A Better Way to Thrift

It has been a minute since I last talked about fashion. I am surprised that I do not write about it often, while it's one of my biggest passions. 

So here's a pop quiz to start the week:

Thrifting, yay or nay?

If you remember my post about Conscious Fashion and our wedding theme;

A Conscious Love Story, you'll know I will forever vouch for thrifting and trying to minimize shopping from fast fashion brands. 

I am not 100% there yet, hence this topic. 

I recently learned a few things:

1. Here in Indonesia, we have somehow exported second-hand clothes from countries like Korea and China to then be sold on the thrift market. Not sustainable after all isn't it?
2. Knowing the source is the key to sustainable fashion. Now that I question my first method, I try to buy second items from familiar communities friends, and families
3. Cost per wear is easily overlooked, but prioritizing quality can get you there. The more often (and longer) you wear the piece, the lower the cost is
4. Here's a trick to make your fashion items worth more: When you're eyeing a particular item (jeans, blouse, jacket, anything), try to think of at least three styles that you can rock in it. Picture your wardrobe and scan through it with your mind if you already have something similar (chances are, you do). After that, think of at least three items you can pair with the new item. Not two, but three. Got it? If yes, then you can go to the cashier
5. Organise a garage sale with your group of friends, book club, or church friends? Making "clothes swap" a birthday theme is also a way to make birthdays feel more priceless. 

Illustration by Grace Farris

A Sustainable Dream Coming True

While typing away, I am realising that sustainability has become the latest buzzword in the fashion industry. Awareness of the environmental impact of the fashion industry has skyrocketed, but how has this translated into action and results? 

Sustainability related keywords have increased 75% year on year, and your IG explore button now directs you to endless shopping options, with the promise of an environmentally-friendly dream; ethically made clothing that sits perfectly on your shoulder and flows beautifully right to your knees. Classy design, sustainability, and ethics! 

I first encountered SukkhaCitta in 2018, the same year I decided to leave my comfortable corporate desk and trail-blaze my way into a self-employed creative discipline (calling it an industry makes me feel uncomfortable). 

“I just want to share and tell stories about people - I just want to write,” I remember telling my former employer. They thought I was mental. I don’t think they were wrong. 

Slow yet steady progress was made, as I watched this seed grew into my own WordPixAsia.  

Questioned by many, I was full of self-doubt, and many sleepless nights ensued. Who will trust you? How long are we going to last? What if they don’t like my ideas? 

SukkhaCitta  quietly celebrates a mighty fifth anniversary this week, sharing one story that has touched my heart.  A mother (who made the clothing you purchased) witnessing her daughter graduating from high school.

I say “quietly” because there’s no blatant marketing gimmick like a special prize, and I say “mighty” because of the mother and daughter’s successes. These tangible results speak louder than words for this sustainable and classy fashion house. 

My wobbly first steps taken both professionally with WordPixAsia, and personally as a pretend extrovert, have been challenging. Today I am celebrating my third year since I first signed on my first client. I also realise that two years ago I turned down a project representing what I believe is wrong when it comes to nature and women’s welfare. I needed the fast-easy money, but I long for sustainable welfare more. 

If I were to mother a child someday, and he or she asked “Ibu, did you know anything about child labour or deforestation?” I do not want to say “I know. But I did not do anything about it.” 

I am still here, telling stories that will help other women, and animals as they have no sounding board, and I can humbly say there is no looking back. 

 You may walk timidly  for what you believe in. But keep walking. 

 You may bite your tongue every now and then. But keep speaking.

Androgynous

Just trying out a new look.

Have you tried an androgynous style? I am leaning into it but as I still enjoy being all girly and feminine, I do not want to overdo it.

I am so touched by how many people get isnpired by my style and sometimes some of them try to pull off a style the minute I shared about them. Thank you beautiful people.

My fashion-stylist friend told me that the first thing to take note is to know your body, do not force a style. You can get inspired by so many things around you but if you immediately copy them as soon as a trend comes in a hashtag, you might end up looking not as best. My legs are short, but I have a small waist so I can wear a high waist pants to create an illusion of longer legs. Minus looking bulky because my body frame is small.

My cheeks are chubby, so my big and frizzy hair will make it worse. Hence, the short cut.

PS: Do you think this look suits any body type?

Closet Cleaning

I have completed.... (drum roll) some closet cleaning earlier this month! Yay!

