Creative Aesthetic

Polyvore happiness!

2010-03-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

I've been browsing Polyvore for years, but never made my own digital lookbook. I have recently been inspired to; here is one of my first experiments!

Metallics - Jewel Tones by lauriel featuring Rick Owens tops

Red sexiness

2009-08-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

I just bought my first pair of red shoes - Cole Haan shiny, bright red patent heels with a cute peep toe (note to self: must get matching red pedicure to appropriately show off) and a lovely little strap to keep my heel securely anchored in the shoe as I walk.

The color isn't quite true in this shot - it looks a bit boring, actually. They are bright, bright red in person, and I am utterly obsessed them. Paired with a white and silver t-shirt and dark jeans yesterday, I felt so sexy, confident, and alluring. And sure enough, as my gfs and I strolled along with our shopping bags and cute summer outfits, guys' heads turned. Maybe it wasn't just the shoes, but they felt magical to me. I can't wait to pair them with a cute, silhouette-fitted ruffled white and black dress I just snagged! <3

Lorelei - Isa

2009-06-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

With a name like Lorelei... somewhere between my username of Lauriel and my dream name (that my parents *almost* named me) of Leilani, how could I resist?

Lorelei is the purse line of a young NY designer, Laurie Kaufmann Willard, whose handbag (clutches, mostly) designs have been seen tucked under the arms of a number of celebs. Cute, a bit trendy, and utterly adorable.

I'm a big fan of subtle, rich metallics. They stand out on their own without the ostentation of bling, and they're fabulously versatile. They are the royalty of neutrals. White, cream, tan/beige, grey, and black fade into the background in comparison. For my accessorizing, I'm usually a silver person. Most of my jewelry is silver-based. Recently however, I've been dabbling a bit with gold-embellished outfits. Sometimes gold is the high-glamour you want to exude.

So, which to go with in an evening clutch? Clean, reflective silver, or rich gold? Such a dilemma for a person who loves versatile investments and has thus held off on the handbag decision because she couldn't commit to one or the other.

Thankfully, this sleek little numer called Isa makes the silver/gold issue nonexistent!

It is a silver and gold metallic lizard embossed-leather elongated envelope clutch with a hidden magnetic closure, and an antique gold bamboo ring detail. It comes with a detachable antique gold shoulder chain, and is made of Italian leather (dimensions: 10"L x 4.5"H x 1.5"D. Chain drop, 9"). Regular $295, I snagged it on my guilty-pleasure shopping site, Gilt Groupe, for $128 ($130, including shipping, no tax). It's a win in my book!

Herve Leger

2009-04-30T22:50:00.000-07:00

OMG. [heart stops] I'm surfing dresses for work, and my heart just fell to the floor in pure looooooove when I saw this stunning Herve Leger number.

Why does it have to be $7,000????? :(

Ah well, all the more argument to have a similar version made for a virtual avatar... It'd have to be at least a *little* cheaper than that!

[November 2009 update]

Call me crazy, but I just purchased my dream dress. Splurged on what could have been an investment on the Canon 5D Mach II, one of the most powerful dSLRs on the market. But you know what? I reasoned it thusly: I have a perfectly functioning dSLR right now that I can use, and electronics are always falling in value, and being replaced with more advanced and powerful options. With fashion, once it's gone, it's gone. And this dress was is so timelessly classic and awed me so much, I couldn't pass it up. After trying it on during a casual browsing trip to the mall, I could barely bear to take it off.... and so I knew... it was an investment I was going to make.

Now, to just make it worthwhile, I need to find events for the rest of my life to wear it to. One great thing: it will serve as my incentive to keep in shape (the dress is gorgeously shape-defining, but it is also merciless at showing any untoned body parts)!

Vivienne Tam

2009-01-22T11:08:00.001-08:00

Watching Gossip Girl (a tv series I discovered through work because a potential handbag partner had their bags featured on the show) is tantalizing. Hearing about Michelle Obama's up-and-coming designer-centric, classy, elegant style is inspiring. And then digging into the Gilt Groupe sale after that... well, that's probably the most dangerous thing to do. I almost made it through the lineup of Helmut Lang, Marc, Valentino and Vera. And then, hanging out so casually at the end of the alphabet: Vivienne Tam.

I've heard of the Hong Kong-born designer, but I've never seriously looked at her collections before. For the most part, I think she's a luxury that I have yet to "grow" into. But when I browsed Gilt Groupe and found a flattering draping dress with waist-accentuating ruched wrap, simple gold-bronze shoulder accents, and gauzy gold-flecked black lurex skirt for $48, regular $365... I decided I could treat myself. :)

I ordered size P, which, according to online sizing, is for 33/24.5/35. I fit within the bust and hip sizes, but I'm not sure how forgiving the waist is... But I have a resolution to become leaner this year, and see this dress as being my reward for successfully shaping my body. Nothing like a beautiful fashion incentive to reach a fitness goal!

p.s. I think I was also subconsciously affected by the merchanidizing photo with the model, who at a glance, reminds one of Anne Hathaway's character in 'The Devil Wears Prada', one of my best-loved movies.

