Suspender Skirts (and Harajuku)

The fit and flare style is definitely not a fresh concept.  Yes, skater skirts were literally worn by figure skaters.  Flared skirts with bright colors- skaters began to wear them back in the old days.  Now they’re shorter, more modern and flared.

We’re done with skater skirts. And don’t forget the peplum dresses.  Because skater skirts become too mainstream, the fashion industry did some modifications. Although the suspender skirt idea is still not considered original and fresh, at least suspenders are cute and edgy.  Suspenders actually remind me of those androgynous looking guys in Lady Gaga’s video and  Jack of Titanic- my most vivid memories of suspenders.

I’m not really a fan of skirts. Oh well, let’s see.

Harajuku culture or fashion is popular worldwide. Even Gwen Stefani fell in love with it. The Harajuku Girls were featured in her stage shows and some Gwen Stefani music videos online.

If you like Tokyo fashion or anything Harajuku, then you should check these kawaii photos:

This Harajuku girl is wearing a Kawi Jamele plaid suspender skirt. You can click here for more details about her outfit.

She’s wearing her suspenders from H&M paired with her gingham shirt. Click here to see detailed photos of the whole outfit.

Suspender Skirts (and Harajuku)

Something Floral

Admit it, anything floral is cute. I’m not really into floral but looking at people wearing floral takes me to happy places- makes me remember something sweet, something comfy.

Here’s how I usually  wear my floral skirt.  When I go out, I sometimes wear shoes because I don’t want to go home with dirty feet.  Here in the Philippines it’s always summer. It’s a tropical country thus the humidity is high.  Obviously, the temperature is too hot and dust is everywhere. Wearing my Dr. Martens Shoreditch that I bought online from http://www.dmusastore.com/.

In the second photo I’m still wearing the laced floral skirt that I bought from a thrift store paired with my simple Forever21 top and thong sandals. This is weird because I don’t really wear thong sandals often.

Clothing brands are continuously producing floral outfits not just for women but also for men who like to explore their options when it comes to fashion. You can check other floral fashion ideas on Pinterest.

Something Floral

Dreamcatchers

Here’s my dreamcatcher, made by a friend. Because I keep having bad dreams lately, then I think I have a very good excuse of keeping one. Adios!

No matter how modern our ideas are, we still go back to old ideas, old beliefs though we live in different societies.

I grew up in a small town influenced by different stories about aswangs (vampire-like mythical creature in Filipino folklore), anting- antings (a Filipino word for “amulet” or “charm”) and other supernatural beliefs. Such stories evolved through the years, told and shared from generation to generation. Now, the aswang stories are gone. But our strong belief in the power of charms or amulets is still alive and we are consciously unconscious about it. We even buy golden frogs in Chinese stores for good luck. And dream catchers, in some cultures, could be a reflection of how humans feel the need to believe in something to survive, to adopt and to be at peace.

Dreamcatchers (dream catchers) originated in some Native American cultures and adopted by other neighboring areas through intermarriage and trade. A dream catcher can be decorated with what they consider “sacred” such as feathers and beads. Ojibwe people created dreamcatchers to protect infants and sleeping people. They trap the good dreams in the web, filter them while bad dreams would stay in the net and would then disappear in the morning. While dreamcatchers hold symbols and meanings to most Native Americans, non- Natives started to copy dreamcatchers for commercial reasons- a negative form of cultural appropriation.

While cultural appropriation is considered negative and commercialization of dreamcatchers is unacceptable for most Natives, dreamcatchers continue to become a trend in modern societies which could also be influenced by the New Age movement.  Well, I think cultural appropriation is just too  complicated to understand. And we are all guilty.

DIY dreamcatchers may look complicated at first glance but if you want to spend time making one, you can try by searching for dreamcatcher tutorials online.

Dreamcatchers

Acidrack

I know my LOG shirt is awesome.  So what I did was I cut the sleeves of the shirt because most band shirts are too big or too small for me. It’s actually more comfortable especially when it gets hotter everyday.  And the whole outfit looks simple yet badass.

Band shirts sizes are usually large or extra large. They still look big even if it’s medium sized though. This is a big problem for most girls who want to wear band shirts and still look hot. What I did was I just cut off the neck and arms of the shirt to fit. There are a lot of DIY T-shirt cutting designs online. You can check Pinterest for more DIY shirt design ideas.

I’m wearing my acid washed jeans that I bought from a thrift store and my pair of docs that I bought online.

Acidrack