Greetings from Chicago. Real Winter Weather Dressing

Yes, that's real snow. No, it didn't melt by noon.

American Apparel: Knit Sweater Crew Neck Dress

Here's the sweater dress I mentioned last posting:

Pardon my experimentation with figuring out what shoes to wear with it. I can fully appreciate fashion bloggers now because styling clothes is kind of difficult. 

Anyway, this dress is awesome. 

I love you, I hate you - more American Apparel

Between standing stores, the eBay outlet, and the online store, American Apparel really lacks cohesion when it comes to prices. It's not so bad all of the time. For whatever reason, prices in one area are not reflective of the prices in another area. It's not so bad. 

I was in the Round Rock outlets today. The American Apparel store there is not an outlet store, it just happens to be in an outlet mall. I came across the Knit Crew Neck Sweater Dress which I had been mildly curious about. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it on. I remembered it being moderately expensive on the website. Well, it looked mighty fine and for some reason at that store, it was marked down to $20!!! There was an additional discount of 30% so I bought two dresses each being about $14 originally priced at $65 which is the running price online at the eBay store. 

Pictures & reviews to come soon. 

American Apparel, you confuse me sometimes, but I love you. 

Check out American Apparel stores this holiday season. 

The Age of the Internet

I'm going to pull one out of left field here - and for my international audience which seem to make a decent percentage of my readership (Thank you for reading BTW) that means here's something that is seemingly out of place. While I could say that this is to some degree a clothing blog, I'd like to frame it more as an issue blog. Closet can mean lots of things anyway.

One issue that I've come out on (so to say) is online dating. The internet industry has grown to the point where, for the most part, people know that there is a real person on the other end of the LAN cable that you happen to be typing your information into, you can read the tweets of Justin Bieber, or Lady Gaga, you can even solicit perfect strangers for advice on how to litter train kittens.

So what is the issue with meeting someone online?

Product Review: American Apparel Fine Jersey Short Sleeve Leisure Shirt

Product Overview/Story:

I figured it wouldn't hurt to have some collared polos and these were $2 at the time!! That's enough to peak my curiosity.

So how did sizing work out?

Product Review: American Apparel California Fleece Tulip Skirt

Product Overview/Story:

I love tulip skirts, they're my favorite style so when I saw these I already had a bias towards them. I like that they're casual and light enough to wear in hot weather and I can wear these out in the same manner I would just throw on a pair of jeans. 

Reviewing Reviews: Dear American Apparel...

Dear American Apparel,

I love your site, merchandise, and the fact your clothes are sweatshop free and you pay a fair wage to your workers. I would just like let you know that the majority of the reviews on your website are veritably garbage. Except for the review listed below. Given that user generated feedback is a good reference for any holes in your item description, I think the focus on good quality reviews would be in your best interest. Please don't end up like Amazon.

by kay April 28, 2009  Share

i am 5'4 & my measurements are 37-27-37. i got this in evergreen, size M. reaaaal cute. i was worried it might be too small for my taste--i dont usually like tight-fitting clothes for day wear. however, its a pretty good fit--a little bit tighter than how it looks on the slate model, but certainly not indecent or anything. the length is good too; i can wear it around my waist and it is plenty long. the color is great, too! Fits? -- Recommend to a friend? -- 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No Reply to this Review

Sincerely, 

Concerned Consumer

Closet Monster: Obsession

While I have a lot of clothes, I don't necessarily wear them all with equal frequency. It's easy to skim though fashion and style blogs and see people in really pretty clothes, posing in a variety of places from roof tops to creek beds, obscure fields, bedrooms, and bathrooms; sitting, standing, leaning casually, attempting to lean casually. The only things I can capture well are ridiculousness and anger. I have a decent amount of energy and I spend the majority of my time on the move. I dance and while you can pose in anything, you cannot dance in just anything and I'll dress to accommodate the opportunity to bust a move anywhere. It is impractical to pose all day, unless it is your job, then it's mighty practical. Essentially, I have no reason to have so many clothes.

Maybe it's because I've been working from home for close to three months, the fact that my work attire consists of sweatpants or bed sheets seems to have changed my palette about clothes and the acquisition of clothes in general. At Anthropologie, I got kind of grossed out by how the marketing scheme would justify a price of $50 for a jersey shirt that really had no indicators of deserving that price. Wanting to play with clothes is a good mental exercise and I'm a supporter of the arts, but it is very mind boggling how some can get obsessed with constant wanting and acquisition followed by the need to showcase. People get impressed with that and then the cycle continues. That is gluttony and also such a vicious, detrimental cycle.

I enjoy buying art supplies. I don't really use them for artsy endeavors, but I like owning them and feel pretty bad about not using them.

Flow Chart: Does it look like I'm trying too hard?

Inspired by my awesome sister Irene.

Growing up with three sisters, you never had to wonder if it looked like you were trying too hard because the second you came out of your room or the bathroom, there would be about 2-3 comments waiting for you. At first it was alright because no one really wants to have to think harder than they need to whether it be about clothes or what to eat for lunch, but at some point, it gets annoying, especially when opinions conflict and you find yourself on the defensive pulling the "individual card" and declaring "I like this, so shut your face." It's the hard knock path towards developing personal style. 

