Fashion Friday: Q&A Edition

I was supposed to post this last week but I was actually on a plane last Friday, so that didn’t work out. Today is a Q&A edition of Fashion Friday, and I’ve answered questions related to fashion/beauty that people have asked me. I’ll return to outfit posts with the next one. If you missed out on asking a question, post it in the comments below and I’ll update this post with my answer.

What’s one essential item you’d never be without?

This question was asked by Emmie.

Probably my engagement ring, now. 😆 But I usually can’t leave home without earrings. I have three piercings in each ear and my ears just feel naked if any are left without earrings. I wear silver earrings most of the time so they are okay to shower with, but every now and then I take them off to clean them, and I might forget to put them back in. I even go running and to the gym with earrings, so it definitely trumps ‘can’t live without’ things like, say, my handbag.

I wear sunglasses all the time, in the mornings and during the day when I am outside, even if it is winter. My eyes are very sensitive to light, and I often get ‘sun headaches’, so I feel awful without my sunglasses. I take them with me in my bag all the time. I was not always dependent on them until about three years ago.

Other than that, from a less fashion-related point of view, there is obviously my phone and ID (driver’s license), which I do need to carry with me everywhere.

Me in a bright green poncho
early 2015: dat poncho.

Do you own any attire that doesn’t go with much but you can’t let go of it?

This question was also asked by Emmie.

Yes, definitely. I wrote a list of all my clothes recently and I am hanging on to a few that I have grown out of but can’t seem to get rid of. One of them is the green poncho I wore in Limeade, which I feel is too bright for the universe! I also have a brown skirt that my aunt made for me (that’s why it is hard to let go of) but I don’t like the colour and it only goes with brown, which is too much for my liking.

I have a pair of purple jeans and a pair of light green ones that don’t really go with anything I own anymore. The thing is, they fit me so well, and are designed by Guess, so even though I bought them on sale, the quality is very good. It’s hard letting go of them and I am not sure who I could sell them to.

How much is the most you’d spend on…

These questions were asked by Nancy, and she said I can give prices in Australian Dollars. (Right now 1 AUD = 0.77 USD = 0.58 GBP.)

a shirt

If it was a t-shirt, unless it was custom made, I really wouldn’t spend more than $40. I say $40 because a lot of limited edition band shirts and concert shirts cost about that much. I don’t buy them much now though.

If I was buying a button-up shirt or blouse I would spend at most $70. I usually wait for sales and I recently bought a plain white shirt that was originally $59 but I bought it for $35. I would actually consider that a decent price for a shirt.

a skirt

I love skirts!!!!!! But I am very used to buying them cheaply ($10-30). I have seen skirts upwards of $200 and immediately decided not to buy. However I would pay up to $120 for a really good quality one, if it was a bit fancy as well.

a dress

You can spend any amount of money you want on a dress if you can prove you like it and if it is worth the money. :D I am used to spending $200 on ones I really like. I am sure my future wedding dress will be quite an investment…

What is the dress code in your office, or generally what you feel are the expectations of you, and how that influences your style?

This question was asked by Catherine.

Luckily, for the past few years, I have been working in the tech/tech startup industry where there isn’t really a dress code, and the jeans-and-a-t-shirt ensemble is encouraged. I also used to work somewhere where suits were not allowed. But as I am not a big fan of jeans and feel that the casual style makes me look like I’m still in school, I like to dress quite professionally or at least neatly. It gives me a sense of satisfaction and a boost of confidence. I find that other women who work with me like to dress nicely as well, though I’ve often been ‘accused’ of being so dressed up!

I feel like I am expected to dress very appropriately. This may be because of my cultural background and my body shape/size. I don’t always feel comfortable wearing short shorts and crop tops, and you will find very little (if any) of these in my wardrobe.

I am always making myself aware of what looks good on me and what doesn’t, and try to steer clear of what doesn’t.

Would you ever consider trying a capsule wardrobe? If yes, how many pieces would you have?

This question was asked by Holly.

