Fall 2017 Outfit Post Featuring Book of Deer's Celestite Top

Hello readers!

If you've read most of my blog posts, you'll know that one of my favorite brands is Book of Deer. To start off my outfit posts this season, it only seemed fitting that I featured a Book of Deer piece.

Here is the Celestite Top, from their AW 2016 Collection, which was called "Crystals & Moths":

(Psst... the Celestite Top is on sale, and it looks like every size is still in stock, so you could totally get it if you wish! This is definitely something new since most of what I feature on this blog is secondhand/vintage or out of stock.) None of my posts are sponsored, but I love promoting my favorite brands, especially Book of Deer, since the founder and designer Eilidh Ho is so personable. She has often sent my packages along with hand-written thank you notes, and always sends her items in a hand-painted envelope. Also, her clothes are always excellent quality. This top is made of the softest polyester I've ever felt, and I love the crystal print and how flowy it is.

Here are the outfits I put together with the top. They're not the most original, since every single outfit is just this top with a pair of jeans, but I think they go well together and varied how each outfit looks with the different coats and accessories, so I hope you like them!

Outfit #1:

Here's the first outfit, in which I contrasted the feminine top with a tough faux leather jacket. Maybe the purse and top are too matchy-matchy for some, but I have no problem with that. I also adore how this top looks with a pair of skinny jeans and ankle boots, hence why outfit #2 is a very similar outfit formula to this one.

Outfit #2:

Yes, this outfit is very similar to the first one, but the outfit includes a lot more color, as you can see with the rhinestone collar on the coat and holographic leather purse (which can be worn as a fanny pack and a cross body). I also added a metallic silver scarf because as one of my best friends says, "shiny things make me happy." :)

Outfit #3:

And last but not least, here's an outfit that's a lot more muted than the second one in regards to color, but I like how it gives off a different vibe even though the second and third outfits share the same top. Also, even though the top is very thin, this outfit will keep me warm since it includes a nice hat and scarf, and a lovely fleece-lined coat.

I love fall weather, but it's true that it can be a bit... erm, temperamental (okay, I'll stop using puns now). The temperature tends to range from 30 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, so it can be hard to maintain a fall wardrobe. Case in point: last fall, when I started using capsule wardrobes, I needed to dig through my storage bin since I needed a thicker coat on a day it was 30 degrees outside. I would wear the first and second outfits on day when the temperature is about 50 or 60 degrees, while I would wear the third outfit on a day that's cooler (and maybe even wear it with a third middle layer by including a cardigan when it's especially cold). I hope I showed you how you can make one top work for a wide range of temperatures, and look forward to my next post!

Best wishes,

A Metal Pansy

A New Addition to the Fall 2017 Wardrobe

Hello readers!

I definitely plan to upload some outfits featuring my Fall 2017 wardrobe in the next week (and a travel packing post since I'm about to depart on a long weekend trip!), but for now, I wanted to present an addition to my Fall 2017 wardrobe: these adorable tartan overalls from Mod Dolly.

Get your own here.

Mod Dolly is a brand that makes vintage-inspired pieces, and each one of their pieces is handmade in London under safe conditions. Even though this is not a sponsored post, I've always been happy with the quality of what I order from there.

I'm so excited to put together outfits with these overalls, and I will post those soon!

Coming up next week: an outfit post, and hopefully my travel packing list.

Best wishes,

A Metal Pansy

Fall 2017 Wardrobe!

Hello readers,

I'm so excited to share my new fall wardrobe with you! If you read the last post I wrote, you'll know that I decided to switch things up with my wardrobe, and try experimenting with a different style. I want my style to be more edgy because I wanted it to match a special ring I bought a few months ago, the Vivienne Westwood Armor Ring:

It's worn by one of my favorite anime characters of all time, Nana Osaki, who's a wonderfully bad-ass, strong, independent woman with a heart of gold, and she's inspired me with her style. I wanted my wardrobe to include tough elements, such as a leather jacket, quite a bit of plaid, and more black items. Because, let's face it, as much as I love my beaded cardigans, they don't pack as much of a punch or as a leather jacket does. My Fall 2017 Wardrobe is quite a contrast from the feminine, sweet, and Classic Lolita-inspired wardrobe that you'll see in my Winter 2017 wardrobe, but I'm so excited for this Style Adventure. So, onto my wardrobe:

Outerwear:

 1. Here's a trench coat I received as a present from my mom a couple of years ago. I feel like Edward Elric whenever I wear it. My mom got it from GAP. You can see the run-down of GAP on Project Just here. In the last few years, GAP has taken more steps to improve being more transparent and looking into their supply chains to make sure that their clothing is produced under ethical conditions, but I generally try to limit how much I shop there. 

