lay long, lay longgg!

wtf

i'm running a flea stall with a friend tomorrow!

(details of flea in the poster above) 

as i was packing, i realised i didn't have much left to sell since i'd cleared a lot of my stuff earlier in the year. but of course it's not the case. i realised i hadn't really gone through every part of my wardrobe then, so the suitcase count is now one and a half. i'm pretty sure there'd be more to unearth if i continue digging. another factor is the willingness/unwillingness of letting certain things go.

well, at least one thing's for sure: most of my items would be priced at five bucks and lower.

the weather's been dreadful. and the bug's going around. take care and have a great weekend!  

huat ah

the bow looks like the number 8, eh?  

geisha pearl

let you in on something: i spent $120 to ship off a dozen or more pairs of shoes and enuf clothes to fill up more than half a jumbo box to a bishop in the philippines. why not cart them off to the local salvation army at no cost? yeah, i could. i guess this is the best method to make me clear out more of my things at a faster rate. of course, the first primary objective was charity. sending the box directly just made more sense.

the actual total cost was to be $140, i decided to bear most of the cost since i was the one with too many things. i'd be lying if i tell you i didn't feel the pinch. ha ha. 

there's more: i'm waiting for a package from asos (can't remember if the order was placed before the above plan) and i just bought the above things.

strappy

some days back, i summoned the energy to do a stock-take of my shoes collection. i got lazy as i neared 80. it's probably under 90 if i did miss out a few pairs. not too bad, i dare say. but of course i could do better. i can't recall now the exact number of shoes i had at the last inventory check. 120 maybe.

i don't own many strappy shoes, for obvious reasons. i've had this pair for years and i never wore them past thrice, i believe. but they're so comfy i dunno why i just won't wear them often enuf. i think i just still like my shoes a little pointy - for obvious reasons, too. but for the sake of my feet, i should consider more such shoes.

anyway, the ankle strap is in fashion again? just add socks? or the trend never went away.

which reminds me, i've yet to wear that brand new pair bought ohmygoodness more than 2 YEARS back!! seriously i only have myself to blame if they don't last until i reach the road junction and then everyone can see this woman walking funny across the road.

no, the black pair didn't give way. the left sole did, now i wonder if i should replace the rubber. tsk.

xie

all images from CofC

i was just telling a colleague i've toned down loads on buying shoes. well, it's partly true. i've also been getting rid of a coupla shoes w/o too much hesitation. quite a feat for me still. there's this bag sitting near the front door with contents ready for disposal -- i should be adding more clothes into it at a faster rate -- they haven't even seen daylight in years for goodness sakes. i think i'm getting there, in that i haven't been thrifting nor etsying and i'm more inclined to spending a lil more on new clothes from physical stores (but not at regular price), all in my feeble attempt to move away from old... ways. i don't think i'll ever stop wearing vintage or retro completely, since some items are timeless and that sure works for me in terms of ROI.

anyway, those images above. it's the shoes that i fancy and it's the clothes that're on sale on CofC. i'm always hoping to buy the shoes on the mannequins in a no-shoes shop rather than the actual shoes on sale in an all-shoes shop. another observation's that these shoes above are mostly shoes i won't buy under normal circumstances. esp the slingback wedges and except the flatforms. i like the latter a lot more and they're rather hard to find. 

oops. verbal diarrhea there. thanks for reading.    

   

pointless

seriously hating the hair

ugh, camel toe.. but really, no.

the shoes gave way today. i realised them shoes always failed on me as i was about to reach the bus stop. then i would always hope against hope that i could still continue on my way and get new shoes near the office. and of course each time that just won't do. got my ma to help me cos i didn't think the sole could hang on much longer. well, it's still embarrassing -- i changed shoes at the road junction. you know, people's shoes break due to wear and tear. mine break due to lack of wear. i don't think i wore them more than ten times. truth be told, i'd forgotten about them.

i recounted this to a colleague after lunch. then i inadvertently went on to declare how proud i was of myself, as far as buying shoes was concerned. i wasn't entirely truthful, of course. my addiction had indeed been less intense, though. i should do an inventory soon. after i receive my new shoes: a pair of toms ordered last night, and the replacement shoes which i'm going to order after this post. the price is not right but i really like the shinyness and pointyness. gold or silver? both??! 

p/s: wearing blogshop items top and bottom; they're made for each other. got the top brand new at a flea market; seller's probably a BS owner. i almost wanna sell the pants cos the pockets are so... obvious. i liked that they're comfy although the left pant leg's always stuck mid-calve when i got up from my chair.

