Tag Archives: H&M

Our Dapper Little Gentleman

For Dominic’s picture with the Easter Bunny this year, I decided to style him in a newsie style, right down to the bow tie. I love that my son is up for anything when I dress him, but I guess it’s because he’s only five and wholeheartedly trusts me as his mother. My hope is that when he’s older, he can look back at these pictures and can appreciate that I was just trying to ensure he had an incredibly fun, yet stylish childhood.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend and happy Record Store Day Eve!

A bow tie can make any situation a dressy affair, even when having a corn dog and fries!

Dominic’s outfit: H&M shirt, bow tie (which came with another shirt) & high top sneakers; Calvin Klein vest; Zara hat; Walmart pants

Hot Sticky Sweet

When I’m off work and on casual Fridays, a concert t-shirt, jeans and a comfy pair of shoes are my uniform, especially when they’re as striking as these fantastic pair of red moccasins (to match my nail polish, of course). I wore this outfit on the last day in our old office as we packed up to move to our new building (just this past Monday). The weather right now in San Diego has been quite warm, but the mornings and evenings still remind us all that it’s not quite spring yet. In those times, a light jacket and snuggly beanie will do. I love this Def Leppard long-sleeved t-shirt because it’s great for days like this, but then I could also throw it over a tank top and shorts when it’s nice and sunny all day long. I actually saw Def Leppard back in 2002 at a Jingle Ball, not back in the 80’s. Back then as a die-hard Depeche Mode fan, I dare not say that I even remotely liked “Pour Some Sugar on Me”, let alone admit that I actually bought the single (yup, that’s my 7 inch below). I’m quite at ease with my musical self that I can readily admit now I really have always been a fan. So much so that I’ve included the video below for your enjoyment.

Outfit – Ed Hardy jacket (old); H&M jeans; Target Def Leppard long-sleeved t-shirt; Burton beanie; Savannah Animal Print glasses c/o SelectSpecs; Dark Red Honiton moccasins c/o Hotter Shoes; rings by Suki Bijoux, Elisha Marie (purchased from Emerging Thoughts), and Wendy B by Wendy Brandes Jewelry; Tiffany & Co necklace; Wine Not nail polish by Sally Hansen; my dad’s US Navy ring next to my wedding & engagement rings

Outfit photos taken by Rholnna Jiao

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

(Edited to add the back of my Ed Hardy jacket, the main reason I bought it!)

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: H&M Conscious

After being sick for a few days earlier this week, my husband finally got me out of the house for some necessity shopping. This included a trip to the grocery store and to our local mall. We quickly stopped in at H&M before heading to Target, where I found an adorable sweatshirt (that cute number pictured above to go with my new YRU kitty flats) and some even cuter socks (not pictured). I carry an H&M reusable bag with me everywhere as a quick “go to” bag for any kind of emergency, fashion or otherwise. After being rung up, I asked the sales person to please use my reusable bag to house my new purchases. He informed me that as a thank you for doing so, I received 15% off of my sweatshirt, and he gave me another coupon to use again on another item of my choice. What a pleasant surprise! H&M has made quite an effort to be a more sustainable company with their “H&M Conscious” campaign (I have a jacket from this line, worn here and here). Like the discount I received for using my reusable bag, you can also receive coupons for taking part in their “Garment Collecting” initiative by bringing your used clothing to be repurposed to be either reworn, reused, or recycled (the stores have receptacles for the Garment Collecting). I truly enjoyed receiving such a lovely little surprise for just my own small effort to be sustainable. If you are shopping this weekend and find yourself near an H&M, maybe you can do the same. Cheers!

(Note: This is not a sponsored post, and I was not approached by H&M to endorse their “H&M Conscious” campaign. I am simply impressed by their sustainable fashion efforts, and wanted to share my experience with the readers of Any Second Now.)

Back to School

Check out my niece, Mei-Lin…how absolutely cool is she? She’s always wearing my shoes and we love to do our nails together. Yes it’s true, she has watched me take many an outfit picture, so I know many of these poses are compliments of moi. But really, she is just a natural. This is the outfit she wore on the first day of school this week (2nd grade), and she is on point with being “Rocker Chic”. Mei-Lin is as smart as she is beautiful, and saying I’m a proud aunt is an understatement.

