Geek Style: butterflies -- spring is coming

Watching some spring training Blue Jays baseball put me in a bit of a spring is coming (soon) mood today, and therefore, out comes the ultra-feminine butterfly top for work today!

I actually purchased this lovely blouse piece from Ardene (who is currently running a 3 day sale people -- Free shipping + $10 gift card for every $50 purchase) way back in November of all months for around $20 dollars.

It's a sheer chiffon (which seems to be all the rage in fashion then and now still even) -- which means you need to wear a camisole beneath -- and has three-quarter sleeves.

The fabric is also just cheap enough that you risk having to deal with some unpleasant static if your not careful (or wear it with a wool button-up on top). Also, the buttons along the top are really cheaply and loosely attached. I've already sewn one back in, and three more popped off on its second wear (and one of them became lost unfortunately)

But it is a beautiful pattern -- one that I have yet to be able to replicate -- and a really amazing combination of colour and works well with a dark grey jean or trouser. Keep the stuff with it plain, because it is a very busy pattern.

And more on Ardene -- I generally only go to that store to find accessories or cheap shoes. But I've discovered that they actually have a very solid line of apparel that isn't all catered to the tweener generation. It takes some selective picking and choosing, but their clothes sometimes are much better than some of the other offerings at Forever21 or H&M.

You just have to be careful of how cheap it sometimes can be... but then again, same goes for both of the other cheap chic boutiques I just mentioned...

This shirt actually doesn't come out as much as I'd like it too. For one, it's super-feminine meant for days when I'm in the mood for being feminine, which when you work in sports, isn't often.

But spring is in the air for me... and that was enough...

Stylize: long weekend wardrobe

Happy Belated Canada Day everyone!

Canada Day weekend is one of my favourite holidays of the year. I remember it always having wonderful weather, great events and of course... NHL free agency and fireworks!

Oh, and the Euro Cup Finals.

I usually celebrate it by decking myself out in red, but not this year.

Why? Because I don't have red clothing that really is all that work appropriate.

Yes, I worked. Yes, even on my beloved home and native land's birthday, I work. Thus is the industry and the dream that I am striving towards and am employed in. Because there is no such thing as a holiday in my world.

I wore the nerd's uniform: brown slacks and a light blue button up. Work appropriate for sure, but neither weather appropriate nor Canada Day appropriate. Or Euro Cup appropriate.

Really appropriate for nothing but working at generic white-collared workplaces across the globe.

But still, it was the long weekend and in celebration of the great weather we had throughout, here be an outfit in which to enjoy life in.

Really this is me showing off the brand-new shirt I got last Friday - a sheer, lightly tan-coloured button-up sleeveless top from H&M!

I kinda splurged on it, but in the end, I feel it was worth it. I've been looking for this kind of shirt for at least two months. I missed out on a chance in May to get something a little more white in a similar style but I hesitated and by the time I resolved to get it, it was already gone. And I've regretted it ever since. 

I don't really have a fancy enough bra in which to wear beneath it, so a camisole from the Gap's 2011 Winter Collection was worn beneath, therefore masking its sheerness in the shot. The green shorts were worn but not well shown in my last post, but is from Bluenotes, and the brown belt was something I found at Ardene as was the (not pictured) vintage looking collar necklace I wore.

On me feet, I would have preferred to have worn a style of brown gladiator sandals to finish the look, but as they are well down on my "want to buy" list and I haven't yet resolved on splurge on a pair (my feet are tiny and it is near impossible for me to buy shoes. But that's another tale to tell) comfy flip-flops sufficed.

Stylize: feeling the asian nerd vibe

I don't get to dress like this too often.

This is because most days I have to go to work. And they either require me to wear a uniform or else I dress in business casual to keep from freezing to death due to the nature of the work.

But on my off-days, when j-school is pretty much the only thing I have to worry about, I tend to be more open to being a little more creative with my otherwise staid wardrobe.

Today's outfit is what I describe as me channeling my "asian nerd" vibe. I go through different vibes most morning (depending on how lazy I am feeling) and this one was one I actually dreamt about the night before.

It is, as one friend described it for me, a very "Korean/Japanese"-esque outfit.

The whole thing worked for me because while it was a warm summer-y day, it wasn't so warm that I didn't feel grateful for having the socks for a bit of extra coverage. The sweater too became pretty essential because the classroom we used was actually very, very cold.

The skirt and necklace was thrifted and a very lucky find I made at Value Village. The sweater I got second-hand from my sister. The graphic t-shirt is something I bought from Forever21 two years ago, while the socks are something I purchased from Ardene around the same time (but don't wear too often due to its unique style).


The hat, a purchase I made a few weeks ago at H&M I threw on because I liked it, and as I showered that morning my hair was a bit of a mess because of how it dried (all over the place)