Just as you can like things for no apparent reason, you can also dislike things for no real apparent reason and picking up on this hunch is the first step in assessing if you look like you're trying too hard. Now for those who don't have a series of sisters for a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th opinion, there's a fairly easy exercise to follow.

Considerations:

1. Silhouette Comfort

• Not the hoodies and sweatpants comfortable, but the "am I comfortable with this silhouette?" it can range from t-shirt and jeans to cocktail lounge dresses. Generally, do you feel comfortable in public being in this ensemble? It can be an ensemble that you've never tried out before, but you like the silhouette so there is still a degree of comfort. Comfort zones are a lot bigger than you think. This doesn't have any bearing on physical comfort as there are many willing to put up with blisters on their feet just to look good.  

2. Environment

• Where are you going and what will the weather be like? No platform sandals at the beach. No silk pencil skirts to a backyard barbecue. No heavy makeup to an outdoor excursion or any other situation where it will be likely that you'll sweat that make up off.

Exceptions: 

If you have internal issues with thermal regulation (i.e. had your thyroid gland removed), or you're sick any accommodative dressing is quite acceptable.

Next

To establish your comfort level, you need to establish the criteria for your clothing. If your clothing doesn't fit your criteria, than it makes sense for you to not feel comfortable and as such you can end up worrying more about your clothes than things like engaging people in interesting conversation. The main objective is to get dressed and not worry about your clothes after that point.

27 years amazing, and always a lady

RIP Antoine Ashley October 1 2012

I feel odd feeling really bad about someone I didn't know personally. What is even more odd is feeling the lump in your throat develop. This reaction was almost immediate when Michael Jackson died, tears on the keyboard of the campus computer at the school library. I expected that. 

What I did not expect was the near same reaction to the death of Miss Sahara Davenport of Ru Paul's Drag Race Fame. Why? I don't cry easily. People die every day. Even famous ones. But this is not a matter of fame. Michael Jackson was an integral part of my childhood and he revolutionized an industry. Miss Davenport is a part of a revolution. Looking past the LGBTQ, GLAAD conference, and the drag, she was/is one of the beacons supporting the idea of self acceptance, being happy with who you are, and making the absolute best out of life. I owe a degree of my self confidence to her and the show. I don't have to justify it because I think I'm pretty awesome and there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of those thoughts. Could she have conceived how many people she had inspired? The thought is overwhelming since it seemed almost unconscious until the tears fell on the keyboard. 27 years old, and you've become a bigger inspiration than you can imagine. One could die happy having had that kind of impact. Still, 27 years seems unfair. 

Upon hearing the news my first thoughts were of Manila Luzon. I can only hope for the best. Stay strong and, in the Filipino habit, don't forget to eat. 

Here are the deepest condolences from a stranger. 

Another reason why we should go back to fashion illustration...

"The Many Faces of Manila" by Kyle Letendre. HeyKyle.net

How awesome is this? I personally love the graphics, they have this really cool cartoony/comic styling about them. I won't got into too much detail since I hate being too descriptive. Let's just say that if you don't see why this graphic is cool, then there's something wrong with you. I might even predict that you're not a fun person...maybe you're even feeling a little...alright anyway - moving on!

As for making my case for fashion illustration (even though this technically isn't fashion illustration), since it's industry standard to photoshop people to the point where they don't look real anyway, why not just illustrate everything? Could you imagine Vogue editorials completely illustrated? It would be like high fashion comic book. Sigh. Only in a perfect world.

Being a Flip myself, I'm always looking for ways to represent. I was born on Luzon, after all. I'm probably going to buy this shirt even though I'm going to go cold turkey on the clothes buying for the rest of the year (plus a few months). At the very least, it's consolation for not being able to afford the Manila Luzon Barbie.

Going with the flow...chart

Howdy! and before I continue "Hi!" and "Hola!" to the top visiting countries for this week. International views are nice even if this blog was just stumbled upon by those looking at the pictures. Cheers!

Now, given that I like making flowcharts...

like this one, I'm contemplating making another one, but I need help deciding. I'm thinking maybe blouses, or maybe dresses, but I'm not sure. Shoes?

Flowcharts make things pretty easy, I should probably market a series of notepads with these. Anywho, what would you like to see?

Political Pants

Living in Austin, I occasionally fall into the pool of self righteous young people who feel the need to "stick it to the man" and "hit 'em where it hurts." This behavior is not necessarily a result of living in Austin.

When I was in...6th grade there was the rumor of Tommy Hilfiger being a racist, mind you many people didn't have the internet in 1998 and snopes didn't exist at the time either. Being a minority, racists are perhaps the number one most irritating group for me followed by male chauvinists and stupid people in general. So yes, I did boycott Tommy Hilfiger to the point when I got mad at my mom for buying me a shirt of his from the thrift store. I sometimes still have to remind myself that he's not a racist because the thought stuck so deep.

I like causes. Buying Putumayo CDs, fair trade chocolate, TOMS shoes, supporting local business. Likewise, I don't show patronage to causes/ideas that I am against: Walmart, Chick-Fil-a.

I feel that stupid people shouldn't have jobs ala Hollister models who behave in a culturally offensive manner. I'm glad the models got fired. If there's one thing I've learned about Korea, don't fuck with the citizens because they can get you back. I actually smiled at the thought of the people their returning their purchases because of how these models behaved. While I know it is not right to generalize that these models are representative of the brand, they were hired to be on the more visible end of the spectrum and BOY did the shit hit the fan in their faces. While boycotting Hollister won't exactly be a sacrifice on my part because I've never thought much of the brand, now I don't even have to give it a second thought as I do not want to support the idea that you can be a numbskull and get by on your looks.