Outfit – All H&M

Photos by Rholnna Jiao

Ice Machine

I finally got my Val Tex ankle boots by Miista. Free People had them on super sale, so I just had to grab them. They named it the “Glacier Ankle Boot”, probably because the pattern looks like it could be from the aurora borealis. I fell in love with them when Miista introduced their Electromancer line, and I used it in a Polyvore collage (post here). I kept my outfit very simple, allowing these lovelies to steal the show. These booties are even prettier up-close and personal, and many co-workers stopped me to ask me where I got them. This is my fourth pair of Miistas, and I can safely say that I’m hooked.

Outfit – H&M cardigan; Old Navy shirt and jeans; Val Tex ankle boots by Miista in topaz/mauve ($69.95 on Free People); Rebecca Minkoff MAC; Michael Kors watch; Wendy Brandes and Suki Bijoux rings; Honeybadger glasses by BonLook; bracelet, necklace and earrings were birthday gifts from my niece and sister

(‘Ice Machine’ is a song by Depeche Mode, the B-side to ‘Dreaming of Me’)

$Val Tex Collage$

(Check out the cute bonus pictures of my beautiful niece wearing my Miistas. She loves all of my shoes, purses and clothes, so I thought it would be fitting to get her in this outfit post. I’m telling you, she’s a natural, no?)

(Photos by Rholnna Jiao)

Made Well

I’m not sure how it happened, but I have accumulated quite a collection of printed pants in the last few months. I like what the printed pants add to my wardrobe, making it very dynamic. It’s always easy to pair printed shirts with jeans or dress pants, but I find it more challenging to build an outfit around printed pants. These wonderful printed pants are my first purchase from Madewell. I also don’t really pick a color theme for my outfits, but I ran with the blue in this one (you may recognize the blue purse, as I wore it during my many days and nights out in London last year, orignal post here). Believe it or not, the blues were not all the same shade, but they appear that way in these pictures.

Outfit – Madewell pants (on super sale at the location in South Coast Plaza, only $17!); Old Navy shirt; H&M sweater; Rebecca Minkoff purse; Betsey Johnson shoes; iSee glasses from GlassesUSA; Necklace from Southwark Cathedral (London); Mimi Boutique zipper bangle; Wendy Brandes ring; Suki Bijoux rings; Michael Kors watch

FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Although this is a sponsored post, the opinions, pictures & content of this post are strictly my own.

Girl Guides

I wore this outfit when I went to brunch my food blogger friends a couple of weeks ago (original post here). I actually wore different boots at that time because I thought they would get wet from the recent rains here in San Diego. I’m always afraid to mix prints because I just can’t seem to get them quite right. I do better when I stick to the same color family, especially blacks and whites. The necklace I’m wearing is another Suki Bijoux special: it’s a vintage Girl Guides whistle (Girl Guides in England are similar to the Girl Scouts here in the US). I loved it when I saw it on Facebook, and Suki was able to retrieve them from the boutique where she was originally supposed to sell them. She had similar one on Facebook, but I’m SO glad she was able to sell this one to me!

Outfit – Talbots hooded cape; H&M sweater; American Rag denim leggings; Vince Camuto boots; Elaine Satchel c/o Mimi Boutique (won from one of their Facebook contests); Honeybadger glasses from BonLook; Suki Bijoux “Recoil” ring, typewriter ring and Girl Guide whistle necklace; Wendy Brandes ring

You've Got it Made

This outfit includes a couple of handmade items: the vintage purse I re-worked by adding pom poms from Monday’s post, and a scarf that I knitted myself. Also included in this outfit are pieces made by the talented Suki of Suki Bijoux. In the detail picture below, you can see the vintage purse necklace, the “Recoil” ring and typewriter ring. Lately, I have been wearing her pieces mixed in with my favorite ones, like the @ ring by Wendy Brandes. Pieces like these handmade items give character to an otherwise simple California winter outfit.

