My Reflection

I am an extremely nostalgic person, in a way this gifts me my interest in exploring history; but on the flip side, this makes me quite sentimental about absolutely everything in the past. Especially these few days, I don't know if it's my homesick, the anxiety of my first college finals, my post-exam overindulgent fun, or maybe the far-fetched frigidness of the Canadian Winter, a mix of deep-seated sentiments floods my thoughts everyday. When I was looking through my old photo back in September, this mixed feeling stroked me relentlessly. I was about to cry, and there is no rationale behind it. I can only blame it on me being too nostalgic.

#EMfashion: Fashion Week Calculations

    This September was one hectic fashion week for me, not only I could not go to any of the fashion shows, I also have to adjust my life into University of Toronto. Surprisingly, amongst endless lectures and tests, I have found my niche for fashion. Before each lecture when I was waiting, I would go to "Style.com" to catch up all the latest photos and reviews. Thank you so much "style.com", you are my savior.

    From all the mathematics I have been cramming lately, I think I am growing a calculative mind.(who am I kidding, I am a liberal arts student, I am never good at math) After looking at some of the collections from four fashion weeks, I have this great realization about the inspirations behind the collections, and those can be demonstrated by these mathematical functions.

#NYFW: ALEXANDER WANG

#EMlifestyle: Harder is Better

   

http://elysianmind.blogspot.ca/2014/09/emlifestyle-harder-is-better.html#more

#EMtravel: La Isla Bonita (My 18th Birthday Party)

ME AND MY LUCKY BRACELET

#EMfashion: Atypical Fall Items

     

     From early this year's Fall/Winter fashion week, we can indubitably foresee the crazy mayhem of 2014's fall style. Since basically every designer choose to take risks on their collections, this venturesome idiosyncrasy reflects on the street and in each fashionistas' closet.

    So here are the four most peculiar yet hottest fall/winter items that I am seriously considering to purchase them. 

#EMtravel: Short but Sweet - Beijing Travel Diary

Beijing is a place I've been to too many times before.

Because of that, I decided to toss the typical Beijing route away 

( for instance: the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Olympic Park, etc.) , and reckon this city in my own way.

#EMmusic: Taylor Swift "Shakes" the "Country" Off.

I rarely wake up at 5 in the morning, especially during my summer vacation; I do so, only for the A-list things. Taylor Swift's Yahoo live stream could count as one of them. After the stream, frankly, it's pretty much an information overload.

Unlike other crazy, diehard fans that grieve for Swift's official departure of Country music; I was pretty rational about this new song - "Shake it Off". 

#EMfashion: Hereditary Beauty

          

        The cover of September Issue has always been a smokeless war, it's an immense responsibility and honor to land on the cover of any September issue. As a result, the hottest celebrities or the most-welcomed models are invariably the common choices for cover girls. However, on the Harper's Bazaar's September cover, the casting is rather unorthodox. The cover girl - simply hearing the name "Emma Ferrer" doesn't ring a bell at all, but the way she looks did reminded me of someone. She looks a lot like my fashion icon - Audrey Hepburn to me.

#EMfashion: Relate to Success

          

       Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid are two household names around America, probably from their appearance in their family's reality television gigs. Frankly, I was surreptitiously following the two hot shows -- Keeping up with the Kardashians, and the Real housewives of BH, and I have to confess it was quite exhilarating to watch the conflicts and quarrels between "the rich and famous". After these many seasons, I have designated Kendall and Gigi as two of those TV personalities like their family members, but they suddenly all appeared on runways of some major fashion shows or the cover of renowned magazines. So I couldn't help but wonder, do they really have what it takes to be a proper model? If so, is transformation like this will become a usual phenomenon in the future? or their families are just more "relatable" to success in general. 

#EMlifestyle: How to Live Like Miranda Kerr?

Glancing through Miranda Kerr's instagram account, I was so fascinated (and frankly a little bit jealous) by the spirited, and simply PERFECT lifestyle she has.

If we look closer behind this picture perfect life, it's actually not that hard to live like Miranda Kerr.

Here, I break down the life of Miranda into ten small lessons. 

When you achieve all of them, your life would be just as flawless as Miranda's.

#EMmusic: Gaga Goes Lady with the Help From Tony Bennett

      What a surprising Monday, especially in the music industry. When I watched "Today", and heard Gaga and Mr. Bennett announcing their new collaboration "Cheek to Check", I was not that convinced.

#EMmusicgiveaway - Bang Bang

 

Miss Dior Exhibit - In My Opinion

If you follow Elysian Mind for a while, 

you may know that I recently paid a visit to Shanghai for a little #interfriendtion trip.

Before the trip, I have heard so many amazing compliments about this exhibition from my Shanghai friends, so I could not wait to discover the secret of Miss Dior myself.

And now, I am offering you a closer look at the exhibition; 

plus, a few random thoughts of my own after the visit.

#EMmovie: The most unlikely trio, the most fabulous vengeance

     

#EMfashion Monthly Vogue Digestion: American Vogue August

A good magazine cover can tell a story;

but it takes tons of, millions of works from 

the sitting editors,

the photographers,

the models,

and even the celebrities

in order the capture the right moment.

This section is not only a place to critique the editorials,

but also a place to cherish the brilliant works done by those admirable people.

(And hopefully, I can become one of them)

Vogue Aug 2014 - Blake Lively

#EMtravel: Shanghai Photo Diary

Shanghai Day 3:

Lujiazui

 Oriental Pearl Tower

Shanghai Urban Museum

Ray of light

A panorama view of the skyline from the center of Lujiazui.

#EMtravel: Hangzhou Photo Diary

Hangzhou Day 1:

Settling Down,

A walk to a very enigmatic and exotic street,

And a Japanese dinner.

Feeling overexcited, 

so I covered myself in black to tone myself down.

The View from my beautiful resort.

#EMfashion: Taylor Swift's Evolution

Maybe it was the VS fashion show performance last year, or the parting to Nashville, or the new haircut; Taylor Swift's style has also elevated into the next level.

Recently, I've been glancing through the paparazzi shots of Taylor. I am amazed by how much her personal style has changed when she is in New York. As if this city has glammed her up instantly. Cropped top, more skin, more flamboyant colors...Taylor literally turned NY into her runway. 

Every time, at the front of her apartment, paparazzi would wait faithfully for another comparatively shocking look.

Summer Beach Necessity --- Cover-ups

Summer is, personally, my favorite season, because of the shorts, tees, and the beach.

Right! Who doesn't love the beach!?

Sun-tanning, swimming, and body-staring... the list of pros for the beach can go on.

So, as a fashion blogger, 

when I am lying on a bench at the beach, I am always observing;

not the hot bods, but the clothes people choose to wear

Cover-up is a hugely important part for a complete outfit at the beach. 

It's irresponsible to miss it out. 

Cover-up can not only cover your body when you are not in the water, but it also gives you a second layer of sunscreen. 

4.1 Arts on the Runway

Colors are essential for spring and summer, chromatic garments always have the magic to lighten up the whole look. In the past, designers tend to use flowers or geometric prints to retain the upbeat atmosphere in their SS collections. Surprisingly, what better way to incorporate colors in to fashion than artworks. The vibrant colors and abundant connotation behind the paintings are the best methods to evoke optimistic feelings for this spring. Designer houses like Chanel and Prada have sough this trend coming and iconoclastically embody it into their designs.