Forever Forever 21

Looking back into 2025, the saddest fashion moment for me was when F21 closed down. For those who followed me for years on this blog, most of my clothing finds and inspirations came from F21. Going into a massive Forever 21 store with glittery flooring in the mall was the highlight of my college years and early adult life. When COVID hit, I was amazed how fast shipping was with F21 compared to all the other retailers....I mean once I ordered, I received my items in 3-4 days, verses the 10-15 days of other online clothing retailers. I also loved scrolling through the endless pages of items on their app to catch the latest fashion trend and find unique items that were like works of art because they were inspired by celebrities and runway looks. Of course the best part was the affordable prices for such fun items, and junior sizing was perfect for my petite frame! 

However, there were the bad and the ugly with fast fashion like the horrible environmental impact, the waste, the stories of the condition/treatment of the factory workers....maybe it is for the best they closed down. 

Despite all the controversies and ethical debates, F21 still holds a "happy place/happy memory" for a suburban girl in a lower-middle class family who just wants to look her best and enjoy fashion. 

Even though F21 was meant to be fast fashion, I've collected several pieces that have lasted a decade or more including their jewelry. And I plan to preserve the current pieces that I have to last more decades....thanks to the forever chemicals in them I suppose!

Anyway, to fill the empty void since F21 is gone, I haven't found any equivalent retailer that does it quite right. The closest I can do is to browse ASOS, Francesca’s, and my new obsession with Altar’d State. But their prices are super high compared to F21 for similar quality. To get the price tag like F21, one has to be patient and lucky for the clearance sales, so it is a bit of a bummer. 

Currently eyeing these items...

St. Moritz Pullover (sale $19.88, original price of $74 is crazy)

Park City Embroidered Pullover (sale $15.99, original $68 is crazy) 

Lucy Toile Print Sweatshirt (sale $25, original $50 is crazy)

ASOS DESIGN cropped quilted patchwork jacket in black and white floral (sale $62.99...this price point makes me really miss F21 for similar quality) 

Pieces rose embroidered quilted jacket in cream ($29.70 sale, original $99!)

Any F21 fans out there?

 What is a good alternative site to shop at that is similar to F21?

Best Fashion Trends of 2020

This may be a weird pastime, but I enjoy spotting fashion trends since I was a kid. It is fascinating to see what retailers try to market vs. what actually inspires a large amount of people, and what personally resonates with me. 

Since my end-goal has always been to have less clutter, I try to not jump on every trend that comes out, but for some reason the year 2020 has come out with lots of clothing and accessory styles that I absolutely adore!

So these are my top 5 trends that I am loving this year:

1. Slip Dress (or satiny skirt): layer with cropped tee for more casual outings, and then under oversized sweater for the coming fall weather...

My Inspiration: Monroe Steele's instagram, she rocks slip dresses as no other!

2. Twist Top Headband: Anything that comes from Jennifer Behr becomes the next big thing when advertised on celebrities. I like this wider, softer band look, which is easier to wear than the puffy headband that seems so last-year or from the 90's (which I did try to bring back for my wedding in 2018 as a statement piece but too fancy to wear on a normal basis). This twist style is more wearable!

My Inspiration: Sabrina Carpenter

3. Paperbag High-Waist Shorts: I am surprised the paperbag shorts is still going strong since I was first introduced to it in 2012. For some reason, retailers have been pushing out more paperbag shorts and pants this year than any other year I can remember, and I'm loving it because it hides a bloated tummy, the high waist gives the illusion of better proportions for my body-type, and the bagginess is super comfortable. 

My Inspiration: Abercrombie and Fitch model

4. Tie-Dye: I suppose by now most people own at least one piece of something in tie-dye. It can be retro, geeky, attention-grabbing, but for me, I mostly reserve it for loungewear or beach attire. I own one T-shirt in tie-dye that I bought as a souvenir at the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk a couple of years ago and finally took it out from the back of my closet since tie-dye is having a moment. 

My Inspiration: Lilliana Vazquez's DIY tie-dye outfit during quarantine life

 

5. Chin-length Blunt Bob haircut: Hair is fashion to me, so I'm including this here. I personally love any bobs. This blunt textured one seems refreshing and playful and I have been seeing it everywhere on celebrities and models. I'll be asking for this cut at my next visit to the hair salon...

