Minions inspired outfit and burgundy gloves

Strange how I'm inspired by cartoons lately in my outfits. This time, it's the shearling jackets as seen in the Despicable Me 3 trailer.

Also, if you are looking for some leather gloves for small hands, I found these ASOS Leather Gloves With Touch Screen Detail size XS to fit pretty well. No extra spaces in the finger tips. 

Here's how they compare to my other gloves below:

H&M size S vs. ASOS size XS

I also like that the leather is buttery soft and not constricting. The only qualms I have with these ASOS gloves is that the leather-chemical smell is very strong. Hopefully over time, it will wane. Unfortunately, all the popular burgundy colors are gone in this style, but here's some other options:

ASOS Leather Gloves with Touch Screen Detail in black ($30.32)

Totes Leather Gloves in purple ($18.95 sale)

ASOS Leather Gloves with Piped Bow in black ($22.74 sale)

Extra Petite also had a great review recently on the Lord & Taylor gloves for small hands. I am always in awe of Jean's impeccable style. She definitely convinced me that 'burgundy/wine' hued gloves are most versatile. I bookmarked how she styled her old H&M gloves here, here, here, here, here, and here for reference!

L.L. Bean Scotch Plaid Shirt size XXS review

 L.L. Bean Scotch Plaid Shirt size Misses' XXS

Kennedy plaid ($39.95)

Background story: I've been obsessed with obtaining anything dark green with delicate red and yellow plaid design since I laid eyes on the James Tissot's The Warrior's Daughter painting awhile ago. I haven't found the perfect green tartan print (most have too much blue/navy in them), but these will suffice in the meantime.  

The L.L Bean Scotch plaid shirt came across my radar when I read Fast Food & Fast Fashion's review two or three months ago! I was excited as a puppy when I saw the deep green Kennedy plaid option, however almost all sizes were gone by the time I decided to purchase. I took a chance on the remaining size Misses (regular) XXS which was on backorder till January. So I finally received this shirt in the mail today and decided to do a review for anyone interested in the fit of size XXS. 

Measurement of size Misses XXS: 14" shoulder width (from seam to seam), 18" chest width (from pit to pit), 25.25" center back length, and 23" sleeve outerseam length. The regular XXS is a bit smaller and slimmer than Elle's review on size Petite XS of the Dress Stewart design. 

The Fit: I actually quite like the fit of this flannel shirt on me. I almost do not want to take this shirt off since it is so warm and cozy. I feel that this size XXS fits better than other flannel shirts I have tried in the past.

The Bad: the sleeves do look baggy, the material collects lint easily (typical of flannels though), the interfaced collar and sleeve cuff is a bit stiff, the shirt hem curls up a bit (maybe due to sloppy stitching), and the plaid print doesn't show well from far away (in photographs) as it does close-up...

Decision: I am keeping this shirt because I do love the quality, comfort, and overall fit. And it's pretty darn close to what I had in mind!

****Update 10/30/15**** 

I found an even better shirt at Uniqlo (on sale for $19.90 too).

Again, wish it had less blue, but the thin red and yellow lines are spot on to what I had in mind!

Actually, blogger Jean of Extra Petite has a Sole Society scarf that is a more perfect rendition of the Christmas-y plaid I had in mind. In fact her photo background (as seen here) even reminds me of James Tissot's The Warrior's Daughter painting with the black iron fences and dreary cold atmosphere. She must reads my fashion thoughts or living my dream world, haha! 

L.L. Bean also came out with a more Christmas-y plaid for winter 2015-16 called "Hunting MacLeod" but only available for men in flannel shirt, pajama set, and robe:

Cause we're young and we're reckless

Currently jamming to Taylor Swift's Blank Space while I took these outfit photos for today :) I realized I'm attracted to songs that has this similar beat (doesn't it remind you of the Leona Lewis hit Bleeding Love?)

