february 2018
the hopeful romantic
Lace. Love. And Longing. Confessions of a hopeful romantic in an increasingly impatient, pleasure-driven, and instant gratification society.
Yes, Valentine's Day is coming upon us, and who isn't more excited about this holiday than all of our single ladies (and gents) out there?! It would be remiss of us to not feature a post about the Day of Romance on our blog, even if both of yours truly are so single and so ready to mingle. Just kidding. About the mingling part.
We all know that relationships are tricky, romantic or otherwise, especially in this day and age. A relationship built on mutual understanding, deep trust, profound respect, and persevering love is hard to come by, mainly because it requires time, energy, responsibility, and a whole lot of vulnerability. A relationship is like a plant that consistently needs to be watered. But, no matter how much water you feed it, it won't grow if its roots don't drink it up.
express yourself!
I have so many single friends wondering, "Man, what's wrong with me? How come I'm still single?". First of all, girl (or boy), I feel you. Second of all, I say, now is the best time to appreciate you for you! Go ahead and dig deep, forgive the past, accept your flaws, recognize your own self worth, focus on developing your happy mental state, and enjoy sweet independence. We may not have total control of who we love, but we can certainly choose how we love. And how we love others is a reflection of how we love ourselves. Our roots need to be established in solid ground first before it can drink up any water.
We want to dedicate this Valentine's Day post to working on self-love, no matter what stage of relationship we're in. Self-love, ladies and gents, is a self-taught, much-needed, good-for-the-soul process. What better way to remember the importance of our mindfulness and kindness to ourselves than on a day that celebrates love.
While we usually think of dressing up in pink or red on Valentine's Day, this time around, we wanted to go for something a little less expected and a bit more bold. The color black tends to have a negative connotation associated with it. It's dark, mysterious, evil, and totally unfitting for this conventionally romantic holiday. But, I personally love the color black. Not only is it timeless, versatile, and elegant on the body, it conveys authority, power, and strength, and I love that. Authority over our decisions, power to change, and strength to love.
closeup:
Mixed in with this bold, monochromatic look, we wanted to feature at least one softer element to highlight the femininity in an otherwise all-black outfit. This dress was the perfect fit -- the white polka dot print adds a fun flair while the lace detail trim brings out a delicate touch. We accessorized with simple gold accents to keep the style modern, and finished off with pointy boots to streamline the look.
love yourself!
In celebration of the upcoming holiday, we hope you find the time to enjoy one another, friends and family, but most importantly, yourself. Who knew that love would be totally different from what we grew up watching in rom-coms; it doesn't just fall naturally into place, but requires a lot of work and initiative. Even loving yourself is an active process. I wish to leave you with this quote I recently read in a book that has left a mark on me, and will hopefully inspire you too:
“That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly. It is dearness only which gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price on its goods.”
Till next time,