Cynthia Rowley

2008-07-08T16:54:00.001-07:00

So I'm doing my work, surfing the web for fashionable but utilitarian tote bags (yeah, it's really work!), and I come across this cute pleated Cynthia Rowley number for $320 at ebags.com. It's on the large side, but there's something about the demure pleats mirroring the black ribbing that makes it work just as well with that (A-line would be just perfect with this) LBD for evening playtime, as well as being an everyday workhorse. Protected of course, with little gold metallic feet. The utilitarian light grey is also great since it'll hide any wayward flecks of dust that may find their way to this bag.

Dressy

2008-06-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

This dress is on clearance for $20 at NY&Co. Most of their things look more casual, everyday-ish, so this glossy self-decoration really popped out at me. The fact that it's also fully-lined and machine-washable got my attention - love low-maintenance with a high-maintenance look. Simple and effortlessly glamorous.

Slow Food Nation

2008-06-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

This is more for my own bookmark reference and secondarily as a PSA, but if you're into food in the bay area at all, Slow Food Nation during the Labor Day weekend is the place to be!

Mid-week shopping

2008-06-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

I'm not one who usually shops during the middle of the week; I define my schedule by waking up, working, working out @ lunch, working, and then home to cook dinner. That leaves about half an hour to an hour for reading/crafting or cuddling/watching TV before calling my mom. Which invariably ends with me zonked out in bed, lights still on and my phone a few inches from my outstretched hand. Sounds like a summer-read thriller right there, doesn't it?

Yeah, it's domesticated. So I give tons of thanks to my newfound friend and neighbor (something good actually came out of attending the HOA meetings!), T. This happy, fun, super-cute, kind-hearted girl told me about a Girls Night Out shopping event in SF and we headed up together.

It's a simple concept of combining shopping, fun splashes of unmemorable alcohol, gift bags (for those who actually signed up ahead of time, unlike my procrastinating butt - but no worries, because I ended up getting in for free!), and lots of the female persuasion. A few guys too - this one guy claimed he was there to support his urban t-shirt selling friend, but he was far more intent on scanning the throngs of girls like a shark in an overpopulated koi pond.

I was the only one of our little group who ended up getting anything. I wasn't looking for anything - I'm never looking for anything but I always seem to find something - but I liked the styles at Fan Clothing. And so I found myself with a snuggly, form-fitting tunic in black for $15.

It has a wide neck, and I could see pairing it with a tank top, wide belt, and leggings or jeans. And so I did for work today, where I promptly got several compliments on it. :) It turned out to be perfect for today's spring 70-degree weather and the cool office environment!

Back to the Shecky's event: how was the shopping overall? Actually, it was larger than a previous night-out I had attended, but it was still smaller than I would have liked. Boutique prices were expected, although I noticed ridiculous mark-ups for jewelry. Jewelry boutique sale prices always make me raise an eyebrow since I can identify the components and labor that went into them - I noticed a 60-90% mark-up in general. Honestly, you're getting more for your money in the pieces sold at Nordstrom, done by independent designers. At another stall, gently-used bags for sale were more like torn-and-visibly-worn bags. But the atmosphere was fun, there was a good spread of styles, and I thought the DS lounge and blinged-up Swarovski-studded DS lite was an ingenious, alluring way for Nintendo to attract the female market.

About jewelry, if you're a jewelry/gem aficionado, I suggest attending the Internation Gem and Jewelry Show this weekend at the San Mateo County Expo fairgrounds. I always go overboard with the bead buying there, but you'll find the HUGEST selection of jewelry including the whole gamut of: fun costume, gold chains, fashionable jewelry, unique pendants, certified diamonds, and loose gem stones for the best prices that I've seen available to the general public. If you go, you'll find me poring over the crystals and pearls. :)

[edit] Click here and print out for free admission.

ideeli

2008-05-22T11:20:00.001-07:00

I spent the last few days checking out this site, and it seems legit and pretty useful, so here it is! Ideeli.com is a site that showcases designer goods at discounted prices, and, if you're willing to pay a membership fee, selected goods to win for free. It has a pretty good collection of accessories that currently leans towards bags and sunshades.