I hope this is a lesson to Abercrombie & Fitch: hiring insensitive idiots is a gamble to your brand...and they can F* you up. Now I've known an Abercrombie model, he was very smart and friendly. This was at the university so maybe hiring good looking people who went to highly diverse universities could be a step in the right direction. At the very least, I hope these kids learned their lesson: No one finds stupidity appealing.

And by returning purchases, citizens showed that they didn't want to be associated with such stupid behavior. Clothes say more about you than you think.

Oh...man...

I have to say, this is probably one of those pictures that would make my boyfriend scream like a girl.

This was years ago...I think I might have still been in high school actually. In all honesty, looking at it now and having seen tons of Asian pop stars cross dress as well, I have to say this kind of freaks me out. I do kind of...yes...look like a boy. I look like a school boy. A disheveled school boy. This was my sisters idea.

Part of this was an attempt to exaggerate qualities that I thought were overtly male: looking like I don't care, relaxed posture (because face it, when my posture is good, I have a chest), and having too much gel in my hair. Essentially, drag king-ing it. This does not seem too different from looking at a picture of a long haired Asian boy and just knowing that "I know it's a boy."

Personally, I don't think I look too bad as a boy and ironically enough, my hotornot male photo got a higher score than my female picture. Go figure.

I like menswear: however, cross dressing is not one of the primary concepts behind menswear for women. Women have to feminize and tone down the sharp lines because after all, we have curves. This was just straight up curiosity. And once was enough for me.

I like being a girl. There are just more ways to be cute and I don't have to think about being cool all the time.

EtseBay

Here is a little background on my clothes shopping:

Around the time I actually developed an interest in clothing, my upbringing led me to thrift stores and liquidation type places like Ross. Searching through places like that was relatively easy because the relative percentages of clothing my size were very low compared to size 8 and 10. This was during my awkward years around ages 11 to 14. I wanted to find clothes, but I did not always have the patience for the treasure hunting process that would be involved in the places mentioned above. It was tiring.

Around age 13, I got my first eBay account and while I was just messing around increasing my action figure collection, it would later occur to me that eBay would be the solution to my treasure hunting dilemma. I experienced the growth and development of the internet firsthand, as such I had to become more familiar with ways to use it effectively like using boolean search terms on engines. When applied to eBay, I had the environment of the thrift store with the convenience of a normal store and the treasure hunting became so much more convenient. Really, it was more like a consignment shop. I recall telling my computer maintenance teacher how I bought the vest I was wearing at the time on eBay and how it's so much easier to find clothes now. There was a convenience fee called shipping and handling, but it was still a good deal overall. This was around 2002-2003, about 9 years ago.

Fast forward to the present and I find that eBay is no longer the convenient market place it once was. I see more big label stores using an eBay store as an outlet. It's like a giant online Ross or Marshalls (that's not bad, but I'd prefer going to places like that in real life rather than online) I read complaint stories from sellers about the new policies for feedback. I mostly see a lot of mass quantities of "buy it now" items. I recall a time when eBay felt like a nice exchange between two people, not too different from a flea market even though those two people were on different continents.

I thought I was in the know when it came to eBay, but I haven't sold anything for two years. When I've talked to my sister about the selling on eBay (she's a more recent seller) here's her input:

"Buyers try to commit fraud saying someone jacked their account"
"Paypal doesn't want to reimburse my money"

Sellers can't leave negative feedback for buyers as it is viewed as "backlash" and retaliation.

I can understand that eBay wants to create an easier buyer experience and that's understandable, but it also creates the atmosphere for irresponsible buyers to develop. It also creates a very negative atmosphere for sellers. Who would want to sell in an environment where you have to send and item and wait 21 days to get paid? Even worse is how a buyer would file some kind of complaint upon receiving the item and result in you not getting paid for the item you sent and shipping you paid for. What kind of business is that?

I generally have a good reputation on eBay, but I'm not sure it is something that I'd want to maintain with this change in policy.

The second phase of my cloth buying habits involved my buying clothes that I wanted at retail prices. It's ok, but sometimes it's just hard to find exactly what you want and in my situation, right now that happens to be a rose (pink) colored leather miniskirt. The most reasonably priced retail one happened to be from American Apparel in their vintage stock and it comes with a catch:

American Apparel Vintage Leather Skirts

You can only pick a color scheme, but not the exact color of the skirt you want. If I pick pink, there's a 25% chance I'll get the skirt I want.Upon trying to email the people at American Apparel about this issue, my email had to try to send and resend to the email listed multiple times before giving up. I must say that the way clothes buying is evolving is really not my cup of tea.

Going back to eBay, I discover something that has been lingering at the corner of my computer screen. While just searching on google for the my elusive pink leather skirt, I came across Etsy. I have an account, a few of my friends have shops. There have been a few cool things I've found on Etsy but never bought (fiscal responsibility you know). Upon finding not only one, but two pink leather mini skirts at prices reasonable beyond what I've found on eBay. It's like my teenage convenient online thrift shop has been opened up again. I get the opportunity to interact with people again, practice great customer service again. I get to enjoy a more legitimate online marketplace where the business makes sense.

