Spring Forward

Although we lose an hour of sleep this weekend, at least we know later sunsets and warmer days are to come. This weekend in the Bay Area is full of blue days and sunny skies, so K and I have brought out the start of our spring wardrobes for this post. (Of course, we’ll still go spring shopping to replenish and renew our closets for the warmer seasons ;) ) Please check out A’s (our lovely photographer) beautiful travel blog.

K's Outfit

From a young age I have always held fashion with a certain fascination. Fashion is transformative. It has allowed me to redefine who I am with a simple change of clothes. Somedays the preppy pleated skirt must find its way in my outfit and on other days I just want to bust out the obnoxious gold disco pants. Yesterday I could be into streetwear, today I could be into k-fashion, and tomorrow I could be feeling bohemian.

But today my outfit makes me feel some what like Marilyn Monroe. In fact, the skirt I am wearing is a tennis skirt from the 50’s that I found in a thrift store near Berkeley for $15. The pleated circle skirt’s annoyingly flirtatious fabric has given me a fair share of scandalous moments reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe’s subway grate “mishap”. The red, white, and navy blue colors also make me think this’d be a perfect Fourth of July outfit.

The silhouette of the breezy skirt and the cut-out, bustier type top makes it very appropriate for spring and summer climates. I rolled up the hem of the top to fit with the higher waisted skirt, and can roll it back down to fit with moderately high-waisted jeans. I’m really loving this unique top because of it’s fun pattern that adds a cheerful touch to my wardrobe. Recently I’ve been into exposing a bit of midriff. I haven’t delved far into this trend before so it’s interesting for me to try out. Usually I prefer contacts over my glasses since it’s less of a hassle and looks better but in this outfit I think they add to this look here.  

 

        

I ended the look with some oxford flats for a preppy feel. This pair was from F21 and as you can see, have been quite beaten and frayed at the shoelaces. I’ve been meaning to tape them back up but just haven’t gotten around to it. BEWARE these shoes have absolutely no traction. I have landed squarely on my butt many a time while running to class because of these slippery soles.

S's Outfit

Today’s outfit is pretty urban, with a bit of a retro, cutesy twist (hence the mysterious stare towards the right side of the photo). The cropped fishtail jacket is definitely more of a masculine and urban styled piece, but I think it balances well with the floral prints and more feminine details of other pieces of clothing such as the collar on my shirt, my oxfords, and my golden bar necklace.

My collared chiffon blouse is from Urban Outfitters, found at the bottom of a heap clearance clothing for $5.99 - thank goodness for the store’s 50% off Clearance sales. The shirt has a unique, diamond like floral print, and I just can’t get over the peter pan collar. The shirt is pretty sheer, so I always pair it with a bandeau of bralette underneath. The golden bar necklace is from H&M, and while it looks nice, it’s broken on me plenty of times! I still love it regardless, I think it adds the perfect touch to many outfits.

Being the height that I am, finding pants can be quite a nuisance, especially as I’m not one to get clothes tailored. I’d been looking for looser-fitting, breezy pants for awhile, and came across this pair from Nordstrom, by Lush, in about December. These pants are great for warmer days and a great alternative to jeans, because let’s be honest, you’ve gotta give your legs a break from being so restricted all the time.

I’m all for floral prints - and anything that comes in black, so these were an automatic “YES” for me when I saw them. Best part - they were 50% off for $22.99! In all seriousness, not only are they cute and chic, but they are so comfortable as well. They’re so soft, I could sleep in them.

Lastly - my long loved and very worn out oxfords (let’s just call them vintage). I got these almost three years ago, but have never stopped loving them. They are my go-to flats, as my feet aren’t quite suited to the shape of ballet flats. My favorite part of these shoes are the black outlining/detailing, I think it makes the shoes pop and stand out a bit more than they would without it.

On S:

Headband - F21

Necklace - H&M

Cropped Fishtail Jacket - Delia’s

Collared Blouse - Urban Outfitters

Track Pants - Nordstrom (Lush)

Oxfords - DSW (Not Rated)

Food Adventure: Road Dogs and Twisted Chill

Hangry. Hungry and angry. I'm a chronic patient of hangriness. If I'm hungry, I might as well be in a snickers commercial. 

Because I overslept and was late to my appointment this morning, I skipped breakfast and was very hungry two hours later. You could imagine the hallelujah that played in my head when I walked out of the library and saw these food trucks. 

Road Dogs Weenie Wagon is a San Jose based food truck that sells gourmet hot dogs as whimsical as their name. Offering different regional themes and combinations, the menu was teeming with unconventional flovors I was curious to try. 

My dad wanted a hot dog too so I got three: the Bra Bra, the West Coast, and the Chicago. 

The Bra Bra($6) was dissapointing. The sausage was mushy and the texture was too slushy when paired with the creamy chipotle sauce. There wasn't any flavor in the pork sausage but was instead concentrated in the sauce. The sauerkraut managed to add some crunchiness and salvage the weird texture but only a little. I think for its size and taste, this hot dog was a little overpriced. 2/10

The West Coast ($6) was much more enjoyable in terms of both taste and texture. The beef frankfurter was juicy and offered a texture and thickness that made each bite feel more substantial. This time it felt like a hot dog. I enjoyed the sweet pickled tones of the pepper with its spicier aftertaste. The mayonnaise helped keep the taste cool overall so that he flavors weren't too overwhelming. It was better than the Bra Bra but not spectacular. My dad and I agreed that the hot dogs would have tasted better if the buns were toasted a little more. 5/10

My dad had the Chicago ($6) which was... Okay. It was good but we wish it had been tastier, spicier. It wasn't anything too special 5/10

Twisted Chill was delightful. The truck is also a San Jose based restaurant on wheels. Twisted Chill sells icecream at $3 for one scoop, and floats at $5. The truck is cheerfully colorful and significantly less creepy than the jingling white truck that used to parole my neighborhood during my childhood summers. 

While I'm the type that judges desserts heavily on packaging and presentation, I would forgo that analysis for ugly but compostable cups. The cream soda float with pistachio icecream was surprisingly not too creamy. The fizziness of the cream soda kept the float from being too heavy while the chunks of pistachio helped break up the texture of the drink. To my pleasant surprise the drink evolves in its taste as time goes on. The icecream sinks to the bottom and mixes with the soda to intensify the creaminess and pistachio flavor of the drink. My only gripe is that the drink was hard to consume without foaming over the top and some chunks of pistachio didn't go through the straw. 8/10

While I wore my pajamas to my errands this morning, I can still reminisce yesterday's effort. 

This was my first time ordering anything from Choies, but I liked most of the things I received. The only problem was that the order took a while to process and ship, about 20 business days. The shirt's sleeves are also a bit long but I enjoy the flowy, ethereal look of the lace mixed with the bright cobalt color. For ten bucks I can't really complain. 

Hat: Nordstroms

Sunglasses: Nordstroms 

Lace Shirt: Choies 

Skirt: H and M 

Shoes: Forever 21 

Wallet: Some side store in China? 

-K