ordinary peoples

Romwe International Giveaway V. 2

2012-03-12T10:42:00.000-06:00

Okay, so we're just going to get straight to it and introduce yet another giveaway. This time, from the lovely Romwe! We're sure that you've heard Alyssa talk about her love for this story a few times too much, but if you love Romwe just as much as she does, then you're bound to enjoy this next giveaway. We'll cut the chatter here and just state the basics. The lucky winner will get an astounding...

$60 freebies

Think about all the amazing things you could buy with that?! We're just coveting items for you guys.

We'll make this nice and simple. Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter! As per usual, there are two mandatory steps. Complete these and you'll gain access to the other non-mandatory steps that are worth much more point-wise (think of it like a game). Also, please enter the giveaway using the same e-mail you've used to register with Romwe.com. Peace and love, fellow internet-ees.

Oh, and the giveaway ends next week on March 19th. Get 'er goin'!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BB's Autumn lookbook

2012-03-12T10:13:00.000-06:00

I only have one thing I want to share with you today, and its the Beginning Boutique lookbook. I'm never really one to ogle at lookbooks, but I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I'm in love with the models' hair. And those One Teaspoon shorts. Actually, just give me everything. Also, to celebrate this lookbook, Beginning Boutique is offering everyone 10% off with the code "AUTUMN. I might have to take a look myself!

PS: Congratulations to the winner of the Mochi Beaucoup winner, Bee! You'll be contacted shortly! Thanks everyone for participating! There will be another one shortly, so keep checking back!

Desperate for spring

2012-03-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

Is it even possible that blogging is stressful? If not, then the stress from school is transforming me into a deranged lunatic. Anyway, I've been a little low on inspiration lately (hence my last inspiration post, and yes, this sounds so cornball), and picking out outfits has been taking forever. Half the time I just throw something I find on the floor in my bathroom (my bathroom is a pigsty) and I end up looking like the most ludicrous person ever. More on that story later.

Anyway, I have an outfit post I planned on puttin' up a while ago but was too lazy to actually do it (story of my life). As one of my biggest enemies, laziness usually kicks me in the ass when it comes to schoolwork, and now it's reigning havoc on this blog. So I apologize. I'll try to keep 'er under control.

Enough of that. Check out my cut-out blouse from Sugarlips Apparel and bad ass shorts from Beginning Boutique. I can already tell how worn out these items will be once summer is over. Now, for summer to get here.. It was +10ºC today. I cannot even express how ecstatic I was. I didn't even need my jacket. I've completely forgotten how it feels to not need to wear a jacket outside. It's liberating.

PS: My tan is pretty much completely gone. That explains my looking like a ghost.
PPS: If you're interested in doin' a bit of shopping on Romwe, here are some discount codes for y'all

Coupon code : WhiteValentineDay1 $15 off on Purchase over $60
Coupon code: WhiteValentineDay2 $25 off on Purchase over $90
Coupon code: WhiteValentineDay3 $35 off on Purchase over $120

You save $21 dollars off your purchase (or something cool like that), and this can only be used once per customer! This coupon expires March 6, 2013.

technicolour dream shorts c/o beginning boutique (~~$55.00~~ $30.00) [link]

delicate oxford blouse c/o sugarlips apparel [link]

black double finger chained rings from romwe

red envelope bag from romwe

jeffrey campbell platform sandals from free people

purple crystal necklace from forever 21

thrifted circular pendant

Chapter 3, inspiration

2012-03-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

I've been so boring lately. Just studying and what not, y'know. Two more midterms, two more midterms. It's my mantra.

Anyway, here's a pretty plain post. I've been running out of steam for a while and these photos have got me back on track. Thank goodness for the internet. All I can say is get yourself a nice, long jacket--or something that makes you look like you've escaped from a zoo (the weirder, the better). Then travel to New York or somewhere cool like that, and get your photo taken.

Photos from Caroline's Mode and the Sartorialist.

Velvet and denim

2012-03-07T18:42:00.001-07:00

I got a request a while ago to do a polyvore set featuring either a denim vest or some velvet leggings (sometimes I misread things though, so don't take my word for this). So I decided to do it quickly and actually post something fashion-related rather than show you photos I've managed to scrape up in the past few weeks.

Anyway, it's official. I've finished reading The Hunger Games. I'm not sure if I can say I'm satisfied or not (because I just want to read more and more even though there's nothing more to read), but I have to say, it was so...captivating. I don't think I've read a book that's affected me like this in a long time. It's not like I'm having an epiphany and want to throw a rebellion of my own or something ludicrous like that. It's just that I haven't read a book like that in so long, I forgot how it felt to get close to fictitious characters.

Okay, enough of that drag. Here's my set. The top row consists of outfits with velvet pants while the second row features denim (I cheated a little and decided to make one using a denim jacket rather than a vest).

PS: I know this is long overdue, but congratulations to Elsa Morgan, the winner of the Creeper Closet giveaway! Don't forget to enter the Mochi Beaucoup giveaway going on right now!

velvet and denim by alyssa-lau featuring high waisted shorts

This song just popped up on my iTunes shuffle. I almost forgot how much I loved it.

Today and yesterdays

2012-03-07T10:34:00.004-07:00

I apologize for the lack of posting, but round two of midterms are starting oh so soon and I've got to get the wheels turning. Anyway, I'm sure many of you have seen the Joseph Kony video on Facebook and or on this blog (thanks Kurtis for posting that!), and maybe some you have witnessed first hand the cynicism people have displayed towards the Invisible Children charity. I won't deny that they might not have the most efficient allocation of resources and money, but I think this takes away from the goal of the Invisible Children and their video. Awareness.

If you can tell me that you knew who Joseph Kony was before this video, then I salute you. However, if you're like me (probably better off though considering I'm stupidly oblivious to the world sometimes), then this video not only made you aware, but also inspired even the tiniest part of you to do something that might matter. I want to just clarify that Kurtis and I are in no way telling you who to support (because yes, I have succumbed to a rather pessimistic scepticism about the Invisible Children organization myself). We are just helping spread the word, and I see no wrong in raising awareness for such severe affairs, irregardless (I only have my stupidity to blame for that one) of who's behind the video. It's the issue we have to remember.

And while I'm posting, here are some rather random photos I've taken in the past month or so.
OH, and I'm addicted to the Hunger Games.

Oneee more thing. Thread Flip is holding a Facebook competition where you can upload a photo and win some cool things. Check it out! I already entered so you can see what I'm wearing! Join me!

I have an obsession with braiding other people's hair (because my hair is the worst)

Poor Sparrow lion and quartz necklaces, Wolf Circus pyrite warrior breastplate

KONY 2012

2012-03-06T22:20:00.000-07:00

Joseph Kony is a Ugandan leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a group that is devoted to establishing a theocratic government through the use of violence committed by child soldiers. I am sharing this video with my fellow bloggers today because I believe that this campaign to bring Joseph Kony to justice is long over due. A man who has abducted children from all over Central Africa, turning the boys into child soldiers and girls into sex slaves, for over 24 years.

My friend posted this video, KONY 2012, on twitter and it intrigued me to why she had three other tweets about it. I had no idea what it was an hour ago but now I feel compelled to pass this on to as many people as I can. I'm not going to say anymore about this because you should watch the video. It may seem a bit long but just give it a few minutes before you stop watching. I have posted a link to their main website below. Just click the posters!
Make Kony Famous.

Steve Aoki

2012-03-06T00:01:00.004-07:00

Steve Aoki is well known, not only for his beautiful facial hair, but for founding the record label, Dim Mak Records. The label has launched the careers of some of my favourite artists such as The Kills, Bloc Party (Aw Yeah), MSTRKRFT, and The Bloody Beetroots.

Aoki is also known for being an amazing DJ, remixing songs by The Killers, Kid Cudi, NASA, and Michael Jackson. He has also been featured by several artists, most notably with The Bloody Beetroots. Warp 1.9 was the song that introduced me to Steve Aoki and ever since that day in Grade 10, I have been hooked on his beatz. I really like his collaborations with other artists as well and his new album Wonderland that just came out this year features many of these songs.

If you are not familiar with Steve Aoki's music, here are some of my favs:

Remixes:

"Echoes" - Klaxons (Favourite)
"Gifted" - NASA
"Gladiator" - Autoerotique
"Pursuit of Happiness" - Kid Cudi (Second favourite)
"Spaceman" - The Killers (Remixed with The Bloody Beatroots)

Collaborations/Features:

"No Beef" - Afrojack & Steve Aoki feat. Miss Palmer
"Tornado" - Tiesto & Steve Aoki (Favourite)
"I'm in the House" - Steve Aoki feat. [[[zuper blahq]]] (Second favourite)
"New Noise" - Steve Aoki & The Bloody Beetroots feat. Refused
"Warp 1.9" - The Bloody Beetroots feat. Steve Aoki

Album:

"Earthquakey Peoples" - Steve Aoki feat. Rivers Cuomo
"Earthquakey Peoples (The Sequel)" - Steve Aoki feat. Rivers Cuomo (Favourite)
"Emergency" - Steve Aoki feat. Lil Jon & Chiddy Bang <---(Aw Yeah)
"Livin My Love" - Steve Aoki feat. LMFAO & NERVO
"Heartbreaker" - Steve Aoki feat. Lovefoxxx
"Come With Me" - Steve Aoki feat. Polina (Second favourite)

If you are already a fan of Aoki's work, what are your favourite songs? If you are new to his music, I have provided a bunch of Soundcloud streamers below for you to decide for yourself. Also, if you click on the Wonderland album cover, it sends you to his website!

PS. I would like to thank Yakari Robino for tweeting Steve Aoki about our blog today. He actually responded!!! Check it out HERE.

Earthquakey People

2012-03-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

Alyssa bought me this Steve Aoki shirt a while back because I was sporting a moustache at the time. I was ridiculed for having one by all the women in the family. My mom, my sister, both of my grandma's, even Alyssa and her mom. It was hilarious. I don't know why I love having a beard so much but it just makes me feel so... sophisticated? That's not the right word. Maybe it's because many people think Asian men cannot grow facial hair and I have quite a bit for one. It is fun to break stereotypes. Regardless, I've decided to keep my facial hair while I can.

Last week, winter showed up for round 3. Snow storms plus freezing equals sad face :(. I was digging around in my house, looking for warm clothing and I found a great black toque that I have never seen before. I'm not sure if it belongs to someone in the family but it is mine now. I never really wore toques until now and I was missing out. My ears were so warm and I didn't have to worry about what my hair looked like. A great item for lazy cold days.

This outfit doesn't have very much colour but I tried to incorporate different things like this giant duffle bag I found in my basement. You never know what you will find when you look around in your house. I also tried to make it a more casual look because I do have a lot of "preppy" outfits. The cardigan, I bought in Las Vegas, which surprisingly has very good shopping, the black jeans are from Uniqlo, and the boots are the Kurt Geiger's I found in Heathrow. Well, this seems like a good place to stop so have a good day and enjoy the spring weather.

Mochi Beaucoup $50 International Giveaway!

2012-03-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

The internet only does so much when it comes to conveying our excitement whenever there's something cool coming along, so imagine us shouting through cupped hands and yelling, "GIVEAWAY TIME." It's somewhat on par with T-shirt time, but we'd say it's a tad better than that (considering you have the chance to win $50 worth of groovy items).

Anyway, this week's giveaway is sponsored by the oh so lovely people from Mochi Beaucoup. Mochi Beaucoup is an adorable online boutique that specializes in handbags, jewelry, and other accessories (i.e., things you can always use more of--then again, you can use more of everything). If you're a tad impatient and want to get shoppin' right away, feel free to use the following 20% off discount code:

OrdinaryMB20

As always, here are some of Alyssa's most loved items from the store.

