Luminous

Throwback to last summer when the freshman fifteen hadn't yet turned me into a landwhale

Annenberg

Exploring the hidden beauty of my main lecture hall.

Slumber

Throwback to winter break when I had adequate sleep and enough free time to lounge around in cozy coats. I've been having a love affair with long duster coats that add elegance and flair to my outfit yet save my legs from hypothermia. Returning to Philadelphia after a debaucherous break in tropical Hong Kong, I was greeted by below freezing weather and frost dusting the pavement. It was an icy shock for my body, which had been bikini-clad and lounging beside a pool 24-hours prior. Investing in full-length, woolen coats has been the only thing preventing me from resorting to down puffer jackets and turning into the female version of the Michelin man - not the most flattering look. Currently, I'm enamored with this long belted coat from COS, which flatters and lengthens the body without sacrificing structure. For something a little more casual, this oversized wrap coat from ASOS allows greater movement (and swings beautifully as you walk). If you're on a budget like me and looking for a classic black coat that will match with everything, this duster coat from Monki will do the job. Hoping for a brief and painless winter, and for spring break to come sooner.

UNIQLO INÈS DE LA FRESSANGE SWEATER ALL SAINTS PIERCED BOOTS EXPRESS SKORT ZARA CLUTCH DUSTER COAT PHOTOS BY NICK CHAN

Red

It's been a long semester at the University of Pennsylvania, with more midterms and all-nighters occurring rather than blogging. However, my return to Hong Kong for winter break marks the end of my fashion dry spell. It really is nice to be back from the land of Hunter rain boots, Lululemon yoga pants and Montcler down jackets. All winter festivities require some form of dressing up, and for Christmas I've chosen to embrace Hong Kong's glorious 70 degree warmth with a slip dress. Paired with a leather jacket and red lipstick, it's the perfect equilibrium of seductive, coquettish and tough. A considerably more stylish alternative to your average Santa's little helper outfit. Merry Christmas to you all from Girl Gone Vogue!

ASOS LEATHER JACKET FORVER 21 LACE SLIP DRESS PHOTOS BY NICK CHAN 192 HYPE on LOOKBOOK

White Heat

I've generally stayed faithful to the so-called 'fashion rules' that society dictate. Avoid too many competing prints, wear black to look slim, and stay away from unflattering drop-crotch pants at all costs. But everyone needs to rebel at some point or another. Whoever made up the rule of 'No white after Labor Day' obviously did not know the struggles of living with a monochromatic closet. It's way past September 1st, and I'm officially a rule breaker. This summer, I've grown to love little white dresses as a viable alternative to the classic LBD. White has the ability to bring a certain freshness to any formal occasion - think Gwyneth Paltrow's Calvin Klein cape dress at the Oscars. Now that summer is over, there are still ways to wear white without utterly offending the posh American society ladies in the late 1800s who imposed the Labor Day rule. In lieu of summery fabrics such as linen, experiment with winter textures in white. For their Fall/Winter 2014 collection, Nicole and Michael Colovos of Helmut Lang worked the shade in a variety of thick textiles from knits to fluffy mohair, resulting in light yet cosy looks. This cocktail number from Zara has contrasting pleather panels that give it a luxe finish, making for a great day to night look. Having paired it with a bright red lip and copper hardware, I feel ready to take on Diddy's infamous Fourth of July white parties. Maybe next year.

ZARA WHITE PLEATHER DRESS ZARA WHITE LEATHER WEDGES COS COPPER RING DIY PERSPEX EARRINGS

Loose Comforts

Summer in the city. A time when the temperature rises to the thirties, a sheen of sweat perpetually clings to your face and sane people hop from air-conditioned mall to air-conditioned mall in search of cool relief. Or if you're an insane fashion blogger like me, time to sneak onto a roof at the height of noon and take some snaps. I've learnt the hard way (ie. by wearing spray-on jeans) that skin tight clothing is not the best option to survive the summer. This season, many designers have been leaning toward looser cuts, favoring bermuda shorts over bodycon dresses. Alexander Wang showcased casually unbuttoned dress shirts in his SS14 collection, whilst relaxed trousers and draped kimono jackets were seen at Helmut Lang. Evidently, there seems to be the consensus that slouchiness is acceptable in the heat. With this in mind, I descended down the slippery slope of comfortable dressing today with a Zara split top and loose fitting Mango trousers, hoping to catch the breeze 20 storeys up from steaming Causeway Bay. Praying that I can keep comfort fashionable and not enter the IDGAF stage of living in sweats and binge-eating ice cream. That might just send me over the edge.

