*Spring has Sprung*

Greetings, fellow Asian enthusiasts! It is wonderful weather outside today. =) I'm sitting on my couch with the windows open in my room, staring out into a sea of wind-blown grass, greener than I've seen in what feels like years. It's very soothing. I like seeing the budding process of all of the plants and trees. They're all just so cute to me, and in my head I'm cheering them on, encouraging them to grow. ^-^ Heeheehee. <3

In honor of the start of actual spring-like weather, two days ago I wore an outfit entirely inspired by this pair of shoes:

I got them at Payless and I was shocked at how comfortable they were. I have a bad ankle, so I have to be really careful about the heels I wear. I'm going to be honest, there was normal foot pain from wearing heels, but I consider that relatively okay as long as I don't wear them all the time. (You don't want to damage your feet permanently in your (eventual) old age!) Other than that, the heels are great. I wasn't even rushing to take them off when I got back home, so I like them a lot!

So a few days before I found these shoes, I was browsing wholesale websites that specifically sell Korean, Japanese, and Chinese clothing. Check out the links below this paragraph! =D I really wasn't feeling inspired to update my spring wardrobe because honestly, I love winter clothes way too much. So to remedy this, I, of course, looked to Asia for inspiration. After looking through the wholesale websites for a while, I finally decided that I wanted a new pair of shoes in order to put me in the mood for spring clothing.

NOTE: When browsing these websites, you MUST pay attention to the sizes. They will often only offer something in one size and it will be in centimeters (cm), so I recommend using/buying a tape measure to be sure you are not ordering something that is either to small or too big for you.

http://www.causewaymall.com/shop/index.html

http://www.infashionwholesale.com/

~Outfit #6!~

 

So this was my super happy springtime filled outfit of fun! xP Hehe. I must have thrown on five different shirt combos trying to get something to match with the skirt I was wearing. The skirt is super cute, but for some reason it can be hard to match with.

The shirt that I am wearing underneath the zipper military vest is a spaghetti strap shirt; it was slightly chilly outside that day, so I wanted just a little extra layer to keep me warm, especially when sitting in an air conditioned classroom for over an hour. Thus, what I did for practicality actually ended up created a completely unique look. I bought the vest a few years ago, inspired by G-Dragon's look and wardrobe when his Heartbreaker album came out-- everything was very WHITE. I like the vest a lot for its masculine, military flair accompanied by a more feminine cut that hugs the waist nicely. =) To be honest, I don't think the vest was inspired by a specific piece of clothing, but the closest I can find to what may have been it is this white coat: 

 

The Breakdown:

  

Shoes: Payless, Asian/Spring inspired look, $25.00

Netted Leggings with Bow Designs: A very random accessory store in a mall...don't remember the name (sorry!), about $8.00

Pink Skirt: Forever 21

Flowy, Lacy shirt: Forever 21

White Military Vest: Body Central, G-Dragon inspired

Pearl Bracelets: Forever 21

Sakura (Cherry Blossom)/Pearl Earrings: Forever 21

Glasses: Vogue Brand, bought at Lenscrafters

I had a lot of fun putting together an Asian, spring inspired look. I always tend to gravitate toward winter clothing, so I feel pretty successful when I'm able to find a spring look that still expresses my personality. ^-^

And to think, all of the inspiration came from this little pair of shoes.

If you would like to see additional photos, please visit my Flickr page. -^.^- And as always, if you have any comments, please feel free to leave them in the box below!

Love deeply, smile sincerely, and appreciate the you that is you-- you are a wonderful creation.

<3 Alyssa

Big News! -GD&TOP Related-

Hello again everyone! I am so sorry that I have not blogged in so long. To be honest, I was super stressed with school and was feeling really down at the start of spring semester. Thankfully, I feel much better and wanted to let you all know that I am doing okay. =)

So I just wanna jump right in and say that this past Friday, March 16th, was the talent show at my university. Annnnnddd you wanna know what I did? >) Me and my friend Rachel both danced, in full costume, to High High by GD&TOP!! Ohhh my goodness it was so amazingggg!! I had SO much fun. There was a lot of hard work put into both the dance and the costumes, and it was -so- worth it.