Giveaway ends March 12th, 2012! Enter via Rafflecopter.
Oh, this would be a good place to tell you to not forget to comment on this post with the name and/or e-mail you used to sign-in for Rafflecopter.
Note: the oh so lucky winner will be receiving the items that she has commented on the post with! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sarcastic mister know it all

2012-03-03T23:57:00.000-07:00

I've just started to read a bit of The Hunger Games, and I cannot yet judge how detrimental this will be to my future academic goals. I've heard only good things about the book, but I'm at the point where I no longer wish to continue working on my lab report and just want to do something else. Anything else. UGH school. I need another reading week.

I also proudly accept the award for oldest 20-year-old alive. How that makes sense, I'm not quite sure--buuut it fits. I cannot bother myself to stay awake past midnight. Body, why is it that you need so much sleep? I'm not even growing anymore! This is such a sad pity party. I'm also in the midst of growing out my bangs and it's the worst. I seriously might as well do the Pauly D blowout with all the hairspray I use (mostly just to make sure my bangs don't go amok). I talk too much.

Okay, I've fulfilled my daily quota for fussing around, and I can now get on to some real grown-up things. Do you guys remember that black faux leather jacket from Sheinside I wore nonstop? If you couldn't tell, I tend to re-wear items for days until someone notices... Anyway, the point is, when summer finally lands a touch down (why the football analogy, I have no idea), I'm going to be wearing this skirt everywhere. The people from Sheinside were actually kind enough to send me this skirt a while ago. I've just been a bad blogger and haven't been posting as regularly as I'd like to. I've always wanted a flowy maxi skirt (there's just something magical about wearing one, y'know?), and that's definitely what I got. If you also think this skirt is the bee's knees, you know the place to go. There's also free worldwide shipping if you spend more than $35. Not bad at all if you ask me.

PS: I've been listening to RHCP lately. I almost forgot how much I enjoyed their songs.
PPS: Start nagging Kurtis to post more.
PPPS: I almost forgot! You can use the coupon code Alyssa20 at checkout for 20% off at Sheinside. I've rainbow'd the code so that it looks extra appealing to you. If you can't read that (because I can't either), here's the code again: Alyssa20. Shop well, and make me proud birds and lads! (Geordie Shore anyone?)
PPPPS: I can't believe I forgot this! A HUGE thanks to Stephanie of High-Stitched Voice for the lovely interview she did with me! Thanks Stephanie!

black chiffon translucent skirt c/o sheinside ($37.90) [link]

black fringe bag c/o romwe [link]

rust-orange knit tank from urban outfitters ($20)

black lace-up ankle booties from free people ($70)

dad's leather belt

double finger tassled ring from romwe

wewood watch from karmaloop

Here's some RHCP lovin'.

The District Sleeps Alone Tonight

2012-03-02T11:24:00.001-07:00

Today is a great day because 1) it's Friday, and 2) tomorrow is Saturday. Also, we're watching a movie in my last class of the day. How perfect is that? I love movies. Speaking about movies, when I came home last night from yet another dreadful organic chemistry lab, poppa bear happened to be watching Pride & Prejudice. He'll probably disown me for telling this story, but I tell everybody anyways. So basically, my dad is a huge fan of anything romantic, Jane Austen-related, and reminiscent of the 1800s. Every time I go into his room to see what he's up to, he's either watching Downton Abbey (he tried to explain the storyline to me yesterday and eventually gave up), Storage Wars, or a Jane Austen movie. Not going to lie, I enjoy Jane Austen movies (the closest thing I've read was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) myself on an occasional basis. Tears may or may not be involved in these watchings. I really have no idea where I was heading when I was typing that. That's usually how my stories unfold.

Anyway, I want to draw your attention to an online store called Goodnight Macaroon. Goodnight Macaroon is another one of my recent favorites to browse around and fantasize about. They were so lovely as to send me this dress, and considering how reasonable their prices are, the quality is impressive (now I can wear this dress for days upon days.. hopefully nobody notices). Also, there's FREE SHIPPING. I love saying those words. They make me giddy inside.

Oh, and the collar is detachable. How neat-o is that?!

PS: I apologize for the mess that is my hair. I never know what to do with it nowadays. A friend has inspired me to dye it (perhaps), but I haven't dyed it since I was 12 or so (it was hilarious--I'll find a photo to share some time). Any ideas?

collared sweetheart dress c/o goodnight macaroon ($49.99) [link]

cardigan from my dad's closet

free people heeled booties

Warriors of culture

2012-03-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm not sure if I've ever confessed or expressed my profound love for denim, distressed shorts, so if I haven't, I will now. I LOVE denim. The quirkier, the better. I've also tried to distress some myself, which sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. Half the time I give up and am so, so, so tempted to buy a pair online. If you guys already know of distressed-denim-gurus such as runwaydreamz.com, then you'll know that distressed denim can get pretty pricy. Soooo, where do you go when you don't want to spend your school's tuition on clothing (exaggeration for dramatic purposes)? You go to eBay or etsy.

Behold, Warriors of Culture. I always like buying from etsy because I feel like I'm buying creativity. It's weird. Anyway, I'm just gonna dish out some cool pictures of denim shorts we all wish we had.

A ridiculously long and winding... post

2012-02-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

I probably should be finishing these Anthropology 209 notes, but I got distracted (story of my life). Every day, I go through a routine and check my favorite blogs (la dee da dee dah). I've definitely mentioned Madeline Pendleton before, but if you haven't already visited her blog Jean Greige before, then you should probably stop reading this blog and go read hers instead. Seriously.

If I wasn't twenty years old and actually had to pretend that I was kind of grown up, I'd just read her blog forever and laugh at her unbelievably witty and knee-slapping remarks until my abs looked something like this. Okay, that aside, I was watching one of her many fantastic youtube videos, and almost felt compelled to not only share it with my lovely internet friends, but also comment on it. This video touches on fashion blogging (which has apparently been a pretty sensitive issue lately around the blogosphere) and I think many, if not all bloggers/aspiring bloggers can take away a few things from this video.

Okay, so in case you didn't watch that, here's what the video discusses: fashion blogging is really becoming the stuff in magazines but hiding behind the excuse of personal style.

I'd give you a summary, but there's no way that I'd be able to say anything better than Madeline has said already. But what I want to touch on is Madeline's comment about blogs that make people feel like they need a hug and ten little puppies to make themselves feel better about themselves. I've definitely been said person, and often find myself wondering what it'd be like to be X person. But like she said, I think it's important to realize that there's no point in wishing such things, because you are you, and you shouldn't be spending your precious brain cells and time sitting, waiting, wishing that you were somebody else. When I catch myself doing it, I tell myself, "Hey, stop being a silly brat and get your head in the game. It's not like this is Hogwarts and I have a Polyjuice potion or anything..". Anyway, the point is, I hope with ALL my heart and soul (this is becoming a tad melodramatic) that this blog doesn't dishearten people-not saying that anybody would want to be me considering the army of blackheads that are currently invading my forehead and the fact that everyone else just seems to be so much more 'tight' (or as T says it, 'tii'). And seriously, don't get me started on T and his stupid phrases. I also have never understand why anything cool is called tight. WHY oh why would you ever call something tight, unless you were talking about a finger trap. I tried to avoid all sexual references, so let's just leave it at that. Back to what I was talking about. Kurtis and I never intended for this blog to do anything other than share groovy ideas and facilitate an I-guess-you-could-call-it a 'conversation' (HYPHEN OVERLOAD) between us and people from all around the world, where we can chat about anything, really (as you can tell, I like to talk. Alot. So chat me up on muh formspring. Subtle, no?).

Anyway, the second thing (I'll keep it much shorter, I promise) I wanted to comment on is the idea that fashion blogging has an obligation to people (and women especially)--this obligation being: (1) make people feel better about themselves and (2) make people feel better about themselves. Madeline perfectly describes (SIGH, this is starting to look like one of those reading reviews I did back in grade 9) the competition between people to look the best, etcetera, etcetera. You probably don't need to hear this from me, but I think it's important to remind ourselves that everyone is beautiful. Let us all hold hands and sing lovely songs while unicorns and rainbows float gently over our heads. Yes, let's. And on a side note, I stumbled upon a Facebook competition called "Facebook's most beautiful teenager" or something completely featherbrained like that. I don't know if it's just me, but it made me so unbelievably uncomfortable. Not only does this facilitate 1) unnecessary competition, and 2) a place for creepy people to comment on photos of young girls, but it has the potential to make other girls insecure, while also giving the notion that there IS a 'most beautiful teenager'. So what happens when that teenager is picked? Do we all wish to be like her and fall to our knees whenever she commands? No. That's ridiculous.

Okay, so that wasn't much shorter, so I'm just going to stop typing. I apologize. All in all, much like Madeline said (goodness, my originality is just bursting at the seams), I hope you (being the groovy person you are) come to read this blog because you either enjoy reading through the rather silly things that Kurtis and I write, or enjoy laughing at ludicrous photos of two azns dressing up weirdly and freezing their assess off (or something along these lines). Kurtis and I are eternally grateful for all the support and kindess you've shown us blogger noobies (leveling has been slow, but after much evaluation, I'd say we're both level 5's.. 94 more levels until the level cap). Thank you.

Where on earth is spring?!

2012-02-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

I'm getting back on track guiz! I still need to catch up on sleep though (zzzZZZ). T also showed me how to make a ninja mask out of a T-shirt last night. The things people come up with nowadays. My creative abilities are limited to drawing, writing in cursive, and thinking of cool things to teach my dog.

Anyway, the lovely people from the 329 Store, an overly adorable online boutique, were so kind as to send me a geometric pattern sweater the other day! It's one of those sweaters that you can't stop wearing because it's just too cool and comfortable. I may or may not have worn this sweater several times within the past week... just don't tell anyone...

My poor boots

geometric pattern sweater c/o 329 store [link]
heeled lace-up booties from free people ($60)
mom's brook brothers jacket
mom's boyfriend jeans
purse was a christmas gift
crow's nest knits knit tuque

Chapter 3, Tumblr-spiration

2012-02-28T17:36:00.001-07:00

My midterms are done for the week and the feeling of relief is almost overwhelming. I just want to sit down, wrap myself in a couple blankets, and watch ridiculously heart-melting chick flicks. Also, Mulan got a hair cut and she looks hilarious. I always have a good laugh whenever she goes in for a lil' groomin'.

Anyway, during one of my countless study breaks yesterday, I decided to do a assemble together a Tumblr-spiration (Tumblr + inspiration?) collage. Things I've been loving lately are: dyed hair (why oh why do I have black hair? You're impossible to dye nicely), braided hair, anything that has to do with hair, really, graphic prints, studs, cool nails, and impossibly high heels (when do I not love these though). All images found somewhere on Tumblr.

Easy Way Out

2012-02-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

Last day before classes start again. I'm pretty burnt out right now and I feel like I need more time to recuperate but no such luck. I got to suck it up and get through the next two months if I want to get into business. Now I understand why they give university students a four month summer.

But enough about school. Lets talk about the weather. No I don't want to talk about that either as Edmonton is a winterwonderland once again. I'm already dreading the walk to get to my classes.

On to the next. Ah at last. Clothing. The only thing that can lift my mood. Well, only if I'm buying it. Over the next few weeks, I will be featuring a few of my favourite male fashion blogs that have inspired me over the years. I won't reveal any of them yet but look for the first post next week!

Finally, I have my own outfit to share with all of you today. The red cardigan has been with me for a while. I bought it at American Apparel and I use to wear it all the time until one of the pockets tore. Sad day. I decided to bring it out again, pairing it with this amazing J. Crew tie. One of my favourite with the little red anchor pattern. Uniqlo makes the best shirts for Asian men as they are a Japanese company. The fit is always perfect. To round off the outfit, I wore my famous Cheap Monday jeans with some Kurt Geiger dress boots. Good luck on the next round of midterms my fellow university students.

