desiree nicole.

my sister is a physical embodiment of the word style. when i think of stylish females, totally cool chicks at the forefront of fashion as i see it, one of the first names (and wardrobes) that comes to mind is desiree nicole. she will be the first to dispel this statement, full of “there are people who dress way better than me,” and “urgh, i wish i was cool like [insert name of current hipster poster-child here].” don’t be fooled, the kid can dress.

follow miss desiree nicole on tumblr!! floraeatsfauna.tumblr.com

lets see, things you should know about desiree…. she is physically 18 years old, all soft skin and dimples and she has the cutest butt ever. it’s totally adorable and equally as enviable. i can say that, i’m her sister. anyway, on the outside she is 18; inside, however, she’s an old woman. i’m not talking emotionally, that’s too dramatic. i’m talking fashion-wise.

my sister seeks unhip. she’s a resident lurker of thrift shops, ready to snap up the oddest of finds. she will spend forever in the salvation army looking for, in my personal opinion, the ugliest stuff on the racks. things you see old women wearing and think, “dude, if that was my grandma i’d help her find some nice cat applique-free sweaters.” i’m pretty sure my sister has a cat applique sweater. not kidding. desiree nicole may in actuality be the spirit of some random old lady named gladys or mildred or geraldine. some tacky-chic old broad who lives in a kitchy pepto hued trailer in florida. visions of kathy baker in ‘edward scissorhands’ abound right? now add a touch of ‘harold and maude’. i mean that literally, add a touch of both harold and maude.

it’s fully unsurprising that i semi detest my sisters wardrobe. i am generally a minimalist in dress, preferring to rely on accessories to add individuality. funny though, how i find myself unable to hate my sisters choice of clothing completely. i am drawn to her closet whenever i visit, but let’s get one thing very clear. i cannot, CANNOT, wear pretty much any of the clothing my sister possesses. it isn’t purely due to the fact that it’s a mélange of prints and colors and sometimes even fabrics that seem much better suited to a 80 year old woman (and sometimes an 80 year old man!) instead of an 18 year old one. no, it isn’t solely due to the fact that i would never in a million years look twice at such pieces while sifting through thrift store racks myself. it’s because they literally look hideous on me. i look tragic. a phrase from the film ‘mean girls’ comes to mind… yes, i look like i was dressed by a “blind sunday school teacher.” oh my god.

the epic and quite notorious fox shirt. again, i know.

cutest baby ever. i know.

to add insult to injury, my sister puts on the same ensemble and looks gorgeous. she can take the most god awful article of clothing you have ever seen and make it look high fashion just by putting it on. it’s almost unfair! true story: she recently found a long sleeved collared button down in the ugliest print i have ever seen. it combines plaid, paisley and, no joke, foxes heads. i can’t make this stuff up. it was a size too small, so what does she do? she removes the sleeves and adds the extra fabric salvaged to either side to resize it, making it a trapeze style tank. it looks amazing on her!! she came over recently decked out in said top with equestrian style leggings and moccasins. seriously?! she is an avid seamstress and has done some beautiful pieces from scraps of fabric and old ill-fitting garments that could make any fledgling designer flinch in jealousy. and she has been like this practically since birth, always looking her best first thanks to my mom and her love of dressing her children in cute, put together getups, and later due to her innate sense of knowing what she likes. my sister seldom has a bad outfit day because she stands behind everything she wears, she adores every piece she rescues from the ruins that are bargain bins, and she always, always dresses for herself. i admire that fiercely.

my sister is street fashion, high fashion, granny fashion. she’s anti-fashion, a total original.

lazy girl logic.

my first instinct is to question whether or not this is even something worth writing about. my second instinct is to disregard the first instinct. moving on.

today was laundry day, and between oneechan and i we had a pretty big pile of clothes to wash. meaning there was a considerably smaller pile of clothing to wear. naturally i wear all my favorite stuff first, so by laundry day all that's left to wear are ill-fitting pants and ugly t-shirts that i bury under things i actually want to be seen in. so i had a choice. i could try pulling some sort of casual cool outfit from the rubble that is my wardrobe... or i could put on a dress and throw a sweatshirt over it to casual it up.
let me say, i am not a big dress wearer. i almost never wear dresses, and if i do its for something special. i am a tomboy through and through, but i am also lazy. i am soooooo lazy. i chose the dress. i chose to voluntarily wear a dress just so i wouldn't have to coordinate anything today. omigod dude.

i feel like i should be slightly disappointed in myself, but really, i'm just kinda proud. i love lazy ass me. i'm awesome.

