All the Lights are Coming On Now...

...How I wish that it would snow now
I don't fell like going home now
I wish that I could stay

Santa's coming to town
with sequins in his hair
Santa's coming to town
with sequins in his hair...

The Raveonettes, The Christmas Song


I don't have much time tonight (technically morning), so it'll be a short post.

My friend asked me if I shopped at Urban Outfitters today. Mind you, we don't have an Urban Outfitters here, so I was a bit taken aback. First, that somebody knew what Urban Outfitters was, and second, that I had managed to dress like I shopped at a store that I had never shopped at (??).

I have, however, window shopped before, which is why I flipped out when my sister told me she has a store near her school. Anyways, I had been restricting myself from online browsing, but I decided to mosey on over there to scope out something for an entry today.

Lux Knit Pencil Skirt, $19.99-$28.00 (comes in nine colors) at Urban Outfitters
This is definitely a personal want. The color is absolutely beautiful, and reminiscent of those jewel-toned Prada skirts.

Matiko Five-Way Boot, $124.99 at Urban Outfitters
This boot allows whoever is lucky enough to own it to choose how they would like the book to look by folding down cuffs that reveal color. Another plus is that the heel is a wedge, which is definitely more realistic in my life (and I'm sure for many other people).

The best thing about Urban Outfitters, in my opinion is their variety of products. They have high-end products (they carry Betsey Johnson), but they also have cheaper, more realistic pieces, like a fifteen-dollar plain t-shirt. Now, if we could only get them to come here...

Nothing's Ever Gonna Happen 'Round Here...

...If we don't make it happen
Sleep away the day if you want to
But I got something that I gotta do

It's Saturday morning
And this ain't the place for me
I'm giving you warning baby
We got a whole big fat world to see...

The Eels, Saturday Morning


Haven't been posting recently, mostly because life has been going down the crapper recently. No joke. And I've been trying to minimize my use of the Internet because it's a known fact that it has an extremely negative effect on my homework habits. I have only one and a half official days left of school, but it seems like its never going to end. And it really won't because my very last test will be on December 30th. Right. That's where I'll be the day before New Year's Eve, and five days after Christmas Day-- taking a chem test. At school.

Christmas shopping. Totally incomplete. I think I'll just have to be extra-sweet this year so that my gifts can be given late.

Winter Prom is on Sunday and I have no time until then to go with my boyfriend to buy a tie to match my dress. And my dress needs a little altering. And I haven't gotten all my jewelry yet.

Then, there's that good 'ol Death lurking behind me. Or some sort of deliverer of bad fortune. Locally, there's been a lot of deaths, MIAs, and accidents. Lots. Just look at the Honolulu Advertiser's website. The headlines are mottled with deaths and identifications of the dead. One of whom, I saw no less than a week before her fatal car crash at Border's, signing her children's book, The Christmas Gift of Aloha. Then, a guy that goes to my school was driving in his car a few days ago and lost control of his car, driving off of a freeway exit. He is now in a coma. I can't say that I knew him well, but he was in my guidance class last year, and he is in no way deserving of his current circumstances. He kept everybody laughing and the thing I remember the most is that he told the class his main goal in life was to become a daddy. That is just about the sweetest thing I have ever heard. Prayers go out to his family and friends, and to his quick recovery.


I don't think I'll be writing much about clothes for today's entry (not that it'll really be missed, anyways). I'll be getting back to my homework. I've run out of one of my main sources of caffeine-- Mountain Dew-- and I'm running low on bottled Starbuck's frapucchinos. Wish me luck.

Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh

...This weight, it must be satisfied.
You offer only one reply.
You know not what you do.

Bright Eyes, Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh

No particular connection with life today, I'm just in love with the name of the song.

Life has been going great lately, even though summer is over. It confuses me that I would post more when I don't have school Oh well. Go figure.

I've been fashion-obsessed this whole day, and realized that I had been talking about high-end designers for the last few posts, so I should go to the other end of the spectrum. Now, we don't have much inexpensive, good places to shop at here, and if I could bring one store here, it would be Topshop.

WHY IS EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL AT TOPSHOP?

Topshop, with calculated designs at moderate prices, is heaven on earth for the penny-pinching shopper. Or actually, just any ordinary person who doesn't have $15649612194894 to go around for their wardrobe.

Sleeveless Twist Neck Top. £28.00 (about USD$55), Topshop.com.

(I think I'm going to beg to get this. The weather has been merciless here, so I am in dire need of loose tops like these.)Equestrian Double Buckle Belt. £30.00 (about USD$59), Topshop.com.

Ah, it's tiring figuring out just what to pick to show here, and I guarantee you that there are about a GABILLION other items that you will just have to buy. Go, go now! :)

It's getting pretty late...

