Back to School! 5 Outfits from Forever 21

Hi everyone!

Here's a continuation of the Back to School outfits ideas, this time featuring Forever 21! I do apologise for the late posting due to some problems with the F21 pictures. Honestly, I was about to give up on using pictures on F21 since all the clothing items has people or parts of people in them. The pictures also show the way F21 styles the clothes which can be distracting. I tried editing those pictures but it didn't work, so I'm stuck with pictures of people in my outfit board. Anyway, let's get on with the post!

#1// For the Girl who wants the Laid back Edgy Vibe

Clockwise from Left to Right: Marled Knit Slit Top; Acid Wash Denim Jeggings; Art Deco Statement Necklace; Metal-Trim Sandals; Chain Link Bangle Set; Sophisticate Faux Leather Tote (Individual images of items are taken from Forever21.com)

 First outfit up is this grey ensemble that would have been too gloomy if not for the metallic elements brightening up the colour scheme. I like this outfit for the edgy vibe it channels, but still comfortable and has this laid back look. Love the grey top but it's probably more suitable for those apple-shaped girls and not those with a big butt like me. That's because the bottom part of the outfit will flare and make your bottom half look bigger if you've got a perky/ big butt. Channel some flair with a interesting design necklace, like the art deco necklace. I picked a pair of metal embellished sandals to go with the whole metallic element in the look, but feel free to sub that with a pair of combat boots.

#2// For those days when you need a dash of cuteness

Clockwise from Left to Right: Metal-Trim Sandals; Two Tone Faux Leather Tote; Layered Feather Pendant Necklace; Elephant Midi Ring Set; Pocket Skater Skirt; Knotted Elephant Print Tee (Individual images of items are taken from Forever21.com)

This one's dedicated for those days when you just need something to brighten up your day. You'd never go wrong with the red/white/blue combination when creating a fun look. A skater skirt is a girl's closet essential, and it's the best when it has pockets like this skirt! Up the playfulness of a red skater skirt with a quirky front tie elephant motif shirt! Elephants remind me of the time when my family called my ears elephant ears cos they jut out, thus elephants hold a special place in my heart. Match the elephant prints with a elephant ring to add on the fun. Plus, it'll make a great conversation starter :) Optional: Accessorise outfit with a layered feather necklace. Grab your book bag and wear a pair of simple cute shoes and you're ready to go! The brown sandals with the gold metal plate help to tie together the outfit making it casual, cute and chic!

#3// For the Minimalist Girl trying out Patterns

Clockwise from Left to Right: Tribal Print Pullover; Two-Toned Penny Loafers; Two Tone Faux Leather Tote; Slim Distressed Boyfriend Jeans (Individual images of items are taken from Forever21.com)

Here's an outfit that is both minimalist and cool. The toned down colour scheme of outfit creates a cool vibe which is further enhanced by the tribal print of the pullover. The outfit is quick to put together for those late days. Look as chill as this outfit for those days when you still want to turn up for class looking like you woke up extra early to prepare when you actually overslept and only managed to comb your hair and brush your teeth. Style your hair into a simple pony tail or braid it loosely to complement the look. 

#4// For the girl who wants to show some attitude

Clockwise from Left to Right: Killin It Crop Top; Woven Plaid Skirt; Faux Stone Ring Set Meow Canvas Tote; Buckled Lace Up Booties; Off-Duty Denim Jacket (Individual images of items are taken from Forever21.com)

This outfit is for girls who just want to be tough sometimes. Everyone needs a boost of encouragement and what better way to encourage yourself than wearing a shirt with a motivational message? "Killin' it all the time" just makes me feel like I'm ready to take on whatever the day may throw at me, so maybe it'll get you hyped up for the day too. Match with a plaid skirt and denim sweatshirt to give yourself a harder edge. The pair of boots with the metal buckle plus the black and gold rings add on to the girlish toughness that I want to emulate in this outfit board. To make your day better, carry a cute bag or tote like this "I Meow You" tote which will definitely brighten up your day should things still turn out less than ideal. We all have got those days where even if we try out best, things don't turn out as hoped for. That's when looking at cute things will help with cheering you and me up.

