Chunky Blanket Cardigan

Last time, we reviewed the big chunky knit trend of fall/winter 2014. In particular, cardigans are widely used as a soft cozy substitute of over coats for a more laid-back look. I got this Vince piece last winter, but I'm sure you will find many options in the market this season. For the chicest style, stay neutral with colors and go fancy with knit work. Chunky knit and blanket / bathrobe style are the two main elements that will shine throughout this winter.

BTW Shopbop is running its friends & family event with code FAMILY25. Many of the cardigans I listed below are included!

Long sleeved tee: Anthropologie

Cable knit cardigan: Vince (similar, also like this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this)  

Leggings: Club Monaco Rochelle Faux-Leather Legging 

Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Scarf: Abercrombie & Fitch

Boots: DV by Dolce Vita Malika Boots

White Collar

The more fashion blogs I read, the more convinced I am that fashion does not belong to us white collars. To be fashionable, you have to either dress up as if you were walking down the red carpet or dress down as if you had just stepped out of a homeless shelter. Office is where you find the mediocre: neat hair, light makeup, minimum accessories, and above all, suit, suit, suit! How could this be inspiring? Being professional equates to being lackluster.

All right. I've accepted it long time ago that a proper office outfit is the one that does not outshine your brain. But that doesn't mean that others can't even tell whether you've changed into a new outfit or not. We may not have many options on the silhouette, but still have more or less room playing with colors, patterns and details.

That is why I got this Karl Lagerfeld stretchy blazer. The white stripes on the shoulders and collar add a New England preppy touch to the outfit, and the stretchy material creates a slim polished silhouette. If paired with its matching pants (shown in this outfit), it looks even more sporty and energetic. Here I styled it with a stretchy pencil skirt for a more office appropriate look.

Jacket: Karl Lagerfeld April stretch cotton-blend blazer (review here)

Tee: Abercrombie & Fitch

Skirt: Privee (also seen in this outfit)

Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Purse: Louis Vuitton Damier Hampstead PM

Lululemon Tanktop

For New Yorkers, Labor Day equates to US Open. There is no better way to kick off a long weekend than a festive world-class sport event. I'm not a tennis fan, but the game, the crowd, the drinking and lounging always draws me back to this stadium. US Open is one of the best organized events I've ever been to. All booths and bars are well staffed, and I can always get my drink or food in minutes.

Sporty chic is always welcome on a day like this. I don't work out in Lululemon, being afraid that those cute cutouts may get caught somewhere and cause accident. That's said, Lulu style is really cute. Weekends and sports occasions are where it really belongs to.

Top: Lululemon
Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch
Purse: Chanel Le Boy medium
Boots: DV by Dolce Vita Malika Boots
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Ex Boyfriend?

We all know the so-called "boyfriend shirts" or "boyfriend jeans". These oversized pieces usually create a slouchy laid-back look. Now Madewell offers "ex boyfriend shirts", and I got one out of curiosity. Honestly I didn't see much difference between boyfriend and ex-boyfriend. This is also an oversized shirt. Anyway I like its color and soft material. Also, this shirt does not have the usual peek-a-boo problem in the chest area, which is a big plus for me... :)

Have a good weekend!

Embellished tank top: JCrew
Plaid shirt: Madewell Ex-boyfriend Shirt in persimmon plaid (also available in porch plaid and indigo weave)
Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength in black
Sandals: Birkenstock Curacao by Birki in black stretch cork (also available in rainbow stripes)
Purse: Louis Vuitton Damier Hampstead PM

Hippie or Preppy?

Dude, Brazil's catastrophic defeat in the semi-final left me with a blank brain. I'm still trying to recover from the concussion... So this is gonna be a super short post.

OK -- an outfit over the long weekend. I was trying to include this Birkenstock in my casual playbook. I think those hippie babies make the look less preppy and more relaxed. Somehow I like the way these two styles blend... What do you think?

Top: Peter Pilotto for Target (also seen in this outfit)
Denim shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch
Sunglasses: Miu Miu Cat Eye (also seen in this post, new with cute embellishment, more colors, summer glitters)
Purse: Chanel Le Boy
Sandals:  Birkenstock Curacao by Birki in black stretch cork (also available in rainbow stripes)

Birkenstock Curacao By Birki

Did I swear that I will never buy Birkenstock? Yes, I did. Back in February when I was tortured by plantar fasciitis, I wrote: "If I were given two options, walking happily in a pair of bulky Birkenstock or sitting in a wheelchair in a pair of Blahnik, I would jump to the second without blinking my eyes. In fact, I don't believe I would ever walk "happily" in that chunk of ultra ugliness. " Hmmm, we were told "never say never", and there is a, if not quite a few, reason(s) for that.

First of all, those Birkenstock babies are white hot this summer. You basically cannot shun from them if you follow fashion bloggers and Instagramers. But, that's not the reason that I got mine. I simply didn't see Birkenstock fit into my fashion style.