Outfit highlights:
1. Forever 21 aviator jacket - old (this year's version here)

2. Target Mossimo Supply Co. plaid button down shirt. This shirt does shrink and gets wrinkled up in the regular washer-dryer, especially in the arms/sleeves. Thus, it's best to buy a size up.

Zara orange blazer

I haven't worn this old Zara blazer for a long time. October is the perfect month to bring out the orange right?

Barbie style inspiration

Today's outfit borrowed from...Barbie!

Since I was a little girl, I have been a fan of the Barbie doll. I remember the commercials during cartoon hours were extremely enticing. My parents didn't have extra money to buy toys for us, but somehow, someone gave me a rip-off version of the Barbie doll (with curly brown hair). It was so much fun to make her clothes out of old socks and to imagine where she was going with her new outfits and hairdo! Barbie is definitely about being creative with fashion!

I really haven't given Barbie a thought for a long long time, until I recently stumbled across Barbie Style on instagram. Whoever is styling her is amazing,,,like a pro-fashion blogger! It seriously made me want to go buy a Barbie doll all over again. Maybe when I pay off my school loans by end of the year, I'll buy myself a "real" Barbie doll and start honing in my sewing skills to make doll clothes....just maybe, haha! Can you ever be too old to play with dolls?

Personal fall trends

Inspirations from old magazine ads:

Other fall inspirations here, here, here and here.  

This fall/winter, I'll be sporting:

1. Raisin hued lip color (still loving my Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain in Parisian Passion)

2. Large shawl collar sweaters preferably in pale grays 

3. The obsession with handmade Etsy ipad clutches continues 

4. Skinny jeans still fits 

5. Mules and booties 

Fitted Tan Jacket

 From old Anthropologie clipping from January 2010 issue page 22:

I adore a fitted tan jacket.

Have a wonderful day!

Marching in March

Wearing H&M lavender blouse, Plastic Island tweed jacket last seen here, Urban Outfitters BDG grazer (the only blue jeans I own now), Ann Taylor perfect pumps (buy here), and vintage gold sweater guard from Etsy. 

Untucked or Tucked? 

As much as I like the comfort of untucked shirts, sometimes one just has to "suck it up and tuck it in" to help lengthen out the short-legs proportion.

Ooh, I can recreate this entire look with J.Crew items:
- Blythe Blouse in Silk or Perfect Shirt in Linen (neon violet)
- Pepper Tweed Jacket or Pink Tweed Jacket
- Toothpink Jean in Classic Rinse Wash

- Miri Midheel Pumps (black)

And sweater guards can be found on Etsy or Ebay. There are so many interesting ones on there!

Lickable Trend

Trying out the sorbet trend this winter....

1. Started out with a peach shirt (from Forever21 here) and my old BDG grazer (on $39 sale here):
2. Topped off with my Forever21 lavender sweater (similar here)

 3. Added a peach necklace (from H&M as seen on Stylish Petite)
4. Then grabbed my mint clutch (vintage from Ebay)

I quite like the result! Although wish I was more tanned with a J-Lo glow in these pastel colors. Must pile on the bronzer!

Are you into sorbet-pastels lately (especially J.Crew style)?

Golden Compass winter fashion

I watched The Golden Compass for the first time today on my day off from work, chilling at home in my warm blankets. I like the pretty outfits Nicole Kidman wore, especially the coats!

 

As mentioned on Quest for Fashion Sense comments, my first splurge item ever was this Marvin Richards ivory coat...seven years ago. It was on sale for around $80, which was a big deal for me back then, but I've only worn it once (to my first ballet ever! It was amazing!).

Speaking of, one of the nice things about the upcoming Valentine's weekend is that the Ballet always has some great performances going on. If you like orchestral music, intricate costumes, dramatic love stories, and appreciate dance, February is the perfect time to hit the performing art center!

