There are a lot of street vendors in Taipei (and I’m sure in Asia in general, but what would I know) that sell a variety of clothes, accessories and shoes. At first sight, it’s super exciting! There are stores with rows and rows and rows of shoes, and racks and racks of clothes with nothing costing more than $30.

After a bit of shopping, I noticed that although prices are really attractive (and exciting, so exciting it ignites a fire in your eyes), the quality is usually lacking… quite a bit. But what do you expect from a skirt for $6? You should expect it to be transparent. Which is what I’ve noticed with a lot of bottom garments and dresses. They. Are. Completely. Sheer. Woo hoo!

Inexpensive, but poorly made maxi skirt, as beautiful as it is. See the gap between the elastic and the actual skirt?

This is okay. Although the material is pretty thin. If it was toilet paper, it would be 1 ply.

The sewing of the trim is a bit off, but for $6 or so, it’s good to go.

I had to get this because of the peplum style and cotton candy colors. (Reminds me of last year’s Halloween costume.) With some ironing, I’m hoping that it won’t look too tacky.

This babydoll dress cost me $100NT which is about $3.35CAD. One of the straps broke off, but…. that’s okay I guess.

I really like this pink dress with navy accents and trim. Except that it’s sheer. I kind of knew that. So I wore black shorts underneath. But you could totally see my black shorts. And my black bra. I need a slip.

I didn’t buy this from the street. I got it from Accessorize. Being that it’s similar to Claires in my eyes, this store is expensive!

Other than street shopping, I wouldn’t say that shopping in general is cheap. Boutique shopping is similar to shopping in Vancouver — some inexpensive items, but mostly regular retail prices. Not completely unreasonable, but not the type of shopping I was hoping to splurge on.

One thing I’m super jealous of are the malls and department stores. They. Are. Amazing. And beautifully merchandised. There are so many luxury stores… (for me to window shop, boo) and designer brands wherever you go. They have Zara, where prices are generally the same. But Aldo.. Aldo is expensive. It’s about 50-100% more expensive (did that make sense?) than Vancouver. And it seems to be marketed more as a “higher-end” brand than it is back in North America. Department stores also carry it. Good job Aldo.

I’m leaving to Hong Kong in a few hours. I’ll continue my shopping expedition there. Wish me luck. I can barely contain myself! Ah, and Cantonese-English speaking people!

XO,

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Top c/o Fake LA | Zara cardigan (similar) | DIY Studded Shorts | Seychelles Wildlife Booties | Hello Kitty Swarovski necklace | ASOS spike bracelet | Accessorize Bow Ring (similar) | Michael Kors watch (similar) | Gucci Bag

Sorry for the not so good quality of photos, but I had to improvise with the little resources I had… as in no photographer, no tripod, no mirror and poor lighting. But I did okay right?

I finally had a chance to do an outfit post with this awesomely cool tee that was sent to me by Fake LA. It’s one of the most luxurious and soft casual tee’s I’ve ever worn and I love the unique cowl back it has. Since their launch, Fake LA has gained a large following by celebrities and trendsetters and can be found in one of my favorite boutiques in LA — Kitson! If you have a moment, check out the rest of their tees for men and women on their site.

On another note, do you guys remember the store Accessorize? It was kind of like a Claire’s and Icing, but I don’t think it’s anywhere in Vancouver anymore. Anyway, the store is everywhere in Taipei and I find it pretty pricey. But I had to get that pink bow ring in my photo. I don’t know why. It’s so childish… and Asian. But I love!

I hope everybunny’s been enjoying their weeks and weekends! I’ve been in Taipei for just over 2 weeks now and I’m going to HK on Thursday. This trip is going by so quickly, I don’t want it to end!

XO,

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Instagram is awesome. (Follow me? @thebunniebar) I’m so thrilled that I get to use it while I’m here in Taiwan. Once I get back to Vancouver though, I’m going to have to get an iPhone, STAT. Or I’m going to have a bad case of instagram withdrawal.

I’m not very good at dressing for the weather here. But then again, I’m not very good at dressing for the weather back at home either. There are days when it feels like I’m walking around in a sauna. And days I swear it’s warmer on a Vancouver summer day. And sometimes, I think I’m a hot shot, so I venture out in a cardigan or jacket. And I walk. And walk. And walk. And secretly, beads of sweat are rolling down my back, hair plastered to my skin. I’m so hot. Literally.

And I try to hold out for as long as I can. But it doesn’t get better. You can’t even take your jacket off, in fear that your clothes are damp and your armpits are wet. Your only hope is to go indoors to air conditioning, but even then sometimes, you’re still sweating like a @#$%ing pig. And other times, you get super cold. Ugh.

So anyway, which is your favorite outfit of the day?

On a brighter note, my Mandarin has improved minimally. I can now say things like If you were a bit cuter, I would like you and fart, butt, and idiot. Pretty impressive, right?

XO,

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Just like how all the cool kids back in my day (because I’m so old now) were taking online college classes in school (so they can skip out on actually being in class and fall victim to procrastination) the color tangerine can kind of do the same — easily give you what you need (style), so you can focus on other things (boys).

