East Idle

Good morning! Happy Second Half of 2020! Happy July! So much to be excited about. I am anticipating a much better remainder of the year. With everything that's been going on lately around the world, I can only hope that the next six months will be filled with nothing but positivity. Recently I've purchased new workout clothes from Amazon. Today is the first time I am wearing the set I got and let me just say that both the top and the leggings are beyond comfortable. Everything was super affordable, too. I bought five of each; the tops were $7 each and the leggings were $5.25 each. Now the leggings are $18 on Amazon, so I'm not sure if it was a glitch that they were being sold for $5.25 when I bought them, but no complaints. What a steal, right? Working out now is so much better with these comfy clothes! xo, I

Office views from FiDi. Getting glimpses of this view helps during 'rona szn. Evidently the circumstances caused by our current world event s - ahem, plural usage isn't proper form here, I meant EVENT, aka the health pandemic that we have been dealing with, and for the foreseeable future will continue to be dealing with, the coronavirus, the rough 'rona, the off-pitched co-rus, ok, I'll stop there - has made me return to blogging. But please note that this is an atypical post. Not one about fashion, shoes, clothes, my neverending desire to conquer my fear of being run over by a puppy stroller (wait, sorry, had I not mentioned that before, omg sorry tmi tmi!). This is about my personal experience with the rough 'rona, which currently warrants a rambling post. To the brave souls reading this, continue on, if you shall dare... To start this saga, I'm noting that it's quite odd that prior to the coronavirus, I've normally been rather introverted and...

Happy Monday! The start of March has me thinking about lots of things... we are headed towards being a quarter of the way done with 2020, St. Patrick's Day festivities are to be planned, and college basketball will infiltrate the souls of bars. Nevertheless, I feel especially excited because there is a lot coming up this month for me. They are tbd situations, but of course the anticipation of receiving confirmation about things is not only nerve-wracking but truly exciting. Here are some things I have bought lately. While I have been trying to cut my spending, I can't help it if I walk into a store and see something pretty, or if my online window shopping habits happen to force me to immediately go to the store and purchase the thing I gasped at. Sorry, not sorry. Girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. :) 1) Salvatore Ferragamo Vara Pumps - $650 I am a size 7 normally, but these pumps run a tad small. The 7.5 fits perfectly, albeit I had to wear them in a bi...

This weekend I got my first pair of Louboutins. In honor of Chinese New Year, the red bottom soles were the perfect present to celebrate the new year. I tried on the Kate's, and although they were extremely comfortable, I ended up going with the So Kate's because I always love a higher heel. After wearing them for a night out on the town, I found the shoes to be surprisingly comfortable for the taller height. These will be staple night out shoes, and with the black patent pair in my closet now, I am excited to add other colors and styles of Louboutins in the future. Here are some of my favorites... also like the nude versions of these as well... these are stunning classics! So Kate  - $695 | Very Prive  - $845 | New Simple Pump  - $845 |  Fetish Peep  - $945 Adox  - $945 |  Loubi Queen  - $845 |  Renee  - $845 |  Belle  - $895

My middle name is the initial "H" - yes, it is simply the letter; it stands for my Chinese name, Hai Yi. Why am I bringing this up? Because other than loving the Hermes style, the "H" initial holds meaning to me, so I am even more fond of their products. I love their Kelly 25 bag and hope to someday own one in the classic black/gold combo... maybe even have a small collection of Kelly 25s: black/gold, white/gold, beige/gold, tan/gold, pink/gold. However, the Kelly bags are hard to come by and must be purchased in store. Here are some of my favorites from their online offerings. Oran Sandal - $650 Oasis Sandal - $740 Clic H Bracelet - $640 Eperon d'Or Bandana Scarf - $315 Jeu de Soie Twilly - $170

Unfortunately, after many years of business, Barneys is closing down. Fortunately, a majority of its stock is on sale right now. Here are some of my favorite picks... DRESSES Zac Posen Cady Sheath Dress - $760.50 Dolce & Gabbana Cady Fitted Midi-Dress - $830.25 Barneys Tech-Poplin Midi-Dress - $335.62 Zac Posen Cady Sheath Dress - $625.50 Zac Posen Bonded Crepe Sheath Dress - $715.50 Zac Posen Bonded Crepe Fitted Cap-Sleeve Dress - $625.50 Zac Posen Stitch-Detailed Crepe Sheath Dress - $805.50 BAGS Barneys Leather Mini Duffel Bag in Black - $154.88 Barneys Leather Mini Duffel Bag in Nude - $154.88 BLACK SHOES Gianvito Rossi Cheryl Leather T-Strap Pumps - $469.88 Barneys Leather Ankle Boots - $178.12 Barneys Leather Ankle Boots - $185.62 NUDE SHOES Barneys Pointed-Toe Patent Leather Pumps - $121.88 Manolo Blahnik Allurasa Patent Leather Slingback Sandals - $380.62 WHITE SHOES Barneys Leather Double-Band Sandals - $73.12 Barneys Pointed...

