12.2.2009 The Dyes of Our Lives

Dress: Oasis, cardigan: Thakoon for Target, tights: H&M, necklace: H&M, scarf: Muji, shoes: Sogo Zhongxiao

Fashion for me is all about safety nets: my trusty black cardigan, my go-with-everything cream pumps, my beloved wood grain headbands. I haven't tried out a lot of trends, including mixed prints, because they stray too far from my beaten path. Part of it is insecurity; part of it is sheer confusion. How the heck do you mix prints???

For my first attempt, I made sure my two main pieces were in a similar color family, and that one print was larger than the other so the two fabrics didn't blend together. I then "weighed" everything down with a gray scarf, black leggings and basic black pumps. I think this outfit was successful because I felt comfortable in it and not at all self-conscious.

My necklace and leggings are both by H&M. One of the interesting things about living in Taiwan is seeing H&M items marketed as luxuries. There are H&M's in Hong Kong and China, but none in this country. Importers bring items over and sell them in boutiques or pop-up stores for hugely inflated prices (I saw a flimsy cotton madras blouse selling for the equivalent of US$75).

I'm trying to figure out what dyeing techniques the prints on my dress and cardigan are trying to mimic. My best guess is that the dress is supposed to look like ikkat, or some other form of resist dyeing. I love my Thakoon for Target cardigan -- I thought it was hideous when I first saw it, but the funny sand dollar-ish pattern grew on me and I knew I couldn't return to Taipei from California without it. Have you ever had that experience with clothing -- something looks so unattractive at first sight that you end up becoming totally obsessed with it?

By the way, please remember to vote for my blog about life in Taiwan, Shu Flies (舒飛), once every 24 hours in the Taiwan Best Blog Awards if you are so inclined. Thank you!