Hong Kong: The Big Buddha

I'm currently in Hong Kong and sharing photo's and stories from my last trip. Catch up on the last few posts here. 


The Big Buddha is one of my most favorite attractions in Hong Kong. For starters, he's massive and I am completely captivated by it.  In order to reach the Buddha, you must take a tram (I opted for the glass bottom version, so cool!) and as he comes into view what starts as a small statue in the distance becomes a larger than life sculpture atop a mountain. I took more pictures of the Buddha than anything else on my trip, by far. The details are just so neat and there's a calm in his open palm. A few of these hang by my desk at work to remind me to be peaceful, purposeful and compassionate. (I'm not Buddhist but I do enjoy learning about other religions and philosophy's - this is a great summary of Buddhism beliefs if you're interested.)

Hong Kong: Shopping

If you're just joining in, I'm in Hong Kong for the next 2 weeks. While I'm away, I'm sharing photo's and stories from my last trip. Check out the full lot here. 

Now up: Shopping.

You would have thought I'd never seen a designer store before but for some reason in Hong Kong they seem bigger and better than ever. Maybe it was the line outside of Louis Vuitton on a random weekday afternoon that intrigued me... Malls and shopping centers are massive and bustling with people. In other words, there's a great shopping energy flowing around!

The longest mall escalator I've ever seen.

Hong Kong: Streets

As I was preparing for my next trip to Hong Kong, I realized I never shared pictures from the 1st time around. (There were sooo many.)  As I sorted through them I noticed a few themes that I was drawn to and over the next 2 weeks I'll be sharing some photo highlights by category from time to time.  I hope you enjoy!

First in line: City Streets.
Full of people, color, cars. Couldn't be more captivating!

Hong Kong: Clotheslines

Another piece of Hong Kong that I'm obsessed with is the clotheslines. Seeing garments hanging from wires and racks at windowsills atop even the highest of buildings was fascinating to me. The contrast of a bustling luxurious city to regular home life in direct vicinity of one another is just an interesting reminder of culture, society, and way of life. Laundry is sort of personal for me I guess, my dirty laundry isn't anyone's business (literally and figuratively) so this view feels like a sneak peek into the secret lives of others. Intriguing! 

I'm currently in Hong Kong and sharing photo's and stories from my last trip. Catch up on the last few posts here.

Craving: Yellow Skirt

Spot it. 

Illustration by Gemma Milly 

Love it. 

via / via

Buy it: 

Lulu's - $57  /  Oasis - $75  /  Piperlime - $59

Ah, the yellow skirt, so refreshing for spring. And so many ways to wear it! My pair of yellow sandals are nearly worn out after years of being my favorite go-with-everything warm weather shoe. I plan on using the same philosophy this summer by incorporating a flowy yellow skirt into the lineup as my new neutral.  Look how adorable with denim! What are you craving lately? 

P.S. I reeeeally love yellow. 

St. Patrick's Day Recap

Swayze Baby. How stoked was I to wear Patrick around all day??
Shirt  /  Jeans  /  Shoes  /  Bag

The green loafers come out once per year.

Pizza with Patrick.

Well, another SPD has come and gone and I'm kind of sad about it (that tends to happen when dress-up/costume holiday's are over.) One might think that 12 hours of celebrating should be enough to last me until next year but to keep the fun going just a bit longer I thought I'd share some blog appropriate pictures of our very green day. The weather was amaaayzing - nearly 80 degrees, hence the river looked greener than ever. (Other than changing the colors of these photos to black and white I didn't alter the green at all, it really is that bright! If you've never see it check this out.) Sunshine and Saturday meant more pedestrians and bigger crowds than usual but the city handled it well by just closing down the busiest streets. (Don't ever say Chicago doesn't know how to celebrate!) And of course we consumed green beer and made a pizza pit stop. All in all I'd call that good times celebrating St. Patrick (Swazye) Day! Do you celebrate SPD in your city? I never did in Tennessee and I'm pretty sure it'll be a requirement for any future living locations. 