Merry Christmas! Good morning from Upper East Side, New York! All my life, I had imagined spending a Christmas here. Now, it is a dream come true. I have Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" on, along with the Christmas tree lights. My boyfriend and I set up the tree and other holiday decorations a couple of weeks ago at his place. I am staying here for the week and it feels really festive and cozy. Also, with two cups of coffee down, and one more beside me waiting patiently, I am bursting with energy. Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year, and this is one of my most memorable ones. While I am away from my family who's in California, this time alone is allowing me to reflect on 2019 and recharge for 2020. Here are some highlights from 2019: Finishing my first year of law school. Traveling to 4 countries: France, Bermuda, Italy, Iceland. Moving to the Upper East Side. Here are some things I am looking forward to for 2020: Competing at M...

This year has been filled with traveling. My boyfriend and I visited the Hamptons, Paris, Bermuda, Rome, Sardinia, Corsica, the Catskills, and Iceland! We had so much fun at each of these places. Before, I traveled to some states in the US, and then China and Mexico, but the traveling was mostly for tennis tournaments, and a couple of family visits. Now I’ve been to China, Mexico, France, Bermuda, Italy, and Iceland, all for vacation! Luckily my boyfriend is an expert traveler and plans the most amazing itineraries for us so we see, do, and eat so much during each trip. We also travel well together, which is a plus! Sometimes I get a bit tired, haha, because we’ll have full-day adventures but I’m not complaining - the world is a big place, and it’s nice to squeeze in lots during each stop! I will put some photos below of our travels later! Next up, we will be headed to the Catskills for a weekend getaway, then Vermont for Thanksgiving, and then tbd for New Year’s (likely a South Americ...

These two handbags are classics. The Dolce&Gabbana one is more classic while the YSL one is more edgy. You can hold the D&G bag as a satchel, which is how I’d prefer to wear it, or as a crossbody bag. The YSL one can also be worn as a crossbody, or as a shoulder bag, which is how I’d wear it most of the time. If I had to pick one, I’d say my favorite is the YSL bag! Note: the leathers and straps are different on each bag, as well as the shape. I usually don’t like when logos are too prominently displayed, but I like how the YSL logo makes a statement and is also a bit glam.

Ah, fall/winter time calls for fuzzy, cozy coats. I own two fuzzy black faux fur coats already, one from BB Dakota and one from Saks Fifth Avenue, and I’ve worn them to death during fall/winter. The black matches everything, and now I’ve seen these two white faux fur coats, I want a white one in my closet too. I think the white would match a ton of outfits as well! Not to mention that I love winter whites, so I can imagine these coats with an all white outfit under! 

There’s nothing I love more than sequin dresses. I have three floor-length gowns that are full-on sequined, and have a couple of mini sequined dresses. The sparkle and glimmer adds glamour to a fun night out, and it looks so pretty! Here are four that I saw recently... they are all so gorgeous!

A brand I love for its timeless/feminine style is Salvatore Ferragamo. I currently own the Osimo pumps in nude and the Gancini reversible belt in black/brown. The pumps are SO comfy, and the belt goes with everything! Here are some more faves I’ve been eyeing... I love the Gancini bag and the Studio bag — although I do love the Gancini style much more. ;) The shoes are classics that would go with work attire (the flats would be especially cute for your work commute before you change into pumps at the office!) or dressed up casual outfits. If I’d have to pick my ultimate faves, it’d have to be the black/gold Gancini top handle bag and the Osimo pumps in black! Imagine those two with a classic lbd! So chic, no? :)  ***These can all be purchased from Ferragamo’s website, or select options are available at Saks and other retailers. If there’s a Ferragamo store by you, even better because you can try on the shoes for correct sizing and see if the bags fit your frame. I love online shopp...

