A Fashion Blog of How and Why--That's not elegant!

Dress smartly, you can be fashionable without spending tons of money.  My name is Aurora, my husband named my fashion blog with that sentence I often say. I'm also data scientist and chihuahua mom. In my fashion blog, I challenge: 1) the misconception that fashion needs luxury brands and celebrities; 2) the nerd girl stereotype. http://zhongxiuliu.com/

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Tips for staying comfortable and stylish during hiking?

These photos are from my trip to the Scotland countryside. The Scottish Highland is not a romantic tale. Threatened by both the Vikings and English, the Scottish fought to survive. I visited places where massacre happened,some lord's head and/or body found, and more....All these are now buried under the magnificent landscape, the beautiful ruins, and of course castles everywhere.

So how to stay comfortable and stylish during trips and hikes? Below are my tips (note they are suitable for light-moderate hiking under non-extreme weather):

1. Pick comfortable shoes, pants, and undershirts (long or short sleeves) with less number of colors. Many sport wear celebrate beautiful splendid colors, and they are excellent for exercise. However, during travel, if you want to stay low-key and look good in photos, wearing too many bright colors can be noisy and distracting. During travel, I prefer black, grey, white...those neutral colors mixed with a little, just a little pop. For example, this purple long sleeves shirt helps me stand out without fighting other colors in the scenery. These simple comfortable pieces can be bought in many places: old navy, nike, to name a few.

2. Good jacket! Good leather jacket! There are many jacket brands i like such as Duluth trading and Colombia. However, because my hiking and the weather were pretty mild, I picked a leather jacket. Leather jackets are fancy and sexy on their own (I recommend every lady to invest in one). Leather jackets protect you against cold, wind, and rain--really functional for traveling in spring/fall weather. When the Scottish highland shower visited, my leather jacket kept me dry and happy. Leather jackets are very popular on the streets of U.K. I bet you can guess why :)

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How to stay warm and stylish in the West Coast of the Scotland? 

In the past May, I traveled to amazing Scottish islands: Staffa, Iona, Skye, Plockton, and more.  They helped me understand why Luke Skywalker would live on an island alone. The wild landscape, the chilly wind, the 360 degree blue from ocean, sky and mountains from far far away... all make you feel you are the only person left in the entire world. Accompanying you are free spirits from the land and the sea. Puffins, the dumber version of Jedi, practice their martial art hopping and wiggling on the cliffs. You'll believe somewhere under the caves, or from the bottom of the ocean, the treasure hides, the force awaits.

Scottish Islands have strong wind, and here are my tips of how to stay stylish:

1.  Keep in mind, you travel photos look the best when you either stand out from the background, or blend in....don’t fall in between. The ocean is a magician of shades of blues, so why don’t you contribute to this palette? In this look, my dress and jacket are in different shades of blue; so they not only help each other stand out, but blend into this world of endless blue. 

2. Invest in a simple, light, elegant and comfortable jacket for travel. When you travel, the climate can be different and the journey can be unpredictable.  In the Scottish Highlands, weather changes every hour. My light blue uniqlo jacket has shaded me from wind, cold, sunlight, rain and more. Thus, make sure you have a good jacket: it will stick with you longer than you thought, and become the declaration of your style.

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How to wear embroidery and lace in summer? I think wearing lace/embroidery is like planting flowers in a garden. Below are my tips:

My 1st tip is that the location of the embroidery/lace matters much more than their pattern. Just like in a garden, nobody will pay attention to how a specific flower looks like. However, the busy details will draw attention to specific body part, which you should play it to your advantage. For example, the top i’m wearing has many beautiful details on the top half while leaving the bottom half blank. This, together with the laced details near my neckline, draw attention to my face and the jewelry on my neck. The bottom yellow line in this pattern also help raise my waist line. To summarize, the gardener of this piece makes the flowers work for the landscape (my  body type).

My 2nd tip for wearing materials with many details (e.g, embroidery and lace), is not too much and not too little. Make sure the colors are in harmony. Avoid having too many bright colors or patterns that fights for attention with each other and overpowering you, the person. In this look, white and baby blue are both light and refreshing colors for summer. These two colors fit a wide range of skin tones, you can never go wrong with them. For the not too little part: i always think a group of varied embroidered patterns or lace details together, looks more interesting and exquisite than like a piece of lace on the cuffs. Don’t just drop a flower pot near the door gate, plant the whole garden in splendid.

