Souvenirs

This is one of my favorite outfits I've worn in a long time - it's so colorful and fun and has so many great details. To make it even more fun, each piece is from a different country!

I got the dress for $6 at a resale consignment shop called Uptown Cheapskate in the States - similar to a Plato's Closet where they will only resell things that are from certain store or of a certain style. While the hunt from a regular thrift store or Goodwill is fun, it's sometimes nice to just go through a whole rack of incredible deals and know most of them are trendy enough to take out the guess work. I particularly love the lace detail on this dress - the straps on the shoulders and then the lace panels on the sides. And what a great color combination - mint and navy! 

The hot pink scarf I got in Cambodia. We went on a tour outside the city of Phnom Penh with Grasshopper Adventures - I highly recommend them! We biked on an island in the Mekong Delta and got to take in all the sights - mango trees, farm animals, the children running along side us yelling "Hello! Hello!" Our guide was amazing and she took us a silk farm where we got to see how they make the silk from beginning to end. And of course, go shopping for silk products! 

The earrings I purchases on a trip to the cloud forest in Mindo, Ecuador while studying aboard there. An Ecuadorian woman had the cutest little cafe where she made her own jewelry. When I saw she had cleverly beaded parrots into the earring design, I had to have them! Mindo is known for having a lot of birds and butterflies so it's a perfect souvenir - on top of that, we got to go flying ourselves while zip lining through the forest! 

The purse is from Thailand but I must admit I didn't buy it. It has been collecting dust on a shelf at my work and finally I asked my boss what the deal was - she said I could have it! Score! I know that it was most likely made in Thailand though as I always see similar bags when we pop on over there. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I love Thailand! The food, the beaches, the laid-back, kind folks and did I mention the food? And this purse - the colorful embroidery is top-knotch. 

And then the sunglasses and shoes are from Singapore, where I currently live! I wore this outfit to go see the new Mona Lisa exhibit. If it comes to your city, GO SEE IT. It's incredible. The whole exhibit is explaining the history behind the "discovery" of a second, younger Mona Lisa and then all the proof that it is indeed a Da Vinci through and through. That man's genius is astounding, the exhibit was so fascination and best of all - we got super up close and personal with the painting! I couldn't believe it. I've seen the other (older) Mona Lisa in the Louvre and man, it's a zoo there! It was so chill at the Singapore exhibit - we just walked right up to it (it was in a glass case). 

Thanks for letting me take you down memory lane! 

Have you picked up any good souvenirs yourself lately? 

Dress: Uptown Cheapskate | Scarf: Cambodian | Earrings: Ecuador | Purse: Thailand 

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The Easy Breezy

My boyfriend described this outfit as "Elenore Roosevelt going to a rave." He's a self-proclaimed pop culture (and fashion) idiot but man, sometimes he is dead-on. I get a very 1940's vibe every time I wear this olive-green pencil skirt. As a last minute decision, I slipped on my peacock hair clip that I think really clinched the vintage feel. But with a little modern twist via my see-through lace top. 

I've only got three more days in Singapore before I'm back home in the sweet ol' state of Georiga. I can't wait to have some real winter posts up for y'all soon. Oh yeah, and to see all my family and friends of course! 

Lace Shirt: Thailand | Skirt & Shoes: New2U thrift store | Hair Clip: Claire's (old) 

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Grandma Chic

This is another post that I promise I was trying to make fall-like. I have the most perfect boots that I wanted to wear with this dress but alas, these gorgeous Guess boots are waiting for me in the U.S. 

I also don't own another cardigan to throw over this. Guess my chilly-wear posts will have to wait until I'm home for Christmas! 

When I saw this dress at the thrift store I thought, Is this ugly or cute? The bodice is definitely weird, especially with the ruffles sitting on my hips. The dress reminds me of the late 80's/90's when everything was country chic. My mom is an interior decorator and I remember looking through all her decor magazines as a kid with photos of florals sofas and wicker furniture. Even how the skirt button ups reminds me of the 90's. In the end, I decided I liked it. 

Dress & Purse: New2U Thrift Shop | Shoes: Modcloth

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Slip into Something Cool

I've been wanting to wear this slip out for about… oh, forever. Maybe it was the rectification of the 90's but I felt like the need to wear this slip out in public has been stronger than ever lately. But here's the catch: I felt I had to style it to look casual and effortless, not fussy and old lady-ish. Easy peasy, I though. Wrong. The length is actually just a smidge too long for my short frame and everything just looked off. I was going for "oh, this old thing?" and instead it looked like I was trying too much. How in the world does someone succeed in the "throwing this thing on because I can't be bothered"? 

Either way, I found this slip at a Korean thrift store. Did you notice the butterfly lace appliqué on my leg…? Like I mentioned, it's a little too long, so I knew it would look better hiked up a bit with a belt (obviously, my go-to). I decided to go with my favorite brown woven belt. I've always heard folks saying, "You can't wear brown with black! You just can't!" It's one of my favorite things to do. I think by pairing brown with black, it instantly and easily changes an outfit that could become so dressy into something casual. I feel as long as your accessories don't clash, pairing black and brown together is fair game; they both in the neutral family, after all. I threw this fantastic military-istic jacket I got at a clothing swap with the outfit to perfect the toned-down vibe of the outfit.
What do you think - ready to wear your nighties as day wear?

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Mall Bohemian

Singapore is full of malls, malls, and more malls. Everything is in the mall - the post office, the library, hair salons, massage parlors, dentists... When the weather is hot, humid and rainy year round, Singaporeans want to escape into the cool breeze of the aircon. In fact, there are three malls just near my work alone. And it's t-r-o-u-b-l-e. When I pop in to grab some lunch, I'm always  eyeing something I want. As a shopping addict, Singapore is a big candy store for me and it's so hard to say no! 

Luckily for me, I'm also a frugal spender. I kept visiting this dress and hemming and hawing about the $25 price tag (which is silly, I know. It's not that much but hey, things can add up quickly when you live in the most expensive city in the world!) Finally, I just had to buy it. 

Especially when one of this spring's trends is bohemian. After seeing Modcloth's instagram, Forever 21's instagram, and Free People I just had to jump on board, too. I threw on all my turquoise jewelry (can't get enough of it!) brown belt, flower in my hair and voila! Pretty dern easy. The cool thing about this dress is because it's white it's duh-obviously so versatile. My bf said the dress looked Great Gasby-esque, too. Might be giving that style a go for next time! 

What are your favorite trends this spring?

Dress: Cache Cache | Shoes, Belt, Most Jewelry: Thrift Store | Wooden Necklace: Handmade | Thin Rings: H&M | Turquoise Ball Necklace: Thailand | Flower Pin: H&M