 #5// For the Glammed up Active Look

Clockwise from Left to Right: Sophisticate Faux Leather Tote;Box Chain Bib Necklace; Perforated Knit Tee; Embroidered Bead Hair Tie; Fresh High Tops; Posh Origami Skirt (Individual images of items are taken from Forever21.com)

Last look is a fun look inspired by the athletic style that has been trending for a while. Go bold by colourblocking bright colours such as lime and blue as seen here! The perforated texture of the shirt and clean sleek cut of the skirt makes the outfit seem a little tennis inspired but still really fashion forward. For accessories, tone down the colours with black coloured jewelry like the black box bib necklace. There's also this pretty beaded hair tie which you can double up as a bracelet in Forever 21 which I find useful. Lastly, finish off the look with a pair of clean white high tops to give the sports vibe!

That's all for the 5 outfits featuring items from Forever 21! I hope this has been useful and stimulating for your brain :) Is F21 your shop of choice for getting your clothes? Which outfit is your favourite? Tell me in the comments section below or tweet me @Chapalanggirls! I would love to hear from you!

Till next time!

Love,

El

Back To School 2014 | Outfit Ideas with Christine and El!

Hi everyone!

It's Back To School season! 

Have the same problem as Christine? 

HAVE NO FEAR! 

Here are some cute outfit ideas to help you get started on your new school year! :D

Read on to get school-inspired~

Back to School! 5 Outfits From H&M

Hi everyone!

It's August and that means it's back to school season for some of us. Christine and I start our university semester usually in August, and it is pretty sad that I barely relaxed at all for the past few months. It feels weird that school is going to start soon and all I've been doing during my summer break is working. If you're feeling the blues that school's starting soon, a good way to distract yourself from reality is to think of an awesome back to school outfit to start of the new school term with a stylish bang! Thus from now till end of August, I'll be publishing posts with one-brand outfit boards featuring things from common high-street shops that most of you will have access to. This week, I'm featuring outfit from H&M which I've compiled together while browsing the site(online window shopping is my way of dealing with stress!). You'll notice there might be some items that are repeated in the various outfit boards, but hey! that means more ways of styling a single item in your closet! Let's get started!

#1//The Outfit for the Sporty Chic Girl

Clockwise from top left corner: Short Mesh Top, S$59.90; Platform Sneakers, S$39.90; Cotton Cap, S$19.90; 7 Piece Ring Pack, 14.90; Necklace with a Pendant, S$9.90; Imitation Leather Shorts, S$24.90. (Images are taken from H&M Singapore webpage)

The mesh sleeves and pleather shorts make the outfit stylish yet comfortable for the athletic girl (or atheletic wannabes out there). Keep the color palette simple by sticking to bold red and metal accessories.

#2// The Outfit for the Girl Who Wants her Extra Sleep

Clockwise from left: Jersey Dress, S$19.90; Patterned Bomber Jacket, S$59.90; Chained Sneakers, S$49.90; Necklace with a Pendant, S$9.90. (Images are taken from H&M Singapore webpage)

This is dedicated to those girls who has trouble waking up for those early morning classes and has 5 alarms set for her 8am class. A simple basic black dress paired with something bright/attention-grabbing like this bomber jacket here makes it seem like you've put some effort in dressing up(when in reality you woke up with just enough time to brush your teeth). To complete the look, match a metallic necklace and shoes with metal chain to look more put together.

#3// The Outfit for the Girl Who Loves Her Basics

Clockwise from Left: Superstretch Trousers in Light Blue, S$39.90; Striped Top, S$19.90; Grey Marled Cardigan, $39.90; Pink Loafers, S$39.90; 'Hyped' Beanie, S$14.90, (Images are taken from H&M Singapore webpage)

Here's an outfit focused on the basics. The basics exudes an air of  minimalist chic when done right and is a style that never goes out of trend. Here with have the classic blue jeans and striped shirt combination. Warm yourself up with a knitted beanie and long grey cardigan for those cold days. Add a pop of color with some pastel flats!

