bat to black

it's probably just me but i'm so proud of myself for posting three outfit posts three days in a row. winning! and of course, it features another purchase(s!) from the urban outfitters black friday sale. i tell ya, they got a good one. 

first things first, this cardigan feels uber soft, so when i saw it, the lapels kicked ass because lapels kick ass. and then i touched it and it had to be, i had to get it. and it helps that it was marked down to about $20. i like the big space under the arms. i feel like a bat when i wear it, i.e. super boss. and because it's so droopy, i felt like i had so many ways to wear it--close it up with a cool pin, tie it up, tuck it in, zomg so much to style so little time.

the button down collared shirt is also a fab friday feature. i think i paid $5 for that shirt at urban. the collars really spoke to me, and once again, super soft comfortable shirt. sparkle & fade knows their soft fabrics. 

speaking of sparkle, i'm also wearing my favorite sparkly tights. in order to combat the cold weather, i find it mandatory to layer up on tights, so i'm actually wearing two layers. and my legs were totally ok despite the city freezing my face.

i'm usually unconsciously a fan of colors and stripes and patterns but 1. i really wanted to style my new cardigan, 2. i really wanted to wear shorts with tights--i've been doing less of that combo, last year that was my jam. so i put this together, keeping it black, feeling like a bat, can't go wrong i supposes.

 

in other news, i'm so exciting to make christmas cards tomorrow evening. i went CRAZY buying paper and craft stuff since i decided that this year i'd like to avoid purchasing actual things. i thought i'd save money not buying actual expected gift-y items, BUT NO, i just spend my week's salary on paper and stickers and glitter and stuff. pearl paint mart on canal st. in soho is really great though; they weren't uber expensive, and the employees were really nice! I LOVE NICE PEOPLE. but anyway, HELLA looking forward to making some bomb cards that will blow your minds.

here is a subliminal message: have you voted on teenvogue.com today? have you told all your friends to vote? yeah, didn't think so.

i really liked the geometric-ity that was happening.

cardigan and shirt - sparkle & fade, urban outfitters; shorts - armani exchange; boots - aldo

song of the moment
The Chipmunk Song

sometimes it's a dog

although many of my friends find me notorious for my cat apparel, this black friday (black fri sales make a cameo once again) i actually bought apparel pertaining to... dogs! i have been quietly wanting something dog relate and i finally found something fabulous. white yorkies all over my bod via casual black dress. you go urban outfitters, you go.

dress - urban outfitters, tights - ?, flats - south korea, scarf - south korea street store

song of the moment

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! - Joe Williams

p.s. vote on teenvogue =^.^=

just your typical mod 60s secretary

black friday is kind of dreadful for me but because the crux of it is shopping, well, i can't say no. ever since senior year when i discovered urban outfitters "50% off the sale" sale for black fri, i have not turned back. i'm still a newb to black friday and i dont intend on ever becoming awesome at black friday-ing because honestly the sales after christmas are way better, just less hyped. 

besides buying about 6 awesome pieces of apparel from uo for a grand total of $60-70, i also hit up jcrew despite their wompy sale of extra 25% off sale. sure that's a sale but nothing that makes me drool or punch another person for. despite expected wompyness, i found love in a hopeless place in the kids section. that's how it always turns out. i got an awesome turquoise sweater from crewcuts boys and i love it. most of my sweaters have stuff on it--i.e. patterns, foxes, cats, prints, stuff; but this one was basic, soft and oh so versatile. WINNING/WON! i've already worn it three diff ways since buying it. here's how i wore it to work! and i look like a 60s secretary, yes i do.

when i wore this outfit + did my hair, i felt very much like schwurlie particularly with this look--but obviously she firmly maintains the title of queen of cool. kate is, by the way, hosting a fabulous sheinside giveaway (it's like shiseido but not).

sweater - crewcuts, boys; shirt - banana republic; skirt - h&m, tights - banana republic, flats - cathy jean; brooch - brooklyn flea market

i took this photo while trying to hide from floormates. i thought it looked very film noir-y, damsel in distress-y. 

i lost my school id for the third time--go me! i thought the second time i lost my id, i would have learned my lesson. and i did! but somehow i misplaced it somewhere in my dorm. i picked up delivery in my lobby AND BAM IT WAS GONE FOREVER AFTER THAT NIGHT. so i got a new one, and i look so costume-y. also i have never really felt comfortable with sharing what school i go to, but screw that, NYU LOVIN FOR DAYS.

