Vivian and the Dream of Horses

A weeklong outfit

2012-01-25T16:45:00.000-05:00

Guys, I'm going to admit something kind of gross and you can't judge me but if you do, it also doesn't matter. I have worn this outfit--with different shoes, different outside layers--for four days straight. One, because I realized how nice and put together and warm this outfit is. Two, because I hung out with different people every day in those 4 days. I, sadly, won't be able to wear this outfit tomorrow because my boss will recognize it but it was a good run. Instead of showing you the different outside layers (wool cardigans over my sweater, camel wool coat, red down coat, different scarves, a bow in my hair, brown booties, black booties, suede oxfords), here is the "base" outfit. I can assure you I take showers!

Outfit details: sweater: I <3 Ronson | chambray button-up tunic underneath: CottonOn | jeans: Uniqlo | booties: Joe Fresh | necklace: via Brooklyn Flea

Current/Elliott Spring/Summer 2012

2012-01-24T15:00:00.000-05:00

I'm counting my blessings that it's in the mid-40s today which is considerably "warm" for a New York winter (oh hi, I'm back!). However, I know by late February/early March, I'll be looking forward to spring again. This lookbook by Current/Elliott however is making me yearn for spring a lot earlier than usual...Calling for a girl gang to dress up and look cute with me. Thanks.

Source

Jason Wu for Target: Video!

2012-01-24T01:24:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited I could just throw up.

"Are those weiner dogs on your dress?"

2012-01-17T14:05:00.000-05:00

The answer is a resounding "yes." Although from afar, this looks like a serious outfit, you can see the print is actually quite...shall I say it?....whimsical.

This dress was a lucky find at Loehmann's and it had quite a few things I look for: black, sheer (in the sleeves), a quirky print, and of course a pointed collar (a Peter Pan collar would have been overkill).

A special thanks to my brother, who (begrudgingly) took my outfit photos. I was not ready for any of these photos nor did I know when he was taking these photos/what he was taking until I uploaded them. Bravo, Tim. Bravo.

Outfit details: dress: Romeo and Juliet Couture via Loehmann's | purse: Melie Blanco via Loehmann's (it was a good shopping day) | cropped jacket: Old Navy from a thousand years ago | belt: vintage courtesy of my mom's closet | sparkly tights: DKNY | brogues: Aldo

"Western" Wear

2012-01-14T19:00:00.000-05:00

It feels almost sanctimonious to be wearing this outfit in the winter time. I was G-Chatting my friend, telling her I felt somewhat self-conscious about wearing jean shorts in the middle of January. But you know, it was 80 degrees and if not now, then when? I'm in LA for one more week and I've become lazier and lazier with my outfits.

This whole outfit (minus the shoes) were dredged up from my closet here, bought ages and ages ago. It is a weird "This is what a cowboy looks like, right?" look and not gonna lie, if I was invited to such a party, this would probably be what I wear. Not sure what that says about this outfit/me. Oh well...I've already spent too much time thinking about it!

Outfit details: top: Old Navy from probably 9 years ago | jean shorts: F21 from 3 years ago | booties: Joe Fresh from 2 months ago ;-)

CUT PATH

2012-01-13T23:45:00.000-05:00

What better way to ease back into blogging than by introducing something fun from a talented friend? Tricia (who has graced my blog before) just opened her new Etsy jewelry shop Cut Path. It is full of delectable laser-cut leather necklaces although she assures that there will be a bigger selection soon (i.e. this coming Wednesday!). For now, some lovely photographs, starring the jewelry itself, of course, and my other good friend Joyce!

Photos courtesy of Ventricular Projects

Looking Back: Outfits of 2011

2012-01-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

A new year usually means looking nostalgically back. My blog is both personal and impersonal. I don't really share my own life here although my outfits--as cheesy as it sounds--are very personal to me. So although you may not gleam too much about me from my actual writing, I really do appreciate your interest in this lil style journal.

Anyway, my favorite lists are always "best of" lists. I usually have one for best albums (here is mine for 2011 if you're interested). So I decided, like last year, to post my list of favorite outfits from this past year.

Without further ado (and in no particular order besides chronologically), here are fifteen of my favorite looks of 2011. Oddly, only one dress made the list! I guess I favored separates (button ups mostly) a lot more this year. Or something. Analyzing is difficult.

January 29: Velvet and Peter Pan Collars

February 21: Peter Pan for Always

March 21: (Another) Sunny Day

May 16: Gambino Girl

May 23: So you guys are still here, too?

June 2: Scalloping Around

June 3: Silk All Over

June 20: Outfit du Jour (Part 2)

August 5: I Met Lil' Sebastian

September 21: "Then I'll Bring My Bolo Tie"

October 3: Sweater weather

October 11: Future Twins

October 25: Defaulting for Fall

November 21: Top of the Rock

December 7: Summer Christmas

Post-Christmas Parties

2012-01-01T14:00:00.000-05:00

My "fashion" blog is different from all the ~professional~ blogs in many different ways. I don't have a photographer boyfriend, a fancy lens on my camera, Photoshop, money, and exotic locales doubling as backdrops.

