Outfit: The Catting Hour

Dress: Oasis, cardigan: Macy's, leggings: American Apparel, shoes: Aldo, bracelet: Blah Blah Blah, hat: Earth Tree (地球樹)

It's been about eight months since my last outfit post! I've pretty much spent the entire time in sweatpants encrusted with tears. I'm kidding. To be honest, working from home doesn't really inspire a lot of sartorial creativity, even though I get annoyed with myself for just putting on jersey tops and leggings every day (unless I have an interview, in which I do make an effort). Last summer was also extremely hot and humid, even by Taiwan standards, and I wore nothing but long, batik-print skirts (NT$300 each from the night market!) and black T-shirts. How I dress does affect my mood, however, and I'm trying to make more of an effort on a daily basis.

My dress is from Oasis, which used to have a shop in Taipei 101. When they closed, I screamed (though I believe they still have a location in Ximending). The prices were way higher than the Oasis stores in the UK, but it was one of the few stores here where I didn't encounter obnoxious saleswomen who acted as if my butt is so big that it single-handedly changed weather patterns in Taiwan (well, we are having an unusually chilly winter). My shoes are just Aldo heels I got on sale, but the leather detailing caught my eye. My magical bracelet is from Blah Blah Blah, one of my favorite indie Taiwanese brands (I recently interviewed their owner). I love how it riffs off of Marian iconography. When I wear it, there's nothing I love better than making my husband ask me what time it is so I can yank my sleeve back and scream "it's the catting hour!" Being easily amused is fun!

(My photos for this post were organized with a template by the awesome Pugly Pixel.)

Sweet Teeth

Ring by Charlotte Burkhart

After five years of warding off dentists with various excuses, I finally got my remaining two wisdom teeth pulled. They were my upper set and the left one didn't fully emerge until I was 24 years old and starting my first journalism job. That year was full of personal and professional transitions for me and every time I got anxious I would run my tongue over my budding tooth and think "Relax... you're still teething!"

As it turns out, what I should have been thinking instead was "Oh shoot, I hope my gums don't get inflamed!" But every time I was told I needed to get my extraneous third molars extracted, I felt verklempt about losing my lucky tooth. I finally bit the bullet (haha) last month, however, and scheduled an appointment. Now I have two molars soaking in a dish filled with rubbing alcohol and water on my desk. What, oh what, should I do with them?

For inspiration, I turned to Etsy. Charlotte Burkhart's sleek, modern settings highlight the different textures of the wisdom teeth she uses (either yours or from donations). I think her Mountains of Wisdom ring (above) showcases the tooth best, but I also like her Split Wisdom Tooth Bracelet:


I think the roots are the most interesting part of teeth. Mine certainly didn't come out looking anything like I expected. Burkhart also has an amazing pendant featuring a photo of Max Schreck in "Nosferatu."

The vampire trend has carried over to Etsy and there is tons of stuff in the shape of fangs. My favorite is this movable pendant by JL67. I wonder if you can wear it as facial jewelry by clamping it onto the end of your nose.


Victoria Camp's white clay fang necklace is also cool. It's simple and elegant, so you can wear it without your outfit screaming "Happy Halloween!" from a mile away (not that there is anything wrong with that... Halloween is my favorite holiday!).


Tibault & Toad's tiny tooth pendant is adorable. I almost expect it to put on a little top hat, grab a little cane and start tap dancing.


One of my favorite thing about this ring by Ardent1 is that it looks like tiny little silver pomegranate seeds, even though it is actually cast from animal teeth. Then again, I haven't eaten solid food in 50 hours and everything is beginning to look edible to me now, including my computer... mmm... computer...


These soft, fluffy pillows by Hootenanny are actually pouches for kids to put teeth in for the Tooth Fairy. And they look like cupcakes covered in white icing... okay, seriously, I have to go shovel more yogurt down my throat. When I was little, the Tooth Fairy used to leave silver dollars for my brother and me every time we lost a tooth. That was exciting, though I managed to figure out that the Tooth Fairy was my Mom when I was about six. But I still made her give me money... teeheehee. I love the smirk on the right pouch's face. It looks like it's thinking saucy, illicit tooth thoughts ("Gimme some of that sugar, baby!").

What I'm Sproutin': School Spirit

Navy jacket: See's (a discount store in Taipei), blouse: BCBG sale, yellow skirt: same sale, shoes: Aldo, pendant: F-ck You Barbie, double-stranded choker: self-made, purse: Hayden-Harnett for Target, headband: Accessorize

Blue and gold reminds me of my elementary school, because those were our school colors. I remember being very sad when I realized that gold actually meant "bright yellow." I would have liked to break out the bling on school spirit days!

