laura: another go-to outfit

One of my favourite go-to outfits is a floral dress, a cream cardigan, a brown bag, a simple necklace, and a statement ring. Yup. I don't have to think much about this outfit and it looks like I've tried. haha. Wow, I have gotten so lazy with my outfits lately (I need to start putting together some more interesting outfits if I'm actually going to try maintaining this style blog with Amanda) haha. But anyway, this is still one of my tried and true combinations, perfect for dancing in summer fields. =) 

 floral dress and ring - Forever 21

cream cardigan - Aritzia

necklace - Charlotte Russe (from Amanda!)

bag - Value Village

The strap on this bag was super tough and hard when I first got it so I used a home remedy to soften the leather. If you're interested in that, go visit my art blog HERE  to see how you do it! =) 

amanda: navy never goes wrong

So for some reason, I tend to default to something navy or dark when I can't think of what to wear. I find that it is less of a hassle to put together a dark outfit and easier to find accessories to match. 

 I like this casual button-down dress because Hong Kong is so hot I never want to wear pants/jeans. Yet this is not too formal for a typical day out.

This is the second necklace I bought for $15HKD. I've always had a love for Paris. Maybe because it's the fashion capital of the world. :)

As you can see, I've paired this outfit with two different pairs of shoes.

I like how something as simple as a pair of shoes can change the whole vibe of an outfit. 

Which pair of shoes do you like more? I think both pairs would look great with almost every outfit. I was so excited when I found them. They were only about $10CDN each!! :D

For those of you who have never been to Hong Kong, here's the magnificent night view! Yes, I wore this casual and comfortable outfit but paired it with my favourite lace bolero to make it more feminine and romantic. 

Breath-taking, right? I actually think it's even more beautiful than the New York night view. Have you been to Hong Kong or New York? What do you think? 

laura: typical floral prints

Some people like to plan out their outfits the night before and know what they want to wear the next morning. Other people wake up in the morning and just grab whatever clothing is nearest to them. I fall in the latter category. My usual morning routine for dressing is to randomly pick out a shirt from my closet that I feel like wearing, throw on something over top, pair it with some pants that won't clash, and put on some jewelry. There really is no method to my madness and I like to keep it that way. It keeps things fun and random. 

One typical default type of shirt I throw on is usually something floral-printed. I think every girl looks gorgeous in something floral. =)

I love the cut-out detailing on the back!!! 

floral top - Forever 21

Okay, so what I want to know is, how YOU GIRLS get ready in the morning!

Are you a PRE-PLANNER or GRAB WHATEVER kind of girl?

Also, I'm curious - what's YOUR typical/default outfit?

laura: thrifting once again

I went thrifting with my younger brother again today. It was good ol' sibling fun. We went to this thrift store called the S.P.C.A. Thrift Mart (I'm assuming the proceeds go to the SPCA) and he bought a super awesome vintage metal office chair for $10 while I got this camel-coloured Sanrich tote for $3! =) It's really durable, nice leather and I love the colour!

As for the cardigan, SOMEONE told me that it looked like an APRON, but I like it because it's practical for work too. Besides, I love grandma-esque clothes. 

blue "apron" cardigan - Forever 21

white + navy striped shirt - Zara

leather Sanrich bag - vintage

laura: denim attempt

So I decided to give this denim shirt a chance, even though it's not really my style. This is what I came up with. I paired it with a floral pencil skirt. I think this outfit would look nice with a pair of nude pumps or black suede heeled sandals but alas, I have neither, and I kinda hate wearing heels. They make me feel awkward. So default to my everyday, practical footwear and here I am with my trusty black T-strap flats. Oh and of course, here I am AGAIN with yet ANOTHER bird necklace (tired of my endless collection of bird jewelry yet?)

denim shirt - Walmart

white lace top - Banana Republic outlet

floral pencil skirt - Aritzia

black quilted bag - consignment Front&Co.

jewelry - Forever 21

braided belt - Forever 21

T-strap flats - Urban Outfitters

amanda: casual florals, unique hem

I know I haven't blogged as much as laura but I gotta share with you.. I find it very difficult to get good pictures in Hong Kong. There are people everywhere I go which makes it hard to find a good place to take pictures. I'm staying at a relative's place and they don't even have one plain wall for me to pose against! Hahaha.. so what I've been doing is

whenever I go out with my cousin, I tell her "hurry, hurry, take a picture of me now!" and this is what I get:

My cousin bought me this dress. It's from Japan. It actually comes with a lace top that goes over the dress but I've seen a lot of girls wear the same lace vest lately, so I'm gonna save it for later.

I love that this is just a casual and comfortable floral dress yet it has a really unique handkerchief hem.

I bought this necklace last week for $15HKD (~$2CDN)! 

Those of you who don't know yet because I haven't talked much about it... I'm a fashion design student. So I've always wanted a necklace like this one! Isn't it adorable?

What do you think about this outfit?

laura: another bird necklace!!

I got a new necklace from my friend Angel the other day. I LOVE bird things so this necklace goes perfectly with all my other bird-themed jewelry. UNFORTUNATELY (and this is so sad), I broke it the day after I received it (I tend to do this with 50% of my jewelry). It's quite a delicate necklace and I banged it against a hard surface, so the tail shattered and fell off! I was so sad. I'm going to try and SOLDER it back on, but until then, here are some pretty pictures of the necklace that once was... =(

Pairing the necklace against my Front&Co. bag actually reminds me 

of the Marc Jacobs bag with the two gold birds on it (which I love, but cannot afford). 