Tangerine has been named one of the it colors this year, and spring marks a great season to add this color to your wardrobe. Although this bright color adds a pop of happiness to your outfit, it can be intimidating and may be fatal to the weak. But, it does look damn good. Want to see how you can make this trend work for you?

The Cambridge Satchel Company Leather Fluro Satchel 14″, Winky Designs Slap Watch, Michael Kors – Bedford Large North/South Tote, Bauble Bar Tangelo Bib, ASOS Orange crystal keyhole round sunglasses, Forever21 Peaked Lapel Knit Blazer, Aldo Shuart Loafers

If you tend to shy away from bright colors, try adding just a pop of tangerine to your outfit. Bright orange handbags and accessories look great with neutrals, and tangerine also compliments shades of blue and gold beautifully. If you’re obsessed with shoes like me, try orange shoes with denim or khaki. You can also wear this color as a statement piece on your nails or jewelry. Adding tangerine in any one of these ways will definitely brighten up your outfit!

If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you can venture into wearing a bit more than just a pop of tangerine. Tangerine looks great on dark skin, olive skin, and fair skin tones, and since we’re moving into the warmer part of the year, one of the best places to wear tangerine is at the beach or pool, so get your tan on! An orange bathing suit makes a strong statement, and gives the skin a beachy glow. If the idea of orange Lycra scares you, try a tangerine-colored cover up. The flowy fabric looks especially great over navy or white bathing suits.

There are many other ways to bring tangerine into your everyday wardrobe. One great option is a tangerine trench coat. Brightly colored coats are a great hit in the spring, and a bold jacket like this can be worn on top of any outfit to really kick it up a notch. If you normally stick with wearing neutrals, tangerine outerwear is an easy way to incorporate color into your look. You? Boring? Never. Tangerine colored sweaters are also a good option and look great with jeans or neutral trousers. Try a tangerine t-shirt or tank-top under a neutral toned cardigan and if you’re a real tangerine lover, try rocking a dress in this tone. This is a real attention grabber, and looks good on most skin tones. Try pairing it with neutral shoes and gold jewelry. If you’re daring, tangerine shoes with a tangerine dress make a real statement.

Whether or not you’ll be taking some online classes or distance education courses, I assure you that incorporating tangerine into your wardrobe is much more fulfilling and exciting. So, to tangerine or not?

XO,

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Forever 21 dress (similar) | H&M belt (similar) | Gucci Boston Joy

First dinner in Taipei

Taipei 101 in the distance

21 Century Chicken: They give you gloves so you can eat the chicken with your hands, like a savage!

Shalin Night Market

The best shaved ice. EVER.

 Poor little puppies for sale

My first couple of days in Taipei have been full of eating, walking and shopping. The food is pretty delicious and cheap (except for my first dinner — that came up to about $60 CAD which… isn’t cheap at all) and there’s a lot of inexpensive shopping too, especially shoes! I’m pacing myself though and so far, only bought a few things including one maxi dress… which was cheaply made. Pout. Can’t really complain. It cost a few dollars. The style here is different, but there are similarities — maxi skirts, florals, bright colors and some neon. I have yet to see pastels or stacked on bracelets though. They probably think I’m some kind of crazy accessory overload.

Anyways, I’m determined to learn some Mandarin. I think it’s difficult for me to catch on because I’m so used to Cantonese that I completely butcher the language when I say it in Mandarin. My version of Mandarin is basically… Cantonese in a “Mandarin” accent. It doesn’t work. I can’t wait to be in Hong Kong.

XO,

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After a long 13 hour flight, I landed in Taipei this morning at 6am local time. I was really dreading the flight, but it didn’t turn out to be too bad. When I boarded at 1am Vancouver time, I was already very tired so you can imagine how fast I zoinked out as soon as I got on the plane… Only to be woken up a couple of hours later to eat… dinner?? Who the hell eats at 3am?? It was probably the most awkward meal I had — half of me was really grumpy and tired and the other half couldn’t resist the smell of the chicken on rice. It was actually pretty good. I ate it all.  For the remainder of the flight I watched Hugo and MI:4. They were both good, entertaining and killed a good few hours.

Today, I realized how useless I am here, not being able to speak a word of  Mandarin. Okay, I lied. I can say a few things like I’m hungry, no, and I’m a little white bunny. I walked around some mall and didn’t understand a single thing the sales people said to me. I just smiled and scurried away. On the cab ride home, a friend had to tell the cab where to take me before sending me off. And during the ride, the driver said something to me. I have no idea what. Whatever it was, I still made it home.

 Zara trench coat, shoes | Banana Republic top | Urban Outfitters jeans (similar) | Marc by Marc bag
Front & Co necklace

Unfortunately I don’t have pictures to show you from my trip yet. (Photo is from Vancouver.) But I’ve only been here for half a day so far. I’m falling asleep as I’m writing this. It’s only 5pm here, but my body is telling me it’s 2am and I’m too old to be up. BTW, I had my first Taiwan poop today. :) It sounds funny, so I just had to share. Nap time.

XO,

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