Lisa Dengler's Just Another Fashion Magazine

2012-02-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to squeeze in a quick post here before I get studying. I'll stop procrastinating, I promise. Anyway, I've already posted this on Facebook, and for those of you who have liked the blog's facebook page (thank you for all those who have!), I may be beating a dead horse (after typing that out, I just realized how awful of an expression that is), but this is too cool not to reiterate.

Anyway, Lisa Dengler, co-author of Just Another Fashion Blog and all-around wonder woman contacted me a while ago about her interactive fashion magazine app available on iTunes for iPads (this goes out to all you iPad holders--so my mom, grandpa, aunts and uncles whom ALL have an iPad). Not going to lie, I've been following Lisa for a while on lookbook and her blog and can say that she has to be one of my favourite Canadian bloggers, so give her some love and support! She deserves it!

So aside from all that mumble jumble, here's a little sneak peek at what you'll have access to if you download the app (which you should). I'm going to have to steal my mother's iPad from her later on tonight in order to do so. This won't be easy either. She plays games on that thing 24/7. I can't even talk to her unless it's through her iPad.

Thanks Lisa for being great!

Brat & Suzie

2012-02-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

I thoroughly apologize for the fact that I've been a bit M.I.A. Studying has not been blogger-friendly as of recently. But once I'm done my midterm tomorrow, I'll be home-free (or almost). For all my fellow students, bear with me here.

Anyway, this'll be a relatively quick post. I just wanted to share some photos of the Brat & Suzie SS'12 collection with all you lovely people who enjoy being both comfortable and fashionable. I can't say that I haven't sacrificed comfort for fashion a many times, but when you can achieve both, I'm sure you'll agree with me that the feeling is absolute bliss. If you're interested in all this jazz, then check out this cult british label! I love their animal-print tees and tanks. I now want dogs and elephants to prettify ALL my shirts. It'll be like a zoo.

PS: I feel the need to say this in caps lock, so:

THANK YOU EVERYONE! WE'VE REACHED 1,000 FOLLOWERS AND I'VE NEVER BEEN SO ECSTATIC. I CANNOT EVEN DESCRIBE HOW GREAT YOU ALL ARE. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. I WISH I COULD GIVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU A CUTE PUPPY TO LOVE FOR ALL ETERNITY (KIND OF LIKE IN BRIDESMAIDS).

Okay, I'm done. But with all seriousness, Kurtis and I cannot thank you any more for your kindness and support.

Now, enjoy yourselves some bright and colourful Brat & Suzie photos.

4 ways to wear pink jeans

2012-02-25T01:23:00.000-07:00

Kurtis called me a couple hours ago and told me that our blog got hacked. Being the naturally hysterical person I am, I almost had a heart attack in the middle of Safeway. To say that Kurtis is a troll is a complete understatement. I'm not sure where he learned his squid tactics from, but either way, I fell for it. Gosh darnit.

Anyway, right now, it's snowing like mad (my dad said there was supposed to be a blizzard tonight). The snow just keeps coming. I would be happy for this IF we had snow days, but I don't think I've had a single 'snow day' for years now. Even when Edmonton was the coldest place on Earth for a day, school still wasn't called off. Mind you, this was back in high school. Oh, and yes, I guess you can say that we Edmontonians are a little proud about that day, y'know. Only in Canada are you ever proud to be in the coldest place on Earth.

Anyway, someone Formspring'd me and asked me to do a collage with pink jeans. The jeans I used on Polyvore though are more or less peachy, but just bear with me here.

41 by alyssa-lau featuring quilted handbags

Photobucket Problems

2012-02-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

Right now our blog is experiencing some problems right now with Photobucket. A lot of our pictures are not showing up but we are figuring something out right now. So just hold tight and thanks for your patience!

UGH. Photobucket is retarded. Time to switch to a new image host. Sorry for the hideousness that was our blog. We're in the process of moving all our images to imgur (thanks Lauren for the suggestion!)

Y'all are great.. just like these cute puppies.

A horse is not a home

2012-02-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

I have no idea why I'm a Chemistry major. I'm just going to start off with that because I really have no clue where to start for this post. Now that I've broken the ice, there are so many topics I can touch on. Just kidding, I'll keep this one relatively short.

Also, I feel the need to over-express my love for my Free People boots. I love them as much as I love the movie Up. I only say this because my brother PVR'd it the other day and I've been watching it on repeat. Honestly, thank goodness for Pixar. Where would my childhood be without Nemo and Toy Story? By the way, who else thought that their toys could move after that movie? I treated mine so well and even took turns hugging them when I went to sleep (I had a monthly rotation going on). Mind you, this was when I was probably 7 years old (so I guess that's last year anyways). I just re-read this paragraph, and all I can say is that it's a perfect representation of my thought process. I don't even comprehend half of what I'm thinking and how I got to thinking about that thing in the first place. I'll just leave it at that before I start taking jibberish again.

I also never showed you the Jeffrey Campbell platform sandals I bought, so there's a photo down there somewhere in the abyss of photos. T won't be very happy about that purchase...

black high-waisted shorts c/o romwe [link]

white crop top from urban outfitters ($10)

blue velvet loafers from urban outfitters ($20)

gifted vintage belt

gifted kate spade bag (thanks momma bear)

f21 crystal necklace

Handclaps & Guitars

2012-02-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

The reason why I dress so well is because when I was younger, my mom and my sister would drag me along to shop with them. I would HATE it. Yes, in bold capital letters. I absolutely hated shopping. I would bring my gameboy and play Pokemon until they were done. The child version of me would be disgusted with the person I am today because I love shopping. They have brainwashed me and you know what, I kind of like it. Someone asked me what inspires me to dress the way I do and the answer is: My mom and sister. Their taste for clothing has rubbed off on me as well as their taste for shoes...

Now that you know where my disease originates from, the outfit I have here shows some symptoms. That plaid shirt with the elbow pads was bought last weekend at Urban Outfitters. The giant circle scarf is from Italy, the J. Crew bag was a Christmas present, the jeans are Naked and Famous and the dress boots are Fred Perry's. The weather really fits this look as it was snowing non-stop that day. Hence Alyssa's photos being in the garage... Have a nice day!

Chiddy Bang

2012-02-24T00:19:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't done a music post in a while so here is one of my favourite hip-hop artists, Chiddy Bang (2008). The group consists of two members: Chidera "Chiddy" Anamega and Noah "Xaphoon Jones" Beresin. Considered an alternative hip-hop group, their sound differs from traditional hip-hop as they base their music off samples from artists such as Radiohead, Passion Pit and MGMT.

They have four mixtapes that use samples from various artists: The Swelly Express (2009), Air Swelly (2010), Peanut Butter and Swelly (2011), and Grab a Plate (releasing 2012). They have two Extend Plays (EPs) released: The Opposite of Adults (2010) and Chiddy Bang: The Preview (2010) and one album: Breakfast (2012). Some notable songs are The Good Life, The Opposition of Adults, Mind Your Manners, Cameras, Truth, Here We Go, and Too Much Soul.

Chiddy Bang is great for those of you who don't really listen to hip-hop. They use familiar beats from songs that most know and their lyrics aren't as harsh (personally). Also, their bass always makes my head bob. I have included a Soundcloud streamer with several songs that I recommend you listen to. Also I have linked the Peanut Butter and Swelly mixtape on the second picture because you can download it for FREE!!!

Closet creeper international giveaway (yay!)

2012-02-23T23:03:00.001-07:00

We love giveaways almost as much as we love you guys (which is even more than we love shoes--so that's saying a lot). Soooo we are exceedingly excited to bring you a giveaway courtesy of the Korean-American store Closet Creeper (Alyssa has raved about this store before, if you do happen to remember). Anyway, the oh so lovely Cory has been so generous as to give a very, very fortunate reader the item of their choice. So enter away!

Also, this happens to be international and (pause for dramatic effect) for both male and female readers! Hoooooray! We can finally thank all of our readers with an opportunity to win something rad, awesome, cool, funky, phat, groovy, tight, fly, hip (your pick).

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO ENTER THIS AWESOME GIVEAWAY AND WIN AN ITEM OF YOUR CHOICE

1. follow the ordinary peoples via blogger here.
2. like closet creeper on facebook here.

3. comment on the closet creeper facebook page with your favorite item from the store.

You can say somethin' like "This is for The Ordinary Peoples x Closet Creeper giveaway! I'm totally diggin' (input fave item)."

It also doesn't hurt to like our blog facebook page here or follow us on bloglovin' here,if you follow our drift...

And that's all you need to do (there's no need to comment on this post)! Good luck you marvellous folks! Thank you for reading and supporting this blog! The giveaway ends on March 1, 2012 (just in case you forgot what year it is, y'know?--happens to us all the time!).

Chapter 2, Inspiration

2012-02-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted yet today and I find that a tad absurd. Anyway, I keep looking at photos of people frolicking in +20ºC weather and am so envious and begrudging that it almost hurts to look outside at the snow (after all those months of snow-less days, I think mother nature is making it up right now).

Aside from my relentless fussing, here are some street style photos from carolinesmode.com.

Give me your clothing. K, thanks!

Want: Boyfriend Jeans

2012-02-22T22:19:00.001-07:00

I've made a pact with myself, and oh boy, lemme tell you, it's a serious one. I swear on this blog and all that's good that I will not purchase anything online for the next two months. Just kidding, I take that back. I just really need to halt the extraneous spending on clothing I feel compelled to buy. Whenever I happen to stumble upon an online store, I just turn into a shopaholic robot whose autopilot just leads to spending and more spending. It's not like blogging really helps it either though. Every day I covet 20 million new things and wish that my wardrobe led to a fashion-filled wonderland similar to Narnia. But instead of goat people (I lack the terminology and brain power to think of what they're called at the moment--centaurs? No, that's a half person/bull, am I right?), there would be shoes and clothing adorned on all the trees and whatever else is in there (my memory is a dilapidated ol' thing and I cannot remember a thing from the novel--don't get me started on the movie..).

Anyway, aside from my futile daydreaming, I just wanted to make public my overly tardy appreciation for boyfriend jeans. I was reading the Man Repeller just a few hours ago and had an epiphany upon seeing these photos. The M.R. is a fashion prodigy. I'd gladly bow down to her any day.

Boyfriend jeans are the shit (gasp, profanity!). I even made a polyvore set to parade my new found infatuation. Also, is it weird that my mom has TWO pairs of boyfriend jeans to mine zero? I'm just going to hand over the reigns to her. She can run this blog. Anyway, I just confessed that my mom is way trendier than me only to kind of cover up the fact that I stole a pair from her just a few minutes ago. She'll get them back... eventually... that is, until I buy myself a pair. If only I could take T's jeans...

39 by alyssa-lau featuring crew neck sweaters

Etoile Isabel Marant crew neck sweater, $325
Black tank, $22
H&M skinny jeans, £30
Madewell suede high heels, $145
Chloé zippered tote bag, £1,545
Michael Kors sparkle jewelry, $250
Nixon watch, $20
Also, to procrastinate some more, I'm just going to share some cute animal videos. I. Love. Animal. Videos. They make my heart melt.

These Days

2012-02-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

The worst part about University is not being able to see your friends. Yesterday, we had a little reunion with some of my closest friends and I really do miss them. It's unfortunate but it is what it is.

These past few days, Alyssa and I have been shopping and talking about the blog and what not. She made some nice purchases at Good Will, a thrift store and at Urban Outfitters. I only got a few things from Urban Outfitters and these next few outfits will have some pieces from it. Today, this outfit consists of one item I bought there and it is the Obey bandana that I made into a headband. I got this idea from my good friend Vedur Verma when he came to school one day with this on. I must admit that he pulled it off better than I did but I had to do this because it was so unique and original. The credit goes to him for giving me the idea.

