Legion of Honor Museum

Today, my sister and I visited the Legion of Honor art museum in San Francisco. It was so incredible! Even though I've lived in California almost all of my life (fun fact, I was born in Oregon), I'd never been to this museum before my trip today! Also, I took visiting an art museum as the perfect opportunity to wear one of my slightly fancier dresses, Innocent World's "Anniversary Rose" JSK. And since it's the third day of spring, I wanted to go with a floral-themed outfit, like I spoke about in my last post. 

Dress: Innocent World
Tights: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright
Shoes, purse, hat, blouse: offbrand

I was truly in awe of all the masterpieces in the Legion of Honor collection.  There were many pieces that I've learned about in school that I'd never thought I'd see in real life. There was an entire room filled with Auguste Rodin sculptures, and an impressionism exhibit featuring works by Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh.

Auguste Rodin, "The Kiss"

Claude Monet, The Grand Canal, Venice

Claude Monet, Water Lillies
The Snow Field actually created a dress based on this painting!

Vincent Van Gogh, Shelter on Montmartre

Though those well-known paintings are very beautiful, my favorite was Assuaging of the Waters by John Martin.

There was also an exclusive fashion exhibit featuring pieces from throughout the ages, from influential designers such as Chanel, Dior, Charles James, and Givenchy. They reflect fashions from 1910-1980! The exhibit is open until 19 July.

If you have a chance, I highly recommend visiting the Legion of Honor museum!

Sweet & Tiny Review

I'd been hearing so many wonderful things about the UK-based jewelry shop Sweet & Tiny that I decided to order something for myself! I read that custom orders were available, so I chose that option and contacted the lovely shop owner.

Here's the timeline of my purchase:

25 January - First contacted her with an idea for what I wanted. I asked her to create a piece based on Angelic Pretty's Petite Patisserie print, to match my dress. I sent her this photo as a reference:

Angelic Pretty's Petite Patisserie.
Photo via Lolibrary.

I was quoted £20 for the necklace (about $30 USD) and paid half up-front for the custom order. She let me know that it would take about one week to make.

2 February - Conversed briefly with the shop owner asking about the progress of my order. I was informed that the main parts were still drying.

8 February - Asked again about how my necklace was coming along. The shop owner told me that she was waiting for a ribbon for it to arrive in the mail. I was also sent a few progress photos - and was so impressed by her work!

16 February - Spoke about how the necklace was coming along. I was informed that she'd be able to ship in two days time.

19 February - Shop owner contacted me and told me she hadn't been able to ship out my necklace, but was doing so that day. She sent me finished photos of it (and I loved it). I asked her how much I owed her for the second half of the necklace plus shipping.

22 February - Shop owner contacted me apologizing that she hadn't shipped it yet, for she was busy at La Vie En Rose, a fashion event in Paris where she was selling items from her shop. She asked me to send her slightly less than I owed, for she felt bad about how long it had taken to ship. I sent her the rest of the money that day.

3 March - The necklace arrived to me! It arrived packaged in an adorable way:

The sticker seals are a sweet finishing touch.

And here are detail photos I took of my beautiful new necklace!

Though the order took longer than quoted, I perfectly understand since not only was it a custom order that she took the utmost care with, she was also preparing for a large event in which she needed to create a high volume of items for (she creates each piece by hand). Also, her diligent communication certainly made up for it. I am EXTREMELY happy with the final product and can't wait to wear it.

Overall, here's how I'd rate my experience:

Communication: 5/5

Quality: 5/5

Likeliness to purchase more from this seller in the future: 5/5

I sincerely recommend Sweet & Tiny!

February EGL Theme

Each January, the EGL LiveJournal page hosts a "wardrobe post" theme, where each member is invited to photograph and post their clothing collections (mine is here, but note that my wardrobe has had additions and subtractions since I posted it). Last year, the page moderators began a new theme, for February, called "Dress Me Up", where two people are partnered together to make outfits for each other using each others' wardrobe posts. My partner was the wonderful milkamenthe, Lindzi! She's also one of the owners of the up-and-coming clothing and accessory brand Peppermint Fox. I was so honored to be partnered with her!

It was so much fun working with and getting to know her! We told each other a bit about our individual styles, and what kind of outfits we like to wear. Then, we made outfits for each other, and I think they turned out wonderfully! She's already made a post (viewable here) about three of the outfits I made for her, so I decided to do the same. I really love them!

Skirt: Aurora & Ariel
OTKs: Angelic Pretty
Hat, clip, cardigan, blouse, boots: Offbrand

JSK: Emily Temple Cute
Shoes, briefcase: Vintage
Hat, clip, tights: Offbrand

Onepiece dress: Jane Marple
Briefcase: Vintage
Beret, bow, tights, boots: Offbrand

All in all, I had an amazing time doing this activity! And thank you again, Lindzi! ♥

Refining my Style

Depending on who's reading this, you may know that I'm an alternative fashion enthusiast. In my spare time, I collect (and wear!) Japanese alternative fashion styles, mostly originating in Harajuku. My two favorite styles (called Lolita and Otome-kei) are somewhat related - and recently I've been working on combining the two together. Otome-kei tends to be a bit more casual and toned down than Lolita fashion, and occasionally features clashing colors and prints, which isn't often seen in Lolita.

Recently, I went out to dinner with a friend and attempted to create a mixed style coordinate:

Outfit Rundown:

Jacket, Onepiece dress, OTK socks: Angelic Pretty

Beret, purse, shoes: offbrand

I decided to make the accent colors in this coordinate red/wine and brown. Since the jacket's stripes and cuffs feature both brighter and deeper reds, I was given the chance to incorporate both those shades into my outfit, the darker red with my beret and the lighter red with my shoes. I used a brown belt to cinch the waist of my dress, and matched it with my favorite purse. 

I am extremely happy with how this turned out!

My recent activities...

Hey everyone, and welcome to my first blog post!

Recently, I've been quite busy! My first priority right now is getting my student visa.

This coming fall, I'm moving to England to study Law at Durham University! Durham University is, essentially, the manifestation of all my dreams, so I am, though it is needless to say, extremely excited.

With regards to residence halls, I've been allocated to University College, otherwise known as "Durham Castle". Construction of it began in 1072, but it's been occupied wholly by students of Durham University since 1840.

Yes, I'm really living there next year. I'm basically a princess.
(Photo via WorldHeritage.)

Preparing to apply for my student visa has not been very difficult so far - really, I'm just organizing documents, confirming qualifications, and figuring out what I need at this point.

I can't wait to finalize everything!