2. A denim jacket I got at a secondhand shop nearby my college called Roz's Place. 

3. Yet another piece of red outerwear I received as a present. This is a leather jacket that my father gifted me a couple of years ago. I reserve it for special occasions since it's made of genuine leather, and it's definitely not a piece I would want to ruin.

4. A really warm fleece-lined, comfy coat my mom gifted me a few years ago. I can't find information about how the brand produces their clothing, so I'll refrain from mentioning the brand.

5. A faux leather jacket I've been wearing around often, and it's a piece I feel like a bad-ass in. ^_^

6. A lightweight olive-colored coat with rhinestones sewn onto the collar. Yet another present from my mother. My mom gets cold easily and always says you can't have enough coats and buys me coats as presents, which is why I have so many. XD Hey, during cold weather, your outerwear are the pieces that get seen all the time, so if you can, you might as well build up a collection so that you can switch between them and not get bored.

Cardigans/Vests:

1. Here's a really cozy long cardigan with a hood that I can layer underneath my coats on the colder days. This is a gift I received from my grandma in Korea (I know, I have family members that spoil me rotten with clothes).

2. Here's a lovely vest I got from the men's section at Roz's Place. It pairs well with my blouses and jeans, or skirts. I'm really excited to show you my outfits featuring this vest!

3. Yet another cardigan I received from a family member (this time, from my Great Aunt). It's made of cashmere and very soft. I replaced the buttons it came with since they for some reason fell apart. Instead, I added some pale pink flower buttons with plum colored thread. I think it turned out really well.

4. This cardigan is from a secondhand shop chain that's all over the U.S.: Crossroads Trading.

Tops:

1. A wonderful shirt with a crystal-print from one of my favorite clothing brands, Book of Deer. The brand is run by founder and designer, Eilidh Ho. She's always very personal with her customers, and has often written me a handwritten note thanking me for the order. She's so talented, and she hand-draws all her prints, gets them made into fabrics, and has her clothes produced in a factory she has worked with for years, and she visits them often to ensure that the workers are treated well. This top is from their AW 2016 collection.

2. A shirt I recently bought from a U.S. nationwide chain store called Francesca's. I really like a lot of their clothing, but as far as I can see, they do not have a publicly available list of their supplier chain, meaning that they're not the most transparent brand. When they're contacted about this, though, they have stated that the company makes annual visits directly to the factories that produce their clothes to make sure that the workers are treated well. I wouldn't feel comfortable shopping there too often, but at least they make sure to check in with their suppliers!

3. A fabulous sweater from a wonderful Etsy vintage shop called To Be Determined. The seller has a great selection with some really cool finds, and has always been really nice when we communicated. I definitely recommend checking out the shop.

4, 5. Both of these blouses are from a secondhand shop nearby my college called Luxe Consignment. The people working there have always been so friendly and welcoming, and it's one of my favorite consignment shops I've been in. Their selection is wonderful and they seem to be very careful when selecting their pieces.

6. One of my favorite blouses in my closet, from another Etsy vintage shop called Vintage Easy Style. The seller responded quickly to any questions I had, and this is another shop with a really nice selection.

Skirts:

1. Here's one of the coolest skirts in my closet. It's from Book of Deer, it has a print of the the Aurora Borealis, and it GLOWS IN THE DARK!!! I swear, Eilidh is a genius! This skirt is from her AW 2015 collection.

2. This bookcase-print skirt is from an Etsy Shop called Go Follow Rabbits. The seller makes really comfy, versatile skirts out of really unique fabrics, and has a wonderful nerdy selection.