It was probably the worst day to wear this outfit but I'm Canadian, I can handle the cold... I pieced this outfit together to fit the headband, trying to play off the colour and design. I wore a denim shirt from H&M, a sleeveless tank from Urban Outfitters, jeans by Naked and Famous that I rolled up, and some good old Vans. I also threw in a Beams backpack, one of my favourite bags that I got in Hong Kong, to round it off. I'm not sure how well I put this together but I think it looks alright altogether. The next time I wear this though, it will be in the summer.

Inspiration and lust-worthy jewelry

2012-02-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

I finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo yesterday, and I have to say, it was quite the read. If you need a book to read right now and don't mind reading about misogynistic men and female empowerment, then you should probably get a head start reading. Anyway, it's about time I started to study during this break of mine, but before I do that, I just wanted to share some photos of the Wolf Circus lookbook taken by photographer Jennifer Dickinson. The photos are so lovely! I've been inspired myself to venture into the depths of the ravines and explore.

By the way, you should probably check out Wolf Circus. The jewelry is ahmaaaaaayyzing.

Also, I went to go grab some coffee with some friends last night and decided to take the good ol' nikon for a walk! I also took photos of some clothing (from Mont Affair, Goodnight Macaroon, Sugar Lips, and Free People) I received this morning. They're mostly only sneak peeks, but hey, I can't let the cat out the bag right away.

Free People boots I bought on sale. I'm already obsessed.

Velvet, faux fur, and dragons

2012-02-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

I went with T a couple weeks ago to grab some books from Chapters, and I ended up buying The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I had heard that the movie was quite good, albeit rumours of a rather vivid R-rated scene, so I decided to use one of my million Chapters gift cards (thank you cousins for endorsing my love for books) and snag it along with some others. It was also 20% off (deals ftw).

Also, you should know that back when school wasn't engulfing such a huge part of my life, I used to read so much that I was banned from reading around the house (if you were too, then you know how it is). But now I've relapsed into that old behaviour and cannot even put the book down to do a simple task. It's heart-wrenching to even take time out of reading in order to write this post. Now that I think about it, there's no way that I can focus on my studies until after I finish this novel. I'm only at page 157 (out of 465.. eek). This is why I don't read during the semester. Anyway, it's a great book so far if you're looking for something to read!

On a totally unrelated note, here is an outfit post. Also, I cannot get enough of my blue velvet loafers.

PS: I recall a question from lookbook asking about the various scars I have on my legs. I can assure you it's not from anything cool like climbing perilous mountains or anything of that sort. It's actually just from the stupidly rough indoor soccer flooring. "Sigh".

velvet skirt c/o romwe [link]

mock ysl ring c/o romwe [link]

red envelope bag from romwe ($16)

velvet loafers from UO ($20)

sparkle + fade crop tank from UO ($10)

thrifted faux fur jacket ($11)

Dark knights and what not

2012-02-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

I've been channeling my inner grunge gal for a while now, and I'm loving every minute of it. Also, thrift shopping has never been better. I keep telling myself I'm going to fix myself some neat tanks from weirdly printed tees from secondhand stores, but I never quite find the time. I just can't get enough of loose tank tops. I also want to bleach something bad. My creative potential is just spewing out from the seams! Just kidding, my so-called creativity is pretty dry, I'd have to say. I really have no idea where I'm going with this, so I'm just going to leave you with some outfit photos

Also, I washed my car two days ago, and now Edmonton is wet and snowy. What better timing... SIGH. I also can't stop saying sigh. If you must know, T likes to come up with new phrases every day, and most of the time I find it ridiculous the way he speaks. But, being around him so much just brainwashes me into talking like him. Thank goodness though I haven't passed the threshold. I'm still holding out. I did get the "sigh" from him though. There's just something about saying "sigh" that is so much more satisfying than just sighing. Think about it, you can say "sigh" at the same time as you're sighing. It's like hitting two birds with one stone... kinda.

Goodness, what has become of me?!

PS: If you couldn't tell, I decided to go for the blue steel gaze instead of the happy-go-lucky smile I usually sport in these type of photos. Brb, watching Zoolander. How else am I going to learn the secrets behind modelling? Just kidding.
PPS: I've been a rather bad blogger. I've had these tights from Panty Bar for a while, and always forgot about them. If you don't remember, the lovely people from Panty Bar held a giveaway on this blog a while ago. So, give them some love and hit up their store. Their lingerie and hosiery are to die for. I have this darling thing and I can't get enough of it.
PPPS: Fear not, I am actually wearing shorts underneath my rather long tank. This is mostly in case poppa bear happens to stumble upon this post.
PPPPS: Stay 'tuned' for a giveaway coming up really soon! Hint: wardrobe.

straight pointelle pantyhose c/o panty bar ($15) [link]

special norwegian hooded coat c/o mexy ($75) [link]

YSL mock ring c/o romwe [link]

deena & ozzy boots from UO ($30)

leopard print scarf from ASOS ($10)

DIY cut-up dark knight thrifted tee ($7)

red envelope bag from romwe ($16)

That Power

2012-02-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder if I am a cinephile (obsessed with movies). I love watching movies. Anytime, anywhere, as long as it is a good one. I watched the movie Chronicle yesterday and it was amazing. The best movie I have seen in years. The plot sounds a little ridiculous but basically, it is about 3 friends who gain telepathic powers. That is all I will say about it because I encourage every one of you to go watch it! If you have or will watch the movie, let me know what you thought about it. I'm curious.

Interestingly enough, one of my friends who was there told me that he over heard people talking about our blog at the University of Alberta! Alyssa and I never thought this blog would be so popular. Honestly, we are just a couple of kids doing what we love and we are lucky enough to have an audience. Once again I feel the need to thank our readers for supporting, reading, and spreading our indoctrination.

Somewhere in all of this, I have to include an outfit because this blog is about fashion and stuff. This look has some recycled pieces but hopefully I added enough new elements to call it a new outfit. I'll start from the top: Snood from H&M, Jean jacket by Pointer, Plaid shirt/hoodie by 5cm, Jeans by Cheap Monday, and Boots by John Varvatos. The Pointer jean jacket was a steal at $10 from Urban Outfitters. Probably the nicest thing I have bought for so cheap. Anyways, I hope you all go watch Chronicle and enjoy it as much as I did!

PS. I have made my own formspring account because Alyssa keeps getting questions that are directed towards me. Some may be more personal than others. We will have a link put up really soon.

Lazy Days

2012-02-18T20:01:00.001-07:00

I went shopping with Kurtis today. I also made him sit in my car for 40 minutes or so while we waited for the car wish (it was a huge struggle, I'll just leave it at that). And that was my day.

I'm feeling uber lazy right now, so I'm just going to leave you with photos of thingamahjigs I managed to pick up today. Thank you sale racks. Thank you very much. Also, I have failed to include a secondhand faux fur jacket I bought for $11.00. To the people who are generous enough to give away their clothing and let people like me buy them for dirt cheap, I also thank you.

I hope the start to your weekend has been a bit more productive than mine!

Blue-ish shirt from Lucky Brand (I can't wait to do some crazy DIY with this shirt) for $7

White BDG crop tee from UO for $7

Floral Sparkle + Fade crop tank from UO for $7

Velvet loafers from UO for $20

Fringed dress from UO for $30

TGIF again

2012-02-17T11:27:00.001-07:00

It's Friday! I'm sure most of you are just as relieved as I am that the weekend is here, because what person wouldn't love weekends? Reading Week has also come juuuuust in time. Anyway, I'm so excited to actually get some things done this week. Ignoring the two midterms I have to study for, there are way too many things that I aspire to do with my free time. I'll let you know right now though, that I won't get half of it done. Happens all the time.

I still have two halves of a thrifted tee I still need to sew up to still into a tank top. I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but my sewing capabilities are probably equal to or worse than what my dog could do. I've always wanted to learn how to sew, but time constraints have prevented me from taking classes. I'm also remarkably lazy (I'm the girl that takes the elevator to the next floor). For all you stair-walkers though, I'll let you know that I haven't misused an elevator in such a way in a while. This is progress.

Also, I really really really want to go shopping--it's a disease. I will say though, that I didn't start embracing the art of shopping until late in my high school years (so imagine how much money I've 'saved'). So I guess you could say I was a late bloomer. It was really only in my second of year of University that I acknowledged the multifariousness of fashion. As you can imagine, this correlated with the start of the steady decline in my finances. Speaking of shopping, I thought I'd share some things I've been coveting for a while. How'd you like that transition?

Top Row from Beginning Boutique

Bottom row from Riot Loco

Also, Riot Loco has revamped their website! It's dazzling.

I wannnnnt to go thriiffffftingggggg nao.

Procrastination 101

2012-02-16T23:26:00.000-07:00

I've been reading about human bones for the past hour or so, and I am so unbelievably bored. There are much too many bones in the human body that I care to remember. Anthropology, everybody.

Anyway, to feed my desire for procrastination, I figured I'd do a post. I've really been feeding off the inspiration of street style photos lately, and can't help but ogle at all the pretty colours and clothes my closet lacks. Also, all the warm weather outfits have really ignited my desire for all things summer-y.

Also, I ordered a pair of white denim shorts from Beginning Boutique two weeks ago, and they arrived yesterday! I think I have an addiction toward denim shorts now. It doesn't help that these shorts are fantabulous. I even wore them today--that's how excited I was.

I really have no idea what direction I'm headed in this post. All I know is that I'm awfully bored and don't want to read anymore. Maybe I'll paint my nails.

40 by alyssa-lau featuring ray ban sunglasses

There And Back

2012-02-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

Here we go. Reading week in a day! Holy Moses! I'm so excited to do absolutely nothing this week! Well, I was suppose to go to Banff (the mountains) with a couple of friends but honestly, I just want to sleep in until 3 or 4 pm, eat, watch a movie, eat, eat, and than sleep. University has really drained the life out of me and this is my first year... I can't even function properly anymore. How am I going to get through another 3 years MINIMUM. Buddah help me. Enough about school. Lets move onto clothing and spending tons of my parents money. If J. Crew came to Edmonton (and it is! summer 2012) I would not have any money left. We get their catalog regularly and every time I go through it, I just want to buy everything. Somehow this is related to the outfit I have today. This is a classic Canadian Tuxedo (jean jacket with jeans) but with a different twist. The jean jacket is Levi's as well as the plaid shirt. The jeans themselves are Naked and Famous and the dress shoes are Cole Hann's. I usually don't wear jean jackets because Edmonton is always too cold or too warm but I wish I could. Hope everyone has a fantastic reading week if it is next week and if it isn't, my condolences.

Gold guns girls

2012-02-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

I got a request to style a pair of high-waisted denim shorts a while ago, and so I decided to show you how I'd wear 'em if it was 30ºC outside and I decided I needed a pair of boots to protect my feet from the blistering sun. I've really been enjoying studs, and although it was rather laborious to have to put these studs on one by one, it is a lot cheaper than buying a pair of pre-studded jean shorts on the interweb (the word 'internet' can get awfully boring sometimes). If you're wondering where I ordered the studs, they're from etsy!

Anyway, I do recall another formspring-er asking me to style my Steve Madden Boots, which I could've snuck into this outfit. But, I forgot. Story of my life. I'll do one soon, I promise!

PS: I cannot wait for 1) reading week, 2) the weather to warm up, 3) to put away my winter coats for good. I know I probably complain about winter more than you'd like to hear, but my love for summer and shorts and things along this line is usually understated. I really, really, really love summer.
PPS: Good luck to all the lookbook Valentines couples in the contest!

Anyway, what's up with all my favorite internet friends? Talk to me here!

