Foot Soldiers

Girls, can we finally have an honest conversation?  Can we just admit that we have the most disgusting feet in the world?  Despite having pedicures, pretty polishes, paraffin baths, pumices and foot lotions, our feet are still the most used-up calloused looking feet to ever walk the earth.  And it's not like we don't know why.  We know it's because of the torture devices that we strap onto our feet everyday.  Those amazing strappy sandals or brand new $800 red soled pumps are causing our heels to bleed, or toes to bleed, or smashing our feet or causing us to have that weird bump on the side of our pinky toe!  I mean what is that!?!?  But, that's not all they're doing.  Even though our shoes are so beautiful, they are just covering up a more disgusting problem: Dry, Crusty Feet.  I actually have a foot pumice that is made of fiberglass and diamonds (Diamancel) and is touted as the most powerful foot file in the world.  Yes, that's right, it literally takes the strongest metal in the world to file down whatever grows on my feet. I mean, it makes sense since our feet are exposed to the elements daily and smashed into all kinds of straps. Unlike my husband's feet which are in the safety of his soft white Fruit of The Loom athletic socks and Chucks all day.  I swear his feet are so milky and soft that if i were stab them, they would bleed aloe vera.  The cost for beauty and the irony of it all. 

I do battle with my dry, crusty feet everyday and it involves a daily routine of soaping, soaking and then awkwardly standing in the shower and pumicing my skin off.  It was getting tiresome, and honestly, I don't really know how much more skin I can take off.  So, I decided to try Babyfoot  (I discovered it here on People StyleWatch).  You just stick your feet in these plastic booties with some goo in them for an hour and then in 2-10 days layers of your dead skin start to fall off naturally.  I got the "natural" lavender scent and the process was as "natural" as having lavender smelling goo all over your feet in plastic booties can be.  It's pretty gross waking up in a pile of your own skin, but it's so amazing to see a whole new set of feet!  And what will I do with these brand new feet?  I'm not sure, probably stuff them into my new pair Tibi strappy sandals.  I mean, I have to show off my new feet! 

A Bob and Big Dreams

What business does a little Asian girl with a bob haircut have being on page 142 of InStyle's September issue?  None.  Absolutely none.  I'm no fashion designer, no celebrity stylist or magazine editor; and I'm definitely no model.  I'm just a girl who loves pretty clothes, much like a lot of other girls who love pretty clothes.  Looking through the glossy pages of Vogue, Elle or InStyle, there was absolutely no reason for me to be on any of those pages.  But there I am, smashed between a Levi's and an Oil of Olay ad...an absolute dream come true. It just goes to show that anyone who loves something, like the way I love pretty clothes, can accomplish their dreams and see their outfit in a fashion feature.  Sally Field said it best when she accepted her Academy Award saying, "you love me, you really love me!"  And if you don't love me, at least you love what I'm wearing.  So, I think that the universe is telling me something, and that something is to share my love of pretty clothes more. I hope that you guys will read along with me as I try to give more of my colored opinions about clothes and shoes and fashion faux pas here and hopefully beyond.  

My recent Style Nobody to Style Star status has also given me a major style superiority complex to match. This means that for as long as my issue is out on newsstands , if you feel like I'm judging your outfit or that I have all the fashion answers, it's probably because I am and I do.  Therefore, my first piece of advice as a fashion authority is this: always look sharp, take some risks and put yourself out there because you never know where your outfit will take you.  

Bralette Tops

Topshop Bralette Top

Club Monaco Bralette Top 

I'm over thirty and I wore a bralette top last week.  I also wanted to clarify that I am not J.Lo, and I was not in Las Vegas where I could wear a bralette top and just say "but I was in Vegas".  Nope, I was in good ole San Francisco in a bralette top.  I'm always very good at finding the right cool and age appropriate attire, so this was definitely my first foray into Old Lady Dressing Young-Land and trust me--there are rules:

1.  The first rule is pretty obvious: cover yourself up!  If you are over 30 and wearing a bra as a top then you should be covering your top up. There should be no delusions as to who you think you are and you are definitely NOT either of those 22 year-old girls in the photos wearing bra tops about to paint the town red.  No, you're out of paint.  So, always pair your bralette top with some sort of outerwear like a jean jacket, leather moto jacket or blazer.  

2.  Second: never show your belly button--ever.   Not even a little.  Not even if you think you have a cute one.  Not even if you think that it's ok because it's just the tip of the top of your belly button.  Nobody has a cute one and even "just the tip" is way too much.  

3.  Third: always wear something high-waisted. The finger test has been used for centuries by Catholic School Girls and short skirts and it will work for 30-somethings and crop tops.  Use your finger and measure out and inch and that's the maximum amount of midriff you should be showing.  Pull those pants up ladies!

Apparently, there is also a secret fourth rule that I discovered on a Tuesday lunch date with a friend.  I met up with her for the first time ever for a laid back girl date.  All the ingredients for a great girl date were there; there was a salad bar, sunshine, sitting al fresco with some sparkling water--and then my ass in a bralette top.  It seemed fine, it seemed great! Up until 10 minutes into our lunch when she asks me why I was in a bralette top.  Yup, that happened.  Then, I quickly realized that maybe there is only one rule: just don't wear bralette tops!

After 30 seconds, I dismissed that because I was already in the damn thing and I was sucking in so hard I could barely swallow my potato salad.  So ladies, rule four: don't wear a bralette top on a Tuesday lunch date with a friend...who is now also a bitch.  

If This Is Prabal Gurung, Then I Don't Want To Be Prabal Gu-Right

I'm usually not a fan of the lower priced designer collaborations.  Other than the Missoni for Target collaboration, which was amazing because how can you go wrong with zig-zags?  But, most of the time the designer collaborations are always what they seem to be: cheaper, uglier, and only slightly reminiscent versions of the designer's awesome REAL collection.  For example, how can we forget Maison Martin Margiela for H&M's collection, which was quite obviously designed exclusively for crazy performance artists and street protesters.  However, Prabal Gurung's collection for Target which launched on February 10, 2013 nationwide and online is the absolute coolest.  Every piece in the collection is cool, edgy and perfect for the urban street gal. The prices are happy and cheap, so most likely it's all sold out by now.  You can probably get it on ebay for 10x the Target price; in which case it's the same price as a piece from the regular Prabal Gurung collection but will only last you two wears because, lets face it, it's still Target clothes.  But to those of you who got to bask in the glow of cheap Prabal Gurung for those 30 beautiful minutes before it sold out, congratulations, you definitely win for being best dressed in Target clothes.