云想衣裳花想容

i felt i wore the wrong shoes only upon reaching the office. i'd thought to wear the pink shoes but i just went for these instead. anyway, they ought to be retired ages ago. they're one size smaller. but it's such a shame cos they're still very sturdy. one of the few pairs that i've had for so long w/o the rubber soles disintegrating. i'm just such a hopeless hoarder, lah. this issue brought to mind what this blogger's said about consumerism. i identify with her on this point and do always struggle with my inability to stop buying more clothes and shoes and bags. i'd always wonder at the sheer magnitude of how humans burden our planet. and i'm not helping but adding my contribution to suffocating it with my lunch takeaways alone. i'd imagine the number of styrofoam  containers and plastic cutlery and disposable chopsticks discarded by one building's worth of people. then multiply that by buildings on one section of the street. so on, and so forth. the only consumer products i don't choke earth with are electronic gadgets (i've bought some vintage cameras, though. the only credit i can claim is that i'm using existing things and not new ones). 

still on the blogger's philo. i'd like to agree with her on investing in quality clothes and shoes and bags which actually help to save money and the planet. but i'm not convinced of the quality of some expensive things. so i refuse to pay too much for certain things, especially clothes and shoes. as for bags, i went down the slippery slope of buying branded ones. i don't regret the purchases but i also think that the money spent could have been spent on other... stuff, such as trips to unfamiliar places, etc. i do feel that i'd gone overboard with the baals and should really detox my collection to a mere couple which i can use to death. but. i'm not sure i wanna sell them cheap. i don't think i can fetch more than 1/3 of the price i paid for them. i could pass them on to my ma/sil/niece. or maybe i really have a deeper problem that's to do with my psyche, going by my tendency to hoard. even if i do end up letting them go, i suspect that i'd be back to acquiring things again... i do admire the blogger's self-discipline and would like to emulate it. to my own defence, when i buy clothes, i do try to think long-term. in fact, believe it or not, i never wore many dresses until the recent years. i'm still in the experimentation stage, so  in this sense, it's my way of building the perfect wardrobe. for example, this dress above was something i'd usually not grow guts to wear. it's still not really me but i think i kinda licked it this time. i don't do long sleeves well but wearing it unbelted seems to 'proportionalise'  the entire look.

i actually just blogged about a wardrobe review. but i'll need feedback. do you agree that the dress suits me fine? i must confess that i do still like and wish i could keep some of the clothes in my shop. these include some of those that i've managed to sell. maybe you wonder why i'd still be building a wardrobe at this ripe age. well, there's a valid reason behind it. i'd only begun to be able to afford more things during these past 3 years. i figured that it's time to reward myself after the sacrifices i've made (due to bad choices). and i've since paid for the consequences.  

how do i end this self-talk? ha ha. i hope i can report some improvements the next time i broach on the subject.  

大热卖

facebook link

click here to shop for shoesies

tiga hari

the purple circles on the cardigan is an exact match to the purple of the dress. the same gold shoes with the bows gave way even before i got out of the compound. i'll need gold shoes now. the only other pair's for sale. i really wish they fit better. 3 more days to retrolicious. i'm not going. i'll try to attend the sun festival instead. george benson's going to be here! this guy's linked to a small part of my life.

granny's day out

that's chic

during one of my recent trips to GDO, i confessed to Hsiao Ying that i wished i was daring enuf to accessorise like she did. i made such comments all too often, i know. do i want to change things? yes and no. Hsiao Ying said something that struck home and stuck with me. it's nothing i hadn't heard of, really. 

^10.09.10^

she said wearing accessories "shows your personality". i had on that day a really plain outfit: slouchy beige top and slouchy pants of some neutral colour. it's a very-me outfit. i knew i could've accessorised. i tried but went naked in the end.

so since i started the subject, Hsiao Ying said what i expected she would. she said i could do with a bracelet. or necklace. or ear rings. i can't recall if she meant i should wear them all or to wear one or two of the items. and i agree with her, cos that's what i would've done. but i also don't own lots of accessories to play around with. i dislike bracelets that take up time fastening so my collection's really just indian bangles and elastic ones that can be slipped on easily. it's the same with necklaces so i usually buy long necklaces so i don't have to fidget with fasteners.

what happened was, i took out my indian bangles to wear. but i changed my mind. the fact of the matter: they make a lot of noise. i could lodge them up higher on my hand but they'd slide down and make noise too. why bother, right?

then i thought perhaps i should finally wear my ear rings. then i felt i was too decorated with my shades on. danglies are more flattering on me. and they make noise. again, why bother?

so what does this say about my personality? do i have any personality if i choose not to accessorise?  

  ^25.07.09^

   

what others say about accessorising

what sunglasses say about your personality

i could do with some accessories today. i didn't for these reasons: i had no time to try and i just wanna be totally comfy. i wanted nothing to hinder my movement. i didn't want any noise from things banging or grating against each other. 

 ^one of the rare occasions when i wore not one but two rings. i think i wore two on the same finger; the right picture was to document another combination. i honestly dunno how one could wear one ring on each finger... you might notice the skirt - it's the same one i wore today. it's one of my best flea finds.

