As I face away from you, gazing at the delicate blossoms eagerly bursting forth in a spectacular array of lilac pink, you start to wonder what sort of secret I'm about to tell you. I've mentioned it a couple of times before, but I'm quite sure that by now you've forgotten. You've never once seen me with it. Are you ready? Let's begin the count down.

 I wore this outfit recently to the flea market. Silly me. It was an unexpectedly sunny day and this outfit was much too warm. To say that I was just a tad sweaty would be an understatement. However, I wasn't going to let that get me down. As long as no one could see how tormented I felt inside, nothing else mattered. Luckily, I thought to bring a hat to cover up my scalp. My scalp has gotten sunburned once before and let me tell you, it was not pleasant. I've taken every precaution since to never let it happen again. Anyway, I forgot how delightful it was to leisurely stroll through each of the hundreds of stalls, perusing antiques and hidden treasures. John snagged a really nice knife. The wood handle was clean and the blade still sharp. The owner himself wasn't even sure the knife was his and ran off in search of his friend in case it belonged to him instead. I thought it was quite amusing. He returned and sold it to John for a mere $5. For a knife in such pristine condition, I had to wonder if he was in his right mind. But a deal is a deal and what a steal!

 I got myself two silk/satin scarves for just $2 each. I probably would have bought a whole box of them if I had remembered to bring cash (but realistically, I wouldn't know what to do with that many scarves anyway). Who forgets to bring cash to a flea market? Obviously, there were ATM machines around but I didn't want to have to go through the trouble to using one. And besides, it always chargesa X amount of money that I'm not willing to part with. Call me stingy but I'd rather not, thank you! Still, I had a great time simply just looking. I'm anticipating multiple trips to various flea markets this year. I'm not too sure what happened but it's been nearly a couple of years since I went to my last flea market. I used to go rather often - several times a year actually. In the future, I must remember to always eat a big full breakfast (we hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch so I was pretty much a hangry grump after a while) and lots of cash. And maybe one of those wheel-y carts cause I'll be buying loads of stuff with all the cash that I remembered to bring. (Yes, cash is very important!)

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What I wore:

Top (bodysuit): F21

Skirt: vintage

Oxfords: Miz Mooz

Hat: F21

Watch: Oasis

Photos: John & me

While I didn't experience a white Christmas (no white frosted winters here in SoCal!), the weather here has finally been cold enough that I could throw on a thick coat without sweating profusely. Autumn seems to have arrived late in our sunny state, but that's nothing to be surprised about. I'm  thoroughly enjoying it, however. Surrounded by all these beautiful leaves, what's not to love? Well, it's more like a couple of maple trees scattered here and there that we see on the road. We can't help but stop and take a look, slowly taking in this rare scene. They're not overly abundant here. I would like to take a trip to the east coast one day just to view the fall foliage. If that Family Guy episode speaks true about how congested and crowded it gets during leaf peeping season, I'm not sure I could handle it! I do have to say that during my stay many years ago that autumn in Japan, especially Kyoto, is absolutely stunning. I noticed the Japanese maple leaves were smaller and more delicate. And they turn a beautiful deep crimson red. It's amazing how many temples there are and the walks leading to them are so peaceful and awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit them all. I would love to visit again some day.

  I apologize in advance for the brevity of this past as I've got to catch up on all the fox scarves I promised friends and family I'd knit and give away as presents this Christmas. As it is, I'm super behind and have finished only a few. Anyway, a little bit about this vintage cardigan: I discovered this lovely gem some time ago before I banned myself from thrift shopping (I go way too often). My eyes were drawn to the color and pattern like moths to the glow of light. I don't think I can find anything else like this and that's what makes it so special.

 They say there are two types of people: those who live to eat and those who eat to live. Clearly, I am the former. With the holiday season putting me in a very festive mood, I find it all too easy to overindulge this time of the year. I'll reach for that extra helping of mac n cheese or slice of pizza, that extra piece of decadent truffle chocolate or delicious Hokkaido cheese tart. And with all that eating, I've come to rely on A-line dresses like this festive red/navy plaid number (worn last year here) to hide my food baby. 

