wear (i) end and (you) begin

COLOR ME HAPPY

2012-04-22T23:00:00.000-05:00

via Asian Models

It has been over 11 months since I've done anything to my hair, specially dyeing, but after seeing the recent cover of W Korea with South Korean model, Hyoni Kang, sporting turquoise hair, I'm really in the mood to crack open the jar of pillarbox red semi-permanent hair dye I have stashed away in one of my moving boxes.

If only I wasn't so concerned about finding a full-time job over the summer, I would dye my hair in a heartbeat.

SHOES

2012-04-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

In the coming weeks, I'm going to set up an Etsy shop to sell some clothes and shoes that I no longer wear. The majority of the things are in great condition, like new, or never been worn. Most of the clothing are from H&M, Forever 21, Zara, and thrift shops. The shoes, some are shown above, are Jeffrey Campbell, Zara, Minnetonka, Nike, and Adidas. Nothing special, but can still be worn for a few more years. So if you're interested, keep a look out for the link to the shop!

KITTICHAI

2012-03-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Back in January, some friends and I had dinner at Kittichai, a modern Thai restaurant in SoHo, for New York City's Restaurant Week.

For those who don't know what Restaurant Week is, I'll put it in simple terms: It's one of the best times of the year. Usually occurring two times a year, a bunch of New York City restaurants offer a three course prix fixe menu at an unbelievable price (for lunch it's around $27 and for dinner it's $35).

Ever since I moved to New York City, I have always wanted to partake in Restaurant Week, but never could, mainly because I couldn't afford it (and I still can't but that didn't stop me this time around). So, when my friend messaged me to see if I wanted to join him, his roommate, and her boyfriend for dinner at Kittichai, I couldn't say no.

We started off at the bar as we waited for out table. Unfortunately, cocktails were not included in the deal, but that didn't stop us from ordering a few rounds of drinks. Since tequila is my preferred spirit, I opted for the Passion Fruit Margarita. From the first few sips, I couldn't help but think that it tasted a lot like Passion Fruit bubble tea, usually my go-to choice.

For appetizers, I ordered the baby back ribs that were slathered in a Mekhong whiskey barbeque sauce. The ribs were tender to the point where the meat easily came off the bone. The barbeque sauce was like any other sauce, but with hints of ginger and Thai basil.

For my main course, I ordered the chili-smoked hanger steak with green beans and preserved chili jam. Although the portion was smaller than I expected, it was so delicious that I was not complaining! Cooked to perfection, the steak was tender and succulent, the green beans were crisp and crunchy, and the jam was sweet and savory. I also tried a bit of everyone's main dish: tiger shrimp with red curry, chicken with green curry, and mahi mahi. Both curries were good, but nothing spectacular. I was a bit surprised by the red curry because it had more of an Indian flavor in comparison to all the other dishes, which was more Thai/Southeast Asian inspired. The mahi mahi was tasty, but like the curries, it was nothing special.

I ended the night with a the flourless Valrhona chocolate cake with fresh cream. The cake was very dense and rich; the first few bites were delicious. But, half way through, I couldn't take one more bite, but knowing me, I still ate it all.

Overall, I am satisfied Kittichai, but my biggest problem is that the restaurant claims to serve Thai dishes, but honestly, I would probably say it is more South/Southeast Asian than anything else (see the wok-seared tiger prawns in a citrus red curry, for example). Regardless, I do see myself coming back soon, just for the tasty hanger steak.

HAIDER ACKERMANN F/W 2012

2012-03-04T14:45:00.001-06:00

If I had all the money in the world, but could only choose one designer to spend all my green on, without a doubt, it would be Haider Ackermann. For his Fall 2012 collection, I love the color palettes going on, The mix of bright colors with dark shades works so well together. But the layering! So wonderfully done. I think I know what trend I will be trying to recreate this autumn season.

