OBEY- 3.5 ways to wear a sleeveless shirt!

Photo cred: arrestedmotion

I know I occasionally spew out how much I love the more metropolitan cities like Shanghai or New York, leaving my beloved LA under-appreciated. Los Angeles is a city with such diverse cultures. Take Venice beach for example, the people who hang out on that beach just amazes me. To me, it's one of the most interesting places in LA. Then of course, DTLA is a strange world in and of itself. Yet, we've got BEAUTIFUL places like the FIDM, where I shot my first blog post evah :) Not to mention that infamous bench where countless movies were shot at (it's apparently called Angel's Knoll pretty interesting name)!

Anddd...there's this artistic-gasmic (yes, I just made up this word, you know what it means) piece of land on La Brea, within the close vicinity of LACMA.

So the wonderful Caroline, being the amazing artist that she is, suggested that this place would make a wonderful backdrop for a photo shoot. Here's a brief background and a art lesson about this place located on the corner of La Brea and 2nd Street!

You've seen Obama's campaign posters and the OBEY signs. Do you know the artist behind these very original master pieces? His name is Shepard Fairey and he is the same artist that painted the mural for some of my backgrounds :)  I'm not an art student so I don't know the technical terms for his style. But, I really do like the semi-abstractness! Plus, the streets are his canvas, and he lives by such a free form of expression! I wish I had the talent or the opportunity to do that!

On to ze outfits!

I really had fun doing the last wear one item multiple ways post, so much that I've decided to do another on my own! You may be wondering, why 3.5 ways? Well, we'll get to that later!

#1. The "Dress"

When I first paired the sleeveless button up with my black skirt, people really thought it was a dress :) Yes, the button-up is the one I wore last Tuesday from Styles for Less. And the skirt is from forever21, which I wore in Raspberry Swirl. Just because I'm wearing a black on black, doesn't mean it would be the only colors that would work! A brown on brown would be perfect for the fall. Color block could be fun, too!

And here's a failed attempt at trying to make the obey face. Teehee!

#2. Combat Style

It is finally that time of the year when it gets slightly cooler, but not really, but cool enough that I get to wear my combat boots again!

This look definitely falls under more of a relaxed, everyday style whereas the previous could be suitable for a family lunch kind of scenario.

The stars of this look would be my babies! My boots ♥ I got them at a local shoe shop in my mall. I love the wide lace and it's felt lined so it's super comfortable! Also, the Military Style is another sought-after trend for fall, this touches up on the style a little bit!

#3.0 Rocker chic

Since I had to go to La Brea for this shoot, I didn't have access to my stash of accessories, and I totally forgot my necklace ):

But you can see the complete look in my video.

The only thing that's different from my outfit last week is that I paired the outfit with the combat boots.

#3.5 Everything's Black and White

Finally, my explanation for why the "3.5."

Because I'm only changing up my shoes, I don't feel like this deserves being deemed a "new look." However, I DID change up the shoes, I felt like it would be appropriate to meet it halfway. Hence, the 3.5.

Personally, though I LOVE my boots, between 3.0 and 3.5 I like 3.5 better because it matched better.

What do you think?

Comment on which look's your favorite!

Au Revoir,

Joanne

Outfits of the Week

A recent opportunity had come my way and pointed me towards the YouTube community. I consider myself as more of a viewer, and I never really uploaded any videos. So, what the hey! Today shall be the day I try incorporating this wonderful hobby into the wonderful medium of video streaming!

Monday:

Button up shirt plus white shorts and boat shoes!

I don't have classes on Mondays, but I still have to attend a lot of meetings on campus. I really like the color of the shirt plus the striped lining is so preppy! I guess I was in a nautical and relaxed mood :)

Tuesday:

Sleeveless Button Up w/ Back Slit + White Ripped Jeans.

I bought the sleeveless button up last weekend from Styles for Less. It was $14, so I consider it a pretty good find! I've looking for a nicer one for a while, and I'm so glad I've found it! Paired with the white ripped jeans and the spiky necklace, I was probably feeling pretty rebellious! (Must be Valentina's influence).

But I love the shirt, stay tuned for a more detailed post sometimes in the near future!

Wednesday

Blue cable knit cardigan w/ flirty white skirt.

I know what you're thinking! She lives in LA, ytf is she wearing a thick cardigan?

Well, some of my classes are freezing cold! I scored the cardigan when I was shopping at FNO LA, I had to help the mall economy! They kept reiterating "please help stimulate our mall economy!" Plus, this outfit really brings out my inner nerd! Like my glasses?

Thursday

LPD- Little Pink Dress

Like I've mentioned in a couple of posts before, I was in the process of rushing for APO. Mocktails was one of the fellowship events for the rushees to get to know the actives! I love this event because it's super classy. I actually got this dress on sale from FE a while ago. I think it was a buy 1 get 1 free deal. One of the main reason I got this dress was because of the color and the back, both oh-so-unique!