Another way my blog is different is sad/dumb things that I will admit to you: I went to two parties the day after Christmas, and brought a change of outfit for the second party. I hope you'll still continue to follow me even though I admitted the extent of my vanity. I'm not even going to put up a defense because I know how ridiculous that is! WHATEVA WHATEVA. I don't have proper outfit photos of my first look, although there is a decent one here:

This post, however, is about the second outfit for the second party. One thing you can't deny is my commitment to sparkle motion.

Outfit details: top: F21 | skirt: H&M | tights: Calvin Klein | booties: Sam Edelman

Christmas Eve (night)

2011-12-31T14:00:00.000-05:00

The next few posts are all queued up as I will probably be too hung over from NYE festivities to really blog. And by "festivities," I mean marathon viewing of Lord of the Rings at my house with my brother and by "hung over," I mean lazy. Plus, I doubt anyone is really checking their Google Reader these few days so I'm assuming all of these posts will be piling up anyway. No biggie.

After lunch with Joyce on Christmas Eve, I changed into this decidedly more festive (but not too festive) look for midnight mass with my family. It is bordering on inappropriate for church but I am always on that precarious line in regards to "taste" anyway. Full disclosure: I was also wearing tights, a cardigan, and my H&M camel wool coat over everything but with all of my layers, it would be hard to bask in the glory that is this (p)leather skirt. And also, a very huge thanks to Janelle, my friend over at The Style Eater, for giving me the heads up on finding this skirt. I had been looking for one FOR AGES and my girl really saved my butt. A Christmas miracle!

Outfit details: top: F21 | skirt: H&M | booties: Sam Edelman

Christms Eve (day)

2011-12-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

What better way to spend Christmas Eve day than spending it with one of your really good friends? Joyce and I met up in San Gabriel Valley for some HK-style lunch and we both brought our younger brothers. It was like looking into a mirror, basically.

Since Joyce won't be moving to New York anytime soon (ahem), I will take any chance I get to reunite with her. It just so happens she has family in CA, so the weekend she was in town, I hitched my car east to see her. True love, ya'll.

Outfit details: sweater: Zara | scarf: Gap | jeans: Uniqlo | booties: Sam Edelman

Ice Skating Princess

2011-12-30T16:30:00.000-05:00

I have a few outfit posts from Christmas Eve/Day and the Day After (Boxing day, eh?) but those will have to wait a few more days because I needed to share these photos of me attempting ice skating. So I haven't ice skated in about 10 years and have the grace and balance of a baby giraffe.

Let's just say that after a chubby kid fell face down behind me, I called my ice skating career to be over.

A Lesson in Restraint

2011-12-24T22:02:00.005-05:00

If you celebrate it, Merry Christmas (Eve)! I have been too lazy to take photos of my outfits but after this weekend, I think I'll get the motivation. Natural sunlight = better photos, obviously.

My two weeks have been great so far. Lots of family, friends, and food. A cupcake tasting contest, some reunions, and a walk down "Christmas Lane"--a few blocks in my suburb where people decorate their houses for Christmas. I had always wanted to do that and am glad that I finally got to this time.

To tide you over until my next outfit post, here is an editorial from Winter 2011's A Perfect Guide, photographed by Stefan Zschernitz and styled by Sarah Cobb that I am obsessing over right now. All black looks, really clean minimalism modeled by Theres Alexandersson, Linnea Regnander, and Agnes Karlsson. CAN I HAVE IT ALL PLEASE?

All images courtesy of NoirFacade

Cardi Christmas

2011-12-20T20:13:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of reasons why it's good to be back in L.A. for the holidays. Family, friends, good food, and obviously most importantly, good weather. I haven't worn a jacket since I came back last Thursday. Just a trusty cardigan and a sweater and I'm all set.

Of course, a lot of my friends think I'm crazy, as they're bundling up with layers of sweaters and down coats. I will take your mid-50s/low 60s any winter day over our New York blisteringly miserable 30s.

Outfit details: cardigan: H&M | sweater: I Heart Ronson by Charlotte Ronson | Jeans and socks: Uniqlo | leather booties: Joe Fresh

Pre-Fall 2012: Rag & Bone, Temperely London, Thakoon,Thakoon Addition

2011-12-14T11:07:00.005-05:00

Rag & Bone
I was recently at the basement sale corner of an Urban Outfitters and spied a pair of red pants. I had been looking for the ~perfect~ pair for awhile and the vibrant hue had caught my eye. Turns out, the pants were leather (or faux-leather, I didn't really check). Then I hesitated but ultimately put it down. My point is, looking at the pieces in this Rag & Bone collection gives me a little more courage to try it out next time. Those red pieces are really poppin'.