...We spoke for just an hour and I don't feel that great.
It's nothing that you said,
It's just these pictures I don't wanna see
Keep running through my head.
I know you never meant to, make me feel the way I do and,
I never will desert you, but I cannot make you stay.

No...
So leave if you wanna leave,
Change if you wanna change,
Go where you wanna go,
I won't follow.
And love if you wanna love,
Run if you wanna run,
Go if you need to go,
I won't follow you.

- Test Your Reflex, I Won't Follow

How do you know when to just go for it, and when to just let things fall into place? It's just so confusing when your instincts are telling you one thing, but something completely different is happening. Are you supposed to act on your instincts when the universe and reality is going in the exact opposite direction?

It's weird that I always start blogs off with an excerpt from a song, then some random pondering. I wonder if I'll ever run out of songs to quote.

Ah, anyways.

I was going to do a bit on a specific trend-of-the-moment, but I found a designer to ramble on about, so I'll save that trend for a later blog.

Our designer for today's blog is the Korean-American designer, Richard Chai. Although he doesn't have an official website that I know of yet, you can check out his latest collections at style.com.

Chai's collection clearly display's the designer's own sense of style and chill personality. His designs are clean, simple, and original. The Spring '07 RTW collection consists of a wide spectrum of outfits for different occasions, but each piece is linked together in some way, be it the clean lines and cuts, the soft blazers, reappearing lapels, or well-placed pockets.


Although I couldn't find a retailer for Richard Chai (he is supposedly sold only in Barney's, Lotte (Korea), and Villa-Moda (Kuwait), these two are definitely my favorites from the entire show.

The silhouettes of everything-- pants, shorts, coats, tops, and dresses-- are a pleasant in this buttcrack-bearing era of ours.

And I still remember those weekends when I was nine,

...And four hours seemed like a lifetime,
But look out the window son, you'll be fine,
And I traced the railroad through mountains and watched the trees,
The white powder resting on their leaves,
As I pulled a blanket over my knees,

Oh, I miss home and I miss you,
When there's no one around and nothing to do,
And I know that you're keeping busy too,
But I miss home and I miss you.

- Sherwood, Lake Tahoe


Ahh, isn't it a strange feeling when you go someplace, and it's totally changed?

I went to my absolutely most favorite restaurant for Mother's Day yesterday, The Mandarin, expecting some finger-lickin' good northern Chinese cuisine, and when I got there, not only did I find (to my great disdain) that they were under new management, but that they had a new cook!

The food tasted pretty good, and it would've tasted better had I not been comparing it to how it tasted before. Each time we go there, there are always two dishes that we order; Mongolian beef and garlic-fried prawns. I really don't know how to describe it besides the food having lost the chef's special "touch". I think it was because the recipe was initially created by the original chef, and when the new chef tried to imitate the original chef's recipe, no doubt in an attempt to keep their large following of customers, all he or she got was something which tasted good, but had no extra "umph" to it.

Guess what I thought of to relate back to my rant of the day? Imitation bags.

I only just thought of this and got a major surge in my urge to write (non-intentional rhyme, there, hehe). Also, recently, I found a leather bag at Nordstrom Rack which was a pretty good knock-off of the YSL Muse in Chocolate leather (thank goodness, mine wasn't real leather, but felt like it) save the color of the hardware accents, which are actually golden, but silver in mine.

I am absolutely in love with this bag, and honestly, would have bought it even if I hadn't noticed the similarity to the Muse, which is impossible, because I've been eyeing it out for the longest time, and noticed theres a white one on sale at Neiman Marcus for $648 (retails for $1,295).

YSL Muse Oversive Bag in Chocolate. $1,395, Yves Saint Laurent.

I totally forgot to mention that mine was marked down to $7!! It is, to date, my most favorite and proudest purchase of all-time. :)

Now, there are a few different classes of imitations. Anybody with a reasonable eye for fashion will tell you this. I, myself, consider there to generally be three classes:

The Never-Was-and-Never-Will-Be Class-

Those cheap bags which appear to sometimes be made out of paper bags woven together. You know which I'm talking about. The kind that you find in your local Chinatown, sold by a vendor who probably doesn't even know the label which the bag is weakly trying to impersonate. Sometimes, it's difficult to even determine which designer it's trying to be. It's not this that I really don't enjoy about thse bags, but the fact that these bags have lost all sense of personality and style. The design is no longer even desireable. I could go on and on, but it'd take forever. ;P

The Wow-This-Looks-Almost-Like-It Class, or the "Inspired By" Class-

These bags are alright. They're relatively good quality at a relatively good price. Often, they're not exactly copies of your everyday common designer. These designs are a little more subtle about imitating, and are more focused on the actual look, design, feel, and functionality of the bag. In my opinion, these are alright.

