Sunday, May 29, 2011

Homegrown

I've been feeling so at peace with my life. Summer school started but I feel amazing. I'm at the point where I'm very happy with my relationships with those around me, and I'm so glad that I have a lot more free time to stay at home to not only hang out with my parents, but also for Ai Nhu time. The more that I'm at home, the more I feel at peace. I have been reading (surprise!) up about physics and Catholicism, talking to my dad about politics in Vietnam, watching movies with my mother, sewing (finally fixed the machine!) and planting flowers. For someone who's all about spontaneity and adventure, I've been a lot more happy with the mundane and simple stuff. I guess this is a part of maturity. I'm turning into a boring adult....NOT! :D


Anyways, onto the outfit. This was an extremely cheap yet fun outfit to put together. May is the month of spring, flowers and mom so I had some of these themes in mind while arranging these pieces. I thought it was very simple, laid-back and romantic yet at the same time quirky and cute. I've been obsessed with shorts lately and these $9 shorts from Forever21 doesn't disappoint! My favorite has to be the Free People top from Nordstrom rack for only $16! It's very lightweight yet very cute. I topped it off with a fringed crocheted vest from H&M's organic collection for only $10 and my comfy sandals that I stole from my mom. I think that my favorite part about this outfit is how comfortable I feel in it. It's perfect for 70 degree weather and although those have been rare in May, I still stalk the weather channel and make sure I take advantage of the warm weather whenever I can.
Stay happy!
-Ai Nhu

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Lil' Rebel

Doesn't Kelly look like a boss? Hehe...this was one of the most exciting shoot that I've done at Kelly's place. Kelly got some new stuff and wanted me to put together some outfits for her, so we coordinated pieces from her closet along with her new purchases. Kasey, Kelly's sister, also contributed by doing her hair and makeup. It was such a fun collaboration for all of us and I hope to style and shoot more of the Diep sisters. I apologize for the inconsistency of the editing. These photos were actually taken on the same day as Kelly's birthday post photos, so my photography skills are still ultra n00b and it was super dark outside. However, this shoot actually helped me learn more about Light Room, one of the programs that I'm currently using to edit. The original pictures were disgusting orange because I didn't know the power of white balance during March, but while editing, I learnt how to manipulate different shades. Still have a long way to go, but it's exciting!


Til next time!
Ai Nhu

PS. I made a tumblr for my favorite pictures that I took a long time ago. Not photographer crap or anything, but just as something to document my progression. I have neglected it, but I am planning on updating a lot more. Stalk me if you want right here!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

One year old rockstar!

I'm officially done with school! Praise the Lord, this semester has been one of the toughest times of my life. I did 18 credit hours, had a job, was doing Freshmen projects for physics, and was working on VASA by Night. It didn't help it that my classes were all continuations of materials from the fall, so it was extremely difficult. I'm thankful to finish and still be alive. I'm also very grateful for the friends, fun times, and memories I had with everyone.

I felt like I was maturing more and opening up myself more this semester than the last. I also felt that I was more exposed to different things and I was more willing to change. All in all, I just can't believe that I finished my first year of college. Let's just say that it was truly a life lesson. So far, I couldn't ask for a better time. Thank you to everyone who has made my college life amazing.

In terms of fashion, I just made the realization while shooting with Kelly today that the one year anniversary of Stylespirations was just a few days ago! Lately, I realized that I was extremely creative. I then understood that I usually get creative in times of stress and procrastination, linking to the event that I just had finals for a week and a half ago. I then remembered that last year, during AP testing, I created Stylespirations as a huge form of procrastination, and I remembered that May was a wonderful and fun month because of the blog, despite the stress from school. Kelly and I looked through the blog from the beginning and realized how much it has improved. Through different outfits, I saw the change in not only myself or the photography or the outfits, but my perspectives, the things that was going on around me, and my physical and mental change through the outfits. It is super cheesy to say but I believe the fashion has the ability to not only change how others "read" a person, but more importantly, the story that an individual wants to tell. This is why I was so addicted to fashion, and now with this blog, I feel like I'm starting to tell my story my way.

I apologize for the long post, but I just wanted to tell you all how important this blog is to me. To you, it may be just a fashion blog or a page of a girl showing off all the stuff she has, but to me, it is about creation and the things that I want to express and the different sides of me. It is a very personal story and I think it's a fun time capsule to document and store my maturation process. I'm at a very interesting period of my life and through fashion, I hope to use the things I love to show who I am, who I can be, who I want you to see me as, and who I want to see myself as.

Anyways, I'm not sure how to celebrate Stylespirations birthday. I first want to thank all of my close friends and my parents for supporting me, always reading my blogs and giving me input...and also gifting me cute stuff that can inspire me. I'm also truly thankful to Kelly, who gives up so much of her precious time to spend hours discussing, coordinating outfits, running around our neighborhoods in strange weather and timing just to take pictures of me and also sometimes being the victim of my styling and fail photography. Love you long time. I'm also thankful to TeenVogue who gave me the opportunity to be a part of a bigger fashion community. Finally, I want to thank all of the silent readers and people who don't personally know me but take the time of day to read my blog and try to understand me through my posts. I love your feedback and I look forward to personally talking to you all via comments and whatnot. I have a lot planned for this summer because of the freedom of time and the support of warm weather, so you will all see my new creations, styling, and more photography!

Til next time,
-Ai Nhu

Ps. I know I have promised an April 30th post. Do not think that I have forgotten. Since it is a really important post to me, I want to best prepare for it. Hopefully, it will be up before the end of May (LAWL).