SKRILLEX

2012-02-07T15:37:00.001-06:00

Skrillex
Webster Hall, NYC
January 31, 2012

ZARA TRF S/S 2012

2012-02-02T19:10:00.004-06:00

via nitrolicious

It was not until this past year that I started to wear floral prints. Though the majority of my days I don nothing but black (or dark colors in general), sometimes I just want some color in my life. Last summer, I started to mix things up a bit by wearing more colorful pieces. Since I couldn't commit to making such a bold move, I went for single colored pieces. From there, I moved on to print--floral to be exact, and within a few days of buying my first floral piece, I have been in love with it. Thinking about it, I think I wear my floral blouse at least two or three times a month? Definitely need a few more, so when Zara revealed their Spring/Summer 2012 TRF campaign earlier today, I was ecstatic to see all the flowers. It just shows that floral is not a trend, but possibly, a classic.

WHITE WITH A TOUCH OF GRAY

2012-01-25T16:00:00.001-06:00

via sweethomestyles

As of late, I have been thinking long and hard about redecorating my room. I'm not really sure why. Maybe it's the fact that I just landed an editorial internship at an American lifestyle and home decorating magazine. Whatever the reason may be, I have been investing a lot of my time looking through various interior design blogs, buying some home decor magazines, and even watching those TLC shows. At this point, I want to go for a simple and clean look. I'm leaning towards painting my walls back to white or maybe add some character with light gray. I also want to buy new comforters and maybe a few accessories like picture frames and a shelves, but I don't want to spend a fortune. I guess I still have some final decisions to make.

TOMBOY

2012-01-01T20:00:00.000-06:00

via Asian Models Blog

To this day, I still have trouble clearly identifying my style. I love dresses and skirts, but I prefer wearing pants and shorts. I am attracted to bright, colorful prints, but I end up wearing dark, neutral basics. Sometimes I want to be a bit feminine, yet usually I tend to be more masculine. And for the longest time I had trouble figuring out how I can flawlessly mix everything together without being too much of one thing or too little of the other, but I think Gwen Lu has finally given me a solution. I guess you can say my style is edgy... eclectic... tomboy? Yes, probably tomboy.

EARTHQUAKEY PEOPLE

2011-12-31T23:00:00.000-06:00

Steve Aoki featuring Rivers Cuomo // Earthquakey People

I may be one of the few people that feel this way, but in the past few years Steve Aoki's music has not been as great as it once was, but "Earthquakey People" is one catchy tune. A great song to bring in the new year. Thus, Happy New Years! Party as has as you can. New Year's Eve and Day are one of the few days that anyone can get as rowdy as they like without anyone saying anything to you.

ORANGE POP & MORE

2011-12-27T19:00:00.000-06:00

Without a doubt, I probably spend most of my hard earn money on clothes and food, but I'm also not shy to quickly shell out a few bucks here and there on beauty products, mainly nail polishes. In just a year, I think my collection has gone from 5 measly bottles to about 25 lovely potions, and I continue to add more.

Last week I stopped by a few CVS stores after learning the pharmacy was having their annual beauty clearance sale. While my main goal was to grab as many tubes of pigmented lipsticks, I ended up leaving with a few bottles of vibrant nail polishes: Revlon's scented collection in pretty in papaya, passion fruit, and orange pop.

The other night while watching Bachelor's Vegetable Store, I decided to give orange pop a try. While my collection of polishes mainly consists of dark, neutral colors, orange pop is probably the brightest nail polish I own. But with the somewhat gloomy weather Houston is currently experiencing, the slightly shimmery color was a great choice. Not only does it lighten up the mood, the subtle orange fragrance also give a great touch. Definitely worth my money.

UNDERCUT

2011-11-06T12:29:00.008-06:00

After much contemplation, I decided to get a haircut. Took off about 4 inches of dead hair and thinned it out. I also got an undercut (inspired by French model Aymeline Valade), but the hairdresser did not do it the way I originally asked for it--to have it shaved off. According to the hairdresser, it was too "manly." Instead, she chopped off some of my hair and made it look like like I had a bad hair job and was growing the bottom part of my hair out. So, I ended up asking my friend who had a pair of clippers to shave it all off. Now, I love it!