Timing Down Until the Close of Betsey Johnson

(sigh)

All of the Betsey Johnson Stores in Texas are officially closed. That's a bit of a depressing thought. I'd say about 95% of the time, if you'd go into the store, it would be cheaper than what is online, but now the internet is really the only option.

Betsey Johnson closing I've approached with the thought "wow, I may just be buying a piece of history." There's also something nice about buying something cool and when people ask you "where did you get it?" you know they won't be able to imitate.

I shall post up pictures of my finds later as this is a time sensitive posting. There are only three more days until July 22nd when everything officially closes. The website is odd, I know that. You click on all the links and at most one or two items show up. I'm not sure the reason for this, but what I do know is that they still have items available on their online eBay outlet, so why not on the website?

If you go to the search on the Betsey Johnson homepage and type in...oh "dress" or "skirt" there will be a full grid of what is still available which is definitely a lot more than what is showing up from the links.

Have at it. Buy something nice. Wear it proud. Betsey Johnson Store

Making a Basic Career Wardrobe During College #2

I've decided to test out my own theory from this previous posting on the bare necessities for college professionalism. Here is what I would have considered for my beginning career wardrobe.

Clothes:

top row (left to right) : Banana Republic tweed blazer, mandarin style grey silk blouse

bottom row(left to right): Yoanna Baraschi black pencil skirt, Banana Republic slacks, short sleeved Odille button down, Victoria's Secret New French Cuff Shirt.

Shoes: 

ALDO caul pumps

Total pieces: 7

You may observe that there is no suit. I've opted for a complete wardrobe of separates because a suit feels like too much of a commitment. You have to get both pieces dry cleaned together. What will happen if I outgrow one part but not the other? Living in Texas, I can honestly say that wearing a suit in the heat is a special kind of hell. I tried to make sure that my blouse tops would be fine without the blazer. As an extra heat precaution, the blouses are good summer fabrics like silk and cotton. I wanted a skirt for variety. The title picture shows a brown striped pencil skirt (you can't really see the brown though) which would have been my first choice.

(sigh) Banana Republic striped pencil skirt

I've out grown it. This is one of the main reasons why an initial career wardrobe should be small: your size fluctuates. Nothing really brings down the excitement of an interview like finding out your butt is exploding out of your pants. That sad truth aside, I felt that the skirt added a nice pattern to a primarily color blocked wardrobe. I cannot conceive where the idea that black and brown don't go together came from; my skin is naturally tan and I have black hair I like to think that I was not born tacky. Would you tell a Rottweiler they're tacky? 

Try telling this face he's tacky.

Anyway, how does it all turn out?

Generally, everything is mix and match. There's no confusion with the shoes as there is only one pair and the blazer is optional. It's a nice little collection. The mandarin blouse and the ruffled white button down offer some nice variety and enough quirkiness to keep me satisfied. Go have at it! Be discriminating. Pick versatile pieces. Nude pumps go with everything. A professional wardrobe does not have to be something you hate. Make sure everything fits and keep the weather in mind. 

Pencil Skirt Parameters

"how can I tell if my pencil skirt is too tight"

"how do I know if my pencil skirt is too tight?"

"how tight are pencil skirts suppose to be"

"how to tell if a skirt is too tight"

"how to tell when a pencil skirt is too small"

"is your pencil skirt too tight"

"pencil skirt tight"

"pencil skirt bunch"

I've been doing some thinking. 

Listed above are the terms that most often lead to my blog. More often than not, they will lead you to this posting from two years ago: Is my pencil skirt too tight? 

Looking over that posting, while it is well-intentioned and I really have no qualms about embarrassing myself with example pictures, I feel as though the posting could stand to be revisited and made a little more clear and comprehensive. You don't wear club wear to work, and you don't wear your work clothes to the club...unless you're a stripper. Apologies for the lack of embarrassing pictures this time around, I don't really have any horribly inappropriately tight pencil skirts...or maybe I just don't feel like being so self critical right now...

As the above statement implies, your pencil skirt can be too tight depending on the occasion for wearing it. With that confusion, lets setup some parameters for pencil skirt tightness. Given that I'm more scientifically minded, I think I'm probably going to have to develop a flow chart for this post, but for now, we'll just go down a list of relevant questions. We have 3 (THREE) main situations to consider:

1. Occasion
2. Fabric
3. Personal Comfort

Parameters for Skirt Tightness

1. Is this skirt for: WORK or PLAY?

First, any skirt for play can encompass work skirts, but it usually can't go the other way around. Secondly, for visuals on how a work pencil skirt should fit, look at: Ann Taylor, and JCrew. Most of the pencil skirts listed show an appropriate level of tightness for a work environment. If you don't like your butt being hugged at all, then go ahead and play in your work clothes. 

To see the fit for "play" pencil skirts, look at the pencil skirts listed at Urban Outfitters and American Apparel. It's a little unfortunate that most of the sites are limited in the scope of the sizes they chose for their live models (a lot of them are skinny with no butts or hips), but the Interlock Pencil Skirt from American Apparel provides a nice movie with someone a little more on the bodacious side.

Look at the pictures and the movies provided. While no one has a pencil skirt that is quite obviously ill fitting, there are a few movies where the person actually pulls their skirt down a bit - don't regard this as normal behavior, this is called "I'm uncomfortable with how much my skirt rides up" behavior.