P.S.  If you're wondering why I'm obsessed with Patrick Swazye, this will help fill you in. See all my Patrick love here.

P.P.S. If you need more green click <here>! 

Sherbet Sandals

If this doesn't say spring, I don't know what does.

The best of this seasons trends - sherbet hues and color blocking, in one fabulous piece of footwear!

How was your weekend? Ours was sunny, warm and very green!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Or St. Patrick Swayze Day as I'm now calling it. 

Could there be a more perfect shirt for me? (You know I love my Patrick.) It's like the folks at Strange Cargo got in my head and granted an unknown wish! I truly squeal when I think about it's awesomeness and can't wait to rock this baby on Saturday. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and a fabulous St. Patrick Swayze Day. Hope it include lots of green, here's a bit to get you started!

If you've never seen the Chicago River being dyed green you should check this out.

Me with green hair!

A fancy edition of going green.

Chicago Fashion Foundation's 5th Annual Scholarship Event

As you may have noticed things around the blog have become a bit blah lately. That's because I've been spending loads of time preparing for the Chicago Fashion Foundation's 5th Annual Scholarship Event and Fashion Show that took place last week! Ten Chicago based aspiring design students presented their interpretations of Chicago's street style to a crowd of over 350 fashion industry professional and enthusiasts at the Chicago Cultural Center. The scholarship competition and runway show hosted by the VH1's "House of Consignment" star Corri McFadden also featured looks from past finalists, "Project Runway" contestant Peach Carr's latest collection, a multitude of fashionable items up for grabs in a silent auction and a best dressed award handed out courtesy of the ladies of Style Block. The designs this year were spectacular and it's a quite treat to see them grow from inspiration board to runway ready! Take a peek at the action...

Director of Global Artistry for Too Faced Cosmetics, Kalina Fernandez, preps a model for the runway

The beautiful Tiffany dome ceiling in the Chicago Cultural Center's Preston Bradley Hall

The judges: Erikka Wang, Catie Keogh, Peach Carr, Candice Jordan, Diego Rocha, Andrea Schwartz

Gift bags galore.

Appetizers anyone? 

Me and the hubster.

Sadly, I didn't get a great outfit shot that night, but the pant pockets are my favorite feature, they protrude people! 

Our host, Corri McFadden and the ladies of Style Block

Let's get this party started!  

The student designs on the runway

And the winning design by Columbia College student Elena Bobysheva!

The board of the Chicago Fashion Foundation

photos by Francis Son Photography

It was great to see some of my blogging buddies in attendance as well, thanks for the support friends! 

The Chicago Fashion Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to maintaining and developing the local fashion industry by providing academic scholarships, professional networking events and mentoring programs. I serve as a Vice President on the board. If you're interested in learning more about our organization, becoming a member, sponsorship opportunties or for general questions feel free to contact me here.

Seeing (Leopard) Spots

Top - AE (seen here)  // Cardigan - Aerie  //   Jeans -  Target  //  Bracelet - Kenneth Cole  // Earrings - JewelMint  //  Clutch - Asos (seen here)  //   Makeup - Too Faced

I picked up these pants at Target on a grocery run last weekend (love it when that happens!) and couldn't decide between the black or brown version, so I just got both. Since then I've been wearing different versions of this outfit like it's going out of style - as above, with a belted cardigan, a cowboy boot vibe and even with just a graphic tee. To summarize, I'm groovin' on these pants and at $23 how could I not?? They cover the printed denim trend, are super versatile and the fit is amazing for the price (can't go wrong with a 98% cotton/ 2% spandex blend). (Plus, you can afford 8 pairs for the price of these.) I'm also having a major moment with these JewelMint earrings which was pointed out when hubby stated that I've worn them over and over lately. He likes the art deco look, I like that they look like zippers. Either way, they're fab. And if it appears that I'm wearing more makeup than usual, I am... because I was on TV this day! We were promoting the Chicago Fashion Foundation event on WGN (which you can check out here) and I'll have some pictures from the big night to share with you tomorrow - good times!

Have you scored any fab finds lately?