new year

This is what I'm wearing on New Year's Eve, even though I'm spending it at home, lounging around, eating junk, and playing Scene It? Seinfeld game with my boyfriend. I have a lot of fancy clothes and not a lot of occasions to dress up, so I take any chance I get.

The sequin top was my mom's. The skirt is Richard Chai for Target. The belt, which I wear with everything, is from H&M. Plus black tights and black Vans Authentic Lo Pros instead of heels because, like I said, I'm staying in. Also, even at 23 years old, I'm still uncomfortable with the idea of looking 100% ladylike. I always have to have a little bit (or a lot) of my inner tomboy/slob showing through. Otherwise I'd feel like a phony.

My blogger resolution for 2009 is to start documenting my outfits. There are obviously a lot of good reasons for doing this, but mostly I just want an excuse to not be lazy about how I dress. This little post is just to get the ball rolling. Hopefully I'll stick to it.

Smell ya later, 2008. Hello, 2009!

sirena con jersey

The ladies behind Sirena con Jersey make tote bags that feature mustachioed gentlemen, happy worms, and pink-haired unicorns. I recently discovered (via Supermarket) that they also make some pretty awesome sweaters.

I'll take one of each, please.

happy holidays

Here is an obnoxious holiday graphic that I made, starring my cat.

broken english

I finally watched Broken English yesterday. There are many reasons why I loved this film. First, like most good romances, it takes place in New York (see: Annie Hall). Second, I have a pretty sizable girl-crush on Parker Posey, who plays Nora. I've never seen her in a role like this before. In all the movies I've seen her in, she's been the loud, crazy, quirky girl. In Broken English, she's quiet, guarded, and a bit melancholy. I think it looks good on her. She's someone to relate to. Third, every scene in the film looked beautiful. Nora's wardrobe is enviable, to say the least - all lovely dresses, flowy tops, and bohemian prints. I particularly admired the fact that Parker Posey went bra-free throughout most of the film, proving (to me, at least) that a less-endowed woman doesn't need to wear bust-enhancing padded bras in order to look, and be, sexy. Last, but not least, there is a scene with penguins. That pretty much constitutes an automatic thumbs-up in my book.

The main reason why I enjoyed this film, though, is because it is rooted in reality. Nora seems like a real person. Her best friend (played by Drea de Matteo) seems like a real best friend, rather than a sidekick who exists only to provide sage advice and/or comedy relief. I honestly can't stand most typical romances, in which the two attractive stars only belong together because the plot says so, and at the end they kiss in the rain while the camera spins around them and a cheesy love song swells in the background. To me, romances in which the characters and dialogue seem real and relatable (à la Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and 2 Days in Paris - all starring another one of my girl-crushes, Julie Delpy) are infinitely more romantic than any of those Hollywood romances could ever hope to be.

sunday

I went to Unique Los Angeles on Sunday and had a great time. The space was huge and there was so much to look at; it was a bit overwhelming. I ended up buying an adorable dress from Misha Lulu for my baby cousin and some other gifts for people who I won't mention because, unlike my baby cousin, those gift recipients can read and might stumble upon this blog. I also bought some "Brave Girl" band-aids from the lovely Ariel of Sticker Sisters because I've been procuring an ungodly amount of paper cuts lately and have been going band-aid-less for months. My friend got me the famous Sandwich Dinosaur tee from the Seibei booth (we were informed that Amy Sedaris is a fan, which makes it that much more awesome). We sipped on complimentary tea and bought some yummy treats from Cake Monkey. The whole atmosphere of Unique LA was so positive and fun (and the DJ was pretty good, too!). I can't wait to go again next year.

unique los angeles

If you're going to be in the LA area this weekend, you should check out Unique Los Angeles. This is a marketplace of 200 local vendors, selling everything from t-shirts to beauty products to housewares to cute little plush toys. Find one-of-a-kind gifts for your loved ones, support independent artists and businesses, and help out a good cause (50% of ticket proceeds go to Create Now!) all at the same time. Plus, there will be cake! All in all, a great way to spend a weekend afternoon.

Visit uniquelosangeles.com for more info.

cats on treadmills

Need I say more?

vintage boots

I just added a couple of pairs of boots to the shop. These would've become part of my personal collection if only they had fit me. I guess my loss is your gain (hmm...I just realized that I'm not a big fan of that saying). I'm still on the lookout for the perfect pair of brown boots.

Now, back to sipping on tea and watching the first season of 30 Rock on Netflix Instant. Oh Liz Lemon, how I love you.

kids & sweaters

I stumbled upon this picture while searching for sweaters on etsy. I believe it's from a vintage sewing pattern. There is nothing I don't like about this image. The facial expressions are priceless, and I would personally wear both of their outfits (minus the ascot/turtleneck). Also, are they holding giant protractors?

I added some new things to the shop last night. Granted, it's not much, but there is more on the way. It was cold and foggy today, which is the kind of weather that I love, but it's not very conducive to picture-taking. Hopefully the sun will be out tomorrow so I can have more things up on the site by this weekend.

sad realization of the day

Today I was met with the sad realization that I cannot pull off those long, drapey sweaters that everyone's been wearing lately. I came to this conclusion when I decided to stop by Target to see if they had anything good on clearance (particularly the Jonathan Saunders sweater coat that had caught my eye the last time I was at Target). While I was meandering around the women's section, I noticed at least three different styles of drapey sweaters, so I decided it wouldn't hurt to try one on. Needless to say, it looked pretty awful. The sleeves were supposed to be fitted, but they were weirdly long and stretched out, especially at the shoulders. The entire sweater was just too big, and the side view looked a bit off as well. Luckily, I did end up finding the Jonathan Saunders sweater on clearance, in my size (the only one left!). This made me pretty excited because I usually never find good sale/clearance stuff in my size.