2. Fabric

If you observe the sites listed in the first category, you'll see that generally, pencils skirts for the work environment are less stretchy while skirts for play have a higher degree of elastic to them.

On a skirt with very little stretch, trying to force your body into that situation means at least one if not all three of these things:

 - at some point the skirt will rip down the seam because you're putting too much stress on it.
 - with too much stress on fabric that has no give, your squishy parts will distribute to ease the stress on the fabric
 -your skirt will obviously bunch and pucker when you walk. You can refer back to the original post for the reference pictures.

I've gained more weight. The Happenstance Skirt has done everything but rip. 

Skirts with more elastic ("play" skirts) are suppose to hug your curves, but even elastic has it's limits and when you find your self reaching that limit, it's like the skirt has no stretch at all.

You're looking for friction, enough to hold your skirt in place, but not so much that your skirt will take the opportunity to bunch and pucker.

3. Personal comfort

Pencil skirts can be comfortable. It's not fashion dogma that they have to be uncomfortable. This is probably the question that brought you here in the first place. Do you like being in your pencil skirt? I'm no doctor, but I do know that tight clothing increases your blood clot risk.

Exceptions:

Pencils skirts with the RUCHING!!! Bunches up? It's suppose to. Look tight? It's suppose to. Feel good? I hope you do.

You should probably expand this. 

This is cool...

This is awesome. Kang Min Kyung still looks like a girl...or an emo boy. I do not know how someone would have the energy to uphold that angsty look about themselves. What I am particularly fond of is the office boy look she's sporting: slightly oversized button down...or it's one of proper size with disproportionately large sleeves. You know, I would go to South Korea just for the purpose of clothes shopping because of this.

Betsey in the Day...

It's hard for me to keep up with the news, but it's not hard for me to keep up with suspicious going out of business sales. I learned about a week ago the Betsey Johnson LLC filed for bankruptcy protection. And now everything must go.

I can't really think of anyone coming close to another Betsey Johnson. While she'll still design for Steve Madden, and the brand will still live on primarily because Betsey Johnson the brand is still strong...something feels a little lost. I feel like Volvo was sold to the Chinese all over again.

I recall buying a rather funky cool vintage suit back in the day. The brand was Joseph Magnin. I did some research, and found the really cool department store posters, but Joseph Magnin is a world that I discovered had come to an end long before I got to know it. I can't help but feel that some people will probably end up feeling that way about Betsey Johnson - delightfully discover the brand and then discover it's gone. Part of the disappointment is that Betsey Johnson was...to some degree, kind of a gateway designer. What other designer makes crazy cupcake tea dresses that utilize girlishness and cuteness to bring you down a rabbit hole into the world of fashion?

They weren't too different in terms of funkiness. (left) Betsey Johnson scarf, (right)Joseph Magnin Department Store Poster

It's a depressing sale. Outlets will be open the longest as they'll get the material that other stores can't sell. Texas? That means San Marcos folks.

There's a little reluctance to go on my side. There's also a dress I long since have not been able to fit into anymore that I'm inclined to sell...but at the same time I want to keep. Who knows, I have a hunch that Betsey Johnson will develop an eBay cult following.

...still...I don't fit into that dress.

To trench or not to trench

Since my last post was kpop related, here is another tangent to get me back on track. 

This is Tao from EXO-M, a new boy group that made their debut under SM Entertainment. This is his official picture from the jacket of the CD case. You can thank his momma for that face. Aside from being into EXO, one thing that heavily attracted me to this picture in particular in Tao's overcoat. 

I like it very much. It looks medium weight, but like a longer over shirt. I also like the way he's wearing it. Simple t-shirt over a pair of black slacks. This is what I would consider unisex, but it leans more towards the masculine style. This, I like and I would wear the full outfit. This brings my thinking to a whole new level when it comes to trench coats. There's a certain suaveness that comes with a trench that elevates the level of the t-shirt and slacks combo by itself. The trench is more of an accessory than an outerwear piece. My main problem is finding THAT trench. That, and also living in Texas. It's been raining lately though, so I think it's a sign of the times. Where can I find a lightweight trench coat?

Miss Androgyny: Beautiful Men, Handsome Women

It’s never been good for a boy to be pretty; nor has it ever been good for a girl to be masculine, but in an alternate world, life takes on a few different standards and in some of the larger facets of my world, namely K-Pop and fashion models, anything goes. 

First, redefining the idea of “girly man” would be Choi Minki of NU’EST.

    

Maybe I just appreciate pretty things. Maybe this is a testament to my profession as a teacher that I like it when things are done well and Minki’s concept was done well…almost too well. Depending on the angle, he easily blurs the line between male and female, while at other times he is just a really beautiful boy. I think any person, regardless of biological sex cannot help if they are beautiful. For a guy, would this be a quality worth playing down when, evolutionarily, it can be advantageous? The main male opinion in my life commented that only manly men could earn both the admiration of women as well as the respect of men, but I feel that before gaining admiration or respect, you have to gain interest and curiosity. Being the most popular member, I feel the pretty boy has done that more so than his more manly peers in the group. People recognize that it is his concept and not necessarily his own choosing to wear headbands, and his hair in updos. Oh Boy George! Minki looks like he came out of a Madonna music video. As a matter of fact, the majority of the comments about him are either from girls enamored with his prettiness, or boys questioning their sexual preferences (Talk about pushing love to the Borderline!). The beauty of the entire thing is that currently his feminine beauty is being played up to an extreme; that is not to say that Minki is not capable of being a beautiful manly man. Beauty definitely has a bias on the female of the species in the human realm, but Michaelangelos “David” is both strong and beautiful and so are many depictions of Greco-Roman gods. The world is watching to see how he develops.