ZARA SPLIT TOP MANGO TROUSERS ZARA WEDGE HEELS JIL SANDER LEATHER BACKPACK COS FOLDED EARRINGS COS SQUARE RING CHEAP MONDAY BAR RING PHOTOS BY NICK CHAN

This is Not a Prom Dress

Of the many rites of passage we have growing up, prom is one of the most significant. Through the silver screen, we've vicariously experienced the excitement of donning a princess ball gown, receiving a beautiful corsage, and waltzing under a chintzy disco ball in the arms of your lover. Blame A Cinderella Story, Mean Girls or the countless other chick flicks for instilling such cheesy stereotypes in us. But voluminous tulle gowns are not for everybody, and you don't have to be a princess to go to prom. As you might have ascertained from the tone of this blog, I am not really inclined towards pastel colors and mountains of chiffon. So whilst a search around Hong Kong and the traditional prom websites left me remaining dress-less, I had better luck on ASOS when I stumbled across the brand Solace. The London-based brand is best known for the elegant yet provocative construction of their garments, and their modern approach to evening wear. What they lack in sequins/lace/tulle, they make up for with graphic and contemporary cuts. With an emphasis on artfully plunging necklines, sharp cutouts and open backs, Solace redefines the idea of showing skin in a sophisticated and minimal way. These are dresses to incite double takes without the need for ostentatious details or conventional sex appeal. Prom marks the remarkable transition from adolescence to adulthood, from school uniforms and bobby socks to independence. So to conclude the soporific, tumultuous, mundane, stressful and ultimately bittersweet experience that is high school, you might as well go out with a bang.

SOLACE LONDON REVELATION DRESS COS EARRINGS PHOTOS BY EUGENIA CHAN

Basic Bitch

Vogue may have renounced normcore as the latest trend to come and go, but just like sportswear and (unfortunately) Birkenstocks, it seems to be sticking around for the season. Just look at any fashion or street style blog and you'll see that the stylish crowd have traded in their crazy patterns and ostentatious embellishments for basics - Hanes t-shirts, jeans, converse and god forbid, even plaid. So what happened? For those uninitiated, normcore began as a reaction to the overindulgent sartorial choices that fought for the attention of photographers at each and every Fashion Week, emphasizing 'individuality' with such exaggerated outfits that seemed more parody than authentic street style. Normcore was a return to sameness, accepting that there was a certain coolness and nonchalance to blending in with the 7 million others on the planet. Despite its subdued nature, Normcore has arguably been one of the most influential fashion movements of 2014, creating a schism between the extravagant Anna Dello Russo types with thigh high gold gladiator boots and fruit shaped headgear (see: cherry and watermelon fascinators), and the effortlessly chic Emmanuelle Alt types wearing jeans, blazers and neutral tones. In this harried exam season, I have to confess that my current style is leaning heavily towards the latter category. It takes much so much extra effort to actually look presentable in the midst of all nighters and hand-seizure inducing essay writing, when all I want to do is live in my hoodie until it smells and develop a general resemblance to the homeless. I have to thank normcore for giving me an easy way out, the excuse to throw on a t-shirt and jeans and call it fashion. However, in my usual style, I can't wear basics without giving them an eccentric twist. And thus I present the anti-basic-basic, coined by one of my favorite bloggers Margaret Zhang.  It's wearing a t-shirt dress, with the added extra of a digital print. It's juxtaposing basic sandals (the closest I will ever get to Birks) with simple yet weird accessories like these owlish sunglasses and this blatantly obvious clutch stolen from my friend Nick. It's about dressing basic, without becoming a basic bitch. Not that anyone will see and appreciate my sartorial efforts, because I'll be sequestering myself for the next two weeks in my local Starbucks, drowning myself in Sylvia Plath, psychology case studies, calculus and green tea lattes. Yes, the green tea latte is totally the stereotypical 'white girl drink', but I guess I have to succumb to being basic occasionally.

MM6 PRINT TSHIRT DRESS HOUSE OF HOLLAND MONOBROW SUNGLASSES H&M SANDALS 'BLACK' CLUTCH