Stripes, Polka Dots, Pleats and Sheer

Mixing patterns and textures is always fun. When you have too many elements in an outfit, staying with a monochrome color scheme tends to be a safe bet.

Top: JCrew
Skirt: Club Monaco
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength
Necklace: JCrew
Watch: Daniel Wellington classic St. Andrew Lady in rose gold
Sandals: Marc Jacobs

Chicwish: A Not So Romantic Experience

I follow quite a few fashion bloggers, but I rarely go with their recommendations. Inspiration is good; copy cat is no fun. More importantly, my training and experience as a finance professional make me extra aware of conflict of interest. If a fashion blogger profits from her follower's purchase, chances are she is willing to compromise her integrity to collect every penny. Photogenic items may turn out to have crappy quality, the blogger may use hidden pins to fix the goofy fit, the photographer may shoot from a specific angle to make the picture look nice, and there may be many other details not disclosed even in the fine print. After all, blogging is a grey area that is not regulated.

That said, once in a blue moon, I do fall to my knees at the beauty of those carefully edited pictures and take the bait.

Chicwish is a brand that has apparently launched a marketing campaign through collaboration with many fashion bloggers recently. Their midi skirts in dreamy prints wowed me with every picture. After months of resistance, I decided to give it a try. As this was the first time I purchased from this brand, I did consider two important questions: 1) what is the shipping/return policy? 2) what is my size?

Chicwish offers free shipping, but the customer has to pay the return shipping label. The "About Us" page states that, although their headquarter is in Hong Kong, they do have an office in California. The address of this California office is shown at the bottom of every single page (CHICWISH STUDIO, 612 Alabama street, San Francisco CA 94110, United States). OK, shipping back to California is no biggie. $11 flat rate priority mail would be the maximum shipping I have to pay. I was fine with that. So I ordered midi skirts in two prints. I like this Turn Back Time Scenic print so much that I ordered both XS and S (because some online review suggests sizing up), just to make sure that I got the right size.

Two weeks later, I received nothing.

I contacted Chicwish through their website. They apologized for the delay and promised that the package was on the way.

Another week passed, and I finally got the package. The shipping label said it was originated from China. My heart sank.

I opened the package. Three skirts of two prints and two sizes were all wrinkled from the packaging and shipping, but the prints were as beautiful as what I'd seen online. The fabric was not the best, but did maintain its puffy retro shape as desired. Size XS and S were not that different, although size XS did fit me better than S.

So now I needed to return one of the two Turn Back Time Scenic Print Midi Skirts to Chicwish.

The invoice had the return address. It was not in California, not even in Hong Kong. It was in Shenzhen, China. And the invoice stated very clearly that all returns must go to China.

Did I want to pay international shipping to return a $43 skirt? No. I guess no one would even bother. I listed the skirt on mitbbs and poshmark, and sold it at a marginal loss. And I truly believe that this is exactly what Chicwish wants me (and other consumers) to do. You've got an item you don't want? OK, sell it to others. Don't ship it back to us.

I'm utterly disgusted by this business strategy.

And I'm equally disgusted by the fashion bloggers who've sung the praises for this shady online retailer.

Don't tell me that this is normal for international shopping. I've made purchase on stylebop before, and the online retailer: 1) never pretends to be a US-based company, and 2) covers the return international shipping cost to Europe.

Here is my full disclosure of Chicwish shopping experience:

• Colors and prints - as shown online;
• Fabric - you get what you pay for;
• Shipping - expect delay due to international shipping;
• Online customer service - submit your request online and they will get back to you within 24 hours;
• Return - given the expensive international shipping cost, all sales are essentially final. 

Top: JCrew Bateau Tee in Stripe
Skirt: Chicwish Santorini Print Pleated Midi Skirt (also bought this Turn Back Time Scenic Print Midi Skirt, more amazing prints: poppy field, London eye, neon lights)
Necklace: Anthropologie
Sandals: Pedro Garcia Xola Ankle Strap Sandals in almond/white
Clutch: Prada

Walking in the Green

Summer is an interesting season. The city is packed with tourists from all over the world while the local residents all rush to the countryside or the beach to escape the hustle-bustle of city life. Nothing is more therapeutic than a walk in the woods or a splash in the ocean.

In recent years, my weekend outfits have grown more and more relaxed. Madewell oversized tee is one of my must-haves for the summer. This basic linen timeoff tee, in particular, has a really nice drape and feels super cool on hot summer days. I have it in multiple colors.

Here I paired the oversized tee with a midi skirt from ASOS. It's made of a drapery fabric that's soft to the touch. The baby pink color is slightly more pinkish than shown on the website -- and I like that. My pictures have done a better job in capturing the color in different lighting.

Click for large pictures. 

Tee: Madewell Linen Timeoff Tee in heather grey

Skirt: ASOS Midi Skirt In Heart Print With Pockets in pink

Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Necklace: Stellar McCartney

Purse: Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote Mini in Hot Red

Sandals: Birkenstock Curacao by Birki in black stretch cork

Here is the closeup of my Stellar McCartney necklace. I bought it in Italy two years ago, and it has become one of my favorite pieces of fashion jewelry. And yes, you may play with the golden ball and make it spin. :)

True Tea Length Skirt

As I mentioned in April's post, tea length hem line is big this season. However, I had a hard time finding a true tea length piece. Longer than a midi and shorter than a maxi, the tea length hem line should hit right above the ankles. Many tea length skirts turn out to be midi skirts, just a bit too short.

Here is an outfit with my best tea length skirt. Guess when and where I got it? I got it eight years ago from Club Monaco's sales shelf at discounted price. Apparently that was not the most trendy piece at that time, but I just fell in love with this retro style and couldn't let it go. The flared silhouette, silky satin texture, and luxurious plum color makes every girl feel like a lady ... from last century. What do you think? Does it look outdated or not?

Click for large pictures.

Top: Anthropologie
Skirt: Club Monaco
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength
Sandals: Pedro Garcia Xola Ankle Strap Sandals in almond/white

Spring 2014 Trend (4): Tea Length Skirt/Dress

Not quite a midi, not quite a maxi… the tea-length lands just at the shin. Seen on the runways of Alice + Olivia, Proenza Schouler, Christian Dior, Tracy Reese, Rebecca Minkoff and many more, tea-length skirts deliver a Grace Kelly like elegance to Spring 2014. It's time to wake up your inner princess.

The days of the micro-miniskirt are over. The voluminous ladylike silhouette is here to stay. Tea-length frocks are elegant, sophisticated, and romantic. They can easily add a touch of chic retro to any outfit you choose. This length is perfect for the office and out on the town. In fact, you could easily transition one of these skirts from a day look to a night look with the right top change and some funky jewelry.

Tea-length skirts can be paired with a cropped top, fitted jacket and sandals or wedges to create a stylish feminine look. Despite their wider silhouette, the tea-length skirt is still flattering because of the way it falls against your body and moves with you. Revamps of the tea-length skirt include body conscious pencil skirts or even a mermaid silhouette. However, the classic A-line tea-length skirt is coming back this spring. Wearing heels with tea-length skirts help elongate your legs and give your look that extra fabulous touch.

Being petite myself, I had been biting my fingers for quite a while on trying this new trend. It could be a hit or miss. I planned to try out some low budget pieces before make a splurge. H&M and ASOS would be my first stop... But alas! I stopped by Club Monaco a couple of days ago, and got this baby! It was so airy and dreamy that it doesn't look long or heavy on my petite frame at all! I look really tall and leggy in it. Club Monaco also has tea length skirts in black. Take a look and try them out!

Photo credit: InStyle, pearl-lang, hercampus, fabsugar