It looks a lot better in person. The sleeves aren't as puffy-looking. (Why do the models on Target.com always make nice clothes look so bad?) I really like the weight of it - it's fairly thick and very cozy. I intend to post a picture of me wearing it eventually, though first I'd need to put a stop to my recent habit of wearing t-shirts and jeans every day (the weather is still too warm to allow for much creativity). I'd also have to actually be in the mood to take pictures of myself... Well, I'll definitely post something on this blog soon.

Ninja Vintage will be updated once this semester starts winding down, probably around the beginning of December (I'll try to put some accessories up next week). I know I keep putting it off, but I promise that the new stuff is awesome and will be worth the wait.

jury duty

Jury duty will be taking up my afternoons for the next week or so (hopefully not "or so," but things aren't looking very promising right now). I was planning on having a site update ready by tomorrow, but that will have to be postponed for a bit. Lots of appointments and planned trips have been dotting my schedule this summer, and having jury duty thrown into the mix has given me very little time to get anything done. I might be able to add a couple of things next week, but as of right now I'm kind of swamped. In the meantime, here is a hilarious cat video for you to enjoy:

back from chicago

I returned from my trip from Chicago on Tuesday. It was a nice change of scenery. The weather was lovely. It got a bit humid at times, but not unbearably so. I ate a lot of pizza, saw some fireworks, and (unintentionally) got a tan.

Thanks to everyone who placed an order while I was gone. All your orders will be shipped out today. I'm going out of town (again!) in a couple of weeks, so there will be a store update before I leave.

Today I donated 10% of Ninja Vintage proceeds from the past 3 months to the American Cancer Society, in honor of my mom. Thank you to every one of you who helped make this donation possible. The donation page can be viewed here. I'll be donating to a different charity this month, though I haven't decided which one yet. If anyone has a suggestion, feel free to comment or e-mail me.

Hope everyone's having a lovely summer so far!

at last

Summer is finally here! Spring semester ended last week, so I finally have time to update the site. Look for new clothing within the next few days. Next week is actually Ninja Vintage's 3-year anniversary, so I'll try to have lots of new stuff up before then. Apologies for the long, long wait.

Just a reminder, I added some colorful new sunglasses to the store. There are only a couple of each color available, so get them while you can. The baby blue and yellow ones are my personal favorites.

my mom

my mom (left) with her sister and friends

my mom and dad out on a date

Looking through old photo albums of my mom in the Philippines was my first glimpse into the style of the 1960s and 1970s. As a young child, I remember being so enamored by her colorful dresses and cute hairstyles. Since then, my love for that era has only grown, and it all started with pictures of my mom. She was my first, and best, style icon. She influenced my love of vintage culture and fashion in more ways than I can even express. I can only hope to be half as stylish as she was.

My mom passed away last month at the age of 59. She had been battling kidney cancer for almost a year. This has been a really tough few months for me and my family, and it will continue to be tough in completely different ways now that my mom is no longer with us. That is the big reason why I decided to put Ninja Vintage on hiatus for several months, and why I haven't been able to update as often as I had promised since I re-opened the store in March. Despite the constant delays, I continue to receive so much support from visitors and customers of Ninja Vintage, and I appreciate it so much. I love Ninja Vintage and do not plan on abandoning it anytime soon. There will be another update later in the month, and more frequent updates once summer starts.

In honor of my mom, for the months of April and May, 10% of all profits from Ninja Vintage will be donated to the American Cancer Society. Happy Mother's Day to everyone.

spring preview: dresses

Here are a few dresses from the upcoming Spring update - lots of bright florals and light fabrics. I'm going to try to have all the accessories (including scarves, bags, and boots!) up in the store by next weekend. The clothing will have to come a bit later. I've still been extremely preoccupied with personal things and haven't had as much time as I'd like to work on the updates. I hope the accessories and this little preview will be able to tide you over until I can get the store fully stocked with vintage goodness!

spring preview: accessories

Here's a small preview of a few of the accessories that will be available at Ninja Vintage by the end of the month. Clothing preview coming soon!

totes around the world

I was browsing Cut+Paste today and stumbled across these great tote bags by Maptote. They're screen printed with illustrated maps of different cities. It's such a simple but clever concept, not to mention practical. I love the colors and the font choices for each city. They're also very affordable, at only $15.

in with the new

So if anyone has been wondering whether or not Ninja Vintage will be opening back up anytime soon, it will. Personal life things have been taking a bit of a toll on my ability to focus on the website, but I promise I will get it back up and running before Spring rolls around. I've been considering what changes I'll be making to the store once I get it restocked and ready to go. I've already decided on two definite things.

First, I'm going to make shipping flat rate. That way, no matter how many things you order the shipping cost will still be the same. Second, I will donate a percentage of all profits to a different charity every month. I'm thinking of starting with Oxfam and the World Wildlife Fund. If anyone out there in Internetland has any other suggestions for worthy charities to donate to, I'd be more than happy to hear from you.

I have other ideas for Ninja Vintage 2008 mulling around in my brain, but recent distractions have made it difficult to grab hold of enough free time to be able to flesh anything out. I am determined, however, to make space for some good ol' quality time with Ninja Vintage. We'll see where things progress from there.