Day 1 of #KLFW, I opted for a girl-next-door look with a wavy bob hairstyle and a lace midi dress. Day 2, on the other hand, I chose wide-leg pants with a matching blouse for a sharp-but-sweet appearance.  Whenever I'm thinking of a bold and bright outfit, I always end up choosing pants over skirts, prints over plains, and colors over monochromes. 

Thanks to Bobbi Brown team for doing my makeup and Loreal team for doing my hair, I had a perfect makeup and hairstyle that complimented my outfit. Guess how long it took to pull this look altogether? 1 hour and 15 minutes of which I spent 1 hour on hair and makeup and 15 minutes on picking out my clothes. 

To be completely honest, this wasn't my most fanciful and striking outfit except for a little skin showing here and there. But apparently, it made some people turn their head as I walked past them on my way to the show. Two lessons that I learned from this. One, when in doubt, rock printed outfit from head to toes. Two, if you choose to wear the most ordinary outfit to the fashion week, walk like you wear the best dress in the crowd. 

Thank you so much for reading! 

Photos: Zoey Bui

::Outfit::

ZARA Floral printed top and pants

Alexander McQueen sunglasses

Fendi handbag

Rene Caovilla shoes

Lovisa choker- Similar here

Michael Kors watch

In August, I was invited by BloggerBabes (a global blogging network for female bloggers) to join Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week as one of the influencers. It was only a three-day-event, but it was one of the best fashion weeks that I've attended. I'm not kidding! Here is why.

Some of you may know that before moving to Singapore, I lived in Malaysia for 5 years. It's the place where I first started when I left Vietnam 11 years ago. Why Malaysia, you ask? I was one of a few lucky students who was granted a full scholarship to study in Malaysia. Before I graduated, I was offered a job and became a dance instructor at the same time. Surprisingly, nothing was related to Fashion.

Malaysia always has a special place in my heart. The country gave me an education, friendship, life experience, and strength. That's why I was so happy to come back to this place after 7 years. It felt like meeting an old friend after a long time. The only difference was "this friend" no longer reminded me of some sad stories like this one, there were only beautiful memories instead. I'll share more about the trip in the next blog post. For now, here are some outfit photos of a grown-up girl who just returned "home" after 7 years. 

Thank you so much for reading!

Photos: Zoey Bui

::Outfit::

Self-portrait dress

Valentino rockstud handbag

Rene Caovilla heels

Lovisa choker- Similar here

Michael Kors watch

On the last day of VIFW, I still had 3- 4 outfits unworn (I always pack more than I need especially when I go to a fashion week). Because I didn't know which outfit I should pick for the closing night, I decided to wear them both. Problem solved!

I wore this floral skirt and top set for the half of the night. Any crop-top with a big bow in front will instantly catch my attention. Loud and big floral printed material is a bonus. At first, I thought of pairing this crop top with a wide leg pants, but when I saw a matching skirt placed next to the top on the rack, I couldn't just pick one and leave the other. Besides, a midi skirt with pockets is my absolute favorite. This set became my first choice for a street style opportunity in a blazing afternoon in front of the show venue.

Right after the first segment of the evening was over, I quickly rushed back to my hotel room for a change. Since it's in the late evening, I thought it was a perfect time to show some sparkles on my feet (If you follow my #Crystalshoesgame hashtag on Instagram, you'll know that I'm obsessed with shoes). I bought a pair of Aquazurra shoes quite a while ago and only until VIFW, I could wear them out. It was just a plain pair of suede heels when I bought it. I thought "being plain is just boring" so I spent 2 weeks putting on every single crystal on it. The result is satisfying!

Because the shoes are so attention grabbing, I wanted to go light on the outfit and let my feet do the talking. I opted for a white lace top and a white pencil skirt. It probably was the most ordinary outfit that I've worn at the fashion week, but what I wanted was people looking at my beautiful shoes which they did. Was I noticeable enough? I think I was.

Front row seatmate!

Catching up with some old friends at the show

With Vietnamese fashion designer, Hoang Minh Ha after the show

With my lovely sister, Thuy Van, 2nd runner up Miss Vietnam International 2015

THE SHOW 

Luala Atelier, a Vietnamese brand focusing on ready-to-wear fashion opened the night with a collection that emphasizes classic silhouettes and colors for the women at work. 

DressCamp from Japan brought the Japanese culture on the runway and reminded me of one thing. Fashion should always be fun or not at all. 

DressCamp finale walk! #VIFW #vifw2016 #day4 #fashionweek

A video posted by Vietnam Intl Fashion Week (@vietnamintlfashionweek) on Apr 26, 2016 at 7:19am PDT

French couture designer, Dany Atrache presented a romantic symphony with a collection that features a beautiful pastel color palette on a light and airy gowns.

Vietnamese fashion brand, Ivy Moda surprised me with a collection called "The Marble". As the name suggests, beautiful marble printed dresses with basic colors: black, white, and blue were seen on the models as they walked down the runway. I love the Va-va-voom factor in this collection.

I managed to capture a slow-mo of this dress just to show you how beautiful it looked on the runway. Totally my style!

@ivy_moda_fashion and "The Marble" story #VIFW #vifw2016

A video posted by Vietnam Intl Fashion Week (@vietnamintlfashionweek) on Apr 26, 2016 at 7:37am PDT

Last but not the least, the most anticipated show of the night was Le Thanh Hoa's fashion show and it wasn't disappointing. From the preparation (dry leaves transported from miles away for this show) to the dresses, everything was perfect.

