A Thought on Personal Style

All photos taken by Brandon Wong

Happy Monday! It's been a busy weekend for me with multiple outfit changes (okay, mostly multiple shoe changes). Calgary has been quite rainy lately, but guess what? We have flowers! I'm so happy! 

It's actually really funny, as half our trees are completely bare, but the other half are in bloom, so every second tree on the block is green or is flowering, and the next one will be dead-ish looking. I think I like it a lot more this way, since in theory, the blooms will be staggered, rather than everything blooming at once and leaving at the same time.

Loving this lace peplum top from eShakti. I was able to customize to my personal measurements, as well as choosing the sleeve type, length, and neckline. I was lazy and just left everything as seen on the site. Normally I don't wear peplum as a casual look, but this particular top isn't as fitted as some others, and the extra room makes it perfect for a casual, everyday look.

Love the detail on these shorts, don't love the trim on the top. But guess what, trim is super easy to remove with a seam ripper or scissors, and a sewing machine.

Does anyone else have a problem with posture? I swear I'm the worst for slouching in an effort to look cool. Not cool looking at all though. Time to work on that!

I absolutely adore these Charles Philip flats. I've known about the designer for awhile, but I always find myself loving his limited edition designs, which tend to sell out fast in my size! When I saw these are on Forward by Elyse Walker, I scooped them up immediately, despite the higher price tag (these cotton loafers were more than last year's silk camo ones!). They're super comfortable though and didn't need any breaking in whatsoever, so between comfort and amazing design, these are definitely worth the price.

While I fell in love with the design, I did waver a bit in buying them as I felt like it was a little too "asian-inspired" for me. I'm half Chinese, and while I'm very proud of my mixed heritage, I tend to be a bit self conscious about it when it comes to some of the prints and silhouettes I wear. I remember last year or the year before, asian-inspired prints were all the rage, along with mandarin collars. I didn't pick anything from these collections up, in fear of people accusing me of "trying to be Asian or more Asian." Maybe it's because I've always been very into different Asian cultures (Japanese anime and manga, Korean dramas, fashion trends in East Asia, etc.), but I've noticed that a lot of people are very condescending towards those who like these types of things, calling them weaboos, or "eggs" (white on the outside, yellow inside). So for me, it's always been about trying to balance the white with the asian, especially as  given my skin tone and eye colour, I look white. And despite my love for those water colour asian prints and kimono coverups, I've never been able to bring myself to buy those items.

With blogging, i've noticed that I've started to step out of my comfort zone and  experiment a lot more with my style. I'm starting to care a lot less about what other people are wearing, and just choosing whatever catches my fancy at the time. Before, I felt like I in a bit of a style rut, wearing dresses and skirts all the time because that's what I usually wore, and people just came to expect it of me. Funny story, I wore jeans to class once and my classmates, all of whom I'd known for two or three years, didn't recognize me.

 I think personal style shouldn't be about trying to dress how you think others want you to dress, or dressing according to how others think you should be acting. Dress in what you like, no matter the stares or awkward comments (more on those later). As long as you're confident, you'll always look great.

Top: Courtesy of eShakti

Bottom: Buffalo Bitton David Jeans

Shoes: Charles Philip Shanghai
Accessories: Urban Outfitters rings (similar here and here), Aldo bracelets, Swarovski necklace

Linking up with - I Would So Rock This - DC Instyle - More Pieces of Me - Style Elixir - Whitney Nic James - Pink Sole -  My Girlish Whims - The Pleated Poppy - Because Shanna Said So - Cute and Little - Transatlantic Blonde - Get Your Pretty On -