I just want to put this out there: I suck at dressing for the summer. Or rather, I just can't seem to master wearing as little as possible over layering everything I own to make an outfit that weighs just as much as me. Don't get me wrong, I hate the cold, and I'm a natural-born summer baby, but dressing for anything above 90 degrees Fahrenheit aside from a straight-up swimsuit just doesn't even make sense to me.

As you know by now, I'm in Tokyo for another sweltering summer (not that NYC's summer is any less extreme) but being here definitely makes me feel a bit more aware of what I'm wearing and how modest I have to dress. That said, somehow I still find myself in full-length high-waisted denim to cover my midriff from showing thanks to this floral crop top. To further prove my point of how much 'idgaf' about summer dressing, I didn't even bother to shop for summer sandals this year, hence the usual pair of sneakers and my baby blue Loewe.

Fashion talks aside, I'm turning 26 in a day or two and this year more so than ever, I feel more at peace with myself than any other year. As a Leo, one just can't help but approach their birthdays with lots of celebrations and festivities. But for as long as I've been away from New York, some of those mandatory social activities to cue being another year older have been so relieving to not fulfill. I'm looking forward to a quiet dinner with the boyfriend, and a 3 hour long Facetime call with my mom who, (knowing that I'm not home), will still be excited to show me the flower arrangement she has out for me to wish me another happy birthday.

Top: Verge Girl
Pants: Agolde
Shoes: Common Projects
Bag: Loewe Puzzle Bag

Photo by Shun S.

VIEW POST

All This Time / 05-06-072019

I don't even know where I should begin to write about May and June. And July too. It has been way too long. I kept telling myself that I'll work on the blog every day, but truthfully, it just hasn't been easy. At first, the monthly recaps were meant to motivate me to publish on a more consistent basis, even if that meant once a month. However, as you can tell (not even sure who's even reading this anymore), it has slowly drifted from me.

Of course, beyond just publishing purposes, it might also be due to the fact that I just haven't been too moved to express anything as of late...

This year is flying by and I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not. How is it almost the middle of August already?

Anyway, while I'm feeling a little talkative today, let me finally share some snippets of what went on the past few months.

May

If you remembered, April was a pretty eventful month for me. Some of my closest friends came for a long term stay and I got to go on a few memorable adventures to enjoy the cherry blossom season in Tokyo. This made May a much-needed recovery month for me in terms of personal energy and space.

There were a lot of days that I remembered sleeping through for 13 hours at a time because I was that mentally drained. Happens pretty often for me when life is too fast-paced. To change up the mood a bit, Shun and I took a weekend trip to Kamakura for the first time since I've been in Tokyo. We didn't expect much from the trip since it seems like such a temple and shrined focused area. But, we ended up being blown away by how awesome and diverse it was in terms of terrains and things to do. So much that we ended up going back there later in July with a friend visiting and wanted to try the train cafe that we ate at too.

Towards the end of May, I went back to NYC for a couple of projects, so the rest earlier in the month was super important.

Outfit

May 05, 2019

Top: Cecillie Bahnsen and INSCIRE (oversized white tee)
Pants: GRLFRND Helena High-rise
Shoes: Common Projects
Bag: Proenza Schouler and Fendi Bag Bug

Photo by Shun S.

Travel

Kamakura, Tokyo

Dress: Faithfull the Brand 
Blazer: JP, similar here
Shoes: Common Project
Bag: Sezané

Photo by Shun S.

Outfit

May 28, 2019

Dress: Faithfull the Brand
Shoes: Common Project
Bag: Polené Paris

Photo by Shun S.

Wearing

All outfits in May

June

Both excited and anxious, I came back to New York with such mixed feelings. On one hand, I was looking forward to seeing my mom, sister, and friends; on another, I was worried I'd be too overwhelmed with the pace as I haven't been back for such a long time (since January). Ironically, I purposed booked such a short trip to prevent being too occupied with seeing familiar faces and making unintended plans that would drain me out. You guys probably know by now that I left NYC for a reason. Still, I can't deny how gratuitous it feels to be able to call this city home. It's such a love and hate relationship.

Outfit

June 4, 2019

Top: Thrifted
Pants: GRLFRND Helena High-rise
Shoes: Common Projects
Bag: Loewe Puzzle Bag

Photo by Shun S.

Outfit

June 12, 2019

Top: Stelen via NeedSupply
Pants: Trave Denim
Shoes: Textured slides (old)
Bag: Pipatchara
Accessories: Monica Vinader Signature Bracelet, Ring

Photo by Christina L.

Outfit

June 14, 2019

Dress: LPA
Shoes: Roger Vivier
Bag: Loewe Puzzle Bag

Photo by Christina L.

