Over the knees and far away

I guess I have turned into a fashion victim. Doubtless when I return to London over-the-knee boots will be on everyone and will start to be like gladiator sandals -- so over-exposed that I cannot tell whether they are beautiful or ugly, because I instantly fall asleep upon seeing a pair. But I've been wanting a pair for a while, and then I spent a night browsing Mina magazine and sighing over the adorable Japanese girls in high boots and tiny dresses, and the very next morning I saw these in Nose for less than £40.

Reader, I bought them.

I could have resisted, of course, but what's the point of life if you don't give in to temptation once in a while?

I will first link you to Coutorture's Trend Report on over-the-knee boots, though they will not really help you understand the allure. When Google found me the page I settled down for a happy fifteen minutes browsing lovely designer variations on over-the-knee boots, but I just could not get into them because the models are so depressing. I mean, just look at this girl.


This is by Pucci -- the very same Pucci, as The august Manolo reminds us, who makes the smiles. Look, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being thin and I'm not in favour of the "give this girl a sandwich" model of body positiveness. (If we are pushing positive body image, then everyone should get to feel good about their bodies, including super skinny girls.)

But does this model make the smiles? Her grim face; her depressing shoulders. It is not even the thinness that gets to me -- she is thinner than my personal ideal, but the gorgeous models in Mina are pretty skinny. I'm fine with the idea that models, particularly high fashion models, are not meant to be pretty -- if they were, the ridiculously beautiful Ljubenka Milunovic would be modelling a lot more haute couture. But should they really be so aesthetically unappealing that I am actively repulsed by clothes I might otherwise rather like? Perhaps I am not the target audience, however.

Anyway, now for examples of meeee wearing over-the-knee boots! I first tried them out with the top I was wearing and the short shorts I favour in Malaysian weather. (Of course, in weather where I could actually wear over-the-knee boots without drowning in sweat, I would be wearing tights with such an ensemble.)

Ivory top - Seed; black pinstripe shorts - Momoe/grey puff shorts - Primark

I'm not sure I would wear this ensemble, though. Too sexy.

I did like the effect I got when I swapped out the fitted top for a long flowy top I got in Hong Kong years ago.

Loose tank top - 2%; black pinstripe shorts - Momoe

The advice I found on a random fashion website that over-the-knees should be worn with loose-fit clothes turns out to be true! I'd also like to try a variant on this Isabel Marant look -- one of the few where distaste for the model did not completely overwhelm any liking for the style.


I like the sort of chillness of it. And it looks super comfy!

But obviously, being both lazy and traditionalist, the main way I am going to style these boots is with tiny pretty little dresses. Bright prints optional, but preferred.

Little green dress with orange-and-white potato print pattern - boutique in Dataran Sunway

Grey dress with fan pattern - Leather Lane market

But while I really love the combination of mid-thigh-length dresses and over-the-knee boots, my favourite picture from this session is this one, where you can't even see the tops of the boots.

Off-white dress - Bang Bang Clothing Exchange

It looks so cool! Clearly these boots and this dress were made for each other.

- Zen

What I'm wearing today

Grey dress with neon yellow letters - H&M, via charity shop in Camden
Black patent belt - Far East Plaza
Black patent shoes - Vincci

The shoes are a new acquisition. I'm gonna try wearing them around a shopping mall today, though I'll bring along shoes to change into, should my feet start protesting.

I have great hopes for these shoes! They're wedges, which mean they're relatively comfy and stable; I like the height; and there's just enough interesting detail on the wedge to keep me happy.



I like the contrast of the matte material of the wedge with the patent uppers. I'm crossing my fingers that these will turn out to be perfect office shoes. I bought a pair of black Charles & Keith shoes last year in the hope that they would be my shoes for work, but they were a flop -- they wouldn't stay on when I was wearing tights, and they were difficult to walk in even when I wasn't, even though they had a low heel. Let's hope these shoes turn out to be more reliable.

