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.

If it wasn't the oceans

wasn't the breezes,
wasn't the white sands,
I might not be needed...

...oh you, it's always you,
it's always you.

- Sophie Delmani, Always You

Today, I realized that in life, there's always going to be something that you'll go back to. Something that you've made such a strong connection with that it would make no sense not to go back. It's almost like if you met someone, and you liked them so much that you tied yourself to them with rope. After a while, you start to wander, but when you wander too far off, your rope jerks you back. Then you realize that there's a reason that you've embarassed and ridiculed yourself with this rope-- you obviously want to always have this thing with you, especially when needed.

I'm sure theres a lot of confused people scratching their heads at this instant. You're probably questioning yourself as to why you're at this darn blog, anyways. Here's an analogy that might make more sense to you: have you ever had that one piece of clothing that has stuck by you, through thick and thin, through horrific fashion eras and good ones?

The line of clothing that perfectly represents this go-to piece of clothing is C&C California. Looking through their items, you'd be surprised at how many ways they've managed to re-create a simple shirt, tank, dress, or knit for any occasion. Not only do they have a number of styles, silhouettes, and cuts, but most of their pieces come in a spectrum of colors, so if you find a favorite, you can have it in literally any color you please.

However, with prices ranging from $20-180+, you can't quite go crazy with these basics. It's well worth the investment, though. I assure you that a C&C California piece of clothing will be the thing that you tie yourself to with a rope. ;)

But if you wanna show, just let me know, And I'll sing in your ear again...

Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse
But I know I'll see your face again...

- The Verve, The Drugs Don't Work


My particular reasoning for this title for today's blog is a little ominous, but I'm sure many of you out there will agree that it applies to many of you out there. Depressing, but true fact.

Long story short, how is one to convince their friend that using at a bright and early age (or at any age, for that matter) is not an intelligent decision? =/

Oh well, on to other matters.


Upkeeping a blog is much more difficult than I thought it would be. I'm just plain lazy. And to make matters worse, school is out. Heh.

So, today's blog will be about something that I've long been passionate about. It may not be exactly fashion-forward, but Threadless T-Shirts has, for quite some time, left me in awe with their cunning and eye-catching designs. In fact, just last week, the arrival of my very own first few long-awaited Threadless shirts had me jumping around in my house in pure glee.

[Shown is Tom Burns' design, appropriately named The Communist Party.]

These t-shirts are not your typical poorly-printed-overly-used-joke t-shirts. They, unlike their competition select only a few of the hundreds of designs submitted by serious graphic designers. The creativity, simplicity and originality of these shirts will leave you stumped, I swear.

All in all, I ♥ Threadless T-Shirts. Go see them now! =D

Passion = love for material

Ha. A blog. :o)

It's high time I got one of these things-- I've been itching to have an outlet lately.

Passion is love for material.

- Black Eyed Peas & Jack Johnson, Gone Going

Isn't it funny how passion, one of the most powerful and strong emotions of the human being suddenly became linked to love for materialism? How can passion, something so pure and deep be related to something as simple as inanimate physical matter?


The one thing that has been on my mind lately is HIV/AIDs. Not exactly what you might be thinking, but lately, all kinds of things are popping up to help spread awareness of this 'thing' which has been especially ravaging the continent of Africa.

I, too, am guilty of owning such an article:
I have this one the 'HEAR' ALDO-YouthAIDS tag, particularly because music-- hearing-- is important to me. It's only USD$5 for one. There are other ones with speak & see, as well. Most people don't realize how wearing a piece of jewelery can spark other peoples' curiosity. In ways, things like these tags (the RED Campaign, &tc.) stop ignorance to sensitive, yet often, under-the-radar topics such as HIV/AIDs in Africa.

Please don't take it as a scam, or think that you can't make a difference, because collectively, I know that ALDO-YouthAIDS has collected almost USD$3 million, all from collecting 100% of the profits from their products.

Think about it: how common is it for most of us to go through life without thinking about other people? A lot of us go through life only valuing the material things and never realizing what we have. What we have is something that is priceless in another country.

Think about it. You are in possession of something which is priceless. It's in your hands. What're you going to do with it?