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

Although Vietnam International Fashion Week (VIFW) passed almost 4 months ago, I don't think the heat of the biggest fashion week in the country has gone down ever since. Not even a little bit. It was my second time attending #VIFW. The first time was in October last year.

I still remember very clearly how excited and nervous I was to think of attending the very first fashion week in my motherland. It was more nerve-wracking than New York Fashion Week. I didn't know if I could blend in well with the fashion industry in Vietnam as I've been away from home for too long. I knew no one there except for Trang Le, the busiest woman who founded the fashion week. But things went well in the end and I was so glad that I made a decision to attend this event at the last minute.

This year, I was not only a show-goer but also a contributor to a successful fashion week. It was my honor to be given an opportunity to lead their social media channels. Being the face behind VIFW's online images is challenging and fulfilling at the same time. It requires me to come up with relevant, engaging, and interesting content as fast as possible from 9am to 1am every day. Ironically, it took me only 5 minutes to compose an English paragraph, but 30 minutes to create a Vietnamese one. I hope I didn't sound silly after all and you enjoyed following the #VIFW journey with us on Facebook & Instagram.

On the opening night of VIFW, I wanted to make a bold statement so I chose this ASOS sequin colorful jumpsuit. It was the brightest and loudest outfit I've worn to date and to be completely honest, it wasn't my favorite choice. But guess what? Everyone I met that night loved my outfit including Harper's Bazaar Vietnam, SaoStar, Kenh14, and a few others.

Perhaps, a striking outfit can speak louder than any whistle to get everyone's attention. I learned that on this trip.

THE SHOW

Vietnamese fashion designer, Nguyen Cong Tri opened VIFW with his Haute Couture collection called "Lua" aka Paddy, featuring 41 looks in total. His collection inspired by a paddy field and Lanh My A, a rare traditional fabric in Southern Vietnam.  

My favorite look from his collection! 

Fashion designer Joe Chia from Malaysia presented his "Chapter 9" collection on the first day of VIFW. If you love monochromatic style, you'll be obsessed with his designs. 

Closing day 1 of VIFW was a special collaborative collection between Harper's Bazaar Vietnam with Vietnamese- Amercian designer Cory Tran. 

Besides Cory Tran's East-meet-West collection, the appearance of Victoria's Secret's model Sessilee Lopez on the runway was truly a highlight of his entire show. 

Day 1 of VIFW ended with a bang. But wait until you see day 2, 3 and 4. 

I shall be back! 

Thank you so much for reading! 

Photos by Street by Chanh, Navian Photography, Harper's Bazaar Vietnam, Kenh14, SaoStar. 

::Outfit::

ASOS sequin jumpsuit (old)

Salvatore Ferragamo handbag

Alexander McQueen sunglass

Asos choker

Zara shoes- Similar here 

Although I spent two weeks in San Francisco, I actually had very little time to be a tourist. I was busy with work from Monday to Friday and by the time I came back to the hotel, the clock stroke 10 pm or 11 pm earliest. It turned out that I only had 2 weekends to explore San Francisco as much as I could.

I shared my first weekend in the Bay Area in this blog post, so here goes the second one, including a travel video and a recommended list of what to do in San Francisco.

On Saturday morning, my friend Rebecca and I woke up early as we had a long day ahead. We planned to rent a bike and ride across the Golden Gate bridge, took some photos at this iconic location so we can cross it off our bucket list. Our plan was ruined completely as stormy rain approached the city. The wind was so strong that it was incredibly hard to walk against it, let alone riding a bike across the bridge. Unless we wanted to be blown off the bridge, we'd better off staying inside the building. That stormy sky in the photo above proves my point.

A healthy lifestyle plan became a shopping plan instead. What can you expect? Right?

We went to the Ferry Building Market Place for brunch and had a quick tour of this famous farmers market. It is the center of a transit hub that connects all of San Francisco's neighborhoods and the surrounding bay communities. If you love cooking and food as much as my friend, Rebecca does, you'll absolutely love this place.


A quiet walk on Saturday morning

San Francisco looked beautiful after the rain.

It wasn't difficult at all to find our favorite mall, Nordstrom. In fact, all of my favorite stores are in one place, standing right next to each other. These places that my wallet doesn't love so much, but I do.

Sipping my favorite Green tea latte while waiting for the rain to stop

That's how Starbucks spelled my name. Good job!

Next morning, we were luckier as the sun came out and the sky was clear. We headed to Alcatraz Island as planned.

Alcatraz Island, also known as "The Rock" is one of the most popular tourist attractions in San Francisco. From the 1934 until 1963, Alcatraz was America's premier maximum-security prison, the final stop for the nation's most incorrigible prisoners. Today, Alcatraz is a place of contradictions, with a grim past and an enduring future as one of San Francisco's most prominent landmarks and tourist attractions. You can view more on my travel diary video. The view from the top is amazing.

When in San Francisco, you'd better eat and drink like the locals. There were so many beautiful restaurants, wine bars, and clubs around town that my friends brought me to.

Girl's night out at West Coast Wine. Cheese 

San Francisco is beautiful regardless what time of the day

to the early morning.

On the last day in San Francisco, we had a few hours to explore the city before heading to the airport. There was nothing I wanted to do other than visiting the Lombard Street, the world's most crooked street. 

Crossing the street in style. Check!