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How to put on effortless and professional wear-to-work pieces? Below are my tips:

After completing my doctoral degree in computer science, I started the next chapter of my life. Starting working at SAS, moving to Cary, and enjoying by big backyard in the nature. The chihuahuas in this photo are Cocoa Bean and Eclair puff, whom i adopted with my husband in fall 2017. They are the love of my life and I walk them first thing every morning and first thing back from work. 

So below is my recipe for an effortless office style:

1. Pick an effortless blazer. I prefer blazer more than cardigans or suits at work place. Blazers balance business and casual looks, and are appropriate for a wide range of occasions and seasons. I work on data in my office most of my day so a suit is too formal and stiff for my job role. Cardigans, in my opinion, work better in colder seasons, and can be old-fashioned and way too cozy if not styled properly. My tips on picking an effortless blazer are A. avoid complicated patterns and colors unless you are a pro in fashion; B. find a comfortable one. you need to wear it for a long time in office doing sometimes intense work, so don’t torture yourself.

 2. Pick a comfortable shirt. I wore this shirt traveling aboard, going to grocery stores, and more. It is simple, well-fit, breathable. Shirts like this do not attract a lot attention yet balance the style of a well-fit blazer. Shirts like this make my office life super comfortable.

3. Nice pants! Good shapes, simple colors, and good materials. My work culture allows casual style so jeans without holes are okay. I extremely like this charlotte russe high-waist jeans. They have great shapes and are durable and affordable. High-waist jeans are also in-trend. They go super well with short blazers, make your legs look longer and generally improve your body proportion. Besides jeans, many professional work pants also work in this recipe. Just need to make sure that if you blazer is well-fit, your pants must be well-fit. If your blazer is more the casual style, find a similar style pants. Keep them simple so they don’t contrast each other’s style.

4. jewels and scarfs. Sometimes a simple necklace or scarf makes the difference between a professional look and a casual look. I will talk more about this in my future posts.

blazer h&m; shirt old navy; jeans charlotte russe. shoes: dsw. whole look without jewels< $120.

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How to compromise between comfort, safety, and fashion when travel abroad?

Here are the photos from my recent adventure: appreciating waterfalls in Costa Rica. It was my first time traveling to a Central America country and my experience was beyond amazing. We hiked in cloud forests, rainforests, through natural canals, and to volcanos. Due to the amount of outdoor activities and uncertainties rised from traveling to a new country, I decided to look simple and low-key. I focused on pieces that are casual, low key, comfortable and practical.

1. Pick a low-key color. My go to travel colors are black, grey, and brown. These colors do not make you stand out among tourists :). They are also colors won’t be messed up by dirt, mud, or water drops in adventures. Moreover, as I said in many of my previous posts, the simpler the style, the more important the fit. Don’t pick something too tight or too lose. Don’t pick something that highlights you body too much or hides your body in a box. 

2. Pick breathable materials. You will never underestimate how tired traveling can be, especially when you planned outdoor activities. In the next post, I will say more about the outdoor clothes I picked. 

3. Avoid unecessary accessories. Use small details to keep your style interesting but not attention seeking. High heels are jokes. Beautiful handbags and flashy jewelries make you an easy target when traveling abroad in an unfamiliar new country. Belts and hats I think are ok if you plan to travel in modern cities/resorts and have good control over your activities. However, when you plan to visit multiple places or engage in outdoor activities, they become uncomfotable; you are likely to take them down and the next thing you know is they are gone forever (at least for me). Scarves are something I like because you can put them in your bag when you don’t want to attract attention

In this look, I am wearing a simple seashell necklace. The necklace does not add strong colors to the look but contrasts well with the black, conveying a feel of ‘vacation on the beach’. Meanwhile, the black shirt itself has a playful knote in its collar and flare short sleeves. These details make this simple shirt fun, playful, but not attention seeking.           

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How to wear grey? Grey is a ‘boring’ color of essential elegance. There are many pros of grey: low-key, approachable, professional, and versatile. In this blog, I will share you my tips on styling grey. These photos are from my summer trip to London.