What I love to wear to such events are:
1. Glamorous coat - it's chilly at night, and a glamorous coat with some fur on it always makes me feel like a super star upon arriving at the theater.
2. Knit top or tee - since my coat is glamorous, I like to tone down my outfit with a simple sweater or tee. Since the performance is usually 2+ hours, I want to be comfortable too!
3. Jeans - because it's the weekend and they make the bum look good.
4. Heels - to make the jeans look even better.
5. Bling - I'm a lover of earrings, so any chance I can take out the fancy chandelier or sparkly rhinestone earrings, I'm all for it :)

What do you wear to a ballet? Do share!

The man in me

I don't know what is in me lately, but I'm attracted to the way men's clothing are layered. Again, in the J.Crew December 2012 catalog, I kept flipping back towards the men's section for outfit ideas.

Other looks from the J.Crew men's section I'm loving:

from page 105

from page 120

Makes me wonder if women styled these men, or I'm turning masculine, haha.

Other inspirations:....I found these guest judges from Project Runway All Stars Season 2 Episode 3,  Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra to be adorable!

Fashionable lumberjacks, layering with plaid and checks is wonderfully perfect for this time of the year. But it looks like these guys always look like this though...who knew they design such pretty women clothing (http://www.costellotagliapietra.com)!

Metallic shoes

I try not to wear too many low or no-heel shoes because they make me me feel stumpy and dowdy, but for some reason, I had to try these gold Leifsdottir's Velda Loafers from Anthropologie (sale $99.95, with further 25% labor day sale = $74.96).

Fits true to size. I'm wearing size 36 Euro (equivalent to US 6)

I like that the overall shape is sleek and dainty.

It has slightly padded insole at the heel. As for comfort level...I rate these a 7 out of 10 (with 10 being most comfortable). I would not wear these to go jogging in, but they feel comfortable enough for casual wear-statement shoes. The slight narrowing at the foot make the feet look daintier, but would rub against the side of one's foot/toes/bunion areas with aggressive walking....as with most pretty shoes.

All leather sole, except I think the little brown section at the heel edge is made of rubber. I suppose rubber is more sturdy than leather....thus the little rubber piece is meant to hinder premature wearing-down of the heel....how thoughtful!

 Leather upper and leather lining. Suede-texture lining at back of heel. Made in Italy. My only qualm is that gold paint on the outer leather seems like it'll chip and scratch off easily. 

Best part is the metallic sheen really livens up one's outfit. I don't feel dowdy or stumpy in them at all! These are definitely "cool" shoes. 

 

What are your thoughts on metallic shoes?

J.crew currently loves metallics, see these splurge items:

Janey metallic flats $178 - metallic gold

Classic metallic leather ballet flats $125 - brocade gold 

Viv metallic flats $188 - metallic silver

Cece metallic ballet flats $138 - comes in brocade gold and metallic silver

Valentina mirror metallic pumps $238 - metallic silver

Etta cap toe metallic pumps $248 - metallic gold

ASOS deals:

ASOS LUCKY Ballet Flats $22.14 sale - rose metallic

London Rebel Leather Ballet Pumps $37.47 sale - gold

London Rebel Leather Ballet Pumps $37.47 sale - silver

London Rebel Point Mid Heel Shoe $31.51 sale - gold champagne

ASOS LEIGH Patent Ballet Flats with T-bar $22.14 sale - silver

Anthropologie Glitz-dusted flats review

Anthropologie Glitz-dusted flats by Bibi Lou

sale $49.95

(free shipping for orders over $100 till July 31st)

Reviewing size 36 euro (6 US)

Leather upper, leather lining, and leather sole. These also have a hidden ~1cm wedge heel, which makes the flats more comfortable.

Very light weight and breathable. Fits true to size!

 

My only issue is that the grosgrain ribbon piping rubs right at my outer pinky-toe joint, which causes some slight pain point there when walking around. So if you have narrower feet or no issues with bunions, these flats would be perfect.

 Here's how they look in the romantic dim light:

So pretty and sparkly!