White + Gold

So Wild.  I got to walk down the runway for the INSPIRE United Way charity fashion show hosted by Monsanto, thanks to my good friend PJ who was one of the main coordinators of the fashion show.  As a public health student, I am very conscious about all the *lovely* interventions Monsanto does, so I have to admit I felt a bit quesy about supporting Monsanto.  However, PJ and I set aside our different opinions about Monsanto, and it finally came down to supporting PJ, raising funds for United way....and having a ton of fun.  If you have ever walked down a runway before or performed in front of large audience, you'll understand what I mean when I tell you it's the most distressing, heart-pumping experience that makes me want to do it again and again...

 

It was nice to have an excuse to dress up after the fashion show ended.  This is the outfit I wore after I was able to escape from the hectic dressing rooms I nicknamed Madness that night.  Sadly, my hair was so hopelessly, tightly curled (styled by Paul Mitchell School students who promised that the 1/2 inch tight curls would loosen throughout day, despite me telling them that my hair curls super easily and stays curled until I wash my hair) that I wasn't able to relax it for this post-fashion show outfit.  I was literally pulling and tugging at my strands all night thinking my hands could magically unwind them, but alas, no luck.  Whatevs.

[Found the fabulous Soo!]

[My pixelated life on instagram @alimei16]

Aside from the fashion show, I absolutely had a blast making this white ostrich feather skirt.  It took close to a year to make because I'm just slow at LIFE.  I am super happy how it turned out though, and am brewing ideas of my next designing project in my little brain...

[Armour]

[Gold sandwich for dinner, anyone?]

One of my fav trends for fall/winter 2012 was all white from head to toe, and the stark color (or noncolor?) was commonly paired with all gold accents or all black accents.  I tried to incorporate pieces that I already owned, and this little gold sandwich bag, which I thrifted last spring at ScholarShop (for $8 bucks too!), was so perfect for bringing that extra gold oomph to the outfit.  Not to mention it looks like a delicious, gleaming sandwich.  If you know me, I have an unhealthy obsession with sandwiches.  For lunch, dinner, breakfast, midnight snacks, mid-afternoon snacks...and as accessories apparently.  Can't. Get. Enough.

Zara white blazer size XS (similar here and here), DIY white ostrich feather skirt, Thrifted gold hard-bodied clutch via ScholarShop (similar here and here...the latter is very chanel-spring/summer 2013-esque with the aquatic theme), ASOS Armour Fan Earrings (here), Jimmy Choo Vicky size 37 (similar here and here), Gorjana gold leather wrap bracelet (here), H&M gold buckle bracelet (similar here)

Thank you for stopping by! heart, alice

[Being silly]

Photo Credits: Vincent Wu from Illuminated Focus Photography
If you like these photos, please support Vincent Wu by liking his facebook page!

One Outfit Idea for a Wedding Guest

Oh hello 3 months later...

My friend's wedding in late May was such a Pinterest-worthy wedding, and I was incredibly grateful to be there to share her special day.  Story: I put together this outfit 2 hours before the wedding after my friend decided last minute to wear a more formal dress.  Originally, I planned to wear a minty chiffon shirtdress because I knew my friend was really down-to-earth and would probably hold a down-to-earth wedding.  My thought was that I wanted the bride to be the center of attention, not my outfit.  But ultimately, I'm glad I made my outfit a little fancier or else I would've felt out of place.  The other guests were dressed fancier than I was, even with this upgraded outfit!  I'm not usually at my parent's home, so the top and shoes were such lucky finds around the house that worked with the neutral skirt.  

Thank you Wendy for helping me shoot this video!

What I wore:

Top......................Abercrombie & Fitch (size S) (bought this when I was in high school!)

Skirt.......................Adele nude double slit skirt from Club Monaco (size 2, but too big)

Belt....................................................................................Mango (size XS)

Earrings..............................................................................Nordstrom Rack

R hand Silver Arm Candy.........from South Africa (yes, the country) (top), H&M (bottom)

L hand Gold Arm Candy...................Alisa Michelle via Hautelook (top), H&M (bottom)

Shoes.....................Gianni Bini from Dillards (size 7) (used to be my junior high school

prom shoes.  Danced all night in these and still insanely comfortable)

Hope all yall's July 4th celebration was a blast!

heart, alice

Dare the World to Save the Planet...One Fashion/Beauty Enthusiast At a Time

As many of you may know, I am working on my Master of Public Health degree, and I can't see myself in any other program right now.  I find it so easy to do my assignments and go to class because I know that someday, I will be an advocate for my patients and for the wonderland around me.

As many of you don't know, Earth Month or Public Health Month (as my school named it) starts tonight at 8:30, March 31, 2012 (by turning off all unnecessary lights for one hour) and lasts all through April.  Because I'm in this public health program, I have already inherently pledged to contribute to the sustainability of our health and environment, but I challenge all of you starting today to incorporate sustainability into your life.  Many of you, my supportive readers, are interested in fashion and beauty, but how do we incorporate public health and sustainability into the fashion world?

I think I found a way for all of us to do just that.

Pretty Mayan Lake from my trip to Progeso, Mexico

You will see soon that my blog will be changing in a different direction.  Thanks to my friends for helping me mull over this idea, I have decided that from now on, I will be incorporating sustainable fashion and beauty tips on this blog.  I have lately been uneasy on the idea that consumerism is so unsustainable, from making the products themselves down to the factory workers who make and put together our fashion products.  What toxic chemicals and fibers do they put in our clothes and accessories?  Have you ever gotten something and you couldn't pronounce what material the clothing item was made out of?  Do the workers who manufacture the clothing get compensated fairly and sufficiently?

I also want to incorporate these tips on this blog because I haven't found any good tips anywhere else online.  Thus, I will be doing a lot of my own research and exploration before I become comfortable with announcing such tips.

Beach Boardwalk from my trip to Cozumel, Mexico

To start off, I have dedicated to purchase only thrifted or "sustainable" fashion items, meaning they may be made out of organic cotton, are made in my country (USA: I am familiar with their stricter regulations on compensating and treating workers, and it's local so less fuel used to import items), are made of plant-based materials, etc.  I am still in the process of exploring what "sustainable" fashion really means, so this is just a preliminary list.

By purchasing these "sustainable" items, we can put our dollar vote towards supporting sustainable fashion and beauty.

Also as a fun thing, I just created my own Earth Hour challenge on YouTube, and if 100 of you pledge to wash your clothes at 30 degrees C (or 86 degrees F) for the month of April, I will let my boyfriend, Jerry, dress me for school/work for 2 weeks and document it on this blog.

Please go here to accept my challenge so I know that 100 of you will wash your clothes at that lower temperature....and will want to see me dressed by Jerry....

There are many other challenges out there that you can pick from!  You can create your own too if you'd like (warning: you only have a few options on the right box.  I just chose the most fashion-related one lol)!

Thank you for taking the time read my blog!  I've become really fond of this blog community, and I'm so ready to marry my two loves: public health and fashion.

heart, alice

"We only have one planet.  You can help protect it. Participate in the world’s largest single campaign for the planet: Earth Hour. It starts by turning off your lights for an hour at 8:30 pm on March 31, 2012 in a collective display of commitment to a better future for the planet.  Think what can be achieved when we all come together for a common cause." -EarthHour.org