- Zen

*blows dust off blog*

Haiz, my fellow Lemms are so lazy! But so am I, I admit -- but my dedication to blogging was not helped by the decease of my computer. Equipped with a new computer (exactly the same as my old one but RM2,000 cheaper ...) I can now return to the fray. Have a backlog of outfit photos.


Taken in the Dahlia dressing room. Dahlia is a wee shop on Carnaby Street which sells the cutest vintage-style dresses; I think they're sold in Topshop as well. I love the peplum on the first dress and the cut of the second, and the prints, oh gosh. I have such a huge weakness for a) prints that look like paint strokes and b) florals. But the last is what I bought, at £40 off the original price -- I like the fake bow detail on the front, the white buttons and the cheery orange&white. (Reminds me of the Sri Cempaka school uniform ...) But most of all I liked that it looked like a dress but was actually a disguised romper.

I think it is an ideal outfit for a picnic, but I must say it's not great when you have to use public toilets. Don't drink too much water when wearing this romper.

Sadly this has since gone into the wash and the navy blue bled, so the top bit is kind of bluey. How can I fix this? Maybe I should try bleaching the top bit and pretend it's supposed to look faded.

Dress - Yin & Yang
Tights - Anna Sui, borrowed from mother
Boots - Doc Marts, obvs

Yin & Yang is a Malaysian brand which does delightful dresses. They're usually a wee bit more expensive than I'm willing to pay for, but this was on sale!

My parents mocked me for looking like a waiter. :( But it's the waiterly quality that really draws me to this dress -- the black & white colour scheme, that shiny white bib. The buttons! The main drawback of this dress is the bubble shape, which, I dunno, it looks weird. And it's not especially flattering. Still, passable with tights on, and the look is improved with the addition of a close-fitting cardigan. I don't see myself wearing this much here, but I'll be bringing it back to London.

This last set of photos is just for fun. I found this ridiculous frilly dress in a Brands Outlet and squeaked, "It's a Galinda dress!"

-- well, obviously I had to channel someone frilly. But I'm clearly not made for kissyfaces!

- Zen

Umbrellas make everything better

Umbrella - sister's
Necklace - Vincci Accessories
T-shirt - Zara
Skirt - mother's
Shoes - Kate Kanzier
SOAS tote bag - gift from friend

I really liked this outfit and plan to do more variations on the T-shirt/long skirt combo. It's one I always think is going to be a great idea -- see e.g. this picture of Alexa Chung on StyleCovered -- but for some reason it never quite works out for me, usually 'cos I'm not keen on tucking things in and I'm not that keen on belts. Not tucking my T-shirt in made it look sloppier but 100% more comfortable. And you know where my priorities lie when it comes to style vs. comfort! (The only time I betray my principles in this respect is wrt shoes. Oh shoes, why so beautiful yet so comfortless?)

Also you might have noticed that I did buy shoes from Kate Kanzier after all. I have good reasons for this but I gotta run, so no time to explain them! *koff*

- Zen

For the first time

In the past week or so I've been doing things I've never done before.

1. Trying on an old lady dress and liking the look of it

This was when I was browsing charity shops with Sue. Sue liked the collar and I liked the print. But as much as I advocate for wearing whatever the hell you want, there are times when you have to conclude that some other super fabulous girl is more likely to look better in a dress than you. So I left it. Maybe I'll see it some day on a fashion blog, fulfilling its intended purpose of being totally awesome.

2. Visiting the Tower of London

White enamel flower necklace - market stall at the Curve
Baby blue T-shirt - Threadless.com
Salmon pink shorts - H&M
Suede sling bag - Esprit

I felt like an indecisive baby shower. :D

3. Running around a fountain in a party dress

Bright pink racerback bra - Marks & Spencer
Absurd ivory party dress - Pia Jensen Malmo via Bang Bang Clothing Exchange
Pink and white flip-flops - Vincci

This fountain on the South Bank is composed of four squares quadrisected by walls of water which turn on and off at intervals. You can dash in while a wall is down and wait till the water shoots up again to surround you! Most exciting.