Why is this such a big deal? Because you really need the willingness to do it. And of course, time.

After reading some tips, I applied the simplest rule of thumb by asking myself these two questions:

"Have you worn this (top/pants/skirt/dress) the last six months?". 
If not, chances are you never will again. Or at least, until we have the next generation of fashion designers starting to bloom.
The next question:
"If you see this article in a store today, will you buy them?"
No? You know what to do.

After three hours, I managed to gather around six pairs of pants that no longer fits me (thanks to boot-camp sessions, I am shrinking from size 4 to size 2 #fistbump), ten tops (t-shirt, blouses and cardigans that I answered NO to the above questions) and five dresses (Was I not realizing my age when I got them?!). All will be donated.

My closet suddenly seems to be breathing fine. And the amazing thing is, I suddenly have more ideas on how to mix and match with less clothes! The logic must be because since I now have space, I am able to see clearly of what I have instead of gazing through a pile of mess that makes me feel like I have nothing to wear. With less clothes, I have the energy to color-coordinate them. Therefore, my eyes will automatically look for matching bottom after I spot some blues hues, for example. 

Isn't that a cool yet easy trick? I wonder if you can apply the same rule to contact list on your phone tho :-). 
E.q:Have you contacted this person the last six months? Do you want to? If you bumped into them today, will you have something interesting to say and or hear?

Here's a chart I got from Pinterest which you may find useful.

What are your guilty pleasures?

Fashion magazines, pop music, Justin Bieber, or a very salty-and-creamy-delicious-butter. Guilty pleasures, people say. Something to savor after a long day; simple things to indulge, just cause. Everybody's got them. Me included.

At first, I never really thought that "Guilty Pleasures." is actually a thing. Until a few years ago, when preparing to pack my life leaving Jakarta... I found myself coughing in the midst of dust when cleaning my closet that is filled with... fashion magazines. Yep. You name it; Glamour, People Style, Vogue, ELLE, and more Vogue. 

1. Yes fashion magazines. I know...I know... you cannot just follow what magazines tell you to do, or worse, advise you to buy hand bags you cannot afford because it goes with that new hairdo. But, to thumb through fashion magazines gives my eyes a good rest, and my mind a well deserved "pause". I can be present. Just, be there. I can actually stop thinking about work, news, and problems just by staring at a picture of a well structured hand bags; admiring the details, imagining the texture. Do I go online and check the price, no, never. I just enjoy the view and sometimes sniff the smell of the paper before they turn dog-eared.  Also, when flipping through the pages, there will always be styling tips I can memorize to someday try to copy.
2. Watching movies I have seen for the umpteenth of time: Good Will Hunting, Remember The Titans, I am Sam, Men of Honor, The Mighty Ducks sequels, Lion King... Why?  Because I enjoy knowing how things ends. It's safe and comforting to know that this bad and sad scene will soon be over with a good ending. The same rule goes with books. I re read the ones I love. Weird, yes? And it scares me to think if this is also how I see most things in life, especially relationship. I like to know. It gives me pleasure to know. Not knowing kills me.
3. Salty butter with sprinkles of truffle that melts in your mouth in a second. Oh yes baby. And I am fully aware that it is bad to fill up on bread (with butter!) while waiting for your steak dinner to be ready... But I cannot help it. I am just relieved to be dating someone who does not think I am a human elephant. Tho, he loves to tease me by calling me "A black hole."
4. Trashy serials that makes me feel like I have nothing decent to wear in my closet. It is horrible, ya ya ya and yet I can tell you exactly what happened at the end of 90210. Or, Gossip Girls. But I am a religious follower of Private Practice too, so I guess that should make me a bit smarter? 
5. Buying the same stuff(s) again and again just because I know it works. Evidence: A serious galore of striped tops, white shirts and tees, dark-blue of everything, and a pile of gingham pattern). I swear to you I will never be able to buy myself a flower patterned blouse... Nothing wrong with it, it is just not familiar. It does not give me that tingling feeling of "guilty pleasures".

PS: A different take on Guilty Pleasure which I like!

Savory Sweetness

Current obsession: All Things Linen

For years, I have always been a striped frenzy. Does not matter how my families and friends keep telling me "Tressabel you already have that kind of stripes!", I will always think "Uhmmm, well I know what you mean but that one is not exactly like this one." 

Then I went on to the cashier.