Outfit – H&M jacket, sweater and jeans; Tod’s suede boots; Honeybadger glasses by BonLook; Wendy Brandes ring; vintage purse necklace, custom-made “Recoil” ring and “C” typewriter ring by Suki Bijoux; handmade knitted scarf and pom pom purse

Photos by Rholnna Jiao

I Confess

I first heard about Miista shoes when they followed me on Twitter. I love discovering new brands, and lately I find out them due to follows on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I must confess that it was love at first sight when I went to the website, and I have been fascinated ever since (I used a couple of their shoes in some recent Polyvore collages, here and here). These are my first pair from Miista called the Gabi, and these shoes – along with everything that I see on their site – are show stoppers. I’m not one to shy away from a fantastic pair of shoes, and these shoes start conversations. Each time I wear them, I get stopped because people either want to know where I got them, or just to tell me they are an awesome pair of shoes. I wore them recently to the Shimmer event that I went to a few weeks ago, and because they are flatforms, they gave me the height I needed while remaining comfortable. I’ve already have a second pair from Miista’s AW2012 sale, and I’m deciding what to get next from their Electromancer SS2013 collection, which is simply ah-mazing.

Note: Miista is a UK based company, and I just realized how many English items I’m wearing other than my shoes: London Underground cuff, English Beat shirt (the title of this post is one of their songs), Union Jack purse, London map ring, and hidden under my shirt is my belt with a Union Jack buckle. I must really miss London!

Edited to add on 2/5/2013: Check me out on Miista’s site (here)! When you purchase shoes from Miista (directly from their site or the many retailers that sell their brand), take an outfit photo featuring their shoes and submit it to you at miista dot com, and you could win a free pair in a monthly drawing. I didn’t win this month, but I’m going to keep trying!

Outfit – Living Doll Los Angeles jacket; H&M jeans; English Beat concert t-shirt; The G Collection Union Jack studded purse; Gabi shoes by Miista (from Envi Shoes); London Underground cuff c/o designhype; rings by Wendy Brandes and Suki Bijoux; Michael Kors watch; La Marquise glasses by BonLook; Park Avenue lipstick by Radiant

(Photo 3 by Eddie Flores of Love Life Photography)

The Power of Customization: eShakti.com

I am definitely someone who takes garments to a seamstress or tailor to get things to fit correctly, or I will customize something to get it to be the way I want. So when I was asked by eShakti.com to review a garment, I was excited to see just how it all worked for an online shop. The premise of the site is to provide affordable clothing that can be purchased in standard sizes, or that can be customized to fit to one’s exact measurements. When ordering, standard sizing is available from 0 to 36W and they also ask for your height. For a small fee, if you wish to further customize your order, you can enter all of your measurements to receive a garment that is made to fit only you (and they will save your meausrements for additional and future orders)! Depending on the type of garment you are ordering, you can also choose sleeve length, sleeve type, and even the length of your skirt or dress. For instance, if you really like a dress pattern, but you would like a halter top in a shorter length as a casual dress, but maybe you would also enjoy it sleeveless in a longer length for a dressier affair, you can purchase the same dress in two different styles.

The internet allows us to be extremely customer-centric by enabling the buying to be inter-active.

Shakti means power in Sanskrit.

Internet + Shakti = eShakti.com.

I chose the Asymmetrical Fan Pleat Blazer because of the awesome design and detail. As soon as I added it to my “Awesome Outfits” board on Pinterest, it was repinned more than anything I have added to date, which means many of you out there agree! I chose a standard size, but entered my height and customized the sleeve to be a longer length. It took only two weeks from when I put in my order to when I received this beautiful, lined wool boucle jacket, exactly as it was pictured on the site and it fit perfectly.

I styled it two ways to show that this jacket is incredibly versatile and can be worn on a night out or for running errands with my son (who decided to join in the picture). This jacket is one of many fantastic pieces on the eShakti site, including retro flare dresses, skirts, and cardigans. If you are new to eShakti, your first time registration will also earn you a $25 gift certificate. I signed up myself, but I’m still deciding which dress I want because there are so many cute things to choose from. If you love retro styling, tailor made to fit you perfectly at affordable prices, check out eShakti.com!

Both Outfits – Fan Pleat Blazer c/o eShakti; BonLook glasses

Outfit 1 – Alice Temperley for Target dress; Forever 21 purse (old); Vince Camuto boots; black sheer stockings c/o Frangi Pangi; rings by The Shangri-La and Suki Bijoux; Radiant lipstick in Park Avenue

Outfit 2 – English Beat concert t-shirt; H&M jeans, cardigan (under jacket) and shoes; The G Collection Union Jack studded purse; rings and necklace by Suki Bijoux; Union Jack belt buckle was a gift

FTC Disclosure: I received free product and was asked to review the product in return. Although I did receive free product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

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