toughen up

As I write this, I simultaneously reminisce on Saturday and how great it was, as well as slowly die over my mountain of homework (no matter how hard I try, I just can't get myself to start working on my Chem lab). Yesterday I went to go see a brief NYU info session downtown with my friend (it doesn't hurt to think about the future, though I tend to do that too often), and then quickly shot pics before she had to go study. I met up with my other friend after, to visit a friend working at McDonald's, and then grab some bubble tea. Aah, procrastination.

I have worn my leather jacket for three days straight now, and I have no regrets. I wanted to dress polished but not too done up for a day Downtown, so I started with my white collared shirt that I haven't worn in ages. I tucked it into a simple pair of skinny jeans, and went with my classic ankle boots. Lastly, I had to wear the jacket again, to give the look the edge it needed.

The studs on the shirt are just oh-so adorable! I first bought this shirt for a Halloween costume to look like a vintage girl, but this just ended up being a part of my regular wardrobe. I just can't get enough of Peter Pan collars.

Wow leather! Badly painted nails! Frizzy hair! Much wow!

I just realized how blue my jeans look in this picture. Oh my.

Ankle boots will be the death of my feet. I'm perfectly okay with that.

OUTFIT INFO: 

Collared shirt: Topshop (similar) (similar)
Leather jacket: Topshop (x)
Jeans: American Eagle (x)
Shoes: Topshop (x)

one for the road

It's official: American Horror Story: Freakshow is only one episode in and I am in love. Other than obsessing over the show, or just being plain moody and tired (yes, I'm sadly that person), I spent the day looking forward to the theatre crit show that I was going to watch that night. It was Avenue Q, and my god, let me say that it was... unforgettable. Hilarious, extremely crude, and very lively (unlike my outfit).

 It's safe to say that American Horror Story has heavily influenced my style. Even though Coven was not my favourite season plot-wise, style-wise it was. Feeling a little bleak, I decided to go for a monochrome/ mostly-black look. I started with my black maxi skirt, and decided to toughen it up with a leather jacket and ankle boots. To make the look a little lighter, I wore a white t-shirt, and layered some necklaces. Damn, I wish I was the Supreme.

My latest obsession with all-black looks is to take pictures with them with my hair all to one side. I think it's because part of me has always wanted to have a half-shaved head, but then again my hair looks like ramen and Skrillex, so....

Awkward necklace tucked in my shirt, oops.

I got this leather jacket on sale during Boxing Day, I can't remember if I mentioned that. Leather + pleating + detachable fur collar = instant purchase.

My go-to jewelry thing is layering two necklaces. It's so subtle yet adds just the right amount of umph to an outfit. Crystal necklaces go with everything, and you can never go wrong with a necklace of the first letter of your name.

OUTFIT INFO: 

Leather jacket: Topshop (x)
White t-shirt: Topshop (x)
M necklace: Topshop
Crystal necklace: Urban Outfitters (x)
Black maxi skirt: Brandy Melville (x)
Ankle boots: Topshop (x)

smiles for miles

I bring good news: I finally got my own camera! Fun fact: up until now, I have actually been using other people's cameras for all the pictures on my blog. To say that it was a hassle having to constantly find someone to take a picture and a camera, is an understatement. But a hassle no more! I now have my own camera! As to when I'll be able to fully understand how to use it, that's a whole different story. Anyways, I had a late lunch, or afternoon snack as some might say, with my parents at a cute cafe near West 7th, called Moii Cafe (I think). After we finished our amazing crepes, we basically went all over town, to a Best Buy and a Sony store, to search for the camera that my dad wanted. Finally, we found the camera at Metrotown, and headed home, where I met up with my friend, Grace, who luckily for me, was off her volunteer early, so she could take pics. Later, we were joined with two other friends, and even after Grace left, we all did what we do best: eat, sleep, gossip, and internet. We did all those exciting things until about 7-7:30, and with the extra time (I was surprisingly ahead of schedule with blog posts), I had the chance to watch two Sherlock episodes tonight. I can already feel how sad and anxious I'm going to be once I'm caught up.

