lookbook Archives - Pinch of Chic

Cynthia March 9, 2018 collaborations

Pants are Power

creative direction CYNTHIA NGUYEN
photography VINCENT KO
in collaboration with ANN TAYLOR

You know that feeling when you find that pair of pants that holds you in the right places, stops at the appropriate areas just like the original design and doesn’t require a belt?

Now, imagine you were not allowed to wear pants— ever.
And that you could be arrested for slipping into a pair.

In light of International Women’s Day, I’ve teamed up with Ann Taylor to celebrate the brand’s commitment of over 60 years— making women feel empowered through their apparel, as well as the evolution and right for women to wear pants. Not only speaking to the historical shift in fashion but more-so the right in equality and social which women have fought for back in the 1940’s.

It’s a fascinating thought to see how much of a statement and value is behind the mere act of women wearing pants.

Doublecloth Bow Sleeve Coat
Frayed Cuffed Girlfriend Jeans
Marled Newbury Blazer

I’m sharing with you Ann Taylor’s campaign video that follows the journey from the year 1940, when women were once arrested for wearing pants in public, followed by today, 2018, where women can now wear pants freely– wherever, whenever. Including the Oscar s. This video pays tribute to National Women’s History month and commemorates the evolution of how women have fought for not only the rights to wear pants that make them feel confident and empowered in fashion but for equality as well.

Cynthia February 22, 2018 collaborations

free form

creative direction CYNTHIA NGUYEN
photography VINCENT KO in collaboration with MEJURI

“She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t suppose to look nice; it was supposed to make you
feel something.”—Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park

dress ARITZIA shoes ISABEL MARANT (here and here)
ring MEJURI

Cynthia September 13, 2017 outfit

Selfish

creative direction CYNTHIA NGUYEN
photography VINCENT KO special thank you to
Tobi, Geox Boutique Minimalist & Glossier

“that is the thing about selfish people. they gamble entire beings. entire souls to please their own. one second they are holding you like the world in their lap and the next they have belittled you to a mere picture. a moment. something of the past. one second. they swallow you up and whisper they want to spend the rest of their life with you. but the moment they sense fear. they are already halfway out the door. without having the nerve to let you go with grace. as if the human heart means that little to them.

and after all this. after all of the taking. the nerve. isn’t it sad and funny how people have more guts these days to undress you with their fingers than they do pick up the phone and call. apologize. for the loss. and this is how you lose her.

– selfish”
― Rupi Kaur

Stemmed from this very quote above is a feeling that is so relatable to so many, but brought up little in discussion. Is it because it makes us feel vulnerable and irresponsible for our actions when explaining to others? Or is because we believe that 90% people just simply don’t care? I question why concealing these kinds of emotions away from the public is being done while half the people feel uncertainty and depression from this.This way of feeling has reached me more frequently than I least expect it. It has made me question my standards, myself and my choices.

I would doubt myself after what I would say, wear or put out. I was judgemental and extremely critical of my own portrayal in public and online. What I delivered online became the foundation of how most new people got to know me before meeting me— Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram and online dating profiles as well.

However, what we often do is forget to recognize that others may not be as considerate, kind and self-assured as you really are. The shortage of communication and all the assumptions from the other side are derived from cowardliness and the scarcity of consciousness. Typically, people are selfish because they, themselves, lack understanding of what they really want and have their priorities arranged in a list that simply doesn’t align with yours.

DETAILS:

Dress c/o Tobi
ANNYA black Chelsea Boots c/o Geox
Leighton earrings c/o Boutique Mininalist
Leather black backpack c/o Hieleven
Balm dotcom c/o Glossier

Cynthia April 19, 2017 outfit

White Beginnings

creative direction CYNTHIA NGUYEN
photography VINCENT KO

If this month couldn’t have gone by any faster.

Congratulations to little o’ me for turning the big 2-5. Hitting a quarter century while still being well-fed, standing on my two feet, living under a decent roof over my head and occasionally gifting myself fresh blooms calls for a couple milestones, no?

You’d think that hitting the age of 25 meant facing some sort of point of realization or wishing you were younger again— to have these sense of urgency to turn your life around or be free of major responsibilities like finding all your bills for your income tax, counting how many gin and sodas you’ve been conspicuously consuming every Friday and figuring out whether you’re doing enough for your own age. Especially when you’re comparing how many times you’ve treated yourself to how much work you’ve actually put into crafting your life.