Friday

Interview!

Friday was actually one of the most nerve-wrecking days during the rush process as it concludes the rush process but also determines whether or not if I will become a pledge or not!

The dress code was business casual, so I went with a shirt + skirt.

The shirt is from FE. I got it with the Thursday cocktail dress. I remembered I wanted to take on the buy one get one free deal, but I absolutely couldn't find a second item, so I just randomly grabbed the shirt because I was getting frustrated after spending almost an hour in the store trying out different things. Who knew it turned out to be really cute! It's funny how things work out?

As for the "Gangnam Style" in the end, May and I have been filming through out the week, and we just wanted to try out something fun to spice up the video :) Don't judge us for hoping on the band wagon. You may notice what we're wearing is very classy. That's right! We followed PSY's philosophy, which he said on the Ellen show, "the idea behind this song is to dress classy and dance cheesy." Well, yah we did!

Anyways hope you enjoyed the video.

XOXO.

Joanne

P.S. I'll let you off the cliff hanger. I AM OFFICIALLY A PLEDGE OF ALPHA PHI OMEGA. Alpha Alpha class! WOOHOO!

Let's go star gazing!

Sitting on the white bricks of Griffith, with the Hollywood sign obscured in the background marks truly one of the most beautiful weekends in my life.

My new obsession would definitely have to be the Griffith Observatory. I was first introduced this magical place when I hiked the trail on Labor day with Alpha Phi Omega, which I mentioned in the Sex and the City 2 review. Like I said, the trail leading up to the observatory was pretty tiring, but the beautiful site that awaited me as I reached the top was worth any treacherous trail. Then last night, the service frat that I'm rushing for, APO, had another fellowship event at the observatory AT NIGHT. You can actually see the stars, bright and glistening, a rarity in this town. The event was a scavenger hunt, and I finally got to go inside!

I knew a couple weeks ago that I will attending several rush events at the Griffith. Given that our paths keep crossing, I felt it would be appropriate to do a photo shoot there! I asked my room mate Alicia for ideas, and she said that a lot of couples go on dates to Griffith for star gazing, so I should do a date night type outfit. I loved the idea from the start, so I couldn't resist taking my fellow Trojan, friend and blogger May from Summerinmay. I wish I could have taken the pictures under the stars, but for the best picture quality, we did the shoot at sunset, and I couldn't have asked for a better shoot!

I'm soo thankful that these photos turned out AMAZING! I owe it all to the wonderful photographer Spencer Davis, please like his facebook page here.

 Black tied up shirt- Brandy Melville ; double-colored sequin skirt- Foreign Exchange

Star and Moon Clutch Earrings- Claires

Envelope Clutch + Heels- Zooshoo.com

I chose this skirt was because I thought the shininess would go with the celestial theme of the venue. The skirt is actually really cool! The sequins are originally black, but died silver. You can actually create your own pattern of black and silver by flipping the sequins! May actually tried to draw the world map on it! Since the skirt was a bit on the flashy side, I had to go with a black shirt. Brandy Melville is known for their super comfortable fabric, and this shirt was no exception!

Since the colors of the outfit falls on a darker side, so I needed an accessory piece to add a pop of color. And the envelope clutch was the way to go! It's fun and it has a bright color, but it doesn't draw too much attention away from the outfit.

Did you notice my earrings is star-and-cresent? Yes, they were the very ones I mentioned about in my haul post! I was just trying to keep up with the starry theme :)

For more pictures, you can either go on my facebook or Spencer's facebook :)

If you haven't yet, you should definitely go to the observatory when you get a chance!

XOXO.

Joanne

The Ombre Chambray!

Chambray shirt: Abercrombie & Fitch ; Skirt: Hollister

Teehee! The title rhymes :)

First off I would love to thank the lovely Caroline Sykes for taking this awesome pictures!

I don't know what is it about Chambray shirts, they just have an edge to them! I especially like my chambray because there's a white to blue gradient to the wash. Even though summer is technically long over, the weather here in California would definitely prove other wise. The long sleeve and the denim material of the shirt makes a good transition from summer to fall, but the skirt still screams, SUMMER DON'T GO!

Bracelets: Cotton On ; Bag: H&M ; Aviators: School Booth

Since this outfit could be classified as more of a boho look, I think leather bracelets would be a good pair. Yes, these are the bracelets that I mentioned in my accessories haul post! And I love how reflective the aviators are! We have these booths that sells sunglasses on campus, and I just had to get them when I saw them!

The boho nature of the outfit contrasted with the leafy background just spells a relaxing afternoon for me!

Happy Fall!

XOXO.

Joanne

TAG: Different Ways to Wear Something

So on the YouTube community, users tagging each other is a common thing to bring the internet closer. I say, why can't us bloggers do it, too?

The topic was something my friend Si Qi suggested :) And ever since I started blogging, I've been visiting different blogs, and I felt like it would be kind of cool if I can tag a fellow blogger and we can continue the tagging! woohoo!

