Re: duce, use, cycle

Show me what you're made of.

Beside the Green Beret effect of the hard-hitting military trend, fashion has always been "going green." Thrift stores advocate the style-seeker and fashion-finder's green dream: Recycle your own clothing, Reduce your own spending, and Reuse other's clothing. Hence, the circle of cloth, knits, jeans, denim, and all clothing life. The green life is a giving one. We pass on hand-me downs, (which, again, I almost automatically spelled as "hami-down"--a hard habit to break), we share closets, we do giveaways, and we sell our lightly used clothing. Pat yourselves on the back for a green job well done.

You've seen it all before: Retro Metropark glasses, archaic H&M necklace, 33 cent Wal-mart knee highs, $3 thrifted combat boots, thrifted over-sized tee, Wet Seal shorts, and black Claire's accessories sum up my effort towards going green with my closet in this look. Among hugging trees, printing on both sides, and remaining anal about littering, this is how I do green.

"Hands behind your head!" You're guilty of saving the planet we live in. As much as I look like a broken down retro punk with my wild hair flying in the wind, bulky ruffle Roxy bag hanging from my shoulder, shorts peeking out from beneath a long white shirt, and wrists already locked in a plethora of cuffs, I'm just a goody two shoes do-gooder who's feeling a grungy mood.

Thrift stores always has a full battalion on it's shelves, so wear some combat boots to combat the war on waste and save some green while you're at it. Speaking of green waste, that's what this green can holds. Does it seem odd that although everything is "green," the actual recycling can is blue? Think about that while you walk away. In any case, make this green can and the blue can that's going green your best friends and show the world that you don't want it to die at our hands. Trends come and go, but green is always "the new black." 

Insert: made April 27th

Think again, Mr/Mrs. Anonymous. Think again, and choose your words wisely.

Night Scene

First and foremost I'd like to apologize for the poor quality of my photos. I will simply compile all of this as evidence and bring it to my parental jury so that they may rule my camera guilty of suckiness and grant me a new, professional one. You may all stand by as my kind witnesses. 

You may even be victims; looking at photos so poorly lit may damage your eyesight. However, consider this as your warning and continue on at your own risk. Please don't file any charges. Restrictions apply.

Give me a chance to compensate for these poor photos with some rich advice. Want to keep wearing those t-shirt dresses and rompers you've accumulated these past summer months during the fall? Before I could purchase my two over the knee socks from Payless Shoesource, it's occasional BOGO sale quite perplexed me. Did you realize BOGO merely stands for "buy one, get one?" Before I realized "half off" was on the last half of that saying, I embarrassingly thought to myself, "of course if you buy one, you'll get one." Oh my.

After I finally got over the BOGO crisis, I paired my gray over the knees with my Charlotte Russe knee-highs to warm up a favorite summer look: my $5 t-shirt dress and a small $10 khaki shorts from Sears' unending sale racks. Does the t-shirt look like something your grandmother would wear? Have you already seen her in it? I got this bold-shoulder top from a treasure trove commonly referred to as the "grandma section."

For more tips on preparing for a chilly fall, visit my new group in Delancefashion. I appreciate your patience with my photos. Again, I warned you when you still had the chance.

From Sunrise to Sunset

And dusk to dawn.

Dedicated to friendship.

Use those last bit of sun rays to warm your tummy mid-drift, but beware. Unless in a bikini, showing too much skin may be a "don't.

Off-set a mini skirt, mid-drift and any boarder line reproachful sleeziness with proportions; a loose flower top and bright, playful colors reminiscent of the sun itself sets the fun and casually sexy mood for the overall look. This sunny blouse was given to me by an equally sunny personality, one of my best friends "Tatuliana." When the sun sets tonight, she'll be leaving on a long flight from tropical Hawaii to the big apple for yet another year away at the famous NYU. We've survived our first year in college on polar opposite sides of the continent, and we can do it again.

 When I first opened my gift and pulled out this silky smooth shirt, our best friend "Drewbie" said, "that is definitely a Rayann shirt." True. I love most that it's something different, fun, vibrant, and confident. Then again, I'm not sure if I'm talking about the gift...or the giver. Perhaps both. Not only is her powerful laugh contagious but her ridiculously outgoing spirit and style are as well. Let's just say girl's got swagger.

 I've stood by Tati's side ever since we both took Japanese language together in 7th grade as shy, timid girls and watched her grow to the strong, vibrant, and confident young woman she is today, as she had done the same for me. And though we don't remember a single phrase of Japanese, (except, maybe, "may I use the bathroom"), we've learned at least one thing through the trials of high school. We've learned to be comfortable and proud in our own skin.

Imagine what we'll learn in college. We can only tell by the next sunrise. 

                          Love you Tatuliana-san.

Day and Night

Above the boundaries.

Studs, zippers, and buckles once seemed natural enemies to floral print, rompers, and all that is girly, but we fashion fans do not discriminate. We don't view the world as florals and studs or day and night. Stereotypes of girly castles and rocker hangouts is the past. Black aviators from the local swap meet, a $5 Nine West black corsage belt, and studded Claire's accessories adorn my $5 Goodwill floral romper without fear of having crossed that girly gateway or that rocker ridge.

Mixing and matching have come a long way in my styled life. While my mother faithfully girded for it, I anxiously embraced the challenge to dress myself as a five year-old. My mother, guru of all that is fashion within me, warned me that my clothes "must always match," and, of course, "no matter where you go, you always gotta look good," but that goes without saying. If you can match floral prints with black corsage belts now, what did "matching" mean to a then five year-old? Blue shorts, meet blue shirt.  

