Only the Marvelous: preppy

Showing posts with label preppy. Show all posts

Dec 18, 2014

Anchor Yourself To Something Special

Everything changed the day she figured out that there was exactly enough time for the important things in her life.

I have been on this one woman mission of reinvention ever since the middle of the year, when I woke up and realized that somehow... my life didn't make sense to me the way I needed it to. I had matching tattoos done on the left side of my ribcage with my sister Katie with the word 'evolve' and it is the single one tattoo I don't think I will ever regret because I consider myself forever changing and evolving into more of me. It is very easy to get brainwashed by the standard set for me by the society but somehow I managed to break free... (Cue in this year's very meaningful Halloween costume) There are exactly 17 days left in this year's calendar. I am thankful. I found myself this year... not realizing how lost I was. Currently, I find myself so free that even if someone put me in cuffs, I'd still feel my freedom. I find comfort in being comforting. I think at one point, I got lost in the trend of keeping up with the trends until one day, I decided that I was the trend and that I should only be keeping up with was myself. The past years, I think I have been laying my foundation on something weak and shaky... like relationships and other people but I think I have somehow transitioned. Another meaningful tattoo that I got was behind my left ear and it is an anchor which is of significance for two reasons: (1) since my initials "JL" put together resemble an anchor so much, it might as well be my own sigil and (2) because despite how many reasons are thrown at me, I refuse to sink. Life's toughest storms the strength of our anchors... and I think mine has proven to be tough enough as it has been put to the test so many times.

Habits (I've been around and I've seen it all)

Autumn is here and that means that 'tis the time of the year again I can experiment with rich fabrics such as jacquard, velvet and for this day- my personal choice- brocade. I always found richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics laced with metallic gold absolutely elegant and glamorous and if anything, it spells one thing: royalty. Okay, so I will never be royal... even if some of my readers and followers call me Queen but I sure as hell can dress as one and that was exactly what I did when I chose this ensemble for a very important lunch where I was to present achievements of our foundation and orient my two sisters who are based abroad all about it. When I wore this outfit, I felt quite pleased with myself... Although when my sisters and staff saw me, they had one name in mind: Blair Waldorf. The irony of it all.

So Adorably Clueless

Growing up, one of the most iconic movies I watched was Clueless. I read Jane Austen's Emma as a child and loved that Clueless was basically a modern day adaptation of that. It was the '90s version of Mean Girls and for nineties child, it was the movie to watch. I was so obsessed with it that I memorized the entire script from beginning to end. It was one of those "coming of age movies" that made 95% of the teenybopper girl relate to it. I mean, who could forget Cher Horowitz going, "As if!" and then copying it down to the very accent. So since it is Thursday and a big thing on Thursdays are Throw Backs- here's my version of one. I am in an outfit that is an ode and tribute to Cher's first look from the movie but this time, in pink because I didn't want to be costumey. (Exhibit A: Iggy Azalea in her Fancy music video already got it down to a tee). Well aside from being fancy (and you already knowing it,) I also have to go to work and while I did get the "why is your skirt too short?" comment from my dad which I was able to justify like Cher many times in the movie starting off with, "Daddy..." I am also quite proud of coming up with the ensemble as I always wanted to wear something like this. I mean, who wouldn't?

Express Yourself

The Best Theory

BACK TO COOL?
(Sweater: Zara | White crisp shirt: Tyler | Velvet Ribbon (used as tie): DIY | Socks: Marks & Spencer | Shoes: Nine West | Purse: LV Murakami Rita)

Everyone's gone back to school back here. Yes, along with the monsoon and tropical storms, students are trading in their swimsuit for school uniforms and their beach gear for books. I decided to be more "in theme" with the maddening crowd and dress appropriately for the mad season, in an absolutely preppy chic look which was quite so easy to pull off, considering this was one of my "lazy day" looks.

The basics of a preppy/geek chic outfit is a academic themed sweater (note the matching embroidered insignia) layered over a crisp button down top and a velvet ribbon which I personally created from a bunch of ribbons I own from my collection. Accented with some red bows and then added on a pair of socks + Mary Jane shoes (note the 2-inch minimum heel length)... very school appropriate, even the principal would approve.