I did this shoot a while back with my mom, but was always too busy to edit the pictures. Now that I look back, there were a couple of really nice shots! Hope to do more shots like this in the future :) 

I'm also introducing my mom on the blog, isn't she cute? :D It was her birthday yesterday so afterwards I decided to finally take the initiative and finish editing pictures from the shoot. I wish I had pictures from her birthday celebration too but I didn't bring my camera... :( 

Too things I should always bring with me, that I always choose not too because they're too heavy or I'm too lazy: my camera and my sketchbook. 

I really want to get a new big bag so I can like effectively carry them all around but I don't know if that'll cure my laziness.... Hum. :( 

Today my mom and I decided to go 'window shopping', but as everybody knows... that never really works out. I've been shopping thrift clothes for months now and it's a habit that my mom hates. Apparently I dress way too old for my age? Pshft.. 

Maybe. 

So she was completely intent on me getting clothes that would make me look more 'my age'.  

I ended up getting three dresses and a floral dress shirt (as you can see in the picture above) at different boutiques in this mall known as Pacific Mall. 

If you don't live in Toronto or Canada you probably don't know what Pacific Mall is, but basically it's like a mini version of a Chinese shopping street, all condensed and stuffed into a warehouse. 

Okay.. I swear it's better than I'm making it sound. See it's not so bad right? 

It's really great because asian people still have access to things they would otherwise have to purchase from asia. There's everything you could possibly want; herbal medicine stores, bubble tea, cute clothing boutiques, really shady fake designer brand items, illegally reproduced dvd's, the list goes on and on... 

I love shopping at Pacific Malls because the styles are more unique than the styles you would find in a normal mall. There are a lot of one of a kind styles and lots of more asian styled clothing. Also if you're chinese you have this great thing, often know as bargaining, and if you're really good at it, life is awesome for you.

The only downside is probably that the quality can often be questionable.. at Pacific Mall, you usually get what you pay for. Also they don't have sizes, which sounds really terrible but it's not. Everything is one size fits all and somehow it kinda usually works. (I guess asian people aren't that various in size? I dunno...) 

I've been wanting a white crochet dress for a while now but I was holding back because they just seemed so common. But I finally gave in and got this one. I like the shape of the sleeves, makes the dress a little more special. I also like how it can be casual but also formal. 

This little black dress was from the same store as the white one, and with the help of bargaining I got both of them for only $35. I love Pacific Mall. 

It's hard to tell with the lighting, but the dress has two tiers and ruffle sleeves. Although it's simple it's also really cute and really comfortable. 

This was definitely my favorite purchase. I love the grungy feel of the acid washed denim against the girly lace and pearl beads. 

This is what I mean when I say there are more unique and one of a kind styles at Pacific Mall. It's like shopping at a real life Etsy marketplace. 

I honestly totally forgot how great shopping there could be, but I think I'll definitely be visiting more often now. I can't just live in thrift stores my whole life, right?  

I love thrifting. I really honestly do. 

I love the process of combing through racks and racks of musty clothes. I love being surprised by finding something amazing. I love the fact that you can find things you can't find in normal stores. And that you'll never be in the position of wearing the same thing as somebody else (commonly known as, I bought this shirt at Forever 21 the other day...)

 And more than all of that, I love getting hauls of clothing without making my wallet sob sad little wallet tears. 

However.. there are just some things I cannot thrift. No matter how many starved wallet tears are cried, I just can't. 

Things such as lingerie, hosiery, swimwear, coats and, in this specific case, shoes... I just can't.

Getting these things secondhand don't register in my comfort zone. 

These are usually the things I have to turn to actual malls and stores for (and the things that make my wallet silently whisper curse words to me at night). 

Anyways, I promise all this rambling is leading somewhere. 

So I was sitting in class today, totally completely engrossed in completing my essay, when I suddenly landed upon Zara's online store... How did that happen?! 

Needless to say, I ended up using the rest of my period going through shoes... 

(I'm weak.. very very weak.) 

So here is a post basically explaining why although I don't really NEED a summer job... I NEED a summer job. 

Shoes that I'm fairly infatuated with. My favourite are the glass heels I posted at the top. They're gorgeoouusss. Ensue drooling.

I also saw this jacket at Zara the other day. OH RIGHT, that's why I was on the website. I fell in love with it immediately. It's the leather sleeves, definitely the leather sleeves. 

But winter's done and it'll be summer soon so I don't see a point in getting a coat.... Sob.

This jacket was pretty cute too. But definitely no need for it now. 

I've also been thinking about clothes I want to make for the summer (several skirts, tank tops, bustier crop tops, etc) but I already have a million things I still need to finish tailoring. 

I think more than shoes right now, I really want a sewing machine. It's such a hassle going to school for all of my sewing needs. It's inconvenient and time consuming. 

So I'm pretty sure the moral of this story (post) is that I really need to start summer job hunting RIGHT now. 

Cardigan - Gifted

Belt - Thrifted 

Highwaisted Black Skirt - H&M 

Floral tights - Forever 21

Scarf - Hand-me-down

Shoes - Spring

I actually love these shoes. Sadly, they suffer from great neglect because of the heel height. Sometimes being tall has it's advantages, but as a girl, I really just want to be able to pull off some heels without having to feel like a giraffe. 

This was the simpler base I had for my outfit. I pretty much styled everything around the scarf and I feel like it definitely makes the outfit, but this base is good on it's own too. Clearly not something I would wear to school, but it would be nice for an evening date or girls day out. I think the cardigan keeps it from being borderline promiscuous and brings it over to the cute side. Mhm... girls are pretty sneaky, aren't they. One day I'll do a post about how Juxtaposition solves everything.

I had two inspirations for this outfit. The first one was just the scarf, because I am currently infatuated with it, and the second was the album cover for The Weeknd's 'Echoes of Silence'. 

 Is it strange that I was inspired by an album cover? Because when The Weeknd released 'Echoes of Silence' I almost forgot about the music because I was so entranced by the cover. 

Bright vivid bloody red, you can see the hints of it on her lips. It's a suggested beauty. 

I actually love all of The Weeknd's album covers. They have the same effect as his music, I can't really explain it… it's almost this strange nostalgia for a moment you never lived. They make me want to put something together for all of his album covers. 

Obviously I'm just embarrassing myself because I wouldn't be able to do those covers justice, but they're still amazing inspiration nevertheless. 

I wish I could've edited the pictures to match the style of the cover a bit more but I really wanted to get this post up (excuses, excuses). Oh well, there will be better outfits. 

"Wear your best outfit tomorrow and make a better one tomorrow. "

I didn't think I would be doing many inspiration posts because usually when I read fashion blogs I'm the type to just scroll past those to look at outfits... (guilty) 

Also, whenever I write about actual collections I feel like just an ignorant child, mindlessly talking like I actually know something when I actually know nothing at all. Which is probably what it really is so I'll try to keep this post as wordless as possible. 

I first saw Kahlo's latest collection (image above) a few months ago and I thought it was pretty compelling but it wasn't until today when I went to go explore their 2011 Collection, 'A Vacant Canvas' that I was completely captivated. 

 

 

Clean, simple and fierce. 

I'm in love with the neutral colors, the classy style, the slight sexual tension and those shoes. 

It's visual perfection. I think I'll always believe in the quote, 'The simplest things are the hardest to design.'