Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Movin' On Up

Julia is on holiday right now. You know, traveling places. While I'm here....

Now, I'm not saying I've been off looking for a replacement bffl or anything, but if I were, I'd for sure want it to be this girl. I mean, how cool does she look?! She'd be a total step up for me, too. Julia has NEVER looked this good. (And we all know how important it is to have well-dressed friends.)

I've been puzzling over her shirt for ages though. Those are Smurfs, right? Like, in a Cubist sort of way?

Yes, they definitely are. Or, maybe... they really aren't at all?? Ughh WHERE'S JULIA WHEN I NEED HER?


Monday, February 25, 2013

Sorry, Superman.

First, I love this guy's ensemble. Total Chiang Mai street style. When I asked to take his photo he nodded and then immediately whipped out his cell phone. So I was like, "Cool! He wants the shot to look natural, as if he's just talking to a friend on the phone, love it."

Except now looking at these pictures I'm thinking that right after I asked to take his photo someone actually did call him, and he had to be all like, "Eh... sorry man, can I call you back? Some girl is standing here taking pictures of me. Like, right NOW."

Oops. At least he looks really good! And totally natural! Like, if it wasn't a real phone call, he totally sold it.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Over the Rainbow

As I'm sure you've noticed by now, street style in Chiang Mai isn't just about locals. Tourism in the city is thriving and while individual tourists come and go, the ever present stream of visitors in areas like Nimmanhaemin and the old city plays a huge role in defining Chiang Mai street style.

Luckily for us, these foreign fashionistas usually are happy to pause for a photo and speak excellent English. Except sometimes they don't. Which means Julia and I need to work on honing our communicating-with-gestures skillz.

This colorful bunch did not seem to get my pantomiming (like seriously, how could they NOT get that my pointing at the girl's shoes and pretending to type means fashion blog??) and seemed highly skeptical when I pulled out the camera.


But then all of a sudden they decided that it was hilarious and could not. stop. laughing.
There was one more guy in the group who had neon mint pants that I really wanted to photograph, but he mysteriously disappeared when I pulled out the camera. Which is totally fair. But THEN he reappeared once I was finished so that he could take a bunch of pictures of me. I mean, I guess that's fair too.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Fashion Mensa

So we've talked about fashion genius and those days when you just know someone is going to want to take your picture. But what about those people for whom fashion genius is no fleeting thing, like, actual fashion geniuses? You know, people who aren't just trying to sound modest when they say, "What this old thing? I threw this on while rushing out the door this morning. I mean, I'm just glad I didn't put it on inside out!" (Yes, totally guilty of saying this. And no, it has never been true). But the maddening thing about real fashion geniuses is how freaking awesome they look even on their "off days."

When I asked this woman for her photograph she just looked at me blankly: "This outfit? No, no, no, this outfit is no good!"

I just stared at her back: "But, but your skirt! Your hat! YOUR PHONE CASE MATCHES YOUR SHOES!!!!!"

So eventually she took pity on me and was all like, "Well if you must..."
And now while she goes off to her fashion Mensa meeting I'm going to go home and wallow in a pile of my ugly, ugly clothes. WHY CAN'T I BE LIKE HER????

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Burmese Daze

We're gettin traditional on ya'll ova here!

Chiang Mai is home not only to wild stylish creatures, and fashion fans but also to a vibrant and hardworking  Burmese community. Photographed here is a friend wearing a hybrid of traditional Burmese dress.The hybrid part being the collard shirt, the traditional part being the wrapped, frabric longyi and  flip flops. Now for a lil bit of Burmese Fashion 101: the longyi is a tubular piece of fabric commonly worn by both men and women through out Burma. Men tie the longyi in a loose knot at the center of their waist (photo here) and women fold and wrap the fabric like a sarong and tuck it in at their waist (no photo available).  It is super comfortable and airy, which is perfect for living in a country where itissohotIwouldbecoolersittinginafurnace.


The longyi is an essential part of Burmese traditional dress; however, it is very popular as casual wear as well. When I was visiting Burma I was surprised and thrilled to see so many men and women strutting the longyi. The fabric comes in all sorts of crazy cool and beautiful patterns and each ethnic group has their own distinctive look.

My personal favourite part of the Burmese traditionalbutoftenwornascasual dress are the gadibas which are velvet flip flops, that's right velvet flip flops. Burma has been hiding this secret for too long (to be fair they have been a pariah state for several decades) but now that is opening up, people gotta know, gadibas are the coolestchicestcomfortableist to slip your feet it AND they have the nicest sounding name because it almost rhymes with godiva..


