Month: August 2020

28 Aug 2020

The Closet: August 2020

[Society6 Whimsical Sky Face Mask] – ~~$16.99~~ – $13.59

This is quite possibly the bulkiest Closet post we’ve created in awhile! The good thing though is the pieces are all at the intersection of summer and fall. I’m also convinced that there’s something in here for everyone and at varying price points. Even a lot of the summer-y pieces can be transformed for fall wear. For example, the jumpsuit below? Pop a chunky sweater over it and you’ve got a look. We’ve been doing a lot of shopping lately ourselves so even though I’ve shared all of these here with you, I personally need to refrain from buying these myself. Enjoy!

[Abercrombie & Fitch Tie-Front Jumpsuit] – ~~$79~~ – $47.40

Life

28 Aug 2020

This Weekend:

What We’re Watching: Descendants of the Sun

It has been a couple of weeks since we wrapped up our last K-drama, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, and I’ve enjoyed the break. But Descendants of the Sun has been on my list for awhile. Since all of my regular shows airing have all wrapped up, I’ve got some space in the evenings to start something new. I also want to see if I can finish a drama before the one I’m anticipating arrives! Park Bo Gum and Park So Dam’s Record of Youth hits Netflix September 7th and we cannot wait!

What We’re Listening To: Bearbot

I worked with Bearbot back in 2012 and I’m probably long overdue for a catchup, but through Instagram I discovered that she was releasing mixes every Friday. It has been awhile since we returned to SoundCloud, but for a period of time, these mixes were all that I was listening to. I’m excited to jump back into it and see what she’s creating. Here is the one I’m listening to [tonight!]

[The Drop Women’s Sarah High-Waist Double Pleated Wide Leg Pant] – $49.90

Since our first Amazon clothing purchase (the half-zip) was such a hit, I decided to test my luck again. I haven’t actually tried these on yet since they arrived, mostly because the gloom, smoke weather has made me not want to. Here’s hoping that the sun comes out and we can pair these with a fun basic top. I’m usually never a pants wearer, but as we gear up for fall, I want to be comfortable and for work meetings, dresses aren’t always the most functional.

What We’re Eating: Bread N’ Chu

For most of shelter-in-place, Bread N’ Chu has been closed, but they recently opened up and I saw a window of opportunity. I’ve been dying to try their sandwiches with Japanese milk bread before COVID times. Tomorrow, we’re going wild by buying two sandwiches so that I can savor them for lunch and dinner!

Style

28 Aug 2020

Clueless and the Iconic Yellow Plaid

Last weekend, I decided to randomly watch “Clueless on a whim.” It had been on my list to re-watch for some time mostly because I couldn’t remember the plot. I was reminded of it recently only because Claudia Kishi had paid homage to the iconic outfit in the latest rendition of The Babysitter’s Club. Can you believe that the film just celebrated its 25th anniversary? Is anyone else surprised that my mother let me watch this film when I was five years old? Looking back on it now, it was pretty harmless considering I didn’t know what most of those references even meant.

Also, I didn’t care about any of that stuff or that Cher was still a virgin. We were obviously there for the fashion and the incredible closet feature that I’m still wondering about to this day. I love this video by Vogue where Alicia Silverstone revists her former character and how that yellow plaid has remained an icon even in 2020.

Style

28 Aug 2020

adidas UltraBOOST DNA in “Cloud White”

I’m loving this moment that plain white sneakers are having. Growing up, I was attached to my Keds, but as I got older, I started gravitating towards what I would consider an updated basic. This adidas UltraBOOST satisfies the foundation of a white sneaker with metallic accents. Doesn’t the touch of silver make this more sleek? This “Cloud White” is a minimalist dream, but with an edge. It’s now available on the [UK webstore] for $180 USD. We need these!

[Source]

Style

27 Aug 2020

Vogue Gets Ready With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

I love everything about this video. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is such a role model for my generation right now and I admire her in many ways. Her ability to push back, speak up for herself, and own who she is is going to shape the way women see ourselves going forward. This video of Vogue highlighting her ‘getting ready’ routine is more than what the title is. We see Alexandria starting her day, sharing the details of her day, why she chooses certain products over others and being her true authentic self. In fact, that’s what I like most about this video. She is no different than when she is being filmed for work or on her social media. Her voice doesn’t go up 5 octaves and she’s not pitching anything that she doesn’t stand behind.