XxxXchi

new items! yay!

ah, it feels like its been forever since i last updated my shop!! between reading (comics) and general household chores that keep me busy (reading more comics), i just seem to always be busy. apparently reading comics for the most part, but still...

so anyway, i've been slacking. it was high time for me to take some pics of the new stuff i have to offer and post 'em. that way i can read my 'kimi ni todoke' in peace... haha! ;)
head over to shoproadkillers.com to check out the new merch, check out the old merch, to gaze longingly at the betsey johnson nighty i just listed... yes. i know.

this tank top is epic. the print is cute and random, making it perfect for summer and a perfect match for a simple pair of cutoffs. add a blazer: effortless chic-ness.

tilt cuttoffs, studio y velvet blazer, and freeze tank all available at shoproadkillers.com
get this whole look for just $31 dollars!! 

ah, since i love you all so much i'll go ahead and post a pic of the nighty here too...

you in love or what? then get it here! 

guess that's all i have to say today... weird. i though i was waaaaaay more of a windbag than that.
XxxXchi

3 rules i didn't realize i follow...

speaking on a fashion and beauty level, my mother and i share few influences. she: the human embodiment of a cath kidston print, a kate spade ad, clinique’s happy. me: not so much. i’d say my style sense lies somewhere between lazy-chic and, as patty smith has described her own look, “couture-grunge”.

my mom has a gorgeous coif of curls ranging in shades from blonde to bronze to cocoa, her makeup is always classic with a twist (a swipe of gold liner to accent her green eyes? yes.), her bare essencials always lets her peachy-golden skin with pretty california girl freckles shine, and she always, always wears a bright, warm smile. i, on the other hand, have a mop (yes mop, in the most positive but literal sense of the word) of choppy dark brown hair and i like my skin to have a certain pallor to it, better emphasizing the smoky dark brown and black eye makeup i adore so much. i am somewhat warmly monochromatic i suppose. and smile? no. more like stare blankly, like a deer in headlights. and this isn’t even addressing the clothing. i am the daria to her quinn. so yeah, me and mom? totally different sides of the spectrum. 

that said though, i can honestly say that without my moms influence, even in an offhand way, i would know nothing about dressing myself every morning. as i’ve previously mentioned, my mom picked out my clothes until i was somewhere around 10 or 11. though i was naturally full of an angsty feistiness at wanting to pick out my own clothes (i wanted to dress like a cross between cher horowitz and Kelly bundy at the time, i realize in retrospect), the fact that my mom took the time to buy and coordinate nice, age appropriate outfits for me is probably more apparent in the way i shop and carry myself today than it seems. so here, 3 common momma phrases that i (subconsciously) live by:

iron your shirt: i own an iron. it works. still, i rarely iron my shirt (or pants, or cardigan, etc). this lesson has definitely stuck with me though. you see, as a young teen i had a habit of being rushed (i.e. lazy) with getting ready for school in the morning, but no matter what my mom made sure my wrinkled clothing was unwrinkled by the time i walked out the front door. true to my rebellious nature there was always plenty of “oh mom, it looks fine!” on my part, but again, this lesson stuck. unless i am rocking a purposefully wrinkled look, i do not leave my apartment in wrinkled clothing. whether it’s putting on the garment to stretch out the wrinkles, hanging it in the bathroom to steam from my shower, a quickie swipe with the flat iron, or finally actually busting out the iron itself, i make sure to look presentable. at least, in that sense.

you’ll get more use out of this one: shopping as a kid/teen (um, adult?) with my mom. mom says, “look a cute {insert very nice solid color here} shirt. this would be perfect for you to wear to school with your very nice, basic blue jeans.”. to which i reply, “but mooooooom, i want the hot pink cheetah print tank top and sparkly black bell bottoms!!”. cheetah print and sparkles are great, but versatile? not a chance. my mom has never, ever tried to extinguish individuality in either my sister or myself, rather she encourages it. she let us splurge on impractical things here and there when she could (me: freshman year, snakeskin print pants with the slightest hint of a sparkle. true story. sister: pink hair. blue hair. lots of other colors of hair. no hair. not to mention the many piercings between the two of us…).but she is a practical single parent. she knows the mileage that one can get out of the basics, and the endless customization that can occur with the right accessories. and thanks to her, so do i. my cute {insert very nice solid color here} shirt is usually black, often a bit oversized, sometimes cut or customized. my personal style is very much determined by the accessories i add to a basic black (or similarly monochromatic) ensemble. my moms lesson still rings true.