Funny story about gadibas though: When I was in Burma and was introduced to these magical slippers I headed to the first stores I could find to buy myself a pair. Now women's and men's gadibas are different. The strap part for men is thicker and the soles are wider while the women's version is slimmer, with thinner and often decorated straps. After visiting the first gadiba store I realized that my feet were too big for the largest female size #whitegirlproblemsinasia so I was like "no problem I will just buy the boys version, because no one will notice and I will totally fit it". Wrong, oh my I was sososo wrong. As I walked to my office it was just repeated takes of people looking at my feet, looking at my face, looking at my feet and then scrunching up their face, I swear if I had wheels for feet people would have been less confused and offended. I quickly returned to the office, coming milliseconds away from breaking the world record for speed walking, and swore not to wear my beloved men's gadibas until I returned to a country were the offensive rate wasn't 10/10.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Continuing into the wild

Lions and tigers and zebras oh my Chiang Mai! 

Ugh sorry, I'm the worst.

But apparently spring is bringing out people's wild side in Chiang Mai! And apparently locals are immune to the hot hot heat we've started to have here. At least that's good blog news; while Julia and I melt into puddles of sweat there will still be plenty of people sporting fashionable scarves and cute jeans for us to photograph. Phew. Now just to get them to come to us in our air conditioned apartments so that we don't actually have to go outside anymore...


Monday, February 18, 2013

Take a step on the wild side

The zebra (subgenuses Hippotigri sand Dolichohippus) is an majestic animal characterized by its black and white stripes. No two zebras have the same pattern of stripes making their unique coat a an emblem of individuality. These wild and wonderful herbivores are native to the wild savanna of Africa but can also be spotted in an escape to Madagascar aided by penguins or trotting the streets of Chiang Mai's hippest neighborhood.
Their fierce style and confidence are to be admired by other creatures of the animal kingdom, particularly the zebra's close relative, the donkey.
We can observe here how the Chiang Mai zebra blends into its Thailand environment by using the Thai tradition of adorning things with gold.
Markings of a true individual




Saturday, February 16, 2013

Why Not?

Why not.... wear a rainbow scarf?
put on a denim skirt?

slip into some mesh shoes?

So in love with the people of Chiang Mai rocking their own styles.

Also just to be clear, these captions are totally meant to be read to the tune of Hilary Duff's most awesome song ever, after which this post is (obviously) titled. Not that anyone could possibly need a refresher, but you know, the song that's all like:

You think you're going nowhere
when you're walking down the street
Acting like you just don't care
when life could be so sweet
So why you wanna be like that,
This is nothing new
You're not foolin no one
you're not even foolin you

So walk a little slower
and open up your eyes
sometimes its so hard to see
the good things pass you by
There may never be a sign
no flashing neon light
tellin you to make your move
or when the time is right (so)

why not (Why not)
take crazy chance
why not (Why not)
do a crazy dance
if you lose the moment
you might lose a lot
so why not why not

(why not take a crazy chance, why not take a crazy chance)

Hilary continues with a reminder that you always dress in yellow, when you wanna dress in gold (how did she KNOW??) and warning that you'll never get to heaven, or EVEN TO LA, if you don't believe there's a waaaaay. Like seriously, so thankful to have had this wisdom shared with me as a teenager. I really hope kids these days are getting similar support from Miley Cyrus  Selena Gomez  Demi Lovato .... wait, you guys, who IS the reigning Disney Channel queen these days??? 

Okay, now go and youtube all of Hilary Duff's old music videos, we know you want to (but maybe don't read the comments because they will make you feel SO OLD). 

Friday, February 15, 2013

Trendy Fridays: Hats and Glasses


Often used by celebrities to conceal their identity, hats and glasses tend to look better when they showcase one's individuality and personal style.. although they do make for a fun quiz game! http://travel.aol.co.uk/2012/10/02/celebrities-airport-hiding-quiz-heathrow/

right on

punchedyaindaface



These girls bring memories of another post from this week about fashionable friends and calls forth question 4: Do they know they look the same?

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Fashion Genius

Sometimes I feel awkward approaching strangers and asking to take their photos to post online. But most people have actually seemed really pleased about it, and I think I probably would be as well. I mean, I think we've all had days when we're staring blankly into our wardrobe and then fashion genius strikes and we put together the most killer outfit ever. And I know I always want that genius to be acknowledged, like to the point where I'll keep track of whom I've seen that day so I can make sure to repeat this outfit the next time I'm with a different circle of friends.

