Founder's Day Brunch

The other weekend I had the pleasure of going to our Founder's Day Brunch. Basically, it's a brunch that commemorates the day the hall I'm living in was first opened.

But... I feel the reason most people go is because you get free hotel brunch! It was held at the James Cook Hotel, and everything was very nice. Especially after having not eaten out at all since I moved back down here! There was all your typical brunch foods, buffet style.... I was so so so full afterwards!

I  had expected other people from my flat to come, but they all dropped out at the last minute. It almost made me not go because I really didn't want to go not knowing anyone. But, when I got there, everyone was super friendly and I met a new group of friends.

I LOVE Gossip Girl. So when I saw this dress at General Issue (sells brands like Hollister, Abercrombie and now, GAP), I fell in love! Especially with the sleeves! 

I have discovered however, that GAP clothes are pretty large! This dress is actually a GAP girls XL (12). It was very cute, and made out of a soft knit/jersey material that makes it more snuggly for winter. 

The only thing with buying children's clothes is that they aren't particularly designed for a more womanly shape. The high neckline with a little bow (it's underneath my hair in this picture) also tends to make it a little more childish. To solve the issue of shape, I got my lovely Mum to overlock down the sides, creating more of an indent where my waist is. So it's a lot better now. 

I wasn't sure what to do with the bow. For the moment I have just left it, because I don't want to remove it and ruin the fabric. However, it makes the dress look funny with scarves/necklaces. So perhaps that will be something to do for future wears. 

To add a pop of colour against the black dress, shoes and blazer, I wore it with the burgundy tights that have been a recent purchase. They are very versatile and really make this outfit a lot more interesting. 

I also deliberated about the choice of shoes. I had NO idea how formal/causal the function was meant to be, so I didn't want to turn up in sky-high (but tasteful, of course) shoes and everyone else was wearing jandals! So I settled on these Suede/leather Isabela Anselmi shoes (size 5) from Overland. They have a very small heel (5cm) and so give the illusion of a slightly heightened ballet flat, which I thought was quite nice and not too overdone. 

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

A ridiculously sweet lunch

This afternoon I had the pleasure of going out for 'lunch' with my super amazing flattie Ping! We lived in the halls together last year and are now flatting together.

Since we are both pretty stringent on saving money, this is actually the first time we've eaten out! (Oh, the fun times of student life!). To top it off we actually used a coupon to get everything you will see for $10! (Value:$20) - You've gotta love Groupon!

Jacket: Size 10 Children's blazer from Target (only $17!) - How big are these American children??

Top: Long-sleeve V-neck from Supre, XXS (good for small sizes!)

Skirt: Size 6 Portmans from Dotti outlet

Shoes: Size 5 Pulp from Hannah's

Pearls: Inherited from Mum

The cafe was actually a chocolate cafe, so everything was super sweet and super rich (probably worth  a couple of weeks of chocolate in one sitting!)
Butler's Chocolate cafe:
Ping had:
A ginger slice - very gingery, wouldn't recommend if you don't like ginger
Chocolate afogato - This was like a shot of coffee over vanilla icecream, with chocolate sauce drizzled over the top - very yummy!
I had:
Macadamia Chocolate slice - This was very good apart from that it didn't really taste like macadamia. It was more of a chocolate caramel slice. Very sweet and rich.
I also had a cookie hot chocolate, because it just sounded so interesting! Generally I probably would have had either a slice or a drink, because they were both very chocolately and very rich, but this was a one-time deal! The drink itself was even more chocolately than normal hot chocolates from a cafe, and also had some semi-crushed oreos in it. Delicious!

This was our treat for it being the end of term! And handing in our law assignments! And a chance for feeling a little classier!

After tomorrow I'm heading home for a week of holidays and birthdays!
Have a good weekend!

Nautical Navy & New Online Purchases!

I absolutely LOVE navy. Every time, I'm always attracted to it, and I have to force myself to stop buying navy things. These photos were taken a couple of weeks ago, and in the mean time I have managed to (freely - yay Mum!) acquire another silk scarf that goes even better with this outfit! But....