Oh! And let me give a quick shout out to Romwe for the beautifully outrageous jewelry I'm sportin'. You can't quite see the YSL mock ring I'm wearing on my right hand, but the gold beetle ring shows up here and there. I don't know when my obsession for animal-/insect-related rings came about, but I'll tell you right now that if I could have bugs on every single one of my fingers, I wouldn't even hesitate. One day, my fingers will be something like a zoo/insect terrarium. This is number 4 on my "I can't wait for" list.

buckled ankle booties from gypsy warrior

beetle ring c/o romwe [link]

red envelope bag from romwe

cropped cardigan from zara in singapore
black tank top from urban behavior
diy studded and shredded high-waisted bdg shorts

Basement Jaxx

2012-02-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a while and I apologize but when midterms roll around, I really do need to focus because I get sidetracked so easily. I have several outfit posts lined up so don't worry, I'll be back to posting regularly by tomorrow! Before I get started, I hope everyone had a great Valentines day! This is probably one of my favourite quotes:

Basement Jaxx consists of the two members, Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe, from London, England. Their genre is electronic dance and have been making music since 1994. Since then, they have released 6 albums: Remedy (1999), Rooty (2001), Kish Kash (2003), Crazy Itch Radio (2006), Scars (2009), Zephyr (2009) and 7 EPs. They were fairly popular in the late 1990's but since then, they have remained some what quiet compared to many other electronic artists. This may because their music is not entirely just techno or electronic.

Personally, I think its a breath of fresh air to hear something that isn't so mainstream yet catchy. Putting Basement Jaxx under the electronic genre hides the fact that their are so many other elements within their music. If I was to list all of my favourite songs, it would be a paragraph so I will just point out the ones that I like in the SoundCloud streamer.

I have provided 2 SoundCloud streamers:

Their hits
"Walking In The Clouds" from their Zephyr album

From their hits place list, "Raindrops", "Red Alert", "Romeo", and "Where's Your Head At" are all gems. "Walking In The Clouds" is probably my favourite song by Basement Jaxx. I'm trying to explain why but I just can't. No words can describe that song. Literally. Unfortunately I couldn't find a playlist for Scars, my favourite album but here is their amazing album cover for it. I hope Basement Jaxx is something new to you. I know everyone won't like them but I just had to do a post about them. Enjoy.

chapter 1, inspiration

2012-02-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

I just spent the last 20 minutes ogling at photos of fashion-forward folks in Stockholm. Now I wish that everyone in Edmonton dressed like they were runway-ready. How fun would that be?! One of these days.

Anyway, I compiled a whole truck-load of photos that have given me new-found inspiration to try new things. I'm warning you, there are a lot. All photos from www.streetfsn.blogspot.com.

Kids aren't safe in the metro

2012-02-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

I have seriously never enjoyed a Canadian winter quite as much as this winter (maybe except for back when I was a kid and snow was still majestic). It's been decently warm, sunny, and wind-chill-less for the most part. So I guess you could say that being glad is an understatement. I am overwhelmed with joviality. How's that for vocab? Do I sound smart yet? Anyway, as a result of such beautiful temperatures, I've been dressing like it's much too warm outside--I seriously don't understand why I don't live somewhere warmer.

Also, to all those who are celebrating this overly commercial day, Happy Valentines Day to you (no snark-i-ness intended)! If you're not a big believer, then take the time anyway to celebrate the people around you. We should probably be doing this every day, but then nobody would ever have any money. At least we'd have a whole lot of chocolate.

PS: Romwe has some pretty stellar jewelry in stock right now, y'know, if you feel like spending. They also have 30% off using the code V-day30%, so shop away and make me proud.
PPS: Today's going to be a long day. I'm already exhausted and I've been awake for less than an hour.
PPPS: I ordered a rather ordinary, black Herschel backpack a week ago and it came in yesterday. I love new things. Also, it can carry so much compared to the canvas sack I previously called a backpack. Simplicity really is underestimated sometimes. These sentences have no relation to each other whatsoever.

ysl-look-a-like ring c/o romwe [link]

bettle ring c/o romwe [link]

studded loafers c/o the quiet riot (51.39 USD) [link]

grey shoulder-less t-shirt from who knows where

mink pink shorts from revolve clothing ($30)

gifted kate spade bag from mother

Romwe Galore

2012-02-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

I just splurged at Romwe, and boy do I wish that I could materialize the splurgees (I couldn't find a word to describe the things I splurged on so I made up a word for them) right now, and prance around gaily until my parents yell at me to stop making too much noise. I'm pretty sure, by now, that it's quite apparent I have an unhealthy obsession with the following: (1) animal videos, (2) online shopping. Thank goodness for the internet.

Anyway, aside from the obvious, I wanted to elaborate more on my order from Romwe. I find that a lot of the Romwe products that I show on this blog are usually sold out. So, to maybe try to by-pass this situation, I'm just going to tell you right now what I ordered. If caps-lock could really emulate how excited I am right now, I'd use it, but let's be honest, caps-lock just makes me sound like I'm perpetually yelling. So, instead, I will smother the keyboard in excitednessasdpfahsdfoahsdf. By the way, I just thought about this. When you read what I write, do you imagine it being read in your own voice, or a make-believe voice that you assign to me? Isn't this weird? If I told you I sounded like Morgan Freeman (let's be honest, everyone wants to regardless of sex), would you be hearing all this in his voice?

Okay, ignoring the mumble jumble, here's what I got.

1. mushroom cloud blue vest ($30.99) [link]

2. fish scale beige cardigan ($56.99) [link]

3. asymmetric sweep chiffon sheer shift dress($46.99) [link]

4. chains ring bracelet ($10.99) [link]

Also, they're having a great Valentine's Day sale! You can get 30% off store-wide using the code: V-day30%. And, being as great as they are, the lovely people at Romwe are also offering $20 off on their popular Peter Pan-collared dresses.

Happy shopping, and Happy Valentines Day to all the international lovers.

An unconventionally boring 'what's in your bag' post

2012-02-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

I got a request recently from my formspring (a couple actually, but I'll get to those later) to do a 'what's in your bag' post, and show more photos of my birthday present. So, I thought I'd multi-task and do them at the same time! I love saving blog space. Anyway, I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to do in these posts. I've read a couple before, but I could never really understand why you'd want to see what's in my purse! Considering that the one I'll be showing you today is new, you're lucky that I haven't been using an old one before. There are so many receipts and gum wrappers in those bags. And batteries sometimes. I don't even know how those get in there.

Also, ask me some questions or just say hi here. I think I've said this a couple times by now, but I can uber bored in class. You'll probably be helping my classmates out by diverting my attention. After all, there has to be a person that brings down the curve, right? Just kidding, in case my parents read that.

PS: I watched Star Wars Episode 1 in 3D the other day with my brother, his friend, and T, and it was incredible. I want to watch all of them in 3D now. There's still a part of me crumples up and dies every time QuiGon Jinn dies. Ewan McGregor, you make a great jedi.

PPS: My Grandmother dropped by yesterday to give me a belated birthday present. It turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous ring that used to be my great grandmothers. 感謝奶奶 (I just google translated this). Also, this is a good time to let you know that my ability to speak, comprehend, and write any form of Chinese is very limited, in case you all had high expectations or something like that.

Sorry, I totally forgot to post this earlier. Thank you everyone for entering the Number A giveaway! It's been a blast and a half. Keep in mind that there will be two more giveaways from Number A soon to come (so don't wander too far from here). As for this give-away, congratulations Adrienne Funk!

1. Moleskin (I need this to keep my life in order because I'm sure everyone knows I have the worst memory known to man)

2. Kate Spade wallet (Christmas present from momma bear last Christmas)

3. $13 sunglasses from Hawaii

4. First generation 32 GB iPod touch

5. Samsung camera, which was a birthday gift from T a while ago (okay, so I may have just put this in here even though it was never in my bag... but it's only because I've been thinking that I should bring a camera with me everywhere I go because my Blackberry fails me most of the time)

6. Five Gum (my favorite flavor too)

7. Sephora and blistex lip balm/gloss

8. Purell (After watching Contagion, I always bring some with me.. or try to if I don't forget)

9. Bobby pin and hair elastic (in case I'm sick with my hair and need to desperately tie it up)

10. Romwe beetle ring (I'm not quite sure why I took it off and put it in my bag)

11. Glasses/iPod/anything cloth wipe

I'm conflicted. I'm really leaning to the first option (as awful as this sounds) because I'ma tell you right now. I've had dreams where I'm a jedi and it's incredible. Also, the Force Unleashed has helped me to realize that my life long goal is to become a jedi. Star Wars, I love you so (maybe even more so than the Lord of the Rings).

I like to dress like its summer outside

2012-02-12T11:31:00.000-07:00

Don't you wish the weekend was three days? That'd be the perfect weekend. Just think about how much work/relax time you could get in those three days. Anyway, aside from my day dreaming, I have a Chemistry laboratory report to get done, so I better write this post up quick!

This is a good time to let you know that this past Friday, my boyfriend, a bunch of friends, and I went to a formal fundraiser gala, and I finally got to wear my LOVE chiffon cross-body maxi dress! So there's a photo of my boyfriend and I. He's been complaining that I won't formally introduce him on here, so readers, meet Trung. He's down there somewhere.

Oh, and here's an unrevealing photo of my birthday present from my mother! She really wasn't supposed to get me anything, because she bought me a couple things during boxing day which I told her was my early birthday present. I'm not complaining, but boy, my mom knows how to spoil a girl.

PS: Remember when I told you that I had received my Romwe package earlier this week? Well, in that package was this adorable pink dress, a pair of shorts, and two unbelievably stellar rings that I've been coveting for some while. I now possess a beetle ring and mock YSL ring. Romwe's jewelry never ceases to amaze me.
PPS: To one of my childhood friends. Jessica, happy belated 20th birthday! If you're reading this, Ima let chu know that I did try to text you several (but I don't think it got through). So happy birthday!

You could say I had a little fun jumping around.

light pink, studded dress c/o romwe [link]

studded loafers c/o the quiet riot (51.39 USD) [link]

mock ysl ring c/o romwe [link]

where the wild things are diy cut-up topman shirt

red envelope bag from romwe ($16)

Yellow skirts

2012-02-11T02:44:00.000-07:00

You might say that it's a little early right now, but I'm going to make a post anyways. Wild, hey? I want to also make a quick thank you to everybody who has been asking me questions and giving me post ideas (because my posts have been becoming a little monotone recently, right?). Ive also been told that I should post some more of my personal life/shenanigans (which I completely concur with), so be prepared for the train wreck of posts that are to come.

Anyway, the purpose of this early morning post (I've said the word 'post' 7 times by now--creativity at its best) was really just to answer a question asked by Frà of the littleartichoke.blogspot.com! This is what she had to say:

I have a highwaisted yellow skirt and I can't really find what kind of top and tights I should wear without looking like a bee! Can you help me?

So, after Polyvore-ing for a bit, this is what I came up with! What else would you do with a high-waisted yellow skirt? Personally, I'd probably wear the first and second outfits to death!

4 ways to wear a yellow skirt by alyssa-lau featuring sequin tops

Also, for those who are interested in gettin' to know this internet stranger a bit more, let's try something new. Ask me any question either as a comment on this post or my formspring, and I will try my best to answer all the questions in another post (hopefully in a timely manner). Get creative! This'll keep me entertained in all my classes, so just think about it this way--your brainstorming is for a good cause.

Good night!

Thank god it's another Friday

2012-02-10T10:51:00.002-07:00

I've never been more thankful for a Friday. Just kidding, I probably have.. but it's such a relief that the week is over with. Now there's only one more week until Reading week! I can't WAIT to be able to sleep in again. Mornings suck.

Okay, so I don't have anything overly exciting today, unless you feel like shopping (which I always do). During my break today, all I did was surf the web and pretended to shop. Pretend-shopping is what I like to do when I know I can't buy anything, but really really really want to. I just browse online as per usual, and add things to my cart until it is overflowing with beautiful things that I will never have. Then, I stare at the cart and debate whether I should actually buy these things. Buuuut in the end, I just close the window and cry a bit (not actually...).

Sooo, if you want to pretend shop, or actually shop, I have another store for you to check out! I've been reallyyyy digging the Australian fashion scene and clothes (remember Beginning Boutique?), so when I came across another Australian online store, I pretend-shopped like there was no tomorrow. Check out Sabo Skirt, everyone.

