Take a Cue from the Kids

My students have some super cute style. I'm sure they pick whatever without much though, or their parents help (they definitely help when the girls have cute bows tied around their necks with their scarves). Anyways, a lot of my kids like to wear their skirts or dresses over jeggings or jeans. And maybe a sweater over the dress. We're getting to that magical four layers I need to stay warm, now aren't we? Hey, when inspiration hits, take note. Even if you are looking at six-year olds for fashion inspiration.

Back when I was in high school, I loved "Korean fashion." They were pros at layering (yesstyle.com even had a guide on how to layer like a Korean girl), and all I wanted was to be able to layer more than a tee and cardigan. I didn't really understand the concept of oversized or boyfriend-sized back then and I aimed to fit into extra-small everything. No wonder layers didn't look that cool on me. This time, I decided to do a 180. Oversized everything. Why? Because Christmas happened.

I took these right after Christmas, and to be honest, I normally wear this sweater and dress combo with skinny jeans. However... Christmas Eve cake with the school happened. And then Christmas dinner happened. Now, you might think oh, cake with the rest of the staff isn't that bad. One slice a person and all that. No. There were four or five cakes, and maybe 15 staff for the day. And we're talking 10-15 piece cakes. And I had to try every flavour. I have no self control. Fast forward to Christmas dinner. We ordered Korean fried chicken and pizza. Four flavours of chicken, and three pizzas. And don't forget, Korean pizza is weird. Some have kimchi, some have corn, some have potatoes. So once again, I had to try all the flavours of chicken and pizza. And then there was the bake-fest for dessert, and a tub of six flavour ice cream from Baskin Robbins.... I don't know how I'm not fat yet, but needless to say, I did wake up with major carb/booze face (as you might be able to tell from these pictures). Oh, and we get to do it all over again on New Years! Yay!

So, what I'm saying is, skinny jeans weren't exactly an option for me Boxing Day. So boyfriend jeans it was for these photos. And you know the food baby is bad when your boyfriend jeans are fitting a little snug. A higher heel would have looked awesome with this outfit, but unfortunately my shoe wardrobe in Korea is quite pitiful.

Finally, the blog's url will be changing as of January 1st, so make note! It'll be "casualncouture.blogspot.ca"

Sweater: Top Ten (similar here)

Dress: Zara (similar here)

Boyfriend Jeans: Gap

Boots: Sam Edelman (similar here)
Purse: Botkier (similar here)

Cozy Cuddles

Photos by Joseph Wood

I am an infinitely lazy person. Weekends are do nothing days for me. I lounge around, and if I really feel energetic, I go for brunch at the local cafe (honey, camembert and olive paninis are amazing) to get some social interaction and hopefully get some reading and work done. Normally, I also make my friends take the blog photos after, so I have a reason to get dressed (it's cold, and getting out of my fuzzy pajamas isn't exactly high on my list on priorities).

Now, being the lazy person I am, and having most of my brunch crew out of town, last weekend, I decided the best thing to do was change out of my pajamas, into some not quite pajamas. 

I wasn't planning on taking photos this week and decided comfort and warmth were my main brunch priorities. While this week has been exceedingly nice weather wise (yay, 5-10 degree days!), I'm starting to think I have Raynaud's disease, and have been taking extra measures to stay cozy. Suddenly having a toe turn white is not the most comforting thing in the world to see, so what better way to stay warm than to cuddle up in a fuzzy sweater and my favourite joggers?

Sweater: Forever21
Joggers: Greylin
Shoes: Charles Philip Shanghai (similar here)
Necklace: DIY (similar here)

Layer up

I've discovered the secret to keeping warm in Korea. 

Layer up, and layer lots (more than you think!). Seriously though, I end up wearing four layers (not including a jacket) if I really want to stay warm (bonus, four layers means I don't even really need a jacket). Light layers is the way to go so that nothing is bulky - everything underneath my sweater is super thin cotton or viscose. Looser clothing also works better at retaining the heat. A cotton tank, viscose blouse, long vest and a sweater to top it all off. On colder days, tights or leggings underneath jeans is a must as well. 

While, I've had to wear leggings under jeans before in Canada, I've never really used more than two layers on my upper body. I recently had an open class though, and in the midst of  my "I need to dress professionally but my school is an icebox" dilemma at 6 am, I decided to freeze and throw on my go-to business outfit with a tank underneath, as the blouse is a bit low-cut for Korean standards. Given the 0 degree mornings, I decided a could easily throw on my favourite sweater and just take it off when the time came for open class. At least I'd be a little warmer. And you know what, I wasn't a little warmer. I was a lot warmer. Like, no jacket needed in the icebox warm.

The combination only seems to work with the added blazer - I don't stay warm with just a blouse and sweater. The great thing is, the blazer just peaks out of my sweater to give a nice bit of colour. Longer vests or even chiffon trenches are also great to layer underneath sweaters as I'm finding out. They look great, and go with the loose, flowing aesthetic I seem to love so much. Now, to pick some up in every colour.

Sweater: Zara (similar here)

Vest: Forever21

Boyfriend Jeans: Gap

Purse: Botkier

Shoes: Enzo Angiolini (old, similar here)

Cozy in Lace

Photos by Becca Ann

 Hello from Gongju! 

It's freezing here. I'm from Canada, and I thought I could deal with the Korean winters. Turns out I can't, because they're a lot wetter. The cold just clings to you and never seems to leave. As a result, I have a newfound love of knitwear – something I usually skipped in favour of a good wool coat back in Calgary. 