1. Focus on the fitting. Grey is a neutral color that draws attention to the lines, details, and fitting. For example, this simple grey dress has a tie waist to highlight the body curve, and a higher lift in the front to make the legs look longer. These designs make this dress a good fit for many body types. Thus, I recommend you to try grey pieces on before committing, and pay special attention to design details that may/may not match your body type.

2. A little bold details, but not too much. Grey is simple, so a wrong styling can make you looks boring. I like to leave in some bold, and eye-catching details with grey. For examples: mini-scarves, necklaces, fun shoes, and stylish handbags. Plus, if you find a cool accessory that you can’t wait to show it off...grey is that best palette. However, I think too many bold colors would destroy the peace and harmony from the grey.  I also like to wear other neural colors with grey, such as white and light blue...and black. 

Remember that grey is also very versatile. You can wear it to play, wear it to work, in all seasons and on many occasions. You can wear it with many many other colors. I strongly recommend you to invest in some good quality grey pieces for your wardrobe.

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Again, how to style black and white during the travel? What are the advantages of a black and white collar dress? Here I share more tips I used during my trip to the Windsor Castle.

My previous blog talked about using the contrast to create patterns what work for you body. Here I share tips about another approach: using one color as the leader, and the other color as the helper.

1. Draw attention to you body part with the less-used color. Black and white collar dress is a great example of this use. The white collar stands out from the black ‘background’, which draws attention to whats above it -- your face. Therefore, black and white collar dress hides all flaws of you body shapes. Its a timeless, elegant piece for women with all body types. For the same reason, black and white collar dress matches great with cute sunglasses and hair accessories, because the attention is on your face.

2. Use the less-used color for styling, use the dominant color for comfort. Pick a super cozy material for you to run around during the travel. The styling? leave it to the less-used color. They don’t have to be in one piece: necklace, scarf, pin...are all perfect methods to style up a simple, single-colored dress. Many stores sell collar as an accessory along, such as Zara. Moreover, using the less-used color for styling saves your efforts in packing! You can wear ‘different’ dresses by playing with accessories, instead of packing packs of really different dresses.

I love my collar dress from victoria beckham for target: affordable, comfortable, with cute bunnies on the collar. I strongly recommend you to find a white collar dress, the least judging dress....I believe i’ll still look good in it when I become 80.

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Why should you wear black and white during the travel? How to style black and white? In this post i’ll share the tips I used in my trip to London, UK.

1. A black and white contrast is magical! First, it stands out against noisy backgrounds. This makes you looks good in travel photos, because you’ll stand out against whatever colorful architectures, landscapes or crowd. Second, a black and white contrast is easy to create (only two colors) and looks good on all skin tones, hair colors, etc. This makes your life easier during travel: you can focus on the fun and the comfort instead of the styling.

2. How to create a good black and white contrast?  The contrast is strong so it is important to make sure the patterns and lines embrace your body shape. Some patterns create illusions, such as making you look tallker, making certain part of your body bigger/smaller. Thus, you need to make sure the patterns go with the strength and weakness of your body shape. For example, in this look, the wide horizontal strip of my skit made my hips look bigger and created the hour-glass shape. I matched my skirt with a v-neck black shirt. The shirt is simple, and its shape made my shoulder looks wider -- embracing the hour-glass shape. 

3. Keep the rest simple. Dark-framed sunglassses, a cute choker, and black walking shoes were all I need. A black and white pattern is so high contrast so adding more colors often fight for attention and ruin the look. 

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How to balance formal and casual? How to look both stylish and comfortable during travel? Here I suggest some tricks I used during my trip to the Cotswolds villages in England.

1. Using less color to create an effortless look. Looks with too many patterns and colors will compete with the beautiful scenaries around you, which breaks the harmony in photos. Moreover, simpler colors require less effort in packing. You don’t need to think about which matches which and end up packing unnecessary pieces to be worn less than once.....For example: in this look, I wore a one piece burgundy dress, with only black and same color accessories. The looks stands our against the background without creating too much distractions. One trend I recommend is monochromatic dressing, which means wearing one color with different textures and shades. 

2. Picking comfortable materials for a smart casual style. I put comfort first and foremost -- you can only look comfortable when you feel comfortable in travel. With comfortness secured, a smart casual style will balance your ‘carelessness’. Especially when you are traveling to foreign countries or near religious sites, wearing a smart casual shows more respect.

