TBMD

I adore draped garments for their flowy movement and the way tucks and folds transform an otherwise simple silhouette. A tulip skirt and a grecian dress later, now I can finally add this draped blazer to my wardrobe. I've been wanting it since last summer, but couldn't find the gray version in my size anywhere. I think I was late to the game, thinking stores hadn't received shipment yet when they were already out on shelves. Many people have tried helping me find it (too many to name, but thank you all!) to no avail. I then turned to stalking eBay, but nada. When Annie (thank you again!) offered to sell me hers, I jumped for joy even though it's a size smaller than what I had been looking for, lol.

For the most part, I'd say the blazer ended up working out. The shoulders feel fine on me but looks a bit tight in pictures. The sleeves hit me around the wrist bone, but it's not a big deal because I roll them up. Next on the to-hunt list, H&M riding boots that showed up on their website but was nowhere to be found in stores.

The last time bf bought an Old Navy Groupon, I left with $5 shorts. Fast forward a few months and it's like déjà vu all over again. Except this time around, I paid a whopping 25 cents! These shorts were on the clearance rack marked down to 97 cents, with an additional 50% off last weekend, and then another 50% off with the Groupon on top of that. This is hands down the steal of my lifetime.

What's the best deal you've ever gotten?

*Photo thanks to my bf

Yup, it's another outfit with this lace dress. This time, styled in a daytime look for winter. I tend to play it safe when "winterizing" items, so black is often the accent color of choice. Pearls and a long coat rounded out the look.

Hope you're having a great Thursday!

My last pair of cargo pants was a boot-cut style that I bought back in college. I must have worn and washed it hundreds of times until one day I noticed a big ol' rip down the backside. I'd like to think that I was the first to discover the tear, but for all I know, a picture could've been snapped and uploaded without me realizing. Let's just say I've been more careful about inspecting my clothes since.

I was happy to find a skinny pair from Zara during their recent holiday sale. The fit isn't great but I love the style, so it's a keeper for me. Crossing my fingers that this pair has just as long of a lifespan as the last... without the same outcome.

A casual outfit to run errands in before going home to watch footballlllll. Oh, and to spend time and eat with family. Happy Lunar New Year!

I dug up a few outfit pictures from last year that were lost in the shuffle (aka passed over for better ones at the time). Upon further inspection, some sure do look repetitive. Hopefully I'll be back in the swing of things soon with appropriate seasonal outfits. In the meantime, I'll be counting down the days to spring.

I love everything about the Pinterest image that inspired today's outfit. Her color pairings, the starchiness of the scarf, grey skinnies, the black pointy pumps! Minus the scarf, everything else is going on my ever-growing wishlist.

Hope you had a great Monday!

Hello three-day weekend! If you're off Monday too, I hope you have a great one!

Lately, the weather can't make up its mind, so neither can I. A thin jacket to go with a cowl scarf (thank you SPG for a wonderful post-holidays surprise!)? Sure, why the heck not. With all the spring collection items rolling in, warm weather can't come soon enough.

Hope you're having a great Wednesday!

Warning: Long and image heavy post ahead.

I experienced some of the most fun and worst times during my trip abroad. We were constantly on the move, not spending more than 3 nights at one location. I've come to appreciate the meaning of "living out of your suitcase." Kudos to those of you who travel often for work; I know I would be in one foul mood all the time. For this trip, I was lucky to travel with my cousin(s), who not only put up with my slacker ways (last minute planning among my many offenses), but also had to constantly wait for me while I took pictures*. Thank you S and T!

First stop: Japan. This was easily my favorite of the whole trip. I had an idea of what to expect thanks to helpful suggestions by SS and katattack2000 prior to landing, but the culture, the people, and the food all blew me away. If asked to describe the Japanese in 3 words, I would say: efficient, clean, and welcoming. Those are some serious praise in my world :)

Cousin S and I landed in Osaka around dinnertime. We were sleepy, famished, and cold, so our first order of business was to eat some hot ramen. While walking to our hotel, we happened to pass by one with a short line and decided to give it a try. Of all places, this shop turned out to be Ippudo! We quickly devoured our $10 bowls of ramen, which were as good (if not better) than NYC's. I didn't see pork buns on the menu, but we did see many locals eating what looked to be a fried rice dish.

Hosted by Khatu @ i am Khatu, Petite Fashion Challenge #12: From Night to Day has us restyling a glamorous look that you would typically wear for a night-out-on-the-town into daytime casual wear. Easy right? Bonus points if you can restyle it for work!

Coming up with three outfits for this challenge was hard. When I think glamour, I picture something fancy, sparkly, black, or a mix. I nixed out styling around my most versatile dress because I've already done that in a previous challenge. I also ruled out a skirt because it would probably be too short for most office environments. That leaves me with some sort of top as the common piece between all three outfits. After rummaging through my closet, a white sequin top it is*.

Night-out-on-the-town look: I chose a classic color combination of white against black. A little bling and (faux) leather adds some fun to a night look.

Daytime casual look: Continuing with the white against black bottoms theme, I dressed down this outfit with a casual tee and fur vest.

Work-appropriate look: And lastly, I swapped out dark bottoms for a dark jacket up top.

*I've been known to interpret past challenges in my own way, so hopefully I read this one correctly.

Happy new year, everyone! My flight landed on New Year's Eve, but I did manage to stay up to see the clock strike midnight. Shortly after that I slept for a good 12 hours. Jetlag, I'm over you.

I'll be honest, my 2011 resolutions were promptly forgotten after a few months *ducks head* and only resurrected because it's a new year.

How did I do?
(1) I did manage to stop buying useless dresses. All the ones I've bought in 2011 have been worn at least twice, I believe. Some were worn more than that (as they should).
(2) Fat to weight ratio have probably remained the same but redistributed throughout the rest of my body. Once a lazy bum, always a lazy bum.
(3) I did end up taking a vacation (at the end of the year, just barely). High five!
(4) I've surprised myself with heels this year. Not only have I been wearing them more, I've been easing into 4" territory. I'm still quite the wobbly-walker but slowly gaining more balance.
(5) I broke this one and it happened only 5 months into the year.

All in all, 3 out of 5 isn't horrible. I don't think I'll be setting any for myself this year, because well, I'll probably forget about them in mere weeks. Again.