FOURTH OF JULY

2011-07-05T14:44:00.003-05:00

floral blouse and sunglasses, H&M, black shorts, Forever 21, gold ring, thrifted

Enjoyed the beautiful New York City weather on my friend's Brooklyn rooftop for Fourth of July. Drank tons of beer, played a few rounds of pong, but most importantly enjoyed some peace and quiet for the first time in a long time. I wouldn't mind moving to this borough if I could have this whenever I want to. Seriously contemplating it.

ART

2011-06-29T16:49:00.002-05:00

JUN INOUE TIMELAPSE FILM from Philip A Einwick on Vimeo.

You can't be interested in fashion and not be interested in art. The other day, I stumbled upon Tokyo street artist Jun Inoue by pure coincidence. Some of his work showcases the focus on the negative space surrounding objects, the objects themselves, and resulting delicate dialogue between these elements. Aside from the streets and galleries, Inoue also works with other mediums including clothing and footwear. I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to art, but this has to be one of the best internet discoveries that has happened to me. I really love what he had done to that Japanese gas station. Why can't all gas stations look like that? So super kawaii!

I AM THE BEST

2011-06-28T01:16:00.002-05:00

2NE1 // I AM THE BEST (내가 제일 잘나가)

I love these girls! My favorite girl group out of KPOP. I've never been a fan of the innocent naive concept that many girl groups do and 2NE1 has never attempted it. They're so bad ass! And the fashion, I can't even. Totally inspired by Japanese street fashion, especially the looks that consist the mixing of different textures and patterns: studded leather jackets, graphic tops, bondage accessories. Love it, Love it, Love it all!

RESORT 2012

2011-06-26T16:27:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Style.com

Just a few of my favorite looks (that I could personally see myself trying to recreate) from 3.1 Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang, and Celine Resort 2012. I also really enjoyed Proenza Schouler, Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Suno, Jason Wu, and I'm sure there are more, but I haven't finished looking through all of the collections since I got sidetracked with other things. Now with Men's Fashion Week, I need to catch up, fast.

SOMBRE BY NATURE

2011-06-19T23:27:00.010-05:00

A few months ago I helped style a photoshoot for my friend, Sidney Son. The photos were made available about a month ago and I managed to post about it on tumblr, but completely forgot about it here.

For this shoot, I was inspired by Japanese high fashion, mainly Comme des Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto, so I pulled a lot of black from my closet (yes, most of the clothes and shoes are mine). When I think of Japanese designers, I think of dark colors and tailored pieces and the flawless styling of fusing masculine and feminine. I wanted to portray those elements, but we were pressed with time so we couldn't fully achieve the look we wanted. But, we did the best we could.

My favorites have to be the last three looks, which I feel I have more ownership in creating them. All in all, it was a great experience and I really enjoyed it.

ANGLES

2011-03-02T19:41:00.003-06:00

The Strokes - Undercover of Darkness

SEE YOU NEXT SEASON, NYFW

2011-02-18T15:16:00.009-06:00

New York Fashion Week ended yesterday and I managed to go to the Patrik Ervell show, Duckie Brown after party at Avenue, and the Jeremy Scott after party at Le Bain. The latter was the highlight of the week. I ran into a lot of friends and had a great time. Hopefully next season I can manage to take part in more. Need to get my resume updated and send it out to every possible publications, firms, agencies, etc. I guess that's what I'll be doing this Spring Break.

VAMPIRE RED

2011-02-09T00:08:00.010-06:00

For the past two weeks, I've been sporting red hair. The color is starting to fade to an orange-red now, so this weekend I'm planning to re-apply Manic Panic in Pillarbox Red to get it even redder. Since I have been growing out my hair, the bleached parts were only able to grab the color. It looks a bit strange, but I'm not planning to bleach my hair any time soon so I have to live with the two-toned look, and I'm okay with that.