⥱

My Inspiration: Kaia Gerber definitely started it all! And doesn't this Victoria's Secret model look almost like her?

Now on to the trendy items that did NOT make it on my wardrobe, but may reconsider another day:

Bike shorts: because I have not been inspired by anyone who looks amazing or picturesque in bike shorts.

Shoulder Pad Muscle Tee: I use to get a lot of hand-me-down clothes from my aunts as a kid that had shoulder pads, and it made me cringe how they get warped in the washer/dryer machine. No thanks to shoulder pads, but maybe a plain muscle tee is okay. 

Oversize Graphic Tee: I think the oversize tee is super cute on kids and teenagers, but not for me, I'm getting old.

Puffy Sleeves Top/Sweater: It just reminds me of clown-clothes, something I've been trying to avoid. I think I would feel too self-conscious in puffy sleeves, probably traumatized by the puffy sleeve dresses we wore as children in the 80's as our parents thought it made us cute as dolls, which is a bit creepy.

Tangerine, Olive, and Ivory Palette

My goal has been to shop online without having to return items, so I've been shopping quite a lot at Forever 21 lately for the "no-regret" prices and a great selection of styles that ruffles my feathers. Here is what's in my cart this month:

My shopping haul inspired by these summer hues...

Can you believe that these beautiful photos are from Forever 21?!

Almost thought these were taken out of Anthropologie catalog! 

Three Casual Fall Hits

1. Back-to-school Sweats: I'm no longer in school, but suddenly I am drawn to hoodies and sweatshirts again. Maybe this could be the adult "work-from-home" attire. The men's department have been killing it with the monotone styling:

 

2. Curly Sue Hair: Fun fact, I had permed spiral curly hair throughout my adolescent years, but the curls never looked this good. Maybe in an alternate universe...

3. Colored Denim Jackets: better yet, combine all in one...curly hair, sweats, and denim jacket!

 

On Holiday

 

Inspired by Roman Holiday

boater hats

 ballerinas and old romance

olive and neutral

gold and buffalo plaid 

Forever21 edgy but nice shopping picks

Life In Progress™ Contrast Trim Moto Jacket ($29.80)

Can't get enough of contrasting sleeves....

Studded Faux Leather Flats ($24.80)

Don't they remind you of Valentino Rockstud Ballerina Flats?

Lastly, for fun...

Scottish Terrier Print Loafers ($16.80)

Because they remind me of yummy Walkers shortbread!

Any other great finds or wishlist items at Forever 21?

Searching for nude blouse

Found it: F21 Floral Appliqué Top size small - Cream

The floral appliqué top reminds me of the expensive $258 Anthropologie Breadfruit Blouse from March 2009 issue page 50-51:

Another thing I learned from my nude blouse search, is that not all nudes work for one's skin tone. So now for everything I buy, I'll have to consider proportion as well as if it matches my complexion.

Cute round pepper

My parent's garden never seizes to surprises me with wonderful, whimsical plants! Too bad I did not inherit their love of gardening (since I'm too deathly afraid of insects that inhabit such areas, haha). This time, my parents surprised me with an indoor plant. Isn't this the cutest pepper you've ever seen?

It's like a mini pumpkin!

Here's how it compares to a bunch of lemons (also from my parent's garden).

That's where it came from! Isn't it pretty? My dad was actually gifted this pepper plant without a label, so not sure what this variety is called. I'll have to research it some other time. I haven't tasted it either, but my mom said it's mild in spice.

I should really start a photo album of my parent's garden plants. It's like a botanical garden over there. Here's a few other interesting plants I took pictures of last year:

Purple Cactus that blooms yellow flowers.

 Hot Pink Cherry Blossoms

And look at those weird gothic purple plants growing out of the geraniums below!

In shopping news, I'm just going crazy over Forever21 outerwear right now. My current favorites are:

Double-breast Jacket in Royal $27.50

Double-breasted Trench w/Belt in Khaki $32.80

Double-breasted Fleece Jacket in Red $27.80

Cropped Stripe Jacket $22.80

Distressed Suedette Jacket $29.96 sale

Perforated Crop Biker Jacket $34.80

Plaid Woven Coat $32.80

I've been debating on which ones to order and decided to only pick 2 of them. Future post to come! Any great finds at Forever21 lately? Please share!