Suburbian Summer.

Summer time means time for deep thoughts.

♥ Inspiration collection agency.
♥ Ruffles & obnoxious headbands.
♥ LalaLiu for reals.
♥ Life for reals.
♥ School & job.
♥ China, Korea, Japan.
♥Un-fail july fourth BBQ.
♥ True Blood & Weeds.

Lala's Style of the Day: Suburban Nerd.

I'm a not so desperate housewife nerding it up - suburban style.

The tale of my garment.

• Sisley Floral dress: $1 I saw this dress dangling before me last year at the Buffalo Exchange Earth Day Sale. I never wore it before until yesterday because the pattern and hemline seemed a bit outdated to me. But I felt bad for it, sitting so lonely and afraid in my dark closet, that I knew I just had to put it on. So I did.
  
• Raggedy Coat: $3.99 from Thank You Mart. I was prepared to wear out a black furry vest but my mom told me not to because were going to a vegetarian restaurant and she didn't want me to get paint splattered on. To spite her (not really), I decided to put on the most mismatching, gaudy coat I could find.
  
• Belt: $0 from friend's mom.
  
• Sandals: $15 from Marshalls. I like to call these my bondage shoes. I feel kinky. Just kidding. Let's pretend I never said that.
  
• Glasses: $1 Buffalo Exchange. And the star of the outfit, my poser glasses. I wore them because I felt that my new style persona of weird nerd needed a pair of giant oversized glasses. It perfectly compliments my overly round face.
  
• Ray Bradbury Book: $0.25.
  

Impromptu photo shoot courtesy of Lala Jr. (aka my sister).

Really Unleashing It All.

I fail at updating this blog. Okay. Moving on.

The past few posts having been about unleashing it all. Well, I got the theme from the title of this years fashion show theme "Unleased." Yep. There's the answer to the mystery all you readers have been pondering about for hours. (I just like to think that my blog is all you guys think about. It helps feed my narcissistic ego).

So I "unleashed" it all this year for my fashion show. Okay, I'm a bit sick of typing out that word over and over again. I did 12 pieces this year, four mens, and started basically three months later than last year. The week before the show I was up every night till three in the morning but if this is what passion is, then I am definitely passionate because I would not trade it for anything. But this post is not about my show. This brief paragraph is just to explain or give an excuse for my lack of updates.

This post is about something else entirely. Undie run.

At my school we have a tradition that during the Wednesday of finals week each quarter. Students come together and run a brief course around campus in their undies. A bit pervy? Why yes. But fun nonetheless especially when one is a little over elated due to certain substances that alter the brain and one's emotions. Men and women, fat and skinny, dark and pale come out to celebrate and release the stress each quarter by running around in boxers, boy shorts, bras, and dear lord, socks. They run around care free uninhibited by their nearly nude attire. For the past two years I have stayed inside, fully clothed, and criticizing the point of undie run - "why isn't this just a great excuse for guys to see girls dressed all skimpy or isn't it just sexual assault waiting to happen?". That was then.

This last quarter I, Lala, donned my sequined bra that I picked up in a flea market in Milan (my roomie chose the red satin bra with white feathers) and my trusty ole south park boxers and ran around campus like all the other undie runners that I had once criticized. I titled this post "Really Unleashing it All" because literally and figuratively I did. I have never thought of myslef as having a great body. In my happy moods and perhaps after running four miles I would see myself as having a good body at most. Other times it would be decent or average but never would I see myself as someone who would be brave enough to wear anything not covering my tummy or my thighs. I'm not the type of girl who wears bikinis. When I go to the beach with my friends I cover my suit up with a giant tee and shorts. Perhaps it was the conservatism I grew up with in my family or just the fact that I was not comfortable enough with my body to wear something so revealing. But this time with my undie run experience, I was ready. I think I have finally reached to point in my life that I really love my body and appreciate the way I look (although morning mirror scares are still common) that I was able to for that one hour to be free with myself and not care what other people think.

It has been a slow process to loving my own physical appearance. But I think I finally have and it has been the most "unleashing" experience ever. I used that word again. Oops.

If you see my photos, you know that I am not a model figure. In the world of fashion blogging out there, I know that I cannot compare to some of the people out there. I have calves that would make Achilles proud and a bouncy stomach that would mirror the movement of jello. But that's okay. I like to describe my body as womanly with athletic potential (even though I aint no athlete by any means).

In this process I have grown the self esteem to be confident in what I wear. But I have never really been confident in what I had going on underneathe what I was wearing. Being able to look in the mirror nude or almost need is sometimes the hardest thing to look at ever. Something has changed in me this past year. I turned 21 so yes technically I am a fully legal and "mature woman" now but it was something more. Perhaps it was my experience away from everything I knew or just a combination of all these different events that happened this year. But something has changed and it has been for the better.

So that night when I was out on the field in my undies and staring up at the stars (okay I didn't really but it just helps with the message of this post), I realized that I am beautiful and wonderful just the way I am.

I didn't quite realize it then and there because of all the shocking things that I was seeing around me but I didn think those thoughts that night when I went to sleep.





P.S I am a traitor to the anti-mainstream-establishment. I went to the mall for 4 hours. In normal Socal mall wearing gear. and Enjoyed it. terribly.

UNLEASHING IT ALL.

LalaLiu Spring/Summer 09
























Please excuse my fug face. Thanks.

Traitor to Fashion?

Recently, my style has been a downright slump. If you saw me in my daily gear you wouldn't even bother to take a second look because I seem to just blend in with the crowd these days. When Australian shoe company, Whooga, asked me to review their UGG style shoes, I couldn't help but feel like a traitor to fashion. All my snide comments against girls wearing their UGGs tucked into their blue jeans and equipped with a NorthernFace backpack were put aside as I became one of them.

My shoes arrived in a lovely boxed package which definitely gave the shoes some brownie points. Like in business marketing classes, presentation is key (+1).

So I rushed back to my room. Opened the box and behold, a pair of Classic Short Chocolate Sheepskin Boots.

To be honest, since I must, I had to admit the shoes were not all that attractive (-1).

I slipped them on and then the comfort over (+1).

The weather here in Cali has been on the gloom side lately so the warmth of these shoes felt comforting to my feet.

But comfort aside, the question was now. How do I rock them?

My friends say that I can pull a lot of things off, but this was a new challenge. Could I pull off the UGG boot look?

The simple answer? No. (-1).

However, just because these shoes were not my taste, that does not mean they serve no purpose. I wore them out the night I got them which proved to be a smart choice as I headed back to my room up a trail of stairs at 5 in the morning. They were warm and made my tiredness feel somewhat bearable. (+1).

I have to say, these boots do serve a purpose. My perfect scenario for wearing these would be if I were up on the mountains in my log cabin drinking hot chocolate next to my hunk of burning love (still working on that) and decide to take a stroll around the lake. Hmmmmm UGGS.

I would also compare these boots to sweat pants. Not quite fashionable but when you need to roll out of bed to catch a final in ten minutes and the weather is a bit breezy, these shoes will be calling my name.