I'm happy to say that I'm finally a proud owner of mustard colored tights. As someone with so-called thunder thighs, I've always been told to stay away from bright colors because they draw more attention to unwanted areas. "You must wear dark bottoms and light tops," they said. For many years, I'd only wear black tights because black is more "slimming". Well, that kind of mentality was bothering me for a while. I'm already a very shy person who ironically likes things that tend to attract people's attention. But finally I said screw it. I'm going for it. And I'm happy I did. It was such a wonderfully contrasting color to all the black I was wearing.

 Many things didn't work out this weekend. I was to wear this outfit to a nice dinner in honor of our 8 years together, but I didn't expect to get so violently ill. I had woken up early and ran off into the park to snap these photos all by myself. John was still asleep. I wanted to surprise him by getting all dolled up in this sweet dress and lovely coat, which I completely abandoned right after this shoot because the weather was exceedingly hot. So, dinner didn't happen. We were also supposed to get brunch on Sunday with our friends but had to cancel that too. Sad days.

 With the lack of fall foliage in my life - aside from artificial decorations exploding from all the stores I visit - I find myself impulsively drawn to autumnal golds and russet reds. Even pumpkin oranges like this knit top I purchased from Uniqlo. You cannot imagine the happiness that alighted me as soon as I found out that Uniqlo stores were opening in select areas around me. When I was living in Japan for a short time many years ago, I'd visit the store quite often. I was unprepared for the cold weather in Japan as I was used to winters in California. I was completely enamored by the "Heat-Tec" technology in some of their basic clothing. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. It's supposed to keep heat in so you stay warmer. And it really does. I still have one of the striped, long sleeved shirts I bought then, which I save for when it gets really cold. Makes me kinda sweaty otherwise.

 Remember what I said about shrinking your clothes in the washer/dryer and how you run the risk of too much shrinkage? Well, this burnt orange dress was a victim of such an atrocity. I purposely meant to shrink it down a size but I wasn't expecting it to shrink that much. It's shorter than I'd prefer but I still like it a lot. I'm just glad I'm short because no one wants to see butt cheeks! I think it's a good time to try my hand at one of those "how-to's" to reverse the damage. Should be easy, right? I would hate to ruin it. It's got such an awesome 70s inspired silhouette that's just so groovy (hehe). I love the vibrant, foxy burnt orange hue. I can already see myself wearing it with boots some time in the future.

 I've been itching to wear this mock neck top ever since autumn officially began but weather in SoCal has been consistently in the high 80-90s. I despaired of ever experiencing fall in October because I honestly feel in my heart that it is the perfect autumnal month. How can one resist all those plump orange pumpkins decorating all the patches and the front of stores? How can one resist the beautiful russet transformation of leaves - do keep in mind most of the trees in California are evergreens so I can only live vicariously through others (sobs eternally). Anyway, as soon as the weather dropped to 75F, which I considered cool enough, I threw this top on and wore it gleefully all day.

 As I walked hand in hand with my loved one, the soft, warm glare of the setting sun in front of us, I heard the unmistakable sound of crumpling metal high up on the bridged freeway. I let go of his hand, eyes wide open, trying to identify the scene of the accident over yonder. But I could see nothing. And soon enough, the cloying smell of burnt rubber wafted over to us. How fragile everything seemed then. 

 As the title alludes, I've always thought the sleeves on this vintage dress were like little baby angel wings. It is easily among my top 5 favorite vintage dresses. It's truly unique with a beautiful (almost watercolor) floral print against a happy peachy-pink fabric and high quality crochet lace sleeves. I've had it for so long that I don't remember where I got it from. Probably a high chance that I purchased it from eBay, back in the day when I went crazy with vintage shopping on that platform. 