Seriously, I'm super into hobo fashion thanks to the cold. But not really. Ultimately, I'm still a girly girl and I need a bit of femininity in my life. My bulky, oversized knits can easily be made feminine pulled over the shoulders, or in a soft, fuzzy knit. I love this Forever 21 sweater. It's a super soft, warm eyelash knit, that's reversible. I can have a v-neck or a boatneck sweater (and they both drape off the shoulders so nicely)! If you're in a more conservative work environment, opt for a round boatneck that's not quite off the shoulders to achieve a similar look. Paired with a bit of lace, and you have an ultra cozy, feminine look.

Finally, there will be some blog changes in the coming month(s). I'll be focusing a bit more on travel, and there will be design and name and url changes. I'll make sure to keep you updated. =]

Top: Forever21 (Korea only) (similar here and here)

Skirt: Astr (similar here)

Shoes: Design Lab x Lord and Taylor

Spring Transitions

Hi everyone! Happy Friday (whoo almost the weekend!). Spring is nearly here, and today I'm guest posting on Fashion Food Flair. 

Spring is one of the most beautiful seasons, but the weather can be tricky to dress for (see all that snow in the background, yea, that happens in the spring). I've put together my favourite tips on transitional dressing, and my favourite ways to layer this season. Check it out here!

Top: Phillip Lim for Target (similar here)
Dress: Finders Keepers
Shoes: Nine West
Watch: Michael Kors

Yeti Girl

Hi everyone! Hope you had a wonderful weekend (and an amazing Monday).

After New York Fashion Week (okay, actually a few months before, but everything got way more intense after), I've been absolutely obsessed with fur. I've been hunting for the perfect fur jacket since December, but hadn't been able to find anything I loved in my size. A recent trip to the Forever21 clearance section yielded an absolute treasure though – this gorgeous two-toned faux fur jacket.

And were better to take a fur jacket than the forest?! I got to look like a yeti walking around in the snow by Mt. Norquay while waiting for my sister to finish tubing. It was surprisingly warm (although extremely difficult to button up), and I didn't need to layer at all despite being on a mountain. It's almost wind-proof as well!

While I love looking like a yeti, the coat sheds like no other, and it tends to get into my eyes (seriously, no where else, just all in my eyeballs). It's as bad as my rabbit! On another note, I try to play with my bunny while wearing this so that maybe he'll love me more... since I'm furry like him. Nope, he's scared of Yeti Arielle.

Coat: Forever21

Sweater: H&M (old, similar here)

Pants: Joe's Jeans

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Knitting Snow

Experiencing massive temperature changes everyday lately. It was 12 degrees a few days ago, and now it's -10 (which really isn't too bad surprisingly). It's warm enough for bare ankles though, but I think that's about a spring-like as I can get. 

Jacket: Zara (old, love this one)

Top: H&M (old, similar here)

Bottom: Gap

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Scarf: H&M (old, similar here)

Linked up with - Style Elixir -

Toddler Days

Looking a bit like a toddler in my favourite summer trend from last year. I love overalls – they're the perfect transitional item, and you can easily find quite a few pairs with modern touches nowadays. Wide legged, pleated, flared – you name it, it's done. 

I had to pieces of clothing that I insisted on wearing everyday during my preschool years. A pair of turquoise overalls, and my favourite fancy dress. While I still wear dresses quite often (easiest way to look good with minimal effort), overalls are another story. They became quite trendy last spring, and I jumped on board with a pair of bleached cutoffs. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an equal love affair with a pair of longer overalls. That is until last week. 

Wearing all that red for the lunar new year may have been lucky, as I was walking by H&M and saw these in the window. The cropped ankle helps to lengthen the leg, while the black wash is minimalistic and classic. Now, if only I could find a pair in white, or possibly a light nude blush, I'd be in trend heaven. Here's hoping overalls will be seen on the streets for at least another year!

Top: Gap (old, similar here)

Bottom: H&M (similar here)

Shoes: Charles Philip Shanghai

Linked up with - The Pleated Poppy -

Spring Layers

Happy Family Day! I hope you're all having a lovely long weekend with your loved ones (and a great Valentine's Day)! It's been pretty balmy lately, and I've been experimenting with different items in my closet to layer and forgo my winter jackets.

It's New York Fashion week, and you know what that means for me – experiment and challenge myself to restyle old pieces of my wardrobe!

This frilled skirt is one of my favourite pieces in my closet, but always found it wasn't particularly versatile (or I'm just not creative). While I normally just pair it with a loose shirt tucked in and draped slightly, I decided to change things up and leave a sheer blouse untucked. To add a bit of shape back into the outfit, I added an asymmetric cropped sweater, and hiked my skirt up so that the blouse would cover everything but the frilled hem of the skirt.

On another note, what was your favourite show so far? I obviously love Marissa Webb's (and CANNOT wait for her collection to hit Banana Republic this summer). I adore her aesthetic and am really looking forward to drawing inspiration from both her runways collections and her personal style this spring and summer and fall. Jason Wu really did it for me as well with his fur accessories and oversized jackets and I'll be revisiting him whenever it snows (total lie, given that I have no fur accessories, but I'll wish I had similar clothes). 

Ps. what did you all think of the Kanye x Adidas collection? I couldn't help but think he forgot to clothe the models! There weren't a ton of "outfits" per say, and I thought a lot of the models ended up looking like naked mannequins showing off a single item.

Sweater: American Eagle (old, similar here)

Shirt: Bluenotes (old, similar here)

Skirt: Zara (old, similar here)

Shoes: Spring (old, similar here)

Linked up with - The Pleated Poppy -