But the past 3 months since my last "spring cleaning", I found some of my old linen shirts; white, dusty green and baby blue. And I am starting to reconnect with its comfort and breezy feeling again as well as its benefit to give me even more ideas to mix and match and to dress it up or down as I like. Also, I can style them as office wear, or to just eat in a warung after work. As for my next sunset cocktail event, I cannot wait to sport this linen trousers!

Unlike striped tee that comes in various brands, style, fabrics and price, linen can be a bit more expensive. My suggestion is to wait for sale season. Well, that's what I did. And you get a quality that will last you a lifetime. Or in my case, five years.

So maybe, my end of year shopping this time will no longer be a striped top galore purchase.

How about you? Any old/new fashion items you have been obsessing about?

ps: Wish list: Linen bedding, crisp linen dress and of course, linen tote!

GAP

What do you wear to bed?

What do you wear to bed? My significant other is comfortable with boxer shorts and tee while my nephew is at the stage of wearing nothing but his pants. My sister is a die hard fan of loose nighties.

Me? As one of Marilyn Monroe's hard core admirer, I was tempted to answer with "Why, Chanel no 5, of course."

But I did not. Because I don't.

However, my 8 hours of floating around in some sort of unidentified galaxy (not playing succubus, I hope) is sacred, so I take this question seriously. I have to take a shower before switching my body off and what I am wearing in bed counts. More than the importance of bed sheet thread counts. 

Living in the island, where its heat can grill you at 32 degrees, flannel pajamas is a no go. I mostly wear washed out cotton tee and hot pants. Also, I love wearing socks when it gets cold (Bali from July to September can cool down to 23 degrees which is too cold for me). The aforementioned ensemble been working well until ELLE magazine stated clearly that a woman must have matching pajamas by the time they are 30! Technically, I am 5 years behind.

Now I am searching for these vintage cuties. I think they look effortlessly chic, sexy and comfy. And I cannot wait to sport them in the morning too while making coffee in the kitchen!

ps: Pajamas Trend (Because apparently there is such a thing) and re-posting Monroe's playful voice in this iconic campaign: Forever Marilyn and No.5

Shop Bob

New Obsession: Toast

Oh how pretty!
Have a look on their collections here: Toast- UK. I want this mustard top, this biscuit colored skirt, and of course this striped dress that looks like a match made in fashion heaven with this shoes!

New Crush; Boyfriend Jeans

I have a new crush.... Boyfriend jeans!
Loving this pair from the GAP like what I am so comfortable wearing here in this picture (been stocked up with mothballs in one big traveling bag) and also this one here.

Any new fashion crush you find lovely?

Nerdy Not

I did mention to you before that I am supposed to wear glasses. But to this very day, I am still sticking my nose to a book and forcing my eyes to work harder just because I have not yet found the perfect glasses that will not give me migraine after two hours. And no brands of contacts, be it cheap or expensive not giving me horrifying allergies. Oh, the drama!

That, and ahem... I am not that confident wearing them. 

But when my sister told me that my eyes can get worse as a result of my ignorance, I think I will have to obey this one rule.

So, here's my attempt, to not look that nerdy.

What do you think?

What I See in Fashion

Let's talk about real stuff... Fashion :)

If you come visit me at my house (and are a girl), you may have a closer look to my closet. There, you will find tons of white tops, striped shirts and dark colored or light blue t-shirts. Predictable.. or boring?
Living in Bali give me reasons to invest in more short pants, but to this day I have only three of them; Black, green army and red. So I am not a fashionista. You may conclude. But I do have strong preferences in style. Or, if I can be honest... a typical preference.

To my very eyes, fashion has to be... timeless. 
My gold-rose watch matches with almost any kind of style during the night and my black leather strap one is an even more versatile. I can wear white tops anywhere and just have to play around with necklaces, earrings to look different.  Striped pattern is exquisite so I have them in many colors and style; shirts, dresses, blouses.

They have to be affordable and comfortable. Ha! Sure I treasure my somewhat expensive shoes and hand bags, but I did pay attention to the leather quality, its comfort, every single details it has. It is easy to predict which blouse I like and which I do not because trend does not influence me that much. Classic style is an investment!
When I decided to purchase skinny jeans in bright colors, it was a a decision that I have thought about thoroughly!
I do love to invest in sunnies, perfume , shoes and designer label handbags.
But I am not ashamed to admit that I also love hunting at a flea market or a thrift store!

