Stripes and Flowers

(I actually wrote this two days ago but I didn’t have time to post it up until now)

I just came back from Urban Outfitters after a pretty relaxing family trip to the National Aquarium today (there was one nearby so I just had to drop in!!), and I saw SOOO many things I wanted to get!! –But sadly, I could only bite my lip and stare at them on the rack (imagine me standing there forever and looking suspicious) because I promised myself that I’d only shop once a month if I have to, and I already did so this month ; _;… (But I know I'll run into them again later on!!) —Okay so here are what I spotted.

A lovely striped, long tee with cute little buttons on the quarter sleeves ($38).

I like how the stripes don’t begin immediately but rather from chest down but not all the way. This style is quite popular now as you’ve probably already been seeing many similar copies of it. Cute, sassy, and simple. It’s so easy to match in any outfit—it is the perfect basic top to have in your wardrobe!

A gorgeous, pocket-full, leather satchel ($68). I’ve been looking for one of these things everywhere lately!! And now I’ve found it! I absolutely love how it has a pocket on each side and not only does it have handles, it also has a shoulder strap—hence a ‘luggage’/messenger bag’ kind of feel. (The look is too cool.) And the size of it is awesome! I adore big, roomy, soft—and apparently from the looks of my recent taste, quite old-looking material things! I was so excited to see it—and I’m not even a huge bag-fan type of girl.

Hm.. I thought I wasn’t ever going to be fond of floral prints either. But when I saw this gorgeous blue chiffon dropwaist dress ($58), it made me second glance at it and then I thought, …what pretty colors…! Rather than your usual ‘grandmother’s old table cloth’ print, it looked to me like a handful of wild flowers gently tossed into a pond of dark blue. And because the material is light and chiffon, in movement, it is starting to look to me now like the wind made the water ripple and flowers scatter along the flutters! (Sorry not trying to sound like a crazy fashion blogger now… ^^;; But seriously, don’t you think so…? XD) I’m sure if a cute little, white, knit, short sleeve jacket were thrown over it, topped with a straw fedora, it’d be a beautiful combination! ^^ (Too bad I haven’t worn a dress either in ages—me and my pants HA— Look what these trends did to me. -_- They made me talk about bags and dresses. )

So much to choose from!!! *drool*

But I don’t know about these jumpers. Not quite something  I'd wear but the model really makes you change your mind. o.o What do you think?

(ruffle floral print jumpsuit, $34.20 - Puffy @ YesStyle.com)

Oh No, Summer for Tall People?

(top left: oversized pocket racerback tank, $10 - CharlotteRusse, bottom left: fragrant knit top, $19.80 - Forever21, center: lace back asymmetric hem top, $38 - Redopin @ YesStyle.com, right: oversized tshirt, $38 - Redopin @ YesStyle.com)

This summer, I am all about oversized tees and sleeveless tops. Not only are they super comfy - especially in the ickiest, humid weather possible ... surprisingly, they compliment you too! Well first of all, I need to make something clear. They say short people have trouble finding clothes that compliment their figure and elongate their height. But, as a 5'7'', I have to say it is just as hard for us tall people to dress too! At often times, I end up making myself appear even taller, thinner, and giant-like than I really am. People always assume I'm 5'8''-_-, and my aunt who is probably around 5'2 or 3, ALWAYS buys me clothes that are Large and shoes that are 9 or 10! --- I 'm a Small and a size 8 1 / 2!!! : (

So I came to one conclusion. Maybe this is already common sense for you, but in case you don't already know --- tall people, AVOID VERTICAL LINES, PERFECT-FIT, SHORT TOPS, QUARTER SLEEVES, and CAPRIS. Okay well, that doesn't mean you can't ever wear those things. You just have to know how to balance them out with other things, rather than wearing them by themselves. So let me explain what I mean.

VERTICAL LINES - Say you have a long top that ends halfway before your knees. Now, by itself, it will create the illusion of a long torso. The pro of this is that if it is a short sleeve, it is okay to wear it alone with a normal pair of jeans because the sleeves help make your arms look less long, and consequently, the length of the top shortens your legs. To complete the look or to further "shrink" my height, I would usually throw in a small vest or jacket. (Not ones that are just as long! You want to create horizontal lines or "layers".) Sometimes a belt would even work too. The point is, as long as you have horizontal lines too, you are fine.

(left: ribbed cardigan, $20 - Puffy @ YesStyle.com) 

(left: inset jeweled vest and print top, $28 - Puffy @ YesStyle.com)

PERFECT FIT - I don't know. Some people like their height and like to show it off. But if you are like me, and you find yourself feeling a bit awkward in a crowd because you stand out like a giraffe, then don't wear clothes that cling to you or are super fitting. The reason why not is because technically, our limbs and structure are much longer than everyone else's =/... so instead of wearing clothes that are exactly our length, we have to turn to those that are actually much more exaggerated or abstract ^ ^;; Hence, roomier, drapier, longer clothing! -But this is tricky, don't wear TOO much of it that it starts to look like you just tumbled out of your daddy's closet! Choose one favorite "abstract" piece of clothing and then balance it with a fitting piece!

