So totally not me

This dress is so totally not me.

The color is not me.
The bold print is not me.
The ruffle at the hem is not me.
The voluminous shape is overwhelming for my skinny body.

But becuz it's 100% silk and it only cost $7.00, my girl friends insist that I need to break the mold to wear it.

I put on a belt so that the dress could have some structure.

It's all her fault !

I wouldn't have spent around $35-$40 on the lace top if I were not shopping with Ming. When I put it on for a trial, she was literally screaming by my side and saying "oh it's sooooo pretty and elegant and........blah, blah, blah."

So, it's all her fault.

Proud to be a frugal fashionista

The velvet top is another piece of garment that was digged out at the vintage shop that sold everything at $3.00/pound.

vintage top: $3.00
vintage shoes/scarf: free
legging: less than $10

This is the "HC Bag"!

Ming designed this bag for ME ! Someday when she becomes a famous designer, people will say oh this is the HC (Hsiao-Ching) bag, just like the Hermes Kelly bag !! Oh I am so positive-thinking. Guess my therapy starts to work.


The vest: Jones New York. can't remember the price. I think is 20 something?

Whch shoes look better?

I prefer the blue one. It makes the lower body looks longer.

The cardigan is from H&M, around $10?

A minimalist look

Everything is simple and clean so even with the fishnet stocking, the whole look doesn't seem too loud.


The satin belt should be at the back of the dress, but I like it so I wear it at the front.

The dress cost between $25- $30 after discound at Macy's.

Do I smell French?

My friend Vanna said with a cigaratte in hand and enough attitude,
I will look like a neurotic French woman writer that suffers greatly from sleep disorder.

The dress: a hand-me-down from my sister.
bomber jacket: around $30.

Cotton Dress with Silk Sleeves

$12.00, bought at Century 21.

The neckline is kind of low so I pile 3 necklaces to complete the look.

The Horror Box

My love
is like a horror box that has been locked
in 37 different ways.

Discarded on the street corner,

It contains:

A mask that has poison applied all over,
A pair of tender-looking handcuffs,
Blood-stained sexy lingerie,
A calendar where the year never ends,
Some dark poems written in reverse,
A rotten and atrophic heart,
and
Lots of mud that used to be a pink rose bouquet--so badly trampled.

The city cop said:
"After a security check, this box has been proved
to have nothing to do with terrorism.
Just go ahead and destroy it. "

In the waste-burning furnace,
Everything was turned into a pile of ashes.
But even in the 995 degree Fahrenheit heat.
A sigh lingers.

I Choose to Stay in My Garden

I choose to stay
When all the roses have withered away;

I choose to stay
Whereas in this garden winter never ends.

My garden, ah--
How beautiful I thought it would be,
When I first planted those flower seeds.

Now, it's a wasteland.
The only living creature here is a robin chick
That sings for me every morning on my windowsill.

"My wings are not fledged yet,
And I could not fly on my own,
But they say in that far-off place,
Things are different---
So why don't you go?" questions the little bird.

"You've brought me so much joy of life," I reply softly.
"Therefore I choose to stay,
To be with you, my dear birdie,
Though the air supply is getting scarce here,
And death only steps away."

A super great buy from Lord and Taylor Clearance Center

This Walter jacket was priced around $250 at Saks Fifth Avenue...

And I got it for $15.

The 4 inches high leather sandals were from Old Nayy, $7.00.

I told my beloved friend Joan that if I manage to walk on it successfully, I could probably go get a job at Big Apple Circus. Beth insists that I have to practice walking on it at home for 15 minutes a day before actually wearing it on the streets.

Cropped pants + heels elongate legs visually. I think I look at least 2 inches taller than my real height.

Staying pretty on a shoe string

A 100% wool blazer from a Vintage shop that sells everything at $3 per pounds,
so the cost? Mayber around $2.00.

The embroidered scarf is free---from my shopholic girl friend Beth's closet. She lives in a small apartment and needs to get rid of old stuff every now and then.

The bag is handmade by Ming, my talented designer friend.

My first fashion design class project

Yuzhi and I worked together to create the first paragraph.
Then I wrote the rest of it and she fixed my grammer.

***************************************************************************
This Valentino midi-dress is sleeveless with a fitted bodice cinched in by a silver-toned buckle. The top half of the bodice is sheer with a bib-shaped ruffle front and a tie at the center of the neckline. The skirt is pleated at the waist with a slight flare and a fuzzy overlay that falls several inches above the hem.
I like this dress because while the tailored bodice, the ruffled-front and the tie convey demure elegance, the sheer part of the top, partially covered by the ruffled-bib and the tie, makes the whole garment look subtly sexy. The fuzzy overlay also adds a bit of edge that helps to create an even more interesting look.
If I were to redesign this dress, I would keep the basic fitted-and-flare silhouette. The overlay of the skirt, the ruffled bib and the tie can stay, too. The major change in shape would be a fuller skirt to make the contrast between the upper and lower body more dramatic. Three-quarter length sheer Chiffon sleeves will be added so that the dress is less revealing but still sexy as well as sophisticated. Other revisions include adding colors and patterns and bringing in different kinds of fabrics to make the overall look more eclectic and patchwork-like.
The features of the new dress are as follows:

• *More pleats at waistline and a fuller skirt made of brown pin-striped cotton.

• *An overlay that’s the same size as the original but made of purple sheer Chiffon.

• *Three-quarter length sleeves made of purple sheer Chiffon and embroidered with small eyelet flowers. The cuffs will be purple, too, and in the same fuzzy material that was used for the overlay of the original dress.

• *The neck and waistline covered by a band of dark red jewel-toned velvet, which will also be used to make the neck tie.

• *The silver buckle replaced by a small rectangular piece of black suede with sequins on it.

• *The original bodice that consists of upper/lower parts to be replaced by one made of a whole piece of light grey satin. The same material will be used to make the ruffled-bib.

An elegant skirt

I hate going shopping with my designer friend Ming because she has such a good taste so I will just buy whatever she says is good.

The elegant skirt is what she found for me at a Vintage shop. Around 10 or 15 bucks.

The cardigan is $9 from Century21.

The shoes are vintage, too, from my Harvardee friend Yuan.

The faux suede bag is from Payless Shoes, around $14.

Kenzo skirt from a flea market

bought new, around $15.


The shoes are from Payless, around $15.00

Life is beautiful......

.....when you can buy a brand-new 100% silk dress at $10.

I like the semi-sheer sleeves and the ribbon details at the cuff.

A pearl necklace was fixed onto the cheap bag to make it look dressier.

Prairie skirt + Corduroy jacket + Knee-high boots

The skirt is from a vintage shop, around $15.

I spend some time to think about what top/jacket would go with this skirt that's very flowy and voluminous then I found....

The jacket at national wholesale liquidator, around $15.

The Ann Taylor boots is another item that my friend Beth wanted to get rid of. Worn only once.

I love the slouchy bag since the design is good and it looks and feels like real leather but it's so very light. I bought it from a Manhattan street vendor for around $15 or $20.

Jeans and Flats and a sexy top

The top is just sexy enough for my string-bean body shape. It covers everything that need to be covered.