It is my Central Europe trip that changed my mind. I brought two pairs of sneakers on the trip, Converse and New balance. No heels. I'm a minimalist when it comes to packing and travelling. Dragging along 8 pairs of shoes or 10 handbags would drive me nuts. Two pairs of sneakers and two Longchamp nylon bags (in medium and large, respectively) were more than enough. One would imagine that sneakers are good enough for extensive walking, right? No, not for those with foot injury. I had long thought that I was over plantar fasciitis since it had not bother me for quite a while, not even after my half marathon race. The bloody truth is: it is still there, like a monster lurking in the darkness and waiting for its time. In the last a couple of days of my two-week trip, my injured left foot started to hurt, and the condition only got worse with time, given that I didn't bring any treatment with me. The condition worsened after I ran a 5k race in mid June.

So now I need a pair of supporting footwear to deal with this damned PF again.

Birkenstock is made for this purpose. The famous cork footbed contours to your foot and supports the arch exactly where it is needed. After biting my fingers for two weeks, I finally decided to get a relatively sleek style -- Curacao by Birki. Unlike the more classic Arizona, Curacao features elastic stripes with no buckles, very much in line with my minimalist taste. Honestly, when I received the shoes from Zappos, they didn't look that enticing in the box. But as I put them on, my feet fell in love immediately. Plus, Curacao looks way better than those boots I got in winter. I can make it work in my casual lookbook. Most importantly, my left foot needs it. If you are suffering from PF, maybe your foot needs it too. And, it's unisex. :)

Here is how they look on me. Click for large pictures.

你是我的小呀小苹果。。。

Tee: Zara
Denim skirt: Abercrombie & Fitch (also seen in this post)
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength in black
Sandals: Birkenstock Curacao by Birki in black stretch cork (also available in rainbow stripes)

Sport Your Sports Bra

Sports bras are not just for gym work. I find them very useful when I wear a loose casual top that needs a pop of color. Coming back from vacation and getting caught in the first heat wave of the big apple, I love this crochet back tank top (with an artistic wolf print!) that gives me extra breeze as I move. What to wear underneath? A bright color sports bra solves the headache. No need to waste your money on expensive fancy designer bras... :)

Top: Free People
Denim skirt: Abercrombie & Fitch (also seen in this outfit)
Sports bra: GapFit racerback pullover bra (40% off with code SUNNY until 6/10)
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength
Yellow studded leather sandals: Burberry (also in black, similar #1, #2, #3)

Out And About

周末天气好得不象话，周六在外面不知不觉晃荡了一天，只觉春日苦短。

先是去看了一个位于west village的art fair。有趣的是，某人连颜色都看不准，却最爱看art fair。我就不一定喜欢了。有的art fair一半是卖小吃的摊点，有点挂羊头卖狗肉的嫌疑。而这次的art fair是正经的art & craft为主，规模很大，占了好几条街道，枝枝蔓蔓的看都看不完。除了绘画 手工艺 首饰 帽子这些常见的东西以外，还有live music，让人看得很高兴，想来我最喜欢的还是人和人类活动，没有什么比live performance更让我觉得有趣的了。美中不足是人实在太多了。天气一回暖，纽约人民就跟冬眠醒来的动物一样，呼啦一下全都涌进了曼哈顿街头，赶上不冷不热的大晴天，城里简直人满为患。窃以为应该在周末限制进城人数，实行单双号制，单日只能出生日为单号的人进城，双日只能出生日为双号的人进城，以显摆咱岛民的优越性，justify半岛恶贵房租的合理性，哈哈！玩笑归玩笑，我还是挺enjoy的。可惜来之前先喝了几杯啤酒，走着走着就急着要放水。好不容易某人找到了他喜欢的那个女画家，挑了一幅画，我们就急匆匆地离开人群去找地方放水了。话说那个女画家吧，画得也不是不好，可是看了几次，我也看腻味了。难得的是某人对她一往情深，每次art fair都去掏钱买副小画，真是个坚定不移的好孩子，跟我的喜新厌旧正成对比，想当初还是我看了喜欢推荐给他看的呢。