Although, my only complaint about Manic Panic hair dye is that the color rubs on a lot of my clothes during the first few days, the color fades every few weeks, and when washing my hair the dye stains my bathtub. I know I can avoid all of these issues by using a permanent red hair dye, but according to a hairstylist friend of mine, it's not a good idea to go that route. Regardless, I just wanted to have a little fun with my hair since I'll most likely be back to black in a few months.

ME MYSELF & I

2011-01-16T00:38:00.013-06:00

I was utterly bored last night; there's only so much dramas I can watch in one day. I had no plans for the night (I was contemplating on going to the Skins USA Party but knowing that I'll be amongst 16 year old teens that plan was scrapped). Most of my friends have yet to return. Lately, I just haven't been in the mood to take part in nightlife, so instead I decided to swing by my favorite Chinese bakery to pick up some sweet bread. Most stores in Chinatown close fairly early so around 7 PM as they only have an hour or so left before closing, all of their goods are sold at a fairy good discounted price. After discovering this a few weeks ago, I think I've found myself at the bakery at least two times a week. I managed to score coconut, coconut cream, egg custard, and lotus seed. I was quite sad when the lady told me that they ran our of red bean, my favorite.

I also managed to buy light bulbs for my floor lamp. Month after month, a light bulb would go out and by late October, I was living off of sunlight during the day and my small coffee table lamp during the night. Above is a photo to show you how "excited" I was to finally have light fill up my tiny room (I have yet to purchase a new digital camera but I'm planning to do so soon, hopefully).

BRINDO

2011-01-13T12:45:00.006-06:00

Devendra Banhart X Oliver Peoples
I have been a long time fan of Devendra Banhart. Early on, I would have never expected him to take part in any mainstream marketing, but a person's interest changes through time, right? I still love him. I love Oliver Peoples frames as well. A great combination.

INTEL VISUAL LIFE

2011-01-11T00:58:00.002-06:00

Scott Schumann, also known as The Sartorialist, is such an inspiration. His story always amazes me. The more I read or hear about him, it pushes me not to give up with the various things I want to do in my life, even if it'll cost me an arm and a leg. If you have a passion for something, you should just go for it, right? And all the areas he's walking in, I frequent them. I have yet to run into him. I'm still waiting for the day that he photographs me, even if I have to wait fifty years for it to happen.

ALEXANDER WANG PRE-FALL 2011

2011-01-08T16:47:00.001-06:00

Alexander Wang Pre-Fall 2011
Courtesy of Style.com

Above are some of my favorite looks from Alexander Wang's Pre-Fall 2011 collection. It's not one of my favorite collections (last year's Pre-Fall was much stronger), but I can see myself wearing these pieces. Yes, I can even see myself wearing the orange and emerald-green silk jersey dresses.

THIS AIN'T BUBBLE GUM

2011-01-03T10:53:00.025-06:00

GD & TOP // 뻑이가요 (Knock Out)

If you know me (or if you don't then you're about to find out something about me), you know how much I love K-POP. It gets me dancing with their ear-catching phrases and head-bobbing beats. I've even found myself adding their engrish to my everyday vocabulary. G-H-E-T-T-O E-L-E-C-T-R-O, anyone?

Big Bang is one of, if not my favorite male group artists. I really love how they play around with different genres, from Taeyang's smooth R&B tunes, G-Dragon's catchy electro-pop jams, and TOP's hip-hop swag. Yet, they're all not afraid to switch it up. And that's exactly what GD & TOP's latest album has a mixture of. The album has been on heavy rotation since I downloaded it. I think my iTunes is getting tired of it.. but I'm not. I've even created a "High High" ring tone for my Blackberry. It's that good.

I cannot express how excited I was when the "Knockout" music video was released. It oozes swag and sex appeal without being vulgar or tacky. I also love the styling that was done for the both of them. The fancy dress suits, the fly track suits, and the studded leather jackets... I DIE. Do I spot Burberry S/S 2011 on you GD? Oh, and the Christian Louboutins? I love it all.

STREETS OF JAPAN

2011-01-01T15:13:00.028-06:00

(images courtesy of fuckyeahstreetfruitstune)

New Year Resolution No. 1: Be more assertive with my personal style.