 This outfit is from this past weekend. Lavender is my favorite color and lilac is a close second. Invariably, I am drawn to purple hues. Cooler tones in general. Never been a fan of red - aside from red lippies, but that's another matter altogether! I'd been searching many months for the perfect lavender floral maxi dress and lo-and-behold the most beautiful thing that ever crossed my eyes. I knew I'd never have any luck searching through for something like this at a department store (or I'm just lazy), and since I've always had good luck on Etsy, I found it. This was the one...the most perfect dress that ever existed, and I felt like it had been made just for me. Who cares if it once belonged to another and possibly as old as me? It is now mine and only mine. My precious... You already know, I'm never letting you go.

 As an effort to be a more conscious consumer, I've decided to choose thrift/vintage shopping as my main mode of acquiring "new" clothes. I recently uncovered this darling dress at my local thrift store. I was first drawn to its sweet floral print. Not obnoxiously loud but lovely and delicate. And as you already know, I'm a sucker for those sorts of things. Its lightweight material makes for a great summer dress. It isn't vintage, but that doesn't bother me. If it's something I like, I'll go for it - nevermind if it isn't at least 20 years old!

While I normally never wear tank tops, I do make gracious exceptions during the sweat-inducing summer months. With this solid 90 degree weather we've been having, I don't want to wear anything at all!  But because tank tops are so thin and lightweight, they keep me cool. And because they are so thin and lightweight, I can't help but feel a little naked. They're something that I would wear underneath a see-through top or at home as part of my pjs.

 Good morning, everyone. These summer days have blasted all the creativity out of me, so I thought I'd do a slight remix of this outfit. It just so happens to be my very second outfit post as well. What a difference a year makes. The only thing I've swapped out are the sandals. Otherwise, the outfit is essentially the same. I simply cannot live without linen and light woven cotton these days. And don't forget those stripes to spice things up. On another note, I didn't realize I'd changed so much until I looked at the photos side by side. I sort of miss my short hair. If I recall correctly, I'd gotten one cut and two trims the entire year since. Not bad, I say!

 I almost didn't want to wear this outfit just because I felt like I was showing too much skin. But then I realized that this was nothing compared to other people who wear super short shorts (I can literally see their butt cheeks!) and revealing tops in the summer. I figured I was safe. Anyway, I would only wear this sort of crop top if my bottom piece was high waisted - like this H&M skirt (I wore it once here). I'm not one to feel terribly comfortable baring my midriff for all the world to see. However, I couldn't loved the marsala color and eyelet details so much that I was determined to find a way to work it into my wardrobe. There was a matching skirt but all the ones in my size were gone (and I didn't think it was worth the price anyway).

 Right after these photos were taken, we were chased off by security. While it's not private property, it's not exactly public property either. I've been here multiple times with and without permission so I was surprised when the security lady told us to leave. I probably won't be coming back to this area anymore as I'd rather avoid trouble. It's too bad though. Such a pretty little place with tons of photo opportunities! And as it was, we didn't get to finish the shoot so we went to our local library that's got this lovely grassy area with beautiful trees.

   Now that I'm determined to grow my hair to at least waist length after 4+ years of shoulder length hair, I've finally started using conditioner.  I remember my mother blasting the waves out of my hair with a blow dryer set on high heat in an attempt to control my wild mass of frizzy hair. Let's just say, that was not the answer to controlling unruly hair. I truly believed conditioner was going to weigh down my hair and make it greasy. Was it any wonder why my hair often looked like a rat's nest (or one of those straw brooms according to my mother)?

   Well, after 8 years without it, I now saturate the length of my hair with Yes to Carrots Nourishing conditioner every time I wash my hair. The frizz is much more manageable and the waves are more defined. Took me this long to realize that my hair had been screaming for moisture all these years. I almost feel bad.

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What I wore:

Top: Forever21

Skirt: thrifted

Sandals: ASOS

Photos: John & me