Outfit

June 18, 2019

Top: &OtherStories
Shorts: &OtherStories
Shoes: Common Project
Bag: Chanel (more on this vintage via Rebag)

Photo by Ying C.

Outfit

June 26, 2019

Dress: Revolve
Shoes: Common Project
Bag: MeliMelo in Black

Photo by Christina L.

Wearing

All outfits in June

July

And now finally, at last, July came. After a super productive few weeks in New York, I came back to the rainy season in Tokyo. Maybe the world is adapting to my schedule in a way, but this made it so easy to unpack, unwind, and take all the naps that my heart desired.

This year, the rainy season lasted an extra month or something according to reports. I made the most of it though, by going to slow cafes, visiting the museums, and even botanical gardens. Crazy how Tokyo is worlds apart from New York, but I never feel homesick.

With that said, I'm so relieved that I finally got to jot down these thoughts for the past few months. Hopefully, I'll be better about these posts from here on out. I still can't believe that there are only 4 months left in the year.

Outfit

July 10, 2019

Top: Slobe Ine (JP)
Pants: Agolde
Shoes: Ancient Greek Sandals (similar)
Bag: Chanel WOC

Photo by Shun S.

Outfit

July 11, 2019

Blazer: &OtherStories Double Breasted Linen Blazer
Skirt: Leopard (similar here)
Shoes: Common Projects
Bag: Proenza Schouler

Photo by Shun S.

Outfit

July 17, 2019

Dress: Dear Jose (Vietnamese Label)
Shoes: Common Projects
Bag: Polené Paris

Photo by Shun S.
Shot at the National Art Center, Tokyo

Outfit

July 29, 2019

Top: Van Gogh Museum Tee
Shorts: Agolde
Shoes: Common Projects
Bag: J.W Anderson Pierce Velvet Mini

Photo by Shun S.

Wearing

All outfits in July

VIEW POST

Chanel Camellia Flap Bag Velvet (Pre-Owned)

The bag purchase reviews that I've written on this blog have been the ones featuring bags that I absolutely loved and have decided to personally invest in. The last bag that I wrote about was my Loewe Puzzle Bag in the color 'stone blue'. Since then, I haven't been quite active in growing my bag collection as I felt like it was pretty complete already. In recent years, more independent and young bag brands have also caught my attention, so I have been exploring that. I really love Cult Gaia, Staud, Danse Lente and Yuzefi. Seeing these new brands' take on handbags in terms of shapes, designs, and even color-ways have somewhat inspired me to compare them to bags of the pasts.

As I've mentioned in my last style posts featuring this Chanel Camellia Velvet bag, this is my first attempt at trying out the practice of investing in a pre-owned bag. For full transparency, I actually borrowed this bag for a short period of time from Rebag, as opposed to committing to actually purchasing it, to get a sense of how it would feel like. Rebag has a program where you can actually purchase one for 6 months to get you started, so definitely take advantage of this if you are like me, and are hesitant about this.

Knowing that I'm receiving a pre-owned bag, I was already prepared to see small imperfections, such as scratches and fades of metal finishes. Even so, when I actually opened up the package and saw it, I barely noticed any of those marks. This just goes to know that my worries about receiving something slightly flawed weren't stronger than my impression of how one-of-a-kind this bag was.

Now on to some of my thoughts on the bag itself. When it comes to my personal standards for what deems a bag worthy in my collection, the two things that I really focus on is uniqueness and practicality.

Upon sharing this bag via social, many people responded that this was not a typical Chanel, which of course, I couldn't agree more. However, if one really knows the history of Gabrielle Chanel, then they would also know that the camellia is actually one of her favorite flowers (making this bag, kind of truly Chanel?). Secondly, the bag is a flap bag style with three sectionals inside making it quite organized and roomy for the everyday essentials. Personally, I'm not a big fan of an accordion style bags as I'm someone that prefers to have one open compartment - but if this is your style, then you'll find that it's quite roomy as the compartments do expand quite a bit. Another thing to note about this bag that it can be pretty high maintenance since I did notice that the velvet is pretty prone to dents and dust.

Lastly, you might be wondering how such a bold bag works for my wardrobe. But let me tell you- although this bag is pre-owned and let go by someone else, it somehow felt like a piece that I owned myself. Don't let my monochromatic and grungy looks on certain days fool you- I'm a sucker for a good statement bag (and I actually already have another velvet bag in my collection). This Chanel easily dresses up any casual black dress, and even dark boyfriend jeans with a white tee shirt; it doesn't get simpler and more universal than that! The burgundy is such a classic color. If you need an outfit example, you can see this post here.

With everything said, the bag is now back with the Rebag team and will be up for grabs soon. Highly recommend this precious bag for anyone who's looking into vintage or pre-own bags.

VIEW POST