Then again, I've always been very literal when it comes to dressing up. Our middle school had school spirit weeks. Each day had a different theme; home rooms earned points based on how many students showed up in whatever the costume of the day was. I remember Eighties Day, Backwards Day and Pajama Day. On the latter, I came to school wearing my PJs, which were made out of a soft white jersey and had little pastel flowers on them. They looked like baggy long underwear. It wasn't until I saw my classmates parading around in crisp satin sets from Victoria's Secret and brand-new bunny slippers that I realized there was (is?) an unspoken rule among the student body that you don't wear your actual pajamas to Pajama Day. Whoops! I got funny looks, but then again I always got funny looks, so I didn't care.

I've had this skirt for a little while now. My Mom bought it for me at a BCBG sale when I was in California planning my wedding last year. It also came in navy blue and I debated for a bit until my Mom said I should pick the yellow because I already owned enough clothing in depressing hues. I agreed, but then had a hard time figuring out how to style the skirt until I picked up this structured hoodie. Yes, the jacket is navy blue, but I really like this color combo. When my yellow skirt was hanging unworn in my closet, I regretted not choosing the navy blue, but now I'm glad I have such a cheerful-looking item greeting me every time I get dressed.

To make my outfit a little less preppy (not that there is anything wrong with preppy), I added my anatomically-correct heart pendant from a Taipei-based indie design team called F-ck You Barbie. They also made my beloved brain pendant. The weather's been awful recently in Taipei -- gray, wet and chilly. The lack of sun has made me feel both blue and mentally foggy. Maybe I should wear both my pendants together for good luck. Goodness knows, my brain and heart could use some extra help right now!

What I'm Sproutin': Stop Starin' Screwball

Dress: Stop Staring, cardigan: American Apparel, gloves: dollar store, shawl: night market, fascinator: Giant Dwarf, tights: Urban Outfitters, shoes: Green Pine (興傑鞋)

I've wanted a Stop Staring dress for the longest time and last year I finally realized this particular consumerist desire. Only once I got my hands on the dress, I had no idea what to do with it! When the site says that the bengaline fabric really clings to your figure, they aren't kidding! Excellent for attention-grabbing, but what to do when you don't want to grab that much attention?

So I dressed my dress down with an oversized unisex cardigan, a very shaggy lace shawl (I only noticed the loose threads after my husband took these photos, but I think they add a nice touch) from the night market and a pair of fingerless gray gloves I got from a dollar store. And then I dressed it up again with fishnets and a Giant Dwarf floral fascinator. I like to think that the end result is: screwball comedy heroine realizes that her Rolls-Royce Phantom is on the outs and has to get down on her knees and fix the damn thing herself because her driver/mechanic knocked himself out on moonshine the previous night.

I adore my Stop Staring dress, but I think I'll continue styling it this way unless I'm going out to a party. I like how the cardigan allows me to show off the little details about the dress that I love, like its contrasting kick pleats and Art Deco-ish collar.

I hope everyone is having a nice Monday!

Say hey to Booday

If you've been following The Renegade Bean for a little bit, then you'll know that Booday (蘑菇) is one of my favorite brands in Taiwan. The Booday team started as a graphic design firm with a small magazine they launched as a creative outlet; today, they are a lifestyle brand with a line of t-shirts (now made exclusively in organic cotton), canvas bags and home accessories. Booday's Taipei store also has a cafe on its second floor, where they host art exhibits, talks, music performances, readings and classes. I recently took a cyanotype class there, which I'll write more about later. For more about Booday and their address, check out the article I wrote about them a couple months ago.

Here is a sampling of Booday's items from their online store.

My current favorites include:

A t-shirt with drawings of paper airplanes made from international mail envelopes (this resonates with me because I'm an expat and though I love living in Taiwan, sometimes I wish visiting home were as easy as folding a paper airplane!).


A pencil bag shaped like an eggplant.


This neat noggin bag.

I know they ship internationally to some Asian countries. Here is a list of stores that carry their items; if something catches your fancy and you can't read Chinese, try shooting them a note. Several staff members are fluent in English. If you can read Chinese, check out their adorable blog.

Have you have a nice Booday!

Tough as lace

I've had Sabrina of Fox and Clover as one of my favorite Etsy sellers for a while, and I can't wait to get my hands on one of her gorgeous necklaces. All of her designs are hand-painted onto glass with glass enamels and don't scratch. I think they look amazing -- so intricate and delicate. At first I thought they were actual pieces of lace that had been sandwiched between acrylic. I can't decide which one I like best.




To keep up with Sabrina's latest designs, including her gorgeous Chinoiserie Sauvage dishware line, check out her blog.