Sadly I slipped and fell on my butt while dashing in. My back hurts. :( As a Malaysian I'm inured to the sight of flip-flops on the feets of the masses, but I am now coming around to the view that wearing flip-flops anywhere except on a beach is a fashion faux pas. Because very few flip-flops are made with grippy soles! At least on the beach the sand is a natural friction-provider.

4. Going out er without a bra

White enamel flower necklace - market stall at the Curve
White lace tank top worn back to front - Primark
Grey dress with fan print - Leather Lane market
Pink and white flip-flops - Vincci

Um, I know, it is a bit shocking. It's because this dress does not really fit me: it is too tight around the bust. I knew this when I bought it but I bought it anyway because I loved the print so much.

I realised the overly-tight-bodice problem was solved if I did away with the extra padding provided by a bra. It's still pretty tight, but it fits better. And you can't tell anyway!

5. Eating a red velvet cupcake from Hummingbird Bakery

Happy (belated) Independence Day to US-ians!

- Zen

Fitting rooms and tea parties

This is a dress in Zara. I know this is ripped offa some designer, but who is it? Do you know?



I actually really like Zara shoes -- mostly their sandals. These beige ones were weird but sort of charming at the same time.

Despite my recently proclaimed ban on high street shopping, I might have got the white dress if they'd had it in S. In the picture I am wearing XS, but it is too small for me really. There was some energetic tummy-sucking-in going on.

After my wander around the shops I went for a vintage tea party with Sue!


As usual, Sue looked classy and I looked dorky.




Sue was terribly chic today. I love the note of white lent by her cute summery peep-toes. I don't know where those are from, but the bag is vintage via Rokit and the jump-suit is from Oasis.

While having our rose grey tea and Victoria sponge, I spotted a girl in a lovely flower necklace. I knew I'd seen a DIY version on the Internet, so I came home and Googled it. And sure enough, the Internet knew!

Anthropologified Flower Necklace in 2 ways

It seems fairly easy to do, but ... where would one get a lei?

- Zen

Reuse, reduce?

The day before my last exam

Necklace with unidentified poultry pendant - market stall at the Curve
White top - New Look
Puffy shorts - Primark
Socks with faces - Topshop
Beautiful oxford wedges - Stephanie Kelian

I will never get sick of the aerial view of my feet in these shoes.

People kept doing double-takes at my feet. It was pretty funny.


The day of my last exam

Elephant necklace - gift from CK
Fuschia patterned dress with gold beaded fringe - charity shop
Flip-flops - F. O. S.

The shoes don't match, but I don't have any nice sandals.

The dress is a new acquisition. It'll be nice for the summer, though it does not allow you to take long strides -- totally a downside. I'm a city-dweller; I like walking super fast with a grumpy expression on my face!

I've been wondering of late whether I shouldn't restrict myself to shopping at charity shops. I'd still buy some stuff new -- I'd buy underwear new, obvs -- but all just-for-fun shopping would have to be done at charity shops (and maybe flea markets). It is cheaper than the high street, it's more ethical than Primark (though is secondhand Primark less unethical?) and it might stop me buying so much stuff. I've been thinking about this more especially since seeing The Uniform Project (link via dlittlegarden).

It is supah cool! Girl wears the same dress every day for a year. She only started in the beginning of June so I guess it's early days yet, but I'm impressed by how she can make the same item look so different and fresh.





I think it would be really good for me to make myself do this sort of thing, rather than to buy new stuff all the time. I'm actually quite happy wearing the same dress over and over again in exactly the same way -- I also don't mind eating the same meal day after day; I am a creature of habit. But then I start to feel like I'm repeating myself too much and then I want to get new things. It's quite bad!

The main obstacle is that I dislike wearing lots of things at the same time. This is why I like dresses so much. You can just put one thing on and forget about it. If I wear accessories, I tend to start fiddling with them and I take them off and put them on and oops where has that thing gone now???