You get tantalizing tidbits of a photo, description, and price of an item that will be going on sale within the next 60 days. The catch? You don't know when exactly it will go on sale, but you can sign up to get email notification when it does. From the few sales that have gone live since I joined, I'm happy to observe that things don't sell out within 3 seconds of being posted. That type of bargain free-for-all is stressful and tells me that the lack of inventory means more hype and empty fronts, than an actual marketplace with a good supply-and-demand balance. Here, the 10-hour sale window is large enough that you'll likely be able to get to your computer (and credit card) at your leisure, and things don't sell out overly quickly so you can vacillate a bit while justifying your inevitable indulgence. (I've found that if I ever get to the vacillate point, it means I want something enough that I'm ultimately going to get it. :) )

There's also a comment feature so you can discuss the item, but it seems to be more of a "Ooooh, I want this!!" type of comment, if anything at all. I have the feeling that some people would be reluctant to sing their praises of the item for fear that it would increase other people's interest in the product, and thus raise competition once it went on sale. However, I really would like to see conversations discussing the looks, functionality, or designer (a designer's particular taste and how it's reflected in the product) and hope that the comment section will become more like product-specific mini forums.

Membership is a "friend-of-a-friend" referral like gmail invite codes in the early days. So if you want to check it out, let me know! (I'm 'lauriel' at the beforementioned mail program.) (J, I would have emailed you already, but I didn't know if you had a specific email account you'd want to sign up with!)

Fashion: MAGIC

2008-04-24T12:44:00.001-07:00

Courtesy of my industry, I get to dabble in fashion a little bit. Whoo! I didn't get to go to the Spring MAGIC show in Vegas, but may make it to the fall one, which is bigger. In the meantime, I'm quite happy to see what I missed via this cool digital "show and tell" done by the MAGIC people. :)

Fashion find #2

2008-03-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to look like a diva sophisticate every day - I'll be lucky if I manage the weekends - so for those fun, romp-in-happiness casual days in the sun, I've developed this line of cute products!

Fashion find #1

2008-03-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

Spring is right around the corner (all right, it's already here, but there's still a few showers popping up, so I'm not about to pull out my tank tops quite yet), and I found myself enamored with this cute, sophisticated in it's simplicity halter jumpsuit from Victoria's Secret.

On clearance and then with a 40% discount and a $5 discount, I couldn't resist this for a total of $27 (regular $118)! I intend to pair it with a strappy pair of light shimmery gold Chinese Laundry sandals (that I also found on clearance for $10!), a gold-accented belt to pull attention to the waist that I've been trying to scold into shape through kickboxing, and full, draping gold crystal earrings (that currently resides in my imagination and will be made in the coming month).

Finished off with my beloved Dior frameless beige/gold shades that make me feel like a glamorous superstar off to her summer beach retreat. (One can dream...)

[edit] Sadly, the jumper didn't fit properly and I had to return it. :( :( :(

My photography

2008-02-27T13:34:00.001-08:00

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Who I am

2008-02-27T13:19:00.000-08:00

I am, and have been the following:

http://dilly.livejournal.com/
http://twofoodies.blogspot.com/
http://iridescent-glow.livejournal.com/
http://soultears.livejournal.com/
http://www.lauriel-chan.com/
http://www.lauriel-chan.com/blog/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauriel/
http://www.zazzle.com/kireilauriel
http://www.zazzle.com/effervescence
http://www.zazzle.com/creativeaesthetic

Image

2008-02-27T12:55:00.000-08:00

The first impression traces the path of all those to follow. Perhaps that is the reason why the brush hesitates above a blank canvas for such a long, searching moment. Perhaps it is why we put so much emphasis on that first meeting. That first impression.

And so, once again, I find myself hanging in the ethers of cyberspace, not quite reluctant to give myself up as I was once upon a time, but rather, undecided with regards to which direction the footsteps of my fingers should lead me.

For there is so much which I want to explore, reach out with, and discover. I find beauty in everything from music, engineering, cuisine, prose and poetry writing, product design, good design in general, photography, arts and crafts, jewelry, color stories, and fashion/style. But there are blogs devoted to each one of these. Every one of these subjects deserves a focused voice.

I, in contrast, am a study of confusion.

Greedily grabbing bits of each area and interpreting it in my own way, I want to establish myself in all senses. Want to share aspects of each, whether it's a relevationary recipe, sparkling Swarovski crystal bracelet design, or my ocean jewel-hued eye makeup of the day.

So where should I lead?

Will you think less of my thoughts because of their far-traveling whimsies? Their inability to stay, much like the ephemeral pause of a hummingbird? Or butterfly?

I will be unique. Old and new, here and there, direct and flirtatious, you'll see a potpourri of me. And in the end, the all-encompassing "creative aesthetic" is the only term that endures and continuously has defined me.

Creative aesthetic. This, I am.