#4// The Outfit for the Preppy Girl

Clockwise from Left: Heart Patterned Blouse, S$19.90; Black Braces, S$14.90; White Sneakers, S$19.90; Ribbon Hair Elastic, S$5.90; Plaid Pleat Skirt, S$39.90. (Images are taken from H&M Singapore webpage)

Penultimately, here's an outfit that is super preppy and girly and cute without being too costume-like. First up is a sweet looking, short sleeve blouse with heart motifs. Pair it with a pleated plaid skirt that reminds one of those school uniform skirts seen in mangas. I chose this color because the blue in the skirt matches the blue of the blouse. Add in suspender straps and wear a pair of white sneakers. If you've got long hair, tie it into a high ponytail with a ribbon bow. For those colder days, add in a pair of black knee high socks

#5// The Outfit for the Girl Who Loves Her Colors

Clockwise from Left: Heart Patterned Blouse, S$19.90; Short Gold Chain Necklace, S$12.90; High Waist Stretch Trousers, S$24.90; Pink Loafers, S$39.90; Green Fine Knit Cardigan, S$19.90 (Images are taken from H&M Singapore webpage)

Lastly, here's a colorful outfit to chase those Monday blues away, featuring the same heart motif blouse as outfit #4 (more ways to wear the same thing yay!). For bottoms, I picked a pair of black high waisted pants for the contrast against the brighter colors. Add in some color blocking by layering the blue blouse with a green cardigan and pink flats! To accessorise, wear a simple necklace pendant or go loud with a thick gold chain necklace as shown.

I hope these 5 outfit boards helped stimulate your brain and gave you more ideas on new outfits that you can wear for school! Which one is your favourite? Tell me in the comment section below or via Twitter (@chapalanggirls) or on our Facebook page! My favourite item out of everything shown here is the bomber jacket!

Although everything is from H&M here, there's no need to get everything listed here to create the same look. I created the various looks mixing new items with clothes that most people probably already have in their current wardrobe in mind, such as jeans and striped shirts. Thus you need not spend much just to recreate a certain look. Moreover, H&M Singapore has this offer ongoing where you'll get a $10 voucher to use on your next purchase with every $60 spent (till August 3rd I think), plus there're great items on sale too. 

If you need more BTS outfit ideas, you can look back at our Back to School Outfit Ideas from last year here!

Look forward to next week where I'll be featuring Forever 21!

Till next time

Love,

El   xoxo

Military Inspired OOTD and Dinner at Saveur

Hey guys, here's a quick OOTD. It's a military-inspired outfit!  As it was Friday, I had a long lecture inside a cold lecture theatre, so a jacket is a must-have. Thus, I decided to wear the camouflage jacket as it was lying around in my mother's cupboard.I matched it with a plain black dress to keep things simple as I didn't want anything to clash with the camouflage pattern. I chose a black stretchy belt with gold arrows to add on the toughness of a military look. I wore my dark red converse shoes to add that rugged flair to complete my outfit. Black combat boots or any other kind of black boots would be nice too... except I don't own any. Besides, I'm comfortable in my converse.

Outfit: Camouflage print Jacket: Op ; Black dress: Forever 21, around $21; Belt: Cotton On, $2(sale); Dark red sneakers: Converse, around $30+(sale price).