 

 

   

2nd hand addiction

nicolethen

been busy with work and school. just realised it's september already. i mean, i knew it's approaching but i was really just wishing i'd have dropped by GDO one last time before the discount's lifted. i still like and want more vintage stuff even if i know i should probably tone it down. not so much cos of possible waste of money or cos it's really common now but cos i simply shouldn't dress vintage. and why's that? cos i just don't need to dress vintage when i'm already vintage. yes, i geddit. i do get compliments for some of the vintage things i wear ("only you can pull it off"). but i also get the message that i 'should' dress 'younger'. nobody's used these exact terms. but you get my drift. lol.  

i also told myself i should simply stop buying used shoes. for reasons i don't have to elaborate (no i wasn't referring to hygiene...). i managed to resist getting these grey boots (you don't see how many pairs that sit wasted in my room and how many pairs i've discarded just after a couple of usage). just when i thought i found the perfect ankle boots, they're gone right the next minute. there's another pair marked under my favourites. i'd love the grey of the above pair and the no-studs of the pair below. we'll see.

 

sun time

What is one item that you really should throw away, but probably never will?

Nothing! I'm quite good with my wardrobe. Every year I brutally sieve items out into three piles - to keep, to give away and KIV. After another year, if the ones in the KIV category still haven't gotten any "sun time", then out they go for good.

link

ask me this question and i'll give you something else. i do try to do the brutal thing Yaz does. i dunno why it's become harder for me as time goes on. it's not like i can't let go of the few bucks that i sell them for. is it an age thing? i shudder to think i'm heading that way. 

anyway, i'm going to retire some of the things in my sack. last call now. i'll get to doing the brutal thing next week. i hope.

shuddup

finally got to taking off the long sleeves of this girl-sized corduroy jacket. i've had it for a long time now. i always found it a little off on me even though it did fit me overall. i've been wearing it until one day i just decided that i no longer liked it with the long sleeves. i've since kept in this bag in which i put in clothes that i was reluctant to part with. most times they simply sat inside for a season or two and they'd end up in the bag for salvation army. this one's overstayed. and it's missing a button. i'd thought about making it totally sleeveless but my scissors just veered on their own, resulting in these cap sleeves. pleased with the outcome.   

i still mourned the loss of this jacket every now and again. 

i dunno why it's still so hard for me to let go of things. it's not like i haven't done it before. i have been doing quite ok in the shoes department, in that i haven't added on more to the inventory and have since retired a few pairs. but yes there're those that i have yet to wear at all... 

i haven't told you about the makeup department. the best part? i don't even wear much of it anymore.

i dunno what's with the sudden dislike for long-sleeved outerwear. but i think it's more a case of me liking jackets or coats in softer material for better comfort. anyway, i'm going to add to my outerwear collection a short-sleeved coat. 

bak chang or shark's fin

really hating how the fringe is so limp. yet i can't wear a hairband for too long w/o getting a headache. so please don't think i'm trying to look like a flight stewardess or tai tai. (why's that, ah? how did the bak chang or shark's fin get linked to flight stewardesses and tai tais?) i don't use hair claws but a simple clip.

when i do use hair claws, i prefer to wear two sets, like this. yah. trying to act cute? whatever, lah.

shoe inventory: tbc. what can be confirmed is there's one pair lesser now. 

lobang

another day of black-on-black. can you see any accent of a colour other than black? i wore this outerwear over an old old old dress that's still wearing a hole on its side, lol. if only you saw what i went thru to get to here.

something's just not right with each combo. was i too anal? i suppose i should've simply cinched the black cable-knitted outerwear with the belt to create an ideal silhouette. i had a few reasons. for the outfit with the printed skirt, the belt's main purpose was to hold up the skirt - which was actually an oversized tee worn upside down. for either outfit, the outerwear would appear to be too short to be held in by the belt. moreover, i just always favoured 'hanging loose' over being constricted by a belt. i think the silhouette would work better if i wore long pants or a longer skirt. i actually tried on another black throw over the dress but the outcome's quite similar. and i knew the red pointy flats wouldn't work. i think i'm going to have to banish most of my pointy flats soon.

so was i too anal? lol.

we are bound by our own desires

doesn't that just hit you like a tonne of bricks?
these are the words of one of the earth angels sent to help me while i'm here.

those are my very 1st pair of purple shoes. if i'm not wrong. a funny fact for someone who's clocked a hundred over pairs of shoes. and i never took stock of my shoe collection until very recently. the discovery hit me like a tonne of -- shoes. i should be retiring a coupla soon. it's still quite hard to do.

1 1/2

Four Hands Classic Shirt and Detachable Straight Cut Pants from Shop Nation. they made the clothes look so good, right? tsk. the pants are a tad long and i don't have faith in the rolled cuffs staying in place so here i pull socks over the pant's ends. medieval pants, anyone?

i'm going to sell the shoes. can't handle them. they're good for show only. in my world, that is.

shoe-perstition

it's decided. i will buang 4 pairs of shoes that should've been buanged long ago. this pair - his gift to me. i had to *make* him buy them for me. it's not me to do such things, even if it's the me of the past. well, he'd bought a very expensive maxmara jacket to woo me, so what's a pair of shoes that cost a mere fraction of the garment, right. i found out later that he was pantang about buying shoes for me. hah. as it turned out, i did run away from him. several times over. but i believe i would've (run away from him) anyway, whether or not he bought me the shoes. i was always running away when things didn't work out. perhaps it's God's will for me to be alone? if i'd gone on to have babies, would i run off with them, or run away from them?