Pants:

I know I'm being incredibly basic since all my pants are just jeans. ^_^;; #1 is a pair of low-rise dark wash jeans from Gap that I got a couple of years ago, #2 is a pair of black high-waisted jeans and I don't know how or where they were made, and #3 is a pair of high-waisted grey jeans I got from Levi's. You can see the run-down of Levi's here.

Dresses:

1. I don't know about how the brand produces its clothes, so I wouldn't feel comfortable buying from the brand again, but I bought this dress a few months ago when I was feeling down, and I adored the beautiful floral print (I know, I have an extremely weak spot for floral prints).

2. A dress I got from Crossroads Trading, which I thought a femme Edward Elric would wear. I should really make an Edward Elric-inspired outfit post at some point.

3. A really nice dress I got from Roz's Place. Yeah, I sure shopped a heck of a lot from that shop. It's because it's probably the most well-known secondhand/vintage shop in my college, and a lot of my friends and I shopped there often. Not everything they have is vintage, but they do have quite a lot of vintage pieces, and most of their pieces are very reasonably priced.

Well, that's my Fall 2017 Wardrobe! I look forward to sharing my fall outfits with you for the next few months, and I have a lot of good ones, so please stay tuned!

Best wishes,

A Metal Pansy

I'm back!!!

Hello everyone!

I'm so sorry for my very long absence. I should have notified you that I would be departing the blog before I did, but I didn't mean for my hiatus to be this long. Things weren't going well for my thesis and I needed to really focus in and make lots of sacrifices to push through. I'm so happy to say that I managed to graduate this past May with Highest Honors in Biology for my thesis that I worked my ass off for. What am I up to now? I'm taking a couple of months off to study for the MCAT, and then I plan to get a job (hopefully as a Certified Nursing Assistant) after I take the MCAT and eventually go to medical school.

Where am I now in regards to fashion? You'll notice in my previous posts that my style was very feminine, cutesy, and Classic Lolita fashion-inspired. And that was what my style was like for the past couple years. However, recently, I've been wanting my style to be more edgy. The basis of this was because I got myself a ring that I wanted for years, and that's the Vivienne Westwood Armor Ring. It's a classic ring from the brand, and I've wanted it ever since I saw Nana (one of the main characters from the anime, Nana) wear it:

Nana is the vocalist of a punk rock band, and she's strong, ambitious, and independent. And on top of being tough, she has a heart of gold. She wears her armor ring any time she leaves the house, and her style is very edgy and punk-inspired (psst... I'm going to start an anime style segment on this blog featuring anime characters' styles, and I'm most definitely going to feature Nana, so I hope you look forward to that). ^_^ I was really inspired by her style, and I wanted to wear my armor ring often, too. I got myself the ring as a college graduation present, and it was to remind myself to stay strong. I honestly went through rough patches in college because of some mental health problems, and had times when I felt like I was brought down onto my knees. Growing up, I lacked a lot of confidence and in college, I began to care more for my mental health and learn that it was okay to love myself. I worked hard and made it through, and each time I look at my armor ring, I'm reminded that even when times get tough, I have it in me to stand my ground and fight.

I wanted to adapt my wardrobe so that there wasn't too much clash between my ring and my clothes. So this fall, my wardrobe will include more denim, plaid, and faux leather, and lots of black and red! It's quite different from the type of wardrobe I had for the last couple of years, but I'm going to experiment this fall, and see how I like it. I'll probably go back to my classic Lolita inspired wardrobe this winter and spring 2018, but there might be traces of punk inspired style in my future wardrobes. My old blog was called Unconventional Chameleon, and that was because in high school, I felt like my style changed depending on my mood and day. So I may change my future wardrobe to include different styles. We'll see how I feel in a few months when it's time to put together my winter wardrobe. :)

I hope you like my style experiment this fall. Here's a picture of an outfit I put together which I feel is the quintessential Metal Pansy outfit. It's a juxtaposition of hard and soft. The ankle boots and armor ring give off a tough vibe, while the dress (which has pansies on it!) and cardigan are still sweet and very feminine. I'm trying to make my style be more like this in the future:

I'll put up a fall wardrobe post this upcoming week, and I hope you're all as excited as I am about my wardrobe! I promise to try and post at least once a week, and be much more active.

Best wishes,

A Metal Pansy