I feel like every person has a wardrobe item (or two or three) that is often a conversation piece for them. For example, perhaps you have a stand-out sweater, filled with wacky designs, that can't help but attract strangers and their compliments. These shorts are one of my conversation pieces. Almost every time that I've worn these shorts, I've gotten asked where I got them, and like I mentioned in a previous blog post (although that one was about my bag), at least 3/4 of the time, I had to say, the awkward, "A store with no name." Thankfully, like I mentioned, they have a name now, but these shorts still bring back the memories of that worker at Lush's face when I told him the no-name thing (disbelief? In a not-so-good way? I think that's the best way to put it). Anyways, I paired it with a black shirt, since the shorts are already a stand-out piece on it's own, and put on a statement necklace, so the top wouldn't be so boring. I grabbed a flannel, since I knew it would be cold, and it added a grunge appeal. I decided then, that I would just add to the grunge look with my sunglasses and cutout boots. Comfy and cute, I like it.

 Fun fact: I had a pair of sunglasses that looked just like these that I got from Aldo before the summer started, I broke them in my bag halfway through summer, and words couldn't describe how sad I was. And how much I had to squint during those hard times.

Close-up of the smiley shorts! They're just like the Bart Simpson shorts that circulated the Internet, I think about two years ago, but a tad different (obviously).

OUTFIT INFO: 

Plaid: TNA/ Aritzia (similar)

Shirt: Oak + Fort 
Necklace: Topshop
Shorts: 8th and Main
Bracelet: Brandy Melville (similar)
Watch: American Apparel
Shoes: Topshop (similar)

save rock and roll

There is something really fun about dressing up and getting ready to look like a total badass. I don't know what it is, but a basic black leather jacket has the power to turn just about anyone from another, average Plain Jane into the leader of a 50's biker gang. Even though I didn't exactly have the most exciting of plans, I decided that while I'm celebrating much-needed Me Time, I might as well go all out and have fun with it. I spent the first half of the afternoon alone, going to a cafe (of course) to enjoy some alone time, editing blog posts, eating donuts, and drinking coffee. I returned back to my house to meet up with friends to do a bit more blog editing (I have a tumblr now, if you haven't checked that out!), but mostly just... relaxing. There's not really much that we do. Thankfully, it's still bright and warm in Vancouver so ending the day off with an evening stroll is still a perfectly normal thing to do and I don't have to worry about being kidnapped on the way home. But maybe my leather jacket will protect me from the bad guys. 

I'm a big believer of not picking out my outfits until the very last minute, and often times I'll just choose one item that I really want to wear and centre my whole outfit around it. Obviously, yesterday was the leather jacket. Words could not explain how happy I was when I found it that the weather was breezy enough for me to get away with a leather jacket in the morning (of course, later on it became extremely hot but we can ignore that). I'm also really obsessed with layering any and all of my tank tops with my black bralette as I find that the hint of black peeking out under the shirt makes the outfit a lot more interesting. Of course, one can never really go wrong with jeans and a good pair of boots, so I wore my favourite skinnies and my ankle booties (get used to seeing multiple posts with those boots on, I seriously live in them). To finish off the outfit, I had to put on a dark red lip, and while I don't usually wear my glasses all day, I was kind of in an Alex Vause mood so I decided why the heck not. 

Here's a close-up of my shirt and the necklace I wear quite often. I'm in love with the people on the shirt, I don't know about you, but to me they kind of remind me of a modern-day Ramones pair. There's something so 70's punk and British about it, I'm hooked.

During Boxing Day of last year I was in desperate need of a new leather jacket. The old one I had was a couple years old and had a heart-shaped zipper. Yeah, no. As soon as I saw this one at Topshop, it was love at first sight. It: a) had pleating on the sleeves (a huge trend I was, and still am into), b) Came with detachable fur (perfect for the colder months), and c) It was on sale. Needless to say, the jacket and I were meant to be. 

I'm trying to incorporate a little bit more of my day into my posts, so here's a typical picture of my cute coffee and partially eaten donut, as well as my laptop that I took at the cafe during my Me Time. PS, I posted this picture on my twitter yesterday, link to it is on the side (@maikasetiawan). Yay for shameless promotions. 

OUTFIT INFO: 

Jacket: Topshop

Tank Top: Topshop

Bralette: Brandy Melville

Jeans: American Eagle

Necklace: Urban Outfitters

Rings: Topshop

Shoes: Topshop