On a semi related note, here’s my favorite member of NU’EST, Minhyun. 

I like this pose for him because  1) it shows off his Adams apple. 2) It reminds me of this 

Amanda Moore's Vogue Italia cover.

 The first time I ever heard of a woman being handsome was Mr. Darcy referring to Elizabeth Bennet in “The Pride and Prejudice.” While she was pretty, I found handsome fitting in reference to her strength and spunk. (Sigh) masculine adjectives always get the more fun associations. Generally, a female being masculine is worse than a man being feminine. Amanda Moore may not be overly feminine, she may not be everyone’s cup-of-tea, but I find her pretty freaking awesome. Girls who can walk this line are cool (KPOP reference, f(x)’s Amber).

 Recall that this is coming from someone whose favorite Sailor Moon Scout was Sailor Uranus. I'm not bashing on girly girls, but masculine features on a woman can be worth playing up: cheek bones, jaw line, sleek frame. Not everyone has the ability to look sharp. I see it as worth emphasizing. Good looking is good looking regardless of who it's on.

If it doesn't already stick out, I’m a massive fan of androgyny. I find it interesting and I don’t need to explain myself. 

Moreso, I like the being able to emphasize features of the opposite sex while maintaining being myself, being a girl. It's like a drag queen taking her makeup off at the end of the day. I like that men can be beautiful like women. I like the lines and movements that a lot good male dancers can achieve and it’s mad cool when I see women do that (reference: Rino Nakasone). While I can’t say I’m a fan of testosterone fed manly men, I do like womanly women like Marilyn Monroe and Christina Hendricks, but for me, being THAT feminine looking is impractical. I have a smaller sleeker frame, my waist to hip ratio is not as extreme, my jaw-line is a little square. As a result, I pull menswear off pretty nicely. I’m pretty good with slim dresses and pencil skirts also. I’m just making the best of my features which fall a little more in the average range between horribly manly and voluptuously girly. I can admire Amanda Moore and Choi Minki’s abilities to play the second guess gender game. I can admire the extremes. I'm working just fine with what I have. 

Color Exercise

Engaging in art is a good way to test your color coordinating skills. As such, I have a wide array of art supplies that go widely unused. It's quite unfortunate. It's kind of like knowing that you have a genre preference in books and when you try to read out of your genre, it just feels more like work. I like having art supplies, but I really don't use them much at all. What I prefer for my color exercise is flower arranging. It follows my own style of just slapping things together, doing a quick check to make sure everything looks good from all angles. As much as I would like to, I don't have time to design things from the heel up. I'll find a way to put my art supplies to use, just not now.

Whenever I have some excess flowers, I like making an arrangement. The red and white queen Anne's Lace came from Valentines day. I decided to go to the grocery store to pick up some cheap flowers, they should have been cheap considering that it was after Valentine's Day. I found some orange carnations and purple mum looking things.

Purple, red, white, and orange...I think that almost any color combination can work as long as the color are in the right proportions and dispersed properly. I personally like orange and purple together so having them in chunks isn't so bad. The Queen Anne's Lace serves as more of an accent. Here's the finished product:

Take the time to work with color. It's not exactly playing dress up, but it will make getting dressed a lot easier in the mornings or evenings.

Making a Basic Career Wardrobe During College

Reflecting back to some very awkward pictures of myself in college, in the midst of trying to perfect my "ill-fitting little boy shirts with dress slacks" look, one thing that got lost in the college image crisis was the need to develop a professional wardrobe.

It is hard to exude confidence when you look in the mirror and feel awkward because of how you're dressed. It's also hard to spend the money on a professional wardrobe when you're not making any money. Think of it as an investment.

Throughout college, opportunity pops up and is often times accompanied by the need to look professional.

-Internship Opportunities

-Interviews (medical school, law school, graduate school)

-Presentations (my roommate had to present her senior project to a fairly high ranked official from the US Navy)

-Job Fairs

-Teaching Experiences (if you go this route, they get you in a classroom fast, so be prepared)

These situations are not always few and far in between and even more so, usually the last thing you'd want to worry about is what you're wearing for these, that way you can focus more on the presentation or interview.

It felt odd to have to borrow clothes from my sister and my mom, especially when our individual styles are very distinct. Not having any means to dress professionally, I went into some interviews looking like a 40 year old stuck in the 1980s. Awkward...very awkward. Apparently, there's an awkward stage for every occasion in life and professional wardrobe development is definitely one of them. With every awkward stage comes a few takeaways:

#1: You don't necessarily need a black suit

That doesn't mean you don't need a suit, you just don't need a black one. It's good to refer to classics when you're clueless on developing a professional wardrobe, but I feel that the black suit as a professional piece has been through a cycle of misunderstanding. Many people get one because it's a classic, and it's a classic because many people have one. See the circular argument? I have one. I haven't worn it. I think the blazer still has the tag on it actually. Black doesn't suit everyone, and sometimes it's just not the best option. There are other neutral options out there worth exploring like navy, and charcoal, but if black is your neutral of choice, have at it.