p.s. here's muh instagram: erkishhh

an extra bonus: i wore this sweater yet again for class so it's a bit more casual. comfy button down under a sweater = good 2 go. also i am a total advocate for cuffing jeans/pants, esp if you have cool socks. 

shirt - hollister, sweater - crewcuts boys, jeans - banana republic, shoes - aldo, coat - urban outfitters

song of the moment

michael buble - cold december night

p.s. check out teen vogue's snapshot 2012 voting gallery, and if you like my look, vote/comment/share it to the whole world and eat some cake. 

getting lucky

one fine evening after .25 second eye-lock with zooey deschanel and a quick shoulder brush with vampire weekend's ezra koenig, i find myself in my documentary class, watching Ai Wei Wei: Never Sorry--great great film and awesome dude by the way, watch it if you ever can. after the film has rolled through its credits, i slide my index finger on my phone. what time is it. oh i have a text, and before i even remember i shouldnt be looking at my phone in class, my eyes are locked on the text that is a tweet that Kenzie Faith spotted me (or a potential twin) in her inbox via TeenVogue. and i was like WHATTHEFREAKINGAWESOMEWHAT 

couple weeks ago, or i dont even remember when, i had submitted some pics to teenvogue's annual snapshot contest, because hey, i like clothes, i like how i wear my clothes, i like photos and i like teenvogue, so it makes sense. and there were pages and pages of photos so i didn't even think about it, but hey, somehow i made the top 10 and i found myself alongside one direction and dior ads on teen vogue's homepage. 

considering that i've wanted to be a teen vogue click blogger, and have followed other bloggers through teen vogue's click thingy (no pun intended), this didn't seem that devastatingly cool, since i'm used to seeing other bloggers on teenvogue's site, but nonetheless, no lie, this is pretty freakin awesome. 

the other looks among the 10 are awesome too! i think it's a nice eclectic mix although i do not see much east coast! c'mon new england! so i suppose i can represent for the east side, and also for all them Asians. I checked out previous Snapshot winners, and they have mostly been gorgeous, charming, blonde gals, which i am not, so i'm pretty content in just being on the homepage for a few days and not winning an actual shoot in the magazine (omg just typing those words out reminds me of how awesome that would), but i really have to admit, i would love this opportunity more than a lot of things in this world. 

if you do like the look, go ahead and vote--you can apparently vote every single day until jan 6th. i dont expect anyone to do that for anybody--honestly, that's kind of a ridiculous policy. this should end in like two weeks instead of two hundred years, and why would people be able to vote every day, that's just a scam, ugh life and ethics. anyway, feel free to vote every day, every week, every month, every just right now, and maybe i'll get lucky. :) 

p.s. these photos aren't the newest, but that's ok.

i actually am terribly embarassed by this hoto, but it's a good moment, so i share it for the moment. i hope you feel good because i'm sharing this good moment with you

shirt - capitol hill block party, seattle 2011, collared shirt - nordstrom rack, cardigan and shorts - urban outfitters, tights - american eagle, shoes - uncle in south korea

song of the moment

otis redding - try a little tenderness

a morbid attraction

Some weekends you just never know what's coming next. This weekend was that kind of collection of events. 

1. I bought a pair of kick ass ankle booties from Aldo (on sale forever and always). They're black and suede so they're chic enough for most occasions. They have some heel so I don't feel as short as I actually am when I wear them. All around, they kick ass--hopefully I won't run into a situation where I will literally have to do so. Here are some photos and then I will tell such an enchanting tale to sweep you off your slippers.

I can never take myself seriously

2. I "went out." This semester I think I have fulfilled society's definition of that phrase about thrice or maybe fivce-ish. None of them were really going out though. I never actually really do. So I didn't actually fulfill society's definition of it. So nvm, according to society it would then be zero. Which is fine by Erin Kim. Ok, you'll see what I mean. So I "went out" to a creative writing party of sorts held at the very classiest of New England sites, The Players Club, which housed the late Sir Edwin Booth, brother of the man that is known for killing Abe. I imagined this gathering to be much hipper and trendier than it turned out to be--I mean they said there'd be polaroids, so you know. But I freaking loved how it turned out. I am such a grandma, it is unreal. 