For this topic, the "different ways of wearing the same piece of clothing" I'm choosing 5 ways to wear a Maxi Dress, and I want to Tag Grace from Memo28!

And thanks Cally Zhou for taking this wonderful pictures for me :)

5 Ways to wear a Maxi Dress.

#1. California Love

Crotchet Top: Cotton On; Navy Maxi Dress: Forever 21

Initially, I bought the Navy Dress because it gave off a very beachy-vibe. But if I were to wear just the dress to the beach in just the maxi, it probably would have been to simple. With the crotchet top, the outfit would then look like a two piece in a way, and that's pretty different!

Then, top it off with a big sun-hat and boho styled accessories, it's Pacific Ocean, here I come!

All the accessories seen worn in this could be found in my accessories haul post.

#2. Electric Neon

Okay, these aren't my favorite combination in the world. Trojans, namsayinn?!

But hey, the color works. I'm a huge fan of contrast. With this simple yellow shirt, it easily turned the too-simple maxi dress into an outfit that could be worn for shopping, or for a more formal day look.



#3. Contrast

In the weddings post, my outfit consisted of a navy lacy dress with a red belt. Here's a more casual spin on the look, I just love pairing navy with red. I guess I'm patriotic with red and blue :p

#4. Valentine Chic

Finally! The moment we've all been waiting for, a look that matches my site name. I was very excited when I thought of the idea for this look of the collage. I wanted to come up with something more formal, and I came across this pink blazer. It's very chic, and it would be appropriate for a date night or even an interview. I just named this look "Valentine Chic" because of the pink color and the hearts. The shoes are the one I got from Zooshoo, as described in the cute accessories post.

#5. Navy Nautical 

Okay, I know. With the passing of Labor day, summer is over. Why am I still having summery outfits? The nautical trend have been so hyped for a while, and I really like the trend. Even with the passing of summer, this trend can still be useful for the fall for those family outings to the docks!

The rope belt is actually from another dress. But I took it off the other dress when I bought the shoes because they're a perfect match! Sure they might be a big over board (get it?), I think it will be fine because the length of the skirt makes the shoes a bit more subtle. I talked about these shoes in my accessories post, too :)

So which one is your favorite?

Hope you enjoyed and have a great weekend!

XOXO.

Jo + Valentine

I wear white after labor day.

In Monday's post, I mentioned that I went to Griffith Park for a hike. I just wanted to share that it was absolutely beautiful! It was a very trip up to the observatory, but once I got there, the hike was totally worth it. The view was breath-taking. I might do a shoot there sometimes :)

Look at this view!

Photo taken from USC APO Website

If you've been following me on Twitter (@joanneinazoo), you probably know by now that I am the greatest Friends nut. EVER!

So, I was just casually scrolling through the millions of Friends tweet when I realized, Labor Day JUST PASSED! Do you remember that episode where Joey asked Rachel to help Charlie shop because everything she owned had shoulder pads in them? Joey said, "Yeah Rachel taught me everything I know about fashion, like 'you can't wear white after labor day.'" What is up with that? So I did some research.

According to Times, one of the reasons why this rule is created is because it's a symbol of summer's passing and the oncoming of fall. People wear light colors in the summer and darker colors during fall, and like I mentioned in the Sex and the City 2 review, Labor Day is like a pivotal day that transitions summer to fall, so it's like a symbolic day in which people change their dress from summer style to fall style. But there are rule breakers like CoCo Chanel, who totally just makes up her own rules, you can read more about her in my other post.

So I've decided to take on CoCo's rebellious spirit and wear white :)

Summer didn't exactly pass here in LA, it's practically summer "all-day errday" of the year!

White Sheer Shirt: Foreign Exchange // Red Shorts: Forever 21

Bag: Cotton On // Bracelet: Shanghai Boutique // Sam Edelman Ballet Flats: Nordstorm Rack

Turn to page 394!

Studiously waiting to learn!

Photos taken by: Caroline Sykes

I've been monitoring Fall Trends to get ready for the season for a while now, as you can see from posts like The Hunger Games Post, or the NYFW Post. Another one of my favorite trends is The Scarlett Fever. I really like the color of these shorts, they add that "Pop" that I value so much. Of course, since the shorts are such a bright color already, I had to pair it with something neutral, and white was what I had gone with. There goes me, breaking the "no wearing white after labor day rule!" But! In my defense, white and red is patriotic colors, so I'm paying respect to our country, and our country is built by laborers. So, by transitive party, I am respecting the laborers and workers!

Anyways, no more lameness. I like this look because it' spretty simple. Yet, it's not boring. Ideally, this outfit probably would have been better with a pair of red shoes, but the fact that the gold contrasts with the entire outfit worked out quite well!

Talk to you Friday,

XOXO.
Joanne

P.S. I have a super exciting idea to debut for Friday :) So don't forget to come back and visit me on Friday!