#2: "Professional" doesn't mean "wear high heels"

Contrary to how Victoria's Secret markets their suitings, you don't have to wear 5" platform heels. You don't even have to wear heels. Yes, they look nice, and can elongate a leg line, but professionalism is about being presentable and looking neat. The primary focus should be on your portfolio. The right places will not dismiss you for not wearing heels. Another issue that arises with this situation is the hemming of slacks, if you develop the impression that you will be wearing heels with your slacks instead of flats or lower heels, you end up rendering your slacks mostly unwearable if you do go for lower shoes. Refer back to the shoes you wear more frequently for professional occasions. They don't have to be flats, but they do have to be dress shoes, which, for most of us would mean some kind of heel (small to medium). Keep it smart, nothing overly embellished. For about 3-4 years, my only pair of dress shoes was a pair of square-toed wing tips...I had a very expanded definition of what "basic" meant. For reference, there's no such thing as a "crazy basic."

#3: Pay attention to where you shop.

Getting a black suit blazer from Banana Republic and BCBG are two very different things. Pay attention to the reputation of the shop since it tends to indicate their specialty. I remember a time when Victoria's Secret seemed to focus a little more on their professional line. I bought a few things here and there, but as of late, I find more displays of wearing a suit with just a bra under the blazer, pencil skirts where there's a 6 inch slit in the front, or blazers with full lace backs. VS saw what makes it's money. Maybe it's more to remind you to buy lingerie. More likely, you'll find a functional suit at a place like Banana Republic or J. Crew. It's a better bargain if you don't have the time to experiment with VS suits, or Express. Now, I did have the time to do some experimentation with places, I find that Victoria's Secret makes french cuff blouses that I default on, the cut works for my small frame, they're semi-fitted, but not bulging tight and they actually button all the way up instead of having that awkward gap between the chest and neck. When it comes to suits though, I feel for my first round, I should have invested in J. Crew.

#4 If you're limited in the places that you can shop...

Pay attention to cut. Cut will make or break any clothing item and will determine your tendency to wear said items. You want to look good for an interview, and the presumption with interview clothes is that you don't wear them too often, but that is no reason to settle for a cheaper awkward fitting interview outfit. Oddly enough, there are times when interview clothes may cycle in and out of your regular wardrobe. (Who likes blazers? I like blazers!) Having clothes that are cut well for yourself expand your options and give you something to build on rather than just regulate to the corner of your closet.

#5 Your starting career wardrobe doesn't have to be big anyway...

There's still a fair amount of weight fluctuation that goes on before and after college.

So...What is the recipe for a starting career wardrobe?

1 - suit

1 - coordinating bottom (skirt or pants) that goes with the blazer of your suit

1 - pair of shoes that works with all of the above

2 - 3 coordinating tops that work with all of the above, preferably one being a button down.

and matching socks.

It's small, but it's enough to get you through. When it's small, you need to be more discriminating, and that's a good thing.

Selling Cosmetics to a Chemistry Major #2

A coworker of mine has a small side business selling Amway products. The resident makeup brand of Amway is ARTISTRY.

In reference to their exfoliating scrub, my coworker commented

"It sloths away dead skin and revitalizes the skin in such a way to encourage the grow of new skin."

I wonder how that is.

"It alters the mitochondria"

WTF!!! [Me] "Have they done studies on it's ability to predispose people to cancer? That just doesn't sound safe." This sales pitch sounds too carcinogenic

Selling Cosmetics to a Chemistry Major #1

I was at MAC about a week ago searching for some inspiration. I am prone to extremely dry lips which is only exacerbated by cold weather. As such, my lips and any lipstick I would be wearing would crust off like bad leather.

In comes James, consultant for MAC

"Your lips probably dry out because of all the petroleum in chapstick, people think it moisturizes but it really helps dry out lips and constant application makes it worse."

Now, being a science-y person, I'm inclined to ask why but I don't want to put tons of pressure on James just for the details. I get directed to MAC's lip conditioner.

"My mother used to put chapstick on constantly"

Ahh...so it is based off of experience, okay.

[Me] "The first ingredient on the package is petrolatum." [James] "Oh, well it's different"

Based off patterns on how chemicals are named, petroleum and petrolatum have a shared parent somewhere back in their development line.

Upon asking for something that could remove makeup without drying out my lips, I get directed to the MAC's Water Charged mineral make up remover.

"It has water in it so that it doesn't leave an oily film."

I would imagine this comment related to how some people use baby oil as make up remover, otherwise I would have no idea how this statement would make sense. Despite having oil's hydrophobicity on my mind, the make up remover took the lipstick right off of my lips quite effectively.

"All of our products are cruelty free, they're not tested on animals, just our make up artists"

That technically still is animal testing, but whatever, I'm sold!

I, by no means, am trying to be a jerk to James for his level of chemical knowledge as much as I am just trying to relate that this is what really goes through my head when I'm make up shopping. I bought both of the mentioned products as they are actually very good products.

As for my inspiration, I could not help but dwell on James' story about his mother. Petroleum or any wax is suppose to create a protective barrier around the lips to prevent moisture loss. Applying chap stick to dry lips is like pouring oil in the desert, it's not going to help anything - the moisture is already lost. At this point, I contemplated how to add moisture to my lips and decided to put my Cetaphil facial moisturizer on my lips. It may seem odd, but chemicals can seep through your skin into your system, if I already moisturize my face, why not my lips? I added a slather of chap stick after that and my lips stayed moist and soft much longer. Thank you James! Overall, $45 for two good products and some inspiration.