Temperely London
Away went the quirkiness! What replaced it was ball gowns, party dresses, velvet pants. All strewn with a sort of opulence: gold brocade, huge brooches, pearls. It was hard to choose stand out looks because they were all such fancy-party looks. That can be a good or bad thing of course--depends on what direction the label is going in in the future.

Thakoon
Holy cow this color palette. I haven't really been wearing any of these colors in a long time (cold weather obviously means head-to-toe black) and it's just super refreshing to see it again. Like an old friend, light grays and pastels, I welcome you with open arms! Chunky cable-knits are interpreted as sleeves on a jacket, tennis skirts, and over-sized pockets. Everything has a simple elegance to it. Into this.

Thakoon Addition
I had a dream last night that I was wearing an all-over floral print button up with a tuxedo jacket and slim-cut trousers. Then, my dreams were manifested in this collection. I don't want to say that Thakoon totally ripped off my dreamz, but I'm not saying he didn't...

All images courtesy of style.com

Pre-Fall 2012: Burberry Prorsum, Jason Wu, Jenni Kayne

2011-12-09T18:00:00.001-05:00

I apologize for dropping the ball the last season but I just wasn't up to covering shows. But I've been inspired recently mostly because I get to wear a lot of fall outfits without being too cold (yay to unusually temperate weather in New York!). Besides Resort, Pre-Fall is my favorite time to look at collections. For some reason, everything seems a bit more fun and maybe it's because a lot of it is more ready-to-wear?

Burberry Prorsum
Not much more has to be said about their outerwear. Sleek, sophisticated silohuettes--what everyone wants. I can do without most of the dresses/skirts though. Drop-waist with ruffles is not my thing at all.

Jason Wu
Oh man this entire collection. Tailored jackets and cigarette pants, beautiful gowns, A LEATHER COLLAR, so good. This makes me even more excited to see what he designs for Target's collection!

Jenni Kayne
I dub thee "California girl who does not know how to dress for the winter." I liked the monochrome looks, the suit jackets, the button ups, and the breezy tops with shorts. Although I don't share any of them here, most looks were ruined by a ridiculous fur hat. Did Kayne forget most Autumns = cold weather and she just stuck a hat on it?

All images courtesy of style.com

Summer Christmas

2011-12-07T11:37:00.001-05:00

That's what someone said in the elevator today at work and it's somewhat true. It rained on and off, it was in the low 60s, and also it was HUMID. In December. In New York, where we're supposed to have four seasons. But you know what? I am definitely not complaining.

Last year around this time, I had already busted out 2 of my 3 winter coats (the down coat being the last holdout until January). This year, I've been able to wear ALL of my fall coats that I didn't get a chance to wear last year. It's been a lot of fun, actually! I even got to wear my cape last week (although I did get a few stares while walking down Chinatown...oh well!).

I really thought I was going to have to say goodbye to this trench coat until the spring, but it seems to be enjoying it's last hurrah before the snow hits the fan. Knocking on every single wooden surface that the weather doesn't bite me in the ass come January...

j'aime rodarte // je déteste rodarte

2011-12-02T18:20:00.000-05:00

After the strangest and most awkward sample sale at Rodarte yesterday during my lunch break, I was able to snag one of these tees that I had been lusting over for ages.

Don't ask me how much it was because you'll think I always make poor life decisions.

In my defense, LUSTING OVER FOR AGES. So, worth it. I didn't really know how to wear this, a tee shirt, mostly because I don't own very many (and the few I do are band tees) AND because I think it's just a wee bit too tight (blame it on me starting my winter hibernation/holiday food-eating early, I guess?).

Outfit details: shirt: Rodarte (duh) | silk shirt underneath: F21 | skirt, tights, otk socks: Uniqlo | wool cardigan: H&M | shoes: Sam Edelman

Bostonian Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T17:30:00.000-05:00

Apologies for the lack of outfit posts. I've been wearing a lot of different head-to-toe black ensembles lately, and they're hard to take pictures of when your camera is dangling precariously on a piece of luggage 8 feet away and you just hope that when you press the remote, your camera won't move and fall to the ground into a billion pieces. Plus, the lighting sucks because I can only take them early in the morning (no sun in the living room) or after I get off work (no sun, period). So to wait it out, here are some photos from my trip to Boston over Thanksgiving weekend. You can see that I already hopped on the all-black outfit train awhile ago. Whoops. Hope your Thanksgiving was great, too!

Top of the Rock

2011-11-21T12:15:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, I like to do the most touristy things in the city. I spread them out over the year as to trick myself into thinking it's cooler this way.

A friend of mine had tickets to go up to the observation deck in the GE Building and she gave them to me because she couldn't go. I snatched them up without reservation.

