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)

Who's The Best Copy Cat?

It's always fun to see how quick fashion brands such as Zara, Topshop, Forever 21, Nastygal and many more are "inspired" by runway collections. They tend to make styles more wearable, but sometimes go to the extreme of being straight copy cats.

Here are some comparisons between the runway original and main street copy. What do you think? Who do you think is the best copy cat?

1 - Mother of Pearl vs. Topshop

2 - Rag & Bone vs. Nastygal

3 - Alexander Wang vs. ASOS

4 - Chanel vs. Pixie Market

5 - Tom Ford vs. Zara

6 - Marc Jacobs vs. Zara

7 - Celine vs. Zara

Spring 2014 Trend (6): Sheer

Floaty and airy, sheer inserts/sleeves/skirts are everywhere. From Fendi, Dolce Gabbana to Burberry Prorsum, designers dared to bare. Being it sporty mesh or ethereal  lace, it can add a dose of sex appeal to an otherwise demure look or simply lend some lightness to the overall feel. Transparency is a must for this spring's wardrobe. Even T-shirts, cropped tops, and baggy sweaters have adopted mesh or fishnet inserts to add a touch of sexiness.

We all know that it's always more elegant to leave a little to the imagination. A furtively revealing suggestion of skin is much more sartorially liberating than baring all. The most sophisticated take on the sheer trend is showing a little skin with peekaboo panels and translucent fabrics.

For everyday wear, I prefer a more conservative take on the sheer trend. I like skirts called "leg veils" (Tibi, French Connection, ASOS, Zara, another Zara), tops with mesh or lace sleeves (Anthropologie, Zara, another Zara), and dresses with strategic sheer inserts (Anthropologie, Free People, another Free People). Transparent blouses (Zara, Joie, Free People) are also on my list, but I will wear them with a cami underneath. I'll leave bold pieces (like this) at the beach or pool side.

How are you going to embrace this sheet adventure?

Photo credit: Fabsugar, Cosmogirl, style, Vogue

Spring 2014 Trend (3): Cropped Top

短上衣今春继续流行，该减肥的减肥，不要错过啦！虽然短上衣有点装嫩的嫌疑，成熟女性还是可以把它穿得很风情很优美的，关键是搭配高腰裙或高腰裤，只露一点点小蛮腰。

Need yet another reason to lose that last ounce of undesirable fat on your belly? Cropped tops have been seen everywhere in the 2014 S/S fashion shows, including main street brands such as Tibi and Tracy Reese. Now it's on the shelf of Nasty Gal, Urban Outfitters, Zara, American Apparel, Express, Bebe, Free People, and many more . Are you ready?

Worried that you will look way too teeny? The secret of creating a polished look is revealing just a sliver of skin. Pair it with high-waisted skirts or pants. Need inspiration? See how others wear it and look like a woman...

Photo credit: Style, Vogue, Street Peeper, NY Mag, FashionVibe, Atlantic Pacific, Sea Of Shoes, Garance Doré, Le 21ème, Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia It, Dans Vogue, Bisous Natasha, Wayne Tippets, The Front Row View, & Fab Sugar

Spring 2014 Trend (1): Sporty Chic

2014年春季流行什么呢？随便写点吧。其实大部分都是去年春季的延续。。。:)

今春运动风继续流行，随着大众品牌的全面加入，今春会比去年更盛。运动风需要将女性的妩媚和酷劲糅合在一起，关键是怎么混搭：不要全身运动服运动鞋，那样的搭配过时了，需要一两个简单的运动元素（比如数字大T恤，运动外套，运动卫衣，运动长裤）搭配女性元素（比如高跟鞋，裙子）；棒球帽+运动衣+运动鞋的搭配就没多大意思了哦。下面有不少可以借鉴的图片。文章结尾有不少大众品牌推出的运动元素单品。

The Sporty Chic look has been brewing since last spring, and will take a full blossom in 2014. It is designed to mix femininity with street glam to create a downtown cool girl style. Add a baseball cap, number tee, bomber jacket, sweatshirt or a pair of track pants in your outfit to get this look. Make sure to keep things simple and focused. Mix-n-match is the key: mix some feminine pieces (e.g. skirts, heels) unless you want to look as if you are indeed heading towards a basketball court.

Finally, don't under-estimate the powder of Athletic Striped Pants! They have been everywhere! Last year, stripes or panels, whatever name you call it, updated almost all tuxedo pants and added sporty fun to this formal classic. This year I've seen them on denim, leather, Khaki and many more. Check out Wendy's latest outfit. Even a lady like Wendy cannot resist leather panel pants... :)

Think that's too funky and not main street fashion? Look at the list below. Do you still think so?……* _^

JCrew Cotton Twill Embroidered Crest Baseball Cap

JCrew Linen Baseball Tee in Color Block

JCrew Linen Baseball Tee in L'Amour Triomphe

JCrew Linen Baseball Tee in Ca Va

Free People Colorblock Bomber

Free People Hickory Track Pant

Club Monaco Vienna Bomber

Club Monaco Jonie Dot Bomber Jacket

Club Monaco Jonie Bomber Jacket

Zara Trouser Pant Suit with Lace

Zara Grey Velour Trousers

Zara Jogging Pants with Zips

Zara Combination Trousers with Cuffed Hem

Rag & Bone Aviator Bomber