Madewell was Made for Me.

Last week I received a catalog in the mail from Madewell. I almost entirely forgot that I had requested one in the first place. But upon first sight, I was instantly in love. From the typeface choices to the styling, I knew that this was a brand I can stand behind. And then, I found out that they were part of J. Crew. I don't necessarily hate J. Crew. I just remember some of the animal rights controversy they were involved with in the past. But Madewell is a very different brand and demographic than J. Crew. It has a very uniform and utilitarian feel to it. And I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt since it was just PETA that gave them hell in the past for where they got their fur and wool. (Sure as a cat owner and animal lover, I'm not cool with animal cruelty. But PETA hasn't exactly exercised favorable behavior either.)

Over the weekend, I met up with my bff Nisa who currently works at American Apparel at the corporate level. Nisa and I have been wearing American Apparel since our high school years and we remember when they used to only have 5 products. And whether or not a shirt was printed on American Apparel used to be the deciding factor in which online stores we would support. Well fast forward about a decade, and American Apparel is now this huge ever-expanding thing that just doesn't know when to stop (even when they're in financial trouble). Vintage watches & eyewear? Beauty products? WHAT?! We went from owning just a few American Apparel tees to wearing American Apparel every day. I wear at least 1 article of clothing from them every day. Nisa, for obvious reasons, wears American Apparel head-to-toe every day, but she was wearing them long before she got the job.

But what we laughed about over lunch was how we're still stuck on uniforms. We both attended Catholic school for 12 years of our lives where we had to wear uniforms every day. And every since we graduated from high school, we've managed to create our own uniform from pieces of different brands. Nisa has a rule about wearing mostly oxford shirts and cardigans. I have a specific color rule: I own mostly white, greys, black. With the exception of darks. So I can have color, but they have to be the dark shades of colors. So colors like navy, forest green, deep purple, burgundy, etc. Sure, some people think our wardrobe is boring, but it suits us just fine. The case we make for it is that everything in our closets will always match. We never have to worry about getting dressed and having our clothes not match. We can seriously be blindfolded and pick stuff from our closet and everything will match.

So what does Madewell have anything to do with this? Well Madewell looks like the next logical wardrobe upgrade. This year I'll be turning 25. I'm starting to hit that late 20s/early 30s age where I'm starting to transition out of young adulthood. And as comfy as an American Apparel V-neck is, it's not always going to be the appropriate choice. I've been looking to upgrade my everyday uniform from V-necks and jeans to casual button-ups with jeans. It's only been a matter of finding something I really like.

Here are some of my favorite looks:

And last but not least,

 this is my absolute favorite outfit!

I Finally Want to Use You

I'm so happy that Google finally changed the Blogger Interface. It just looks so clean and current. The old interface just felt very outdated...like the early 2000s. The new interface makes me really want to use Blogger. But I really just wish Blogger had better templates. Or at least be easier to edit the html so I can make my blog look the way I want it to.

Sometimes We Find Ourselves...

At a familiar place in our lives that we never expected to be back at. It's a place where all the familiar faces you once knew resides. And it's where they've been this whole time. Nothing could ever feel as good. You carry them with you in the back of your mind. And you've been searching for them all along. And you've been waiting for them to come back to you. Or is it them who's been waiting for you? It's the happiest place you could ever be and it makes you wonder how you lost your way in the first place. How did you make yourself so busy as to forget. How is it that we make it so easy to leave the lives we once knew. To leave it all behind. They're the people who hold the key to who we were and who we will be. They're the part of you you'll never forget, even if you wanted to. Even if you tried.

It's when you stumble back to the place that you once knew, that you try to hold onto it so tightly. As not to lose it ever again. And you wish it would last forever. But you know it can't, and in the end all you'll be left with are the memories of the time when you were once happy.

I get tired of believing in such things. I'm tired of all the missed opportunities. I'm tired of being left with just memories. And I'm just about tired of being content. I've outgrown my belief in sacrificing happiness for the greater good. I think deep down, I'll always have the greater good in mind. But I think I can become a much greater person if I could pursue all my goals with a much happier outlook.

Whatchamawhatzit?!

This week, TeenNick brought back classic Nickelodeon shows from the '90s. A two hour block every night starting at midnight called '90s Are All That. As you may have guessed, All That is part of the line up.  I was never really a fan of All That, but I was excited to be able to watch Doug again. But seeing it now, the stories still hold up. It's only the animation that looks and feels really dated. I'm excited for the coming weeks when they'll be showing Salute Your Shorts, Hey Arnold, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Pete & Pete and (hopefully) some Hey Dude!

All this nostalgia got me thinking about how I used to wake up early on Saturday mornings to watch whatever was on ABC. And one of first commercials to burn itself into my memory was Hershey's Whatchamacallit. I loved the super long ridiculous name! I doubt any kid now has ever heard of it. Hell, I don't even think most people my age remember it.

It was one of my favorite candy bars. I was never able to find the spinoff flavor called Thingamajig.

Next time on the nostalgia agenda: Daria. MTV is already bringing back Beavis and Butthead. Rumor has it, Daria is next. I think Viacom is onto something. It's either that or they're very well aware of the best decade of their life.

Agent Orange in the Window

I was starting to cleaned out all my unwanted/unnecessary files on my hard drive to get ready for the upcoming fall semester when I stumbled upon this:

This was taken last June when I was wandering the streets of Chicago's Chinatown. Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, I was used to the sight of hanging pigs and ducks. But what really struck me was the bright orange cuttlefish. I loved snacking on dried cuttlefish as a kid. It was like the seafood alternative to beef jerky. But never in my life would I thought I'd see one that big... and that orange.

Wrapping Paper Fort

I will never understand the fascination cats have with bags. Tonight, Sebastian hid himself in a large plastic bag amongst scraps of wrapping paper. It took me a while to find him because he was laying still so I couldn't hear his bell ringing. And the color of his coat blended so well with the color of the paper.

Like Voltron

Last Wednesday, I took a trip to San Diego Comic Con with my friend Busc. Being as crowded as it was, I had absolutely no motivation to take any pictures...that is, except for Voltron.

If h is a Chair

Fine Piece of Wood

I've been in love with these wooden clutches since the day I set eyes on them. They're made by Lebanese designer, Nada Sawaya. Each clutch has a multi-faceted gem-like profile with details ranging from stingray, metal, and different wood grains. They all look absolutely stunning!

Things I Bought

Yesterday, I spent a good amount of the day in Little Tokyo. I was mostly there to check out Little Tokyo Design Week and to support my friends, We Are Matik, who were exhibiting in it. But since I figured I was there, I decided to do some shopping while I was at it.

So here's what I bought:

Vintage 60s frames

Solar-powered Lucky Tiger Cat