don’t go so dark on your eyes: if my mom hadn’t taught me the right way to wear makeup (balance!! omigod, balance!!) there’s a chance that i could look like taylor momsen right now. i’m honestly not trying to be catty, but there is a point where the black eye shadow thing is just too much. however i would never know this limit if i hadn’t tried to push it many times over the past 13 years. when i was 13 i got my first black eyeliner and black shadow. i tried to go all smoldering, which more likely looked creepy, especially when i added the red lipstick. oi. . my mom wasn’t having it, and i thank her for it. before i ever read it in any magazine, my mom taught me about moderation, and also the one-or-the-other rule. like i stated above, i am no stranger to rocking a smoky, borderline dingy eye today. sounds icky, but i like it. its slightly unkempt, a little helena bonham carter, but i always keep the lip simple, usually just a swipe of clear gloss. i try to always maintain the balance my mom so painstakingly tried and succeeded in teaching me.

in conclusion: am i a grungebunny? yes. am i admittedly lazy in several aspects of my life? hell yes. am i always gonna have an affinity for the beauty that is lydia from beetlejuice, nancy spungen (and subsequently courtney love), and siouxie sioux? yes, i believe i will. but with these rules somehow always chilling in the back of my mind, i manage to keep it classic. that is, if there’s such a thing as a classic grungebunny.

thanks momma. <3

XxxXchi

ok, so i think this is my first ever outfit of the day... sooo... here it is! ;3

everything i am wearing is thrifted, gifted or just plain cheap, but i like it, lol. the cheetah print shoes were a birthday gift from my sister and i ADORE them!!

ok, on to business....

i am offering ad spaces on my webseite, shoproadkillers.com. if anyone is interested, the ads will run for 30 days and can be purchased using the handy little buttons below! :)

spring is coming... time for dresses, light fabrics, florals (i don't care if its cliche... its spring dude. bound to happen. ;3)... its time to embody the femininity and renewal of the season. observe. XxxX

remember, shoproadkillers.com

forver 21 cami - $7.50 here

odds n' ends blouse - $8 here

passport sundress - $10 here

sophie & me by twentyone cami - $5.50 here

zara woman top - $6 here

charlotte russe tunic - $7.50 here

connie & na dress - $10 here

pepper graphic leggings - 4.50 here

x my style anthology x

i like fashion. well i guess i better, otherwise this fashion blog will really suck.
so i recently told my sister a little fashion story from when i was in the 4th grade, which kinda got me thinking, "when did the whole fashion thing start for me?"
funny enough i wasn't allowed to pick out my own clothes for school until i was about 11. my mom liked me in pretty dresses and cute leggings-tshirt-cardigan ensembles, so thats what i wore all through grades k-4th. i didn't like it much, but i will always appreciate the fact that my mom wanted me to look good. she always made sure i did. <3

anyway, here goes nothing... my style over the past 16 years:


4th grade: obsessed with the babysitters club, i find an immediate idol in claudia kishi. convinced that i would look just like her, i have my first real fashion moment when my mom lets me pick my own outfit for a field trip. floral bodysuit, hunter green tights, faded denim frayed cutoffs, and hiking boots. i'm sure there was some sort of jewelry involved, though i can't remember for sure. i died for that outfit. <3

you know, fictional or not,claudia had a style all her own and really she was quite ahead of her time. many of her ensembles could be plucked right from the pages of FRUiTS magazaine, which i guess was an early sign as to what styles i would favor as an adult.

5th grade: clueless infiltrates my brain. i attend 5th grade looking like an under-aged extra on the set in jumpers, short skirts, knee highs and little platform loafers as often as possible. an outfit i distinctly remember included a light pink sweater, a little rose print mini skirt, black platform mary janes, and white knee high socks... trust me, it was way cute.

i also went through a little gypsy-hippie phase. long sweeping skirts in floral and tribal prints, frayed short shorts, and i remember having this really trippy macrame top with bell sleeves in rainbow colors with hearts, etc... so psychedelic.  

