Today I can don romantic lace and ribbons from head to toe. Tomorrow I can wear combat boots with crisp, preppy shirts. Such a bipolar personal style calls for versatile clothes, like this pair of studded high-waist shorts that I wear a lot nowadays. It has just the right balance between femininity and masculinity, shorts looking like a skirt but with studs to keep it kickass and all. 

Yesterday I challenged myself to wear the same shorts on two different occasions. During the day, I opted for my usual retro-girly look:

(Bayo sheer loose top, Bayo high-waist shorts, Romwe detachable collar, Poise heels) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Like these pictures? I have to thank my boyfriend for helping me take my pictures outdoors this time. He takes wonderful pictures of everyday life and writes interesting stuff about them, and we always joke about collaborating for my blog.

And it finally happened. It was fun to teach him how to take portraits like this since he hasn’t really tried it before. One of my most favorite outdoor outfit shoots to date, this turned out to be. You’re such a natural! 

Anyhow, this is so blinged out and sparkly that I decided to keep my wrists and fingers free from any other accessories.

Circle lenses and bottom lashes from Japanese Candy.

My hair is fading back to bright blonde again. Itching to touch-up the ash I got earlier this month.

Very unique-looking shoes an online store sent me last Christmas!

When evening arrived, I opted to wear something more polished and preppy:

(Bayo loose polo top, Bayo high-waist shorts, Five by Five “Olsen” boots, m)phosis accessories, from Japan glasses) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Managed to somehow pull it off without being too explicit with the shorts. I actually cheated by showing the studs on the shorts in my girly outfit, while hiding them in my boyish outfit. Ironic, eh? These small details make all the difference in the world. :)

So which of the two do you like better? Are you only inclined to either girly or boyish outfits, or are you bipolar like me?

Sponsored post.

(Zara top, Romwe shorts, Lololook vest, Gold Dot wedges, Louis Vuitton bag, from Japan bolo tie and geeky glasses) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Button-down shirts have a kind of versatility that I look for whenever I’m buying clothes or figuring out what to wear on a normal day. Sophisticated collars never fail to give that impression that you actually made an effort to dress up even if you didn’t, and the fact that you can pair button-down shirts with everything but produce different results every time makes them all the more deserving of being called a closet staple.

Here is something I produced out of sheer confusion from things happening in my life recently - heavy and covered top with bare legs to balance it all out!

(Topshop top, Romwe skirt, Snupped laptop bag, Patch Avenue heels, one spo detachable collar) You can hype this look on Lookbook here.

Orange and purple are two colors that together, I never thought I’d wear. But I did, all because I created an outfit based on a laptop bag that I’ve been using for the past 3 months or so, thanks to Snupped. Having gone through multiple airport scanners and the strangest corners and surfaces that you can find, it’s surprising how it’s still in mint condition and how I’ve never really worried about it dying in the middle of an overseas trip.

Snupped is a Singaporean company specializing in creating customized bags and cases for your most favorite gadgets. They say, “All Snupped cases are hand made and each Snupped case that leaves our hands is never the same as its older siblings. Instead of being mass manufactured by a machine in an offshore factory, our cases are handmade by real people, custom tailored to fit your laptop perfectly.”

And they really do fit perfectly. I chose a extra-handle zipper sleeve for my 15” Unibody MacBook Pro with a Love de Cru exterior design and a lavender polkadot interior design. As much as possible I’d want all my gadget cases to look as chic as they are functional, and I’m very happy my laptop is dressed in this particular one that I customized myself.

(Zara top, Romwe shorts, Dorothy Perkins tights and clutch, from Japan necklace turned tie, Feet for a Queen wedges) You can hype this look on Lookbook here.

(Romwe denim + leather top, Topshop shorts, Seventh Street crop top, Esperanza boots) You can hype this look on Lookbook here.

My obsession with this color is getting out of hand, I think. I’ve been wearing all my dark red/purple/burgundy/maroon colored clothes almost everyday since the year started, and I don’t think it’s going away any time soon.

The biggest challenge for me now is how to make it look different every time, given the type of color combinations I’m currently into. Albeit not deliberately, I wore the color in three ways (except I have yet to take a proper picture of my Sunday outfit that I uploaded on instagram - username: tgosingtian) from preppy to retro to grunge for my so-called wine colored weekend.

I wonder how long this will keep up.

(Romwe oversized top, from Korea oversized polo shirt, Topshop leggings, Doc Martens boots, Kissaholic satchel) If you like, you can hype this look on Lookbook here.

On lazy mornings when the weather is chilly and when your bed is trying so hard to keep you from properly starting your day, oversized clothes are absolute shelter for me. It’s like carrying on with your life wearing only a super-upgraded version of your pajamas.

(Romwe dress, Guess heels, Topshop necklace, Diva accessories) Hype on Lookbook here.

If the situation calls for this sort of fashion, my top-of-mind choice of dress would be one of my little black dresses with a super straight cut and long-ish sleeves. Throw in a nice golden clutch and this could transform into a good evening outfit. For quite some time now, I’ve been setting my eyes upon dresses that I could wear both during the day and at night. I was never the type to have a million outfit changes in a day, so dresses of this sort are classic examples of wardrobe investments.

My mum would always tell me as a kid that there are certain kinds of clothes that can last you 10, 15 or even 20 years, and that these are the ones that you shouldn’t skimp on or overlook. Last weekend, I splurged on the exact same dress that I saw her wear a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for being the ultimate inspiration!

P.S. (On a much heavier note) Praying for the victims of Typhoon Sendong in Visayas in Mindanao. Going to donate a lot of what I can for now - my clothes.

(Romwe dress, Michael Antonio heels, m)phosis necklace, from Malaysia detachable collar, from Hong Kong connector ring, Topshop nail polish) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Two reasons why I just had to get this dress: 1) K-pop singer IU wearing the same sweet dress on Inkigayo last November (picture above), and 2) The shiny studs making all the difference in the world by being accessories on their own.

Once I was featured in a magazine that asked me to present some of my most favorite dresses. I rummaged through my closet, hoping to get the best ones of course. However, like all shoots, time restraint got the best of me. Without having any more time to thoroughly think stuff through, I frantically grabbed all my most-used dresses and laid them out for the editors to see. Turns out, every single piece I unconsciously brought out had the same babydoll silhouette like this dress. 

Even if I deliberately want to try new things, I still end up going back to my roots and my original preferences. New Year is right around the corner - maybe I should add “Buy more mature-looking clothes.” to my list of resolutions?