 Tshirt: Temt, size XS

Cardigan: Abercrombie & Fitch from General Issue, size XS

Jeans: Levi's from Onehunga Dressmart - these are my super skinny jeans - I can always tell if I've gained weight when I wear these! They are in a size 6, and the style is 831 - Extreme Skinny. After I bought these, I've never seen another pair like these (although I must I haven't looked very hard).
I love them because despite being a bit long, they were the first pair of jeans that actually fit me in all the right places! And have continued to do seeing as they are good quality!

For anyone that lives in the Auckland area, Dressmart in Onehunga has a Levi's Outlet store, and they are often having really good specials, so if you want some cheap(er) Levi's head over there! (And it's often the small sizes that are left over if you are little like me!)

Shoes: The first picture was what I would have LIKED to wear with this outfit ideally. However, uni and hills meant it was just not meant to be.  I really have no idea how people manage to wear heels to uni! I couldn't manage it!! (However, they are Sz5 from... Either Wild Pair or.... somewhere which escapes my memory!)

The second picture is what I ended up wearing on my feet that day - reliable Chuck Taylors, again from Dressmart Outlet.

Here are the boots from the first photo closer up. I bought these a couple of years ago, but find it hard to style them with anything as my jeans are always too long, and I don't wear leggings very much. I also have a personal thing against wearing an all black outfit with brown shoes - any opinions on how to wear these? Would very much appreciate it as I think they're super cute but just can't find any way to wear them!

On another note... My online purchases just arrived!! Yay!! Here they are in photo: (Excuse Iphone photos)

Pants: Dorothy Perkins Petite Black Trousers, size 4. They are a perfect fit on me! Right now they are only available in size 4, 12, and 14 (note these are UK sizes - same as NZ), for 12 pounds + shipping, which came to about $36NZD for me. I found an additional 15% off coupon by googling as well, so that helped too! The quality is a little cheaper than I expected (polyester/cotton/elastane blend) but the silhouette is nice so I don't mind. I really wanted a nice pair of pants that I could wear out that weren't jeans, and these fit the bill. The only thing I noticed is that I will DEFINITELY have to wear seamless underwear with these - otherwise I will be risking serious VPL!

Dorothy Perkins is a UK site, but the reason I came across it is it offers discount to students (only on non-discounted things I think though).
If you are a university student, you can join UNIDAYS, which shows websites that have signed up to give discounts to students (although there are probably a lot more not listed here), but it's where I found the Dorothy Perkins site, and some others.
ASOS is a great site that has amazing deals (and petite sizes down to UK size 4) that offer free shipping worldwide - and 10% discount for students! It also does men's clothing so if you are looking for something for a boyfriend or brother, it's available there too!

 But... These were my big splurge! They are Ann Taylor Perfect Pumps in Sweet Biscotti, from the international site. I did get them on a promotion that included free shipping (which would have been $65!) so if you can maybe look online for some extra international codes. And for any American reader, you are so lucky to have so much choice in clothing/promotions!

Mine are a size 5.5 US, because their sizing chart suggested that the 5 might have been too small. But oh my, these shoes are AMAZING. They have a heel height of 8.25cm (3 1/4 inches) but don't feel in the least bit high! (Side note: You have no IDEA how many times when looking for shoes, or for that matter, clothing in general, I have to google inches-cm conversion! Why must people only list things in inches??) They are soft and cushy on the inside, and the leather inside feels as if its caressing your foot! I'm in love! If only I could afford them in every colour...

I did buy these as an investment piece, in the hope that they will last me until when I need to do job interviews! I had been looking online and in stores for a nude pair for aaaages with no luck until I found these. I would suggest however, that these suit a pale, yellow-toned skintone. I am not very tan at all, but these are slightly lighter than my skintone, and online I noticed some people commenting that they were too yellow. However, that's a bonus for Asian skin! If you're in America you have no excuse not to get yourself into a pair of these!
Note: I have noticed that online the size 5 and 5 1/2 seems to be sold out, but they still had them in black last time I checked.