SHORT TOPS - We're starting to see a lot of super short, wide tops now, I have a few of my own too. Here's how you're supposed to wear them (or at least, how I do) - right over a longer / fitting top or even a dress. The con about short tops is that if paired wrong with the rest of your outfit, you will end up making your legs or the bottom half of your figure look stretched out, or longer.

And you know, layers not only help proportonize, but they also add a spark of creativity and edge to your look. You're probably thinking though, that the layering days are gone with winter now, well not quite!

Thanks to these fun and lightweight/thin clothes, summer can go layers too!

(above: that's me in my outfit of the day haha)

QUARTER SLEEVES & CAPRIS - Same deal; when paired incorrectly, they will make your arms and legs look longer. Imagine wearing quarter sleeves WITH capris! O_O Oh no, then you'd look like a you've totally outgrown your clothes haha. (But for average height people, this is okay to do.) So what to do about that then? : / Hm .. you can either wear quarter sleeves with long bottoms or shorts, and capris with a long sleeves or a long top with short sleeves. -Again, I recommend a roomy top with your capris.

(<- knit top, $18/ cropped jeans, $35 - Puffy @ YesStyle.com)

Here's another question for you----Do you absolutely LOVE heels and want to wear them to look cute or charming but only end up looking "awkward" or HOT? (A very confident word yes, but in this case, a negative!)

Yes, I've had this problem before too. : (  (But thankfully I'm a bigger fan of flats and comfort so I don't really wear heels that much. XD)
Well if you want to keep your heels, then you should! Don't feel like you have to throw them away or shun yourself from wearing them because of this! Just remember to balance, balance, and balance! Wear a super wide comfy top-together with shorts and heels-preferably ankle or tall boots and you should look rather dashing! (Yay for horizontal lines!)
Of course, there's nothing we can really do about our height so at least we have to thank God there are so many clothes that allow us to illusionize / balance! After spending my high school years feeling all this awkwardness, I've finally grown to love my figure and proportion! You really have to appreciate yours, too, and think, what beautiful long legs or arms or torso you have. Never feel that just because the average people around you are shorter than you, there are no clothes to look good on you! Just choose the right ones and find the most comfortable you!! :)

Here's a BIG clue if you want something to remember by from this post, and that's---BIG things, shrink you. SMALL things, expand you. So if you are short and you have BIG objects on you (accessories or wide clothing) they will only make you look even smaller! Vice versa, if you are tall and you have SMALL objects on you, they will make you look bigger. So flip the two! ;)-And that's why I found my happiest resort for the summer! --- BIG TEES AND SHORTS / LEGGINGS WITH FLIP FLOPS / HIGH TOP SNEAKERS!!

What's your look for the summer?

PS: Sorry, I think I lied when I wrote in my first entry, that that was going to be my only longest post HAHA! Oh well, I guess I meant to say, it'll be my only boring-ist post. : D

PPS: This post was originally for those who have trouble accepting their height and need help on how to dress so they don't stand out like a giant, but as a natural, beautiful person. So if you actually love emphasizing the wonderful height and long limbs you have, then very good! Please don't feel insulted by this post-I am not trying to tell you to hide them! Haha ~ ^ o ^

[PHOTOS THAT ARE NOT FROM ME ARE FROM YESSTYLE.COM, FOREVER21.COM, AND CHARLOTTERUSSE.COM]

Why ICONscious?

Hello, hello! First post here. So…

Why the name, ICONscious?
The name that originally came to me was actually “i-conscious”, short for “ivy-conscious”—as in this blog was going to be about the style that I love and infamously known to my family and close friends as “ivy style” (haha!). The letter “I” could also stand for the pronoun,“me” as in fashion is a very self-conscious topic.

But then the name became written as ICONscious, and I thought that made way more sense—to be iconically conscious is also what fashion is all about! So now, the name has three different meanings.

Why did I start this blog?

I really never thought of starting one! But as most of my friends and family may know, I am back home right now on a very important break before I return to school in New York so during this time I have here, I realized I do need a way to keep myself motivated and a way for me to keep my ideas running.

So I decided to give this blog a blind shot—hoping that it will help me in those ways. It'll be like keeping a fashion diary! (I should warn you though, if you are following this blog, that I can be very lazy sometimes ^^;; so hopefully, having viewers (and wanting to keep up with those goals I mentioned) will train me to be more responsible and active!)

So you see, I am not commiting a how-to or a documentary for anyone unless you'd like me to, because I do not dare say that I am professional enough to guide anyone. And I will not be disappointed either if no one reads this because my goal is not to have X number of viewers but rather to simply share openly, my thoughts and what I find alluring, with my deepest and most sincere passion in the topic of fashion. ---So view and comment as you like! I will be posting up more entries and pictures of what I've discovered in the past and recently, pretty soon!

Lastly, thanks a bunch for viewing! Please follow ICONscious if you like the topics I cover—Support me! =] (And please share with me your thoughts on my entries. I’d like to know what you think too!!)

LOVE, IVY