6th-8th grade: i was 12 in 1998. so i'd say that my style at this point was much the same as any other girl my age. the spice girls. delia*s. alloy. bright colors. baggy pants. shiny, sparkly, glittery, metallic-y fabric. big space-age platforms (mine were white wedged-style sneakers from sketchers; best christmas gift ever, thank you mom!). *cough* backstreet boys tshirts. *cough*
by the time 8th grade ended in 2000 the whole space-age thing kinda died down... i guess thats how it goes when you reach the "space-age" and nothing happens...

9th grade: its all about rock and roll. the outfit that stands out the most in my memory looked something like this: black cap-sleeve babydoll tshirt with goldenrod contrast stitching and a screen print of a guitar on it, tight black flared jeans with silver (yes, silver) snake print, black chunky platform lace-up loafers with a "piercing" by the laces, and (at least for the beginning of freshman year) blue streaks. it was a good year. ;3

10th grade: i got my nose pierced the summer before 10th grade and was feeling really original. not many people my age had nose piercings yet, but it became super popular soon after... meh.
around this point i started getting into "punk rock". but of course when you don't have the internet at home to learn more about something new and your only "punk rock" inspiration is hot topic..." punk rock" style consists of plaid skirts and black tank tops, any outfit containing a combo of the colors pink and black, and tough looking gunmetal-toned jewelry. i tried.
toward the end of my sophomore year avril lavigne realesed her first album. i bought it. there were many more outfits containing the above mentioned elements. oi.

age 16: to be honest, this part of my life is a bit of a blur. i dropped out of high school (hence no more using my grade as a time-frame) and started working a lot... so the fashion i was into at this point is a little fuzzy. i do remember, however, being waaaaaay into surf culture. i wanted to buy a board and attend surf school in la jolla, but it never happened. i bought a guitar instead. win.

age 17-19: again, still a little fuzzy on everything at this point in my life... but i am very clear on two style related things:
1. i got my tongue and lip pierced when i was 17.
2. i discovered real, hard, dirty, offensive-in-the-coolest-way punk rock.

which means i adopted the style of my favorite band at the time, the sex pistols... very 1970's vivienne westwood "seditionaries" era, dirty, diy punk. blacker than black shaggy hair, teased at the crown. red lipstick. ripped fishnets. cheetah print anything. safety pins everywhere. white tshirts with punk song lyrics and messages written in sharpie. a real razor blade on a chain around my neck and the subsequent little cuts on my chest where it would rest.
this was a very solitary time in my life, which seems lonely, but in reality it was kinda awesome. i dressed for nobody but myself. i hate to say i think i'm a bit weak when it comes to peer pressure, and too often i would hold back on doing or wearing certain things for fear of my friends having something to say about it. but i wasn't really around anyone at this point, therefore i dressed for me. and it made me truly, honestly happy. this was a good time.

age 20-22: this is a dark time for chi and fashion. a person cares not for fashion when they barely leave the house. not cool.
however, this was around the time that i started to research more about japanese street fashion. i really liked the whole decora thing.

age 23-now: as i pay closer attention to fashion trends and my own fashion history these days, i am realizing patterns in my personal tastes. my schizophrenic fashion fits have died down in the recent years, leaving in their wake an affinity for clean lines, japanese fashion, statement jewelry, pigtails (lol...), and an enduring love for punk rock reworked for a more grownup look. i love the thrifted look, which caters to layering and the like quite nicely of course.

red and white heart print dress over jeans (not shown),
black zippered sweatshirt, bottlecap necklace, gold and
black bangles, black purse with ruffles and safety pins.
pouty face bathroom pics are total win.

a typical outfit for me these days is very relaxed, always involves jewelry, sometimes involves the above mentioned pigtails, and pretty much always involves layering. a dress over jeans, a zippered sweatshirt, chuck taylors, and a cool necklace? yes. an oversized white tshirt pushed off one shoulder, cuffed jeans, black flipflops, and lots of black jewelry (which is what i am currently wearing)? again, yes. me likey comfy. :3

so thats kinda my whole fashion history in a nutshell... guess we'll see what the next 16 years hold. i'll keep you posted. XxxX