All photos below from www.saboskirt.com. I want everything. Also, these photos have made me overly sick of winter. I can't wait to ditch my leggings/jeans and jump into some shorts/dresses. Get me outta here!

Anyway, happy shopping, and have a great weekend.

The earth plates are shifting

2012-02-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

I watched a really cool video on procrastination once, and how it's simply a mind over matter kind-of-deal. But here I am, procrastinating. How can you not though when the material is overly dry? Anyway, I've been lagging a bit on my outfit posts, and I apologize. As I had said earlier, midterms are wreaking havoc already. I haven't even had my second midterm yet and my room looks like a pigsty. There are papers and textbooks everywhere. If there's one thing that I don't care about, it's the neatness of my room. I could go months without ever cleaning my rom--wait, I already do that. I should probably just drop out of a school and become a pig farmer, because, y'know, I'm so familiar with the environment and all... Okay, that was my attempt at being funny. Now I kind of understand how professors feel when they make unfunny jokes and get no laughs in return. I swear those types of professors are secretly wanna-be comedians in disguise. They've got a crowd forced to attend ~~your~~ their (the effects of exhaustion, everybody) classes, they have everyone's attention, and they're also getting paid.

Wow, that's a mess of words.

My newly beloved double ringed Number A ring

pink detailed dress c/o club couture [link]

asymmetric length black jumper c/o mexy ($19.99) [link]

studded loafers c/o the quiet riot (51.39 USD) [link]

double finger ring c/o number a ($14.00) [link]

black gem knuckle ring c/o gypsy warrior ($16) [link]

yellow boxy purse from romwe ($50)

wewood watch ($100)

stella and dot gifted army green studded bracelet

I love the sweater dress combination. Club Couture actually sent me this dress a while ago, and I never had the opportunity to wear it until recently. I probably should've taken a couple photos of the dress itself, but I'll have to get to that later. If you trust me, I'll tell you right now that it's adorbs (adorable). It's also got fantastic lace-ish detailing on the chest side, which kind of sneaks up here and there in some of the photos.

Also, Club Couture revamped their site recently! It's actually making me want to change the layout of the blog a bit, but I've restrained myself for the meantime. Anyway, check them out. Their stock always makes me want to spend more and more and more. I need a money tree. Actually, don't we all? I almost forgot to say, Club Couture also ships worldwide...for free. Go wild and make me proud.

Also, don't forget to enter the No. A giveaway while you're at it. Peace and love, internet friends.

Closet Creeper

2012-02-08T12:13:00.002-07:00

Thank you to everyone who has helped me realize I am no longer a child. You've made the transition from immaturity to pretending-to-be-responsible much less traumatic than it needed to be--In other words, you all are great!

Anyway, I haven't done this for a while, so I just want to introduce to you another online store with yet more fantastic stock. Also, Valentine's Day is coming up, so you should probably treat yourself to something nice. So, readers, meet Closet Creeper. It's an online store based in Korea that incorporates both American and Korean style into a website that is bursting at the seams with awesomeness (for lack of a better word). The prices are as dirt cheap as the clothes are nice (does this even make sense?). Also, they have womenswear AND menswear. Go hither and shop. And I'm not going to lie...I'm so tempted to make an impulse buy in the middle of class... right now... So before I buy everything, take a look!

All images below are from www.closetcreeper.com. I'm really digging the printed leggings, jeffrey campbell mock-studded booties, and velvet heels. Drool.

PS: Eek! We reached 900 followers! I'd actually never shriek like that, but I thought it was appropriate considering the statement. Anyway, thank you all so much! Kurtis and I love you all.
PPS: Received my Romwe package yesterday. So excited to share it with you!
PPPS: I bought a pair of pink Mink Pink shredded high-waisted shorts from Revolve Clothing. I'm thinking of half bleaching them... yes?

Freaks & Geeks

2012-02-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

Exam week is finally here for me so unfortunately, I won't be posting regularly. Before I say anything I would like to wish Alyssa a happy belated birthday! She turned 60 I believe. Well since I don't have much time I will just get right to it. This post is a remake of my first outfit I ever posted on Lookbook. Same title and sweater, but with a little bit more geek. Under the A.P.C. sweater, I have a dress shirt from Uniqlo, a bow tie I bought from Daiso, a Japanese dollar store, black jeans from Uniqlo, and Cole Hann dress shoes. I deleted my first post so I could redo it and here it is finally. I hope y'all have a good week and good luck to those writing midterms! Maybe I should wear this to my exams...

Leaving the good ole teen years behind... next stop, las vegas?

2012-02-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

I am no longer a teenager. I'm not sure if this is as outlandish to you as it is to me--let's face it, I definitely don't look like I'm 20 years old (asians, hey?)--but I'm really, really weirded out. Good bye teen years, you've been decently good to me--except for when I was the biggest dweeb known to humankind...not that I'm not now.. I just hide it a bit better.

Anyway, Number A was kind enough to send me a blogger package with a couple goodies (mostly for you guys though, so you'll want to check back later this week for more giveaways). The zebra-print scarf in my outfit photos below is from this package, and you can win it here! And yes, it's really as soft as it looks. It also has zebras on it... who doesn't like zebras?

Sorry for being so boring and all. I think it's part of the side effects of losing my teenager-hood (I'm also really tired--then again, when am I not?). OH, I should also draw your attention to the bad-ass studded loafers I'm wearing, courtesy of The Quiet Riot. If you haven't already checked them the store, you're missing out. Not only are the prices dirt cheap, but everything in their store is worthy of your lust. I seriously can't get enough of these loafers. I can't wait until I get to kick something. JUST kidding. I wouldn't even dare put these gems in harm's way. Who doesn't love inanimate objects that will never love you back? I certainly do. As for the chiffon blouse and cotton skirt, I'm not sure if you remember back from a couple months ago, but they're from Causeway Mall.

Also, I'm so sick of volcanoes and earthquakes. Dear internet friends, get your area checked for faults and seismic gaps. That shit (eep, profanity!) is dangerous. Also, if you live in a concrete building, which also happens to be by a fault, you should probably spend ridiculous amounts of money to move out and into a wooden-framed house. There goes my weekly contribution to society. Be safe.

PS: Ignore the scab on my leg. It's what you get for not putting vaseline on your knees when you play indoor soccer.
PPS: The black slip underneath my skirt was just a cautionary measure. You should also ignore it.
PPPS: Thanks for being awesome and for reading the really useless things that come out of my head.
PPPPS: My cousin just texted me, and it was hilarious. "Happy bday pooface. I am glad you were born." Thought I should share that with you.
PPPPPS: Happy birthday to all those other lucky people whom were born on this day.
PPPPPPS: Poppa bear now reads this blog. I have nothing else left to say.
PPPPPPPS: How cool is this triangle of PS's?

zebra mint scarf from number a [win it here]

studded loafers c/o the quiet riot (51.39 USD) [link]

chiffon skirt from causeway mall [link]

cotton skirt from causeway mall [link]

bag from urban outfitters ($20)

handmade go gadget go anchor necklace ($25)

Number A giveaway

2012-02-06T00:03:00.000-07:00

As promised, to commemorate the birth of Alyssa (just kidding, this is really just by coincidence and she is not that important), we're holding a giveaway! Here's what you're going to need to know:
(1) Number A is an insanely awesome online store that caters to both men and women
(2) their clothing and jewelry are beautiful
(3) beautiful is an understatement

As for the winner of the giveaway, they will be receiving a soft-as-a-cloud mint zebra scarf (yes, zebras!) and it'll only really take you two seconds to click a couple buttons. Voila, you're qualified! Sounds like a great deal, yes?

As usual, we'll be using Rafflecopter to run the giveaway. We'll only require you to do a few things this time to enter... so enter away! Before we get ahead of ourselves, note that the contest ends on Monday, February 13, 2012. The giveaway is also open to everyone!

Here's how Alyssa styled the scarf. How would you use it in all its glory?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

She's only happy in the sun

2012-02-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

I've been reading about volcanoes, earthquakes, and rocks all day. That's what I get for being in an Environmental Earth's class. It's pretty dull, but what can you do? Anyway, as of recently, I've really really been diggin' the whole maxi skirt look. I know, I'm a big late (well, really late), but something just clicked in my mind. Now I want to wear maxi skirts all the time.

Riot Loco was actually kind enough to send me a lovely maxi skirt a while ago and as my first maxi skirt, I'm stoked. Next stop, a chiffon maxi skirt. But in all seriousness, is it just my boyfriend, or all other guys who hate maxi skirts?

Oh, and here are some photos of Mulan and co. at the dog park.

PS: I received my The Quiet Riot studded loafers yesterday... I am in love. There really is no other way to describe it.

basic maxi skirt c/o riot loco [link]

basic white t-shirt from somewhere

triangle necklace from target ($14)

steve madden sandals

wewood watch

gifted stella and dot studded overlap bracelet (thanks andrea!)

knit tuque from crow's nest knits ($25)

Unestablish sale!

2012-02-05T01:39:00.000-07:00

We apologize for the barren desert that is our blog. Upcoming midterms have kept us awfully busy, so that means outfit posts have been put off for a bit. Buuuuut don't you worry! They'll be back soon enough.

Anyway, we just wanted to share some news on one of our favorite online stores. Unestablish is holding a sale for both men and women! And what's even better is that they have free shipping worldwide. It can't get much better than that. So what'd ya say? Give it a look-see!

Oh, and we think this'd be a good thing to tell you. You can get an additional 10% off your order (on all items) by using the code TAKE10.

Here are some of Alyssa's favorite under-$50-things-you-should-look-at.

Who doesn't love a good sale? We certainly do.

RAC: Remix Artist Collective

2012-02-04T17:42:00.002-07:00

RAC (Remix Artist Collective) is a group composed of 3 artists who make remixes of songs. Andre Allen Anjos, Andrew Maury, and Karl Kling round out the group, while Chris Angelovski and Aaron Jasinski are a former members. They are all from the United States and work on 2 types of genres: Indie Rock and Electronica. I cannot say enough good things about these guys. Every song they remix has the original feel to it but than they throw a curve ball at you and make it so unique. Thats what makes a good remix in my mind. You can tell its the original song but has a different vibe to it.

You can tell which artist remade what song by how they tag it:
(RAC Mix) - Andre Allen Anjos
(RAC Maury Mix) - Andrew Maury
(RAC Kling Mix) - Karl Kling
(RAC Crookram Mix) - Chris Angelovski (former member)
(RAC Jasinski Mix) - Aaron Jasinski (former member)

RAC has 2 albums (RAC VOL. 2 and Stereogum Presents RAC Vol. 1) and 2 EPs (RAC VOL. 1.5 and RAC Nintendo Vs. Sega EP). However, these albums feature only a few of their songs as they have 135 remixes. I personally have almost 90 of them because they are just too damn good at what they do. Some personal favourites are: Hunting for Witches (RAC Mix) - Bloc Party, Angel (RAC Mix) - Mr Little Jeans, Alligator (RAC Mix) and Back In Your Head (RAC Mix) - Tegan & Sara, Home (RAC Mix) - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Be Good (RAC Mix) - Tokyo Police Club, and Manner To Act (RAC Mix) - Ra Ra Riot, and A Link To The Past (RAC Mix) - RAC.

If I had more time I would list even more favourites but I will let you decide for yourself. Here is their SoundCloud page which features ALL 135 of their songs! Can you believe it?!? You can even download most of them for free :) So I will leave you all too it! Please let me know what you think of them!

I turn 20 in a few days... this is freaking me out

2012-02-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

I'm in a funk. Not like a funk, funk, but a shopping funk. I don't even think funk is the right word, but as of this moment, I could care less. I know my excessive online shopping can be a little ludicrous, but I have to make up for my lack of physical shopping. The last time I was in a store was on Boxing Day! Can you believe that?! And now that midterms are here...Definitely not going anywhere soon.

