my loves

My five all-time favorite pieces of clothing:

5) Cinnamon girl black cardigan, c. 2001. Elegant, classic, indestructible. Lost. Irreplaceable.

4) Peasant dress, c. 2000.

Positively medieval. Cream with brown and orange paisley print. Bought it so I could look at it (have not yet invented an occasion to wear it). Caesar's Palace Express, $74.

3) Old Navy Jeans, c. 2002.

Regular blue denim. One orange paint stain on the left knee from grad school art class. Hem chewed up by my puppy.

2) Silk Nina Austin gown, July 2007.

An extravagant birthday gift from my sweetie. Wore it in a fashion show in May and fell deeply in love with it. Cream with brown and black print, subtle beading.

1) White cheong sam, November 2000.

My hand-sewn, hand-embellished stage gown that saw me through Miss Chinatown, Miss Asian America, countless public appearances, dinners, and photoshoots. If I can still get into it, I would love to wear it on my wedding day.

My five all-time favorite pieces of jewelry:

5) Tiffany heart tag toggle necklace, 2004.


4) My navel ring, 1999. So twentieth century, but I'll always love mine. A coworker and I decided to get pierced on rather a whim. For me it was a reward for another semester of ass-kicking hard work. It's the one "subversive" (Mom) piercing I'll never get rid of.

3) Diamond drop necklace, Valentine's Day 2007.

From Maui Divers. They know rocks.

2) Jade bracelet that used to be my mother's.

It cracked in two places when she banged her hand on the table one day, pissed at her students. The two 24K braces holding it together are a visual reminder for me to keep a sense of humor at all times when teaching.

1) My grandmother's engagement ring. Simple platinum setting, round cut solitaire, side stones. I wear it whenever I can but recently my parents made me put it back into the family safe. Boo.