WIW: Kitchen Sink for Chinese New Year - YouLookFab Forum

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About: Ensemble: The Pattern-Mixed Kitchen Sink

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WIW: Kitchen Sink for Chinese New Year

rachylou

Veteran

My downtown street version of the Kitchen Sink ensemble. I wore it today for our family dinner, which we always do late. The big red flower seemed very good for New Years. Several compliments received, including from strangers!

I'm thinking about a real pair of plaid trousers now. I discovered that I don't own a pair of proper trousers in a (not grey) plaid.

We had dinner in one of the last 'proper' Cantonese style restaurants - banquet tables only, the whole chicken, and grandmas with the gold heaped over old sweaters. I plan to totally adopt this style when I come of age!

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41 replies

Latest reply was from Jaime

deb

Veteran

Rachy, where is the restaurant? oh, and you look great!

Joy

Veteran

Rachy, you look great in this style. Tell me more about what the grandmas were wearing. I'm there!

Ledonna N.

Veteran

You own this look Rachylou. I really like the huge flower and the pop of blue.

Was that chicken? What is it stuffed with? It looks good.

JAileen

Veteran

Love it! I was looking for plaid pants earlier today! Tell me about your shoes.

#2 - mmmm.

rachylou

Veteran

The restaurant is on Alameda Island.

Cantonese grandma style... I'm only half Cantonese for my Chinese parts, but *we* are known for being crass. Lol. Peasants every last one and proud of it! Lol. Anyways, I describe this style as really old, moth eaten sweaters with the gold, jade, and diamonds piled on. You know, just in case the taxman stops in, you can whip off the jewels and stick 'em in the tea pot. Times HAVE changed, however. In the golden olden days, they'd have been marled grey chunky cardigans complimented with house slippers. Now it's Macy's and Nordstrom from 30 years ago, mwahaha!

rachylou

Veteran

Chicken has sliced ham and black mushrooms layered between the chicken.

Shoes are black clogs

Anonymous

Love your leopard-and-plaid look - it has a Royal Tennebaums vibe to it. Leopard really does go with EVERYTHING, doesn't it?
I'd love to be a grandma who piles on all the gold and diamonds at once! But my collection is quite modest, so the effect wouldn't be the same.

Ledonna N.

Veteran

You are so descriptive. In my head we are good friends.

Anonymous

This is so cool! Love that rose pin on the coat too . You've got this maximal business down pat , my friend .

rachylou

Veteran

Ryce, leopard IS a neutral after all, right? Lol. Who knew before YLF? Actually, really, I have to make note that I learned leopard here. Wouldn't wear it before.

Ledonna, we are besties I have learned something about the web... everyone is as they are, except on dating sites. Then they're Kenny Loggins (sp?). All of them. Heehee.

Lisa, for some reason I find it hilarious that I had the flower pin. Actually, I have two...

approprio

(website)

Veteran

Everyone as they are? I'm a complex simulacrum of a cartoon character I once invented. I think she bled into my real life somewhere around 2003.

I like this look. I too need a pair of plaid pants.

rachylou

Veteran

Hehe... yes, and then on a dating site, you'd magically become Kenny Loggins. I promise it's true, should your cartoon character ever feel a need to break out into The House At Pooh's Corner song

I sorta can't believe I don't have plaid trousers. Only plaid fake jeans.

lyn67

Veteran

Wow, wow, wow& a Happy New year!:-)

cindysmith

Veteran

I really like this outfit!

Lisa

Veteran

Yes! What a great pattern mixing kitchen sink outfit. And I adore those patterns pants.

Karie

(website)

Veteran

Excellent pattern mixing, and therefore a great kitchen sink outfit. I love your Cantonese grandma style description above...too funny!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Anonymous

Happy Year of the Rooster! I'm glad you got to celebrate in style, with a good dose of maximal fabness. Perfect!

amiable

Veteran

Absolutely terrific!

Mochi

Veteran

Rocking the look. Exquisite.

I gotta hook up with some adoptive relatives from various backgrounds, so I can glom onto their festivities. China, India, Italy, etc are all strong forerunners.

Mirjana

Veteran

Wow, you look terrific, I like all on you, wonderful. Also good food, yummy and nice restaurant.
Happy Chinese New year!

Sara L.

Veteran

Great outfit! I love your pattern mixing. The presentation of the dish is so pretty.

L'Abeille

Veteran

Your food looks yummy. And of course your outfit is fantastic, just over-the-top enough.

I have a question maybe you can answer. The Chinese New Year gala I was invited to recently , hosted by the city's Chinese Cultural Association, was held at the biggest venue with food service and a stage (the casino). The food was ok, not better than any of the local Chinese restaurants or farmers market stalls. But there were no chopsticks. And no one but DH and I remarked on it (our table was recent immigrants and their local friends, including a South Indian caterer). Am I missing something here?

rachylou

Veteran

That happened to my mother and I on our search for a restaurant for the family dinner. No chopsticks. That's part of the whole new style thing from our point of view.

Ok, but don't make me laugh about Chinese and casinos. That's like when I went to the Irish Cultural Center and it was just a bar inside...

How was your gala?

Anonymous

Hey! I like Kenny Loggins.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Killer Rachy Maximalism.

rachylou

Veteran

So happy you approve, Angie! It was a hit, your ensemble.

Lisa - You're in luck! Kenny is everywhere!

Inge

(website)

My word, Rachy, you nailed it and then some!! All the different patterns and textures go amazingly well together, and it feels so effortless.

And yep, you really do need a pair of plaid trousers, go get some!-)

P.S. Food looks delicious.

Diana

Veteran

Hehe, I love this. It's also PERFECT for Cantonese New Years' banquet, especially the big red flower.

I married into a cantonese family. There are still several places here that do the traditional banquet thing, although not exclusively and nobody has shark fin any more since it's illegal here (good riddance I say, although I'm sure if you know someone and shell out the big bucks you can probably still get it). Banquets are still very popular for weddings, for one thing. (We had one for our second wedding reception). But the Bay Area has always been more trendy so I guess it's all the new stuff over there...

So anyway, I am not myself cantonese. I think of Northern Chinese grandma style with gigantic pearls (like the huge mabe pearl earrings), those quilted jackets, and always for some reason really well coiffed hair.

rachylou

Veteran

Yes, the giant pearls and coiffed hair! My one uncle's wife is a Shanghai maiden - does that count as northern? Well, it does to the old community out here anyways. I always crushed on my cousin's giant pearls. My parents gave me smaller Queen Elizabeth-on-tour-1950s pearls...

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