放水以后就直奔mid town。我心思不在art fair的另一个原因就是。。。Chanel的fall/winter collection上市了！谁说我不喜欢art了？Chanel就是我喜欢的art。。。之一。。。一进门就被这个embossed Le Boy森森的吸引住了。美不美？美不美？这一季的黑色是pearl black，不是纯黑(jet black)，稍微有点发蓝 ，非常好看。做旧的银链，立体雕花的外表，看起来非常古朴高贵。常见的棱格Le Boy大多是小羊皮的，这个则是calf skin，牛皮比较耐磨，这会是个很好的vintage piece，会age well，不光给现在的苏大妈用，还可以给未来的苏婆婆用，甚至留给小小苏。而且这个new medium size也比常见的medium size要高一些，能装更多的东西，所以这个包比常见的medium Le Boy要更适合日常生活。我纠结！为什么呢？一来是我个子小，这个包背起来有点点大，二来这么精细的花纹平时背似乎有点太过火了。店里只看到new medium和mini两个大小的，一个太大，一个又太小。问某人意见，他说：“你再过10年再背这么装饰性的包也许更合适。” 哦，这是夸我年轻还是损我气质不够sophisticated呢？你瞧这人，说个no都说得这么有水平，真讨厌！不管他是什么意思吧，我恋恋不舍的把包放下了。。。哎，拜托哪位好心的姑娘去把它收了吧！都卖光了，我也就不惦记了，不然总是心心念念的。

最后上个逛街的行头。别看我成天写fashion blog，其实我有时候也对自己的眼光有疑惑的，尤其看见我兴高采烈的买了东西却发现后来打折打到尘土里都卖不出去的时候。是不是我的眼光太奇怪了呢？比如这件baseball tee，我买了有两三个月了，也穿过好几次了，现在居然还有卖的。。。Anyway，我周六又穿它了，配了条好老的AF牛仔裙。因为要走路，就穿了一双New Balance WR10，这可不是他家跟fashion brands合作的发骚时尚运动鞋，是正经用来跑步的。以前我也说过自己是New Balance的大粉。前几个月跑步比较多，屯了不少他家的跑步鞋，不光是因为好穿，也是因为好看，不跑步的话，穿着逛街也挺美的。比如这双WR10，前后根落差只有4毫米，非常轻，而且鞋里面是柔软的布，光脚穿也跟穿袜子一样舒服。虽然简约鞋的风头在跑友中慢慢衰落了，而我在PF以后也不太敢穿简约鞋跑步，这鞋穿着逛街真是好极了。

Tee: JCrew Linen Baseball Tee in Lovebirds
Denim shirt: Abercrombie & Fitch
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength in black
Purse: Chanel 2.55 Reissue
Sneakers: New Balance WR10v2 in Red/Orange (here, here, here, here)

Summer Rose Garden

On an 80F weekend afternoon, nothing feels better than a breezy silk floral print blouse. It's all about free spirit. Fashion comes and go; romantic floral print always stays. I bought this Rebecca Taylor rose garden blouse years ago, and still like its retro chic prints and soft texture. And the peach color looks just perfect for this season.

Paired it with denim shorts and boots, to balance out the girlieness of the top. Besides, boots would keep my feet dry in an afternoon thunderstorm. :)  

Top: Rebecca Taylor Rose Garden Blouse (also like this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this)
Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch
Necklace: Fluttered Brass Necklace by Made from Anthropologie
Boots: DV by Dolce Vita Malika Boots

Dual Personality Double Cool

I know the title may sound a bit arrogant, but that's just an accurate expression of my zest of playing with different texture and color combos! Bored with my office ladylike attire, I always want to have some fashionista fun over weekends. :)

This Club Monaco Rochelle Faux-Leather Legging is exactly what I was looking for. Edgy and unexpected, it adds cool attitude to any outfit one could imagine. Compared to the Club Monaco Carolina Skinny Waxed Pant I wore last week, it feels less tight and more stretchy on the body.  The material was thick enough to keep me warm over this brutal windy weekend. It is on sale both online and in store, and the discount in store is just UNBELIEVABLE! Mark my words and check it out!

I bought this Laveer Revelry Camo Blazer from Barney's in winter. I like its wool-cashmere blend, sleek cut and camo print sleeves. Unfortunately it seems sold out everywhere. If you like the unexpected marriage between camo print and classic blazer, you may want to try this Laveer Revelry Camo and Herringbone Blazer. Besides, I'm biting my fingers on this Laveer blazer with a cool military touch! If only I had a bigger closet... :) Anyway, I'm glad that I've discovered Laveer Revelry blazer. I'll keep an eye on this brand in the future and have high expectation on its fun variations.

And I got this pair of Stella McCartney Faux Suede Leopard-Print Wedge Sneakers in hunter green in 2012, I believe. Still in love with its quirkiness. The wedge is high, but comfortable enough for walking.

The striped tee is from Abercrombie & Fitch -- who says adults should avoid Abercrombie? Give me a reason please. All I know is that some of their classic basics are well made, of decent quality, and dirty cheap when they are on sale. Those (clueless) fashion police should just shut up and mind their own unbelievably superficial brand-conscious business. I will keep getting my basics and lounge wear from wherever I prefer and make sense out of my hard-earned money. :)

Striped long sleeved tee: Abercrombie & Fitch
Camo-sleeved blazer: Laveer Revelry Camo Blazer
Black leggings: Club Monaco Rochelle Faux-Leather Legging
Wedge sneakers: Stella McCartney Faux Suede Leopard-Print Wedge Sneakers