Polyvore Meetup San Jose: Crepevine

Polyvore Meetup San Jose: Crepevine by thessachan featuring knee socks

Petite dress
anthropologie.com

Knee socks
urbanoutfitters.com

Steve madden booties
stevemadden.com

Madewell leather purse
madewell.com

Ray-ban glasses
shopbop.com
 

Friends, I've recently taken a giant step forward and joined the San Jose Polyvore Meetup group.  Now, I know it's super scary to show up in a place to meet a bunch of people that you don't know, but sometimes when you have a strong interest in something (ahem, fashion and blogging), it's worth it to reach out and find people with the same level of interest. Because I've met some awesome people so far!

On the fashion side, I freaking love this dress.  It's girly, pixelated and easy.  Speaks to the techie, nerd and style craving sides of me.  And really, how often does that happen?  I also really dig knee high socks in a fun color with an unexpected shoe like this combat inspired boot.  Easy to walk around in and adds some interest.  Throw in a hold everything bag and some shades and you're good to go!

So now that you know how to dress, all that's left is showing up!  If you're interested in joining us, check out the Polyvore Meetup page, or e-mail me at tolookforstyleblog@gmail.com.

And if you're not in the Bay Area, never fear! There are tons of other Polyvore Meetups to check out and you can even start your own!

Hope to see you there! Thanks for stopping by :).  

My Nerdy Makeshift Halloween Costume

For the first time in many years, I didn't have a Halloween costume planned.  What does that mean?  For most, it means scraping together something generic from your closet - hippie, doctor, sports enthusiast.  For me, perpetual nerd, it means pulling together something from an anime or video game.

Lara Croft, Tomb Raider

A classic ball busting bad ass that gave Angelina Jolie a huge cult following.  Sexy and practical!  Run around and shoot Nerf darts at people for funsies all night.

In Your House: Green Tank, Brown Shorts, Black Belt, White Socks, Brown Shoes
Swing by Target for: Nerf Guns, Gun Holsters
Special Instructions: None

Crazy Japanese School Girl from Kill Bill

I like girls who can handle weapons, clearly.  If you've gone to a religious school, you probably already have these things handy.  Don't worry about going super authentic, the mace will be a dead giveaway.  And if you can't find one, generic Japanese school girl will do!

In Your House: Blue Blazer, Plaid Skirt, White Button Down, White Socks, White Shoes
Swing by Target for: Skinny Red Scarf, Plastic Mace from Toy Section
Special Instructions: Tie scarf around your neck and tie in a bow.

Mario or Luigi from Mario Brothers

I've actually done a variation of this one that requires more effort, but classic Mario and Luigi are an easy fall back plan.  Totally recognizable while you're hopping from party to party and good in any weather!
 
In Your House: Overalls, Red or Green Shirt, Tie-able Black Shoes
Swing by Target for: A Red or Green Hat, White Winter Gloves, White Felt, Cloth or Paper
Special Instructions:

1. Cut a circle out of the felt, cloth or paper.  Trace a M or L in the middle and cut it out.  Glue or sew to the hat. 
2. Draw a mustache under your nose with a brown or black eye pencil

Tifa Lockhart

Every Final Fantasy has some amazing female bad asses, and Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII is no exception.  If you grew up in the 90's as a gamer, you know who she is.  And like Lara Croft, this costume is simultaneously sexy and comfy!

In Your House: White Tank, Bodycon Black Skirt, Black skirt, Black Tights (you are going to cut these, make sure you don't want them anymore!), Brown Combat Boots, Black Socks, Black Suspenders
Swing by Target for: Duct Tape, Brown Globes
Special Instructions:

1. Cut the legs off the tights. 
2. Put one leg on each arm for the sleeves
3. Cut the tips off the gloves and put them on
4. Wrap the knuckles of the gloves in duct tape
5. Tuck the bottom of your tank into your bra (or cut it) to create the crop top. 

What did I go with?  Take a look!


 

My fiance bought a Buster Sword something like 5 years ago, so he pieced together a Cloud Strife costume. Now -- the nerdy question:  There is something obviously wrong with our costumes.  And no, it has nothing to do with the costume components.  Do you know what it is?

Thanks for stopping by! 

Uniqlo Store Openings: Valley Fair, CA and Atlantic Terminal NY

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am super excited about the Uniqlo store that opened at the Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara, CA this past Friday!  There's one opening in the Atlantic Terminal Mall in NY this weekend too, so we're covered on either coast.

There are a ton of promotions going on this weekend, so I highly recommend you check it out.  The first 300 customers each day receive a limited edition Uniqlo tote and the first 1000 get a free HeatTech product if they spend over $50. HeatTech products are amazing -- they wick away moisture and feel soft against the skin!

If that doesn't drum up enough excitement, here's the inside scoop on the Valley Fair Mall location.