Interesting...interesting: The iII fitting pencil skirt.

I've only recently discovered that I can check my blog stats. I know. I'm behind the times. What I find even more surprising is that this is my most commonly viewed page:

Is my pencil skirt too tight?

It seems like a lot of people need clarification on what an ill-fitting pencil looks like. I was also shameless enough to post pictures, but I guess that's not good enough for some people, or they're just in denial. The skirt should -

- not pucker

- lightly outline curves

- be able to regain it's shape after sitting or walking

When people try on skirts in the dressing room, even if a skirt looks good while you're standing, you do more than stand all day (unless you're a teacher), you sit down, you walk around, you walk around fast sometimes. I could imagine that the main look most people don't go for is to look awkward and uncomfortable. Having a skirt that gathers as you walk and has to be pulled down every few minutes is not chic.

Now, my word is not the final word on how pencil skirts should look. Sometimes a skirt will hug your derriere in just the right way and that's fine as long as it can maintain it's shape without you needing to pull it down. I've got a nice skirt that does that and it's cut such that it's suppose to emphasize the bottom half (Thank you Victoria's Secret!). As long as you don't have to maintain your skirt while you're wearing it, and it looks good, you have a good skirt.

Style vs. Fashion...after about 30 minutes of blog research...

First, a personal anecdote:

I've been on a recent shopping spree. It was bound to happen as last year I tore through approximately FOUR pairs of pants. I've gone the skinny and straight route, something I thought I would never do not necessarily out of disliking the style, I just have this pair of monstrous calves that I can be insecure about from time to time.

Fashion crossed my mind when I observed that about 60% of the pants I had procured over the past week were straight leg. I find that straight cut pants are just the skinny equivalent for people with big calves. When I wasn't buying clothes, I could not tell the different between skinny and straight, they all looked the same to me.

After this week, my conclusion:

"Style and fashion only diverge with the passage of a sizable amount of time."
- Christine, on her blog

There were many conclusions that I came across in the many postings about "style vs. fashion," the most popular being about how fashion fades, but style...persists, stays the same, is immortal. Yes, all of that.

The most helpful blog I found in relating my conclusion was the Style v. Fashion page from Samantha C's Style Pick. What I liked was her citation of an article from Psychology Today about how to have style.

My interpretation: "Style is what makes the artist. Fashion provides the tools."

- Christine, on her blog again

Was it a massive change in persona that led the majority of my wearable pants to become considerably skinnier? By some odd means of convergent evolution, my style is now fashionable? In my clothes-less year, in addition to assessing my own wardrobe, I couldn't avoid looking at the ways other people dressed and ask myself "would that look good on me? Would I wear that? Could I wear that?" Even to those who don't follow fashion , it's not hard to find people in a crowd who do. Even more so, since fashion does dictate what is in stores, it was hard to find things similar to what I tore up since a number of years had passed since I acquired those clothes. That, my friends, is divergence. Regardless of style persona, people have to work with the time and with what is available. If we consider "things available at the time" to be clothing sold in stores as a premise based off of three sentences ago, then perhaps style and fashion are closer friends than initially perceived.

By no means am I down playing anyone's style. Nor am I saying that to be stylish you should get with the times. Fashionable? Maybe. Stylish? I've always felt that style flourishes out of limitation whether it be monetary, body type, weather, or time.

To be a great artist, do you need to have every tool possible at your disposal or just the ones the you use the most? Any artist would pick as you also don't need to use every tool to create something amazing. Any tool used would be dictated by what is available at the time and I don't think that's ever stopped anyone from expressing themselves.

hope your holidays were merry, your new year bright...

and 2012 brings everyone a great deal of opportunities.

I am of the opinion that every year is full of opportunities, we just choose to act on some rather than others. We wake up in the mornings immediately with the choice of dreading the day, or making it a good one. Sometimes good days take work and I'm ready to work so that I don't have to rely on luck so much. I'm ready for 2012.

Reflecting on my clothes-less 2011, I can say that there were times I felt I was losing out on not buying certain articles of clothing while they were on sale - I really can't remember any particular articles. After 365 days of going cold turkey and getting reacquainted with my closet, I can say:

- you really only need one or two dresses for every wedding you go to, ever. Just change up the accessories and wear a sweater if it's cold. (Texas perspective is coming out here.) Attention should be on the bride anyway.

- sales are not life and death situations.

- granted that you do not indiscriminately buy clothes, within your own closet you'll notice what you wear more of and why. It's like putting your style preferences under a magnifying glass. You see them a lot better.

- like your style preferences, you'll also see what is less of a preference in your closet. If you're not buying clothes for a year and there are still some things you don't wear, it's time to consider using that closet space for something else.

- on a personal note, I'm short. I'm use to buying clothes and getting them altered but after having good fitting clothes for a year, I find now that I try to get clothes that just fit without alterations or very few. Clothes like that do exist and according to anthropologie, my legs are ankle length...well...if the shoe fits...

I really think everyone should try this once. I also think that you need to endure the full year and not just a number of months.

Merry and bright describe my most recent pants purchases. I will get on that.