Since I started this blog, I haven't had any feedback so far, so... If anyone has any thoughts, please feel free to leave me some comments!

Law School Photos Round 2

The other week I tried to grab some more photos at the law school! It was quite a cold day, so I admit I pulled out a (thin) version of a puffer jacket to brave the Wellington Wind! I asked my friend to take photos for me, but as always, you have to take multiple photos to get a good shot! And then its gets awkward as I try not to:
a) Get in people's way as they try to walk up the stairs
c) Show my newbie-ness at law school by posing for photos
Meanwhile, my friend is trying to snap photos in between people coming and going and then we have to rush to a room to get a study room seat!!

A bigger view of the law school - Isn't it beautiful??

Sorry for poor quality photos - Iphone isn't the best!

Even though it was a cold day, I didn't mind so much because the law school is warm, and also it meant  I got to wear my new clothes (despite having bought them for use in winter).

Top: Portmans, size XS. This top is really a bit big for me, and I really need to slim the sleeves, but haven't got around to it. Ideally the torso could be slimmer too, but my mother always thinks its ridiculous how small I want my clothes to fit, so alas this has been left undone also. 

Scarf: Farmers. I love the colour of this scarf, and the texture is lovely and doesn't irritate my neck like a lot of other materials (for reference - 100% rayon). I have the same one in black, and I knew how nice it felt so I bought this one in this versatile camel colour. I admit it is a little large overall as scarf (width/length), but it keeps me warm in the winter!

Belt: Old - found in Mum's room!

Skirt (size 6) /tights (avg): These were my new purchases, both from Glassons. I wasn't initally too keen on the colour of the skirt, but they didn't have the colour I wanted in my size. So, I tried on the khaki, and made a decision that it would be versatile and I don't have anything like it. Last year my mum convinced me that corduroy jeans would keep me warmer than denim (I was horrified at first - the images that came to mind were NOT flattering AT ALL), but I found a really nice, slim fit pair that convinced me. The reason for that aside and also my rationale for buying was that because this skirt is also corduroy, it was worth buying as a winter purchase! 

The tights were a bit of an impulse buy - although I had been planning to buy some coloured tights later on in the season. But, I was so so pleased with them! They were a really nice quality, and very thick (which is what I wanted so they don't run as easily), and lovely and soft. Another bonus is that they aren't ridiculously long and leave bunches whenever I put them on. For $9.99 I think these are really worth it. 

Shoes: Black leather Chuck Taylors (size 5). I have so many of these sneakers. They are the 'slim' chucks I think, as the original ones just look stupid on me as the sole is too chunky. But... once you have enough pairs, there's one for every occasion! (As heels are really not appropriate for a uni student)

On that note, I had a huge splurge (actually encouraged by my mother!), on a pair of nude heels, from Ann Taylor. I shall post pics when they arrive!

Flatwarming Attire

The other week I was invited to a flat warming - a friend of a friend, so naturally I was dubious about what I was going to wear to a flat full of people I didn't really know. Heels or no heels? Dressy or super casual?? It's always so hard to know. So... I settled on a slightly dressier version of jeans and a tshirt! Earlier on in the day, I had been in town and was going through Farmers looking for a bath towel, only to discover that particular Farmers only sold beauty and fashion products! However, it was the day of their 'Beauty Event'! I got my nails done by OPI, and my makeup done by Revlon. Buuuut.... The Revlon lady didn't really seem to have much experience in dealing with Asian faces. For a start, she chose a foundation which was waaaay to pale for me (the entire time she was doing the makeup I couldn't see what she was doing), which didn't look too bad at first but really showed up in photos. She also added VERY thick black eyeliner along the bottom eyelid, which she assured me 'looked great from further back'. When I got back home my flatmate wondered what had happened to me. It looked a lot better when I removed just the liner from underneath. This woman told me she had been working for Revlon for 12 years. In all this time, she didn't really seem to have learnt how to deal with people who do not have the easy-to-work-with eye shape and skin tone! Oh well, it was an experience.