3. Paying attention to the fit. Being comfortable doesn’t mean sacrificing the fit. The simpler your style, the more important the fit. A good fit is neither too tight, nor too lose.....a good fit is what makes you comfortable and confidence during travel, which will makes you look the same way.  

What suggestions do you have? 

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What are some tricks to style up a plain dress? Here i explain two approaches: using accessories to create extensions or contrasts. 

To create extensions, I like to pick accessories of the same color and style with the dress. Some good choices are: hat, gloves, handband, choker, and shoes. In this way, you create a consistent look with simple pieces. The consistency itself is eye-catching. You shouldn’t be surprised that some of the best looks you’ve seen on tv and internet are created this way. 

For example, during my trip to the Washington Slagbaai national park in Bonaire, I wore a white lace vintage choker with a plain white lace dress. The choker looks like a part of the dress--drawing attention to my neck and making the dress looks very interesting with new shapes and patterns.

To create contrasts: belt, scarf, jewel are often good choices. These accessories can be bold, to highlight the accessories themselves, or can be simple, to compliment your dress. When in doubt, pick the color black as it contrasts well with everything. 

When your dress is plain, your accessories define your taste. So make sure you choose well-made accessories that level up, not cheap down your dress.

My dress is from goodwill and choker from flea market. They cost $7 in total. 

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How to wear a tent dress? Tent dresses are lazy and cool choices for hot summer days. However, one needs to understand that tent dresses pick about the body height not the body shape. Tent dresses highlight one’s legs, so they look better on tall people, despite the body shapes. For the same reason, if your tent dress drops below the knees, you may need to wear high heels to avoid looking bottom heavy.   

Tent dresses have been criticized for hiding body cruves. One way to address this is to add a waist belt, or accessories at upper body to lift the waistline. However, unless you are a fashion guru I would choose something simple and limit the number of colors with your tent dress. 

A tent dress dances in the wind -- great choice for beaches and windy tropical islands like Bonaire. A tent dress is also a great canvas for bold colors or patterns. People seldom wear other pieces with tent dress, so no need to worry about matching pieces. Just pick a color that matches your skin tone. 

This tent dress is from francescas and costs under $40. My belt is from modcloth under $25. 

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How to wear a white shirt for summer? Recently, my favorite white shirt has accompanied me visiting so many sceneric spots on the Dutch Island Bonaire. The short answer is: keeping it simple, effortless, with good materials, and clean lines. 

White shirt is one of my favorite pieces. A white shirt is timeless, elegant, simple and convenient. You can wear a white shirt to many occasions, and a white shirt looks good on photos with any backgrounds. A white shirt is easy to pack, a white shirt is easy to match....every woman needs a good white shirt for the summer. 

My first tip is to keep it simple and effortless, especially for the summer. A simple white shirt draws focus to your facial features, your hair, and the shape of your body. Thus, avoid adding unecessary embellishments that may distract attention from your natural beauty. For example, the only thing i did here, is adding a white shell necklace to match the beach theme. 

High waisted shorts match white shirts well. High waisted shorts make your legs look longer, which goes with white shirts who draws attention to your body shape. High waisted shorts are also simple, creating a decent contrast but not too distracting. 

Pick white shirts with good materials and clean lines. The simpler your cloth, the higher standard you should hold for its materials. Also, unless you are a super star, those ‘cutting edge’ wrinkles and over-size styles may not look good on you. Instead, you want shirts with clean lines: neat, fit, and sweat. For example, my white shirt has a clean v-neck and cuffed sleeves. These details add shape and edge to the simple white shirt, and thus refining the look.

I like shirts from express, and shorts from charlotte russe. Both brands are super affordable and durable -- great places to get simple pieces for daily looks. Sunglasses rayban, they are of the best quality among many designer brands. necklace, local flea market. 

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I just had a wonderful vacation at Bonaire, a Dutch Carribean Island famous for its well-protected nature. This post is about how to pick a beautiful beach dress. My short answer is: pick a dress who dances bold colors.

One of the first things you’ll notice on tropical islands and beaches is the bold bright colors. Those colors stand out from the beautiful and equally bold ocean blue. So why not pick a dress that celebrates the similar spirit? Avoid dim, boring colors. Find those colors that attract your attention immediately, colors that make you feel cheerful and equally bold.