After I took a cheeseball pic with my beloved Jimmy Fallon (he gets mentioned two blog posts in a row, now that's love. Also, why he has a painted portrait, I do not know, but I would steal it.), I realized there was also a tour going on and apparently Edwin's crib is just the same as it was since the day he died. FREAKIN AWESOME! It's like I'm standing there with him, watching him sleep, holding his hand, breathing the air he breathed, touching the hand rail he touched, stepping the steps he stepped, living the life he lived!!!! I have no idea why I loved it so much, but I was enamored. I think I have some innately wry fetish for death and classy/antique-y homes. I have no doubt it relates to my appreciation for garage sales held by elderly people. 

some last minute foolin' around at edwin's place. i got cozy there. i could sleepover. 

"polaroids" at the "party" (this is at the beloved restaurant that is Chat n' Chew) 

coat - free people (on loan from sherry), blazer - urban outz, top - anthropologize, boots - aldo, sass - you'll never know (p.s. i guess this is now "my spot")

song of the moment
phoenix - girlfriend (you have no idea how excited i was to hear them play at the diner--after partying with edwin's ghost obvi)

blogging magic

after a few days of being adamantly awesome about cell phone outfit photos, my blogging soul longed for something of the past, and that something was taking outfit pics. it is not really a place for vanity as someone might think. it's just fun. it's like me time. i can take photos however i want. there is no worry about satisfying the photographer's vision. no pressure, except for the disarming fact that someone on my floor my walk out of their door and encounter me taking self photos in their hallway. 

i was confident i wouldn't find an awesome location around my building like the gorgeous stairwells of my residence hall i lived in last year, but despite the first freezing nyc snow blanketing my bod, something inside me fired up and i didn't even really think. i got home, feeling gross and hair all snow-melt-y but my hands just went for the camera and i walked around the floor and this happened! it was really blog magic if there is such a thing--which now i am confident, there is as a matter of fact such a thing. 

i feel like i look so much older than i did last year. i haven't taken outfit photos since.. last year, so go figure. but i feel like i can tell the difference. it's funny how doing this outfit posts/taking these pics is such a part of me. i don't quite understand it, but then again, it's 1am and  i never understand anything at this hour.

so here we are, my self-timer button and i, risking embarrassment from misconstrued vanity one photo at a time. 

jacket - ann taylor loft, sweater - mom's, khakis - south korea, shoes - south korea (uncle) 

also, here's just a cool-story-bro for you. as an intern with nbcuniversal (i know right, it's pretty butt kicking. actually here i will make one of those "shameless plugs" and suggest you to follow our awesome twitter, because guess who runs it--that's right). i left my water bottle in the cafeteria and went to fetch it because everyone wants my extra special water bottle, trust me, and one moment i thought i was getting my water bottle but soon enough i found myself sitting in the jimmy fallon studios listening to him test his jokes and having my unattractive laughs records for the later real show. that was exciting to say the least. i do have to say this is my second time spontaneously, beautifully seeing him. i have never personally interacted with the man--in real life, in my dreams is another story, but i would love to learn more about him. i love his sincerity, and speaking of strange laughs, he has a good one, mostly because it's so real, i love it. you go jimmy, you go.

here is a whatever photo of me being whatever amidst the whatever weather and a whatever justin bieber. (d'you hear it's snowing in nyc? you best belieb it)

song of the moment - 

the real slim shady and/or bing crosby--count your blessings 

midnight muse: topshop

Sometimes I feel like I'm innately very goth/emo/dark. Those may or may not--probably the latter--be the right words. But my point is, when black is paired with something extra--lace or neon or prints and patterns or jewels--that is sex-to-the-ay! But when I see layers of black on black on black and there's not much variation in texture or visual interaction, I don't see that as chic, creative or all that stylish if you ask me. If you showed me a good example of chic black layering that involved no variation at all, I might change my mind! I just can't see anything in my head right now that is all black, no diversity (no pun intended) in pattern or texture that is still spicy to the eye--I guess spicy isn't the right word either, it's 2:10am what can I say.

This 3/4 sleeve dress by Topshop inspired me and I did some xplorin' after that. I loved the cream incorporation and I feel like it could be so feasible to make, not that I even have a sewing machine or have ever made my own clothes for that matter. What do you think? That crown in the background looked way cooler and suave on my actual polyvore mid-creation, but take it for what it is.

dark crystal night by erinkim 

p.s. i wanted to do an "ootd" (with my professional camera phone and through classy mirror pics) but my wifi is so janky that it wouldn't let me send the photos over. i tried to be patriotic in my color selection since twas election day and my first time voting! zing!! more to come. even if i share the outfit later, it won't be late since patriotism should never get old right?

song of the moment

NSYNC - It's Gonna Be Me