I'm also a tad upset at Urban Outfitters. Maybe that's why I'm in said funk. During my hour break yesterday, I decided to look through the sale section of Urban Outfitters. Can you believe that shipping to Canada is $40?! I had probably 40 tabs open too full of want and desire. My goodness. If Urban Outfitters had free shipping, I'm telling ya, I'd already be broke. But nooooo, they have to make shipping $40. I just can't believe that Urban Outfitters would do this to me... It's like a friend has betrayed me. I live a sad, sad life.

Anyway, Beginning Boutique has made up for this funk. Their lookbook, Indian Summer, is gorgeous. I'm ditching Urban Outfitters.

Also, Beginning Boutique has also launched a Valentines Facebook competition here. You can enter to win a $250 voucher to the store for yourself and a friend. Now doesn't that sound like a great Valentines gift? Who needs a significant other? Just kidding.. Competition ends on February 14th!

PS: Coveting that violet/purple dress like mad right now. Drool.

North Star

2012-02-02T11:42:00.002-07:00

This is going to be a very short outfit post. This week, the weather is strangely cooperating with us. Blue skies and above 0. However, the same does not go for my sister who is currently in Cortona, Italy where it is snowing! Weird. Anyways, this outfit once again contains a down vest from Eddie Bauer. I bought this on boxing day for a great deal. The sweater is also Eddie Bauer, made out of very nice wool. The denim shirt is from H&M, jeans are the usual Cheap Mondays, and the boots are the Kurt Geiger ones I bought in London. Well I hope everyone has a great week and does alright on their midterms! Our reading week is only 2 weeks away! WOOOO.

Blast from the past

2012-02-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

The up-coming weeks are getting a heck of a lot busier, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to update too much. Just wanted to break the news up front and center.

Everyone knows what's coming... midterms. For those who are no longer in school, I envy you. In ten years, watch me miss this stress.

Anyway, I wanted to tell you a story. It's not really a story, because I'm absolutely awful at telling those, but just a little blip of my life back in Junior High. The last time I wore bell-bottoms was in Grade 7. I was a very awkward tweenager--hair in a pony tail, bangs cut right across my forehead, braces, dorky glasses. I was a child bred for school. Anyway, I really didn't need to go into that much detail... I just wanted to say that I haven't worn bell-bottoms in forever. That is, until Gypsy Warrior sent me some kick-ass (can I say that?) lace bell-bottoms to style! Normally, I would have never thought of touching a pair, but after stepping outside the box that is my comfort zone, I decided they're probably one of the coolest things in my closet. WHO has bell-bottoms? Me. Lace ones too. The only problem was that I wasn't quite sure what to wear underneath. I'm not a bare-all kind of girl, so I decided that some Under Armour spandex would have to do. Turns out it worked alright.

And hey, it's 2012. We better try out everything while we can, before the world ends, y'know. Just kidding, that apocalypse stuff is absolutely ludicrous. People are crazy, I'm tellin' ya.

PS: You should also check out Gypsy Warrior if you haven't already. I ranted about them here and still can't get over how perfect their collection is. Talk about lust-overload. I can only weep at the beauty...
PPS: For all the people who don't live in North America, I have been notified of Canada Post's small packet deal! Check out the prices here. It costs around $7 to ship a small packet from Canada to Asia. Meanwhile, click here to visit the blog's shop!
PPPS: If you have any questions, or have asked questions on posts that Kurtis and I have not been able to answer, ask us on here! Or just say hi. I'm really bored in class.
PPPPS: One more thing. Is the blog too simple without the crown? I'm kind of digging the clean look, but like Kurtis has told me, it's plain. What do you guys think? Are we crazy?

botswana shirt c/o mont affair ($19.34) [link]

sheer lace bell bottoms c/o gypsy warrior ($42.00) [link]

over-the-body purse gifted

triangle necklace from target ($14)

platform heels from aldo ($16)

Ready to fall asleep

2012-01-31T18:56:00.001-07:00

We'll make this post quick. Firstly, we would like to congratulate the winner of Bliss Boutique's first blogger giveaway, who just happens to be...

Trish (tamyo1229@gmail.com)!

Don't worry, we've already given your e-mail to the good people over at Bliss Boutique, so expect an e-mail soon! We'd also like to say thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway and for making it a fantastic! For those who didn't quite win, there'll be more chances to win soon enough--so make sure you keep checking back for a giveaway some time around Alyssa's birthday (cough, cough).

Also, for those who live in Calgary and are interested in the fashion scene, PARK is hosting a Fashion Industry Mixer on February 9th, from 7:00 to 10:00 PM at The Gerry Thomas Gallery. There's a $5 entrance/donation fee at the door, so invite all! Unfortunately, we won't be able to make it to Calgary (due to an unfortunate thing called midterms), so we'll have to live vicariously through all you who decide to attend.

Let's have a tie-dye party

2012-01-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

Do you love tie-dye, body chains, and leather?! Well, if so, you're in luck! Because that's exactly what I have here for you. If you're not the greatest fan, I guess you're stuck with just reading this nonsense.

Before I get carried away, I'm just going to slip this in there... if you already know this, then skip ahead. If you didn't, then keep reading. I'm just killing you with all the intrigue, aren't I? So, for those who haven't already... enter the Bliss Boutique giveaway here! I'm sorry for the constant nagging, but hey, who doesn't like a chance at winning free clothing (and cute clothing too). This might be a low blow here, but for all my fellow Canadians, why don't you spend a minute or two entering to make Bliss Boutique's first giveaway a great one!

Okay, now on to the big kid stuff.

I'm sorry I've been kind of lagging with all the outfit posts and what not, but it's been getting particularly busy, as Kurtis said. For those who are still reading our blog though, thank you for tagging along! We couldn't appreciate you guys any more than we already do!

End sappy message, start photos.

PS: A huge thank you to Sugarlips Apparel for sending me this groovy now-I-wanna-tie-dye dress! Oh, and you should probably check out their new collection. It's SO lust-worthy. I waaaaant everything!

bluebells striped dress c/o sugarlips apparel (~~$49~~ $40.25)[link]

black soft slim leather jacket c/o sheinside ($79) [link]

body chain c/o beginning boutique ($50) [link]

jeffrey campbell boots from holt renfrew

Empathy

2012-01-29T12:44:00.001-07:00

Really busy week coming up. Actually make that 3 weeks. Got a lot to do with 3 midterms and a paper due soon. One minute it is Winter break and the next you are writing exams. It doesn't seem like it but life moves at warp speed. I will have to make this post relatively short because I don't have much time so I'll just get right into it. When I was in Paris, it was raining all the time and I didn't pack properly. Thank god there is a Uniqlo there. For those of you who don't know, Uniqlo is like a Japanese H&M except 20 times better. The clothing fits East Asian people perfectly and the quality is great for the cost. Sadly, there aren't very many Uniqlo stores outside of Japan and China. They recently built a 5 story Uniqlo in New York but other then that, I'm not sure if there is another one in North America. The one in Paris is very nice as well and I spent a good amount of time and money there. The outfit I have today is basically made up of Uniqlo items I purchased there. The wonderful raincoat, the plaid shirt and black pullover are all Uniqlo. The grey jeans are Naked and Famous and the dress boots are Kurt Geiger. I have been looking for a jacket like that one for a long time and I'm really glad I found it at a great price. If you ever come across a Uniqlo, go inside and enjoy!

Tokyo Police Club

2012-01-28T19:29:00.003-07:00

I was introduced to Tokyo Police Club by my sister's boyfriend Chris Miller. He also has a blog, which I recommend all the men to check it out: Up North. Anyways, this band not only has an awesome name but is a Canadian Indie band from Toronto! They released their first EP in 2006 called A Lesson In Crime, followed by another EP in 2007 called Smith. From there they released their first album Elephant Shell in 2008 and their second album Champ in 2010. They also released a cover album last year called Ten Songs, Ten Years, Ten Days.

Personally, my favourite EP/Albums are A Lesson In Crime and Elephant Shell. From there, I recommend listening to "Nature of the Experiment", which is my favourite song by them and "Be Good" from A Lesson In Crime. On Elephant Shell I recommend "Centennial", "Graves", "Your English Is Good", "Listen To The Math", and "Tessellate".

Tokyo Police Club might seem like another Indie band but they add their own flavour to each song. The drumming and the vocals really make their band different from others. Below is a link to their website and a Sound Cloud streamer. Unfortunately, I cannot find a link to the other albums but this is their latest album Ten Songs, Ten Years, Ten Days. Hopefully I have shown you something others haven't and please let me know what you think!

Shop the ordinary peoples update!

2012-01-28T16:26:00.001-07:00

Hey guys! I just wanted to let everyone know that I made an important change to the ordinary peoples shop! I've actually been thinking about this for a while, but today I decided to act on it and donate 15% of every purchase made to a selected charity! The charity I have chosen for now is the HELP children non-profit organization, which aims to help educate children in impoverished areas (namely, Malawi). To read more about their goal, click here.

I really think that with the help of you readers, that we can help make a difference somewhere in the world. It may be a rather small contribution, but it's better than nothing!

I've also added a bunch of new things to the site, so check out the shop here.

Midnight city

2012-01-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

There are only a few more days until you can win a $50 gift card to a fantastic Canadian Boutique! So you should probably click here to enter the Bliss Boutique giveaway, because y'know, everyone likes free stuff (especially when they're fashionable stuff).

I apologize for the un-imaginative intro, but really, that's all I could work off of at the moment. Blogging first thing in the morning is always a struggle--I'm definitely not a morning person.

Anyway, I apologize for the lack of posts recently. Midterms are kind of coming up (first one is on my birthday... that's cool, right?) and I'm starting to feel the pressure. I also have a paper due in a week and I'm still not quite sure what we've accomplished in class. It's all philosophy, despite the anthropological course title. Regardless, it's an interesting class... just ridiculously confusing considering that we discuss how there may be no true reality (hence our perceptions of reality are all subjective and science is voided), or how language shapes our perceptions of reality (so if you speak french, you perception is different than mine, for instance).

So there's my little ramble for this post that has nothing to do with fashion. Meanwhile, here are some fashion-related photos to balance out this post.

PS: I haven't bought the new Zelda (Skyward Sword), and I really don't know what to do with myself.

black velvet skirt c/o romwe [link]

soft black slim leather jacket c/o sheinside ($79) [link]

jeffrey campbell boties from holt renfrew ($100)

yellow boxy bag from romwe ($50)

vintage belt

f21 crystal necklace ($10)

knit head band from crow's nest knits

Currently watching Storage Wars

2012-01-26T20:33:00.002-07:00

Just about to study while kind of watching Storage Wars. My family (minus mother bear) can't get enough of this show. Call us weird, but hey, if you love thrifting, you have to love this show. That reminds me, I haven't gone in so long... no wonder I feel like there's been something missing from my life.

Anyway, I hate Thursdays and Tuesdays. Labs make these days ten times worse... So, for now, I'm just going to post cute photos of my dog. Those always make me feel better. Plus, she's in a fake burberry hoodie/dress my grandparents bought her from Taiwan!

Man, this is a good episode of Storage Wars. Darrel is mad. He's a jerk, so he totally deserves it.

PS: Midterms are coming up so fast! Nooooooooooo.

Also, Vol. 9 "Year Two" of Alexis magazine came out just recently and they were kind enough to include me in a collage they did of bloggers from around the world! I've never been in a magazine before!

Ugh, I hate when Dave wins.

Here's some music while I'm at it. I'm in love with this playlist.