Obsessed with every piece in this collection of a young and talented designer's

Literally, there was no better way to end the night and end the Spring/Summer fashion week. By the time, you are reading this, we are now preparing for the first Fall/Winter fashion week in Hanoi this coming November. I don't know what the organizer has up their sleeves just yet, but if you follow us closely on Instagram or Facebook, you shall find out.

Till then, thank you so much for reading! Thank you for having me as a part of Vietnam Fashion Week. It was a wonderful journey by far! 

On day 3 of VIFW, I was a little bit exhausted with the non-stop schedule at work during the day and the fashion show at night. Since I got back to Vietnam the day before fashion week, I stayed up until 2- 3am every night to finish what I was supposed to do during that day and woke up at 7am to get ready for the next day at work. It was tiring but exhilarating at the same time. 

If I could feel fresh and energetic the next day without much sleep, I wouldn't mind staying up all night long to do what I love doing. To cut the long story short, instead of running back and forth to change, do hair and makeup, and take outfit photos, I decided to have a good 3 hour rest in my hotel room and only headed to the fashion show at night. 

That said, this blog post is all about the beautiful collections of the night instead of my outfit. They are so beautiful that they will blow your mind. 

With Trang Le, founder of Vietnam International Fashion Week. Thank you so much for having me!  

With my beautiful friend and the host of the fashion week, Viet Ha

I Hate Fashion opened the 3rd night of fashion week with a collection that cannot be more Spring and Summer ready. I first knew about this brand from last year's fashion week and to be honest, it wasn't my most favorite one. But this year's collection is like a breath of fresh air and it stole my heart. From the big earrings and those cute wedges to the soft silk materials and the pastel colors, there is nothing not to love about this collection. In fact, I wanted to have them all. 

After I Hate Fashion, Fashion designer Frederick Lee from Singapore continued to heat up the room with his one-of-a-kind collection that brought us to a dreamy and mysterious garden. Every single dress is like a piece of art. I have goosebumps watching Frederick Lee's fashion show every single time. The third time felt just like the first. 

I've watched many fashion shows, but none ever made me feel proud of being Vietnamese and love my country like how the collection of Ao Dai by Dinh Van Tho did. Ao dai is a Vietnamese traditional costume that the girl wears on her graduation, her wedding day, or a special day in her life. Fashion designer Dinh Van Tho portrayed the beauty, history, and culture of Vietnam through his "My Hometown" collection. I saw an old town, a bustling floating market, and an endless rice field. For a girl who haven't worn Ao Dai for more than 10 years, this collection touched me to the bottom of my heart. 

If the first half of the night was full of emotion and appreciation, the second half quickly became more lively with a dynamic collection by 3 young fashion designers who are the winners of Project Runway Vietnam: Nguyen Tien Truyen, Hoang Minh Ha, Ly Giam Tien (from left to right)

French couture designer Eymeric Francois brought a gothic fairy tale with full of mysteries and darkness. 

Last by not least, Vietnamese fashion label Tiny Ink by Hoang Quyen closed the night with a collection that was inspired by the beauty of Vietnamese women through different periods in her life and the different types of traditional dresses worn by women in each century. I saw a beautiful blend of modern fashion with a rich culture in every outfit. These beautiful images on each dress are carefully painted by hands. 

One night with 6 beautiful collections. I could hardly contain my emotion that night and I'm still feeling overwhelmed writing about it right now. If only these photos could do them justice. Perhaps, you can watch a recap video here to see everything in motions and come back to this page again for the final blog post. As usual, I'm saving the best for last. Just give you a hint! 

Thank you so much for reading! 

::Outfit::

Three Floor dress

Salvatore Ferragamor handbag

Schutz shoes (old)

Swarovski watch

On the second day of the Vietnam International Fashion Week (VIFW), I wanted to dress down a little bit since my first day was already pretty epic. I styled this old peplum skirt a new way. 

I'm not sure if you still remember, I actually wore this skirt once at last year New York Fashion Week. This beautiful peplum skirt was gifted to me by an Indonesian designer Michelle Worth and because I loved it very much, I wore it twice. This time, instead of wearing a crop-top, I chose a normal collar shirt to go with the skirt and left one shoulder off to make the ordinary shirt look more interesting. 

Sometimes, it's not about how many clothes that we have, but how creative we are at wearing the same clothes different ways. Fashion should always be fun and fearless. I'm glad I took the risk because this outfit turned out to look better than I expected. At least, Harper's Bazaar Vietnam,  Tiep Thi Gia Dinh and Kenh14 approved! 

Twinning with my boo Travis Nguyen as we accidentally rocked the same style. Great minds think alike! 

Loved these pieces from British designer, Nina Naustdal's collection.

If Nina Naustdal's collection focuses on the stunning embellishment and excellent workmanship, a collection of Klar Lov, fashion designer from Thailand, emphasizes on the woman's silhouette and her curves.

Canifa by Chau Chan Hung, a well-known Vietnamese fashion brand brought the summer on the runway with a bright and colorful collection.

Quang Nhat, Vietnamese fashion designer ended day 2 of VIFW with his new collection that is inspired by architecture and art. Couldn't deny how impressed I was with many young Vietnamese talented designers. You've just seen only a few of them.

More to come.

Thank you so much for reading!

Photos: Street by Chanh, Navian Photography & Trung Tin Photography

Outfit:

Zara blouse- Similar here

Silk peplum skirt- Thanks to Michelle Worth Label

Chloe drew handbag

Mugler sunglasses

Rene Caovilla fruity sandals

Gorjana jewelry