Similar to fashion powerhouses Chanel, Prada, or Louis Vuitton, Hermès is one with timeless and classic styles. These are my favorite Hermès pieces that are available on their website: 1) twilly scarf, 2) oran sandals, 3) clic h bracelet.  Twilly Scarf  ($170) Accessorizing with a silk scarf adds a touch of elegance, and the twilly designs are lovely. These are my top three patterns... would put them on bags, tie them around my neck, or use as a headband. These scarves sure are versatile! Oran Sandals  ($650) Summer has come to a halt, but these sandals have been on my radar for a while now. I tried the white ones on in Sardinia this past summer, and did not take a liking to them initially. However, it might have been due to a late night or the sandals just not meeting my expectations on how they’d look on my feet. Yet, I still think they are timeless shoes that will last for summers and sunny days on end. I fit a size 8 because they ran small (I am usually a 7). These wi...

Over the weekend I went to a Beck concert... the openers were Spoon and Cage and the Elephant . I didn't really know too much about the artists, but I really enjoyed the music! Before the show, we went to Sripraphai ... I must say, it was authentic Thai food and we had the most flavorful Thai dishes I have ever had! The restaurant isn't fancy, but it was incredible, and everything was delicious! Ordered Thai tea, tom kha khai soup, coconut rice, soft shell fried crab with green mango sauce, steamed fish filet with garlic/chili/lime sauce, and massaman curry. We then headed to the concert, which was lots of fun. After the concert, we stopped by King Cole Bar . Anyway, I am happy the weekend is now done with and that it is now Monday... a new week means a new start! I am up and ready for a great day - just finished painting and then I will go to the gym for my run! Might post my concert outfit later and list some similar options!

Current situation: laying on my loveseat with achy, sore legs. Why? Because this girl didn't exercise properly during her vacays (walking around hilly towns was about it) and also failed to properly exercise in between vacays. Ah, the challenges of traveling. When I was younger, I would be on the road every weekend to a new city, but the traveling was for tennis tournaments; there was no concern about whether I would get adequate exercise... two hours warm-up, two to four roughly two-hour long matches per day... plus hours and hours of training every day prior to each tournament. Exercising happened without a second thought while on the road back then. However, this summer's travels were for pleasure, and doing lots of exercise wasn't a priority. Oh how times have changed... Now that I am back in NYC for a good bit, at least a few weeks, (although we might be taking some trips soon and will likely take a trip to Switzerland for New Year's), I am hopping back onto an exe...

"Ah, freshly manicured nails... they sure make you feel like a new person, don't they?" I ask as I am sitting here typing away with my freshly done gel mani... yes, yes, they certainly do. Thanks to Amazon I was able to scour some great gel nail products to do my own manis in the comfort of my own apartment. I can sit on my sofa cross-legged while I drink coffee and do my nails? Say whaaa? Yep! The basics needed: a uv/led gel nail lamp , gel nail polishes , gel nail base/top coats . I use the products linked, and they work really well. For around $50 you can purchase all the essentials -- that's roughly one or two gel manis at salons -- which means you'll def save some money doing your own nails at home! That's honestly why I went on Amazon and got supplies so I could do my gel manis myself; as a 20-something living in NYC, costs add up and getting my nails painted is more of a luxury at the moment. I've always done my own normal manicures anyway (see this...

I've had a ridiculously rough summer. My days have been filled with mental anguish. Some stress-inducing, 100%-like-how-could-that-disaster-have-possibly-occurred examples: the lobster roll in the Hamptons could have been more lobster-ey *eye roll*, the people in Paris spoke with too beautiful of an accent *eye roll*, the pink sand in Bermuda wasn't as pink as it was hyped up to be *eye roll*, the pasta in Rome was one parmesan sprinkle too cheesy *eye roll*, the sardines were no where to be seen in Sardinia *eye roll*, and the trees on the mountains in Corsica were too green *eye roll*. Ugh. Life is just *so* hard. Would eye roll, but I rolled them too hard already and now my eyes are sore. I guess I have to be happy though because the eurocraycraybugs chose me to prey on by biting me ~30 times, and having my blood sucked was def extremely detoxing... at least there was a silver lining after all the difficulties. Phew. Just kidding. Ha. Ha. Me so funny. Ha. ha. ha. ha . ;) In...

Now that it's April, I aim to go to the gym more than I did in March. The previous month was filled with so many events and situations that my schedule was off track quite a bit; consequently I did not workout as much as I would have liked to. This month, I'd like to go more frequently and what better way to get more motivated and excited for workouts than with new activewear. I ordered a few things from Uniqlo because I bought a pair of their leggings last year and have loved them. I got three more of the leggings  in black, this top in light purple, this top in pink and purple, and this jacket in black. Not only is Uniqlo's activewear material extremely comfortable and well-fitted, but the colors are so pretty for spring... the leggings do come in other colors, but I stick with black so I can mix and match with the tops, same goes for the jacket. The leggings are high waisted, hold everything in without sagging or falling aka they stay up!, and the length hits around/...