 

It may be because I don't have kids yet, but I love kids sections in clothing stores.  They have miniature versions of big people clothes and it's just so cute I could scream!  Check out the Ultra Light Jackets and the Fleece shown above.


Starting from the top left: Men's Fleece 14.90/Top Right: Womens Ultra Light Down Jackets 49.90/Middle Left: Leggings Pants (these are amazing and have back pockets!) $14.90/ Middle Right: More Leggings Pants on mannequins/Bottom: Mens Socks (so. many. colors.)

They also had amazing deals on cashmere sweaters at 49.90, Flannel shirts at 19.90 and basic Cotton Teels for 7.90.

Online prices will vary. Prices are mostly in store only, so get going! 

The Thursday night event itself was super posh!  Customer service was stellar and the food and drink were incredibly delicious.
 
Pictures Starting from the Top: Wine spread for the event/Row 2, Left: Chestnut and Potato Croquettes/Row2, Right: Some sort of sashimi (mmmm)/Row 3: My fiance and friend (people kept singing that one annoying fox song all night bc of my sweater)/Row 4: Pic with bloggers Kelsey and Deanna

All in all, an amazing night!  I  came away with an Ultra Light Down jacket (I travel so much and it fits in a pouch. A POUCH), a pair of Leggings Pants and some HeatTech products in preparation for snowboarding season! 

Only a day and a half left of opening weekend promotions, but Uniqlo brick and mortar are here to stay!

Thanks for stopping by!

[Fashion Outfit] Errand Chic

 

Outfit Details

Top: Target

Skirt: J Crew

Shoes: Steve Madden

Sunglasses: Tulle

Scarf: Gift from Mom

Belt: Anthropologie Double Vision Belt 

  

The day I wore this outfit, I was running around making copies in preparation for a conference that I was helping at.  I wanted to show my colleagues that I was professional, but had to be able to run around a do gopher-ish tasks. Thank goodness for short motoboots!  They pull together outfits in such a nonchalant way.

What shoes do you wear to look casual, but chic?  Share in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by!

[Fashion] Uniqlo Quick Picks

Hey there!  I'm heading out to Westfield Valley Fair Uniqlo pre-Opening Party in 1.5 hours and I'm suuuuuuuper excited!  That's right San Francisco, with a Uniqlo in my back yard, I no longer have to drive/train an hour just to get my Japanese basics fix.  I don't NEED you anymore!  (JustkiddingIstillloveyouyouhipstersonofa)

I thought I'd share some quick picks that I plan on checking out while I'm there.  Uniqlo is like the Gap of Japan -- tons of great basics, designer collaborations and petite friendly sizes!  I first came across the store in 2005 while studying abroad in Japan, and it's ONLY taken 7 years for it to come to the US (first NYC, too far; then SF, closer, but still too far).  But I'm so glad!  I love their selection of tights and socks.  There's a whole wall!

I'll be back with a full report later.  For those who are interested, the official San Jose Westfield Valley Fair opening of Uniqlo is tomorrow when the mall opens!  For those not local, never fear -- there's an online site.  And you can start shopping by clicking some of the links below!

Uniqlo Skirts · Uniqlo Cashmere Sweaters · Uniqlo Leggings

Anything you're eyeing?  Thanks for stopping by! 

[Fashion/Adventure] Anthropologie Petite Event with Corey Lynn Calter

You guys, this past Friday, I made the 1.5 hour trek up the bay to Corte Madera, where Anthropologie opened a new petite shop in their location at The Village at Corte Madera.  For a girl that prays ankle skinny jeans stay in style as long as possible (YAY for hems that don't drag on the floor with flats!), this is a godsend.  After all, now I can get my whimsical fashion fix fulfilled with petite appropriate hems, waistlines and sleeves!  I just had to go up and support.

 

First off, Anthropologie invited Corey Lynn Calter herself to help host the event!  Corey Lynn Calter creates so many fun pieces and was such an amazing sweetheart. I made 2 trips around the store before working up the courage to ask her to take a picture and she just up and put her arm around me.  *Happy Dance*
 
 

Outfit: Sylvana Leather Moto Jacket, Unknown Shirt,  Sirene Sequin Skirt

The Corte Madera store is huge and, in typical Anthro event fashion, the displays, food and drink were elegant and quirky.  Just look at the paring of a sparkle maxi skirt and a leather jacket -- chic, warm and slightly to the left of mainstream. 

 

And now to share more styling!

