I absolutely ADORE this black satin dress, with its beautiful moon and stars print, but in the end it still couldn't save this outfit for me unfortunately.
Will explain why later, but just so you guys know: not every outfit I ever shot was a complete success, and this is definitely one of them.
(And more often than not, those failed ones do NOT make it into this blog!)
• • • • • • •
There is an unusual little shopping place in Seoul called Common Ground that is made up of bright blue shipping containers. Sounds cool? It is. Designed with a large courtyard that includes a kitschy food truck in the middle, fairy lights strewn all around, and "COMMON GROUND" written in big letters on the containers, it is intended to be a 100% Instagrammable. (And it is.)
 |
I was determined to do a full-blown photoshoot with the containers as my background in this second trip to Seoul since I couldn't make it happen on my first trip there in May. Shah and I got to Common Ground right before the sun went down but the moment I had a look at the first few shots Shah took, I knew the whole outfit was a fail for me.
Initially the black satin dress dress was to be paired with a pair of navy wide-legged pants but thinking the pants looked too severe, I ditched them right before leaving my hotel room and went with this patched/ripped jeans instead.
My mistake? Thinking any jeans could save an outfit. Even though these jeans looked fine with my oversized Cinderella top, they looked too "clunky" with this delicate dress. I've talked about a disadvantage of traveling (dressing-up-wise), and ahhh if only I had access to my whole jeans collection!
 |  |
The footwear would have to change to match the different jeans, too; I like how the colours in my colourful Converse sneakers match the dress beautifully but with the particular jeans here, they just don't look right to me.
My hijab here was part of the fail, too. There are different hijab styles that suit certain outfits better in my opinion, and what I had on here just isn't the right one! I struggled with tying the red scarf into a "right" style before stepping out of the door and pretty much just "settled". It was only obvious to me how messy it was in the first few shots Shah had taken.
FYI, you won't be seeing a clear shot of the right side of my face in this whole entire post!
(Also: isn't it obvious how not fully comfortable I felt in this outfit?)
• • • • • • •
We ran out of light pretty fast but I think I salvaged the whole situation by getting some pretty shots of Common Ground, which was decorated more than normal for an event they hosted. (Ironically posing around in my Converse in a Vans event setting!) I considered not posting any pic of my outfits but since I don't appear entirely horrendous, well, why not?
I hope you guys enjoy this post anyway, thanks for reading! xo
Wearing: H&M printed black satin dress | Mitsumaru Emsexcite jeans | Converse sneakers | Earrings from a stall near Ewha Woman University
Ha ha, no....Its not obvious at all😂😂😂😂but the pictures are very nice!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the problem is not obvious! Thank you Nancy =)
DeleteGoodness sakes my dear but you're being WAY too hard on yourself!!! First of all the dress/tunic is SO CUTE!!! The way the celestial appliques (?) are done adds a whimsical feel which I love! Also, my first impressions of the way you tied your himab for this post was; "oh cool! I like this new look!!"
ReplyDeleteI abree that the distressed jeans weren't the best choice but I also get the dilemma of not having all of you jean options to choose from while traveling! Moving andputting a large part of your wardrobe into temporary storage in your new home city creates that same issue. And, i actually think your terrific Converse sneakers are great with the dress (repeating the whimsey) and with a more plain pair of pants will work really well.
This shopping area looks so cool!!! Wish I could join you there for lunch Liyana!
Love, Jude
I think because I hunted this dress for quite some time after spotting it on H&M's Instagram page, and when I found it, I had such ideas to style it! To get a lackluster result (or so I felt) was a bit disappointing. I'll definitely give this dress more go(s) in the future, and yes I think I will DEFINITELY pair it again with these sneakers, they really do match nicely.
Delete(But next time I will do it in my own hometown where I have the luxury of picking anything I want from my own closet!)
I do sort of like how the hijab looked from my left side, but seriously it was VERY sloppy on the right!
Believe it or not, Judy, Shah and I didn't even have time to go INSIDE this mall. We had limited time near Common Ground and had to rush somewhere else after taking all these photos. I wish I could have gone and have a peek inside, but I console myself by telling myself that from what I've read, all the stores inside have prices that are way off the charts (my charts, to be exact).
I LOVE your images here Liyana!
ReplyDeleteSo bold and rich in colour.
Alive with textures and patterns.
I feel like I'm there with you.
Fabulous photographs.
As for your outfit.
Despite you feeling a bit "Meh" about it no one else would have noticed.
You always look so beautiful.
However, I hear you when it comes to wanting that extra something and feeling like you missed it.
The dress is a real find and I'm looking forward to seeing it again.
There are so many colours to play with in that rich pattern..... hurry up and get it back for a second bite!!
XXX
Samantha
Fake Fabulous | Style and fun with fashion, over 40
I constantly struggle with editing my photos (since I usually have no choice but to take photos so near to dusk, hence, terrible lighting) so you saying that about my photos here means SO MUCH to me, Samantha, thank you thank you.
DeleteSomething just occurred to me. You know how you've done posts where you pointed out the "flaws"? I always, ALWAYS think the same thing: no one would notice those "flaws"! But perhaps with us style bloggers it's either we're our own best (or worst, whichever) critic, or we want to be honest in relaying what the story is behind that outfit.
I just looked over my photos again and you're right, they look kind of alright to me, but it would still feel not right to NOT point out how I so wasn't into those jeans at that time!
I still haven't figured out what to wear the dress with the next time I photograph this dress but I will try to do so soon! <3