It’s a strange and looming feeling if you ask me what this year feels like. If I can compare and apply metrics to the years since coming out of school, it’s feels quite similar to lightyears. The term ‘fulfilment’ seems to surface up in the back of my head more often these past few months. I was told that being in my early twenties meant doing as much as I can. To be grouped in this age bracket to be able to do things that seemingly are appropriate— to further explore yourself, make this a great time to take risks with likely results in failures and ensuring your youth doesn’t wither away. This kind of classification where one should celebrate independence and finding yourself before settling down. To push my career as far as I can the in the right direction where others see as success despite shaving off more hours left in my days. To cover as many areas of the globe to feel this sense of ‘fulfilment,’ to be ‘well-traveled’ or ‘cultured.’ To make myself available and desirable… so that I might eventually have a man fall in love with me without knowing, because I’ve built these extraordinary version of myself.

Boy, do we have a funny kind of way to define a way of living for your 20’s. But that goes without saying for the rest of the age brackets. It just so seems my 20’s hold more pressure to create this insane foundation for this version of yourself.

Everyday can be seen as a new beginning. A new project, meet a stranger, or try a different route. An age bracket shouldn’t dictate where and when things should fall. Each day can significantly or insignificantly shift around the rest of your days or even the rest of your life— when it comes to routine, relationships, engagement and your own behaviour and mindset. That’s why we should look at spending your 20’s as spending time with yourself and not pleasing others. Not making so many goals which you’ll eventually lose track of and spin your wheels. Let this be a time where you leverage it doing what you want and holding onto what you love or seek what might interest you.

[show_shopthepost_widget id="2630371"]

Cynthia January 21, 2017 collaborations Toronto

Ruffles

creative direction CYNTHIA NGUYEN photography VINCENT KO in collaboration with SHEIN and NICOLE VIENNA

Pinch of Chic Shein Ruffle Sleeves

Let’s understand what’S HAPPENED

This entry is my second article published in 2017— another little milestone reached! In between all this crazy hustling and bustling, there’s no better way to give yourself some positivity but to take a breather from reality and just start typing away your feelings…or ‘feels’ if you will.

Man, has this year gone by rocket fast… It feels like only a few months ago did I decide to start a blog in my little bedroom I was renting out in a student house during my final year of post secondary. My full-time work schedule has shaded so much of my vision and attention that I had completely forgotten that my blog had turned 3 years old! January 7th marks the day this site launch. I told myself 3 years ago that I only had 3 years to hit that ‘blogging peak.’ You know, that pinnacle of success— that tier where one gets all the endless invitation to Paris Fashion addressed with ‘Madame’, get offered cool collaborations with Louis Vuitton and be gifted Chloe Drew bags of every neutral shade. I told myself that if I didn’t reach that peak within 3 years that I was going to fail the rest of the way because that new wave of bloggers will simply come and surpass me and my reach. There was no real over arching purpose for Pinch of Chic, other than to share my favourite outfits, foods, rants as well as inspirational pins from my Pinterest boards. In my previous post, I had mentioned that I migrated from Squarespace to WordPress and during the midst importing all the photos, I came across all my earlier blog posts when I had just started back in 2014. It was super nostalgic and pretty heart-warming to see where I’ve begun. J.Crew obsessed and Sophia Webster-loving… Wow, talk about trekking down memory lane.

Now, seeing my spurts of effort in the form of blog posts created alongside such talented photographers makes me feel kind of touched. All my great efforts to keep this blog alive, even with the sporadic posting times still did me good.

Looking at today, I wouldn’t exactly say that I’m an established ‘influencer.’ I don’t have the numbers and I definitely don’t have the kind of time like the full-time, dedicated ‘established’ influencers do. I would much rather call myself a content creator if anything. With that being said— I don’t really know how far this blog will go but 3 years has certainly passed and I’m still sitting here writing in this text field… All in all, it’s just real nice to know that I got this far with this platform— with opportunities to create and collaborate with great people anytime. Pinch of Chic not only has just been a blog but a portfolio book for me, as well as a platform for people to be inspired and feel as if they were engaging in conversation with me. It’s funny to acknowledge that this blog has opened so many doors for me— making great friends, pushing my creative thinking, practicing my entrepreneurial and negotiating skills, working with cool brands and independent designers, encouraging me to constantly go out and uncover the hidden gems, network and hunt for the most awesome brunch places all around my city. To showcase my hood through my taste and brand voice.

I’d say I’m doing pretty alright, even if I haven’t received my Chloe bag yet.

You can find me me doing a victory dance to surviving 2016 in exaggerated ruffles (only $15! See details below) with my good friend, latte.