I'm a sucker for breathtaking views, and hearing that the "Top of the Rock" had one of the best views of the city, it was a no brainer.

Black mass of fabric

2011-11-19T15:30:00.000-05:00

For all I say about my love of sweaters, it's weird that I went this long without owning a black sweater. On my "buy all the things" shopping spree this past Tuesday after work, I found a perfect black sweater from Zara. I didn't want it to be too baggy because I already own a lot of 'em in that ~style. And of course, fitted isn't really my style either. This was a very happy medium. Not for blog photos though.

Not sure if it shows up on your screen, but on mine, these outfits are just one column of black. Rest assured that they are of different materials/patterns! I promise!

Rainy in bed

2011-11-17T11:00:00.000-05:00

Most people wouldn't admit it but I'm pretty confident in my life choices and am not ashamed: I spent most of my Wednesday in bed. For a few reasons, really:

I didn't have work and my class was at night. Also, I already finished my reading for class!
It was gloomy and dark and rainy all day which meant I lost all motivation to do errands or even to take a walk/go outside.

So while GChatting with my friend Christian who was also really not into the idea of going to class that night, we both motivated each other to leave the house (we were still both in PJs in our respective abodes), grab dinner together, and head to campus.

You know how you have days where you aren't wearing anything nice and then pump yourself up and get gussied up? That's probably what happened to me. Even though I would only be out of the house from 6-11, I still decided to dress "nicer." It was worth it though, as my professor complimented me on my trench coat. And not to brag or anything but he also complimented me on my shoes a few weeks ago. ~MFA style icon~

Outfit details: Dress: Wren | sweater and boots: H&M | tights: American Apparel | trench coat: Pelle Studio

An entry in which I unknowingly take you on a tour of my living room

2011-11-16T11:24:00.000-05:00

On the hunt for the perfect spot for outfit photos, I unwittingly uploaded 4 photos taken in three different spots around my living room. I didn't whittle them down to just a paltry two photos in the same spot though and that's mostly because I find this rather amusing. This isn't a photo shoot, Vivian! There are no scenery changes!

Do not let these photos deceive you, however. My living room is not that spacious although it really is that empty. I have convinced myself that it's a "minimalist" take but really, it's just sparse for the sake of saving money, the lack of creativity, and general apathy on my roommate's part. (I blame it on him being a ~dude~mostly, although I know I'm treading on some dangerous lines re: gender norms there.)

Anyway, I wore this outfit two days in a row because I wasn't seeing the same people twice and now you know I'm like bachelorette frog (Internet memes, anyone?). The weather these last two days have been low 60s and it always seems like it's going to rain. I realized I always wear this outfit (with my trusty green rain parka) when I think it's going to rain. And I guess that's another reason why I wore this outfit twice.

Outfit details: sweater & jeans: Uniqlo | wool socks (peekin' out): Hansel and Basel | purse: Coach

Like a classy gent

2011-11-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

I am in desperate need for cold-weather dresses. I feel like I say this every year (and by every year, I really just mean these past two years living in New York) but I feel like I'm getting lazier in my dressing. Sometimes I unintentionally wear the same outfit once a week and then I am photographed in them and so the four or five most recent photos tagged on Facebook are of me wearing the same outfit except it's in the span of a month!

Outfit details: shawl cardigan: GAP | button up (underneath): F21 | jeans: Uniqlo | booties: vintage from Room Service in Austin

I did just dig up this wool old man cardigan that I bought at the GAP a few years back. I remember thinking it was on sale, bought it not realizing it was not on sale, and then forgot to return it within 30 days. Oh well. It's quite warm so I have convinced myself that it was worth the retail price.

Austin (part 2)

2011-11-08T17:00:00.001-05:00

I'm finally posting photos from Austin besides my stint as a Pawnee Goddess. My trip, as you may know, involved a lot of food, thrifting, cats, and general merriment. These photos (courtesy of Caroline, Tricia, and me) are proof.

black and white and black

2011-11-08T11:00:00.000-05:00

We gained an hour which means it gets dark earlier. I have been subconsciously dressing in more "all black" ensembles, which means I'm preparing myself for really cold weather soon (although today and tomorrow will be perfect fall days!) Of course, this one isn't all black--we have some ~spots~ of white (thank you stripes) and red (thank you CDG logo). Any time I wear a variation of this outfit, I am reminded of Jessica from The Disaster Life. One of our lengthier conversations was about finding Commes des Garcon "Play" stuff for cheap-cheap. Plus, that girl can pull off the black-on-black like nobody's business.

Outfit details: striped top and skirt: Uniqlo | cardigan: Play by CDG | tights: Target | shoes: Sam Edelman

You may or may not have noticed, but I'm trying out a new place in the apartment to take outfit photos. Better/worse/indifferent?