Shopping Behavior 2.1

[pictures from Shanghai: Xintiandi, Changle street and some parts of People's Square offered nice, varied and quality shopping that wasn't all mainstream]

I am happy to announce that my fashion behavior has finally changed.

I realized that about me in Shanghai.

When I went to Hong Kong in, I think 2006, I was thrilled to find fashionable clothes for so cheap. Quality was not a big concern to me then. I was simply happy to dig in and pay little. The same when I was in Seoul for the first time.

In Shanghai, too, there is a lot of shopping. Department stores, shopping malls, high end designer boutiques, independent labels, international high street and fast fashion as well as local fast fashion, etc. I would have had the opportunity to dig in and pay little once again. However. I simply did not feel like it. At all.

While in Shanghai, I merely bought one dress, a new iPhone case, and post cards (we never sent).

It was then that I realized that for me, fashion doesn't need to move fast any longer. I now get excited by special pieces that are unusual yet of a transitional quality rather than anything that's "trendy" or just nice. In short: I am looking for basic lead pieces that match my personality and style in all aspects. Quality now is much more important to me as well because ideally, good things are to last.

I think that this is all a good development because in the end, I am buying less because nothing is ever good enough. But when it is, it is very good!

Now down with the few stupid impulse buys I still do from time to time.

Shanghai

I'm back from a very spontaneous trip to Shanghai.

Even though Facebook or Twitter are inaccessible in China, I was able to post on tumblr, where I continuously updated with pictures. Take a gander at them here.

I am proud we were able to pull together a trip so spontaneously. However, spontaneously going on a trip can equal stressful, too. I obtained a visa very last minute that technically I wasn't supposed to get. Furthermore, tickets, which we purchased directly before take-off, were pretty expensive by the time we got them.

It did pay off, though, after all. I've always wanted to go to mainland China, and most of all Shanghai. Finally, I did and can cross it off my list of places I want to go. In the following, I'll tell a little more about our trip (plus some "outfit pics").

A Photo Diary

I would like to point you to my Photo Diary on Tumblr. It's filled with pictures of everything and nothing! All the pictures are taken by me unless otherwise stated. I also have a Twitter, and it's here.

Sunglasses by Céline

I like good inexpensive fast fashion just as much as anyone else. However, since it is concerning my eyes, I decided that I had to graduate from cheap plastic sunnies to proper shades that will provide 99,9% UV protection that I can trust.

Personally, I am already predisposed to getting heavy headaches from being out in the glaring sun too much. But as you might not necessarily know, ultraviolet rays from sun exposure are not only highly damaging to your skin, but your eyes as well! My eyes are very bad as they are, and the sun here seems to be a tad more aggressive than what I am used to. So the move on to a pair of quality shades was only natural and logical.

I have been spending half a day hunting for the perfect pair of shades yesterday. After several long indecisive moments I finally stumbled upon these classic, monochrome black and white Céline shades that convinced me almost from the very first moment on. I believe form and colors of these can easily be agreed upon as timeless as well as suitable for any occasion. In this regard, I'd say it is money well spent.

Long Hair and Nice Clothes

It is so hellish hot in Seoul at the moment that sometimes I put to question any benefits long hair has for one. Not only am I a proper idiot (and a very lazy one at that) when it comes to hair styling, but also, it is, well, VERY HOT! So I have been thinking of drastic measures, such as... chopping it all off. Seeing these long-haired beauties and thinking of how excruciatingly slow my hair is to grow again, and how much more nicer it would look if it was to grow even longer (I'm thinking the tips should be ending underneath my rib cage), I cannot do it after all.

Here's to [Elle // Am Lul // Jessica Stam // unknown]