The Down-to-the-Very-Last-Thread Class-

This last class of imitation bags are the ones which are more on the pricey side, but are definitely a bargain compared to the price of its authentic counterpart. Some will even go as far as buying the real bag, taking it apart to see how it is put together, and making their own copies of the bag. When done right, they will look absolutely identical to the original, and nobody will really notice.

Then again, there are the bags which do not cost gozillions of dollars, which have an original design and cut to it. Those are the best, in my opinion. :)

Anyways, today I decided to post this up--

Smiley Bubble Top. $150, Ksubi (formerly Tsubi)

It's not that I think this is the most fashion-forward top ever (although it very well may be for some of you out there ;P), but I love this top for its sheer cuteness and eccentricity. Now, it would have been cute with a regular smiley face, but that's not enough for those folks over at Ksubi, George Garrow, Gareth Moody, and Dan Single-- they had to go and make the face upside-down on a fabric that is not the traditional color of the background of a smiley face, but a mustard-yellow (and very wearable) color.

I want to be forgotten,

...and I don't want to be reminded.
You say "Please don't make this harder."
No, I won't yet.

The Strokes, What Ever Happened?


I still wonder how everything spun out of control so quickly. It's there one day, and it's gone the next. Can we blame it on human weakness? Is it our nature to be unable to react, to go after what you want?

I suppose it will all unfold on its own. Although, I'm still confused about whether we're meant to go wherever destiny, if it truly exists, takes us, or whether we're meant to create our own destinies.


Well, anyways. On to the meat of this blog-- clothes! This entry is dedicated to the relatively new designer, 3.1 phillip lim. The spring '07 women's collection is absolutely perfect for the sophisticated and stylish woman. Why, if I had the pockets for it, I'd wear their entire collection. Hehe, we can all dream a little, can't we?

The originality of this label's cuts, colors, combination and of course, overall concept is what really attracted me.

Gray Linen Shirt Dress with embroidery detailing. $547, Aloha Rag (also comes in yellow)

As much as I tried to find something similar to that shirt dress--at a lower price, I just couldn't. The placement of the embroidery, the embroidery itself, and the cut of the dress is a completely unique design. At $547, if you're willing to splurge, it's a worthy investment. However, I did find something with a relatively similar as far as cut and detailing in the dress section of an online vintage shop, American Vintage.

Pink Rayon-Linen Dress with neckline and skirt detailing. $80, American Vintage.

Now, back to Phillip Lim's collection:

Floral Print Silk Front-Pleat Dress. $461, 3.1 phillip lim.

This dress, undeniably vintage-inspired in the print, as well as delivery on the runway, just might be like one of those dresses tucked deep inside some musty closet of yours.

I double-dog dare you to go look now.

And we laugh till we cry...

...Always so hard to say goodbye
And we all sit round here in our hometown
It's so good like this, these are times we'll miss
The memories, I hope they'll never fade
Glowing embers lie across the sky.

Lostprophets, Last Summer


It seems like everywhere I go, change is all around. It could be said that change is proportional to age, because it's true. Close friends aren't quite as close anymore, things that were oh-so-important to you don't seem to matter anymore, and your jeans even fit a little more tighter than you remember them fitting.

It's summer, and in my mind, its an opportunity to reinvent yourself. To stop and think. To start things over. To reminisce about the stupid things you and your friends of. To make new memories to last a lifetime. To wear summery tops and dresses.

If you don't own at least one of the aforementioned, I highly encourage you to find one. In my opinion, everybody has what I call a "soul mate" (or multiple ones) piece of clothing. There is always one pair of jeans, a carryall-- a dress-- that will fit you perfectly.

Without sounding just a tad too much enamored with a piece of clothing, the feeling that you get when you first put on a dress that hugs you in all the right places is indescribable.

So. Where to look?

This Ruby Rox number, a white gauze dress, is something that I, personally, own. Although it retailed for USD$68.00 at Nordstrom, I found it at Nordstrom Rack for a mere USD$15.00! (Score!!) Ruby Rox is a great place to look. They offer a variety for virtually any occasion.

This dress, by Mona & Holly, is a Shamrock Dress in Bobble Yellow. Their summer 2007 collection is the embodiment of summer. The fun silhouettes, prints, and cuts are refreshing, especially in light of trends inspired by Mary Kate and Ashley's recent dark era-- heavy black eyeliner, greasy hair, black everything.

Both of these designers can be a little pricey, but a little extra effort and an eye for a good find can yield a dress just as perfect as a designer dress at places like eBay, a small consignment or vintage shop, or even a thrift store. Don't be afraid to pick up something a little less traditional and make it your own.