For All Time
With the holidays quickly approaching and in light of my ten year high school reunion occuring this weekend, I decided to finally share with you a lookbook that I had in my archives. Back in 2015, I wanted to create a prom lookbook on the Crystal Avenue and feature my prom date, Kevin, as we did not know anyone at the time of our prom who had a professional camera and took only a few photos on a digital camera together. Therefore, I thought it would be fun to re-live getting ready for prom and create a look that I would wear now to a prom. Now, if only I could go back in time with the fashion sense I have today to style myself and Kevin better in 2008.
Before I go into the styling portion of today’s lookbook titled “For All Time,” I wanted to give a shout out to Kevin for being one of my sassiest friends since we were kids and for being down to retake our prom photos seven years later. I also wanted to say sorry for embarrassing photos and the delay on posting this lookbook on the Crystal Avenue, since we took these photos back in 2015. Let’s retake another set of prom photos in another ten years to see how much we have grown.
For good measure, I am sharing a side by side of my prom photo with Kevin that we took in 2008 to show you my fashion choices at eighteen and why I styled the “For All Time” look the way I did with the new lookbook photo in the same pose. If you need a laugh or two, enjoy a good chuckle at my expense below:
In today’s lookbook “For All Time,” I wanted my look to be more classic and less playful than what I wore in 2008. At the time, I was more reserved on my style. If I could describe my everyday style in 2008 in a few words, the words I would chose would be simple and comfortable. However for events and parties, I would try to find pieces that were a little bit of flirty, so the overall vibe of my look would always be sweet. Thus I chose to wear a mid-length halter dress and found creme heels that were similar in design to my dress at Macy’s. I went for a mid-length playful dress, because I ultimately wanted to be able to move around on the dance floor without tripping, since I was still a rookie to wearing and dancing in heels. I also did not have my ears pierced at the time, so I did not have any additional accessories other than my orchid corsage.
In “For All Time,” I picked a red maxi dress from Lulu’s to fit the classic appeal that I wanted. What I liked about the red maxi dress is the sweetheart cut at the bodice. The wrap portion of the sweetheart cut reminded me of a himation, which was a style of clothing in ancient Greece. As I wanted the dress to be the focal point of the look, I styled my hair in a ponytail with soft curls, to accentuate my collarbone. For my accessories, I wore a pair of gold earrings and heels, and a rose corsage that I created myself (I also DIY’ed Kevin’s boutonniere). And so, even if you are not going to prom, the “For All Time” look is perfect for your upcoming holiday party and wedding events. Unfortunately, since the dress is no longer available on Lulu’s, a similar dress that I would style in the same format would be the “Harmonious Love Burgundy Off The Shoulder Maxi Dress.”
On a side note, I wanted to say thank you for everyone who expressed their condolences for the passing of my paternal grandfather. My family and I are eternally grateful to have you all in my life, supporting us through the good and bad times. Life is short, so if you are reading this, take the time to tell and show your loved ones what you mean to them.
I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your November and I will see you again soon!
Photography by Chelle Nguyen