 After a long day in school, I went to Far East Plaza for dinner with my family. We went to this French restaurant, Saveur, for the first time. The place's concept is affordable french cuisine. We ordered the duck confit, since everyone around us was ordering it, and also the beef main course dish, fish main course dish and the beef tenderloin. If anyone hasn't been there before, I would recommend the beef main course dish. This may sound like a lot of food, but we were celebrating my mum's birthday. The beef  dish is AMAZING. (It might just be what I'll think of the next time when I'm craving for some beef.) It's beef short rib braised in red wine, served on a heavenly bed of Potato Au Gratin (a star on its own. I can eat a whole bowl of it) and the vegetable side is yummy too. The beef is braised until it is so soft and tender. The sauce is that came with it matched the beef very well. My only gripe is that the serving is too small, because I just can't get enough of it. The duck confit was served with a really smooth and delicious mash potatoes, slices of sweet orange and some mushrooms. It was ok, albeit a bit too salty for me. The fish was too soft for me, and the skin was more chewy than crispy despite the menu saying that it is "pan-seared". It came with sauteed potato cubes, which were so so. The beef tenderloin was cooked medium well just like we asked for, so I'm happy about that as most other restaurants that boasts of serving "affordable western food" always overcook the beef. However, the beef dish beats the beef tenderloin in both price and taste! Overall, out of the main courses, I think the beef main dish is the best and is value for money. Also, the potatoes are the best, be it mashed potatoes or the gratin.
Some pictures of the food (Drool Alert!):

 The beef main course dish. Best thing to eat!

 The popular duck confit. Nice but too salty.

The pan-seared sea bass. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, unless they really want to try the fish.On the bright side, mine didn't have any bones. :D

We also ordered dessert, deciding to try the pistachio panna cotta and chocolate & hazelnuts.
The pistachio panna cotta is a lovely and light dessert that is not too sweet. It's topped with ground pistachios which goes enhances the flavor and texture. I think it's a great dessert to end off a meal with. I liked this better than the chocolate and hazelnuts.

 Pistachio Panna Cotta

The chocolate and hazelnut dessert was lovely but too sweet for my liking, which says a lot about its sweetness as I love sweet things. Therefore, I feel the dessert is little heavy because of the sweetness, despite it being a chocolate mousse. It's served with raspberry bits, rice puffs, hazelnuts and praline I think. This is a good dessert to order for sharing between friends.

Chocolate and Hazelnuts

After dinner, we went to walk around. One interesting place we went to was DFS galleria opposite Far East Plaza. They were having this paper exhibition which decorated the whole building. there was also a display of couture inspired by paper designed by La Salle students, which I think is worth checking out. Other than that, there were paper made decorations like  trees and cranes which you could see as you walk around. It's worth a walk inside, even if you can't afford to buy luxury goods like me.

If anyone is interested in finding more information on Saveur, you can just google for the shop's website. Go and try the food there if you've been thinking about it, although I would advise that you go early before the dinner crowd on weekend nights because the shop is quite small for a popular restaurant. I saw a long queue outside it at around 6.15pm (thankfully there wasn't a queue when I went in at around 5.45pm). I hope you've enjoyed reading this post, even though it's more about food than fashion.

Till next time.

Love,

El xoxo

Back to School: Change Your Look Without Changing Your Wardrobe

Hey y’all! So, this post might be a bit late for those of you who have started school, but I believe that one can always do with more outfit ideas right? As you might have guessed from the title, we’re exploring back to school outfits for today's post. For Christine and I, it has already been 4 weeks since school has started. As usual, we’ve been experimenting with different outfits for school, just so we can bring new life to the same old clothes. We prepared this post with the aim of finding ways to wear the same piece of clothing differently (so no one knows you’re wearing the same thing all the time). In a way, it’s helpful for all those people who stay in their school dormitories/halls, since our ideas might help reduce the amount of laundry to clear each week. We'll show you how we have 3 different ways to wear the same piece of clothing each.

If you’re tired of wearing the same outfit again and again, keep reading to find out!

*****

Instead of wearing your usual jeans and t-shirt combo for class, how about changing the t-shirt for a cropped top? Pair that up with a bright coloured belt and you get a smart casual look that is both cute and fun. Accessorize with a statement necklace to add a bit of edginess to your outfit. Put on your favourite pair of shoes and you're ready for class!

On Christine: Skull Cropped Shirt (UK):Camden Market ~15 pounds; Black Jeans: H&M, $20(sale), Neon belt: H&M, $3.90 ; Shoes: Itti & Otto; $109.

