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Monday, April 18, 2011

Mad Men dressing and my Salwar Kameez

My double life as a grad student and as a person working in the real world outside academia started last week, and it was awesome... but also exhausting. I was so excited when I woke up this weekend knowing that I slept in... until I looked at the clock and saw that it was 6:40a. Well, I guess that was kinda sleeping in...


I picked up this beautiful brocade dress at the Goodwill Glitter sale with my friend Jeanny. It has such a neat Mad Men vibe, and the color just jumps out at you. I only had to take it in at the bust a bit to make it fit. I almost left it at the sale, because I didn't know where I would ever wear it. But I found the occasion at this winter wedding in Portland, OR.

I love the built-in bow belt and the large scoop neck. I finished the look with some polka-dotted ankle socks and Target's leather Pearce Pumps.

[start vent session]
I thought I was completing my Mad Men look with a socks + shoes combo, or perhaps I was being slightly fashion-y. But a woman in the elevator who saw me decided that 'it must be an Japanese thing.' HUH? The funny thing is that I had already conversed with her, so it was obvious I had no accent whatsoever. So even if I were ethnically Japanese (I'm Chinese), it was obvious that I was American. So it being a 'Japanese thing' is just so not right. Somehow I'm always surprised when I'm mistaken for a foreigner (like when I went into a Seattle antique shop and the owner expressed surprise at how good my English was since he thought I was a tourist...). FYI, it's actually fairly common for Asian Americans to be seen as perpetual foreigners-for people to deny their American identities. Those of you who remember the 1998 Olympics may remember the headlines that read "American beats out Michelle Kwan."
[end vent session]

Winter Wedding OOTD
vintage Blue Brocade dress (thrifted Goodwill Glitter Sale $40) see similar style here or here, or here
H&M faux pearl strand necklace ($5) similar here
Target black leather Pearce Pumps ($30) buy here
Nicole Miller white beaded cardigan (thrifted $7) similar here
embroidered blue purse (gifted) similar here or here or here
polka dot socks
J.Crew head band

Below, my bestie + I tried our best to pretend like we were in some cheesy advertising campaign... perhaps for prom dresses?

I was hoping to have a vid of the dance we did at the sangeet, but I haven't been able to track down the youtube vid yet. Don't worry, I'll post it if I ever see it. But as promised, here's a pic in my first ever Salwar Kameez. I picked it up at Goodwill and embroidered the neckline and sleeves. It has since been washed and re-donated to Goodwill :D


Here's an up-close of some of the embroidery before I finished it. It was surprisingly fun and easy to learn (not that I did it super well or anything complicated, I was just amazed it came out looking like anything at all remotely resembling embroidery). There are some GREAT tutorials out there, but I really liked the tutorials at Sublime Stitchery, and I found out that my favorite stitch is the "French Knot."

17 comments:

vintageglam1234 said...

Too cute Lori! Your mad men interpretation is a success. I completely understand what you mean about the ethnic thing. My hubby and I get mistaken for being tourist in our our country as well! They are surprised how fluent our English is and how 'aussie' we sound.. Hehe. You also look great in your salwar. I'm impressed by your embroidery skills ..almost looks pro!

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kristin said...

I love it! Your dress is beautiful and totally Mad Men-esque! I'm glad you decided to pick it up. It looks like the perfect wedding frock.

Sammie said...

lovin' the socks with that dress! You look so cute :)

ps. People are often taken aback when I speak because my English is so "good." I never really understood it. OH and it is almost always assumed by others that I am Japanese (not that there is anything wrong with that, except I'm not).

LittleMissSeamstress said...

Lori,
That blue dress is so gorgeous on you. What a bold but delicate dress you scored!!! I also love socks with heels! totally cute!

Jin,

Just Steph said...

You are so beautiful, I love your dress and the adorable socks... so retro and stylish!
It's sad there are still so many rude and ignorant people in this world.

The photo of you and your bestie in the 'advertising campaign' is hilarious!!! So cute :)
Thanks for sharing!

Lisa - respect the shoes said...

My personal fave peeve is when people come up to me and ask me where I'm from. I know what they're trying to get at, so dependent on my mood, the answer varies between "New York," "American," "China," "Taiwan."

Well, regardless, you look spectacular - what a great find!

gck said...

Haha, Lisa.. the other variation of that question that I'm astounded by is, "What are you?" ("American." "No really, what ARE you?")

I guess it is nice to see that so many people share this experience because with enough exposure, this sort of racial ignorance should decrease. The news claims that white people will become a minority in the US in not too long, anyway.

You look lovely in the salwar kameez! And really awesome job on the embroidery!

Peggy said...

so love the pic of you and is it your husband? Darling. I also cracked up of the pic with you and your BFF- too cute. You did great on your dress that you embroidered! Great photo with your friends. You look happy in all your photos!

Kimmie said...

OOOOH! So many beautiful colors in one post! My jaw dropped in your first dress. The blue is a gorgeous shade and the gold embroidery is equally beautiful and makes the blue stand out that much more. Your embroidery skills are really good. I'm always in awe at people who can do more than a simple button repair.

littlemissfanciepants said...

this dress is gorgeous! seriously, i'm drooling. it's dead on betty draper. plus i love the little socks with the heels! why on earth someone would think that's "a japanese thing" is beyond me. i'm sorry, but that made me laugh. excellent pic of you and the bf!

Anika said...

You look gorgeous on that blue dress. Love your outfit. I like the photo of and your friend for your "advertising campaign for prom dresses", eh. Keep it up

Anonymous said...

You look lovely in that blue floral dress. I have plenty of floral dresses at home, which I wear with a blaze and a scarf, or under a belted cardigan.

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Dinah said...

You could've skipped the socks and the blazer or even the black leather heels. The gown looks great on you!
taos shoes

Anonymous said...

Your outfits are so cute Lori! They're flirty and fun especially the blue dress. I love how you matched it with school girl shoes.

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Anonymous said...

It looks just proper for the event. Most of your colleagues are well dressed too.

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Anonymous said...

Pink and blue are great combinations. It looks colorful yet elegance.


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