What is fashion to you? 
Below is an inspiring outline to ensemble a perfect wardrobe. Bold ones means; already in my wardrobe *wink.

1. oversized sweater 2. oxford shirt 3. ballet flats 4. embellished top 5. chambray top 6. maxi dress 7. versatile scarf 8. sentimental jewelry 9. trench coat 10. little black dress 11. a signature manicure 12. something outrageous 13. a carryall bag 14. sunglasses 15. cropped black pants 16. knee high boots 17. well-fitting jeans 18. everyday flats 19. clutch 20. sun hat 21. a classic scent 22. watch 23. simple tank 24. braided belt 25. casual shorts 26. wool coat 27. party dress 28. black leggings 29. simple skirt 30. pencil skirt 31. large purse 32. rain boots 33. statement necklace 34. something leopard - I prefer belts! 35. cardigan 36. skinny belt 37. neutral pumps 38. tunic 39. white tee shirt 40. black blazer 41. striped top 42. a lady-like umbrella 43. a floral top 44. safari-style jacket 45. white pants (or jeans) 46. fun sandals 47. casual shoes 48. leather jacket 49. black turtleneck 50. denim jacket

Striped Linen

Maybe around 2 months ago, I purchased a similar linen shirt and have not really got a chance to wear them. This girl gives me a daring idea, though... I do not own a white pants and gawd knows how I have just dare myself to rock on some bright skinnies recently. My dear thighs... Why can't you guys look like Miranda Kerr's?

So maybe what I am going to do is to pair the linen shirt with my coral skinnies:). Will be a good outfit for a casual weekend afternoon when going out and about with boyfriend or chilling with friends, yes?

Jessica Quirk

Airport Ensemble

Truth be told, as shallow as it sounds... This makes me want to travel... :)

Pinterest

Bright Skinny Pants. Do or Don't?

I do not have her figure (blame it on Padang food), and my legs sure has meat! But I think I can dare myself to rock on a pair of bright skinny pants.

This year, I am stepping out just a few inches from my classic (if not boring) style. Oh, like trying on a new lipstick color too!

What about you? What fashion dare you decided to do recently or about to?
ps: Solid colored skinny pants below are from Stradivarius .

Going Russian. Do or Don't?

This will be the most girly post ever but I do not care! I am trying on a new lipstick!

Can you honestly tell me how I look?

Oh, are you wearing a Russian Red lipstick too?

Gingham Crush

Want to rock this style soon:)

Striped shirt and classic white top are still my fave but Gingham is another pattern/style that I think I can follow too.

I am not that much of a trend follower, but I just want to know, what do you think of this 2013 Fashion Trend?
Anything you like?

Pinterest

What I Wore

New Shades

This Ashley Brooke Designs make me think seriously about buying a new pair of shades. Oh, and the cards too... Do you know a place where I can get them?

Happy Sunday beautiful people!

Ashley Brooke

Gingham Dare

Fashion time!
I am in a serious crush with Gingham pattern,  especially in shirts! 
This does not mean that I am abandoning my paroxysm in striped pattern, white shirt, and classic style... No. 
I just have a new eye candy now and I  want to spruce up my wardrobe with them.
Where to buy... where to buy?

Walking Around (I am loving the pink and the blue!)

Tinywhitedaisies

Us women and...shoes

Ladies! Time to talk about a simple yet important stuff: Fashion :). 

Two of my biggest fetish are books and shoes. I have not shop for shoes for quite some time since I know it will cost not a little amount of cash. But, I bought a pair of shoes last week. Cheap shoes. A cute espadrilles from an infamous line. Really cheap. I used it last night for the first time to a party and waking up this morning to realize that parts of the rope are missing shape and torn in sides. Bummer.  

So, this is to declare that there is no way I will ever buy myself a pair of cheap shoes no more. By no means of making me sound like a high maintenance lady but hey, buying cheap ones is actually making me lose. 
How about you? What is your fetish? If you like shoes too, do you have tricks on how to treat them or maybe a shopping tip? 

You may want to read this article on Shoes shopping guide . If your man is questioning your adoration in shoes, ask him to read: What's up with our shoe collection . But if he has some serious taste in shoes, I must say he is a keeper *wink.

Oh and yes... I love how Coco Chanel define a relationship between woman and shoes:

"A woman with good shoes is never ugly"

from Allure

A quick spree

Ha! Been too long. See you this Sunday, H&M Singapore!

from here