Chanel is always a “DO” in my book.  So when I was visiting a Thailand temple and I spotted this picture here, I couldn’t help but smile.

This was found outside the temple where the fashion police (monks) enforced the no showing of shoulders rule.  Yes, the shoulders are not showing through this tee.  But the fact that they wrote the famous fashion marking “DO” on top of the Chanel-logo-ed tee cracked me up.  Next to the Don’t which I should have taken a picture of was a photo of a tourist wearing a short skirt revealing  what they called her “too sexy” knees.

Speaking of which, they actually make you rent a long wrap skirt in the more strict temples in order for you the tourist who may have shown up wearing shorts, to cover up.  Here is a photo of me at Wat Arun in Bangkok where I had to do just that.

I quickly caught on.  And while I regretted not packing some longer skirts for the visit, it also gave me an excuse to pick up some souvenirs along the way.  What better souvenir is there than a little bit of exotic fashion?

I bought this rust-colored silk skirt that featured elephants at the bottom in Thailand for about $10 or less. I just found through a little research that if you try to buy a similar skirt off of ebay they will run you around $25. So I guess I got a steal.

I kept it casual with a simple white cami and then wore the skirt again later that week with a sparkly sequin cream tee, both already packed from the U.S. with my new tribal looking necklace that I bought from the Hmong tribe in the mountains of Thailand.  Tribal influence is huge trend for Spring 2012 by the way!  The variety of silks that you’ll find in Thailand is on every street block and it is dizzying but fun to pick your favorite fabric. 

With a little negotiation on prices (only optional with the street market vendors), you’re sure to leave with a deal especially if you are purchasing more than one.

I ended up buying the silk sarong that came with straps -sort of a wrap skirt if you will.  Because of the language barrier, I couldn’t figure out how I’d wear the other flat cloth variety.  But thanks to YouTube, I now know how I’m supposed to tie them – no pins or brooches needed!   Check this out if you happen to have a flat cloth sarong, perhaps it will inspire you too.  I’m thinking I could easily do this with a sarong I bought from Hawaii.

I can’t see myself wearing the sarong in NYC but I will save it for another exotic trip as it makes an excellent beach cover-up and is perfect for conservative cultures.  I’m sure I’ll continue to wear it with a mix of Western influences as I want to add my own spin to the traditional dress similar to how this other fashionista did from WhatIWore2day’s blog.

It’s not everyday that I want to look like I did below.

Call it damask.  Call it brocade.  I love it all.   It was my go to print for when I decorated my old apartment bedroom.  It was what caught my eye during my wedding planning.  And I adore it when it comes to fashion and stationary even!  I’m about to take off on a flight to Thailand and am expecting a long 15 day blogging hiatus so before leaving, I thought I’d leave you all with some of my favorite fab decor shots featuring damask and brocade wallpapers.  Tell me what you think!

For more inspirational images, come follow  me on Pinterest by clicking here!

Who  knows better than you, what you want for Christmas?.  That is why I am a huge proponent of wishlists, registries and even picking out your own gifts.  Being such a fashionista and being so visual, I am a picky person when it comes to my own stuff.  I have a very distinct style and know exactly what I want so I’m all for receiving gift cards, cash, shopping sprees or helping out with not so subtle hints.  Take that with the fact that I’m not big on surprises and well you have a wifey who buys herself her own Christmas gifts for her hubby.

I had fun shopping for myself this past Christmas.  And it was so easy given I work at Saks Fifth Avenue.  During our Bari Brinker personal appearance and trunk show, I fell so much in love with a piece that I called my hubby and thanked him for getting me exactly what I wanted this year. (Yes i chose my own gift without consulting him first hehe)

It’s a one-of-a-kind piece and there is no other like it.  Bari joined 3 brooches that he found while in Paris and attached them to this gorgeous genuine topaz surrounded by white sapphires.  It’s so sparkly and such a statement piece.   I couldn’t believe how beautifully they packaged it too.  I almost thought they gave me the wrong package because the jewelry box was as large as a box you would receive for a sweater except this one when you opened it, was lined in grey silk!

Here I am with the designer at Saks.

And here I am wearing it for the first time at work.

In the above photo I’m wearing slacks from Tracy Reese, an Ann Taylor silk tank top with a cardigan from Express.  I love the fur stole but can’t remember where I bought it and the purse is Hello Kitty that I’ve usedhere.

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Hi everyone!  How was your new year’s celebration? I hope you all enjoyed yourselves. How did you celebrate? 

Normally, in my younger years, I would have gone out to celebrate with all my friends at some hot NY nightclub and danced the night away in my newest dress.  The past couple of new years with my new hubby though have been so much more low key.  Instead of sipping champagne and rocking out to the latest tunes, last year for instance, we found ourselves sitting solemly with my parents at a Korean church back in my hometown.  We didn’t even know when new year’s had arrived since the pastor didn’t do a countdown or anything.  I considered suggesting he add it into his sermon but resisted.  As much as it was meaningful, it was a bit anti-climatic to say the least.  This year, we celebrated in Chicago.  We watched the fireworks from my brother’s amazing bachelor pad and I hugged my shih tzu as my new hubby and family stood beside me.

Teddy is my furbaby.  How I missed him!

Here we are roaming the park outside my brother’s place.More on what I WOULD have worn had we done a more typical new year’s eve celebration in my next post!

I get tons of compliments on this navy lace blouse by H&M.  It was a classic cut, somewhat inspired by Kate Middleton’s dress shown here.

Here I wore the top over the summer with a Calvin Klein pencil skirt and studded red flats from Zara.

I wore the top to work again with a pair of khaki slacks (not pictured here) and again today with a navy pleated skirt and rasbery colored tights.

Can you believe my outfit only costed $120 dollars?  The colored tights were $1 at the dollar store haah  The Juicy purse was a present that I’d be willing to sell for the right price.  Let me know if you want to make an offer!