i had the time of my life [illegal choices pt.2]

MY FINAL GRAD CAP DESIGN

If you can't tell, it's supposed to be a charm bracelet.
Charm bracelets are such sentimental pieces of jewelry and so
I really liked the idea of creating my own to display on my hat.

A CLOSE-UP OF THE "CHARMS"

1. A Polaroid of my sister and me when we were younger.
She scanned it for me because she couldn't
come for my commencement ceremony.
She lives on the East Coast and had work. TEAR.
2. A play on CHANEL No.5.
1988 is the year I was born in San Jose, California.
Now you all can stalk me properly haha
3. Representing my major!
UC Davis Textiles & Clothing = UCD TXC
I got a lot of questions about the beaker and Marketing and Economics briefcase.
Long story short, my major is actually more like
Marketing, Managerial Econ, and Fiber & Polymer Science
ALL MIXED INTO ONE.

OTHER "CHARMS"
[clockwise from the top]
1. A black flower and feather hair-clip that I used to wear a lot
2. My Chanel inspired double E logo
Don't worry Karl & ghost of Coco, I promise I'm not mass producing ;)
3. A locket with a photo of my mom and sister
4. The rest are just buttons and crystals!

THE INSIDE OF MY GRAD CAP
I was soo surprised the ink didn't run.
The day of my graduation ceremony was ridiculously hot. Up in the 100's!
I seriously expected the inside of my hat to be soaking wet from sweat
when I took it off but I was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't.

The quote is in French. I don't speak a word, but it should
translate to "and our small life together."

Explanation?! While I'd love to be super successful so I can give my
mom the world (she deserves it)...I myself would be happy with a
"small" life. As long as I'm doing something that I love
and can afford to travel with my friends and family
I know I'll be a happy camper. Actually, I do also want
to be able to get custom made shoes regularly. AHAHA!!!
Curse my petite feet.

p.s. That's my 93-year-old grandma giving the deuce sign.
Not my sister's fiancé who is to the left of my G-Unit.

WOO!!!! I GRADUATED!
WOOOO!!!!! THIS LONG POST IS FINALLY OVER!

FIN.

illegal choices

a purse that i made the summer of 2007...it's a play on
the double C's of the original Coco Chanel logo. my own initials are
double E's and my first name is Ely (sounds like Ellie)!!!

CHANEL pre-fall 2009
i'm currently inspired by the classic black chanel flower and
all of the wispy feathers used in this past collection.

so tomorrow is my graduation ceremony and i'm honestly not very excited...
i guess i'm more scared or nervous. plus sad because the family members
that i really wish could be there to celebrate with me won't be able to make it.

anyway, the first thing that came to mind when i started designing my cap
was to showcase my love for fashion since i majored in Textiles & Clothing
(which is not the same as majoring in fashion design by the way!).
i also wanted to keep it simple but still personalized and so i immediately
thought of the CHANELY purse that i made almost four years ago.

my sister said that it was illegal (she's a law student) so i never had
the guts to wear it out in public...but fast forward a few years later
and after seeing everything from sharpied chanel t-shirts to "quilted"
chanel paperbags...i now feel more comfy about wearing my design out!

i'm gonna be incorporating the logo someway or another into my
graduation cap's design. i'm just not sure how yet.

will post the final product sometime soonsies tho!

sretsis (and my inner child?!) rediscovered

Sretsis F|W 2006 Collection

Sretsis S|S 2010 Collection







image sources: richyrit.multiply.com, maximillia.com

i remember loving the Sretsis Fall|Winter 2006 collection back when i was obsessed with both asian fashion and headbands (i still am, just different kinds now haha!). i also loved it purely because the name of the brand is really the word "sisters" spelt backwards and i love my sister! anyway, i tried to outgrow the innocent and overly feminine style because i was getting too many comments that i was dressing like a little girl...and without a doubt it was partly bc i was influenced by the school girl vibe of the collection.

anyway, after seeing a post about the online store Maximillia on PhospheneFashion, I checked out the link and was thrilled to see all the pastels and super girly frilly dresses by Stresis and it immediately renewed my love for the brand. i know it's weird, but that's when i really realized... i'm still young! i'm still playful! so why cant my style be too?! i've been beating myself up thinking that after graduation i need to get a completely different wardrobe with tons of career wear. and that i cant shop at fast fashion places anymore. but i still have plenty of time to dress like a big girl! and i can always buy "investment pieces" later!

some days i'll have to dress more grown up (interviews) and other times i want to dress sexier (clubbing with friends). but most of the time, i really wish i could dress like this again. but i feel like im so petite that if i do, im just gonna be mistaken for a kid bc i dont have the modelesque figure to pull it off! sigh...fashion is such a weird and complicated thing. or maybe it's just me?!

forever21 recycles! you should too

Just thought this was funny...

My sister and I have been trading this dress back and forth for a while now and our auntie hates it. Why? Well, because it's really her nightgown from the 1980's! I dug it out of her closet a few years ago, threw a turtleneck over it, hiked it up a bit, then called it a day. I've been styling it similarly ever since. Last fall, I paired it with beige tights and suede boots and when my sister came home for Christmas break, she wore it with a longer orange sweater, military jacket, and mid-calf boots.

I don't know what attracted me to it in the first place, but I do remember my aunt being a little confused. When I asked if I could have it, she first said no because it was an old rag that she never got around to tossing out. I managed to save it though and I'm glad I did because it looks like over a decade later her Mervyn's nightie has been resurrected in this new Forever21 Knit Rose Blossom Dress. Can't wait to show her!

you know that you're wetting my appetite

Just a few photos from last Thursday's Black, White, and Bling event.
The cause for celebration?! To commemorate graduating seniors (including myself!)
and also because Textiles and Clothing (TXC) majors just love any reason
to dress up! My friend Perry is wearing a polka dot bow tie made by me,
and the other guy in the pewter bow tie also made by me is my main squeeze. ;)
A few other girls from the major and I worked on decorations and I also
provided the original stencil used to make the TXC and the City cut out!

I'm going to miss college so much.

influence

image source: tfs