The Electric Dream

2012-01-26T11:08:00.001-07:00

In 3 weeks, spring break will be here! I can't wait for a break from school already... Right now, my biggest problem is procrastination. Apparently I haven't grown out of this phase where I just wait till the last second to do my everything. Not my assignments but big things like essays are so hard to do early. Maybe its just me. I have no interests in writing essays but I guess thats just school. I never had an interest in any subject except for Physed. To show my great procrastination skills, I've decided to blog instead of write my essay which is due in a week. The look I have today is something I just made up randomly for this great All-son Brand jacket I bought at Urban Outfitters for $20! Great find by my mother and I couldn't have been happier. It fits a little huge but it works well with any casual shirt or t-shirt. I layered it with a American Apparel hoodie, which you can never have enough of, a H&M denim shirt, Naked and Famous jeans, and John Varatos boots. This outfit works perfectly with the weather we are having currently. It was 2°C the day Alyssa and I took photos. Anyways, I hope you have a better time doing your homework than I am.

Cœur De Pirate

2012-01-25T21:02:00.013-07:00

Despite living in Canada, I cannot speak French fluently. Unfortunately, this is true for most of the Provinces (except for Quebec). I was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta and learned French for 5 years (from grade 4-9). I stopped taking it because my French teacher in Junior High was insane and I was never inspired to carry on. Now I regret it after having gone to Europe twice, I realized how important it was to know another language. However, one of my friends who is originally from Montreal said that many of the French teachers outside of Quebec are not very good. If you want to learn French, go to Quebec, which is probably the only real bilingual Province in Canada.

The reason why I am telling you this is because the next artist I would like to introduce to you is a French artist. Cœur de pirate is the stage name for Béatrice Martin who is from Montreal, Quebec. Her debut album self titled Cœur De Pirate was a big hit when it released in 2008. In 2009, her song "Ensemble" was featured on a popular Youtube video, which drew a lot of publicity and introduced many Americans to her music. Some of my personal favourites from this album are "Comme Des Enfants", "Fondu Au Noir", "Printemps", "Francis", and "C'était salement romantique". "Comme Des Enfants", however, will always be my favourite because it was the song that I stubbled upon and couldn't stop listening to it. Béatrice's music is unique from others because of her amazing talent as a pianist and vocalist. Every song has her own touch to it and this is what makes her one of my favourite artists.

Even though I cannot understand a word she is saying, there is no denying that she is a talented woman. Her second album titled, Blonde, came out on November 11, 2011 and has received much praise from critics and fans alike. I haven't kept up to date with her in a while so hopefully I will have a chance to listen to her new album soon. I have posted a link to her debut album and her personal website below. Just click on the two pictures respectively. I hope you enjoy listening to her music as much as I do. Please let me know what you think!

Ignorance is BLISS

2012-01-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

It seems like all Kurtis and I can really talk about in our posts as of late is the weather. But considering how bipolar Edmonton is, I guess there really isn't much to talk about other than the lovely warm spell we're getting. So much for interesting small talk, hey?

Anyway, as you may or may not have noticed, Bliss Boutique has been so kind as to let The Ordinary Peoples blog hold their first every GIVEAWAY! Click here to enter, because you don't want to miss out on this! Plus, they're Canadian!

As for the dress that I'm wearing in the photos way down below, the people from Bliss Boutique, being as wonderful as they are, let me pick an item from their new collection! So I picked this dress because it's oh so adorable. I can already tell that once my love for grunge fades over a bit, that this polka dot dress will be quite over worn (I just typed out warn--this means I should get some shut-eye). Also, since I never have to take another English course EVER again, I won't be troubled by my lack of eloquence in this post.

PS: Kurtis told me I looked like a librarian with this outfit and glasses. That means I look smart.... right?

PPS: I can't get enough of these Jeffrey Campbell boots.

PPPS: You can now visit us on Facebook here!
PPPPS: There's an impostor (just kidding, it's not really that serious) Alyssa on a Vietnamese lookbook-like site. I was told I should put a note up on the blog to make sure that everyone knows it really isn't me, but there's been no damage done!

Also, the word of the day today is heuristic. I just read it in one of my Anthropology readings.

heuristic |hyo͞oˈristik|

(adjective)

enabling a person to discover or learn something for themselves

a “hands-on” or interactive heuristic approach to learning

(noun)

a heuristic process or method.

polka dot dress c/o bliss boutique [link]

glasses c/o proopticals [link]

bag from romwe ($50)

jeffrey campbell boots from holt renfrew ($120)

necklace from anthropologie

cardigan from f21

Also, here's some Star Wars-themed music for all my fellow Star Wars fans. Jedi Theme (Coyote Kisses Remix) by Tristan Kuracina

Bliss Boutique international giveaway!

2012-01-25T08:54:00.001-07:00

Let's get straight to business. We don't think you really want to read through all this mumble jumble that is just delaying our announcing the giveaway for today, but this mumble jumble sometimes proves to be quite entertaining, no?

Okay, so here's the thing. Bliss Boutique, a Canadian (applause) online womenswear and vintage store with the most adorable and covet-worthy clothes, has allowed this blog to hold it's first giveaway EVER! Even more exciting is the fact that one of you gosh darn lucky people (all people from all countries are welcome) will be able to win a $50 gift card to their shop!

As per usual, the giveaway will be run using Rafflecopter. If you're new at this, here are a few things to keep in mind! There are only two mandatory steps you MUST do, and each completion grants you a point. The more points you get, the better chance you have of winning! Also, once you have completed all two mandatory steps, this will unlock the non-mandatory steps which you can also complete to rack up more points. Importantly, remember to use the same name to comment on this post with the same name you've used to enter Rafflecopter (so we can confirm you've completed all the mandatory steps). Thanks and good luck everyone!

Here are some of Alyssa's favorites from Bliss Boutique!

Contest ends on January 31st, 2012. Enter while you can!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Main Street Parade // Proopticals

2012-01-24T11:00:00.001-07:00

Today's high is suppose to be 3°C... The weather in Edmonton is so bipolar, which really messes with your head. You start to get your hopes up and than bam! The whole city is frozen again. I can worry about that when the time comes. What I am worrying about already is getting a summer job. I really want to get some experience over the 4 months I have off and my mom isn't sure if she can help me. So I've been trying to fix up my resume to submit to random retailers and businesses. In preparation of a job, I looked for suitable attire to wear during work in Europe and as I said in my other post, I got 2 blazers.

The look today consists of the second blazer I got. Both blazers have elbow pads, which seems to be very very popular at this moment. Fashion is very trendy and its funny how old trends return and become popular again. I really hope bellbottoms never come back though. I've looked through some of my parents old photos... my dad in bellbottoms and platform shoes isn't very appealing.

Back to my outfit, the blazer is great with darker colours, which contrasts the light grey. The shirt was bought from the same store which was called Ex-J. Very nice store in Rome that we randomly found heading towards the Spanish Steps from the Pantheon. The glasses were given to Alyssa and I by Proopticals and I we can't thank them enough. Click on the name to check them out! The black jeans were bought at Uniqlo a while back when I went to New York. The shoes were bought in London at the Heathrow airport actually. There was a Kurt Geiger store at the terminal and I couldn't resist... Well, I hope you have a great week and it isn't too cold where you are!

LOVE winner + Facebook page!

2012-01-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's about time that we announce the winner to the LOVE giveaway (which was such a great success thanks to everyone who entered!)
Congratulations to...

Veronica from veronica_micia@hotmail.it

Your e-mail has been sent to the lovely people at LOVE! Hope you love your new dress!

For those who didn't quite win, there will be another chance for you to win big coming this Wednesday. So make sure you keep checking back for another giveaway.

Also, we've launched a Facebook page for all those who are interested! Click here to give it a look-see. It's a little barren, but hopefully things start to fill up (cough, cough, hint, hint).

Dog, icicle, and sushi

2012-01-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

Edmonton is warming up slightly (knock on wood). Thank goodness too, I was getting tired of wearing the same overly thick jacket all the time. Anyway, last week, I think I wore a tuque almost every day to school. So now, I'm celebrating the warmer weather with a barren head and actually putting in the effort to make my hair look somewhat presentable (doing one's hair early in the morning is always a struggle).

I think I'll stick to my knit sweaters though... I'll never be able to get enough of them. Speaking of knit sweaters, I ordered a sweater from Romwe that is now one of my favorite sweaters out of the hundreds I have (I'll never have as many as this guy though). Just kidding, I don't have that many... Also, don't you hate it when sweaters are itchy (then you have to wear a long-sleeve underneath so that you're not constantly itching yourself)?! Well, good thing this sweater feels like a cloud.

As for shoes that I'm sooo excited to wear when all the snow melts (or when the snow has almost melted), this vintage pair ourtesy of Shoppalu will be one of the first I'll grab. Not only is it vintage (so far, doing pretty good on the hipster scale), it's comfortable! I've also been looking for a pair of shoes with the exact design (before, I had my eye on some frye sandal/flats, but in this case, vintage is a much cheaper alternative).

Oh, and a couple friends, my boyfriend, and I, made (or tried to at least) some sushi this past Friday! One of my best friends actually is a sushi master, I guess you could say, so based off her instructions and ingredients, we attempted to re-create something that would've potentially cost us our mothers. There was a little improvising involved, that's for sure, but it ended up tasting pretty good!

PS: A week ago, I picked up this rather ginormous icicle from my house and brought it in as a token of my being outside for a few minutes. I then gave it to my dog, and she absolutely loved it! Too bad there was melt water everywhere after. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

PPS: I ordered these glasses from Proopticals, but then they looked better on Kurtis. Hence, they are now Kurtis' glasses. Regardless, I'd still order them over and over again. Now, just to get a pair with real lenses...without contacts or glasses of some sort (I normally hate glasses), I'd be as blind as a bat.

retro thick stick knitting black-white cardigan c/o Romwe [link]

vintage honors sandal/flats c/o Shoppalu [link]

melody eyeglasses c/o Proopticals [link]

skirt from forever 21

knit tank top from urban outfitters ($20)

purse from garage sale ($2)

Somebody That I Use To Know

2012-01-21T10:27:00.002-07:00

A lot of my looks consists of sweaters. Sometimes it can get repetitive but this is how you survive in Canada. Sweaters. The more the better. Layers also help to keep you warm and can provide interesting contrasts of patterns and textures. When I was in Paris, it was actually pretty cold. I didn't pack enough sweaters and I suffered. My mom was nagging me to wear more clothing and so I decided to buy more clothing. I found some great things during my trip but Florence was my favourite. This cardigan sweater I have today was from a shop called Carte Identitie. It's usually a pricey store but thank god for the 50% discounts! I layered the sweater with a plaid shirt from Reigning Champ, a white tee, Cheap Monday jeans, and Kurt Geiger boots. I hope this helps both men and women with their winter outfits. It's all about the layers people.

TGIF x one million

2012-01-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

THANK GOODNESS IT'S FRIDAY. You have no idea how badly I want to catch up on sleep. Anyway, to keep everyone updated about the ridiculously freezing January weather we're having, I think it's supposed to warm up to -15ºC or something like that on Saturday. This is great news for everybody who has been refusing to leave their houses, and especially great news for us students who have to walk outside from building to building (it gets torturous, believe me).

Soooo I guess you could say that old man winter has been the inspiration for this following outfit. There's really nothing better than waking up and putting on a sweater of some sort to help win the war against the cold.

The jacket and sweater are both from Shoppalu, which is a Canadian-based online vintage/womenswear store (I've introduced them previously)! Both the jacket and sweater are great vintage items that they so generously sponsored. So do check out their site! If you need anything beautiful and vintage (their jewelry is to die for), you know the place to go.

Oh, here's another piece of news!

I'm getting my ears pierced! Surprise? I feel like I've been missing out on all the gaudi accessories I could hang on my ears--but it is disturbing to even think of having a hole in my ear (is it just me, or does that equally freak out the next person?). Regardless, I think I'm getting them pierced, by my mother nonetheless too.

brown vintage sweater c/o shoppalu [link]

vintage camel trench coat c/o shoppalu [link]

free people crochet dress from urban ($50)

aldo clog heels ($16)

gifted ear muffs from my aunt!