Style resolutions for the new year
Over the years, I have tried various styles... from the weird office lady style which elicited responses like are you your bf's older sister to an overcompensating juvenile style involving crop tops which do nothing to hide my fat rolls...
And now after a trip to france and observing firsthand the french street chic... I have decided to make a few resolutions this new year.
1. The French understand the importance of basics. For some reason, the white shirts that the NUS girls in my college wear always seem to look either like pajamas or freebies from some marathon; the French however always look effortlessly elegant in plain shirts and simple jeans. The difference I realised lies in simple quality.
Jeans: contrary to popular belief, or basically what bloggers have us believe, not all jeans are created equal. Unless you have extremely toned legs that would make a gymnast envious, do not go for the "stretchy" and "tights-like" jeans because they do nothing to contour your leg. If you must have jeans, then go for the classics like Levis or Calvin Klein. If anything, spending a little more on jeans is really worth it because it's not like you need more than a pair or two.
2. "Les chaussures ameliorent le look" The first time I had ever spent 300 sing dollars on a pair of shoes was in France. And trust me it wasn't even a pair of heels or some Nike flyknit. It was a pair of ballet flats with no logo and no bling-bling.
I was walking in the streets of Bordeaux when I chanced upon a store called Repetto. And that was how I ended up spending my entire trip allowance on a pair of purplish-pink leather flats.
My mom was of course really angry when I returned home with that pair of not-so-spectacular shoes and really, even I was kind of surprised that I bought it. But anyways, the amazing thing is overtime both my mom and I became bought-over by the amazing construction of those shoes.
It is weird but the shoe seems to become lighter as I wore it; probably because the sole is made of leather and became more fitted to my feet over time. Also, it was the first pair of ballet flats that does not make me bleed everytime I wear it.
Today, I own 3 pairs of ballet flats from Repetto and I really go all the way to France just to buy these everytime I run out.
3. Classics is everything.
My mom has always been an advocate of classics; she grew up in an upper-middle class family in Taiwan and spent her days in Japan as a student so well she picked up all the materialistic aspects of life there.
My style has always been greatly influenced by my mom. Sometimes I would come home to find Isetan shopping bags on the dining table and that my mom has bought me yet another wallet which I do not need but which she assures me will never go out of fashion.
Ok wait, the point is that over the years, while I really do not approve of my mom's spending, I do agree that most of the things that she buys really remained stylish and classy. And because of her insistence on leather goods, I also came to realize that leather is really the only material that ages with grace -much unlike the peeling PVC.
4. Organic is the way to go.
I never thought I would be buying 6 bars of soap from France. But really I did and I am glad I did.
And now after a trip to france and observing firsthand the french street chic... I have decided to make a few resolutions this new year.
1. The French understand the importance of basics. For some reason, the white shirts that the NUS girls in my college wear always seem to look either like pajamas or freebies from some marathon; the French however always look effortlessly elegant in plain shirts and simple jeans. The difference I realised lies in simple quality.
Jeans: contrary to popular belief, or basically what bloggers have us believe, not all jeans are created equal. Unless you have extremely toned legs that would make a gymnast envious, do not go for the "stretchy" and "tights-like" jeans because they do nothing to contour your leg. If you must have jeans, then go for the classics like Levis or Calvin Klein. If anything, spending a little more on jeans is really worth it because it's not like you need more than a pair or two.
2. "Les chaussures ameliorent le look" The first time I had ever spent 300 sing dollars on a pair of shoes was in France. And trust me it wasn't even a pair of heels or some Nike flyknit. It was a pair of ballet flats with no logo and no bling-bling.
I was walking in the streets of Bordeaux when I chanced upon a store called Repetto. And that was how I ended up spending my entire trip allowance on a pair of purplish-pink leather flats.
My mom was of course really angry when I returned home with that pair of not-so-spectacular shoes and really, even I was kind of surprised that I bought it. But anyways, the amazing thing is overtime both my mom and I became bought-over by the amazing construction of those shoes.
It is weird but the shoe seems to become lighter as I wore it; probably because the sole is made of leather and became more fitted to my feet over time. Also, it was the first pair of ballet flats that does not make me bleed everytime I wear it.
Today, I own 3 pairs of ballet flats from Repetto and I really go all the way to France just to buy these everytime I run out.
3. Classics is everything.
My mom has always been an advocate of classics; she grew up in an upper-middle class family in Taiwan and spent her days in Japan as a student so well she picked up all the materialistic aspects of life there.
My style has always been greatly influenced by my mom. Sometimes I would come home to find Isetan shopping bags on the dining table and that my mom has bought me yet another wallet which I do not need but which she assures me will never go out of fashion.
Ok wait, the point is that over the years, while I really do not approve of my mom's spending, I do agree that most of the things that she buys really remained stylish and classy. And because of her insistence on leather goods, I also came to realize that leather is really the only material that ages with grace -much unlike the peeling PVC.
4. Organic is the way to go.
I never thought I would be buying 6 bars of soap from France. But really I did and I am glad I did.
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