Here is the flatwarming attire that I eventually settled on (and edited a little to disguise paleness of face)

The tshirt was another little DIY project. I bought the little beaded things individually and sewed them onto the tshirt by hand. The hardest part was deciding where to put them! (I must admit, I have a bit of a phobia of pins sticking me, so I was awkwardly trying to wear the tshirt and simultaneously decide where I wanted to put them, and hold them down in some way without pricking myself. And then came the task of getting it off. Sigh.) The beaded appliques are from a little shop in Onehunga, Auckland, called 'Antique Fabrics'. It really is an amazing little boutique-y shop that sells a whole variety of fabrics. The reason I wanted to go there is because of their applique collections. The shop, although it's not huge, isn't minscule either, and every single wall is covered from head to toe in hundreds of different little beaded applique things. If you are ever looking for something to match, its almost a guarantee to find it there! Although its slightly harder to find things in multiples as pretty much everything is a one-off! This shop really is a hidden gem.

The rest of the outfit:
Jeans from Glassons
Belt from Espirit
Boots from... Wild Pair? I bought these a couple of years ago and really haven't had much wear out of them, so I'm avidly trying now to justify their purchase. I thought they would go with a lot of things, but it turns out they don't look great when jeans are scrunched into them (which happens a lot with me because my jeans are all too long), and then, practically all my tights are black, with not a lot of other brown clothing. Hmmm. Someday I'll make the perfect outfit for them!

A new year, a new campus

So.... If any of you have ever been to the Victoria University of Wellington Law School, you'll know how amazingly beautiful it is! It was built in the 1800's and is still kept in prime condition! It really makes studying there feel very special. As an official law student this is where I have all of my law classes, and there is also a law library as part of the main building that you can study in. Although the photo quality here is pretty bad (photos taken on Iphone in bad lighting are not really ideal), I hope it shows at least a little of the beauty in this style of building. Hopefully someday I'll be able to take some proper photos in it!

 Outfit wise, ideally I would have loved to wear this outfit with black patent pumps, but it just really isn't feasible for a student in Wellington who has to traipse the hills back and forth to get home!
I am wearing....
Black high-neck tshirt, and red skirt from supre (they were having a 30% off everything sale and I had been looking for both items!)
Sunglasses by Oroton (bought from an outlet store - have no idea of the original retail price but I imagine they were worth a lot more than the $50 I paid for them!)
Old brown belt from around the house
Necklace, originally bought by Mum for herself, then stolen by me....
Bracelet is from Tiffany's (a gift from Mum)
And black leather Chuck Taylors (these are practially the only sneakers I have, I have 4 pairs of these in many different colours!)

If any of you are in Wellington, you really should check out this lovely building. Parts of it are open to the public and you can have a look around! (It's free too!) So, no excuses!

Shopping Sunday

Unfortunately for me, this was not a SHOPPING shopping day, but just merely a flat outing to the Sunday fresh produce market and the grocery store... However, I was still going to be out on display to the public, so I couldn't really stay in my pyjamas all day! It was a little colder today (writing this now wearing a fluffy hoodie and lap covered in a blanket!) but I was determined that I would not pull out the winter jackets yet! As it turns out, a light cardigan was enough for today.

And here is an indepth picture of the cardigan!

- Tshirt from Supre

- Floral jeans from Just Jeans, shortened and hemmed, in this picture they are cuffed also

- Bag/Cardigan both secondhand from a cousin. The cardigan is a little big for me, but I love the design so much I wear it anyway. The sleeves are a little wide, but I've been too lazy to take them in, and instead just wear them rolled up.

- Shoes from Novo

- Necklace from Max

- And of course - the all important accessory - A hairtie!

It took me aaaaages to find a highnecked tshirt! I looked in basically every chain store I could find, but they were not to be found! Eventually, I found one, in Supre of all places, which is not known for its... Conservatism, but alas! There was one there, and in my size, and everything in store was 30% off, just as an added bonus!

I hope you all had a magnificent weekend... For me tomorrow means the start of a new year at university, and lots and lots of work! What does it mean for you??