Eventually, I expanded my color combinations. I proudly paraded around in purple shorts matched with a purple and white striped shirt. If you gave this romper to me 14 years ago, I would have some serious color issues. However, if you gave me this romper to me 10 years ago, I wouldn't have think about it. I'd simply bury it in the rarely visited bottom of my drawer because if it didn't belong in my elder brother's closet, it didn't belong in mine either. I trudged through my grunge phase and battled my mom through my tom-boy phase, but now I've finally found my own phase: a cohesive mixture and combination of everything, granted I don't wear all my favorite styles at once. I've come a long way after a decade and a half. It's the evolution of style.

However, I'm still in the primate stage; there's a bit more evolutionary stages to conquer and master. I've got the time.

Don't Get it Twisted

Is it summer? Or is it fall? Let's agree to agree and say it is simply "summall."

Stumbling through Twitter like a lone blind, newborn kitten, (which is a very sad picture, when you picture it), I recently became a follower of F21 and have been reading up on its twats...or tweets. Let's agree to disagree and simply call it "twoots." The name being beside the point, I made this twoot, a twoot about four simple ways of updating your summer wardrobe for fall, as my first ever favorite twoot. I realize there is no such thing as a twoot. Simply reading the word makes you feel like a twit.

In my own version of F21's first tip, I've opted to keep my warm wrap twisted over my summer dress, (a dress that in loose fit and floral-like print seems similar to some items of United Bamboo's most recent collection), rather than under, and I've swapped knee-high socks for some knee-high Charlotte Russe boots (that would probably offer more protection). Obsessing over anything oversized, I wore this wrap as if it was falling off my body in an attempt to "boho" out my girly look, but mainly because I can't resist the comfortable temptation.

Pearls are normally saved for a sophisticated day, especially chocolate ones that your father bought in a silent auction, but I matched mine with wild hair, a slouching, asymmetrical wrap, and rugged, wrinkled, and buckled boots. I'd suggest piling on some necklaces with this look, but seeing that I was on a trip to Maui and only had a single carry-on to spare, I realized that less jewelry boxes meant more clothing space. Still. Let's all agree that I've got it strangely...twisted. 

Anime Me

Inspired by my people.

They're adorable. They're mini. They're healthily obsessed with clothing. I'm trying my best not to be biased or to have any type of favoritism because I'm 50% or because I physically look like them in almost all ways except skin color, but I think that of all the tourists I see in Hawaii, the Japanese have the cutest and most unique styles. I've spotted so many tiny Japanese women in this adorable straw top hat while greeting them at the entrance of tourist luaus or while dancing during shows (because I people-watch the crowd as I perform), and I immediately fell in love. Not to be overly dramatic, but I felt that once I found this cutie tied with a black satin bow at Claire's for only $4, my life was complete.

Speaking of Japanese fashion, I'm obsessing, (whether healthily or not, I'm unsure), over my newest Ipod Touch app, Fruits Mag. Allowing you to view all 73 pages of Japanese street style featured in its monthly magazine, each page has a picture of an adorable Japanese girl dressed in layers, punk fashion, girly dresses, glam vintage, and all that jazz with details of each item of clothing. My eyes were as big as an anime character's as I tried to soak in every look and engrave it into my mental fashion notebook. Doing so was pointless since it will all be saved on my Ipod for further viewing, something I will be making a sport of for the next few days.  

Speaking from experience and the obvious loads of pictures in this post, I couldn't get enough of this comfortable outfit once I paired my hat with my oversized Urban Outfitters dork glasses, my cinched at the waist H&M romper, my Charlotte Russe knee-high boots, all of which were literally $10 each, and my Gramps' Raulph Lauren sweater. Charlotte Russe always has a "buy one pair, get the second for $10" running, so make sure you take a look when you think of purchasing new shoes. Altogether this look is reminiscent of the simultaneously oversized and short style choices of Japanese fashionables. 

Although I'm concentrating on my Asian side at the moment, that doesn't mean I'm keeping my other heritages on the back burner. Black Mary Jane has recently posted my guest post feature on their blog addressing the not widely known secrets of Hawaii Fashion. I can't possibly choose one over the other. Rather than divide us, diversity defines us.

Tickled Pink

Did you know it's scientifically impossible to tickle yourself?

I'm donning my newest animal friend, an unusually expensive pleated owl pendant from Claire's. After searching so long for the perfect owl necklace, I finally found this beauty, and it is the only thing I've ever bought from Claire's at regular price. There's a first for everything, apparently, though I feel as if I betrayed my bargainer religion.

Literally right after making this life-changing decision, I found another pleated owl at Forever 21 at half the cost ($5) and half the shine. True love is blind. I appreciate my leap of faith and love the fact that this owl goes well with my packing on the jewelry pounds. Bangles dangle from my wrists, one with a ticklish pink bow and the other with brown hues. My large, adjustable brown ring, along with most of my jewelry I packed in this outfit, is from old, faithful Claire's. Together, with my thrifted sheer Charlotte Russe tunic complete with knitted sleeves and my mini, ruffled hemmed pink shorts from Wet Seal, I have myself a girly, vintage, eclectic style.

Among my new owl, I've also added TWITTER to my arsenal. Unfortunately I have yet to figure out how to use it correctly. I'm all about trying things at the moment. Buying things at full price. Starting something without knowing what to do. Talk about dare devil. You'll be able to find my account when I figure out how to apply a Twitter button to my side bar, but, until then, my profile is Fashionwrites. 

 I'm tickled with excitement over my "rebellious" mood. I need to get out more.

Live. Laugh. Love.