But this year has seen me start wearing scarves, which is a thing I never thought I would do. So hey, it might happen. Maybe I just need to get over my mental block!

I could start with this ...

sev[en]circle by Kirsten Johnstone

I did start knitting it in mint green cotton, but it looks rubbish. Time to frog and start again, now with renewed vigour!

- Zen

Day -2

Yanking out Disgruntled Panda made me want to wear it.

Purple jade necklace - gift from parents
Disgruntled panda top - some shop in Harajuku
Tiny pink shorts - H&M
Black canvas jazz shoes - F-Troupe

I actually also wore grey argyle knee-high socks because I was worried it wouldn't be quite warm enough to wear such short shorts out. (It wasn't, but also it was. Ah, Britain.) But the socks spoilt my vision of the outfit so I have taken them off.

The purple jade necklace isn't adding much either. This outfit is a metaphor for how we are distracted from the fierce simplicity of our inner vision by inconsequential whims, and so allow the clarity of our dreams to be muddied by the unnecessary messiness of desire.

I once sat on cow poop in these shorts, but I promise I have cleaned them enough that they are OK for wearing. My policy from now on is to sit exclusively on non-cow-poop things when wearing these shorts.

- Zen

Mood-dressing

It's like mood-lighting, but with clothes.

Grey dress - unbranded via charity shop
Purple tights - Dorothy Perkins
Oxfords - River Island

I'm not sure about this dress, but I try not to dismiss things just because they're not conventionally flattering, if I have good reasons for liking them. You know how fashion advice is always "don't wear this because it won't hide your tummy", "don't wear that if you are short because it will make you look like you have short stubby legs". That's all very useful and sure, I would hesitate before buying mid-calf-length capri pants. But I always wonder: what if I want to look like I have short stubby legs? What if I want to accentuate the roundness of my face, rather than artificially lengthen it? What if I liked my tummy and wanted it to disturb the line of my dress?

I don't really like my tummy, I would like to pretend to have long legs and I try to avoid looking too round-faced if I can help it. But it's a thing to think about.

***

A new style icon:

Image via Advanced Style

This is how I want to dress when I am of a Certain Age. The appeal of this outfit is that you could easily imagine her doing kung fu in it. She looks like she likes pretending that she is Wong Fei Hung.

- Zen

My Shoes Were Tight But My Feet Were Loose

My outfit today was a strange contrast between the windy looseness of the top and the fierce constriction of my feet.

Lilac shift dress with puff sleeves - COS via charity shop
Black plastic bead necklace - somewhere in Malaysia
Purple jade bead necklace - gift from parents
Purple socks - probably Jaya Jusco
Burgundy oxford wedges - Stephanie Kelian via Oxfam online

I have just taken the shoes off. My feet are tingling from the renewed flow of blood.

If outfits were like lawn mowers and I were doing a product review of my outfit for you, dear reader, who might conceivably use the same product I am describing some day -- this is what I would say.

- The shoes are not actively painful even for someone whose primary use for heels is adoration from afar. They are not comfortable. (Honesty.) But they are not obtrusively uncomfortable. (Rationalising.)
- I am not sure this dress is supposed to look ratty and crumpled, but that is what happens even if you iron it lovingly in the morning. Probably there is some kind of skill to wearing it so that it remains flawlessly smooth the whole day long. Perhaps it helps to be French. Anyway it is not a dress for novices, unless you are a novice who does not mind looking unsleek because your dress has more wrinkles than Jabba the Hutt's bum.
- I did feel like I'd just wandered out of a hospital. Something about the pale colour and the looseness.

Next up -- stuff Zen thinks you should buy from Oxfam because she's been spending too much money so she can't! I don't think anyone actually finds my posts on Oxfam clobber interesting or amusing, much less useful. But it interests and amuses me to do it, so why not.

- Zen