 

Starting from top left and going left to right .  Top Left: Shimmered Sweater Shift, Unknown scarf/ Top Right, Outfit 1:Ruched Porcelain Blazer, Channeled Dots Column Dress, Medusa Flats Outfit 2: Guepardo Pullover /Middle: Side Tied Booties/Bottom Left: AG Farrah High Rise Skinny Jeans, J Brand Coated 620 Super Skinny Jeans/Bottom Right: Anthropologie Pixelated Fleur Dress, Paned Hourglass Column Dress , Glossed Dots Shift


Top Left and Bottom items come in petite!  Yay!

What do you think about Anthropologie opening Petite Shops in select Anthros across the country?  Where do you like to shop petites?  Share in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by!

[Fashion/Nerd] Fashion Tips from Not-Real Chicks: Aladdin's Princess Jasmine and Skinny Sweats

 

Our favorite Arabian Disney princess knew how to rock some royal garb in comfort and style! No oxygen depriving corseted dresses or skirts that force you to mind the open-ness of your legs while sitting. Just some billowy pants offset by a sexy crop top. What better way to emulate chic comfort than with a pair of skinny sweatpants? No need to stick to the light blue and gold color palette (though if that floats your boat, then go for it!) – there are tons of different variations to try. Case in point?

Skinny Sweats by thessachan featuring tall sweat pants

We like the idea of pairing these with a silky pajama top and a sick pair of pumps. Throw a leather jacket over that and you’ll mean some serious business. How would you rock the skinny sweatpant? Voice your ideas in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by!

[Fashion] OOTD: All Dressed Up With Somewhere to Go

Outfit Details
Top: J Crew
Blazer: Bought on sale in Japan
Skirt: Bought in Italy
Shoes: Anthropologie
Belt: Anthropologie
Necklace: WorkPlayDate
Bracelet: Stella and Dot

Sometimes outfits just come together. Have you ever bought something so long ago that trends finally catch up with it? I bought this skirt 10 years ago (no, literally, 10 years ago) while I was studying abroad in Italy. I've always loved it, but felt it was too fashion forward to wear anywhere normal and too casual to wear to formal occasions. But, year after year, I could never bear to purge it.  Well, high-low hems AND military wear are in style, and I just happened to have had a fashion show to go to on this day. Sometimes you just have to wait a decade for that perfect storm to hit. Patience comes to those who wait.

 Thanks for stopping by!

iFabbo Social Media Conference Recap

Outfit Details: Top: Madewell via Crossroads Trading Company/Tank: Yummie Tummie/Pants: Urbana Outfitters/Shoes: Target

This past Saturday was the iFabbo Social Media Conference.  I have to say, it was a fantastic event!  They brought together a wide array of new brands (BooHoo.com! Dermalogica! Becca Cosmetics! Lotus Premium Denim), engaging speakers (Tracy Sun from Poshmark! Marlena Stell from Makeup Geek! Christina Martinez from Luvocracy! Susan Yara from New Beauty Magazine! Annemarie Frank from HSN!) and super fun fellow bloggers -- all of whom made the whole thing super duper fun.

I'm not a Redditor, so I'm going to knowingly do this wrong.  Here's the TL;DL key take away of the conference:

Be authentic and use your voice on your blog.  Actually engage your users and, of course, keep creating content!

And you know, while this sounds like "duh" advice, it was amazing how consistently these different speakers and brands with wildly different backgrounds drove this message home. 

From Right to Left: 1. Plaid dress from BooHoo.com/ 2. Trying on Google Glass/ 3. BooHoo Display/ 4. My Skin Map from Dermalogica/ 5. The "Future of Fashion and Beauty" Panelists/ 6. Close up of my outfit pants and shoes (hehe)

And for those that are still interested, here's the highlights: 

• Bloggers are better en masse.  It's significantly better to band together to work with brands than to try to step on each other.  No YouTube trolling! (On a related note, anyone want to band together with me? :D)
• Quality readers are better than quantity of readers.  How often do your readers engage?  Can you motivate them to do things?  This is what makes brands notice you. 
• Personality and Authenticity is extremely important.  There's something endearing about being a liiiiittle bit weird with your content. 
• On taking pictures on your phone vs. a DLSR: Sometimes the best camera is the camera that you have.  
• You can get Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop on Creative Cloud for 9.99 a month - yay tools! 
• As a blogger, disclose all relationships with brands.  It can be something as simple as getting swag from a store -- ensure it's clear that you were given something to avoid legal trouble. 
• One way to get more following is to jump on a social media platform in its infancy.  Many of the big bloggers and vloggers got their start when YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram were just starting. 
• Engage with others - Find a community with the same interests as you! Reply to every single on of your comments.  Comment on other blogs! 

Honestly, there were tons more good tidbits, but this is what I took away.   Apparently iFabbo is replaying the conference on Spreecast if you missed it.  Check it out here.

Thanks to all the fantastic people that put this together -- it was a great learning experience!

Did you go to the iFabbo Social Media Conference? What did you learn?  Share in the comments?

Thanks for stopping by!