Necklace: H&M, $17.90; Ring: Lovisa, $15.

If you're wondering about Christine's hairstyle, here's a closeup.  



It's a French braid done from the back of her right ear towards her left ear until no more hair can be added in. Just finish the braid and pin it up with some bobby pins to get this cute hairstyle. This took me about 3 minutes to do it on Christine and it's easy enough to do it by yourself. Changing the usual way you wear your hair can give you a refreshing new look!

For a change, wear the shirt with a skirt instead of pants.

Button down skirt(Japan): G.A.P, ~$25; Chambray shirt: River Island, $49.90 (sale).

 Match the loose cropped top with a nice fitted skirt for that contrast of loose+fitted look. Toss on a chambray shirt to protect yourself from the cold.

 Add a pair of red flats to give a pop of colour to brighten up the outfit. If you love wearing rings, wear a gold cocktail ring that ties in with the denim look.

 Ring: Dorothy Perkins, $6 (sale); Red flats: Rad Russel, $59.90 (sale). 

For Christine's last look, she's decided to wear the shirt over a basic black dress.

Black cotton dress: Cotton On, ~$15(sale); Colourful braided belt: Cache Cache, $5 (sale)

This method is also useful if you want to have a new way to wear your dresses. Just put a top over the dress and voila! you get a "new" skirt. The best way to do this is to match a plain dress with a fun graphic/patterned top or switch it around by matching a plain top if the dress is patterned. You can do what Christine has done here, matching the graphic cropped shirt with a simple black dress and tying it all in with a colourful braided belt to add some shape and colour

Bow ring: $4 from a box in Toy Outpost.

Accessorise with a sweet bow ring to add some girly charm to your outfit like Christine!

For those of you who are looking for ways to style the same dress, here're some ideas!



 

 Dress: Uniqlo, $16.90; Jacket: H&M(HK),~$38; Belt: from China; Bag and sandals(Thailand), ~$8 each.

Basics are the easiest things to style, as they are so versatile. You can go from casual to chic just by adding different stuff. Here, I'm wearing a navy cotton maxi dress, which I love as it is so comfortable to wear and fits me just right without showing my tummy. The good thing about plain maxi dresses is that they don't show my big thighs and make me look taller. To get a casual and chic look, I added a thick brown leather belt to hug in my waist to give me some shape. I chose a smart looking denim jacket to protect me from the cold during lectures and finished the look off with my favourite pair of sandals. It's hassle free and comfortable at the same time. For those of you who hate wearing sandals, you can substitute with other alternatives like sneakers for a more cool vibe or a pair of platforms/wedges to get some extra height.

For a softer look, pair with a lace top like so:

  White lace top: Forever 21; Yellow bangle:Diva

The lace top will add a touch of softness and femininity to the brooding blue dress. The butterfly lace sleeves will cover up the arm and also add an air of mystery since it's see through. I added a neon yellow bangle just to give the outfit a contrast so it won't be just boring white and blue. Besides looking good, it is also easy to move around in too.

It's so easy to move in that I couldn't help adding this photo in. Take a deep breath of fresh air when you're stressed with work!

The next outfit will show how to upgrade a casual cotton dress to something with a bit of glam.

 Gold necklace: Dorothy Perkins, $13

I used the same leather belt with the dress to give the dress a more 'fitted' look. A big gold statement necklace is added to give the outfit some glam. I love this necklace as it instantly makes the whole outfit look more sophisticated. The V-shape pattern is also flattering, as it enhances my face. This kind of necklaces is good to match with other basics like a plain shirt or tank top to give them an extra boost in style. Another option is to ditch the necklace and change the belt to something with a bit of bling. The navy colour will bring out the brightness of the bling belt even more so you can dazzle everyone. Wear a pair of heels or flats and go out and have fun!

Well that ends our Back to School outfits post and we hope you have been inspired by some of our ideas. We hope you have a great semester in school!

Till next time.

Love,

El and Christine xoxo