Flowers are EVERYwhere in Atlanta right now, which is why my nose is completely stopped up. Plus side? Lots of photo opps. Top, Citizen jeans, hat, and necklace are all Anthro of course. And then that beautiful golden leather bag is one of my newest, care of the one and only Neva Opet.
There comes a time every season when you see a dress and you just HAVE to have it. This irrepressible feeling is the measure by which you judge all your purchases. Say hello to the one that did it for me.
I would never call myself trendy, but this dress is undeniably “Boho Chic” which, let’s face it, is a trend that never goes away. I keep reading that the fashion world is at such a point of saturation that there are no huge trends anymore; buying is all over the place and everything that was once old is new again.
Don’t know when it happened, but I no longer flaunt my legs so midi dresses and maxi dresses are now my dress silhouette staples. I guess I’m just tryin’ to keep it classy and comfortable. The uneven hem on this particular floral maxi dress has the perfect amount of flirt, revealing just a little skin as I walk.
As a woman in her late 20s, my style is starting to settle into its true form. It’s more pared down than it used to be, with an emphasis on quality over quantity (predictably so) while still retaining an openness to the avant garde. I love a great pattern, but neutrals are my thing too. I love the classics – a chambray shirt, a pencil skirt, a turtleneck sweater – but I also crave modernity with some twists to keep things interesting.
I’ve been pretty quiet on the blog front, but it’s not for a lack of desire, interest, or content. I’ve been spending my free moments over the past few weeks being a maker – doing things instead of dreaming of doing them.
Earlier this year I applied to Indie Craft Experience’s Holiday Spectacular thinking that getting into this event would light a fire under my butt and.. boy, did it ever. Feeling under the gun, I’ve been making decisions and spending money on new products without second thought. I leapt.
I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch, but I want this to be it. I want this to be the real actual start of me feeling like I’ve got a direction. It’s never felt so close to being real and I don’t want this to stop. As exhausted and scared as I am, I am happy that I’m willing myself into this. More to come soon.
It’s been so brutally hot lately that I’ve found it extra challenging to look put together. Luckily I’m the proud owner of many floral jumpsuits and rompers that create a look with just one piece. My newest addition is this black and white beauty from, yes of course, Anthro.
You may say, “I just can’t wear jumpsuits”. Well, I defy you and say somewhere out there is the perfect one waiting for you to try it on. Just try it on. Come on, just try it on! It’s all about finding the right fit, the right pattern, the right silhouette. I’m really lucky that I can take on a variety of shapes, but for jumpsuits (and actually a lot of pieces), I’ve found that Petite sizing is the way to go. Anthro Petites is where I’ve found wide leg pants, jumpsuits, tank tops, and more, in sizes that feel much more tailored to my body.
My motto is, just give it a go. You’ll have some shopping trips where nothing works out and that’s totally normal, but don’t let it dishearten you and stunt your style. Cuts will vary between brands and between seasons, so never rule anything out for good. You never know, it might just be the solution to all your style woes someday.
floral jumpsuit / anthropologie
sunglasses / urban outfitters
shoes / steve madden
albeit lip color / anthropologie
For the first print of 2015, I decided it was time to incorporate some hand lettering into my work. I knew I wanted to create something romantic for Valentine’s Day, but I was afraid it could turn into something trite. While I’m a big fan of a bunch of stuff already out there, I just wanted to make something at least a little different. Something that would be a bit more unexpected. And then it just happened upon me one afternoon, all of a sudden.
This famous French phrase, technically a couplet, is something I recalled from my high school days. Don’t ask me where I originally saw it – I think maybe on a locket from Etsy somewhere. Anyways, it is originally written by Rosemonde Gérard, from her poem, “L’éternelle chanson” (“The Eternal Song”) or “Les Vieux” (“The Old Ones”) and translates to:
For, you see,
each day I love you more,
Today more than yesterday
and less than tomorrow.
What do you think? .. I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback. If you do love it, they’re now available for purchase in the shop here!
You can now shop my prints! Check out the “shop” tab above and start building your Christina Kwan collection. This is my very very first online shop and I’m so excited to have these prints going out for the holiday season.
If you have any questions about purchasing and/or shipping, feel free to email me at christina@tideandbloom.com … Can’t wait for you to have a piece of my heart in your home.
I call this post stretching because this pattern was a little bit different than what I’m used to doing. I’m trying to stretch my painting muscles here and really figure out what it is feels most natural for my hands while still having great visual impact. Sometimes that means planning and sometimes it means diving right in.
The inspiration for these shapes was a combination of retro 70s textiles and Dutch illustration. Looking back on it, I could have thrown in a variety of colors to play up the floral-fruit motif, but I stuck with blue for harmony’s sake.
Name: Lucy Dazilma
City: Atlanta, GA
Day Job: Publicity Assistant.
All-the-time Job: Blogger. Foodie. Observer.
Describe your style in 5 words or less.
Comfort chic / understated snatched.
Who and what inspires your style?
Hmmm…that’s kind of tough. There are people who I admire with style I do not necessarily want to emulate. I’m confident enough in my own style to appreciate when I see a trendsetter.
This outfit (minus the hat) won me a best-dressed contest at work and though it’s taken me quite a long time to put it on again, I’m still in love. I’m obsessed with jumpsuits/rompers and I bought this one way out of season last fall (out of season = great deal). People tend to think jumpsuits are difficult to wear, but I think it’s quite the opposite.
I bow down to the creators of Pinterest. Never have I ever had such organized imagery inspiration to keep track of all the things that make me look or think twice. As you can imagine, the boards closest to my heart are those related to my craft – art, installation, and illustration. Here is some of my favorite illustrative work found via Pinterest:
eats
animals
fashion
plantlife
For more illustrious inspiration, check out my illustration board on Pinterest!