But here it is below, in all its expensive, unaffordable splendor. haha.

laura: lazy day

Today is a lazy, uninspired day. I wear this thrifted cardigan a lot just because it's baggy, cozy, comfortable, and warm. Also, I like how it's a deep foresty green but it's got hints of dark grey in the wool threads. I kinda like how the polka dot shirt goes with the zebra print shoes though. I like mixing prints together.

green cardigan and polka dot shirt - vintage

bag - consignment from Front&Co.

grey jeans - Sirens

necklace and neon coral nail polish - Forever21

zebra shoes which have served me well - Aldo

Random Outfit Facts:

1) The necklace is actually a black and silver bird but I like to reverse it sometimes 

and wear it backwards because I like the gold side.

2) I like to wear cheap jeans. These ones were $15. I find they fit me better. 

That and I HATE jeans shopping because I'm usually too lazy to try them on.

3) I like that the necklace and bag add subtle gold details to the whole outfit.

4) This grandma cardigan was HUGE before (XL), but it was 100% wool so I knew it would shrink. 

I bought it, put it in the dryer, and it came out my size. =) and that my friends, is how you improvise.

amanda: washed out denim

Friends who shop with me know that I love smocking and an empire waist silhouette. Washed out denim is definitely a popular trend this summer.

Pair it with a darker denim, some lace, and some wedge sandals and you'll have a cute outfit
to go enjoy a hot summer day! :)

washed out denim tank: H&M

crossbody bag: Free People

lace bolero + wedge sandals: Hong Kong

Have you bought any washed out denim pieces this summer?

laura: the ugly shirt

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned how I found this shirt at a thrift store downtown, and my brother thought it was hideous. I was just strangely attracted to it though. Maybe it's because I think it's hilarious that a random leopard with red jewel eyes and crazy gold whiskers is sitting calmly perched on the hood of a car, and that this whole scene is depicted on a t-shirt. At any rate, I wore it today, it matched my wild unkempt hair, it was comfortable, and that's all that matters. =)

lauramanda: work and play all day

A black, high-waisted pencil skirt is a versatile piece of clothing that can be dressed up or down. 

Here's how we styled ours:

The "I work a 9-5 job" Look

If you work at a place where you can dress up a little, you can try this look that Laura is wearing. At work, you probably don't want to show a lot of LEG or attract too much attention with a tight, clingy skirt so covering up with a longer cardigan will keep it classy. Also, since the skirt is more "hip-hugging", contrast it with a looser, flowy top like this pale pink ruffle tank. Of course, if you actually want to be taken seriously as a working professional, you can substitute the flowy top for a collared shirt (boring!) and add a pair of stockings.

The "I party from 9-5(AM!)" Look

Okay, so this isn't exactly a hardcore "party" look but it is perfect for a much-needed, after-work gathering with the girls!  This shorter pencil skirt looks great with a fun pair of heels like these patterned, floral ones. Try wearing an edgier statement necklace and add delicate details like Amanda's short-sleeved lace jacket. Even though this look is in classic monochromatic tones, it is definitely kept interesting with the unique necklace and shoes!

Here's a close-up of the lace details and one-of-a-kind necklace...

...and those FABULOUS SHOES!!!

We hope we've inspired you to try out different ways of wearing a pencil skirt, 

whether you're at work or at play. 

We'd LOVE to know: 

How would YOU style a black pencil skirt?

laura: hey kroshayyyyy

I woke up this morning and saw Amanda's lovely post on crochet and promptly decided I needed to put on something crochet-ish. I feel like the word crochet would be cooler if it was spelled KROSHAY. I mean, how would you pronounce the word "crochet" if you just sounded it out in English? CROTCH-IT.  Am I right? Anyway, total random aside.

Currently, I'm liking the look of crochet shorts, like these ones I found randomly on Google. 

You can buy them here.

 But since I'm on a self-inflicted shopping ban, I decided to bust out my "crochet" vest. 

I'm working with what I've got. =)

My hair is so messy. I am contemplating getting a haircut. Long hair is just so hard to maintain (maybe if I started brushing it once in awhile...). Usually I end up cutting it myself in a spur of the moment urge. We'll see what happens.

leafy-printed dress, brown leather bag and belt - vintage

crochet vest - Ross (from Portland!) 

hat - random stall in the middle of Landsdowne Mall 

leaf ring - Aldo (a gift from someone who has good taste!) haha

Random outfit facts:

1) The dress is vintage but I think the tag says JACOB. It's weird because I don't see this as a very "Jacob" dress. Maybe it's just me.

2) The hat was bought from an Asian lady at a shady stall selling those full-faced black solar visors that make you look like Darth Vader. At these types of places, they never have price tags on anything. I'm not good at bargaining but she gave the hat to me for $4. I like it, except all the pearls in the middle of the flowers fell off right when I got home.

Okay, now tell me, what kind of shoes would you wear with this outfit? Talk to me, people =) 

amanda: crochet fever

Like laura said, I'm on vacation in Hong Kong. For the past few days, I've been working in retail at my cousin's shop. When there are no customers, I see what I can find to share with you all. 

Amanda is diagnosed with crochet fever...

 

 Isn't the detail in the back a pleasant surprise? :)

If you are ever visiting hong kong, come check out my cousin's store.

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