This girl was totally having one of those days. Like, when we made eye contact I swear SHE nearly approached ME asking if I wanted to take her photo. She was so ready. And SO cool.









Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Ms Chic and Mr Simple

'Street Style' became a thing when people started to look at the streets they walked and noticed how darn well dressed people were. Street style bloggers typically spend their time on any average street, in any average place, where average people are usually dressed averagely: no meat dresses, super high wedged heels or funky sci-fi sunglasses. Yet in such average circumstances stylish people roam in numbers and the cameras flash in their direction. What is the key to their style success you ask? It lies in the delicate balance of chic and simple, looking good without too much fuss. The following two people captured this balance well in their ensembles, thus we shall name them Chic and Simple.


Ms Chic

and

Mr Simple

The perfect fashionable pair

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

On Wednesdays We Wear Pink

Point of interest: Fashionable Friends
When one sees a group of stylish people the following questions may come to mind...

1) Are they all fashionable out of community spirit, like Ionlylookgoodifshelooksgood kinda deal?
2) Is there a hierarchy of style in the group where one person dictates what the others wear? (A la Mean Girls for example)
3)Are they friends because they all like fashion and are stylish?
4) Do they know they all look the same?

I am sure these questions never ever cross your mind when admiring people's outfits and most likely never will. I guess some questions are better left unanswered.



These girls were hard to miss in their bright sweaters. By coincidence (I think not!) or by intention these three looked like a set of triplets.  Each sported a colourful cardigan

...a straw(ish) hat

...round sunglasses
...flip flops (Ok, this was most likely coincidental)

...and a whole lotta style (Definitely not coincidental)


Monday, February 11, 2013

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Brush with Celebrity [Shoes]

People in Chiang Mai are for the most part super friendly and helpful, and so far everyone Julia and I have asked to photograph has been been really sweet about it. Like, no one has rolled their eyes or laughed in our faces (yet). But there's still always that awkward moment when I'll be staring at someone trying to decide if I should approach them for a photo and they are clearly all like, "why is that foreign girl looking at me like that, she's the one with the gross hair, I should be staring at HER" (which is totally fair since I haven't had a haircut since August). Like, one time I was checking out a girl's purse and I guess I was focusing on it a little too intensely because she looked alarmed, clutched it tightly and walked away from me really quickly. I was about to run after her to explain that I was only going to PHOTOGRAPH her purse not STEAL it, but then I realized that chasing after her might not be the best idea. I mean, I don't think Thai prison is quite as fun as Bridget Jones would have us all believe.

But with this couple there was none of that. They didn't seem at all surprised to see me staring at them, and when I asked for their photo they responded with two sweet, patient smiles. That, along with their good looks and perfect English, makes me think they must be CELEBRITIES. I mean, right?!
I want her top. And her boyfriend.

Okay so maybe they aren't celebrities (but maybe they are!!). When I told Julia about them she said that this woman had the same reaction. Like, she knew she was looking good that day and of COURSE someone was going to want to document it.
And when Julia showed me her picture I was like, well duh she was expecting to be photographed, she's wearing Taylor Swift's shoes!!! 

But apparently Julia isn't caught up on her Swifty news, because she took the detail shot of the watch instead. 


Friday, February 8, 2013

Behind the Screen

Being a street style blogger is a lot like being a fisherman; while a fisherman sits in his boat or sails the seas in search of fish, we sit in trendy cafes and wander neighborhoods in search of stylish outfits. Fortunately, Chiang Mai is a small pond abundant in fashionable fish and a catch of the day isn't hard to find! Here are a few photos from our first blogging trip, a view from behind the screen.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Fashion Yes

Sweetest girl I have photographed for this blog. 
(Okay fine she was also the first. But so nice!)


Man, these Thai girls know what is up when it comes to posing for photos.

Well, for the most part. 

Me: "Sorry, do you speak English? Can we take your photo for our fashion blog?"

Girl with the apple pants: "Fashion yes."

I'm not entirely sure what turns a normal yes into a fashion yes, but it could have something to do with awesome velvet platforms. At any rate, I'm totally on board. Like, do you think this watch goes with this bracelet? Fashion yes. Do you want to go shopping this weekend? Fashion yes. Should we ask the girl in the metallic shorts for her photo? Fashion yes.

Thanks apple pants girl, you are a totes fashion yes in our book blog <3 And fingers crossed that's not a condom wrapper you're standing on (^).