We know that Alexandria doesn’t aspire to be an influencer, but if she did, she’d be off to a great start with something like this.

Style

27 Aug 2020

What’s Happening With NY Fashion Week?

This time of the year is one that we’re always looking forward to, but this year’s fashion week will be different. It doesn’t have a choice. Gone are the runway shows that we used to know with hundreds of guests. Photographs of off-duty models and guests being snapped paparazzi on the way to shows? Don’t count on it. The event will still happen September 13-17th, but with more rules and regulations than ever before. Shows and presentations will have strict guides that they need to follow. Any outdoor presentations can be held, but only at a max capacity of 50 people total. Indoor events will have 50% max capacity and no spectators.

How each designer will determine how this is done is a huge mystery to me, but one that I’m curious about. Will the typical celebrities still attend? Are they the most important in attendance? New York has recovered immensely than the state is was in at the very start of this pandemic, but I’m glad to see that they haven’t jumped all in with re-opening and are taking their time with it.

As we’ve seen this summer, many of the resort shows were pulled from in-person runways and instead shared their collections online. We can anticipate that going virtual will be a popular choice for this year’s Fashion Week, but also the safest.

[Source]

Music

25 Aug 2020

BTS ‘Dynamite’ Official MV (B-side)

Something that I have come to love about K-pop releases is that they never stop giving! There’s so much build up for a release even if it is just a single. I still haven’t come to understand why everything seems to be a ‘comeback,” but that’s okay. After BTS released their latest single “Dynamite” last week, they gifted us with a B-side music video and two remixes – an acoustic and EDM version. I love seeing the two versions of the music video actually to see what they were choosing between. This B-side one is just a more ‘lax version and includes a few bloopers. Up next? Their first live performance (will likely be recorded though) for the MTV Video Music Awards this coming Sunday!

Style

23 Aug 2020

Mehry Mu’s Standout Handbags

With the pandemic ongoing, buying news bags is likely the last thing on my shopping list. After all, I’m not spending a significant amount of time out. I’m also not putting together elaborate outfits like I may have been used to. On the occasional outing, I often find myself bringing whatever I can carry in my hands. Sometimes it’s just a wallet or sometimes it is reduced to one card. However, that doesn’t stop us from appreciating the items we long for. In my life, I have always purchased staple bags. I needed things that were functional – a larger, sleek bag for work, one for every day, and one for going out. One glance at [Mehry Mu’s] bags though have made me wonder if I’ve been doing this wrong the entire time.

[Luna Box] – ~~$496~~ – $249

[Agatha Wristlet Bag] – $363

[Source]

People

23 Aug 2020

A Father And Daughter Have Taken a Photo in the Same Spot for 40 years

Though I haven’t participated in this TikTok trend, I’ve been loving people recreating photos from them as a child in the same pose. There’s something entirely endearing about nostalgia that we’re naturally attracted to. Before this was even a trend, this father and daughter have kept up with their photo taking tradition for 40 years. Hua Hua was a just a little one when she took a photo with her father Hua Yunqing (27) for the first time. At the time, there wasn’t any intention of keeping the tradition. However, after seeing the photo, he couldn’t not continue the tradition! Now 40 years later, the photos have evolved. I won’t spoil what happens next, but you can view the entire collection for yourself [here].

Life

21 Aug 2020

Late Friday Evening Thoughts

Last weekend, the Bay Area was hit with both a heat wave and an obscene amount of lightening strikes one morning. To be honest, I didn’t think anything of it at the time and thought this week would be business as usual, but the aftermath resulted in a number of fires that have lit up both the northern and southern parts of the Bay Area. It seems as if we can’t catch a break this year. With everything going on and this piled on top of it, it has made this week an extremely challenging one.

Part of what has made shelter-in-place easier on me was a few things I’ve come to appreciate about my home. When I want to get some sunlight and a stretch, I can step out onto my balcony. At all times of the day, my windows are all open for fresh air. Since the air quality from the fires have been so terrible, we can’t do those things. And for the first time in 6 months, I’ve felt a little trapped. I suppose this is what it would have looked like if the US had actually gone into a true lockdown.

I recognize that while I’m indoors, those not too far from me are dealing with the bigger concern of losing their homes entirely. With many of experiencing loss in different forms this year already, a home – the most sacred of places shouldn’t be one of them. I’ve heard that this weekend’s climate might play a role in making things worse, but am hoping for the best so that we can move onwards to recovery.