The next is the flow of the dress. Beaches and islands are windy, which will make your dress really dynamic. Take advantage of this. Find dresses that are light, airy and dance with the wind. In this dress, the back if longer than the front, giving a beautiful little tail as you walk by the beach.  

this dress from charlotte russe is under $30.

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Now its beach time! How to pick a good swimming suit? The key is body type. No other outlet is as picky as swimming suit about your body type. 

tip1: know your strength and weakness. I have nice collar bone and long legs, so v-neck and high leg one piece highlights these features. I lack curves on my upper body :), so texture and layers there adds volume. I really like this simple wikihow page https://www.wikihow.com/Choose-the-Right-Swimsuit , as it explains how different swimming suit cut fits different body type.

tip2: Rich color and fun pattern! Do not limit your choice within the colors in your comfort zone. Beaches are colorful and cheerful places, and the vibrant sun will make most colors look great! However, i would avoid choosing colors too plain, materials too thin, or patterns too busy that hide you natural beauty and curve. 

swimming suit: land’s end; sunglasses: rayban.

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How to wear a floral dress when spring is not there yet? Here are my tips: 1) Knee high boots and/or leggings. 2) blazer and cardigan. 

1) Knee high boots and leggings create sexy extensions and shades that make your legs look longer. They also keep you warm in cold weather. 

2) If you want to wear a summer dress to work, one easy trick is to add a blazer. you’ll look both professional and chic (make sure the neckline is not too low). Cardigans (especially thick ones) are so warm and cozy. Their colors can serve to contrast against your spring dress and make it stand out even more (think about black floral dress and a red cardigan). 

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How to choose a perfect hair color? What are some tips to protect your hair during the coloring process? This weekend i dyed my hair purple and blue!!!! Here are what I learned from my very first hair coloring experience:

To pick a hair color, even you want to go the unconventional way, you CAN’T just pick your favorite color. Here are the things I learned to consider:

- your skin tone. You should know what color looks good on you, and same goes for your hair color. If you have warm skin tone (like tan), I would avoid orange and yellow colors that dim your skin. If you have cold skin tone, i would avoid ash, light pink or other cold colors, unless you use them to create a contrast against other darker hair colors. 

- your natural hair color. This not only makes a difference on how the dye actually shows on your hair, but also how your hair color matches with your eyebrows. People look at your eyes, so an inharmonious hair and eyebrow colors will disrupt your whole look. 

- your glasses! (Unless you really want your glasses to stand out). For the same reason as above, You want to create harmonious color palette on your face.

- your wardrobe. You’ll soon realize that some clothes will not look good with your new hair color, including some of your favorites! Don’t pick a hair color that cause you to switch a large part of your wardrobe :)

- Add a subtle and unique touch with highlights! I picked fuschia purple as the main hair color, which goes with my brown natural hair/eye/eyebrow colors, and my burgundy glass frames. I added a little blue highlights into the purple, making it easier to match with the cold colors (blue, white) in my wardrobe and creating a galaxy palette. 

My friend dyed my hair. Here are some tips I learned from her to protect your hair during the coloring process:

1) put a layer of coconut oil before bleaching. the oil will help moisture the hair.

2) drop some hydrating shampoo into the beach 

3) keep the beach and dye a little away from the hair root. this helps protect the skin and the growth of healthy hair.

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How to wear neutral colors? Neutral colors can lead to elegance or disasters. Here are my tips:

1. Your skin tone is the key. Neutral colors too close to your skin tone creates a lots of fashion disasters by making your looks nude or out of shape. Neutral colors too different from your skin tone may makes your skin looks dim. Thus, I suggest do not buy neutral color pieces online without trying them on first. 

2. Neutral colors look best from head-to-toe. Neutral colors (except for accesssories such as hat and shoes) do not go well with most bright colors, which will create too much a contrast to make the whole look consistent. Instead, wear neutral color from head-to-toe. Such looks usually convey a sense of consistency, simplicity, and elegance.

3. Add interesting, consistent details. Neutral colors serve as a great background to pop any interesting details and accessories. I may still stay away from too bright colors, and choose other low-key colors like black and light blue. For people with black hair and eyes, black+neutral is a great combination as it also attracts attention to your.......(yes, hair and eyes). In this look, I have a consistent black lines on my hat, my glasses, my pants, and my shoes. I have a white bow near my neck that adds some highlight to my upper body.

whole look without accessory < $150