medium rare

My look at the IFB Soirée: H&M oversize shirt dress worn off the shoulder (a recently purchased bargain), Jiao Xiang rubber band and nut necklace (clever, so special, to die for!), coral colored necklace and bracelet from market in Beijing.  I prefer the word ‘zen’ to ‘lazy,’ thank you very much! Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: H&M, IFB Dress Up Soirée, Jiao Xiang.

Don’t you love the hat?  My inspirational, muse-worthy friend Jiao not only makes couture gowns, she does hats too.  And I’m the first lady in town to own a Jiao orignal, which makes me special by extension.  So much is right about it: the volume just quirky enough, the small tailored bow the perfect finishing touch.  And the handwork is nothing short of heartbreaking.  Watch out world!  Jiao Xiang is a woman on a mission.

The rest of my outfit is just accessory to the hat.  It was a warm day out so I put on organic linen pants from H&M (a recent under $50 buy — run out while you can!), white t-shirt from the Gap and Nine West shoes.  I felt a little mannish, so I added a soft bow to lend the look a more womanly touch and to emphasize my waist.  I think it reads more French than it does GO USA.  Or at least I hope it does.

I actually felt kinda like a thug-pirate — especially while I was walking home to 2Pac’s “To Live and Die in LA” through the streets of New York City.  It’s really not the most photogenic outfit, but I felt chic as hell knowing that it took me five minutes to dress, very little money and that I was comfy as, well, a thug-pirate.

Tags: H&M, Jiao Xiang, Nine West, the Gap.

Below are some shots from a fashion styling test shoot.  A lot more work goes into these things than one would suspect.  My dear friend Sabrina helped with make-up and my roommate let me use her amazing Canon 5D.  The experience reminded me of the immense transformative power of dress.  Jiao — usually harder to pin down than tigger himself — was instantly a calm and lovely lady.  Thank you so much, my darlings!

Vintage YSL tie-neck blouse, vintage Gianni Versace smocked silk jersey dress

Vintage hat, vintage fish brooch, Miu Miu pleated baby doll top over Forever 21 cotton shirt dress, Givenchy melange floral tights

I love how this shoot makes my room and neighborhood look so lovely.  I can always pretend to be living a charmed life… hehe.

Tags: Forever 21, Givenchy, Jiao Xiang, Miu Miu, vintage Versace, vintage YSL.