Category Archives: What I Wore

Something To Do


I’ve been doing quite a bit of shopping lately, both online and at the malls. I just got this tweed moto jacket by I ‘Heart’ Ronson, British designer Charlotte Ronson’s line at JC Penney. I love it because the tweed material has a bit of sparkle to it, which can easily take it from day to night. Also, it’s a bit edgy because it’s cut like a motorcycle jacket rather than a classic cut mainly associated with a tweed fabric. I wore it with my favorite Depeche Mode t-shirt from the 1985 Some Great Tour concert. The title of this post is a song off of the album they were supporting at the time called “Some Great Reward”.

I was lucky to get these pictures in when I did. I went to the nearby Plaza Bonita mall right after I took these pictures to do a little more shopping and pick up some household things. When I was in Target, the rain started to pour. Unfortunately, I had nothing but this jacket to protect me because I forgot my umbrella. Luckily, the rain died down a bit so I managed to get to my car without getting too wet. What a way to christen my brand new jacket!

Outfit: I ‘Heart’ Ronson tweed moto jacket; Vintage Depeche Mode concert shirt; Hot Topic studded belt with gifted Union Jack belt buckle; “Walk the Walk” boots (seen here and here); Tiffany & Co necklace; Juicy Couture jeans and ring; Burberry sunglasses; Charm bracelet from my niece

Twilight Sprinkles


Having a tripod just gives me such freedom, not only for myself but for my husband. He has been so patient with me and all the pictures I want to take. I would still love to have him help me with location shots, but for these outfits that I wear on a daily basis, I’ll just turn to my tripod. I’m still working out camera positioning and poses, so bear with me as I get the hang of it.

I took these pictures just as it started to sprinkle. I wasn’t going to use my umbrella, but I almost had no choice with the wet weather we’ve been having lately. I am wearing my “Walk the Walk” boots again. I’m having so much fun wearing them and wanted to show how versatile they are. They really do work with any outfit, and any kind of weather.


Outfit: Cotton On dress; H&M velvet jacket (seen here); Target tights; “Walk the Walk” Boots (seen here); Old Navy scarf; Coach umbrella; Juicy Couture ring; Vintage cameo pin

So Newly Charming

I got the chance to use my new tripod and was inspired by yet another Duran Duran song with my outfit. I felt my jacket was quite androgynous with the pin-stripes, so I kept it simple with a white sweater and black skinny jeans. I had the hat on, but felt better holding it to give a hint of Duran Duran’s “The Chauffeur” without going overboard (the title of this post is a line from the song).

I’m also loving the “Walk the Walk” boots that I bought from Modcloth.com (sorry kids, they went on sale and suddenly sold out!). They are quite comfortable and flattering with everything from jeans to dresses. I have worn these boots everyday since I bought them.

I always get asked where I bought this distressed white sweater. It looks like it’s been sliced or run all over like stockings, and has loose threads on the sleeves and on either side of the sweater, giving it an almost spiderweb look. Believe it or not, I bought it at an “Everything $5.99” store. We went in the store, looking for little knickknacks. I walked over to the 99 cent rack and found this sweater. The best dollar I’ve ever spent!

Outfit: Anna Sui jacket; Guess skinny jeans; “Walk the Walk” Boots from Modcloth.com; Unknown brand sweater; H&M hat; Juicy Couture ring; Burberry sunglasses; Charm bracelet was a Christmas gift from my niece

Rebel Yell

When I put this outfit together, my Mod Cloth package had not arrived yet. My husband and I went out to a company holiday dinner and returned to find the package at my doorstep. I wore the clogs because I liked the height, but I wasn’t sure how much they kept in the “rocker” feel of this outfit. If I had my “Walk the Walk Boots”, I think it would have complimented this outfit just fine.

No matter what, I’m always going to love my rock t-shirts. I have so many from dozens of concerts that I’ve attended over the years. Back in the 80’s, I bought them large to cinch them a bit on the side or wear them long with leggings. Now I wear them more fitted and with everything. I wear them dressed up or down, and even to bed (my older shirts that are bit too big). My all time favorites are my first Duran Duran concert shirt from 1984 and a Depeche Mode one from 1985. They’ve worn over the years to that soft vintage feel. My more recent favorites are Joy Division, Recoil, a limited edition John Mayer Trunk shirt, Marc Broussard, and the Billy Idol one I’m wearing here. Music is a big part of my life, and I don’t mind incorporating it into what I wear.


Outfit: Forever 21 sweater; Billy Idol concert shirt (2008); Hudson bootcut Jeans; Hot Topic pyramid studded belt; Gifted Union Jack belt buckle from Bristol, England; Burberry scarf; Juicy Couture sunnies and ring; Jeffrey Campbell clogs

Photo by Deon Chen

Old Sweater, New Tricks

I’m gathering ideas from all over on how to re-vamp my wardrobe, which has caused me to revisit some pieces that I’ve had in my closet for a while.  I got this tunic top at Topshop in London on Oxford Street back in 2008, and it’s actually a maternity top.  I didn’t gain too much weight when I was pregnant, so I got something that was close to my normal size, which means that I can still wear it as a regular part of my wardrobe.  What’s great about the top is that it ties in the back so that I can cinch it to make it more slimming.

I bought this sweater over three years ago and instantly fell in love with the sleeves.  I’ve only worn it a handful of times, so it’s fun to try to find new color palettes to wear it with.  I kept this outfit very neutral right down to the boots, so I felt I needed to anchor it with a dark denim legging.