~Outfits #4 & 5!~

Here we are on the red carpet!!  *o*

My outfit was inspired by GD and my friend Rachel's outfit was inspired by T.O.P.

Click here to see our DANCE PERFORMANCE!!    Be sure to watch in 1080p! =D

(Click here to see the original Korean music video.)

And below is more of a closeup:

Here's how it was all done:

For G-Dragon:

Skinny Jeans: Forever 21. Already had these, originally bought for $12.00
Shiny converse/high top looking shoes: Aldo, $60.00
Grey Sparkly, Tiger Tanktop: Wet Seal
Black, Shiny Jacket: Forever 21
Rings: 3 of them from Plato's Closet (PC), 2 of them from Claire's.

In order from left to right, Claire's, PC, PC, PC, Claire's.

Bracelets, 2: Both came from Plato's Closet
Fleur-de-lis Necklace: Plato's Closet
Earrings: Macy's, $35.00 (yea I know they were expensive...>.< But they looked like GD's earrings in Fantastic Baby! So...totally worth it in my opinion.)
Safety Pins: Joann Fabrics
Beads for Safety Pins: I bought a necklace for 6.00 at Plato's Closet and took it apart with jewelry pliers and put the beads on my safety pins to add a bit of extra bling to my pants. I also bought a 1.00 bracelet just for a cross bead that was on it.
Bling Necklace: Made it myself. I bought the chain at Michael's and cut it to the length that I wanted. I also bought the big, round charm at Michael's-- it originally looked reminiscent of a blue shell type charm. I took a bunch of tiny sparklies (I don't remember what they are called!) and put a G on the front in white sparklies with a black sparkle background, and a D on the back in black sparklies with a white sparkle background. I hand-sewed one side of the necklace to my shirt to prevent it from hitting me in the face while on stage dancing. I only sewed one side of it down so that it would still look like it was handing naturally, and it totally did. No one knew I did that. =P
Hair: I used Got 2B Glued hairspray to get my hair like that. I first teased (back-combed) the middle section first, sprayed it and twisted it as I went along. The twisting seems to hold it in place better. I then did the same to the next side, and then tried to blend it it with the first section. There were three sections of hair total, blended together to make one giant awesome hair point, hahaha.

For T.O.P.

Boots in Photo: Skechers Brand, on sale for $17.00 at Skechers Outlet
Boots that she danced in: TJ Maxx
Pants and Jacket: Had in her closet
Epaulettes: Materials bought at Joann Fabrics. I taught Rachel how to make them by putting interfacing between two pieces of fabric and sewing the edges down. She then sewed and hot-glued chains of varying length to make the fringe, and sewed some silver trim onto the top of the epaulettes.
Cross Medallion: A bead bought from Michael's
Silver Buttons on Collar: Hand-sewn onto the collar
Gold Stars on Collar: These are actually earrings! Just stick them through the fabric, put the back on them and ba-yum! Instant glory.
Rhinetsones on Coat: Attached with fashion tape-- bottom of jacket also positioned folded up with fashion tape
Belt Buckle: Bought somewhere online


For GD, I just played with my hair until something looked right. Everything else had looked either too female or just not "GD" enough, until finally I went a little crazy and found out my hair could do THAT. xD Then today as I was going through some pictures on my computer, I realized that GD actually did his hair very similarly!!

 GD and Taeyung

Believe it or not, the inspiration for my hair totally did not come from this picture. I was so amazed when I saw this!! xD Although for my outfit, I was inspired by GD's look on the High High album:

GD & TOP

Rachel, as T.O.P., was inspired by his outfit in the actual High High music video, which unfortunately I cannot find a picture of. =( I will probably take a screen shot later! But she even did the chain epaulettes like he has in the video. So awesome. *-*


If you have any questions about anything, please let us know by leaving a comment!

This one of the funnest events of my life. I absolutely LOVE performing and the energy of the crowd was fantastic. And I'm not gonna lie: I'm totally dreaming of GD & TOP seeing our video, noticing us, liking us, inviting us to come to Korea, becoming best friends with GD, and ending up as an English-speaking background dancer in all of their shows. O_O But you know, I dream small. ;D

If you would like to see additional photos, please visit my Flickr page! -^.^-

Until next time everyone!! Live, love, and give joy to others whenever you are able.

<3 Alyssa