Oh the horror! I have thought about this so many times before. It’s sort of what I’m trying to go for, yet at the same time, sticking with a number isn’t really my thing. I actually have something to admit: That list I was talking about in the first question? I listed 170 pieces of clothing including shoes and t-shirts (that I usually just wear at home). I seriously feel ashamed that I advocate living simply and cleaning out clothes when I realise I have clothes buried so far deep and away that I forgot they existed.

Ideally I would love to get all my clothes to less than 50 pieces. I don’t like the idea of having separate seasonal wardrobes for coats and whatnot, and I don’t really fancy the idea of having a certain amount of each type of clothing. But if I can get my entire wardrobe to 40-50 pieces (maybe not counting shoes) I would be so happy. I’m seriously aiming for it. I think it’s very doable, it’s more that there is so much I don’t wear that’s just a little hard to let go of. But that is my goal. Less than 50 pieces. I’m aiming high. 👊 And I’m going to write an update when that finally does happen.

Which is more upsetting: undies on the outside of pants, or socks with sandals?

This question was asked by Phil.

I’m sure underpants were called underpants for a reason, so I would find it pretty upsetting if someone wore them outside of their pants (sorry Superman). I’m excluding flip flops from this answer because I wouldn’t class them as a ‘sandal’ but socks with sandals can be somewhat stylish for women. Think cute socks with some peep-toe heels; or thinner, lighter socks with gladiator sandals; maybe even fuzzy socks with glitter jelly sandals… at least that allows you to be creative and be unique. Hey, men can also wear glitter jelly sandals if they want! Actually, on second thoughts, you could wear stripy toe socks with your flip flops, right?

Fashion doesn’t discriminate. But yeah, definitely not going to feel good being around someone wearing underpants over their actual pants, because then they’re not wearing something for its actual purpose. It also poses the question, are they wearing another pair of underpants under their pants? Or are they just wearing the pants? Anyway…

If you got offered unlimited shopping at one clothing store for the day, which store would you pick and why?

This question was asked by M.

Probably Cue. As tempting as it is to choose large, fast-fashion stores like H&M and Forever 21, their quality can leave something to be desired. Cue does not usually sell a wide range, but I love their classy clothing styles. They are on the more expensive side, so having unlimited shopping at a Cue store would be lovely. I would stock up on both fancy dresses and business-like clothing suitable for the office. :D

Do you go to thrift stores/consignments? What is your favorite item gotten from one?

This question was asked by Jessica.

I used to go to them a lot. (We call them ‘op shops’ in Australia.) I also went to markets a lot. I bought more from markets rather than any thrift stores, but I used to love scrounging for unique items. After some time I really got over it. I bought a lot of clothes that were so cheap but I never really needed them. I guess I could afford to spend more once I got a better job, so I was OK shopping elsewhere for the clothes I wanted.

I actually got the green poncho at a market! That might be my favourite. But I wish I could find more stores here where I can actually sell my clothes rather than buying.

Got a question for me? Post it in the comments!

Comments on this post

Ah, I refreshed and there was a new post! Hello~

My friend at work often gets ‘sun headaches’ too, so he actually wears sunglasses in the office. Where we work we have massive open windows, and the sun shines SO brightly sometimes. At first I thought he was just being dramatic, but he legit gets massive migraines.

I attempted to do a wardrobe clear out, but didn’t get very far. Like you, I’ve grown out of some of my clothes but I just can’t seem to get rid of them XD

Sitting here with my calculator converting all the prices, haha. Pretty much what I would spend on clothes, as well! Undies on the outside of pants is definitely more upsetting. It depends on what socks and sandals you’re wearing, because sometimes I see people wearing them on the street so confidently and I’m really thinking, “You look like an idiot.” Each to their own, though! Like you said, fashion doesn’t discriminate!

Some guy laughed at me for getting ‘sun headaches’. He didn’t even let me explain, he thought I was joking! Haha. :(

I think making a list of all my clothes helped me clean some out! The number was shocking. :P It can be hard getting rid of items with sentimental value, but I’ve really tried to step away and think more practically about it.

