drawn randomly and has 3 days to claim the prize...or I will draw another winner after that.
- I'm new at this so if I make things unclear, please leave me a comment and I'll try to answer as best as I can. :) Thank you so much for reading my blog and best of luck!

Special Occasion Dresses

I know many fashion experts have said that an LBD is a must-have item in every woman's closet as it can take you from day to night (and it can), but it's just not for me. I save my conservative black dresses for the office. When it comes to special occasions, I opt for fun and flirty dresses that can also stand the test of time (at least for a few years because I plan to get my money’s worth and wear them more than just once!) I want to be unique, maybe even stand out a little. No, I am not an attention whore lol. But seriously, nothing worse than arriving at a special event to find myself wearing the same dress as another person…or simply to blend in with the sea of black dresses.

I usually (always?) buy my pants and skirts in darker colors, but for everything else, I tend to gravitate towards the lighter side. Same go for cocktail dresses. All the dresses in this post are from BCBG, with the exception of the powder pink dress, which is from Diane Von Furstenburg. I find that BCBG dresses are more petite-friendly when compared to other brands like Laundry by Shelli Segal, ABS by Allen Schwartz, Nicole Miller etc...

Although BCBG is on the smaller side, oftentimes its smallest size is still a bit big on me. For the green dress above, I did a little diy stitching at the bust area underneath my armpits to keep it holding up nicely. For the yellow dress below, I wanted to wear it as a strapless, but there was no way it would stay on so I had to forego that option and keep the spaghetti straps.

And this lavender dress is particularly special to me. I wore it on my first "official" date with the bf more than 2.5 years ago (although we've gone on a few dates before that, I guess to him they were not official grrrr). He invited me to his friend's wedding...and I'm sure as soon as he saw me in this dress, he knew he couldn't let me go muahahahaha...

I adore the open back but I have never worn it like that. A bit too daring for me so I always asked my mom to stitch me up about half way...

Oh do you like my little beige clutch? I'll be giving away this brand new BCBG satin bow clutch (sold here) later this week so please stay tune. I'm not sure how to do all this giveaway stuff yet so I gotta figure it out first hehe.

What are some of your favorite brands for special occasion dresses?