Outfit:  Burberry sunglasses; Unknown brand sweater; Topshop maternity tunic; American Rag black denim leggings;  Urban Oufitters scarf; Steve Madden Luxe boots (seen here)

Photos by Deon Chen

Velveteen Rabbit

I bought this Erin Fetherston for Target shirt awhile ago, but never found an opportunity to wear it.  Now that I’ve worn several animal-themed pieces of clothing (a bird print dress and leopard jacket come to mind), I felt that I could finally bring out my fun rabbit print shirt.  It’s also been awhile since I’ve worn this jacket.  It’s not really velvet, but it’s a fine enough corduroy that it feels like it. 

I wore the jacket and shirt with one of my favorite styles of pants:  the wide-leg.  I have several incarnations of the wide-legged pant, and these Guess jeans are one of the widest I own.  I like these types of jeans rather than the flare because they are full all the way through the leg instead of tight in the thighs up until the wide part extends from just below the knee.  I like the way the jeans were a little distressed and faded, so I couldn’t bring myself to have them tailored.  So now I just wear them with my super-high platforms, like these Jeffrey Campbell suede clogs.  But even these jeans were almost too long.  You can see my clogs barely peeking out from beneath them.

Outfit:  Unknown brand fine corduroy jacket; Bebe crown brooch; Erin Fetherston for Target shirt; Guess jeans; Jeffrey Campbell suede clogs.

Photos by Deon Chen

Careless Memories

Objects, places and even clothing can stir up a lot of memories.  For some reason, striped shirts and Oxford flats always remind me of Duran Duran in their early days (except they had white jazz Oxfords).  I could never find those shoes back then in white, so I always wore Vans or Keds when I was trying to dress like them. 

Duran Duran had such style and they still do today.  I consider them one of the best dressed bands of the 80’s (Spandau Ballet is another band that comes to mind).  They were one of my favorite bands during the early part of my teens, until I discovered Depeche Mode (and everything shifted).  But when I think of impeccable suits and luxe in the 80’s, I always think of Duran Duran.

We found these electrical boxes painted as Rubik’s Cubes while driving on the way home from work one day.  I thought it very appropriate since I felt that I was channeling early 80’s Duran Duran with my outfit.

Outfit:  Old Navy “Prep Coat” and skinny black cargo pants; The Limited striped shirt; Jeffrey Campbell canvas Oxfords; Burberry sunglasses; Tiffany & Co necklace

Photos by Deon Chen, except for the Duran Duran photo (source unknown)

Homemade & Vintage

The colder weather is finally here and I’m turning some of my summer maxi-dresses into winter wear by combining them with cardigans in all incarnations, scarves and boots. 

I read a definition of “vintage clothing” as anything dated from the 1920’s to the 1980’s.  That means anything that I owned as a teenager has become “vintage”.  I could either stay horrified or just embrace the fact that I have some orignal “vintage” pieces in my wardrobe that I didn’t buy in a thrift store or re-sale shop.  So the sweater I’m wearing is actually from the late 80’s, given to me as a gift.  I removed the broken buttons, so the sweater has this homemade feel to it.  It is now going to be a model for one of the things I aspire to knit someday.

Speaking of homemade things, my friend made the cute drawstring purse I’m holding.  She made a scarf from an old velvet dress, then used the sleeves to make a couple little purses and gave one to me as a gift.  I absolutely love it!  Now one of my future endeavors is to make purses out of some fabric remnants that I have left over from a previous room decor project.  I’ll feature my work in future posts.  In the meantime, I told her that her awesome little purse would make an appearance or two in some of my pictorials.

Outfit:  Cotton On floral maxi-dress; 80’s vintage knit sweater; Jessica Simpson boots; handmade velvet drawstring purse

Photos by Deon Chen

Hand Knit

Once upon a time, I learned how to knit. Sara, one of my dearest friends, was knitting like a bandit a few years ago.  She made me a couple of scarves, and I absolutely fell in love with them.  As a gift, she bought me the book “Stitch ‘N Bitch” as a tribute to my getting started, and off I went. I think I knitted 20 scarves that year for Christmas or birthday gifts. I vowed to move on from there to start knitting hats, arm warmers, blankets and sweaters (eek)!

I never moved past the scarves.

I recently wore a pair of knitted arm warmers I bought from Topshop around five years ago, and someone asked me if I made them. Sadly, I had to admit that I didn’t, but now I feel like I should know how to make them!  I’ve also been seeing the “Infinity” scarves everywhere in all kinds of incredible knits, and I know in my knitting heart of hearts that I can make those.  I’m going to practice my stitches again, starting with a garter stitch scarf (because that is the easiest stitch), just to get back into the groove of knitting again.  Once I get the hang of it, I’ll be able to really let my creativity flow.

This really isn’t a true “How To” in that I’m not showing you how to knit anything.  However, here are some pictures of a couple of scarves I made a few years ago.  I’ll also start posting pictures of knitted things that I like and aspire to make someday.  I’m also starting some new projects that I’ll share with you all in the next few weeks (not all knitting, but just as creative). 

Photos by Deon Chen

Black & Velvet

Velvet during the day is something that I’ve been wearing for a while, so I’m embracing the current trend and diving in.  I bought this jacket at H&M 6 years ago in Toronto, long before we had any available in San Diego.  It’s held up so well over the years, and I’ve worn it casual as seen here, and dressed up with shiny skirts and sequined dresses.  Today, I matched with stripes, dark denim leggings, and a nice big patent leather purse.  The weather has officially cooled, so now is the time to take advantage of layering with jewel tones and lush textures.

Outfit:  H&M velvet jacket; Express striped shirt; Miss Selfridge necklace (bought in London); Forever 21 ring; American Rag denim leggings; Mixx booties; Perlina purse

Photos by Deon Chen