I completely understand what you mean by being expected to dress decently/appropriately because of your cultural background (my version might be a little more extreme but I won’t go into too much detail on a comment hah)

“You can spend any amount of money you want on a dress if you can prove you like it and if it is worth the money.”<-This. This quote needs to go on a list of famous fashion quotes. It is everything you need to keep in mind while shopping for any clothing item, in one simple short sentence XD You nailed it.

I sent a question through over twitter but I guess it got lost somewhere….oops.
Mine was: If you got offered unlimited shopping at one clothing store for the day, which store would you pick and why?

I answered your question in the post! :) Also, what is your Twitter username? 😳 I must have missed the tweet – unless you have a private account, in which case it probably wasn’t visible to me.

That green poncho is amazing actually. I personally love wearing things that are patterned, or brightly coloured. I feel like the world is far too grey/black/white when it comes to fashion (especially ‘high street’ fashion, hence why I like vintage). But I guess it depends on your personal tastes :) I think the green poncho/blue trousers combo looks awesome though. And yeah, there are certainly things in my wardrobe I’ve kept but haven’t had the right occasion or it doesn’t go with much :/

I love that your essential item now is your engagement ring :3 aww… I wait for that day too and I don’t even have a boyfriend haha. (I’m such a sap).

Most I will spend on a casual day dress is probably… $100 or just over. What I like about Dangerfield is that the cotton is normally thick and generally, they are well made so they last a long time :)

I do love buying a lot of brightly coloured pieces but I have kept that to one-pieces like dresses, because it’s a bit hard to mix and match haha.

I have a Dangerfield skirt and I love it! It’s actually a size too big for me now, but I bought it on sale for about $38 and was so pleased with the quality. I have always loved Dangerfield’s stuff but sometimes I feel the style is a little too out-there for me, haha.

I can’t imagine any other wearable’s having a higher priority than your wedding ring XD. It’s always hard letting go of clothes that relatives gave you. I have a bunch in the closet that don’t fit my taste, but I feel rude letting go of them @___@.

Woah, you’re balling with those $200 dresses XD!! #Goals ;). I think the most expensive I bought so far is ~$100.. But that’s like 2 dresses so far.

I wouldn’t mind trading spots with you as far as workplace dress code goes. We have to wear business suits D:. It’s great to be dressed up because of that nice boost of confidence! I feel it too compared to when I wear something too casual.

I like how you said that fashion doesn’t discriminate. It might seem weird to us that someone is wearing something a certain way… But if it makes them happy, let them be happy XD.

Thanks for answering my question! Capsule wardrobes are something that I’m really interested in. I like the idea of having a minimal number of items that can be worn together in a mix ‘n’ match sort of way. Like you I’m not bothered at about sticking to a number though. Also, a lot of people who live with a capsule wardrobe only shop for clothes at the beginning of every season, but I would hate to restrict myself like that. If I see something I like I want to buy it, not wait until it’s time to make a new wardrobe!

I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who struggles to part with clothes that no longer fit or that don’t go with anything. There are a lot of clothes that my mum bought for me or that she picked out for me, and I just haven’t got the heart to get rid of it even though I don’t like it or don’t wear it. I feel so bad!

I don’t quite understand buying clothes at the beginning of the season either. If I really need something I’m just going to have a think about it (to make sure I am not making a rash decision) and get it when I want.

My mum has bought so many clothes for me over the years. Part of me telling her to stop buying clothes comes from me not being able to get rid of the ones she gave me! It’s also because she thinks some clothes she bought for me are nice, but I’ve literally never worn them even if that’s the case. Someone would love them better, really. xD

Loved reading your answers for these. :) My current max budget for clothes – any of them is $20. LOL Thrift stores are definitely my friend. So, do you go to thrift stores/consignments? What is your favorite item gotten from one?

That’s so cool! I used to like those kinds of stores but I don’t think they are for me anymore. I answered your question in more detail in the post. :)

OK, this is such a fun post to read! That poncho is really nice for the summer, but I don’t see myself wearing it too often either. :D

Even if I purged a lot of clothes since moving here to the US, I still brought a lot of clothes that I don’t have the heart to let go of. They don’t fit me anymore (the horror), so I might as well give them away or sell them online. :(